Michael & Julie

2012-02-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

It's just after 11:00 and my day off + the day before Valentines... And I have a list
the size of Texas to get done today, and what am I doing???? Blog stalking 6 months or so of posts, and eating Lindor Dark Chocolate Truffles (ps they are wonderful!)
I even have the music playing on TV to get me motivated to clean/shop/organize and sew. But no need to do any of that, I am more content just listening to it while laying on the laundry that needs to be put away!
I have neglected something I love for the last 6 months or so and I feel so out of touch with the world! So I will guiltlessly sit here and continue reading...

clear back to august...

2012-02-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

This time I am going to (cross your fingers) hopefully make a better attempt at blogging.

Maybe...

Clear back in August we went to Yellowstone. We went with the most amazing family on the planet! Matt and Michelle. It was short but a blast! I honestly am not in the mood to do a blog roll of pictures. . . So if you want to see some AmAzInG scenery and some angry buffalo UP CLOSE, click right here :) I made a Picaboo book, nothing too fancy. But, hey at least its in a book!

Smooth or Frizzy..? Is that even a question?

2012-02-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

I said if I won the Brazilian Blowout contest that I would do a promo. Well, I did NOT end up winning (2nd) but I wanted to do a promo anyway!!! Because...

The Brazilian Blowout is my hair's favorite service
February is my favorite month
And mostly because you guys are my favorite people!!

So with that... Here is the special!!!

I hope you take advantage of the discount!

Check out my Brazilian Blowout before and after photo's HERE

For more info on the Brazilian Blowout click HERE

Contest!

2012-01-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

I am trying to win a contest so I can win some free hair products!! This will make it possible to run a Special on the Brazilian Blowout!!!! So all who participated can receive a killer deal! I am only at 58 "likes" and this other gal I am competing with is at 87... The contest ENDS tomorrow night. It's time to get all you know to like this photo on Facebook!

Click HERE to like!

And THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

happy home

2011-12-14T17:44:00.001-07:00

Michael...

Smiles
Sings when I call him
Smiles
Cracks jokes
Tickles
Smiles
Playful
Is happier

AGAIN!!!
(did i mention he smiles again???)

Hollywood!!!!

2011-11-15T23:43:00.002-07:00

(still trying to catch up!)

Warning: Lots and lots of pictures!!!!

This weekend was SO much fun! In September, Tash and I were sent

to L.A. for a Hair Show Event. We were able to spend basically 3 full days

there, so we had plenty of play time!

We stayed on Highland, which was just a few steps from Hollywood Blvd.
Made for a lot of fun things to see, and easy to be a tourist!

Jon Cryer got a star. I missed the photo of him looking and waving!

We decided to go downtown L.A. Once we got there we didn't really
know what to do so we ended up at the end of the line at Union Station.
And then we made our way to China Town (next collage)
We ended up taking the Metro again another day (to get more purses!) and as we
walked through Union Station, we walked through a movie set!!! Twice.

This was a lot of fun and we got a lot of goodies! I got 4 purses.
We both got 2 shoes and, of course, our beautiful robes!!!

VIP's at the event :) Talk about being spoiled and once in a lifetime!

The models getting ready for the runway!! SO fun! I love hair!

After the show...

Our Hotel. The view from our window facing the Hollywood sign.
And we went to the roof a couple of times =/
We each had our own room to begin with and Tash had the
brilliant idea to combine our rooms and get 1 room, a suite. Genius!
We loved lounging in our comfy beds in our chinese robes!!!

Mmmm love me some swimming and sun!

I love my tasha! We had SO MUCH FUN together!

Boise Fun!

2011-11-14T10:45:00.001-07:00

Back in September, over Labor Day, we met Josh, Jayne and baby in Boise!

We crashed in the same hotel room. In our short 2 1/2 days, we spent a lot of time playing games, swimming, eating Cafe Rio and just having a blast!!!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-13T18:33:00.002-07:00

two years

2011-10-31T11:15:00.000-06:00

So many things to post about! One at a time...
This one is easy so I am starting my list with this!

October 17th was our Anniversary! It has only been two years, it has been a crazy hard/great two years! Luckily those two words can live together. It hasn't been long but it has gone by so fast.

The last two years have consisted of;

Devotion
Trips
Movies
Fights
Apologies
Projects
Family
Tears
Joy
School
Stubbornness
Humility
New Jobs
Friends
Compromise
Forgiveness
and lots and lots of Love!

Mike got me 2 dozen roses and an amazing new camera!

It's amazing the love that we share, that grows more each day. I am grateful for the trials that we have had, for the times that have made us work harder. It makes us better people, and a better couple. We are becoming more and more of a team each day. I am grateful for our strengths and weakness's. We love each other, we aren't perfect. Neither is life but we are happy and trying to make the best of it.

I do think year 3 is going to be an even better year! We were on a vacation during our Anniversary, so what a better way to start out our next year?!??!? (I will post about that soon, so fun!) OH, can't forget, I sent Mike on a scavenger hunt for our Anniversary! Here is a picture roll.

. period .

2011-10-30T22:19:00.001-06:00

"The Gospel is not an obligation; it is a pathway, marked by our loving Father in Heaven, leading to happiness and peace in this life and glory and inexpressible

fulfillment in the life to come."

"Accept the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ as your way of life."

September 24, 2011

Forget Me Not by; Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Celebration!

2011-10-09T15:56:00.001-06:00

I am obviously a little behind... 2 months ago was Michael's Birthday! I LOVE Birthday's! And this is definitely one to remember!

He was extremely difficult to surprise! We were "supposed" to be going camping. Everything worked out perfectly, I threw some clothes in a suit case, said all the right things etc.. To make him REALLY think that we were going camping ON his birthday. I played the "oh my gosh i knew your birthday was coming but didnt realize it was this soon" card. He bought it :) And I had a plan in my mind for months that I was actually going to surprise him with "something."

So now here's the story of that "something." Picture this...

We're driving South on I-15. After 1600 N I get in the slow lane because of "all the traffic" and "i want to be safe" And as predicted I immediately hear, "get over, this lane is going to come to a halt and take us forever to get there" I pretend not to hear him and just drive as fast as possible to get off the exit and get to the point of no return.

Then I hear, (as predicted again) "what are you doing, why did you exit?" So I had to come up with an excuse and said, "I'm so hungry I HAVE to have Bajio for dinner" (they recently closed the bajio right by our house so this is legit, it's been a long time and we used to eat there a lot!) So now, he's just ticked! How can food control me so much? Well it really did used to, so this was believable!

So we're driving down 800 N. going to Riverwoods, seriously driving as fast as I can now. Once we get to State St. now he's just mad at me, really mad!! Luckily, I had planned for this! I text our friend Amanda to have someone call him so he'd stop being SO frustrated with me. I will tell you, it was the longest drive down 800 N. EVER!

But wait, there's more! Once I park he's still on the phone with Chad, talking about computer's and such, trying to fix a problem. So now, Mike WON'T get out of the car!!!! He is not hungry now and I can go get my own food! haha So, I jump out, really not knowing how to get him out without physically forcing, yanking him out, and somehow talk him into walking past Bajio for some unknown reason! So, rather than that, I run to Tucano's and tell one of his friends to go and get him! I don't think everyone realized it was a surprise so they were slightly confused as to why he wouldn't come in!

Once he realized what was going on he was happy as can be!!!

And I think that it really did work out perfectly!

The next day we both had work off, and it was his actual birthday. It didn't go exactly as planned but it was still fun! So it was full of Park City, a yummy dinner, cake and ice cream and the best thing ever, FAMILY!

Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead...

2011-10-03T16:52:00.004-06:00

I am so excited to post about this!!!!!

I did a Juice Fast at the beginning of September. I was inspired by a girl I work with. It had never occurred to me before. I had thought about a "whole foods" life style change, so about a month or two prior to that I had done a straight veggie, fruit, nut, beans, and a limited amount of lean protein for 3 weeks. I felt really great! So when Kjirsten talked about how she had juiced for days on end, it sounded wonderful! I immediately found a juicer, mentally prepared and started my 10 Day Juice Fast.

My reasoning and goal for juicing was to detox, clean out and overall get to a healthier state. To literally change my habits, my mentality and have the knowledge to live a healthier, happier life. The biggest thing for me was this.. By the end of it, my perspective on food, hunger and the "need" to eat had changed dramatically.

(Oh.. About the title of the post! It's a documentary by Joe Cross, it's on Netflix. I recently just watched it, it was wonderful. I didn't watch it before my juice fast, but I am glad I just did. It gave me even more motivation to keep on juicing for the rest of my life!)

MY JOURNEY:

SO...!! I juiced for 10 days straight. I had great energy the whole time. I really wasn't tired, or hungry, and I slept great at night. I think it was especially easy for me because I don't take any medications. I don't drink pop, caffeine, coffee or alcohol.

Day 1 was just fun!
Day 2 was probably the hardest only because what I had juiced that day was DISGUSTING!!! I couldn't get much more than 16 oz. down for the whole day. And that was a few sips here and there! So needless to say I was pretty hungry.

Day 3: I was a little tired, I think just because of my starvation from day 2.

Day 4: And so on was wonderful. I wasn't hungry, and the need for food had passed. I started feeling like I could just juice forever! And say goodbye to solid foods!

Day 10: Wasn't sick of drinking the juice, just sick of the time consuming clean up!

My shopping list consisted of:

Spinach

Romaine

Cucumber

Celery
Cabbage

Beets

Carrots

Lemon

Green and Red Apples

Blueberries

Peaches

Pears

Grapes

Grapefruit

Oranges

And I still want to try juices with ginger, kale, yams, etc.. (not necessarily together, of course) I have several combinations I use and it is always so yummy!
Some side notes on my journey:

* I learned some serious self control!

* No "hangries" ever! ha ha (meaning i wasn't angry if i got hungry) And no hangries sense. Seriously, I don't "need" food like I used to!

* I consumed a lot less liquid than I thought I would need.

* Your body gets detoxed and cleans you out.

* I had no headaches, no withdrawals.
* Changes your taste buds, no need for sweets!

