Mark & Kirsten

Keal

2010-12-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

I know it's been forever since I updated this...but I just wanted everyone to know that my shop is now open!

www.kealclothing.com

a special thanks to my sister, Jessica, for modeling. isn't she beautiful!?

Totaled

2010-01-09T21:08:00.000-08:00

The Sentra is gone...

A crazy old lady hit me on December 18, 2009...

I was on my way home from running a few errands, getting ready to leave to go to Arizona for Christmas. I was driving down 19th Street towards our apartment, the light had turned green, I accelerated and the next thing I knew my car was spinning. I don't even know what I did, all I know is I was screaming...and crying. The crazy old lady had ran the red light and t-boned me. I am perfectly okay, my car however, is not...

LOVE it

2009-11-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to the New Moon 12:30 showing with some friends from school. We had all been at school all day in LA, drove back down to Irvine, ate, then stood in line for 3 1/2 hours. It was all so worth it because the movie was so amazing!! I loved Twilight but this movie...it was better. I laughed, I cried and it made me so HAPPY!! :)

Oh how I just love, love, love the story!!

I Love Lucy

2009-11-10T18:05:00.001-08:00

This year for Halloween, Mark and I were...

Ricky Ricardo and Lucille Ball

We aren't trying to brag, but our costumes were pretty rad.

Suns

2009-11-10T17:59:00.001-08:00

We went to the first Phoenix Suns game of the 2009-2010 season.

They played the LA clippers and won 109-107! Wahoo!

GO SUNS!

Hawaii

2009-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Over a month ago we went to Hawaii for our 1 year Anniversary. Melanie and Aaron joined in on all the fun. We spent a total of 12 days in Hawaii, the first 5 days on Oahu and the last 7 days on Maui. While in Oahu we stayed on the North Shore.
On the beautiful Hawaiian island, Oahu, we...

snorkeled at Sharks Cove

hiked to Waimea Falls

sunbathed at Waimea Bay

sadie was a little sand crab

visited BYU-Hawaii

isn't Tyus just the cutest?

visited Pearl Harbor-Arizona Memorial

went to the Swap Meet

went to the PCC

mark was quite the little volunteer there

hung out at Turtle Bay

and witnessed beautiful sunsets

Then we flew over to Maui and spent the rest of our trip there. We stayed in Kihei. While on the wonderful island of Oahu, we...

spent our anniversary on the beach and out to dinner

jet skied and surfed

played on the beaches

this beach was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen

shopped

and or course...

did the road to hana

while on the road to hana we...

hiked to water falls

saw the black sand beach

and the red sand beach

we went swimming in 7 sacred pools

i think this is marks 'i'm freezing' face

We had so much fun, and we were very sad to leave. I told Mark we need to make it our anniversary tradition. We'll see if the "tradition" sticks. :)

Summer is Over

2009-09-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

The summer is over and I am happy!

I cannot describe how great it feels to not be in Montgomery, Alabama. Hopefully we will never have to return. Although I did not like Montgomery, I will miss the history and the antiques that the south has to offer.

On our way back home we made plans to stop a couple places. We drove down to Florida to go to the beach. Then we drove through New Orleans and took a walk down Bourbon street, which was disgusting and smelled so fowl. We seriously walked like 10 steps and I couldn't take the smell, so we left. Then onto Austin, Texas where we spent a couple days.

On the beach in FL

At the Beach Boys Concert in Austin.

Random, but so Fun

We HAD to go to the Texas A&M football game.

The Beloved Kyle Field

The two BIGGEST Aggie Fans

After the football game, we left to head back to California. We drove 22 hours straight, something I will never do again. It was like a dream to be back in California again, we love it so much there! It was soo not fun to turn right back around and go to Arizona. Mark decided to do the summer sales extension, so I am now in Glendale and he is out selling in Birmingham, Alabama.

He will be home Sunday night and we will be leaving for Hawaii Monday morning. We are so anxious and excited. Mark hasn't had a break, he really needs this!!

