catch up post

nothing too exciting going on lately. and maybe that's why i haven't blogged, but it also might be because of jeff daniels, seeing as how we'e become mildly obsessed with "Newsroom" ever since our apple TV update revealed HBO GO to us! It's pretty fantastic.

though, not exciting, we are still insanely busy. summer camps are in full swing at the gym, so that means my youth program director husband spends long afternoons facilitating cute kids, playing games, experimenting with a GoPro (he's convinced we need one now!) and throwing birthday parties. what a hard life, huh! ;)

aside from being particularly busy at work, i've also been trying to focus more on my etsy shop. a lot of my listings are getting close to expiring so i've been relisting and redesigning some new items! i am so, so excited for the lineup i have for the next few months and hope to be able to add a new line of prints every single month! i also have some great ideas for some new products that i hope will find there way in there soon too.

other things keeping us busy... our sweet pup turns ONE this month, so i've spent a lot of time being blown away by how fast this year has gone by... we've been planning our big annual camping trip to wyoming, and also making plans for my birthday that same weekend... we've been dying of heat!...

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okay so maybe now that i've uploaded all of the photos on my phone, i realize we have actually done quite a bit lately! oops... oh well. here's a photo dump for you..

 

< remember that time i almost had to get my wedding ring cut off? i got so paranoid, i decided to just have it resized, and while the goldsmith had it, they re-plated it and now it's so shiny and sparkly and i love it

> a wedding outfit (don't be fooled, i'm not really that tan. tgff - thank goodnesss for filters)

> we could play with little ben all day long! even though he projectile vomited directly down the front of my shirt, i still love him more than practically anything and he was so dang cute that i didn't even care!

 

is this handsome guy going to be a great dad or what? he looks like a natural! i seriously can't wait to see what the mini version of devin looks like :)

 

last saturday, we offered to help some friends with some yard work at their new house, and be "we", i mean devin and christian slaved away in the hot sun and sarah and i colored with their cute little girls in the a/c! after we finished up yard work and ate some lunch with them, we took cooper up to our favorite spot for a swim so he could cool off. that dog is a little fish! i can't wait to take him in the river at grey's this year!

after cooper's swim session, we decided to spend the rest of our saturday finally making the coffee table we've been talking about for months! i've become so familiar with the lumber sections of home improvement stores that it's almost embarrassing.

 

this is the table right before we stained it! devin used hsi new electric sander on it in the garage and everything in there got entirely covered in sawdust! oops.

 

the table turned out perfect. it's exactly what i had pictured in my head. the stain is so pretty, it's chunky but not overdone, it's sturdy and the perfect size. i'm mildly obsessed and now i want devin to build us a kitchen table that is similar!

 

the disney movies on netflix lately? genius. we've watched basically all of them. i even remembered most of the songs in hercules. i forgot how much i love old school disney. (did you know snow white came out in 1937??? NINETEEN THIRTY SEVEN!!!!!)

 

< HOA planted a giant, giant daffodil bush in our front yard, so... they wanted me to pick them, right? same with our neighbor's shasta daisies, i'm sure.

> on tuesday, our old friend, Cory Mon, who also happens to be a very talented local musician, got married! i can't even begin to explain the kind of happiness on his face this day. Cory is such an incredible friend and we were so happy to support and celebrate with him on this day! he married the cutest girl who's perfect for him, and their reception was to die for gorgeous. these italian sodas were just one of the many delicious food options! i got strawberry and devin got mango. so delicious!

 

< the details and decorations were absolutely amazing, and i think they fit cory and mandy's personality so well. right when we walked in, we got our picture taken in a "face-in-hole" board that was a bride riding on a centar... i mean... that's cory to a T! but the table centerpieces were my favorite part. i loved all the flower arrangements.

>best. idea. ever. so delicious.

