Liebster!

Danica gave me the Liebster Award! (like, a month ago) I'm so excited! I love that this thing just keeps getting passed around, I think it's really awesome and I love all the positive vibes! I've done this before so we all know the drill over here. I will answer Danica's 11 questions, post 11 facts about myself, then tag 5-11 (which in Katie terms is probably going to mean somewhere between 3 and 6) other "up and coming" bloggers with 200 followers or less, and ask them 11 questions!

Danica's 11 Questions, Answered:

1. Who is your favorite Office character?
First of all, it's sort of cruel to list this as one of your questions, especially when you know most of your taggee's are Office fanatics because how am I supposed to pick just one? That's impossible. I would pick Jim, because he's sort of my first instinct for his quirk and charm, and of course, for all the endless pranks and jokes that always seem to involve him. But I would also pick Michael because I love that he is ignorant and innocent at the same time. He can be the biggest jerk and be totally clueless about it. I love that about him and always have. I started loving Michael a lot more after he moved to Colorado with Holly, never to be seen or heard from again. It was one of those "don't know what you've got 'til it's gone" situations, because I truly missed him, and when he came back for the finale, I burst into tears. What a perfect, perfect entrance. I could not have been happier with that finale! Anyway... I would have also picked Dwight, because how could you not. He is absolutely obnoxious in the best way. I love his irrelevant comments and how everything he knows is always tied back to his German / Amish (ish? right?) / beet farm upbringing. Hilarious. I would probably support a spin-off show about Shrute Farms, but only if they did it just right. I also feel like I can't leave out characters like Andy, Oscar, Kevin, Phyllis and Toby because without them, the show would have been a little empty (I could have gone without Nellie, Kelly and Ryan). Granted, I would have been just fine if Andy never got off that boat in this last season because that story line got old really fast, but their characters added so much to the story, and I feel like they rounded out the show so, so well. I also feel like there were a lot of duos, friendships, alliances and relationships between the cast that were awesome like Phyllis and Dwight - did you ever notice how great they were? Loved it. I also loved how much Erin looked up to Pam, and also Phyllis for that matter. I loved Phyllis' relationship with Stanley, too. It seems like she was the only one who understood him and got along with him. I also loved Meredith and Creed's friendship. Man, that show. Perfectly cast, brilliantly written. I will never stop loving The Office!

2. What are you the most proud of in your life?
Man. This is a toughie. I don't even know where to begin? I don't even know if I feel like taking this one seriously. My first instinct is to direct you back to the time I made a successful batch of french macarons for the first time, because that's a pretty huge feat in my book. I think the thing that I'm most proud of, though, for reals, is that I sort of came out "on top", given everything I have gone through. I don't feel like I let any of my trials overcome me, and I always seemed to find my way out. That's pretty cool. I think I did okay! I am also very most proud of my choice in husband because, uh, hello? Winning.

3. What books should all of us be reading at the pool this summer?
I need more help than I can give with this one! I think summer reading, and more specifically, pool-side reading needs to be entertaining, easy and light-hearted. So if you haven't already grabbed some famous funny lady's book, do it now. I would recommend Mindy Kaling's or Tina Fey's. I've got Ellen's on my wishlist. I'm currently reading "Room" by Emma Donoghue, but I feel like it's too serious and it makes me a little sad to be a summer read. I would also recommend anything by Emily Giffin. I've only read maybe 2 or 3 of her books and they are all pretty similar, but they all suck me in. She's a fantastic writer, and great for the pool-side stuff. She wrote "Something Borrowed" if you've seen the movie... Other suggestions would be Perks of Being a Wallflower, especially if you saw and loved the movie (because if you like the movie, you'll love the book). I also like to take summer to re-read old favorites like To Kill a Mockingbird (for the umpteenth time).

4. What beauty product can you not live without?
Being that it's summer, I sort of instinctively want to shout out SUNSCREEN! At least for my face. I've been a little picky about it this summer, and I'm sure I'll thank myself for that later. But regularly, I'm reaching for BB Cream. Stuff's amazing. I love that it can moisturize, and give a good tint and perfect coverage. It's light and dewy and summery and i love it.

