Be Bold, Not Beige

With the holiday season comes some extra dough for cash-strapped students. What does that mean? After a late night discussion and an urgent phone call to Reid, we were finally able to transform our apartment from dentist-office white to a more colorful decor.

Note: If you are our landlords reading this... err, we're really sorry we painted our apartment. You don't have to give us our deposit back...

Couponing Update!

It's been a couple of months since I last updated about my couponing/food stocking/attempts at money saving.

I'll be honest, it's not all fun and games. There are times when I want to just walk into a grocery store and buy whatever I want regardless of cost like the good ole' days. And I've had my fair share of snippy clerks who have tried to convince me that policies/coupons work a certain way when I know they don't. I'm pretty sure I even cried once after a bad trip to CVS.

BUT, I really have enjoyed myself for the most part and gotten some sa-weet deals. Richard and I have more or less stuck to a budget of $100/month on food and all household items(makeup, toiletries, laundry detergent, home fragrance, you name it) combined. This is down from $300-400 a month from September. I still have yet to get the point of many of the blogs I follow, who have the same budget for 4-6 people. But it's a good start!
















Here a few things I've learned through my journey thus far:


1. Take a break when you need to: If you haven't already heard my looonnng explanations of Extra Care Bucks at CVS, I'll tell you now that it is one of my fav money-saving stores. But, just like anything else, you can get burnt out following the sales. I was feeling this way in early December, so I decided to take a couple of weeks off. I'm sure I missed a few deals by doing this, but when I went back in on Saturday, I had a renewed excitement. I guess I would say don't let it get to a point where you feel like you are doing a "chore." Just stay at home for a couple of weeks and let your enthusiasm build!

2. Don't spend money on things you don't need/won't eat: During one of my trips to Harris Teeter I had a coupon that matched a great BOGO sale on HT eggs. Of COURSE I bought them for a very reduced price. But then what happened? Oh, they sat in our fridge for a month or so, and we ended up throwing most of them away (as you can see, we aren't on an egg-friendly diet). So, in the end, paying money for ANYTHING you won't use isn't a good deal. That being said, I now get tons of things for FREE at CVS (notice, I said "don't spend money on things you won't use," not "don't buy things you won't use") . They make great presents for those who will use them, and we are planning on donating lots of stuff (we seriously have about 30 tubes of toothpaste I got for free in our stockpile!) to our ward and homeless shelters.


3. Don't expect everything to go perfectly: When I first started couponing, I would get very flustered and frustrated when things didn't go perfectly at the store. The most common problem is that the store will be out of the thing you want to get (after all, I'm not the only one couponing in my neck of the woods). I think I am now getting better and shifting my attitude to be more flexible to last-minute changes.


4. All deals are not good deals: Case in point: Recently, I had a good coupon that matched a BOGO sale at the grocery store. After commending myself for getting the product like 70% off, I looked at the store brand and it was still cheaper! Granted, this doesn't happen very often. But just because something is on a good sale does not mean it's still the best use of your buck.

Okay, well that's about all my insights for now. I've learned a lot about budgeting and such the past few months and would happy to chat more about it to anyone! The best thing I can say is make a goal for your family budget and STICK TO IT. If that means cutting out some luxuries, then so be it. It's all worth it in the end!

Reflections of Christ

I love the Christmas season. Even though we don't have a Christmas tree, snow or decorations, I have been on a Christmas music only diet while in the car.

The best thing that got me in the Christmas mood was going to the Reflections of Christ exhibit (twice!) at the LDS Visitor's Center by the DC Temple. The photos are taken to reflect different parts of Christ's life, and they are absolutely stunning in person. It is a traveling exhition, so if it makes its way near your hometown, I highly recommend going. I think it's gonig to Australia next? (Carma, you just missed it!)

My favorite one -- at the moment -- is the first picture of all of the angels announcing Christ's birth. I was thinking of putting that picture up in a baby room some day (not an announcement). I love looking at their expressions. Also, one of the angels is the splitting image of my friend's roommate Ann.

Sophia Tries to Kill Emily on Several Occasions, Fails

Richard must really love me for still letting me drive our BMW, Sophia. The following things have happened in the 6 months that I have been driving the car:

(1) It got broken into and our GPS stolen off the streets of Harlem

(2) The transmission overheated in Middle of Nowhere, New Jersey

(3) I got a ticket for HOV-exit (yes, still bitter)

(4) I got a flat tire on Monday. During rush hour. On the GW Parkway. With no shoulder. Also, our spare tire was flat and the car had to be towed.

(5) Yesterday, on the way home, a car hit me pretty hard from behind while I was waiting to turn right.

Anyway. I vote that I never drive again! Unfortuantely, I have to drive the whole month of December because Richard is staying at the law school every day until about 10 p.m.

I hope I live to see 2009!!!

Caribou Barbie Sighting!

After a fun and exciting trip to Utah for Thanksgiving (including much shopping and chatting, but unfortunately, few pictures), Richard and I set out for the airport on Sunday morning. I was secretly (ok, not so secretly) excited for this plane ride because we were upgraded to first class since we bought our tickets under Richard's dad's account who is a gold... platinum?... member of Delta.

As we were sitting down, I heard the unmistakable sound of "You betcha" coming from behind me. My ears perked and I twirled around. It's Tina Fey! TINA FEY IS SITTI---no, wait. IT'S SARAH PALIN!

I had to immediately confirm with Richard to make sure I wasn't being fooled by a look-alike. But he also confirmed that it was, in fact, Mrs. Governor herself. I immediately decided that I would talk to her while deboarding, so I spent the next 3 hours trying to figure out exactly what to say. I still remember the time I saw Bronco waiting for an elevator by himself at the Cougareat and didn't say anything to him. Regret fills my heart to this day, and I wasn't going to miss out on another opportunity!

