twilight lovers

all my twilight lovers a little gift from me to you...

http://amhphotography.typepad.com/photos/kalama/edward106.html

he totally works, better than expected. I am still iffy on kristen stewart as bella but i actually think cedric (i really need to learn his real name) might actually work as dreamy dreamy Edward.

check out the rest of the pictures from the set of twilight

Oh sweet catharsis, where art thou!

Hello, Ryan here,

Blue moon risen, hell frozen over, call it what you will, but I've decided to again grace all of you with my presence on the blog. (It's actually mostly motivated by the loneliness and boredom of an empty apartment. You'd be amazed the glow that the echoes of senseless baby jabber can elicit from otherwise depressing, drab cinder block walls)

Firstly, I'd like to announce that the blog has attained international readership and would like to formally greet the Ecksmann family to our 'blog family'.

Schönen Grüß und vielen Dank für die damalige Gastfreundlichkeit und für den Glückwünsch zu dem Geburt unserer Tochter! Wir hoffen in den nächsten paar Jahren euch besuchen zu können. Lass bitte auch Kommentar! Wenn er auf Deutsch ist, ist es auch kein Problem. Ich würde einfach so gern mit euch in Kontakt bleiben. Ihr wart immer so nett zu mir! Ich habe sogar ein Römertopf gekauft, mit der Hoffnung dein leckeres Rosmarinhähnchen hier zu Hause nachzumachen. Bis jetzt ist es mir leider nicht gelungen.

Now, for the past... well, for what seems like a very, very long time I have been in a manic state , not unlike the proverbial headless chicken, preparing for my qualifying exams while trying to mediate concerns about law school, regular course work for my MA, providing for the three of us, Addie, and all the other life altering experiences of the past year or so. After just over 15 hours of testing, and a unbelievably nerve wracking hour of oral exams, I received the pronouncement that I had passed and barring any acts of extreme stupidity would be receiving an MA in Comparative German Literature this May.

Honestly, it was a lot like turning 18... no wait more anti-climatic, like... being awarded the plastic toy gun from the dollar store after going door to door selling wrapping paper during elementary school... no wait, not even that. Like opening the box of cereal expecting the amazing toy portrayed on the box, and instead finding an order form to send in. It just fizzled. No piece of paper, no huge sense of accomplishment, just a hand shake, a pat on the back, and the realization (and reminder) that all the other research projects I'd been putting off to study for the exams were coming due.

At least it's over. And I did pass, so that is exciting, but I don't know... I was hoping for some fireworks, hey, even a bottle rocket, or I'd even actually be happy with one of those throw snaps. Speaking of which, I think there might be some in the closet...

Ryan

quick updates:


* RYAN THE MOST INCREDIBLE AND SMARTEST (and best looking) MAN IN THE WORLD, PASSED HIS MASTER'S EXAMS (obviously with flying colors)

* Addison besides being a clapping maniac, she is also waving bye-bye

families can be together forever.<3

I have been thinking a lot lately about this blogging community. I LOVE this thing! I feel like i have been able to make friends and become so close with those of you i don't see very often. I love reading about your lives and getting clever ideas from your blogs. I enjoy the closeness, this is seriously great. Which brings me to another subject that I AM STAYING OUT OF except for this. I LOVE THE FAMILY HISTORY, I love our colorful family. I am so excited to get the histories. I love talking about my year, i enjoy the time to reflect on the many blessings i receive throughout the year. And i totally dig knowing what you are all up to. I hope we can do a family reunion, it would be some much fun to bond. I would love just having few days completely dedicated to the fam.
I AM SO PROUD TO BE SKEEN. AND I LOVE YOU ALL!

And we're (Addie and i) off! We are heading back to California but this time the northern part. Tracy and Jeff are leaving for Thailand and I will be watching Austin and Tay.
It should be fun. I am a little anxious about leaving for 17 days but
Ryan will be visiting at least once while I'm out there. I would hate being away from him that long so i am glad he will be out there to come hang out with us! This should be fun!

