Decking the Halls

We won't be sticking around DC for Christmas this year -- instead we are taking advantage of our offices being closed and heading for the West Coast to spend Christmas in California and New Year's in Idaho -- but we have made an effort to "deck the halls" around our little apartment to bring in some pre-holiday cheer.

Here's a picture of our Charlie Brown-like* Christmas tree:

Close-up of the angel on the top -- a gift from Colonial Williamsburg that Shane surprised me with last year:


And my attempt at being domestic by stringing Christmas cards along a wire:


*For those of you unfortunate souls unaware of what a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree is we're provided the following instructional video clip:

Introducing Ivy #2

Cousin Brad Erickson and his wife, Julie, welcomed their second child into the world this past week. Little Ivy Maurine has dark hair and skin, according to her dad, which means she's pretty much looks like her gorgeous mom.

7 lbs, 21"Born 12/13/07

I have to admit I'm excited to think there's someone else with my name around. I've met a few randomly in my life but never had a conversation with one. Even more fun -- "Ivy Maurine" sounds an awful lot like "Ivy Jeanne."

Ivy with her big brother, Bowman (19 mos.)

Counting Our Many Blessings

As we head into Thanksgiving, we thought we'd take a moment to count our many blessings and reflect on life's little pleasantries. We have a LOT to be thankful for, but here are a few favorites that stand out, in no particular order:

1. fall leaves on the East Coast
2. cars with seatwarmers
3. peppermint tea with honey
4. a temple nearby
5. Tostitos lime chips
6. dark chocolate
   
7. dentists
8. fuzzy socks
9. e-mail
10. mothers willing to put together weddings in 5-weeks' time
11. dads who support moms on their quests
    
12. down comforters
13. sharpies
14. digital cameras
15. modern-day revelation
16. the ability to work
17. the ability to run
18. pizza
19. smoothies
20. pine trees
21. googletalk
22. little siblings and nephews
    

No Way, We Live in DC??

Sometimes it's easy to forget in all the hustle and bustle where it is that we live. Sometimes you have to remember to slow down, take a big breath and just look around you.


That's what I did the other week when Shane dropped me off at that National Mall on the way to class. I found a warm bench and just took in the sights.

Flashback: Engagement Night in NYC

Not the best photos (my camera has trouble taking night shots, apparently), but definitely a memorable moment. Shane officially proposed at the top of the Empire State Building on Friday, June 1, 2007.


We were both exhausted by the time we got to the top -- having rushed to get through traffic in time to get our sisters, Kayla and Megan into a Broadway play (we all four literally ran to the ticket office). After eating at a local vegan restaurant, Shane had a stomachache and I was limping around the city having somehow injured my knee. It's all kind of comical now but hard to laugh at when it happened. Definitely a night we won't soon forget. Too bad the pictures are so blurred.

Bennett Crew Comes to Visit

My cousin Darla and her husband Geoff brought their crew up north the other week to see the sights. We were excited to have visitors and an excuse to look around town.

Dayne made herself at home wearing Ivy's shoes around the house.

Darla and Geoff pose in front of the FDR memorial.

StUdIOus ShANe

I couldn't resist the opportunity to snap a shot of Shane when he chose to pose with his books and this box on his head. I think it's safe to say that he had reached his study limit for the day.

South Carolina in Ivy's Mind

My first week in Sen. DeMint's press office we had a staff retreat down in Charleston. It was my first time down South, my first time swimming in the Atlantic ocean, and my first time eating black-eyed peas and fried green tomatoes. Oh, and my first time dancing the Shag -- South Carolina's state dance.

Here are a few pictures I managed to snap during my stay:

downtown Charleston after a lunch with the ladies

steps leading up to pool outside our rooms


beach outside the Wild Dunes resort

Atlantic ocean: kinda gray but warmer than I thought


proof I got my toes in the water -- before I dunked all the way under

Remembering 9-11

Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger.

-- George W. Bush

The footage of what took place on September 11, 2001 doesn't get replayed often on TV but I think it's appropriate to take a moment today, and remember where we all were the day the planes struck the towers in New York City -- and more importantly, how we felt.

I was entering my early morning Comms 101 class at BYU (Utah) when I heard the news. Classes were quickly cancelled for the day and I soon found myself back at home, sitting on the couch with my three roomates: Rachel, Wendy and Laura -- our eyes glued to the TV screen. It was impossible not to watch at the second plane hit the towers. Nothing about the day felt real.

