Merry Christmas!

Happy holidays, everyone!  Sorry there haven't been too many updates as of late.  In all honesty, Sarah and I have been taking it easy for most of December.  After the madness that was the month of November (see below), we were glad to have sometime to relax and bake some cookies.  At the very least, however, we did go out and get a real Christmas tree this year, which is a first for us!  Even better, the Christmas tree lot was just down the street from our house, which meant I could just carry it home.  This is a visual approximation of how I looked:

Anywho, we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.  We're headed out to Arizona, but will be back to celebrate New Year's at home.

Thanksgiving at Our New Place

At the end of our insanely crazy month of November, Sarah and I decided we should also host Thanksgiving at our place.  "What were we thinking?" you might ask.  Well, in all honesty, Sarah has a pretty small family, so it ended up being only three guests (sadly, the fourth got sick on Turkey Day).  So it really wasn't too much work.  I thought it went great, but this photo of Sarah's parents indicates they seemed only mildly pleased by the whole event (joking, of course).  At least Sarah and her Grandma had a good time.

Clockwise from the top left we have: my family's awesome dinner rolls, homemade stuffing, the most moist and delicious turkey you'll ever taste (I highly recommend brining your turkey in the future), mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and candied sweet potatoes.  Thankfully, we are still eating the leftovers three days later. 

Elysa's Baby Shower

As I mentioned in the previous post, our good friend Elysa Dishman is having her second baby, so Sarah threw her an awesome baby shower at our new place.  Since I am the only person in our family who actually takes pictures of events, and I also wasn't invited, that means we have no pictures of the actual party, just the food that we made beforehand, which consisted of:

 Bacon, cheddar, and chive biscuits

 Candied bacon

 Lemon curd tartlets

And a big ol' chocolate cake.  We also made a fruit salad and a savory cheesecake which basically tasted like a gigantic Christmas cheese ball (i.e. delicious).  Overall, I think the party was a success, and the food seemed to go over well.  Maybe Sarah should start catering these types of things.

Our New House

Well, it looks like the dust has finally settled at our new place.  After moving in on Saturday, November 3rd, Sarah and I quickly set about trying to put the house together.  Sarah was throwing a baby shower for a good friend of ours on November 17th, which gave us two weeks to get everything unpacked, painted, and hung up.  Here's a picture of our new living room.  As you can see, Sarah managed to find a place for all of her Jonathan Adler figures she picked up in Peru.

This is the other side of the living room, complete with a couple leather chairs Sarah found at a pretty good price.  She could tell you what they are actually called.  All I know is that they are black and leather.  And comfy.

Also, here's a quick shot of our new living room, complete with new dining table and chairs from Ikea.  We also painted the buffet a new color.  Any long-time readers may recall that this is the same buffet that almost destroyed our marriage (as described here), but fortunately this new project wasn't nearly as frustrating.  I'll see if I can post a few more pictures of our townhouse when I have time. 

Was This the Most Insane Week of the Petersons' Lives?

Hey everybody!  Sorry it's been a while since I have posted anything, primarily because the last few days have been the craziest ever.  The dust appears to have settled here in our new home, so I'm taking a minute to provide a brief recap.

First, last Saturday we had the Ward Halloween Party, which we were partially in charge of.  Thankfully, it went relatively well.  Sarah and I were Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney-Sweep, which seemed to go over well.  On the plus side, we received the First Prize Bag of Cheesy Puffs for our trunk decoration for the Trunk-or-Treat.

 That's one ferocious-looking trunk.

Then the very next day, we got to run the MARINE CORPS MARATHON.  Sarah finished about twenty minutes before me, but the most important thing is that we both finished (and that we didn't get swept out to sea by a hurricane).

Here is a picture of me feeling simultaneously really good and completely miserable.  I ran the marathon with a disposable camera in my pocket to document the event as it progressed.  Once I get the pictures developed, I'll provide a more in-depth report of this miserable experience.

Oh yeah, we also moved this week.  Five days after the marathon, Sarah and I moved into our new home!  Amazingly, we survived and I am writing this from our new place.  Pictures will be coming soon, once Sarah and I reawaken from our respective comas.

We're Homeowners!

Woohoo!  After weeks of gathering documents and combing through our financial history, we have finally purchased our home.  Sarah and I are so excited, and can't wait to move in (which will be happening next Saturday).  My first order of business after closing on the house was to drive to Home Depot, buy a rake, and clean up the front yard.  My dad would be so proud.

This is what our street looks like in all its Autumn splendor.  Coincidentally, we closed on the house on my birthday.  Not a bad birthday present (although a bit pricier than usual). 

Going Native

In preparation for our pending move to Ciudad Juarez (which has just been moved up to April), I'm adapting to the local customs and facial hairstyles.  So far, the transformation is going well.  Also, Sarah does not approve.

FLAG DAY!

