All the way from San Francisco...

Hi everyone...
Ima make a blog cuz i never do, so Kirsten said i got this one. So we went to SF this last weekend. This time we traveled with some friends - Oscar and Lenin - they both work with me..well not anymore cuz today was my last day! (Hells yes) Throughout the summer I was supposed to give out incentive money and I saved up a little through the summer and then in August, saved all of it. That came to like 640$ i think? So we got to spend it all on this gnarly trip.
The first pictures are of our homey Lenin breaking the glass bottle that we kept the money in.
The nex one is with the skrilla in ma draws.
Then when we ate our first meal of the trip at Denny's there was this sign and we thought it was great cuz Kirsten was so hungry.
Then Im standing on some trees on Telegraph Hill.
Awesome. So we love the Mission District(want to move there) and we were hanging out there one night after seeing this guy get arrested at this Salvadorian restaurant we had dinner at, we were walking down this street and this dude goes up to a toilet, exactly like the one in the next picture, but at night, and drunk, and he was yelling: what?! you have to put a quarter in this M-Fer just to piss in it!? HAHA Highlight of the night I would say.
Then also on the trip Kirsten hurt her feet really bad walking all day and this is a map on the side of said toilet showing the distance of our venture. We wanted to go to the exploratorium but were almost there just to find that it was closed. so then we walked back, so we made this distance twice for part of the day.
The rest are just some pictures I took of San Francisco and the Coit Tower.
love
NIC

21 weeks

Oh Julie! I thought you'd never ask!
Here is the size of our baby this week- 10.5 inches (about half or less of what he or she will be at birth) and the length of a carrot! Yesterday Nic asked me how our banana boy was doing and I corrected him and said: you mean our carrot girl? We have a healthy competition brewing on the sex of our baby. I really think its a girl and call her our girl name in my head and Nic is sure it is a boy and calls it our boy name... we'll see a week from tomorrow (unless we have a shy one on our hands- or rather, in my uterus) who is right! Today is packing day... tomorrow is finish packing and clean the apartment day. We are staying in a hotel tomorrow night and leaving for Utah (to stay at Christian and Errin's new place!) on Thursday morning. Sat night or Sunday we'll arrive in Idaho and Monday we'll move in! We are celebrating Nic's 23rd birthday Friday in SLC! I'll be sure to make a post as soon as we find our computers and whatnot. goodbye california. we really liked you more last time...

visa..... VERSA!!!!!!!!!

Well, we did it. We bought a new car! After having the volvo up for sale for the past 6 weeks or so with only 2 calls and nothing to show for it, we've decided to keep it- at least for now. But, since we won't have "official" jobs for the next two years- in order to get a loan, we needed to do it now before Nic left his job and we moved back to Rexburg. We knew we wanted a little car and went to see the Aveo but it felt really cheap and it didn't have anything... not even AC! Then we went to the Nissian dealership and saw an '09 versa. We loved it and went back to test drive it the next day (yesterday) and drove it home about 3 hours later! It is brand new (Nic even peeled some plastic off of it) and had 22 miles when we drove it home! It is a stick (which i do not yet know how to drive) so it is Nic's car. I am excited that I'll have the warrior Volvo for the snow of rexburg! They gave us Nissian hats and we thought that was hilarious- I envisioned this blog as soon as they handed them to us :)






Nic took and edited this picture of us today- its freaky/awesome!

