cuteness in blogland

I have seen some pretty cute things lately as I have been perusing blogs. Here are a few favorites:

This adorable embroidery stitching. I love it!

This little vintage dress is just about the cutest piece of clothing I've ever seen. Is it wrong to want to buy one even though I don't have a little girl?

These paper clocks.



This scrapbook page. (It almost makes me excited to start scrapbooking again, even though it isn't really my style. It is just really cute though.)

So much cuteness!

cute family

Many of you who live near me know this cute family so I thought I'd point you to some recent pictures I took of them. You can see part 1 here and part 2 here. We have lots of new pictures up on our site with many more to come. It's been a fun summer of shooting so far and we're looking forward to more of it.

a home for chapman

Does anyone want a free cat? He is neutered and loves to cuddle. He seems to be homeless (although you can tell that he did have a home, as he is well groomed and neutered). I am an animal lover and couldn't just turn him away so we took him in for bit, knowing it would only be temporary. He has been with us for a few weeks now. We have put up "found cat" signs but haven't had any calls, so at this point I'm trying to find a new home for him. (We love him but three cats is just too many for us.) He is a pretty young cat and looks bigger in this picture than he really is. Let me know if you are interested in a new little friend.

P.S. We have been calling him Chapman but you could easily change his name as he hasn't been with us that long and doesn't even respond to it yet.

family history inspiration

For those who know me well, you know that I love keeping records of my life. For those of you out there who are like me, or especially for those of you who might need a jump start, check this out. Becky Higgins is very inspiring (especially regarding family history - this is one of my favorite idea books ever) and this is no exception. She even gives you the pdfs so you can print the pages yourself. It couldn't be any easier! For those in YW, this would be a fun activity to do with the girls. Just had to share.

the big 3-0

Remember that show called Thirty-Something? I was like nine when it was popular but my parents used to watch it and I could hear the music as I was on my way to bed. I always thought that when I was "old" (in my thirties, of course) I would watch it too. (I still think it might be fun to rent it even though I really don't know what it's about other than a group of couples in their thirties.) Anyway, I can now join the "old" people.

My birthday was fun. First of all, I woke up to this:


Truth be told, I happened to glance out my bedroom window the night before my birthday, mostly to see if our cat was out there still, and saw two people running down the street with stuff in their hands. Wendel and I went out there and found the sign. I decided to leave it up and enjoy the honking for at least a little while. (I later found that the culprit was Crystal and her cousin. Aren't they nice to not put any "over the hill" signs up?)

We planned to meet Crystal and Tyler at The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. When we got there, I was surprised by a room full of my friends. (I think this is my first surprise party of all time...wait, I'm remembering one from when I was 15 and moving from Arizona to Utah, but it's been a while.) Crystal is so great to coordinate this for me! What a sweet friend!

Here are some pictures from her camera:

Crystal and Me

All of us: (Left to right) - Dodie, me, Wendel, Crystal, Claire and Jocelynn, Tyler, Chris, Melanie, Aleisa (holding Russell), Kevin (even tough you can't see him), Janey, Jamie, James, Josh, Laurel, Anna, Olivia, Kaitlin and Adam. It was so nice having all of you there!

I had to throw this one in there of Wendel and Tyler comparing their phones. Wendel recently got a Blackberry (for $40 of course).


I got some lovely things for my birthday. Dodie and Melanie gave me beautiful flowers. Our home smells so good! I can even smell them from the top of the stairs upstairs.

Do you remember me blogging about three adorable pillows that I loved and would buy if I had extra money to spend on such things? (#3 on this post) My mom ordered them right then and has been saving them for me for my birthday! Don't I have a great mom? I love that they add some color to our front room. So cute!

My brother, Tyson, got me a new flash because I recently lost ours. I was so sad about it and I'm so excited to have a new one! Whew! Wendel got me a light meter, which is something we've both been wanting for a while. I also got a gift card from my grandma to Olive Garden, a gift card from Josh and Laurel to my choice of four restaurants and an oil warmer from Crystal, as well as cookies from Amy, a fun blanket and movie tickets from my sister-in-law, Britney and some sweet cards in the mail.