Anxiously Awaiting

2009-07-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

We're going to Hawaii,

FOR REAL...We bought the tickets yesterday!!

We are so anxious, this is a much deserved trip for the both of us!

September, Please hurry.

Fitness

2009-07-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is what we have been doing every evening for a 8 days now. P90X- "The X stands for extreme." We had been hearing about it for months and finally decided to order it and try it out for ourselves. Mark is very dedicated and is even doing the diet with the exercising, however I am not as dedicated. I am only partially doing the diet, just eating the dinners. Already we have seen it working...Only 82 more days to go!

Current Obsession

2009-07-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have always had a connection and love for the 1920's, but lately I have become a little obsessed. Maybe I should have been born earlier. The hats, the shoes, the handbags, the jewelry, it is all so amazing. BUT...the drop waist dresses are my favorite. One of my favorite movies to watch is "A Little Princess", a movie that I came to love when I was a little girl. The dresses in this movie are so beautiful and so detailed.

Another movie that I love to watch because of the costumes and of course the story, is "The Great Gatsby". The clothes are beautiful, I can't get over them!! I love this style and I want to recreate it in my own clothing designs.

Bike

2009-07-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mark and I have been wanting bikes since we moved to California. I found these bikes as I was browsing and they are having a contest, so I thought I would try. They are adorable and I want one!! :) Click on the picture and check them out!

One Year to go...

2009-06-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I am now done with year one of two at FIDM. I cannot believe how fast it went by, and I cannot believe how much I have learned and improved. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have been given to be going to the EXACT school I have always wanted to go.

For me, after I graduated high school, it was extremely hard to adjust to the fact that I had to decide what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. I thought I wanted to go to nursing school, but once I was actually in college classes, I found myself unhappy and bored with school. I didn't know what to do because college was the next step and I felt like I just had to finish even if I didn't like it. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking about fashion design and FIDM. Mark and I were dating at this time, without my knowledge he went on their website and had someone call me. From there...I knew that this was what I wanted and needed to do. I worked many hours and very hard on my application. I was so nervous when I was done applying, I honestly had no idea what was going to happen. I had an over the phone interview (since I was in Arizona at this time). The phone interview lasted 30 minutes, the slowest and most nerve-racking 30 minutes of my life. At the end of the interview, he told me that I was excepted, I was so happy! And now I am done with one year...already!

I am thankful for the love and support of my parents throughout my application process and even now.

I am so thankful for Mark, he is the one that really pushed me to apply. He has done nothing but love and support me in going to FIDM and achieving my goals. He has put off his schooling for me because he wants me to finish school, so that I will have accomplished what I have always wanted to. I cannot thank him enough for all that he does for me, I am so lucky to have him as a husband.

Happy Birthday to Mark

2009-06-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today is Mark's Birthday! I am not able to be there with him this year because of school. It makes me sad that I won't be able to make him a cake, throw him a party or watch him open his presents! I remember last year I flew over to Alabama and surprised him!! I wish I could have done that this year!!

Happy Birthday Mark, I love you and hope that you have a wonderful day!!

I can't wait to see you in just 9 days!! :)

Together Again

2009-05-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Mark came back home to be with me for the weekend. We hadn't seen each other for a MONTH! He came Thursday night and stayed until Tuesday morning. It was so fun to have him here, him not being here is really hard.

Friday we went to Disneyland, it was really crowded so we didn't stay long. Then we went shopping and got frozen yogurt at my favorite place in Costa Mesa called Swirls.

Saturday we went to Sea World! I had never been, it was really cool to see the shows and all of the animals, especially the sharks.

Sunday we went to church and then I made Mark his favorite for dinner...Lasagna. He loves it, I think if I let him he would eat the whole thing.

Monday we went to Carlsbad and shopped at the outlets and then we picked fresh strawberries!! I made a dessert with the strawberries that night.

Tuesday morning he left and I was very sad about it and I still am.

