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.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
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.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
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!
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!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
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!
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!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
him :)
not many girls know how much their husband would sacrifice for them, but cory shows me every single day. because he is ALWAYS helping me. it's not easy having a legally blind wife. one with a hearing loss, to boot. he never makes me feel like i'm a burden though. instead, he finds so many ways to make me feel loved. this is my continuous list of acts of love by my darling husband:
-finds everything i can't find or don't see
-makes food when i'm tired (occasionally)
-always lets me lay on his chest
-rubs my back when i have a bad dream
-knows when to say yes or no to my wishful thinking, mostly in the mall or when i'm hungry
-always lets me try a bite of his food even though he's hungry and hates to share his food
-paints my nails (and well)
-comes to my rescue when i'm hurt
-mops and vacuums the floor
-drives us everywhere
-encourages me to be better
-compliments me
-sings along to every song he knows, no matter the singer, pitch...
-helps everyone in need, sacrifices way more than i can
-constantly educating himself, at museums, class, library, books he orders. this kid is nuts!
-has a testimony and is an awesome teacher to our sunday school kids
-fixes every thing in our house, yard or car or learns how to (and i mean, EVERYTHING)
-always showing me affection, but only at home :)
-loves his family unconditionally
-will be the best dad, i have no doubt whatsoever
-planner/scheduler, love this
-picks me up from evening classes
-social butterfly-he makes friends easily, but more importantly, keeps them
-builds us furniture and indulges me in my DIY projects
-so handsome
-wakes up early to let the dog out, so i can sleep in a few extra minutes
-carries my books
-shovels snow at 3 am in the winter for all those byu students (me)
-dances with me in the car, in the movie theater, in our family room...i love when he shakes his hips!
-wiggles his eyebrows
-shares his pinterest with me
-and his computer
-always tells me how beautiful i am, especially without makeup
-holds my hand
-pushes the golf ball in the hole with his club or foot, so it doesn't take me forever to mini-golf and then pretends like he didn't
-rides on a tandem bike with me so i feel safer
-picks up sea anemones out of the ocean so i can see and feel them
-sleeps on the side closest to the door so he can protect me from bad guys
UPDATE: july 14, 2014
-drives us all over the country to see family and friends (california, washington, idaho, minnesota, illinois, wisconsin)
-takes sienna out at night so i don't have to walk around in the dark or deal with creepy people at the hotel we are staying at
-worked so hard for over a year to find a job after graduation, and received several offers! what a stud
-he now is training with accuquest and works 9-5, commutes anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour and a half, and does homework after work
-because i've been sick, he goes grocery shopping for us and will get me wendy's baked potatoes (yes, that's what we've been reduced to at times)
-doesn't get mad when i buy a pair of $60 baby shoes (i love you!)
-tells me how beautiful i am in the morning when i first wake up
-whispers "i love you" in the middle of night, like all the time
UPDATE: october 9, 2014
-flew to minnesota over labor day weekend to see sienna and me after six weeks apart
-lived for two months by himself in a hotel room
-tells me my huge baby belly is my best accessory
-carries all our boxes and suitcases (we've lived out of suitcases for five months now)
-loves our dog and it is so cute
-while i'm sleeping, lays next to me and feels our baby kick and then talks about it the next day
-really good at couponing!
-drove up to minnesota to pick sienna and me up, only so he could drive us down to tennessee two days later
-always makes me feel protected (i've learned how much security he provides me living/being apart from him)
-did i mention he makes me laugh every day? even with his gross bathroom humor
-i've changed so much, or maybe i have just learned to trust and be myself so completely with cory that i don't even recognize myself sometimes
-makes spreadsheets to reliever stress...pretty dorky and cute (ask him about LED lightbulbs)
TO BE CONTINUED....