I still juice most every day. And I juice for a full day once a week. I feel great getting all the vitamins and nutrients!

wish i knew photoshop better

2011-08-08T20:41:00.001-06:00

It feels like I've been on the thing all day!

I am no photoshop expert! I wish I could do more.

Last night my sister in law Nicole taught me all sorts of new stuff!!!

And I know I posted this picture already... but I was wishing back then that I knew how to change the background and make it more attractive. And now that I've somewhat learned how, I need to see how I did to you photographers/photoshop guru's...

(I feel like Gracie is still floating, I like the dimension so it's not so flat

but I don't want it to look SO photoshopped.)

Critical comments will be appreciated!

Pink Background

Before. Zero editing.

Yellow Background

best $2 i ever spent!

2011-07-31T22:01:00.000-06:00

Who likes a good back scratch?

I know I sure do!

It was like getting an exfoliating sugar scrub all over my body!

Eating Animals

2011-07-28T12:57:00.001-06:00

I was able to go home for a whole 4 days! I went to go spend some time with my brother, Jeremy, who came in from Pennsylvania. Unfortunately my sister in law and nephew weren't able to come. And, Michael couldn't come because of work.

It was SO NICE to actually be there longer than the usual... less than 48 hours. It felt super relaxed, even with all the playing, adventures and sleep deprivation.

We did lots of hair! I loved every minute of it!
I wish everyone lived closer so I could do more for them more often!

Isn't she amazing??? I had a blast playing with her.
She is getting to be so much fun, with such a cute personality!
She LOVES smiling and cheesing it for the camera. I just wanted to eat her up!

A little bit of outdoor time after our extended family get together.

I had a lot of fun with all of my family!!! I love my brothers and embrace any chance I get to be with them! Family really is the best thing EVER! I wish the Moss and Blackhurst clan all lived closer so I could see everyone more often!

This trip consisted of ZERO sleep. The first night...

I simply couldn't sleep, had I known what was to come, I would have tried harder to get more sleep that night.
The second night... (top left picture in collage above) Jer and I stayed up until about 2:00 A.M. trying to clean the battery pack in his 8mm Camera to try and get it running. We would get one thing working, and then another, and then another! But in the end, everything was working except the motor. Kind of important.
The following night... we went to bed late and got up early to drive to go get some necessary items for the film... It's been over and a week and I haven't been able to eat any kind of meat/animal since. With no intention of it, but what we experienced seriously has effected me and thinking of eating meat makes me nauseous still.
The LAST night... (keep in mind it's been a long exhausting few days) we got up at 4:00 AM!!!! He needed to get the best light for this shot. (bottom right picture in collage above, don't worry... thats just a cow heart, lungs, and trachea... Long traumatizing story, hence I can't eat meat) But all in all it was a very productive morning. Jer finished all his filming, and we were able to get back to Justin's house shortly after 8:00 A.M. I am excited to see the finished product, it's going to be fantastic.

Until I see you again Gracie, you keep smiling!!!

gotta love fireworks

2011-07-20T14:34:00.000-06:00

Our 4th consisted of...

The usual. :)

We LOVE fireworks. Who wouldn't??

apple overload

2011-06-27T17:15:00.000-06:00

I LOVE my ipod, my mac, and i'm sure i'd love an ipad or iphone too.
I especially LOVE church. As I looked around sacrament meeting yesterday, I saw some web browsing, and pictures being taken of all 10+ people sitting in one general area using the fat app.

Good job Apple, you have officially taken over the world.

WOW. There is a time and place for everything. And I'm sorry but church isn't the place for apps, internet, etc...

Please leave your electronics home, or have self control. I'm sure it's convenient to have your scriptures, manuals and hymns all in one place. But what's so bad about carrying around a book or two for 3 hours, so the distraction isn't there??

this is my dad, he's pretty great

2011-06-23T11:03:00.000-06:00

he's a wonderful father, husband and friend.

i'm proud that he's my dad, and i love him so much!

one lucky gal

2011-06-13T22:35:00.001-06:00

A journal moment, this being my online journal and all; that I do for me, and for our future family... I think the only people that read it are my family members that get the emails anyway :)

I see all sorts of scum-bag, lying losers out there. (Bentley, haha, one of the many..) They are so selfish, so arrogant. All I can say is, I am so grateful for what I have, for the husband that I am so lucky to have. Life is so blissful. I was thinking of our life 20 years down the road the other day and it was such a peaceful thought/feeling. Life is not perfect by any means. I'm sure we have wanted to kill each other a time or two and our fighting words have come out... BUT We learn from it, our arguments lessen, and the love grows.

I think life can be as crazy, negative, ridiculous, or as positive and uplifting as we want.
I believe our life comes down to a choice, we choose the way we live and the outcome of most everything.
Do we want to become better?
Do we want to be better, do better?
Do we want to better the people around us?
Do we want to live a happier life?
Do we want to be okay with what life brings?

I sometimes want to live on an island, secluded, alone, away from everyone and everything. But then I think about how lame I would be... nothing would ever push me to be a better person. So since that's not an option!, I try to keep myself in a good place so I don't let petty things effect me.

To me, positive is the only way to live. I have my negative days and Mike asks where his giddy, happy wife went? Talk about a punch in the gut. I love it though, it totally changes my perspective and gets me back on track to be who I thrive to someday be. He definitely makes me a better person and I appreciate that. He is always saying things such as
"Don't you want to be better in (insert particular area here)?" I think to myself, Nope I like where I am at, no need to improve! haha Well that is not enough for him, he is all about improving the "little" things that I wouldn't normally think of. I LOVE IT, It's great!!!! He helps me to be an all around better person. He is wonderful! I am excited for the surprises and adventures that we have in store for the next 70 years or so. But for now, I am going to live in the moment.

all i can say is mmm...

2011-06-10T09:25:00.000-06:00

When I have the time, this is how I start my day!!!

This is my all time favorite at-home smoothie I make.

And let me tell you, it is delish! Smoothie's are one

of my most favorite things in this life...

seriously!

1/2 C Water or Almond Milk

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

(sometimes vanilla yogurt)

1/2 of a Banana

3-5 Frozen Strawberries

Lots of Frozen Blueberries

And to top it off, a couple leaves of Cabbage!

memorial day weekend

2011-06-09T21:25:00.000-06:00

My Memorial Day weekend started with this beautiful surprise at work!

Then we got to go see these munchkins!!

This sweet/feisty little one!

And we played and played, ate yummy food and played lots of card games!

2011-06-02T10:49:00.000-06:00

This is how little milk we drink. It's sour inside, and it's not even close

to the expiration date. We buy one and within a few days it's bad.

It's kind of getting on my nerves.

what makes our life exciting; surprises and good change

2011-05-25T10:00:00.000-06:00

NEW JOB

I don't think I've mentioned... Mike got a job!!!! Yay!! After his internship, it was back on the job search.... He is working as an accountant for one of the departments at UVU. He has been there for a little over a week now. Needless to say, I am pretty excited and pretty proud of my man! It's perfect while finishing up grad school, and I think, a great opportunity for his career future!

NEW COUCHES

I came home from work one night and these beauties were sitting in the front room!! Mike and I had talked about these couches once upon a time, but

"it wasn't going to work out" Riiiight! We had never intended to get couches

in the first place, so I wasn't too sad about it "not working out". I definitely was excited tho, and he definitely loves surprising me.

NEW HUTCH

A lady was moving out of our neighborhood so I bought this from her!!! It wasn't that great of a surprise for Mike because he really doesn't see the logic for getting rid of our kitchen table and replacing it with this... :) But we never used it, other than for piles and piles of crap, so I saw a great opportunity to put it elsewhere! In storage! ps, this Hutch is at least 40 years old!

a day at the spa

2011-05-23T15:23:00.001-06:00

My parents came up for a little "getaway" at our house a couple weekends

ago. While they were here my dad had a bike race, and my mom got

pampered all day at the Spa by her lovely daughter ;) I wanted some sauna time

so I decided to join her for that part of her day. She was literally by my side

all day long, minus a 45 min. session in the infrared wrap. It was a fun day,

and a really fun weekend with my parents!

surgery

2011-05-19T22:16:00.000-06:00

People may think that we are cruel but what's more cruel...

Locking a cat up for 16-18 hours a day

taking the last of her claws out???

Zoee went in for surgery last week and she was feelin good the

day she came home. :) Take note the doped up, content Zoee in my arms haha

Yesterday she got her appetite back and has been running and playing

like she used to. I don't think she misses them too much, she hardly used them

anyway. Only when she would jump on the couches, slip and try

to catch herself, leaving claw marks in our new couches. Hence the surgery.

a little late

2011-05-13T23:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Mothers Day!!! To my precious mother and

to all the other mothers out there! You guys rock,

family is what matters, and you are doing an incredible thing!

A Women of God

Neal A Maxwell, Conference Report, Apr. 1978

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial

institution, formed outside telestial time. The women of God know this"

"We salute you, sisters, for the joy that is yours as you rejoice in a baby's first smile and as you listen with eager ear to a child's first day at school which bespeaks a special selflessness... You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms."

"-God trusts women so much that He lets them bear

and care for His spirit children."

he's pretty great

2011-05-05T15:18:00.003-06:00

ITS GREAT:

* How much he loves me!

* That he has a gentle, and compassionate heart

* That I can trust him 110%

* How good looking he is.

* I am a much better person because of him

* He's a hard worker and doesn't give up!

* When he makes a commitment big or small he sticks to it, FOR LIFE!

* To have the priesthood in my home

* And, Mike would do anything for anyone!

ITS ESPECIALLY GREAT:

* That we have the same goals in how we want to live our life!!!!!

This man right here is the love of my life!

i am obsessed with this color!

2011-04-23T22:22:00.004-06:00

Well while I am blogging.... I'll show off my latest love.

It is massive, was a sweet buy and... i LOVE my newest throw pillow!

I am bored, SO...

2011-04-23T22:10:00.001-06:00

This is probably the cheesiest post I have ever done,

I don't know, maybe I could do worse??? Maybe not!

