mallosaurus

Handmade gifts

2012-02-08T22:48:00.001-08:00

You know whennn... you just feel like you suck? At life? Like you were meant to do so much more but you're so down on yourself you don't even know how to pick yourself up again to accomplish what you feel you were meant to do?

Well I have no idea how that feels......

On to more important things, wanna see some cool stuff I made for Christmas presents? I made 4 things: an apron for my little sister, a chalkboard frame for my older sister, a journal for my best friend/cousin, and a little stuffed birdie for my sis-in-law's fetus {which is now a legit BABY as of Feb 1st :)}.

The apron was fun albeit time consuming. Here is the tutorial I used to create it, minus the velcro - i just made the straps tie in the back like a normal apron. Also my sister is not very girly, so I made a bow for the waistband instead of a huge flower. Me likey how it turned out! I'm obsessed with that lovebird fabric.

The chalkboard frame was F-U-N to make! {sorry poor photo quality.} I bought a normal plain black frame, chalkboard spray paint, and some lace. I removed the glass insert and spray-painted it with 2 coats of chalkboard paint, but it might have been better off with 4 coats - I'll have to ask my sister how well it's doing after 1.5 months of use. While it was drying I Mod Podge'd the black frame, quickly laid the lace on the wet frame, and Mod Podge'd on top of the lace, too. It took overnight to dry, and the lace turned out more stiff and shiny than I had expected, but then I thought, "DUH you just used a bum load of glue all over it." I actually really liked how it turned out. I gave her a pack of chalk with it along with some fun ideas on how to use it, like in the kitchen to announce what's for dinner, on her kids' beds for an "I love you" note, etc.

The shabby chic traveling chalkboard!

This journal was fun too, although I don't recommend Mod Podge for this venture. Or perhaps Mod Podge would have worked if I used thinner paper than scrapbook pages. But they were too cute to pass up! I thought about stitching some yarn along the edges for reinforcement, but I ran out of time and I think the journal cover was too thick for a needle. All this took was a cheap plain journal, scrapbook paper, scissors, and glue!

I love this birdie! {I can't, I CAN'T for the life of me just call it "bird." I have to say "birdie"}. You probably know in my Etsy shop I made owls for Christmas... this is what inspired me to start those! I had to have this gift ready {and the chalkboard} by mid-November because that was the only time my whole family was getting together for the holidays {my Jersey trip}. And Matthieu drew my s-i-l's name. Well, he got her something totally awesome for her Mac, but I wanted to make something extra for her little girl because little Naomi is more special than you know. So I asked what the nursery colors might be, followed this tutorial, and fell in love with an inanimate plush birdie.

I might fill my daughter's room with these someday.

My man's guns

2012-01-26T17:01:00.001-08:00

Matt bought himself a .22 hand gun for Christmas...

... which in turn made him want to get his shot gun from home when we went to CA for Christmas. We're having a lot of fun with friends who we now-know have guns too.

... and he looks gooooood.

SNOWFLAKE STARS!

2012-01-25T15:57:00.001-08:00

GUYS! Yesterday I almost died because it was snowing the most FLUFFY, pretty snow I've seen since last year on my birthday. But then I ACTUALLY died when I saw the snowflakes up close! All of them - legitimately ALL of them - looked like this:

Is that not the happiest thing in the world? And I don't get happy about snow... I get angry with snow. So this was straight from Heaven.

And then and then..... I saw one even CLOSER! Did Martha Stewart just cut that out of paper to make winter decorations? NO. It's a real. life. snowflake.

Did I ever say what Matt did for my birthday when I got back to town?

2012-01-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

Not only did he give me the most selfless present in the world, he surprised me with a little party! With some of our favorite people. And I L-O-V-E surprises. And favorite people. So he pretty much scored major points. He took the time to go shopping with Tara for balloons {my other favorite}, chocolate cake {hello}, and helped her decorate her apartment :) I wish I got a picture of everything, but here is a photo of ONE of the balloons he got, and a picture from the party:

He is so excited right there, seeing if I can get all 24 candles. Which I...... didn't.

And not only is Matthieu the bomb diggity, my Rexburg gal pals are too!

Can you believe it? People care about me that much? :) I'm just so grateful for the family and friends I have in my life. Not because they give me stuff on my birthday, but I know they care about me. I've actually been having a very hard week, so reflecting on how much people care about me is just what I needed today. {Note: if you have called me in the past week or two and I haven't called you back... that's why. I know I need to be a better friend, and I will be! I'm sorry.}

Here's to LOVE! May we all be better at giving it and spreading it this year :)

Resolutions

2012-01-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Helloooo, it's been a while.

So I wasn't really into the whole "New Years Resolutions" thing this year. Actually, I never really am. Probably because I know I'll never stick to anything. Ha! I'm okay with it.

But really I'm not okay with it because I made a list last week of things I want to be better at this year... AKA a resolution list? Fancy that! I sure throw myself for a curveball sometimes. I'm also not a huge fan of sharing resolutions, but just like my C2K, I feel like if I say it out loud, there is definitely a better chance I will do it. So here it is, my simple list of things I know I need to be much better at. Help me out with them if you can! :)

*Run the Gugelman Hurdle for Hope Extreme Race in July! It's a 5k with hurdles, obstacles, mud, water, and extreme racing! Awesome right? I'll probably die.

*Cook healthier meals {or just cook more meals}

*Read more books

*Be better at my personal scripture study

*Take a dance class

*Budget our money better {start saving for family trip}

*Find ways to serve everyone but myself

*Do the splits!

*Go to bed earlier {already doing better at this, woot!}

*Drink more water

*Be a better, more selfless wife

*Go to the temple twice a month {we will probably never live so close to a temple again.}

Christmas photos with props!

2012-01-11T11:34:00.001-08:00

Ohhkay Matt is my favorite ever.

We had a lot of fun at his Grammy's Christmas Eve-Eve (2 nights before Christmas) party with all of his family. I had to put up these pictures of us girls because 1) I LOVE these girls! I couldn't have asked to marry into a better or more gorgeous family! and 2) the pictures are HILARIOUS. I mean look at Tara. hahaha. I'm so glad our Aunt Lori thought to get pictures of all of us. :) I hope someday we all live within an hour of each other just like our parents!

Back to real life

2012-01-09T10:26:00.001-08:00

I returned to Rexburg yesterday with a blazing desire to be optimistic about the next few wintery months of hibernation. If I convince myself there is something positive about living in a cold, gray world each day - what can go wrong? Today I am happy because there is barely snow on the ground! I must enjoy this since I know it can't last for long {especially since I just jinxed it}.

Maybe I'll go hug a snow-less tree!

{photo taken in November down the street from our apartment}

A very merry birthday indeed

2012-01-05T01:12:00.001-08:00

Started the day waking up to mom, pops, and Kenzie singing Happy Birthday to me at the foot of my bed. :) Loved that.

I also had lunch with my very best friend/cousin/maid-of-honor Brooke {very clever wrapping of my gift, yes?},

went shopping at the MALL {haven't seen one in years it seems like}, treated myself to a Double Chocolate Chip frap at Starbucks,
saw another very close friend/bridesmaid Emily, ate at Olive Garden with the family {Olive Garden's second year in a row where they didn't sing to me, give me ice cream, or acknowledge in any way all the work I did in that womb 24 years ago to get into this world. Three strikes you're out, OG...},
opened presents {lovely presents!}, watched Larry Crowne with mi mama, and Skype'd {and laughed mucho} with mi amore.

A very merry birthday indeed.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2012-01-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

My two favorite things are birthdays and snuggling. But today I will only get one of those since I'm still in Las Vegas with my family while Matt is working up in Idaho. Despite not having my best friend with me today, it will be a good day :) 24 is a really good number considering Matt keeps calling me Jack Bauer. Beep....beep....beep beep beepbeepbeep

Christmas morning

2012-01-03T01:13:00.001-08:00

Are we cute or are we cute?

Loving his outfit.

11 Highlights of 2011

2012-01-01T17:46:00.000-08:00

{i need more pictures of our place!}

An INCREDIBLE first year of marriage! Here's to 2012!

{idea borrowed from Running on Happiness}

My favorite Christmas picture this year

2011-12-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

I took this at a cute little shop named "Tinsel Trading" in downtown NYC. It's filled with ribbons and trimmings of every adorable and gorgeous kind.

Gosh I love the holidays. :)

p.s.

2011-12-18T00:02:00.001-08:00

Can I be invited to a fancy New Years Eve party so I can wear this? Plz?

With a little cap sleeve of course. <3

Lessons Learned: Week 3

2011-12-17T22:18:00.000-08:00

Monday

Start helping husband with his music final exam loooong before the night before it is due.

Tuesday

Apparently gorilla glue spreads as it's drying. And it's not a pretty color.

Wednesday

Don't jinx the weather by saying "It's so nice, I can't believe it! The ground is usually covered in snow by now!" .... yep, totally snowed the day after I said that.

Thursday

Don't leave out cinnamon rolls over night. Or any food for that matter.... but stale cinnamon rolls are probably the saddest thing to happen since white plastic Christmas tress.

Friday/Saturday

Just say NO when asked to work a triple cashier shift. My feet huht (little kid voice). But a good night of SNL starring Katy Perry sure cheers me up :)

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful sister! She is the light of my life. Hope you had fun in NYC today, Miss!

Attempt at a Christmas card photo

2011-12-13T10:15:00.001-08:00

They all kind of failed to meet Christmas card status, but they're cute to look at :)

I love the sight of that man in front of our first Christmas tree. <3

Couch to 5K

2011-12-12T21:14:00.000-08:00

{me on a good day.}

Matt and I were sitting in church yesterday when I leaned over to him and whispered,

"I'm going to start training for a 5K"

Ok, it doesn't sound as funny now as it did yesterday, out of nowhere in the middle of church, coming from ME, of all people. We kind of both busted up laughing {as quietly as possible}. It's funny because - I bet you didn't know this since I hide it really well {riiiight} - I'm super lazy.

Did you know that?

Like.... I say I'll exercise, and then drinking a chocolate shake sounds like a much better idea.

I used to go cycling on a regular basis at the University gym, but I gave up on that.

I used to dance every week in junior high and high school, but then I moved.

I sometimes make goals and feel really invigorated to become super fit, but then the couch calls my name in that sweet song of his.