5 month photo shoot

Today is the day! We've finally hit the 20 week/5 month mark!! This really is a great part of pregnancy. People used to tell me that at the beginning and I never thought there would be a great part of pregnancy, seriously. But, I am enjoying this phase a lot. It will be so exciting in like 2 weeks to find out what we are having! then we can REALLY start shopping- I can't wait! Nic has been dying to get out of the house to shoot with his new lens and I obliged. Though I don't like "modeling" I'll gladly do anything for Nic. Plus, I want to be consistent now about documenting each month. So here it is... the 5 month photo shoot (plus some pictures of my hot husband)

Canon Camera Chaos

Kirsten is awesome!
she got me this new lens for my birthday, and my birthday isnt until the 29th but we will be moving that day so she wanted it shipped here, so i got it early!!!!! For anyone that knows me very well, you know im way indecisive so it took me forever to decide on which new lens i wanted. its the Canon 17-40mm 4.0L i decided on that one cuz i want something with a fixed aperture and something that would be awesome wide on a full frame body. plus its weather and dust sealed and when you zoom in and out there is no movement on the front of the lens..and other stuff i started to type and realized it was probably super boring. but im way excited about it and my wife is rad.

where's my head?

I thought I was pretty good at multi-tasking but it has become increasingly more obvious to me lately that I am not. It seems like when there is too many things scheduled for one day, I go a little crazy. Much like the headless chicken pictured above. Here is my not-even-that-big to do list that is throwing this whole day off:

- laundry (this, unfortunately, was a MUST- Nic was out of everything)

- the missionaries are coming over for dinner. This means a REAL meal, made a SPECIFIC time and add the stress- Nic's co-worker Lenin is being taught the first lesson and Oscar and possibly his girlfriend are coming too.

- cleaning of the house for the before mentioned dinner

- cleaning the oven before I can bake anything because somehow while making chicken fingers the other day, I started a fire in the oven. I happened to be on the phone with a lovely old lady at the distribution center so when I started yelling: FIRE! There is a fire in the oven! She was there to reassure me screaming: BAKING SODA!!! BAKING SODA!!! It put itself out but I know as soon as I turn the oven on we'll be back in burnsville. (which is actually smokesville- so unpleasant)

-designing an invite for a new client we got today- which is good, I'm not sad about this one and in fact have already gotten this plus her rsvp and thank you cards done. I choose the fun stuff to do first.

And to top it all off- it is over 100 today and lets be honest- I don't want to do ANYTHING when its that hot.

oh, and I don't know what i am supposed to wear when these people come over because, like an idiot, I washed BOTH (implying that I only have 2) pairs of my maternity jeans today and they don't go in the dyer (like i need shrinking- i am EXPANDING) and Nic's coke at lunch had a little run-in with the khaki capris i am currently sporting. sooooo.... i have no clue.

and what am I doing instead of the list? BLOGGING about the list. Pure genius. Countdown to dinner: 3 hours and 27 minutes. Wish me luck!

19

nineteen weeks!
our baby can hear now and I did feel the first sign of movement last week. It only lasted for a few seconds and I haven't recognized it since but I guess now is the time its going to become more frequent and noticeable which will be really fun. I'm starting a quilt today for our friends Melissa and Ben's baby boy Cove who is going to make his grand entrance at the end of November! I am really excited! Also, Nic altered some of my maternity jeans and they are so cute. My husband is the coolest.

Kirsten's Kitchen

The food network has rekindled my childhood dream of having my own cooking show. Now, some of you might be thinking... wait.. I thought Kirsten ate out at every chance she got? Why yes, thats true, but really- deep down, i do love to cook. My trouble is for the first few days after going to the store, I am excited about making dinner. After that, its all downhill. I just HATE coming up with something to make, thats the hardest part for me. Maybe you are like that too! Well, if thats the case, I am going to be posting a few of my favorite meal ideas and then you can do the same and then when we don't know what to make our blogs can help each other out. So here it is- my first recipe. I remember making this dish a lot when I was growing up because its only a few ingredients and it is a great comfort food. Will generously serve 2.

Homemade mac and cheese (but classier)

Boil any type of pasta you like- bow tie, macaroni, rigatoni or really anything. I never know how much to make- and usually make too much, maybe you are better at guessing than me.

3 T. butter
3 T. white flour

first of all, make a roux. This sounds complicated but its not, which is the best kind of dish to make. In a saucepan melt butter over med heat. Once it is melted (be careful not to burn it- I often started over at this point when I made it growing up) stir in the flour. I usually hold the pan up from the stove at this point because it can burn super fast. Then, stir in..