-finds everything i can't find or don't see
-makes food when i'm tired (occasionally)
-always lets me lay on his chest
-rubs my back when i have a bad dream
-knows when to say yes or no to my wishful thinking, mostly in the mall or when i'm hungry
-always lets me try a bite of his food even though he's hungry and hates to share his food
-paints my nails (and well)
-comes to my rescue when i'm hurt
-mops and vacuums the floor
-drives us everywhere
-encourages me to be better
-compliments me
-sings along to every song he knows, no matter the singer, pitch...
-helps everyone in need, sacrifices way more than i can
-constantly educating himself, at museums, class, library, books he orders. this kid is nuts!
-has a testimony and is an awesome teacher to our sunday school kids
-fixes every thing in our house, yard or car or learns how to (and i mean, EVERYTHING)
-always showing me affection, but only at home :)
-loves his family unconditionally
-will be the best dad, i have no doubt whatsoever
-planner/scheduler, love this
-picks me up from evening classes
-social butterfly-he makes friends easily, but more importantly, keeps them
-builds us furniture and indulges me in my DIY projects
-so handsome
-wakes up early to let the dog out, so i can sleep in a few extra minutes
-carries my books
-shovels snow at 3 am in the winter for all those byu students (me)
-dances with me in the car, in the movie theater, in our family room...i love when he shakes his hips!
-wiggles his eyebrows
-shares his pinterest with me
-and his computer
-always tells me how beautiful i am, especially without makeup
-holds my hand
-pushes the golf ball in the hole with his club or foot, so it doesn't take me forever to mini-golf and then pretends like he didn't
-rides on a tandem bike with me so i feel safer
-picks up sea anemones out of the ocean so i can see and feel them
-sleeps on the side closest to the door so he can protect me from bad guys
UPDATE: july 14, 2014
-drives us all over the country to see family and friends (california, washington, idaho, minnesota, illinois, wisconsin)
-takes sienna out at night so i don't have to walk around in the dark or deal with creepy people at the hotel we are staying at
-worked so hard for over a year to find a job after graduation, and received several offers! what a stud
-he now is training with accuquest and works 9-5, commutes anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour and a half, and does homework after work
-because i've been sick, he goes grocery shopping for us and will get me wendy's baked potatoes (yes, that's what we've been reduced to at times)
-doesn't get mad when i buy a pair of $60 baby shoes (i love you!)
-tells me how beautiful i am in the morning when i first wake up
-whispers "i love you" in the middle of night, like all the time
UPDATE: october 9, 2014
-flew to minnesota over labor day weekend to see sienna and me after six weeks apart
-lived for two months by himself in a hotel room
-tells me my huge baby belly is my best accessory
-carries all our boxes and suitcases (we've lived out of suitcases for five months now)
-loves our dog and it is so cute
-while i'm sleeping, lays next to me and feels our baby kick and then talks about it the next day
-really good at couponing!
-drove up to minnesota to pick sienna and me up, only so he could drive us down to tennessee two days later
-always makes me feel protected (i've learned how much security he provides me living/being apart from him)
-did i mention he makes me laugh every day? even with his gross bathroom humor
-i've changed so much, or maybe i have just learned to trust and be myself so completely with cory that i don't even recognize myself sometimes
-makes spreadsheets to reliever stress...pretty dorky and cute (ask him about LED lightbulbs)
TO BE CONTINUED....
Sunday, March 17, 2013
2 month catch-up.
i've taken a hiatus from blogging because i realized i don't have the natural inclination for taking pictures and i really don't like uploading pictures, as well. so i'm just going to have to suck it up i guess! cory wants all our recipes in one place, so this might as well be it :)
february
-valentine's day: we had a low-key valentine's day because we both had evening classes that thursday. however, i made cory his favorite foods (salmon, macaroni and cheese and cupcakes-those were mine haha). and he got me an ipad mini! super surprised. he had hinted at getting me something big and when he handed me the present on campus, i thought it was a dvd. such a great husband for working all those extra hours working in the freezing cold, shoveling snow.
