in the air

I feel like good things are in the air.


Fall is here.


Halloween is upon us.

Good things are happening for Rhett and I. I feel so happy today.

I apologize for the blogging hiatus I have taken this summer. When blogging becomes a chore, it drops right off the bottom of my priority list - - which I think is ok. Blogging shouldn't be something I dread. So now that I've taken this little break, I'm feeling excited about dusting off the old blog again.

So let me take this moment to officially welcome myself back, since the rest of you have probably stopped checking this blog: Welcome, Natalie, welcome.

Happy Birthday Rhett

****
Every time I look at you the world just melts away
All my troubles all my fears dissolve in your affections
You've seen me at my weakest but you take me as I am
And when I fall you offer me a softer place to land

You stay the course you hold the line you keep it all together
You're the one true thing I know I can believe in

I get mad so easy but you give me room to breathe
No matter what I say or do 'cause you're too good to fight about it
Even when I have to push just to see how far you'll go
You wont stoop down to battle but you never turn to go

Your love is just the antidote when nothing else will cure me
There are times I cant decide when I cant tell up from down
You make me feel less crazy when otherwise I'd drown
But you pick me up and brush me off and tell me I'm OK
Sometimes thats just what we need to get us through the day

You stay the course you hold the line you keep it all together
You're the one true thing I know I can believe in
You're all the things that I desire, you save me, you complete me
You're the one true thing I know I can believe

****(sometimes Sarah McLachlan says it better)****

Happy Birthday Rhett. Thank you for loving me.
Love you forever.

~Natalie




(Please forgive me for posting this picture. I'll always love it even if you'll always hate it.)

fact or fiction

I have always clung to the hope that tiger muskies were mythical creatures concocted by local fishermen to ward off recreational enthusiasts who scare their fish away. Turns out, they're real. My hopes were in vain.

We watched this guy pull one out of the lake at Pineview. Check out the size of this monster. The sharp teeth are also not mythical. Quite real. His camera died, and as a fisherman, he naturally needed proof of his catch, so he came over to our boat and asked if we could take a picture and email it to him. I just can't believe those things actually exist. I'm still going to pretend they're fake if I ever want to get in that water again. Mind over matter.

What gives?

My car got totally side-swiped at the hospital parking lot, while I was inside undoubtedly saving lives. This was not just a little tap tap tappy either. They got all along the back door and the back panel above the wheel. But they must not have noticed the loud scraping sound coming from my car crying out in pain, because they neglected to leave a note, which is particularly classy. My beautiful dark blue sparkling Honda Accord just doesn't sparkle the way she used to anymore. She's damaged goods, and she knows it. The light in her eyes is gone. She's less than a year old - she's just a child for heck's sake! Honestly, this was not my favorite surprise.

So I'm bugged. Scratch that, I'm hopping mad. Thanks for listening.

Oh yes, and I also got pulled over by the Highway Patrol while traveling delightfully fast on my way home from work today. I was really speeding, reveling in the wide open freedom of I-15 on an early Saturday morning. I was already merging onto the shoulder before he even had to turn his lights on, I knew I was toast. I also could not find my insurance card ("I know it's in here somewhere..."), and Mr. Police Officer let me off with a verbal warning and a slap on the hand.

Take that, Murphy's Law.

City by the Bay

And a year goes by...

San Francisco was just fantastic. We loved it! We did everything on our list. Highlight for me by far was riding a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge - it was a tandem bike, so Rhett did all the work and I just enjoyed the scenery while I pretended to pedal. I was so entertained by the suicide warning signs all over the bridge:

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So here's my question: If you are suicidal and looking for a way to off yourself, would the above sign be encouragement or discouragement? They might as well have said "Depressed? This'll do the trick. Jump here." But maybe it could help those cry-for-help-types, so that's good I suppose.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed a great 1st anniversary there - May 4th.
It's been a good year.

San Francisco awaits

We're going to San Fancisco on Wednesday for our 1 year anniversary! I'm so excited. We're staying at the San Francisco Marriott, below.

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We've both never been there and we are quite looking forward to it. Any tips or must-see advice? I want to ride a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, I'd love to see Alcatraz, and Rhett already got tickets to a San Francisco Giants game. So far, that's the list. So if you've been before and loved something, please share!

Here's to Sarah

My little sister Sarah turned 21 this week! April 14th to be exact. So do I still get to call her "little"? Regardless of should or shouldn't, I probably always will.

This is my ode to Sarah in picture form. She's pretty much one of the coolest people in the entire world, and I just can't get enough of her.

She loves her dog. She named her little dachsund Tank. Now she has one named Boo Radley.
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We explored our Italian heritage together. Fara San Martino - this is the town in Italy where we're from.
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at my wedding
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close up
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a romantic moment.
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foilage is so delicious.
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At laguna beach.
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Ah, that face. How can you not love this girl?
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I LOVE YOU SARAH!