 

let me talk to you about this stuff for a second. and let me start out by saying that if i wasn't raised the way i was and with the beliefs that i believe, i would probably be the biggest coffee drinker ever. it has always appealed to me. enter crio bru. so this stuff can be substituted into any kind of coffee drink. instead of brewing coffee beans, it's brewed cocoa beans! and let me just tell you. it is incredible. i new cafe/doughnut shop opened next door to us (almost literally. so that's dangerous), and they serve this stuff. and i'm hooooooked. it's amazing.

fwew. that's all for now, i think! we are officially caught up.

day 31 / a vivid memory

HO-LY COW. Are you sick of me yet? Cause I'm sick of me. I promise to never again blog every day because I'll admit, it's a little bit annoying. But! I made it to the very end! With the exception of my trip, after this post, I will have successfully blogged every day in May! Some of these topics were really fun, and some really got me thinking. I liked being able to have a prompt like that. Maybe I'll just think of my own prompts and post them whenever I feel like it. We'll see. Anyway... today's topic, the very last one, is to write about a vivid memory, and this one has been on my mind a lot lately. It all started last week when a friend asked me, "when did you know you were in love with Devin?"

I know exactly when I knew.

Devin and I had been dating for about a month or two.We had seen each other every single day since our first date. For the most part, that was just because we wanted to. We loved being together. But then, once we realized we were making quite a streak, we made a bigger effort to never miss a day, which made for a lot of visits at work, and even more late nights. We were both working and going to school full time, and our schedules were often opposites, so a lot our dates were things like math homework or grocery shopping. That way, we could still see each other, and get everything done at the same time.

Most of our nights would be late, usually after I had gotten off work (I was working at Bath and Body Works at the time - thrilling, I know). I would go over to Devin's apartment he shared with 2 other roommates and we would make blueberry pancakes and bacon and drink V8 juice and watch TV. We were both hungry and needed to wind down, so it was the perfect combination.

So we did just that. I had helped Devin pick out a griddle a week or two earlier, and we had used it almost every night since for our pancakes and bacon! Breakfast for dinner was our favorite. We had gotten in the habit of eating dinner pretty late with this, and we still to this day, usually eat dinner between 7:00 and 8:00pm!

When we finished cooking our breakfast for dinner, we loaded up our plates and piled on the syrup and headed straight for the couch, like always. This relationship was still so new, but we had so much chemistry that it truly felt like we had been best friends for years and years. Being around Devin came very naturally for me, and I was comfortable around him from the beginning.

Devin began channel surfing and finally settled on House Hunters: International. I even remember the episode. I think they were in Panama. We leaned over our plates on the coffee table and half-watched while we talked about whatever between bites.

Then I set my plate down, leaned back on the couch, and took in this view of Devin sitting next to me, eating breakfast for dinner at 9:00pm, watching HGTV. And I realized right then that this was the rest of my life. That feelings was so weird and confirming and it just washed over me. It seems like such a small and silly moment. We were just doing our normal routine, like we had done for weeks before. There wasn't anything different about that night, except that feeling. I knew right then that the rest of my life would be spent eating breakfast for dinner, just a little later than acceptable, watching TV shows. With Devin.

And you know what? It's been about two and a half years since that night and not much has changed :)

Viola!

*also, i did have a great picture in mind to share on this post but i cannot find it anywhere... slash... i'm too lazy to really look for it... :) *

the second year

may 26, 2011

serendipity: the phenomenon of finding valuable things not sought for.

Meeting Devin was pure serendipity. For us both. Neither of us were looking for anything, especially not our future spouse, but I am grateful every day that I found this man on accident. That I walked into that wedding, and that he cared to notice, and that he had the nerve to contact me. And that he couldn't deny wanting to get to know me. I'm so glad I took a chance on him, even though it felt like a risk sometimes.

Devin, I am proud of you. I am proud to be your wife. I'm proud of our marriage and I'm proud of the life we have built together. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love that I get to keep all these adventures and trials and milestones with you forever. I love not having to share those with anyone else. We've come pretty far since our wedding day, and it's so crazy to look back and see all we've been through and all the places we've been in these last 2 years. It makes me excited to see where the next two years take us, and all the years after that.

I love you so much more than I ever thought I could. So much more than I ever thought was possible. I feel so privileged to have married my very best friend. Happy anniversary, love.