-jodie's bridal shower! i threw my sweet sister-in-law a bridal shower on president's day because we all had school off. her parents came into town and chad did too for the weekend. we had the party up at nicki's house and it turned out great! i wish i took pictures of everything but i didn't. i'll post them if jodie has some. anyway, her wedding colors were light pink, lace and burlap. we had burlap tablecloths with pink, light brown and white paper hearts scattered on it. pink roses in milkglass vase. valentine's day m&m's. sepia pictures of adam and jodie strung on twine. we had brunch: breakfast casserole, muffins, fruit, dip, bagels, cupcakes, oj and pink lemonade. i'll post the cupcake recipes because they are to die for! i pretty much ate all the leftover ones. whoops. we did a video of adam answering questions about jodie. a candy bar/wedding theme guessing game. a quiz about jodie. and presents! i'm super happy with how it turned out and happy to have adam in our family :)
-i got a scholarship from the UAC and was recognized at a formal banquet! cory and i had to get all dolled up and we ate a delicious dinner with the deans of our colleges. i had to go on stage and shake president samuelson's hand and got a nice certificate. it was really a beautiful event. jericho road performed and there were some AWESOME people honored (chy's guys) and the keynote speaker was fabulous! i feel very blessed to attend such a wonderful university with such good people.
march
-well, it's march 17th (happy st. patrick's day!) and so much has already happened!
-so, march 5th was the day we were scheduled to fly red-eye from slc to long beach to dc, arriving 5 am wednesday morning. but there was a huge snow storm (not really), so our flight got cancelled and we got to stay in cali for a whole day! it was SO awesome. we stayed at aunt steph's house in yorba linda and ate station doughnuts and went to newport beach and went shopping. i got the most adorable purse ever. so CUTE. and then that night we flew to dc. but it was a glorious day. i didn't realize how gorgeous the weather is in socal all the time. i mean, how do you live like that...beautiful sun and blue skies every day?!
-we got to dc thursday morning (all 8 of us-nicki, steph, carter, regan, ash, cory, chad and brynna) and drove to cory's parents house. we scattered across floors and couches and chairs to sleep for a few hours. jodie's reception was at the church cultural hall, so we headed over to decorate. it turned out really nice-shelly did SO SO SO much work for this and it paid off. thursday night, cory and i went to see barry, ami and kayla! barry worked with cory on grounds for a year or so before moving to dc for his job. their baby, kayla, is adorable. cory and i fought over who got to hold her after ami fed us a delicious japanese meal. i can't eat chinese food anymore because it doesn't compare to japanese cuisine. there were a few more trips around damascus and germantown before we finally got to sleep in our hotel with the groom in the other bed! :)
-wedding morning! friday was absolutely, freaking WINDY. oh my goodness, it wasn't too cold, it was lovely and sunny but the wind was ridiculous. adam and jodie's sealing ceremony in the temple was so touching and the dc temple was amazing. we took pictures outside for a few hours where it was a constant effort to keep warm. so much for shaving legs. jodie was such a beautiful bride and it was great to finally see her and adam as a married couple! after the ceremony and pictures, we headed to panera. i so wish they had it on the west coast. then to the reception! lots of yummy desserts, a ring ceremony for those not of the mormon faith and dancing and eating and chatting.
-saturday was a blast! it was like fifty degrees and not windy :) we went to dc with cory's hill grandparents, uncle gregory and cousin elizabeth. oh man, we did so much! grandpa and grandma generously bought us all passes on the double decker tour buses and we saw all the sights...mlk memorial, fdr memorial, wwi, wwii, vietnam, capitol, white house, arlington cemetery, changing of the guards, the pentagon, ford theater, lincoln memorial. it was awesome. cory ate a pound of pulled pork at hard rock cafe. we met up with everybody around 8:30 at carrabbas and it was a good conclusion to the day. we slept on our flights the next day and have been home a week.
