Virginia is for Lovers

June 25 2009
Meet Virginia boy.
(not interested)

August 1 2009
First real date with Virginia boy

October 1 2009
Kiss Virginia boy

November 2009
Virginia boy invites me to be the first girl he takes home to Virginia

December 29 2010
Go to Virginia to meet the family
January 1 2010
Oakton Virginia
Virginia boy tells me he loves me
I say it back

June 18 2010
 Washington D.C.
Virginia boy purposes
October 23 2010

Virginia Open House

 

 Thanks to my stunning twin-in-law we have a few snapshots of our wonderful day.

Last Friday Lizzie, James, and I flew out to VA for the big event.

I loved being picked up from the airport by my other two sister-in-laws Allison and Katie.

As soon as we arrived I knew it was going to be a gorgeous visit.

Washington D.C. in the fall is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

We stopped at Allison's new apartment.

Umm... ADORABLE.

Can I move in right now?

My parents met us and we all headed to dinner at Clydes.

Of course.

Barker family fav.

And now the Staples are totally convinced too.

Good chats and delicious food made for a perfect night.

The next morning James and I were extremely lazy and slept in.

Then I was off to Leslie's house to get my hair done.

Leslie is Ann Barkers hairstylist.

And - of course - for the rest of the stylin' VA crew.

I ADORE Ann's friends.

You would too.

They are all funky, fun, witty, blingin', and Mormon.

Who would have thought?

Leslie's daughter Jessica did my hair - and then gave it to me as a wedding present.

Such sweet hearts.

I want them to be my best friends.

You can check out Jessica's website here.

She did a fabulous job.

Then it was off to the country club where our Open House was held.

Of course the Inouays, Johnsons, and Signore's were all there to help.

My Mom pointed out that you can tell you've married into a good family when they have incredible friends.

And that they do.

Originally when we talked about having an Open House it was just going to be at the Barker home.

Well let me tell you,

Ann and Jim went all out!

Ann is an incredible decorator.

She and the girls whipped a Pottery Barn masterpiece right up.

 

I wish we had more photos but we were all so busy loving being together we forgot to snap some.

All of the tables were covered in burlap with white cloths and fall decor.

It was perfect!

After our stop at to see how things were shaping up at the club house 

James took my parents on a little tour of his life.

My favorite thing about VA is that James grew up just 15 minutes outside of the city

But his town is so small and adorable.

He grew up in both Vienna and Oakton.

Downtown Vienna -

Church Street to be exact -

is one of my favorite places in the world.

Simple.

Brick lined roads.

Perfect.

It was really fun for my parents to see where James grew up.

Then, we headed back to get the ol' dress on and get ready for the show.

We were all ready to go.

Hopped in the car with Jim.

And hit the road.

If you know VA streets you know they are windy and hilly.

As we were rounding a corner we saw a truck begin to fishtail and within seconds hit a small car dead on.

We saw the whole thing.

Sitting in my wedding dress - 

my hand covering my mouth -

I watched as my husband ran down the street in his suit to help everyone involved.

I watched as he directed people to call 911.

And then I lost site of him as he entered the accident area.

I sat near to tears wondering if the people involved were even alive.

It was one of those moments where you realize this fancy dress and fancy parties really aren't what is important.

It was one of those moments where I fell in love with my husband all over again.

This is one of the reason's I married that boy.

He reminds me so much of my Dad in situations like that.

Our open house was starting in just 10 minutes and James knew it.

According to James moments after he arrived a nurse came onto the scene 

with gloves and the whole bit.

Luckily.

Most everyone was ok.

James' called one passengers wife.

But the driver of the car was seriously injured.

And we are still praying he lived through the horrifying accident.

I won't go into details.

But it was extremely upsetting.

Especially for James.

Somehow we still managed to make it to our Open House...

compose ourselves...

and most importantly have a good time.

 

We hardly had any time to snap some photos but I am SO glad we got some.

Thanks Allison for being our photographer.

 

For me, one of the highlights of the reception was seeing two of my friends who came to the Open House.

I call them "my" friends - but I am kind of robbing my sisters.

Jill (above)

is really my sister Sharisa's best friend.

She is one of my idols.

You may remember her from my incredible CNN tour!

