My mustache...

Here's a picture of us, first of all, so you all can think "they are so photogenic!" Little do you know that I REFUSED to leave until Neal and I got a good picture.... this was the first time I had "gotten ready" for real in quite a while.... so I thought it would be easy to get a good one. Plus, I'm usually super photogenic-- but hear you me.. this was like the 17th picture we took and Neal had to listen to me curse after every sub-par picture. But I digress..... (I'm very good at digressing) I just had to share a kindergarten moment I had the other day.

Madame (aka me): Antoine, you really need to listen during circle time.
A: Okay, I'm sorry... *Tries to give me a hug*
M: I don't want a hug from you now, I only want a hug when you listen during class. *I bend down so I can be at his level and look at him in the eyes* Please do a better job tomorrow, okay?
A: *eyes fixate on my upper lip* oka---- wait, why do you have a mustache?
M: what? I don't.
A: yes you do! I can see it. Why do you have one?
M: well, I... uh.... don't.
A: YOU DO, YOU DO! You really, really have one. I'm not lying! You have a little blond mustache!

I was totally speechless. You can't convince a 5 year old you don't have a mustache-- I've never really thought too much about it before-- we all have little hairs all over, right? Anyway. I think I was just "oh snap" ed by a 5 year old. Antoine 1, Me: zero.

Hiking Old Rag and updates

Neal, Cali, Josh, Piper and I hiked Old Rag last weekend. The weather was PERFECT and it was absolutely glorious. Isn't the view incredible? And how about this little cutie:

Josh warned us he might be a little slow since he was carrying the baby--if you know Josh, you'll know that while he might of been slow for HIM, I thought it was a perfect speed. ;) If Josh had a nickel for every hiker that said to Piper, "Can I switch you?" I think he'd have made at least 20$

We're still working on the looking pleasant while with aunt Hannah... she's still the cutest.
I love my husband...
And here's all of us! It was such a fun day!

In other news... I've started WORKING FULL TIME (plus teaching a night class at American University)!
Oh man..... I'm trying to get used to it! I'm really enjoying teaching French all day, that's for sure! I work full time at Nysmith (a school for the GIFTED, in case you didn't know...). I'm teaching 5 Kindergarten classes, one three year old class, and one eighth grade class. It makes for a very full day but I have my own classroom, and all the kids come to me, so that's nice. It's a ton of work lesson planning but at least I have the same class 5 times a day, so that means only one lesson plan. My class at American University is a BLAST, and although I feel very busy, I'm glad I didn't give it up. Neal is plugging away at Ernst & Young, and our life is grand.

Our artistic ability, fine dining and Kent comes out....

Lately, Neal and I have been more adventurous in our dates. I take the blame for the lack thereof, as sometimes I just don't feel like going out. ANYWAY-- our first excitement was Color Me Mine--the paint your own pottery place. Although $$$$ (we did it about as cheap as you can and it was $50) it was A BLAST! I did remember, however, that I am not a very artistic person. I mustered what I could though, I can't help it if it's only squiggleys and flowers......Neal had a Moab motif going on in his.. with the red rock, blue sky and inside the bowl was a night sky with stars.. very nice. I just picked up the bowls today and they are amazing!
I feel the inside of my bowl really shows off my abilities.... anyway.

Our next adventure was Restaurant Week. In DC, twice a year, fancy restaurants do a set price for a SLIM selection of three courses. We went to "La Bergerie" and it was delightful. Neal even tried escargot... and liked it! It was the best I've had. I was a little disappointed that the restaurant week choices were pretty blah... but that is to be expected, I suppose. Still, at 35$ a person, I want AMAZINGNESS! The food really was delicous though, and I was tickled to speak French all night to the manager who had to fill in as a waiter because of the crowds. The only weird part about my main dish was the garlic flan.... I could NOT get used to the texture and the fact that it was warm. It seemed like it should have been sweet... not garlic.
Crême brulé.... Delicous! Sorry for the darkness... I just felt weird taking pictures in a place that nice.. so I tried to do so inconspicuously. And last, but NOT LEAST, Kent, one of Neal's best friends, came out for a visit. It was AWESOME! It also gave Neal a good chance to see DC since he really hasn't.... I, on the other hand, have seen the sights A LOT but I still enjoy it. Just not the Holocaust Museum and the tour of the Capitol. The Holocaust Museum is about a once in a lifetime thing for me and I've done the Capitol tour no less than 5 times.