Two years!?

anniversary plans

finishing up year 2 of our marriage sort of crept up on us! this year has gone by so fast, and i think it's because of all the big changes we've made. we both got new jobs, we moved, we got a dog... a lot happened in year 2, a lot of good! we had always said from the beginning that we wanted our anniversary to be our one big trip every year, so it's been in the back of our minds for awhile. 

now, why we chose to get married on memorial day weekend? i will never remember or understand. i think we wanted the extra day off for the honeymoon. and we were also very anxious. but i will probably roll my eyes at that decision as we try to travel each year, along with the rest of the country. 

that in mind, we had first made plans to road trip up to Portland. neither of us had been, but we've both always felt sort of drawn to the upper west coast (north west coast? what would you call that?) anyway. we had done all kinds of research and i enlisted the help of some people i knew that were from oregon or had spent some time there and i came up with the perfect list of things to do, must-see places, and of course, the best places to eat. i was so excited. 

but then... we decided we wanted to stay a little closer and go a little more low key. we quickly realized how not ideal it would be to spend a hunk of money on a trip right now, so we changed our plans to colorado! glenwood springs, to be specific. we were also mulling over spending time in vail and aspen, and had almost booked a hotel more than once, when we found good deals.

but then... we both realized, totally on our own, but practically at the exact same time, that we had definitely been kidding ourselves. that we were becoming a bit of a broken record and what we really needed was a good old fashioned camping trip. i've been pretty desperate for some outdoor time before, but never like this. there was one big giant sigh of relief once we decided to go camping instead. i think it's because we realized it's what we needed. a stress-free vacation, without a plan or a list of to-do, to-see, to-eat to tackle, and without any sort of schedule. it was also nice to know that this new plan would also cost a lot less because we've become pretty huge cheap-skates lately.

so now, after much deliberation, we are headed to... THE BOULDER MOUNTAINS! and i could not be more excited. all this rainy weather lately isn't even phasing me because camping in the forest in the rain is about the coolest thing you can do. we will spend some time at calf creek and capitol reef, and we even planned an anniversary dinner in the little nearby town of Torrey, to keep things celebratory. We decided not to bring Cooper, because we didn't want it to be a hassle, and he wouldn't be allowed in some of the places we wanted to go, so he gets to spend 4 days with Riley and Koda! We are so excited. I can't wait to have 4 days in the mountains, alone with my best friend. We need it! 

i'm equally excited to spend all day thursday celebrating devin's 26th birthday! we had his big party on saturday, so thursday will be rock climbing, birthday presents, and dinner of his choice :) i love that guy! this weekend has been looked forward to for so long! i can't wait to get going.

my valentine

Devin and I sort of celebrated this Valentine's Day in three's. On Thursday, actual Valentine's Day, a series of unfortunate events landed us both out of work for the day, doing a whole lot of resting. Early, early that morning (like, 3a.m.), Devin got up to use the bathroom and passed out. He smacked his head really hard when he fell and bit his tongue and has a big sore/burn by his left eye. It was pretty terrifying for both of us. So... we didn't really celebrate any further than my poor attempt at heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast (it was the only thing that sounded good to him), some chocolate covered strawberries at night, and watching The Giant Mechanical Man (loved it. watch it). At least we were together for the whole day though...?!

 

Friday, we thought we'd actually celebrate. When I got home from work, Devin was still at the dog park, so I set up a really dorky scavenger hunt around the house with all of his favorite treats and snacks and drinks. Good thing Devin gets me, because he loved it, even though I'm a total goof. We went on our favorite date: up to the city for Thai food and waffles. Seriously, our favorite meal. The yellow curry at ekamai is like comfort food, and the Belgian waffles stuffed with Belgian chocolate at bruges are to die for delicious. After we ate and ran into some friends, we headed over to city creek to walk around and browse the shops. We had a lot of fun in restoration hardware - Devin had never been in the store before! We came home pretty early in the evening and went straight to bed.  

