You Don't Want to Miss It!!!

So some of you may know that I am a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance. Believe it or not it is my favorite show ever (the competition isn't even close). I would be fine not watching any other show all year long as long as I could watch SYTYCD! It is that awesome. (Anyway, the only other show I watch is The Office and it doesn't even compare ... although I do love Jim and Pam!!) However the chemistry of Jim and Pam compared to Courtney and Gev (above) is like a bell pepper compared to a habanero. Courtney and Gev have been my favorite couple all season. They are ALWAYS so fun to watch - they burn up the stage dancing latin, contemporary, hip hop, whatever. And Gev is one of those guys that is actually really into his partner, so it makes for some pretty good chemistry. Courtney is in the final 4 dancers competing on Wednesday night so I will be cheering her on.
Another sexy couple is Chelsie and Mark. Basically there is no dance they haven't been able to do. Chelsie is a little firecracker and I'll miss her in the finals since she just got voted off last week (as did Mark ... he is a little weird but by the end he had grown on me). However I was willing to sacrifice Chelsie because the top 2 girls are so freaking good!
Katee and Josh. Both are in the finals! They are both AMAZING and blow the judges away every week. However I am not rooting for either of them to take home the title because I think the other two finalists have way more fun personalities.
Twitch and Kherington ... can't forget about them! They were another hot couple until Kherington got voted off a few weeks ago. Basically she had a bad week and left the competition maybe a week or two early, but she wasn't finals material so I guess it's okay. And Twitch is in the finals! Just wait until he performs his solo, you will love it! He is not only a good dancer but also a pretty funny guy.

So Wednesday night at 8:00 is the finale and on Thursday the winner will be revealed! I am telling you this is entertainment at its best! I will probably go through a few weeks of withdrawals after it is over. Luckily, I have something to get me through ... we are going to the SYTYCD TOUR in October!! Whoa, I cannot believe it, it's going to be AMAZING!!! Thanks Em for getting us tickets!!

Hope you enjoy the show. Go Courtney and Twitch!!

PS - the reason I am making this post an 11:00 a.m. on a Monday??? I am done with work!! It was a good but exhausting 12 weeks ... now is it time to finish remodeling our house which is feeling a little like a disaster zone (Joe thinks I'm being dramatic but if you saw it you would agree!) More updates to come later.

Average Joe

I hate the term "Average Joe", maybe because I couldn't fit the title better. I'm average height and weight, I have the most common eye and hair color. Got average looks, athletic ability, smarts, and wits. But I try real hard to just be Joe, and I need to know which Joe fits best.

This is the easiest new look. I've gone to it from time to time. Throw on a number 1 and go to town. I shaved my legs once as well. As you can tell, Lindsey wasn't so happy with the new do.

This is Pedro. My dad seriously wanted to name me Pedro. Pedro became one of my many nicknames in high school and I thought I could give it a try. I liked the look, but got tired of telling people that I couldn't mow their lawn cause I didn't own a lawnmower. Lindsey wouldn't look at me either.

Probably the favorite look of all time. I loved how kids ran away from me when they saw me. Lindsey couldn't take me serious though.
Then I went 7 months without a haircut. Lindsey hated it. How could she? Everyone else loved it, especially the ladies, which forced me to cut it as to not get so much attention. When I did finally cut it, Lindsey jumped up and down in unbelief for ten minutes. I guess behind all that hair was the cute guy she had married. She was glad to have him back.
Here I tried to see what kind of beard growth potential I had. Very itchy. Lindsey wouldn't kiss me either. I lasted for two weeks.
Well, actually three weeks. I tried to see if she would be satisfied with two smooth cheeks. Nope!

Believe it or not, this was Lindsey's favorite look, which explains my look of astonishment.

And this is Average Joe. I'm proud to say I cut the hair myself. First time! Apparently I look 19 though.
So if you didn't feel awkward looking at pictures of me, let me know which look is the favorite. Or maybe a suggestion of how to break the mold. I'm still itching to go blond. Could I pull it off? Wait, how old am I?