Neal and Kent REALLY like taking pictures. Kent was loads of fun to have around, and Neal was giddy to have him come out. They've been best friends for almost 10 years now, and it was fun for me to get to know him better. HOORAY FOR GOOD TIMES!

Seven random facts about MOI!

On my run this morning, I was thinking of several odd things about me... and then I decided to blog about it while I cool down.

1) I hate, loathe and abhor the movie "The Notebook." Why do all girls (and even some MEN) love it so much? LOVE TRIANGLE PEOPLE... loves triangles are ridiculous--that ruined "Pearl Harbor" for me too. I do like some chick flicks... but ones with love triangles are NOT AMONG THOSE!

2) I am a compulsive smeller... I HAVE to smell something before I eat it unless I made it myself. I smell milk every time I use it. Even at big BBQs and such, I discretely smell things before putting them on my plate (okay, it's probably not that discrete, but oh well).

3) I can't stand putting the clothes from the washer into the dryer. Yes, I know they're clean but they're just wet and clammy and cold and it gives me the heebie geebies (I don't think I've ever written that... how in the world do you spell it?!?)

4) Although I try not to, I judge people who like the epilogue of the final Harry Potter book.... 11 years later? kids named Severus and Albus, are you kidding me?!?! I typically don't like it when an author tries to tie up every loose end imaginable-- just let it go.

5) I RARELY (as in NEVER) backpedal... i.e. when you say "I hate 'The Notebook'" and your BFF says "I LOVE IT!" and then you say "well, I guess I like it fine." I stand firm with my opinions, even in the face of adversity (see number 1) and I don't conform. Cullen would confirm this... I was saying how agnostics bother me... I mean choose a side for crying out loud.. be atheist, but don't be agnostic! He quietly says "well, I consider myself agnostic." and I said "ummmm.... well....you bother me then." If I didn't backpedal then, I never will! ;)

6) I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE cookie dough! I could eat it every day and never get sick of it. If I haven't gotten salmonella by now, it doesn't exist. I prefer cookie dough to real cookies, unless it's a gooey, warm skookie, and even then I would probably rather just eat the dough.

7) I have to spit into the sink before brushing my teeth... I noticed this a few years ago. I don't know why, it's just become a habit and I don't even realize I'm doing it.

Well there you have it. Are there random facts about you that you've been dying to share?!?

yeah, about that....

I've had a surprising number of people ask me about this:
So I'm taking time out of my day to tell you-- it's kind of weird when people ask me when I'm going to get pregnant. First of all, it's a question about our sex life.... I know, I know, many of you may be shocked that I said that... but IT IS! Secondly, we've been married for 3 months. Mark my words, if I'm not pregnant after THREE YEARS then feel free to mention it. Actually, don't because if I'm not pregnant in three years, it probably means I'm barren and I'll burst into tears when it's mentioned.

In talking to Neal about this issue, he didn't think it was that weird that people ask me. I told him a) it was, and b) how did he like it when we were dating and people would ask "when are you guys getting engaged?!?" In that new light, Neal understood EXACTLY why it can be annoying. Both situations are pretty personal decisions that need to be made by the individual/couple after much thought and prayer. I'm glad you are interested in my periods and all that, but honestly, just rest assured that I will TELL YOU when I'm pregnant (NOTE: NOT when we're trying) so I think it's best to just avoid this question all together. ESPECIALLY if it's followed by an anecdote about how you and your husband didn't wait to have kids and you are so grateful, etc. etc.

Also, if I have ever asked you this question, I sincerely apologize. ;)

In other news, I start working full time PLUS teaching a night class at American University next week and I hope I can cope... I haven't worked full time since January so it might be a little difficult to get into the swing of things-- yikes. BUT I am very excited to start teaching French full time and quit being a bum. (I don't know how true the latter is, but I'm pretending.) Life here at the McMillan house is just peachy. No really, peachy. If you read my last post, you'll realize how punny I'm being. La vie est belle!

Secret peach rendez-vous...

