It's almost a new season, which means lots of home cleaning, organization & a new opportunity to personally change things up a bit. The weather is starting to cool down a lot, which means lots of yard preparation (especially for a Utah winter), TV show seasons are all coming to an end (a great chance to abandon ship), & school has started for the little's which means new bedtime routines & homework schedules are put in place.
This is my 2nd week as a Mrs. which is also a great chance for me to make some changes. I fully plan on undergoing a SERIOUS home makeover. I've been exploring several interior decorating ideas & since I made all of the decorations & flower arrangements for my wedding, I've really taken an interest in crafting (Who knew?). Right now our house has a really cabin-esque, mountain home feel (which I don't love) & I'd really love to romanticize it over the fall & winter.
Needless to say, I'm making a list of goals, weekend projects, organization ideas & DIY plans to make things a lot more comfortable & homely.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Costa Rica, it is
After going through our long list of places we want to go for our honeymoon, we've finally decided on Costa Rica!
We are still working out all the little details, but I'm so happy we made the decision. Although neither of us have ever been there, TP has never been on a tropical vacation & really think he's going to love it. From what we've read about honeymooning in Costa Rica it's equal parts romantic, adventurous and relaxing. On to bikini shopping!!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A Day in the Life
Saturday was the Home Opener for Real Salt Lake. The new season has begun! This year, the group (Salt City United) has invested in a GoPro. Get ready for a lot more videos like this one:
Monday, March 10, 2014
Nerd Alert!
After waiting about as long as I could, I went in to get an eye exam. The results came in & it's worse than I thought it would be. Over the last 3 years, I've noticed my distance vision getting blurry. Not being able to see soccer matches or read distant traffic signs became worse & worse. At my vision test, I was told my eyesight is 20/50, which has eventually brought me to this:
So, I guess it's officially official.. I'm getting old.
So, I guess it's officially official.. I'm getting old.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
About My Wedding Dress
After getting engaged, naturally I went to Target and bought every wedding magazine on the shelf & made 2 appointments to try on wedding dresses. When my fiance finally got the time, he sat down with me & we went through all the dress pictures in each magazine so that we could get a good feel of what he likes & what I like before my appointments. Overall, it went pretty well. I found about a hundred things I liked & wanted in a dress & Trev found ONE. One dress that he put his little sticky note on that said "Trev".
As I get to my first appointment, (with 5 of my bridesmaids, my sister & my mother), I tried on just about every dress I liked, and every dress my mom/sister/bridal party liked - needless to say, it was so exciting & so much fun but I didn't end up with even an inclining of what to buy. We all went to lunch before my second appointment, which was at a fancy dress boutique that reminded me so much of the show Say Yes To The Dress. As we were choosing dresses to try on, I saw this absolutely gorgeous long dress that I really hoped was within my budget - of course, it wasn't. I brought it in the dressing room anyway & it was the last dress I tried on. Now, I've ALWAYS thought it was really cheesy when women say that the second they see themselves in the dress, they know it's THE ONE, & then they get all teary-eyed & so does everyone else & it's this big moment & blah blah blah. WELL - I see what they are talking about. I didn't get teary-eyed or start full on crying (although my mom did), but I did get goosebumps & butterflies thinking that this is definitely the dress I want to marry the love of my life in. So, I bought it.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the dress I got. It has every feature that I wanted & every piece of it looked GREAT on my body. But, after only going to 2 places, and buying the dress on the very first day of looking - I was starting to get that fright, that panic, that "omg why was I so impulsive, I had plenty of time to look" feeling. So my friend (& bridesmaid) came back to my house with me to help calm me down. When we got to my house & told Trev that I bought a dress he looked really surprised, which only added to the feelings I was having. But after telling him the feelings I was having about it, being the prince charming he is, comforted me by telling me "it's good that you got that out of the way! Now it's just one less thing to worry about". & he was right. Buying your wedding dress is a big decision, & I was happy to not have to decide on one when it came down to the wire.
To take my mind off the anxiety, my friend & I pulled out the wedding magazines to tackle our next planning task. As I was looking through the many magazines with the many sticky notes, there it was; right there in the magazine. The dress I had bought that day, with a little pink sticky note in sloppy handwriting that said "Trev". I had unknowingly bought the exact & only dress Trev had loved.
