Ly + Alan in Disney: a photo only post

Forever Friends!!

One of Ly's really really really really good friends from high school recently moved to DC which needless to say made Ly over-the-moon-happy since DC is within driving distance from her house.

And last weekend that very same friend stopped by her house for a visit. They stayed up 'til all hours of the night chatting & Alan had to tell them to go to sleep because they were getting up "early" in the morning. Even though they hadn't seen each other in a super long time (due in part to the fact that they were on separate continents for quite some time) it was as if not a day had passed since they were last together. #BFFreunited

We are still alive!

Quick Update:

- Ly flew to Texas for another session of school. She realized some things will never change and Texans love college football.
- Ly decided to take a double load of classes this semester in an effort to finish ASAP.
- Ly went to CA to see one of her favorite people get married. She also spent time with her family and realized she misses the West Coast.
- Ly turned 29. Alan bought her a panda cake and some clothes.
- Ly also got a print of the Family Proclamation that she's been wanting for quite sometime.
- Alan is loving his MHA program and has more free time, so Ly+Alan went to the temple one Sat afternoon.
- Alan finally decided on a speciality.
- Alan has a lot of exciting plans in the works in regards to school

Whole30

Ly + Alan recently decided to try the whole30 diet with a few friends. It's been great so far -- Alan admitted that sugar isn't a food group & Ly learned to eat vegetables other than carrots & asparagus. They also have been cooking a plethora of yummy food including butternut squash soup, steak, salmon, curry, watermelon & cucumber salad, roasted chicken, and spaghetti squash pesto.

Recent Happenings

Life for the Lee family has been rather hectic as of late. Both Ly + Alan have been swamped with school -- Alan finished up 3rd year and is in board taking mode while Ly is knee deep in religion books. Despite that, they have had some time for fun. Recently they went camping with some friends up in Shenandoah -- the weather was perfect (well it did rain a little but it was so hot the rain was welcome) and Ly enjoyed sleeping on her new camping mat. They also have managed to go to the beach a handful of times where they studied in the sunshine. When taking a break from studying, both Ly + Alan have discovered the joys of the drive-in movie theater as well as relaxing on the deck. Unfortunately the weather has decided to take a turn for the unbearable (yesterday it was 101 degrees but felt like 112 with humidity!) so they are now looking for some climate controlled activities...

Texas.

Last Sunday, Ly packed her bags and flew out to Texas for a week.

Why was Ly going to Texas you wonder? One word: school. Being her first time in the Lone Star State, Ly was lucky enough to experience tornado warnings, dust storms, and 95 degree heat at 9 AM. Despite the fact that she stayed inside 10+ hours a day, Ly came home with a significant sun tan and lightened hair. Gotta love Texas. She also was lucky enough to deal with multiple delayed (and canceled) flights so she had lots of time to work on her homework.

While Ly's experiences in Texas were certainly an...adventure...she came to realize one thing: being a pioneer is hard. It's hard to have the courage and strength to keep persevering when everywhere you turn people seem to question what you are doing.

Luckily, Ly got to spend some time with some of her favorite people this weekend in Dallas. And the idea of getting to see them the next few times she is in Texas makes her excited and anticipate her next trips to the Lone Star State.

Relaxation.

Since Ly aced her first semester of grad school, she spent the last week relaxing a bit before summer classes started. Of course that relaxation time included coloring, sewing, cooking, reading and hanging out with Alan as much as time allowed. 

Rain Go Away!

It's been raining all week here in Richmond. While Ly normally enjoys the rain, she is getting rather tired of stepping into a mini lake whenever she leaves the house.

Date Night: Mini Golf & Go Karts

Last Friday Alan and Ly celebrated Alan's day off from delivering babies by venturing out to a nearby fun park. It had mini golf, go-karts, an arcade, and even bumper boats. Ly desperately wanted to ride the bumper boats but it was freezing outside so she and Alan played two rounds of mini golf and rode the go-karts instead. After Ly beat Alan in a go-kart race (and at air hockey) and Alan beat her at mini golf (twice) the pair happened upon a Mexican bakery where they got a few treats. All in all it was a fun night and Ly looks forward to the summer when she can go ride the bumper boats.