She is the booking producer for Wolf Blitzer.

And of course he adores her every move.

Because who doens't?!?

She's taught me a lot about this crazy TV business and showed me there are a lot more positions out there than any of us realize.

She is the cutest thing ever.

Thanks for making my day and coming Jill!

Katie's best friend Hil -

oh how we love her.

Katie and Hil were so hysterical in college.

They fixed air conditioning systems in the dorms for a living.

But really it was just to wear the dickies coverall's.

They had NO idea what they were doing.

You may remember Hil from my study abroad in London.

She was living there getting her masters.

We have a funny way of following each other.

Now she is going to Georgetown to get a PH D.

She is kind of a big deal.

Hil thanks SO much for coming.

Wouldn't be the same without you.

I love these pictures.

There is nothing like Virginia colors.

American flag.

And red brick.

Oh how I love James' home town.

 I kinda adore him...

can you tell?

 And now... for the biggest thank you ever!

The Barker clan.

Let me tell you about these sisters.

We were made for each other.

Pretty sure of it.

The best part is they are all so different.

They are each their own individual.

Which is perfect because I get to be me!

No trying to fit in.

They all worked their little tushies off for this open house.

They made me feel like a complete princess - and James a prince!

They made it so special for us.

They are all just like their Mom -

giving and loving.

 The Barker girls!

Nice closed eyes in this pic!

Aren't they just the cutest?

 These 3 men are 3 of James' best friends from high school.

I FINALLY got to meet them.

And what a blast they were.

This was perhaps the best part of the party -

getting to meet all the people James grew up with.

His family has such wonderful friends.

These 4 chatted football for probably an hour.

Just like the good ol' days.

So fun to meet you!

Stuart's Mom... Sister Parkinson was so sweet to make hundreds of chocolate strawberries for the event.

They were delicious.

And I ate a million.

Thank you!!

 This post cannot end without a tribute to our accordion player.

You heard me.

Accordion.

Since Jim is an expert accordion player he thought it would be fun to hire one for the party.

It was a blast!

He was so talented and made the party a success.

Thanks for bringing him in Jim.

We loved it.

 

 

 

After the party and clean up were over...

we all went back to the Barkers to open some gifts...

pig out on the yummy food 

(the food from our open house was INCREDIBLE)

and lounge around.

I loved having both sets of parents together again.

I am certain if they were in the same town they would be best friends.

They get along so well.

It felt like one big family this weekend.

Sunday was even better.

I have never felt so at home and at peace.

After church we lounged around in our PJ's and just chatted about the holidays and our aspirations.

I am so happy to be a part of the Barker family.

I couldn't have asked for better in-laws.

Thanks for one of the best weekend of my life Jim and Ann!

We love you!

My first love...

 After my parents had Derek -

my Dad had his boy -

And things seemed to be all ok in the Staples home.

But my Mom wanted another baby.

Derek was my Dad's #6.

And his boy.

But because my Dad loved my Mom so much he said they could have one more.

And then there was me.

I am 5 years younger than Derek.

So, at the age of 14 I was the only one in the house.

My parents and I became extremely close.

Especially me and my Daddy.

There is just something about my Dad.

He is the most forgiving, kind hearted, patient man in the world

I know its formed over time

I think its year after year filled with daughters causing him worry, laughter, and heartache.

But all of this -

all of the parenting and paying and worrying -

has made him extremely wise.

Today it's his birthday.

And as I write this I lay in bed in tears.

Maybe its the wedding let down or something...

I feel like I talk about it so much - 

but last December really really impacted my life forever.

I did not think my Dad was going to make it to his 66th birthday.

And I truly thought that I would be the only Staples girl who never got a Daddy daughter dance.

When James rushed to my side at the hospital it was the first moment he knew he loved me.

And I think that moment brought us all so much closer together.

It took Larry some serious time to warm up to James.

Seriously.

But the night before my wedding James shared a story he rarely shares.

It was about the night we met.

He knew that night that I was the type of person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

That night I think it finally hit my Dad -

James fell in love with me for the same reasons my Dad fell in love with my Mom.

When my Dad said that and we later talked about it...

I realized that my two worlds were colliding.

And it was perfection.

This is a moment I will always hold close to my heart.

And this picture couldn't have captured the moment more perfectly.