So, right now, the former part of that last sentence is happening again... I saw this C25K site and now I'm super pumped to have step-by-step instructions on how to be awesome. I am starting tomorrow, and YOU blog followers are going to keep me on track! Now that I have made this public knowledge, I am going to be held accountable. In other words, I can't give up.

So ask me tomorrow if I went running. And ask me in 2 weeks if I'm still doing it. I know this is a weird time to start, with Christmas being in 2 weeks and all the traveling we're going to be doing.... but when is it really ever a good time to start? I'm excited.

...I hope I'm still excited tomorrow morning.

Lessons Learned: Week 2

2011-12-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Monday

Double check... no wait, just CHECK every possible hiding spot when I enter a room. Even under the car. That husband of mine loves to make me jump.

Tuesday

When you show up for an interview and have to wait, don't get too involved in the magazine article you're reading. When the time came for me to do the interview, I nearly said, "Oh thank you, I'll be right in after I find out why Mark Wahlberg spent more money on his training for the movie 'Fighter' than he was paid for the film."

Wednesday

Always bee on the look out for Frosty the Snowman.... you might see him frolicking {literally} away from a Rexburg Elementary School. :)

But seriously I did.

Thursday

Use thick bread made for paninis in your panini maker. Not 97cent white bread... you'll get cheese crackers!

Friday

Don't buy your husband new hair gel when he's told you hundreds of times that he won't use it.

Let's hear more of your guys' lessons learned this week! I loved the comments last time. You guys made me ROFL. {maybe not literally}

Christmas+Birthday Wish List

2011-12-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

I stole the idea from Sydney's post. And it was easy for me to make because I already had most of these things picked-out and linked-up on my Pinterest. I knoww it may seem like a lot of preparation and a lot of.... things {because it is} but my birthday is also one week after Christmas, so I need to give people options! Plus I never buy clothes for myself anymore now that I'm a penny-pincher wife, so it's fun to ask for things I would never otherwise get. ;) Ok enough rationalizing. I love clothes.

1 - Miss Selfridge

2 - Target

3 - Urban Outfitters

4 - Heaven is for Real

5 - Bb thickening hair serum

6 - YesStyle

7 - LDS Quad Scripture set -

You guys. I have had my set of separate books since I was 8 years old. I think I'm due for a new set! This isn't listed on my Pinterest because Matt already said he would get it for me. But will he? Hmmm...

8 - Maurices

9 - Etsy

10 - Target

11 - ASOS

12 - Victoria's Secret

13 - Mary Kay

What's on your wish list?

Magnolia bread puddin'

2011-12-07T13:38:00.001-08:00

While in Manhattan we made a pivotal stop at Magnolia's Bakery. And by "made a stop," I mean we walked 5 blocks out of the way just to go there. Then 5 blocks back. Ok, to be honest, I didn't know what Magnolia's Bakery was before my trip. But apparently they are famous for their cupcakes. I decided to rebel, though... I followed the tip of my sister's friend and got their Banana Bread Pudding.

Oh.

My.

Pudding.

I was the happiest girl in Grand Central Station! And my sister couldn't finish hers, so I had SECONDS. Mmm mm. I know it's not the most appetizing photo, but I don't have an iPhone, okay?!

Can I go back to NYC yet?

Lessons Learned: Week 1

2011-12-06T02:14:00.000-08:00

Monday

Go to bed early the night before a 6:00am shift. I hate learning things the hard way.

Tuesday

Don't work with a hot glue gun on carpet. Poor, poor carpet.

Wednesday

Zappos is A-W-E-S-O-M-E. The zipper on some Uggs they sent me broke nearly a year ago, and I just got around to calling them. Sent me new ones! For free! Next-day shipping! My feet are cozy and warm-hearted.

Thursday

Have someone help you hang a wreath full of gold glittery ornaments. Again, learned the hard way.

Friday

You will ALWAYS buy more than you think you will at the Target $1 bins.

Saturday

Go on more girl dates! I love April and the fun/enlightening/revealing-of-self conversations we have. Plus we decided it's good for our husbands if we talk to each other and get all the "female talk" out of our system so they don't have to pretend to be interested in what we say. :) But who knows, maybe they DO love hearing about the Target $1 bins? Maybe?

Sunday

Don't keep a glass of water by your computer.... yeeeeah.

Any lessons learned this week for you guys?

My sister's beanie + the cutest boutique in existence

2011-12-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

{I know you're loving these bathroom pics}.

Another outfit post from my time in Jersey! Although the only thing that is my sister's is thatadorable beanie. I'm kind of obsessed with it... and kind of obsessed that everything she owns is from somewhere incredible. Anthro, Len Druskin, a street vendor in New York City... SHE should start a fashion blog, am I right?!

The blazer is mine and I got it at THE cutest boutique in Idaho called Lulu Bella . It is absolutely ADORABLE! I went in there yesterday {I often just go to look at it... no shame} to see if they were hiring and they were putting up their Christmas decorations... It tookeverything in me to not ask if I could help decorate with them! Since my goal is to open a boutique when I'm older and settled in, I figured this would be the best place to start and get my inspiration. These store interior photos do not do it justice! But you should look at them anyway. :)

I would honestly buy everything they sell {and all their furniture! although not for sale...} if my husband would still love me for making us broke. <3

I also wore this blazer here and here.

Trim the tree...

2011-11-29T15:13:00.001-08:00

Finally! My lovely parents bought us our very first Christmas tree and brought it to Jersey! So it's been sitting in a box on our kitchen table since LAST Monday, and I wasn't allowed to put it up until Saturday {I guess the man loves Thanksgiving... who knew?}. Alas, it is still missing a star - a very vital aspect to both Mattchew and I. Anyone have ideas on where we can get one for a mini tree?

These are the ornaments we have from our first Christmas together last year. :) I love them each with all my heart... Maybe the penguin one most because it was a gift from Matt. I just love that man so much I would become a penguin for him.

Happy Holidays!

A Jersey outfit

2011-11-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

top: Downeast Basics, cardigan: Len Druskin, skirt: Anthropologie, tights: Target, shoes: Forever21

So while I was in Jersey I took advantage of my sister's closet. That skirt!!!! To die for, correct? I couldn't decide if the black feather cardigan was too much, so I spent half the day wearing it and the other half cold in a t-shirt. But I AM in love with the jacket. Maybe it would have been paired better with skinny jeans.

Either way, anything goes with those gray shoes in my opinion. And those are alllll mine. I haven't been able to wear them the past couple of years because my wonderful Matthieu is only 2 inches taller than me, and those puppies have a 4" heel! That's why I packed them on my trip... because he wasn't going to be there... muahaha.

...I love him.

And then of course I finished the outfit with my favorite deep berry lipstick, which I think is perfectly captured here. :)

Have the best day of your life!

Owl Ornaments!

2011-11-27T23:38:00.000-08:00

Remember how I have an Etsy shop? I just added some fun things to it. You should take a looksy :)

First Anniversary

2011-11-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to my one and only! He has been there for me through thick and seriously thin. He makes me laugh when I am at my saddest or angriest. He cleaned the entire apartment (even MOPPED!) and lit a fancy candle when I came home from my week and a half long trip. He rubbed my feet and back after my 12-hour Target shift on Black Friday. He tells me I'm beautiful and provides for our small wonderful family {of 2}. I love him and our wedding day was the absolute best day of my entire existence.

One year down, forever to go. Literally.

Happy Thanksgiving... plus a recipe!

2011-11-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

Today is the greatest day to remember all we have in our lives. You seriously cannot complain on a day dedicated to giving thanks! {Even though I may or may not have complained this morning when we found ants in our house... please forgive me.}

Things I am grateful for:

*A loving, smart, funny, and kind husband. He truly is perfect for me.

*Family - immediate, extended, in-laws... all of them.

*A nice apartment

*A healthy body

*Music

*Dance

*Friends - old and new :)

*Creativity

*Accomplishing goals

*Space heaters

*My grandmother's bed

*Kind and generous people

I want to share with you guys my FAVORITE Thanksgiving recipe! I've never made it by myself until today, and it requires thorough preparation - meaning start the night before you're going to eat it. It is my mother's famous...

Thanksgiving Jello Dessert

Ingredients

1 green 3 oz. package of Jello

1 orange 3 oz. package of Jello

2 lemon 3 oz. package of Jello

1 & 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 cups whipped cream (or) 4 cups Cool Whip

Directions

I. The night before:

1. Prepare 1 package of each color of jello separately, and set in 8" square pans or pie tins over night.

2. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter and spread in a 9x13 pan. Chill overnight.

{This is the BEST part of the dessert... mmm. I always try to scoop up more of the crust then my portion would allow. Also, I was going to buy a box of regular graham crackers and crush them into crumbs, but on my way to the check-out lane I saw a box of graham cracker CRUMBS staring me down as if to say, "I am here to save you." It was about the same price as the box of graham crackers, so you can do whichever method you prefer.}

II. Several hours before serving:

1. Boil 1 cup water in small saucepan. Add the other package of lemon jello and sugar and stir until sugar and jello dissolve. Add pineapple juice. (I bought canned pineapple chunks, opened half of the lid, and poured juice into my measuring cup. I knew we'd eat the pineapples later).

2. Put contents in bowl and chill in refrigerator till slightly thickened (about 45 minutes). It should look like this:
{I know you're loving these finger shots}

3. Add whipped cream (or) Cool Whip to lemon jello mix. {I'm kind of obsessed with Cool Whip. Even the generic kind is equally to die for.}

It should be airy and fluffy. Kind of like mousse.

4. Take your 3 jellos out of the fridge and cut into small 1/2" cubes.
5. Add jello cubes to lemon jello mixture and spread onto refrigerated crust.
6. Chill for several hours before serving.

And wha-la! A very Happy Thanksgiving treat!

You could also make this for Christmas and use red and green jello. :) Have a great turkey day!

