blue-eyed boy meets a brown-eyed girl...

To my little one...

2011-06-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

It's the morning of your gender ultrasound.

I woke up at 4:30...so excited that I couldn't go back to sleep. So I started stirring in bed just enough to wake up your dad. It worked. He pulled me close and I laid there day dreaming about the first time we'll get to hold you. About 5 seconds later, you got hungry.

I'm not sure if you were upset about the Cheerios I decided to eat, or the artichoke you clearly didn't like from yesterday. But you let me have it and I got to taste those Cheerios twice. We finally came to an agreement on a chocolate chip muffin. You win this time, but next time, no dessert until you finish all your breakfast!

I love my job, but today work was slow. I thought about the morning I told your dad I was going to have you. I knew from day one that you were on your way. The day that a pregnancy test would detect you, I went to the grocery store on my lunch break. I couldn't wait until later to take the test of course (hi...nice to meet you. I'm your mother, the most impatient woman in the world). So I used the restroom in the store. The cashier smiled at me as I walked victoriously out of the automatic doors. She knew from what she had sold me moments earlier that this was a good lunch break for me. I thought I would take one more test before telling your dad. So very early the next morning, I quietly went downstairs. Positive! I thought for a minute about all the fun and creative ways I could tell him about you. But that went out the window when I came back into the room and he was standing there. (He's a light sleeper...keep this in mind when you try to break curfew and sneak in late).

Spence: "What are you doing up so early?"
Me: "I think you're going to be a daddy."
Spence: "Really??"

There is nothing in the world like your dad's smile (you'll see). We stayed up the rest of the night talking. You are so lucky...he's wanted you for so long. And now you're halfway here.

Ok, back to today:

2:30...just finished up work. Longest day ever. It's finally time for me to get ready for our appointment. Put on a good show for us ok?

3:30...The sonographer thought we were hilarious because we asked her if she would put either an Almond Joy if it's a boy or a Mounds if it's a girl in an envelope. Because...Almond Joy has nuts and Mounds don't :) We'll open it later tonight. It was so fun to see how you've grown in such a short time.

6:30...finally Finally FINALLY! Some of our closest friends are all gathering at Olive Garden for the 'big revealing.' We took a poll. There were 3 times as many guesses that you would be a girl. And you ARE! How did they know? I thought for sure you would be a boy but your dad knew all along. I'll try really hard not to go overboard with the polka dots. But they may look really cute on you. Oh my baby girl. I can not wait!

Baby Bumps
Opening the envelope

Mounds don't :)

We'll Go!

2008-11-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday...today is all about my bro who is serving a mission. He reported to the MTC September 3rd. And TOMORROW he will be making his long journey to Poland! Every time I think of him starting this adventure, I think of the ending to the song I posted below. This is the MTC choir at the Priesthood Session of General Conference. My brother was so excited to be a part of this. If you don't have time to watch/listen to the whole song, at least listen to the last few seconds when they sing, "we'll go!" Those of you that know me well, know that I get goosebumps all over my body when I hear really good music. So I listen to the ending of this song over and over again, not only because it sounds amazing but also because of the power behind those words. These young men are in the MTC preparing to be sent out to places they've never lived, far away from their families, some speaking languages they had never even heard before they got into the MTC, and they are shouting out obediently, "to every land we'll go." What good examples these young 19-year-olds are to me.

(By the way if you want to see Elder Brown's darling face, go to the minute mark of this clip. He is in the second row from the top, third one over from the right. He said it was difficult to not bawl through each song they sang.)

So, a little bit about the MTC...dropping him off was so bitter sweet. These pictures of my mom explain it best. I think her thoughts were...

'See I'm smiling, I'm happy.'

'I'm a little sad'

'Does he have to go so far?'

'Maybe I should go with him.'

My mom did really well...I'm hope she's not mad at me for posting those. She was so cute that day. Both of my parents are so supportive and so proud of their son.

Jason turned into Elder Brown the second he put on that badge. And his enthusiasm to get started was what got me through the day. Spencer kept saying, "he's on fire."

This was Starszy Brown's face all day. I loved it.

Here's some great pictures of J in the MTC if you are interested.

So, I'll be thinking about this handsome missionary all day while he travels. I think of him always even though he probably doesn't think so because I'm not the best a sending letters. I hope he doesn't hate me because of that. Luckily my gorgeous and amazingly thoughtful sister, Sarah never misses a beat. He's gotten so many letters and packages from her. I've sent probably 1 letter to her 30. So at least it balances.

