Jenna Robert

Glory

2012-01-12T00:18:00.001-07:00

This Christmas Dustin and I got lucky and were able to have plenty of time for celebrating in Utah as well as Arizona. Best of both worlds.

Here in Utah:

We got the chance to see my good friend Caitlin's BFA show, she is incredibly talented.

I took a few solo trips to Midway before Julie moved to Silverthorne, Colorado for a few weeks where her and the kids helped build Ice Castles. While in Midway I got to see Caroline's first dance recital, visit a gingerbread competition, and decorate gingerbread men with Annie.

Dustin and I celebrated our two year engagement anniversary by re-living that night at the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake. That Christmas performance is phenom, and the cathedral is breathtaking.

After the cathedral we walked around temple square and enjoyed the Christmas lights.

Dustin also surprised me with second row tickets to the nutcracker on another night. My favorite.

After Utah celebrations we drove to Arizona, where Dustin had his first zonie Christmas. Trust me, nothing is better than 70 degrees on Christmas day.

Dustin went to his first Allen family Christmas party where my uncle Brian gave him (and the other newbies to the family) a proper hazing. We also got to take male and female group pictures and enjoy Caroline starring as the virgin Mary in the nativity reenactment. We also got to spend some time with some of our collegiate star athlete cousins ;)

(the athletes and us + Caroline)

Christmas morning was glorious and beautiful as always. Though I must admit I did wake up first, before the kids, and had to wait it out until they woke up and came downstairs. Dustin impressed everyone with his perfectionist wrapping jobs.

Brinley got new rollerblades, and lost a tooth. Though oddly the two were unrelated.

Caroline asked to sit on my lap quite often (my all time favorite request), and Dustin donned a Santa hat on Christmas morning.

We visited the Langs, the Langs visited us, we all celebrated my birthday, and spent some time in the great outdoors. We also took a self timed Patterson family picture. Quality.

Brinley showed us all up (besides John, her dad, who can do the splits) with her natural flexibility.

Dustin was the best husband on my birthday. We both got sick the night before my bday, so the day of, he hung in there, bought me flowers (and DayQuil), and doted on the birthday girl while sick himself. What a guy!

The Letter

2011-12-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, my last day of school for the semester, I got an email just as my class ended that said my graphic design letter was ready to pick up in the visual arts office.

I was already on campus, so I ran so fast over to the office that the secretary hadn't even stuffed my letter into the envelope, she handed it to me unsealed, I hurried out of the room and opened that sucker up.

I got into the Graphic Design program!!!

I feel so lucky and know I wouldn't have been able to do it without the support around me. Thank you all for the sweet comments, the encouragement, and especially a big thanks to my friends (as well as my Dusty) here in Utah, for being the best friends to me during the last four months of hard work and dedication. It means the world to me, you all are the best. And beyond that, for those of you who have already found out, thank you for the congratulatory messages, you guys seriously make me so happy.

I am so relieved, and so thrilled to start classes next semester. It's honestly a dream come true.

And the portfolio is in!

2011-11-30T18:09:00.001-07:00

I can't even tell you what a relief it was to turn in my portfolio last night at 2 A.M.--4 months of hard work and I finally have it in.

I never want to do another portfolio again, so I'm crossing my fingers I will be accepted. I should know within four weeks. There's a really good chance I won't be accepted, but I'm hoping for the best!

Here are a few of the 10 art pieces I submitted:

Oh man, it has been a stressful few months and I have put a lot of pressure on myself and consequently, everything else seemed to fall to the side (I haven't made dinner in four months and the house has gone through periods of pure disaster). Dustin hasn't complained once, he has been a champion and my number one fan all at the same time. Bless his heart, I know it hasn't been easy. I am so thankful for such an amazing husband who doesn't complain, and trust me, he has had many reasons to complain in the last few months. Love that guy.

(Dustin in Midway on Thanksgiving loving the neighbors cat)

Thanksgiving weekend was fantastic, even though neither of us got to spend it with our parents, my sister (and her in-laws) were gracious enough to take us in for Thanksgiving feast. I loved spending the time with my sister's little rascals in beautiful Midway.

(A field in Midway, our view at Thanksgiving)

On Thanksgiving eve, we went out with a few friends for a Thanksgiving eve feast at Pizzeria 712, I love the holidays and the excuses you get to spend time with amazing friends and family. It's seriously my favorite things. What is better than a holiday get togethers and holiday parties? Nothing. Bring it on December.

(the girls)

(the husbands)

In the meantime, Dustin and I did get the chance to squeeze in a little home improvement project Thanksgiving weekend, and I thought I would share because I just love it. I have been wanting an inspiration board so bad this last few months, something to hang a calendar on, artwork, to-do lists, and the like. I didn't want cork board, and I didn't want a white board, so I went for a magnetic board.

We didn't really know how to make it but on a Home Depot trip (where Dustin bought a million Christmas lights) I went wandering off while Dustin was doing his thing in order to see if I could come up with any inspiration for my magnetic board. I asked a worker for sheet metal and they guided me to the duct area (as in air ducts... I think). I saw this thin sheet metal that was supposed to be used for a duct and showed it to Dustin. We thought we would try it. So we brought it home, and Dustin mounted it on the wall with those Command brand damage free hanging strips and there you have it, a magnetic board for $9. You're welcome.

Please excuse the lack of a rug, lamp, and the weird yellow walls, we are slowly getting our house together--but here are the pictures:

And now I will leave you all with some images to help you get into that Christmas spirit. Happy December!

(one of my nativity sets all ready for Christmas)

(Dustin scaling the trees putting up the Christmas lights)

(Our Christmas lights, check out that tree. And FYI- I didn't touch one strand of lights, it was all Dustin)

2011-11-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Where do I start after so many events have come and gone without any blogging evidence? This semester has been crazy, 16 credits + Graphic Design Portfolio due soon = nuts. And Dustin isn't any less busy these last few weeks working 12-18 hour shifts most days. I can feel it beginning to slow down soon enough though. So on to happier things...

Months ago Dustin and I got the chance to go and visit the other Robert family (Anne, John, and Eden-John and Dustin are brothers, I totally lucked out with his wifey choice right?) in NYC. They moved from D.C. to Harlem this fall so John could attend a taxation law program at NYU (yeah, we know he's smart). When we were visiting, John was cramming for the bar exam, so we didn't get to spend as much quality time with him as we wanted. But we loved when he got a spare moment to hang, and it turns out, alll of that studying paid off, John passed the NY bar exam! Go John!

Left: Me at the MoMA, Middle: Eden swinging in Central Park, Right: Dustin at the MoMA

We loved living like locals in Harlem across from a fried chicken restaurant, a stones throw from Central Park, and an even closer walk to the nearest subway stop. It was amazing, and we are a tiny bit jealous they live there, yet happy, because Anne and John have a dedicated guest room with our names on it (right guys?)

Left: John, Anne, and Eden, Right: Central Park by their house

New York went as follows:Dustin and I got to see Harry Potter on Broadway (aka Daniel Radcliffe in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying). When Harry (Daniel) came out on the stage with Anderson Cooper's narration track playing in the background, I almost cried. I had no idea how strong my feelings were towards Harry Potter (though I did know how strong my feelings were towards A. Cooper, I love him, don't be mad Dusty).

Okay, so you know how Daniel Radcliffe totally looks like a dweeb that wouldn't be coordinated? He was amazing! He is an incredible performer, and honestly, he held his own dancing AND singing, I was really impressed. He was full blown drenched with sweat by the end of the show, which I was rather impressed by. What a hard worker. I'm a pretty big D. Rad fan now. I highly recommend that any of you who are going to NY in the next two months see it before he leaves. The show itself was really great, and fun, and we just really loved it and left smiling. The music and costumes were fantastic.

Left: Dustin waiting to get tickets, Right: Our awesome seats

To sum up the rest of NY in a timely manner: we also went to the MoMA, I saw Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night for the first time in person and wanted to mostly because it is such a famous work, but when I saw it in person it changed my perspective on it. I got teary eyed over it, which is weird, because I'm not one of those deep art people.We also went to a dance/gymnastic type show that was awesome, we had brunch with Anne and John and Eden at Cafe Lalo (the place that was on the movie You've Got Mail), we had countless dinners on the streets at falafel trucks, and we also made it to the NYU area and tried to look at John's stomping grounds but they were totally way too exclusive for us and said that anyone that wasn't an "NYU Law Student" on the grounds was trespassing. Too high class for us ;)

Left: Dustin at the MoMA, Middle: The theatre, Right: Me in Washington Square Park

To say the least, seeing John, Anne, Eden, and baby #2 (in Anne's stomach) a few times a year isn't enough for us. We love them in New York but we think they should be closer. We have so much fun with them.

After we left New York, Fall came (and is already gone may I add). I'm lucky enough to have amazing friends who enjoy life to the fullest and celebrate fall just because it's fall. We went to Nicole's fall party, complete with hay rides, root beer, and bread bowls. So much fun. Thanks for throwing a great party (as always) Nicole.

Left: Magic, the horse, Right: Alex and Annie Grow, Dustin and I, Courtney and Wyatt Grow (This and the following two photos are from Nicole's blog, you can find more there)

Left: Courtney and Wyatt, Right: Dash (Nicole and Dane's cutie)

Nicole, Dane, and Dash

Dustin and I also managed to get an Alpine loop ride in up the canyon to see the gorgeous leaves.

Dustin on our fall drive

Nicole also had the girlfriends (and husbands) over for a pumpkin decorating/painting night, also equally as fun. This time Kelsey (who lives in St. George) was there, which made it even more special. And to top that all off Courtney baked the most amazing salted caramels for us. To die for.

Left: Nicole and Kels, Middle: Court with her salted caramels, Right: Dustin and I painting away (photo: c/o Nicole's Blog)

Dustin and I mid pumpkin paint

Soon after that Halloween was here, and Courtney and I decided we would give Nicole a break (she hosts everything can't you tell) and throw a really small intimate Halloween dinner. Courtney really did everything but I somehow ended up getting the credit probably mostly because it was at my house. We had Pumpkin Mac & Cheese, Pumpkin bars, Cranberry chicken, and a delicious spinach salad. Wyatt (Courtney's husband) was nice enough to bring a table and 6 chairs over to my place for the dinner. It was perfect, and we decided we are going to do dinner parties more often.

Left: The dinner set-up, Right: The three girls, somehow we didn't get a pic of the husbands :(

Grandpa and Grandma Allen came up to Provo because they decided to go on another mission (this is mission #4) and went to the MTC for a week (yep, a week, I think they are pros by now). They had the chance to take a few of us grandkids that live up in Provo out for dinner. Afterwards we went to my cousin Regans soccer game (she plays for UVU).

It was so much fun, I really have the best family. I love spending every minute I get the chance to with G&G Allen. When my mom initially told me they were going to go on another mission I was pretty distraught, I won't lie, I'm totally selfish but I thought 3 missions was enough. So I hoped and prayed that they would be called to Provo. I'm mean huh? Well they were called to the Historic Fort Cove Mission, which is only two hours away, so I'm not mad, they're 10 hours closer to me on their mission than they were before their mission. Yes! I wish you guys could all have grandparents like these two. Cove Fort, consider yourselves VERY lucky to have them. And Grandma, get ready for a visit come spring.

Fun fact- Ira Hinckley (who was the grandfather to Gordon B. Hinckley) founded Fort Cove. Ira, also happens to be my Grandma Allen's (the lady below) great-grandpa, and her own mother's grandpa. Yep, Gordon B. Hinckley and my great-grandma were first cousins. Which makes it extra special that they will be able to serve there for a year.

Grandma and Grandpa Allen

Well, 17 days left until my portfolio will be turned in. I'm equally looking forward to and dreading that day. I want in the program pretty bad.