Jersey Trip

2011-11-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

About a month ago I get a call from my sister saying her husband is going on a business trip for a week and a half in November.... and asked if I would fly out to stay with her and the kids! HELLO, yes! I of course asked the man if he would be alright with this situation, and since I had cried {just a little bit, ok!} the week before about missing this said sister and kids, he said it was probably much needed. So 2 Thursdays ago I kissed him goodbye and had an amazing week filled with exuberant amounts of sister fun. We went on power walks almost every day because not only did we need the exercise, Chester, NJ is GORGEOUS in the Fall! The leaves are vibrant red and glistening yellow! Tall, gorgeous trees line the roads everywhere you drive! Some buildings and houses were built in the 1700's with amazing architecture and beauty, and their front doorsteps are so festively decorated! Did you know they have a deer "infestation"? Where deer just wander around the city all the time, in backyards, public parks, and streets? They call it an infestation not just because of the high amount of roadkill, but these cuties eat up everyone's flowers and gardens. I never got used to the "awe" feeling of seeing these elegant animals gracefully appear in the front yard of the public library or the sidelines of a local football game. They will never be an "infestation" in my eyes. :) I wish, I WISH I had pictures of Chester... stupid Mallory.

We also made pumpkin bread,

went shopping,

put together a TV stand... sort of successfully. We also spray painted some furniture and did other DIY-ing.

We went to my nephew's football game & banquet,

and of course saw the big city!

Plus lots of sleeping in, movies, not sleeping in, and laughing. :) More photos of NYC to come <3

Lauren & Hunter

2011-11-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

{via 2004}

{via 2011}

I love these kiddos! Lauren is my first niece - born when I was 12, and Hunter my first nephew - born when I was 14. Their mom is my best friend in the whole world, and they lived close while I was growing up so I was able to visit them often and love them with all the contents of my heart. Sometimes I honestly feel like my heart will explode from holding too much love for them. It was SO wonderful to spend the past week with just them, Melissa, and me... and I especially loved those one-on-one moments with each of them. They have grown up to be real friends of mine.

Sister love

2011-11-18T18:49:00.001-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. I'm in New Jersey visiting my sister! I'm still here, but I have some fun updates for when I return to normal life this Monday. For now, greetings from our day-trip to Manhattan! <3

Ohh I love the east coast.

I have an Etsy shop!

2011-11-06T01:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mallorynaomi

I hope you like it! I am just getting started so I have zero feedback and only 3 listings... but maybe you all can help me get the jump start I need. :) I've been having a lot of fun making these pretty necklaces, I just might keep some for myself!

Candy Cane Cocoa

2011-11-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I listened to Christmas music! There has only been one Christmas in my existence that I felt lasted just the right amount of time. Only one year where I thought, "Hm, now that Christmas is over, I feel satisfied... not depressed that's it's over!" And that was because I had THREE Christmas's! And one of those Christmas's was spent in New York City, and it doesn't get more holiday-ey than the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza, the Rockettes show at Radio City, snow in Central Park, and frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity's!

So this year when I was satisfied and comfortable with moving on from Halloween {the only thing that makes Halloween ending okay, is knowing Christmas is coming in 2 months}, I got started immediately on making this Christmas LAST. I will feel satiated with Christmas this year! I will have my fill and not want more! I will bring Rockefeller Plaza and Serendipity's to ME!

Bring on the candy canes and hot cocoa ;)

Halloween Par-tay!

2011-11-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

April made these yummy and adorable cupcakes!

The BEST costumes ever

haha, I love April.

That little puppy was scared of Matt's chimney sweep!

What I got out of church yesterday...

2011-10-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

You might already know that Matt and I teach Sunday School every-other week in our ward. We love it! Matt is so, so great at it - I'm unbelievably glad I have him as a teaching partner because I would just blubber and nervously laugh my whole way through the lesson without him. So yesterday we didn't think we had to teach since this month was crazy with General Conference, Stake Conference, 5 Sundays instead of 4, etc., and we were sure it was the other teachers' turn to teach.

Welp!

It was our turn. No one really knew what was going on, including the Sunday School president, so we walked into the classroom, were told we were supposed to teach, and walked up to the front of the class with about... 30 seconds to look at the manual before diving into it. Slightly terrifying, and I was pretty sure no one would get anything out of the lesson considering we hadn't prepared or prayed for the Spirit to touch their hearts.

Plus, Matt and I are kind of funny and light-hearted in our lessons in order to make them more interesting, so there is usually more laughter than emotional spiritual moments. But I still learn a lot and am always enlightened with other people's comments.

So I was surprised, when half-way through the lesson I started making a comment and tears just came out of my eyes as I had this personal revelation that what I was saying was true. I've never had that happen before - where I'm talking in front of a class or congregation with a jolly demeanor and no inkling of deep emotion when all of a sudden what I'm saying makes my heart leap into my throat and I cry with no warning. It was incredible! Want to know why my heart did that?

We continued our teaching of Paul's ministry, and now we are in Acts 21-28 discussing all of the tribulation he went through because he was testifying of Christ. The manual asks the question, "When have you borne your testimony in a situation that required courage?" We asked the class this question, and I thought of a conversation we had with our cousins and friends the night before that directly related. Matt and his cousin Tara grew up in California during the Proposition 8 controversy. Saturday night Tara was telling us her experiences with that, such as the prophet asking us to set aside a certain amount of time each week dedicated to the cause, telling us to vote 'Yes', and to encourage others to do the same. Tara said she was so EXCITED to actually fight for something. We are a passive religion and don't like to cause controversy, but we are so strong in our beliefs that when they are attacked, we must stand for what's right. We must FIGHT. And Tara explaining how her family got a burrito thrown at them while holding up signs for what they know is right, while other people in their ward tried to stay under radar and didn't just not picket, didn't even vote! When God told us to! And I couldn't help but think of Paul, and Joseph Smith, and the pioneers, and Martin Luther, and everyone who went through hell to proclaim the truth and testify of Christ! Who are we to sit in the comfort of our own home and not do something as simple as voting 'Yes' so that our species can stay in existence. Did the prophets of old and new die in vain? Did they fight through threat of life, starvation, endangerment of family, shipwreck, and imprisonment - while not ONCE denying the power of God and His mercy - so that we can take it for granted?

I'm not saying we need to do anything this extreme - obviously not. But what if a friend's Facebook status says something like "I love anti-mormon literature!" or "My life sucks...there must be no God"? Let's respond with, "If you love that literature, you'll LOVE the Book of Mormon!" or "I'm so glad you have a life and are in my life... for there would be no life without a God."

It's scary! It's scary to risk losing friends or tarnishing our reputation or seeming overbearing or even haughty. But Matt made a comparison yesterday that makes so much sense... One of two things will happen: 1) They think we're weird, or 2) They gain salvation. Haha! I know it sounds exaggerated and broad, but that's really what it comes down to.

I don't want to take Paul's sacrifice for granted anymore. I want to be a modern-day Paul and praise God fervently for the rest of my life and throughout eternity. God has given us so much, it's so little to give back, right?

I love the truth!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

Autumn in a Small Town

2011-10-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Here is a handful of the photos I was talking about *here*. There are some things about this small town I really can't get used to, but as for Fall... I welcome it with open arms. All of these photos were taken within 2 blocks of our apartment!

1) Tree in our backyard. 2) Cute old lady who rides her bike down our street.

3) Our street facing north. 4) Cute little river next to the street.

5) The bridge that covers that cute river, which Matte and I eat dinner on sometimes. 6) View from the bridge.

7, 8) Festive doorsteps down the street.

9) Lellow leaves. 10) Our front door. Witch!

11) More lellow leaves. 12) Another bridge, and pathway up Main Street.

13) Fall berries. 14) Some woods down the street.

Our friends on the other side

2011-10-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

So on Sunday we were driving to church and I took my family cookbook with me on the drive {hah} to see what ingredients were needed in my sister Melanie's enchiladas {soo yum}. The cookbook was compiled in 1997, so her name above the recipe was her then-married name, Melanie Parker. I said to Matt, "Have you seen 'One Fine Day' with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer?" He said no, so I went on to tell him how it's the best chick-flick ever and how much the girls in my family love it, and that Michelle Pfeiffer's character in the movie was Melanie Parker, which was also my sister Melanie's married name once upon a time. {He didn't know, or really think about it, or put two-and-two together throughout our relationship}.

Anyway, none of that is important.

But what he said next was sweet. He said, "I wonder what she's doing right now." And no, if you are like me and thought 'Why does he care what Michelle Pfeiffer is doing right now?' you'd be mistaken like I was, for my husband certainly meant my sister.

In our religion, we believe there is life before and after death. This is comforting when a loved one passes on, if not comforting every single day. I began to picture what my sister was doing at that moment. Teaching others in the Spirit World, most likely. But then my thoughts turned back to enchiladas and how I was happy we had all the necessary ingredients waiting for us at home.

An hour of church went by, another hour of Sunday School, and then during the final hour of our meetings, when the men gather in the east room for Elder's Quorum and the women gather in the west room for Relief Society, the lesson on Post-Mortal Life began.

It's as if God knew Matt was going to ask me that question on the way to church that day. I was completely glued to the lesson, hoping I would receive more insight on what my sister was up to above us in the clouds. Melanie was different from the average "Mormon". She ran away from home at a young age, started drinking, smoking, doing illegal drugs, and .... getting to know a lot of males. But she also had this burning testimony that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was undoubtedly the true church. She loved her family, loved being with members of our faith, met with her bishop regularly some years, and didn't want to be the way she was. But she was who she was, and there is a lot more I can say about her and her mortal condition, but I feel she is too sacred to talk about with just anyone. The point is, I didn't know what she was up to right now because she didn't live her mortal life righteously. We believe that right after death, everyone goes to the Spirit World, where the righteous teach the unrighteous {or unknowing} about the Gospel. Since I believe God judges us by our hearts, {and because of other experiences}, I believed my sister was teaching the unrighteous.

But during one part of the lesson I started to think deeper. We also believe that our spirits will carry with them into the next life our same desires, appetites, addictions, knowledge, and goodwill our bodies have/learn in this life. Which poses the question, how could my sister teach the unrighteous while she was aching for the drugs and cigarettes she could not have?

After church I asked Matt that question, and he proposed a reasonable explanation. Heaven's timespan is completely different than ours. Perhaps when my sister first reached the Spirit World, she had to be taught. And probably, since her physical body and brain were damaged from the poisons she put into them, and since she already had a basic knowledge and testimony of our Heavenly Father and His great plan for us, she was able to be taught quickly, unhindered by her weak mortal body! Perhaps her learning went so speedily, they bumped her up a few grades and she was able to teach the unknowing within a year's time {our time} of her death, which is around the time I started to feel like she was close to us, teaching others in Heaven. And since she has experience of aching for addictions that can never be satiated, she can relate to those who are currently in her previous position.