5. Where is your favorite secret place to shop (physical or online store)?
I don't have too many secret places! I have found the South Jordan Super Target to be a little slower, so they are rarely out of things as quickly as the others that are more popular, so the shoes in my size are still around, the newest most popular make-up product is fully stocked, and they still have my size in all the cute clothes everyone else bought last week! My older sister, however is always dressed in the cutest clothes, and at least half the time, she says she gets them at WalMart and i'm all, how?? I actually haven't been in WalMart for a really long time, on purpose, so I guess it's possible they've gotten better. Other great secret places are small boutiques - there are a lot in Lehi where I work and they always seem to carry cute stuff. For Easter, Devin got me some clothes from a boutique in downtown Draper called "Thistle" or something like that, and I was obsessed with the whole store - it looked just like my pinterest closet.

6. What is your best piece of marriage advice?
I feel like giving marriage advice is sort of like giving baby or pregnancy advice. I've never had a baby, but I already know I will get pretty annoyed when people give me their advice or opinion without me asking for it, and I feel the same about marriage, just because it's different for every single person. Every relationship is different. Priorities are different, and personalities are different. Things that I think are important in marriage, or things that make my marriage work really well may not apply to somebody else, you know? But I think everyone could agree on honesty and communication being pretty key. I've always found it pretty hard to tell Devin things that I know he won't want to hear, because there's basically nothing worse then feeling like you've let your spouse down, but in the end, I'm always glad that we were honest. I think it's important to make your spouse and your relationship with them a big priority. I think your spouse should be your best friend. And another crazy thing that works for us? We don't fight. Going on 3 years together and have never once fought. Obviously, we don't agree on everything and we have differences but we have never yelled or even raised voices and we have never said offensive things to each other. It's something we discussed really early on and we agreed a long time ago that it was just unnecessary. We can work it out by talking. "Fighting" doesn't exist in our house. That kind of disrespect, in our opinion, is uncalled for. I feel like having a respectful conversation about your differences is the best way to overcome them and figure out a solution. Staying calm and being honest helps you keep a level head. I feel like staying open can help you see from the other person's perspective easier. It just works better. At least for us.

7. When you are stressed and just want to fast forward life to happier times, what do you do?
Well, a few things. And I think it depends on my mood about whatever it is that's making me wish I was living a few weeks from now. If I'm angry or frustrated or upset, I need to go to the gym. I need cardio. I need to blast my heart rate and get sweaty and feel like I've defeated something to feel better and let off some steam. If I'm sad about it, I need to wallow. I need to eat my feelings in sweet stuff and watch sappy chick flicks or the office. In the dark.. If I'm stressed, I need my dog and my husband. I need to be distracted and with the people I care about. Animals actually release endorphins in your brain and legit make you happier just by petting them and being around them. And Devin knows better than anyone how to get my mind off things. He will pester me until I laugh or he will take me somewhere and I will totally forget about the stressful stuff.

8. What is your favorite blog that you HAVE to read every day?
I've grown so, so fond of Sydney from The Daybook and Natalie from Nat the Fat Rat. I think they are both amazing writers and even more amazing mothers. I can't wait to be a mom, and reading about motherhood from their perspectives is inspiring and gets me so excited. I love it. I think they are amazing and darling and hilarious, and I want to be just like them when I grow up. Or, you know, best friends with them. That would be fine.

9. I finally have an iPhone. What are your favorite apps that I should go for?
I'm not a big phone game player, but I have loyally downloaded Tetris, because I"m a 90's kid. I love using my iphone camera though. It's so convenient and the picture quality isn't half bad! I love photo apps and listed most of my favorites (photography related and not) in THIS POST. Since that post, though a few new photography editing apps have come out that I love, A Beautiful Mess and Rhonna Designs. Both worth it.

10. What is your favorite workout to get in shape?
Tracy Anderson anything and everything. The woman is magic, I tell you. BUT, I love love love how strong I feel after I've been rock climbing regularly. You get pretty tone pretty fast, and it's a lot of fun! So, if doing an awesome sport that I love counts as a workout, rock climbing all the way. We live and breathe rock climbing over here.

11. Favorite obscure YouTube videos... Go!
Oh boy... let's do this.

I've gotta stop while I'm ahead, or this could get weird, so I will just leave you with this perfectly timed video. Every motion the cat makes fits the music perfectly. I could watch it a million times!