I am almost done with school...less than 3 weeks! Mark is doing really well this summer with APX. They are currently in Albany, Georgia selling but are waiting on licensing in Alabama. They will hopefully be in Montgomery when I get there so I won't have to move back and forth. But if they're not, it's okay I think I'll just be happy to be with Mark.

Update...Finally

2009-05-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

These last 2 months have been a little crazy...time for an Update!

I went to Arizona right after I got out of school this last semester, I needed a break really bad. Mark wasn't able to come with me, so he stayed home. After spending a couple days in Arizona, my mom and I drove to Utah to see the new baby, Tyus. We spent a week in Utah, helping Melanie.

Bean Museum

I went back to California and it was time to start my third semester of school. Mark was leaving in a week and a half to go sell for them summer, we decided that I would stay here and finish another semester to finish my first year.

Melanie and Aaron came the weekend that Mark was leaving. They were able to keep me company. Melanie stayed here for a couple weeks, and we went to disneyland!!

Disneyland
Dumbo

My mom and my brother Jeff came to visit too. They all stayed a week and then I drove back to Arizona with them so that I wouldn't have to be alone. It was really fun to go to Arizona because the whole family was there (minus the husbands).

The whole family at dinner

I flew back and now I am alone. I have been alone for a week now, it's not fun and it's lonely. I have so much homework all the time, so school is really keeping me busy and making the time go by a little faster. My mom is going to try and come stay with me the end of May until I'm done with school...The last day of the semester is June 18th. I CANNOT wait to be done!! I will have a husband again! :)

Side Note...I finished our duvet cover and shams. Here is a picture:

Just 2 more days...

2009-03-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday I will be done with my second semester. This semester has been so crazy, I am very relieved that soon it will be over!

I am also planning on going to Arizona this weekend. I need a break!!

Birthday Weekend

2009-03-17T15:07:00.001-07:00

I'm a bit behind on the blog posts.

March 5th, we drove to Arizona where we attended a wedding, and of course visited my family. Melanie, Aaron and Sadie were also there, it was perfect timing. Two of my very good friends, Liz Francis and Daniel Dawson, got married on March 6th (AKA my birthday!). So we spent my birthday at a wedding. It was great though, I got to see all my old friends and spend the weekend with my family. Catherine and Brian even took us out to our favorite place to eat (Cafe Rumba) for lunch inbetween the wedding and the reception. Thanks guys!!

While we were in Arizona, I chopped and dyed my hair. So now, it is SHORT and BROWN! It is a huge change and I am still getting used to it.

My computer's memory is FULL to the max, so it won't allow me to upload any pictures.

Jessica's Visit-FIDM Debut and Disneyland

2009-03-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jessica came for a visit. We went to my school's Debut Runway Show and of course, Disneyland. I was extremely impressed with the fashion show, the clothes were amazing. They showed Leanne Marshall's (the winner of Project Runway) line, clothing that was designed by 11 of the 3rd year students, costumes, and clothes for Barbie! It was such a fun fashion show. We all had a really great time. The clothes were incredible. They also announced that Project Runway will be filmed at the LA FIDM campus, which I will be going to after this next semester. Project Runway is my favorite show and it is my dream to be on it one day, so it was really exciting to hear that! After going to this fashion show, I know that I am really going to school for something that I really, absolutely LOVE!

We also went to Disneyland. We spent the whole day there, it was a little crowded, but VERY magical.

Jessica got sick late friday. Saturday she woke up feeling awful. So we just kind of hung out, went to the mall and had a little BBQ. By the end of Saturday, she was REALLY sick. I felt so sorry for her because I knew all she wanted was to be in her own bed with Mom and Dad taking care of her. I tried my best to be the doctor/parent and take care of her. She went home Sunday afternoon. I had so much fun with her and wish that she could have stayed longer!!

FIDM Debut Fashion Show 2009

On the pink carpet

Before the show started

One of Leanne Marshall's creations

FIDM Student's Design

FIDM Student's Design. I love this dress!