One of my favorite things about the picture is my Dad's wedding ring.

I could talk for hours about this little gold band.

As a young girl I saw my Dad's dedication to my Mom through that ring.

He NEVER took it off.

In fact, his finger began to take shape around the ring.

I'd often play with it as I looked at his strong manly hands in church.

I always talked about his ring and how much I loved that he never took it off.

But the most unforgettable moment about this ring was when he went into surgery.

I remember that morning when I got to the hospital seeing it hanging from my Mom's long gold chain.

It was awful.

I hated it.

It was the first time I had EVER seen it off my Dad's hand.

And I didn't want it around my Mom's neck.

But after much fasting and prayer

and a month in the hospital 

that ring was returned to my Dad's hand - 

where it really belongs.

Months later that moment would bring me and a boy together.

That boy has taken me into his arms and now has his very own gold ring.

As my Dad and I danced that night -

and I held his ring bearing hand 

I watched my Mom look at us - 

tears in her eyes -

and I knew exactly

what she was thinking.

We are so blessed to have him with us.

Happy Birthday Daddy.

Keep that heart a pumpin'

PS - that joke about you just stayin alive tell I got married - 

not funny.

We fully expect you to stay this young until our last child graduates.

And since we are planning on having 17 children -

you've got A LONG life ahead of ya.

Wednesday Wisdom

You all know how much I adore my grandmother.

I say it almost every week.

I think of her daily and her loving example.

I need to be better at calling,

listening,

and visiting.

There have been MANY times in my life that I have been prompted to help my Grandma prepare a record for my children...

Who I hope and pray can one day learn of her grace.

Each time I have sought to document her life -

I have failed.

At one point I scanned hundreds of pictures

Only to have my hard drive crash.

So, this is my final attempt.

And I will succeed.

Each week I am forcing my Grandma to write me an email with a story or thought about her life.

I will call them Wednesday Wisdom.

I think by blogging it I will be accountable.

And I expect all of you to keep me going.

I also think my aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings etc. etc.

can gather her wisdom and box it up for themselves.

But most importantly I hope to share just a part of my wonderful wise Grandmother with the entire world.

In my opinion -

EVERYONE needs an Ora in their life.

Take it away Grandma...

(P.S. Next Tuesday - you have a deadline - don't forget - Love you!)

There is an old saying that I like a lot. 

 “If you don’t make waves, you are not under way.”  

So here goes.

This is going to be a small overview of some of my life until I am more organized in my thoughts.

I was born and raised in Washington, Utah and married my sweetheart  

Earl R. Milne June 12, in the St. George, Utah Temple.  

We had four children-

Sheron, Richard Earl, Mark Joseph, and Ann Catherine.

You might call us gypsies for we lived in so many places.  

Salt Lake City, Utah, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Chicago, 

, Philadelphia,Penn., Detroit, Michigan, Miami, Florida,

 Camarillo, California, Las Vegas, Nevada,  Salt Lake City again, 

and St. George, Utah--the final resting place!

Michigan means more to me than any other place for we were inactive in the LDS church.  

Thank goodness for the understanding and patience of Bishop Ralph Johnson of the Pontiac  Branch, 

who possibly saw a future Bishop in my husband and helped us take hold and develop a testimony.

I had been secretary to Marba Snow, 

so Bishop Ed Jones must have felt anyone working with fabulous Marba could follow in her foot steps.  

But that was impossible for I was a real greenie.  

I did  a lot of growing and learning the hard way,

 and hopefully later on I made up for past mistakes and inabilities

From Michigan we moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 

and it was there that I could put into practice what I had learned in Pontiac Branch, 

for I was sustained as Relief Society President in the Ft. Lauderdale Branch.  

Since then I have served in two different Presidencies 

as first councilor and in different teaching positions.

I send my love to all my family, with a testimony of the truthfulness of  The Gospel of Jesus Christ, 

especially with gratefulness on the emphasis of making a strong family who loves our Lord, 

and finds joy in doing so.

Love to you  all from Mom, Grandma, Grandma Great.

Boo!

Picked up my husband from school today looking awfully witchified.

I am pretty sure he was horrified.

Nautical Sneak Peek...

Coming soon...

The best day of my life.

