What's in a Name

Today is one of those milestone days.

My signature of SCBrunson came naturally for the first time today. It came with barely any thought at all. This is a first. Yes folks, it is a big deal!

Now, if I could just get used to introducing my self as Sandy Brunson...that is still a little weird.

Like yesterday when the counselor in our bishopric asked us if we would speak in church...He mentioned it would be a good opportunity for "the Brunsons" to introduce themselves. And I thought to myself, "Jacob's parents won't be here." And I said out loud, "I'm a Carter."

It's a gut reaction. And I hope it doesn't make Jacob feel bad. I like my new last name. I like his family. And I especially like him.

I've been a Carter for 29 years after all...this Brunson stuff takes some getting used to.

A List of Two

I love a good list.

And I love Jacob.

And Wednesday marked our second month of marriage. So to honor that, and him a little, I give you my list of two things I have learned to be grateful for in the past two months (though there are many more).

2. I am grateful Jacob is a good listener. Because, let's face it, I am a talker. He even mostly listens to me at night when he is tired and suddenly I am wide awake. It's this weird phenomena. I will be soooo tired and as soon as we have said goodnight and the lights go out, suddenly I couldn't be more awake. But, back to the point. Jacob tries to understand all my weirdness and I appreciate it.

1. I am grateful Jacob is patient. Turns out I am pretty moody and can get upset pretty quickly. (I say that like it's a big surprise...but it really isn't. Maybe just to Jacob). But he has been very patient and allows me the space to pout and think things out before discussing them even though it is terribly frustrating for him. And I appreciate that too.

And as bonus...I appreciate his desire to surprise me despite my amazing ability to solve a mystery and see through the cover story. I pretty well figure out his surprise before he would like. Keep trying Jacob! I like them even when I am not as surprised as you hope.

And before you leave me comments about how silly I am to post about celebrating 2 months...trust me I know how silly it is. But I'm doing it anyway!

3 New Things

New Thing #1

Jacob's sister, Rachel, painted us a lovely painting for a wedding gift and we finally got a chance to hang it. We picked it up in Utah at the same time we got the organ. It is a very nice painting and I love it even more now that it is hung on our wall. I may have to change my ideas about painting the walls in the house though. The colors I had originally planned won't look all that great with the painting. Or with the rest of the stuff hanging in our house actually. So, back to the drawing board with that.

New Thing #2

I realized I never posted a picture of the organ all set up...so, without further ado...the organ.

It was well worth the trip and hassle to get it here. I like the way it looks and have had a lot of fun messing around on it. Who knows, maybe I'll become a proficient organist. (Most of you are laughing if you know my musical abilities at all. They are slim, folks. Very slim.)

New Thing #3

I cut my hair. Pretty soon after the wedding I told Jacob it was going to go. I don't really do long hair. It doesn't look good on me and it really just end up in a ponytail everyday...not good! So, as it usually works, I cut my hair somewhat unexpectedly last Friday. I find that is my pattern. I'll think about cutting my hair for weeks and then one random day I will just have enough of it and have to get it cut that very day. Welcome to last Friday.

Trouble is, I am on a budget now and an expensive hair cut wasn't accounted for. So I did something crazy, extreme measures really. After debating about going to a great clips or something like that I ended up at the hair school close to my house. I paid $9.00 for this cut. I also paid about two hours of my life since she was a student and had to be closely monitored by the teacher. But I am mostly happy with it. It's not the best cut I've ever had, but it's certainly not the worst. Can't say I'd take the risk again though.

A Trip to Utah and Back

Here is my attempt at a photo journal of our recent trip to Utah to pick up the organ Jacob's parents brought from Oregon when we were married. So...with as little explanation as possible, let the journey begin!

I tried to take a photo to represent the most exciting thing of almost each hour...

Love the Little America 50 cent Ice Cream Cones!!!

We were so excited about our stop to Ikea! We have been waiting to see if they had a dresser we liked. And they did! And then...

the disappointment set in when they were out of stock in the color we wanted.

But no worries, we found plenty to buy and this was the view after Ikea and picking up the organ.

Sunday morning was time enjoyed with Megan and Lauren.

This is my Mom reading an article in the Sunday paper about the health care crisis and ranting about Obama.

And back home we go...

After having to stop in Park City to retie the tarps down, (They came totally untied. It wasn't good.) this was my job. Watch the organ and make sure all was well.

A quick stop for more rope to secure the tarps better and decrease the flapping.

Yes indeed, my lip gloss collection from my purse was the most exciting thing of this hour. I came to the conclusion that I should wear it more often.

Hungry for some "real" food.

And by this point it became too dark to take pictures. But the most exciting thing after this was arriving home and unloading the organ. It was a challenge but we had good help from former ward members. Thanks for all the help! And thanks to my family for a fun, albeit, short trip! Hopefully we will see you all in November.

Beer, Big City, and Baseball

Jacob and I had our first visitors in our new home this weekend. Scott, Mary Ann, Diana and Sam came for a fun little weekend trip.

They arrived late Friday night, after some minor car issues in Heber (I'm convinced no one should make this drive any more as we all seem to have car trouble when we do). But they arrived safely so all is well. That evening we talked a little about what everyone may want to do the next day and it was decided we should tour one of the many brewery's in town.

So the next morning, after some research, we decided to tour Anheuser Busch. Mostly because New Belgium's tours were full for the day. It was pretty interesting to see the whole brewing process but I think the thing we were all most amazed by was the quantity of beer being made and distributed. The amount of money that place makes is insane. I found it to be a little sad actually. So much beer!