cory and i are trying to make summer plans. all we have so far is a san diego trip with my family! woohoo! looking for internships, jobs, anything really to pad our resumes. cory's doing the splash and dash. i'm trying to eat healthier/work out more (and dragging cor along with me). we are enjoying jodie and adam's new place in slc. we are sad to have finished all six seasons of "rules of engagement". and loving our rascally puppy who chewed up part of the vinyl kitchen flooring. can't blame her :)
february
-valentine's day: we had a low-key valentine's day because we both had evening classes that thursday. however, i made cory his favorite foods (salmon, macaroni and cheese and cupcakes-those were mine haha). and he got me an ipad mini! super surprised. he had hinted at getting me something big and when he handed me the present on campus, i thought it was a dvd. such a great husband for working all those extra hours working in the freezing cold, shoveling snow.
-jodie's bridal shower! i threw my sweet sister-in-law a bridal shower on president's day because we all had school off. her parents came into town and chad did too for the weekend. we had the party up at nicki's house and it turned out great! i wish i took pictures of everything but i didn't. i'll post them if jodie has some. anyway, her wedding colors were light pink, lace and burlap. we had burlap tablecloths with pink, light brown and white paper hearts scattered on it. pink roses in milkglass vase. valentine's day m&m's. sepia pictures of adam and jodie strung on twine. we had brunch: breakfast casserole, muffins, fruit, dip, bagels, cupcakes, oj and pink lemonade. i'll post the cupcake recipes because they are to die for! i pretty much ate all the leftover ones. whoops. we did a video of adam answering questions about jodie. a candy bar/wedding theme guessing game. a quiz about jodie. and presents! i'm super happy with how it turned out and happy to have adam in our family :)
-i got a scholarship from the UAC and was recognized at a formal banquet! cory and i had to get all dolled up and we ate a delicious dinner with the deans of our colleges. i had to go on stage and shake president samuelson's hand and got a nice certificate. it was really a beautiful event. jericho road performed and there were some AWESOME people honored (chy's guys) and the keynote speaker was fabulous! i feel very blessed to attend such a wonderful university with such good people.
march
-well, it's march 17th (happy st. patrick's day!) and so much has already happened!
-so, march 5th was the day we were scheduled to fly red-eye from slc to long beach to dc, arriving 5 am wednesday morning. but there was a huge snow storm (not really), so our flight got cancelled and we got to stay in cali for a whole day! it was SO awesome. we stayed at aunt steph's house in yorba linda and ate station doughnuts and went to newport beach and went shopping. i got the most adorable purse ever. so CUTE. and then that night we flew to dc. but it was a glorious day. i didn't realize how gorgeous the weather is in socal all the time. i mean, how do you live like that...beautiful sun and blue skies every day?!
-we got to dc thursday morning (all 8 of us-nicki, steph, carter, regan, ash, cory, chad and brynna) and drove to cory's parents house. we scattered across floors and couches and chairs to sleep for a few hours. jodie's reception was at the church cultural hall, so we headed over to decorate. it turned out really nice-shelly did SO SO SO much work for this and it paid off. thursday night, cory and i went to see barry, ami and kayla! barry worked with cory on grounds for a year or so before moving to dc for his job. their baby, kayla, is adorable. cory and i fought over who got to hold her after ami fed us a delicious japanese meal. i can't eat chinese food anymore because it doesn't compare to japanese cuisine. there were a few more trips around damascus and germantown before we finally got to sleep in our hotel with the groom in the other bed! :)
-wedding morning! friday was absolutely, freaking WINDY. oh my goodness, it wasn't too cold, it was lovely and sunny but the wind was ridiculous. adam and jodie's sealing ceremony in the temple was so touching and the dc temple was amazing. we took pictures outside for a few hours where it was a constant effort to keep warm. so much for shaving legs. jodie was such a beautiful bride and it was great to finally see her and adam as a married couple! after the ceremony and pictures, we headed to panera. i so wish they had it on the west coast. then to the reception! lots of yummy desserts, a ring ceremony for those not of the mormon faith and dancing and eating and chatting.
