Punkin Chunkin

What is the best thing to do the day after Halloween? If you live in DC, the best thing is to wake up early, drive to Delaware and be entertained at World Champion Punkin Chunkin. Punkin Chunkin is where a bunch of people from all over come together once a year to see who can launch their punkin (also known as pumpkins) the farthest. The story of how it all came about is really pretty funny, so you should read this. Now, if you are thinking they use a small potato launcher to launch the pumpkins, you are not thinking big enough...

We had a lot of fun with some of our very good friends: Mandy, Trent, Joni, Derek, Alisia, Lincoln and Melissa (Joni's good friend from Vegas). They had launchers, canons, catapults, giant sling shots and all sorts of contraptions to get the pumpkins as far as possible. It was awesome! Sometimes, the pumpkins don't go where they are intended. This year, one went backwards in front of forwards and we still aren't sure where it landed but we hope it didn't hit a car or something!

I didn't get very many cool pictures, but our friend Derek did so if you really want to see some cool pictures and videos of the action, go here.

Just in time for Halloween

Yesterday, I got Lasik done on both of my eyes. I have been wanting it for a really long time and Ryan is the best husband ever and let me get it and have my dreams for great eyesight come true. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be at all! It was a little scary but not as much as I had prepared myself for (I did worry about it just a little bit for a few weeks and asked Ryan only two hundred times what he would do if I went blind). The only side effects I have had are burning eyes and a bit of fogginess, which are both normal things. But I can see fabulously! Not only did I come away with great eyesight (with no contacts!) but I also came away with cool red spots on my eyes just in time for Halloween AND...I got these seriously stylish goggles to wear at night while I sleep so I don't rub my eyes. Perfect for tomorrow!

Ryan's Birthday

Ryan turned the big 28 on October 17th and for his birthday, we went down to the Shenandoah Valley for the weekend. We had a bit of bad luck because the leaves were still a week away from their peak color. If only Ryan had been born a week later...he he. But, it was still really pretty and we had a lot of fun. We went to Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello, and toured around. The estate is really beautiful and the house is very cool. Our tour guide of the house was a little on the creepy side and his voice and mannerisms reminded me of Johnny Depp on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I kept telling Ryan how creeped out I was!

When Ryan was looking up things to do in Charlottesville, he figured out that you could ice skate at the city rink for free on your birthday! This was very exciting! We raced on the ice and Ryan won...my pride was hurt :)

We stayed at a little resort in a small town outside of Charlottesville that was really beautiful and picturesque. It really is too bad that I am not a good photographer to capture it.

The rest of the weekend, we spent exploring Charlottesville (especially the University of Virginia, which has a beautiful campus!), watching the Utes win, and our favorite, apple picking at a large orchard. Apple picking is a perfect fall activity and we came home with a lot of apples! I sure hope the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", is true because we are eating several.

On our way home, we took the fabulous Skyline Drive that goes through Shenandoah National Park to enjoy the leaves. Even though they weren't at their peak, they are still stunning. We love fall on the East Coast!!

Happy Birthday to Ryan!

Here are some pictures to capture the weekend's events...

Fun Visitors!

Last weekend, my mom, sister and cute nephew came into town to visit us. We had a lot of fun and I wish they could have stayed even longer. I was planning on taking Friday and Monday off of work but then things got really crazy and I had to work on Friday. Good thing Kayleen (a very good friend of my family) lives out here too and hung out with them and took them to the Library of Congress to keep them entertained. The rest of the weekend was really fun and we enjoyed having them here. Here are some fun shots from the trip...

Andrew looking super fly listening to his Nanna play the piano

I find it really funny that Andrew makes this face when Megan cuts his nails
Playing SkipBo, he is really good

Jackson (Kayleen & Marc's little one) and Drew are bestest friends
Mt. Vernon
New Pentagon Memorial -very, very cool
The Pentagon from the new memorial

We love visitors!! Thanks for coming Mom, Megs & Drew!

Argh Matey!

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day 2008! Shiver Me Timbers!

If you didn't know that this day even existed, it is time to be introduced to a great day of the year. I became aware of this day back when I was in high school and ever since then, it makes me really happy when I realize that it is September 19th. If you don't believe me, check out the entry on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_like_a_pirate_day.