But, here's the problem: I don't especially like Sarah Palin. I voted for Obama, and in all honestly, I have made fun of her on several occasions. Can I call you Joe? Shout out to my third-graders! etc.

In the end, I decided to hold my breath and not talk to her. Although, I should note that my decision didn't stop me from looking back to her seat to examine her adorable outfit and watch her drool a little on her travel pillow as she slept. Richard would like me to add here that I embarrassed him by "talking loudly" (I was whispering) and "staring" (a quick peek here and there).

Unfortunately for her, the guy sitting behind me decided he WOULD talk to her. Approximately 3 seconds after she woke up, he began quizzing her on... state fairs. Yes, state fairs. Which one was her favorite? Had she ever been to the Utah State Fair? What was her favorite snack at fairs? I mean, really. Clearly, she was one of his heroes and he had one chance to talk to her about international politics, education reform or homeland security. And he chose state fairs as the topic of conversation.

It was obvious that she didn't want to talk to this guy, but he really couldn't take a hint. It was good for us, though, because she was distracted enough by this idiotic conversation so that Richard could snap this photo.

Three cheers for first class!

Just call me Katie Couric

During Emily's parents' stay, Emily and her Mom spent a delightful morning at the Newseum, a museum about the media and the news.

One of the exhibits was an interactive game where you could "Be a TV Reporter." You can choose between 7 backgrounds (each with its own news story), and you take a microphone and read off of a teleprompter! Twas fun! Too bad I couldn't convince my Mom to join me, boo hoo.

Here's the video:

You know when you're driving, and..

... the commercial truck/bus in front of you has a sign that says, "How Am I Doing?" and provides a number for you to call? Richard and I were behind one yesterday and I thought, "do the pros really outweigh the cons in this case?"

Let's say the person in front of you is a bad driver, and you decide to call the number to complain. Well, for at least a few minutes, you yourself will be a very distracted driver as you either (a) write down the number on a piece of scrap paper on your wheel to call later, or (b) call while on the phone and rant and rave to an automated machine.

Sure you may feel better, but what if during that time of your distraction the driver in front of you stops very suddenly, or serves into another lane (he/she is a bad driver after all, which is why you are calling). Now your reflexes are slow and a crash is more likely, if not inevitable.

Writing about this leads me to another question -- if you do call in, does anyone actually listen to the messages that you leave? Or is it just a placating and "venting" tool to make you feel better and not lash out against the company that the truck driver was working for?

PS- I desperately tried to find a picture of a truck with a "How am I doing" on the back and couldn't. Google images failed me!

PPS- Once in middle school, my friend Amy and I called in the number and rambled on for like 5 minutes about how we thought the driver was attractive. Good times.

Our Washington DC Stay-cation

Richard and I have been living in the Washington DC region for over three months now. I still can't tell you how to get to the Jefferson Memorial from the Lincoln Memorial or what direction the Potomac is from my work (although, I did recently learn how to pronounce "Potomac" which I had apparently been saying wrong for weeks).














Now, this may be partly due to the fact that, well, I am a stereotypical female with a horrible sense of direction, a husband who enjoys driving me everywhere and a GPS that -- most of the time -- leads me, guides me and walks beside me.

But I am determined to get to know my new hometown better! When Richard and I first moved in, we got round-trip vouchers for a river cruise from Old Town Alexandria to Georgetown. Since they expired on November 2, and it was one of those rare Saturday afternoons where Richard could take a break from studying, we decided to do the whole tourist thing in Old Town Alexandria and Georgetown. It was probably in the top 10 best days of my life.


First of all, Old Town Alexandria is SO beautiful in the fall! My sister came down last Tuesday, and despite the horrible weather, we ate a wonderful French meal on King Street (in the heart of Old Town). Thanks Carma! But when we went down on Saturday, the weather was perfect (75 degrees, not windy), and the leaves were changing on the trees. I couldn't believe all of this is a 5-minute drive from our house.

After walking around Old Town for awhile, we hopped on our boat to head to Georgetown. While we were there, Richard met a recently-graduated law student from Michigan who had the same professor that Richard has! He promised Richard that he would send his outlines from the class (which he did), and according to Richard his outline is amazing and has really helped him! What a fortunate coincidence.

When we got to Georgetown, I decided that I would do a photo shoot of model-Richie. My favorite is the first one. I love the leather jacket!

Finally, it was time to go back home, boo. I did get some great shots of the sunset over the Potomac though (PA-tome-ICK). Basically, it was so much fun to "discover" our own city. I know I'm always dreaming of going places (Australia, Argentina and Romania to name a few). But there is seriously so much to do here in our own backyard! I love Washington DC!

Happy "Howl"oween!

Last night, the Hotel Monaco Alexandria put on a "Happy Howloween" doggie costume contest to end their weekly summer "Doggie Happy Hours."

Sarah and I spent a lot of time trying to get the media to cover the event, and it was a huge success! We were expecting about 50 dogs (and, of course, their human companions) and got well over 150 dogs there!! This is great because the contest was benefiting the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and we were able to raise a lot of money for a great organization.

I was working the registration desk -- by myself, most of the time -- and spent spend several hours trying to get everyone and their dog (literally) ready to go. But it was a lot of fun and totally worth it. I might LOVE doing special event planning and promotion.

The AWLA volunteers were dressed up as beekeepers, and brought 5 adorable puppies in need to adoption dressed up as bees. I am, and always will be, a cat lover but last night I wanted to adopt about a million puppies. So cute!