Cali, where i lay my mack down

We just got back from California. It was so much fun! We did all sorts
of fun touristy things I usually don't do. (We have some sweet tans
too) It was amazing to get away from the cold for the week. We sat in the spa almost every night, went to Disneyland and club 33 and the beach and even to L.A.'s fashion district.
On Sunday we went to Tim and Kelly's ward to watch the boys sing and then had
lunch. So fun! I was very sad to have to come home. It was such a blast
to hang out with my parents and even spend the afternoon with my dad at
Disneyland!

if you haven't been following my moms blog, you are missing out.
http://theskeenfamily.blogspot.com/

She really is incredible and it is so uplifting to read her blogs and see her strength and sense of humor. check it out.

if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands

Today Addison woke up and looked at me and started clapping her hands.
I was dying! We have been working on trying to teach her to clap for
months and then all of a sudden she just woke up and did it. She is
such a funny kid! It's like she practices things whenI'm not looking and then once she has perfected it, she shows it off!

Little Miss Paskett

(note: I AM NOT PREGNANT, THIS IS NOT MY BABY)





I wanted to congratulate my sister in law Sarah Paskett on her big news, IT'S A GIRL!
Addison is excited too, another girl cousin!

Congrats, we love you guys!

shake shake shake shake your booty!

Hallelujah! We are all starting to feel a lot better. Today I was back at the gym and really living it up. I did cardio
hip hop then swam laps and sat in the steam room and then did yoga. It
was so wonderful to be back and hopefully i don't wake up tomorrow
regretting spending three hours at the gym.ha ha

Today Addison rolled off the couch. It wasn't a bad fall but it was the first time,
so now we will have to start being more careful with our mobile child.
She is also diving onto her hands and knees a lot more, i would suspect
she will be crawling here in about a month or so. Good thing we will be
moving soon and it will be easier to baby proof when we are starting
over. Even though i am not happy that my child fell of the couch, it is
very exciting in its own morbid kind of way. And i am still trying to
get use getting excited about these kind of things (i.e. poop, clear
boogers,
falling of the couch (b/c that means she can ROLL)! She also dances now
when ever music comes on... so we have been having dance party in the
morning after she eats breakfast! She is such an absolute blast and i
couldn't imagine my life without her.

Still sick

Addison is still sick so today i took her to the doctor turns out its
just a nasty cold. Her doctor said that by next week can take her back
to the day care at gym. It has been almost an entire week since i have
been to the gym and i am absolutely dying to get back. Hopefully this nasty "croupy"
sounding cough will go away soon. She has been coughing so hard she
gets this raspy voice. And then its followed by the saddest little
raspy cry that makes her all splotchy. Poor little girl!!! I hope she
gets better soon. Ryan is slowly getting better and I don't feel horrible today. So hopefully after a weekend to recover we will all feel better.

Correction!

So today Ryan found out that it wouldn't be THIS summer we will be in Geneva but next summer. And instead he would be starting school May 29Th IF he goes to Duke. Instead he would be starting early so that he can be prepared for the program in Geneva ( i don't quite understand it).

All I know is that it gives me a year to get a passport for Addie and me instead of 2 1/2 months.... phew!

Also Mom will be done with chemo and all of my family can start planning their Europe trip now.

I have a house full of sickies. Addison got sick and then i quickly followed and now even Ryan is sick. Blah! Stuffy heads, runny noses, stomach aches and sore throats!

U of M

Today one of the deans from the law school at The University of Minnesota
called Ryan and left him a message personally asking him to
come to dinner with her and her research assistant when they are in SLC next week recruiting. She also informed him that he had been accepted and they really want
him to consider U of M (the gopher's... kinda lame right? Who wants to
be a Gopher?). So even if he doesn't decide to go there, I plan on eating the application fee's worth in food. Take that Minnesota! Suckers! haha

and so it begins!

This morning Ryan got an acceptance letter to
Duke Law school. He applied specifically for a program that lets him
finish his law degree and and international masters in 3 years. So if
we decide to go to Duke, we will be leaving May 29Th for Geneva Switzerland. That is how he gets the masters degree in international law, he studies abroad in either Geneva or Hong Kong each summer.

We
are really excited for this! Now we are just waiting to hear back from
Yale and Stanford and some of the lower schools to see if he gets any
scholarship offers, so he can make hisofficial decision.

It's very exciting, and I am so proud of my smarty pants husband!