One of my portfolio works, made of all paper

In the meantime, I'll be working hard on that while taking the occasional lunch break a few times a week to go out with Courtney, Nicole, and Dash (and the occasional Kelsey when she is around). How would I survive without these guys to pick me up at school and take me to lunch so I stay sane? I mean look at that face, how can you remember any of your cares when he's around?

Left: Kels, Court, Me, Dash, Middle: Dash in all his glory, Right: The girls and Dash after lunch

The Langs come to Provo

2011-09-25T14:35:00.003-07:00

This weekend our good friends, the Langs came to Utah for a family/friend visit. They came and went far too quickly, and we wish they would just go ahead and move here permanently (come on guys, it's a good idea!!!).

(The Langs, how cute are they?)

Ivy

The Langs are seriously some of the nicest, most generous, happy friends anyone could ask for. (We kinda luck out in the friends department, we pretty much have some of the best people in the world as our friends.) Before leaving, Geoff and Stacie managed to have my car fixed, my computer problems looked at, and a box of treats from Provo bakery left on our table for us to munch on. We just love them.

(Dustin and Ivy loving each other)

Their Provo trip was just one full day, and for the short amount of time we saw them, we managed to squeeze a lot in. We played at our house, ate at J Dawgs for lunch, went to Uchi (a teppanyaki resturaunt) for dinner with friends, played games at Nicole and Dane's until late at night while sharing four huge shakes (thanks Courtney!), and had fun trying to set Dash and Ivy up for life. We may or may not have managed to get a picture of them smooching.

(The spinning egg, right next to Courtney's face. Terrifying.)

(the old bunkmates-I love this!)

(post dinner)

(Court and I on a shake run)

(games at Nicole and Dane's house)

(Dash and Ivy being coerced to kiss)

Langs, we just love you. Come again soon. But this next time, please stay?

Cougar Creations: (a semi-boring BYU update)

2011-09-25T13:42:00.006-07:00

School has started, and it seems like about two weeks into the semester, things were in full swing and I was/am swamped. I love school, but I forget when it gets like this how hard it can be to juggle things.

I've mentioned this previously, but I am applying for the Graphic Design program at BYU this November, and I have to have a portfolio of my 10 best works.

The graphic design program at BYU is really competitive, it's graphic design program is being "recognized among the top schools in the country, including Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, School of Visual Arts in New York City, and Rhode Island School of Design in Providence" ...which all sounds rather daunting, but I have been working pretty hard, and hopefully it will pay off. They accept around 25-30 people/semester and I'm guessing they'll have well over 100 applicants this semester. Odds aren't great but it's worth trying!

So far I have a few projects I have made that I like and am considering submitting into my portfolio. I finished an abstract painting this weekend, and while I'm not 100% satisfied with it, I'm happy enough with it to just let it be (for now at least), it's really the first time I have attempted something like this so I have to just learn to let go and experiment with color and texture and the whole process without being too picky and hard on myself, otherwise I'll never finish anything.

I am also taking a 2D design class that I am really loving, it's a lot of tedious work but I just have loved learning about paper collage and color theory. Also, luckily for me my 2D professor is by far the most encouraging, positive, helpful person, I'm so glad I ended up in that class.

Without further ado, here is some of my art work...

My first attempt at an abstract painting:

(this one was put through instagram, the second is closer to the original color)

And this is my collage, made entirely out of tiny cut by hand pieces of paper. It was so uncharacteristic of me to enjoy such a tedious activity, but I totally loved the process:

(this is from a Matisse painting if you were wondering where you had seen it before..)

From Sea to Shining Sea (From Newport to D.C.)

2011-08-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? One thing on my "to-do before school list" was to catch up on is the blog. I wanted to get Iceland and this summer all blogged before I hit the books, looks like it's not going to happen. BYU starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!

In July the Patterfam went to Newport, Dustin and I were invited, so I went. Dustin had his usual doctorly duties to attend to and I will be honest, it was kinda nice to scram away from Utah and my dear Dusty while he was on a super busy rotation. Late nights and long days alone get old pretty fast. He was seriously missed.

(I don't know what's going on in this picture)

We had fun playing at the beach, eating Jane's corn dogs on Balboa Island, riding the waves (this year was especially fun because my nephews are getting old enough and brave enough to body surf with), and lounging at the pool. We even branched out and went to San Juan Capistrano Mission this year. That's big for us. We kinda dig the beach.

(we went to Knott's Berry Farm, I saw Snoop Dogg the first and only time I went to Knott's, so it had a high standard)

(Jake and Ty loving the waves)

(Brinley bliss)

(Me and Carolina beaching)

(Jamie, Mom, and I at the mission)

(mom and dad at the mission)

Last week I hopped a plane for D.C. to shoot video for a wedding in Virginia, which means I got to stay with Anne and John and Eden in the D.C. area.

(the East coast Robert family, we love them)

(Washington Monument. Breaks my heart this thing is cracked from the Earthquake. So much history here.)

It was far too short of a trip (and Anne and John happened to be in the middle of packing up their house to move to NYC that weekend) but somehow we managed to eat at a few yummy places, visited the National Cathedral (which I'm so glad we did considering the earthquake damage, I had never seen it in person before), checked the Washington Monument, and took a stroll through the National Gallery as well as the National Portrait Museum.

(JFK at the portrait museum, I love this one.)

(Me and Anne at the National Cathedral.)

(Eden at the Cathedral)

(Eden being cute on our walk)

(Anne and I out at dinner in Georgetown)

At the National Gallery, I finally got to see this Chuck Close painting that is one of Dustin's favorites. It's so rad in person. It is made with his fingerprints! Insane! Random trivia: did you know Chuck Close has face blindness? Did you even know face blindness was a "thing"???

(an up-close shot of the painting)

(Eden being on her best behavior in the museums.)

(Eden and I in the NGA, can I even say that? NGA?)

(Eden, Anne, and I at the National Gallery.)

I can't tell you all how much I love D.C. it is honestly one of my favorite places in the entire world. We lived there in October 2010 for a month with John and Anne and Eden, and even though I had visited a few times before, living there just made me love the area so much more.

Hopefully one day I can spend a few years in D.C. It's probably realistically not in the cards for this Robert fam, but who knows? I never thought that when I moved back to Gilbert, I would ever live in Provo again...now look at me! Sometimes life is funny.

7 Days of (Utah) Summer

2011-08-22T13:28:00.007-07:00

I've been blog-slacking big time and summer is slipping away without documentation. Which isn't okay because I have the worst memory known to man. Seriously, whenever I need to remember anything from my past, I always text Stacie who basically was by my side 24/7 growing up and remembers everything. Thank goodness for friends like that. But she isn't here in UT, so the blogging begins...

1. Ever since Dustin and I moved up here to Utah we have turned to each other quite a few times and talked about how blessed we are to be here. We miss our friends and family in Arizona (and sometimes living in D.C. or San Diego sounds amazing), but we really know that being here was the right choice. We are lucky! The residency faculty/fellow residents are so nice and positive and have treated us so well. Not to mention the support system I alone have here. What would I do without my girlfriends and two sisters? I literally see them a few times a week, which is nice because some weeks Dustin is gone A LOT (like 6:30 AM-11:00 PM style, sometimes overnight too!)

(Me and Jamie hanging out on a summer night when Dustin was working)

2. A few weeks ago here in Utah my old friend and bunk mate Jill got married. I used to share a bed with her in college, it was kinda weird but needless to say, we got super close that summer. Especially on that Guatemala trip we took as friends that same summer. I hadn't seen Jill since before she went on a mission to Argentina. She hadn't even seen me married. And I showed up at her wedding. It was a blast! So happy for her and Gavin.

(top: Kels, Nikky, me, and Nicole at Jill's wedding)

3. One beautiful summer day, Courtney, Kelsey, and I decided to go to brunch at Sundance. It was amazing. We brought a change of clothes and hiked stewart falls afterwards. It was breathtaking. We loved it so much we decided we would all hike together like once a week. That has yet to happen...but I'm so glad I got a little Utah in before the summer is over.

(Me, Court, and Kels at Sundance Brunch)

(On the lift up, looking down. So green!)

(At the top of Stewart Falls)

(top: us on the lift up at Sundance, bottom: pretty aspens)

4. My sister in law, who happens to be one of my favorite girlfriends (we just love each other) came from D.C. to visit her homeland of UT for a few weeks. She brought my niece Eden. Anne, Eden, and I all girl partied for a few days and had a sleepover, it was a blast. I have so much fun with these too. I also got to go see them last week in D.C., but more on that later.

(Eden being cute, as always)

(Eden and I. This girl is a crack up)

(Eden sleeping at our sleepover)

5. Today Kelsey packed up and moved to her motherland of St. George, Utah today. All the girlfriends are sad, she is going to be missed, but also equally excited for her to potentially move to San Fran. We had dinners and brunches and lunches in order to have a proper send-off.

(Kels, me, and Courtney at dinner)

(the girls at lunch)

6. Kelsey and I came home from lunching together one afternoon and decided it was high time we face timed with the Langers, Ivy woke up mid-chat and we were able to talk (sort of) with her for a few minutes. We miss those three. I caught some amazing screen shots of Ivy, while we were talking. She is a riot.

(Ivy waking up in her crib)

7. Oh and last but definitely not least and worth noting...a while back our dear friend practically family member Wyatt hurt his chin while at work, it split open pretty good so he went ahead and asked Dr. Dustin for his expert opinion on the matter. Dusty decided they needed to go ahead and either put stitches in, or use this special glue-like substance to keep it closed if it wasn't that bad. Courtney and I both went and watched and supported our husbands like good wives. It was fun to see Dustin in action. So weird still. He's legit! Anyway, in trade for Dustin's service Wyatt took Dustin and I out for a steak dinner. Hilarious.

(Dustin getting the numbing shot ready)

(Dustin at work, Wyatt being worked on)

(Court and Wyatt at our steak dinner)

Ice, Ice, Baby!

2011-07-29T07:32:00.006-07:00

On day five of Iceland I woke up bright and early so excited to go back to Jökulsárlón, which is the largest glacial lagoon in Iceland. We had briefly seen the night before, but had to go back in order to get a up close tour of the Icebergs in the area. We had been watching a lot of Whale Wars before we had left, and I think that made us even more excited to see real icebergs with our own eyes.

Call me crazy, but they were AMAZING. Fit for an Ice Queen. The color was the most beautiful blue, and like most things in Iceland, they were as dreamy and whimsical as can be. Which I love.

We had the cutest Icelandic tour guide who gave us some Iceberg knowledge. One thing I found interesting was that people like to use iceberg ice in their alcoholic drinks, because it melts slower than normal ice. She also fished an iceberg chunk out of the water, took out a pick-axe, and chopped off a little piece of ice for us to eat. So fun, and I don't know if it was my brain playing tricks on me, but that ice was the best ice I have ever tasted. Promise. Did I mention this lagoon that we went to was the backdrop for one of the James Bond movies, Tomb Raider, and Batman Begins? Let's just pretend this is awesome even though I definitely haven't seen one of those movies...

After our car/boat contraption drove out of the lagoon, we got into our car and drove to Höfn, a little fishing community. Along the way, we were able to spot Vatnajökull, which is the largest icecap in Europe (by volume). So big it covers 8% of the country. Now, how wild is that?!

We saw some kind looking horses along our journey and Dustin begged me to let us stop, so I did. Then he got out of the car and ran to the ponies with a bag of bread in hand. I told him he wasn't very smart for trying to feed the bread to those horses. Horses don't eat bread, right? Lo and behold, they ate it. The Icelandic horses are so rad and playful. It's like a dog personality in a horses body. I want one now. Dustin fell in love with these horses (especially the ones he dubbed "gorgeous blondes") and I was dying over how much pure joy he was getting from feeding these horses bread. They loved him.

weird right?

