Ward Prayer Wonders...

So I am currently sitting at the desk here at the office of our apartment complex. Mark and I are the lucky RA's who get the Sunday night shift tonight. And let me tell you... I have never been so entertained. One of the many perks of a Sunday night shift is the fact that you get to observe an average of 5 ward prayers. Yes, that's right. Complete with "getting to know you" spotlights and an occasional musical number... which is my personal favorite. So far first place goes to the 2 guys who sang "Hey there, Elijah" to the tune of "Hey there, Delilah". Although, the electric guitar solo comes in at a close second.

Unfortunately, I don't have pics tonight, so I think I'll just resort to a good old fashioned list of some of the things I'm grateful for. Cliche, I know, but why not... it's almost Thanksgiving, for cryin' out loud! I am grateful for...

• My parents who just came up from Vegas this weekend to see the show. We had a great time. Thanks, mom and dad! SO good to see you!
• My old dance mixes. I have been going through a phase lately of listening to some of my old music. Mariah Carey, A-Teens, Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, N-Sync... you name it. It is now a common thing for Mark to come home from work only to find his wife having her own dance party in the front room. With the blinds closed, of course.
• Robitussin. I have been recovering from a bad cold/flu this week and I tell you, the Robitussin has saved my life. And the taste is new and improved! Instead of pure acid, it now has a slight tinge of watermelon to it... thank goodness!
• Coco-motion. Last year for Christmas I gave Mark a hot chocolate maker... best $15 I ever spent.
• Cute babies and toddlers in our ward. Mark and I love to watch the cute little ones during church... while listening to every word of the speakers/teachers, of course.
• Loud and happy audiences. For those of you that perform, you know what this means. What a difference an audience can make during a show! P.S. Only 4 more shows left! :(
• My pink nike running shoes. Even though it has been awhile since I've actually ran in them (whoopsie), I still love wearing them around. They make me happy!
• Jamba Juice. Mark makes a killer homemade jamba. You should try it sometime. But homemade or not, I always love me a good jamba.
• Haircuts. And they're even better when they're free! I just got my first complimentary Branbury haircut on Saturday. Love it! Really, you should try living here. They do free manicures, pedicures and facials too!
• Cheese on toast. Mark had second thoughts about marrying me when he realized I had never had cheese on toast. It is a Stewart favorite and I am glad to say I have been converted.
• Redbox. What a blessed invention for the poor college students!
• Clorox wipes. Seriously, cleaning will never be the same. These puppies have changed my life for good.
• My best friend. Also known as Mark. He is incredible! I am still learning more about him everyday and he amazes me at all he is and does. Let me just say, I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend.

Well I think that's a pretty darn good list for now! I better start to close up shop... the ward prayers have come to a close and the residents are starting to trickle out the door. Stay tuned for more lists in the future... I think this could be the start of a good habit!

October = Dead and Gone

Ummm... for reals? October, where are you?! I promise you were here just a minute ago! Oh well... I guess it's on to November! Time for turkey, family, colder weather, Christmas shopping and you better believe it... Christmas music. :) When I married Mark, I had no idea what I would be inheriting. Loads and loads of Christmas music! I mean, we got Bing Crosby, the Carpenters, Frank Sinatra... the list goes on. And let's be honest, if you had to choose if you were gonna marry a man with loads and loads of money or loads and loads of Christmas music, which would it be? Hands down, no questions asked. Bring on the good cheer! (Disclaimer: this does not necessarily mean that Mark wasn't loaded with dough when we got married) :)

But first, let's do a little re-cap of October, shall we? I was lucky enough to get to see my oldest sister, Sara, a couple weeks ago. She flew out for the weekend and came to see my show! Which, by the way, is still running for just a couple more weeks. :) We had a fun weekend with lots of laughs and lots of treats. Oh- how grateful I am for sisters!

And here we are feelin' the love.