As many of you know, the first date that Neal took me on was peach picking. I was so excited he FINALLY asked me out, after WEEKS of me turning on the Hannah charm. The peach orchard was an hour away, but we didn't even notice the long drive as we talked and laughed. After peach picking, because Neal didn't want to say goodbye just yet, he suggested a picnic at Great Falls National Park which was also SO MUCH FUN. I realized our potential after that first night. Neal, however, took MONTHS but I digress.

Here is us last August ('08) peach picking:
If you haven't already surmised... we went peach picking again this year. It was precious!
It was a blast (but super muggy and BUGS EVERYWHERE). We got delicious peaches (two pecks to be exact) that are spread out on our kitchen counter to ripen. We also got fresh corn on the cob which is the best corn I've had in a while.. too bad we only got a dozen ears.

In other news, I was the official baby wrangler for Cali and Josh's family pictures... aka the one to try to coax piper into smiling. She was actually the least smiley I've seen her (she was suspicious of the photographer) but I think the pics will turn out great! Here's one I snapped:
And I can't resist posting this: is she not the CUTEST?
And last but not least, Taylor had her baby, so now I have a nephew on my side! (Neal has 8) Asher Michael Johnson was born on 8/08. I'm DYING to go see them.... I'm trying my hardest to make it happen, but I have very limited personal vacation days. :( I'm sure I'll make it work though, and I can't wait to see them!

My sisters...

Okay, Kaitie wasn't born yet, but how precious is this pic!
Here's Kaitie... look how cute we are!


I've been thinking lately about how much I love my sisters. I decided to blog a tribute to them, although Cinda never reads the blog and Tay will probably have the baby and not see it for weeks. They truly are my best friends, and I love them each dearly.
TAYLOR:
Taylor has become one of my closest friends--my "go to" person. We certainly didn't always get along (especially when I flipped her off when she was 21 and she TATTLED on me and I got in huge trouble ;) haha) but over the past few years, we have talked at LEAST twice a week and I've gone out and visited her the past couple Thanksgivings. I'm DYING to go this year, but ticket prices are NOT co-operating! Taylor is HILARIOUS, easy to talk to, great at giving advice and NEVER judges. She is really good at checking in with me and making sure I'm okay, (except in France... she only called me ONCE the whole time I was there to tell me she was pregnant.. SHEESH!!!!!) She is beautiful and easy going, and a GREAT mom. It's so fun to see her actually enjoying babies!
CALI:
I LOVE living so close to Cali. She is a great example of service and love. She is well loved and adored by everyone! It's fun now to see her being a mom--she is patient and loving with Piper. Cali is very thoughtful, beautiful, and is very good at sharing her testimony in nonmormony ways. ;) Cali is generous with her time and her talents. Cali is extremely genuine, and is a joy to be around. She is always smiling and kind. I am impressed with her ability to make people feel comfortable, whatever their background. She is a hard worker and a lot to live up to! I try to keep in on the DL that I'm her sister, because those are pretty big shoes to fill out here!
CINDA/KAITIE:
Kaitie is GORGEOUS and also extremely fun to be around. We have soooo many fun childhood memories, including the name Cinda-- which is a name we called each other when we were little, thinking that was the name you called each other to play house, etc. Who knows why, but that has stuck to this day! Also, we referred to a single item of clothing as a "clo" which I still think is hilarious. Cinda used to call her down comforter a "down comfortable" and when I corrected her, my Mom was very disappointed because it was "so cute." Let me just say I LOVE YOU, CINDA because when we were younger, I refused to tell her I loved her for some reason. (I was too cool, I guess). She would say "goodnight Hannah, I love you." and I would reply "cool." Kaitie is brilliant, cheerful, funny, and very likable.

I am so grateful for my sisters. I talk with each of them often, and wouldn't have it any other way. Neal thought it was a little weird at first, but now he's used to the fact that my sisters probably know everything about everything ;) I don't make friends with girls very easily, and I'm not very good a reaching out and calling my girlfriends I do have (sorry ladies!) but I do manage to keep in touch almost daily with my each of my sisters--we have a special bond that I love and cherish MAYBE even more than peach pie. I'm not sure how many children I want to have, but when I think of my life without my sisters, I'm inclined to have at least 4. Of course I adore my brothers as well, but this post is for the girls.