what happens in vegas..

stays in vegas! we had such a great time. that place is absolutely RIDICULOUS and we are both EXHAUSTED. i don't know that i'll ever recover, sigh (please imagine your most dramatic, southern woman sigh inserted here). and, no joke, my FEET are so swollen from walking around that whole place that i've had to sleep with my feet propped up for the past couple nights!

i didn't find out where we were going until we got to the airport and the woman at the desk asked ed where our final destination was. he tried so hard to whisper las vegas to her, but i heard it! and yelped in excitement. she realized that she had spoiled a surprise and felt very bad, but there were more surprises to come!

i didn't find out the hotel we were in until ed told the cab driver. Planet Hollywood! That place is so fun..much newer and younger? hipper? than some of the other places. PS Heather- That's where the guys should stay if they go!


We did a lot of sight seeing..which led to a lot of feelings of guilt about how absolutely ridiculous and wasteful that entire city is. if i was going to take out a city..that might be it. it's hard to imagine how much time and attention was paid to each and every detail of every place, though. ridiculous.

ed won a little money in the poker rooms, and i lost a little on the slots. we jointly lost a nice chunk at the black jack tables in hollywood's Pleasure Pit. f black jack.

we saw a cirque du soleil show! KA at the MGM. It was so fabulous, I loved the aerial acrobatics. I wish Ed and I could do that together. It looked like so much fun.

we ate some yummy food and had a lot of yummy drinks (BEST mojito EVER..with mashed strawberries and blueberries added, YUM). those people just keep bringing you free drinks while you're playing, and who am i to turn them down :) they're taking my money, aren't they?

it was a fabulous trip, but we're happy to be home!

ed finished up his mini mester today, and I got some really good news! Maybe only Ivy can appreciate this, but Dr. Neff, who I am now and will be working with in the fall, just had an NSF grant come through (600K!)! It's a 3 year grant, and I'll be getting a few perks with it! I will have SUMMER FUNDING FOR 3 YEARS AND GET TO BE AN RA- NO TAing FOR ME!! At least not until later when I'll need to squeeze in a semester or so :) And this will be data that I'll be able to publish with for the first 10 or so years of my career. It's a huge undertaking and I'm going to be working my ass off, but I'm super excited about it.

and abbi and joseph are getting married on sunday!



yay life :)

surprise!

ed planned a surprise trip for our anniversary!

on tuesday he asks me if i want to know a secret. of course, i say! the secret is, i'm going to tell you a secret on sunday! ..sigh. sunday rolls around and all he'll tell me is that i need to pack for 3 days, we're going on a vacation! happy anniversary!

i'm super excited, and he's taken care of everything. love him.
____________________________________________________

April: I feel like we just got married yesterday.
Ed: Must have been a loooong day.

:)

milk + honey

= perfection.

ed got me a gift certificate to milk + honey for christmas, and i just used it..because i am an idiot. it's just so hard for me to find time to fit these things in!

i went in for a massage and manicure..and it was perfection. everything about it..from the vibe of the space, to the ultra comfy robe, to the squishiest of couches, to the citrus water and snacks..everything i touched, listened to, saw, smelled, tasted..all of it was amazing. if you know me, you know i live for soft and comfortable things. carra and i decided today that i have a disproportionate amount of winter clothing in my closet, especially for someone who lives in texas. and we decided it is because i see soft things, like sweaters, and i buy them. it's a weakness. and this place was my dream. only the softest of the softest for this place and their guests.

and the massage was kick ass. lavender infused oils, sounds of waves crashing (i've have never been as relaxed as i was when we were in hawaii, and i fell asleep on the beach), and the girl that did my massage, brooke, was like a mind reader! she knew exactly what i needed. she even found the knots in my jaw from me grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw at night! miracle worker that one.

and the manicure was excellent too :) i'm not a big fan of polish, but my nails have never been buffed this shiny in my life. i highly recommend this experience to any and everyone :)


and for your viewing pleasure, a few photos of my oh so adorable niece, campbell! she's not a baby anymore..she's like an actual little kid. we still call her the baby though, and probably will until another baby turns up to replace her! she has the best laugh :)

bad blogger. bad.

that's me :( after sending an email urging others to start a blog, i now feel like a terrible blogger. it will be my (summer) resolution to update you all more. pinky promise.

