...malin marie king...

A very happy birthday to the newest member of the family...

Malin Marie King!

07/08/11

5 lbs, 6 oz.

How perfect is she?!

Her gender was a surprise to her momma and daddy, so we are all off to buy lots of incredibly girly things for Malin.

Tim and I can't wait to see her in August! Stonybrook, NY...here we come!

...the low down...

Here's the skinny...in sequential order

I'm a bad blogger,

bad birthday celebrator,

bad sister,

and bad daughter.

I'm working my best to rectify all of the above, and the devote some of my plentiful free hours of time on getting the WORD out on the oh so exciting life of moi.

Following is a small picture homage to my sister Abigail. She turned the age of twenty-seven on May 23. Thankfully, I was able to be in CO on the 24th, and a cake was made. No big deal, only 5 layers; but I WOULD go so far to say as one of my better looking creations.

She's such a good sister she even visited me in Chicago! The Bean!

She's such a good sister she eats the questionable food I cook!

She Matron of Honor's for me.

She's such a good sister she deals with not only MY antics, but also his.

After Abbey's birthday, it was time to celebrate SPENCER and his high school graduation!

It's pretty ridiculous that my little brother, who was unquestionably the cutest child EVER, has graduated. Congratulations buddy, I'm your biggest fan.

AND THEN, Father's day. Obviously, I had to see my dad on the big day, so we met at the Albuquerque airport. That's just how we roll.

Actually, I was lucky enough to be included in a psuedo-family vacay. And by lucky enough to be included, I mean I guilted my dad into including me by moaning about the woes of unemployment in a pricey city.

I love my dad, and I'm glad there's a specific day set aside to recognize how great he is. Anyone who knows me and my parents notice how alike dad and I are; from blue eyes, to the same nose, to the same tendency to believe we are always in the right. :)

All I know is that he's a great influence, has made incredible sacrifices for our family, kept me on the right path, and always threatened to punch anyone who didn't like me in the nose.

And by the way, he's a darn good athlete.

Dad, I just want you to remember that I SUCCESSFULLY mowed the back yard when I was in Colorado. We're making great strides.

...mother's day...

I'm glad there is a whole day devoted to mothers.

I think there should be several dispersed throughout the year, so we are constantly reminded of how much our mother's do for us. But one day is a good start.

When I think of everything my mom means to me, I can't really find the appropriate words to explain it in writing.

Thank you mom for being a constant supporter, and always fiercely standing beside me with unconditional love.

Thank you for being a role model as a mother, companion, friend, and most importantly as a follower of Christ.

Thank you for drawing faces on my fruit and vegetable stacks.

Thank you for your unwavering help and support in the past couple of years when I moved, and then moved, and then moved again, and then got married, and then moved again.

Another great thing about you is that you're an awesome dancer. And sometimes when you're talking you break out in a truly convincing southern accent. (But only for a couple of words)

Thank you for setting an example in your marriage for Tim and I, Abbey and Josh, and yes, eventually SPENCER.

Thank you for being a best friend to me, and to everyone who has had the pleasure of being close to you.

Thank you for taking care of this poopscotch.

And this one...

Thank you for not caring when I make you ugly/"unique" cakes with a #9 candle on top.

Thank you for being willing to risk having a meal with me when I used no directions in cooking.

Thank you for your company.

Thank you for being who you are, and for teaching me what it means to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.

I LOVE YOU MOM!

And I couldn't let the day go by without also saying a big HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my mother- in-law Victoria Erickson. Thank you for raising your son to be a wonderful man of God, and also my husband! :)

...when did this happen?...

Upon facebook stalking my own flesh and blood (aka my brother), I stumbled across his high-school senior photos.

One word.

Stud.

He's such a handsome guy! I'm a lucky girl to have such an awesome little bro, who is not only a looker, but has a matching personality.

He's one of the funniest people I know. Hilarious, in fact. Anyone who disagrees with me can BRING IT, because I'll defend him to the grave. THE GRAVE!

Oh, and did I mention he's on a D-1 golf scholarship to Oral Roberts University.

Yeah. D-1.

Let's talk about it.

Sea-Tac!

First of all...did you know that SeaTac is an actual CITY? It's not just the name of an airport. That was my "eureka" moment of the vacay.

Yes! I was in Seattle last weekend...visiting my BFFFFFFFFFFsssss. I'm so glad I have friends that live in such a nifty city. Seattle is one of my favorites. In fact, I tried to convince Tim to apply to several grad schools in the Northwest; to no avail.

