a few weeks ago

We went to watch this guy.

I love him.

And will possibly be heartbroken if he ever breaks up with the Jazz.

{don't ask what's up with the blurry picture. i got a new camera for Christmas and i guess we haven't figured it out}

So intense.

Yup! I still think he is great. The best part is...I think the hubs loves him as much as I do!
It's a win/win.

Me: Let's take a picture. One, two, thr.........

Mike: Why do we need a picture of us at the Jazz game?

Me: Oh well. It's us right?

vegas+13.1

This week we headed down to Vegas for a little R & R...okay maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. We went to Vegas for The International Builders Convention. But who says you can't have a little fun too right?

On the road. We look ecstatic don't we? Maybe this is why we don't do the camera thing.

The one shot on the town. It was pouring rain most of the trip. But in case I never make it to the real New York, at least I made it to New York New York.

We ate at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant at the MGM. Totally forgot the name. It was DELISH. I am such a pizza lover and it was possible the.best.pizza.EVER. Mike had a huge old gourmet burger. It was so big that it looked as if he only had a few bites. Good eats!


After Vegas we stopped in St. George so I could run the
Painter's 1/2 Marathon. Another great success. With a great friend. We beat our last race time, enjoyed each others company, & enjoyed the scenery {even in the COLD}.

Our St. Georgian friends. Heather & Jake. We had a blast staying at their house and going out to eat with them. They are so funny. They even woke up and came to meet me at the finish. Thanks again.

You guys are the BEST!

p.s. can i tell you how much i missed my little monkey back home? so much. but the reunion was terrific.

boys will be boys

We were trying to get out the door for church today when Jake decided it would be funny to try to close me out of the living room {as if I can't see him through the glass doors}. This is the face that he was pulling when I caught up with him.

I was laughing so hard.

Such a little boy.

Where do they learn this?

our adventure{s}

Back in October Mike's parents gave us an early Christmas by taking the family to Disneyworld.

It was loads of fun.

We came back every night exhausted.

That Mr. Walt Disney is amazing. I went to Disneyland in 4th grade...so its been awhile. I never realized how much detail goes into these places. Disney didn't leave out anything.

With that being said....WE DID. I swear I didn't get any pics that did it justice. But that may or may not have something to do with trying to entertain a 14 month old in a stroller all day.

Here is what we did capture:

A family shot at Animal Kingdom

A yummy dinner at T-Rex. The little duck loved this place. I thought the dinosaurs going off would be scary, but it didn't bother him. It's kind of dark, but notice the big T-Rex in the back? So creative. The room next to us (that I noticed on my way to the restroom) was an ice cave/age theme. The lights were blue and I swear I got a little chill walking through it.

My heartbreakin' fish. Man he loves the water.

This is what happens when mom forgets to pack swim trunks. On a trip to FLORIDA. Who does that? The best part of the story is that I went EVERYWHERE trying to find one. With no luck.

Jake got to meet Buzz & Woody. They are officially his favorite thing ever now.

Stroller time. Let's face it, we had a lot of it.

Grandma & Grandpa enjoying Epcot. Grandpa not enjoying the picture so much.

Can you spot the local giant?

You guessed it. We spotted Shaq at Magic Kingdom the first day we were there. I was dying. Too bad the little guy missed out on all the action.

Daddy & Jake meeting some more fabulous people.

That about sums it up.

Thanks again to Grandma & Grandpa...the memories will last a lifetime. Good times!

a big shoutout

I keep meaning to post a few shout outs for some of my favorite things right now.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

1. Ear Warmers by Sweet Charli Urban Accessories. Aren't they adorable? I bought one for my running buddy. I figured if we were dumb enough to run in the winter we might as well look fashionable right? Right. Anyway, check out Kami's blog: sweetcharli.blogspot.com. You will love how creative she is!

2. My cousin has created some DARLING scarves. I have not seen anything like them around. They were featured on Studio 5 a few weeks ago and I love them. Check them out on her blog at: lalalovelyyou.blogspot.com. The pics don't do them justice! She also makes box charm necklaces, which are not shown on her blog...super cute as well. I am going to have to stop visiting her because I keep coming home with something new! Thanks London!

3. I have been asked by a few people who did our family pics. They were taken by Jeneal Martinez. I found her through my lovely friend Lindsay and I have loved working with her! She does a great job and her prices are reasonable. Check out her website at: jenealmartinez.com. Definately worth it!

P.S. Does anyone else think its somewhat comical that I am posting this as if a million people read my blog? Kind of makes me laugh. But I have to give credit where credit is due!

ENJOY!

a pirate & his princess

Introducing...

Pirate Jake & Princess Madeline

After a five hour flight home on Halloween, this little pirate was not in the mood to sit for a picture.

Notice that his sword is next to him...which means he is happily waving his cousin's princess wand.

And he couldn't be happier.

don't be offended

But I had to post this.

A few days ago, I was watching Ellen {my guilty pleasure} and this lovely girl happened to be on. She was in last month's issue of Glamour. I didn't actually see that issue but I heard it was quite a small picture and story, but the response was HUGE. Readers were ecstatic to see a beautiful girl that looked 'normal' (their term not mine). I was too! I often find myself bringing home the latest issue of Shape, People, or whatever magazine that has my favorite someone on it. As I am flipping through them I often comment to the hubs that many people could look this lovely if they had a personal trainer, 3 hours to spend at the gym, makeup artist, designer, and at the end of all that got to be airbrushed. I know it sounds like I am complaining, but hear me out. I LOVE to see this perfection (so to speak) because it keeps me working to look my best. But it is also discouraging to strive for something that isn't realistic. Like a twelve pack and buns of steel?

Anyway, an editor of Glamour was there and announced they were planning on using more healthy models and also showcasing designers that made samples sizes that aren't all size 00 or 0's. These models were actually plus size...which is size 6 and up. Crazy I know.

I love that Ellen was so into this. She also stressed the term healthy. These women won't be overweight and living unhealthy. They will be girls that take great care of their bodies and their natural body happens be bigger than a 4. Who knows if these changes will actually be implemented, but at least it's being recognized. Right?