the busy

finished

2012-02-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally finished the rest of our projects. While walking through OUR FAVORITE STORE IN THE WHOLE WORLD, we saw a piece of art that we both immediately coveted for our bedroom. If you haven't been able to tell, the Mr. and I are both really into decor/art, and we are constantly looking for ways to update and improve our home. As a little lady who has repeatedly dipped herself in the design world, I absolutely love it because the Mr. actually has incredible taste, so we have fun and get some crazy results when our two creative little minds start working together.

ANYWAY, the art was, ummm, expensive. Like, really expensive. However, after looking it over and wishing so badly we were stupid enough to blow that kind of cash, we decided we could easily make one. Enter hobby lobby coupons and a trip to walmart, and voila! We LOVE it. I also love my worked-over tree from Tai Pan, and was so happy that they had something I could work with as my base. The tree at Z was awesome, but again, really expensive. Also, I think mine turned out better!

Hope you enjoy these bad boys. We have already been commissioned to make another canvas, so we may just become granola artists and spend all our time in a studio flinging paint and enjoying life.

just a few updates...

2012-02-13T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things/projects that we have been up to lately.... and we have more to come, so stay posted. Sorry for those who don't care, but I promised the fam some pics....

miss this

2012-02-06T09:53:00.003-08:00

i was organizing pictures on the computer this morning and kept going back to look at this one. not sure why, but i love it.
i love everything about this one.
happy monday.

Exposure for Cache Valley for Hope

2012-02-03T10:35:00.001-08:00

For the last little while I have been writing/trying to generate awareness for the Cache Valley for Hope Cancer Foundation. While I was randomly "dying" at home a couple weeks ago, I was watching abc4 News and really enjoyed their little Good Things Utah/Do The Right Thing segment.

So what did I do?
I jumped on my little laptop and decided to give it a try. Roger Welsh, the founder of Cache Valley for Hope, has been a great friend to my dad for many years, and has become one of my very good friends. If anyone deserved credit for their incredible and selfless work for a community, it was him.

I can't even describe how utterly surprised I was when I walked into his office last week and learned that he had actually been chosen to receive the recognition and was going to Salt Lake for the recording.

I know that we have all been touched by cancer. Mac's maternal grandmother, Margo recently battled cancer, (visit her site HERE) and my dear cousin Holly and her family have been going through nightmare after nightmare with her husband's (Trent) battle for the last couple years. Link to their page HERE.

So, with the ability to help, why sit around and do nothing? If we have the time, energy and means to make a difference in the lives of others, we would not be living up to promises if we don't.

abc4 obviously has some issues with their video link because the code to embed the video is broken, so you can link to it HERE

To donate to the foundation, or to refer a neighbor or loved one who is battling cancer to receive assistance from Cache Valley for Hope, visit their site HERE

When Angels Cross Your Path.

2012-01-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

As I am sure you are aware, I had been sick in bed for the last week. Well, this morning I woke up around 2:30 and it was all downhill from there. I have been feeling so miserable and just on the verge of crying at every possible thought (I mean really, I was just starting to feel better from a bed-ridden week all of last week... and it is starting again!)

Then, I received a VERY unexpected call. If you recall my posts during mother's day, you will remember THIS lovely lady. Well, she and her wonderful daughter (her secretary) showed up in my bedroom with cookies and a most delicious apple treat. They read my blog and noticed that I had been feeling 'under the weather,' so they made a little trip. The visit and the treats were only part of the surprise. Grandma Edwards had saved the little valentine's cards that we made when were were living down the street. I would imagine that I was no older than four or five, because my card consisted of some unrecognizable text and a flashy display of my capabilities with the beginning five letters of the alphabet (I know, impressive huh.)

These two are angels and I wish that Mac had been home to take a picture of us together. Yes, that is how special of a moment it was... I know that I look like death, but that just simply didn't matter.

They are angels, and I want to thank them for their thoughtless love and sweet visit. The reasons I had for wanting to cry now are simply because I feel so happy and so loved by such sweet women.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Sorry they are so dark... I couldn't muster the ganas to go get a real camera.

it's just not fun.