A loaf of bread later, we made it to Höfn, stopped at a local resturant and had some lobster soup and pasta, what they are famous for. It was incredible. Fun Icelandic fact: after the meal Dustin asked the waiter if it is custom to give tips for service, and the waiter laughed at us. Their wage is included in the meal. People don't tip.

From Höfn to Egilsstaðir is where the scenery got really strange, it literally looked like we were on the moon, with nobody in sight. I can't explain it other than that and pictures don't do it justice. I litterally got scared there for a minute. The landscape was eery. But the closer we got to Egilsstaðir the less eery and more foresty it got. We saw reindeer here. This is also where Dustin wanted to pet more horses and accidentally got electrocuted by the fence. Don't worry, I caught that on video, if you're lucky you will get to see it soon enough.

Here are the pictures from that drive that was only a few hours. The landscape seems to change every few minutes:

(this is where it got looking moon-ish)

Dustin and the horses round two:

That night got COLD, and it actually started snowing. Dustin, being the good husband he is, tried hard to find us a place to stay. But every hostel/guesthouse/hotel we went to had a phone number to call in order to reach the owner. We were without a phone, and finally gave into the fact that sleeping in a tent in the snow would become a reality that night. I think by far, this was the hardest night to camp in. Looking back, pretty hilarious, but at the time, kind of daunting. Dustin pitched the tent in snow, and begged me to sneak into a nearby abandoned building that was so warm and sleep there with him (don't worry, I wouldn't give in). It was that bad. In the end, we survived. Here is a picture to demonstrate how Dustin felt about sleeping in the tent that night:

Dustin's Bday and Cousin Cam Gets Married!

2011-07-07T14:03:00.004-07:00

I hate to lump these two very important events together, but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway.

Last week Dustin turned 31! He had a long day at work but luckily he got off early enough to come home and party.

I made him a pie, stuck a sparkler in it, and sung him happy birthday. He also got some new kicks and delish Communal dinner c/o his parents.

Another huge event happened that very weekend. Cousin Cam got married! My cousin cam and I have been buds as long as I remember. In high school I think that's when we finally realized we were more alike than we had ever known before (I liked my girlfriends, he kissed my girlfriends, that kinda stuff).

Then we both went to BYU, and he kissed my roommates (sorry Kari). We became close through those years, and those mornings I would find him crashed on my family room couch in college (just kidding).

Anyway, I love Cam to death, and he finally decided to settle down with a girl after much looking, and got married to a cutie named Kari.

Kari not only happens to be an unbelievable runner (like seriously guys, you can google her). But she also is such a rad, fun, perfect girl for Cam. I am so glad they found each other.

I was lucky enough to go down to AZ for the festivities. Stacie and I went to the reception together. She picked me up from my parents house in her car, and lo and behold, we were accidentally matching, like the olden golden days when we went to high school together (matching each other, but not matching ourselves, might I add). It warmed my heart a little.

I don't think we realized we were matching, until someone asked us if we were bridesmaids at the wedding. #matchingfail!

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of July.

2011-07-05T18:08:00.007-07:00

I thought I would take a break from blogging Iceland temporarily so I could blog about a few important events. The first being the 4th of July, which happens to be the most fun in Utah.

Fourth of July celebrations really start around the 2nd of July in Utah County, and we loved every minute of it over here in the Robert household.

I woke up bright and early on the 2nd, so Dustin and I decided we might as well get up and go to the Balloon Festival which was happening a few miles down the road. Unfortunately, we were a little too late to actually watch the balloons launch, but it was still so much fun watching them float around the city of Provo. Is there anything more magical and whimsical than a hot air balloon? It's now my life goal to ride in one. I mean, these are balloons attached to oversized baskets that hold humans in them up high in the atmosphere. How insanely cool is that?

After watching the balloons for a while, I went to Courtney's house to help her set up for her party. Upon arrival there, I knew it was going to be a good one. Let's just say Courtney knows how to throw a party, and we are glad we are her friends so we can be invited.

(Photo c/o Nicole, doesn't it look like it came straight from Martha Stewart? She's amazing, and you can see more on her blog.)

(Also Nicole)

(Nicole)

(yes, there was a cotton candy machine and everything!)

By the end of Courtney's party, we were watching fireworks with spectacular views, lighting sparklers, and enjoying a good s'more right over the fire. Perfection.

On the 3rd of July, we partied at Huber Groves in Midway, which was beautiful.

And then the 4th finally came! And I woke up at 6:00 AM in order to get to the balloon launch (which was happening again) before they actually launched! The sad part of the story? They never launched because it was too windy, but they were blown up and tethered, which was cool anyway.

(The balloons being blown down by the wind, they almost smashed the people standing underneath them! I have never seen people scramble so fast.)

From the balloons we went to the parade, I love a good parade. And loved every minute of this one, despite the lack of candy (come on, Provo!!!)

That night I watched some fireworks from my front porch up on the hill. It was practically the perfect holiday, what can I say?

Hiking waterfalls and an Ash Cloud

2011-07-03T19:43:00.015-07:00

Continuing with our Iceland trip, at this rate, I may be done blogging our Iceland trip by Christmas!

On day four:

Dustin and I saw a few waterfalls, I don't know if I have mentioned this already, but Iceland has a TON of waterfalls, it seriously gives Hawaii a run for it's money with all of the lush green areas and numerous waterfalls.

We started the day right by hiking up Seljalandsfoss which was as green and majestic as you could ever imagine.

Loving the green scene.

We hiked up the mountainside of the waterfall, and were able to go around and behind the actual waterfall without getting wet (besides the spray off of it, hence the rain slickers). It was a pretty slippery short hike with no rails, typical Iceland style, but it was really awesome to be right behind the waterfall.

Dustin hiking up the side of the waterfall, please notice how slippery it looks and the lack of railing or caution signs. Iceland is awesome.

Behind the waterfall.

We only took my iPhone on the hike because I figured it would be cheaper than losing my real camera if it got wet/if we fell into the waterfall (seriously), so I apologize for the low quality pics.

Post waterfall hike. I had to document how soaked I got from the spray.

After that we drove to the next destination, which happened to be another beautiful and majestic waterfall called Skogafoss. But this time there were stairs, and even some rails! We ended up above the waterfall on our hike, instead of behind it. Which obviously meant great views.

Standing far away at Skogafoss, pretty, right?

At the top of Skogafoss.

Next up were the basalt cliffs and Dyrholaey. The basalt cliffs were incredible. Probably one of my favorite sights in Iceland. They are just so smooth and easy to walk on-they're natural stairs! I just think they are absolutely gorgeous.

Walking on the basalt cliffs.

Dustin skipping rocks by Dyrholey.

Basalt cliff cave.

Dyrholey.

The next place we went, was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my entire life. It was a little rough to get there in our little car, we had to do some off roading, but it was so worth it.

Fjadrargljufur is the most amazing grass covered canyon where I'm pretty sure I had a few heart attacks due to the sheer cliffs and my husband's sheer bravery (or stupidity depending on who you're talking to) getting so close to the edges of those cliffs. Seriously, I never knew how scared I was of cliffs until this moment. No rails, and HUGE drops.

Dustin at the edge of one of the cliffs.

At the bottom of the cliffs.

After the cliffs we were off to Jokulsarlon Lagoon, which was a little drive. While driving we noticed a scary looking cloud in the distance, and we were quickly approaching it, but we didn't think a ton about it, until it was too late to turn back.

The scary cloud.

Turns out the black cloud was an ash cloud, from the recent volcano that had gone off. Mix that with wind and the layer of ash on lava fields, and it turned into a real crazy dust-like storm that was pretty hard to drive in. After about 30 minutes of that we were out of the storm! We quickly peeked at the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon and the beach close by, and were ready to call it a night. And as we were driving to find a place to crash, we saw this awesome book building and snapped a few pics.

The lagoon. Are those not the prettiest hues of blue you've ever seen?

Glacier break off on the beach.

Reykjavik and The Golden Circle

2011-06-26T22:40:00.024-07:00

A few random facts (well, facts according to me) about Iceland:

1) People are so trusting. Everything is on the honor system over there. Camping sights were to be paid for the night after your stay, and no, there wasn't a box with a slot in it to put your money in, but instead there were often hand-drawn maps to the camp site owner's house where you were to pay them for your night's stay. Oh, and there are unlocked bikes all over Reykjavik, which is where 2/3 of the population live.

(our very first camping sight in Iceland-this picture was taken around midnight. no flash required.)

2) Gas is pumped, then you go pay inside. Could you imagine how disastrous this would/could be in the states?! (Dustin tries to convince me that this exists in the states, however, I won't believe it until it is proven.)

3) There is a road around Iceland that is called the ring road. The ring road basically circles the entire island, some of it is paved, and some of it is pure dirt and rocks, but the ring road makes Iceland quite tourist friendly. You can literally drive around the island (and we did!).

4) Icelandic people are really nice, and they have some rad style (I saw a guy in 90s grunge head-to-toe?). A lot of them were very blond and fair, which I kinda didn't expect for some reason.

5) Movie theaters have bins of candy that you can scoop up, put in a bag, weigh and pay for. The yummiest gummys I have EVER tried. There is also an intermission half way through the movie, just in case you need to refill your candy bag (and we did).

6) Icelandic horses outnumber the amount of people in Iceland in some areas.

7) Icelandic horses really do have personalities, and they are seriously so friendly and fun. They are such amazing animals.

8) The Icelandic horse has roots back to the vikings! No horses are allowed into the country by law. The horses there are born and bread there, and if they leave the country they can never come back. Talk about pure bread..

9) Icelandic sheep are EVERYWHERE, and you sometimes have to dodge them when you are driving around. They also are pretty cool looking animals. And lets be honest, the baby lambs frolicking in the fields kinda melted my heart.

10) Camping there was really cold, but fun, because it never got dark and in Iceland, they don't have very many animals that could eat you. No bears, cougars, lions, or snakes, just sheep and horses and cows and arctic foxes really. I love that! Because normally when camping, I can't sleep for fear of bears.

11) The weather seems to change about every five minutes.

12) Waterfalls everywhere you turn.

13) Different landscape every few miles.

14) Bounciest softest thickest moss ever, so amazing.

15) There seem to be quaint little churches at every town you drive through. These are left open and unregulated for tourists to explore inside (see fact no. 1).

16) More European tourists than American, by far.

17) Everyone seems to speak perfect English.

18) We literally survived off of nutella, baguettes, chocolate covered cookies and chocolate covered licorice. My kind of vacation.

19) Slept with three layers on to keep warm inside the tent. So much wind!

20) Hiking! Lots and lots of beautiful hikes with no real trails and no signs and no rails at the sheer cliffs that I had to reprimand Dustin from going too close to. Seriously, his life flashed before MY eyes. I don't know how that is possible.

Day two:

We spent more time around Reykjavik, and boned up on Viking history at The National Museum of Iceland.

(This is taken at the president's house (as in president of Iceland). But we are pretty sure they don't live there right now. Seriously, no security at all. It was in the neighborhood of the house we stayed in the first two nights.)

(Harpa concert hall from a distance. How rad is that building?)

(National Museum of Iceland)

(also at the museum)

Day three:

þingvellir National Park

Geysir

Gullfoss:

(Gullfoss was one of the many places I claimed to be "colder than I have ever been"--and I meant it.)

Kerið:

There is so much to do in Iceland, and we packed our days pretty full just driving all day, stopping at the sights we wanted to see every few miles, and when we got tired we either found a hostel, or unpacked our tent and slept on one of the many campgrounds.

Iceland is an incredible place, and like I said, we did a lot, which means I have a ton more pictures to share. Stay tuned.