Mark and I were invited to a "Clue" party, which was put on by the lovely Lara and Tyler. It was such a fun and creative idea. We loved it! We dressed up as our assigned characters, made homemade pizza, played the boardgame "Clue" and then watched the movie, "Clue". Can you guess who we are...?

You guessed it! Professor Plum and Mrs. Peacock.

And here is the lovely group shot. Mrs. White, Colonel Mustard, Ms. Scarlett, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock (who looks like a giant in this photo), Professor Plum, Mr. Body and our hostess for the evening.

Nothin like a little dry ice in the cup.

Juuuuust a little creepy... but it's Halloween, right?

The deep dishiest pizza of your life. For realsies.

For FHE last week, we decided to carve some pumpkins and watch a semi-scary movie. So we redboxed The Knowing and will probably be okay if we never see it again. :)

Peek-a-BOO! Ha ha...Get it? BOO? It's funny. :)

This is Mark's masterpiece. Doesn't it look cool?! I love it! And as for my pumpkin... well... let's just say... it was short-lived. After carving one eye, complete with eyelashes, mind you... I just sorta got tired and gave up a little early. But it would have been good! Hmmm... maybe next year.

And here we are. The Stewart girls all dressed up for the Halloween party at work. Bethany was a sister missionary and I was a teenager from the 80's. Gotta love last minute Halloween costumes! :)

But the truth is, I really was just excited to have an excuse to wear blue eye shadow and bright pink lipstick while working at an accounting firm.

Halloween weekend was filled with fun. Including: Lots of laughs with Mark's fam who came into town for the blessing of Whitney's baby, trick-or-treating with nephews, lunch at Costa Vida, dinner at Whit's house on Friday, Saturday AND Sunday, grocery store run with Matthew and Melissa, and Mark's family came to see my show! Thanks for making it a party, everyone! It was a weekend to remember!

And now... last, but definitely not least... we'd like to officially invite you to visit this blog:

http://byuflyfishing.blogspot.com/

That's right, ladies and gentlemen... Mark Spencer Stewart is the proud President and founder of the BYU Fly Fishing Club. It's official. Life is complete. If interested, feel free to join! I'm sure Mark would love new fishing companions! As for me, I make a darn good cheerleader on the side of the river. I think I'll stick to that for now. :)

We've had our birthdays, shout HOORAY!

So... wanna hear a little story? This is the story of the moment when I just knew that Mark and I were destined to be together forever and ever. I was a starry-eyed high schooler and I had known Mark for just a short time. One day I asked him when his birthday was. "October 6th," he said. "Cool, that's really close to my birthday!" I replied. Then, after a few moments of thinking, I realized that his birthday on October 6th is exactly 2 weeks after my birthday. Exactly. Then, I realized that that means Mark is exactly 2 weeks short of 2 years older than me... 2, 2... 22! For those of you who know me well, you know that I have fetish for the number 22. Well, from that moment on... I just knew it was meant to be. :)

So the past couple weeks have been filled with some fun birthday celebrations and surprises! My birthday was September 22nd (exactly 2 weeks before October 6th... remember?) and here is just a little re-cap of my day...

I woke up to Mark slaving away in the kitchen. It is a special birthday tradition in his family to provide the birthday boy or girl with breakfast in bed. Here is a pic of what he surprised me with! Yes, that's right ladies and gentleman... my cute hubbie made me scones for my birthday! With some yummy homemade jamba juice on the side! And he even figured out a way to make it stick to the tray so you could turn it completely on its side! Amazing, I know... :)

That afternoon, my amazing sister, Laura, surprised me at work with a gift and we decided to do a spur-of-the-moment birthday lunch at CPK with some family. Very fun and I'm glad it worked out. Then, I finished my day at work and headed to 4 hours of rehearsal. When I got home that night around midnight, Marki was waiting there for me in a clean house that he worked on all night. As soon as I walked in the door, he began singing "Boola Boola"... which is one of my family traditions that I brought into the marriage. :) If you're intrigued, just ask me later and I'll explain. Anyway, a couple rounds of "Boola Boola" later, I had a handful of gifts. Mark gave me some great movies this year including: Anastasia (special edition, mind you), The Hannah Montanah movie, and... drumroll please... seasons 1-4 of Saved By the Bell!!! What more could a girl ask for in life?!?
A dream come true.

