A Little Fun In D.C...

We had a great trip to DC last week. I brought Jeff along for my trip to Society for Prevention Research conference and I was so glad that he came. He was able to meet up with some old high school and mission buddies and take an unofficial eating tour of DC while I was in my meetings. He even saw President Obama flying to the White House in his helicopter! (I was green with envy) The trip was great professionally for me--I won the student poster competition! It was great exposure and I was happy with the people I was able to meet.

I took Friday afternoon off so that we could go and explore the city (and eat some more) and we had a great day! First, we went to the National Zoo and saw all sorts of animals.

Panda Bears...



A bald eagle...



Even some prehistoric animals. (We took this picture for our nephew, Charlie. It his Uncle "Beff" and one of his favorite dinosaurs "tops")



But, this guy was definitely the highlight of our zoo visit. No kidding, he was 5 feet from me and we just happened upon him at feeding time...



We were a little unsure how he was going to get up the stairs.



About this time Jeff and I both commented on his "Tobler legs"



Hungry, hungry hippo...



Then we walked down by the White House. Sadly, I didn't get to see President Obama...



But, then we got caught in the rain...



And then it rained some more...



But, after it cleared up and we dried off, we had a nice sunset walk down the mall. It was a perfect time of day to take in the monuments and even a little live jazz in the sculpture garden.









It was a romantic end to a great trip!

Six years and counting...

Jeff and I were married in the Salt Lake temple six years ago yesterday. While we feel like we've been together forever, we could hardly believe it has been so long! We watch our wedding video every year on our anniversary and I am reminded every time how great our day was. I am even more happy that we can say that even with how happy and in love we were that day, things have only gotten better. I am so grateful to be married to my best friend, someone who loves, respects and encourages me every day. I look forward to eternity with Jeff and all that lies ahead for us in the years ahead.

Here are a few pics from our special day.

If you need us...

we'll be in Washington DC this week! I'll be back with a special 6th wedding anniversary post on Sunday. Have a great week!

The long awaited return...

At long last, Jeff will be released from Kyle & Kim's indentured servitude tomorrow. I'll be glad to have my better half home. There's really only so much crap tv a girl can take!

Dear Kyle & Kim,

Please return my husband. Thank you.

-Management

The new Master Jeff and Doctor Amy...

While I wasn't too keen on participating in the actual graduation ceremony again, I was so excited that Jeff and I could walk in the same ceremony! In the end, I am glad that I did it. Life has been so busy since I defended my dissertation that a moment of relief and closure never quite came. I was happy to have had a bit of that on Saturday. It really sank in that I was done! Whoopeee! Jeff was equally excited to be done in the lab and to be my house wife for the summer. I am so proud of him and we are both excited for him to start dental school!

Here are a bunch of our pics from after the ceremony. Enjoy!

Jeff by the bull gator before we went in for the ceremony. Some day we hope to be bull gators...



This is me and my mentor, Kelli, as we waited for the ceremony to start. She's the one that "hooded" me.



Jeff was a few rows behind me



The happy grads...boiling in our regalia












Ashley made signs so that we'd know where our families were sitting. It definitely made them easy to find!





Dad had to scoot Ashley to her car...

Graduation BBQ

To celebrate our graduations this time around we decided to throw a BBQ for our family and close friends. It was a great way to be able to spend time with our family and friends and to have some fun while we were at it. Here are some fun pics! (I promise I was at the party but, as you can see, I was the photographer :-) )

We had a delicious spread. Plenty of sweets...



And BBQ...I just finished the left-overs yesterday. I don't think I've ever eaten so much pork in one week!



P.S. See that pretty orange flower thing on the table? Not the actual flowers...the orange table decoration...my sister, Ashley, made a bunch of those in orange and blue and I was so impressed! They are cute, easy, cheap party decorations and they really made a big difference. In her words, she went "martha stewart on my <insert three letter word for bottom>" I thought it was funny...



Little Violet was the bar-tender for the first 30 minutes of the evening.



Colton enjoyed the rice krispy treats



And of course the boys had to play watermelon football! I had to ask the produce guy at the supermarket for an extra large watermelon. We didn't want it to be too easy!



There was a lot of wrestling in this game. I think we need to come up with more rules because that definitely looks like holding to me!



Violet and her Grandma Tobler watching the boys (notice Jan's nice, dry clothes)





The boys with their broken ball. The melon lasted quite a while this time. After it broke open, we were a little sad we had selected this one for playing...it looked like it was probably a tasty melon!



Jan didn't stay dry that evening. She sacrificed herself to take pictures of the boys as they dove into the pool while trying to catch a football.



My dad and Braden messing around.



Funny story...my brother went to the restroom while the party was in full swing. Well, the lights for the bathroom are on a timer. He judiciously decided that 12 minutes would be sufficient for him to complete his business. However, as the time came and went, he found himself in the dark...in a stall...unable to finish things up without any light. So, using technology to his advantage, he proceeded to call all of his family members until my dad finally picked up and came to his rescue. the lesson to be learned from this?? Just give yourself as much time as possible...you can always turn it off if you have time to spare ;-) This picture was taken to recreate the moment he decided to opt for less time...



After the party was over, we had my siblings sleep over. We were pretty beat but, in a good way!



The feature presentation tomorrow evening will be some pictures from graduation. I know you are all anxiously awaiting them! (Note: read this last sentence with sarcasm)

Coming Soon...

complete coverage of our graduation festivities! But for now, we just need to get some sleep...lots and lots of sleep.

It's my kind of town...

I just got back from a really quick business trip to Chicago. I am exhausted! I was there just long enough to remember how much I love that city (even in the cold rain) and I can't wait to go back with Jeff in a couple of weeks.

We managed to squeeze in a quick power-hour of shopping before we had to head to the airport and I'm so glad that we did. I found some fantastic Gucci sunglasses on sale 80% off! They spoke to me and convinced me that they needed to go to a place where the sun is always shining and the grass is always green. I obliged and feel as though I've found a long-lost friend. I'd be wearing them right now if it was socially acceptable at work.

We have a busy few weeks ahead. Hopefully, some of these events will involve pictures that I can post! Here's what's coming soon in the Tobler house:

1. Jeff and Amy graduate (again),
2. Amy officially interviews for her Research Assistant Professor position (maybe no pictures but definitely some new clothes),
3. Jeff and Amy spend a week in Chicago,
4. Jeff is loaned to Kyle and Kim for cheap house labor, and
5. Jeff and Amy go to Washington DC (I hope we see Obama!).

That pretty much sums up May...It's going to be a busy one!