11 Facts about Yours Truly:

1. I want to move out of state to somewhere I've never been before for awhile. Like a year or a little less, maybe.Big city, preferably. New York. Chicago. Seattle, even.

2. I don't like breakfast. I'm never hungry that early in the morning, especially not for sweet food like pancakes or french toast. Too much.

3. I am addicted to Smart Food White Cheddar popcorn. Like, in a bad way. Almost.

4. I love filling out forms. Like applications and medical forms and "i'm new here" type stuff. I have no idea why, I just enjoy it.

5. I have the exact same color eyes as my husband.

6. If I could have any talent, I would choose singing. I would love to be a singer, but I can barely carry a tune and I'm sure I'd have horrible stage presence. But still, it would be fun.

7. I hardly ever read entire blog posts if there's a lot of writing because I think it's annoying, but I always write way too much in my posts, so I'm a hypocrite. I just have a lot to say! It's for my own benefit, so I promise to not be offended if you never read the entire thing, because I'm the same way.

8. I always need to change my clothes between different activities. I don't like having to go straight from one thing to the other, because I feel like I need to change my outfit. I feel... dirty? It's weird. I always have to change after work, even just into sweats. I can't hang out around the house in whatever I wore to work - it drives me crazy! If I could wear sweats to work? That would be a different story...

9. I did an internship on the oncology (cancer) floor of the hospital during my senior year of high school.

10. A list of movies that when brought up and I say I've never seen them, people say you've never seen [insert major motion picture here]?!?! with a jaw on the floor: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Wayne's World and Saving Private Ryan. I'll get to them eventually, I'm sure.

11. My doppelganger is Amanda Bynes, or so I'm told. But so... what does that say about me?! I'm a little worried. Can I switch doppelgangers? Or maybe now with her wigs and cheek piercings and nose jobs, I don't count anymore? Heellllllpp!

The bloggers I tag:

Megan
Jenaya
Natasha
Lynn

And the 11 Questions I have for you:  
*by the way, this was super hard. so i stole a few of my favorite questions from the blog every day in may challenge i did last month.. is that cheating? hehe

1. What is your go-to meal or dish to make when you want to impress your dinner guests? Can you post a recipe or a link? I could seriously use some help in mixing up our usual dinner routine!
2. What would be your ideal career? Your dream job!
3. What are your top 5 favorite movies of all time in no particular order? (because who can really put them in order? they're too many good ones!)
4. Is there something you need to apologize for right now?
5. What is the best piece of advice you have to give? (On anything at all.)
6. What word (or words, if you want) do you wish we used more regularly?
7. What is your best beauty secret? Skin care secret?
8. What would you do if money wasn't an option (your answer can't be travel-related, or else that's what we would all put!)
9. When was the last time you did something totally out of your comfort zone? What was it?
10. If you could go to any concert (any at all, ever!), which one would you choose?
11. What do you use pinterest for most? What are your best pinterest finds, and what is your best kept pinterest secret?

wow. did you make it to the end of this post? i barely did! fwew!

what i miss

the blog every day in my challenge topic for today is to talk about the things i miss. i got a little carried away looking through old pictures, and realize this list is pretty big! luckily, i can look forward to doing most of this stuff again soon!

 

camping with my dad. he is such an outdoorsman, and when he is out there in his element, he is the life of the party. i love being with my dad outside. all of my favorite childhood memories are camping, because of this guy. plus, for some reason, his cooking is WAY better when we're camping :)

 

this trip! last year for our anniversary, devin surprised me and took us to jackon hole and we spent 1 day horseback riding. it was the funnest afternoon and i can't wait to go back!

 

climbing in joe's! trips to joe's valley have very quickly become my favorite type of climbing trip, and i hope we spend a lot of time down there this summer.

 

grey's river. our favorite place in the whole entire world. we're going back in july and it can't come fast enough.

 

wearing my wedding ring! i still have about a week until i can put it back on ever since this happened

 

ski season! i know it just barely ended, but i miss it already. we had so much fun skiing this year and were able to get out a lot. i'm so glad it's something we both enjoy doing

 

nannying. this sweet girl and her brother changed my life. i learned so, so much from them, and being their nanny was the best job i've ever had. i think about them every day and i wish i could have been their nanny for longer!