Our friendly little scavenger

Well I'm sorry I haven't been posting lately. It's not that things haven't been going on, it's just that I haven't felt like posting about them! We're all allowed a little break. Anyway, this little happening was pretty funny so it convinced me to make a post! First of all let me explain that our desk is not usually this messy ... but we tore apart our kitchen a little while ago and haven't found a place for all the trash yet (can't wait for dumpster day!). Anyway, so last night we had a bag of trash on our back deck waiting to be taken out ... with a chicken carcass inside. Joe and I were on the couch watching a scary show (first season of 24 on DVD ... thanks Paul!) when I heard something on the deck. It was this little guy: A racoon found our leftover chicken! It was sooo funny to watch him dig through the trash to get to it. We turned all the lights on and were taking pictures and all kinds of things and he didn't care one bit, he just wanted that meat.
When he got it out of the bag, he then had to get it through the planks of the deck, since the gate was locked. When he finally did it, I was so proud! I started CRACKING up. For some reason I just love watching animals like foxes and racoons be so foxy and racoonish - it gets me every time!
Well we might have to stop being lazy and put our trash in the garbage can under the deck instead of on the deck to wait for trash day ... cuz I think this little friend is going to be back. And although I don't mind sharing, I do not appreciate the mess left behind.

My Favorite Sport

So I used to be such a soccer player. Only that was a long time ago. So long ago that I was a little nervous about our friendly firm soccer game and was not going to be disappointed if I ended up being just a cheerleader. However ... there was not a huge crowd, so everyone ended up playing the whole time. And it was super fun!!! I wouldn't say I did that great, but at least everyone could tell I used to be a soccer player! That is something, right? Also, I even got a bloody injury to show for it. It was just my hand though ... not sure how it happened, I think I ran into somebody with something sharp like a ring. I got home and Joe asked me if I cried and I was able to proudly report that no, I did not. Puh-leeez. However all week I have been reopening the wound (I can't seem to get new bandaid on fast enough when one falls off) so that is kind of annoying.

Here I am headed for the ball! I will have to get out and play again soon. Although I liked playing with the firm better than when I have played a couple of times with others because there were no expectations. Otherwise I am trying to prove to Joe that I do not suck, and usually I fail at that. :) I just need some practice!

Sunny in San Diego?

So last week I got to go on a whirlwind of a trip to good ole' San Diego! My firm flew the summer associates from all over the country to stay at the Hotel del Coronado (on Coronado island) for a couple of nights. I was so excited about it (I heard from last year's summer associates that the trip was an absolute blast). I was looking forward to a short break from work and excited for the beach! What I did not know is that this is what was waiting for me when I got off the airplane:

FOG. Apparently there's this thing in San Diego called "June Gloom." Actually it mostly happens on the island, but in this picture you can see it in the city as well.
So this is what it looked like for the two days I was there! The temperatures were a little cooler than what we had packed for. (I think I was packing for Hawaii!)
I thought the fog was pretty hilarious, actually. I mean it was just so thick! I took a walk on the beach the first day we got there and even though it was a little foggy, I could still see land jutting out from the beach a little ways away. The next day all you could see was fog - you would never have known the land was there! Another thing - the fog did terrible things to my hair! I got off the plane looking pretty decent, and by the time I got to my hotel room my hair was total frizz. I mean like Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus - no joke. That's when I decided on ponytails for the rest of the week.

And this picture? This is what it looked like on the day we left. Absolutely GORGEOUS. The sky was clear and the sun was shining and all I wanted to do was lay by the ocean and the pool ... but instead I had to get on an airplane.
The hotel was awesome. I can't wait to go back someday with Joe! And the funniest thing is - less than 30 minutes after we got there, I was taking a walk around the place with the Baltimore girls and I ran into my old neighbors from Provo! I could not believe it! It was so fun to see them.
Now isn't that beach just calling to you? You can see some surfers out there ... but no, I did not get to surf. Which is fine with me because the water was too freezing. A few people did surf in the little bit of free time we had ... but apparently the surfing activity got cancelled because the waves on the island just aren't that big and where the waves are good, there was a shark attack a while ago. Whatev. I do remember being promised surfing lessons, but I guess I am over it.

At least we did get in some good beach time with the beach barbeque and sand castle contest. We got into teams and had to come up with a sand creation relating to California and DLA Piper, and had to come up with a skit/cheer/team name to go with it. Team building or something like that. Ours turned our pretty sweet, though. Our team was "Surf's down, dude" and we built a huge shark that was eating a summer associate (what a good sport to lay covered in sand for over an hour). We did not win because our skit/cheer was pretty much terrible. The winning team made a courthouse and acted out a little gay couple marriage skit ... pretty clever.
The top fin was quite a challenge.
Here's a pretty good view. Like the gills?

