Spooky Brauns

Not too Shabby

Allora...My apologies for ending on such a lame blog. I hope you all enjoy the spooky slideshow I finagled. Yes, I'm quite proud of it myself. (thanks abbie and whoever you stole the idea from!). Life has been crazy for us, hence the long absence. I was quite sick with "we're not really sure but it might be a blood clot/walking pneumonia/you're faking it." I finally wised up and refused a third go of the antibiotics and got straight to the point: "I need Lortab." I guess the doctors were sick of seeing me for the 5th time that month, so they gave it to me. softies! hah!! Needless to say, I'm feeling much better (thank you very much) and I think I'll live. (cue ginormous sigh of relief. perfect.)

I can't believe we're nearing mid-november. The weather has been so unbelievable here I keep worrying that Tillie will grow out of all the warm fall/winter clothes I got her before she even gets to wear them. By noon we're both sweating because I insist on dressing us both in warm sweaters and heavy pants because it should be cold, right? Not true. no es la verdad.

For Thanksgiving we're heading up to Portland to visit Seth's fam. We'll be on the coast for the weekend and I'm SO excited! I heart Cannon Beach and the Goonies! Everytime I see Haystack Rock I think of the goonies looking through the old coin and seeing the "puzzle" fit together. It's sure to be an adventure!

My nerves have been feeling a little raw and I fear I'm near the edge of a serious nervous breakdown. Tillie has managed to escape my not so watchful eye more than a handful of times (translate: I'm a terrible and neglectful parent) and it has made me SERIOUSLY consider cutting off her legs. er...i mean making her wear a leash. I don't care how heartless it looks, losing your baby in a huge store is the scariest thing EVER! And the even scarier thing is that Tillie could care less that it scares me half to death. I'm leaning toward that handy dog leash that lets you control how far you'll let your dog wander ahead of you. Is that too inhumane to attach it to a child? probably not. I'll do it until at least 10, no 20 people say something mean about it. When I lost Tillie in Target and she was finally found, the "hero" proceeded to tell his coworkers (in front of me, mind you) that he "used to work at Walmart when this kid got kidnapped and within like 5 minutes the guy had shaved her head, changed her clothes and was walking out the door with her!!" thank you. That really makes me feel better.

In more responsible news, I have a job. I work at Shabby Apple, an online dress company. A few of my friends from high school started it up and now I help them with the shipping and trunkshows. It's pretty much an awesome job. Easy and convenient and just, well, awesome. I thought that an undergrad in the social sciences and a graduate certificate in TESOL would render me lonely and despondent for lack of company. But no, I find myself very well alone in an office, punching in numbers and doing pretty much the same stuff everyday. Tills just comes along and we hang out for a few hours, do our thing and split. suits us just fine. So...if you need a cute dress, check it out. It would be my pleasure to process your order!

All in all, not a bad month. Sorry you're getting brought up to speed a little late. Next time I'll try not to be so neglectful. but...i seem to be doing that a lot lately, so I can't make any promises.

google me

So...I guess I was just curious. This is what came up on "Urban Dictionary" when I googled "Lebraun": (please make the following words a part of your daily vernacular).

1. Lebraun

A ballerific high-school basketball player who aint goin to college.
Man, Lebraun ain't goin to college

what does "ballerific" mean? Funny you should ask. I have that definition right here:

1. ballerific

Ballerific is a way of life. If you are ballerific, you have to dress like a player, have tons of girls, nice cars, and a good street rep. You also have to play basketball.
"Man, that kid John is ballerific""Ballerific John is the MAN"
"Everyone wants to be ballerific"

hmm...sounds like me...read on...

2. ballerific

another word for pimptastic....the stupidest word ive ever thought of.
man spider man 2 looks like a ballerific movie

"pimptastic? stupid?" I know! That's what I said!

1. pimptastic

the art of being pimp and fantastic all at the same time. From the latin word pimpus tastificus.
O snap, did you just see Mike Dean wit all the ladies, he is just ooo pimptastic.

pimpus tastificus? Okay...pretty stupid.

What did you find when you googled your name?

Life imitating art

Tillie has discovered how much fun it is to color. We've had to be careful as Tillie has shown great artistic inclinations with markers and makeup. We have been lucky to catch her before she marks walls or the bridal pictures of me and my sisters. We have, unfortunately, not been lucky to catch her before she ruins library books, the cream carpet, our pine table top, our tan couch cushions, several pairs of clothes, and, as you can see, toys. yes...she certainly is a busy girl. We've had to toughen up and put her in time out. We discovered that a tall stool was usually the best place and Seth even got her to be reverent while she thought long and hard about ever doing something naughty again.