And while life, since that tragic day, in many ways has returned to "normal" for most of us, it's important to remember the evil that is out there and the lives it took away from us. Don't get me wrong: I'm not advocating hatred of any sort but instead, an awareness of the dangers that we must be prepared to protect ourselves from. I'm so grateful to men and women of the military who are sacrificing so much in an effort to keep our country safe, and pray for the leaders of our nation and others that they will be inspired to know the best ways to protect us all from another 9-11.

A Couple of Hill Rats

A week from today, I (Ivy) start my new job as communications advisor to Sen. Jim DeMint (R.) of South Carolina. After covering Capitol Hill for a year and a half as a member of the media, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd cross over and actually work on the Hill but the offer, with all of its opportunities for challenge and growth, was too enticing to pass up. My focus will be on new media -- dealing first and foremost with the senator's official Web site. It's a new spot for a Hill staffer, so I'm pretty much the guinea pig. Wish me luck.

Hopefully Shane and I will see a little more of each other since he is still working full time for Rep. Mike Simpson (R.) of Idaho, dealing mostly with agricultural and natural resource issues, while attending evening classes George Washington law school (I have no idea how he does it, folks). The plan is to carpool most days into work and from there eat lunch together now and again.

So there you have it: a married couple of "Hill rats" -- as my dad teasingly calls congressional staffers -- is what we will be. Or, you know, just another Washington "power couple," as we like to joke -- since the world so needs a few more of those.

Meganis' Wedding Day

My little sister, Megan, who I lovingly have called "Meganis" for years, got married three weeks after Shane and I. She was sealed to Davey Guerrero in the Sacramento LDS Temple on July 21, 2007. Below is a slideshow featuring pictures taken by our sister, Chelsea, as well as some of Megan's bridesmaids.

So, yeah, our little Meggie is all grown up. Guess we should stop thinking of her as 12.

Wedding Photos Galore

We've decided to post a batch of wedding photos since people continue to e-mail us their favorites. We have yet to receive those taken by the professionals so we get really excited to have pictures sent over by friends and family who came out to celebrate with us in either California or Idaho. (So those of you who still have some you'd like to pass along -- now's your chance.)

The day of the wedding was seriously perfect -- right down to the 80-something degree temperature outside -- a nice surprise for a summer wedding in Sacramento. The only "glitch" in the system occurred at 6:30 am that morning when Ivy's hairdresser locked herself out of the salon and they had to to the grocery store to buy bobby pins and ended up doing her hair in the hairdresser's living room. (Let's just say Shane got a little nervous when Ivy didn't up at the temple promptly at 8 am to prepare for the ceremony.)

But, despite the delay, we were sealed for time and eternity in the Sacramento LDS Temple at 9 am. From there it was picture time and then lunch at our family's favorite chinese restaurant, Rice Express. From there we had a few hours to recover before attending a garden reception held in our honor at the home of Scott & Kathy Harrison (to whom we are forever indebted -- the whole set-up was gorgeous).

I'm try to post the pictures in slide format so those of you not wanting to scroll on forever don't have to. Here goes:

Oh, I'm also going to post the two photos our photographer in California had blown up for display at our reception -- I forgot I had those on file:

I love all the green in the background of this photo. If you didn't know already, that's my favorite color, and Shane was nice enough to let me use it all over the place -- announcements, flower arrangements, cake, shoes, ties -- you name it -- they were green.

Not my favorite picture -- maybe just because I'm my own worst critic -- but I wish someone had fixed my hair and I think my twisted neck looks like something from "Death Becomes Her," (if you know what I mean, you are probably Laura Hobson) but Shane really seems to like it. And I guess our photographer Debby has never gotten the reflection on the marble of the temple to turn out so well -- so kudos to her for a job well done.

How to Plan a Wedding in Less Than Five Weeks

Yep. We gave ourselves less than five weeks to plan our June 29 wedding this past summer.

I guess after dating for nearly a year we didn't really feel like drawing things out. Besides that, we didn't have many dates to choose from as my younger sister, Megan, had already set a date with her fiance, Davey Guerrero, for July 21.

Somehow, everything came together beautifully. We were blessed to get help from so many talented people along the way -- including Todd Condie who took our engagement photos and Angela Robinson who designed our announcements.

(announcement photo taken at the FDR memorial in DC)