Once I go through hundreds -

thousand...

of pictures to pick my favorites.

Dear Katie and Allison...

 a. I am OBSESSED with that big leaf

 

 b. I am royally angry we didn't take pictures this weekend by the moments.

 

c. this is your back yard

d. this is mine

Somehow Utah missed the fall memo.

I was truly ready to embrace snow this year.

Really.

Since we are planning on moving to the OC in July 

I have been enjoying all of the fall colors.

I LOVE FALL.

I have also been prepping to love every second of the snow...

AFTER Thanksgiving.

e. I am so glad I have sister-in-laws who can appreciate the little things in life...

like a HUGE leaf.

Love you both.

Very Belated Birthday

My mother-in-laws birthday was the week we got back from our honeymoon.

I must confess...

I still haven't mailed her present...

and I am making a blog post a month late.

Nonetheless, I have to honor this wonderful woman!

She turned 25.

But I have decided to tell you 50 things about one of my favorite people in the world.

50. She was born in Colorado

49. Her father was in the air force so they moved a lot

48. She has 5 siblings

47. She loves them all

46. She walked to school uphill both ways in the snow

45. She played basketball and tennis

44. She went to the University of Utah

43. And was a Sorority Girl

42. She was a dental hygienist

41. She taught dental hygiene at Weber State

40. She met a handsome politician at her brothers ward party

39. She was 29 when she got married in the Salt Lake temple

38. He was 32

39. They quickly moved to California then D.C. for law school

37. She had Katie there first year of marriage.

36. She had 4 kids in 5 years

35. Two were twins

34. This makes her a saint

33. Her house is ALWAYS spik and span

32. And PERFECTLY decorated

31. She believes dishes can be done on a commercial break - she is speedy

30. She is a night owl

29. If her kids stayed home from school sick they had to read - no TV

28. Her kids were rarely sick.

27. She has wonderful girl friends

26. They just returned home for a girls trip to the beach

25. They are always crafting, quilting, decorating etc.

24. She is more dedicated to her ward than anyone I know

23. EVERYONE in that ward adores her 

22. No. But seriously. 

21. She rarely talks about herself

20. She is extremely giving

19. She is a wonderful cook

18. She once got a job at Anthropology for a few weeks - just for the discount

17. She loves Tory Burch flats

16. She is always perfectly put together

15. She kayaks down the Potomac on a regular basis

14. She just got an iPad for her birthday and loves it

13. She is an extraordinary quilter

12. She loves Paris

11. She loves Diet Coke out of a bottle 

10. She gives gives gives - and never takes

9. James says she gives the best back tickles

8. And her house always smells good

7. I have a lot to live up to.

6. She and her friends get their haircut by the same lady - who is just as adorable as they are

5. Her husband says she makes him look good. I think its so cute

4. Her son adores her.

3. And so do her daughters

2. And so does her husband

1. And so does her one and only daughter-in-law!  

I have a lot to live up to with this woman.

When I was first dating James -

Emily Adams happened to be back in Virginia visiting her aunt.

She "happened" to meet Ann.

(Pretty sure she was scoping out the fam for me)

She called in to report.

She said something to the effect of,

"Karly, she is ADORABLE. She was so sweet. Everyone in the ward loves her. She had fun funky tights on. And the cutest Tory Burch flats."

Emily said it was a mother-in-law perfect match!

And it was!

Thanks so much for being a wonderful Mother-in-law.

You have done SO much for us over the past few months.

We love and adore you

Happy VERY belated Birthday!

Love,

The Barkers

My name is James Barker

And I am a Scentsy-aholic.

Please, someone tell me this is normal.

Anyone, anyone?

The hUnAymooners...

 Welcome to the greatest week of my life.

One week of pure bliss with my best friend.

Our first night was spent just up the street from our reception at the Green Valley Spa.

We were able to sleep in all morning - 

eat our food from our reception thanks to Robyn and Laura.

We picked up Cafe Rio on our way out of town around 3 in the afternoon -

Drove a fancy car.

And enjoyed every second being mushy and lovey.

And recapping how much we LOVED our wedding day.

 Our first stop

One of our favorite restaurants.

Mon Ami Gabi

Its a french steak house.

And they have one right on the strip.