Ok, anyway, Starszy Brown, you won't see this post for 2 years but I love you!

By the way...

2008-10-31T22:40:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Spence and I went to Emily and Taylor's Hallow-wood Halloween Party.
We were supposed to dress up as a celebrity couple.
So...we were Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.

I should mention that we are trying to look really serious in this picture because we felt like it helped us look more like our character. I think it helped Spence, but I still look nothing like Faith.

So, Rome was nice...

2008-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that not many people check this blog anymore. But I've realized that this is just as much for Spencer and I as it is for all of our 'viewers.' It's sad to me that it took a much less than pleasing event to occur for me to start it back up. Originally I stopped blogging because our computer crashed, but after my brilliant uncle solved that problem, I was simply out of the habit. It's been over a year now. While that year was full of challenges, there have been so many wonderful occurrences. Let me update you...

First of all, for those of you who are wondering where we live now, that would be Utah. We left Nashville at the beginning of this year. Our house is still there and we miss it, along with the friends we made there, but it's also good to be closer to family again. Perfect timing too because SO many things have been happening. This year we've had TWO more Toone weddings (the year wouldn't be complete without multiple Toone weddings). Little sis, Linz married Payson in February. And little bro, Payden married Laura in July. On top of those two joining the family, we had two darling little babies join the clan as well. Will and Kristy's smiley Blake and Erin and Utahna's precious Madeline. The Toone's numbers went from 11 to 18 in two years. That has to be a record. We like to party.

On top of being able to spend some time in Idaho, Spence and I were able to travel to California and be with my family for a bit. During this time we were looking for jobs and trying to figure out where we were going to settle. Kind of a stressful time. But there's no better place to be when you don't have jobs! Playing in California with my family is one of my favorite things to do. It also gave us the opportunity to spend a lot time with my brother before he left on his mission (more about this later, don't worry).

So this kind of brings us to where we are now. We found a great condo in the Holladay area of Salt Lake that has the most gorgeous view of the mountains (um, and Highland Drive but we just look at the mountains). And then...we got back to work! (With a few summer distractions of course: Lake Powell, Bear Lake, etc. We can't stay away from lakes) Spencer has been working for Pentad Properties doing commercial real estate. And I've been doing marketing and public relations work for two different companies. Both of us are working in completely different fields than we are used to, so it's been exciting! This is definitely the shortened version of "Adventure '08" but I just need to get this posted so I'll feel caught up. And I do. Questions?

Remembering Aquilo

2008-10-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are not dog lovers, you will think this post is cheesy, especially since it's the first post in over a year. Let me update you...Spence and I have had our ups and downs over this past year. Spencer not being able to play football anymore, both of us leaving our jobs and our home in Nashville, having to drive across the country, not once, not twice, but three times, moving around a bit trying to figure out what we were going to do, and finally getting settled in Utah, new place, new careers, new adventures! Through all of it, we've felt so blessed to have our constants: our loving families, and the strong support that the gospel brings into our lives. There was another special pal that always made us smile, even when things were hard. Our sweet little puppy that went through all of it with us. Aquilo!

The name means the Roman God of the Winds. The night we got him, we had tornado warnings in Nashville, and had to spend the night in the basement so we thought the name appropriate. It became even more appropriate when he got a little older and learned his favorite thing to do was RUN. He was so fast and loved the wind in his face. This little guy had the funniest personality. He was really tenderhearted and felt so bad when he would get into trouble. He would curl himself into a ball on your lap as if to say, "forgive me, I could not help myself, that sock was just so delicious." This always made us melt and we could never stay mad at him for long. He was so affectionate and always wanted to please us. If there is anything you could learn from this dog, it's how to be sincere and love unconditionally. He didn't like it when anyone would leave the room. He loved to sit on the balcony and people watch, however, if he saw someone he didn't like, he'd get real stressed out about it and try to talk to us. I think he was trying to warn us of dangerous people. He was very dramatic and he LOVED to play! If no one would play with him, he would figure out away to play on his own by throwing a ball off a flight of stairs and fetching it himself or kicking a ball around the house. He loved to play hide and seek with Jason and Spencer. And he was very afraid of balloons. He was so smart and learned to sit on his second day home.

His tail was constantly wagging which helped us stay positive during rough times. When we would come home, he would consistently give us a greeting that made us feel so loved. He liked to hike, swim, and travel (we hope because he did a lot of it). His best puppy friend was my cousin Emily's puppy Cooper who he got to doggy sit every once in awhile. He taught him how to wrestle and how to play 'keep away.' When we met him, he was homeless. We got to rescue him and spoil him. And although it was short, we hope he had a really good life.