So what else did we do? We stayed out late eating good food, drinking, and socializing (I was drinking Shirley Temples ... yum) and then got up early to sit through presentations. We heard from Senator Mitchell (a member of the firm) and then attended an after party until 2:30 in the morning. Then we got up early again to hear more presentations. Good thing the beds were super comfy and I went right to sleep every night.

Also I hung out with my super cool roommate. I realized it has been a very long time since I have had a "roommate." It was a little bit fun to hang out with girls, but I definitely missed Joe. I barely even got to talk to him the whole trip because I was so busy and the 3 hour time difference made it a bit difficult.

So I definitely could have used another day or two in San Diego. But it was good to get home and see Joe, who had torn apart the kitchen while I was gone and installed our new cabinets and counter top! We still have a long ways to go, but he worked so hard and I am so excited it is coming along!

Three's Company

Now wouldn't that be a good way to make an announcement?? Well sorry, folks, but even though it's our third anniversary, our little family will be staying just the two of us for quite a while still. Anyway, since I will be missing our anniversary tomorrow, I thought I'd do a little blog-reminiscing beforehand!

Our wedding day was the best day of my life!! Now I know that if everything on your wedding day doesn't go perfectly smoothly, it is okay and your marriage isn't necessarily doomed. However, my wedding day was perfect and I am quite happy about that! I can't wait to come home from San Diego so Joe and I can watch our wedding video! I just love it.

Anyway, Lori did a pretty cool blog for her and Nate's anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Since imitation is the highest form of flattery, I thought I would borrow a few of her clever ideas. So, on to the numbers ... this year Joe and I are celebrating, among other things ...

17 beds we slept in during our first month and a half of marriage

10 days after being married that we bought our townhouse 2,450 miles from Utah

147 dental school exams Joe has taken

0 exams Joe has failed

1 surgery for Lindsey (2 for Joe while we were dating)

7 months in our house without a tv, watching movies on the laptop in bed

8 months spent without a heater or air conditioner in our car

3 times Lindsey cried on the way to church because she couldn't feel her toes

105 degree weather that finally drove JOE to have it fixed

162 dollars it cost us to complete the repair (we felt more foolish than relieved)

16 months Lindsey has worked since we've been married

0 months Joe has

102 minutes spent commuting to and from school together each day

1 pregnancy test (NEGATIVE)

3,600 minutes Lindsey has spent typing furiously in a law school final

226 pages of law school papers Lindsey has written

20 hours Joe drove straight through the night in the pouring rain to catch our flight to Chile

45 seconds Joe sat speechless after realizing he booked the connecting flight for pm not am

2 spiders Joe graciously killed because Lindsey was scared

22 spiders he forced her to kill herself

5.28 quesadillas Lindsey eats for dinner in an average week

246 dollars Joe spent buying meat from a door to door salesman (I woke up from a nap to boxes of frozen meat spread all over the kitchen and Joe trying to get a bargain)

0 times Joe claims he's been wrong

12 times he's actually been wrong (still not bad!)

13 married nights we've been apart

1,095 married nights we've been in love (I'm pretty sure that's all of them)

And there you are! How crazy that 3 years have already flown by. I can no longer even imagine life without Joe. I know these 3 years are just a tiny fraction of what we will experience together, and that is also crazy to think about! I love you Joe! Here are a few pictures of our time together ...

