cinco.de.mayo.

we celebrated the fifth of may, with these babes. don't you wish you had a fiesta for cinco de mayo too? we ate our little hearts out and really heated up the festivities. cafe rio salads, nacho libre, uno, and required dress ups. i think jake was fearful that i would start wearing my costume on a daily basis. don't worry i will not, at least not now, you never know what i may do when i'm a looney madre. spanish because it is cinco de mayo. 

somehow glittery grey sweaters became "mexico" clothes to lucy and we may have pretended that hawaiian hats work too. it's an international festivity for all countries in our book. and somehow we went from two kids to about ten, but we felt pretty cool that everyone wanted to come to our party. husbands homemade churros were quite the hit, and i think i may have found a new guilty obsession: pina coladas. i mean i knew i loved them, but having them accessible at all times including late in the night (early in the a.m.) is maybe not best. but i won't decide that now. 

in photos

1. lipstick stain kisses on husbands chick 2. homemade love cards in honor of mlh for primary childrens 3. dippin dots from lady a, don't ask i never get them but i loved them 4. lady a ticket stub 5. love day outfit 6. sunday love dinner from amy 7. love day treats cinnamon hearts  8. homemade sugar cookies 9. red roses delivered 10. husbands flowers 11. lover photo 12. valentine banner 13. lady a concert 14. homemade strawberry jam 15. valentine from mom and dad 16. mlh  

how was your love day?

ours was simple but so very lovely. no reservations, no hints, just the the two of us celebrating the way we like. we made dinner together again, i love this tradition. remember when i cut my finger open here while in the act? yes that was an expensive love day. 

dinner was actually breakfast this year, made fancy schmancy thanks to me, husband made is famous pancakes, i delivered the heart shaped fruit and whipped cream, enjoyed my beautiful flowers from husband, i died when i saw them just like i told you i would, gave husband a surprise gift that he loved even though i promised i wouldn't buy anything, someone smeared whipped cream all over my face it was a good look, husband accidentally said happy birthday rather then happy valentines while being cute, i love when he gets flustered oh man i do, and enjoyed each others company before heading off to the lady a concert which was uhmaze. thanks husband a million and more for finally accepting and being my valentine. 

shadow or now shadow?

meet punxsutawney phil

do you know who he is?

he lives in gobblers knob, usa.

i've never been but from what i see they really love phil.

they also throw a big celebration for today.

which happens to be:

groundhog day.

according to folklore, if phil emerges from his lair to find his shadow then we are left with six more weeks of winter.

why don't you take a guess as to what he saw.

shadow or no shadow?

sadly for me that punxsutawney phil saw his little shadow.

oh dear six more weeks? i don't know if i can handle this dreary look much longer.

then again i may not be ready to stash away my coats, boots, scarves, and cozy sweaters. 

either way i'm celebrating this day for you little groundhog.  

goodbye 2011

there is something so exciting about a new year. maybe it's waiting for the clock to strike midnight. 

the anticipation of a new years kiss. setting new goals and a clean slate. i am a resolute. 

the hope that new things can happen and change. getting glamoured up to ring in the new year fresh. 

the parties and the people we will see. whatever it may be for you hope you have a happy new year!

2011

rang in the new year on the freedom of the seas cruise

i began final semester at the u of u. 21 credit hours. almost died of insanity

prssa director or chapter developments. new friends/fun events

cut finger open to the bone trying to make a special valentines day dinner for husband. $350 stitches

became doggie parents to lucy

puppy school with lucy. she graduated

hawaii with in laws. celebrated our one year engagement anniversary at kimo's

husband played spring football at the u. moved to safety position

painted the bathroom together

sold the audi

bought first car together. subaru, best decision.

drove a brand new car off the lot. checked off an item from my bucket list

made halloween costumes together. madd hatter and alice in wonderland

set goals for our life together

husband quit football in the spring to focus on school

lake powell a few times

laguna beach

two cousins married to join the club. along with lots of friends

graduated from the u of u bachelor in mass communication. strategic comm

deans list

sun valley

hiked in the beautiful utah mountains

quick trip to st. g for a football game

lots of football pick up games on saturdays

spent second christmas together

husband spoiled me the whole year long

new traditions started

celebrated our one year anniversary

created a "dreams" journal together

first real job at an advertising agency

husband began his dental pre-requisites 

he also played on three inter-mural football teams 

utah state fair year two 

husband takes me back to his mission to meet the people he loved and served for two years 

took me to palmyra 

i took husband to nyc for his first time. fun to see the shock on his face of the crazy place 

lots of flow rider  dates and family nights 

jake got his first gun 

sweet husband became a wonderful chef, maid, and laundromat 

we skied. and watched jake get lots of injuries

ate out and tried new restaurants

spent lots of days on the lake with friends

went camping together for the first time. we were pros

turned twenty two and twenty three 

i made lots of holiday crafts

many failed cooking experiments

some successful dinner attempts 

decorated our second christmas tree together 

bought a new camera 

found out we will be aunt brookie and uncle jake 

played at nickel mania. spent lots of silly money 

melted my hair 

made lots of late night treats together

took a class together during my last semester 

cut the apricot tree down in the backyard 

became primary teachers to three and four year olds 

went to wicked and jersey boys on broadway 

accidentally ordered $100 lobster on our anniversary. oops 

met oprah winfrey 

(summer recap here)

saw taylor swift in concert 

watched our brothers senior year football at ehs. region champs and state finals

golfed and swam at the cc in summertime 

got a mustang convertible. summer rides 

decided to be healthier eaters 

discovered our love for chipotle 

rediscovered our old love nielsens frozen custard 

played sorry!

