All Grown Up

Firsts Spence and I have experienced the past 3 weeks....

1.  Grocery shopping together... Yes we had never been officially grocery shopping, list, budget and all
2. Teaching Spence how to start the dishwasher
3. screaming at each other and not having to worry whose outside our bedroom door.... ha ha ok we actually haven't done this one but hey it's nice to know if it does happen we won't have to worry!
4. Waking up with out a "hey spencer, you up?" from his parentals
5. knowing NO ONE is going to just walk in... if you know what I mean ;) haha

Yes we've been married a year and a half and have not done these things, it's time for us to grow up, spread our wings and fly!! and boy we're we ready!!!!!
 We are now living in La Jolla, for those who don't know where that is basically we can throw a rock and it'll just about land on the beach.... but only if I'm throwing it. We LOVE it, California has now captured our hearts and as far as we know we are here to stay for the long haul!

One of the many projects i'm up to today, I drew this up on floorplanner.com to get a better idea for color scheme

Life is wonderful, crazy, and so much fun!! I pretend we've grown up but we are two goofy people!!   Today is my first saturday off in a LONG time, sadly spence is at work so I decided to jump into decorating/organizing our place. All our furniture was free, thanks to the fabulous Darlene, though it isn't our first choice I like the character it brings and don't worry I'll be ruining things here in a bit trying to renovate anyway.  So now that my floorplan is put together i'll be playing with color scheme for paint! I'm absolutely HORRIBLE with taking pictures, but i'm really going to TRY do before/after! LOVE YOU ALL  Kisses Muah......

Wanting

I ♥ Anthro & Free People

Splendid

Haven't written in awhile but some SPLENDID things are in the making

Simply hilarious

Songs i love today

Hey Na Na - Katie Herzig w/ Lyrics!

I ♥...

As I was ringing up these amazing tree stump vases at Anthro, I just knew this had to be for some kind of event such as a wedding... She was buying A TON!  I LOVE these and had to know what they were for, anyway long story short she is an event planner and gave me her card (which is the cutest thing EVER) and I found her website ABSOLUTELY to die for.... can I please re-do my wedding!   you have to check out this inspiration filled website Sitting In a Tree Events by Tori and Myka!   Enjoy :)

ADELE - 'Make You Feel My Love'

British singer who is AMAZING, I love her voice! and she's only 21, what a voice!!

I ♥..

Fall runways and collections!! Full of fun colorful prints, classy three quarter length skirts, scarfs, blazers, belts, and all so unique!  Jonathan Saunders , Dries-Van Noten , Donna Karan (pre fall) are a few collections that caught mye eye with hem lengths, colors, and belts!

But for right now I ♥... Maxi dresses

and the color yellow, stripes (and this wall color),

And overall the easy yet classy style...  well i'm off to a few hair appointments, LOVE my job!

I heart....

I heart... Cali

 Yep still in my PJ's (even after working out ha)

Hey lova BOY  XoX

House for rent, hmm shall we?

Team Ra-Ras Kicks Breast Cancer - Susan G. Komen for the Cure Philadelph...

Watch this video on youtube and when it reaches 5 million views, money will be donated to the cure!!

Honeymoon #2

 One year!!! and boy has it ever been a year, i think one for the records ha ha but I LOVE my man like a fat kid loves his cake!!!  

We spent a TOO short weekend in San Diego (20 min from home, but its Cali)! Spence boy was pretty proud of this chick for picking a splendid hotel!

We played on the beach, Steak house dinner, World Curry, dance benefit, ping pong, horrible movie, and denny's breakfast!  and he can tease and complain about my veggie ways and life long addiction to salad but hey when all is said an done my meal is 6.99 and his 52.99, i'm a cheap date!

Great weeekend with my Smokin Salmon (i'm on this kick of making up random names for him)

We arrived home on V day morning so kept things simple. But I had to do something so while he was at work, i cut out hearts (from old newspapers and paperplates, literally taken from the trash haha). That explains the ghettoness but hey he loved it! 

1year down... 4EVER to go!  

Need to Read

Amazing book! It's about Betty Eadie's near death experience and the importance of love and charity! LOVED this, so inspiring! HAVE to read!