There really is no point to the day other than to have fun. How often do you get an excuse to talk like a pirate? You can tell people to "Walk the Plank" and (if you are daring and know they won't be offended) you can follow that up with "Ye Wench".

Also, something fun to do...find out your pirate name and ship name by going to http://www.piratename.net/generate.php. My pirate name is Bloody Jade Nesbit and my ship's name is Miss Oncia The Clean Sea.

I am contemplating of what could be fun to make for dinner on such an occassion as Talk Like a Pirate Day. Does anyone have any ideas???

Bessey

I have been married for almost 9 months now and I am almost used to my new last name. I am not complaining, I love being a Bessey! Having the name Bessey has added an element of entertainment to my life that I have never experienced. Let me explain...


What is the first thing you think of when you hear Bessey? Is it something to do with a cow? If so, you are with the majority of people. If not, I just pointed it out to you and you have most likely joined the majority. My boss is an especially HUGE fan of my new last name and wins the prize for the funniest responses. He asked me what my new last name was and I told him "Bessey". His response was "Moooooo". This is no surprise to anyone that knows Mike because he is known for being really funny. Since that point way back in January, he has said several extremely funny things that I decided today need to be recorded.

• On a regular basis, Mike will yell from his office when he needs me "HEY BESSEY!" He rarely calls me Kaylyn.
• One day in the spring we had an extremely busy day in our office and I felt like I was constantly herding people in and out to meet with Mike and then trying to get him to stay as close to schedule as possible. At one point, I went into his office to tell him that the next meeting was here and he let out a sigh and mentioned how crazy it was. I told him I felt like I was in charge of a dog and pony show, his response was "Yep Bessey, it's a dog, pony and cattle show!"
• Mike spoke at a dental conference awhile back in Indiana (he was a dentist before he became a Congressman) and someone asked if they could schedule a meeting with him while they were in DC, he told them to contact me. So I got a call from an Indiana dentist asking to set up a meeting. At one point, he asked for my last name and I told him Bessey. He started chuckling and then said, "that's right, I knew Mike made some sort of animal joke after he told me your name." Maybe I should just start sending him with my cards instead :)
• And to finish it off, my favorite one of all. One day, completely out of nowhere, Mike was sitting in his office and said "Hey Bessey" as if he was going to ask me something and then said "You know, if I had a child that was a boy, I would name him Bessey. Bessey Simpson. It sounds great!"

I have thoroughly enjoyed my new last name though and I am happy to be a part of the Bessey name! I personally think it is a great name and it makes it so our kids will be at the beginning of the alphabet, which is a pretty cool benefit for things in school. Plus, it brings a lot of laughter to work when we are all tired of angry constituents!

Bear Lake

Right after we left Loa and my family reunion, we went to Bear Lake to play with Ryan's family. It was great to go from one fun family event to another! We had so much fun playing on the lake and spending time with those of Ryan's family that were able to come up. I had forgotten how much I love Bear Lake because it had been a few years. The water is so blue and it is always fun up there! I love it up there! We got to play with a few of the nieces and nephews (we really missed Jessica's family!) and to see one of the new babies, Dyson. I hope we get to go to Bear Lake every year!

I am trying another slideshow so hopefully this works better than taking the time to put the pictures on the blog and then get frustrated with spacing. Sparing my anger seemed like a wise choice since I am trying to catch up on all of our August trips.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Peterson Family Reunion

This year, my family got together for the annual Peterson reunion. The location this year was in Scott & Andrea's hometown, which is Loa, Utah. We had so much fun being all together for the first time since Ryan & I got married last December. Since we got married, three new babies have come into the Peterson family and two have come into the Bessey family. I was so happy to meet the two newest Peterson additions that I had not seen yet and play with them in Loa- Molly and Eddie. I might be partial but I think that Ryan and I have the cutest nieces and nephews!

In Loa, we did a lot of very fun activities. We went horseback riding, to a rodeo AND demolition derby (so awesome...), went to the county parade and came out with all sorts of cool things that people threw from the floats, and we went to a fun place that we could climb rocks and play in the mud. Ryan was a huge hit because he brought his kite and giant bubble maker. I am a little worried that my nieces and nephews like him better...