Yesterday, poor Aquilo had an awful accident. Out of fear that he would never be the same and that we would be sentencing him to a life of being crippled, Spencer and I decided that the best thing to do would be to put him to sleep. It was a hard decision because he was our little buddy and we've grown so attached to him. We didn't think we'd have to make this decision for several more years. But after seeing his condition, we knew it was the right decision. We couldn't believe how extremely hard it was to sit with him while he passed. But we know now that he's in a better place. All dogs go to heaven right! So we know he's running fast now and eating all the socks he wants. Spencer and I both feel like there is a big piece of us missing.

We'll miss you buddy

------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Sarah, Love you!

Good to know...

2007-09-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart
Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome
Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand
And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

I miss these faces...

2007-08-30T14:35:00.001-07:00

Thank goodness for the I-Chat camera, I love it when I get pictures like these. It makes my day. Love you Wade and Sarah!

Grow old along with me...the best is yet to be...

2007-08-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

I almost didn't post this because Spencer doesn't like me to make a big deal out of his birthday. So we'll just call the 25th of August a special day. I was thinking back to last year around this time. We had been married for about a month but hadn't seen much of each other at all. I remember feeling like I dreamt our whole wedding day. I was still living with my single roommates, I was still in my single's ward, I still worked / lived in Salt Lake, and my husband was no where to be found. I would daydream about making Spencer sacked lunches and playing with our pet bull dog, "Crunk." Well, here we are, a whole year later. Still no dog and I don't think I've ever made him lunch, at least not one that he's taken to work in a paper bag. But we've sure had our adventures and it was such a treat for me to wake up to that oh so cute face of his on his birthday. How did I get so lucky?
When Spence was little, all he wanted for his birthday was the "biggest twuck in the woold." His parents always talk about what an amazing kid he was. Always wanting to do great things, and always willing to work hard to get there. I've known him for five years now and he's still like that. Spence, like any of us, doesn't like the thought of getting older (eventhough he is so far away from even being considered old). But I've just got to tell ya babe, I look forward to every single day of getting older with you. Happy 25th of August! You'll always be new to me.

Whistle while you work...

2007-08-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful 104 degrees outside and I'm at work!

But so is Spence...

I love watching him work.

I few posts ago, I put up pictures of my office but I didn't show you where Spence is working right now.

Birthday Boy

2007-08-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

I neglected to post a "Happy Birthday" to my little bro because we were on vacation! His birthday always seems to be in the middle of everything. It's usually during Lake Powell (like this year) and last year it was on our wedding day (I hope he doesn't hate me for doing that). This is a big time in his life. He just graduated from high school and he's about to start college. Anyway, I was thinking about him today. He makes me laugh so hard! Some things you should know about J (past and present):

1. You know the yellow speed limit signs (the ones you see on freeway exit ramps)?? well Jason believes these to be "suggestions" (his words).

2. He won't eat the food that you make him if it has "too many ingredients" (again, his words)

3. He can play the guitar and piano and SING so well. Chicks dig it.

4. He's going to be leaving soon to live in Provo which will be tough because he's a HUGE Ute's fan.

5. If he was ever bothering me when he was little, all I had to do was play the Phantom of the Opera theme on the piano really loud. He was terrified of the Phantom and it would scare him. (I still feel bad that I did this but he always stopped whatever it was he was doing--I'm going to be a horrible mother).

6. We used to anxiously await his school pictures every year because he could not take a picture to save his life. They were always so funny. Luckily it was just a phase, he takes darling pictures now. Even if he's wearing girly hats.

7. He used to play baseball around the dining room table. We set up bases for him. And he would go and go (he was like our little puppy). AND...when he was little my parents put him in soccer. He NEVER watched the ball. He would run really fast with a very determined look on his face and then stop and look over at all of us watching him (I guess to make sure we saw his good run).

8. Jason and his friend McKay are so fun to watch scary movies with. They get more scared than girls. If they ever go to a scary movie on a date, the girl will have to fend for herself.

9. He's such a good kid and he's so nice to everyone.

10. Sarah, and my mom and I dressed him up in a dress once when he was little. We put lipstick, and mascara on him and fluffed his bangs. He has wonderful eyelashes! My dad was very mad at us.

J-Sorry to embarrass you. I can't believe that you are going away to college!!! Keep in touch with me. Love you so much.