I feel so loved and spoiled...what a great birthday!

my 20s

Today is my last day of my 20s. To commemorate, I will list 20 things I loved about my 20s:

1. Marrying Wendel
2. Serving a mission
3. Going to the temple for the first time
4. Touring the United States, including all of the church history sites
5. Living in Idaho, Utah, Australia, Arizona and Washington
6. Owning a home for the first (and second) time
7. Graduating from college (with both Associates and Bachelors degrees)
8. Having my work published
9. Becoming passionate about photography
10. Developing a love for cooking
11. Finally discovering what I am passionate about going to school for
12. Falling in love
13. Working and volunteering for organizations that change people's lives for the better
14. Learning how to rely on Wendel and Heavenly Father when faced with trials
15. Making amazing friends
16. Being introduced to Indian, Thai and Mediterranean food and loving all of them
17. Keeping a gratitude journal and realizing how it blesses my life
18. Starting a blog
19. Developing a love for thrift stores and garage sales
20. Having "our boys" (cats) be a part of our family

Here's to another decade of good memories.

back in the summer of 99'

I was in Utah for the summer, home from Ricks College.

But first, let me back up a little.

My mom moved to Utah from Arizona with my siblings and me when my parents divorced in 1994. It was devastating for me, having to leave all of my friends and go to my first year of high school in a new school. I was not happy about it. After giving it a (torturous) year, I moved back to Arizona and lived with my dad and step-mom for my junior and senior years of high school. That's when I met Wendel. His family had moved into our ward the year we had moved out. We also attended the same high school. We never went on a single date or even hung out but I thought he was funny and he claims to have thought I was cute. He did sign my yearbook.



He left on his mission after my junior year. Since we were in the same ward, I was at his farewell. After, he was passing out little cards with his MTC address on them and telling people to write him. I was all about supporting missionaries and tried to write at least one letter to most of the guys in our ward for support, so I took a card and sent off a letter. He wrote back and we ended up writing about once every two or three months while he was in Russia for two years. [This was not romantically-intentioned at all for either of us. He had a girlfriend who was writing him and I was dating someone else. Really.]

Fast forward to the summer of 1999, the summer we went on our first date. Wendel's family had moved to Utah while he was on his mission and I was there staying with my mom until school started up again. We pretty much knew no one else, so it made sense to "hang out" together when he came home. We dated that summer and had a blast.


We weren't dating exclusively by any means but we had a great time. Our first date was Lagoon (an amusement park in Utah for those who don't know). After, we stopped by my house for a few minutes before going to dinner and Wendel invited my family to join us (my mom and brother and sister). We went out for Chineese, he paid and they were sold. He made us laugh the whole time. He told the waiter that it was my birthday (even though it wasn't) and they brought out a fruit swan for me. It was pretty cool.

We also went hiking with my sister, he made me Russian food, we went bungee jumping, out to dinner (including to Olive Garden, where he taught me the art of "fat-dogging"), to temple square, up to Ensign Peak (don't worry, we didn't kiss for another three years), and probably many other places I don't remember right now. He even hunted down a text book for me that I needed for a tour I was going on back east with Ricks and couldn't find anywhere. And he paid for it.

Of course, we didn't get married for another five years but that's another story.

I'm just feeling a little nostalgic with it being 10 years since that summer.

Man, I feel old.

good reads

So a friend of mine recently asked me for book recommendations and I thought I would just share here in case someone else is looking for a good book to read this summer. I read all of these books last summer so it's been a while but here is my list:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
This mystery is a page-turner. It was a little slow for me in the very beginning but then I loved it. It's a really fun read.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
This book is a bit sad but also intriguing. I thought it was excellent and really enjoyed it.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
This is an interesting and thought-provoking book that makes you think about the lives you touch and are touched by.

For One More Day by Mitch Albom
This is a book about perspective, second chances and a relationship between a mother and son. It is powerful and touching.

The Other Boleyn Girl
by Philippa Gregory
I can't really recommend this book because it contains some parts that are offensive (a lot of detailed sex) but I will say that the writing is excellent and I like that it is historical fiction.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This is a wonderful story about following your dreams and finding out who you are. It is different than any other book I've read, which is why I liked it so much.

The Message by Lance Richardson
This is an account of a man's near-death experience. It is written by a Christian (LDS) man and is just really beautiful. I loved it so much, I bought it for many of my family members for Christmas last year.

Escape by Carolyn Jessop
This is about a woman who was raised in the FLDS faith. I thought it was fascinating.

....................................................................................