The best part though was playing games with my family and being able to just laugh and enjoy being together since it only happens once or twice a year. I love my family!

I am trying out this new feature of posting pictures so let's hope it works :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Starting at the Beginning

I am just going to start from the beginning of August and see how it goes from there. I left a few days earlier than Ryan so that I could have as much time in Utah as possible. We both like to maximize our time in Utah and we can never seem to match work schedules. Before Ryan joined me, I spent a lot of time with my sister Megan, which is always entertaining. Alike so....

Event 1: Eating corndogs. This is a tradition with Megs and I. I have no clue when it started but it is now a necessary part of me being in Utah. This time, I went above and beyond and gave Andrew his first french fry. He loved it! Justin & Megan just need to accept that it was time for him to start on the real stuff. :)

Event 2: Thanksgiving Point. Megs, Andrew, Dad, Cassie, Lexi (Meg's fabulous friend and adorable little girl) and I went to Thanksgiving Point to see their cool gardens and waterfalls. At one point, I got so thirsty from walking around in the heat and the only water around was the extremely warm water for Andrew's bottle or Andrew's sippy cup...

Here are some other cool pictures from Thanksgiving Point. We had a lot of fun!!

And We're Back

It has been a long time since I have paid any attention to my poor blog. I have all sorts of things to post about from our August vacations (yep, that is right, plural...it was fabulous). I figured though that while I get the pictures together and try to come up with something witty to say, I want to post my new favorite clip...



Whether you are Republican or Democrat or neither, that is just funny!

Annapolis

My Aunt Laurel was in town for a couple of weeks to work in our DC office (we work for the same Congressman). We of course had to do something exciting and new while she was here...

Ryan and I had never been to Annapolis, Maryland and Laurel really wanted crab so our day trip last Saturday was decided. When Laurel and I were researching what to do, we saw a link for a "pirate tour" of Annapolis. I was extremely excited at the prospect of dressing up and being able to use the phrases "walk the plank" and "you wench"! But, when I called to reserve the tickets, they were completely booked! What a letdown! If anyone here in DC wants to go one day...let me know, I am all for going back for a pirate tour!

Instead, we walked down the main street and looked in all the shops and looked for a place to eat. Laurel wanted to get as much fresh crab as possible so we were on the lookout for a place with good crab cakes. Lo and behold, we saw a sign in a window of a New York style deli boasting "The Best Crab Cakes in Maryland". We inched our way through a ridiculously packed and skinny deli and sat down. Our waiter was extremely convincing and encouraged me to order the shrimp salad sandwich because the ham sandwich I wanted was something I could eat any day. I was not impressed, it was pretty tasteless. Laurel's crab cake was not the best but sufficient...Our New York Deli in Annapolis experience was entertaining but just eh...

Our next stop was the U.S. Naval Academy. It was a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be! We found a statue of their mascot, Bill the Goat (or something like that). I tried to save Ryan from the goat...

There was one building that was my favorite because it was so incredible inside and out. For your viewing pleasure, here is the proof...

After the Naval Academy, we drove across the bridge over the Chesapeake Bay and found a restaurant for some serious crab. It was delicious and I love eating with my hands! Laurel is completely hardcore and didn't use the tools. She just cracked those crab legs with her bare hands and showed her brute strength! :) It was so fun to have you here Laurel! Thanks for playing with us!!!

P.S. I am still struggling with the spacing...sorry!

Am I 80 or 24?