Things are Sweeter at Powell

2007-08-01T08:55:00.001-07:00

Every summer, my family takes a trip to Lake Powell. We look forward to it all year long. It's the most gorgeous place!

It's so hard to leave once we get there. It's a week of jetskiing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, rock climbing, cliff diving, and sight seeing.

It's also a week of poker playing, fights over catch phrase, relaxation, sleeping under the stars...

...and chubby babies that hate their life jackets.

Luckily Owen will smile no matter what if you put a camera in front of him...

The funnest part is the company!

I've been tagged!

2007-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Amy tagged me which is a good thing because I've been completely neglecting our blog. So this will get me back on track...

Some Jobs I’ve had:
- Accountant for Universal Music (current)
- Analyst for Goldman Sachs
- Account Manager for an insurance brokerage
- A whole bunch of temp. jobs while in college
- Mimi's Cafe (waitress) woo hoo
(there are many more but I'm moving on...)

Places to go for a weekend getaway:
- Is there such a thing as a weekend getaway?

Movies I can watch over and over again:
- Remember the Titans (this has been my favorite movie since my freshman year at college. It's really a sickness of mine, I know every line.)

My Guilty Pleasures:
- Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn
- Home popped popcorn with REAL butter
- Movie popcorn
- Candy popcorn

Places I have lived:
- Orange County
- Rexburg, ID (joy)
- Chantilly, VA
- Salt Lake City, UT
- NASHVILLE!!! ("Things are sweeter in Tennessee")

Places I have been on vacation:
- I've never been out of the US (unless TJ and Canada count)

Favorite Foods:
- Anything Italian
- The fillet at Ruth's Chris
- Chicken Salad at Cafe Rio
- Did I mention popcorn?

First things you thought when you saw your significant other:
- I started singing, "I've seen that smile, somewhere before." (Saturday's Warriors)
ok just kidding but really... I love his smile. It's still my favorite thing to see everyday.
- He has cool side burns
- oo, he smells good

If in a jam with Spouse, what tactics do you use to get out of the doghouse?
- massages work nicely

Wesites I visit daily:
- CNN
- my bank
- all your blogs

Best First Kiss Landmark:
- Amy...my first kiss was at a stake dance also. What were we thinking?
- couch
- outside of the dorms (because the guys weren't allowed in after 10)

Places I’d rather be right now:
- watching Spencer's practice (I'm the only one not there)
- I can't think of anything else because I'm just so bugged that I'm not there.

Now I get to tag other blog buddies:
1. Ashley Harmor (you've been tagged three times now)
2. Ashley Harris
You girls are up!

Happy Birthday Ash!!

2007-07-12T07:43:00.000-07:00

My cousin Ashley turned 25 today!!! She still so young, still so beautiful, still so sweet, still so fun to be around, and still the one you want on your team if you are playing any kind of game where the smartest team wins :)

Oh Ash, I wish SO bad that I was going to be seeing you in a couple of days. I hope you have the best birthday!

2007-06-21T13:39:00.001-07:00

Brief Year Summary

2007-06-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

So, since it took me such a long time to start our blog, I feel like I need to quickly summarize what has been going on...

Spencer and I were married in Salt Lake on July 22nd, 2006.

Then, Spencer's job moved us to Nashville Tennessee. What does Spencer do?? ...

He gets to hurt poor Quarterbacks. Get'm babe!!

Recently they had a Titan's Day for kids where they got to run through the Titans tunnel

(I think I was more excited than the kids about this).

When they came on to the field,

there were tons of activites for them to do

including meeting the players and getting autographs.

Shortly after moving here, I found a job working for a record label (Universal Music) in their finance department. We've been able to attend lots of great concerts and other music events. What a great place to work!

I love all of the big pictures on the walls of UMG artists.

Here is my office!

I can't believe that we've almost been out here for a year. We are not very good at taking pictures but we've done some really fun stuff since we've been here.

Luckily, my parents came out and brought their camera. We had so much fun. We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry (and sat up on stage with the performers), and on the General Jackson Showboat Cruise.

Everywhere you look in Nashville, you'll see guitars. It doesn't matter where you are.

" I am."

2007-06-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

If you tell this cute little boy that he is smart, he will respond (in a very wise tone) with, "I am." I admire his confidence. I'm at work right now feeling rather "family-sick." Luckily, I have this picture of my nephew on my desktop to smile at whenever I feel like it. Cute huh?

Love you Wade!