-saturday was a blast! it was like fifty degrees and not windy :) we went to dc with cory's hill grandparents, uncle gregory and cousin elizabeth. oh man, we did so much! grandpa and grandma generously bought us all passes on the double decker tour buses and we saw all the sights...mlk memorial, fdr memorial, wwi, wwii, vietnam, capitol, white house, arlington cemetery, changing of the guards, the pentagon, ford theater, lincoln memorial. it was awesome. cory ate a pound of pulled pork at hard rock cafe. we met up with everybody around 8:30 at carrabbas and it was a good conclusion to the day. we slept on our flights the next day and have been home a week.
cory and i are trying to make summer plans. all we have so far is a san diego trip with my family! woohoo! looking for internships, jobs, anything really to pad our resumes. cory's doing the splash and dash. i'm trying to eat healthier/work out more (and dragging cor along with me). we are enjoying jodie and adam's new place in slc. we are sad to have finished all six seasons of "rules of engagement". and loving our rascally puppy who chewed up part of the vinyl kitchen flooring. can't blame her :)
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
cedar city and vegas weekend!
DISCLAIMER: this is going to be a long post.
shelly, cory's mom, flew into vegas and spent two weeks in cedar city at cory's granny's house. on her last weekend in cedar city, all of us kids went down to visit shelly, granny and dorothy! on friday, chad (brother) hitched a ride down from idaho and drove with cory and i in our car and adam and jodie (sister and future brother-in-law) drove in the prius. we arrived in cedar city about three hours later, around 11 pm. we were exhausted! cory's granny lives with her gal pal dorothy...they literally are like thelma and louise. on saturday morning, we went to ihop and DI where i scored some AWESOME samsonite suitcases for $3 apiece! i'm planning on making end tables of them. they're shades of grey/black, so i want some that are bright yellow, orange or blue. anyway, after that, adam and jodie took engagement pictures and we prepared for a mini thanksgiving with the fam. the star of the show? why, that would be the turducken that granny cooked! it was pretty good-i only ate the turkey with cranberry sauce, my fave. we ate up because granny and dorothy are notorious for their game marathons. usually it's five crowns, wizards and mexican train. we had brought our own games down this time and taught everyone how to play bang. it took forever because we had so many people and some people couldn't really cheat at the game...afterwards we played five crowns, which shelly won, wresting the title of "granny's favorite" from chad to herself.
sunday morning, we woke up and said goodbye to chad, who drove our car back to provo where he met his ride back to ideaho. we then went to church and came home to leave for VEGAS! oh man, i had never been to las vegas and just pictured girls in skimpy clothes walking around and lots of fluorescent lights. we arrived around 2ish and walked through the aria hotel and the bellagio hotel. mostly vegas is hotels, with casinos and malls inside them. those are the two nicest hotels, according to adam-our vegas guide :) he's been there a bunch of times and has this membership which allows him to stay at those hotels for free or for very little. unfortunately, we were not staying at those AMAZING works of art. seriously, they had tons of pools and floors and restaurants and lights. all the parking is free because they want you to gamble. which people do like crazy! we stayed at the new york new york hotel because adam had originally booked it for shelly and her sister, who couldn't come out and so they had it reserved for two nights and only needed it for one after aunt steph couldn't go...so that's why we went. the new york new york hotel's pool was closed for the season which was really sad. we are already planning a trip back to stay at the aria in the next few months.
