When I look over the last year I am in awe of what I have had the opportunity to do. I could never say that one was better than the other because everything has been so amazing in its own way.

My mom did a fantastic job of getting my sister and me to every major landmark west of Mt. Rushmore, however, it wasn’t until after I was married that I finally made it to the East coast. Even then I only made it to upstate New York (Whattup Rochester and Buffalo!?)

It wasn’t until I moved to Indiana that I started checking more and more of the 50 states off my list. I’ve been considering a 40 x 40 list and I think one of the first things I’ll put on my list will be to hit all 50 states by the time I’m 40. (Truthfully 50 x 50 sounds better for such a challenge but then it’s not really a challenge right? Okay, so if I really wanted a challenge it would be 50 x 30. But unless an travel company wants to suddenly sponsor my ambition it’s not going to happen. (Dear travel related companies, I am not opposed to this possibility in any way. Just so you know. (I take pictures!))) So anyway, all 50 states x 40 years old is the goal.

Last July I got to take my best friend to San Francisco, introduce her to my other friends and go to the Golden Gate Bridge with her.

Last October I went to Disneyworld with my mom, stepdad, sister, husband and little kid. We spent the whole week smiling with our spleens. If I could relive one week in my life over again? It would be this week. I get a little teary when I think about it. Happiest place on Earth? THEY AREN’T LYING PEOPLE. Cody and I would rather go back to Disneyworld than anywhere else we can think of.

In November I got to go to LA to spend time with Heather, Mel, Meghan, my cousin, my grandparents and my mom taking pictures of sunsets. (It was also the first time the moosh had ever seen the ocean. Although I had to force her to touch it.)

In December I got to be home. In Utah. With my family and many many burritos. Crap I love a good burrito.

February took me to Nashville where I got to dance on a bar with some of my most favorite ladies who live all over the country.

February also took me to NYC to meet Vivienne Tam and be a part of HP’s launch of the first ever designer notebook. (Have you seen the new HP mini Vivienne Tam designed? Buttery Yellow/Golden? With butterflies? I want to spread it on my toast and lick it.)

In March I went and hung out with tiny gramma and my sister in New Mexico. New Mexico is kind of strange. Sorry New Mexico, but you’re just kind of weird. We still had a good time though.

April landed me in Kansas City to tour Hallmark World Headquarters. Which is basically like touring heaven. When I grow up? I want to work in Hallmark Heaven. And when I die? I hope Heaven is just like Hallmark.

April also landed me in LA again, this time for something tragic but the opportunity to see people come together to help in any capacity they could was breathtaking.

In July was Chicago. Chicago=Camaro. I still love burritos more, only because they are more accessible than Camaros, but WHOO I do love a Camaro. (And Fords. Turns out Fords are kind of awesome these days.)

The past two days have been spent in NYC for a Project Runway party where I totally got my photo with Malvin. (I know I wanted to be all awkward in it, but he’s just so charming. And adorable. And awkward. I was too happy to be there that I couldn’t be awkward. Just happy.)

Next week I head to North Carolina for the Type-A Mom conference. Where I’m going to take so many pictures along side this guy and this girl that my head may explode.

In October I get to go back home (Utah) again. For the moosh to spend Halloween with her granny and grampa. She could not be more excited. She’s going as my parents dog, Katie, who the moosh adored, seriously, they were best friends. Katie was old, diabetic and blind, but she taught the moosh more about compassion than any other living thing she’s come in contact with. Katie passed away not too long ago and when I broke the news to her she was absolutely destroyed, she sobbed for a few days straight and she still prays for Katie every night.

While I’m in Utah in October I’ll actually get to go to Chicago again for two days for another thing I have coming up. AND OH MY GOSH I’M EXCITED ABOUT IT. (Soon! I’ll tell you sooo soon!)

A woman I met earlier in the year said that luck is for people who don’t believe in God.

I totally believe in God.

But I still believe I am one lucky ______ (fill in the blank with whatever you want.)

I have a really, really, REALLY good life, even without the amazing experiences of the past year.

Blessed, lucky, fortunate, horseshoe up my bum, spoiled…whatever…I’m thankful for all of it.