It was a wonderful day and I'm grateful for all the friends and family who made me feel special. THANK YOU!

Now, on to Mark's birthday story! Poor Marki's birthday happened to be on my opening night of "Curtains" this year, so we decided to celebrate the night before. It was perfect! We used one of our last wedding giftcards and celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory.
Yummy, yummy! It was a lot of fun. We went home right after and just relaxed while Mark opened his birthday gifts and cards. I felt very proud of myself because Mark gave me a $20 limit for his birthday gifts... (lame, huh) but I actually did it! A few giftcards and great sales later, I was able to get him 3 nice dress shirts for $20!

The next day was his actual birthday and after a day full of work and school, Mark went to his sister Whitney's house for a birthday dinner and then came to my show with some of his siblings. It was so fun to have them there!

Here is the gang after the show. Ahhhh! Look at those poodle bangs of mine! But don't worry, that's just my wig for the "show within a show". :) I don't wear it the whole time. We went out for some dessert after the show and the day was a success. Hooray for birthdays! So basically, we are both one year older now and definitely wiser too. The End.

Oh- one last little cool thing. My sister Laura came over after work one day last week and taught me how to make apple pie! It was a party and I'm grateful for the new homemaking skill... Thanksgiving, here I come!

Just a 'lil update!

So I think it's time we gave you a little quarterly update. Here are some things that we've been up to:

• Mark got a new job on campus as an internship counselor in the business school. It is perfect for him and allows for more study time. AND he has a candy dish on his desk that is brimming with goodness... I try to visit as often as I can.

• Debra is still working for Squire and has loved learning about accounting firms. But don't get me wrong... she can't like do your taxes or anything.
  

• Mark is working hard in his finance classes and has been studying Chinese in his spare time.

• Debra is still rehearsing for "Curtains" and is super excited for the show to open next week! Oh and P.S. The bangs are gone. :) A new and improved bangless wig has been created.
  

• We are still RA's for our apartment building and we really feel so blessed to be able to balance this second job on top of everything else. It has been a party!
  

• Debra teaches Relief Society and loves it!

• Mark teaches the Teacher Development class and is an excellent teacher himself. Debra learns a lot from him.

• Debra has been loving her weekly sister lunches!

• Mark has been loving his not-quite-weekly fishing adventures! He heads up the canyon whenever he gets the chance!
  

And... that's about all folks! Oh yeah... we have added a member to our family. Now hang on. Before you go and make any assumptions, let me just say that this new family member is a mode of transportation. :)

And here she is!....

Just kidding! No, really... here she is!

Oh... if only this were true! :) Okay, okay. Now for reals this time...
Here she is!!!

Aint she a beaut?! Well thank you. That's why her name is Belle. Due to my parent's current empty nester status, they decided to turn the ownership of this little lady to us for the next little while. Lucky, lucky! This was the car I drove throughout high school and although she looks like she's been around the block a few times, she really is a great car. We have been learning what life is like as a 2-car couple. It has been very convenient over the past month with me driving "Boo" (our other car) to Salt Lake just about every night. Thanks, mom and dad, for helping make life a little easier!!!

"The costumes, the scenery, the makeup, the props..."

So... if there's ever a time in the next couple months... say between October 5th and November 21st... when you are just looking for something to do... you may consider this:

CURTAINS

A new musical comedy

Where: West Valley Hale Centre Theatre

When: Oct. 5 - Nov. 21st

(But only Tues. & Thurs. at 7:30 and Sat. at 4:00 and 7:30 if you want to see me)

Why: Because it's a darn good show!

