summer craves.

right now i am craving me a summer bbq and some summer s'mores! 

some yummy and fresh foods, swimsuits, pool parties, goldfish in the pool, good toasty weather sound 

uhmazing.

 

Some of Last Year's Summer BBQ days:

i don't look my finest but who gives, it was a hot summer day. who needs make up?

My bro, T*, and I with some of our family friends and our GOLDFISH!

roasting some s'mores at a tanner family night up in the canyon

SO...

anyone else agree?

what are you craving?

i am suppose to be doing homework. but naah who cares.

like i said, i should be doing homework. but that is totally and completely out of my wants right now. anyway...

today i was thinking about my biggest fears.

not like a little girl disney princess kind of fear-like shots or spiders

or heights-but more like the kind of fear of like...

"seriously if one of these things happened to me i might shoot myself" kind of fears.

these fears are fears that i am fearing now in my life at this time, i might not be fearing them in 3 months or a year.

(holy schnikes i just said fear like 4x in one sentence)

wellp, here there are. don't judge me:

#1-getting a disease.
if you know me then you know i have the weirdest immune system that gets the weirdest diseases.
as a teenager i had colitis, shingles, and other weird (mostly skin) elderly diseases.
since matson and i have been married i have been lucky enough to not get any of these.
i do not want this. so knock on wood for me.
i like my healthy body! which leads me to #2...

#2-getting fat or even chubby.
 i know everyone's bodies are different and such. i know women are of all shapes and sizes. 
but for some reason i am hard on myself.
i am super scared that one day i will wake up and be big.
this is one of my biggest fears.
i am not super insecure like on the verge of eating disorder obsessive
i just care about my body and staying healthy. i go to the gym pretty much everyday and try to eat the best i can i have a horrible sweet tooth tho.

#3-having a baby soon.

waking up six days in a row of stomach pains and no period then going to the store buying prego tests and then when the little smiley face/positive sign (i have no idea what shows up but something does) shows up on more than 3 tests. i would instantly...
SCREAM of PANIC!!!
then i would probably start to get super happy and excited.
i am A-OK with babies i mean i love babies, i love children, yet i am young and not ready to add a third member to our family.
hugest fear.

remember

a couple days ago i came across my sis-in-law's photography blog

i had never visited her site before.

i came across her blog post about our wedding.

her images (even though she wasn't our photographer) from our  wedding were so great

and different than our other photographer's pics.

i sat there and looked at her images.

then all these memories of that day rushed into my head.

is it weird for me to say that i sometimes wish i could just be back at that day.

the temple was so emotional and a beautiful experience.

the reception was beautiful, my childhood wedding dreams were all coming true right before my eyes.

although there were hectic times, overall it was such a simply joyful day.

i have never felt more loved.

below are some of the images that t* took on that day that i have fallen in love with this week.

and you can click here to check out her website and then press "blog" if you want to see what she has been up to recently or click "works".

my mug is cooler than yours.

so the last few posts have been forever LOOOOoooooNG. so here is just a few pictures to show off my artistic husband and one of the gifts he gave me for LOVE day.

you know those sweet cookie holder jar mugs? so i love this invention cause i am such a cookies n milk girl. i can't have a cookie without milk. well i can but i would prefer not to. sooo...

yeah below is one that matson painted.

Front View of the "Cookie Vending Machine". The Black is where the cookies chill until you're ready to dunk.

birthday boy's birthday wrap up.

I am obsessed with surprising Matson on his birthday. Last year the whole day was full of surprises 6am birthday wake up, cleaned his car, decorated his room, candy poster, dinner, gifts, etc. This year I wanted to do the same. He knew nothing of what we were doing.

February 12th went a little like this:

12am - Rang in the Birthday with a Denny's Night with his buddies

10:30am - Breakfast with my Familia Matson got to eat his favorite breakfast-waffles and "eggscellent" and we opened his gifts from them he got nice gifts along with a Valentine radar detector (he was super pumped about it) from my parents

Matson's First Time in the Richards Family Birthday Chair

 1pm - He knew about this...but he had a little work party at the Provo Beach Resort. We went bowling and went on the Flo Rider. Matson had a bomb...so much so that we didn't capture any pics of it. He was actually really good at it and he went a little crazy, he cut up his foot. N* and I just boogie boarded. Even though I am not a skilled surfer, I had loads of fun. 

5:30pm - We made our trek up to our surprise location with his new Radar Detector and all. Matson had no idea where we were going. First we stopped at Matson's favorite smoothie place Smoothie King.

Matson with his fave Smoothie King

7:00 pm - We walked around the Gateway Mall and shopped by now Matson knew what where we were going he was soooo excited.

7:30pm - Our reservation time for Fleming's. Matson had never been there. He is a HUGE steak guy, so I knew he would love it. We sat down and the waitress came over and said, "Matson, Happy Birthday!" He then looked at me shocked, "She knows it's my birthday?" So funny. He felt so special. We ordered, he was shocked at the priced, but was shocked at how good the steak and food was. He even got to choose out a free dessert. 