Michelle, Maddie, Amanda, Emme, Annie, and myself tromped all around the city. We squeezed so many activities in such a small amount of time, that I can't even remember all of them. Thankfully, Maddie has already documented our activities in writing. Also thankfully, I have no qualms about straight up plagiarizing both our activities list, as well as the following pictures which came from Maddie's camera. :)

Toulouse Petite late night happy hour straight from the airport • Wild Mountain Cafe for brunch • Green Lake walk • Pike Place Market for tea and donuts • Espresso, often • Ballard Ave. shops • Bastille for pre-dinner cocktails • Tarasco for beer and pool while waiting for dinner • Delancey for wood-fire pizza and wine • maybe back to Tarasco for karaoke, where we made K. Perry proud • Molly Moon's for a couple of pints (of ice cream) • lots of Nyquil • Emmer & Rye for brunch • Gas Works Park • University Village for Starbucks and shopping • take-out Thai food and Step Up 3 • Portage Bay Cafe for brunch • Golden Gardens • ...and back to Sea-Tac for a sad goodbye...

Gasworks Park

It was exceedingly windy here. Thankfully we were at times distracted by a group of men and women all clad in short red dresses and skirts. We thought it might perhaps be a Valentines celebration; but it was quite the contrary. From what I understand, the group is Seattle's own Hash House Harriers; a drinking/running club. Should you care to learn more--or for those living in Seattle--should you care the join : here's more info.

In front of the Public Market, although our kind photographer missed the sign slightly...

Maddie. She drinks espresso now. Which is awesome.

Congratulations to Valor

Valor Christian High School, home to both my brother (as a student) and my sister (as a rockstar employee) has STOMPED the Wheat-Ridge Farmers in the State, 4-A football championship game. I mean, they really STOMPED them. It was such a fun game, and I'm proud of the Valor Eagles!

Spencer would be the bandana clad hombre

Two Below Zero!

Two Below Zero Dinner Sleigh Rides

Gliding through the snow in a two mule open sleigh...what could be better? Two Below Zero offers the BEST that sleigh riding has to offer. (Voted number the number ONE sleigh ride in America, and Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel voted TBZ as her number ONE thing to do in Colorado!)

The ride starts with time to interface with the mules (ours were Bonnie and Belle..). Next you jump in a real sleigh with BELLS, cover yourself with a luxuriously thick blanket, and hit the road to head off to dinner. Then you are ushered into a warm and comfy tent, and served a four course meal that leaves the stomach bulging in the happiest of ways. Top it off with excellent entertainment and sing-alongs, and you've got a recipe for SUCESS! The entertainer, David Peel, is great; he can do the best impersonations...everything from Johnny Cash to Mickey Mouse! :)

The corral at Two Below.

The tent!

My only complaint is feeling slightly like the White Witch from Narnia whilst traversing in a bell ringing snow sleigh through a dark forrest. If only I had some Turkish Delight.....

Wedding Picture Slideshow!

Our photography Lindsay created a slide-show for us!! I'm excited to get the cd of all the pictures soon! Kapsie is putting lots of pressure on me to create a Christmas card ; )

See the slideshow HERE!!

Birthplace of our nation

This wonderful time of year reminds me of the time when me and my good friend Nicole Klink, who I sometimes like to refer to as Nikkolai, went to visit the birthplace of our nation...PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS. We did this while I was at Gordon College. I had the pleasure of rooming with Ms. Nikki Klink; which was totally God's providential plan, because she is one AWESOME girl.

I was able to spend Thanksgiving with her family in Dighton-Rehoboth, MA. Spending Thanksgiving in the SAME STATE where it all started so many years ago??! Yeah, it blew my socks off. Of course, we made a pit-stop at Plymouth on the way to her house, (which actually isn't really on the way...Nikki was so good to me), to see where America was born. Plymouth Rock...I will say I was expecting it to be a bit more impressive....

The ROCK!

Nikki and I, circa 2007

Apologies for the quality of photographs on this day. I recall that my camera was a bit off...

Nomming!

My parents came home today. Being the wonderful, incredibly thoughtful daughter that I am, I decided to have a dinner prepared for the weary travelers.

The menu: Turkey Chili for the main course with an Apple and Cranberry Crisp for dessert. Of course I'll be pairing this with a nice fresh salad, and a California Red Table Wine that my Dad picked up. It's pretty much the best wine ever...pictures below.

Cranberries for the crisp. Tis the season!

The crisp getting ready for the oven!

