Annual Anniversary Picture

Time has flown by. Two weeks ago it was our anniversary and so much has happened since! Lots to update you all on, that's for sure. But for now I will leave you with our annual anniversary picture. I know we are so weird and take the same picture coming out of an LDS Temple around our anniversary because so many people get married in August (the crazy wedding month) so we get to be at the temple for weddings a lot and my cousin, a photographer, snaps one of us.

2nd Anniversary 

1st Anniversary

Wedding Day

1st Anniversary Picture Post HERE.
All photographs by Moxie Photography

Summer Television Cycle

Disclaimer: I really only watch television when I am doing my hair and getting ready and as a family my family watches The Bachelor/Bachelorette. And occasionally when I am just stressed and need to veg out. We do not even have our television connected to cable or any stations at all.

So...every summer I go through this horrible thing where all my shows have ended their seasons and I have nothing to watch all summer long, which is when I would have the most time to get ready which also means I have the most time to watch television. So almost every summer I have picked up a new tv series. IT IS THE WORST because then every year I add on a new tv series I need to watch throughout the whole year. So last summer I started watching Pretty Little Liars from the first season and I got all caught up by Christmas of 2011. But I guess it is all ok because almost every year I have lost a show. Like this past year I lost One Tree Hill. 

You are all thinking, "Wow. Hello TV freak!" I really am not. I really am not that bad. I just watch Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl, America's Next Top Model, Pretty Little Liars, and Project Runway.  Holy list.

So this summer I just started watching Downton Abbey. Guys, I love it. I love old fashion shows like musicals and stuff like that. So it is so great for me. I am only on Episode 4 of Season 1. Don't tell me anything about future Downton Abbey eps...but for next summer or Christmas break,  tell me what shows you are watching right now? So then I can be all ready to start another freaking series! 

2nd Wedding Anniversary

Wellp, it has been two years that Matson and I have been married and I know this is mushy and cliche but I love him so much and still consider myself one lucky lady to have gotten a man like Matson who cares so much for me, is so hard working at everything he does, is so kind and giving, and who can make me laugh so hard even when I am completely frustrated with him. It really is something special to marry your best friend, starting your own life together, creating your own little traditions, and truly becoming a family. I've looked back and it's amazing the fun places and things we have experienced and seen together:

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Seattle, Washington

San Juan, Puerto Rico

St. Thomas

Barbados

St. Lucia

St. Kitts

St. Maarten

New York City

Cancun, Mexico

and of course, all over Utah

Here is to many more years full of adventures and love. I love you, Mats! 

That's enough mushy-ness for you all, I am sure.

So...did you know the 2nd Anniversary gift is the "cotton" anniversary year? Which also reminds me of how I do not like cotton balls and I avoid it as much as I can to touch them. Weirdest texture. Hah. I am so random. 

Matson...A Model?

My visiting teaching companion and good friend in our ward is an illustrator/artist. She is very talented and even painted a portrait for one of the elderly woman we visit teach of the woman and her husband who passed away...so precious.

Anyway so a couple weeks ago K* asked me if Matson would be willing to model for her because she needed someone with scruff and large muscles. Check and check...that's Matson all right. She came over and took multiple pictures of him to use for a job she was hired to do. It's for a cover of a video game book (uhhh...did anyone else not know that these such books exist?) and I think it turned out super cool and it is totally Matson even the veins, facial expression and all!

Check out K*'s other work here.

House Hungry

So next week marks our 2nd year of being married. Party! With 2 years of marriage also comes the feeling of just be sick of our apartment. Our apartment is great and all but it is still just an apartment. We are a little house hungry over here. So just like with baby hungriness (I can't believe that is a word...no red squiggly line underneath it. Hallelujah!) you go find a little baby or kid and it fills that void, so with house hungriness and if you aren't in the position to buy a house you just fix up your place you are in now to feel that void...right??

Our bedroom is great and all but there is this one wall in our room that I have never liked but for some reason I just feel a little bond with it because of the wreath on it. You are all thinking, "What the freak? A wreath?"

Yes, a wreath. But not just any wreath. A wreath from our wedding reception.

Just ignore our intense faces.

See...pretty wreath, right? So I am all, "Ohhh let's dry the wreath and be all artistic like and put it in our house." So we did just that and it has sat there for almost 2 years "drying".