Maybe this is reaching, but perhaps that's why Heavenly Father took her from us at age 28. I don't doubt she is doing more good up there than she was down here.

And one of the best parts of the lesson on Sunday was learning:

"We have more friends behind the veil than on this side, and they will hail us more joyfully than you were ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this world; and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoiced to see a friend in this life."

- President Brigham Young

I think of how much I love my family. How much I love my friends. I have certain friends that I don't get to see for a year or more at a time, but when I do it is the happiest thing I can dream of, and we pick up right where we left off. I think of my little nieces and nephews being born and how I honestly think there is nothing better or more exciting than seeing those new precious lives in my arms.

Then I think of my sister. And the literal hell she went through here. And how much she hurt others, whether it was on purpose or not, and the guilt she felt from that. And I imagine her dying there in the hospital holding my parents' hands, saying goodbye to them while almost simultaneously saying hello to her old friends and family. Such joy to overcompensate for her hell.

I think of people who feel they don't have very many friends on this earth, and how much joy this knowledge could bring them if they only knew how many people genuinely love them. Who are looking down on them, taking care of them {because they are, I truly believe, so close to us}, and praying and wishing so much that their mortal friend would recognize the incredible person he/she is. Help them realize that this life is so short in comparison to God's plan, and all the joy they could ever imagine is within reach. It is in this knowledge.

This is the time.

This is our time to prove who we are! What we can be. Who we promised God we would be when we came down to this earth.

Let's do it for Him. Let's do it for those friends and family members on the other side who are just begging us to step it up. But most importantly, let's do this for us. Because there is nothing better than self-worth. And I know I feel like a complete loser right now with no job, no hobbies, sleeping-in and reading books and doing NO good in the world. What a waste I am. And how much potential I have.

You have that potential too. You are undoubtedly doing much more with your life than I am at the moment, but you still have even more potential. You are important. God knows you. He listens to you. He doesn't cause your problems, He carries you through them. He sends us challenges to make us stronger. The way we can pay Him back for everything He has done is to help others. To love others the way Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ loves them. I know in order to get out of feeling sorry for myself is to forget myself and help everyone else. That is what brings us peace and fulfillment.

I just.... I just love you. All of you. Each of you. Any of you. Whoever you are. There is so much to love in every person. I'm going to change what I've been doing lately. I'm going to be the person I promised I would be, the person my sister wants me to be, the person I know I can be.

And perhaps that is the greatest feeling in the world.

My top October movies!

2011-10-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

I went out taking pictures of the Fall leaves today, and the combination of chilly weather, pumpkins on doorsteps, and colored leaves lining the small town streets got me in the mood for some October movies! I LOVE Halloween! And I love witches, which you will see in my compiled list below. Does anyone want to watch them with us this week/next week? I finally convinced Matt to watch Hocus Pocus last night - my top choice forever and ever. {He'd never seen it before - crazy, right?! He laughed the whole time, of course, in case you were wondering.} Now only 7 more movies to go! :) I just need to figure out how to get a hold of these movies... Halp us?

Happy Halloween!

...

2011-10-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else think that JibJab thing was hilarious? Or do I just crack myself up on a regular basis? ....

JibJab

2011-10-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!

My favorite is Dracula ;)

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Canana Bupcakes and Cumpkin Pookies

2011-10-12T00:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I made cupcakes!

Birthday cupcakes!

For this guy!

They were banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. And I'm SO glad I gave them away because I would have inhaled all 24 of them within the first 2 days out of the oven. {Not tooting my own horn, tooting "A Dash of Sass"'s horn.} I hope Matt Nearents liked them! Happy Birthday, man-who-married-my-best-friend-slash-cousin-so-you-are-now-my-cousin!

Tonight I am eating homemade pumpkin chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, drinking a cold glass of milk, reading The Hunger Games, and cuddling with my man!

{that last part will most probably definitely be after eating these ridiculously melting warm choco-chip punkin messy goodness. For his sake.}

xoxo

Paul Mitchell Products 20% Off

2011-10-07T16:06:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! I have a friend named Amanda. She's super cool. We took a lot of business and marketing classes together and of course gravitated towards each other since we were basically the only females in our major.

Well you know how I'm graduated? So is she. And she is now attending Paul Mitchell Hair Academy while trying to support her husband attending the University. She is selling AWESOME product bags at a 20% discount so she can attend an educational event in Las Vegas that only 30 students get to go to. She has to sell 45 bags to qualify.

Here are 3 of my faves of the product bag options. Each one costs $32. "Most Luvable" is for pets. I'm SO going to try to convince Matt to let me buy the "Best Body" because I have flat, thin, stringy hair that needs some oomph.

Leave a comment or e-mail me to let me know if you want any at this great discount! They come with the super cute bags, too.

Fall mistake

2011-10-06T19:29:00.001-07:00

So, it's October 6, right? Yellow leaves, red leaves, orange & black decorations, cardigan weather.... all that yummy Fall stuff.

Not where I live!

Today looked like this:

Ok well my Gmail background theme looked like this, but it is basically an accurate representation of what's happening in my zip code.

It really looked like this:

Can you tell Matt is unhappy? Barely, because my camera phone was WET. It's not even real, fluffy snow. It's rain snow. Feign snow. Not cardigan weather -- waterproof winter coat with hood weather.

But enough actual snow that I actually saw a SNOWMAN today. SNOW. MAN.

Two weeks ago exactly we were doing this:

Anyway, I hope it's just a one-week thing and next week will be back to 60's and 70's Fahrenheit sunshine, so I can admire the red and yellow changing leaves instead of not being able to see them. Right now I am taking advantage of the cold and I'm bundled up on my couch with hot chocolate. It kind of makes this weather easier on me. :)

I might have a slight obsession with dresses...

2011-10-05T00:22:00.000-07:00

Last time it was Deja Vu. This time the obsession is with Miss Selfridge. I really just love so many of their dresses. Online window shopping brings an unparalleled joy to my soul. :)

1 2 3 4 5 6

Gypsophila

2011-10-02T22:06:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky enough to have my very close friend {who is now a cousin!} be an amazing upcoming photographer who likes to use Matt and me as subjects sometimes. This last week Tara asked me to pose with some beautiful baby's breath {which we found out was layman's terms for Gypsophila..... fancy}. And you know I never refuse! Especially since I had actually put make-up on for the first time that week. Rare occurrence.

On Facebook, her newsfeed for the photos turned into a cute little collage. I saved it because all the colors and loveliness just fit together so well in this pretty ensemble of photos! You can find the full photos here, if you really want. Tara captures the light and gorgeous flowers stunningly!

Baby's breath reminds me of my wedding. It's considered a "filler" flower, but I think it is so dreamy by itself.

Yay for Gypsofila in the Fall!

Gretta's engagement glory

2011-09-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

OHKAY.

Time for me to share the most romantic proposal story I have ever seen via photos on Facebook. My friend Gretta from high school is one of the sweetest, funnest, most genuine girls you could ever meet. She truly thinks of everyone but herself and is just downright happy with life. I am so glad she has found someone who looks like he cherishes her the way she is supposed to be cherished! Go ahead and enjoy these photos with me... you won't regret it.

Don't you just love him waiting so nervously?

Here he is washing her feet. I wasn't familiar with this act being done in modern day until one of my best friends {Aspen} got married, and she told me that her and her husband were going to perform this act during the wedding ceremony. It is a biblical act symbolizing selflessness, love, and service. It just warmed my heart to see this wonderful man treating my sweet Gretta like the goddess she is!

amazing.

Oh it's such a fairy tale!

I love this. It is like she is looking at that beautiful sunset thanking God for this gorgeous moment!

I love you Gretta! Have the best married life ever. You deserve it :)

Fall Holidays!

2011-09-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

I totally didn't want Summer to end this year. Autumn used to be my favorite holiday, but I think since the winters last so long here in Idaho, Autumn became the warning sign of frigid death as opposed to relief from Vegas heat. Therefore, Summer has been my favorite these past few years because I spend 3/4ths of the year aching for sunlight and warmth on my skin.

So when I got on Pinterest towards the end of August and started seeing scarves, tights, hot cocoa, and expressions of love for Fall... I became slightly devastated. I reverted back to K-12 days when "Back to School" advertisements and supplies were plastered all over Wal-Mart in JULY - the middle of my summer vacation - when I refused to look at the signs and accept the possibility that school was returning at all. That's what I did here again - refused to look at Pinterest or accept that Summer was ending.

But,

who can stay away from Pinterest for long? Especially when it's right there on my Top Sites, staring at me every day? It took only a few days of gazing past Pinterest's Fall posts for my feelings to turn a complete 180. I am SO excited for Autumn! Ohh I wish it lasted longer than a few weeks here because I love the changing leaves. And also, you might not have known this, but Halloween is my 2nd favorite holiday!!! If Christmas didn't have so much meaning and greatness and family and love, Halloween would definitely be the cream of the crop of Holidays.

I was on Etsy tonight and the home page got me in the Hallow's Eve spirit:

Hello fun! So I started thinking of different costumes Matt and I could be this year. {Ok, maybe I've been thinking about costumes for a few weeks now...} I just can't decide if we should do cool masks:

{source}

awesome couple costumes:

{source}

or friggin' sweet make-up:

{source}

I am leaning towards the make-up because it is SO AWESOME! But I always want to be something specific. Not just wear crazy make-up. I want to state what I am dressed up as, like "Mary Poppins and Bert the Chimney Sweep."

Does anyone have suggestions or ideas for costumes this year? What are you going to be? :)

Jeep Trials... i mean trails.

2011-09-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

Matte and I have been having quite a lot of fun lately with our new Jeep Cherokee. {Did you know I am part Cherokee? All of my high school friends do because I think I announced every single day: "Oh really? Well I'M 1/32nd Cherokee! Ha!" One 32nd. One THIRTY-SECOND... why do I still think that is cool?}

Needless to say {because I just did...} I love our jeep. Matt loves it for its 4-wheel drive and 4-inch lift, and I love it because it has air conditioning and heating. But don't worry... it could never replace the 1993 Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer we left our wedding in.

Well... it will never be replaced in my heart. Matt took a wild guess that I had kissed other boys in it before him, and when I didn't refute his speculation he was very eager to move forward with our purchase of the Cherokee. But the Explorer isn't dear to my heart because of any boys or life before Matt! It has all the history of our marriage! Our long and prosperous 10-month marriage! We're pretty much experts on love and marriage now.

