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!

liebster

 

my cute baby sis awarded me the Liebster Award! i've gotten this award a few times before, but i thought it would be fun to at least answer her questions - she's got some good ones!

kayla's questions:

1. what is your greatest accomplishment in life so far?

being sealed to my husband in the temple. being raised in the LDS church, i had an understanding of the importance of the temple at an early age. so many things about the temple and what goes on inside the temple are sacred, and are not often discussed outside of the temples, so i was left to stare and wonder and anxiously wait for my turn to go inside. the night i received my endowment and went through the temple for the first time was unforgettable. devin and i do our best to go back often, but it's different from that night. i was there with devin. he had made a decision long before he met me to live a life worthy enough to take me inside one day, and i will always be so grateful for that. i had also spent my life preparing for that day, and it was so incredible to experience with devin. i fell in love with  him all over again that night. i see this as an accomplishment because it had been something i had looking forward to and worked for my entire life, and our wedding day was a huge milestone in my spiritual growth.

2. if you could change your name, what would it be?

when i was younger, my sisters and i used to fight over who got to use which name when we played Barbie's. the favorites seemed to be Kaylie and Brittney, if i remember right. i've never seriously thought about having a different name because i'm such a katie. i think my name fits me and my personality really well. i know my parents considered naming me Kamryn for awhile, and I think that would have worked too. sometimes i've wished that was my name (you know, on days when i've turned around to someone shouting "KATIE!" only to find they were talking to someone else... more than once...) - it's pretty popular, but i like it.

3. what is your favorite quote and why?

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I do not exist, nor you. So close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep" - Pablo Neruda

I love this quote because it so perfectly says exactly how I love Devin in a way I can't.

4. if you could be someone else, who would you be?

I'm pretty happy being me! I don't think i'd trade it for anything. I think it would be really interesting to be Cooper for a day though...

5. what is the best gift you have ever received?

uh... my wedding ring! i love my ring. i love that devin picked it out 100% by himself. i had no input whatsoever. i love the diamond he chose and the changes he made to the setting. i love that he thought about it a lot and made sure it was just right. he thought of all the little things. it's absolutely perfect. best gift ever.

6. which sibling are you the closest to?

as i've gotten older, i feel like i have become closer with all of my siblings. it has been so much fun to watch kyle grow up. he is the world's best teenager. he has the biggest heart and is the greatest example of selflessness. he has been so, so much fun to have as a brother and a friend. he and devin get along so great, and i think kyle and i got closer once I gave him a brother! haha kayla and i probably fight the most, but i think it keeps us in check. she is so much more mature than i give her credit for, and she is always willing to listen and give advice. kayla is my favorite person to shop with because she is always up for it, likes all the same stores as me, and gives me honest feedback about things before i buy them. (she never lets me get any sunglasses because she things they all look horrible on me, haha). and then there's kell. i'd have to say i'm closest with her. kayla and kyle are best friends, and so are kelli and i, but the 4 of us put together have THE BEST TIME. i love my family. kelli and i were married 2 weeks apart. we are living virtually the same life, so i think we've become so close because we are on the exact same page right now. we know exactly what the other is going through. we call each other all the time, just cause and try to see each other as often as possible! kelli and her husband sean have become some of devin and i's best friends. they are amazing! i love my siblings.

7. if you could change one person's life, who would it be?

this is a hard one. i have no idea. i would love to be able to make a difference in the lives of a lot of people. i would love to rescue the next dog we get. i think it would be awesome to go on a humanitarian trip. i would even love to adopt a child! i don't think i have any one specific person in mind... i would just like to make a difference! 

8. what is the greatest thing you've learned about life so far?

can i be cliche and say that is goes on. seriously, though. i don't know how many times devin and i have encountered a problem that we've though was the end-all, and we've come away completely unscathed. as a dramatic and rebellious teenager, even 30 minutes shaved off my curfew was the end of the world, so i've definitely come a long way. i do my best to not let bad situations get the best of me. i try not to let them rub me wrong and get me worked up because being angry isn't worth it. it's a waste of time. i like to remind myself that there are people worse off than me and in worse situations, and are handling it all just fine, so i need to get over myself and move on. it helps.

9. what is your biggest pet peeve?

gah. everybody knows this about me and i hate talking about it because i feel like the prissiest jerk. i can't stand listening to people eat/chew/swallow/drink.. anything. it even bothers me if they have too much spit in their mouth when they talk. it just grosses me out and i have been known to scoot to the opposite end of the couch and even leave the room at times. i feel horrible when i act like this around devin - it's not like he's doing anything wrong! it's not like anybody is! i'm just really weird! but seriously. it's so gross. most of the time, if somebody is eating around me, i like to be eating, too. just so i can drown out the noise of them eating with my own eating (which also sometimes disgusts me.)

10. what is your dream job?

my dream job??? to be a mama. simple as that. i'm not in school right now. i don't have any intention as of right now to go back. i don't think i'm old fashioned. and i'm not just doing it because the church has said women should stay in the home if they are able to. i want to. i want to be a stay at home mom. i want to be the "room mom" for my kids in school. i want to be in a carpool rotation with other moms. i want to go to PTA meetings and little league games. i want to change diapers and wear spit up on my clothes and in my hair. i think it will be the greatest job in the world. other people are going to school for their dream jobs - mine just has different prerequisites!