SO UGLY! What was I thinking? Seriously. And why is it still on my wall? My thoughts keep going back to our reception night and this wreath came from that beautiful night...holding on to it.  Then they turn to thoughts about how wilted and fugly (freaking+ugly) and who cares? It's vomit in the mouth so out to the trash it went.

So I got together some cheap frames and free printables off Pinterest of course and came up with this new, redone and fun wall! I am in love. Makes me so happy when I see it!

Not the best but I didn't want to spend oodles of money on this so we used a lot of what we had but some I bought new and it definitely didn't cost me more than $25 (minus the portrait of us, I think that was $25 itself).

Products:

• Upper Left
• Photo: Me at 8 in ballet class
• Frame: Unknown (Old)
• Bottom Left
• Photo: Matson at 6 or so
• Frame: Michael's (Gifted to me by Matson)
• Bottom Center "Utah"
• Print: q.a. Designs State Prints
• Frame: Target (Old)
• Bottom Right
• Portrait of us by Birds of Ashmae or her etsy shop here.
• Frame: Target
• Center "I Love Us"
• Print: eighteen25
• Frame: Hobby Lobby
• Top Center "You Are My Sunshine"
• Print: J & A & Company 
• Frame: Target (Old)
• Top Right
• Sunburst Mirror: T.J. Maxx

Follow me on Pinterest here.

My Sister's Shower // Episode 3

My sister's wedding is even closer. Her friends threw her a shower. So much fun! She sure does have a lot of great friends that love her!

Bride to Be/My Sister

Table Decor

Her friends made her take a piece of sour gum every time
she answered a question differently than her fiance, N*.

Gift opening...now that's a little bit of an awkward face there, sis.

My Sister's Shower, Episode 1: Here

My Sister's Shower, Episode 2: Here

My Sister's Shower // Episode 2

As I have talked about before...my little sis is getting married soon. So we are having all the fun and going to showers. Our ward (or neighborhood) that we grew up in throws soon to be married girls showers. Thus, my little sister got another beautiful shower thrown for her and I happily attended! FYI: I kind of stunk at taking pictures at this shower but it was a wonderful Saturday morning brunch outside under the trees.

You can tell what my favorite gift was that my sister got. Each woman who attended the shower was given a recipe card with their invitation. They each brought the recipe card and the hostess gifted my sister this cute Personalized Recipe Set with an Embosser to put them all in. Now I want one...anyone ever heard of a shower just for randoms, even though you have been married for almost 2 years?

My Sister's Shower, Episode 1: Read here

My Sister's Shower // Episode 1

My little sister is getting married later this month. THIS MONTH. Soooo to kick off the wedding festivities we started with a shower last Friday night that my mom's friends threw for her. The theme of the shower was just "shower" (hint: the shower soap, shower gel (Jones Soda), and cute pom pom clouds with rain). It seriously was one of the cutest showers with the most important part of a shower...yummy food. It was so fun to see good friends, try my first ever macaroon, and get my baby fix from baby S*.

Baby S* and I walking around playing in the mirrors.

Most Photos via Chelsie (who helped throw the shower...Thanks Chels!)

Timp Caves First Timers

Last Friday Matson and I hiked Timpanogos Caves for the first time. It was a pretty hike and good little workout! Inside the caves you have to go through with a tour guide and that was a lot of fun and interesting!

Me hiking the trail 

us on the trail with AF canyon behind us 

Matson outside the cave entrance

Nothing was better than our tour guide. He was your typical nature/cave guide. So funny with the beard and all.

Our guide was the best. Classic caveman tour guide.

Our group inside the caves. Anders, me, Matson, Mette, and Dad

Us inside the caves

Most annoying was this dude (my dad)...just kidding love you!

My dad does thumbs up in all shots with a cheesy grin :)

But for real, the whole hike down my dad said to every person walking up, "Man...too bad we hiked that whole way and the cave was closed." I felt so bad so to every person walking by I had to apologize and explain my annoying dad is just teasing them. Such a GOOF. Sometimes he doesn't act 50. More like minus 42 years from his real age. Yeah 8. A little 8 year old.

Thanks Dad for taking us up to the caves for the first time!