After touring the brewery we made our way to the Big City Burrito for some po-ta-to bur-ri-tos. Such a tasty treat. If you are ever in this area I highly recommend a potato burrito with all the fixings. I'm not sure who decided it would be a good idea to fill a tortilla with fried and seasoned potatoes, topped with salsa, ranch dressing and guacamole, but I thank them for it. Yummy!

And just because no trip to Fort Collins would be complete without a quick stop in Old Town, we went to the Cupboard (the Brunson's favorite shop) and walked a small amount down town. Not small enough for Scott though. He sat on a bench outside and waited for us while we walked.

We then toured the newest WalMart in the area as we gathered much needed snacks for the Rockies vs. Cubs game in Denver. The traffic down there was not the best so we were a few minutes late for the game. But all in all we didn't fare too badly. We missed the first inning but no runs so we were good. And we definitely didn't miss the real action. That happened a little into the game when we were fortunate to round out our evening really seeing the effects of beer.

Jacob and I had been to a Rockies game together before but it was very tame. We realized the real fun of the baseball games are had in "the rockpile." So many intoxicated, heckling, fans. We almost saw a rumble. But instead we just saw the usher, who the hecklers lovingly termed Juaquin because of his lips, flag down the cops to throw out the fans. There were a couple of groups of fans who were a little ridiculous throughout the game and finally became too much when they got in an argument over some thrown peanuts. The hecklers were accused of throwing some nuts at the cubbies fans (or Medusa, as they called the gal with some curly, less than styled, hair) and the cub's fans were throwing 'em right back at the rockies hecklers. Juaquin thought it got out of hand and had them all thrown out. As he was doing that one of the hecklers was seen throwing some peanuts at a gal a few rows in front of him and was arrested right there. Turns out the initial peanut thrown was actually chucked by a guy right in front of us, not one of the hecklers or Medusa crew. Crazy. And I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed in our Police Officer who used some pretty crude language and probably excessive force arresting the silly, peanut-throwing heckler.

I don't remember much about the actual game but I sure was entertained!

Jacob wanted me to point out that this a rare photo indeed as it almost looks like Scott is smiling. Way to go Scotters. We are proud. This pictures was taken long before the fiasco with the cops, by one of the hecklers who escaped getting kicked out because he knew exactly when to stay quite. Thanks Heckler, for a great photo!

So, thanks Sam, Diana, Scott and Mary Ann for coming to visit us and see our new home. We enjoyed having you and hope you will come again soon.

Our door is open to any of you who may want to see lovely Colorado!

Demolition Derby and Douglas Wyoming

I experienced my first demolition derby on Saturday at the Boulder County Fair. It was Jacob's second but he didn't really remember the first so neither of us really knew what to expect. At first I was really confused about what was going on and what the whole point of the cars smashing into each other was. Especially when the refs called a halt to the whole think with 4 cars left running and smashing into each other.

But as the night progressed I learned a little more about the rules and pretty well enjoyed watching old beater cars smash into each other, smoke spewing from engines, bumpers being lost, tires rolling off cars, the whole bit! It was a really good time. The best were the final matches of the compact and full size cars. The drivers weren't holding back because all the prize money was on the line. We saw some pretty wild stuff. Cars almost erupting in flames, one car almost tipping over, a driver making a hasty exit from his vehicle as some sort of hot fluid was leaking onto his legs and apparently splattering in his eyes (we were assured he was okay though he was transported to the nearest hospital for further care), and cars being stuck together due to the head on smashing that is allowed when there are only two cars left.

It was wild. And pretty loud. And long. But really good fun! I recommend a demolition derby to all.

And then Jacob and I had the opportunity to visit the Young clan in Douglas on Sunday. Jacob Young returned from his mission and put on a fireside that night to share his mission experiences. It was especially fun to see all the Youngs (except Tyler and a couple spouses) who welcomed Jacob home and were gathering for the Young family reunion.

I haven't seen many of these cousins in several years. It was nice to meet Lila and Desirae and to see all they new kids in each family. I'm pretty sad I missed the opportunity to take some photos. Especially when the whole Young family (except Jacob) wore their family reunion t-shirts to the fireside. They were a hit! Several cousins tried to convince Jacob and I that we should wear Tyler's and Jacob's shirts but I wouldn't compromise the integrity of the shirt. You see, each of the families had their designated colors and everything. The names of all the Youngs, in-laws and children were on the shirts. My name wasn't on the shirt, thus, no way I could wear the shirt. It just wouldn't have been right.

All in all it was a good weekend and even with 5 hours of driving! So good to see everyone.

Chicken Rub, Kraft Dinner, and Canadian Candy

How do you celebrate thirty days of being wed? (At least it was thirty days when the picture was actually taken on July 26th...) Well, Jacob and I celebrate with food. Lots of delicious food!

While we were in Canada we bought some Kraft Dinner at the Walmart. Because who doesn't love Kraft Dinner? Ours was the Alfredo variety. And I was reminded of the Bare Naked Ladies with every bite. We also grilled up some chicken that was rubbed with love. We bought some chicken rub while we were in Seattle at one of the shops near Pikes Market. The corn was given with love by my co-worker and her mother who came to our housewarming party on Friday. It's fresh from Nebraska and grilled with care by Jacob. And for dessert we enjoyed (well mostly enjoyed) trying some candy also brought back from Canada.

Yeah for one successful month! Now just another...eternity...to go!

And here is a bonus picture of me 'cause, well, how cute am I?!? (Kidding)