JFK to Iceland

2011-06-22T06:56:00.006-07:00

After a short red eye flight out of Salt Lake City, Dustin and I arrived in New York bright and early, and ready to party. On the docket? Meet up with one of Dustin's friends, Andrea, and then go to the Alexander McQueen exhibit: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Side note: might I add that I have never been to New York mid-summer, but oh man, people aren't joking when they say the east coast gets hot. Arizona heat>New York heat, no contest.

After walking everywhere (typical New York style) we finally met up with Andrea and enjoyed ourselves some Alexander McQueen, it was wild! And we loved it. Totally inspiring.

And since we were in New York, we had to go to Shake Shack at Madison Square Park (a Dustin favorite).

Soon after that, we said our goodbyes to Andrea and headed to the airport to board our flight to Reykjavik, Iceland. Shortly after arriving to the airport, we noticed a balloon arch by our gate..it turns out that it was Delta's first flight straight to Reykjavik from JFK. Maybe that should be a disclaimer when you buy tickets on a flight under the category of "first flight". Nonetheless, we couldn't be too mad because they suddenly pulled out a ribbon and oversized scissors to cut it with. A true celebration! Who isn't a sucker for that kinda stuff? Over sized scissors? How cliche can you get? I love it!

Our arrival to Reykjavik came bright and early, and without incident. They didn't get lost on the way there, despite the first flight status. We got our rental car (which was the cutest car ever) and headed to the house we were to stay at.

Dustin found this rental online. It was outside of the city, and in some Icelandic family's upstairs of their house. Oh my gosh, Icelanders are totally so much more stylish than us. We pulled up to this ultra-modern home made of some type of metal and entered a room decked out in beautiful clean lines and space-saving techniques. I loved it! Plus, it was right next to the President's house (as in president of Iceland), but we will get to that later. Because first we need to go to the Blue Lagoon.

The Blue Lagoon is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. It's basically a geothermal spa with the most beautiful color of water you could ever imagine. It actually happens to be my favorite color in the world, I'm constantly drawn to things that color of blue (see my wedding ring). It's HUGE! It has also been known to have healing powers, even the silica mud in the pool can be used as a face mask. Dustin and I lounged there for about five hours before we finally got out.

Later that day, we drove into Reykjavik, which is such an amazing city. The houses are so incredible, it was so refreshing not seeing the same old house over and over again. These people paint their roofs all types of colors! And most of them are made out of some type of aluminum/metal (I'm not sure). It makes for the cleanest most refreshing look. I'm obsessed, and one day, I hope to build a house in a similar style.

On another side-note, the Icelandic Taco Bell is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. You know how when you go out of the country you see a McDonalds and although you'd never really eat there at home you eat there out of the country and it is AMAZING? Well Taco Bell took that to a whole new level in Iceland. Seriously the best meal ever.

Here are more shots from around Reykjavik, we seriously spent the entire day just roaming the streets. There is so much to see!

Harpa concert hall

inside Harpa

The Hallgrímskirkja Church.

Iceland has some of the best water I have ever tasted, straight from the tap.

That enormous pencil was suspended from the ceiling. Iceland has some amazing street art.

Well, that sums up day one. SO many pictures to come. Get ready.

it's hard to be humble when you're stuntin' on a jumbotron

2011-06-18T07:26:00.006-07:00

I'm in the process of getting all of our Iceland pictures together for some blog posts (hopefully I'll get one up today), but before I do that, I need to give a shout out to my boy, Dr. Dustin Robert, who is seriously so official now it's insane.

I know that he is probably so over me going off about how he's a doc now. I just am so proud of him. I know how hard he has worked to get to this point: 4 years college, summers of research, MCAT, two rounds of boards, 4 years med school--I think he has spent 1/2 of his life studying at this point. (too bad the fun isn't over until after 3 more years of residency--it never ends!)

He officially started at the Utah Valley Hospital this last Monday. He has a badge and everything! And scrubs that say "Dr. Robert" on them! We even got his diploma in the mail (we missed graduation due to Iceland). It's a pretty fun time.

(Dustin on his first day of work)

I think we kinda feel like we are playing house at this point. July 1st is when he officially starts seeing patients (he is in the middle of orientation right now), it's pretty crazy. I'm so thankful that Dustin is such a hard worker, but not only that, he plays just as hard and pretty much always comes home happy despite the stress he is under. That is real talent.

Congrats Doctor Robert!

In The Month of May

2011-05-18T22:20:00.002-07:00

I haven't blogged in almost a whole month. My bad! May is a notoriously busy month, isn't it? Now it's time to play catch up.

(hammock time at the cabin)

Dustin and I spent a ridiculously relaxing weekend at the cabin for our anniversary, filled with chocolate pies, hammock reading time, and we even managed to get a bike ride in. It was glorious and Dustin even managed to whip up breakfast for me the morning of our anniversary. Best husband ever.

(Dustin's present to himself)

(the best present ever, thanks D. Love Tina!)

A while back, Dustin and I got the chance to knock a few things off of our Phoenix bucket list. We hiked Camelback (sort of). I threw up four times during that hike. I kid you not when I say that elder persons, children, and tiny chihuahuas were passing me up like it ain't no thang. Camelback is not for the faint of heart. Did I mention that at certain points you have to use a RAIL so you don't fall down the mountain? Truth.

(don't let the smile fool you, I was dying inside)

(And we made it! Top of Camelback)

After the throwing up subsided, and I made it off Camelback mountain alive, we were fortunate enough to score some Broadway tickets at Gammage Theatre in Tempe. We both love a good Broadway show. We saw Fiddler on the Roof one night, which was good, but wasn't as good as I had anticipated, I'll be honest. We also saw Billy Elliot a week ago, which was incredible, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It was really probably one of the best, if not the best show I have ever seen.

We also have made it to Pane Bianco a few times in the last month, so I guess I can check that one off as well. And my, it lives up to it's hype. Those sandwiches will be missed on the Wasatch Front.

(A pane sandwich to-go)

Mother's Day was celebrated with Terry far away, and little Leslie here in Gilbert. Gosh, I sure love these women.

(little Leslie, when she was well, little)

A lot of packing has been going on in the Robert home, which is equal parts cleansing and bitter-sweet. So excited to be spending summer and fall in Utah. So thankful I got back into BYU, got a partial scholarship (yes!), and have finally decided that I want to go the graphic design route for my major. It feels so right (even though it's uber-competitive and there is no guarantee I will be getting in, might as well hope?). After months of pretending that I didn't care if I graduated college, I finally decided it is pretty much a must for me. Life-long goals don't go away as easily as I had anticipated. I feel really lucky that everything has worked out the way it has and I get to go back to school.

Regardless, leaving Arizona is pretty hard. How am I supposed to pack up and leave again? How will I survive without my little Leslie (mom) to steal left overs from on a weekly basis? What are we going to do without the Lang family? Not to mention that life without my Brinley (and the entire Lowry family for that matter) for three whole years should be an outright federal offense. Don't even get me started on not living close to the Prince family.

(Brinley being cute, per her usual state)

These are thoughts I generally try to avoid because I know it will make me cry real tears. Life will be rough in Utah without them, but again, luckily for me, I also have my Utah girls and I'm so excited to be living by them once again.

Tonight me and two of my J. Crew work friends had dinner at a new little restaurant in Phoenix called Windsor, it was nice to get together with them one last time officially. But I hate to be leaving all of these people I love and adore. It is making me realize how many goodbyes I will be saying in the next 10 days and it isn't something I'm necessarily looking forward to.

(Mindy, me, and Meagan)

Until then, it's crazy packing, leaving in 10 days, taking off for Iceland in 12 (can't wait!), and then residency starts. My husband is almost a REAL LIFE DOCTOR? Say what?!

(our disaster-zone house)

Marriage: Year One

2011-04-23T08:57:00.004-07:00

One year ago today, Dustin was picking me up from my parents house to drive me to the Mesa Temple, where we got married.

The ceremony was perfect, all of our friends (mostly) came out for the wedding, and the day literally could not have been more perfect--(blue skies, blue fluffy clouds, and beautiful weather...what more could a girl ask for?).

We partied hard at our reception that night in my parent's back yard, ate a little, danced a lot, then snuck out early to catch our plane to France that night. The next day we woke up in Paris and had the best. week. ever. (for obvious reasons).

I don't know how I got so lucky, after a year and a half of dating, I finally talked him into marrying me. And I literally married the most thoughtful, happy, and nice guy ever. I am so thankful I did. Happy ONE YEAR anniversary to my dearest doctor Dusty!

Kirtland, Ohio

2011-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have one more part of the trip to blog after this, and then I have the Allen Family Vacation covered! You can read about other parts of our trip here, here, here, and here!

I'm not going to lie, out of the whole trip, Kirtland, Ohio was the part I was looking forward to most (well that and NYC).

(the walls of the Newel K. Whitney store match my pants!)

(The John Johnson Inn)

I can thank Susan Easton Black (my idol) for that, as well as my girl Chelsea, who served her mission there and loved it. After taking Susan Black's LDS History class at BYU, and learning things about the LDS church I had never heard before, I was so fascinated by the events that happened in Kirtland and was thrilled to be having the opportunity to be seeing things like the Kirtland Temple firsthand.

(the fam at the Newel K. Whitney Store)

The Kirtland Temple was the first temple ever constructed by the Mormon church. The Mormon Pioneers spent hours diligently working on building the temple. Along with time, they also sacrificed a great amount of money in order to get the temple built. Mind you, they were as poor as can be.

(me and sisters at the Kirtland Temple)

You know those old biblical stories about Moses parting the Red Sea or Noah and his ark? That's the kind of stuff that happened at/in the Nauvoo Temple. The stuff that seems completely fictional if you don't believe in that kinda stuff (which I do). And that is why I was totally excited to see where it all happened.

(fam at Kirtland Temple)

Currently the Kirtland Temple isn't owned by the LDS church, but by the Community of Christ church (formerly RLDS). Because they are owners of it, they also give $3 tours of the Nauvoo Temple. Best three dollars spent.

(Kirtland Temple)

We also got to see the John Johnson Farm, and some other historic LDS sights. I loved Kirtland. Ohio was beautiful. Especially in the Amish country, which we spent a day at. You'll see why when I post those pictures. Oh and before we left the John Johnson Farm, we went to a maple syrup farm. The trees are tapped for syrup all around the area. It was pretty amazing.

(John Johnson Farm)

Glósóli

2011-04-11T08:31:00.010-07:00

Guess who is ditching medical school graduation in order to take a trip to Reykjavik, Iceland at the end of May? The Roberts are! And we can't wait.

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After looking over Dustin's schedule for the intern year (first year) of residency, I cried (he is going to be busy). So obviously we decided that we had better go to Iceland.

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We are so excited to ride "five-gaited" Icelandic horses on glaciers and volcanoes while wearing Icelandic sweaters that were probably made my Jónsi's mom.

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I can't wait to hang out at Bjork's island house (okay the fact that it's hers is debatable) and soak my body in the healing waters of the Blue Lagoon.

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I am so excited to sleep in grass roofed houses and whale watch with Sigur Ros.

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Dustin and I have been pretty interested in going to Iceland for a while. It's just one of those places that you will never go to unless you decide that you are going to go there (which kind of makes no sense). It's not really close to anything else, and I don't know of any jobs that require a visit to Iceland. Which kinda makes it that much more magical. Plus it's on my bucket list so I can cross that one off now.

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Land of fire and ice, get ready, cause we are coming!

And if any of you have any advice at all about traveling Iceland or places to go in Iceland, please do tell, because we really don't know what we are doing.

PS: Watch these videos, they'll make you want to go to Iceland too.

DISCLAIMER on this video below, there may or may not be naked buns (there are) at 1:13-1:19 so skip that if you want to keep it G-rated.

Welcome To Fabulous, Las Vegas!