Life is but a Stepping Stone

How quickly you want time to go by in some aspects and yet slow in others. Can time operate one seperate continuums?... It has been six months today since my mom left her temporary home. In this I find wonder, pain, peace, joy, and gratitude. Gratitude for the life my mother lead, and gratitude that I was able to be such an intimate part of that. The memories I hold are the roses in the midst of our decemebers, the sunshine you find on a cloudy day, and will forever keep her alive within.

The joy that comes from knowing a beautiful angel has been added to the concourses of  God's angels cheering us on, walking the path alongside, and taking our hand each time we tumble. The joy of knowing she is still there, her agenda was complete here but she had yet another plan to attend to on the other side.

I'm grateful for the experience I have gained, the relationships that have been strengthened, and for the steps this has brought me take, steps closer to our Savior. The pain may forever be there, but I am not asking for it to go away, it is a scar I am willing to hold and share with those around me forever. This scar is a reminder of the love that exist, the love that can and must exist with each of us. Love is a far from simple word, but love is what created us, what started our life here on earth, love sustains us through life, and the most ultimate and unconditional love is what will bring us back home. Love.

So CHEERS, a toast to my Mother, a daughter of our Father in Heaven, a choice spirit that has finally returned home after a glorious journey, to a life lived that will continue on through the lifes of her children, family, and friends, an added hero to the map that will guide us back home. Thank you for your time, I love you mom!

Tufted Today

Have always Loved tufted headboards, ok not always but the last six months i've been obsessed!Wondering how in the world I could make one of these, my ideas were stumped with the fact that all material would be too heavy to hang on the wall.  Ok now lets jump back a year ago while attending Dixie State College my Comm professor Brooke Ulrich told us about her website, http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/, an AMAZING website put up by an equal amazing individual! Well last night I get a text from Mckelle telling me to check out the above website, I knew it sounded familiar and was delighted to see it was indeed my professors site! and of course it held the answer to my dilemna, so tufted headboard here i come! You really need to check this site out, so fun and creative with great links to other inspiring ideas!

I'm an AUNT!

Ok so not technically an aunt but one of my best friends had her baby this morning at 10:45! of course this is all from the grapevine, me being in Cali in all, so details are still unknown! But it wen fabulous and she is now a mother, how quck time goes by!!  SO sad I could not be there but overly estatic for this event nonetheless!! Congratulations Candice, I love you and can't wait to meet this neice of mine!!!

And as for dinner last night, Spence gave it an A+! Stuffed acron squash was absolutely delicious with a mixed green salad with almonds and feta cheese, and the desert mmm  magnificant! who knew cooking was so rewarding? and even more rewarding when you know it's healthy! I love being VEGGIE! haah but for real the recipes are so unique and wonderful!

And i finished my war essay, my fashion marketing class assignment is done, now just a few things for art and i'll be free on Sunday to watch the big game and cook (oven fried zuchini sticks are a great healthy aternative to all the game day snacks out there, and they are absolutely delicious!)

SCHOOL

Can I brag for a minute, my good grades lead me to recieve a WONDERFUL phone call this morning from WSU, I recieved an academic scholarship!!!! YAY!!! it was a little amount but considering my school is already  paid for, this amount I get to pocket, so basically Weber is paying me to attend school! ha ha Today is just fabulous!!!!   While speaking of school, I have a fabulous health class which i love and learn so much, i'm constantly telling Spence new fun facts, for instance, while a man is running and giving 50% power a woman has to give 73% to just keep up with him. Sadly us women are made SO differently, also we can not run as fast due to the angle of our femur bone to our bodies... interesting! Well if i want to cook dinner I better get my school work done, english paper topic : can we really justify war?  think about it, it's a crazy subject and MANY opinions out there!

