Oh Hey Blog

Several people have told me lately that I should blog. So here you go.

According to my camera, I made Irish soda bread this year for St. Patrick's day. And if memory serves me correctly, I also made corned beef and colcannon (mashed potatoes, cabbage, and bacon). Delish. With the leftover corned beef we made awesome corned beef sandwiches.

Also according to my camera we celebrated the Passover this year with some friends. It wasn't super traditional but it was still fun and enlightening. We made a delicious beef brisket and drank lots and lots of grape juice (so much grape juice).

Brad leading the Passover and holding some grape juice (best caption ever amirite?)

My camera also informs me that I had a birthday this year (the big 30) and that my super awesome neighbor made me this amazing and delicious fruit tart. My camera didn't tell me this, but I do remember that I also spent the night of my 30th birthday with a few friends because Brad had a conference he had to attend (and couldn't get out of). We went to dinner and then watched 13 Going on 30 (so fitting right?). The next day and as a part of the conference that Brad was attending, Brad and I got to go out for a super expensive catered dinner. We got to dress up and there were appetizers and first and second courses and a delicious steak and fancy dessert. Yum.

Other than what my camera has informed me of, not much has been happening around here. Brad just started his last rotation of his 3rd year of medical school (he is on internal med). I'm watching the cutest and happiest 6 month old boy (his name is Liam but I call him The Squish) at my house, Monday-Friday. I got sick for weeks and weeks and am still recovering but doing TONS better.

Also, we have been eating some yummy stuff lately (and apparently a lot of my memories revolve around food). Some of our favorites lately have been:

• Mexican Haystacks
• Banh Mi (we made the sandwich version with a sriracha mayo)
• Vegan Sweet Potato/Black Bean Burgers

Disney World!

Brad had a spring break (the last spring break of his life? maybe? probably?) and we decided we had to do something awesome. Some friends invited us to go to Disney World with them and we simply couldn't refuse!

Brad and I flew out on Thursday and met up with our friends that night at our hotel. We spent the next four days in the parks. By the way... who knew Disney World was SO huge? FOUR separate theme parks? Monorails and buses to shuttle you between parks? Crazy!

Day 1:

• Magic Kingdom.
• Space Mountain. Twice. 
• Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin (one of Brad's favorites). 

Buzz Lightyear ride

• Dole pineapple whips.
• Jungle River cruise. 
• Brad playing some game... (I just followed him around the park while he fought digital bad guys with special playing cards). 
• Pirates of the Caribbean.

Magic Kingdom

Day 2:

• Animal Kingdom.  
• Safari tour. 

Safari goodness

• Festival of the Lion King. 
• Finding Nemo - The Musical. 
• Dinosaur ride. 
• Expedition Everest. Twice. 
• Goofy kissed my hand. 

Animal Kingdom

Day 3:

• Epcot. 
• Mission: Space. 
• Soarin. 
• Free Coca-Cola samples from around the world. I liked China and Brad liked Mexico.  
• Seeing all the characters in bush form. 
• World tours. 
• Caption EO (80s magic goodness). 
• Ellen's Energy Adventure.
• Yummy nachos from Mexico.

Epic Epcot

Day 4:

• Hollywood Studios. 
• Tower of Terror. 
• Rock 'N Roller Coaster. 
• Star Tours. Twice (the second time made me sick). 

Nerdy guys waiting for Star Tours.

• The Great Movie Ride. 
• Back to Magic Kingdom.
• More Pirates of the Caribbean. 
• More dole whips. 
• Amazing sweet and spicy chicken sandwich on a waffle. 
• Light Parade. 

Mostly Hollywood Studios but a little bit Magic Kingdom

On Tuesday morning we made our way back to good ol' C-bus. It was a fun (but colder than expected) trip and are so glad for our friends and for those who helped make the trip affordable (you know who you are and what you did!). 

All of us. And no, that is not my hand on my friend's waist... it is her husband's.

Also, our hotel actually had pretty amazing (and free!) breakfasts (as amazing as free gets). There were always eggs, some sort of meat (either sausage or weird ham), either biscuits, pancakes, or french toast sticks, and fruit. Awesome right?!

Bonus picture... of our feet. You are welcome.

Picture Dump

I've haven't taken pictures off of my camera since November... until today! So I'ma gonna do a picture dump. Lucky you.

Apparently I really liked these leggings and felt the need to take a picture of them. But they do look cute with those shoes. Go me.