As I get to my first appointment, (with 5 of my bridesmaids, my sister & my mother), I tried on just about every dress I liked, and every dress my mom/sister/bridal party liked - needless to say, it was so exciting & so much fun but I didn't end up with even an inclining of what to buy. We all went to lunch before my second appointment, which was at a fancy dress boutique that reminded me so much of the show Say Yes To The Dress. As we were choosing dresses to try on, I saw this absolutely gorgeous long dress that I really hoped was within my budget - of course, it wasn't. I brought it in the dressing room anyway & it was the last dress I tried on. Now, I've ALWAYS thought it was really cheesy when women say that the second they see themselves in the dress, they know it's THE ONE, & then they get all teary-eyed & so does everyone else & it's this big moment & blah blah blah. WELL - I see what they are talking about. I didn't get teary-eyed or start full on crying (although my mom did), but I did get goosebumps & butterflies thinking that this is definitely the dress I want to marry the love of my life in. So, I bought it.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the dress I got. It has every feature that I wanted & every piece of it looked GREAT on my body. But, after only going to 2 places, and buying the dress on the very first day of looking - I was starting to get that fright, that panic, that "omg why was I so impulsive, I had plenty of time to look" feeling. So my friend (& bridesmaid) came back to my house with me to help calm me down. When we got to my house & told Trev that I bought a dress he looked really surprised, which only added to the feelings I was having. But after telling him the feelings I was having about it, being the prince charming he is, comforted me by telling me "it's good that you got that out of the way! Now it's just one less thing to worry about". & he was right. Buying your wedding dress is a big decision, & I was happy to not have to decide on one when it came down to the wire.
To take my mind off the anxiety, my friend & I pulled out the wedding magazines to tackle our next planning task. As I was looking through the many magazines with the many sticky notes, there it was; right there in the magazine. The dress I had bought that day, with a little pink sticky note in sloppy handwriting that said "Trev". I had unknowingly bought the exact & only dress Trev had loved.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Valentine
As much as I love love, you can imagine that Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I'll pretty much take any opportunity to be & feel romantic so I put together a little Valentine gift list with a few sweet & small gestures to 'treat yo self' to for the occasion.
1. Cat Rings
2. Roses Candle
3. Cristina Re Designer Tea Cups
4. Too Faced Makeup Brushes
5. Love Letter Necklace
6. Chanel Eau Tendre Perfume
7. Kate Spade New York Watch
Today I feel incredibly rewarded & so thankful that I have Trev as my partner. I am overwhelmed with the thought that I have someone to love each day, someone to laugh with, someone to cry with, someone who knows more about me than even I know sometimes & someone that I can rely on, be there for & learn more about every day for the rest of my life. I had never imagined my life being so fulfilling, so adventurous & so worthwhile as it has been since I've met & fell in love with him & I can't envision where I would be without him.
I love you, my Valentine.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Highlights of 2013
2013 was truly a year for the books! It was a tremendous year filled with lots of love, learning & happiness. Some of the highlights of 2013 for me were:
1. Buying a house. We were not looking for a house by any means. We were almost up on our lease at our apartment & when Realtor friend wanted to show us this house that just went on the market that he thought would be perfect for us - mainly because it's so environmentally safe & 50% off the grid. After looking at it one time, we knew that this is where we wanted to be permanently. The place we wanted to make our memories in & have forever.
2. Seeing Germany. Ever since I was in 5th grade I've had a weird obsession with Germany (I think it started because my then best friend Alex J's step-dad was incredibly German & I loved it when he would speak German to his parents). I would research things about WW2, medieval towns in Germany, The Berlin Wall, etc. & when I was in 7th grade, I started learning the language in school. So needless to say, most of my life I've wanted to go Germany & never did; until this year, & it just so happens that I was also proposed to there, in the courtyard of the Neuschwanstein Castle.
3. Getting engaged. This was something I've actually never thought would happen for me. Throughout my life I always wondered what it would be like to have someone love you so much that they ask you with all of their heart to spend your life with them. Which is part of the reason why Trev's proposal was such a surprise and such an incredible event that I will always hold dear.