2011-04-06T09:11:00.011-07:00

This last weekend, a few girlfriends and I decided it was fine time to take a girls trip to Las Vegas. Las Vegas was the destination mostly because it is central to Arizona, Utah, and California (the states we were traveling from), and partly just because it is fabulous Las Vegas.

(Kelsey, Courtney and Nicole)

What would I do without these girls?

I would never know how to use the Venetian spa services without these girls (thank you Courtney). I also would never know that giggling in the sauna is not kosher (thank you Courtney again). And without Courtney, I would never know that leather dresses could look so chic. Or that there are such things as fried Oreos (how can I ever thank you?!).

Without these girls I wouldn't know that pink and print pants are in (I know they are because my fashionista friends were wearing them). I also wouldn't know how to make my hair look cute in a bun (thanks Nicole!).

(proof of printed pants)

(Chelsea, me, and Morgan)

These girls seriously make me want to be a better wife, a better dresser, a better future mom, a better person all around. They are so much fun and so inspiring to be around (cheesy I know, but it is the truth!) They all have done some amazing things, and have made the most beautiful happy lives and some have given me the cutest nieces and nephews on the planet (thanks Nicole and Stacie!)

Between pool and spa days, shopping and fine dining, eating fried Oreos dipped in vanilla milkshakes, and beignets for brunch, or girl talk sleepover nights in the same bed...I feel like a new woman. A new woman just counting down until next year when we do a girls trip again.

(Fried Oreos and Beignets-YUM.)

Buffalo, NY and Niagara Falls

2011-03-31T16:18:00.006-07:00

I'm going to Las Vegas with some girlfriends this weekend, which means I should probably get my blog on if I want to keep the blog caught up with my life. So here it goes...

After visiting a lot of churchy sights in Palmyra, New York, the Patterfam drove toward Kirtland, OH stopping at some interesting places along the way.

We were semi-close to Niagara Falls along our way, so obviously we had to go there! But before we got to Niagara, we drove through Buffalo, New York--home of the original buffalo wing!!! Which meant we had to eat at the restaurant that supposedly invented the wing in Buffalo.

I'm not a huge fan of wings, but obviously I had to eat some at the restaurant that invented them! So I did. And mid-wing eating, I got a call from Dustin telling me that we got into our 1st choice for residency in Provo, Utah. So I guess Buffalo, New York and buffalo wings have a really special spot in my heart now.

This is Jamie's interpretation of the buffalo wing.

After winging for a while, we continued our journey toward Niagara Falls. It was really pretty, especially in the wintertime because it was kinda frozen. But that also made it suuuuper windy and cold so we didn't last long there. Arizonans and cold don't mix well. I liked Niagrara, but apparently I had made up an unreal depiction of it in my mind's eye. I totally thought all of the waterfalls formed a whole circle that dumped into a big water hole--if that makes any sense. I have no guesses as to where I got that idea, but I feel like I had thought that for a long time. My bad.

I'm tellin' you, it was windy!

Ohhh Canada in the background.

My sisters and I at Niagara (these are a shout out to your creative genius, TV John)

After Niagara falls we headed off to Kirtland, Ohio.

Palmyra, New York

2011-03-29T18:20:00.006-07:00

After our days in the city, our family headed to upstate New York to a place called Palmyra. There we visited a few sights important mormon history sights like: Hill Cumorah, the Susquehanna River, the Sacred Grove, Peter Whitmer's log home (where the lds church was organized), and Joseph Smith's old stomping grounds. I had been to these places once before, but was extra excited to go this time because this time I actually studied up on the sights we were going to be seeing. It was fascinating. And freezing.

Grandma Allen, Jesus, and I at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center:

The white thing behind us hiding in the trees is a temple:

My padre in the Sacred Grove:

I think this was Peter Whitmer's log cabin:

And my cousin Luke, who is awesome, and wants to be a comedian when he grows up. Love that kid!

Next up, Niagara Falls, which happened to be way cooler in my mind than it was in person. But don't get me wrong, it was still pretty cool.

The Allen Family Takes New York

2011-03-27T18:49:00.003-07:00

The Allen family is my mom's side of the family, and man, do I love them. All of my cousins and aunts and uncles are seriously the most fun.

So when my uncle decided his family was going on a trip to NYC then on a LDS church history tour, all of the other Allen families decided they wanted to go as well. Thus, the spur of the moment family reunion (mind you, we all (well all but one) live less than 30 minutes away from each other in Arizona).

New York City was a blast (and now I want to move there). It was pretty much impossible to stay together during that portion of the trip, so we kind of went off with our own families.

The Patterfam (my family) went and saw Spiderman (most incredible sets/costumes/stunts ever even though I'm no comic fan):

Hung out in times square (obviously):

Froze while visiting lady liberty:

Hung out with the only cousins that live in a different state (the Texas Allens):

Ate banana pudding for breakfast from Magnolia Bakery:

Got super arty at some art museums (and took pictures in front of Chuck Close paintings to make Dustin jealous):

Ate lots of brunch at the same place (and ordered the same thing every single time):

Peeped the NYC Public Library (awesome):

Ate lots of chocolate:

And did a bus tour (don't judge us!):

Last but not least, I got crazy knots in my hair from the wind:

New York City was so much fun, I think I'm ready to go back.

Feels Good To Be Home Baby, Feels Good To Be Home!

2011-03-22T09:06:00.006-07:00

I'm finally home from my long family vacation! It was a blast, but it feels good to be home.

As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted by this:

He arranged the flowers himself, made the card for me on Photoshop (which is impressive because I always tease him about how computers aren't his forte), picked me up a Diet Coke, and last but not least, bought me new makeup after I sent him a sad text about how my favorite foundation was spilled all over my makeup bag during my stay in New York. It was tragic.

...and that's why I married the guy I did. He went and bought MAKEUP for me as a surprise! What a man, what a man, what a mighty fine man.

I have some pictures to edit, then I'll post about my trip as soon as I have those done!

Matched!

2011-03-17T18:50:00.004-07:00

Today, while I was in Buffalo, NY, Dustin called me from Phoenix with some exciting news! We matched for residency in Provo, Utah!

We actually chose the Provo, UT residency as our first choice. I'm really proud of Dustin and all of the hard work he has put into medical school. We got what we ranked as our number one choice, all of his hard work has totally paid off. He is going to be an amazing doctor! I'm so thankful to have matched somewhere, and to have gotten what we wanted is even more humbling. How are we so lucky?

We will be leaving to move there in June, and if all goes as planned, I'll be starting school (again) in the fall.

PS: That picture has nothing to do with Provo, but everything to do with Buffalo, NY. It's actually the restaurant where the first buffalo wings were made. Awesome, right?!

New Yorking

2011-03-14T20:37:00.005-07:00

This week I am New Yorking with my Patterfam-as in my parents and a few of my sisters (without Dustin sadly...he has lives to save, you know that kinda thing, and we miss him dearly).

I actually have like 40 cousins/aunts/uncles here as well, (it's kinda a spontaneous family reunion?) and it's been pretty funny running into a relative a few times a day randomly around the city.

(us running into grandma and cousins by ground zero)

The Patterfam and the cousins met up and tried to stick together as a group on Sunday, but we totally crowded the sidewalks trying to walk around together and the New Yorkers were not pleased with us.

(me, sisters, and some cousins at Strawberry Fields on Sunday)

(feeling so close to my girl Liz Lemon here)

Tomorrow we are headed to upstate New York, and after that we are off to Kirtland, Ohio to see some church historical sights. But before we leave New York, we are going to the Today Show tomorrow morning, I've always wanted to do something like that. Maybe if we are lucky you'll see us on T.V.? I can't wait!

(The LDS Manhattan Temple)

Date Night With Two Princes

2011-03-10T08:27:00.005-07:00

On Tuesday night, Dustin and I had the chance to go out with our friends Chelsea and Ben Prince. Chelsea and I were roommies up in Utah and have been best of friends ever since.

First, we went to Cibo for dinner, which happens to be down the street from our house in Phoenix. It is a little pizzeria in a bungalow from 1913 complete with a cute outdoor area to eat. The weather has been outrageously beautiful down here in AZ (we haven't had the heat or A/C on for at least a month now--dreamy!) so we obviously chose to eat outside.

(@ Cibo)

After enjoying our pizza, we took off to the Suns game where we had fun cheering on "Steven Nash" because that was the only player that Chelsea and I really knew. And Chelsea knows him really well because he comes into Nordstrom (where Chelsea works) all the time (okay like twice). Which is why we call him Steven.

(@ The Suns)

Man, I love these two. Ben is planning on going to medical school and I secretly really hope they end up in the same city as we do for residency. That way when our husbands are crazy busy, Chelsea and I can play all day! A girl can dream right?

PS: You might recognize Chelsea from this blog, where on "Fashionista Friday" she answers fashion questions. Isn't she the cutest?

Body Worlds Weekend

2011-03-09T08:00:00.010-07:00

In efforts to cross off my Phoenix bucket list (which I updated with some great ideas that were suggested), Dustin and I went to Body Worlds this weekend. It was totally awesome until I fainted. Weird right? It was totally embarrassing. Especially when one of the workers asked if I needed a wheelchair to get me out of the exhibit. Blerg!

AZ Science Center!

1) long line to get in 2) biking to the science center

You see the problem is, I wasn't even grossed out by the exhibit or anything, I just fainted! I still don't know if Dustin believes that, but I assure you it's true. I have a weird fainting problem. A few months back when Dustin and I went to the Jónsi concert, I passed out there too.

After Dustin reviving me (not really) at Body Worlds, we rode our bikes home from the Science Center only to get home to surprise visitors! My sister and her family were in our neck of the woods and decided to stop in. This is a huge deal! We hardly ever get visitors around here and getting visitors is the most fun. It was beautiful outside so we spent the majority of their visit on our front porch. And at the creepy ice cream truck that drives around our neighborhood to the tune of "Popeye The Sailor Man" a gazillion times a day.

Brinley being Brinley always chooses her treats based off of looks, not taste, (I'm pretty sure she took two licks and threw it away), while Tyler chooses his off of flavor. I totally remember choosing the gimmicky treats when I was little. One of the many reasons I love Brin!

Power Puff Girls Popsicle

We had a fabulous time visiting and before they left, Brinley declared that she wanted to move in with Dustin and I. If her parents weren't equally obsessed with her as I am, then I probably would have tried to explore that subject more. She is the best.

Later that night Dustin and I went down to Mesa Arts Center (I always forget how cool that building is), so we could go to a East Valley Mormon Choral Organization oratorio called Messiah in America. It was really interesting. I liked it a lot. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Allen for inviting us. They keep Dustin and I pretty cultured. A while back (last May) they also invited us to the Phoenix Symphony for a Memorial Day tribute where the symphony played all sorts of patriotic songs. My Grandpa got to stand up for the Air Force song (he flew planes, cool right?!). I loved that.

The family at The Mesa Art Center

Dustin, me, grandpa, and grandma last year at the Phoenix Symphony dressed up for Memorial Day

I'll leave you guys now with a picture of Dustin and I in our helmets from our bike ride at South Mountain this weekend. Enjoy!

We Really Do Live In Phoenix

2011-03-03T08:08:00.004-07:00

As our time to leave Phoenix is fast approaching, I'm realizing that I am not satisfied with the amount of stuff we have done downtown. You see, the problem is, our friends (like the Langs) and my family live in Gilbert, so we end up going down there a lot, and therefore, we don't explore Phoenix like we should. (But don't get me wrong, I love myself some Gilbert.)

That being said, I think I will make a Phoenix bucket list at the end of this post that way you guys can hold me accountable to the things I need to do here before we leave.

Last night Dustin and I got a little crazy and went out to dinner at Gallo Blanco. We ate our fish tacos while listening to a live band that was playing, and watched some women flamenco dance. It was awesome.

