Jay's New Job!

I have good news--Jay got a new job! Since Jay hasn't told all his coworkers yet, (and since this blog gets HEAVY traffic) I won't say exactly what the job is (but the show rhymes with Blarry King Live).



I'm so proud of him, because he worked really hard and went on a lot of interviews to get this job. And I'm so happy that he'll get off work at 7! We can actually have dinner together. And this means that we'll be moving to LA with at least one of us having a job.

Lake Winnipesaukee

Every other year, my New York friends and I road trip up to New Hampshire for a long weekend at TJ's parent's lake house. This last weekend was our third trip, and it was such a great weekend.

I went water skiing and got up for a long ride around the lake (a day and a half later my shoulders were so sore I couldn't twist my neck). We also found a rope swing and jumped into the water like 13 year olds. We created and competed on two obstacle courses (my team won both times!) And the rest of the time we just lied in the sun reading magazines or napping in the hammock. Jay came up for the first time, which was really nice. The lake house is such a special place to me, and I loved being there with the most special person in my life!

Here are some pictures:



The beautiful house where we stayed!



Me jumping off the boat--about to waterski.



Cute Jay!



Terri, Jessma, and Boo relaxing by the water.



TJ and I competing in the first obstacle course. Our time of 1 minute and 36 seconds would prove to be VICTORIOUS.



CANNONBALL!



Another view of the house.

We came back totally exhausted, but with a lot of new funny jokes. Most of them are "off color" and not "appropriate" for a "family blog", but trust me, it was fun.

August News

I came back on Tuesday from a really great trip home for Aidan's birthday. He reminds me so much of me when I was his age: obsessed with cars, monster trucks, and playing catch. That's what I was like when I was three, right Mom?

He is just the sweetest little boy, and I love how the only way he knows how to express his love is to lay his entire body on you and push. So cute!

Kylie is so old now I can't even stand it. I was comparing pictures of her on this trip with pictures of her from a year or two ago, and I swear, it is like Jenny and Ollie switched her out with another child, she has changed so much. We played a really fun game of "Run from the witch" which ended with her giving a monologue that went like this:

(dramatic pause) The witch.....is not a witch. (dramatic pause) The witch.....is my husband. (runs to the bed and throws herself on it dramatically) And I......am not a princess. (dramatic pause) I........am a HUMAN BEING.

I loved it! Where does she get that? Has Jenny been watching soap operas during the day?

This weekend I am going to TJ's lakehouse in New Hampshire for our traditional group trip to the lake. It is on a beautiful cove on Lake Winnipesaukee and about 14 people go for a few days and it is always a really special trip. Jay will be coming for the first time and I can't wait to show him how awesome it is. The weather looks good, too: 83 and sunny the whole weekend!

I'd also like to give a special shout out to Amy who always gently encourages me to blog (and does it by example, too! I love her blog).

Matt

Weekend in Dallas

I was able to come home this last weekend to Dallas and see the family. We had a pool party at Aunt Mad and Uncle Rob's, and I got to see almost everyone! Here is a link to the photo album I made, and one of my favorite pictures:



It was a very special trip, and I got to see how loving and wonderful my family is. They really are the best family I ever could have asked for, and I know how lucky I am.

And the best part is that I'll be back to see them again in 3 weeks!!!

More later. (I promised Amy I'd be better with updates!)

Love,
Mattie

Los Angeles, Here We Come!

That was our view from our hotel room in LA. We looked east to the Hollywood Hills. You can see the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory!

We did lots of fun stuff, and we got to ride around in a shiny white Mustang convertible that I didn't get a chance to take a proper picture of.

This is a picture of Jay drinking iced coffee and eating a (really good) jelly donut at the Farmer's Market:



This is a picture of the sunset at Venice Beach:



Here is a picture of me in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall:



Here's a picture of Jay and I with Homer and Marge Simpson, some friends we met along the way:



And here are some pictures from the top of the Griffith Observatory:





It was a great trip, despite the fender bender on the last night. I think we're gonna go back and STAY AWHILE!

Next update I'll talk about what we've been doing since then.

Hey Strangers!

Sorry for the delay in postings, Mom. I got Spring Fever. But I promised Jay if he uploaded all the pictures he's been taking of our travels and adventures lately that I would write a new blog post. Here it is!

There's a lot to cover, so I'll probably be posting over the next few days.

Today I'll post some pictures from me and Jay's trip to Austin. We went for Amber's wedding and to see my lovely family. Here are some pictures:








Oh, whoops. Those are actually just the pictures Jay has taken of himself in the last few weeks. He's so photogenic he can't help himself!

Here are the pictures from Austin:







Austin was awesome. Great hot weather, lots of family time, and a fun city to play in. Amber's wedding was in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and was really nice, and quite emotional (for me) and a pretty big deal, considering all Amber and I have been through. It was really special to me that I got to be a part of her wedding. She looked great and was so happy. I was so happy for her!

I also got to see my cutie-pies Kylie and Aidan and play with them in the park. Jay got to do some drawings of them, which is one of his specialties. We also got to hang out at Robbie and Ericka's for a bit before we left for the airport. Ericka was looking great with her little baby in her tummy! And Matt Sandlin was there, so it was good to see cousins that I don't get to see that often.

Ok, that's it for this post. Check back soon for the next part--our trip to LA!!

Strong!

I worked out for the first time yesterday. In a long time.

I feel great today! Sore but in a good way. I did some upper body work: bicep curls, chest presses, rowing for my back, and then ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill. I also did a lot of stretching, which is always one of my favorite things to do at a gym.

This is what my biceps look like today:



Today I'm going to go to a yoga class and do some leg and butt exercises. Tomorrow my butt will look like this:



I'm won't write about every workout I do from now on, but I know how much Jenny loves hearing about exercise, so I thought I'd give you all the details.

In other news, Jay and I are planning a little extended weekend vacation to LA. If we move there, we're inviting the family out for Thanksgiving--CALIFORNIA STYLE!! Mark your calendars now.

xoxo,
Matt