4. Real Salt Lake made it to the MLS Cup! I know this may not be a big milestone for a lot of people reading this, but this season for RSL made me see them, & my friends in a different way. Our team worked so hard & it was such an amazing feeling to celebrate their success with them & with my friends. It's such a wonderful sight to see all everyone, including my darling fiance, faces light up with pride & hope. We didn't win the cup, but it was such a fun ride all the way to the end. I can't wait for another season & another year of celebrating their success & hard work.
5. Overcoming personal obstacles to become a better step-mother. This one is a hard one for me to explain. Going from being a 23 year old single gal doing as I please, to instantly becoming a parent was not easy to say in the least. The challenges I faced were some of the hardest things I've ever had to overcome. Now, I want to be clear that it was NEVER hard to be Aiden's friend. There hasn't been a moment in my role in his life that I've wished I wasn't in the situation I'm in. Aiden is an absolute miracle for me & I am so very thankful for every moment I get to spend with him. I'm mentioning this as one of my highlights for the year because I've worked REALLY hard to establish my place in Aiden's family & to be someone in his life that he can count on, can love, & to be someone who understands him & his many relatives (step families & otherwise). I am quite proud of myself for this because, sadly to say, this is one of the only times that I've ever had to set my feelings, my needs & myself aside to make someone else happy & unafraid. I still continue learning & establishing my role, & I'm sure that will never stop, but it has definitely become easier along the way.
All in all, I'm very happy with where my life is heading & with who I am becoming. I still have so much to look forward to & I'm trying my very best to recognize & appreciate every moment.
1. Buying a house. We were not looking for a house by any means. We were almost up on our lease at our apartment & when Realtor friend wanted to show us this house that just went on the market that he thought would be perfect for us - mainly because it's so environmentally safe & 50% off the grid. After looking at it one time, we knew that this is where we wanted to be permanently. The place we wanted to make our memories in & have forever.
2. Seeing Germany. Ever since I was in 5th grade I've had a weird obsession with Germany (I think it started because my then best friend Alex J's step-dad was incredibly German & I loved it when he would speak German to his parents). I would research things about WW2, medieval towns in Germany, The Berlin Wall, etc. & when I was in 7th grade, I started learning the language in school. So needless to say, most of my life I've wanted to go Germany & never did; until this year, & it just so happens that I was also proposed to there, in the courtyard of the Neuschwanstein Castle.
3. Getting engaged. This was something I've actually never thought would happen for me. Throughout my life I always wondered what it would be like to have someone love you so much that they ask you with all of their heart to spend your life with them. Which is part of the reason why Trev's proposal was such a surprise and such an incredible event that I will always hold dear.
4. Real Salt Lake made it to the MLS Cup! I know this may not be a big milestone for a lot of people reading this, but this season for RSL made me see them, & my friends in a different way. Our team worked so hard & it was such an amazing feeling to celebrate their success with them & with my friends. It's such a wonderful sight to see all everyone, including my darling fiance, faces light up with pride & hope. We didn't win the cup, but it was such a fun ride all the way to the end. I can't wait for another season & another year of celebrating their success & hard work.
5. Overcoming personal obstacles to become a better step-mother. This one is a hard one for me to explain. Going from being a 23 year old single gal doing as I please, to instantly becoming a parent was not easy to say in the least. The challenges I faced were some of the hardest things I've ever had to overcome. Now, I want to be clear that it was NEVER hard to be Aiden's friend. There hasn't been a moment in my role in his life that I've wished I wasn't in the situation I'm in. Aiden is an absolute miracle for me & I am so very thankful for every moment I get to spend with him. I'm mentioning this as one of my highlights for the year because I've worked REALLY hard to establish my place in Aiden's family & to be someone in his life that he can count on, can love, & to be someone who understands him & his many relatives (step families & otherwise). I am quite proud of myself for this because, sadly to say, this is one of the only times that I've ever had to set my feelings, my needs & myself aside to make someone else happy & unafraid. I still continue learning & establishing my role, & I'm sure that will never stop, but it has definitely become easier along the way.
All in all, I'm very happy with where my life is heading & with who I am becoming. I still have so much to look forward to & I'm trying my very best to recognize & appreciate every moment.
