Summer time

This has been such a fun summer!  I can't believe it is already September and that the leaves are turning orange.  

I didn't think I would be doing anything else this summer after Hawaii, but I have been able to go on two fun camping trips.  

The first one was just Nate, Ryan , Mowgli and I going up to Cascade Springs in Pleasant Grove Canyon.  We left Friday after work, made tin foil dinners, roasted mallows, hung out by the fire, and then called it a night.  Saturday morning we got up, went on a walk around Cascade Springs, and then came home.

This past weekend my family went to Flaming Gorge for Labor Day.  Although the weather was a little cooler than we would have loved, it was fun to get away and enjoy each other's company.  Nate and Ryan were great sports in chillin with my family and little Mowgli proved to be a great little camping buddy.

In July we even squeezed in an afternoon of kayaking down the Provo river.  Ryan reminds us every day that he wants to do this for his birthday next July.  

We can't wait for many more adventures to come!

Pick of the Litter

This post goes back to the 9th grade.  When we all had to find someone to job shadow for the day.  Knowing I would grow up to be a veterinarian, I arranged to spend the day at Dr. White's office in Farmington.

The first patient of the morning was a somewhat nasty little furry friend who had all sorts of warts that needed to be removed.  I started to doubt the wisdom of this job shadow.  But then Dr. White and I headed into exam room 1, where the most unique and impressive canine I've ever seen was waiting for shots and a check-up.  That is when I discovered the Chinese Shar Pei, and it may have been the first time I fell in love.  

Fast forward fourteenish years.  Years spent reading Shar Pei books, dog training books, visiting litters, and dreaming.  I knew there were steps that would need to be taken before this dream came true, especially the big one of getting a permanent house with a yard.  

And now, the day has arrived.  Well, almost.  On Saturday, my mom, Elise and I went to a home in Ogden where Bruno and Dessa had just had a litter of 6.  Born on June 8, these little critters were absolutely adorable.  Angie, Adriana, and Cortez were the sweetest people who absolutely love their 4 legged friends and I'm so happy to be adopting a little guy who comes from such a great home.  After an hour of playing, I chose the little red fawn boy, who hopefully will grow up to look just as regal and handsome as his pappa with the sweet, friendly personality of his mamma.  He will be ready to come home the first week of August and I can hardly wait!

Some fun things:
*** At 4 weeks, he weighs in at 4 pounds.  The runt is 2 pounds and the 2 big cream babies are 6 pounds.
*** He has the longest hair of the litter, making him softer than his siblings
*** Adriana and Cortez have dubbed him Baby Boom.
*** His little tongue is pitch black.
*** When I rolled him onto his back with his legs in the air, he wiggled for a minute and then lay there content as could be to have his tummy scratched
*** At the end of our fun filled hour, I set him down to watch him walk around.  He immediately plopped down on his haunches, bowed his head, and fell asleep!!!  I've never seen a dog fall asleep still sitting up and it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen.  After a second his little feet curled up off the ground and he just rolled into a ball, and the next thing we knew he was snoring.
*** Name frontrunners are Mowgli, Riggins, and Bones.
*** I love him so much and can't wait for him to be my new roommate!

Happy is...

 I have had SO many FUN things going on lately!  I have totally neglected my blog but have been thinking about the great things going on in my life and figured I better document a few of them.
** I am totally shameless and ripped several of these right off my sister's blogs.  Thank you sisters.


1. Girls Weekend
What was originally intended to be a Girls Weekend in St. George turned into a weekend spent at my parents.  But that did not stop us from doing one planned craft, one impromtu craft, tons of shopping, pedicures, good food, exploring City Creek, losing and finding Lo's purse, taking over stores with our craziness, and just overall having a great time.  It is always fun to have the whole clan together but it was a great chance to have just the girls.  Thanks to dad and the brother-in-laws for letting us have a weekend off.

2.  Asher Man

This little bug is getting SO BIG!!!  He is such a bundle of joy and makes everyone so happy.  I can't believe it is almost his birthday--I can't imagine life before him!  He is such a good baby and is so adored by everyone around him.

