orthodontia aka torture.

i've noticed my bottom teeth are getting a little crooked, so i thought i'd wear my retainer. the one from middle school. the one that's supposed to look invisible, but is not so clear looking now...

yeah, i'm basically dying of my teeth being squashed together like my thighs in a tight pencil skirt. but i will NOT be the forty year old with braces! instead, i'm the twenty-two year old laying in bed, in so much pain, blogging about her teeth. yes folks, this is real life and it's only ten pm. 

off the scale, people! and redheads have a higher tolerance than other people. it's scientifically proven! 

things i love!

i just got off the phone with the insurance people...i do not love how complicated being married and being on my dad's insurance is, so i'm making a list of things that make me happy. in no particular order.

1. cory (duh), but especially cory when he dances.
2. when sienna is calm and falls asleep by me.
3. noodles & co. indonesian peanut saute, with chicken.
4. (500) days of summer
5. the drive-in movies, even though i can never stay awake through the second movie.
6. laying out at seven peaks with a book from the library.
7. making a good dinner.
8. getting new clothes, particularly with coupons and on sale!
9. when cory paints my nails :)
10. soft-serve cones, dipped cones, shaved ice, milkshakes and sonic slushies with ice cream. all in RED.
11. bright colored pants and pencil skirts.
12. new girl. i NEED season two and three!
13. getting packages (not mail, cause then i get bills, yuck).
14. my FAMILY! all of them.
15. vacations to the beach. vacations anywhere, really, who am i kidding?
16.  my navy and white striped duvet cover. i love it so much.
17. SUSHI.
18. regina spektor pandora radio.
19. "wait, wait, don't tell me" and "good job, brain" podcasts
20. going to starbucks in the fall and winter and trying a new flavor hot chocolate/cider each time.
21. curry. i always want india palace. always.
22. hot tubbing! and pool-ing.
23. when my sunday school class kids participate and we have fun.
24. flea markets, farmer's markets, antique stores.
25. how whenever i'm angry or sad and turn to the book of mormon, i ALWAYS find the perfect verses to match my situation and make me feel better.
26. the fact that i'm graduating april 2014-hallelujah!
27. picking out baby names (been doing it since i was 13).
28. sewing.
29. red gatorade and orange soda (separately).
30. laying on the cold grassy hill at byu with cory while sienna runs around with her frisbee.

my mom.

it was my mom's birthday last week and i was stuck living here in utah, so i couldn't make her a chocolate whipping cream cake, sing her happy birthday, or even send her birthday present on time! i've been thinking of her a lot lately as i adjust to my new role as wife/chef/maid/house decorator...mostly because my mom does it ALL.

i'm sure everyone wants to say their moms are the best, but trust me, even my mom's hair stylist tells me what a perfect mother i have. so why is susan hatch so great? well, i'm going to tell you! just for the record, i asked cory what he thinks my mom is good at and he said, "what can't she do?"

1. culinary prowess-i could probably devote a whole blog post to what an amazing chef is, with character references and pictures and everything. mom can make anything and she does. i am so grateful for the family dinners we had every night, which not only showcased her abilities, but also gave us a chance to talk. even on evenings where we were busy, there would be dinner on the island for us to grab and go. sometimes it's hard for me as a student because i'm so used to having these masterpiece meals and cory and i can't afford to, don't have time to, or even have the stomachs to eat like i did growing up :) i mean, an entree, side dish, fruit/vegetable and bread, sometimes dessert, EVERY DAY PEOPLE. and homemade snacks and cookies. i am happy to have used many of her recipes when entertaining our friends, though, with rave reviews and i owe it all to my mother! another little thing i'd like to point out, is that i love to cook and i think it's because my mom was always cooking and taught me.

2. sense of style-how many girls can say their moms were their personal stylists growing up? now, my mom probably doesn't want to take credit for my outfit choices, particularly in middle school, but she was always there to offer an opinion (don't wear glittery camouflage pants with a purple "Tokyo" shirt!) or point out cute clothes on our shopping trips together. so many times, people will compliment me on things, even now, and i have to shrug and say, "well, my mom picked it out". she is known for surviving on broccoli and rice during college, so she could spend food money at nordstroms. and that has not changed! my mother always looks immaculate and gorgeous. my friends think she is the classiest lady and it is so true. once again, i have a lot to live up to!