On Saturday, Devin had to work in the morning and wouldn't be home until 3:30. I planned to sleep in and get some things put together for my shop and take the morning easy. What I actually did was watch every Julia Roberts movie on Netflix, a hundred make up tutorial videos on youtube, and ate cereal, so... 

Devin had said before he left that he had a surprise for me tonight. That he felt like we didn't really get to celebrate. I was excited all day and when he got home, we took cooper to the park for about an hour and then we headed to Park City. I was totally lost and confused. I mean, Devin had even put on a nice shirt (which he never does. like, ever!) and we were going up some winding road in Park City with lots of lodges and cabins. I was clueless until we passed a sign listing a lot of different lodges and showing which way to go for which lodge. One of the lodges on that list was the Stag! Devin's brother, Brandon is a chef at the Stag and it's a pretty big deal. You've heard me gush about Brandon's cooking - he's amazing at what he does. And Stag Lodge is pretty prestigious. It's a private restaurant for Deer Valley property owners, which we obviously aren't, so it was a huge privilege to be invited to the restaurant. Devin said he had called Brandon up earlier that day telling him he wanted to surprise me with dinner in park city and asking where he could go. Brandon said there was no way he'd get a reservation anywhere on such short notice, but to give him an hour and "see what he could do." Brandon is amazing. I can't say enough good things about my brother in law. He so quickly became one of my favorite people - it's probably because he is so much like Devin. It all started on my wedding day when he came up to me during the reception, hugged me, said "congratulations, sis" and kissed me on the cheek. He's such a stand up guy. Anyway.. he got us in. The arguably the fanciest restaurant in Park City. It felt like a dream! 

I'm a pretty big foodie, so I tend to get overly excited about particularly good meals, but this is a whole new level of good food. Service was amazing, the restaurant itself was gorgeous, detailed, and cozy, and the food... oh, the food. 

We started out with surprise ors' devours from Brandon: the most amazing, perfectly crisp sesame wings. I could have eaten a bucket. And I'm not a huge wing person. 

For dinner: devin had the all-natural beef burger with caramelized onions, mushrooms, aioli and bacon. It looks so good! I got the adult grilled cheese. sourdough, red onion marmalade (the best part!!!!!), cheddar, bacon and get this: maple syrup. I will never stop talking about this sandwich. I even admitted to Devin that it trumped the sandwich I had on our wedding day (I hadn't had any appetite for about two days, but after we got married and had walked all over the temple grounds taking photos, I had never been hungrier, so we got sandwiches in Nauvoo Cafe with my parents - and it was the most delicious thing I had ever put in my mouth - until now.) It was seriously amazing. Phenomenal. It was not just a sandwich. I'm actually pretty sure it's what Heaven tastes like. 

For dessert, Brandon brought us out bread pudding in chocolate and bourbon sauce. I had never tried bread pudding because it has never appealed to me. This bread pudding changed me, except that I'll probably never eat bread pudding again, because there is no way it will ever live up to this one. 

Best meal of my life. Including our unforgettable meals at Communal, and that incredible dinner at Double Black Diamond Steakhouse in Brian Head. I felt like royalty eating such amazing food in such a nice place, and Devin had definitely pulled off another perfect surprise. I love every second of that evening. And it was so much fun to Brandon at work, totally in his element. He has a seriously talent for cooking. He has also started up his own personal chef service so if you ever want to eat food delicious enough to bring you to tears, visit his website here.

After we ate, we took a stroll up and down main street and weaved in and out of galleries and boutiques. It was a busy night in park city, but beautiful none the less. It always seems like Christmas in that town. I love it. 

I suppose you could say I had a pretty memorable valentine's day this year. Thanks, love, for always thinking of me. Thank you for surprising me, and adoring me. I absolutely love you.

all these little things

// letting me park my car in the garage in the winter, because it's warmer

// doing the dishes without saying a word

// taking me out to lunch on a week day

// staying within arm's reach to answer my every beck and call when i feel even the tiniest bit sick

// replying to whatever i say with office quotes on a regular basis

// cooking with me

// never failing to kiss me before bed, even if that means getting uncomfortable just to twist around for a quick peck

// the way you smile at me in the mirror while we're both getting ready in the morning

// when you tell me you miss me

// letting me get donuts at the grocery store

// giving me fashion advice

// praying with me, and for me

mr ashby, i'm in love with you. and all these little things. 

i'm glad you're my valentine.