3.  Cousins
These 5 are so much fun.  It is fun seeing Katie as an aunt and Chelsea as a mom and these kiddos spoil Asher.  They were so fun and so well behaved on Easter Sunday in their fancy new digs.

 4.  Cinco de Mayo
Thank you Nate for adding some colour to our family!  Katie is never one to back down from a party but she really outdid herself on this Fiesta.  The whole family turned into a bunch of clowns with fake moustaches, sombreros, fruity beverages, 7 layer bean dip, fajitas, and of course a pinata.  So happy I could participate this year!
                                  

5. Best friends

The Woodrose girls got together for some food and shopping at City Creek--how has it been so many years since our college days?  We could sit for hours laughing and talking and of course eating.  Congrats to Jenn and Melani on their exciting news--its so fun to watch these girls start their own families.

6. Burundi

Elise got me hooked on plants and especially on naming them.  I got this little beauty last year when I had an empty pot and she is THRIVING!!!  I'm not gonna lie, I don't have the best luck with plants, but I am sure in love with this little thing.

 7. Playoffs Baby!
When the Jazz made it to the playoffs I figured my best date option was Jackson.  This boy knows his basketball.  We drove down from Logan, at sour watermelons on the way down, stopped at every party store along the way for margarita glasses (this boy learned how to quest for something from his mamma), ate ice cream for dinner, and enjoyed Game 3 of the series.  

Unfortunately the Jazz didn't pull of the win (Massive Matt Bonner ended the first half with a crazy 3 point shot and it was downhill from there) but we had a great night!  A sleepover at Granny and Grandpa's and then back up to Logan completed the weekend. 

This week I got this fantastic thank you card in the mail--props to a good mom raising grateful kids but little does she know the pleasure was mine.  

8. Construction

 Amidst all this fun stuff I have managed to spend plenty of time at the construction site watching my home be built.  In 62 days we have gone from stakes in the ground to having it completely framed.  I love it so much and can't wait for it to be done.  It makes me so happy to just be there--several times I have sat on the porch at night just enjoying the beautiful weather and soaking in being there.  Last week I went to a neighborhood girls night and met some of my soon-to-be neighbors and I'm so excited to have such a great neighborhood.

 9. Hawaii!!
In 2 days the whole clan takes off for 2 weeks in Paradise!  This trip has been in the making a long time and thanks to my very generous parents is going to be so much fun!  It could be interesting having the babes on the plane but I'm not one bit concerned--they will do great!  I've never been to Hawaii and can't wait for some fun in the sun.

As Glinda says, "Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true."  

I'm a lucky lucky girl and would say all my dreams are coming true.  I'm so incredibly blessed and wonder what I've done to deserve all this and more.  

Perspective

This morning I woke up feeling a little sorry for myself because I get sooooo tired of packing this bag.

And then I saw this on Amie's instagram. Thanks for the perspective girl.

A little DIY...

How, you may ask, do you turn boring DI furniture into bright pink and yellow furniture? Simple: just follow the steps!
First, make sure you have all the necessities (sand paper, glaze, diet coke. And who can go to Dick's Ace for the first 2 items without grabbing some penny tootsies?)
Then comes the prep, which is never fun, but worthwhile. Sand, sand, sand.
Next you gotta be sure you buy plenty of spray paint. This will save you repeat trips for more.
And, like a true princess, you should probably rope your dad into doing a good portion of it for you.
Let it dry: definitely the slooooooowest portion of the project
Then grab a rag and glaze! Turns out it is so fun and you cannot mess this up!
VOILA!!!
Colored furniture!

Zion

Last weekend I went down to Zion National Park with my friends Sameer and Tamara. We headed out of town Thursday after work, stayed at a great place right by the park, and came home Saturday night. We spent all day Friday exploring the beautiful park--each hike was so different with different views. There was the weeping rock with water falling from it which made so many beautiful plants grow. There was the river walk along the Virgin River, and the Emerald Pools which to be honest were a little disappointing (the pools, not the hike), but as Sameer said, "That's what you get when you have expectations!"