 

camping and adventures with this guy. devin is a lot like my dad in that he sort of becomes a different person when we get outside. he is so much happier. you know he's exactly where he wants to be. i love that.

 

our truck! i miss this truck so bad. i'm glad we don't have it anymore, but i still miss it! he had so much fun with this thing!

  

this guy as a baby. he's only 9 months, so he's technically still a puppy, but he's almost full grown. we watched old videos of him as a puppy a few nights ago and i miss it so bad! he wasn't this small for very long, and i'd love to have baby cooper back for just a couple of minutes!

and lastly... unrelated, but important: happy mother's day to the most incredible woman. i am forever impressed by my mom. every quality she has is so admirable and i feel so blessed to have been raised by her. i am so proud to be her daughter! as i've gotten older, and i'm less of an annoying child, and less of a rebellious teenager, we have become so close. she gives the greatest advice, she is always willing to listen, and she's taught me everything i know! i love you, mom! happy mother's day!

publicly professing my love for a blogger friend

how often do i talk to you guys about danica? like, all the time. she's so funny and so stylish and she's my favorite blogger by far. maybe she doesn't count as my "blogger friend" because we were friends in real life first, but i hosted my first shop giveaway with her and talking about blogs and blog stalking the same people is our thing! she's the shiz. she is the easiest person to get along with and becoming friends with her was pretty second nature from the beginning. i can't say enough good things about this woman. she is an example to me in so many ways. i love having a friend that is similar to me in enough ways that i can look up to her and aspire to be better in the ways that she is, but also different enough that we aren't crazy and we don't drive each other crazy. danica is also my favorite gym buddy, my baking/cooking confidante, my fashion inspiration, my go-to double date couple (devin and her husband ryan have been bff since the old days) and my only friend besides devin this is just as obsessed with the office as i am. she's the total package, folks. so, seriously. if you freaking haven't already followed her, just do it already. it's about time!

*photo stolen from her blog, black with a chance of cheetah 

other bloggers i love: 

Rylee

Megan

Hailey

Katie

Nichole

to humor you

Remember how on our first date, Devin and I ended up at Sammy's, where I met his very best friends, Ryan, Danica and Dane? Remember how Ryan and Danica are now married? You should, because I mention them often enough. Danica is easily the most witty, clever junior high teacher in the history of ever. She's also the most stylish. And maybe the shortest (ha. just kidding. well, probably not..). She posted a blog game and I have been tagged. Her blog is really entertaining. I am positive I have never read a post without laughing out loud. She's awesome, so awesome in fact, that she makes up for her husband's un-awesomeness when he's openly taking advantage of how naive i am. I love them both, and glad they're our friends. Let alone, friends that actually still do things with us on a regular basis. So visit her blog, and then we'll start the game. 

here are the rules for the challenge:

1 - You must post the rules.

2 - Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3 - Answer the eleven questions the tagger set for you in their post.

4 - Create eleven new questions to ask the people you tagged.

5 - Tag eleven people and link them to your post.

6 - Let them know you've tagged them!

eleven fun facts about me:

1 - i love hot dogs. ball park deli style franks are my favorite brand. 

2 - i don't do spicy food, but i think my new addiction to Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are a good start to acquiring the taste.

3 - i avoid restaurants that i know only have pepsi machines, because i love coca-cola too much.

4 - our fridge always has salsa con queso. tostito's chips and queso are a regular meal/snack in this ashby house.

5 - i don't like drinking water that isn't ice cold. (bummer we have no ice maker and only one ice tray, right? i add "make ice" to my to-list on the weekends...)

6 - i love to bake. and i do so at least once a week, but i rarely eat whatever i bake. i'll maybe have one cookie, while it's still warm, but then just usually doesn't sound good anymore.

7 - i prefer little hole in the wall diners over chain restaurants. because they have better food and cooler people. 

8 - i love steamed spinach. just like nobody.

9 - we are a new milk-free family. we think devin may be lactose intolerant, so now we drink almond and soy milk, but i still buy regular milk for my cereal. i don't like almond milk cheerios.

10 - we (usually just me) eat rice-a-roni rice like nobody's business. it's one of my favorite foods. all kinds.