Hadlee Rose Dining

Yes i'm a chef! ok maybe not really but i'm sure trying. It's amazing the things i'm learning, for instance did you know that tomatoes should not be refrigerated? yes i NEVER knew that, also I could tell you what fruits/veggies you should buy organic and which ones don't matter! I know what Feta, Ricotta, Swiss, shredded mozzerella, grated parmesan, shredded paremesan cheese all are ha ha i've never cooked with so many different cheeses! Never really liked cheese that much quite honestly, but now it's my staple food in meals!    I won't go into detail on all that I've cooked up but my husband did make the remark last night "vegetarian meals really are delicious" AHA if I can convince Spencer, the BIGGEST meat lover to say such a thing i must be amazing! Totally kidding!    One meal I would like to mention is Potato Gnocchi, what an interesting food! It's a cross between pasta and a dumpling and quite a process for someone whose use to immediate satisfaction food! But all the time was worth it! and as for tonight goes, well my shift today was cut at work due to lack of pay roll hours, sad, but now I can prepare a quite romantice dinner for Spencer and I, I think i might even use our dinnerware that my Mom bought us for our wedding (it's still packaged up from the wedding never been used) along with a beautiful table cloth, candlelight, and a chick flick to follow haha so on the menu is Stuffed Acorn Squash, beautiful strawberry salad, and for desert Pecan Phyllo Spirals! mmmm wish me luck!  Oh and don't worry i'm still asking people in the grocery store what certain items are, phyllo dough? what does fresh basil look like? how do I know what a good Acorn Squash looks like? and even asked if there is such thing as pre shredded swiss cheese? (that last one I still haven't found I just buy it in the block)

Times change

 What happened to dresses and heels? Oh how i want to bring dinner out of the oven while wearing a conservative (but with an adorable print) dress, heels, jewelry, and my apron from Anthro! They wore dresses everywhere and I LOVE it, I think i'm going to wear dresses more and even cook in them!!

Also on a side note if you have never read Martin Luther King Jr.'s letter from Birmingham City Jail, you need to! It's beautiful and has so many great quotes and ideas.  
 "We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right." MLKJr.

Random

I have so many random thoughts, ideas, and pictures! Bare with me ha ha speaking of "bare with me" Spencer and I are giving our "welcome to the ward" talk this sunday, it'll be interesting! luckily I go first and get to do the introductions for spence I both have two TOTALLY seperate stories about our dating past, needless to say mine is a little bit more sweet then his! :)  Also we have a calling, drum roll please....... CTR five, 8 boys, 0 girls! Very loud and rowdy, apple and orange slices along with crackers will be the weekly treat to help keep their mouths busy, last sunday one kid made anothers' lip bleed! After our first week can you say birth control?! kidding... kinda ;)

First off i'm partial to change and as Spence and I were laying down one night we decided we are ready for a change in decor. In this area Spencer and I could be no different, he wants the cream, burgundy or red, brown, tan, colors, like what below. This does NOTHING for me, pretty color yes but I want something that WOW's me, interesting to the eye! 

 I'm a fanatic for wallpaper! haven't lived anywhere where i can actually use it yet (rentals) but when i can, oh  man will I be in heaven. I love loud colors and prints are my favorite! Vintage with a modern twist!

So how do we compromise? i've been wondering this past weekend what we coul do, well today at Anthro I came up with an answer. Wish I had pictures of my vision but i can't find anything quite right! especially since i can't use wallpaper for it. Anways i'll give spence his cream walls, one will be covered in this amazing wood work I found and white picture frames and the other wall I will rubber stamp a light yellow design on. Also we don't have a headboard so i'm debating painting one on the wall! or making it out of plywood and material, we'll see. Of course this is all ideas i'm throwing around in that head of mine.

Ok for those who haven't seen Julie and Julia, first off go rent it, darling show! It's about a lady who starts a blog as she works her way through Julia Childs cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", she gave herself a year to make every recipe in that book, 524 recipes! As we watched it last night it left me wanting to do something such as Julie did, make my way through a cookbook! And I want to try new vegetarian recipes, for those who know me i'm not much of a cook, AT ALL! This year I really want to cook more, plus Spence is sick of our random meals i'm sure :) 

 Well I recieved this vegetarian cookbook for our wedding from my fellow Veggie lover, my cousin Talise! I'm debating making my way through this recipe book, of course adding meat everynow and again so Spencer doesn't kill me! but they have cheap, easy, and fun recipes i'd love to try! I don't know just a thought after watching the movie last night!