it IS a pretty wonderful life

FHE 12/7/09:

The Plan: meeting with new friends for a $6 movie on the Seal Beach pier @ 8.

Ruby's was having a retro deal: $2.70 for a burger and fries. there is a Ruby's on the Seal Beach pier. how convenient! NATURALLY the barttels jump at the deal.

BONUS! it is FREEZING and raining & windy & cold so almost NOONE braved the freezing pier so ruby's was lovely warm & not busy, despite the deal.

since it was cold NATURALLY the barttels purchased larged delicious cups of peppermint hot chocolate after dinner. & walked down main street arm in arm. then they sat in an uncrowded old theatre, eating popcorn, with new friends, watching one of the best movies ever made:

(yes i took a picture in the theatre. it says welcome to bedford falls and the guy's head in front of me is the black hump. i wanted to prove i was really enjoying such a classic in a theatre. i was so happy i could pinch myself!)

movie and dinner and a lovely evening for 2: $20.00. priced to perfection!

calling all yogis!!

looking for a truly relaxing, fun and cheap yoga retreat!? check out Amara Bliss!
a few of my good friends, yoga instructors & fabulous women, have finally seen a dream come true! please check out their new yoga retreat company website! they have a mexican retreat coming up in march- who wouldn't want an all inclusive, 6 night stay in a little mexican village, do yoga on the beach at sunrise/sunset and have one-on-one time with amazing yoga instructors??
love it.
brad & mrs barttels wish they could go!!

a merry murderous saturday

last saturday was a blast from start to finish. brad worked, mrs. barttels exercised (shocking! i know!), met for breakfast, did some needed shopping, came home and got to enjoy football & the company of rodney and lisa ashton- we miss and love them so much! then to top off the day we got to enjoy a murder mystery party that was just tops!! thanks to our hostess, amy, for a fab evening, delicious dinner and even some leftovers to take home!
kudos to brad and nick for picking the right murderer, aubrey & jeremy for my fav costumes & farrah and tk for playing their parts so well! i'd definitely be interested in doing another someday!

blast you sappy country songs!

i try to avoid christmas music on the radio like the plague at this point in december, bc about a week before the holiday i find myself tired of it. i also refuse to listen to mediocre artists tarnish the beautiful music of christmas on soft rock stations. BUT sometimes i listen to the radio, and when i'm lost in thought i can get sucked in without knowing.

today one minute i'm singing country, "hey!, white liar..." and after a moment pondering car insurance, i find myself tuning back into the radio.

oh no.

its one of THOSE songs.

the kind that you love to hate and hate to love and wish you didn't know every word and not only is it CHRISTMAS but its COUNTRY CHRISTMAS even worse it's SAPPY COUNTRY CHRISTMAS!!

next thing i know i'm all choked up, crying "sir i wanna buy these shoes for my mamma please..."

baha.

am i the only one out there....

i'm going to say this, but before you judge, read it through!

it's not that different being married.

wait wait! don't go. here's my logic:

women are emotionally based. i've been emotionally married/committed to brad for a long long time. that's why it doesn't feel very different.

bc emotionally i've been watching movies, taking out trash, going on walks, driving in cars, making dinner, talking, laughing, spending time, planning, budgeting with brad, and only brad, for what seems like forever. so its only natural we continue doing so and just share the bed, couch, apt and cars & last name officially now!

which to some might seem like a let down to some bc marriage should be this GREAT! AWESOME! EXTREME! change, but for me it is another peaceful, very undramatic, quiet and calm reminder that this is just how it's supposed to be. :)

adventure #1

the barttels now own a couch, so we have some furniture.
said couch is the subject of much hilarity & definitely a memory of being newly married...

scene.

wednesday

brad: (looking on craigslist) hey what do you think of this couch!?
mrs. barttels: awesome. call em. buy it.
brad: (puts cash money for couch in a ripped open envelope labled "couch $" and puts on kitchen counter.)
mrs barttels: (does not see where he put envelope. assumes he has money.)