But I will save a special post on that forest green Explorer for another time, because today you get to watch videos of our new-found jeep love. :) Idaho does have its perks after all.

Virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.

2011-09-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I just love this post. I read Sydney's blog regularly because 1) she's funny, 2) i love her style, and 3) she's real. I feel I can relate to her when I read her blog. This particular post brought so much light and inspiration to my eyes. I didn't realize this before, but the LDS church really has helped me be creative and adore all things lovely. Someone commented on her post,

"Very interesting... I have been wondering why there are so many cute Mormon bloggers! Being raised protestant you can sometimes get the feeling that fashion, beauty, etc are frivolous and ungodly (depending on what church you were brought up in). I like the idea to create beauty around you."

It's true that fashion and beauty can have the feeling of being "worldly" or "frivolous" ... but it doesn't have to be! Our church encourages creativity and cultivation of talents, and if one of my talents is a love for fashion and beauty, then I shouldn't be ashamed - I should cultivate it! I definitely am not a fashionista - I mean look at those ice cave pictures.... poncho and sneakers. But I do try to be fashionable as much as possible, and even though it's taking me a while to collect an entire wardrobe/style of things pretty/unique, I appreciate all things virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. :)

Recent Randoms

2011-09-15T21:40:00.001-07:00

Before school began this week, nearly every student had to get a Tuberculosis (TB) shot. Matt had left in the morning before I woke up to get his, so he left me this note to find when I awoke:

I'm reverting back to 1st grade days when I used sponge curlers. I just use a lot LESS of them now and I like the effect. Just make sure you let your hair dry completely before letting the curlers out. Notice my random lanky straight strands:

This is how Matt sleeps on Sunday afternoons:

We love video-chatting with Kenzie. She turned 10 on Monday! Matt had fun making her laugh:

Sthupid sthurvey

2011-09-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

WHAT WAS YOUR:

1. Last beverage: Gatorade!

2. Last phone call: Kenzie for her birthday

3. Last text message: to Tara: "I dunno, it'll be fun to brainstorm. You're brilliant!"

4. Last song you listened to: Matt's playing Akon "I Wanna Love You", haha

5. Last time you cried: I'm on birth control… this question isn't fair.

6. Dated someone twice? Kind of?

7. Been cheated on? Not that I know of… haha, Just kidding no.

8. Kissed someone & regretted it? Totes

9. Lost someone special? I think everyone has.

10. Been depressed? I think everyone has.

11. Been drunk and threw up? That's dross. no.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

12. Turquoise!

13. Pale lellow!

14. Eggplant

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2011)

15. Made a new friend? Oh yes

16. Fallen out of love? NO WAY!!!!

17. Laughed until you cried? Yes

18. Met someone who changed you? Um I don't think so

19. Found out who your true friends were? I guess it gets proven more and more each day:)

20. Found out someone was talking about you? Probably, I'm cool to talk about.

21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list? Heck yeah. 2nd base even.

GENERAL:

22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life? Pretty much all of them i have met at least once. That's my rule :)

26. What did you do for your last birthday? Turned 23! Was married for the first birthday ever. Ate french toast for breakfast, saw The Tourist, ate dinner at Olive Garden. Made out in the backseat of a car.

27. What time did you wake up today? Like noon probably. I'm a deadbeat.

28. What were you doing at midnight last night? Applying for jobs online. so exciting!

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for? BROOKE coming to visit this weekend! And finding a job. And Halloween because it's my favorite next to Christmas.

30. Last time you saw your mother? A few weeks ago. Or today i saw her on video chat!

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life? If we could travel to exotic places every month that'd be cool. Or if we had a million dollars.

32. What are you listening to right now? Matt's listening to hip hop

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom? Yes. Random.

34. What is getting on your nerves right now? Tom… ugh. Haha not really.

35. Most visited webpage: Pinterest probably

37. Nicknames: Mallo! Mals, Mally, Sassafras, Mallonao

38. Relationship Status: Married to the sexiest man alive.

39. Zodiac Sign: Does that mean capricorn? because that's what I am.

41. Elementary: Doris French and Lamping!

42. Middle School: Greenspun Dolphins!

43. High School: Green Valley GATORS woot.

44. Hair color: Brown

45. Is it long or short? Long finally.

46. Height: 5'6"

47. Do you have a crush on someone? Yes. it sounds like he's listening to country music right now…. strange. Oh he just said, "Why do I like this song? Something's wrong with me."

48: What do you like about yourself? What do you like about me?

49. Piercings: My ear lobes, baby.

50. Tattoos: Maybe……. Ok no.

51. Righty or lefty? Ambidextrous is my game. I'm just significantly better with my right.

FIRSTS:

52. First surgery: Never thank goodness!

53. First piercing: Ears

54. First best friend: Brooke Bunker!

55. First sport you joined: Gymnastics.

56. First vacation: Hawaii when i was 3 weeks old! Haha my parents are awesome.

58. First pair of trainers: I don't need a trainer, i have a hip-hop body. {just kidding, what are trainers?}

RIGHT NOW:

59. I'm eating: Nothing, surprisingly.

60. I'm drinking: Gatorade still.

61. I'm about to: keep doing this cuz i only woke up 12 hours ago.

62. I'm listening to: more country??? what is he doing?

63. I'm waiting for: a pet monkey

64. Want kids? 5 please!

65. Get Married? I can't get married right now i already did that.

66. Career? I'm very burned out with job searching right now i don't want to talk about it okay!!

WHICH IS BETTER:

67. Lips or eyes? Both are kind of important...

68. Hugs or kisses? Kisses are better because they don't have that white chocolate stuff in them. Hugs were definitely a creative innovation but kisses are the original and solid chocolate is oh-so-pleasing to the taste.

69. Shorter or taller? I wouldn't mind being shorter.

70. Older or Younger? All ages are fun. kids are crazy and old people are funny and wise.

71. Romantic or spontaneous? Why not both? :)

72. Nice stomach or nice arms? I have tummy aches all the time so i would like to have a nice stomach. Oh you mean men?

73. Sensitive or loud? Both pleas.

74. Hook-up or relationship? HoOK upP!!!!!! not

75. Trouble maker or hesitant? Not hesitant! My man knows who he is and what he is doing in his life! Good boy confidence is hot.

HAVE YOU EVER :

76. Kissed a stranger? No hwhay

77. Drank hard liquor? No whay

78. Lost your glasses/contacts? Yes whay

79. Had sex on a first date? Ewww that's dross. no.

80. Broken someone's heart? Maybe...

81. Had your own heart broken? Surely :)

84. Cried when someone died? I'm not heartless.

85. Fallen for a friend? That sounds like lyrics to a song… or a band name….

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself? Yeah. I mean I have to pinch myself every once and a while, but I'm pretty sure I'm real.

87. Miracles? Yes!

88. Love at first sight? Lust at first sight, haha. I don't know, it sounds nice so why not.

89. Heaven? Yes!

90. Santa Claus? Yes! How else would all those presents get there?

91. Kiss on the first date? No! maybe.

92. Angels? Yes!

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

93. Have you ever had more than one bf/gf at the same time? hahaha

94. Is there one person you want to be with right now? idunno he just made me mad.

95. Did you sing today? Probably.. it's a common occurrence that i don't always notice.

96. If you could go back in time, how far would you go, and why? That's a strange question. Maybe to 2 minutes ago when husband made me mad!

97. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it, what would it be? Wedding day!!!! Best. Day. Ever. Oh man that question was evil, now i really feel like I'm allowed to relive that day!

98. Are you afraid of falling in love? No, i've always thrown myself in it setting caution aside. Which was probably dumb, but now it's great!

Ice Caves

2011-09-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a lot of fun. Thursday night we went bowling and saw Cowboys and Aliens with some friends. I wish I took my camera, because we had some pretty awesome strikes and even more awesome gutter balls {mostly by yours truly}. Friday night we were going to go to the East Idaho State Fair with the same friends, but I got a little 24-hr bug, and Matt was only going to appease my love for state fairs, so we opted out of going. I was SO bummed because I went 3 years ago - loved it - tried to go 2 years ago and no one wanted to do the hour drive - and then forgot about it last year. So I've been wanting to go for 3 years! Darn flu!

But we made up for it Saturday by going to the ice caves with Tara and Matt. We finally used our 4-wheel drive to get us to the caves. Inside there's a whole lot of slouching, sliding on hands/knees, squeeeezing past narrow places, laying on your back pushing yourself with your legs on the ceiling... and not a lot of standing/walking. But at the end of the cave there is a SLIDE in the ice, and we spent a good amount of time taking advantage of that fun.

After that cave we decided to keep going and look for another cave! The boys found this huge, crazy-dark cave that was weird for us because inside the ice caves, the ice reflects your flashlights and the walls are pretty close together so you can see where you're headed. But this cave had very little ice and was - like I said - huge, so we could barely see 2 feet in front of us with a flashlight. {Granted they were pretty lame flashlights}. But it was SO much fun. I'm really glad we found it.

On our way out of the big, dark cave, my Matt realized he didn't have the keys to the car on him. To spare us worry and to let us continue having fun, he decided not to tell us, instead saying: "I have to go to the bathroom really bad, I'm going to run ahead!" When we all got out of the cave, he told us he locked the keys in the car. Fun! So he started walking back to find help while Matt Nearents concocted a way to remedy this.

Only 30 or so minutes had passed when Matt -the hero- Larson came charging over the horizon on a quad, with the supplies needed to get the keys from the car. Luckily someone hadn't shut the passenger door all the way when we got out for the cave, so we pried open the rest of the door as much as we could, used a whip flag to hook the keys, and pulled them out of the opening. Creative, right? Or inspired. Blessed. And a little bit of lucky. I'm glad there's nice people in the world that trust my husband with their quad! Haha. And also glad that Matt Nearents has the patience to figure a way out of any tough situation.

It was an awesome weekend.

Why I love Fall...

2011-09-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

and DejaVu:

*all images from www.shopDeJaVu.com

Smokin' Rexburg

2011-09-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight was games at our friends' place! We played Pit, and I got the penalty card EVERY round it seemed like. At least 4 out of 8. Which gave me -80 points. And I was convinced I would never win a Pit, but the very last hand... I did!!! And it pulled me out of the negative! Therefore, I won second to last place. Awesome, right? Everyone should aim high like me. Matt and I get kinda competitive during games {maybe just me... I take everything he does personally}, but this time it was fun. No theories of personal vendettas or conspiracies against me were formulating in my head this time.