After that, we went to the Phoenix Art Museum (Wednesday night is donation night!). Isn't it embarrassing that we haven't done that together yet? We both have gone separately but we have never gone together. And we live like two miles away.

That trail up the wall is made out of nails!

Beware of the pregnant nudies!

This wall is my FAVORITE. I can't emphasize that enough. I think it is so pretty. It's basically just made out of stacked paper in different colors so you only see the sides of the paper. I wish it was a big painting I could take home. I want this in my living room. Wait, I would want this in my living room if I had a living room.

(The other side of the wall is brighter colored papers)

Dustin was freaking out at this Chuck Close painting, cause I guess it isn't a painting, it's a tapestry? Chuck Close is one of Dustin's favorites. (Click here for proof.)

Without further ado my Phoenix Bucket List:

-Body Worlds while it is still here.--done!!!

-Phoenix Suns game.--done!!!

-Spring training game (I don't know if those are really in Phoenix but I still want to go).--over and didn't go.

-Maybe another play at the Phoenix Theatre.--two at Gammage count? Done!

-First Fridays Art Walk (I'm embarrassed to admit this one, because it literally happens across the street in the other neighborhood).--oops, no more Fridays and never did this.

-Go to the farmers market on Saturday and eat from one of the food trucks (sounds way sketch, I know).

-Eat at the famous Pizzeria Bianco!

-Eat at Pane Bianco.--done!

-Maybe go to another symphony concert.

-Hike camelback (I've never done it, embarrassing, I know!!!)--worst idea ever. Done!

Updates:

-Go to the Phoenix Bat Caves and Chelsea's Kitchen afterwards.

-Eat at Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles.

I'll probably add things as I go, but those are the tops for now. If anyone has anymore suggestions feel free to leave them!

Brinley and The Bieb

2011-02-28T10:39:00.003-07:00

Last week I ran into my niece Brinley (who I am sure you are all familiar with by now) who was listening to something with her huge headphones on and iPod in her back pocket. Obviously I had to ask her what she was listening to...it was Bieber, of course!

(Brin listening to Bieb)

It just so happens that I have not-so-secretly been wanting to see the Justin Bieber movie, and decided this could be my ticket in without being judged by other movie goers. So I suggested to Brinley that we go see it together!

Meanwhile, my high school friend/BYU college roommate Michelle finds out that I am taking Brin to go see the Biebs, and she comes up with the brilliant idea to take her niece, Payson, who just happens to be Brin's bff. How convenient is that?!

So Friday Michelle and I took our nieces Brinley and Payson on a double date to go see Bieber in 3D. Those two little girls are a crack up together (let's be honest, they kinda reminded me of Michelle and I together).

Brin and I

Michelle and Payson

The movie was amazing, but I think all I ended up doing was loving Jaden Smith more than ever (I want him as my son?). Oh and I guess the day we went to the movie, was the day they happened to add 40 minutes of unseen footage to it. That could explain why Payson fell asleep during the 2 HOUR movie! Dustin even got to join in the fun and come to the movie when he got off of work early.

I think I may have won Brinley over with this stunt, because she drew me this picture yesterday in church (right before her nap in sacrament meeting- ha!). Please notice how many hearts are pictured...

As far as the last post goes, I will keep you updated as soon as we know where we got into residency. In the meantime, thanks for all the well wishes and advice on my last post, I appreciate it you guys. I really do!

Doctorly Decisions

2011-02-20T21:10:00.007-07:00

This is kind of a boring wordy post about our lives, for those of you interested, read ahead! For those of you who aren't, you might want to skip this one and come back next time :)

The time has gone by SO fast. In June, Dustin graduates medical school and becomes a real doctor, and starts residency.

(Dustin taking out the trash as a doctor..)

This week (as in tomorrow) Dustin and I have to finally make up our minds and decide where we want to do residency (residency is for three years, and it starts in June). Our top choices are Provo, Utah and San Diego, California.

(Dustin spilling soup in bed as a doctor)

Provo for friends (like these girls), family, and school (school for me, not Dustin).

San Diego for obvious reasons (my life goal is to live in southern California forever--- who is with me?!).

This has been a really tough decision for us. We love the two places for such different reasons. With CA we get to have an adventure, be on our own somewhere we have never lived, and the weather is unreal.

With Utah I can go back to BYU (I just got re-accepted yesterday, what a relief!) and finish my degree (whatever that may be). I have lived there before, and like I mentioned, some of my best friends still live there. This is a big deal because Dustin will be so busy during residency that I likely won't see him a ton. This is where friends will be vital.

(Dustin pre-operation)

The ironic part is, when all is said and done, we may not end up in Provo or San Diego. It's a match program where the hospitals that we are applying to rank their top applicants in order, and Dustin ranks the top hospitals that he wants to go to (in order as well). Then if the rankings of the hospitals and Dustin's match up, then we are bound by contract to go there. So we could end up in: Ventura, San Diego, Washington D.C., Portland, Salt Lake, or Provo. Or none of the above (which would be the worst scenario imaginable...).

(love a man in uniform...)

I know this is kind of a (really) boring post, but it has been a crazy time for us, and I kind of want to remember how it all went down when all is said in done.

(Dustin did that!)

I'll keep you all posted as to where we are going as soon as I know!

PS: Enjoy the pictures of my cute almost doctor husband.

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T17:28:00.006-07:00

Last night for Valentine's Day, I decided to whip up a romantic dinner for Dustin and I. Complete with votive candles shaped into a heart (don't make fun-I love cliche!)

Dustin got home around six toting three different types of flowers for me. (I love flowers, they seriously never EVER get old.) I arranged the flowers, made dinner, and banished Dustin to our room so he wouldn't see what was going on until dinner was done.

As soon as dinner was done, I lead him down the hall, and made him close his eyes until we got to the super romantic get up I made for him:

We enjoyed some dinner and homemade chocolate pie (which I've eaten a significant amount of today) then opened a few presents. I gave him some of his favorite things, and a heart print from Ork Posters. I figured it was a good idea not only because it was for Valentine's, but because he is a doctor (almost).

His:

Mine:

(yes those are bike shorts-I can't wait to use those!)

A close up of that card...

We spent the rest of the night gazing into each other's eyes (not really). But somehow we did get away with taking no actual pictures of US yesterday, so here is one from our Valentine's date with friends this weekend:

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T23:27:00.003-07:00

Tonight Dustin and I will be finishing the last of our Valentine's Day celebrations as soon as he gets home from work. But because Valentine's Day is on a Monday this year (which means a long day's work for Dustin) I decided to surprise Dustin with a breakfast in bed on Saturday morning.

I made heart shaped pancakes with homemade syrup, and homemade heart shaped biscuits (inspired by this blogger) with gravy. It was a hit!

After the breakfast and the Phoenix Farmer's Market, we played a little tennis in the sketchiest part of town. If you don't follow my tweets, you wouldn't know that during the hour-ish we were playing tennis, Dustin hit a tennis ball over the fence and it definitely landed in a sleeping homeless man's legs. And Dustin wasn't fazed and picked it up anyway? We were totally in a homeless park and had to fix the tennis net before we could even start playing. And that is why we love living in downtown Phoenix!

(here is Dustin trying to fix the tennis net pre-game)

I will blog about this years Valentine's Day after it happens, but until then you can read about our Valentine past here and here! Until then, go enjoy a few heart shaped cookies, it's Valentine's Day!

Love Is In The Air

2011-02-11T08:56:00.005-07:00

This morning I couldn't sleep after Dustin left for work bright and early (5:30 A.M.). So I decided after an hour of laying in bed, I might as well get up and make good use of my time and make this:

I got the inspiration from Katie of Katiedid and of course, this song. All you do is cut out letters on card stock and tape them on fishing line or some other type of twine. Fun right?

Queen of Hearts

2011-02-09T08:42:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I figured it was high time I got some Valentine decor done. So last night, while Dustin was trying to sleep, I whipped some up!

Here are a few instructions just in case you are a slacker like me and have no Valentine decor up:

Felt Ball String: I bought felt balls in Valentine colors, and had some red thread (heavy duty thread, not the regular sewing thread), took a big needle, and strung them on one by one. Couldn't be easier. Seriously.

I also bought some red felt squares, and cut out different sizes of hearts in the felt.

For the Heart Garland: I made the different sizes of hearts in Photoshop, then printed them off on one page of card stock paper. I cut out the felt using the card stock hearts as my patterns. After that I threw them in a ziplock and picked them out one-by-one and sewed them together with fishing line. This is actually way easier than it sounds.

I made a google doc of the different size hearts I used, so if you want to, you can just download the document, print it off on card stock, and get cutting! Here it is.

Now all I have to do is get some flowers in those vases!

The happs around our house

2011-02-07T10:21:00.008-07:00

It's been really cold in Arizona (like in the 40s and 50s!), so Dustin got inventive and put his socks in the oven to warm them up. Don't worry, I walked into the kitchen just in time to take a picture. He told me that he used to do it on his mission and actually burnt his socks once in the process.

It's Valentines week which means Valentines cookies! Oh and it's also the birthday week of our beloved Arizona which became a state on February 14, 1912. She is turning 99 this year! So that also means cactus cookies. We don't discriminate.

Dustin finally returned to work this week after a missing a full week because of his cough. He is on a surgery rotation so he literally couldn't go in until he wasn't coughing anymore. I guess operating rooms have to be sterile or something? Anyway, we are glad he is better because this (below) is no longer deemed acceptable in my house (don't worry, when I found his stash, I got him a trash can):

This week we are REALLY missing my sister and her family who went back up to Utah after spending a week of non-stop party fun with us.

Last but not least, I love holidays as you may know by now, so I'm hoping to get some valentines-ish stuff together for this week. Stay tuned!

A Sick Weekend

2011-01-30T13:12:00.008-07:00

The day after we came home from California, I caught Dustin's sickness. Unfortunately, Dustin is still sick as well so we've been laying low around the house/in bed for the majority of this week anxious as ever to get better. The good news is that I've already finished a season and a half of Lost in a week. Productive! Maybe I shouldn't admit that...

For my birthday back in December, Dustin bought us tickets to a Diavolo performance (they are an L.A. based performance group). That performance happened to be this Friday in Scottsdale.

We got all hopped up on DayQuil and Mucinex and felt okay so we packed my purse full of Knleenex and cough drops and went. The performance was way fun, until the old man in front of us finally turned around and said to me, "I sure hope you don't have bronchitis!" (I don't). The rest of the night Dustin and I were holding our breath trying not to cough anymore. That didn't work, and that old man probably hates us now, but we still had fun!

San Dieger

2011-01-24T09:29:00.006-07:00

This weekend Dustin and I took off to San Diego to have a "second look" at the UCSD Residency Program.

Naturally, we didn't come to San Diego only for business, but for pleasure as well. The first day we got here, our tire went flat. Luckily for us, Steoffrey came along to join in the fun. So consequently, they drove us around for two days (thanks guys!) which was great because I got to sit in the back and play with Baby V.

How cute is this face?

On Saturday morning we woke up and went to Balboa Park, we watched some yogis do yoga in an ampatheatre, and wished we could join in.

Watching them made us super hungry, so we got some lunch at The Cheese Shop (just the name sounds good, doesn't it?). Then we went on a retail adventure and saw Mr. Brainwash's art work along the way (not really, but it was pretty cool):

That night, Dustin was feeling sicky (that's what happens when you work in a hospital everyday) so I went out on a date with Stacie, Geoff, and Ivy. That is when we saw this amazing invention- we all agreed that it's purpose would be best served at a lake. How fun would that be?