I have asked myself the question "Am I 80 years old or am I 24 years old?" a lot lately. You see, about a month ago I started having really sharp stomach pains. After they didn't go away, I went to see my doctor. His first guess was gallstones (first time I raised the age question). In I went for an ultrasound and that proved his first guess was wrong. The pain was still there so the new guess was that it could be something with my stomach, like ulcers or something with the sphincter, aka valve, at the top of my stomach. So, I went in for the second, and most interesting/disgusting/fascinating, test I have ever had. They had me drink an alka-seltzer like substance first and then GULP (those were the exact instructions I was given) two cups of barium, that is a really chalky and gross shake that acts as a dye to show how I am digesting food. My favorite thing that the nurse and doctor both said to me was "don't burp or stop drinking". This stuff is DISGUSTING and it took everything in me to not gag...which is really hard since I have quite the gag reflex. (Too much information about me?) They took a gazillion x-rays of my chest and stomach and had me do all sorts of twists and turns on the metal table so that I could "coat my esophagus and stomach with the barium". Personally, I felt like a lab rat in a darkened room. It was pretty cool to watch the images on the screen, even though I am far from qualified to understand what the heck they were showing. I finally got the test results back from that and I have a diagnosis...hiatal hernia. What the heck? How old am I???

To further this question in my mind, I told my Aunt Laurel , who is here in Washington DC for a couple weeks. As soon as I told her she said "oh, that is what Grandma Peterson had!". My Grandma had this??? Alright, I have now gone from 24 to 80...what a quick jump! Here I come Pepcid AC and Tums, we will have a close relationship for the foreseeable future! :)

Spacing help

All of you expert bloggers out there...I need help! How do you fix all of the spacing issues like my post below? I can't seem to get it right when I write a lot and put a bunch of pictures up. Does anyone have any recommendations or tips?

Trip to Idaho

Let me begin by saying that Independence Day/4th of July is my favorite holiday and this year was definitely one of my favorite years! There is just something about that day that makes me all giddy and childlike!

This last week, I went to Idaho for work because my boss was going to be in the district for the week and I had not yet worked with him in the district. Ryan couldn't find a cheap ticket so I went alone. The work term can be used loosely as I only had to work for a couple of the days in the office and then spent the rest playing. :) My Aunt Laurel was nice enough to let me stay at her house for the first couple of days since my oldest brother, Troy, and his family were in Island Park for a family reunion. I had a couple of relaxing days to catch up on things and then on Monday, I went to Troy & Jamie's house for the rest of the week. I had a blast with 4 of my adorable nieces and nephews! But, I was really sad to leave Ryan for a week and to not be with him on Independence Day.

On Tuesday, I went to tennis lessons with Jamie and they were a lot of fun. It makes me want to take tennis lessons out here in Virginia so that maybe I can get good enough to challenge Ryan to a game... Then I went to work for the day. I went to a meeting and a press conference with my boss, Mike, and Laurel (she works for Mike too) and then we had a big open house at our new Idaho Falls office. It ended up being a really fun day and it was great to see Mike work in the district because I am so used to just seeing the work in DC. Towards the end of the open house, I happened to find out that I had misunderstood our Communications Director, Nikki, when it came to what I could help with for the Idaho Falls Parade on the 4th. I thought I was going to be a sideline supporter donning a Mike Simpson t-shirt. False. I was supposed to be IN the parade. Slight misunderstanding. :) Good thing I love Nikki and was happy to help.

As soon as I was done with the open house, I called my sister, Megan, to recruit her. Megs and her husband, Justin, and their baby, Andrew, were already planning to come up to Idaho Falls to see me and celebrate the holiday with us. They were fabulous sports and agreed to help. I also talked my two nephews, Kimball and Cole, to join in on the fun too. I was planning to make this parade fun if it was the last thing I did!

After recruiting them, I called to tell Ryan about the days events. He had sent me a text message while I was at the open house to tell me he was really tired and was going to take a nap but to call when I was done and he would probably wake up. I tried all night long and it went straight to voicemail, so I thought he had forgotten (again) to plug his phone in. I tried not to panic and not to worry. I did well until about 11:00 Idaho time and decided to try once again before I went to bed, even though it was 1:00 DC time. He finally picked up and we talked. I was relieved!

The next morning, I took Kimball & Cole to their tennis lessons and then we came home and the three of us and Lauren played dress up while Jamie went to run errands. I think that Lauren's dress up costume was my favorite...















After we played for awhile, I went to get ready for the day. Lauren came into the bathroom and Jamie asked if I wanted to do her hair, so we worked on getting some cute pigtails in. As I was working on that (which is a lot harder on a 2 year old than I thought) the doorbell rang and Jamie went to get it. Next thing I knew, Ryan was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. I was SHOCKED!!! My wonderful and adorable husband had surprised me and flown to Salt Lake and then drove to Idaho to join in on the fun! It was the best surprise ever! I was sooooo happy! I love Ryan and I am so glad he surprised me and came to Idaho!