2012-01-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

I really don't like being sick.
Please make this flu go away.
And please, somebody, think of something for me to do, because I am going crazy.

pase adelante 2012

2012-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

if this is the trend.... welcome, welcome 2012!

out of boredom

2012-01-02T11:20:00.000-08:00

jobless. still.
pathetic.

the above are a few things I have been up to.
yay.

sometimes, I feel sorry for myself

2011-12-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

....and then I receive a slap in the face after reading something like this.

please pray for my cousin and her beautiful family.

http://lookingupandkneelingdown.blogspot.com/

have a wonderful day, and may the good Lord bless you.

a bit of catch-up... estilo mexicano

2011-12-28T09:30:00.001-08:00

We kept clean and attended the 'family appropriate' comedian.

He was pretty good, but we've all had better.

Mac and Teej sported 'Peens' (Philippino) shirts for the first formal night.

This was after our brunch and ping-pong tournament on the Santa Maria or whatever the ship/hotel was called. I think it is the Queen Mary?

this is what our breakfast table usually looked like.

This is Mac looking for marine life after TJ and I told him we had seen dolphins while he was gone re-loading his plate.
He was so mad he missed it, so we had to confess that it had only been a lonely little seal, which was probably snatched up by a great white just after we passed it.

Brittany and I both commented how grateful we were that each other had come. Our idea of fun was laying/napping/reading, while Mac and TJ preferred getting killed by waves, playing basketball/football/whatever. It was so nice that Mac and TJ had each other so that Britt and I could truly enjoy ourselves.
This is a pic of the boys playing their usual football game in Vallarta.

Britt and Teej relaxing in Vallarta.

Relaxing as the only sober guests on the ship.

Mac was thrilled. Obviously.

Leaving the condos in Vallarta. We were in a hurry to find a bathroom, so we didn't get many.

Cruising up to Cabo.

Mac- just before he initiated an emergency shut-down of the ship doors. We have never run faster than we all did that night. I peed my pants a little.

Enjoying dinner at the Black Pearl.

You can tell that this was our first tender, because we actually kept track of our numbered stickers.
Losers.

Hope you have enjoyed the pics.

big 25

2011-12-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

this young 'hot thang' is going to have a birthday tomorrow.
since he has to work all day, i decided we would try to celebrate last saturday.
you will all agree that i am not huge on wildlife, but i thought that mac would enjoy a little trip to the hardware ranch.
so, after a quick stop for hot cocoa and some donuts, we were off through what i call the
blackfork river canyon smith. i can never remember the correct order of that name.

enjoy the pics

birthday boy

'hello smelliot'
watch open season if you don't get this

this was our guide. when we asked his name he responded "cheeseburger."
we just looked at each other with raised eyebrows

i thought the bathroom sign was a big offensive.
if you can't see it says COWS
really?
really?

the happy couple.

not sure why i look so huge.
sorry about that.

after our hardware ranch extravaganza, we headed to KNEADERS for a most delicious lunch.
after stuffing ourselves more than full (maybe that's why i look huge?) we went for facials.
mac was hilarious.
i can't believe we have been together for so long without mac having a facial!
crazy.
mac fell asleep during his facial and jumped so badly when they placed a warm towel on his face.
ha.
funny.

life of a graduate.

2011-12-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

As you know, Logan isn't the best spot for getting a job, but I am well on my way.
I have been feeling like a loser.
I graduated this week, and I don't have a job.
Hmmm.
So, to make myself feel better, I have been doing some emotional baking.
I haven't quite ventured into the emotional eating category.

Here are a few samples of what I have been up to.

BBQ Chicken Pizza. Quick-rise dough. It was deliciously healthy.
That's what Mac said when I asked if he liked it.
"It tastes super healthy."
It was great.

I cooked down the halloween pumpkins, so we have been pumpkin-happy people.
This is the Pumpkin Cheesecake.
It looks like heaven.
I am waiting for Mac to come home to try it.

