Our office is COVERED in maps. Manhattan, Chicago (the most recent purchase), San Francisco that I saw on a Graphic Design Blog, and so on…
I finally got our “gallery wall” all hung up while Zach was gone. All I need now is the window shade, and that room is complete. We’ve lived in this house for two years, next week…and we only have one room completely finished. At least it is a start!
Zach left Friday as planned for his week-long hunting extravaganza with the men in his family. Turns out my Dad is also gone (for almost THREE WEEKS) for an out-of-state job, so my Mom became my partner in crime over the weekend. Here is what we did:
We were PARTY ANIMALS:
Friday night a bunch of us gal pals all went out to dinner – Lori (my Mom’s friend), Mom, Aunt Tammy, and Lindsy. We grubbed at Macaroni Grill and then sped off to see my long awaited favorite:
It was great, still not as great as the original, but we all enjoyed it! It made me realize two things: J Hough has a gorgeous bod, and I will NEVER let my 17-year-old daughter dance like her.
We were HANDY:
Saturday I had a whole list of chores to do. Those that visit our home frequently know how horrible our shoe problem is in our garage. We kick them off right as we enter the house, and they form a large ring around our door. So, I did a top to bottom sweep of the place and assembled a handy metal rack from Home Depot. Zach will be so proud when he comes home!
I had also promised my grandpa that I would go door shopping with him. I know this sounds like a minor task, but you don’t know my grandfather. He is a retired carpenter and automobile mechanic, so he’s pretty much the handiest guy around. He does research on EVERYTHING he purchases. I made my mom come along with us, knowing that I would need some support. We spent TWO and a HALF HOURS at several hardware stores, but to no avail. We finally left after GPa got in a fight with some sales guy, criticizing his knowledge of screen doors. Awkward.
We were CRAFTY:
I am not a seamstress, but she happens to be pretty good with a sewing machine. I found a really amazing scarf at UO, but wasn’t willing to pay 80 bones for it. It so happens (a miracle from heaven) that I found a similar Navajo-esque fabric at JoAnn’s a day later. This is where my mom’s skillz came in.
She helped me sew my circle scarf (which was actually pretty basic). We stayed up until 2:00 am doing more crazy crafts (thanks to freaking Pinterest) and munching on mini Twix bars. My mom was mentioning she wanted a cute Thanksgiving print to put in her house, so we came up with these…
We were HOMEMAKERS:
I found this bad A fur blanket for Zach and I’s bed. I am really into fur lately – fur collar liners, fur pillows, fur hats…so when I saw this blanket I HAD to have it. My mom thinks it’s, quote “wild” but I think it is AWESOME!!!
I begged her to sleep over at my house that night so we could experience it, but I think the fur made her uncomfortable.
We were CRAFTY AGAIN:
Sunday after church I went BACK to my Mom’s for dinner and MORE projects. We were graced with my aunt’s presence again when she came over to make T-Shirt scarves with us (yes, we made plenty of scarves this weekend). They are SO easy, and we made almost 10 of them after raiding my brother’s closet.
What scares me is that Zach has only been gone for three days. He doesn’t get home until Thursday night. I can’t even imagine the projects we can come up with in four more days.
Zach is going to come home to a DIY explosion!
This week dragged on pretty slowly, considering Zach was gone in Vegas until Wednesday. I kept myself busy catching up on laundry, cleaning the house, and reading my new book. Thursday was the only whole day we spent together (and technically that isn’t accurate because we both were at work) before I left for the weekend.
I spent Friday, Saturday, and Sunday up in Park City with some girl friends. It was heavenly, and so relaxing that I didn’t even remember to take one picture. The only motivation to come back home was to see Zach!
When I got home Sunday night, we left quickly to go up to Ogden for the annual Henderson Pumpkin Carving Night. This year was a little unique. For Easter Zach dresses as the Easter Bunny. His parents recently purchased him a Thanksgiving Turkey costume as well, so that will become a tradition. But this Halloween, Zach was asked to dress up as a “Nice Ghost”. So while I was gone over the weekend, Zach and his parents shopped for the only ghost costume they could find.
Here he is, my spooky spouse…
I was worried at first that the kids would be terrified. The plan was made by Zach’s dad, Mark: the kiddies were each given a little laser pointer/flashlight and were all going to go hunting for ghosts! Zach was hiding in the backyard. It ended with him running through Mark and Jeanene’s backyard with a million minis following him.