So today was Zoee's 3rd birthday :) I actually always forget the date but by looking back at my brothers blog, I am pretty sure today is the day. Thanks to my brother Justin I have had her since she was 1 week old, and got to bottle feed her every 3-4 hours. I really do love our cat. She's great. She climbs everywhere, thinks every space is hers, especially lying on clean clothes. Drives me crazy! She loves water; drinking out of the tap, and getting in the tub, wet or dry. She hates the dunking part of her bath but other than that she will walk around and doesn't try to jump out. She loves to cuddle and loves my hands, she'll do anything to find them, getting her morning and evening scratch is a must. She loves to sleep, watch out the window
and loves her voice. And I love that she takes care of herself!!!

A couple of weeks old, and now she is huge!

2011-04-21T23:40:00.002-06:00

SO, my hairstylist found this little white gem the other day growing in my

23 year old head of hair. I don't think so, it's too soon!!

Despite the pretty flower in the picture, that is one ugly little hair!

They took it out but I still have another one in there that haunts me,

I really really need to get it out too. With the growth on that thing

it looks like it came right around my 23rd birthday, and of course that

is right after Mike started his first busy season, makes sense to me!

A little update:

Our lives have been pretty boring, but I really can't complain.
Here is a little update about our lives at this moment in time.

Mike has definitely been busy 24/7 with everything (work, school, taxes).

But now, busy season is over (YAY!!!!),

he took his last final for this semester today, next week

is his break and then starts back up again. His internship is over

and is on the search for another job opportunity. And I hope he finds one

that he will enjoy soon. It was go, go, go, and now it ALL came to

a halt this week. One extreme to another, of course. I would prefer to have
a happy medium, that would mean a less stressed husband!

Work has been super busy for me and I love that. For some reason,

a day that I literally don't have time to eat or go to the restroom,

is a great day to me :) At night, with Mike preoccupied with the "must's"
of life, I would basically come home and would just sit. I really think

the cold and winter put me into hiding. Sitting inside

our small space night after night got old, and cleaning every other day,

that really gets old quick too. So, I need a hobby! I need craft ideas,

maybe I'll make a blanket, you can never have too many right??
And I am so ready to get out and do things!

I am hoping for some warm weather and some fun trips this summer!

i loved president monson's purple paisley tie

2011-04-04T23:37:00.000-06:00

I forgot I didn't post this. I loved Conference and I remembered about this yesterday.

A kid said this in sacrament meeting a few weeks ago.
He serviced his mission in Africa.

He said; A zebra wakes up every morning knowing

he has to run faster than the leopard. And a leopard wakes up

every morning knowing he has to run faster than the slowest zebra.

Satan being the leopard, every day he's taking down anyone that let's him, anyone that may forget how wonderful being a member of the church is. And he'll rip apart any family that he can, without hesitation.

SO.. If we actually slow down our busy busy lives, prioritize better and make the time for all the really important "little things" such as scripture, prayer, church, family home evening, etc... Even with the slowing down, we will be faster than the leopard! We will be, because we will be stronger and I believe in this day the strength in all of us is desperately needed!

I loved the analogy. Ooh, I may even make a really cute plaque from this!!

2011-03-22T12:00:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend we got to hang out with this little one,

Gracie Mae. I hate how fast and how much time actually goes

by before we get to see our family that doesn't live here. Its been since

Christmas, and it'll be who knows how long still until we get to see

our other siblings who have decided to not live in utah! ;)

Mmm I LOVE her! Isn't she just the cutest?!!

Makes me kinda want one, good thing I only see her every 3 months!

just a short 2 years ago

2011-03-12T23:38:00.113-07:00

Having just noticed the date tonight, a lot of memories started flooding into the brain. Just a short 2 years ago Michael and I went out on our first date. We met a month prior, it was love at first sight and even with that ;) and seeing him every week, it took him that long to FINALLY ask me out! With all the staring and saying who knows what just to talk to each other every week, and flirting, etc... Hard to explain, okay, moving on...

Our first date; we went to dinner and I was slightly shocked, after all the weeks of waiting to go out with him, I thought he was taking me home at 9:00! We were in the car talking until I noticed the clock, it was already 10:30 or later and then went in to my apartment. We talked and talked and talked and stayed up until 3:00 in the a.m. on my laptop talking about music, bands, and concerts! Talk about meant to be!! From then on we saw each other nearly every day. I think it was only a couple of weeks later that, let's just say, he definitely claimed me at institute! It was the best, last first date!! We used to be so cheesy, and I LOVE IT! I love this man of mine, he is amazing!! Thanks my Michael for being all that I needed then, today, and forever! I love you so much. It's been such a short time since the beginning and I am excited for our LONG forever together! "it's not secret, i need you" I LOVE YOU!

spontaneous daisy

2011-03-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

The Spontaneous Daisy blog is officially up and running again!

It is where I will post Salon/Spa Specials!! I just

posted about our Open House that is going on next

week (trust me you want to check it out), AND

you've gotta check out our March Specials too!!

I'm pretty excited about it!! spontaneousdaisy.blogspot.com

2011-03-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

Face book and I are officially fighting

I love getting to see what is going on with people's lives.

I love the concept. I love how much people use it, for my entertainment of course.

But that's the problem...

I hate how lost I get in the facebook world when my curiousity gets the best of me.

I especially hate how it sometimes takes me back QUITE a few years, seeing old friends, etc...

So, in junior high (ha, yes i really am going back that far right now) People were ALWAYS at my house, it was what we did on the weekends. Having sleep overs, making no bake cookies until 4 a.m. watching Legally Blonde over, and OVER, and over again. Running out of pj's because of all the peeing our pants laughing that was going on, literally. Taking endless pictures of ourselves, because we were super cool you know... haha That is just one example of many of my teen years. I had the BEST class in junior high/high school, such good friends. They were truly down to earth, good hearted people. And still are, looking at their lives today...

Thanks to facebook!

SO, Obviously I have been going back in memory lane with some old girl friends lately, and I am pretty sure I know why.

I miss having girlfriends.

I don't miss being young, I think it's that I just simply miss being a girl among other good girl friends. (endless laughing, and for the moment not having a care in the world)

Don't get me wrong i love, LoVe, LOVE, LOVE my life!! I LOVE IT!

I love everything about it, my gorgeous husband, my amazing career and my stellar families! I am seriously so blessed and so fortunate to have such an amazing man! I EVEN love the stability in my life. I generally try to be positive, so really, I have nothing to complain about. But a girl can ask for some friends, right??? I do get my female fix from work, so, for a long time I haven't needed any other girl time. It's not until recently that I feel like I NEED more.

If you know me you know that I grew up with change constantly, life flying around me at 100 miles an hour. So therefore I was good at change, I thrived on it. I was good at saying peace out and not looking back. Not letting myself miss or care about old memories and people because I got to meet new ones and make new memories! Because, in my experience, growing up that way was "normal." So to actually have lived somewhere for 4 years, to currently remember things and to care; TO HAVE A STABLE LIFE, totally new to me!!!
I don't want change, I don't NEED change anymore, I just need some good/solid friends to hang out with!

So that is why i hate face book, seeing people that I once was
SO close with (way back when tho), and seeing them
still see each other, and be apart of each others lives, etc...
Makes me kind of jealous, makes me feel like I am left out!!
I didn't get to grow up in the same place, I didn't really get
a childhood, with childhood friends, I got to meet a lot of new
people all the time. And I really am grateful for the
different people from different stages of my life thus far!
That I still get to stay in touch with, but thats it and not
quite the same, ya know? So being back where "I grew up"
(meaning the longest place I lived anywhere) I don't
necessarily need the people that once were. It just makes me
want what they have, so I just need some of my own people!! :)

Birthday Bash

2011-02-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am a little behind on blogging...

I have been caught up with making books, but now that, that is over (it was so worth it by the way!) I need to show my new rabbit. haha

My father in law is an animal lover too and him knowing

that I went threw a phase (of a matter of 2 weeks)

of wanting a rabbit, he got me this little squishy stuffed

friend that even makes noise. Zoee swatted it a few times and

disregarding the picture she seriously despises it.

My birthday consisted of food, food, and more food. My sweet mother in law took me shopping and out to lunch. That night Michael and I celebrated with yummy snickers cake. And the next day my parents came up and surprised me. It was probably the first time I have truly been surprised! I didn't have a clue even with Pam nearly giving it away, but me being so oblivious I didn't catch on!

We also got to do dinner with both my grandparents!!

And the following week we went out with

some of the ladies from the Salon

Like I said I ate out A LOT!

FREE??? I like free!

2011-02-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

I received this email today from picaboo.com and already had
some books made that I wanted to order but have been
putting it off because Michael and I got a $100.00 gift card
through Groupon a while back for only $35.00
but it would never let me put in a promo and the
Gift Card together (so frustrating!), so once I received the email
I was thinking to myself, well I'll try one last time to combine or
if it's a pretty good deal I will just spend the money rather than
use the gift card because free is free and I like that better.

So I get on with no expectation that the promo and my gift card will work together, but figure hey its worth one more try... So I am playing around with the settings from Medium size, Large size, Hard and Soft Covers.... I'm watching the price go up, and then down depending on the setting.... and somehow........... with out even putting in my gift card, JUST THE PROMO FEBFM,

SOMEHOW, my order came to $0.00 No shipping to pay for, didn't even pay for the Large softcover book!!!!!
I clicked, place order, real quick. It might have been a fluke, but I am super excited! So ladies, get on this NOW before they catch on ;) and order yourselves some scrapbooks!!!!
I hope it works for everyone! Either way it definitely is going in cheaper than it should.

****OKAY, so while typing this post my friend was trying to do it and we figured out that this is why it worked... I ordered several books, and I had them sent to multiple address's (they were The Classic Custom Book, 20 pages each, Large ones Softcover and Medium ones Hardcover) The Medium has to be the same as the Large one and they are both free somehow? And sending them to multiple address's actually cost's the company more money. Hmm, oh well. Anyway, play around with it and Good Luck!!

Meet Kristen....

2011-02-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

We all have a lot of people we know, a lot people we care about

and would consider a friend. But how many of those people are

you truly a friend to? How many would you do anything for,

and they could always count on you?

How many people would you consider to be a "true friend" to you?