Well, Flag Day has come and gone, and Sarah and I have received our first assignment in the Foreign Service!  I was originally just going to post a picture of the flag, so people would have to figure it out themselves, but I think most everyone knows this one.  That's right, the Peterson are moving to CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO!

Congrats to the three folks who voted on North America for our first assignment!  It wasn't exactly our first choice, but it was by no means our last choice either (so glad we are not moving to Lagos, Nigeria).  It's not quite an exotic, far-off place, but we are excited to have all the benefits of being 15 minutes away from El Paso, TX, and to be close to my family in Arizona for a few years.  We will be reporting in June 2013, which means we still have a lot of training and other things to take care of before we head out.  Viva Mexico!

For a quick, dramatic representation of Sarah's reaction to this assignment, please view the following clip from Nacho Libre.  In this scene, Sarah will be playing Nacho, I will be playing Esqueleto, and the corn represents our first assignment:
 

Only joking, of course!

Flag Day is Upon Us

Hey all!  It is currently 9:00pm on Thursday, which means in 18 hours Sarah and I will have our first assignment in the Foreign Service.  It could literally be anywhere in the world.  Stay tuned, and I will try to update again tomorrow!

The 2012 Summer Movie Roundup

So, it's officially October, which means my annual summer movie roundup is about two months too late.  Sorry about that: it's been a crazy couple of months.  Regardless, this was a pretty good summer for movies, although I suppose we're all getting a bit saturated with sequels and reboots.  Anywho, here's my top five:

5. THE BOURNE LEGACY

I'll be the first to admit I was a bit bummed when I heard they were making this movie in the first place, especially since Matt Damon wouldn't be returning.  Furthermore, I can't really explain the appeal of this movie.  As I walked out of the theater, I was less than impressed, but for some reason, it grew on me over the next few days.  I guess there were just enough explosions to move this up to five on the list.

 

 

4. BRAVE

After the somewhat disastrous Cars 2, I had high hopes for a return to form for Pixar, and for the most part I wasn't disappointed.  Although it somewhat descended into the usual theme of "be yourself and it will all work out," I still thought it was pretty funny and very creative.

3. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

There's no way I could leave this one off the list, with all of the hype and anticipation that led up to it.  Although not without some strange plot holes ("Oh, you're back is broken... let me punch you in the spine really hard and you'll be fine in a couple of weeks"), it was still a fantastic wrap-up to Christopher Nolan's trilogy, and I'm sad to see it go.

2. MOONRISE KINGDOM 

At this point, I think everyone in America is required to have a college roommate who is a huge Wes Anderson fan, who claims that you just don't "get his style of humor."  When I finally got around to watching some of his films, I found that they are incredibly strange and bizarrely hilarious.  Moonrise Kingdom is no exception.  Although my top five is usually reserved for movies that explode a lot, this movie had heart and reminded me of my carefree summer days as a strange kid pretending to be Rambo in my backyard.

1. THE AVENGERS

This is perhaps the only movie on this year's list that completely exceeded my expectations.  I wasn't sure how this film would work, especially since all of the previous Marvel films were at least somewhat based in reality (aside from Thor), but they pulled it off.  Even more impressive, they managed to cram six hero back-stories into one film without making it feel rushed.  Well done!

A Very Special Day

Hey everyone.  Sorry posts have been a bit sporadic as of late.  In the next few weeks, we will be finding out our first assignment with the Foreign Service, buying a house, and running a marathon, so things are a bit hectic.  But that doesn't mean I can't take some time out of my schedule for such an important date as today: Global James Bond Day!  

I'm not sure exactly what a proper celebration of this day would entail (driving a tank through the city perhaps?), but it is apparently meant to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Bond film premiere, Dr. No.  So here's wishing you a Happy Global James Bond Day, and let this montage of James Bond car chases take you into the weekend.

 

Be Sure to Vote!

Hey everyone!  I just added a poll at the side of our page, if anyone wants to wager a guess as to where we will be headed on Flag Day.  We will find out our first assignment in the Foreign Service on October 12th!

Welcome to the Foreign Service!

Whew!  What a couple of weeks it has been.  We have been to Peru, done some house shopping, and I have started a new job in the Foreign Service.  I'm uploading three posts today, so be sure to keep scrolling to get updates on the rest of our hectic lives.

This week, I started my new job with the Foreign Service in the U.S. Department of State.  It is a fascinating organization, and I am really enjoying all of my training right now.  I have received so many assurances that this is the right career choice for me and Sarah.  To add to the excitement/stress, we also received the "bid list" this week.  This list include a compilation of all the locations overseas where there are currently openings for entry level officers.  Sarah and I now have the daunting tasks of researching each location to determine whether we should bid it high, medium, or low.   

I wish I could share all of the exotic locations on the list, but suffice it to say that I'm sure there are some places you have never heard of.  I know I hadn't.  We'll find out our first post on Flag Day, which takes place October 12th.  It can't come soon enough!

We're buying a house?!