2012: a review

2012 went by really fast. It was a good year, and a lot happened, but I've got a feeling 2013 will be even better. We have a lot of big plans for this year, and I'm anxious to get started and share more about them soon! Trying to get these photos all in order was a NIGHTMARE so I gave up somewhere between my 4th try and my 3rd diet coke, but I will recap each month at the bottom.

J A N U A R Y :

we took the month of january off, from basically everything. i didn't even blog!

we went shooting with friends

we did a lot of redecorating

devin built a lot of furniture

we went on a ski trip to brian head

sean and kaden had birthdays

F E B R U A R Y :

i quit my job as a nanny and it was one of the saddest days of my life

we did lots of skiing

we got really sick

kyle broke his collarbone when we took him skiing for his birthday

i started working as a legal assistant for a law firm

we spent our first ever time apart (devin went on a backpacking trip with his class at UVU)

M A R C H :

i threw one of my best friends, valeri a baby shower

more skiing

valeri had her baby, a little girl they named Bayli Grey

addison turned 2

A P R I L :

we got iphones

devin started his new job at momentum indoor climbing gym

we traded in the truck (another sad day) for an altima hybird (sad day made better by awesome gas mileage)

M A Y :

we went to joe's valley and did some rock climbing

my cousin nichole got married and we did her photos

devin turned 25

we spent our 1 year anniversary in jackson hole - best trip ever

we did some golfing
mckayla graduated from high school

J U N E :

spent lots of time up tibble fork and AF canyon

my cousin kenzie got married we did her photos

kelli and sean got sealed in the logan temple

the new maple canyon guide book for rock climbing was published, so...

...lots of rock climbing

we golfed

we found out sean and chloe are pregnant (!!!!!)

J U L Y :

i made jam for the first time ever (apricot)

we went on a big backpacking trip in the uinta's with koda and riley

more rock climbing

we golfed some

A U G U S T :

i finally turned 21

i quit my job at myler disability and started working at cascade collision (best job ever)

we went rock climbing with brandon

we did more rock climbing

we said goodbye to the geneva heights 8th ward and our sweet nursery class

we moved to herriman

a little more golfing

kyle performed his first baptism (our cousin, sophia!)

my dad was called as 2nd counselor in a single's ward bishopric

our friends brittany and joe got married (finally! ;)...)

S E P T E M B E R :

we adjusted to / explored herriman

held out for 3 weeks before getting a puppy

cooper consumed our lives, and our camera lenses, apparently (can you blame us?!)

we were in a car accident (no injuries, just to max the mazda!)

O C T O B E R :

we went back to joe's valley for more rock climbing

we went to maple canyon and did some rock climbing

i got an emergency root canal

the wagstaff's moved to vernal and broke our hearts

we spent general conference weekend at strawberry marina with my family

N O V E M B E R :

we hung out with brandon a lot and had several "dog parties"

i cut bangs

we celebrated thanksgiving with both our families

D E C E M B E R :

i baked a lot

we got family photos taken

we celebrated christmas with basically everyone we're related to

we celebrated new year's with kyle, jami and fondue.
kyle got his driver's license

A L S O  I N  2 0 1 2 :

devin grew an awesome beard

ate lots and lots of amazing food (mostly pizza and french fries)

tons of time with those cute babies

lots of slack lining

some visits to cascade springs

lots of fires (it was a hot, dry summer)

we took kayla and kaden on mini-dates

i baked my first ever PIE

tons of cooking

some smashbooking

hostess went out of business (so long, sweet sno-balls)

we spoke in church for the first time

devin sent me flowers

devin saw greg laswell in concert (it was before my 21st birthday and in a 21+ venue)

we saw cory mon play in the pouring rain (still amazing as ever)