FIDM Student's Designs

FIDM Student's Barbie Design

DISNEYLAND

Sister's at Disneyland

In line for Splash Mountain

A favorite ride

Weekend Visitors and Valentine's

2009-02-19T19:24:00.000-08:00

This last weekend, we had visitors...again. My mom says "Everyone's your friend when you live in California." Mark's best friend and his girlfriend came to visit us for a couple days. We had a lot of fun with them. We took them to our favorite restaurant in Newport, The Crab Cooker (they have the best clam chowder), we also went to LA. On Valentine's Day we went to Knott's Berry Farm (but nothing can beat Disneyland) and then to a BBQ restaurant called Lucilles which was very good. The whole day was very fun and we are happy that we were able to spend time with friends. Here are some pictures of us at Knott's.

At Knott's

I did NOT want to go on this rollarcoaster, or any for that matter.

Mark said my family wouldn't believe I went on this, so he had to get a picture of it.

(P.S. I hated it)

David and Brittney

He's excited

Ants

2009-02-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Irvine is just one huge ant hill. This was our third time that we have had ants, it's not fun. We even live on the top floor of our apartment complex, but somehow they manage to get into our apartment and come out of the strangest places. Thank goodness they are gone, and hopefully they will not come back!

Surfin' USA...

2009-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

...Well not quite, but Mark has been surfing Southern California. Mark has gone out surfing a couple times since we moved here, but on Saturday he finally caught his first wave!! He was so excited about it and wanted me to see how he's improved, so on Monday we went to Huntington Beach and Mark went out while I watched and took pictures. I was impressed with how he did.

Sewing Party

2009-01-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went over to the Hamiltons home and Belize and I sewed!!! I was there from 10 am to 8 pm. I am currently working on a duvet cover for our bed. It is a HUGE project!! So far I have cut all the pieces and sewed a little portion. Anjanette came over and joined us for our second project of the day...felt flowers to wear in your hair, or wherever. It is a Belize creation, and she invited us to join in the fun. We had a great time making everything!
Thanks Belize for letting me use your sewing machine and your house!

The little portion I have done of the duvet

Our creations

Tag...

2009-01-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Great 8 Tag
8 THINGS ABOUT ME

Here are the rules:
1)POST RULES ON YOUR BLOG
2)ANSWER THE SIX "8" ITEMS
(They're not in any particular order)
3)LET EACH PERSON KNOW BY LEAVING THEM A COMMENT

8 FAVORITE TV SHOWS -
1. The Biggest Loser
2. 90210
3. Brothers and Sisters
4. Private Practice
5. The Hills
6. ESPN
7. The News- Car Chases
8. CSI

THINGS I DID YESTERDAY
1. Went to School
2. Sketched Fashion Figures
3. Draped a Dress form
4. Learned about Textiles
5. Ate a Grilled Cheese Sandwich
6. Watched the Biggest Loser
7. Started making my Duvet Cover
8. Went to bed

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
1. What we will do this summer.
2. Finishing my Duvet Cover
3. My Brother's Wedding
4. Having a new Nephew
5. Liz and Daniel's Wedding
6. My Birthday
7. The Superbowl- Go Cardinals!!
8. Graduating from FIDM and Starting Work

FAVORITE RESTURANTS
1. The Crab Cooker
2. Go Roma
3. Anthony's
4. Boudin
5. In and Out
6. Wahoo's
7. Cafe Rumba
8. Paradise Bakery

THINGS ON MY WISH LIST
1. My own Clothing Line, Well-known and sold in major stores.
2. My own Children
3. Expert at Sewing, Sketching, Designing
4. Our own House
5. Be Debt Free!!
6. Graduating with Honors
7. Have my Duvet Cover Done
8. A Design Studio in my Home (when we get a Home)

8 PEOPLE I TAG
1. Catherine La Rosa
2. Belize Hamilton
3. Kristen Warwick
4. Kelsey Elwood
5. Jesse Clingo
6. Angie Thomas
7. Lara Hall
8. Anjanette Paul

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Viva Mexico

2009-01-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

I am a slacker, I haven't been keeping up with our blog. So I will finally update, from Christmas to recent.