*

My parentals are in Europe! It has been my mother's dream to go one day, and after sending two daughters there, she was through with waiting. They started in Paris, have visited Venice and Florence, and are on their way to Rome. I think dad is just excited that he didn't have to work (banking world is still ridiculous), but I hope he's actually enjoying himself. I'm sure she's ridiculously happy and wakes up every day with a smile. Wish I could see her.

I also tend to think of myself as relatively independent from my parents. It's been interesting the past couple weeks to see how many times I wish I could have called them..with questions ranging from interest only loans to cutting up watermelons.

PS- All of you soon to be brides. April's job, under no circumstances at any gathering, should be to cut up a watermelon. You would think I had never held a knife before in my LIFE.

*

Earnest and I are looking in to buying a condo! We're not looking for our dream home by any means, but we figured if we stay in Austin for at least another 5 years (the supposed length of time I will be in school) and pay, on average, $700 a month for rent..which is cheap..we will have thrown away $42,000. We'd like to get at least a little bit of this money back when we move. We've met with the realtor and are meeting with the lender this week. eee!

*

The little brother is doing well, but is looking for a roommate come August..or he'll probably move back to Tomball. This is probably not a good thing for him, so if you know any young males looking for an extra roommate (preferably the non-manipulating, relatively clean and fun, type) please let me know :) He's going to a photo shoot for Abercrombie tomorrow..so if you're the type to drool over the models you see plastered all over their walls and in their catalogue, please refrain from doing so in the near future. That would just be weird.

I just realized..

..that birthday month is almost over! I can't believe it. Even as I type this I am yelling it to Ed, who has reassured me that it is not YET over. Whew.

So I am officially no longer an employee of APTC :))))))) The last couple of days there were actually a bit harder than I anticipated..after wanting to quit for so long, I thought it would be easy to leave.

On Thursday they surprised me with flowers, lunch, chocolate cake, and a paperweight/clock/thing that says 'APTC 2006-2009 We will miss you!' ..and 'Carpe Diem Your Time is Now' ...it was nice :) On Friday the billing department showed up with BBQ and a chocolate cake..is there a pattern here?

Dr. Ahr also decided to pull a prank on me..punk. On my first day one of the therapists there prank called me, pretending to be CRAZY..or neurotic, frantic, whatever is technically correct ;) Dr. Ahr thought I should go out the way I came in, "bookends" she said. It was pretty elaborate, involving phone calls from other therapists, lawyer friends, and her younger brother. They had me going for a good 3 hours or so. I should have known.

Later I see on Facebook where Dr. Ahr has changed her status to "Practical joke on April: Success" ..other therapists comment on the status, as do I, to which she responds that you should "never get involved in mind games with a shrink" :)

I learned so much there..about the clinical side of psychology, including assessment, therapy, the business aspect, etc..but also about people, compassion, professionalism. Working there helped me decide what I want to do today, and I am so, so grateful for that.

Monday I met with Dr. Neff, who I will be working for over the summer :) It was great to be back on campus, but with a purpose this time. I go in for training on Friday, and start running my first couples in a couple of weeks. They mostly run them on the weekends, which means I'll have the week to work for Dr. Sherry and help out a few of the therapists I was working with on their dissertations. All paid work :) Ed usually has off during the week and works the weekends too, so we're getting to spend a lot of time together. It's fabulous :)

I'm not even going to count the smiley faces in this post, because I know there are a ridiculous amount. It's all smiles over here :)

Drumroll please....

April has now committed to the University of Texas at Austin's Human Development and Family Sciences program :)

I will have the privilege to work with such wonderful people as Ted Huston, Tim Loving, Lisa Neff, Cathy Surra...and the list goes on! I do not decide my advisor until the 2nd semester or so..which gives me enough wiggle room to decide whose research I enjoy the most, and who I most enjoy working with :) My focus is adult close relationships, with an emphasis on the Early Years of marriage and the influence of romantic relationships on health.

Earnest has been offered admission to Texas State University's English MA program with a focus on Creative Writing, under the condition that he take 2 additional undergraduate English courses this summer and earn an 'A' in both. We just found this out and are very..very..FLIPPIN..excited. They have an amazing MA and MFA program, and he will have the opportunity to work with people involved in both programs.