so we walked around and looked at all the crazy sights and went in all the couture shops like jimmy choo and fendi...where cory talked to the sales girl in japanese and totally made her day. at fendi, she showed us a purple alligator skin coat that was...$245,000! INSANE. jodie and i lusted after the diamonds at tiffany's (not really) and we made our way to the hotel to check. after relaxing for a bit, and a little bit of football, we walked about 20 minutes to the bellagio. we walked everywhere in vegas, but it doesn't really feel like a long walk because there's so much action and so much to see! we were all famished by the time we made it to the infamous bellagio buffet! this meal was the only thing we paid for on the whole trip, and it was the most expensive meal we've ever eaten (about $30 per person) but i daresay it was worth it. the buffet was this huge dining room and at the end was the kitchen/buffet area with all these stations with every food you can imagine! they had the grill with all the meats and the vegetables and the fruits and desserts and asian, mexican, italian, pizzas, ice cream, breads...everything! i was determined to eat at least $30 of food, so cory and i started off with the BEST kobe beef we had ever eaten. it was delish. after that, we both stuck to our favorites. i had steak, ribs, crab, SUSHI, SUSHI, SUSHI, pesto mashed potatoes and dessert-oh man. all the desserts were somewhat bite-sized, so i grabbed carrot cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse in a waffle cone, pecan tart, and the most amazing cheesecake. cory, adam and jodie all had their favorite foods too. it was GOOD. and we stayed for over two hours, so as to make sure we ate as much as humanly possible. i'm really craving sushi right now.
after our meal/experience, we decided to check out the bellagio fountain show. it was really beautiful. it plays every fifteen minutes and the water shoots up almost as high as the hotel! it reminded me of disneyworld. adam then wanted us to see the volcano at casesar's palace. so we walked another 20-30 minutes down to that hotel/casino and looked at the aquarium and waited for the mechanical volcano to erupt...which never happened. nobody bothered to put up a "out of order" sign either. lame. it took us about 45 minutes to walk back to our hotel (which i timed) and didn't even realize it took us that long. all the lights were glowing and there's always music playing (songs that i know!). oh, a major downside to vegas and this is SO prevalent, is the SMOKE. people smoke cigarettes like no other! it is everywhere you go, especially as you walk through the casinos, which you have to do to get most places. gross. it's funny cause everything smells like smoke, even the restaurant lobbies, and then the stores/malls are all WAY overperfumed. like it's sickening how much perfume they pump in. when we got back to the hotel, jodie and i went to bed right away. adam and cory decided to go check out the hotel casino. cory had a budget of $20...i don't know adam's :) in the morning, i woke up and cory was out $20 and adam had made $369! he was very happy. i think they had a good time people watching and being grateful for their standards. one other thing the casinos do is not have drinking fountains because they want you to buy drinks. and they pump oxygen in to make you stay awake. it's also very dry. and there are no windows so you don't know what time it is. the casinos have the gambling thing down to a science, and boy, it works! (or so it appears)
on monday, the boys slept in till 11 am. i was up around 8, so i just napped and played on my phone, read restaurant reviews...etc. adam wanted us to try hash house a-go-go...which if you're ever in vegas, GO THERE! it was fantastic. it's in the quad hotel/casino. we checked out and drove there. it was gorgeous outside! like in the sixties. and when we walked through the hotel, there was a tina turner impersonator singing on stage. it was awesome. the restaurant usually has a wait. we waited maybe 20 minutes and there are not a lot of servers. food ranges from $7-$16, but they give you a TON. everything on the menu looked so good. i settled on the brown sugar and banana pancakes, and i got a side of the grilled mashed potatoes. the pancakes were HUGE, as evidenced in the picture and they were DIVINE. the best pancakes i have EVER eaten. ever. the potatoes were alright-good, but nothing special, however they were like a family size portion. cory got the vanilla waffle and bacon and eggs. jodie got the same. adam got the snickers pancakes combo. he loves them and i had a bite-they were good. but not as good as mine ;) oh while, we were waiting for our table, adam stuck a $5 bill in a machine and won $215. no big deal. so he bought us breakfast! thanks adam!