Ryan's parents came up to Idaho Falls too for some work on the apartments they own and it was my mother-in-law's birthday so we went to celebrate at dinner. Troy & Jamie got a babysitter and it was fun to have them come to dinner too. It was so fun to see Rick & Lyn on the trip too, I felt so happy to see them too! Happy Birthday Lyn!!

After dinner, Ryan & I went to Rexburg to see some of Ryan's friends. We got to see our friends Adam & Heather's new baby, and I got to meet the famous Curt Greesman, who Ryan talks about all the time. He just got off his mission and it was good to get some inside stories about Ryan in college.

Ryan and Curt showing how cool it is that Ryan got to drive his parent's/brother's Mercedes up to Idaho.

Thursday morning, Ryan and I went up to the new Rexburg Temple. It is absolutely amazing and gorgeous. I was so grateful to be able to go and spend time with Ryan there. We forgot to take pictures but it was amazing. I love going to the temple so much, it gives me so much peace and fills me with joy.

Then, we got back to Idaho Falls and Megan, Justin, Andrew and my Mom came up from Idaho. More family that I got to see! We all played for the rest of the day and the evening and I loved every second of it. That night, we went over to some of Troy & Jamie's neighbors for fireworks. I thought that it would be small regular fireworks and most likely some illegal bottle rockets. I was wrong! They had a bunch of the big fireworks like at real firework shows, it was awesome! The best part of the night was the 5 year old boy, Conner, that decided he wanted to be Ryan, mine, Justin and Megan's best friend. He told us all about his family (maybe more than his mom might have liked...) and he was adorable. I love the things that little kids say!

On the big day, Independence Day, we woke up and went to the parade. It ended up being a lot of fun and we were able to "lightly toss" or hand out candy. We were threatened to not "throw" the candy but we could still give it out. I actually enjoyed being in the parade! (Shhh, don't tell Nikki or I might have to do it again :).)

















The smallest Mike Simpson supporter, Andrew felt a little tired during the parade and took a nap. Kimball and Cole were super lucky and got some free cotton candy, which as made obvious by the picture, was enjoyed greatly. The best comment of the day was when Cole yelled out from the golf cart "Vote for Mike! I would if I was old enough!!" Only 12 more years Coley, and you can! :)

That night, we went to the big Melaleuca Celebration. My Dad came up for the event as well so it was a large family affair! We ate a buffet dinner and then staked out a place on the "Greenbelt" (grass along the river is what I guess that means). We had to wait awhile before the fireworks and the kids were going crazy. After being tackled several times and being crawled all over, I gave Kimball, Cole and Lauren each a piece of technology to entertain them. Thank goodness for technology!















Lucy is the best baby of the Troy Peterson clan. She is SO sweet! I love cuddling with her. Lauren, however, is a spitfire. She is adorable but if you turn your back, you could find her washing her hair in the toilet, pouring lotion all over herself or climbing on any piece of furniture she is near. She is constant entertainment!



The fireworks were amazing and may be the best I have ever seen. It was like a fireworks finale for a full 35 minutes or so. Awesome! On Saturday morning, we woke up and ate a delicious breakfast prepared by Jamie in celebration of Megan's birthday. Megs loves her birthday more than anything else so it was wonderful to be there to wish her a Happy Birthday! Love you Megs, I am glad I got to see you on the big 26th birthday!

Cute little Andrew fits perfectly inside the bag I gave Megs for her birthday! Baby bag has a new meaning...



















It was a great week and I loved having Ryan there! The only downside is that the only way he could come was if he stayed in Utah until this Wednesday so I am chilling in Virginia by myself for a few days. But it was well worth it! I have the best husband!

I love this country and I am so grateful for the freedoms we have here. We talked in all three of our church meetings today about the amazing blessing it is to have the freedom of religion so that we can practice our faith as we choose. I consider that an amazing blessing and I am very grateful for it. I hope everyone else had a great Independence Day!