And here is the homemade (from scratch!) pumpkin pie,
along with the pumpkin chocolate chip bread.
You will notice that the chocolate chips are on top of the bread.
I have recently lost my brain.
It looked so beautiful cooking in the oven, and it wasn't until I had taken
them out that I smacked myself on the forehead and said,
"OH! The dang chocolate chips."
Nothing that a little cream cheese frosting can't fix.
These both taste more than amazing!

Enjoy, because we sure have been.

prints available

2011-12-13T10:05:00.001-08:00

I have a really great friend, Alan Ixchajchal, who's a photographer in Guatemala. He covered the temple dedication, but has some more really cool work. Check out some of his pics on facebook here.

because sometimes, I just feel like 'pooh'

2011-12-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

Looking in the mirror this morning was rough.

for britt.

2011-11-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

she really wanted this video.
we decided to help ourselves to the marimba and drums.... it was just fabuloso.
the only 'downer' is that our camera card ran out before britt's drum solo.

andale andale {mami eeeah, eeeah oh ohhhhh}

cruise info

2011-11-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

for a {better} peek at our vacay, visit britt's blog here

beginning november... sneak peek.

2011-11-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

How do you start out your month of thanks?

Here is a little look into how we began ours.

More to come after finals.
Sorry.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-30T16:11:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE this kind of stuff.
Simply Genius.

Finally

2011-09-10T07:30:00.001-07:00

I would never really consider myself a 'picky' person. However, I will admit that I always set my expectations high {the reason Mac is the only person I ever could have married}
For years I have been scoping out bedroom furniture, and this is one area in which I would not settle for less.

These were the requirements:
White/Cream in color
Unique
Classy with a dash of contemporary
Awesome
No more than $2500

I have now learned my lesson- never give up and lower my standards- because I WILL always find exactly what I want.

I love it.

However- I have an itsy-bitsy issue. I am not in love with my decorative pillows on the bed, so do you like the plain and simple look as shown in the first two photos, or the bit more 'crowded' look as in the next two?

I LOVE how I have no need for a bed skirt {i hate bed skirts}
Also, isn't it amazingly clean and simple with the bedding comfortably tucked this way.
Sigh.

These are the chairs I just re-made. I don't love them, so they will be moved to the nursery to make room for an ottoman {storage} at the foot of the bed.

See all these pillows? With my art above, I can't say that they really visually do anything for me in this setting.
Now let's be honest with ourselves folks. Truth be told, I will probably just go and make all new pillows that fit the bill- so don't hesitate to give me your honest opinion that neither option looks too peachy.

This mirror is another new addition.
The only downside is that Mac and I had
to suck on the dashboard the entire drive
from SLC to fit it in the Sonata.

"Don't see me suckin' on the dashboard do you. I'm not getting his germs."

Oh my, I almost forget the best part. We are actually getting another useful piece of furniture next week. This beauty of a bedroom set comes with the most 'pilas' dresser I have seen in a while. But, since the warehouse is somewhat of a loser, it doesn't come until next week.
blah.

Now for the important stuff.

For sale:
Queen sized mattress and box spring
Wall-mounted, foam-tufted headboard (made out of a chenille and twill blend, so it will last forever)
Queen memory foam mattress topper.

Let me know if you, your brother, your mom, your aunt's hair dresser's step-daughter's niece, or anybody else is interested.

I would keep it all for the betterment of our future generation, but without adequate space for storage, I just don't have the patience nor the nerves to do so.

Bye bye, now.

No comment.

2011-09-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hence the reason my hair will ALWAYS remain dark.

Sorry Rach... any chance you had at being taken seriously as a blonde was just completely destroyed by South Carolina.

This made my day.

sometimes

2011-09-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

sometimes:
i wish i could sing

sometimes:
i wish i could play the guitar

sometimes:
i wish i had a super cute brother my age, who enjoyed making awesome music with me.

love

2011-09-05T08:52:00.001-07:00

i have officially listened to this song 13 times this morning.

i think i really like it.

and, the thing is, they sound just a great live...
glad usu decided to be cool for a minute and invited them to perform.
awesome.

spontaneity.

2011-08-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

This last Wednesday night, just as Mac was returning from work, something sparked inside of me.

Was it when I looked up into those piercing blue eyes, or glanced that beautifully-chiseled body of his?

No.