This year, we spent Christmas with Mark's family. It was my first time away from my family on Christmas and it was really hard for me. The time spent there consisted of: going to bed way too late, getting woken up way too early, and eating good food with good company. Overall we had a good Christmas.

Mark on Christmas morning

Mark was very understanding with me and agreed to go to Arizona the day after Christmas. So we left in the morning, the weather was horrible in Utah, so it took us a long time to drive to Arizona. That night my parents made a huge, yummy, much appreciated dinner for the whole family! It was so fun to be with the family, Sadie was very entertaining.

Jeff left the night we got there to go to California, he stayed here at our apartment. We didn't get to stay long, because we had to rush back to Irvine to get my passport for our Cancun trip. We drove back on New Years Eve, we spent that night with Jeff and his girlfriend.

New Year's on Balboa Pier

Jessica came back with us too, it was so fun to have her here. We went to Hollywood for a day and Disneyland for a couple days and we also watched The OC all weekend.

Disneyland with Jessica

I started school, my second semester! I am amazed that I am already on my second semester only 4 more after this.

The day after I started school, Mark and I woke up before the sun, and drove to the LA airport to fly to Cancun, Mexico! We were extremely tired the whole flight, Mark slept the whole time. We spent about 4 days in Cancun. We had a lot of fun in Cancun with everyone. I was really happy to be able to spend some time with my sister, Melanie. We all spent most of the time at the beach.

The Allen's, Us and The Gordon's

Aaron, Mark and Bullock-Riding the Bull at Senor Frogs

Mark and I at our Hotel

Aaron and Mark

The name says it all

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Arizona with my family. For the Thanksgiving meal, it was my parents, Nonny and Poppy, Jeff, Jessica and Mark and I. Melanie, Aaron and Sadie weren't there, and we really missed them. It was a small gathering but it was still great! Afterwards, we all went to the dollar movie theatre and saw The Dark Knight. It was so fun to all go see a movie together, I don't even remember the last time we did that. Jessica and I went shopping on black friday, now I know why they call it that. That night we made smores around the firepit in the back yard. The rest of the weekend we hung out and relaxed. I was able to see my good friend Shay who I haven't seen in a very long time because she lives in Boston now. Mark was able to go to a Suns game with Jeff. We had a great time with family. We are so grateful that we were able to spend that weekend with them.

Jeff told us to do this and we listened

Family

Jeff loves his sisters

With Nonny and Poppy

SMORES

My Best Friends Wedding

2008-11-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

Mark and I headed down to Arizona on Thursday night after class for one of my best friends wedding. We didn't get into Glendale until 1:00 am, boy were we tired! I had a hair appointment Friday morning and ran some errands with Mark and my sister Jessica. That night we went to the reception of Brandon Dawson and Alyssa Coniam. It was great to see them, and of course Liz and Daniel. After we left the reception, we ran over to a dinner in honor of Catherine and Brian! It was at Buca di Beppo, the dinner was great. Saturday was the BIG day, Mark and I were able to be in the ceremony with them, which was so neat for me! That night was the reception, we went over early to take pictures. It was at the Renaissance Hotel in Glendale, by the Cardinals Stadium. The NY Giants were in town and staying there, Mark got to meet some of the players. The reception was a dinner and dancing, it was really fun. Vanessa and Lisa were in town for the occasion, it was great to see them because it had been so long. We had a really fun time in Arizona with friends and family. We really miss having friends and family around. I was sad to leave Arizona, but we are heading back tomorrow for Thanksgiving!