Hip & Hop E. Lee

The other day Alan noticed that our dear friend Hop had decided to make the move from Rockville to Richmond. But how do we know it is Hop, you may wonder, since all geese look almost the same? Well this goose happens to have a limp, just like Hop.

Chance?

I think not.

Anyway, Hop being the intelligent bird that he is, picked an excellent place to settle down. It is adjacent to the hospital (he really likes medical buildings) and has lots of fresh grass, and a huge pond.

The best part. though, is that Hop has a "lady friend" whom we call Hip and who appears to be nesting.

Obviously Ly has already been to visit Hip & Hop multiple times in the past few days, and can't wait for their eggs to hatch.

It's crunch time!

Well Ly's first semester of grad school is winding down. All in all she has enjoyed it and learned a lot...especially about the Old Testament. She still has 2 papers that are due next Sunday (yikes) that she needs to finish (start as the case may be) and then she'll officially be finished.

Secretly Ly is hoping to finish by Friday so she can have the entire weekend to do fun things before Alan embarks on his 2 weeks of delivering babies at night, but time will only tell.

Any finger crossing/praying you feel inclined to do on her behalf will be most appreciated.

Date Night.

Friday Night, Ly and Alan decided to take a break from all the craziness of the week and go on a date.

It was tons of fun.

First up on the agenda was to go visit a certain family member...it was raining so Ly and Alan stood out in the rain and hung out with their favorite feathered friend 'til Ly's jeans were sopping wet. Ly loved every second of it.

After a quick stop at the house to change into dry clothes, (there is nothing worse than wet jeans) they then went out to dinner. Being adventurous spirits, they tried a new (to them) place which was decent but probably not a place they'd frequent again.

But that was okay because then they went on a late night target run. Being at Target late at night when there are perhaps only a dozen other people in the store is one of Ly's favorite things. You can sing and dance and act crazy and there are hardly any people to witness it. Also you don't have to wait in line to checkout. We suggest you try it sometime.

THEN it was on to their final destination of the evening: a late night movie. And it was excellent. Not only did they both enjoy the movie, but everything was free since last time Ly went to the movies, she unexpectedly got a ton of reward vouchers for free stuff. Needless to say Alan was excited to get to have popcorn AND candy while at the movies. And neither one needed to eat breakfast the next day because they were so full.

--

**Obviously the events surrounding Patriots Day hit very close to home for both Ly+Alan. But nobody was more surprised than Ly was when she saw the manhunt occur down the street from her old house. Crazy to think that she spent many mornings running around that Watertown neighborhood. Goes to show you really should get to know your neighbors! Luckily all of our friends and old roommates are fine and we all breathed a giant sigh of relief when the suspect was caught. Boston Strong.**

I love that dirty water...Boston you're my home

The events of this afternoon really struck a chord with Ly and Alan. Boston is where they met, fell in love, got engaged...so needless to say Boston holds a special place in this family's heart.

Just Engaged in Boston. 2006.

Ly especially has fond memories of watching the marathon with friends - soaking up the sunshine (most years, anyway), cheering the runners on, shopping, and reveling in the fact that she had a day off of school.

Marathon Runners in Copley Square 2005.

It is sickening to think of the happy cheers replaced by terrified screams of horror.  And in light of the events that happened today it is crazy to think that things like this happen almost everyday in countries around the world. Hopefully one day that will cease and there will be peace.

But even though people do unspeakable, horrific things, it is important to remember that there is still beauty and good in the world around us.

General Conference: A Weekend of Inspiration

This past weekend was inspirational in many ways. First, it was General Conference, and as always it did not disappoint. The messages were uplifting and Ly especially enjoyed the talks making the 10 commandments relevant to today and the keys to have a successful marriage.

Ly was also inspired by the fact that not one but two women prayed for the first time ever in conference which was nice to see, especially in light of the fact that an increasing number of women have spoken out against feeling unequal/inferior in the church. In fact, it seemed as if the Church really  took the time to speak out about how much women are adored and loved and viewed as equal as men. Along those lines, this video proved to be enlightening.