*

I have also put in my 2 weeks notice at my long-endured, long-loathed job :) As of this April, I have been working at the Austin Psychological and Testing Center for 3 years. I should have quit after 6 months..but I have commitment issues. And abandonment issues. Only..my fear is to break commitments and abandon others :/ After a recent stint of seriously terrible days, Ed made me promise to put in my 2 weeks. I did..and it felt GREAT. I will continue to work for Dr. Sherry, as she and I are 2 peas in a pod, and begin working in labs at UT.

*

It's birthday month! The first thing Ed said to me on April 1 was not APRIL FOOLS!, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTH! The actual birthDAY was great :) Ed and I both had off work and were able to spend the day together. We went to Flip Happy for breakfast, saw Dragonball Evolution, and went to the Saltlick for dinner! I love that place. My brother and Heather and Marcel joined us, and then after we had chocolate cake! I've been telling people for weeks that all I wanted for my birthday was chocolate cake, and dang if I didn't get it! The CHOCOLATE BOMB cake from last year made a reappearance, and it was delish! Perfect day with great people :)

Earnest eating his delicious crepe at Flip Happy

I suddenly realized I had wanted to take a picture of this when I was half way done. Our "dessert" crepe.

at the Saltlick :)

brother died his hair..now we have the same color hair and JULI looks adopted!

you know these people :)

the chocolate bomb cake: chocolate cake, a mound of chocolate mousse, covered in chocolate ganache. perfect.

Busy Weekend!

Geesh!

Thursday- Reading by Maxine Beach and Stephen Kuusisto at ACC's Carnival 'ah!' ..drama, music, dance, and readings.

Maxine is one of Ed's old professors who is currently teaching in St. Louis. She has her MFA and has been a source of great inspiration and encouragement for Ed. It was great to see her again..she's such a lively soul.

Maxine did a reading from her book 'Neurotica' ..quite the page turner! The link sums up the book..and her..very well :)


Friday- Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D! Ed had the day off and we spent the entire morning lounging and making breakfast, and then took off downtown for some Jimmy John's and 3D action! Honestly though..I was disappointed. If I had not seen it in 3D..I would have been disappointed that I paid for it at all.


Saturday- Erin's 21st birthday! Dinner at Matt's El Rancho and then downtown! WORST IDEA EVER. This past weekend was Texas Relays..and for those of you who do not remember the riots that occurred in Austin last year during the relays, visit youtube. Highland Mall closed at 2pm, and several clubs (including Emo's and Flamingo Cantina) didn't even open. The streets were ridiculous...it looked like New Years or Halloween..but the bars were EMPTY. We spent most of the night at Maggie Mae's, where it looked like a Monday night. Heather even tried to get Erin a free shot, to which the bartender replied that he hadn't made enough money that night to give anyone a free shot..but she could name the shot for $2. Haha. We saw a fight and a stampede, and buses reserved just for the cops to throw people on after they'd handcuffed them. There were even dudes on the rooftops (SWAT?). Earnest had to work the next morning so he did not join us, but he was so worried! Everyone made it home safely though..and she looked like she had a good time at the end of the night :)


Sunday- Orange-White Scrimmage! We met Chris, Brandy, Campbell, and Brandy's sister, Heather, at the stadium for a sneak preview of the season to come. I am so flippin' excited! If we stay in Austin we're getting season tickets..which makes me grin, as I had convinced myself that I had seen my last game in the Memorial Stadium as a student :) Below are pictures of the adorable Miss Campbell, who is GIGANTIC. She is 3 inches taller than the average 2 year old (and doesn't turn 2 until August) and is finally gaining weight, as you will see in pictures where her baby belly is protruding :) She's always grinning about something and is repeating everything.

tummy

the little fam

she's either going to be a cheerleader or conductor

uncle ed showed her how to squat and throw grass. good work hubs.

Mommy and Aunt Heather ('Nonny') swinging her in the air.
She loves this.

Origins of 'Nonny' - Campbell frequently confused Heather and Brandy when she first started speaking. Brandy corrected her by saying, "No, not mommy.." So now she's Nonny :)