It's that time of year in which Rexburg smells like an ash tray. I always forget it happens around now... The farmers are burning their crops and it lasts for weeks, I'm pretty sure. We used to keep our windows open to let the breeze in {holy nice weather lately!} but if we do it now, our apartment smells like the designated cigarette room inside airports. It's BAD. You locals understand. So it's kinda stuffy in our place with closed windows, but at least it smells like baked goods or shower gel. {does anyone else's entire apartment smell like body wash after a shower?}

Tomorrow is time for another interview at the bank, and hopefully I'll hear from Policy Tech this week. Wish me luck!

Hide yo kids

2011-09-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

So, you know on a Mac you can hold down the "control" button and then zoom in on your screen by swiping 2 fingers upward? Well I was on Pinterest and saw this:

And I knew Matt would die. So since he was across the room I zoomed in on that picture using that nifty Mac shortcut described above. Well when I showed Matt he didn't laugh right away - weird - and had a confused look on his face. He started to snicker a little and said, "Uh... I don't get it." So I looked back at my computer and realized that as I turned the computer to face him, my fingers had accidentally swiped the keypad, causing the zoom to focus on this section of the Pinterest page:

Hahahhaha. I made sure to inform him my girl friends put up pictures to motivate themselves to work out.... Haha poor guy.

Today we have had a Twilight marathon. It's awesome. We finished the first two movies and now I'm waiting for him to return with dinner {Hot 'n' Ready, mmm} so we can finish our trilogy. I'm way excited for the 4th movie to come out this November, I'm not even afraid to admit it. Hah. Those books kept me turning the page 'til wee hours in the morning, so I'm impressed. :) Hope you're all having a good start to your weekend!

On the job hunt.

2011-09-01T00:55:00.001-07:00

Yes, I still exist... although I don't feel like it sometimes. :) I just mean these past few weeks have been going to bed late, sleeping in, watching Netflix, cookin' some grub, maybe some cleaning.... and not feeling very accomplished! Don't get me wrong, a vacation is SO WONDERFUL, but every year around this time{the break between summer and fall semester} I go a little crazy. Although this year is different since I am not waiting for fall semester, I am waiting for a job! And things are going well actually. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I am definitely grateful for the opportunities I've had lately.

I applied online for the job I really want a couple of weeks ago. A marketing position at PolicyTech, a software company that has expanded rapidly throughout the recession and is the leading company in its industry! Pretty impressive, coming from Rexburg. I figured going there in person would add a lot to my application and say "I have initiative!" so I decided to wait a few days and go in to physically hand them my resume also. Meanwhile, I applied online to like EVERYWHERE that wasn't McDonald's and I received an interview with Macy's department store in Idaho Falls. I didn't expect anything awesome like counter manager {even though I was dreaming of managing the cosmetics counter... fun!} but I still figured it would be great to have a job even if it wasn't in marketing or had zero benefits. I also applied for a local credit union's administrative assistant position.

The Macy's interview was Tuesday, so I decided to visit PolicyTech on Monday {and also personally hand in my resume to the credit union. Initiative!}

OK HOLY AWESOME - I get all dressed up professional and nice with lipstick and all, show up to PolicyTech expecting to just hand my resume to the first person I see and reiterate how qualified I am for the job, only to get passed on from random employee to hiring manager to a real live interview with mr. marketing director himself! I really think he liked me. He said he really wants me to meet the rest of the marketing team and the VP of sales when he comes back to town next week! That sounds pretty good, right? He also thanked me for coming in personally because it showed that I have initiative and they look for that. 10 points for me! I'm blogging about this because I feel so proud, but I also haven't told anybody really because I don't want to get my hopes up. I have a total of like 5 people who read this, so I'm not worried about getting "congratulations" phone calls when I don't even have a 2nd interview firmly set up.

see: lipstick! and a cool braided hair-do

The Macy's interview the next day went really well too. That interview was fun because I was passed from the first lady to another lady - and we all know ladies {especially ladies at places like Macy's}. They complimented me from head to toe and just thought I was adorable. That PolicyTech director had zero idea how hard I tried to look good that morning, but these ladies cared! :) There's nothing like a good compliment from another woman to boost your self-esteem. They actually hired me on the spot (!) and I asked for some time to get back to them.

There were several downsides to this job:

1) It was in Idaho Falls, a 30-minute commute.

2) It was a part-time position.

3) I would be on the floor and at the register - a job you don't need a degree for, and a job that you get paid less for than Policy Tech or Beehive Credit Union.

4) No benefits. {I seriously need health insurance. bad.}

5) Working 2 Sundays a month was mandatory.

But of course none of those cons were ringing in my head when I left Macy's. I called Matt SO excited that people actually liked me. And that they knew they wanted to hire me right away. He was so impressed and excited for me. As soon as they told me Sundays were mandatory, I felt a twinge of uncertainty since I have been raised my whole life knowing I would never work on the Sabbath. That was the Lord's day, His day of rest and His day for us to remember Him. I never thought it would be a challenge for me, since I never planned on having a career {besides a mommy}. But then I see so many GREAT people making that sacrifice so they can provide for their family, and at that moment when they said "Can you make that commitment to work Sundays," I felt like I could. If that is what I had to do to get this job {which is the only certain job for me}, then I would do it. I would do it to make ends meet since I do know of other people who have done the same thing.

Since it didn't seem like a big deal to me - my main concern was the position was only part time - I didn't think to tell Matt about the commitment I made to them. {Even though since I hadn't agreed to the job yet, it wasn't necessarily a commitment}. Later that night I remembered I hadn't told him, and when I did he immediately said, "Oh, then no way." I was taken aback... who was he to decide for me? and so brash? and so immediately? "There's so many jobs in Rexburg that you can get where you don't have to work Sundays. I mean half of the city closes down that day." I didn't say anything because it was obviously a strong belief for him, even though I felt it rude. The night went on, and as I was getting ready for bed I was thinking more about this huge decision I had to make within the next couple of days. I wouldn't hear back from PolicyTech until next week, and Macy's needed to know my answer in 2 days. If I turned them down, I would have no certain job. But if I accepted, I would have all of those previously listed downsides that come with the Macy's job. I was kind of silently praying while brushing my hair {is that weird?} asking what I should do. Asking if Matt was right for so suddenly changing his mind. And that's when I realized.... When has Matt ever led me wrong? Never. He never has. And I really feel like that counts for something.

I've been praying a lot and we went to the temple today in hopes of receiving inspiration on what I should do. And I realized I have so many other options that won't require me to work on Sunday. And even if I don't get the PolicyTech job or the credit union job, maybe God will bless me for listening to Him and my husband instead of the world, and keeping the Sabbath a day to solely remember Him.

{{Side note: I want everyone to know that I completely understand why LDS people work on Sundays. and I have absolutely NOTHING against them, nor do I judge them in any way. It is a personal decision between you, your spouse, and God. And it is a unique thing to our religion. Even though weekends are a common time-off in parts of the career world, they are a common time-ON in lots of careers {especially physicians}. I hope this post doesn't offend anybody, because I understand personal decisions are nobody else's business.}}

After the temple, I told Matt I decided to turn down the Macy's job. When we got home, I saw I missed a call from Beehive Credit Union, and when I called them back they wanted to set up an interview with me. God has His ways of letting us know we did the right thing for ourselves :) It definitely made me feel more comfortable about my Macy's decision, and I have a lot of hope that one of these two places likes me! {Hopefully PolicyTech.....}

It's sad...

2011-08-22T01:26:00.001-07:00

It's sad because I try so hard to keep the kitchen sink empty. Every day I wash dishes 2-3 times. But then there's those days..... those days when you have a crockpot that needs to soak and you decided to use your kitchen-aid because you just HAD to have cookie dough right that moment, so another bowl is soaking in the sink. And then every time you eat cereal or use a plate they have no place to go and you don't want to disrupt the placid water inside the soaking pots because not only will it disgust you to see the floaties, but it could possibly waft around a certain aroma that would send you running in the other direction. So you leave the dirty bowls and plates around the sink, rinsing them off less and less as the collection grows, until you have a kitchen sink filled with pots full of dirty water and dinnerware with caked-on leftovers that makes you disgusted every time you walk in there. And who's gonna clean a sink that makes you sick to do so?

Me.

in about.... 10 hours.

But ohh it will feel so great when it's clean again! What's clean again?

P.S. Matt and I made this little video for Matt's dad's best friend whose family is very close to Matt. His name is Steve and we love him so very much. He's currently going through cancer treatment and not feeling very well, so we made this video to cheer him up. Maybe it can cheer you up too... if your name is Steve. :)

Day trip with friends

2011-08-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday our friends invited us on a spontaneous day trip to Mesa Falls, and who are we to refuse outdoor fun and good company on a gorgeous day? It was a lot of fun... April even packed us all lunch.

On our way we stopped to feed some ducks.

Then we found a cool off-road track... I was hoping this picture would capture how high the grass was. We quickly realized the fun road was a power-line maintenance road. So we turned around and continued to our destination :)

The lower Mesa Falls

The upper Mesa Falls.

I was glad Matt whipped out his camera for those last 3 pictures. I keep bugging him to cultivate his talent and even though I'm super annoying he took some gorgeous pictures. I couldn't wait for him to edit them, so these are straight out of the camera. I love nature.

lunchtime

2011-08-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

On a hungry afternoon:

Matt: "Let's consummate our love with a pizza!"

Me: "I do not think you understand the meaning of that word..."