11 - i'm writing this after i've worked out, before i've eaten lunch. i'm starving. obviously. which is why these are all about food. plus, i love food.  

danica's eleven questions:

1 - last book you read? 

// i just barely finished the second book in the hunger games series "catching fire", and was ready to start the last book, "mockingjay"... but then i bought mindy kaling's book "is everybody hanging out without me (and other concerns)" and i'm pretty sure i'll have to start that next.

2 - favorite song right now? 

// "we are young" by "fun."

3 - favorite place to shop?

// i legitimately love downeast outfitters. i worked there for a long time through part high school and college, and their style has come a long way. i think they get more fashionable with every collection they release. i also love finding gems at target. and forever 21. 

4 - best purchase ever?

// lately, it's been my bare minerals makeup. i will never go back. ever ever? our truck. it was a pretty ballsy move to buy that thing, but we'll never regret it.

5 - most embarrassing moment, please. 

// when i was in high school, my best friend valeri asked me to help her babysit some kids in her ward. i think there were 3 of them. a girl, and her 2 younger brothers. the girl was fine. the boys were hellians. we literally spent hours chasing them around, trying to put the house back together. it was a disaster. they were awful. they got into the garage and opened the garage door and ran away. we split up, each chasing after one of the boys. man, that kid was fast. he got out onto a busy road and started to slow down, so i finally stopped running. i knew i would catch up to him. he was only maybe 50 yards in front of me. then, a car pulls up next to him. rolls down a window and the boy starts talking to the man in the car. i freak out. i don't even know this kid and he's about to get kidnapped. so i run and catch up to him really quickly and grab him and look at the man in the car and say very loudly and rudely and matter-of-factly, "do you know him?" the man looked at me so confused and said, "uh... yes. this is my son..." OOPS. i apologized and the boy got in the car with his dad and i said i would just meet them back at the house... which was like 3 blocks away. 

6 - first kiss story (may not be the same as #5)

// do i have to? my first kiss was awful. my big group of high school friends had all gone down to the riverwoods theater to see the new rocky balboa movie. my crush was there. it was the kind of day that i think everybody knew we were going to have our first kiss. it wasn't a surprise. so after the movie we told everyone we were going to "go on a walk" on the trail that goes behind the theater. we walked toward where hogi yogi used to be and stopped and were talking. i have no idea what we were talking about. and then he just kissed me. and it was disgusting. too much chapstick on his mouth. too much of his tongue in my mouth. we dated for maybe another month or so. i was 15. he was 16. that's all i remember.

7 - grossest food you've ever eaten?

// i know i have a good one, i just can't think of it. the only thing coming to mind is spoiled milk. 

8 - what is your next vacation? what are your plans?

// i don't think we're going anywhere until we go to new england in may (3 more months!) we are going all over the place over there, because i want to see as much of it as possible. boston, salem, cape cod, manchester, so many places. i absolutely cannot wait.

9 - favorite blog that you follow?

// i love the daybook blog. i think sydney is gorgeous. has awesome style. she's hilarious. and her baby is adorable. she's the total package (in a a blog). www.thedaybookblog.com 

10 - celebrity you'd most like to punch in the face?

// well first of all, i would never punch a celebrity in the face because i couldn't afford it. but in the ideal world, it would have to be... the entire cast of jersey shore. or maybe the genius behind creating the tv show and giving these people fame. 

11 - something you LOVE that you're embarrassed about? 

// pretty little liars. i'm obsessed. i think it's #1 on our series priority on our DVR and if someone tries to talk to me during it, i will pause it. and rewind. i can't miss anything.

(i think the writer of the questions should be answering their own! i want to know danica's answers to her questions. and i will answer mine...)

the eleven people i tag

1 - chloe a.

2 - amanda w.

3 - katie t.

4 - mckayla j.

5 - amy h.

6 - sarah b.

7 - kylee h.

8 - valeri j.

9 - kelsey j. 

10 - chessie o. 

11 - megan j.

my eleven questions:

1 - what is your favorite TV series (if possible, list one that has some seasons on netflix. we need a new show to watch now that we're almost done with the first 7 seasons of the office for the billionth time.)