shelly, granny and dorothy drove down to vegas that day so they could spend the night in the new york new york hotel and then shelly flew home the next day. anyway, so after breakfast, we met them at the hotel and went to M&M world! which was crazy huge and i had no idea that people loved those candies so much. we got a bag of the 22 color mix for trey (who watched sienna again, THANKS!) and some coconut ones for us. they had so many colors! and a few flavors. it was cool to see though. while in the check-out line, we hugged gran, dorth and shelly and headed to the prius to drive back to provo. the drive was pretty fast, about 6 hours and we watched my big, fat, greek wedding...cory's favorite movie. overall, it was a super fun weekend :) i'm so grateful for my family! i feel very blessed to have my awesome immediate family, but also be a part of cory's family, who i love so much. it amazes me how comfortable i feel with them now and it also weirds me out that chad and i say the same things so often. yay for blessngs :)
shelly, cory's mom, flew into vegas and spent two weeks in cedar city at cory's granny's house. on her last weekend in cedar city, all of us kids went down to visit shelly, granny and dorothy! on friday, chad (brother) hitched a ride down from idaho and drove with cory and i in our car and adam and jodie (sister and future brother-in-law) drove in the prius. we arrived in cedar city about three hours later, around 11 pm. we were exhausted! cory's granny lives with her gal pal dorothy...they literally are like thelma and louise. on saturday morning, we went to ihop and DI where i scored some AWESOME samsonite suitcases for $3 apiece! i'm planning on making end tables of them. they're shades of grey/black, so i want some that are bright yellow, orange or blue. anyway, after that, adam and jodie took engagement pictures and we prepared for a mini thanksgiving with the fam. the star of the show? why, that would be the turducken that granny cooked! it was pretty good-i only ate the turkey with cranberry sauce, my fave. we ate up because granny and dorothy are notorious for their game marathons. usually it's five crowns, wizards and mexican train. we had brought our own games down this time and taught everyone how to play bang. it took forever because we had so many people and some people couldn't really cheat at the game...afterwards we played five crowns, which shelly won, wresting the title of "granny's favorite" from chad to herself.
sunday morning, we woke up and said goodbye to chad, who drove our car back to provo where he met his ride back to ideaho. we then went to church and came home to leave for VEGAS! oh man, i had never been to las vegas and just pictured girls in skimpy clothes walking around and lots of fluorescent lights. we arrived around 2ish and walked through the aria hotel and the bellagio hotel. mostly vegas is hotels, with casinos and malls inside them. those are the two nicest hotels, according to adam-our vegas guide :) he's been there a bunch of times and has this membership which allows him to stay at those hotels for free or for very little. unfortunately, we were not staying at those AMAZING works of art. seriously, they had tons of pools and floors and restaurants and lights. all the parking is free because they want you to gamble. which people do like crazy! we stayed at the new york new york hotel because adam had originally booked it for shelly and her sister, who couldn't come out and so they had it reserved for two nights and only needed it for one after aunt steph couldn't go...so that's why we went. the new york new york hotel's pool was closed for the season which was really sad. we are already planning a trip back to stay at the aria in the next few months.
so we walked around and looked at all the crazy sights and went in all the couture shops like jimmy choo and fendi...where cory talked to the sales girl in japanese and totally made her day. at fendi, she showed us a purple alligator skin coat that was...$245,000! INSANE. jodie and i lusted after the diamonds at tiffany's (not really) and we made our way to the hotel to check. after relaxing for a bit, and a little bit of football, we walked about 20 minutes to the bellagio. we walked everywhere in vegas, but it doesn't really feel like a long walk because there's so much action and so much to see! we were all famished by the time we made it to the infamous bellagio buffet! this meal was the only thing we paid for on the whole trip, and it was the most expensive meal we've ever eaten (about $30 per person) but i daresay it was worth it. the buffet was this huge dining room and at the end was the kitchen/buffet area with all these stations with every food you can imagine! they had the grill with all the meats and the vegetables and the fruits and desserts and asian, mexican, italian, pizzas, ice cream, breads...everything! i was determined to eat at least $30 of food, so cory and i started off with the BEST kobe beef we had ever eaten. it was delish. after that, we both stuck to our favorites. i had steak, ribs, crab, SUSHI, SUSHI, SUSHI, pesto mashed potatoes and dessert-oh man. all the desserts were somewhat bite-sized, so i grabbed carrot cake, chocolate mousse, chocolate mousse in a waffle cone, pecan tart, and the most amazing cheesecake. cory, adam and jodie all had their favorite foods too. it was GOOD. and we stayed for over two hours, so as to make sure we ate as much as humanly possible. i'm really craving sushi right now.