It was when I thought of how I am getting old.
Seriously.
I know I am.
And with that age, I fear I have become a bit, well, dull.

We had plans to visit Bear Lake for our last little 'hoorah' before the new semester began, but we were not going to leave until the next morning.

This is where that spark came into play.

Our conversation went as follows:
me- "babe, why don't we drive over tonight and camp on the lake?"
mac- "do you really want to?"
me- "well, I don't know, but I just want to feel cool and spontaneous."
mac- "ok."
me- "fine. I can tell you don't want to. we will just go in the morning."
mac- "no, I really do want to, but do you really want to camp out?"
me- "yeah. it will be fun. besides, it is probably best described as {double-c}."
mac- "what is that?"
me- "comfy camping. and I am fine with comfy camping. it's just the hardcore stuff I don't like."

So, without further to do, we (by we I mean Mac, by himself, of course) packed up all the camping gear and were on our way.

We pulled into Rendezvous Beach about 9:40 p.m., picked a spot about 50-ft from the water, and set up our tent with the help of our headlights. (and yes, Rachel, I did help set up the tent.)

It was a beautiful night, and we enjoyed it as we cuddled on the shore and talked while watching the bazillion stars on display in the sky.

It was perfect.
And then the storm hit.

I'm not scared of thunder, and lightning has always amazed me, until I did the majority of Mac's Natural Disasters reading last semester, and now lightning scares the bejesus out of me.

Around 3 or 4 in the morning, it started raining. Totally cool.
We bought a pretty legit tent, so no big deal.
But, then the lightning and thundering began.
I have NEVER, in my life, heard thunder that loud.
It hurt my ears. Like really hurt.
I even jumped in the sleeping bag a couple times.

Then, about 6 a.m., Mac made the mistake of opening the little window and letting me look out on the lake.
Big bolt of lightning shoots straight down into the water.

Yup... I was done.
So after whining enough to convince Mac I was not going to sleep, which meant there was no way he was going to either, we ran for the car (rubber tires=safe or safer than our tent between the trees).
Yes, I did.
I did make my husband wake up and 6:45 a.m. and drive around the other side of the lake, away from the storm.
He wasn't necessarily grumpy, just tired.
We turned up a drive and parked where we had a beautiful view of the lake.
At that moment the clouds broke on the east horizon, the rising sun peeked over the mountains, and we saw some of the prettiest skies we have ever seen.

The brightest orange is actually the rain

Our adventure did not end with me chickening out.
We went back to the tent and slept for a few hours once the storm passed.
Just before 10, we headed for town to get some breakfast.
All I ever want is a nice little patio on which to enjoy breakfast while I look out on the lake.
It doesn't happen in Bear Lake.
By the time a handful of different townies gave us incorrect information, the only place that did serve breakfast, was no longer serving it, since it was already 11 when we finally found the place.

Pathetic.

And I was very upset- to say the least.
So, like the true champs that we are, we splurged on some killer microwaved-breakfast burritos from the Texaco.
Nice.

We headed back to Rendezvous and decided that while we were in the 'splurging' mood, we might as well rent a Sea-Doo for a while and really knock ourselves out.
Boy did we.
(Big thanks to Staisha {Colie and Colter's BFF} for the awesome discount on the rental!)

It was super fun, and I am bummed that we waited so long to do it.
Now summer is over, and we have to act responsible.
Hopefully we can make it back out there before it gets too cold.

This was the first time either of us had been on a Sea-Doo in years, and while driving I was probably more hesitant than a three-year-old.
Whatever.
I am still spontaneous.

up and coming

2011-08-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

we had an adventure...
I have yet to upload the photos, so you must be patient.
it is one to be remembered- I can promise you that.

Happy Birthday T.

2011-08-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

I am guilty.
I forgot to call him for his birthday.
Seriously, once a year and I can't keep it in my head long enough to get it done.
I had been thinking of it all week and then bawamm... I missed it and remembered two days late when I wrote the date.

Thomas James.
How do you describe Teej?
He is the best brother-in-law we could ever ask for, and the best husband for Brittany.

We love you Peej!

I couldn't resist on this one. It is class T.J.