Of course James wiggled us into an amazing seat overlooking the Bellagio fountains.

He's a sweeper I tell ya.

We enjoyed delicious steak and french onion soup that was to die for.

We then went to Town Center 

where we got frozen yogurt

sat on the grass

watched kidlets run around 

and talked about our new family.

We took the red eye to Texas.

We weren't really thinking when we made our flights -

we had a 5 hour layover in the middle of the night.

We spent our second night of marriage on a cot at D36.

It wasn't funny at the time.

We were pretty miserable trying to snuggle on that blasted cot. 

But looking back - I wouldn't trade it for the world.

It was hilarious.

 On the flight to Puerto Vallarta James sat behind me with another honeymooning couple.

And I sat next to an old couple who was going there for a "love trip."

It was perfection.

James and I have already decided that once a year we will take one of those.

My parents did it...

and I am pretty sure that is why they are still 100% still in love.

 

When we walked into our hotel we couldn't believe our eyes.

It was the most incredible place I've ever seen.

We were greeted with fresh juice as we checked in.

We were then taken to our suite.

 

This was the view from our room.

Serious.

We had a kitchen. 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

We were living like Kings.

 The first day we were there I told James all I wanted for the whole trip was a massage on the beach.

I've always dreamed of doing it with my husband.

So of course - that was first on the list.

We walked into this..

 

I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

No joke.

The entire time I kept thinking James better be loving this.

He'd never had a massage before and I had to beg him to do this "girly" task.

At the end he looked at me and was like that was the greatest thing ever.

Before the trip was over we had done this 3 times.

Ha.

We were a bit ridiculous. 

We know!

But they were SO cheap.

They were 30 American dollars.

How can you pass that up?

 That night we ate at the restaurant on the beach

(which we pretty much stuck to the entire time)

and walked up and down the beach.

It was one of those nights I will never forget with James.

We kept wondering how life could get any better than this...

but it has.

I tried to soak up every moment.

I think I was afraid that this whole marriage thing was just a dream.

 The next day we enjoyed the pool.

Excuse me.

The 3 pools.

Our pool had a swim up bar.

Which we took full advantage of.

I am pretty sure I ate more calories than I had in months -

on the first day of our honeymoon -

just in pina coladas and margaritas.

They couldn't get over the fact that we wanted them on the rocks.

They kept saying,

"Oh don't worry be happy."

or

"Just a little?"

We thought it was so funny!

 That night we ventured into town - down by the marina.

We were lured in by just about everyone

Until we found a place would give us free guacamole - rather than alcohol.

We were in.

Made fresh at our table.

Nothing but avocado and salsa.

It was INCREDIBLE!

 

Could this view be any better.

James.

Marina.

Strawberry Daiquiri.

Ha

Love it!

 The next day we went on our first adventure.

We decided to go to what they call "the island" 

for a little horseback riding and snorkeling.

It was a super cheap trip and we were really excited about it.

 We headed out early in the morning and loaded onto a little boat.

I was really excited for the day ahead of me.

At this point my camera was completely dead so we were using my phone to take all of our photos.

I even got James to make a little movie.

Oh silly boy.

Moments after filming this video I became extremely sea sick.

I have never been sea sick before.

In fact, I was even mockingly asking James

"You aren't going to be a baby and get sea sick are you?"

But BC does a number on me and makes me a bit qweezy.

I looked at James and asked,

"What do I do if I have to throw up?"

He continued tickling my back and said,

"You won't throw up."

Before I could even say another word I turned to the side of the boat

nailed my teeth on the railing 

and started throwing up.

Multiple times.

All over myself.

Yes it happened.

And my poor husband had to clean it and me all up.

And even more embarrassing was the crew workers that had to mop the floor as everyone watched.

For sure the most humiliating moment of my life.

BUT

moments later I felt like a million bucks.

 Put on my snorkel.

And off we went.

 After the snorkel we were taken to the real island part.

This is where our horseback riding adventure began.

You may recall that I used to be a cowgirl.

Seriously.

A real dignified cowgirl.

Hat, wranglers, boots, spurs, the whole bit.

So I was super excited for this.

And surprisingly my city boy was even more excited.

The little mexican village we were taken to was the most poor thing I have ever seen.

Teeny Tiny - with no roads - and only shacks for houses.