Friday we went to a fun dinner, chilled in the hot tub, and then slept in Saturday morning. We headed up to Angel's landing Saturday afternoon and I'm so glad we braved it--it was INCREDIBLE!!!

I was constantly amazed by the beauty all around me and the continuous reminder of the power of God. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who created all this beauty for us to enjoy. And I'm so infinitely appreciative of my testimony which assures me that there is more to this world than just cliffs formed by river.

Tagged

Chelsea tagged me forever ago. And I've been a huge slacker and haven't done it. I've also been a huge slacker and haven't blogged in a while, so I figured this was a good way to kill 2 birds with one stone.

So the first rule was to post a picture of yourself. I was looking through all my old pictures and trying to find one I felt really, really pretty in. And then I stumbled across this one. Maybe its awkward and weird that I'm posting this, but my gosh, this was the most beautiful wedding dress I never wore. I'm so, so glad with how things in my life have worked out, but every so often I get a little reminder of that happy, beautiful time in my life and I can't wait for the real thing.

11 Random things:

1. Multiple times a week I check all my sister's blogs when I'm overwhelmed at work. Most of the time its a quick check and then back to work, but sometimes I hit the goldmine when they have a new post.
2. I'm still bff's with my roommates from my freshman year of college. I think that's saying something about how important we are to each other. They are the girls I want to talk to when I have news to share or a bad day. I'm so blessed we randomly lived together.
3. I've caught the bug from Elise and have become the crazy plant lady. I love love love choosing and planting these little guys.
4. I've never been to New York City and I really want to go.
5. I have a totally irrational fear of cats.
6. I hate, hate, HATE being hot. I'd die if I had to live in Arizona. My skin is so sensitive and burns so fast that I am constantly trying to get out of the sun.
7. My car has a hole in the floor (through the carpet and all the way down to the floorboards) from my left high heel. My foot is always in the same spot when I drive and just fits so perfectly in the hole it has made itself
8. I hate getting ready for bed. Teeth brushed, face washed, contacts out, jammas on. Shouldn't be that hard but I hate it.
9. Spiders do not bother me. The other day I picked up my bottle of shampoo and there was a spider under it and it did not even faze me. And I only kill them when they are a problem (like stuck in my shower).
10. I've recently learned how to index on Family Search.org and I really like it--its oddly relaxing and doing good at the same time.
11. I don't really like music that much. I only listen to it when I'm alone and then only chill music. too much noise just stresses me out.

Answers to Chel's questions:
1. If you could be any person for a day who would it be? I can't think of anyone else, so I'd probably say myself the first couple years in college.
2. Sweet or Salty? I was just telling my co-worker this week how my problem is that I like everything--sugary candy, chocolate, salty snacks, baked goods--its not like I have just one vice. But I think if I were forced to choose it would be sweet.
3. What is the hardest thing you have ever done? Hmm, beauty school was hard, the Seattle half marathon was hard, calling off a wedding was hard, but all were worth doing.
4. What is your biggest pet peeve? As my sisters can attest, obnoxious facebook posts.
5. If you could have any talent and be awesome at it, what would it be? I wish I could play music by ear, which if I could do I'd want to play the guitar.
6. What is your favorite way to relax? I think reading. Lately every time I try to read I just fall asleep.
7. What is your favorite college memory? My roommates and I had this weird tradition where we would hide something from each other--like I would pour a bowl of cereal and when I turned to put the milk away my bowl would disappear. It would be in the dishwasher, in a drawer, in the microwave...it was this crazy game to see how little time was needed to swipe something. Sometimes people would forget they just poured a bowl of cereal... :)
8. Would you rather cook or clean? Cook. I really enjoy cooking, but then that usually means I have to clean after.
9. If you could only use one item of makeup what would it be? Cover-up. I've always coveted girls with smooth skin. I'm still waiting for the day puberty will be over and my skin will clear up.
10. What is your ideal Saturday? Sleeping in a little, and then just a full day of exercising, errands, and crossing stuff off the to-do list.

I'm not tagging anyone specifically, so anyone who reads this who wants to can do it. :)