after our meal/experience, we decided to check out the bellagio fountain show. it was really beautiful. it plays every fifteen minutes and the water shoots up almost as high as the hotel! it reminded me of disneyworld. adam then wanted us to see the volcano at casesar's palace. so we walked another 20-30 minutes down to that hotel/casino and looked at the aquarium and waited for the mechanical volcano to erupt...which never happened. nobody bothered to put up a "out of order" sign either. lame. it took us about 45 minutes to walk back to our hotel (which i timed) and didn't even realize it took us that long. all the lights were glowing and there's always music playing (songs that i know!). oh, a major downside to vegas and this is SO prevalent, is the SMOKE. people smoke cigarettes like no other! it is everywhere you go, especially as you walk through the casinos, which you have to do to get most places. gross. it's funny cause everything smells like smoke, even the restaurant lobbies, and then the stores/malls are all WAY overperfumed. like it's sickening how much perfume they pump in. when we got back to the hotel, jodie and i went to bed right away. adam and cory decided to go check out the hotel casino. cory had a budget of $20...i don't know adam's :) in the morning, i woke up and cory was out $20 and adam had made $369! he was very happy. i think they had a good time people watching and being grateful for their standards. one other thing the casinos do is not have drinking fountains because they want you to buy drinks. and they pump oxygen in to make you stay awake. it's also very dry. and there are no windows so you don't know what time it is. the casinos have the gambling thing down to a science, and boy, it works! (or so it appears)
on monday, the boys slept in till 11 am. i was up around 8, so i just napped and played on my phone, read restaurant reviews...etc. adam wanted us to try hash house a-go-go...which if you're ever in vegas, GO THERE! it was fantastic. it's in the quad hotel/casino. we checked out and drove there. it was gorgeous outside! like in the sixties. and when we walked through the hotel, there was a tina turner impersonator singing on stage. it was awesome. the restaurant usually has a wait. we waited maybe 20 minutes and there are not a lot of servers. food ranges from $7-$16, but they give you a TON. everything on the menu looked so good. i settled on the brown sugar and banana pancakes, and i got a side of the grilled mashed potatoes. the pancakes were HUGE, as evidenced in the picture and they were DIVINE. the best pancakes i have EVER eaten. ever. the potatoes were alright-good, but nothing special, however they were like a family size portion. cory got the vanilla waffle and bacon and eggs. jodie got the same. adam got the snickers pancakes combo. he loves them and i had a bite-they were good. but not as good as mine ;) oh while, we were waiting for our table, adam stuck a $5 bill in a machine and won $215. no big deal. so he bought us breakfast! thanks adam!
shelly, granny and dorothy drove down to vegas that day so they could spend the night in the new york new york hotel and then shelly flew home the next day. anyway, so after breakfast, we met them at the hotel and went to M&M world! which was crazy huge and i had no idea that people loved those candies so much. we got a bag of the 22 color mix for trey (who watched sienna again, THANKS!) and some coconut ones for us. they had so many colors! and a few flavors. it was cool to see though. while in the check-out line, we hugged gran, dorth and shelly and headed to the prius to drive back to provo. the drive was pretty fast, about 6 hours and we watched my big, fat, greek wedding...cory's favorite movie. overall, it was a super fun weekend :) i'm so grateful for my family! i feel very blessed to have my awesome immediate family, but also be a part of cory's family, who i love so much. it amazes me how comfortable i feel with them now and it also weirds me out that chad and i say the same things so often. yay for blessngs :)
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