I think a true friend will always be on your side, would always stand up for you, and will always tell you the truth despite what you might want to hear. Someone who would never talk trash behind your back, would be selfless, honest, true and would have integrity. Someone that you can trust with anything you tell them. A positive, uplifting source. Someone who puts a smile on your face and makes you laugh even in your worst moment because they truly love you, for you.

Now I know, nobody is perfect and we all have our moments.. if we could be conscious, always working on making good qualities better, being more positive and nicer to others. I personally don't care to be around someone who is a trash talker, or is negative.

This is something I have particularly had on my mind lately... Friends, rude people, selfishness, etc...

A new years resolution I made is to be nicer to others, help others more often, be selfless, more mellow, and in a sense, be that smile that a stranger might need. I know it's something that I need to continually work on!

So now, here's Kristen...

Someone I look up to, one of my truest friends,

and such an amazing person!

I got to see her this last weekend, so this is me reminiscing.

The beginning. Good ol' Hairschool.

Oh, how I miss this lady! I would never ask to go back, I like to progress, but I definitely wish we lived closer than 6 hours! So we could actually see each other more often.

And life continues with weddings, our husbands, and a baby... :)

This was at dinner last weekend.

And here is their 5 1/2 month old bundle of joy.

He enjoyed the lime, but hated the lemon!

I am grateful for the amazing people in our life.

The good friends that we have and cherish!

another thing....

2011-02-03T10:41:00.001-07:00

Another thing I love..

Valentines Specials

These guys say it all!

It's February!

2011-02-01T11:39:00.001-07:00

February has always been my favorite month of the year, Probably because:

*It is the "love" month

*I am a sucker for anything that is shaped like a heart

*It's my birthday month, and I love to celebrate birthdays!

*Michael and I met on February 11th

*My birthstone color is my favorite color.

*And I am simply, just a sucker for Love and Romance

2 Fun Facts about February:
(I didn't find as many as I thought I would)

*The birthstone for February is amethyst which is purple quartz. Amethyst was a symbol of royalty in the Middle Ages. It also symbolizes clear-headedness and quick-wittedness.

*It is named after the Roman god Februus. The Latin root word februa means purification; and the Romans held their celebration of purification during the month of February.

2011-01-27T10:53:00.001-07:00

Call me crazy, but I seriously want a rabbit.

I don't know why. One day I was driving

through my in-laws farm and it just came to me...

I want a rabbit!

I do not have the patience to take care of a puppy yet.

Zoee is so easy and so sweet, but she has been

telling me lately that she wants a friend. :)

Aren't these guys cute?

To be more specific, I want a little fur ball from this litter I found on KSL. They are only 5 weeks old, born on Christmas!!!

Michael has already told me not to get my hopes up...

OOPS, too late for that!

So I'll either be super stoked in 2 weeks on my birthday

or totally let down ;) Ha ha, No, I don't actually HAVE

to get one, and I'm not expecting it.

But I REALLY, really want one, so that should

count and be enough right?!!

p.s. I am feeling much better. Diet Coke w/Lime. :) The headache has subsided but unfortunately still exists. Thanks for putting up with my poor pity me moment! Comments and emails helped! I want to kick it in the butt now, hopefully with a massage!

one of "those" days, and i have the best husband ever!

2011-01-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

So I came home at 5:05,

I was a wreck.

My husband let me jump on his lap, sob on his shoulder,

complain about how picked on I am,

and how lousy I felt.

He was so quick to stop all he was doing

and give me his full attention.

After letting me cry, he eventually got words out of me,

He made me go get into bed and relax.

He got me my C Boost drink,

grabbed some saltines,

and heated up some chicken noodle soup.

Within 15 minutes of getting home,

I ate, drank, had my heated neck wrap and

got to snuggle my lover.

At 25 minutes he had already dozed off.

And here I am thinking, wait, what about me??

I need my neck rubbed...

and I need you to rub do-Terra oils on me.

This lying down was for you to rest, wasn't it???

..What am I thinking, we can do it later,

this couldn't be more perfect!

5 minutes later...

Oh hello Zoee.

She jumped on the bed and didn't even ask to share my pillow.

My 2 favorites on each side of me,

and then I slept.

Headache (that I have had for a week)

if you could just go away,

that would be wonderful so I can stop crying over you!

I will take any suggestions!

Jackson Hole take-2

2011-01-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

We went to Jackson Hole again!

It may just start being a tradition every New Year.

But I'll be honest when it's cold here, I'd like to go somewhere

warm versus going somewhere EVEN colder!!!!

We went with our family Matt & Michelle.

We stayed in Teton Village.

We went snowshoeing...

We all fell a lot...

We saw a lot of wildlife! I especially loved this huge moose! If you notice the snow is well past his knees, almost to his chest.

Michael being Michael :)

We saw beautiful scenery

We went inside nearly EVERY single shop!

We ate a lot of good food!

We took a sled on the Elk Refuge. It was cool but FREEZING!

And, took a drive and saw some horn sheep.

We also drank yummy hot chocolate,

sat in the steam room, and hot tub. Played games,

and went to church in our jeans!

All makes for a super FuN, relaxing long weekend!

And of course, we built this huge snowman!!! ;)

And then, we came back home.

And on the drive, we saw this awesome ice sculpture

from a continually leaking sprinkler.

Look, it's blue inside, and if you look closely

you can see the water shooting up on the right.

2011-01-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently this is also my blog (the name gave it away). So, I thought I would go ahead and post something. I have been waiting for the past few weeks for my diploma from UVU to show up and for my first class to start at Weber. Well all of that has finally happened. I now have that piece of paper that I worked so hard for. The whole thing was pretty melodramatic. I guess it would have been different if I had walked but I'll do that after the Master's degree.

I am officially a Wildcat, ID and all. My first classes last week went very well and I am really blessed to be in such a great position where I can learn so much. My professors are excellent people who love their jobs and sharing their knowledge with my fellow students and I. It really is great to be studying only the subjects that interest me.

I want to thank everyone for all of the love and support they gave over the past years to get me to this point. Thank you for the pen set, movie tickets, and gift certificates to Rodizio (Mom, Dad, Leslie, Ryan, Matt and Danny and spouses) it's okay you were left out Travis, you can put me "out" for free when I get my hair plugs in. No really I am balding. I can't embrace it like you have : )

So there it is, my first blog entry. Thank you again.

fluff your feathers

2011-01-08T23:27:00.002-07:00

Feathers, in your hair??? They are the hottest thing happening in our Salon these days! I pretty much love mine! I threw a blue extension in there as well for some extra fun! You can wash, flat iron, and cUrL them!

P.s. another really cool service offered these days.. is the Brazilian Blowout! I have been doing them for quite a while now so I don't know why I've never talked about them on here before! Because; seriously, they are amazing! Talk about never flat ironing again, and having silkier, sexier, healthier hair. If you have any questions about it, just ask. It is my most recent specialty!

DECEMBER:

2011-01-06T13:19:00.002-07:00

Definitely a reality check.

I wanted to make a Christmas decoration that had some meaning to it. With the size that I cut the wood, this is what I had to work with. It wasn't as quick of a project as the bathroom blocks, but it was still really simple.

WARNING: Extremely long with a lot of pictures!!!

We started Christmas on Wednesday with the Blackhurst's. We all made gingerbread houses and trains. Watched a really good church christmas movie, wrapped presents, ate a delicious meal and played the game of white elephant. All in a day!!!

Emmy and Bridger

Don't ever do a train, you have to break the pieces apart
or cut or saw or in some other way you can think of,
to not have them break. But take my word for it,
they still broke no matter what we tried!!

Leslie's cute kids. They live in Oklahoma, so we don't get
to see them all too often.

Mellow little Pharis

Michael and I made a train. I know, it doesn't look like
much of one, but before it crashed it was pretty fabulous ;)

Pictures from white elephant. I almost got everyone on here. I completely forgot to take pictures!!! So I had to take them from my mother in law.

So now onto the Moss Christmas.. Completely opposite when it comes to pictures, we took way to many! Our weekend was quite eventful this year! We celebrated a birthday, a baptism, a blessing and got to do Christmas with my whole immediate Moss family. We aren't that big of a family but with 1 brother living on the East Coast and another living on the West, we don't get that time together. So we only had a limited amount of of hours, and we made the best of it.

I literally have 700+ pictures from just this ONE weekend. This is only a peek of what we captured! But it's still a LONG picture roll... :)

The latest and greatest "come as you are" Family Picture!
We have 2 new additions! So fun!

I got to meet Ingmar, my 1 year old nephew for the first time.
And he is adorable!!! I'd take 10 of him :)

Grandpa Moss and Iggy. So cute!
We did an extended Christmas Eve party .

Grandma and Grandpa Moss.

Gracie at Grandma Moss

Mom and Ema. p.s. She is already 8 years old!

Bracken, Justin and Alicia. Way to smile you boys!!!!
At least Alicia looks fabulous!

Baby Gracie. Isn't she beautiful?!!!? She is already
3 months and SO cute! My oldest brother Jeremy is
holding her. After 14 months we finally got to see him and
his wife Leigh, who is down farther in the pictures.

We got to enjoy Christmas at our house this year.
A little crowded, but we made it work!

Here's Gracie again, she loves when you stick
your tongue out at her and she'll do it back.

Josh and Jayne. I don't know how long it was since
we saw them but it was a LONG time too

Mmmm, the divine creamed eggs over toast for Christmas breakfast!!!

Here's Bracken,

And Dad.

And the gift giving begins. Leigh is always so animated!
As Alicia once said, you could seriously give her a
roll of toilet paper and she would be so ecstatic!

Ema and her new kitty pajamas. Her and I
share the same love for that particular animal!

Josh and Jayne

Alicia and Justin

Iggy meets his great-grandma Cindy.

We put him in the middle of the gifts and I'd say he had a blast!

Michael's new pj's.

Ha ha I love this one! If you notice Iggy's hand
is on his head.. Where did your hat go??

Zoee didn't like being hit and squeezed. She would stick
around for a matter of seconds before darting the other way.
Zoee, its not his fault he just gets so excited!