On Sunday we went to Seal Beach (La Jolla Cove) and watched people risk their lives by jumping into the raging ocean from rocky cliffs and swim out into the freezing water just to body surf. Fuh-reaky! Meanwhile, there were seals frolicking in that SAME ocean (even scarier-those fins are hard to identify when just barely sticking out of the water, shark style!) We also took some group shots while we were there. All in all, it has been an great trip (minus Dustin and Ivy getting pretty sicky), thanks Langs for coming and making the trip much more exciting!

Zoo-itis

2011-01-20T23:06:00.005-07:00

The other day, it was really nice outside, so we all (my sisters, their kids, and my mom) decided to go to the Phoenix Zoo.

Most of the group

A few of the kiddos may have missed school due to "zoo-itis" (it's extremely rare, don't worry) but hey, you only live once! I don't really even remember seeing any animals because I was distracted by my cute little niece Annie who is visiting from Utah.

When Annie is around, I seem to miss events going on around me. She is the funniest kid- I haven't gotten her to smile at me once (she is a very serious child). But she doesn't really cry either. She just sits there semi-content on my lap and pinches me while she lets me smooch her cheeks. And I love it!

Me and my girl Annie

After the zoo, we celebrated Hermana's (Jessica's) birthday in style!

Dustin, Me, and The Hermana

(I think this is the closest thing to a smile I have gotten out of her)

Well, we are off to San Diego for a "second look" at the residency program with UCSD. Happy Weekend Everyone!

Lunching

2011-01-18T08:03:00.004-07:00

On Saturday, I got to lunch with a few friends at Modern Steak in Scottsdale. The restaurant was so pretty, and the company was great.

Meanwhile, Arizona is 80 degrees and I am loving it (to me, no weather is good weather). Yesterday, I went swimming for two hours with my nieces and nephews--that's right, in JANUARY! It's days like these that I already am starting to mourn leaving my beloved Arizona in June for 3-4 years during Dustin's residency. At least by that time it will be more like 110 degrees...

Meagan's Marriage and Brinley's Birthday

2011-01-15T08:48:00.006-07:00

Yesterday, my girl Meagan got married in the Mesa Arizona Temple. The wedding was incredible and she looked amazing.

You see, Meagan is 6 ft. tall with the longest most beautiful blonde hair- it is a really good combo that makes one beautiful bride! And her dress! It was so pretty, and elegant, yet it looked soft enough to sleep in. Don't ask me how that works.

These are taken by the Langs, go see the rest of them!

Her wedding was a party, and I got to visit with some of my good friends that I don't get to see that often--these are the girls I have been good friends with since Elementary School!

Before Meagan's Wedding my little Brinley girl turned 5! We got invited to both of her birthday parties (yes she had two, Brinley is that amazing) and we had so much fun celebrating with her. When we asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she told us: "anything Rudolf..." even though her birthday is in January. We got creative and bought her dog Angie a reindeer costume. She about died.

I will leave you all with one more picture of that dress because I know you want to see it:

2011

2011-01-01T14:05:00.004-07:00

Last night we threw a little New Years Eve Party:

2010 was a great year for us, and we are sure 2011 will be equally amazing! Happy New Year!

A Very Married Christmas!

2010-12-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

This Christmas was my first Christmas away from home, and my first white Christmas! I had a ton of fun hangin' out in Utah with my Robert half.

A few days before Christmas we went to see the temple lights at the Salt Lake Temple. It was way freezing, but beautiful, as always.

Christmas morning meant lots of presents in PJs. On Christmas afternoon we headed up to Midway to meet up with my sister Julie to go sledding. That was so fun to do on Christmas day!

Julie and I

How cute is this shot of my nephew Dylan? He was smiling ear-to-ear the whole time.

Please take note of the matching beanies...

Uncle Dusty taking the kids on a wild ride.

Our sweet little Caroline-it doesn't get better than that!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

23

2010-12-29T12:32:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I turned 23. I woke up at home (back in Phoenix!!!) to breakfast and a movie in bed (thanks Dusty!) we lazed around all morning and opened presents. I got some pretty flowers and ate a free lunch at Liberty Market.

Taken with my new camera, thanks Mom!

I went to my parents house and hung out there all evening with some great friends. Thank you all for the birthday wishes! It sure was a good one!

Me, Nadia, Stacie, and Ivy.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T08:45:00.003-07:00

With love, The Roberts:

Utah, The Greatest Snow On Earth!

2010-12-22T16:29:00.004-07:00

Yesterday, Dustin and I woke up to a winter wonderland here in Utah. We decided to take advantage of it and shoot a holiday video (I'll post it shortly), while we were there we took some snowy pictures. There was TONS of snow. A total white out. Amazing!

We may have gotten stuck in the snow...

It's almost up to my knees!

Utah and Brinley

2010-12-22T09:00:00.004-07:00

One of my very favorite things about coming to Utah (besides seeing the Robert fam of course) is to get together with all of my college friends. Last week Kels, Courtney, and I got together and did a little G.N.O. at The Melting Pot in Salt Lake.

It always is a blast, and you can almost gaurentee one of us will match each time we get together. I love having friends here.

Before I left for Utah I had the chance to be an extra good auntie to Brinley and go to a few of her holiday performances. Realizing how much I love this little gal scares me. I'm obsessed! But can you blame me? Look at her:

One Year Ago Today...

2010-12-21T08:00:00.002-07:00

One year ago today, Dustin made me the happiest woman ever by asking me to marry him (read about that day here).

I love you Dusty! Thank you for being the best boo a boo could be. You have made me happier than I could have ever dreamed.

Goodbye, Ventura...

2010-12-15T21:54:00.002-07:00

Last week I decided it was time for me to up and leave Ventura. This year is the first year away from my family for Christmas, so I thought it would be a great excuse to hang out with them a few weeks before Christmas as well as catch up on some work (a.k.a. sewing, video editing, playing with babies). Plus, visiting museums alone wasn't much fun....

Exhibit A:

Leaving Dusty was tough, even though he has been working like crazy over there. We are meeting up in Utah this weekend for Christmas with the Robert side and I couldn't be more excited. I miss my boo thang.

While we were in Ventura, we got a chance to have a cold visit to the beach. And while traveling around has been really fun and given us a chance to see so many different places, and meet so many great people, I'm so excited to come back to Phoenix and enjoy staying in one place until June, when Dustin graduates. Oh, it feels good to be (almost) home!!!

Portland, OR

2010-12-12T16:45:00.003-07:00

In November we had the chance to visit Portland for one of Dustin's interviews (you can see our trip here and here). We had a day or two to be able to visit the city and decide if that is where we want to live for the next 3-4 years for residency. We loved it! And we shot this video:

New Video Blog

2010-12-07T11:07:00.004-07:00

Hi everyone! I have a few new videos on my video blog and my Vimeo. Feel free to check them out!

Here is an engagement I did of Mary Jane and Kevin in the salt flats of Utah:

The Getty Center

2010-12-03T10:35:00.002-07:00

The other day, Dustin and I had the chance to go on a 12 hour date. And it was the best day ever.

We went The Getty Center in the LA area. That building is so rad, I think it was our favorite part about that museum.

Plus, it was on a mountain, so the views were incredible. You could see all of LA, and the ocean!

After that, we went to the Walt Disney Concert Hall where the LA Phil performs. It's a super cool building designed by Frank Gehry.

To end the night, we went to Glendale, CA (which is way better than Glendale, AZ. Don't be mad Chelsea!) and got to see an AMAZING 100 ft. tall Christmas tree!

On the first day of Christmas

2010-12-01T07:41:00.004-07:00

This year, since I am going to be spending my first Christmas away from AZ (I'll be in Utah with Dustin's family), I decided to combine Thanksgiving and Christmas the week of Thanksgiving, and get some AZ Christmas fun in!

We (Jamie, Dustin, and I) hung my parents Christmas lights (that was no small feat) and even made it over to the Mesa, AZ Temple with friends to see the Christmas lights!

We did that!

I've been friends with these girls since 5th grade! I love these two.

Dusty and I.

Merry early Christmas!

Also, if you love Christmas as much as we do, you should probably go look at this advent calendar seen over at Oh Happy Day. I just love it so much I need to make one. Such good Christmasy ideas.

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T15:39:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving was a blast, and thankfully, Dusty even had a few days off of work in Ventura, CA and was able to fly down and enjoy it with us.

Thanksgiving morning, Leslie (my mom) decided it would be a good idea if we did a family turkey trot. We even had some neighbors join (which made us feel extra official). You had to choose between a 1 mile or a 5k. I tried to run the 5k but with no success (I know, right?) and did something in between.

The group in their shirts.

Leslie made shirts (hand dyed) for the run, and even had a roster. Serious business.

Just because she is cute..

After eating, we took some family pics:

Rob (behind the tree) wins for most creative.

It was a great Thanksgiving, and we have a lot to be thankful for!

I love this guy.

The Christensen Family

2010-11-18T14:37:00.005-07:00

One of my darling friends Nicole Christensen, of the fabulous Nicole Carman Photography, asked me to do a video for her and her adorable little family. We decided to make the video with a holiday feel. As you can tell in the video, they were the easiest family ever to shoot. Doesn't the cuteness of their little boy Dash just kill you? I hope you all like it!

As always, feel free to watch on the actual Vimeo site in HD*.

*No babies were hurt during the filming of this video.

The Phantom-Sin City Style

2010-11-15T14:02:00.005-07:00

This weekend the four Roberts in Utah (Lance, Terry, Dustin, and me) all had the chance to go to Las Vegas for the weekend to see one of Dustin's friends, Ben, perform in the Phantom of The Opera.

The men and I

Father and son

His wife, Rebekah, is actually a ballerina (as a part of the ballet chorus) in the show as well. (talented couple right?). Ben played the role of Raoul, Christine's fiance. He was the star of the show. We had dinner with them a few hours before the show, and it was amazing to see the transformation that they both had when they got onto that stage. It was also fun to hear a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes.

I've seen the Phantom of The Opera a few times, but seeing it in Vegas was a completely different experience (the second row seats were a perk, thanks Ben and Rebekah). It was totally done Vegas style, more showy. There are signs all over Vegas that say, "you've never seen it [The Phantom] like this before" and it couldn't be more true. It was phenomenal really. We had so much fun seeing the two of them perform, and we've had the songs stuck in our head since the performance on Saturday night.

Lance, Terry, Rebekah, Ben, Dustin- they were even nice enough to come out after the show in their break before the second show of the night!

Rebekah (ballerina), Ben (Raoul), Dustin, and I- doesn't Ben make the perfect Raoul?

Japanese Gardens and Multnomah Falls

2010-11-10T21:57:00.003-07:00

The third day Dustin and I were in Portland was definitely my favorite. We went to the Japanese Gardens and Multnomah Falls.

The Japanese Gardens are supposed to be the closest thing to a real Japanese Gardens outside of Japan itself. They were pretty amazing, I do love a good garden.

We really felt at home there.

I think the greater Oregon/Washington area makes you look extra pale?

Right after the Japanese Gardens we went to Multnomah Falls. The drive was amazing.

Dustin on top of the bridge.

Then I found the biggest leaf I have ever seen in my life:

Matches my jacket with perfection.

Oregon Donor (day one and two)

2010-11-09T11:41:00.007-07:00

Today Dustin is interviewing at the Providence Milwaukie Hospital for the Family Practice Residency Program while I sit in the hotel blogging our trip as it rains outside (so typical, Portland).

Our time in Portland has been amazing. Full of trees, huge beautiful colored leaves, quaint houses, and delicious food to eat.

On our first day in Portland, we went to the Little Winter Market stocked full of handmade wonders. Then walked down the street and hung out at Powell's Bookstore (we stayed there for hours-there are soooo many books to look at!) until we got hungry enough to eat some goat cheese burgers across the street from Powell's at Little Big Burger. Those were amazing.

Just driving around Portland you end up on some of the most beautiful tree lined streets.