We've had a hard time getting settled in the apartment again because Tillie and I have been quite sick. boo... I went to the doctor to see what was wrong and he turned out to be a total weirdo. He thought he was being funny, but I guess I just didn't get it. When he was going through my medical history he said, (okay, first imagine his horrible comb-over, a pair of outdated glasses over googly eyes and strange mannerisms to boot....) "So, no allergies or kidney or liver problems but I see that you suffer from acne..." (now imagine the stupid, smirky, sideways glance he gives me) "Right." I say. not amusing. at all. who is this guy? Without even doing the test, he tells me that 20% of all sore throats are due to strep, so he'll just prescribe some penicillin to take care of that. But I don't think I have strep and 20% isn't really that high of a number. But I'm taking the medicine anyway because he's also told me that it can interfere with my birth control. I think I'll get pregnant just to spite him. oh, wait....spite me?

With the weather being nice, Tillie and I joined Krista, Sisi and Kai at Gardner Village. We went to the petting zoo and enjoyed the smelly animals. Petting zoos are sort of a cute idea, but somewhere in the depths of my brain, I get all gaggy when I think about them. But, we did fine and loved all the baby animals. Sisi liked sticking her fingers in the rooster's coop and eventually got a nip which scared her half to death, and Tillie was followed around by a large, sweaty pig. (Now you know how Seth feels...hahaha!) oh boy...that one was just as bad as the doctor's. yikes.

Diamonds are forever. Your waist size however...

There has been a recent wave of weddings among several of my close friends. I love getting together with them, laughing at silly girl stuff, lingerie, tacky honeymoon garb and, of course, looking at the rings and wedding dresses. Let me declare right here and now that I love my wedding ring. It holds special sentimental value to me as I have my mother's diamond and I was picky enough to choose my own setting: simple. classic. conservative. But tastes change and I have found myself extensively "ooohing" and "ahhhing" at the creative rings and settings I have seen of late. At one get together, my long-time married friend remarked on how she is now very embarrassed to show off her wedding ring as it is in need of a little TLC and a good scrubbing. I often feel the same yet had never done much about it until... Fast forward one week and I am suddenly fascinated with my ring then horrified at what I am seeing. Could my wedding ring be rusting! Oh. My. Gosh. Upon further inspection I realize that it's not rust, but caked on peach and tomato juice...remnants from my latest matronly canning session. All the same...gross. Knowing that a gentle soaking solution would never do the trick, I grabbed an old toothbrush and set to it. As I scrubbed and polished, I was astonished at how (gasp!) beautiful my ring really is! I felt like a newly engaged gal, where I practiced moving my hand in the light to give the diamond its most flattering sparkle.

Seeing my ring bathed in its new glow prompted a crazy thought to cross my mind: I wonder how I'd look in my wedding dress these days... Dangerous thought, I know. Now, I'm not so oblivious that I don't see how my body has changed since a baby, or how my pants fit just a bit more snugly than before, but I thought i might not be completely off-base by putting on the magical dress. Hey, I might even be pleasantly surprised, who knows? I wished I had had a sister or best friend present, as putting on a wedding dress da solo is not always an easy task. But once the idea entered my mind I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I went ahead and faced the daunting task alone. (Tillie did accompany and found a lot of joy in my veil and pretty shoes!) The skirt came on first. a little tight. interesting. "hmf....unlikely that 15 lbs really makes that much of a difference...or maybe not so unlikely?" so I sucked in as much as i could and joined the clasp. Triumphant!!! Next came the top. The problem with wedding dresses is two fold: First, they are intentionally built to lift your bust to the high heavens and second, if you have sleeves you can forget about lifting your arms higher than your belly button. Without some help, this part of the fitting would be impossible. plus, I was finding it hard to breathe in my now suffocatingly tight skirt. So I ditched the top and used the last of my strength to get out of my skirt before I called for the jaws of life to rescue me. That would have been REALLY embarrassing!

I'm not really sure what I hoped to find out from this little debacle. I have a nice ring? I'm too fat to fit into my clothes of yesteryear? I'm desperate for blogging material? Either way it was a fun (read: humiliating) adventure. Please tell me I'm not alone in such a silly scene of masochism.