2 - what is your favorite restaurant (preferably in orem/provo area) that nobody else really knows about?

3 - favorite vacation spot in the U.S.?

4 - tell me a funny joke.

5 - most embarrassing social media moment (something embarrassing you did on your blog/facebook/twitter or even texting.)

6 - what style/beauty secret/tip/trick do you swear by? (that sounded very fashion-y of me, huh?)

7 - favorite book - turned - movie? and/or favorite movie based on a true story / inspired by true events?

8 - best gift you've ever given a spouse/boyfriend?

9 - how old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? (like what age would you guess you were, based on the way you look/act/?)

10 - what's the biggest risk you've taken, that worked out for you?

11 - if you had to teach something, what would you teach?

my answers to my own questions:

1 - we're thinking of starting arrested development.

2 - rhode island diner (except it's in oakley, UT)

3 - grey's river, wyoming.

4 - "50 cent, or as he's known in Canada: 58 cent"

5 - i almost always accidentally type the names of people i'm cyber-stalking in the status update space instead of the search space. 

6 - i shared my favorite one here: extra virgin olive oil hair treatment

7 - to kill a mockingbird (gregory peck is amazing), the help, and i think hunger games is going to be awesome. and for true story movies: into the wild, the pursuit of happyness, and titanic (you have to admit...)

8 - i have a good one for devin for valentine's day, but it's a secret! 

9 - i think i look 20. but i think for most of the time i seem more like 23-24ish.

10 - uh, dating devin. 

11 - yoga. or dance. or creative writing.

link back here in comments so i can read your answers!

February Photo a Day Challenge: Sun

The sun is not shining in the valley today. It's been overcast, but still not bad weather. For February. Unfortunately, I didn't see any of it. I was helping Kyle all day. Readjusting pillows very carefully. Switching out ice. Giving him pain pills on a very strict schedule. Answering his every beck and call, and watching a ton of movies. It was a good day.

So.. how about just an awesome picture of the sun I found on pinterest while I sat and wished I had seen it today, and daydreamed about the few short months that are keeping me from all it's hot, burning glory? The way I see it, because of the weather, I wouldn't have been able to get a picture of it anyway. Since it was incognito. Plus, we really didn't think I would actually make it through an entire blog challenge without missing a day or fudging a little bit, did we? No. Because that would be ridiculous.

 

YOU challenge [1]

10 day YOU challenge: one picture (of yourself)

so... I got a little impatient and had to just finish this thing today. this was the last one. it was just too easy.


dev and i spent the morning sleeping in and watching the office
then we realized what time it was and quickly got ready and managed to make a delicious breakfast of french toast and bacon and still have some time on our hands before going to...


my parents ward! my little brother was speaking, and we thought we might as well go and support him.
he wrote the talk all by himself, and talked a lot about service and building faith and he did such a good job! we were so impressed with him! he also gave a really cute little shout-out to devin and i, which i loved.


now we're at home.
we just did a major deep-clean of the whole house
and while the laundry is going
and dishwasher is washing,
devin is playing video games next to me
while we eat some classic lay's (why are they sooo good?!)


later, we'll be with his family for dinner.
i'm the guest of honor (since it's for my birthday)
so i got to pick dinner
pulled pork sandwiches and cheesecake for dessert
my mother in law makes delicious cheesecake!


i'm excited to go because i haven't seen the wagstaff's (amanda, jason, babies) since makayla's birthday party!
that was before we went to wyoming!
i sure miss them all and can't wait to spend the evening with my ashby family :)


tomorrow, we're having a pool party with my mom's side of the family.
i'm excited for this party, because i was just complaining to devin
about how there hasn't been an excuse for me to make cupcakes in awhile


so: i'm making cupcakes for the party.
and that's how i'll spend my entire day tomorrow.


also: there is some potentially exciting things happening right now
that may or may not actually happen.
but if they do, i will be the happiest.
ever.
and you'll hear alllll about it.


so cross your fingers
make me a wish
say some prayers
send good thoughts


and hope along with me that this actually happens!!!

YOU challenge [2]

10 days YOU challenge: two songs

1. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster the People

2. Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder


two of my favorite songs right now. two among several...