We had 4 prizes to give away for the event. Here are the winners for your Halloween enjoyment:

“The Best Dressed Couple” Award
(Awarded to the Most Creative pet/owner costume)
Owners Name: Nachelle Wilkinson
Dog’s Name: Koda
Breed: Jindo
Costume: Top Gun/Naval Aviator


“The Most Glamorous Get-up”
(awarded to the dog who best lets out his/her inner diva)
Owners Name: Beth Connolly
Dog’s Name: Isabella
Breed: Tebetin Spaniel
Costume: Designer Diva






















“Best Political Pooch” Award
(awarded to the best politically-themed costume)
Owner: Nicole Cerguitella
Dogs: Mischa & Spencer
Breed: Coton & Mini Labrador
Costume: Sarah Palin, a Moose and Joe Six Pack




















The “Top Dog” Award
(The Grand Prize for best all-around costume)
Owners Name: Kevin Kelly and Patricia Andronicos
Dog’s Name: Scooby
Breed: Labradoodle
Costume: Gangsters

Tonight, I am working another event that Kimpton is hosting (the 4th event in 3 days, mind you... it's been a busy week!). This one is a Alice in Helixand (human) costume party at the Hotel Helix.



Happy Halloween from the Petersons!

Habib Winners!!!

My sister had her baby on October 15 and, as my nephew so graciously reminded me on the phone last night, I have not yet awarded my prizes to the winners of his family "guess the weight/date" game.

The winner of the weight..... DAVID BYLUND!!! (guess: 7 lb. 8 oz., actual weight: 7 lb. 10 oz.)

The winner of the date...... ERIC BYLUND!!! (guess: Oct. 15, actual birthday: Oct. 15)

As mentioned in the e-mail, part of the reward is "knowing that you love your future son/nephew/cousin/grandson more than anyone else in the family!"

But that's not fun.

Here are more prizes:








Thanks for playing, everyone!

We love you Joshua!

PS- For those of you that are confused where the name "Habib" came from, Joshua's older brother Spencer often says "off bib" when he is done eating. But it comes out sounding more like "Habib," hence the in vitro nickname for our newest addition.

You can take the Bylund out of Omaha...

...But you can't take the chintzy and tight out of the Bylund!

No. seriously.

Over the past few months, I think I have gone to 3 seminars on how to "scrimp and save" during these lovely law school years (once at my ward, once at a work meeting, and once at a Law School Wives Association event). So, I have decided to really take it to heart. And I found out that it is actually a lot of fun to try to spend as little money as possible -- it's like a game! Plus, it makes me feel like I am fighting back against consumerism!

First of all, I learned how to cut coupons "appropriately" -- when to use them, where to use them, and which ones you should use. I have high hopes that our grocery bill can be under $100 a month! (I'll do an update next month.) I've also learned the wonders of Extra Care Bucks from CVS (Walgreens has a similar program). Some good blogs that help teach me tricks and motivate me are here, here, here and here. Check them out.

As far as entertainment goes, pretty much "dinner and a movie" is out for us. Ever. Instead, we play tennis a lot at a court down the street, go on walks and pick up free movies from RedBox. (RedBox sends out free rental codes via e-mail or text every Monday! You can sign up here.)

So basically, this is my new hobby. And it sure beats my old hobby (spending loads of money in Europe). Also, I have to have a new passion, since we all know what happened to BYU Football...

GPS: Friend or Foe?

My brother-in-law recently forwarded me this news story about someone whose GPS may or may not have attempted to kill him. A little help with photoshop helped me to recreate the moment:



http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/30/gps-sends-another-driver-onto-train-tracks-of-doom/

About the same time that he sent me the article (literally, to the hour), I was driving around Virginia, terrified that I was speeding/not yielding/going too slow/about to die, etc. I hate. hate. hate driving in the East, and refuse to do so unless I absolutely have to. Unfortuantely, this was one of those cases: I had to (well, I wanted to) go to the mall and Richard had to stay at the law school and do homework.

"Exit left in 400 yards," Elphie2 (our GPS, a TomTom) told me. As I exited, I noticed some police cars further down on the exit lane, with a couple of cars pulled over to the side. "Suckers," I thought as I tried to pass the police cars. Then, one of them told me (ME!) to pull over. I did so with confusion, as I knew that I had not been speeding.

Our dialogue went something like this:

Cop: "So, I pulled you over because you took an HOV exit."

Me: "I'm sorry! I'm new the area and my GPS told me to exit here, and she didn't even ask me if I wanted to avoid HOV lanes (pointing emphatically to Elphie2)"

Cop: "Sorry, it's the 30th of the month and we haven't yet met our quota for tickets, so we have to give you one anyway."

(Cop leaves)

Elphie2: "Ha ha ha! Gotcha!"

Me: "Grrrrrrrr."

Okay, the cop didn't actually say that. Neither did Elphie. But I knew that's what they were thinking.

Now, before you say it: I know I should have still been looking for HOV signs even with Elphie on. But I still contend that this is a prime example of GPS: Foe.

It must be said that Elphie has done well most of the time and kept me from getting lost, helped me find the nearest Wendy's and encouraged in life generally. But sometimes she just gets me into major trouble. Besides this incident, she once got me, Richard and Carma into a major traffic jam near the Lincoln Tunnel when she should have had us take an earlier exit.

So the question must be asked: Is your GPS a friend or foe?

Washington: The Mecca of Metropolitan Transit

...well, that may be going a little overboard, but seriously, the Washington DC Metrorail just may be the best system out there! Can I get an "aaaaa-men"?