Survey? yes please

2011-08-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

I found this little ABC survey on this blog... which is, adorable. Plus I was just telling Matt that I love filling out surveys. They never come around enough, you know? :)

A. age :: 23

B. bed size :: queen

C. chore you hate :: dishes!

D. dogs :: someday, a black lab

E. essential start to your day :: breakfast food. must be breakfast-type food. {toast, cereal, eggs, etc.}

F. favorite color :: sea blue/turquoise

G. gold or silver :: gold

H. height :: 5'6"

I. instruments you play :: piano, a tiny bit guitar, used to play cello

J. job title :: hopefully marketing/advertising team member for Policy Tech or Star Moose Creative - still looking!

K. kids :: someday :)

L. live :: yes I live. in Idaho.

M. maiden name :: Gamett

N. nicknames :: Mallo, Mally, Mals, Mallonao, Sassafras, Mojo

O. overnight hospital stays :: nope! i've been lucky

P. pet peeve :: incorrect grammar/spelling

Q. quote :: "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves," Joseph Smith, Jr.

R. righty or lefty :: righty

S. siblings :: i'm #5 out of 6

T. time you wake up :: whenever i want! HA. but probably 8:00 soon if i ever get a job

U. university attended :: Brigham Young University - Idaho

V. vegetables you dislike: peas. HATE

W. what makes you run late :: make-up

X. x-rays you’ve had :: teeth :)

Y. yummy food :: if you know me at all, you know this list can go on for days.

Z. zoo animal favorite :: MONKEYS

Matt quotes revisited

2011-08-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

So I realized I haven't been updating my Matt's Quotes post because they used to come in text form when we were dating or doing long-distance, so that gave me time to wait until evening to whip out Blogger and update the funny things he says. NOW I live with him and hear funny things all day long, so it takes too much effort to write them all down and save them up. {which is so unfortunate}.

But now that we are apart again {today he flew to WA for his best friend's wedding. will return in 29 hrs and 14 mins} I have a reason to update the infamous post!

"You are like the strawberry surfrider at Jamba Juice! Perfect!"

***************

When his plane landed I received 2 texts:

"I'm on the ground....."

"in a broken pile of crashed plane!!!"

***************

"Oh my goodness! Me when I was 4 is sitting next to me!"

{pictures named "Me 1" and "Me 2"}

baby hungry much?

2011-08-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

All I want is for our babies to be as cute as this baby or this baby....

Luckily I'm related to one of those babies so our chances are decent. And I know I'm taking about babies a lot, but I am no where near ready to have one. I think I just get excited about them and look at them all of the time because that is inevitably the next stage in my life. When I was dating in college all I talked about was getting engaged.... then when I was engaged all I talked about was getting married.... and now all I can talk about is babies! Especially when we go to church because our ward is full of stinking cute babies.

But alas, there are other things on the life agenda right now. And when it is time, I will have plenty of time to make a bazillion adorable {please!} babies! Ok and if they are not adorable, at least I will think they are adorable, right?

eeee they just smell so good.

embarrassing.

2011-08-10T15:27:00.001-07:00

Today I said,

"This isn't true most of the time, but sometimes I see people that aren't very attractive have adorable babies, and then I see really attractive people have ugly babies."

and Matt replied,

"eh."

I guess it takes a response like that to make me realize how stupid and not-worth-commenting-about my comments are.

Summer & Graduation

2011-08-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Hellooo! Oh I have so much to catch you up on! It has been a crazy past few weeks with family in town, concerts, river rafting, graduation, Lake Powell, Escalante cabin, Vegas trip, and moving! But we are finally settled down. All that these next few weeks will entail is job searching and re-decorating our new apartment. Yes... if you are thinking, "Didn't they just move?" you are correct. Our managers sold the contract to our apartment without asking us if we wanted to renew... so we had to move. But we have been blessed in so many ways - the main way beingthat we only had to move downstairs one floor. It is smaller, has more bugs, and was very stressful to move the day after we arrived home from our 2-week vacation, but thankfully we didn't have to move finals week like we originally had thought, and it is a lot cooler on the bottom floor! I don't have to take those cold showers 3 times a day anymore! In fact, I haven't showered since we got here! TMI? Maybe.

I wish I WISH I had more pictures to share! There are definitely more pictures that exist of our fun escapades, but we didn't get the chance to get all the photos from family while we were with them. So here are some that fit into e-mails :)

When Matt's parents arrived in Rexburg, they brought Matt's dirtbike along too! He was in heaven. He and Todd rode through some of the prettiest spots I've ever seen photographed... and it was all within an hour of where Matt and I have lived for the past 4 years! Talk about taking your college town for granted.

The next day we went to Mesa Falls and Island Park and saw this MOOSE!

And afterwards ate at this cute little restaurant that had an incredible view...

My family was staying in Jackson Hole that whole week before graduation, so after my finals were done we met up with them in Jackson to run the Snake River. Everyone came except my mom who stayed back with my youngest nephew, Shauna who went on a milder river run with my second-youngest nephew, and my brother Jeff who stayed home in Vegas the whole week for work :(. But it was still such a blast! Todd and Lisa came too, which I hope was a fun way for Todd to spend his 50th BIRTHDAY! :)

My family threw me a graduation party that night at their rented cabin. That big present is a TV!!!!

The next day was graduation day and everyone came over to see our cute apartment (that we moved out of...). I made these lame cookies :)

The day after graduation (yes, no days in between any of these adventures) we went to POWELL!!!

{the young married couples. i think Matt married me so he wouldn't be the only pale one of the Larson family}

{matt helping me get my wakeboard on. (...my groove on...)}

{one of my favorite parts of the trip. we took a boat ride through slender canyons and saw awesome stuff at the prettiest time of day!}

{my man and his wakeboard}

{LOOK AT THIS PICTURE! Todd took this picture of his brother Ty (Tara Nearents' dad) wake surfing - our new favorite sport. Can you believe the beauty of this place?!}

{sometimes we like wake-surfing so much that we stay out until dark. Ok not really, we were headed in at dusk, but the flash on the camera makes this look pretty cool! Luke and Cassi (Matt's sister and bro-in-law) are INCREDIBLE at this sport... I really can't get over how pro they are.

matt, on the other hand....

Haha, i'm totally kidding. He is WAYAAYYY better than me. Matt is a natural at any new sport you throw at him. That's why this picture is so funny. Todd titled it: "Matt is camera shy."

{Tubing, of course!}

{Gorgeous sunsets at this lake.}

{my favorite baby girl! driving the house boat!}

We also had a Roman Candle War one night, and it is documented here. Fun. Crazy and maybe a little stupid, but fun. :) After Powell we drove straight to Escalante, where the infamous Larson cabin resides. It was the first time I had ever been there, which surprised a lot of people. It was gorgeous there, and we had a lot of fun - including Matt teaching me how to ride a dirt bike! Yeah!!!

After Escalante we drove to Vegas and spent 2 days there until our flight back home to Idaho. While we were there we saw movies with Kenzie, met my brother's awesome girlfriend, went out to dinner with my best cousinfriend Brooke, and finally got to see my missionary Sister Casey Kochevar after 2 years!!! Here is one of the only pictures I have of our Vegas trip.

You see, we are called the "Fab 5" - besties since high school. and whenever there is a picture of some of us, but not all 5, I take the liberty of using Microsoft Paint to add-in any other members.

Por exemplo:

Anyway, I wish we were still doing any and all of these fun things! There's not a whole lot to do around here except set up our apartment so it feels like a home again. :) I just love our family and summer time and I don't want it to end! <3

I'm done!

2011-07-19T23:41:00.000-07:00

(photo by my talented hubs)

Can you believe it? I sure can. It's been a while since my first day of college. Yesterday when I finished my finals, I was super giddy. I felt like singing and dancing - so I did! In the comfort of my own home. My tummy was all topsy-turvy and my cheeks hurt from smiling! But I wasn't completely done - I had my very last class today. All I had to do was show up and take an extra-credit quiz. Awesome, right? Right. But when I was done and walking home, I didn't feel like I was done. I didn't feel that giddiness previously felt... Maybe it was too surreal. Or maybe it was just so natural to "go to school" without worrying about finals, so I had no adrenaline going through me that day.

So I decided I would clear my computer desktop. I gathered all of my class notes and final notes and school stuff from the past week into one folder, and plopped that folder far away from my desktop! I got rid of several pictures I had been waiting to blog about {meaning, I moved them to iPhoto... don't worry they'sa coming!}... and I feel refreshed! It really is over! Now it's time to look for a job and try to make enough money to pay rent, utilities, groceries, and have left-overs for savings. Yay! But really, despite being in the "real world" soon, I feel so relieved to be done with this 5-year investment of college education {5 yrs = changing majors a couple of times ;)}. To actually have a Bachelor's Degree to my name. To have one more milestone in life checked off my list. Wahoo!!!!

My ENTIRE family is in Jackson Hole right now, and we got to see them last night. Both of Matt's parents are in Rexburg this week so we get to hang out with them every day, and then on FRIDAY everyone comes together to celebrate my GRADUATION. I'm a big deal. But seriously I am so glad these people love me enough to come up here and support me. We are having a blast already and it's only going to get better! Monday night was dinner & and a concert in Jackson, today was pedicures and lunch with mom-in-law while boys went dirt-biking, tomorrow is hiking/water park/tennis?/drive-in movie, Thursday is white-water rafting!!!! and grad party {presents!}, Friday I wear a goofy-looking cap & gown, and Saturday we leave for Lake Powell! Basically the most awesome week of my life. I am so blessed to have the family, friends, support, and love that I do in my life. Unceasing gratitude to Heavenly Father for blessing my life and helping me get through some serious TOUGH times here in college.

I'm DONE!

creative date

2011-07-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

That last post was my 200th post!!!! Celebration! It has been almost one year since my 100th post which means I have been slacking on the blogging for sure. Sorry about that, but it's not like my life is super interesting, right? eh eh?? ;)

Matthieu surprised me yesterday after school with a cute date! It was such a small-town-try-really-hard-to-be-creative-date, and I loved it SO much. He told me to grab my wallet and hop in the car with him. We ended up at the store and he said, "Ok, the rules are you have to find one treat for me for $1, one useful thing for me for $1, and one fun thing for me for $1. Ok go!" I was so intrigued, but of course had to ask, "Wait! Are you going to do the same for me?" Which of course he was. I love presents.

This is what I ended up getting him:

1) He LOVES sour candy.

2) He NEEDS sunscreen on a daily basis, and we happened to have recently run out.

3) He likes making stop-animation videos with Play-Doh! Well he did it once, so I thought he might like to again for $1.

Plus this picture just looks like him because it's so bright and cheery and yellow {his fav colour}.