11. why did you start blogging?

i feel like i just talked about this. i started this blog in 2009 while i was living in St. George and going to Dixie State College. this chapter of my life i think i'll start calling "the transition" - it was that year in St. George that i came to several realizations in my life and pretty much changed everything about it. i started the blog as an escape from the life i was living down there. i wasn't on speaking terms with any of my roommates (awkward, much?! ha!), i didn't have many (any) other friends, and I was completely consumed with school and work. i've deleted most of those posts and now my first post on here is in 2010, right before i met Devin. because this is my life now. and keeping track of everything before this is mostly a waste of time.

over here, over here! (+5 things)

did you notice? today, i am guest posting on one of the funniest blogs, written by one of my favorite people: Danica! our husbands are BFFs. and we share a mutual obsession of The Office. did i mention she's hilarious? you should read her blog today, and always.

anyway, click HERE to read about my favorite way to stay in shape, as a part of Danica's Fitness Series to help us all get motivated in our own ways to do the same!

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in other news...

ever since I got caught up on all my drafts after our Anniversary trip, not much has been going on. We've just been doing our normal things. Lots of thinking going on lately though.. for example:

1. have I really been married for 1 whole year to Devin Ashby? i'm so lucky, it blows my mind!

2. we have decided to casually start looking for pet-friendly apartments. which obviously shows how badly we want a dog, because we are pretty much living the cheap newlywed dream over here at the APT. but seriously, i need a dog immediately. i will go nuts. i look at these guys all day long:

so if you happen to know of any awesome apartments (complexes or basements), a little further north (Lehi/Draper/Sandy area) that allow us to get one of these guys, I will give you anything you want. seriously. (maybe not, but i'd definitely consider, and I would love you).

3. we did get a small bit of our puppy-hungry fix when we got a phone call from brandon's roommate, Tom 2 weekends ago. you see, Brandon was in new england for a few weeks with amy, and left the dogs at home with his roommate, who decided to go out of town, as well, so he called us, because brandon left our number, just in case. this also happened to be the same weekend that devin's parents were out of town with amanda and jason and the babies. we ended up staying at devin's parents for a night with the dogs (since we can't have them at our place) and it was pretty fun. not the best night's sleep (koda slept ON ME. not next to me, not resting her head on me, she was on top of me. she's convinced she's a lap dog), but Riley and Koda are such good dogs, and they make it easy. it made for a fun weekend!

4. devin has been commissioned to build a program for Momentum. seriously. this is exactly the kind of thing we were hoping for when we took the huge risk of deciding to have him take the job. it wasn't an easy decision, but it has proved to be the right decision ever since he started! i am so excited for him to gain this experience, to use what he learns at school to build this program, and to use what he learns from building the program at school. we couldn't be more excited for this!

5. cookie dough balls. did you see that photo in my week via iphone? here it is again:

these things are amazing. cookie dough is basically the only reason I even like to bake, but it's hard not to feel guilty (and really sick, if you eat as much cookie dough as I do!) when you're eating the raw eggs - that according to "them" are so diseased and things. BUT, some genius found the solution and invented edible, egg-less cookie dough. which i took the liberty of forming into bite sized balls, and smothering with chocolate - it's the only way, right? anyway, here's the recipe. it's so easy, and you can do it in about 30 minutes total (including forming all the balls)

Ingredients:

1 stick softened butter

1/4 sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini work better for the balls, I hear)

1/2 tsp salt (i used sea salt. because i like salty cookies)

Steps:

1. beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy

2. mix in milk and vanilla

3. mix in flour and salt

4. stir in chocolate chips

5. cover cookie sheets with wax paper

6. scoop or roll dough into bite-sized balls (I used a 1/2 tbsp measuring spoon, and sort of just whacked it on the sheet to get it to come out, and it worked great. plus, i like the look of the scoop, over the look of the rolled ones. they look less oily, and more like ice cream)

7. melt chocolate:

     - i threw some chocolate chips in a small saucepan that was on medium heat (I don't measure things, but it was maybe 1/2 cup - not much), I added maybe 1 1/2 tbsp of crisco (this is the secret nobody tells you about!) and stir CONSTANTLY until you have really runny chocolate. it takes about 1 minute, so you really need to stir it, or else it will cease up or burn. I used a funnel and poured it into a condiment squirty thing we got at bed bath and beyond. it looks like a restaurant ketchup bottle, with a tiny little spout, and I immediately went over the bites with a few drizzles of the chocolate.

8. refrigerate. they will get firm within about 30 minutes, maybe less depending on how cold you keep your fridge (we tend to accidentally freeze eggs in the fridge sometimes) - but you can leave them in there forever.

-they do soften up pretty fast once you pull them out, so if you have leftovers (what are those?), you want to keep them in the fridge, for when you husband needs a midnight snack (he will). 

also, during this little cookie dough craze we've been having (i've made these several times since I found the recipe), devin and I discovered that we both prefer cookie dough without the chocolate chips - which is mostly funny, because the only reason I even put chocolate chips in them, was because I know how much he loves chocolate! we're totally going to be the kind of old people that start to look alike the longer they're together.

you're welcome. 

featured

oh my gosh. guess WHAT?!

i was just featured on another blog.
i never thought that would happen!
wahoo!!!
i feel a little famous.

over at Ruche, they are doing an ADORABLE series of love stories, and today?

they did mine.


so if you feel like it, you can read my story here.

also, you should read the others. because they're all good. i love love.

you can even submit your own story to possibly be featured!!!