Leslie Goes Gothic?

Since the beginning of the year, Kevin and I have been really trying to save money by clipping coupons and working the double and triple coupon sales at the local grocery stores. In an effort to save money, I used a coupon for a different brand of hair dye than I normally use and the effect is astonishing (shield your eyes!):

No, I am not gothic, I promise! The other brand turned my hair BLACK! It was supposed to be dark brown...BROWN!! What happened to my brown hair? I took this picture after I dried my tears and realized that hair dye eventually will fade, especially with the help of clarifying shampoo, and thought that I could just laugh it off. Well, it is now a month later and my hair is still pretty black (I tell myself it is brown, but I am definitely lying to myself!). If I had wanted black hair, I would be pretty excited about finding such a fade resistant dye, but right now, I am missing my less dramatic hair color!

PS - If you ARE looking for some pretty strong dye, I used Clairol Nice 'N Easy.

Competition in the City

Kevin competed in his last moot court competition a few weeks ago in New York City. I couldn't resist the opportunity to watch him compete and of course do a little shopping and site seeing in the big apple. Kevin and his partner, Genevieve, did a great job, but mostly we had a good time eating yummy Chinese food in Chinatown, delicious pizza in Little Italy, and roasted nuts at every opportunity!

The Courtroom

Last minute prep!

Kevin and Genevieve after a job well done :)

After we arrived, we wandered over to the Gershwin Theatre to check and see if there might be any ticket cancellations for Wicked and luck was shining down on us because we landed tickets in center orchestra only a few rows back from the stage. We saved a TON of money on the seats and I was so excited to see it again that I cried on and off through the first act!

It was Kevin's first time seeing Wicked, and as you can tell, he is really excited!

I HEART Wicked!

Sledding with Kate

Who doesn't love sledding?
Meet Kate, my adorable Niece! She had a great time sledding with us, but if you think about it - who wouldn't love sledding down a hill and having someone else carry you back up?
Kevin had the pleasure of riding down with Miss Kate and carrying her back up the hill - makes for a great workout!

Miss Kate and her daddy, Mike!

It was a great day!

Skiing in Utah

One of my favorite things in the WHOLE WORLD is skiing! LOVE IT!! Kevin grew up on the slopes and is a really great skiier and what makes him even better is that he puts up with skiing with me! I am still learning and have become a pretty competent blue run skiier over the years of marriage, but one day I hope that I can beat him down the diamond runs without crying tumbling down the mountainside.

A beautiful day on the slopes!

Skiing is much more fun with friends and family!

Karen and Mike came with us and we had a blast! Kevin and Mike got to ski together on the black runs while Karen and I took it a little easier!

Waiting for the boys at the lodge :)

I can't wait for ski season next year!!

Christmas Morning at the Grady's

Yes, it is February and I am still posting about Christmas! After spending a few days in California, we headed up to Cedar City for much needed time in the snow - and there was plenty of it! Of course my favorite in laws did a fabulous job preparing for Christmas...everything was perfect!

We had a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner compliments of Artis :)

And the next morning we awoke with the traditional "strings" festivity!

Kevin and I still wake up super excited to unravel our strings and find our special present!

As you can see, the strings go everywhere...even outside in the snow!

At the start of my string
Kevin looks excited to start!

Kevin made it to the end of his string

(the present is hiding inside the closet)

Our only neice, Kate, got to experience her first Christmas strings!

A few months ago Artis travelled to Japan and brought back "kimonos" for the girls...we couldn't resist a cheesy picture

Long Beach Aquarium

While in California, we took a family excursion to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach and had a really great time!

Overlooking the Marina

Cody was "Finding Nemo"

I love to watch the jellyfish - they are really creepy on the one hand and so beautiful on the other!


Cody and Kevin were best buds!

Who doesn't want to touch a shark?

Not Cody!
Thanks, Dad, for bank rolling our fun trip!

Christmas in California

For Christmas this year we were fortunate enough to be able to see both of our families and to be there for my nephew Cody's baby blessing and the Annual Chapman Family Christmas Party. We had such a great time - I love my family, but I guess that goes without saying!

Me and my cousin/friend/college roommate Valerie chatting it up at the party

The cool table at the party! Left to right - My sister Stacie, her boyfriend Mitch, Kevin, Val, her husband Mike, my mom Jeanette, and my cousin's wife Milly

I had to get another picture with Val!

Me and my favorite nephew Cody :)

Four generations of Chapman men watching golf on Sunday afternoon