3 year olds were riding around on horses.

These people thrived off the tourists coming in to ride horses.

They were so kind.

I wanted to snap some pictures but I thought it was inconsiderate.

 Meet Macho.

Our horseback riding extraordinare

Yes his name is Macho

And yes he did not wear shoes while walking up the path with the horses

kicking horses in the but

etc. etc.

Most importantly he chose me and another young girl to ride the two horses that he had to walk by.

Macho sang to us the entire way.

He didn't speak much language.

But I did learn that he was a ladies man and had 8 children.

At one point he asked me to stay with him and not go with James.

He was a ball of laughs.

Along the way we met this couple.

They are from France Belgium and so James got to speak French with them.

I love when he does that.

But mostly I loved how after so many years these two people genuinely adored each other.

Honestly.

James and I have a strict rule.

We are to NEVER fall out of love with each other.

So far so good.

We've watched so many couples just fade into parallel lives.

And we refuse.

At least that is what I remind James when he is too rough and tumble to snuggle.

Ha.

 These were our ponies.

Excuse me.

Horses.

They were SO short.

I couldn't get over it.

And they moved .2 miles an hour.

But I was fine with it.

I was enjoying being serenaded by Macho.

Who was kicking James' horse in the butt.

When we reached the top we crossed this large river.

 

And then reached this INCREDIBLE water fall.

Loved everything about it.

 There was a small restaurant at the top.

I was still nervous about eating.

Although our tour guide said - oh this will fix all your worries.

But James dug right in.

We are pretty sure this is the meal that came to haunt him the next day.

 All in all it was a fabulous day.

A little throw up.

A little bit of a cheap trip

But it was a blast nonetheless.

The day trip was centered around free alcohol which made it a bit rough for those of us non drinkers.

We sat next to this couple on the trip home.

We noticed they weren't completely hammered.

Sure enough.

Mormons.

From Salt Lake.

The 4 Mormons sat together and had a good time laughing at people drinking beer off each other.

I am pretty sure the 4 of us had more fun then the rest of them.

 That night we topped it off dinner at our favorite restaurant at the resort-

right on the water.

With our favorite band playing us music.

We were regulars.

And we loved it.

 The next few days were a bit of a blur

We spent most of them laying by the pool at the hotel

getting massages

ordering room service

etc.

Mostly because my husband got sick.

You know - the Mexico sickness.

 But we still had a blast.

 

We even endured our first Mexican rain storm.

I was certain it was a hurricane.

It came up on us as we were having a massage.

It was hilarious.

This is what James looked like after running to our room.

I had to hurry and snap a photo.

5 seconds later that flat hair -

was straight back up in the air.

It's a rare occasion to get that hair down like that.

You should feel privileged you get to see such a thing

 

But after the storm cleared - it was a beautiful night!

James played in a ping pong tournament one of the days.

He loves this photo

He always says,

"look at that form!"

Of course he won.

And the guy in charge wanted to play him the whole week we were there.

 

They made James do a victory dance for "5 seconds"

He felt SO awkward!

He did a little jig and then stopped.

They said no no "5 MEXICAN seconds"

So of course he tried to pull me into dance.

I refused.

He had to do a little dance all on his own.

It was classic.

This was our friend Fred.

At the resort that had tons of peacocks and HUGE 

(as in 3 feet long)

iguanas.

One day I noticed Fred stuck inside the hotel

James went to help Fred.
When he whistled and slapped his leg Fred would follow.

As soon as Fred was home free he trotted behind us - 

following us for the rest of the night.

Fred loved James.

I am pretty sure it was mutual.

 

This was hands down the best vaca of my life.

Sorry Mom and Dad.

But it was.

My sister Natalie was nice enough to let us buy the time share week from her.

And Jim and Ann were nice enough to give us this whole vaca for our wedding gift.

We were just going to do something real small for our honeymoon.

But Jim called James up...

said a honeymoon is really important...

And that he wanted us to live like Kings for a week so we could come home and live like paupers.

We certainly lived like Kings.

Thank you a million times over to Jim and Ann for this INCREDIBLE trip.

It was something we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

And we couldn't have asked for a better way to start off our marriage.

As they always said to us,

"Don't worry - be happy!"