Next on my list:

The Secrets of a Fire King by Kim Edwards

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Masquerading as Angels by Lance Richardson and Bruce Miller

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Secret Life of Bees by Susan Monk Kidd

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Stolen Innocence by Ellisa Wall

Do you have any more for me to add to my list?

is it possible to over celebrate?

Thanks for the picture, Julie.
If it is, I think I may have done that. Not that graduating from college isn't a huge deal, especially for someone who started college in 1998, attended seven colleges / universities, paid out-of-state tuition too many times to count, changed her major, took time off to earn money for school (and serve a mission), and is just finishing up as she approaches her 30th birthday. I mean, come on, that really is cause for celebration. And celebrate I did.

First, Wendel and I went out to eat at McCormick and Schmidt to celebrate. We mostly went there because we had taken prom pictures for some kids in Seattle and they were going there for their prom dinner, which inspired us (don't worry, we didn't sit right next to them). I can't link you to what I had there because they change their menu daily but it was halibut with this amazing hazelnut sauce and fresh berries. I loved it.

Then there were my sweet friends who joined me at The Cheesecake Factory for a girls' night to celebrate. (Thanks, Mel, for planning and organizing this.)

Left to right: Katie, Laurel, Jocelyn, Stephanie, Crystal, Me, Jamie, Jackie, Aleisa, Melanie, Ashlee, and Dana. On the right are the yummy Thai Lettuce Wraps that Crystal ordered.

There was also this fun girls' day back in May.

Then I met Rob and Julie, some friends from school, at Mandolin Cafe the next day for a celebratory lunch.

We missed you, Jess. Sorry you couldn't be there.

There was also the "last day of class potluck," which involved a lot of picture taking.

[Click on image to see it bigger] We didn't plan the bright colors...it was just so nice outside, everyone dressed that way. Do you like how Julie, Jessica and I are joined at the hip and are in every picture together with one or two additional people joining us? It's true to how these past two years have been for us so it's only appropriate.

My family came into town for my graduation so of course we all went out to eat the night before. We went to Anthony's, one of our favorite seafood restaurants. (Wendel's dad surprised us all by sneaking away from the table and paying for everyone. How sweet of him!)

Left: Wendel and his dad Right: My brother, Tyson, and our mom



The seafood salad my dad ordered.

Then of course there was commencement, which was a monumental occasion.


The three of us. We made it!



ETA: Me with Tasha. She graduated from the Master's program (so jealous!) Tasha was the president of Phi Alpha and I was her secretary.


Waiting for our names to be called...it took forever with 1,000 names.






Me with my mom





My grandparents




Wendel's parents



My dad and brother

Commencement was actually kind of emotional for me. I worked so hard for so many years and really stuck to my goal so it was awesome to walk down that carpet to the cheesy music and put a capstone on the whole experience. It was kind of surreal.

A really cool thing happened at commencement. The chancellor of UWT highlighted me, among five students out of 1,000, for my community service efforts. I was so touched and honored that she chose me! I wasn't sure that it would happen (I only knew that I was a candidate) so I only told Wendel and no one else. It was fun for my family to be surprised when it happened. Hopefully this little highlight will help my chances of getting into grad school?

After commencement, my dad made a wonderful meal for us. He is quite the cook and the food he makes is always a treat, so that is what I wanted as my graduation gift from him. We had a crab broil with potatoes and corn, "adult macaroni and cheese" (which really isn't dirty but more so one of the most amazing things you can consume) and homemade bruschetta. Everything had to be prepared very quickly because my ceremony went over and my dad had to leave for the airport at 3:30. That meant he had only a couple of hours to shop for the food and prepare it. Things were a little crazy but it all came together and was amazing.

This picture does not do that pasta dish justice.

It was fun to have family here to help me celebrate. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I've had to be in school these past several years (thanks to Wendel's support) and I'm so grateful that my undergrad is behind me. Yay!

my blog book: volume 1

I took these pictures back in January and have been wanting to post about them ever since but somehow life took over. Well, here they are now. My sister-in-law, Britney, got me the most amazing Christmas present - she published my blog into a book for me! This is something I have been wanting to do but did not have the time, so I was so grateful and excited about this. She used Blurb and I think it turned out great. Here are a few looks at the book:






I want to publish volume after volume every year or so. I think this is a great way to keep my personal history. I cannot scrapbook everything, I don't write everything in my personal journal, I don't have all of our photos in photo albums...I do those things a little but I blog a lot. This will give our children and their children a glimpse into what my life what like.

Thanks again, Brit. You're the best!