So my dad came home with a bottle of wine to have for dinner. He picked it out especially for me. It's most definitely the best bottle I've seen in a long time.... :)

For anyone who doesn't know, I happen to be the middle child in my family. Of course, this is something I bring up everytime I have an argument with either my parents or siblings just in case I get pity points for being the token middle child. I never do.

I love the label on this bottle, however for our family it needed to be changed just a smidge.

Abbey, Sarah, and Spencer.

I tried to make the woman on stage right into a man so as to represent my brother Spencer, but my drawing skillz were not quite up to snuff.

I would recommend Middle Sister Rebel Red!! :)

Florida

Florida. What can I say? We pretty much dominated you last week. At least, we dominated Tampa, Orlando, and Sarasota. Domination may be a bit strong of an adjective, but I'm confident that we covered a lot of miles in our rented Ford Focus. (Or the Fast and Furious Focus as I like to call it).

The reason for our Florida escapades was because my good friend Jessica Murphy was getting married to one Sarasota local, Jason Puckett. Jessica and I have been going through this whole wedding planning process together, and it was so fun to be able to see all her hard work come to fruition in the most excellent of ways. AND she's such a good friend that even though she was working full time and planning her own wedding, she and Jason still made the time to come out and celebrate with Tim and I last month.

I met Jessica through a school program I was privileged to go on in college called the International Business Institute (IBI). There were a few of us going from Westmont, and basically the rest of the trip was composed of students from Messiah C0llege in PA, and Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois. Jess and I became good friends quickly (along with our other sidekick Jill Carlson -- who I also got to see at the wedding!) There is nothing quite like traveling Europe with strangers to form lifelong bonds. I could go on and on about IBI, the fabulous people I met and friendships I get to maintain; IBI was such a blessing in my life. I digress.

Jess and I in Russia in the Red Square circa 2007.

At the top of Mount Chamonix in France.

Jess, Jill, and myself in Antwerp, Belgium.

This was my first time in Florida and I didn't quite know what to expect. I've heard stories. I've heard tell of gigantic bugs, weather so hot and sticky it's better to never venture outdoors, and alligators showing up in your backyard or swimming pool. My ideal outfit of choice based on these factoids consisted of a bodysuit made of breathable, yet insanely strong netting covered in bug repellent. (So as avoiding the bugs, weather, AND alligators). To my great pleasure, I found Florida to be none of these things, and was quite comfortable wearing the normal clothes that I had packed.

Tim and I spent our first night in Florida exploring downtown Orlando. To be honest, there's not too much to see. I could be comparing too closely to the GIGANTIC city of Chicago where we were earlier in the week, but Orlando felt small and slightly boring. However, we did eat a delicious meal of flatbread pizza downtown. That was the highlight.

Day two brings us to the Magical Kingdom. With thanks to Anna Storvick, Amanda Crowley, and Todd Pulliam, I have a slight obsession with all things Disney. It was an obvious choice to make Disneyworld a necessary stop while we were in Florida.

Tim and I had epic timing, arriving at the opening gates for the ten second countdown to open the park. We raced around like pro's to get fast-passes to all the best rides. We covered the park so well that we even had time to watch the 3D movie, go to the Hall of Presidents (which was awesome!), AND the Tiki Room, which in my opinion is a last resort at D-world. We witnessed three parades, AND the fireworks, AND rode Big Thunder Mountain six times. Not too shabby.

The famous Disneyworld Castle.

Watching movies in 3D!

Sunday brought us to Sarasota to get ready for Jess' wedding! Tim and I got to spend some time with Jill catching up on her jet-setting lifestyle before the ceremony. (I hadn't seen her in three years!) The wedding was at a beautiful venue called the Powell-Crosley Estate. It was right on the ocean and couldn't have been a more picturesque place to tie the knot, so to speak. Jess had everything planned perfectly, and the whole shebang came off as a huge, roaring, god-honoring, Jess and Jason celebrating SUCCESS!! We're so glad to have been there, congratulations to the both of you!

Mr. and Mrs. Puckett being introduced.

Jilly Bean and I circa 2010.

We've already done that "getting married" thing.

The sunset. Nice work by God.

It was hard to follow the success of the previous evening, but we tried our best on Monday by exploring downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa before our flight back to Denver. I did get to see a few dolphins, but most unfortunately, no dugongs, stellar sea cows, or manatees.

Overall it was an awesome trip, with the most important part as getting to celebrate with Jessica and Jason Puckett. I can say, however, that I'm glad to be home with a future of COOKING, rather than eating every meal out. Huzzah!