Also, for the first time in awhile, Ly felt inspired to start a hand sewing project which she worked on while listening to conference. It was nice to have Alan home for all 4 sessions as well, which has not happened in quite sometime due to his hospital schedule. In fact, while he was at Priesthood, Ly went with a friend to get pedicures which was fun...and perhaps the beginning of a new tradition.

Pink.

Confession: Ly always wanted to dye her hair pink, but was way too chicken. This is coming from the gal who freaked if the stylist at the hair salon cut off more than an inch and a half of her hair.

Anyway.

This weekend Ly was finally able to embrace her inner teenager and rock the pink courtesy of this awesome pink hair chalk that was in her Easter basket. This stuff is awesome because it allows Ly to have pink hair and it washes out in the shower.

So, come on, embrace your inner teenager today! What would you do if you could be a teenager again?

HIlton Head

This past weekend, Alan had "Spring Break" (aka a 3 day weekend) so Ly+Alan decided to get in the car and go to one of their favorite places - Hilton Head. It was, as always, a wonderful weekend full of relaxation. Ly spent a glorious amount of time sitting in the sand soaking up the sunshine. She also came home with a lovely sunburn on her face as a souvenir from the time she fell asleep and forgot to reapply sunscreen. Awesome.

The trip wasn't all sunshine and sand though -- it did rain quite a bit. Luckily, Ly+Alan stayed at an awesome resort and so they spent some time watching movies, eating snacks, and relaxing in their glorious hotel room while listening to the sound of the rain hitting the balcony. Of course they did go on some nice long walks on the beach in the rain, which was relaxing. 

There is just something about the beach that makes all your worries wash away, even when it is raining.

Easter 2013

Easter is Alan's favorite holiday.

A holiday where each person gets a basket full of candy? That obviously has Alan's name written all over it. And while Ly+Alan both know that Easter is certainly not at all about baskets and candy, it sure makes for a fun tradition.

Happy Belated Easter!

Paging Mr. Sun

Umm ya so remember how last week I was so excited about the signs of spring? Well then it went and snowed. Again. In March.

And while I am a huge fan of snow at some point it just gets old. Bring on the sunshine!!

Signs of Spring...Finally

There's just something about seeing the first flowers start to bloom after a long winter that warms my heart. The end of winter is somewhat depressing - everything seems dead and ugly. But then one day a flower (or two) pops up and you know that better weather is finally on the way. The trees will blossom, geese will start having babies (yay!) and basically everything will be better.

So Happy Spring!

Kiss me, I'm (part) Irish

This St. Patrick's Day, Ly embraced her Irish side and cooked corned beef and cabbage. Ever since she can remember, her family has always eaten this meal for dinner on St. Patrick's Day. And while it's not her favorite, a tradition is still a tradition.

Do you have any holiday traditions?

Cupcakes make everything better

Everyone has bad days. You know the day where you forgot you still had homework to turn in, your class was awful, you are sick, a patient dies, you have no food in your house, you only slept a few hours, and you got rejected from the school you desperately wanted to attend.

Basically an Alexander day - terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad.

The solution to all of this awfulness? A cupcake. Or two. Or three. Heck, eat a dozen. No judgements here.

Everyone loves a snow day

Yesterday it snowed. Yes, in March.

Lest you think we got feet of snow, only about an inch or so actually stuck to the ground. But in typical Virginia fashion everything shut down.


Ly was excited because she got to spend the entire day in cuddled up in bed reading and watching movies. It's a good thing she listened to Alan who told her to finish up her classwork at the beginning of each week, so she had no responsibilities to worry about. Well it turns out there was no food in the kitchen or laundry completed, but eh eating and wearing clothes are overrated anyway.

Alan was excited about the snow because after a few nail-biting hours in the hospital he was released early (the sun was still up!!) so he came home and promptly took the nap of the century. Apparently getting up before the sun rises every day and working 10 hour shifts 6 days a week wears a person out.

All in all, Ly + Alan enjoyed their snow day - even if all the snow had melted by the time Ly went to run errands the next afternoon.