As you can see the excitement in this picture! They have
a dog named Harvey and we think maybe he thought
it was him, but one that actually stayed put.

The mess.. the people. There were a couple people
sitting in the kitchen and hall as well...

Iggy turned 1 on Christmas!

Look at her hands. I think this is the most precious picture of her.

All of us in our new pajama's. Thanks mom and dad!!!

Lookin good babe!!!

This is what Michael ended up with

in our White Elephant game.

Alicia got a paraffin pot and we all had to try it out!

The sleeping arrangement. 5 in the bedrooms and the rest of
us out here. We were definitely sleep deprived the whole
entire weekend! This night we got a solid 3 hours :)

Ema got baptized!!!!

Look at this beautiful family. We got to do this on Monday.
And Justin got to Bless Gracie with all the family there.
It was a wonderful day and truly the most spiritual baptism I have ever been to.

Our wonderful parents! I'm not sure who
posed them, probably a group effort!

Tuesday: We went out with our Blackhurst Family for Michael's
Graduation dinner. We also had them sing to Leslie because
her birthday was the next day. They only give whip cream in a cup!

And then we started off our New Year with Colby & Amanda!

It was a busy week with a lot of pictures, that, actually makes me quite overwhelmed! But it was an awesome week with the most important people. Family is the best thing in the world, and we are grateful for ours!

accepted

2010-12-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

I apparently blogged a little too soon...

We found out TODAY that he did get accepted to Weber State and starts right back up again in January!! Better to get his masters sooner than later, I guess! He seriously couldn't be happier! And, I sure love a happy husband!

Shout-out!

2010-12-22T09:36:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting MONTHS to brag about my love! He's pretty cool, you know!

For starters: He got a tax position at Hansen, Barnett, & Maxwell in SLC. It is possible that it could just be a temporary position but we are just excited for his first "busy season" as an accountant, and of course, crossing our fingers that it will become permanent!!

Secondly: He has officially graduated from College!!!!!!! YAY!! Congratulations Michael, I am so proud of you! Way to push through and accomplish this big step in your life! Oh, and i love you!

He has chosen not to walk because unfortunately it is not the end :) He has decided to go onto bigger and better things. He graduated in Accounting and is going to go to Graduate School to get an MTAX, and will walk then. It has been a stressful couple of weeks playing the waiting game and not to mention incompetent people.... So; he may or may not start immediately in grad school, but luckily its only 1 year of school!

addicted....

2010-12-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

I am seriously addicted to cute things!

Once you sit down and actually "do", it is such a fast process.

These were done within one episode of Bones. Just some paint, assistance of my cricut, and mod podge, and the job was done. Done way too quickly, so I've already cut the wood for my next idea!

These ones are my favorite!!

And the winner is...!!!

2010-11-28T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest; I LOVE crafts, and I sure had A LOT of fun with this!!! I had a few different kinds of flowers in mind to put on them, but with all the fabrics I used, it would have been way too much for me. So this is what I came up with. Thanks for your votes!! Here is the winner pillow!

Finished Projects

2010-11-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

We finally went back a couple weeks ago and finished our plates.

I think Santa will be happy with the cookie plate Michael made for him ;) Maybe next we'll make a mug to go with it!

Throw Pillows

2010-11-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

So, I am going to finally get to this huge list of projects that have been on my mind. Who doesn't love throw pillows?? I need help deciding on which pillows to make. They are all so BEAUTIFUL!!!

I got this old rocking chair; I'll be making a simple seat cushion for it and then I'll make a rectangle pillow for the chair and a square for our bed. In the colors of Lime Green, Deep Purple, Black, Grey and a Cream. I may not use ALL the colors but I just might try :)

Please vote on the poll on the side for which one is YOUR favorite! Thank you guys!

1 year down, EtErNiTy to go!

2010-10-17T22:02:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, the love of my life and I were sealed for time and all eternity. Something that we are not trying to take lightly. It has been a year full of love, happiness, some arguments, but mostly it has been full of real life. It sure has been worth it and full of true joy. It's amazing being loved! And, who could resist a smile like that?

To celebrate, yesterday we spent the day at Color Me Mine. Ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and then went to an amazing concert!!! We saw our favorite band, fun. Here are a couple of pictures, our projects are unfinished... we still have to go back. HAPPY ONE YEAR love. This is one happy Blackhurst family :)

babies

2010-10-15T22:46:00.000-06:00

This is baby Gracie Mae.

And these are her feet.

Last weekend I decided to go to St. George for a matter of 36 hours, and 8 hours on top of it for driving, and unfortunately there's time for sleep in there too. Needless to say, it was more than worth it!

We made homemade Cafe Rio. :) It was divine.

We went to the park.

I got to see my best friend from Vegas and her cute 7 week old boy, Kenton.

And I also got to go see another baby. Adorable Clara, my cousin Heidi's daughter. She was born 3 days before Gracie. So little, so sweet.

I had so much fun. I missed the lover, but it was so nice to see some family! And, I seriously couldn't get enough pictures of my beautiful niece. She was so fun, such a bundle of joy!

Sibling Torture Treatment - OUCH!

2010-10-14T11:35:00.001-06:00

I took this from my mom's blog. Just a little something we did while being in St. George. Click on the link to go to the video. Waxing a neck line.. It may hurt, but seriously SO worth it!

It's You and Me: Sibling Torture Treatment - OUCH!

butterflies (#3)

2010-09-29T22:27:00.000-06:00

Last one..
I named this one butterflies because everywhere we went a butterfly slowly flew right next to me. We were out in the middle of the ocean on the sailboat scoping out the dolphins and there was a bright yellow one. When we were in the city one flew past, at the beach, etc.. It was so random. I swear everywhere we went, everything we did, there was always one about 2 feet away from me. I thought that it was neat, random, but neat.

We went sailing one day. Saw tons of dolphins. Tried to snorkel, but it wasn't clear enough. The water where we went wasn't brown at least.

We went to this private beach.

And saw Blue Footed Boobies on this nature covered white rock.

It was super relaxing and not too hot. We really enjoyed it. Another thing about the humidity; I have a bad problem of popping nearly everything in my body. My knees and back at least once a day and my fingers several times a day. I didn't notice until the end of the trip that I didn't pop anything the whole time we were there. I didn't get the urge to, because I didn't NEED to. I miss the humidity!!

Anyway, Thanks to the overcast and being in the water. We forgot to apply and reapply sunscreen. Needless to say we got fried.

This was the best sunset. And this picture is not edited, at all, that's how truly amazing it was!

So on our right was this beautiful sunset, and on our left was a storm coming in.

We were sitting at dinner when the rain came in. It was awesome! Every night was like this. The rain was so much fun!

The arches at our Hotel.

So we went down to the city. Walked the boardwalk and desperately searched for a ring for me. We eventually found one that was a reasonable price and doesn't turn my finger green. I love it.

We came across this guy... Not the one up above that looks angry. The one below.

...Who stacks rocks all day and this is how he makes his money, from his tip jar.

I love the pictures we got.

Last day...

We went to a different side of the bay on a big boat that we considered to be a "booze cruise." Once we got there we went to the amphitheater that was in the center of the jungle. We made sure that we covered ourselves in repellent before we got there. Once the sun was gone, the only light was the torches and candles that lit the walkways. Dinner was very intimate and delicious. I don't think I have had that good of food before, EVER.

This was the last picture we got before the camera wouldn't even open anymore. I am still mad that I didn't get any pictures of what the island looked like at dark. I guess I'll have to go back! ;)

This is our beach bag that we got. Zoee was very intrigued with it. I took a picture because she wouldn't leave it alone and I couldn't leave her out of this :)

THE END

perfect innocence

2010-09-29T10:45:00.000-06:00

It seems like just yesterday that I was tricking some of you when I was telling you that my cute sister in law Alicia was pregnant :) Well now their little one is here! Her name is Gracie Mae Moss. She was born Saturday the 25th. I am so excited for my brother and his family!!!! And I get to meet this precious gift in a few weeks!

flying tail-less monkeys (#2)

2010-09-08T12:51:00.000-06:00

(Apologies for how long these are)

Thanks to Vallarta Adventures we got to do some really cool things!! Here is our most favorite adventure. If you ever go there, you HAVE to do this. It is a must! I'd fly there just to do this again!

FIRST, we took a speed boat to the other side of the bay.

It was so beautiful!

SECOND, we got on a 4x4 Mercedes Benz Unimog. We were in it for a long time, road clear up the mountain and, of course, through all the pot holes.

Once we got up there we got geared up....

AND, Road mules even farther up the Mountain until we got to the funnest part!

And now, the flying begins!! Total we did about 10 zip lines.

This was our first one and the longest distance we went.

Up close on our repel down the waterfall.

And farther down below! The whole adventure was seriously so beautiful.

This one was our free fall repel into a pool of water. I lost my stomach the whole way down, I absolutely loved it. It alone was one of the funnest things I have ever done! After this one we did a zip line straight into another pool of water.

Talk about water up the nose.

After getting soaked multiple times, we did some hiking down. Crossed a couple of rope bridges. Did some more zip lines. And this was the last zip line. :(

On our way up there was endless talking and laughing. The people we made friends with were funny. But, on our way down every was one silent, you could tell that we were all pretty exhausted :) When I saw these plants I thought that they were huge Aloe Vera plants but come to find out they aren't...

We stopped at a Tequila plant on the way down. (it wasn't a part of the tour, we're pretty sure they pay the drivers to stop) The guy that was having everyone taste the alcohol was so drunk.

It's all he does all day! Ridiculous.

This is actually what the plant is. Its what they make there 5 kinds of Tequila out of.

Still more posts to come!

beach bum (#1)

2010-09-05T16:45:00.000-06:00

Michael and I decided to take a trip! After semester, after semester in a row of school he needed quite the break. We went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico!! It was the funnest trip ever! We did several excursions so just bare with me through these next posts!

Beautiful green raining Puerto Vallarta. We absolutely loved the humidity! I'll be honest I really want to live in it. When we got there it was overcast and raining and we were so nervous that it was going to be bad weather the whole time. As we flew in you could see that the river was brown and some fields were flooded. Its raining season so we expected the worst. But the weather was awesome!! We had blue skies during the day, late afternoon it would get overcast and then poor. I absolutely loved the rain!