1 cup milk

just keep stirring and stirring. eventually your arm will hurt but don't give up. maybe if your husband is awesome like mine- he can help out at this point. Make sure to incorporate all the roux mixture that tends to get stuck on the bottom and sides of the pan. Soon, it will start to thicken up. Add a little more milk if you'd like. Stir in...

a dash of garlic powder (i use a little bit of garlic almost everything because nic and I both love it- if you don't you can leave it out)
a dash of pepper

Keep stirring. turn the heat to med/low. This is the longest part of the process. Then... you add the part that makes it mac and cheese (at this point, its a simple white sauce which also yummy) stir in...

a handful of cheese. I usually use a cheddar blend.
2 slices of kraft american cheese.

(i know... nothing says "classy" like processed cheese. This is my mom's trick. It makes the sauce really creamy, just trust me and my mom)

If you ever find the sauce is a little too thick, or if you all the sudden are having 3-4 guests for dinner, just slowly add more milk.

Then, drain your pasta and stir in your sauce. Serve. Make sure you mention "roux" a lot, its quite impressive.

A delicious variation: follow the above steps but add grilled chicken to the top. (I like to marinade in a mesquite seasoning because I like spiciness with the creamy sauce)

So there it is- dinner in less than 20 minutes and a great pick me up when you are craving some comfort food.

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs

I am sure that she sits around all day morphing into me too, so this isn't weird. Its ok Adrienne, I also had Owen Wilson (but thankfully he didn't rank as high as Kiera) and also a few Asian guys. Fabulous. I think this is entertaining and everyone should do it. It didn't show up for this picture, but Jaqui and Travis you were right- Liza Minnelli and I are def. look a likes. I hope I don't end up with vertigo. Oh, arrested development.

18 weeks and loving it

my second trimester has been quite enjoyable. Though I still wake up 2-3 times a night to pee, most of my other symptoms (i don't like that phrase, it makes pregnancy sound like an illness) have subsided and I am so grateful. Its already hard to remember how miserable I felt in the beginning which is good and probably the reason why women are able to have more than one baby... near the beginning I was like: this is probably my first and last pregnancy! I still have headaches all the time but besides that I am doing like 100 times better. Now if only we could find a place to live then we would be set. instead of posting the typical baby size next to a quarter picture, I thought I would post a momma one. Here it is... my belly at 18 weeks. Its enough for people to look at me with questioning eyes but not quite enough for them to give up their spot ahead of me in line. I must say though... I will be excited to get out of CA where everyone thinks we are SOOOOOOO young to be having kids. I get these looks a lot and I know they must be thinking that we just got married because I was knocked up. Oh no... this was part of the plan in fact! In Idaho I'll be one of the "older" moms (since there are many 19 and 20 year olds popping out children) at 24. And I am completely great with that! Oh, and our baby is a bell pepper this week. So make some fajitas and think of the Binghams. (and I'm not trying to stick it out, thats just how i stand... i have the worst posture)

It's a good thing

An ode to my mentor, my idle, my friend (ha...) Martha. Here are a few good things from the Bingham household as of late.



RED VANS.
About 8 months ago we finally went to purchase the red vans I had been pining after. Once we got there, Nic decided he wanted them too (but not to wear on the same day, if you are wondering) they were out of both of our sizes so we ordered them. In a couple of weeks Nic's arrived in the mail and mine never did. They eventually (4 months later) sent me a refund and said they never got my size in. I was crushed. I really liked Nic wearing his but every time he did I was so sad that I didn't have them. He checked relentlessly for me at every store and online distributor but to no avail. Then, last night we went to Sacramento. We each had "an allotment" to shop with- but only for each other. We split up and came back 2 hours later with lots of great stuff for each other... and there they were. Nic had found my vans! Thanks lover- you're the best.