I tried to rotate this pic 3 times to no avail

 This is what it was like to live in a swing state during the presidential election. This was ONE days worth of political mailings. Serious paper waste (I voted early and so none of this could have changed my mind anyway).

Thanksgiving

We had a few people over for Thanksgiving (potluck style). I made stuffing from scratch and a pumpkin butter cake (delicious but so full of guilt - I will probably never make it again unless I want to die of diabetes). After dinner we had people over to play Rock Band.

Brad + cute baby = heart melting

We babysat Sophie so her parent's could celebrate their anniversary. They were just too cute together to not take pictures.

Mandy and Kelli (Brad's sisters) came to visit us the end of November/beginning of December and apparently I only got ONE picture of Kelli (and none of Mand...).

Brad wearing his keytar shirt while playing a keytar... and oh, hey Kelli

 And yeah, you can only see part of her head. But a cute head it is. I guess we were too busy having fun to document anything else.

Our amazing Christmas dinner. Seriously, it was better tasting than it looks. Pot roast, crash hot sweet potatoes, candied cashew salad (with bacon!), whole grain french bread, and sparkling cider. Delicious.

In January we went to the COSI After Dark again. The only pictures we got were of a Lego exhibit because I have a Lego obsessed nephew.

Lego Knight

Lego dragon

Pretty sweet Lego creations amirite?

a really horrible shot of a chalkboard banner we made for my sil's b-day

bibs, jeggings, diaper cover, and felt bows for my sister's baby girl

 And last but not least, I made some things.

More than this has happened in the last few months but I don't have pictures to prove it... and if you don't have pictures it didn't really happen, right?

Thanksgiving Thankful List

Hooray for Thanksgiving. I love that we get to reflect on what we are thankful for. Starting the first of this month, I've been writing down each day something that I am thankful for. Here is that list. No need to read it, it is more for me than anyone else. :)

1. Brad. He really is the best fit for me - I couldn't imagine a better fit. He is patient, slow to anger, forgiving, willing and able to communicate, faithful, handsome, smart, funny, and just all around awesome. I'm glad he's mine and that I get to keep him for-ev-er. 
2. Our apartment. 1500 square feet is still HUGE to me after 2 1/2 years and after living in 340 square feet our first few years of marriage. I seriously love our home and everything in it. I still feel spoiled with what we've been blessed with.  
3. Sewing. I'm grateful both that I like to sew and that I'm pretty good at it. I've been sewing for as long as I can remember and I can't imagine my life without it (cheesy I know).
4. My Mom. She is awesome. She is always there for me when I need her. We've always had a close relationship and I have always been able to talk to her about anything and everything and she never judges me. I seriously couldn't have had a better, cuter, sillier, sweeter, more loving mother than the one I was blessed with. 
5. Organized and clean spaces and places. They make me so happy. A house of order is a happy house. :)  
6. Food. I have a complex relationship with food (just ask Brad). Sometimes I hate it and sometimes it hates me (both can probably be blamed on my medication). But when we are on good terms, nothing beats food. Plus, it keeps me alive - which is awesome.  
7. I can laugh at myself. I'm grateful that I don't always have to take myself so seriously. 
8. Sisters. My sisters are the greatest. I love all of them oh so very much and I'm glad we are close. As I've always said: "God made us sisters but Mom made us be friends." (inside joke...)
9. Reading. Books are the shiz (btw, that mormon slang makes me uncomfortable but I don't want to offend... ). 
10. The internet. How awesome is it that if I have a question, I can get an answer in (basically) an instant?! Plus, I can easily keep in touch with my friends and family that live across the country, I can find a recipe for coconut soup, and figure out the best way to clean my makeup brushes. Awesome. Thank you internet. 
11. My Dad. He isn't perfect but when I truly needed him, he was there to help me. During the years when I was having my back surgeries, he was my strength. He helped me deal with the pain which is something I will always be grateful for. Those were hard years for me and he helped me better than anyone else could. 
12. My body. This body of mine has been through a lot and it is still kicking. I am grateful for all that my body has overcome. 
13. When RS activities that I'm in charge of are OVER! I had one tonight and I am so happy that it was successful and that it is over. (We decorated Christmas stockings to donate to a domestic violence shelter.)
14. Slowcookers. I don't use mine nearly enough but when I do, life is awesome.  
15. Dates. I love spending time with my Bradley. He is my favorite. 
16. Eating out. I love it when I don't have to cook but I still get to eat something yummy. Yay! 
17. Girl's Night Out - sometimes you just need to hang out with the girls and watch stupid movies your husband would be embarrassed to watch.
18. The Conference Issue of the Ensign. Enough said. 
19. That Christ can lighten our burdens. Today a small thing happened that will make a huge difference in my life. 
20. That Heavenly Father answers prayers. 
21. Service. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 
22. Friends. We weren't able to spend time with family today but luckily we had our friends. They are our family in Ohio and I am so happy we could spend this wonderful holiday with them.