We stayed in Nuevo Vallarta. We would take a bus when we wanted to go to Wal-Mart and to go shopping/touring the city.

That is the Hotel we stayed in. It was full of what we called "the locals," always loud, and you had to fight your way out of the elevator because the other guests were so rude. It had all that we needed though, a beach, bed, and endless food :)

This is what we ate nearly every meal. It was so dang good,

I had to take a picture!

They did shows every night. But everything was usually in Spanish. By the end of our trip I really got sick of not being able to understand anything.

Dinner one of the nights. I didn't have to do my hair once. It was always wet and curly.

We spent quite a bit of time on the beach. The sand was nice when it wasn't burning my feet. Lying on the chairs was relaxing. And the sun felt so great!The waves weren't huge but we would get boogie boards and ride them. I mostly would just float!

Unfortunately the water wasn't clear or blue. In the picture from our room ^, you can see the line of the mud from the river that came from Puerto Vallarta.

We were always wet from the ocean, the rain or constantly showering. The humidity was hot but I loved it, I loved the moisture, I didn't need chap stick or lotion. Everything was just better in it. And I came to the conclusion that I could lay on the beach with a good book forever. And it's much better with my handsome husband by my side!

We walked to the end of the beach one night. We came to "On the Rocks, Wedding Chapel". Inside was the ten commandments. The sun had just gone down so it wasn't too great for pictures.

On Thursday I got a Henna Tattoo. It's still on 2 1/2 weeks later and quite black even, I can't believe it's lasted this long. I have loved it but I definitely would not ever want anything permanently on me.

That is all for now. When I feel like blogging again

I'll post our fun excursions!

my day

2010-08-25T21:12:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a little 12 year old come in to get her hair done. She wanted a change, something super cute as she started junior high the next day. It made me think back to when I was 12. I was back in Utah, in a new city, new school, new friends.

So, when she sat in my chair it brought me to whole load of emotions as a reminder as to why I love what I do so much! Michael and I were gone for a week. One whole week I was away from work, that's it! But let me tell you I missed it, I missed what I do. It brought me so much joy to be back at the Salon. I can't even describe the passion I have for simply "doing hair." Not only to beautify ones features but to be able to teach someone something new! For me to feel there excitement. To start with a white canvas and get something so beautiful as the end result. Hair is such an identity, it shows others a part of who one is. And I am truly grateful that I am able to be a Stylist. I surely do not do it for the money; I do it because it's seriously what I was born to do :) Call me cheesy. I LOVE everything about it!!!

Anyway, it is so much fun to be back and behind the chair! It's funny even with all that, it took my brain to Mosiah 3:19 reminding me to be submissive and humble as a child. As the child that was sitting in my chair, eager to learn, soaking up everything I said. I know I can be more like that.

Our trip was so refreshing, its nice that we can get back to life and try to be even better in all the things that we do. Oddly enough I feel to be a better person after a vacation. I have a whole new perspective and attitude on things. I didn't realize how much I missed my family and I was so happy so see Matt when he picked us up from the airport. When I saw my boss I wanted to hug her, I don't know why, I guess I missed her too. Life is good and not just because I got to be with my husband 24/7 for a solid week. (that was pretty nice tho!!) Because I love the way that I feel. I love how happy I am. For now, I am grounded and life is peaceful.

Here is the scripture, if you wanted to read the whole thing.

It is so good!

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." Mosiah 3:19

2010-08-25T13:20:00.000-06:00

Today is Michael's first day of his LAST Semester at UVU!

BIG 27

2010-08-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

Dear Michael,

Happy Birthday!!! You are the love of my life! I am so blessed to have YOU as my husband. Thank you for all that you do for our family. You take on way too much. Thank you for your gentleness, your kindness, your patience. Thank you for loving me SO much! You rock my world! You are my best friend and I couldn't ask for a better one! You are such a great husband, friend, son, brother, and uncle. And you are taken for granted way too much. Never let me take you for granted because you deserve ONLY the best!! From me, from anyone! You are TRULY amazing; the nicest person I know, who would do anything for anyone. You have a strong testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. And I am grateful for that. I love our life. I love all that you teach me. You are the coolest person ever!!!!!
I LOVE YOU!
Love, Julie

homesick

2010-08-10T12:00:00.001-06:00

August 1st at 8:45 P.M. I received a phone call from my sister in-law Alicia. It was one of the best phone calls I have received in a while...

My niece Ema had been staying in Alpine for a week. Had I known I would've made sure I saw her. Unfortunately something not so good made it so I could spend 12 hours with JUST her! I was thrilled that she was going to come stay at my house so I jumped in the car and got to her about 10 minutes later. When I got there she didn't know that I was coming to get her and needless to say she was super excited to see me and wouldn't let me go. I loved every minute of it!
She had been away from home for so long and was SO ready to go home. After getting her stuff and in the car I handed her my phone and she said, "Wow! Your phone is so light." She's used to iphone's and blackberry's lol She talked to her mom, dad, and she especially wanted to talk to bracken. When she got off the phone with B she said, "He misses me so much, he wouldn't even go see a movie without me." What a good brother! We got her to our house as quick as possible. It had been an emotional night for her. I tried making up for lost time before her dad got here the next afternoon.

We frosted cookies, she picked out a movie with Michael, she got her bowl of cereal and she was set, so we put on the movie! When we went to bed I asked her if she was going to be okay by herself and sure enough she says in confidence, "oh yeah, ill be good."

The next day I had to go into the office, my second job. I figured Ema would be okay with that because we have kittens there.

Harvey and Copper. By the end of the few hours that we were there she had claimed that Copper was her favorite. They both fell asleep on her, it was adorable. With all that had to be done, going out in the golf cart and being preoccupied with them I'd say she had a blast and the time went by really fast.

Next it was time for lunch and then a haircut. We went to Pizza Factory, got Salad and Breadtwists to go and went to a park. It was SO much fun! While we were there Ema said, "This is fun, I never get to spend time like this with you." She is only 7! She is the sweetest thing. And I sure enjoyed the time I got to spend with her too! Lastly we went on the swings until we got the phone call that my brother was here and waiting for us at the Salon. They ended up staying the night so it was SO fun to hang out with my brother too!
I definitely miss having my family close by! Atleast we don't ever take the time we do get for granted. Family is the most important thing and I sure do love mine!

dear jamie,

2010-07-16T23:38:00.002-06:00

Yesterday this sweet little girl would have been 25. There have always been pictures of her around. We always celebrate her birthday. She is always remembered and talked about often.

Her funeral was on my due date. I was born 2 weeks later.

I have always said that I truly feel like I know her, that we spent those 2 weeks in Heaven together before I came onto this earth. She has always been a huge part of my life.

I was taught that “its okay”, "she is in a better place", "it was her time", etc.. As I still believe all that, I just have never let myself think anything else... Until yesterday. I am here to admit that I wish I grew up with my sister. I wish I got to meet her on earth. To have that relationship, a female close to me and my age. My brother is 6 years older, no cousins my age. Always had guy friends because I was raised with brothers, so naturally I get along with them better. I have always envied other girls relationships with theirs sisters and best friends. I still do. I have my Michael but it’d sometimes be nice to have a “close” girlfriend in my life. At least I have you mom, thank you for being my someone.

She would be 25 and I am sure living her life to the fullest doing what is right. I still believe she has a purpose and is doing a lot of good on the other side. I love that her being gone gives my family more motivation to see her again by living how we ought to. She truly is in a better place. And I feel her by my side from time to time.

So Jamie, it IS okay. You ARE in a better place. It WAS your time, for one reason or another. I know that you help our family from a great place and watch over us. Make sure you keep all of us on the right track! I am grateful for the relationship that we are able to have! We all miss you! I can't wait to see you again! I love you!

Here are some lyrics of one of my all time favorite songs!!!

If you want to Listen to it click on listen. It's fun!

Not any meaning but I thought i'd share.

Dear Jamie, I've got a letter I would like to send.
It's lacking strings of words with punctuation at the ends.

But should I trust this dialect,
To convey the right effect?

Dear Jamie, I've got some things I'd like to set in pen.
I would have used a pencil but leads just not permanent.

But should I trust my printer's ink,
To express the things I think?

Every page I tried my best to think of something to contest;
With inside jokes and other folks who've got much more to say.

Dear Jamie, this envelope will represent my heart.
I'll seal it send it off and wish it luck with its depart.

And this stamp will be every action that carried my affection:
Across the air and land and sea.

But should I trust the postage due,
To deliver my heart to you?

Every page I tried my best to think of something to contest;
With inside jokes and other folks who've got much more to say.

Every page I tried my best to fill with something to contest;
With inside jokes and other folks who've got much more to say.

