Album Release on 11.11.11!!

A New Day by Bianca Merkley

Ok, so maybe it's been a while...

My mom pointed out to me today that I haven't posted on our blog since August. I thought, "Wow, has it really been that long?" And yes, somehow it really has been that long. Hard to believe actually. But I blame it on the fact that we lost our camera after our trip in August, and then didn't find it until just recently. So now that we've got our old trusty camera back, I'll be posting more regularly again.

As for now, here are some of the pictures we have on our camera from our sweet trip back to Utah in August- this was for our 5 year anniversary- and where better to go than to where we first met and fell in love...the magical Logan, Utah. What a special place this little town has in our hearts.


We also got to go to Logan Lanes where many-a-bowling games went down back in the day. We couldn't believe how cheap it was to bowl in Logan! Funny how quick you forget. We loved it.


And to finish off an amazing Summer vacation...my grandma made us peach pie from scratch with peaches fresh off the trees from her back yard. Really? Yes, really.


It was sad to say goodbye to family and especially to our little nephew, Nixon. But oh how nice it was to see everyone. A nice end to the Summer...

August 20th

Although it may seem like a very trivial thing... I've decided after this birthday- the big 25- that a simple phone call on your birthday is really worth a lot more than one might think. Texting and Facebook messages take little to no effort. Granted, better to send that then nothing at all, but a phone call...the value in that simple act is almost unmeasurable. My resolve from here on out is to create a list of all my family and friends birthdays and to send them cards and/or call them on their birthday- not after, but on their birthday. Will I be able to do it? I hope so. I'm terrible at remembering birthdays. But it really means a lot when someone does, and it just requires a little extra effort.

Happy birthday me. (I'm off to a good start, at least I remembered my own birthday)

5 Years Already!?

Happy 5 year anniversary.

This is why I married you...

and I'm so glad I did!

Summer 2010

Where have we been? I don't really know what to say. I kind of forgot that we had a blog, so I'm sorry for being lame and not posting anything. It almost feels like when you don't write in your journal for a long time, and you don't know if you should try to go back and recap everything, or if you should just start fresh.

Let me just briefly recap...In June, Naomi and I put on the "Harmony for Healing: Women Helping Women Through Music" benefit concert at Ashland Coffee and Tea. We had a good turnout, and had such a fun time at the show. Most importantly, we were able to reach our goal of raising $1,500 to donate to women in mental health! Here are some of the pictures my sister-in-law took of us at the show.

Thanks to Felix Stevens for being our Emcee for the night and being willing to play a song with us. And also a huge thanks to Jackie Frost, Libbie Dunton and Sheryl Warner for playing a set in the show. We couldn't have done it without the help of so many!


As for the rest of the Summer, Joseph and I have been working, sweating ridiculous amounts in this New York heat, enjoying youth camps, going to the beach, long boarding, going for late night Carvel ice-cream runs, going to concerts and shows, going on short road trips, and that mostly sums it up. Pretty soon we will be visiting family out West once again which we are both excited about. So I'll be sure to post pictures of this sooner than my previous posts.








Summer to be continued...

A little update

So perhaps it's been a little too long since I've posted last. This is true. But, nonetheless I am posting tonight.

I spent a good majority of February out West for the birth of my little baby nephew, Nixon Bradly Dame. It was an interesting experience seeing that I flew out there twice. The first time was a false alarm. The doctors had told my sister that they were going to take him 6 weeks early, and so I bought my ticket right away to be there not only as a support but to experience it all. Of course, the doctors had changed their minds, and decided to wait. They gave us the impression that the baby would just continue growing full term. So, I flew back home thinking that I would not be able to see the baby for a couple of months. The following week, the doctors found that the baby had stopped growing and decided to induce my sister the next morning. So, my sweet mom kindly let me use her extra flight miles to once again fly out for the birth of the baby.

He was born 4 weeks early and I made it literally right in time for the birth. It was so amazing to witness. He was a fighter from the first second he came out, and a tough little guy to endure all of the pokes and lights and beeping noises that he had to experience during the first week while he stayed in the NICU. But, gratefully everything went well and he is a growing happy little guy. So glad he is here with us. My friend Holly Hackett made his hat. She is a talented gal.

After coming back to NYC, my mom stopped for the night while flying home to where she lives in DR. We had a good time, and quickly saw a few of the classic NYC sites. She was only here for one night. We went to Times Square, and went to see Blue Man Group in Astor Place. It was fun to have her visit- even if the visit was short.

It's time to celebrate Christmas

I got to pick our Christmas tree this year. Our first ever! Joseph didn't really like this one because he said it was "too small" (whatever), so he agreed to choose the tree next year if I got to choose this one. Why would we need a bigger tree? I just didn't get it. I think it's a guy thing.


Anyway, it was fun. We've never bought a tree before, and when I was growing up- the Christmas tree was never anything we really got that into. My dad bought a 6 dollar tree one year I remember because he bragged about how cheap it was all the time. (And as you can imagine, it was a sorry looking tree) Then another year, he cut down a bush/tree from our front yard for our Christmas tree and that was embarrassing. I think no tree might have been a better option that year. So needless to say- this was an exciting event for us.

It smells wonderful, we love it!