3. service-oriented attitude-would you be surprised if your neighbor welcomed you home from vacation with fresh bread and milk in your kitchen? not our neighbors. would you be surprised if a fellow church member drove you to your doctor's appointments, therapy, grocery store, church, multiple times a week, without complaint or compensation? that's my mom for you. i can guarantee that at least half, but probably 75% of her time is devoted to serving other people. making meals, helping clean, volunteering at shelters/events, volunteering at the chicago botanic gardens, doing things for our family-this lady is always SERVING. i wish i could adequately describe how kind my mom is. i truly admire how much she helps others, and does it with a smile!

4. p-a-t-i-e-n-t-i have no idea how on earth my mom handles everything she has to deal with. seriously. my mother doesn't like to burden others, and thus, acts like superwoman. if i were in her situation, i would have given up on so many things that she's accomplished (A's in her master gardening class and final!) as well as with personal matters, like raising erik, ainsley and i. she and my dad had to struggle for a long time (two kids) while he finished up his doctorate. nevertheless, she graduated with her degree and was able to stay at home with us, while dad worked two jobs, talk about a patient wife! then, when we were in school, she went back to work and still managed to have dinner on the table every night. thank you, mom.

5. hard worker-remember that time your mom landscaped the entire yard with your dad? oh yeah. or when she painted the entire house? or when she mowed the lawn every week? or when she prepared a gazillion lessons and events for church? or when she threw bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, birthday parties, holiday dinners? let's not forget how the house always looks like a museum-perfectly styled and spotless. my mom can do everything from crafting, sewing (pillows, bedspreads, costumes, curtains), cooking, decorating, painting, landscaping, baking, refinishing, planning...i can't think of any more things but if you do, she can do it. i feel bad for cory because after watching my parents do literally everything, i expect us (him) to do the same. luckily, he's lived up to said expectations. mom, you probably should sleep in past 6-7 am at least once.

6. full of love-i know without a doubt, that my mom loves me. i miss being able to shout, "mommmmm" throughout the house, or lounging on the leather chair while she's on the computer, or praying together before school, or texting each other from different floors. even though she's in illinois and i'm in utah, she manifests her love daily. i love our family group texts, where mom sends tons of memes. she surprises us with girl scout cookies or fresh salmon. we get to facetime her lovely face almost every week (not to mention the daily phone calls-"mom, how do i cook this?")....she gave me the most AMAZING wedding ever. i just love her!


so...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! you truly are my hero, my advice-giver, my stylist, my inspiration and my best friend.

one random day in july.

cory and i were just joking about "our blog," so i figured i should write a post or two. i mean it is summer, and i have a lot more free time than i expected! if i blogged consistently then i wouldn't have to write super long posts like the one that's probably about to occur. good thing i'm an english major....

april-chad and erik came to stay with us (different weekends). we had general conference with cory's family. we finished school for the summer (woohoo!). we also got rocking scholarships!

may-shelly came into town a few times and we got to ride the ferris wheel at cabela's with her :) we started going to the library every monday and to seven peaks waterpark (right down the street from our house). cory began working full-time and i stayed part-time...hard to believe but the visual arts department does not get a lot of action during the summer months! also, i got a perm! a beach wave perm to be exact and i like it. it looks a little like i crimped my hair (not good), but only sometimes. also, i haven't used a heating product on my hair from may 7 to today, july 16. nuts!

june-cory's birthday! he wanted it to be low-key, so we had a dinner of his fave foods (mac and cheese, salmon and broccoli-i know weird). and i made him a birthday cake oreo-flavored  cheesecake. he loves birthday cake oreos and he loves cheesecake. so each year (second one running), i make him a cheesecake for his special day. it turned out great! oh...and for his present, he used all his birthday money and got a recliner. it was a hard battle and arguing point for weeks. we compromised and got one, in a fabric texture and color that i chose. it is truly very comfortable. cory competed in the utah summer games again with aunt nicki and uncle nick's family. we stayed at granny and dorothy's house from wednesday to sunday and had so much fun! cory got first in his nine events-so proud! and we got to eat sushi, see monsters university, go to mary poppins at tuacahn (AMAZING), went swimming and kayaking. we also got cable this month...thanks to comcast's super expensive prices for internet, it was cheaper to get a bundle deal. so dumb. i HATE talking to them on the phone more than any other company. june 29 we left for our san diego vacation!! i'll do a whole post devoted to that (shocker, right?).