2003
2004



20052006
2007

2008

Welcome to the world of business travel

Okay so maybe after my last post you were thinking what a sweet job - you get to leave at 6 to go eat crab and ride segways. Well just to make I didn't get too comfortable with that routine, last week came along and seriously worked me over! I am still exhausted and a little wired. Anyway, we'll start with the exciting part: going on my first business trip!! This trip came up unexpectedly at the end of last week. The UK office of my firm was brought in on a deal and contacted the Baltimore office to conduct the due diligence on a company based in Cincinnati ... so off I went. I left Sunday evening with two associates (associate means not yet a partner). I was really excited to experience things first hand! Anyway, the experience was kind of similar but a little different than what I expected. I won't bore you with all the details. The best part was spending all day, every day with the two women attorneys I was with. Maybe not what I would want to do every day - but I did enjoy getting to know them and getting a glimpse into what their work and their lives are like.
It was also fun to experience the best of what the chefs in Cincinnati had to offer. We went out to an amazing dinner on Monday night, and this was my view from our table. It was one of the priciest meals I've probably ever had ... but it was very good. I got to learn how to say "Foie gras" (duck liver) even though I wouldn't eat it (well, I at least know what it is now - I'm still not sure I can say it).
The days were pretty long (besides the nice dinner break). We would work late and then I'd get back to my room at like 11:30, talk to Joe for 20 minutes, and then get ready for bed. Sleeping alone in a king size bed was a little strange. I still slept completely straight and took up maybe 2 feet. And when lightning, thunder, and hail started coming down at 12:30 I got a little scared without Joe there to protect me (I was on the top floor, ok?!). Fortunately I lived to tell about it.
So what was the worst part? Well that came after I got back. Things were a little crazy for a few days trying to get all my work done for the report. Actually it wasn't bad, just very busy (on Thursday, I was at work until 8:30, came home and took a 1 hour SYTYCD break, and then kept working until after midnight ... and on Friday morning I was cramming like a crazy person!). But it is good for me to get a feel for what it is like to really work under pressure. (Yes, law school involves plenty of pressure ... but it is a whole other story when you have to get something done for a partner or a client, not just for a grade ... wait, 'just' a grade? Now that is funny).

So stay tuned ... cuz this week I am going to San Diego for work!! This trip is less work, more play. Hopefully I will have something fun to report next weekend. (Oh, and I will be missing our 3rd anniversary, oops. I love you, Joe!!)

Our first (but definitely not last) time on a segway!

Boy has it been a busy week! Crab feasts, dinner receptions, happy hours ... I tell you they have me working way too hard! Actually I do work pretty hard during the day. You know, I've got hours to bill. But luckily this week I have been able to leave by six and then go have some fun! It is fun to get to know people at the firm better and to enjoy some good food ... but it does make for a crazy schedule!

Anyway, on Friday night Joe and I were lucky enough to get to go on a little adventure with the other summer associates and their guests (yes, I am the only married one ... although I am also one of the youngest) - touring Baltimore on a segway!!! Okay so I wasn't really nervous about it until the guy started explaining what to do ... he made it sound so complicated! I was scared. Then when I got on, I started freaking out - I felt so wobbly! Joe was thinking oh no WHAT am I going to do with her on an hour long tour? Then they realized that my segway (generation 2 - so much cooler than the first generation!) was not set to "turtle" mode. So they fixed that and it made it a lot easier to ride. Pretty soon I had the hang if it!

The tour was SO much fun!! We went around harbor east and around federal hill - which is a really cute, fun area that Joe and I had never really been to before (although I hear about it all the time because a lot of people go out to bars there). Even though it was a pretty warm and humid day, we had a lovely breeze by the water ... so pretty much the weather was perfect! Once we had been riding for a little while and had gotten the hang of it, we all went OFF of turtle mode. This meant we could speed up to an impressive 12 MPH instead of a measly 8. It seriously was awesome. If you go too fast, the segway handle bar pushes you back - it is a weird feeling. I can see how you could get a little out of control. But luckily we had no accidents! Although my wheels did run into a few things, like restaurant signs and bushes. It is easy to forget that the segway is significantly wider than you are.
Joe had a good time as well. There are only a few pictures of him because he was the camera man ... I don't think he trusted me with a camera and a segway at the same time.
Here I am showing off no hands. You laugh, but it is a very dangerous move, and you should not try is unless you are experienced and extremely daring.
Here we are nearing the end of our tour, after leaving Little Italy. You know what? Your feet and legs get really tired after a while! I guess you are using muscles to balance that you aren't used to using all the time. Anyway, at the end they give you a special card which says "I've got segsy legs" to show that you are now an expert (they say they are quite judicious about giving them out - you have prove your skills) which means you can rent a segway and go around without a guide. Sweet!

So it was definitely a good time. If anyone is interested in doing it (like when family comes to town ... I'm guessing it could be a little pricey!) then you should definitely look into it! It is called Segs in the City and is located at the corner of Washington and Fleet. They also have similar tours in Annapolis and DC! What do you think, Mom - want to go??