There's no place like home

so...for those we haven't talked to yet...the brauns have returned to SLC. If you're sitting at your computer, mouth wide open in utter shock, then let us say: we apologize. If, on the other hand, you're sitting at your computer, laughing your pants off, then let us say: shame on you! We might add, in all fairness, that it was a sudden decision and only family has really been in on the loop, so don't feel too bad if you didn't know. If you're ready for the story, settle in now. If you prefer the short version, stop now and call a friend for the gist of it later.

Allora...four score and seven years ago, the brauns set off for DC. As you may have figured, we believed with full heart that we would find something that would help us get a leg up in the international realm. We packed all our belongings and fit what we could in our X Terra and set off to drive through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland and Virginia. 4 kajillion hours/miles later, we set up camp at our friend's abode and set to work to find our future career.

As you know, I found work with a small ESL school and Seth was finding odd jobs with the temp agency but nothing else too promising. As our time of free-loading from our friends was drawing nigh, we felt confused, frustrated, scared, you name it. We couldn't feel good about any of the places we were looking at, and when it really came down it, we didn't even know if we would be able to afford anything "acceptable". As I was interviewing for more full-time jobs that might give us a better income and more elbow room, I had to really be honest with myself and came to realize that emotionally I was not prepared to leave Tillie with someone else all day. And when we were really being honest with ourselves, we didn't know how long it would be until the "dream job" came along for seth. That was enough to give us a good sit down chat about what we really wanted and were willing to sacrifice. I suppose when it came down to it, we were more about being together and putting off our DC dreams for the time being than being apart just to make it in a city that might not even have a job for us until 2010. It was a really hard decision to make mostly because it is really important for me to know that my husband feels fulfilled in his profession. But, we both agreed that moving home would be the best thing for our family now. The worst thing for our family, however, was the drive back home! We went through North Carolina to see my sister and her family and my parents came to pick Tillie up and take her home by plane. (thank heavens!!) I think I'm done with driving for the next 2 years!

It sounds silly to say, but moving to DC just to turn around and come home was good for us. I think we needed to push ourselves in that direction to realize our limits and overall expectations from life. I personally needed that reality check that I am NOT cut out for full-time work at this point in my life. Not much else was really resolved with us coming home, however. We're still looking for work and a place to live, but I think we have a little more figured out for the time being. We feel a little sheepish coming home and are sorry for the friends and family back east that we won't be visiting come Thanksgiving and Christmas. But we also feel relieved to be back with the family and friends here in SLC. We missed you guys!

Virginia is for Lovers

So...here we are. Another blog/century later. I supposed you were all tired of "Gold Spandex" (even though I know you were all secretly watching it when your spouses went to bed so that you could learn those sweet moves), so I'm writing about our NEW adventures in DC. We've been here for almost three weeks and the most adventurous thing we've done is drive to the DQ for a blizzard. (*sigh* i wish) We're actually getting really good at becoming "shut-ins" and I'm thinking of buying cats and wearing cardigans knitted from my own leg hair because we're too poor to buy razors for me. Seth, however can afford to splurge on the mach 3 blades because he's on the verge of becoming a real professional-like human bean.

Nauvoo, IL temple at sunset

Besides the million-hour long drive crost-country, we're surviving and becoming tres DC savvy. We've been interviewing for jobs and seeing apartments. I've only cried once and it was only because a stupid RE/MAXX lady told me "you're an adult so you should really have a job" and it hurt my feelings, to say the least. The only other time I felt in complete despair was when the slum lord/apartment renter told me the "only real sink" he had was the sick, nasty, lead-paint-laden" (my description, not his) utility sink in the depths of the basement. When Seth offered to put in a new sink in exchange for rent, he assured us that it wouldn't be necessary because he does "a little handiwork" himself. uh-huh. He flattered us by saying that even though the propery is "pretty hot" right now and "there are like 5 different couples checking it out" that he thinks we're "pretty cool and stuff" so he would "totally give preference" to us. Oh yeah, and since he wouldn't want us to sue him when we fall and break our necks on the stairs that only go half-way up the hill, that we could "totally use the upstairs door" whenever we want and it's "totally cool, yo." nice.
Tillie and Lincoln