july-first week we were in san diego...then back to real life. we have been to the drive-in movies, which is basically the best thing EVER. we went to antelope island and swam in the great salt lake. super trippy-you totally float! and oh, all our water was out when we got home from vacation cause our house is so old and the pipes were all backed up. the city and some company had to totally dig up our yard and replace the sewage pipe from the house to the road...i guess our 50 year old house decided to demand all its renovations while we are renting...new faucets, new floor, new AC, new furnace, new sewage pipe. oh so many things wrong, but that's the (cheap) price you pay when you're a poor college students with a dog. living here has definitely taught us to do without (water and heat) and given cory the chance to fix everything possible. he is now a pro drain cleaner and faucet installer and pipe installer, amongst all his other handy talents that i'll have to list some other time. july is halfway through and with a month and half of summer, cory and i are going to make it awesome! even though, we are currently home watching tv and blogging (i worked, worked out and cooked a full dinner today, so i'm good...). LIFE IS GOOD and we are happy. this is probably the last relaxing summer we will have, so we are living it up!

san diego :)

our trip to san diego was over a month and half ago now, so i should probably write about it before i forget all the little details! we went with my parents and brother and sister and stayed in a beautiful house in la jolla, california. my grandma and uncle were also there for part of the trip. it was SO fun and wonderful to spend time with the family. that's the one hard thing about being married is that you don't really get to live at home and be with your family for a long time.

we all flew into california on saturday, june 29 from chicago, salt lake city and minneapolis! that afternoon we explored the house (HOT TUB) and in the evening, we went to brigantine at coronado island for dinner. that's where we began our week of eating fresh seafood! crab cakes and creme brulee-yum. so fun to be with my grandma  june, uncle craig and his girlfriend and her daughter!

sunday, cory and i traveled in our blue open top jeep to corona, california to have brunch with his uncle humberto, aunt teri, cousin sarah and uncle greg and aunt saundy. first of all, why did i bother doing my hair? second, it was REALLY hot having the cali sun blazing down on us on the freeway for the two hour drive. especially in a black dress. brunch was great! we got to chat with our awesome family and eat yummy breakfast casserole, with many flavors of hot sauce!

from there we drove to wrightwood, california where cory's grandparents live up in the mountains! it was a beautiful drive and i was excited to see the house (we always facetime his grandparents and cory always talks about their house). it was so pretty and full of family history. grandma hill showed us around the trails that she hikes and we had a great dinner on their front porch, enjoying the mountain and tree beauty that is their yard.

monday morning, cory, dad and erik went to the uss midway for a nearly 5 hour tour! mom and i decided to scope out the shopping in downtown san diego...unfortunately we didn't find any :) we all ate fish and chips at a fun place on the pier, overlooking the san diego bay. then we went to mission bay beach for some boogie boarding and tanning! we made a big dinner at the house using the grill and the fresh foods of california, and maybe some ice cream after ;)

tuesday, we went to the  state park of some explorer-we went there so many times and i can't remember the name! not cortez...hmm. i was so excited to go to old town san diego and explore the shops! i got some pretty tiles made into coaster-esque things to put your hot dishes on. use them all the time! they had so many fun places to see like the hot sauce store and handmade glass and weird root beer flavors. many minutes were spent on yelp looking for authentic mexican food...which was alright. i think everyone enjoyed wahoo's more!

wednesday was spent jet skiing (my favorite) and paddle boarding. later we went to humphrey's seafood restaurant. these fancy restaurants all serve orzo, chorizo, polenta...etc trying to be all posh. every night was also spent in the hot tub in the backyard patio.

thursday was family pictures (khaki, white and blue!) that went better than previous photo sessions in our family, at least! we had yummy wahoo's fish tacos. happy fourth of july! bbq and fireworks from the house's balconies and hot tub.

friday was another state park day. we went back to the ocean and enjoyed more water activities. this time we rented a boat and drove it all around. i love that my parents try to always do this wherever we go-whether it is just to sit and rest on the boat or to tube or water ski or whatever-it's the best!

saturday we made a trip to wahoo's before we had to go home. SAD DAY. overall, being with family is the best. especially in beautiful san diego, with the beaches and water and palm trees and a lovely house and an open air jeep and good food!