We walked into the Ace Hotel (seriously guys, we used so many suggestions from your comments) which was really really cool.

The Ace Hotel. I want that chandelier.

On day two of Portland we hit up the outdoor markets and I went to my first opera with Dustin. Hansel and Gretel. Unbelieveable. The costumes were so whimsical and dreamy. We loved it.

The view from the Opera House.

Pictures from Hansel and Gretel (thanks google!)

We also had the chance to visit the outdoor markets and have a little lunch out by the water.

We have really loved Portland (beards, beanies, bikes, and all). Each time we go to a possible residency spot we get so excited thinking about potentially living at that particular place. D.C., Provo, now Portland. So many great options!

More Portland to come...

Blogging Utah While In Portland

2010-11-06T22:55:00.005-07:00

Before I post Portland (we arrived today) I figure I have to post the happenings in Utah. I can't get ahead of myself now, can I?

Last week, my friend Kelsey had a birthday! To celebrate, we had a girls night out:

Me and The Birthday Girl

I also got to play with my sisters kiddos while she went to The Temple:

Little Annie

Turns out I'm the worst babysitter ever. Can you tell what we had for a snack?

(correct answer: yogurt and chocolate soy milk) Needless to say, they got returned a little dirty.

A huge thanks to everyone who gave us suggestions on what to do in Portland. We would be lost without you! We arrived this morning and have already checked a few suggestions off our list, and so far, all of your ideas have been amazing! I'll post pictures soon.

Portland

2010-11-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Dustin and I are taking off for Portland, Oregon to interview there for residency (did I mention that Dustin has interviews at every single place he applied for? Amazing!)

Isn't this treehouse in Oregon awesome?

I have never been to Oregon, and we are going to have a day or so to get a feel for the area and decide if that is somewhere we would want to live for four years.

That being said, we would love suggestions of awesome places to see, favorite restaurants to eat at, shops to check out, you know, that kind of stuff!

Thanks everyone!

Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:41:00.004-07:00

To celebrate Halloween, we woke up early and carved pumpkins (by we, I mean Dustin. He spent hours on it along with his dad, Lance, who carved some masterpieces):

The master at work.

Dustin's finished product.

Lance's second pumpkin (it's making pumpkin pies-get it?)

Lance's first pumpkin on the left.

While Dustin was deep into the carving process, I took off to visit my nieces and nephews up here and went trunk-or-treating with them:

Caroline as Pinkalicious, Annie as a ladybug.

This year the Roberts dressed up as Robbers, get it?

And went to Nicole's fab party, where we weren't the only robbers...

I brought these spooky cookie fingers and not-so-spooky pumpkin chocolate whoopie pies for dessert:

We ate s'mores and had a great time:

Happy Halloween everyone, and Happy Birthday Kelsey:

Could she get any cuter?

6 Months

2010-10-23T07:00:00.004-07:00

Today Dustin and I are Phoenix bound after a month long stay in D.C.--today is also our 6 month anniversary. SIX MONTHS.

Tonight we are going to the Jonsi concert to celebrate our love for each other.

Happy six months Dr. Heart Throb(ert)! I love you!

So Long D.C.

2010-10-22T06:53:00.005-07:00

Our days in D.C. have come to an end (unfortunately). I love it here. I want to pick up everyone I love and move them to Georgetown with me. Dustin's interview at Georgetown went really well, and I had so much fun the last two days getting on the metro and exploring D.C. all by my lonesome (there is something that is pretty fun about going to museums alone).

Here are some pictures from the month:

This house in Georgetown is so fun and festive! I love the pumpkins and squash lining the doorway.

Georgetown looks like it could be Hogwarts.

Eden LOVES Georgetown Cupcake.

Laying in the field on a Sunday photoshoot.

Eden hanging upside-down from Uncle Dustin.

French Picnic

2010-10-18T14:46:00.004-07:00

On Friday, Anne and I thought it would be fun to surprise our husbands and go on a French Picnic. First, we bought a basket. Then, we bought Nutella, a baguette, paninis for dinner, sparkling lemonade, yummy Carmel cookies, the list goes on. We filled the basket and picked up the boys.

We had found the perfect spot in Georgetown that looked just like a mini version of the Seine River in Paris. We sat on the banks of the little river and had our picnic. It was so pretty, I wish the pictures could do it justice. And I think our husbands were kind of impressed.

Maybe now after this little stunt we pulled, we can finally convince the boys that it would be a great idea to share a house...and a dog.

(this is what our view looked like- thanks John for taking a good picture)

National Gallery

2010-10-12T09:31:00.007-07:00

Last week Dustin and I got to spend the day together visiting the National Gallery of Art for a few hours. We decided to hit up the east wing (the modern side) because we are hip and young, right?

On display right now is an Arcimboldo exhibit, which is normally in Vienna, I believe. Pretty cool stuff. There is also a brand new sculpture there of one of Arcimboldo's paintings (his Winter painting), it was probably my favorite thing there. So fantastic, and so enormous! I love stuff like this:

Also on display were some works of Munch. Perfectly spooky and dark for October and Halloween!

(D admiring some Chuck Close)

While we were there a man admitted that he snuck pictures of us, and then sent them to us. Isn't that nice of him?

Later that night we got to see Sabrina Fair at Ford's Theatre, where Lincoln got shot. The playwas pretty cute and way fun being in such a historical spot.

The box he was shot in- after John Wilkes Booth shot him, he jumped from this balcony and hurt his foot shouting "death to tyrants" (in Latin)--at first people thought it was part of the play. Isn't that crazy?

Last but definitely not least, thank you ALL so much for each and every one of your nice comments about my Rainy Day video, I really honestly appreciate it and love reading what everyone has to say.

A Rainy Day

2010-10-08T11:20:00.009-07:00

Eden and I have become great friends ever since I stole her room here in DC. We got dressed in rain clothes and went out on a rainy day so I could shoot this. I hope you all enjoy my first official video with my new 7D!

(you can watch it in HD on vimeo-it looks much better there!)

Eastern Market

2010-10-05T07:08:00.004-07:00

On Saturday morning we all woke up extra early to eat breakfast at The Eastern Market in DC. It was the most beautiful morning, and we had some delicious blueberry buckwheat pancakes.

We didn't have a ton of time to walk around the market because we had to get back for conference, but I am already planning on going back another Saturday.

The next trip I make I am planning on spending more time walking around, and maybe next time I will even buy some of those amazing flowers (which I didn't even edit-those colors are straight out of camera)! I had never seen those flowers before but the old man who was selling them told me they were called Celosia- aren't they so cool?

This dog was standing waiting perfectly for us to walk by and take his picture.

Eden kept saying "this is my house" each time we walked by one of the amazing houses in that area- good taste and so young!

The DC Temple

2010-10-03T12:49:00.008-07:00

On Friday Terry (my ma-in-law), Anne (sister-in-law), John (bro-in-law), and I got the chance to visit the DC Temple. It was awesome to see up close and personal and not just from the freeway. We had a great time, especially because a lady inside asked if we were all sisters. Score!

Unfortunately, Dustin couldn't come due to his doctorly duties. Afterward we met up with him at The Good Stuff Eatery (owned by Spike from Top Chef!) for some burgers, shakes, and fries. Yum!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

The Streets Of Philadelphia

2010-09-28T09:00:00.004-07:00

Our stay in Philly was great! In one day we packed pretty much all of it in. We ate Philly Cheesesteaks, visited the US Mint in Philly (not as cool as I had hoped), saw Ben Franklin's grave, visited the Liberty Bell*, and Independence Hall where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were born. Oh, and of course we ran up the steps from Rocky.

They pay people to dress up like this-awesome!

View from the Rocky steps.

*By the way, did you know, back in the 90s Taco Bell did an April Fools joke where they claimed they had bought the Liberty Bell and from that point on would be called, "Taco Liberty Bell" and people were outraged?! Ha- genius! And their sales rose a ton that week. I learned that all from Wikipedia, thank you.

Here is a video of Dustin running up the stairs to the Rocky theme song, I love the part where he goes around the woman.

Exam Day!

2010-09-22T12:17:00.001-07:00

Today the boys are taking their exam. As soon as they get home the touring begins! On the docket are The Liberty Bell and those steps that Rocky runs up. I haven't seen Rocky, but it should still be really fun. Oh, and I'm sure some Philly Cheesestake eating is required for tourists. Yum! Can't wait!

Eden Scout and Georgetown

2010-09-21T12:59:00.004-07:00

Yesterday in DC we decided to go ahead and take it a little easier. So we only hit up the Museum of American History then walked around Georgetown (where I plan on living one day). We also got to meet up with Eden, Anne, and John for dinner.

Eden, Annie and John's little girl, blows my mind she is sooo amazing. I am seriously mesmerized by her when she is around me. I am so excited to live with Eden for a month!

Proof:

Today we woke up early and drove from DC to Philly for the big doctor exam tomorrow. Three doctors-one hotel room and lotsa studying going on. All these hypothetical symptoms and diagnosis being read aloud is making me feel all hypochondriac-like.

In the meantime, we (Dustin) is getting calls from different residencies we have applied to. They want to set up interviews! I didn't really understand this until this week, but apparently not everyone gets an interview that applies. They choose based on credentials. And Dustin has gotten two really great interviews set up. One at Georgetown (I wouldn't complain if that worked out) and one in Charlotte, NC. I'm a proud wife!

The District

2010-09-21T12:38:00.003-07:00

First stop Memphis, Tennessee! Right when we got off of the plane it smelled like good ol' southern BBQ. So naturally, Isac went and bought some BBQ nachos and became a real happy camper. What can I say? His favorite foods are: beef, BBQ, and steak. Then, it was on to DC.

On Sunday in DC we saw some important documents--stuff like The Constitution, and visited some monuments and important buildings.

We also went to visit OBAMA 08' at his house:

And at nightfall, we spent some time with Honest Abe:

More to come!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, You're Far Too Kind!

2010-09-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't cry on my wedding day. I DID however cry when this (see picture below) showed up at my door.

Dustin and I have had a zillion conversations about this camera, what I want to do with it, how long it is going to take me to earn the money, so on and so forth...

I have been saving for this camera for a while, and it turned out that I would not have enough money to buy it before we left for our adventures in Philly and DC. (We are leaving tomorrow for a week in Philly- that is where one of his doc tests takes place). My heart was really really set on having it before going on our trips because it will be prime for picture/film taking! Dustin knew this.

And being the supportive husband that he is, he bought it behind my back, and shipped it as quick as he could, so it would get to me on time. I literally CRIED when I opened the package that he told me "had a really good movie in that we have been wanting". Like tears, on his shirt. No, the tears weren't from the fact that he bought me the camera alone (well some of them were). But more so over the fact that he is the most supportive husband in the world. I have been really wanting to get into making films- and he backs me 100%. He encourages me and gets me to do things that I wouldn't do without his support.

Anyway, sorry for the sappy journal entry, but it was literally the most thoughtful thing. I'm so thankful to have such a kind and supportive husband.

..and it doesn't hurt that Beyonce owns one too ;)

Busy-ness Talk

2010-09-12T14:24:00.004-07:00

As you may know by now, Dustin and I will be leaving our house in Phoenix from next Saturday until January. We decided to put the word out there that we are looking for someone to potentially rent our house for three months, for much less rent than we are paying.

Our house is around one mile away from: Chase Field, where the Diamond Backs play, the Arizona Science Center, Pizzeria Bianco, which is one of Oprah's favorite things. It's basically in the First Friday art walk in Phoenix, which is super fun. We are also close to the Phoenix Museum of Art and the Phoenix Public Library which is totally rad. The list could go on but I'll stop here.

It will be fully furnished including dishes since we aren't moving out for good.

Email me for interests, questions, and details:
jenpatterson@gmail.com

(Husband and bikes are not included)