(Just to assure you I’m human, I have to mention that the wet shower curtain blew in and touched me while I was showering in my fancy New York hotel (EarnestGirl calls this being shower slimed) and I smelled like New York because I insisted on riding the whole way to the airport with the window down. Also, I didn’t get to see Aunt Nettie or Metalia. I’m pretty bummed about that. But that’s where the woe is me ends. Slime and smell. Seriously.)

This is my darling Jessie and me.

Doing an awkward prom photo pose.

I wore this outfit to BowlHer ’09.

I won a trip with this outfit to go to a Project Runway party in NYC that takes place this Thursday.

I hope I get to meet Malvin and have a really awkward conversation about how words haven’t even been invented for how amazing I am. And then we can stare blankly at each other and discuss how the fibers of the universe can come together to enrobe us in the feelings of life.

…

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…

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Awkward photo with Malvin Vien.

One more thing to check off my life list.

*fingers crossed*

(This is reposted from my trip to NYC back in February of 2009.)

All taken at St. Paul’s Chapel, directly across from where the twin towers fell eight years ago today.

Terrorists suck. America rocks.

The terrible twos are called terrible because suddenly your sweet bundle of joy develops an opinion.

Three is just as bad because not only do they still have the opinions, they also suddenly have the desire to do things ALL! BY! THEMSELVES!

Then there’s four (almost five.) Complete with the opinion plus desire to do things ALL! BY! THEMSELVES! only now having the ability to actually start doing things ALL! BY! THEMSELVES! comes into play.

the moosh can do so much.

Calling her the moosh seems so juvenile compared to the real person that spends her days with me. In the past week I have had to get her bigger clothes, no longer can I shop in the toddler section. 5T is a thing of the past. Her feet grew two sizes over the summer which meant bigger shoes and bigger socks. We had to get her a bigger bike, her knees were hitting the handlebars of her old one. She barely fits in her toddler bed. We even had to get her bigger underpants, she’s been without diapers for almost two years.

She’s starting to read. She can write “I love you mom and dad.” She knows what prosciutto is. She knows how to make toast and how to frost a cupcake. She can brush her own teeth and sings along to Hannah Montana. She knows the difference between dark and milk chocolate. Her head comes up to my chest. She no longer fits in shopping carts. She can swing in the big swings all by herself. Last week she washed her own hair during her bath.

She hasn’t fallen asleep in my arms in almost two years.

She has 16 freckles besides the dozens sprinkling her nose.

Her name is Mary Adelaide and she is named after my grandma.

Everyone who loves her dearly (and there’s hundreds) just call her Addie.

There’s nothing baby about my baby anymore.

Except that she will always be my baby.

***This is a post where a company (Maghound) was all “HEY TRY OUR STUFF FOR FREE” and I was all “OKAY BUT ONLY IF IT’S AWESOME” and guess what? It is awesome. And I get to give the same thing I got away to one of you. No money traded hands. Just glossies. P.S. I love being ad free and the boss of my own blog.***

the moosh was about two. I got a subscription renewal in the mail for Parents magazine- RENEW NOW! 5 YEARS FOR ONLY $25! Sweet right?

Wrong.

My baby is almost five and there’s no other baby around. I don’t want to read about breastfeeding or 75 ways to raise a healthy! confident! baby! I scan the recipes and then just get depressed looking at all the swollen bellies and cute things they never had when I had kids (yes, I’ve become one of those people.)

Yet Parents magazine will be showing up at my door for another three years. Hurrah. *eye roll*

So here’s the deal with Maghound.

It starts at $4.95 a month and you pick any three magazines you want. They are delivered to your house and if you hate one of them? Or stop being pregnant? Or decide that a certain fashion magazine just makes you feel frumpy? Change it out for a new one the next month.

(So yeah, kind of like Netflix. Only with magazines.)

Let’s say you subscribe to American Photo (hi!) and it only comes once every other month. Or you pick a magazine that only publishes ten issues a year. You get to pick alternate magazines to replace the ones that aren’t monthly. So on the off months that a new issue of American Photo isn’t published I’ll get National Geographic in its place.