PELL GRANTS
Fabulous news from yesterday, we each received full Pell grants for the year so tuition, books and our insurance (plus probably a few hundred in cash since we are both taking lots of art classes which don't require books) is ours courtesy of the government! Thank you USA!

JANIE AND JACK
Nic wasn't quite done spending all his alloted money on me yesterday so I had some time to kill alone in the Arden Fair mall in Sacramento. So, of course, I went looking at baby clothes! Janie and Jack is one of those stuffy little children's boutiques where every outfit should be worn on a yacht. Not really our style but still- mini clothes- I love them! So while I was perusing the racks of $80 6 month jackets the woman employee asked me: Do you know what you are having yet? AHHHHHHH music to my ears! I answered, "Not yet. But you are the first stranger to assume I am pregnant, that is so exciting!!!" She said that I looked the part plus I was going back and forth between the girls and boys side, well, whatever was the giveaway, I was thrilled!

POKER
We love poker... does that make us horrible people? Perhaps, but love it we do. We bought a set to a few weeks ago (we used to always have poker nights in Rexburg and everyone would gamble with candy. We all had stomachaches in the end from eating our stash but it was good) and we've been playing with Nic's fellow-employees (and are only friends here because the Solomons are super busy) and I love it. I used to be really awful at not giving away my hand (I am not going to say "bluffing" because I still can't do that.. I really never bet if I don't have anything unless I am tired and want to go to bed so I don't care how many chips I give up- I just mean whenever I had a good hand i would smile from ear to ear, I couldn't help it! I am a little bit better at hiding that now)

WE ARE NOT BUYING A HOUSE RIGHT NOW
This is not on the "good things" list. In fact it could be the soul entry in a blog titled: Bad things that make me cry uncontrollably (I realize that we are very blessed that this blog only has one entry) But, I just can't bring myself to make such a post so I am adding it here. It turns out that in order to get a loan, you have to have a job. Who knew? We, of course, do have jobs. I am a professional blogger, oops, I mean I help out with our graphic design business EVAPAUL. But since we haven't been doing that for 2 taxable years, that income doesn't count. And Nic is working SO HARD this summer so we can both just concentrate on school in the fall. Well, lenders don't like that so much. They want consistency. paychecks. taxes. So, it didn't work out. All our wishing and hoping and my hours scouring the internet for houses for sale in the greater Rexburg area couldn't help us get the loan. I understand we are only 22 and 23 and buying a house now isn't the norm but it would have been great. Now, we are trying to find a place to rent, a month before school starts. Everyone who isn't idiots got their housing months and months ago and so we are in not the best situation. We have a few things pending, we'll see how it works out. I can't end this post on such a bad note... so here is yet another GOOD THING!




INFOMERCIALS
A few weeks ago I got up at 5 am and couldn't go back to sleep. It must have been over a month ago because my morning sickness was keeping me up. Nevertheless... AM tv means infomercials! I love them! I remember opting to watch infomercials on Saturday mornings rather than cartoons (shopping AND sitting on the couch, I am SOLD!) So I have never actually bought anything over the phone but I love all the hype. Billy Mays kind of drives me insane but that doesn't mean I want his Big City Slider Maker any less. But what really caught my attention that morning was the Bare Minerals 30 minute dazzle! I've always liked makeup but never been that good at it... especially finding a foundation that matches perfect and that gives me enough concealing (i really need it :) but doesn't look like a clown mask. So there it was... bare minerals! perhaps this is my long sought after solution! I didn't order it over the phone, that seems kind of weird plus you have to talk to people which probably means they would try to talk you into spending even MORE money. So eventually I ordered online and the beautifully packaged set arrived Wed. I LOVE IT! It really makes me excited to get up, shower and make myself presentable before Nic gets home for lunch at 1:00 :) I think pregnant women need all the help they can get and if this can make me feel even a little better about myself, it was worth all the money.