Sure I've had my fair share of delays, rush-hour squishedness, and pacing back and forth waiting for a train to come, but that is most certainly to be occasionally expected of any big-city system. Coming from New York City, which may possible be the worst/dirtiest metro known to man, my spirit leaps for joy every time I walk into one of the DC stations.

I have, naturally, developed a Top 5 for why the Metrorail will forever have a special place in my heart:

(5) SmartTrip cards are plastic and can be read from inside your purse (or wallet, for those men out there), so you don't have to spend time fishing for that pesky paper card in front of the entrance.

(4) I get cell phone coverage while I am riding on the Metro. Apparently, Verizon (my provider) has a contract with them, so they have phone lines lining the cars/stations. (I recently learned this, after assuming for months that I would not have phone coverage.)

(3) They have electronic boards which list how long until next train comes. No more staring down the platform, wondering when you will see the light at the end of the tunnel (both proverbially and literally).

(2) The stations are clean, well-maintained and air-conditioned. 'Nough said.

(1) The huge, vaulted ceilings eliminates all claustrophobia you may have about the fact that you are hundreds of feet underground.

Also, yes this is a covert PR ploy to get friends and family to visit me in Washington DC. You know you want to ride this glorious system!!

Organization Heaven

Yesterday, work sent me to a Franklin Covey all-day seminar about time management training. To those of you who know me even a little, you know that this is Disneyland for me (not literally). I was so excited the night before our training that my conversation with Richard went something like this:





Me: I can't sleep! I'm so excited!!

Richard: You are acting like this is Christmas Eve, or something.

Me: More like the night before the first day of school!



(Note: Yes, I was more excited for the first day of school than for Christmas morning. I am a nerd. Also, the photo is not me, but stolen off the first google hit for "first day of school.")

The workshop did not disappoint. We were all given free "starter kits" binders (which I immediately upgraded to the cute red binder and stationary, natch). The Franklin Covey system focuses on planning your life pyramid style: starting with your values, then goals, then weekly planning and finally daily planning (with each task given a A,B or C rating). We also focused on the different "roles" that we each held in our life and how to get the "big rocks" taken care of for each role (I could have sworn I have heard the same lecture in a young women's lesson...).

My favorite part of the day had to have been during our "goals and values" section where we introduced ourselves as if it were 10 years from now. I created an elaborate scenario for both me and my family/friends. For details on where you'll be in 10 years, contact me. As for me, I'll be living it up in Boston, 2 years in to my Ph.D. program, teaching university courses part time, doing PR volunteer work for a non-profit, and celebrating my 10 1/2 year anniversary... all with an undisclosed number of children.

Basically, the whole day was like an early birthday present that I got paid for -- thanks Kimpton! Oh, and don't think I didn't write "blog about Franklin Covey training" on my daily tasks for today (don't worry, it was a "B" not an "A").

SBA Update

Richard and I found out last night at exactly 9:59 p.m. (as we were about go to sleep... being the party-ers that we are) that Richard WON THE SBA ELECTION!!!

There was much happiness as we celebrated by eating the rest of Bethany's birthday brownies and a cup of cookies 'n cream ice-cream (our favorite dessert).

Three cheers for a more padded resume!

PS. Here is a photo that I made for Richie that he posted throughout the school.

Vote For Pedro... er, Richie!

As Richard is too busy to do anything that doesn't involve studying, it has fallen on my shoulders to create a strategic marketing campaign to get him elected to be a 1L Representative for the GMU SBA (Student Bar Association).

Whew, such responsibility!! I was originally going to follow in the footsteps of the McCain/Obama techniques and slander (libel? I always get those confused) his unsuspecting opponents, but alas, I did sign the PRSSA Code of Ethics which states that I will not participate in such behavior. So now it is on to other ideas.

Luckily, Richard has made alliances -- I'm glad The Office has taught us well -- with other people who are also running to be a 1L Representative (3 people get elected). One already made this fetching poster, below (and no, they did not ask my permission to include me in Richard's poster... probably put me in to appeal to the married demographic):




Click on the picture to enlarge it... believe me, it's worth it.




So now, I am trying to find a way to supplement this great work of art. Here are some of the things I came up with while writing the introduction to the blog:

*Maybe a poster based off of the law firm ads you see on the back of phone books?
*Free candy handed out in class... seriously, when has that ever not worked?
*Richard has thought of the slogan, "Pick Me, Number Three!" He figures, if everyone writes Richard as his third choice (he clearly isn't bothered by this), he will still get elected.

Anyway, ideas? Thoughts? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Slander?

BYU Football (Part II)

So, after discussing the best ways for me to avoid heart attacks during BYU Football games (see below post), Richard and I came up with a plan that would involve putting off all our laundry until the last possible moment, and then me folding/putting away pretty much everything we own while watching the game.

I highly recommend this tactic. Richard loves it because -- let's face it -- he doesn't have to help with the laundry (and he doesn't have to feel guilty about not helping with the laundry), and I feel both somewhat distracted and productive during the game. The only problem was that I still didn't have enough clothes to last me the whole game. (Richard had to force me away from the darks until after halftime was over.) After pondering this problem economics-style, I was thinking of starting a side business, "Game Day Laundry," where (for a small fee) I will fold all your laundry every Saturday! A disclaimer is that if I don't get to your laundry during the BYU game, I probably won't do it. But the upside is that I will be offering a Friends & Family Discount.

So now on to the good stuff -- the UCLA game. As Carma so eloquently put it, this was no nail-biter game!! BYU totally and completely dominated UCLA (59 to 0!!). There was MUCH jubilation in our apartment as UCLA continued to fumble and we continued to block kicks and score touchdown after touchdown. UCLA was understandably not as thrilled as us. See below for a picture of their coach late in the fourth quarter, when they realized how bad this really was. (I almost felt sorry for him.)