For me, from him:

Hello! Can he know me any better? BUBBLES!!! Just saying the word makes me feel happy inside. and I seriously wash my hands 500 times a day, so I love hand sanitizer because then I don't have to lotion my hands 500 times a day also. And if anybody knows me even in the slightest... chocolate. anything. FTW. {don't make fun of the low-fat. it was the only $1 chocolate ice cream. plus it doesn't taste low-fat. it tastes fatttty mcfat yumster.}

Can you believe we found each of these things for $1 at Walmart? Steals, I tell you... Steals! We are a happy, bubble-blowing, sun-protected, sanitized, and well-fed family right now.

mirror, mirror

2011-07-12T14:14:00.000-07:00

So my sweet dad took my 2 sisters and me to my grandmother's apartment after her funeral and we picked out some things we liked. I picked a GORGEOUS round wall mirror {pictures to come when my parents bring it up to the Burg!}.

Meanwhile, I am decorating our apartment and I called my mom for the mirror's measurements so I could cut out a temporary placement for our wall. and by temporary placement, I mean hideous, trashy, cut-up notebook paper Scotch-taped to our wall. Matt asks me every day if he can throw it away, but for some reason I feel like I need to keep it there in case I want to change it's position. Crazy, I know. But the other day I came home to this:

and it made all the trashiness worth it.

May the fourth be with you...

2011-07-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

{I stole that phrase from a blog I read yesterday}

We don't believe in increasing our electric bill by turning on the air conditioning, so we close all of our blinds and leave our windows shut hoping the 90 degree weather won't penetrate into our living quarters. It works pretty well in the morning, but I usually end up taking 2-3 quick cold showers throughout the afternoon to cool down. It's pretty cool... like having a pool inside your apartment that you can't swim in or stay in for very long... but your hair gets wet and keeps you cool for a couple hours afterwards. and not to mention you can't really get close and snuggly with your hot {emphasis on figurative and literal hot} husband because then you just want to DIE. But the evenings are a little better and mornings are prime time.

But I am honestly in love with Rexburg in the summer. {maybe because it is such a drastic contrast from my hatred for it in the winter and spring... because spring is just, more winter.} 4th of Julys are always awesome up here. We had such a blast yesterday! We started our weekend right on Saturday by going to the new WATER PARK! And by going to I mean we got to the front gate and saw how many bodies were in the water and on the slides and in line and on the beach chairs and sprawled out on towels and we decided a weekday would probably be a better idea. But since we were all dressed and psyched for some water time, we drove over to the bridge where these were taken, and I convinced Matt to jump in the freezing cold water.

After we jumped in and immediately got right out {fa-reeezing!}, we got a text from Matt's cousin Brynn that she was at the park with her 18-month-old daughter Cali. We were stoked because the park has a FREE mini-water park for kiddies and since we had Cali, she was our excuse to play in the water for FREE! I love FREE.

She really wanted to go on that merry-go-round :)

So for the 4th we started the day at Kiwi Loco... so yummy. Matt got his usual fun-colored, little kid sour stuff and I got the usual chocolate with strawberries woman stuff. {That picture of everyone is kind of pathetic... I swear they are all photogenic.} Then we went to Rigby Lake for some water and frisbee fun, and afterwards we went to the Idaho Falls fair where we ate funnel cake, cotton candy, pizza, watched a lot of crazy people, and watched the fireworks :) 'Twas a great, fun day.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

I LOVE America! I love our founding fathers, I love fireworks, I love the sacrifices people and soldiers have made, I love red+white+blue, I love popsicles, I love parades, I love fairs, I love the divine inspiration for founding this country, I love Bill Pullman and Will Smith in Independence Day, I love this promised land! I have some thoughts:

"Long before America was even discovered, the Lord was moving and shaping events that would lead to the coming forth of the remarkable form of government established by the Constitution. America had to be free and independent to fulfill this destiny. As expressed so eloquently by John Adams before the signing of the Declaration, 'There's a Divinity which shapes our ends.' Though mortal eyes and minds cannot fathom the end from the beginning, God does.

"In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Savior declared, 'I established the Constitution fo this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose.' (Doctrine & Covenants 101:80). These were not ordinary men, but men chosen and held in reserve by the Lord for this very purpose."

-Ezra Taft Benson, 13th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Fantasy Football

2011-06-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

We eated this for brekkie today, and I'm still munching on it. Mmm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So yesterday I get this text from my 10-yr old football-crazed nephew:

"Mallo, does Matt know that the draft for fantasy is about 20 min, and 5-10 min a week to manage"

...it took me a second to realize what he was talking about. When I finally figured out he meant Fantasy Football, something that my entire family is into except for my husband {and me and my mom}, I texted him back:

"Haha, I don't think he knows that. I'll tell him. He might need some tips from you!"

In which he replied in his 10-yr old confidence:

"If he wants to learn he might as well learn from the best"

Haha I love this little man!!! He sounds just like his father. I thought maybe for a second his father {my bro-in-law} was texting me with Hunter's phone. But then I realized that would be even more weird than Hunter talking like that. So Matt is going to get a Fantasy Football team going so he can strengthen his relationship with my cute nephew :) I love family.

these are pretty cool....

2011-06-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

taraphotographics, of course.

Papoose Matthieu

2011-06-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

Look at my cutie-sleepy-boo-by. What happened to the sheets?! Haha. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw this. He's like a little papoose baby. His butt looks HuuUGEE, when in actuality it is the smallest butt i've ever grabbed.
{i used to grab female butts a lot. my high school friends can attest to this.}

Sometimes I send Matt sultry pictures of myself during the day.

Actually this is probably only the third time I've done that. The last time was the night before we got married I sent him a picture of me in a swimming suit at my bachelorette party... risque, eh? Lemme see if I can find it...

Haha. Definitely not risque. But we were going to the temple the next day so I had to keep him in check.

I spray painted a lot today {kinda} and my hands are all covered in "dry" paint now. I didn't think it was a big deal until I just noticed I'm getting residue all over my keyboard.... i'm in so much trouble! so much for "dry!" I wonder if I have any gloves that would allow me to hit the correct keys while typing.

Anyway, this weekend is Lake Tahoe with Matt's mom's side of the family - SO excited! Hopefully we'll actually remember our camera this trip and I'll have fun photos to share when we get back. Love!

saturday morning

2011-06-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

and yeah i'm aware those baggy eyes are tragic.

Adele

2011-06-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

I love this British delight.

Here's one of her more popular songs if you're unfamiliar with her.

And here's one of my absolute faves.

And another.

and here is beautiful Sophie Edwards - a daughter in the Steve Edwards family, long-life family best friends to the Larsons. She is 15 years old... and she blows me away with her voice! Honestly I just die when I listen to her. She has such a mature voice with perfect vowels and great tone. This is a cruddy quality video, but this is her covering an Adele song (original): S ophie

Golden birthday fun

2011-06-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago {May 20} for Tara's birthday {which was actually the 22nd, but that was a Sunday so we celebrated early... and still had her over for dinner on her actual bday :)} we went CAMPING! So fun! It was her golden birthday {turning 22 on the 22nd}, and her husband Matt was pretty dang cute and surprised her! A couple weeks before the party he asked me to make a gold/yellow cake for it, and I was so excited. You see... I'm a business major. And I decided to emphasize in marketing because how else could I let out all my creativity in that major? But to be honest, I don't get to do it a whole lot anyway. Which makes me sad. and very eager to seize opportunities to express my creativity. So I was like SWEET! a GOLD cake! So I looked up all these ways to make a layered cake and how to make it gold and such, and ended up making this:

Pretty cool, huh? I'm a little proud. Plus it actually tasted DELISH! To be honest I was thinking more of looks than taste {sorry party attenders} ... {but I didchoose cream cheese frosting because it's Tara's fav, so I was kind of thinking}. It's chocolate and lemon cake alternating and I found those gold sprinkles at our local grocery store. To be honest I was done with all the frosting of the cake and realized... how the heck do you put sprinkles on the sides of a cake?! Matt suggested taking handfuls and splatting them on in polka-dot fashion. So I did. But it turned out decent I think. It was really fun to make! Even after layering the cakes with frosting in between layers, I cut about an inch of the cake circumference off so all the layers were even. Attention to detail.... which I never do! I'm like the opposite of a perfectionist. But yes it was fun and a lot of people thought it tasted good which was cool.

Wow I just spent a whole paragraph talking about a cake. A cake that I made, nonetheless... self-absorbed much? There were other beautiful cakes too! Her hubs Matt N. was worried there wouldn't be enough cake so he asked 3 girls to make one :) These were the beautiful/delicious other two!

Brynn made this homemade banana cake {tara's fav} with buttercream frosting!

Mette made a homemade chocolate cake and put cute yellow dye in her vanilla frosting :) Such dedicated friends to the golden birthday cause.

mmmm homeMADE cake AND frosting... mine was straight from the box/container. These were so delish.

***

Since Matt and I don't have a tent, we camped in our Explorer! We put our huge lovesac in the back and cuddled under the stars :) It was so fun and comfortable - a strange adjective for camping.

{he loves me}

{good morning!}

{the view at our feet}

{my shnookums so peaceful}

{tara & matt slept in their car too :) }

Pari for two?!

2011-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Did you know I've been wanting to go on vacation abroad for like 3 years? I mean, obviously longer than that... it all started when I was 7 and my sister studied abroad in Italy. When she came home and showed me all her pictures and bought me the prettiest shirt from Venice, I knew I was destined to go there. But for the past 3 years it's been itching me so bad! I even have regrets of not studying abroad pre-marriage, or getting to go to Germany with my cousin/best friend because of college... I actually tried to convince Matt to go to graduate school in Europe. Living there for a year or two would be A-Okay with me! He thinks I'm kind of crazy. But we should do it now before we start a family, right?

But you know what's almost as good as Venice {or Florence!}? Paris. I have a zillion outfits in mind for if I ever go there. And I know this is a HUGE long shot, but since Tara wins basically every contest she ever enters ever, I feel like maybe I have a chance. So here's a shot. And if you all want to try it too you should. Just don't be jealous if I win :)

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris

toast

2011-06-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I was doing homework in bed and asked Matt since he was up if he would make me some toast. Last time I asked him this, this is what happened. But don't worry, even though he took bites out of my food again, he tried his darndest to make it special...

Can you see it? It's supposed to look like a heart.

hahahah i love him.

and toast.

happy summer!

2011-06-05T18:07:00.001-07:00

I stole the idea from this, but personalized it a bit. Super imperfect, but I like it that way :)

i need to look at this every day

2011-06-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

i love my sister

2011-06-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

"If you were with me, having surgery without anesthesia would be fun!"