Nerd Alert

I've called Brad a nerd for as long as I've known him... but he's not the only nerd in our family. I, Jessica Prestwich, am also a nerd. And here is the proof:

I've seriously watched this one so so many times. I love Rose and the tenth Doctor so much!

Yes, I am a Doctor Who addict.

This week's good things

• We got new lamps for our front room. They aren't super pretty but they put out TONS of light and I'm so happy about that. Like, so so happy.
• My favorite cashier at the grocery store (her name is Gina) noticed I dyed my hair. She said it made my eyes pop. She's awesome.
• I got sushi earlier this week. Mmmm. And Raising Cane's (not the same night as sushi, though).
• Brad has come home TWICE this week for lunch. His new rotation (Neurology) has amazing hours. I love it. Plus, he has gotten home before 6 every day.
• Two of Brad's sisters are coming to visit us the end of next month. So excited to have visitors!
• I started making polka dot pants (I still have the backside to finish). They make me happy. Time will tell if I will actually wear them but I already had everything on hand so I don't really care either way.

• I participated in a toddler busy bag exchange today and got some fun things to do to help entertain when I babysit. 

I made fabric marble mazes.

• Slowly, but surely, our food storage is getting awesome. 
• I found a cute plaid shirt for $1. 
• We voted! Yay! 
• For most of the week, it was in the 70s. Thank you Columbus!  
• We got to go to our ward's Halloween party.
• We've had dragon noodles 3 times this week. So easy and so yummy. We might be addicted. 
• My sister found out she is having a girl and she is due on my birthday!!

Halloween Festivities

Last Friday my awesome friend threw an incredible (girls only) Halloween party. To see how intensely she decorated, go here. I went as a Geisha and totally stole these pictures from her blog. Thanks for the fun Britney!

Last night we were unexpectedly able to go to our ward's Halloween party. We originally were scheduled to do laundry at the temple but they canceled on us so we threw on some costumes and went as artists. Brad was Vincent Van Gogh and I was Frida Kahlo. Most people didn't know what we were but my unibrow and tiny mustache were still a hit.

holding my friend's marshmallow baby

At the party, Brad participated in a donut eating contest. He won his first heat and went on to the finals but alas, the gangster won. 

Random

Here are pictures of things that don't necessarily warrant their own blog post but I want to share anyway...

a happy maxi skirt I made

the banners/garlands I made for my SIL's birthday

the creepy Nic Cage I put in the bottom of SIL's birthday package. Yes, I do think I'm funny.

I made bagels for the first time ever

I dyed my hair (it is now darker with no more grays! yay!)

fun with history

So a few Saturdays ago it was free museum admission day and Brad had the day off... so we decided to check out the Ohio Historical Center with our friend Britney and her adorable boy Hayden. The center had both a regular museum inside and a historical village outside. I barely got any pictures inside but took tons outside. And here they are...

Brad sending a telegram in the post office

sitting on a cannon

playing an old school game with Hayden

practicing his sweet skills

preaching

that's right. He is a physician (well, almost).

one of the only pictures I took inside the museum... because Brad thought it was funny. It says "sure I'll vote for Roosevelt ha ha ha ha ha"

Yesterday

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I had a doctor's appointment that went well (my doctor has hope for me yet!) and then ran some errands. When I got home, I was surprised with a little package on my doorstep that turned out to be a random gift from Brad:

He bought me a 100 piece eyeshadow set that I mentioned I wanted. How cute is he?! To show my appreciation, I copied this pin and randomly placed a few creepy Nic Cages around the house. You know, for fun.

The first one he saw when he got home was the one I placed on the kitchen table. No big deal.

The others were found:

In between his closet doors

By the keys

Behind a basket in the bathroom

The creepy Nic Cages probably made me happier than they should have but I don't even care.

To finish the night off we went to a barbeque at our ward's annual campout. Yay for fun Fridays.