I'll give you all I can,
A flower and a hand.
I hope this helps you see.
Signed, sincerely me.

newest additions

2010-07-09T21:33:00.000-06:00

If you know me, you KNOW how much I LOVE cats, so of course I will post about them :)

These little ones are the Units newest additions. (I sometimes wish I could get another, but it was hard enough to talk Michael into Zoee) These 2 are probably only 7-8 weeks and are living in the office. I look forward to that job solely because I get to play with them. The striped is a boy and I named him Copper. The calico one is a girl and we like to call her two-face, can't come up with a better name yet. They are so playful and I forgot what its like to have a little kitten. Full of energy, eat, sleep, and oh; they are so intrigued with everything, especially smells. And they love to be loved!!

one of many

2010-07-08T21:43:00.000-06:00

Michael and I had a fun little project! It only took us a day to paint but then I think it took us a whole week to actually get it all put back together. Thank goodness for having a second bathroom! The color is a lot darker in person and I think it'll especially look good against a white ceiling and trim. We'll get to that eventually. I have a feeling with how busy life is; getting our house to the end result may or may not happen while we still live there. :) I still don't think I've posted our Orange Kitchen, that will eventually happen... ;)

2010-06-25T21:38:00.000-06:00

50 Days and Counting!!!!

family of 5

2010-06-13T20:14:00.001-06:00

One of my neighbors just has a hard, dramatic life and it kills me when I hear stuff as I walk by. Today she needed my phone twice. The second time she came over she said very distressed, "I just don't know what to do" So I said "Get ready and go to church, It'll only make you feel better" She said that she had to work tonight so she needed to sleep during the day. Her kids haven't been to church much lately with a lot of life happening, it seems. And it just kills me to see innocent children effected by the responsibilities and simply just "life happening" for the parents. So I asked if we could take them to church so she could sleep and hopefully feel better.
We packed all 3 kids up in the car ages 4, 5, and 6. They all were adorable and very well behaved. The 4 year old sure had a voice in sacrament meeting, but with a finger over my mouth he quickly would whisper. The 5 year old clung to me and she was so fun. The 6 year old was very solemn. He was very respectable and listened well. Come to find out he is in our primary class that we teach.
Mike and I noticed that a lot of the children in our class don't come regularly so we had decided just last week that we would take by "something" during the week saying that we missed them and hope to see them. (I still need to figure out what that "something" is) We still don't know everyone in our class. And I love that we teach this age. Its an easy lesson to whip out the night before or even the day of with simple activities and everything in the book to get the lesson across in words that they will understand. They are at the age where they WANT to learn, they soak everything up. They are so innocent and for the most part, can sit still.
Needless to say I enjoyed the experience of taking the 3 to church, and I have a feeling it may be a consistent thing. I don't know reason behind why I got the thought to run over and ask to take them, but it really effected me in a positive way. I look forward to being a mother. But once Mike and I got home we just hugged, for a while :) We had been together all 3 hours but hadn't really seen each other haha. So I am enjoying the time I have with "just him." For now.

My Other Half

2010-06-09T10:59:00.001-06:00

We went to Fish Lake again. So Mike and I went and found our tree that we carved into last summer! We like to call it L.O.V.E. I think I might have to put the picture on here again of what the 2 trees look like! They are joined at the trunk but are 2 separate tree's that twist around each other, growing as one. I just want to dig it up and put it in my future yard! Yep, okay I had to. Here it is. I think it is so beautiful!

Okay now time for the Family Trip!... It was back to back with the Memorial Day weekend trip but, at least it wasn't stressful, we even got to do a load of laundry in between! We went with the Blackhurst's. It's the last of our time off for the summer (and the summer has only just begun, sad) unless we can somehow work something out to go to the lake and ski, I am crossing my fingers!!!!! I started water skiing when I was 3 and haven't been in what feels like forever and I miss it SOOO much. Anyway, At least I got out on a Lake! And here are some pictures of my fabulous Blackhurst Family!

It won't let me type in between the pictures but you get the idea ;)
The next ones are at Fish Lake. We just didn't have as much luck as we did last year.

Thank you hubby for snapping this wonderful shot. ha. Can anyone think of a better way to pee when your on a boat and no swimming suit? Guys just have it way too easy.

Beautiful job on the fire Michael! Well, thats all! Fishing, Family, Fires, Food, etc.. Who could ask for more?!

FaMiLy!!!

2010-06-01T21:19:00.000-06:00

We went to Pine Valley/Pinto for the Moss Reunion. Despite the dirt, mosquitoes, and LONG days, it was super fun. I love my family and can never seem to get enough of them. The trips always seem too short!

Ema and I had fun swinging. She was my little buddy. I really do love to swing. I will always be a kid at heart and will swing any chance I get!
Mike and I went 4-wheeling to the little reservoir in PV.

Once in Pinto there were a whole lot of GAMES,

MARSHMALLOWS

HANGING OUT

SHOOTING GUNS

A FLAT TIRE,
AND A WHOLE LOT OF SLEEPING...

FUNNY STORY about my nephew Bracken.. We had gotten in the car and about a minute later he was out cold. So I took this picture of him and we were talking about how fast he went to sleep. And then my dad started saying "Wheres his sucker, he had a sucker, its going to melt" (aka a Popsicle) After I said "I don't see a sucker unless its in his pocket" Bracken says without opening his eyes "Its okay.. I finished it" So I asked him what about the marshmallows, He said "Oh, I ate those too" and he was gone again after that. He has such a funny personality and is so much fun!

Back in Pine Valley:
Mike's height came in handy. All the new batteries were dead so the beeping still continued anyway.

Ema in her BIG bubble bath.

We did Glitter Toes one day on my Mom, Alicia and Ema. I love doing them!
We hung out, played games and enjoyed being outside. It was beautiful weather (minus the wind) Being that close to the sun we finally got some color!

While Bracken was on the teeter totter, while bouncing up and down, he said "I don't have protective gear on my feet"lol He is a crack up.
Anyhow needless to say we had a blast with all the family we got to be around. We go to the Moss Reunion every Memorial Day and I really do enjoy it. I especially love being with my immediate family. I couldn't ask for a better loving family. They are wonderful. Especially my parents!!!! Oh, how I miss being with them already.

And we can't forget about Zoee. She hated being locked up, this is the first time she hasn't been able to roam free in the car. But she just sheds even more this time of year. Shes staying home from now on. She was locked up in the laundry room the whole time anyway. Oh, do I love her too!

as a man thinketh

2010-05-14T12:34:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't want to be the best person that they can possibly be?

My good friend let me borrow this very short read. It's called As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. I want everyone to read it!

If you want to better yourself, your circumstances, "life" in general. PLEASE read it. This world is turning into such a vicious place. A place of greed and pride, selfishness, and hate. WAY too many who are so off their rocker think it's okay to hurt, and abuse others in every way possible, especially innocent children. Where is the love? Where is the positive?

The book is about how powerful your mind is. You choose everything in this life. And its even quite humbling, makes you want to take a step back.

Here is the LINK that I found online. It is a pdf file and its only 15 pages of reading. You won't want to stop until you're done. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

2010-05-09T23:44:00.003-06:00

Dear Mother,
I want to thank for bringing me into this life; For being such a good mother and always doing what has been best for me; For your goals in life and sticking to it, always being the best that you can be. I appreciate you and all that you have done for me throughout my life.
I know that others have been blessed to have you apart of their lives. I know that you have touched so many lives being the amazing woman that you are.

We have taken a lot of fun trips and I truly thank you for that. We have so many great memories together. And so many more to come!

We've been through a lot, a lot of life. You have especially always been there for me through the worst times and the best times of my life! Thank you for all that you have done, and for always being there for me, I know that I can always count on you for loving advice. You are my best friend, I love you with all my heart and I am proud to say that you are my mom. You are so beautiful! Thank you for everything!
I LOVE YOU MOM!

a time for change

2010-04-22T22:24:00.003-06:00

(I am getting a lot of time to blog/facebook with all of michaels homework these nights so I thought I'd share...)
Spring time to me is:

- Flowers

-Sun

-Weddings

-Cleaning

-Warm

-Happy/Positive

-Tanning

-Green

-A LOT of Energy

-Windows Open

-Parks

... A time for Change!

Good change has come about for both of our jobs; I have to share this because we BOTH are so much HAPPIER, and I'm not exhausted anymore!.. even though I actually work longer days. I don't have to wish the week were already over on a Monday. I don't go to both jobs then come home and continue working doing hair, and that makes it so my husband and I actually get to hang out more often than just on Sundays! I also have one morning off where I can actually CLEAN our house, oh how our house and the necessities have been neglected. Why? Because I simply never had the time, to make dinner, for my husband, for myself, for friends/family, etc.. And I am so NOT complaining, I just found a better way... To make more money. To enjoy life. And have time for all the daily things that need to get done. Like blogging... :) Anyway...

Michael is so excited to be done with school!! (December!) He can't wait to do taxes, be an accountant, and helping people out with finances, etc.. Yes, he really truly loves it all. He doesn't enjoy his job right now, well, because "its just a job" at this moment. But luckily he got to switch to a MUCH closer, and as he puts it a "much cooler branch". I am so glad that he enjoys it already, I know that it has taken a lot of stress off of him with needing to go to school in the summer. They are more than willing to work with his school schedule! Yay for Chase Bank in Cedar Hills.

So, A few of weeks ago I moved to a better Salon and it is truly amazing! Seriously. I feel like I belong here. That may sound weird but I truly feel like I go where I am supposed to be. The last one had awesome girls, boss, station, but it lacked the enthusiasm and upbeat "feeling" that is needed. It especially lacked in the traffic area, I need traffic to be able to do what I love all day and continually meet new, fabulous people! I was super spoiled with my 1st Salon I was at in St. George 2 years ago. I loved everything about it and I LOVED how fast I built my clientele. It was high end, classy and had a super upbeat feeling when you walked through the door. It literally was my second home and I loved being there hours on end, even if it was my day off.

This one is the basically the same.. Actually.. I think it's better! Anything you can think of is offered and we only use the best products. It is equipped to do the job, and always staffed. All the girls put their time in, they are all amazing at what they do and are super nice! Every day that I am there I love it even more. I have already seen such a positive change in every angle of my life because of this change. AND.. I ENJOY going to work AGAIN!!!! Because really when it comes to making someone beautiful; it is truly a passion. It's not a job, just a huge hobby. If I could do it for free I totally would, I love it that much. But I can't, so another reason I went on with this company is the Referral Program... It gives back SO much in so many ways to every client! If you are interested, PLEASE ask, I'd love to let you and your friends in on saving $15.00 on any service, every time you come in. Why? Because I love to help, I KNOW I love getting deals and I know that everyone else does too!!! Oh, and did I mention there's a really cute boutique inside. It truly is a one stop shop!

I am passionate about beautifying in these ways:

HAIR Dying, Cutting, Extending, Conditioning, Volumizing, Smoothing, Up-Do's, Perming, etc.. Airbrush Tanning, Glitter Toes, Pedicures, Make up, AND Waxing unwanted hair on any area of the body!

(This is the pedicure bar, 5!! at once and it massages)

Come relax, get pampered and "Let Me Share My Passion With You" Because I love what I do! I've been doing it for 5 years and I WILL do it forever!