It's official: the Petersons have lost their minds.  After returning home from Peru, Sarah spotted this home online and asked that we take a look at it.  We've been looking for a home for a few weeks, since mortgage rates are low, and it would be a great investment to rent out while we live overseas with the Foreign Service.  We put in an offer on this "quaint" two-bedroom townhouse in North Arlington, and we're shocked to discover our offer was accepted!

There is still a lot of work to be done, but we're hoping to close by the end of October.  Woohoo!  We're part of the landed gentry!

Our Trip to Peru!

Boy, has it been a crazy week.  If you have read the two posts above this one, then you already know why.  I've barely had time to even look at our pictures from our trip to Peru.  We have an amazing time.  We started out our trip by heading straight to Cuzco.  It was the original capital of colonial Peru.  Here's the Plaza de Armas.

Cuzco is 13,000 feet above sea level, so you definitely feel a bit of altitude sickness for the first two days.  Just walking up the stairs to our hotel was exhausting.  Here's one of the main cathedrals in town.

The next day we went to a local artisan market in a town called Pisac.  There's not much there, besides the market and some ancient Incan ruins overlooking the town.

There are dogs everywhere, but at least this one at the market seemed pretty well taken care of.

We spent some time up at the top of the ruins at Pisac.  They are remarkably well-preserved, and impressive in their own right (although they pale in comparison to Machu Picchu).

We were a bit lazy that day, so we took a taxi up to the top of the mountain, and then hiked down, but it was still pretty treacherous and exhausting hike.

Then came the big day: our trip to Machu Picchu!

It is truly an incredible place.  We were completely amazed at the architecture and the sheer size of the city.

As per tradition, I made sure to pack along some Pop Tarts, the perfect snack after an arduous hike up to a wonder of the world.

I asked my sister Kim if she wanted me to bring her back anything from Peru.  Her request was simple: that I shout her name from the top of Machu Picchu.

You're welcome.

Even the llamas are photogenic at Machu Picchu.

We also spent a couple days in Lima.  Although not quite as picturesque as the Andes, there is still a lot to see and do there. 

We took a couple tours in downtown Lima, including one of a monastery with catacombs full of skeletons underneath (sadly no pictures were allowed).  We also toured some impressive art museums.

Sarah also discovered that one of her favorite New York designers makes all of his ceramics on the outskirts of Lima.  They sell a bunch of them out of a warehouse dirt cheap.  If Sarah is ever frightened in the future, and I tell her to close her eyes and "go to her happy place," this will be what she pictures. 

And of course, no Peterson trip would be complete without a full review of the available food, including empanadas.

And famous Peruvian rotisserie chicken (from now on I'm putting a fried egg on top of every meal).

 Lots of chocolate, in all its forms.

And something called Inka Kola, which looked radioactive, but tasted somewhat like Bubble Gum.  It's more popular than Coca-Cola down here.  Overall, it was a pretty successful trip.

Five Years!

Believe it or not, Sarah and I celebrated our FIFTH wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.  I can't believe it has been over six years since we first met.  Seeing as Sarah is in Peru this week, I have had a bit of free time on my hands.  I decided to go through and provide a little refresher for you viewers on our five years of wedded bliss.  If I have learned anything from this project, it's (1) I've gained quite a few gray hairs over the years, (2) we seem to visit New York City a lot, and (3) Sarah has had a LOT of hairstyles.

Fall 2006: As most of you already know, Sarah and I met on a study abroad program in Spain.  This is our very first picture together.  In fact, I didn't even know her name at the time. 

Spring 2007: After a very long, drawn-out courtship (by BYU standards), Sarah and I got engaged in May of 2007.  This is one of my favorite engagement photos, which I still carry in my wallet today.
 

 Summer 2007: We got hitched!

Spring 2008: One of our first vacations together.  I think this is Sarah's third hairstyle, if you're keeping count at home.

Winter 2008: Our first Christmas in Washington, DC.

Spring 2009: Rather than stay in town for the inauguration, Sarah and I and used the long weekend to head to New York City (my first time).

Fall 2009: Another trip to NYC (fifth hairstyle, maybe?).

Winter 2009: Also known as the Snowpocalypse.

Spring 2010: Yet another visit to NYC (this time for a job interview), and yet another hairstyle.

Summer 2010: Our trip down to Argentina (maybe it's time I changed hairstyles).  I've been sporting the "Marine" cut for the better part of a decade now.  

Winter 2010: A visit home to sunny Arizona.

 Summer 2011: Law School graduation gala.

Summer 2011: More Law School graduation.

Fall 2011: Fulfillment of Sarah's lifelong goal of flying to Australia to look at some big rock in the middle of nowhere.  

Summer 2012: Roadtrip to Tennessee.

Back to Fall 2006.  We took this picture in France after we had been dating for about two months.  I had no idea we would end up traveling all over the rest of the world together.  It's been a great run so far, and Sarah and I are still as happy as ever.