took lucy to the dog wash and dog park lots

went to denver for a weekend 

rockin bear ranch in bear lake. jake decided he liked horses 

went to many utah games. go utes

park city date night escapes 

spent 48 hours without power

lucy turns one 

made lots of memories. 

learned lots of ourselves. 

loved each other through it all. 

hello 2012!

santa surprises and a new year

(temple square lights 2011) 

(christmas eve 2011)

did you all have yourself a merry little christmas?

santa spoiled us from head to toe.

we both will be burning some extra cals while playing with the kinect. 

husband will be looking handsome as ever in his ski gear and new clothes galore.

and i will be snapping photos left and right of him with our new camera.

can’t even tell you how thrilled we both are, it was a fun surprise for both of us. 

(anxious to learn how to use it, classes in the next few weeks)

anyways, blogging hiatus because of the holidays.

we are having too much fun with a break from both school and work.

much to catch up on from our christmas festivities. it was a busy one this year!

we will be venturing off to sun valley this weekend after ringing in the new year.

2012 can you believe it?

i've got a good feeling about this year. 

what are your new years resolutions?

i’ll share some of mine as well as another recap like last year when i get the time!

enjoy your last friday of 2011. 

be merry

this and that

ladies and gentlemen we've just about hit christmas chaos around our little home. 

our week will be filled with a little bit of this:

last minute christmas gifts to be purchased, wrapped, and placed under the tree.

round two of our little traditions we started last year. 

(our first christmas as mr. and mrs.) 

prepping for parties to be done.

friends around the country coming home for visits. 

family party here, family party there. 

(we really have the best families, they make the holidays all the merrier.)

christmas gift exchanges.

zoo lights. 

temple square lights.

gingerbread houses and the annual grinch viewing.

breakfast with grandy. 

 

when in reality should be doing a little bit of: 

cleaning and organizing my home. 

purchasing my final items for the mr. 

delivering our final christmas cards.

wrapping neighbor gifts. 

and fitting in a little work here and there. 

to better sum it up: that.

but it's the holidays and somehow extra time is found for that.   

oh and i have a little secret to share. 

shhh.

we went on a little visit to a favorite camera store of mine tonight. 

did a little hunting and found a winner. 

hopefully santa is reading this because i would be oh so happy to see that little something under the christmas tree. 

and just in case he's checkin it twice...

i've been awfully nice this year. 

with a wink and a smile. 

come stop by:

for the last several years of my life my mom and her friends have held their annual holiday boutique 

"the traveling trunk boutique"

why the traveling trunk you ask?

well because they find homes that are for sale and use them to host their boutiques. 

never having them at the same house twice and traveling around to a different cozy home each year.

(it really has been a brilliant idea, they've sold all the homes they've hosted the show at but one.)

this year's holiday traveling trunk is full of wonderful vendors.

25 plus. 

you can find a gift for everyone, even the men in your life. 

(and let's be honest they really are harder to buy for then they claim.)

so come on by and check it out.

it will not disappoint.

plus, you get to visit my darling mom and her friends who will definitely entertain you! 

i bet they would even give you a personal tour of the home and all the wonderful treasures.

it's a holiday lovers heaven.

some of my personal favorites:

sam's famous fudge

(it seriously is famous, he is known as the "fudge guy")

nettie's nomes

the polished silver

(uh-mazing and well priced, the best gift)

and....

a onsite estethician with incredible prices for waxing and tinting. 

Thurs. Dec 8 noon to 9pm

Friday, Dec 9th  9am to 6pm

Saturday, Dec 10th 9am to 6pm

 1704 E. Herbert Ave   

(1060 S)

hope to see you there! 

tis the season

once thanksgiving and jake's birthday pass, we officially begin holiday festivities. 

we had a lovely weekend. 

(more on that later)

i love the holidays. 

we've decked the halls here.

tree is up. 

garlands hung. 

crafts completed. 

glitter galore. 

candy jars filled. 

wreaths hung. 

santa's displayed. 

nutcrackers presented.

it's feeling so cozy. 

i don't know what we will ever do when we have to take them down. 

if you are still looking for ideas try:

these they turned out beautiful. these, so cost friendly. 

or this, still in the process. 

anxiously anticipating:

time with family and loved ones.

get togethers with friends.

advents. 

giving. 

spending time with husband, 

with no school. 

snow. 

skiing. 

sledding. 

the list is endless. 

traditions started from last year to continue: 

gingerbread decorating. 

first presidency devotional. 