The Married Couple

With the Bride

Friends

We "decorated" their room

Mark and some Football Player

Reception Dinner

Frustrating Fun

2008-11-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

For one of my school projects, I had to go to a museum and write a report about it. So I called the Getty Villa Museum to make sure that they were open on the day I wanted to go. On Wednesday, we drove all the way from Irvine to Malibu, a good 45 minutes. When we got there, they said it was not open to the public, but we could go to the Getty Center which was another 20 minutes away. I was really upset because I had been told that they were open and it was perfectly fine for us to go. So for those of you who know Mark, he tried to sell them on letting us go in anyway. They weren't budging, so we called and complained and ended up having to go to the Getty Center, but we got free parking. It was a hassle getting there but once we got there we had a good time. They museum is on a hill in Los Angeles, so you park at the bottom of the hill and a tram takes you up to the museum, which I found really interesting. The museum was really pretty, it overlooked all of LA. It was huge, I was surprised at how big it was. There was so much great art there, it is really cool to see stuff that is so old and so different. Honestly, I really wasn't looking forward to going, and even though it was frustrating getting there, we really enjoyed it.

I think this bed is pretty amazing

This is my favorite, the little boy is adorable

California Fires

2008-11-16T23:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now, you all have heard about the fires going on here in California. I know that it is not the first time they have had huge fires here, but I have never been here to experience it. With all of what is going on with Prop 8, I can't help but wonder if our Heavenly Father is trying to send a message. I know that might sound funny, but I really do think that is part of it. I am sad for all the people who have lost their homes and may continue to lose their homes (right now I think the fires have destroyed 1,000 homes). Being from Arizona, I have never really experienced or been around something so devastating. It is just crazy and really sad, I hope and pray that they will get these fires under control and put out.

I went to grocery shop yesterday afternoon and by the time I got out the smoke was over where I was. I took some pictures that I will share.
On a lighter note...Mark and I are still enjoying Disneyland and California Adventure.

A Flat Tire couldn't keep us from Disneyland

2008-11-06T23:40:00.001-08:00

The other night we went to get annual passes for Disneyland. While on our way, we got a flat tire. That delayed us 30 minutes. Luckily we live in California and they have highway patrol that helps with these kinds of things. About 10 minutes after pulling to the side of the highway, they pulled up behind us and changed the tire. We had no idea that they even had a highway patrol that did that. A nail had gone through and put a tiny little hole in the tire, it was so small that we didn't even have to buy a brand new tire. Mark took it to a shop and they patched it up and put it back on. We feel very grateful for that.

We were still able to get our Disneyland passes and go on a few rides before it closed. It was Mark's first time at Disneyland! So he finally got to see what he had been missing out on.

Mark's first time at Disneyland

We went back to the next day and spent 8 hours at Disneyland and California Adventure.

We love going to Disneyland, it is such a fun way to spend our extra time. It really is the Happiest Place on Earth!

The picture on Tower of Terror

A Baptism

2008-11-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to visit Mark's cousin Jenny down in Encinitas. Her daughter, Jessica, was baptized. After the baptism we had dinner at their home, with family and some of their friends. It was a fun and special day. We enjoyed getting to hangout with Charlie. He is so funny and cute.

Charlie "pounding it" with Mark

Charlie and I

A Fun Weekend

2008-10-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

Mark and I have been so busy since the day we got back from the honeymoon, but these last couple weeks have been especially busy. We moved into our apartment, I started school, we are both looking for jobs, Mark is working on school applications, and we are working on becoming residents of California. It has just been crazy busy.

But we got a break from all the craziness. This past weekend my older brother, Jeff, came for a visit to surf for his birthday! He stayed with us in our little apartment. We had fun while he was here. We had a weekend of relaxing, we went to the beach, Mark had his first surfing lesson, we went shopping and we made tinfoil dinners with a bonfire at the beach. Mark and I enjoyed having him here with us, and we hope that he had a fun birthday weekend! My camera died the one day I brought it to the beach and so I only got some pictures of our bonfire.

First Blog

2008-10-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

So we've decided to get a blog. Since we are going to be living away from family and friends, we figure this is a good way to stay in touch and let people know what we are up to.

We just got home from the honeymoon and have been busy looking for places to live in Irvine, California. We finally found a place and will be moving in tomorrow. We will be happy to finally get settled into a place.