friday

couch guy: i will be there in 30 minutes

brad: awesome! where's the envelope with the couch money?
mrs barttels: what envelope?
brad: what do you mean? the one on the kitchen counter.
mrs barttels: i see no envelope on the kitchen counter.
brad: i labeled it and put it right here on the counter.
mrs barttels: uh oh. (she's been throwing away all trash for 2 days....)
brad: we mustve thrown it away.

team barttels begins searching through the house like crazy- that envelope had a lot of cash in it. it's not in the apartment. the apartment is NOT that big.

brad & mrs barttels walk confidently to the dumpster and without hesitation start rummaging like rats. (keep in mind this is the day AFTER thanksgiving) mrs barttels climbs on side of dumpster wall. watches as ants crawl over toe of her shoe. brad picks up dripping bag of turkey guts and leftovers and removes from dumpster. repeats action multiple times. (cue awkward neighbors walking out to stare) mrs. barttels lifts, separates, jiggles, pulls and tries to get down to the trash that got taken out BEFORE Thursday.

couch guy: (pulls up in truck.)
brad: dude, we think we threw your money away.
couch guy: no, really??
both awkwardly laugh.
couch man stands there while we continue to search.

mrs. barttels: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH BRAD!!!! i found our bag of trash!!!! (begins to laugh hysterically in horrified relief) but, uhhhhh, the bag was open. half of it fell down into the dumpster.
brad: (smiles in glee! reaches arm completely down into dumpster) I FOUND IT!!!!! (pulls hand out with envelope in hand!!!!! arm has unidentified slime on one side.

couch man: seriously man??
brad: yeah dude. here's your money.
both awkwardly laugh. mrs barttels is in fits thinking about the horribly hysterical events that just occurred.

end scene.

yes, its still funny.

an adventure in being barttels...

two weeks today i tied the knot with brad. a perfect day. truly.
and this is what we look like all day everyday. (not. but close.)we enjoyed mexican sunsets. explored everglades.
kissed alligators.went to disneyworld. (yes we bought matching tshirts. no shame.)basically two weeks of marriage feels a lot like this:
lots of fun to be had, to be sure! the barttels are now officially couch, vacuum, lamp and kitchen aid mixer owners. life is good. :)

2.

me. brad. just us two in the trenches against the world.
i think we both got what we wished for on this abnormally huge dandelion... ;)

3.

brad likes my mushy posts. its funny. when i read him #8 he got all gushy. love it. so here it goes another.
three words to describe my future husband: unselfish, kind & mine :)

brad is a supernally spiritual, wonderful, unselfish person. over and over again i feel like mud compared to his sweet nature... don't get me wrong. he is a HUGE tease. he is a boy. he likes football and pizza. and gives everyone a hard time. but he also is really a dear. (yes a dear, like a grandma would say.)

brad gets choked up at church more than i do. and loves loves loves serving other people. he was SO sad to be leaving our ward bc he has lived there for almost 8 years. he will miss all the people he's loved & served & counseled & befriended. he's sad we're moving to a family ward where he can't pass the sacrament. c'mon! is this guy for real!?

i don't know how i got so lucky or so stuck with this guy. he is so ridiculously kind in thought to others. he has NEVER sat and critisized anyone in front of me- and since we spend alot of time together- i figure that he never does at all. he always thinks of the kindest way to say anything negative if he has to.

gosh i love him. i wish i could convey to you how positive and kind this man is. he's going to be my husband. i hope that i don't feel so completely undeserving of him always. i am in awe of that he loves love LOVES LOVES me. seriously guys. you have no idea the sacrifices and unselfish way he treats me always. he just LOVES me.

wow.

4.

after 4 weeks of dating (or thereabouts) i discovered brad talks in his sleep. whilst snuggling on a couch to something on tv, sir bradley james fell right asleep and proceeded to mumble and grumble away the next hour or so. i don't remember any of the words/phrases he mumbled away bc he topped them all by saying this:

"i opened the wrong box to make cupcakes."

he said it crystal clear, calmly and seriously. concerned as if he had made betty crocker turn in her grave.

i could not contain my histerical laughter, woke the poor boy up & told him what he'd said. :)

now whenever it's late or we're tired or we are having trouble communicating, saying this little phrase puts us into fits of giggles and smiles.