Oh Dad...Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I would tell you all about my dad today. Even though there are too many things to list, here are some things I love about him...

*Everyone who knows him, absoulutely, loves him!

*He's not only a great dad, but the best grandpa.

*He taught me my sense of humor and I taught him how to pose for picture. We both love to laugh.

*He has a "proud laugh" and all of us kids are so excited when we get him to use it.

*He's the most generous person that I know. He gives EVERYTHING to his kids...in fact, for about 3 months (or maybe even longer than that) he walked to the bus stop everyday (even in the rain) just so that I could have his truck at school.

*He gave me his guitar so that I could always take a piece of him with me everywhere I go. (I take good care of it like he's always taken care of me)

*He's so helpful and has a solution to every problem. When I was little, I kept slipping in my church shoes. So, of course, I went to my dad to fix the problem. He knew just what to do. A little while later, he asked me to come back and try out his great idea. He set my shoes on the ground, I carefully slipped my feet inside, went to take a step and couldn't move. He definitely fixed the problem. With double sided tape!!! No more slipping. Thanks dad.

*I love the look he gets on his face when my mom says something silly. I LIVE FOR THIS!!

*He always wants updates and pictures...he's one of the biggest reasons I started this blog.

**He’s so good at making his children feel loved. This speaks for itself. What a perfect moment for me.

Happy Father's Day Dad. Thanks for making us so happy!!

Now that's fate...

2007-06-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys...I know this is cheesy (you don't have to read it) but I wanted to have this somewhere so that our kids could read it one day and I figured it would be a good intro to our blog. I love our story, in fact for our first Valentines Day as a married couple, I wrote this up and entered it in a contest. We won!!! They gave us a really nice dinner out together. Here's our award winning story...

The first time Spencer saw me, I could not see him. I was up on a stage singing in a concert at Brigham Young University Idaho. He knew the girl that I was performing with so he asked her if she would introduce us. She told him that he had to introduce himself and that she wouldn’t help him. At our next concert, Spencer was there and he introduced himself after the show. He asked me if I would be interested in going out on a date. Even though I said yes, I knew how busy I would be during the upcoming finals week. A few days later, I had to cancel. We didn’t reschedule because it was the last week before summer break. We both figured that we would never see each other again and made no plans to keep in touch. I moved home to California for the summer and after it passed by I started making plans to go back to school. Last minute, I randomly changed my plans and decided to move to Salt Lake City, Utah to work full time and take night classes. I didn’t know this at the time, but Spencer had transferred to the University of Utah to play football. We attended completely different schools but ended up living fairly close to each other. One Sunday, we ran into each other at church. We stood there staring, trying to figure out what was familiar about the other person. After discussing, Spencer remembered me as the girl that “dogged” him because I had broken the date. Over the next few months, we became fairly good friends. But Spencer wanted something more. Since I knew I would be moving soon, I decided it wouldn’t be the best thing to get into a relationship. During the next two years, I moved 4 times! (I wasn't very grounded at the time and really just wanted to move to Nashville and be around all of the music, but that wasn't one of my many moves...yet...read on) Spencer and I kept in touch for awhile but it slowly faded. And he decided that he was going to get over me. I was obviously never going to stay in one place long enough to settle down. During the 4th move, I was back in Idaho where Spencer and I first met. Something made me think of my old friend that I had not talked to in awhile. I decided to call him and when I did, he happened to be about 30 minute’s away water skiing with his family. We always seemed to end up in the same place! So I went to see him. And my feelings went from friendship to major crush!! I guess I was finally ready to settle down. The only problem was, he didn’t care about me like he used to. Luckily, I’m the type that loves a challenge. With some effort I was able to steal his heart again. We started dating but the drama continues. We had been dating for two years (eight months of it long distance) when we learned that he was drafted to play for the Titans. He was sent here to Tennessee immediately and I stayed with my job in Utah. After a little while of being apart, we couldn’t take it anymore. Long distance was just too hard. We knew we wanted each other forever, so Spencer proposed and five WEEKS later we were married. It was almost impossible to plan in that amount of time. But the day arrived and everything was perfect. Four DAYS later Spencer needed to report back to Nashville for football camps. We had to spend the first TWO MONTHS of our marriage apart. I finished things up with my job and he worked hard in camp. But finally I was able to come out here to be with my handsome husband (and it's Nashville of all places)! So now here we are…loving Tennessee. Our excitement never seems to end. And there is no one else I would rather be spending my life with. Happy Valentines Day, Spencer. I love you. (2/14/07)