Here are a couple of interesting statistics about the game (this is for you Greg, as Carma told me what your original prediction of the game was... grr):

*Max Hall (the QB) entered record books when tied the BYU record for passing touchdowns in a game

*UCLA suffered its worst defeat since 1929 when they lost to USC

It's a beautiful thing! Now, we are ranked #14 on the AP Poll and #11 on the USA Today poll (so close to the Top 10!) and will undoubtedly keep climbing our way up the charts. And I will be there to cheer them on... as long as I don't run out of laundry :)

BYU Football = Heart Attack

So, for those of you who missed the BYU game on Saturday (shame!), BYU once again pulled off another crazy, block-the-shot move that won the game. Basically, Washington had scored a touchdown with about 4 seconds left in the game, but was (controversially) penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, and had to move back for the "point after" kick that would effectively tie the game.

Partially because the aforementioned kick is harder from further back and partially because BYU is AMAZING, we blocked the shot and avoided going into overtime (BYU: 28, Washington: 27).





For a biased reporting on above paragraph, check out: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/cfootball/2061ap_fbc_t25_byu_washington.html






Anyway, this is not the point of the blog... the point is that BYU sports (especially football) is going to give me a heart attack one of these days. I am not kidding when I say that my heart stopped beating (well, okay, maybe I'm kidding) during the BYU/Utah game of 2006. And don't even get me started on the blocked kick against UCLA during last year's bowl game with no time left (we seem to have a knack for that).

For some reason, I become so emotionally involved in these games -- even when I watch them from the comfort of my living room -- that I literally can not think of anything else while I'm watching. BYU Players that do well (Pitta, Hall) are praised like gods and those unfortunate ones that do not are quickly subjugated to "boo"s and hisses from the Peterson apartment.

Honestly, I'm not a huge sports fan in general. I don't know what it is about BYU Football that makes me go crazy. Seriously, I'm not even a student there anymore. But just writing about this gets my heart pumping and gives me the urge to "poke" the opposing quarterback on Facebook.

Speaking of UCLA, we play them again next week, and I will hopefully be able to make it out of there alive...

Missing...

...these boys. *tear*

Clarification: They are not missing--I am just missing them. Ha

Snaps for marketable skills!

Horraaaayyy!  

I have a job!!!!

After months (years?) of unnecessary worrying that I wouldn't actually be able to get a job offer after graduating and be doomed to a life of intern-ness, I was offered a job as a PR/Marketing Coordinator at Kimpton Hotels today.  I tried to play it cool on the phone when she offered it to me, but I am SOO excited!  Can you have your dream job right out of college?  Because (minus the entry-level pay) this sounds like everything I love doing.  Here are 5 reasons why I love Kimpton Hotels/ my future job:

5. They are a luxury boutique chain, meaning that each hotel has its own unique feel to it.  It's not like a chain Marriott or Hilton where every room/hotel is exactly the same.

4.  They keep Chi hair straighteners and blow dryers at the front desk of all of their hotels in case you forget to bring yours when you stay there (or come to work).  Talk about a girl's best friend.

3. I basically get to work ON capital hill (I am "stationed" at Hotel George, pictured below) without having to do all that political stuff.

2.  They do a lot of community outreach and plan a lot of special events for non-profits in the area in the hotels.  Even better- I am the one who gets to plan most of it!!

1. Two words:  family discounts!

I start a week from today--what a relief to have income to off-set Richard's law school debts! More information to come once I actually start working...

Canada, eh?

This past weekend, we took a trip with my parents and our favorite Hobokenites to Canada, specifically Montreal and Quebec City.  We had a great time, both on land and in car. (We drove about 28 hours in 4 hours.)  Actually, I am using the pronoun "we" loosely, as I didn't drive at all. Our dear Richard drove most of the way with Carma pinch-hitting often. Since I am in the process of changing my driver's license, I couldn't (and certainly didn't want to) drive at all. Instead, I passed time reading the first book in the Twilight series.  And, of course, I am now addicted and anxiously awaiting Richard to bring the rest of the series back from Utah. But I digress.

On our way down, we had lunch at a cute little town in northern New York called... Thurman. Since this also happens to be the name of my nephew (what a coincidence!), we decided to stop and take some pictures. Actually, this wasn't a coincidence at all--Carma had seen someone write a NYT letter to the editor from Thurman, NY, and we all decided it was worth the half-hour detour that it took to get these lovely pictures. 

Friday night, we had a great dinner in Montreal with a family that Richard taught on his mission. The wife is a professional French-English translator, but her husband didn't speak much English (he is fluent in French and Spanish), so I spent most of the dinner trying to catch as much of the French  conversation as I could.  I could understand most of what Richard was saying, but less of what Nicole was saying and even less of what her husband was saying.  I was also quite distracted by their lovely cats, which didn't help comprehension matters much. 

Saturday, we spent an AWESOME day around Quebec City (which reminded Richard and me a lot of Edinburgh).   One of the highlights of the day was taking a tour of one of the hotels in the city, with a period-style tour guide. Carma and I commented several times what a quaint and European feel the city it had to it.  Who knew Europe was so close?

Our NYC Abode

In the blink of an eye, this summer has come and past. In less than a week, we will be headed out (driving, not flying) to our neighbors to the north and then moving to our new home in Virginia. I recently realized that after several promises to certain parental units, I still had not posted a video of our apartment! So here is a short tour of our NYC residence in the good ole' International House. It's been a fun place to call home this summer!