(it was so wonderful, find here)

attending the nutcracker. 

a new nutcracker for our collection. 

christmas eve skiing. 

christmas street. 

temple square lights. 

and more to add! 

for last years holidays check out this, and this. 

what do you love?

what are you anxiously anticipating? 

and what traditions do you have? 

christmas tree: check

last night we ventured down the robinson's tree farm to get ourselves a christmas tree.

i have to say that it was much different then hunting for one in the mountains...

i wast feeling too hopeful until we came across the "fresh cut" trees not the farm trees. 

after some searching and discussing we found the perfect tree. 

i absolutely love it and it smells so stinkin good

who doesn't love the smells of christmas? 

we loaded the tree on the good ol' mustang.

(ok well we watched as they did the work for us)  

and after almost losing it on the way home, we got it up and it looks so wonderful.

(that's what happens when you tie a xmas tree to a convertible) 

we spent the rest of the night putting up some of our decorations but still have some work to go. 

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas in our home! 

 

today:

i am thankful. 

i love thanksgiving and being reminded of the many things we get to be thankful for. 

we truly are so blessed. 

there are always going to be wants, desires, and wishes in our lives but we are most blessed when we remember what we are already have.

there is always always always something to be thankful for. 

it's my goal to take time each day to remind myself how blessed and enriched my life is already.

i have a "grateful journal" and each page is numbered 1-10 to write at least 10 things i'm thankful for. 

you should make your own, it makes life sweeter when we give thanks. 

here are just a couple i wrote yesterday:

husband

employment

dreams

visits from friends far away

upcoming holidays to see family 

books

comfort i receive from believing this

dear: halloween 2011

thank you for being good to us. 

we had lots of fun planning our costumes, eating candy till we were sick, bobbing for apples, pinning the wart on the witch, seeing friends and family, and many more memories. 

here is this years festivities in pictures:

my husband is the best sport. 

but to be honest-he loved wearing his costume. promise. 

can't wait for halloween 2012. 

black.out

part of our halloween festivities included the utes blackout game. 

it was cold. 

so don't judge my "egg" head. 

the name husband coined for me.

i love him 

thank heavens we won. 

we love the utes always but were getting a little discouraged. 

so after all:

i took a little break from blogging. 

not because of dear little html but because we were too busy enjoying halloween festivities. 

i'm so excited to post pictures from our weekend.

this halloween had to have been one of the best we've had yet.

after many hours of making costumes, we turned out a success.

(i realized last night that i've completely created 5 of my costumes in the last 6 years. i'm proud)

we have wonderful family and friends and are really so lucky.

we are welcoming november with open arms.

the beginning of the holidays.
(and taking our last glances at the gorgeous fall leaves around here. it's about to get coldy!) 

loving november for some of these reasons:

colder weather

snow and skiing

continued pumpkin flavor enjoyment

family

turkey dinners

and continually being reminded of how blessed we are.

i will tell you...

that these are some of the things you will see in our house for

halloween...

(along with lots and lots of candy corns and pumpkins. i love the pumpkins most, what is your pick?)

f you can't tell i've been a little excited for this holiday. i love the decor almost as much as christmas. i even started making our decorations weeks ago and have asked jake more then once if it would be ok if i started to put them up.

he objected. but...only 8 more days!

i will also tell you that last night i saw my future flash before my eyes a little bit. we are nannying some more darling kiddos and this was what i saw: my cute husband studying (well trying to) so hard with two little ones just waiting for him to be done so he could play! i just have a feeling that in several years down the road this will be our future while jake is in dental school. i secretly loved it.

love day

valentines day this year was quite a hit. it left us with more surprises then we asked for but also so much love. we decided that lately we've been so busy that it would be nice to spend the night at home. so me, wanting to be the good wife i am, set off to the grocery store to begin my cooking early.

the menu: shrimp linguine, homemade cesaer salad, butter croissants, and chocolate molten cake.

delicious right?

so at 2:30 p.m. while cutting the lettuce with a very sharp knife...i did a little damage to my finger, and after a few hours at this hospital this was the outcome.

yes, i did nearly chop it off. yes, i could see my bone. yes, jake was at football and i was home

alone. and yes, it hurts so bad and was THE grossest thing i've encountered in a while. needless to say our dinner turned out to be a very time consuming and expensive one!

On a lighter note, my sweet husband brought home the most beautiful roses and we set the table nicely with flowers, candles, and of course chocolate covered strawberries. it was delicious.

thanks to my sweet mom who came and finished making the meal with me after the stitches.

Jake gave me the book "i love you because," it is darling and so sweet. if you haven't read it, you must.

needless to say our first valentines day together is one for the books. we loved our dinner, loved our small gifts, and of course loved the time we were able to spend together even with a very hurt finger.