Wedding Bells for the Pixtons

Casey and Allie Pixton's wedding was the perfect excuse to take an extended weekend trip to DC. On Saturday morning we were privileged to attend their sealing in the Washington, D.C. temple. Later that afternoon we met up with the rest of the wedding party at the Cosmos Club for pictures and final preparations. The ring ceremony was beautiful and it was really sweet to hear some of the couple's personal promises to each other. Cocktail hour and the full blown reception rounded out the day. Cole and I spent a lot of the evening drooling over the beautiful building but also managed to fit in dancing, over eating and getting to know the couple's friends and family.

As a side note: Cole bought me this silk dress especially for the trip and while it was beautiful, it was incredible light weight. Through out the entire day and evening, I had a really hard time keeping this dress in line. Just imagine with me going in and out of the subway system with the ever changing up and down drafts. Then imagine me walking several blocks with the city buses whizzing past. Lets just say, we both had a hilarious and creative time keeping me G-rated. Oh, the memories...

Great Falls National Park and Dam

While staying in V.A., Cole and I were able to sneak out to Great Falls National Park for a few hours. We hiked along the edge of the dam and river, even doing a little trail running towards the end. We had slightly chilly but beautiful weather, none the less.

Mount Vernon

After arriving at the Ronald Regan National Airport, with nothing of great importance pulling at our first few hours in DC, we passed a sign on the side of George Washington Parkway that read, Mount Vernon-11.5 miles.

We looked at each other, smiled and headed in the direction of George Washington's (GW) former estate.

Once a parking spot was secured, Cole and I made our way through a jam-packed visitor's center and headed towards the grounds. Divided into multiple areas, each area of the estate is complete with detailed descriptions, clothing and furniture of the times. We were floored by the number of slaves that were packed into one-room structures, were properly impressed by the large windows in the gardener's cabin and a little grossed out by the underground areas used to store the salted meats.

The main house itself was amazing. The tour included beautiful art work, detailed moldings, exquisite dishes, hand-made furniture and a peek at the very bed GW died in.

My favorite part of the entire tour came as we were filing through GW's study, the last room on the tour. The woman in front of us paused with the most confused look on her face and blurted out "So where were the bathrooms in this place? " to the nearest tour guide.

Really...Really?

Gotta love it, people, gotta love it.

Spring Fling to D.C.

Last week, Cole and I were able to steal a few days away from work to visit Washington D.C. We managed to see everything we wanted to, plus squeeze in a wedding for one of our good friends from Cole's mission and BYU-I. The next several posts will be about our adventures in V.A.

Ode to Cole

So today is Cole's 25th b-day and....

Obviously as his wife, I think he is totally wonderful and amazing but I thought his special day would be a good excuse to let him know some of the things his family loves most about him too.

1. "I would say that one of Cole's best qualities is that he is very easy going. It takes a lot to get Cole ruffled and in a dramatic family like ours...that's a great quality to have. He doesn't get upset easily and that makes him easy to be around and talk to. We love that he is friendly, mild mannered and just really easy to be around! There are not enough people in our life like this!"

-Nicole, sister-in-law

2. "So right when I got back from my mission, I wasn’t very good at handling social situations and I was determined to maintain my Spanish that I had learned. Well, a week after I got home we went to Angie Graves’ wedding reception. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. However I remember talking to Cole in Spanish quite a bit. Spanish was something that I loved and being able to talk to him in Spanish put me right back into my comfort zone.

I think another good memory is when we were all up at the cabin a few years ago. We all decided to have a race in the lake from the dock to the floating trampoline. I totally thought I was going to dominate because I was in better shape than all my brother’s-in-law. Well I started out fine but I quickly realized that I was not a swimmer. Needless to say, I didn’t win. Even though Cole “The Fish” Lansford did win, it was still pretty fun."

-Ben, brother-in-law

3. "His hair - - I love to play with his hair - - it’s thick and glossy…and he is so good natured, that he will lay there with his head on my lap and let me play with his hair for hours…

….LITERALLY…HOURS!!"

-Gail, aunt

4. " The thing I love most about Cole is that he has always been black and white, he has always had a testimony. I remember driving along one day, Cole was about 12. I said Cole do you have a testimony? He looked at me first really confused and then with so much conviction in his eyes and very matter of fact “Yes I do” And proceeded to bare his testimony. And then he said “Mom, why do you ask?” He has always been really good, very sweet. When he was 5 he was the only kid in primary that had all the Articles of Faith memorized. Going on a mission was never a question for him. He had one of those badges that said “Future Missionary” He always had to wear it to Primary.

When he was three or four we were driving playing the opposite game. After we had been playing for a while I said to him, trying to trip him up “What is the opposite of trees?” He thought for a minute and said “NO trees” He has always been black and white, never gray with him. I am so proud of the man that he has become. I have truly never had to worry about Cole I knew he would take care of the people and things he loves. He treats people with respect. He has integrity."

-Stacy, mum

5. "What can I say? I loved you the first time I met you. (even though I'd met you before :)) One of the things I most appreciate about you is how positive you are and how you always improve any situation with your great personality, your kind words, and your acceptance of others. Every time you're around, life is a little more fun. Thanks for being you and for making me smile."

-Janice, mother-in-law

6. "What do I love most about Cole - His brilliant Shirt/Tie combinations.

What is his best quality - His thick goatee."

-Scott, brother-in-law

7. "We love Cole because he is so nice and happy all the time.

He has been a great example to his cousins and we are so glad he is in UTAH!!!!!!!

He will eat anything I fix and say thank you for it as well.

We love him."

Cynthia, aunt

8. "His best quality is you! "
-Wes, dad

9. "One of things I love about Cole is his ability to make everyone he's around feel accepted and comfortable. His interest in others is part of that but I think it is one of his gifts of the spirit."

-Randy, father-in-law

10. "The thing I love best about Cole is that he is always happy and ready to have a good time. It is not hard to make him laugh or smile, and he makes you feel like you are exactly the person he wants to be hanging out with at that time. What a great guy!"
Alyssa, sister-in-law


Happy b-day, hon! We all love you!

Workin' 9-to-5 (ok, 8-to-6)

This week Cole started his first post-college "grown-up" job as an analysis with the operations office of Goldman Sachs here in Salt Lake. We are really excited for this opportunity but believe me, it wasn't a quick process...

July:
Cole did an internship with GS and L-O-V-E-D it.

September:
Cole was offered a full time position for January (and accepted it, of course).

October-November:
Maura and Cole feel pretty comfy during Cole's last semester of school.

December:
Maura and Cole wonder why he hasn't received a start date for January.

January:
The first of the month comes and goes, Maura starts to think maybe, February 1?

February:
Month begins and Cole gets an email saying March 2.

February (one week in):
Cole gets another email saying July 16. (With the economy being what it is, we were excited to still have an offer but honestly bummed that Cole would have to wait so long to get started.)

Then, three weeks ago Cole gets a call asking if there is any chance he can start in just 10 days...

We respond, Heck Ya!

Pictured: Cole on his way out the door with water bottle and brown bag lunch in hand.