Looking back on '08

Here is a list of the Brown "top ten" events from 2008:

10: Grace turns one...

9: Mexico trip #1 (Puerto Vallarta)

8: Erin moves from Telemetry to...Labor & Delivery

7: Erin runs the Robie Creek half-marathon with her dad

6: Zach takes a fishing "mancation" with his dad, brother, and grandfathers

5: Zach and Grace spend 4th of July with family in Seattle

4: Zach and Erin celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss

3: Erin travels to Australia to visit her sister Casey

2: Near death experience in Mazatlan with Ash and Drew...holy Federalis...and
AK-47s (should have blogged about this one...will have to do a post-script)

1: Pregnant again...acid reflux central!

Wow...it's time to update!!

So I know it's been forever, but I'm not the best at this blogger thing! I just finished orientation on the Labor and Delivery unit so now I am flying solo...yay!! Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend precious time with family and friends! Our family was hit pretty hard with a flu bug that picked us off like flies. Luckily, most of us were over it by the time Christmas rolled around.

Our Christmas was amazing! My parents and sister drove the dreaded route from Bozeman. My brother-in-law and his beautiful girlfriend Devon, as well as Zach's grandparents made it down from Washington. We all had a great time and Grace definitely had a blast opening presents!

We wish everyone a blessed New Year filled with happiness! We are pleased to announce that I am pregnant and due on July 19, 2009! Gracie will soon know the true meaning of siblings and...sharing!

Fun in the SUN

This past weekend we went to Lucky Peak with our good friends, Ashley and Andrew. We had fun watching Ash and Drew surf behind the boat! Zach and I didn't try it this time, but maybe we'll be brave enough next time! Grace came along and had fun watching all the splashing and water sports! We are actually going to Mazatlan with Ash and Drew at the end of September! Yay...a break away from reality! I actually start orienting to Labor and Delivery next week...on the day shift. I am both nervous and excited! So wish me luck as I help mommas bring their little wonders into the world!

Life is Good

This past weekend my mom came and visited us in Boise. She and my dad just finished a long trip to Australia visiting my sister! During my mom's visit we hung out, went shopping, and went to Sandy Point (a beach near Lucky Peak Reservoir). Gracie loved spending time with her "Deedy"! We love when family comes to visit...thanks for everything Mom...I was totally spoiled this weekend!

AUSTRALIA or BUST...

Hello everyone, sorry it has been so long since our last post. I can't believe it is already August. Summer is almost over! We're looking forward to fall though, Boise summers are pretty hot! Well, June went by very fast. I think we spent a week in Bozeman with my parents and then prepared for my solo trip to Australia to visit my sister. She has been participating in a study abroad program in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern Queensland. I had the opportunity to visit her June 26th-July 6th. We had an amazing time. Here is a brief description of what we did:
-Day 1: Flying
-Day 2: Flew into Brisbane and visited the Koala and Kangaroo sanctuary. The kangaroos literally ate out of our hands! Holding the koalas was an experience as well.
-Days 3&4:Flew to Airlie Beach (part of the Whitsunday Islands in the Great Barrier Reef). Casey and I went on an Ocean Rafting/Snorkeling excursion and saw the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen! I had to pinch myself because I couldn't believe I was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. The beach that we ate lunch at was called Whitehaven Beach, one of the best beaches in the world! This was my favorite place in Australia! Someday I hope to have the opportunity to take my family there!
-Day 5:Flew back to Brisbane, rented a large camper van we laughingly called "Manual Britsy" ("Manual" because it was a 5-speed, "Britsy" because that is the name of the company we rented from). Needless to say...I DROVE A STICK SHIFT VAN ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD...AND DIDN'T KILL ANYONE! I am very proud of myself for this feat, because as most of you know, driving is not one of my fortes. After renting the van we headed towards the small town of Noosa on the Sunshine coast and spent the night.
-Day 6:Took an excursion to Frasier Island, the largest sand island in the world. We literally drove on the beach just feet from the ocean. While we were there we saw a Dingo and the most beautiful freshwater lake we'd ever seen. After this wonderful day we drove to Toowoomba...the town where Casey had been going to school.
-Day 7:Checked out Toowoomba before embarking on a long drive to Lamington National Park. This was quite the adventure. To get there we drove "Manuel" up a one lane mountain road with 26 blind curves. We survived! Once there we found a camping spot and went hiking. The incredible rain forests, waterfalls, and overall views were breathtaking.
-Day 8: Drove to Byron Bay which is a quant surfing town filled with shops and great restarants. Casey and I HIKED to a lighthouse which was the most easterly point of the Australian mainland.
-Day 9: Drove along the Gold Coast to Surfer's Paradise that I would describe as the Las Vegas of Australia. We then drove back to Brisbane, returned our van, and spent one last night in the city.
-Day 10: Said my goodbyes to Casey and flew to Sydney where I missed my plane from Sydney to San Francisco and had to spend the day in Sydney. Luckily, I met a group of Campus Crusaders for Christ who also missed this flight. They pretty much adopted me into their group and we spent the evening in Sydney checking out its vast prowess and unforgettable views of the famous Sydney Opera House.
-Day 11: Flew home to my family that I had missed terribly!
While I was in Aussie Land, Zach and Grace went to Seattle to be with family! Gracie definitely became a daddy's girl while I was gone!

May Update

So far May has been an amazing and incredible month! With concerts and birthdays...how could one go wrong? For my birthday, a lot of friends, Zach, and I went to Cafe' Ole' in downtown Boise to celebrate! After a couple margaritas and some tequila we headed to our favorite dance joint...THE BUFFALO CLUB!! Needless to say I did not want that night to end!

This past week was a little less exciting with Grace having Rotavirus:(. We spent most of our time either at home or at the Doctor's office. She is feeling much better though! With our next child we are definitely getting them vaccinated for this! She lost 1.5 pounds which is a lot when you are only 22 pounds.

This past weekend Zach and I finished a lot of yard projects and put together our first gazebo! We also went to the Carrie Underwood concert...thanks to the generosity of our good friends Ashley and Andrew...thank you! We actually met Ashley and Andrew this year during a sleigh ride dinner. I knew we would be instant friends because they were drinking our favorite wine, 14 Hands and Ashley was sporting a super cute Dooney bag. Needless to say we spend much of our time hanging out with these great people!

Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend my friend Monica, her sister Megan, and I took a road trip to Sun Valley, ID. We are all mothers so we thought it would be fun to take an overnight trip together. We had a great time shopping, eating, and just hanging out! The funny thing is, when you are away from your husband and children and you see a family together, you sure do miss them...even when you've only been gone 6 hours! It was nice, however, to get away from Boise for a couple of days and spend time with Monica and Megan! We hope to make this a yearly "Mom's Getaway Trip".

Today is Mother's Day and my brother-in-law, Logan's Birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOGAN!! Today Zach treated me to a trip to one of my favorite stores, Anthropologie! We also met Alan and Melanie for brunch at the Bungalow...mmmm! My mother's day gift this year from Zach and Grace was a cute new puppy that we are thinking of naming Hops! Wow...hopefully Skeeter has some coping mechanisms in place to deal with a new puppy!

Happy Mother's Day to all the fellow moms out there! You are all incredible! Thanks especially to my mom, Diane, and my mother-in-law, Melanie for always being there for me!!