All it takes is a few clicks to change around any of the magazines your getting, want to get, don’t want to get or to do other things like add another subscription, change your address or have a particular magazine come in a particular persons name. (you know, like if you were a parent who liked to share and let your kid choose Disney Princess magazine it could come in her name. Or you could be like me and never let her know that there is such a thing as Disney Princess magazine. (As an aside, it’s only $3 more a month to get two more magazines.))

So here’s the deal (if you’re not in the United States SORRY! I HAVE MISLED YOU! Maghound is currently only available to US addresses.) Go ahead and tell me how you’d split up the magazines. Or would you keep them all for yourself? *ahem* Which ones would you get? What do you think the greatest benefit of using Maghound over a regular subscription is?

Leave a comment below with an answer to one of the above questions and you’ll be entered to win a one year subscription to Maghound from me. That’s at least 36 magazines of your choice for free for an entire year. Tweet about this giveaway for an extra entry (my twitter user name is @mooshinindy.)

My contest will end at Midnight EST Wednesday September 9th. But there are over a dozen other opportunities to win a membership throughout the month with the sites and dates listed below. (You can enter all, but you can only win once.)

Independent Fashion Bloggers: September 1-4

The Coveted: September 2-8

me! September 3-9

GearLive: September 8-11

Hack College: September 9-12

Lisa Reviews: September 10-13

Our Ordinary Life: September 11-14

One Day, One Job: September 12-15

Greeblemonkey: September 13-16

The art of accessories: September 14-17

Gear Diary: September 15-18

Tierra Wilson: September 16-19
Chris Pirillo: September 17-20

A Couch with a View: September 18-21

Nadine Jolie: September 19-22

Two of a kind, Working on a Full House: September 20-23

Chip Chick: September 21-24

GOOD LUUUUCK!

Who wants to take this one?

I for one know there is not a Peter Pocket, let alone have Peter and Polly become Mr. & Mrs. Pocket.

And yet I come downstairs to this…

So…

Anybody else have toys making nookie on the side?

Maybe it’s my house, remember when that floozy Snow White got a little fresh with the Autobots?

(aww archives!)

Many of you have asked about our! first! house! that I posted about almost three months ago.

You know? The one with peach and pastel aquamarine paint downstairs and bright red and bright teal paint upstairs?

Sound familiar?

Well. The house will still be occupied by us, someday. We’re doing a rehabilitation loan since the house is in need of some serious love and care. And coats and coats of paint.

COATS AND COATS I SAY.

Anyway these rehabilitation loans were pretty much planned out by the same people who planned DMVs (out here they’re called BMVs. As in Bureau of Motor Vehicles. And yes, I giggle every time I say BMV.) If not the DMV people then surely someone with a vested interest in psych wards or ulcer care because we are both about thisclose to one or the other.

Some loan person down in Texas has every bit of information about Cody’s and my existence on the planet short of a blood sample and what color our eyes are (hint, six eyeballs that live in this house are blue.) At this point we are pretty much at their mercy, whoever said “Don’t Mess With Texas” seriously meant it.

Did I mention the busted pipe in the ceiling that flooded the kitchen when we had the water turned on for an inspection?

I didn’t?

What about the carpenter ants that were eating the inside of every wall downstairs?

I left them out too?

How about the fact that one person in this whole process who shall not be named is quite possibly the only human on this planet I have ever come close to maiming with a blunt object?

I know I told you that when they sent over our original paperwork they had our loan set at $190K instead of $108K. (see previous sentence.)

Did I tell you that the moosh has a crush on our contractor? That she thinks he’s “really handsome and kind of dreamy?”

Speaking of dreamy, did I mention the intensely dreamy bamboo floors we’re going to have installed?

Or the fact that we have to pay $375 every 14 days to keep our application open? (Again, refer back to previous statement about blunt maiming.)

Our real estate agent is still my friend on facebook because she has seen me do the ugly cry. More than once.

So yes. We will still be moving. Eventually. Into the house that we originally picked out.

And when all is said and done?

IT WILL BE GLORIOUS. And hopefully all people involved in the process will still be alive and intact.

Because right now it’s really not looking good for that person over there.