Tender Mercies

We've had five years together. A perfect time to celebrate each other, our marriage, and the upcoming arrival of our little girl. We really wanted to have a get-away, so on Black Friday morning we hopped into the car and drove 3 hours to Omaha, where we attended the Winter Quarter's Temple, visited the Pioneer Museum, meandered around downtown Omaha, and ate a three course meal at Dario's Brasserie , a candlelit European style restaurant with a French flair. That night we stayed at the cozy Crescent View Bed & Breakfast  , just 15 minutes northeast from downtown Omaha. On Saturday we played at the Omaha Zoo and ate lunch at Block 16 , a foodie location for mouthwatering decadent sandwiches. From all of the good food we ate during this weekend, I never felt my stomach grumble once. That's pretty impressive for a pregnant gal.  Our beautiful meal at Dario's consisted of a shared appetizer of cevapcici (grilled flatbread with tender mini sausages and two d

October 2007 Miss Potter Central Pacific Regional Championships Bountiful, Utah Last month I sold nearly all of my old skating dresses on eBay, freeing up some much needed space in the closet for this new chapter in my life. I kept my two favorites, but packaging up my other dresses and shipping them off to people who could use them was extremely satisfying. I loved the idea of giving the dresses that my mom so lovingly and painstakingly made for me, a second life.  Through this post I want to chronicle the nearly decade of dresses that my mom made and the music I skated to, in hopes that these memories will live longer than some old dresses in a closet.  The Early Days:   For about 2 years I was part of the synchronized skating team in San Jose. My naivete is adorable.  Finally, in 2003 at the ripe old age of 13, I competed in my first recreational competition as a soloist. Good-bye synchro, hello singles.  This blue dress below was the first dress that my mom

Sometimes it's hilarious how old I feel when I go to any ROTC function, especially a formal ball. Having a rounded belly doesn't help this fact either! Despite being older than most every other cadet and their date, I sure had an enjoyable evening stealing glances from my favorite boy, eating chocolate cake, and dancing.  This was my 4th military ball with my husband, first one with baby girl in tow. Next year we'll have to get a babysitter.  I bought my dress from Zulily.com , hoping that it would arrive in time and fit well. Buying online has never been my favorite, but going to every single store in the KC metropolis to try and find a dress that was comfortable and fit my belly didn't sound like much fun. My $35 dress (after shipping was calculated) fit nearly perfect. And thanks to my hair-stylist friend, Julie, I didn't have to worry about doing my hair. Me and the curler are not friends.  Being my husband's date was a honor and privi