We once were found but now we're... LOST

Over the past few weeks Emily and I have unearthed the mythologically complex world of LOST. The ABC TV series has already had four seasons and so we are catching on late in the game, but we are catching up quickly thanks to abc.com's full episode viewing capabilities. And we are not the only one's who have been victim to the series' addictive narrative. The warp and weft have also caught Greg and Kristen in its inexorable web. The plot seems simple enough: a plane crashes on a Pacific island and the survivors are bent on getting rescued and off the island. Well, the writers have promised six seasons so I guess we should have known that it wouldn't be so easy. Four seasons in and several nights in front of a laptop plugged into an alarm clock for speakers and we still don't know entirely what is going on. True, we do know the characters fairly well (in fact, we are pretty certain that one of the characters from the show, Sayid, is also Emily's hairdresser). They've been introduced to us through flashbacks and we've seen them interact with each other; however, each episode brings out more questions with the new understanding we have for the characters.

In short, we are addicted. So, Emily and I have discussed why we think that we have bitten so hard on a hook with a slow-reeling fisherman. One of our theories has to do with Russian novelists. Have you ever read a Russian novel from the 19th century?

Chances are that it wasn't a quick read and that it was almost infinitely complicated. Such novels appeared episodically in traditional media each week and the readers were left with an appetite to read next week's post. This served everyone well: the publishers were ensured a high volume weekly readership; the writer could make considerable money if he could somehow make his "books" interminable; and the reader had a healthy dose of entertainment. I think that the creators of LOST have tapped into this far better than any other series that I have personally viewed. Sitcoms seem to reboot every week with little plot development and other dramas haven't piqued my curiosity enough. So here we are in 19th century Russia waiting for our next new instalment. Unfortunately for us we only have three episodes left to watch for season four and season five doesn't begin until February! I guess we'll have to allocate our time to other endeavors. :)

you know you're living in a non air-conditioned apartment in NYC in the summer when...

5. You look forward to taking cold showers (and this is coming from a girl who loves her water scorching hot).

4. You wish it wasn't illegal to jump into the radioactive-green-colored ponds at Central Park

3. You sweat watching your husband play Wii.

2. Anything that would potentially warm you at night (blankets, sheets, your husband) ends up in a discarded heap on the floor--sorry, Richard.

1. You look forward to the fact that you get to stay in air-conditioned hotel rooms on vacation equally to how much you look forward to going on the vacation itself.

Tour de Central Park

Richard took the day off work today, and we decided to rent bikes and take a quick jaunt around Central Park--something we had been planning to do for two months but had never gotten around to it. We rented cruisers (complete with wide-set handlebars and brake-by-pushing-back features). It was a great (and quick) way to see all the little-known sights of Central Park. Did you know that Central Park houses a ginormous swimming pool, about 30 tennis courts in a row, baseball fields and several nice restaurants? Apparently, in our minds, it was just... a park. To walk through and buy overpriced water and ice-cream. Sorry we underestimated you, NYCP.

This is a video I took while on my bike. Forgive us for not wearing helmets, Mom.

Boo Yankees!

Last night, we traveled to a far away place (midtown) to see Damn Yankees (which will be referred to as Boo Yankees! from now on). Tickets were only $25, which was a definite plus, as was the fact that some of our favorite stars were performing in it. Jane Krakowski, best known (to us) as Jenna from 30 Rock, played the sultry Lola, and Sean Hayes, the actor who plays Jack in Will & Grace, played... well, the devil.

We gave the performance a "thumbs sidewides." Although the aforementioned actors were funny and clever, the play itself seemed to go on forever, and our seats had limited view. BUT, it was totally worth it to see our lovely Jenna perform live! Only in New York!


Lost fans will appreciate how the video opens...




After the performance, we decided to extend our date and eat a Forbidden Broadway Sundae at Serendipity, as per the recommendation of our intern friends, Adam and Becky. Sadly, when we got there, we found that there was an HOUR wait! At 10:00 p.m.! Go to bed people, seriously. Hopefully we will still be able to eat there before we leave!

P.S. YES, I learned how to link in this blog, and YES, we are blogging more often than each month! Woo hoo!

Happy 4th of July!

As Emily realized yesterday, this is the last "first" holiday that we will spend together (the last 4th of July, Richard was in France and Emily was in Utah). We have been together more or less since last Pioneer Day, so this officially ends the first year of our adventures together. We decided to celebrate in style, and what better place than America's hometown (err, sort of), Beantown!



We came in late Thursday night, happy to escape the bus (where we were sitting next to the bathrooms... leave the rest to your imagination). We stayed with the wife of one of Richard's friends (he is doing an internship in China), and she was extremely hospitable to us. We enjoyed a tour of Boston on the "Liberty Trail," and got in just in time (2:00) before they closed the gates for the 8:30 performance of the Boston Pops' 4th of July Celebration. It was sure worth the wait. Kat was excited to see the Rascal Flatts perform live (Emily and Richard, less excited). But hearing the Pops play "The Stars and Strips Forever" while watching an awesome fireworks display over the Charles River was DEFINITELY a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Watching them setting up for the nationally-televised show on CBS

A Rascal Flatts pre-show interview

During the performance... it was AMAZING

We love America!

On Saturday, we visited a few more sites and bought matching sweatshirts (because we are THAT cool), and then (after falling asleep on the way back home) had a relaxing evening eating order-in Chinese food and watching a movie.

Overall, I would give this trip a Thurman "diagonal thumbs up." (I would give it a "thumbs up," but all of the duck tours were sold out! Bummer!)

Hope you all had a great 4th!

The Past Little While...