YOU challenge [3]

10 day YOU challenge: three films

1. Into The Wild: this is one of devin's favorite movies, and i had never seen it, so when we were driving the 5 hours up to wyoming a few weeks ago, i watched it on the laptop. i was immediately in love with it! it's based on the true story of a really smart college grad that burns all of his identification information (ss card, license, birth certificate) and runs away. and has all these crazy adventures and ends up in alaska. it's amazing. best part? the entire soundtrack is by eddie vedder. it's SO good.

2. Fantastic Mr. Fox: it's a stop-motion animated film. done with puppets! it's based on the book by Roald Dahl. it's hilarious in a quirky way. we were watching this movie the first time we held hands, i think!

3. The A-Team: my favorite movie. why? 1. it has liam neeson 2. it has bradley cooper 3. it's an awesome action movie, yet 4. it is absolutely hilarious. i love it. and it has the best theme song.

YOU challenge [4]

10 day YOU challenge: four books

1. to kill a mockingbird: my favorite book of ALL TIME. i am collecting all the different versions and editions and copies of it. i think i have 9. i love tkam.

2. catcher in the rye: probably the best book i have ever read about adolescence. ever.

3. the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society: this book is a series of letters between several different people. i am amazed that the author so well portrays their different personalities just through letters. this book got me out of my most recent reading slump! i also now want to visit Guernsey.

4. tuesdays with morrie: the most inspiring. yes, you'll find it in the grief section of a book store, but it is life-changing. seriously. it's a life-lessons kind of book.

YOU challenge [5]

10 day YOU challenge: five foods

1. french fries. i hate potatoes. i won't eat them. baked.. mashed... no. but french fries? i love french fries. i could eat them every day.

2. guacamole. mostly just the kind devin makes. because it's so good. in fact, i made guacamole last night, and it wasn't that good. pretty sure i just like devin's guacamole.

3. nutella. on everything. in everything. with everything.

4. zucchini. fresh out of the garden? even better. sautéed? fantastic. 

5. raspberries. i love all fruit. especially berries. and especially raspberries. mmm

YOU challenge [6]

10 day YOU challenge: six places

1. alaska

2. banff

3. boston

4. machu pichu

5. yosemite

6. devin's arms

YOU challenge [7]

10 day YOU challenge: seven wants

1. backpack. i want the grey one.

2. i've become crazy about "tiffany blue" - love this ring!

3. a giant, luxurious porch swing. what a dream!

4. these striped skipper keds.

5. a puppy! this one's a boxer/lab mix. which is my most recent favorite.

6. a house! i want to buy a house so bad! we'll be there soon, but still!!!

7. this really cute billabong zip-up hoodie.




{don't judge me if over half of these are from pinterest.}

YOU challenge [8]

10 day YOU challenge: eight fears

1. spiders. i am completely convinced i have legitimate arachnophobia. we've had lots of spiders in the APT lately. when i see one, i freeze, my toes curl up, and if i don't start crying, my eyes at least tear up. and even after i watch devin kill it and make him assure me more than once that it's dead, i will obsess about it, and still be scared. and lose sleep.

2. being a mom. it's a HUGE responsibility to raise a child. it's my job to teach them how to talk and walk and be a good person and a decent member of society? that's all up to me and devin?! intimidating, much? uh, yeah. (but at the same time... can't wait!)

3. clowns. they're just creepy. enough said.

4. dying after Devin. i don't ever want to live without him. so i hope we both grow really old and really in love (even more so) and i die first. otherwise, i'd die anyway, but still be breathing. which would be worse.

5. needles. and blood. and anything medical in general. i'm guess i only ever see about 75% of every episode of grey's anatomy, because i turn away during the actual medical parts. 

6. rejection. over the smallest things. i just don't like being told "no". it makes me feel stupid. i would've been a horrible salesman (woman...) because if I got doors slammed in my face on a regular basis, i'd probably cry a lot more often.

7. the oven. i hate pulling hot pans out of the oven. i'm afraid i'll drop it or burn myself. 

8. the dark. i'm such a baby about it. devin teases me relentlessly for turning on every light in the house as i'm walking from the kitchen to our bedroom at night, and making him turn them all off when he follows. it's illegitimate, but it happens.

YOU challenge [9]

10 day YOU challenge: nine loves

1. being a wife. there is nothing i love more then making my husband happy.