Other than that, Seth and I have become pro surfers of any and all job/apartment sites and I think I'll need LASIK surgery again to correct my eyesight from staring at the computer screen for too many hours a day. We try to stay active by driving to the mailbox or watching Tillie go down the slides at the nearby park. ;) Despite our boredom, Tillie is staying active and keeping me on our toes. She has successfully found a myriad of foreign objects to stick up her nose. To date, I have found 3 kernals of corn, 1 lego daisy, and a dried rose leaf magically rehydrated in her nose. That's only what I've been able to retrieve before she sniffs it up or sneezes it out. I'm not sure how many strips of paper or raisins are up there but I do a random sniff of her nose just to make sure she doesn't have a beanstalk ready to sprout out here ears. It honestly makes be crazy but the doctor says she just has to go through the phase and no amount of discipline will help her to stop. awe-some. aye-yi-yi. mamma mia.

The good news (for those who have managed to read past the silliness) is that I have found a job teaching ESL at night and that Seth has found temp work with the IMF (The International Monetary Fund). We're not millionaires yet, so don't ask to borrow any money (however, we reserve the right to shamelessy beg from you), but soon enough, we'll be making our way here. I'm sure of it. In the meantime...can I borrow 5 bucks?

Gold Spandex

If you're reading this blog right now, do as I say: Click on Brookie's blog (see the link to the right?) for the scariest, yet most moving, music video you've ever seen. Then tell me if you feel that gold spandex pants should be standard issue to all citizens of the United States, young and old alike. Go on....click on it. You won't be sorry.

bloggercising...ugh...

I say that because lately that's what it feels like.

I say that mostly because it's something that makes me feel guilty if I don't do it.

Just kidding. That makes it sound so depressing. Really there hasn't been much news. Oh, except for the fact that we're moving across the country in two weeks. wait what?! After much prayer and thought, The Brauns have decided to hoof it to DC. We're hoping that our good looks and charm get us something nice in the way of work and housing. If that fails (which it just might) I guess we'll break down and find real, honest work and make it happen. wish us luck!

With that said and done, I just wanted to post a few pictures of the fun things we've been up to this summer. July has been pretty low key, but we have had some fun friends come into town: Erika Lock (one of our best friends from London) and the Torrie family (Seth's best friend Stan and fam). Seeing them again reminded us that we DO have friends and that our friends are really cool and fun.

I also had the pleasure (and totally rocking time) to hang out with some of the sister missionaries from way back when. ahhh...the days. My friend and old comp, Jen, is getting married in 4.2 days so the rest of us had to get her pumped for the festivities and (in particular) the wedding night. The "don't forgets" and "I remember when..." were way too funny and I was glad it was just us girls. Yikes!!! If our husbands only knew! (we're keeping that on the DL....the WAY DL....wink, wink!)

Anyway....I'm still figuring things out with this blogging thing. I know there are links I still need to get on there (yeah, abbie, I know), but I promise I'm making it happen. Thanks for reading and commenting. We love hearing from all of you, you know. Until the next time....blog on.

Fourth of July Fev-ah!

In case you're curious as to the exact definition of "fev-ah" you might be surprised to know that it's already a word you are familiar with: fever. interesting. My version is just said with a bit more pizazz...or even a British accent. you choose.

So, Independence Day. Generally one of the best loved holidays of the year. Fanatics and pyros alike share their obsession by dressing ridiculously and getting away with playing with fire and explosives. I, too, relish in these activities. I mean, it's not everyday that you can match your entire family without attracting strange stares (unless you're the Lawrences) in one united color scheme (no pun intended). Well, let me just make one thing clear about MY family. Tillie and I dressed up. Seth was lucky he was wearing blue (very LIGHT blue) and a red, sweaty baseball cap. The family photo op had great potential, but lucky for us, there is also Pioneer Day, which is like 4th of july-etta. (roughly translated: little fourth of July). We'll all be matching then, too.

The day passed like a dream. Everyone in the city without a boat ended up at the pool with us so that was pretty fun. We shared a beautiful square of grass and had a picnic and then stood shoulder to shoulder in the pool with the rest of the gang. Swimming laps was a bit out of the question but who exercises on the 4th of July, anyway?

We went to a BBQ at the Smith's house where Tillie soaked her clothes and then managed to stay bone dry when i finally put her swimsuit on. miraculous, I tell you. As bold and adventurous as she is, she definitely could do without the fireworks show. Her first 4th was spent at the Stadium of Fire. I thought that the modest curbside tribute would be much more enjoyable. 'fraid not, folks. 'fraid not. This is a child begging for silence.