Well, as usual, there has been a lot of things happening in our little Peterson family since the last time we posted. Here are some highlights--and lowlights--from our NYC summer thus far (in no particular order)...

• A trip to Washington D.C. to check out our future hometown, find a suitable (and cheap) residence and visit our friend Beef
• Weekly Sunday dinners with the Lincolns in Hoboken, NJ... mixed in with Rock Band sessions (Richard on the guitar and Emily on the drums), playing with our nephews and $8 trips through the Lincoln tunnel
• Watching the Yankees play Seattle and win 13-0 (so the Lincolns don't get mad at us, we were thinking "Boo Yankees!" the whole time)
• Going to the top of the Empire State Building with Emily's internship group
  
• Attending several Broadway plays including Stomp, Wicked, Chicago, Legally Blonde (and seriously disliking the actor who plays Emmett)
• Watching BYU Chamber perform at Carnegie Hall
  
• Emily finishing her Honors Thesis and successfully defending her honor
  
• Hiking in Bushkill Falls with Carma and Jenny (and respective families)
• Having an awesome day at Six Flags in New Jersey with the Lincolns and Kristen
  
• Booing off bad performers at Amateur Night at the Apollo (they told us to...)
• Dealing with the aftermath of our car being broken into and our GPS being stolen (VIP Elphie II)

Still to come...

• ANOTHER trip to Washington D.C. for Pan's birthday party
• A 4th of July trip to Boston!
• Going to a July 26 Mets game with the Lincolns (so they forgive us for going to a Yankees game)
• A trip to Canada with the Lincolns and Emily's parents
• Emily and Thurman's Week of Fun (after Emily finishes work and when Thurman is between summer camps)
• A weekend of showing Beef around NYC
  
• Continued job searching (if you know of any PR jobs in the Washington area, let us know!)
• Finishing my last independent study class... Business Finance :(
• More plays including The Little Mermaid, Hairspray and Wicked (yes, again.. you can't see Wicked too many times).
• Moving our stuff to our new home in Washington D.C.

Will post pictures later (hopefully)!

Our Trip to Yankees Stadium

Last week Richard went with his dad to Yankees Stadium and watched them suffer a terrible loss. However, the tides turned when he went with Emily and they won by 11 runs. Here is a short video clip of their adventure.

The Journey to NYC's Golden Streets and Avenues

Well, since the last post a lot has happened again. Emily, Richard, and Kristen all graduated last week (well, mostly graduated for Emily). The days of graduation were long but we had a lot of fun with David and Elaine being in Provo. We had a sweet graduation dinner at the Melting Pot (even though the waiter wasn't very nice and took away Emily's and Kristen's plates after they put raw meat on them--by his reaction, we were afraid someone was hemorrhaging or something). Also, Elder Bednar was the Commencement speaker, and we enjoyed his talk. He talked about learning to love learning for life--or something very close to that. Emily's convocation was at 8am, Kristen's was at 11am, and Richard's at some time in the evening. We took a great many pictures throughout the day and they turned out well. After Richard's convocation we went to Aunt Linda's house for a fabulous barbecue. We started with ice-cream cake (for Richard's birthday) as an appetizer and then moved into the main courses. There was an endless supply of steak and chicken; there was humus and flatbread; there was salad, and it was all very wonderful. We left after being very well fed.

We spent all of Saturday (the 26th) packing up all of our things. We were surprised by how much stuff you can accumulate in a month. However, we were able to get all of it packed up and still have time to go out to dinner with Richard's parents and a couple friends (Skylar and Sabrina). After dinner we worked off the calories playing Dance Dance Revolution for our new Wii (Richard got DDR for his birthday from his parents).

Sunday morning we finished up final preparations for coming to NYC and unloaded and reloaded bags that came out to 50 lbs. exactly. Richard's parents dropped us off at the airport and the voyage began. We made it through to Minneapolis, Minnesota without any glitches, but things changed a bit when we got there. They informed us when we were checking if we were at the right terminal that they had overbooked our flight to NYC. We were then informed that we could be "bumped" with perks. They offered $600 towards future flights with Northwest, $50 in food vouchers, lodging for the night, and first-class passage to NYC. After short deliberation, we decided to take the deal and spare Carma from picking us up at the airport around midnight on Sunday night.

So we left the airport in Minneapolis for our hotel. We went to the restaurant in the hotel after leaving our bags in our room and we were treated to the greatest meal we have ever had in a hotel in Minneapolis. Seriously though, the food was surprisingly good. Emily had the filet mignon and Richard had the Minnesota walleye (of which he gave some to Emily who is a self-proclaimed non-fish-eater... she may have liked it). The next morning we went to the Mall of America to ride as many roller coasters as we could in an hour. Unfortunately, we learned upon our arrival that their ticketing system was down. Our curse turned blessing though when they let us take a ride for free. We chose the Sponge Bob ride and it was incredible. We will try to post some of our video of it later. We went on another ride that was a lot of fun too. It was called Avatar or something. After our two rides we had to run back to the pick-up point for our shuttle back to the hotel. Luckily we made it.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and then that time multiplied because our flight was delayed due to zero visibility at JFK airport. The wait wasn't too bad. We met an older woman who was traveling with her 20 year-old blind cat and another woman who couldn't understand why people kept walking up to the counter to ask questions. The delay wasn't too bad and it was worth the wait for a first-class ride (Richard's first ever). The flight was rather short and we made it to JFK safe and sound. Then came the mishap of the missing luggage that would continue for several days after.