2. kisses on the forehead from my husband. i feel like that's self explanatory.

3. golfing. even though i haven't been in awhile, but that doesn't mean i love it any less. i love golf because it's challenging. sometimes to the point of frustration, but mostly just enough to drive me to get better. and i love that i can golf with my husband. that it's one of many activities we can do together.

4. mcdonald's. i love that devin and i can appreciate a 5 star meal at communal, and still consider mcdonald's to be one of our favorite restaurants. we eat there about once a week. i always get the same thing, and i'm a little picky about it, but devin has perfected ordering for me as of lunch, yesterday. (it took a little practice)

5. a clean car. my saturday afternoon was spent on the lawn of my in-law's while devin spent a big chunk of time hand-washing and waxing Max. i love a clean car: so shiny. smells good. looks good.

6. grapefruit gummy candy. you know the ones i'm talking about? they're a triangular, cream-colored, sugary-coated, grapefruit flavored gummy candy. and they are absolutely delicious. i've only found them at winco and blickenstaff's.

7. saturday mornings. no work, no obligations. sleeping in. husband to myself.

8. the big bang theory. probably one of the funniest, more original shows on tv. it's absolutely hilarious. i just hate that we only get a 6 episode disc at a time from netflix!

9. hot chocolate. summer or winter. i noticed the other day that devin and i don't have hot chocolate, and immediately added it to the grocery list. how have i even been functioning?!

don't kill me

my sister in law, Chloe has an awesome sister in law, Sarah.

i blog stalked Sarah (mostly because she's probably the most gorgeous woman to ever walk the earth)

and saw this challenge!

i don't know why i love these.

but i do.

even though i'm bad at them.

but you didn't honestly think that would stop me, did you?

ha.

10 day YOU challenge: ten secrets

1. i play with my hair when i'm bored. if i have nothing better to do, i'll spend my time looking up hairstyles online (mostly Pinterest) and try them out on myself. this is also a bonus, because when my husband comes home, i look cute and it gives him the idea that i was productive! (which sadly isn't always the case.)

2. i wish i was more stylish. i try my hardest, but i feel like i'm a failure most of the time. i love my clothes, and i think i have all the right pieces, i just can't put them together right (like the genius woman of cupcakes and cashmere). 

3. i Facebook stalk people's weddings. my friends, of course. but also friends of friends, that i know of, but don't know. it's so entertaining. the only thing is... i love my wedding the most. it was beautiful and perfect and i love it. i look at my pictures every day.

4. i love baby names. except i don't know why we call them "baby names" because... it's not just your name when you're a baby! i have lots of names i love. but i'm also paranoid about them getting trendy. i don't want trendy babies. anyway, it's a long list. and gets added to frequently.

5. i've never been to a lighthouse. devin loves lighthouses, because of the time he spent on the east coast, and has photographed several of them. there are lighthouse photos all over our house, and i'm dying to go to one!

6. i hate facebook. i feel like because of facebook, i do things i wouldn't normally do. like worry over people i don't know, and look at pictures of people i don't care to know... but mostly i hate my need for facebook. it's the only way i know what goes on with my friends. it's the only way i've seen their kids, their weddings, their families, the only way i talk to some of them! it's pathetic. yet... none of us can stop! facebook owns us.

7. i am becoming a great cook. with practice, that is. my pulled pork experiment was a total success, as are my many cupcakes. i'm keeping my husband happy, and that's good enough for me! it's something i'm pretty proud of, nonetheless.

8. i've become a stickler about coasters. only since i got married. and only because we have really nice bedroom furniture and a $20 coffee table that i want to keep looking like it cost us more than $20. you don't have a coaster under your glass? how dare you. i never used to care. funny how that happens sometimes.

9. i don't like thrift shopping. not for clothes, at least. antique shopping is different. but i just can't bring myself to spend time willingly in Savers. it smells funny in there. i just like new things... i guess it's also based off of some type of paranoia. who knows where those clothes have been and how clean they are. i just can't do it. for other people, it's awesome. and i'm almost always jealous of the cool stuff they find. it's just not for me.

10. i don't have very many secrets. i like to consider myself an open person, as long as i feel like i can trust you, you probably know all of this.