Welcome to the World, Baby May!

Russ and I are officially the proud Uncle and Aunt to our first niece!

Mayda Elizabeth Marsh (aka Baby May)


Born September 19, 2008 at 8:18 am.
7 lbs. 12 oz.
21 3/4 inches long
(also, the biggest feet I have ever seen on a newborn :-) )

Russ' brother Jamie and his wife Anne just added baby #3 to their wonderful family. They already have two adorable boys, Jimmy and Dane, and now have a little girl! We're so happy for you, Jamie and Anne!

Me with Baby May

Russ (Uncle Rusty to his nephews) with Baby May

Back to Young Womens!

Last Saturday we got a call from our Bishop asking if he could come over and visit with us. We immediately started speculating about our future callings and went through just about every calling in the church by the time he came over.

He started our conversation by telling us that the ward was going through a complete reorganization of the Primary and Young Womens. That's your first clue. Then he turned to me and said that the new Young Women's president had asked me to be her...

Personal Progress adviser!

I was sustained in church on Sunday and I can't wait to get started. There are 12 young women in our ward and I am looking forward to getting to know all of them.

Oh and in case you were wondering, Russ did not receive a calling. He says its because he’s not good enough for any of the callings they have open. I think they’re just waiting to give him a really good one – like Youth Stake Dance Committee or something. :-) Too bad if he really did get that calling, I’d be equally punished and have to go to the stake dances with him. Go figure.

Home Sweet Home

Primarily for the benefit of my mother, though all are welcome to look and comment, I am posting pictures of our wonderful home. It is a one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo that Russ purchased almost four years ago. Up until about three and a half months ago it was a bachelor pad. Not anymore. :-) Russ has lovingly allowed me to basically do whatever I have wanted with the space. In response to that relaxed attitude, I put pictures on the walls, accent pillows on the sofa, changed the dining room chandelier and completely changed the bedroom. Let's just say he's been a good sport!
So here are the pictures...Tell us what you think!

Our living room

The front entryway

Dining Area

Russ' Office Area

The most organized closet in the world (if I do say so myself)

Kitchen part 1

Kitchen part 2

Our pretty bed (with beautiful accent pillows made by Mom)

The bulletin board I just made for my work area

Happy (5 months belated) Birthday!

This post may sound a little funny, but Wednesday night we got to celebrate Russ' birthday for a second time - exactly five months from his actual birthday. On his birthday (which is March 6) I gave him his presents and we went out to dinner. The last of the presents was finally fulfilled Wednesday when we went to see The Lion King at the Kennedy Center!


I have seen The Lion King performed before, once with my Dad in New York and once with my whole family in San Diego. Russ, however, had never seen it, so when I saw that it was coming to the Kennedy Center, I jumped at the chance! The costumes are phenomenal! I am amazed every time by their creativity and ingenuity. The music is also wonderful - it's all I want to listen to! That will pass, but it happens every time I go to a production. I end up singing all the songs in my head (and out loud, of course) for a week!

Right after the show. The pictures are a little blurry, but I think they still work.

I also have to mention the wonderful dinner we had before the show. Russ and I are slowly (serious emphasis on the slowly - it will probably take us 20 years) working our way through the Washingtonion's list of 100 best restaurants in the D.C. area. Jaleo is ranked #55 (we are going through the list in no particular order) and we loved it!

It is a Spanish tapas restaurant, so I was immediately drawn to it and it didn't disappoint. We had gazpacho, shrimp, caramelized onion with goat cheese and pine nuts, chicken, steak and truly the best flan I have ever had. Quite the spread! Keep in mind though that they are little dishes, so having 7 tapas and 2 desserts is no big deal. :-) I think if we go back we'll be getting five orders of the steak and two of the flan. Yum!

The Wedding Photos

While many of you were in attendance at our wedding, some where not and have since requested photos outside the temple and of the reception. Since I happen to love our wedding photos (and I constantly make Russ wonder what I could find so interesting about looking at the same photos everyday for a month) I have no problem choosing a couple to put up here!

The head table

This is Russ' favorite picture of me from the wedding.

I love this because it shows off the back of my dress, which most pictures don't.

The most adorable flower girls of all time!
And the most beautiful dresses of all time! Thanks Amy!

The best cake I have ever had.
Seriously, not just the best wedding cake - the BEST cake ever. Period.

My bouquet!



The butterflies were beautiful!

The tents were fabulous! Quick note about all the great details - I had a wedding planner named Heather Balliet and she was wonderful. I couldn't have done it without her.

Kind of cheesy because we're kissing, but I think it's really cute.

Heading out!

Aren't we all a little "Seriously, So Blessed"?

One of my friends tipped me off to my favorite new blog (no offense to all you out there who blog, but this tops the cake)! It's called "Seriously, So Blessed!" and is the best Mormon parody/satire/witty goodness I have seen in a long time, maybe ever. The girl who writes the blog made it up as a joke for some of her friends, but the news has spread like wildfire and the blog has already been written up in the Salt Lake Tribune, and The Daily Herald. The "writer" is a Utah girl who personifies every stereotype there is when it comes to living in Utah and being a newly married LDS woman with a baby on the way. I have literally laughed out loud while reading this blog and I find myself checking back every few days just to make sure I haven't missed something new.
The best part is that though it is ridiculously overplayed and hopefully no one actually thinks/talks like this girl, I think every LDS woman, especially those who have lived in Utah or other highly populated LDS areas, has something in common with this girl. I mean, half the things she writes wouldn't be funny to someone who didn't get all the acronyms and Mormon lingo. As much as I hate to admit it, I think every single one of us has a little "Seriously, So Blessed" in us. From time to time, we all fall into one category or another that this blog touches on. Just don't let it be all the time. :-)
So check out the blog and tell me what you think!

The Beginning

This is going to sound so typical, but we (ok, maybe just me) have decided to start a blog along with the rest of the known world. I have been thinking about it for a long time and now that we are married and a little more settled in, I figured now would be as good a time as ever. There are lots of things to consider when starting a blog. They are very in fashion right now, and it would be more than a little embarrassing to post a socially unacceptable, namely uncool, blog. At the risk of doing just that, I have officially joined the rat race.
One particularly important decision, which should I use - Russ or Russel? After thinking about it for a bit, I realized that in everyday life I tend to use both. There are distinctions, however. Russ tends to be for normal, conversational use. Russel, on the other hand, seems to be my preference when either he is in trouble or I am in trouble. For example, if he is doing the dishes when I told him I would do them, you might hear, "Russel, I told you I would do that!" To which he usually responds, "Sorry, I can't hear you!" (There aren't very many times when he is in trouble for doing something wrong - he's quite wonderful!)
Well I suppose that's all for the first post. I should probably get back to my English homework, though this does provide a much more entertaining outlet!