Now that we're an old couple and practically the most boring people ever (gosh!) we just went home and skipped out on the rest of the big city fireworks. but....i guess you could say we managed to create a few fireworks of our own (sheesh, is it hot in here or what? booo...get a room!!!)

And....i'm done. enjoy the pics.

SOME VALLEY REUNION

For those of you who didn't know, the enormous crew of three (Seth, Mare & Tillie) left Bully Creek Sunday morning and headed east to Boise for a night of partying and fun with the Braun (pronounced Brown) family. The next morning we headed northeast to Sun Valley, ID for another family reunion with the LeBarons. We were exhausted from the sleepless nights at the reservoir and were ready for a real bed (and another set of matching t-shirts...see photo on the right). Tuesday afternoon we rolled in about 4:00 and after looking for the front office to check in we called the hot line to find out the office was in town, down in Ketchum. Mare exclaimed,"you mean 20 miles back down the road" If you saw her you would have thought her nerves were going to pop, and when that happens...fuhgeddaboudit!! Check-in went well and we got first choice of rooms and a king bed to boot (yesyesyesyesyes!!!). Thank the heavens above! We were paired with Joe, Carrie and family, (great roomies, btw. Quiet as mice and they brought amazing goodies). And props to preggers Jess who put up with all of our little babies never going to sleep, falling out of beds and stinky swassy bums. We were giving her the reality check of parenthood. Ready or not....here it comes!

To Mary's surprise Jane the Fuhrmeister was also in Sun Valley with her family and she just had to see Mare for a sec if they could make it work. After a fun little tour of the city and a bit of backtracking they actually found out that Jane was staying two minutes down the road. But even more exciting was Jane's news that didn't really come out until Seth noticed the 5lb rock hanging from Jane's finger. Yeah, Janie is getting married, and we are so happy for her! Why didn't we take a picture of it? dangit! Next time.....next time....


Sun Valley was a great idea for a reunion (Thanks Coach and Ruthie!) The weather made us a bit sweaty (like ALL the time) but the scenery and activities were TDF (to die for). From the hiking to the swimming and biking, we ROCKED the valley (okay....The hike was actually mini, Seth never got his hair wet at the pool and Mary did have to push her bike up the hill at one point...how embarrassing!!! but still...) Tillie loved the bike ride so much that it put her right to sleep. It was the cool breeze or the the boring conversation between mom and dad. (sad, but true...yikes!!)


We were happy to end the vacation with Mary's neices' baptism and baby blessing in Idaho Falls. We loved sharing that special day with the Christensen's and it was great to get a picture with the MOST perfect person at the party (guess who it was....)

All in all, we are SO happy to be home! It took us approximately 10 seconds to destroy the clean home we left. Funny how that happens, right? And Seth keeps asking when we're going to make tin foil dinners. (whatever!) How about the manicotti we had in Sun Valley. Now THAT was a meal worth repeating! We're excited for the 4th of July. Surely we'll write again and send pictures of Seth with his hair on fire (LOL)!! Until then....feel free to comment. No more snobbery here. We accept all types of fan mail. jk. Tjk.

THE DAM CAMPOUT

We had a great time at Bully Creek Reservoir this weekend with the whole Braun family. Everyone was there except our little brother and sister, Stefan & Danika. The shirts were a great hit, everyone wanted one, and they got them. We had fun at the water front, but for some reason everything that entered therein gave off a great stink, people included.

The nights were eventful. The first evening Alayna's tent started to blow away, so we had to initiate an emergency relocation plan. If you didn't know, your run of the mill fiberglass pole tent can't withstand eastern Oregon wind storms. We're grateful that no one blew away.

Mare was sure to bring hydrogen peroxide, and with all the slivers, scrapes and cuts, it came in handy more than once. Tillie played with her first frog. Boy was that a hopping good time! She grabbed the frog out of Seth's hand and threw it like she does the food from her highchair.

We all had a great time talking around the campfire, taking photos of the kids and group.

Oh and grandma loved Seth's beard. She told him to never cut it unless he was forced to due to a greater calling in life. All in all it was a wonderful weekend with the family catching up and camping fun. In fact is was the first camping experience our little threesome has had since Tille joined our family.