"Food is a way into a man's heart."

That is Matson to a

T.

He loves Fleming's.  

10pm - Gift opening time.

12am - Our "Spouse Sleepover". We watched a movie, had treats, massage train, and I fell right to sleep. 

Matson Invitation to our "Spouse Sleepover"

You can get your own copy of the spouse sleepover invite HERE
 

Sunday - We celebrated with Matson's family. They made his favorite Sunday dinner meal and dessert. He got some fun games and his new favorite book, The Art of the Fart (thanks C* and T*, our entertainment for the week). Sorry I didn't have my camera this day...so just imagine that I took some!

how sweet it is (to be loved by you)

i love the lyrics to the song above.

james taylor is the best.

so like the lyrics say: it is sweet to be loved by all of you.

instead of just focusing on matson + me this valentine's day

i thought i would say a little something sweet about each of our family members

(names shortened for privacy)

who show their love for me so much.

The T Family

• Papa R-He is so hardworking and wise. He does so much for the family, and most of all I love him for his example he has been for Matson. He instilled the quality of hard work and many other qualities that a husband needs, in Matson.
• Mama C-A very tender, thoughtful woman. I think she has sewn and fixed more things for us than anyone else. Weekly I come to her with a ripped sheet yes matson will not be putting the fitted sheet on our bed alone anymore, shredding towel, or even a too big of shirt that needs hemming or fitting. She does it fast and for free! She is also a wonderful cook and mother and is constantly asking everyone, "What can I do for you?".
• Hermana T-She is one of the most creative people I know. She is so thoughtful and I admire her quality of how she puts her ALL in everything she does. She loves her family and is very forgiving and caring for them.
• Bro C.A.-Even though when he and Matson get together I feel like they may have a man love for each other, I admire how he loves his wife. He continually amazes me how loving and kind he is.
• Hermana K-When we cheered together in high school I always admired her hard work and how beautiful she is. I remember many times when my Mom and Dad would say that she was the most classic, and beautiful girl on the squad (I promise my dad is not the creepy type, just a nice comment).
• Bro C.T.-Is very family centered. I admire that about C.T. Whenever I see him with K he always is so tender and he puts her before anything else, you can tell he loves her just by the way he looks at her.
• Bro J-I love how me and him will catch eyes sometimes when Matson is acting funny or trying to act funny, and we just look at each other and instantly I can tell he feels how I am feeling and what it is like to live with Mr. Matson. J has a great heart and will someday be a great missionary, father, and spouse.
• Roxy-Although she may be the old mama dog, and beg like none other but she is so loving and apparently matson is her favorite.
• Daisy-Most spazzy little funny dog ever. She brings so much joy to the T Family and keeps us laughing with her crazy long legs.

The R Family

• Daddy J-Smartest man I know he knows the answer to almost any random fact question, biggest teaser, and the only person that can truly make you smile with one phrase "Don't Smile". My Dad is the happiest, childlike dad!
• Madre S-SUPER MOM! If you wanna challenge your Mom up against my Mom...my Mom would win! She really does it all. More than weekly I come home from school with a little gift or bananas or something nice on my porch or in my mailbox, within the last year I have become closer to my Mom than ever before and I LOVE IT!
• Brotha J-He is also one of the smartest guys I know but also has the sweetest heart he as a guy may think that is a lame compliment but he really does. and as of matson's birthday apparently he is quite the rapper.
• Brotha T-Funny, happy, silly, and almost every positive adjective describes him. He is probably the only person that can make my dad or mom laugh when five seconds before that they were very angry he has been able to do this since we were kids. He is always fun to be with and a good friend to Matson and for that I am thankful for him too!
• Sista N-She is the tannest girl i know (and year round sooo unfair) but more than anything i see the way she loves my brother and my family and how fast she has come to fit into our family. i love her too. I admire her ability to learn and desire, that goes a long way.
• Sista A-Miss Style Queen, Friendly Butterfly, Movie Queen, Cookie Queen and honestly she is good at everything she does. She also knows me better than almost anyone. She knows how I will react to something or what I will say. She has always pushed me even since we were kids...i probably still would not be able to ride my bike if it weren't for her. I only did it because she took her training wheels off before mine.
• Rookie-By far the best dog ever. I never understood when people cried when their dogs died. I now know what it feels like to be so attached to an animal. The little stinker is so fun and always wanting to play, she is so protective over our family and if someone hits someone else she barks at the hitter. She is my parent's little spoiled "grandchild" until they get a real grandchild.

Happy Valentine's Day Blogger World.

xoxo,

                                                                                erica sorry i just couldn't resist, i've been into Gossip Girl lately.

my mister: the birthday boy

matson is one year older and [hopefully] wiser too.