Seasons Salon & Day Spa
SALON: 801.223.9356 CELL: 801.735.1400
934 N. State St. OREM
I get to be there Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 2:00-7:00,
Thursdays 3:00-8:00, and Saturdays 10:00-4:00.

date night

2010-04-21T22:02:00.001-06:00

Michael and I celebrated 6 months last Saturday! He asked what the big deal was and I said, it isn't a big deal, but a good excuse to go out on a nicer date than normal! And a man can't say no to food, especially Tucano's.
Usually we are always in a hurry and bicker a bit but this night was different, it was nice. It was so laid back and relaxed, but we sure were hungry by the time we got in. Reservations are really a must! After getting stuffed we made our way over to Wynnsong and watched Date Night. Hilarious movie by the way. We loved it! A LOL movie. Father, I don't recommend you watch it though, the part at the end would ruin the whole movie for you!
We LOVE each other, we're super happy and we love going at this life of ours together as one. I love my best friend with all my little girl heart. He is my everything and I can't express it enough how MUCH I love him!

while michael does homework......

2010-04-14T11:48:00.002-06:00

I really am having issues with blogger lately. I can not write in between my pictures. It's like the curser doesn't exist and will only let you type where it wants to...

So I love painting, hanging stuff on walls (aka decorating), finding great deals, my cricut and my husbands input. I found the blackhurst plaque YEARS ago. It was black and plain glass and I finally did something worthwhile with it!

The boxes were black and just a few bucks from Bed Bath & Beyond because the biggest one was broken (thank you gorilla glue) I had fun painting them, now I just need to come up with some things to go in them. The dried Roses have all been from Michael, I had gorilla glue all over my hands for a couple of days because I am inpatient but I got them put together exactly how I wanted to!

My favorite are the two 20x20 frames. They are in our bedroom, which I can not wait to finish! I didn't do anything cool for the wedding with our name frame but a while ago I did put ribbon and lace in it to give it more of a decoration. I just finished the picture one yesterday. I used both pieces of glass in the other one so to protect the pictures I wanted to Mod Podge it. Mike asked really really nice for me to not cover the main picture. (We ordered the pictures from this really cool website, Mpix, we got the prints all on Metallic paper, they look awesome!) Anyway, I didn't listen, I did it anyway and then was hating myself! It was looking really good on layer #2 but in one area it had gotten too thick, SO I tried to push it with my finger, BIG mistake it completely removed it and then I had a big spot and I just kept making it worse and covering it back up wasn't working. It was a long and angry process. I had NO idea what I was going to do and I knew that my husband was going to be furious with me. We both wanted it perfect. Somehow it came about that I peeled it off. With NO damage to the picture! It was like a stronger seranwrap and thank heavens it all worked out. I did not want to ruin this, I have had this idea in my head for too long for it not to work!

Beautiful Wedding

2010-04-14T10:39:00.005-06:00

Weddings are so much fun and such a happy time! Tonya and Nathan Guest were married April 9, 2010. Congrats you two!

I was able to be a bridesmaid and pictures were FREEZING so Lisa was kind enough to share Tonya's fathers coat with me.

They had a photo booth and it was fun with my cheesy husband! Oh how I adore him! I think he secretly wore his pink tie to match my pink ribbon. He really always looks so nice!

Meet Angie. I used to work with her and she is one of my all time favorite people. Tonya had this hobby of putting a cone behind her car at work and at her home. It was a constant battle going back and forth. One time we decided to get really creative and went to her home and between the toilet paper, her car and the cones, it was a mess.
I think everyone has been in on it at one time or another, even Mike helped me take a cone there once. So, Angie decided to return them!

easter egg hunt

2010-04-08T09:05:00.000-06:00

We got together this last Saturday after Conference. Uncle Michael and I got to go outside and hide the eggs. Each of them had to find their "own" color. Here's just a few pictures I captured of them in action.

Brayden, Woodrow, Ammon, Emmy, and Bridger

2010-03-28T22:24:00.001-06:00

(First things first, I apologize to you guys who believed my "little prank" ha. :) Yes Jayne, it was intentional. I seriously do think that I am so funny sometimes. SORRY!!!)

So, it was Spring Break and Michael and I needed to get away. California was too far away/too expensive, St. George Hilton was $159.00 + Tax and didn't have any rooms anyway, not a single Hotel in St. George was available... Next best option Mesquite, oh their booked too :) So... getting warmer, we ended up in Vegas. I have to put a disclaimer on this, I HATE Vegas, with a passion. It is so disturbing. But we both got work off and HAD to go somewhere. I just think it's pointless unless your drinking, gambling, like girls with nothing on, etc... Luckily we don't have any of those problems, but it was a cheap get away in a nice room. So, it wasn't terrible but it's definitely not my favorite place in the world..

We stayed in the Hilton for super cheap and laid out by the pool. It was perfect weather. We weren't dying of heat and there was no cold wind. It felt so nice to just relax, and, of course, get some color!

Take note: The boys remembered to wear their "green" for St. Patrick's Day! So The BEST part about having to go to Vegas is one of my dearest friends lives there. She is definitely my favorite friend, she doesn't have a rude bone in her body. Her are I became best friends in hair school, so many, MANY great memories, and then life moves on and now we have to live 6 hours away from each other! It was a late night full of talking, laughter and fun!! I seriously miss living by her so much. Her and Jason are expecting their little boy on August 20th. I am so excited for them!

We rode the New York New York roller coaster

The best part about this picture is the ad on the right side that says, "Say I do" DRIVE THRU Honestly! ha ha
We found Utah Ave after accidentally going down a "one way" street and having to back track. We did eventually make it to dinner though at about 11:30 P.M. Somehow leaving at 7:00 to go to dinner just isn't enough time! In my family there's a joke about being "hangry" As Michael has learned, when I get "that" hungry I need to eat within minutes or the "hangry" sets in.

After 2 days of sin city we headed up to Pine Valley where my parents are living for the next 1 1/2 years. It's just 45 minutes from St. George in the mountains. And they still had a ton of snow. On the way we stopped to get a couples massage. Saturday we went down to the St. George Temple and did a session with my parents. I miss them so much. I hate not living within minutes of them. I loved that Justin, Alicia, Ema, Bracken and Baby stayed the whole weekend. It is always so much fun to be with my family. Although, somehow I always forget to take pictures!! Pine Valley was the complete opposite of Vegas, Snow.. Family.. Free.. and No Cell Service, Oh! And we ate at decent times of the day! It was fun but it was nice to get back home with little to no opinions coming out of our mouths :) I LOVE my husband so much. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me! He is the only person that I truly need and he makes me SO happy!

babies!!!

2010-03-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our nephew Pharis Steven Blackhurst was born into the family! I will have to post a picture when I get one!!

And............................ There's more exciting news!!!!

My sister in law Alicia is pregnant!!! I have to tell you all this because I started balling when I found out. What a blessing! I am seriously so excited for them!! She is due October 5th.

Our FIRST February!

2010-02-14T21:01:00.005-07:00

February is my favorite month!!

On my Birthday we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

(Take note of the SCARF, isn't it beautiful?!?! I got it from my brother Josh and Sister In Law Jayne for Christmas, they made it!! I LOVE it!)

My FaVoRiTe people were there! Unfortunately they made me sit on the saddle. Afterwords we came to our house, opened presents! And played games! Happy 22, and definitely a wonderful birthday!

The night before the BIG day we went to a concert. One of the best concerts we have been to!!! If you haven't heard of "fun." I would highly suggest getting into them. Formerly "The Format" and from the music and now seeing him live you can tell that he is such a good person. It was seriously amazing! We can't get enough of live music, well, music in general!

Now onto today.. It was our first Valentines and we LOVED that it was on a Sunday. Sunday is our one day to relax throughout the week and perfect to take the time to make a nice dinner! It was a great Valentines! Thank you my Michael for a wonderful Birthday and Valentines!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

kickin off the new year

2010-01-25T10:00:00.002-07:00

2010

We went to Jackson, WY last weekend! And I'm just getting around to posting. After seeing how good Andrea's post was, I really contemplated just saying, click this link to see our trip. But.. It was such a fun trip!!!!! It's been a while since my last post and I do love blogging! So here it is! You'd think after my 2+ years of blogging and having photo shop I would be able to compile multiple pictures into one, but, I just don't know how to so you get an extra long post and picture after picture after picture! (sorry ang, i took a few of your creations)

Austin, Andrea and Us, on the drive up.

After we got groceries we were really packed in.

Our lovely hotel! We stayed at Hotel Terra in Teton Village. They are a 100% organic/green hotel. My father in law invested in them and nobody in our family wanted to go.

So we took our friends, thank you Pharis!!

We rented snowmobiles to ride up to Granite Falls and Granite Hot Springs. It was bitter cold!

The boys were excited and ready to go!

Jimmy and Linzi

We went in the morning and nearly every tree was frozen.

It was absolutely beautiful!

Austin and Andrea

Jimmy, Chase and Michael

This is Us. My shield was frozen on the inside the whole time.

Pictures at the waterfall...

Andrea and I

Austin and Mike

Linzi and Jimmy

Aren't these branches gorgeous??

This is my beautiful husband.

Ready, JUMP, land!

I think he thought the snow was a lot deeper!

We're there!! Our destination was Granite Hot Springs. It was a giant Hot Tub, and it was amazing! We were freezing all morning until on the way back. After the Hot Springs we were as warm as could be. The ride back was blissful, almost too hot!

Mmm.. The LOVE of my life!!!
Really, nothing is better then being with him!

Sled Dogs! This should be our next adventure...

We ate at Merry Piglets. This is the whole group!

We played this super fun game Nate came up with. The whole point was to draw pictures and then the worst and best were judged. The loser was the judge. I lost the very first round! Pretty sure I got jipped on time cuz everyone else's cowboy was detailed and I only had time for a stick figure. We drew everything from giraffe's, to gorilla's, cars and trains, penguins, and even each other. But really, if you want to laugh hard just bring out everyone's artistsic skills!

The next day we had dinner at Mountain High Pizza Pie

And that night we opened all the connecting doors and played hide and go seek in the dark. Austin had to get all decked out so he wouldn't be seen. But i'm pretty sure anyone that hides underneith a mattress won't be seen! I seriously love being a kid!

1 Down and so many more to go!!!