In Minneapolis, they told us to go to a luggage counter when we arrived at JFK. Unfortunately, when we were walking to said luggage counter, the woman who worked at that counter was walking to meet us at the baggage claim. When we arrived at the luggage counter, they told us to go to the Information desk to have the woman paged. The Information desk told us when we requested the page that they do not do anything like that and sent us to the ticketing counters upstairs. We went to the ticketing counters and they looked at us confusedly. They didn't know where to send us so Richard asked for a phone number to call. He called the number as we walked to the baggage claim to see if we could spot any of our luggage. While Richard was talking on the phone, Emily found two of our bags, but that left one bag missing. We then ran into the woman who was in charge of lost baggage. She told us that she--not according to custom--put our luggage on the baggage claim belt and that somehow one of our bags was apparently picked up by someone else. So we had to fill out a claims form and they assured us that our bag would be found. Two days later they called us at midnight and asked if they could bring us our bags. Richard groggily (we were sleeping) told them to bring it to Carma's and Greg's (we gave Northwest their address because we didn't have one yet) either Wednesday or Thursday evening. They made several calls in the span of a couple of days (including one visit to Carma's and Greg's without our bag with them) and we finally gave them our new address and they brought us the bag on Friday morning. We are very glad to have our bag and to have the midnight calls stop.

Carma and the boys picked us up from the subway after we left the airport. They drove us to the International House and gave us brownies :) and hugs :). If you know the headache we've had getting into this place and all the frustrating conversations we've had with the Internship Office of the Communications Dept. at BYU you might know that we were expecting to have a dormitory style room for the both of us for a few weeks before getting a studio apartment. We were pleasantly surprised when we opened the door to our apartment and we saw a refrigerator, a sink, and a table... all tell-tale signs of a kitchen. A kitchen it was indeed. The bedroom portion is much larger than we expected and the bathroom is very neat. We are very pleased with our--in Emily's words, "adorable"--apartment.

We are unpacked and Emily has started work. Richard will start at the warehouse on Monday once our car arrives. We have explored the city a bit and we are planning many excursions into the city as well as other cities on the Eastern seaboard. We've already made it to Hoboken once last night for a great evening at Carma and Greg's place. Great food and great fun! We never knew we had it what it takes to be part of a Rock Band (as defined by the "Easy" settings on the Playstation 3).

Well, that should about bring us up to date again. These posts ought to shorten a bit with increased regularity.

A Kentucky Wedding

We would like to begin by apologizing to our faithful readers for the long periods of time between posts. Here is a reader's digest version of our lives since the last time we wrote:
*we got married and had 2 receptions (one in Draper and one in Omaha a week later)
*we are less than a week away from graduating college/ moving to NYC for the summer
*we got a Wii (Richard thinks this is most exciting thing on the list thus far.... Emily disagrees)
*we went to Lexington, KY so Emily could present her Honors Thesis at the Kentucky Conference on Health Communication
*Emily learns that her sister Carma is a celebrity in the Health Communication world
*The Office came back on the air
*we got addicted to "Arrested Development"
*Richard sent in his seat deposit to George Mason University Law
Whoo... that's a lot. Continue reading at your own risk....


Well, first and foremost, we got married on March 22. During that week, all of Emily's immediate family and some friends came in, and we had a great time playing games, eating, attempting to watch BYU games and taking lots and lots of pictures. We can't believe how old our nieces and nephew are getting!

(apparently Nico and Spencer weren't as happy to be there as everyone else)

The night before the wedding, we had a great groom's dinner at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. The food was great (we hear... we ate very little), and it was only a little awkward to be constantly stared at for hours (something we would get more used to in the next 24 hours). It was also that night that Aaron presented Richard with "The In-Laws' Guide to the Bylund Family," a compilation of weird and funny things about the Bylund family to make his transition easier. Emily thinks that Richard needs to read the book more carefully, as he often questions her on things that are IN THE BOOK. Examples: "Why did Carma tell you to only take a dollar?" "What is the address Jenny and Aaron's blog?" "What are family team numbers?" Luckily, Emily can refer him back to this manual instead of attempting to explain.





After the dinner, Emily's friend Bethany threw a FANTASTIC bachelorette party complete with drinks, a unique game of Twister and Emmigories. Thanks Beef!!



The wedding day went by with only a few hitches. On the way to temple, Emily was driving with her parents slightly freaking out that something would go wrong. Suddenly, the car started shaking (one exit away from the temple!) and Emily's dad informed the riders that the car had a flat tire, and one of the riders began hyperventilating (we won't name names). Luckily, Emily's brother Kevin et al. came to rescue by driving in from Draper and dropping them off at the temple with seconds to spare.

The ceremony was beautiful and the weather was surprising good (albeit a little cold in the shade), and we continued to take pictures throughout the next 4 or 5 hours. Richard commented later that night that he knows what expression his smile was, because he could feel the muscles in his face hurt when he tried to smile that way again. But we sure had a lot to smile about!! We had a fun reception catching up with family and friends. There was great food (we hear) and the venue was gorgeous.



























Whew. A week later, we had another great reception in Omaha at Emily's parents' house. It was also amazing (however, I'm sick of putting pictures up)

This weekend, we traveled to Lexington, KY so Emily could present her Honors Thesis at KCHC. It, too, was great. Emily met a lot of people who tried to convince her to attend various graduate schools. She had a good lunch with the chair of the health comm masters program at GMU. We also went to the horse races and lost $4. Sad day. We spent an afternoon walking around downtown Lexington (it didn't take very long), watched a few episodes of Arrested Development, and tried not to think too much about the week of finals ahead of us :)

Well, here we are. We are about to spend our last week in Utah and then a week from today we are moving to New York City (where the streets are paved with gold!)!!! What exciting lives we have!

P.S. Do people still read this? Or have you all given up on us?