Matson's TWENTY THREE

1) his childish little boy laugh
2) the moments when he pulls me up or aside to just dance with me in the kitchen. no music. just old fashion dancing.
3) he can make the best sound impressions. seriously ask him to do mario's jumping sound.
4) i love when matson surprises me. i will come home to a cleaned up house or a made bed. he is always trying to help me out.
5) so i outta say some physical features..i love matson's smile, face, big physique, and his hands i know weird feature to like but they are strong and i just love holdin' his
6) when he mimics my voice usually it is when i am whining of being cold or hungry...even though it does not even sound like my voice. it is still hilarious.
7) i love that he always wants to look his best for me, he usually only does his hair on the weekends and he has two pairs of his fave nice jeans that he only wears on the weekend because he knows that is when he sees me the most.
8) when i see him with a baby or a young child it melts my heart.
9) i know this is lame...but i love that he loves going to the gym. it makes me happy that we both have a desire to stay in shape and we have made pacts that if we ever go astray off the healthy path that we would help and push each other.
10) whenever i ask him any question like "what do you want to eat?", "what are we doing tonight", or any question he always replies with "cha chi bagotchi". incredibly annoying to not get my question answered, yet hilarious every time.
11) Matson's BIGGEST fear is spiders. so funny that he is afraid of them, he freaks out. YET he still sprays for them and kills them for me. what a gent! that leads me to...
12) he is such a gentleman. he opens doors for me, walks closest to the street on the sidewalk, and never lets me clean the dishes by myself or make dinner by myself he always wants to step in and help.
13) he is so unselfish. i love that he gets into whatever shows i like to watch (american idol, bachelor, grey's anatomy, project runway, etc), yet little selfish me can't stand to watch one of his favorite shows...family guy.
14) i love matson's teasing. he teases me lots but it is for fun and i honestly think if their was a 6th "Language of Love"...it would be Teasing. And that would be Matson's way he shows love.
15) I love how competitive he is...sometimes it is not so great if he loses at rook or basketball or anything i just know to stay away for a good hour or so but his competitiviness always pushes him to do his best
16) i love how protective over his car he is. Just shows me in the future how protective he will be with his children? ok that's a stretch but for real.
17) he is such a hard worker. i know people say this about their spouses all the time but he seriously is.
18) i love matson's warmth. literally he is the hottest i am saying temperature wise, but he is the other type as well person i know. he is always hot so it is perfect for me because i am always cold. so he is like my own little personal heater!
19) i love that matson likes to shop. seriously when we were dating he HATED it. he would not even hold a bag because he was so embarrassed that he was shopping i had to hold it or his sisters when they went shopping with him NOW although he struggles he will hold his own bags and mine too. he likes to shop and find good deals with me even though he will probably deny it if you ask him.
20) when he mimics my dance moves in the car. which then starts a huge follow the leader dance session in our car. it can change a :( upside down.
21) matson has the funniest fears (i already mentioned one in #11) but i love matson's fears because they are totally hilarious. i can't tell you them all or he would be mad. but i will say one.........he is afraid of bathrooms except for our bathroom and his parent's bathroom. hey if you guys know of a phobia named for this let me know!
22) matson is the nicest person i know. he will help anyone. short side story: last year during winter we driving on a really snowy night to go hang out or do something and we saw this couple walking their scooter. it was snowing and icy. matson without even thinking about it stops immediately pulls over and asks the couple if they would like a ride somewhere. they said yes and were freezing so they got in the car to warm up and matson by himself lifted this huge scooter into the back of his truck. we come to find out that the couple had been walking since center street in orem all the way up canyon road and we had pulled them over just on timpview drive at the 4 way stop by Rock Canyon Elementary. anyway after that experience (this is when we were dating) i knew that matson was always going to be so generous and kind...even to strangers!
23) the way he loves everyone. especially me!

Look How He's Grown!

from this naked bum bum...

to this proud potty trained toddler...

to this handsome chap!

shake your body like a belly dancer. no thank you.

Pet Peeve Alert. 

what is up with those girls at the gym and pulling up their shirts? or wearing just a sports bra?

here are the 3 kinds of women who wear them.

(i don't mean this rude but here is just a little bit of venting. 

oh and if one of these describes you i am sorry ahead of time)

1) the show off

yes, she has a nice body. yes, she goes to the tanning salon. but still we all know what you think is your secret. you want the guys over there in the "Men's Lifting Area" to check you out. Miss Show Off Woman, try online dating.

2) the unaware

yes, she may not have the best mid section. so why is she wearing only a bra on top? this is because she is UNAWARE. she is just riding along on her bike. then she feels the tacos forming and the river flowing down her back, so she pulls up her shirt and we all get a preview of her rolls. I feel bad for this type. They just are hot and want to shed some layers. i have no advice for the "unaware". just kind of not the best view.

3) the wannabe  

These are those who have the confidence of a "show off" and believe that they have the body of the "show off". BUT "unneccessaries", you don't. keep going to the gym just next time wear a tank top!