So yes, it's true. I am in rehearsals for another show right now and let me tell you... this show is SO fun! It was on Broadway just a few years ago and Hale Theatre is one of the very first theatres with the rights to put it on. It's just a fun light-hearted musical comedy with some murder mystery suspense. I didn't know a thing about the show when I auditioned, but now both Mark and I are in love... with each other, yes, but also with Curtains. We've had the music playing in our car for weeks now. So if you're interested, you can read more about Curtains HERE. (But beware: the synopsis does contain spoilers) :) And if you are interested in buying tickets, you can go to the hale theatre website HERE.

I am playing the part of "Niki" and it has been a blast so far. She's just your typical innocent and naive all-american girl who falls in love with the lead character, Lieutenant Frank Cioffi. Here's a little sneak peek at the publicity photos we took a couple weeks ago...

It's kind of a funny shot, but it's all I got, ok? :) I know what you must be thinking. Probably something along the lines of "Wow, Deb. You want some wig to go with those bangs?" :) The wig is a little heavy on the bangs, but beggars can't be choosers, right? Well- thanks for listening! I just wanted to include you all in the fun! "Let's go on with the show!"

Wedding in a nutshell!

Ryan and Halie are now married! Hooray! Here is a rundown of the wedding festivities...

Here we are at Halie's bridal shower! Some of the older girl cousins...
And the lovely Stewart women!

My handsome guy and I at the wedding dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was a very nice dinner, but the musical number was just alright. Some random girl sang "To Make You Feel My Love". I've heard better... :)

The happy couple! Aren't they the cutest?!

The Stewart studs! (minus Nathan, of course)

Melissa with us at the reception on the wedding night. We love this girl!

They had a dance floor and everything! My kind of party!

Traditioooooooon.... Tradition!

Oh ya know... just hangin' out... sportin' the wedding colors. (Which were very pretty, by the way)

Okay, this pic needs some explaining. :) No, that man is not in a wedding dress. During the weekend of the Vegas reception, we went down to the strip for a few hours with Halie, Ryan, Kylie(Halie's sister), and Dan (Kylie's hubbie). We had a little too much fun with the human statue in the Venetian.

Cute embrellas in the Venetian! :) We had a fun time in Vegas at the open house and we got to see my mom and dad too!

So there you have it! Wedding in a nutshell!

All things must come to an end.

Like summer. I can't believe it's over and school has started again! Wherever did it go? I must admit, however, it is nice to not be in school. :) I think it is now starting to sink in that I'm an official graduate.

Well- I have quite a few pics to update you on! We had some fun adventures this summer and so I'd like to dedicate this post to our memories of summer... oh how we miss thee! :)

Mark and I went on a hike with his family a couple months ago up Brighton Canyon. Mark, my little fisherman, brought his fishing pole along and gave some lessons to Matthew and his cute little cousin.
Lesson 1: cast the bait. Lesson 2: wait for a VERY long time. Lesson 3: reel that puppy in!

Nothin' like a we-just-hiked-a-mountain pic. Definitely a keeper! :)

Gorgeous, eh? "And it's right here in our own Backyard. Right here in ___ _______!" (Can you fill in the blanks? Bonus points for the person who names the movie!)

Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Okay, this was the beginning of our day at Lagoon! We were in line for "Wicked" as our 1st ride of the day. We rode it 2 more times before we went home.

Here we have the fearless roller coaster riders! Always a party!

Me and the boys... Mark's cousins. :)

We got to go to Aunt Barbara's cabin about a month ago and it was a blast! We just couldn't let the day pass by without a pic with one of the animal trophies... Go Cougs!!!

The little stunt devil herself. I'm a pro... really... what? You don't believe me?

I had to show the boys how it's done. So there!

I got to have some fun lunch dates this summer. This was my lunch date with my good high school friends. I love you, girls! It was fun to chat and catch up a bit!

And Ta Da!!! Here we are! Sister lunch #1! (To be followed by many more over the next several months)

And for one last little treat... here is Mark's pride and joy... he video taped our ride on "The Collossus" at Lagoon. This is Matthew and cousin Jace, Jill and I are in front of them, and Ryan is in front of us. Ready... set... GO!!!