Here is the whole crew (minus Addie, Connor, Aiden, Charlie, and Frankie) – with Zach in the center. I am sure most of them figured out it was uncle Zach, but for the youngest ones…it was awesome! Notice the “Ghost Finders” on their fingers…
Last but not least, Family night last night!
Zach won a gift certificate to Winger’s at a golf tournament, and begged me to go there for dinner for Family Night. I despise Winger’s, but agreed to celebrate his winnings with him. After our delicous meal we went to a movie down in Salt Lake, at the theater on 3300 S. I don’t know if it was something he ate, or the pure excitement of getting a free meal…but Zach was CRAZY. He was yelling/rapping in line for his popcorn and in the theater. Then he would NOT stop talking about the new Pixar movie, Puss in Boots (which is not currently playing in theaters.) I swear he talked about if for 30 minutes. I couldn’t believe how wild he was, it was like he was all hopped up on candy! When he told me he wanted to go to the bathroom before the movie started, I was a bit relieved…thinking maybe he needed a moment to simmer down. 10 seconds after I saw him disappear out of the theater, I got a picture message of the movie poster for Puss and Boots and could hear him laughing from outside the theater. He was seriously OBSESSED. Maybe it was the immature 12-year-old in him that kept saying “Puss” thinking it was hilarious…I couldn’t tell you!
I love Zach so much, he is such a good sport. Not only with his family and their hilarious activities, but with his crazy Winger’s hating wife. I’m glad to have him back, but only to kiss him goodbye on Friday for a long hunting trip. (Remind me why I love October again…?) I’m glad I have several fun dinner dates planned to keep me occupied.
Please pray my husband doesn’t shoot himself or any member of his family. Also please pray he doesn’t shoot an animal so I won’t have to see it hanging in our garage as a prize.
This weekend was a busy one for us, and the only day we didn’t have plans for was Friday. We decided to meet up at the Gateway after work to run some errands. We picked up the items we needed and ate some delicious sushi after at Happy Sumo. We drank hot miso soup while we planned our anniversary weekend, which can’t come soon enough! We ended the night with a late movie, where we happened to be sitting on the same row with old friends, what are the odds?
Saturday we went to the Utah vs. Arizona game…which didn’t end well for us, obviously. It was so fun to get bundled up though and see everybody!
We haven’t had a time to get the entire family together for Zach’s birthday, so we tried after the game. I told Zach he could go wherever he wanted to go…Thai Food, Mexican Food, anywhere! My family is rather picky, but they always make exceptions for Birthday dinners. But where did Zach choose to go?
Yep. Sizzler.
It was honestly a disaster from the start. Have you ever tried to seat 12 people at a Sizzler? Camron got impatient real quick and became difficult to control. Then he started dipping his fingers in all of the different concoctions at the salad bar, including whatever pudding was within his reach. After our delicious dining experience, I begged Zach to take me to IKEA to get something I have wanted for WEEKS! This amazing, state-of-the-art make up organizer.
Ok, so it is really not that amazing, but it is cheap and has enough compartments to store all my crap! When Cam heard about our little field trip, he wanted to come along too. It soon became a family affair. So we all drove down to IKEA to get my stupid plastic organizer. While there, Cam found the little cafeteria area and convinced my mom to buy a whole pan of cinnamon rolls. It was the highlight of his week, and the sweet guy at the register even gave him “special gloves” to carry them out with.
Sunday morning, Zach’s brother Chad asked us to watch little Luke for the day. So while Zach drove their family to the airport for their Disneyland trip, I got to take this little man to church with me.
He was an absolute angel during Sacrament and Sunday School, but when Relief Society hit…he got tired and hungry. After church we changed into comfy clothes and cuddled in my bed while watching some weird baby show about talking tractors.
Luke apparently thought the show was not worth watching either, and fell asleep within 10 minutes.
We had a blast with Luke all day, and feel as though we have a little tiny window into what parenting is like. From chasing them to stay away from the salad bar, to running around the halls in church…our weekend was basically spent running after little boys.
After we took Luke home, Zach packed his bags for a jet convention in Las Vegas. We’ve been married for 3 years and I still tear up when he leaves, even when he is gone for only FOUR DAYS! Yeah, I am still that crazy clingy wife. Zach always comes home to a crazy clean house (out of sheer boredom) and a random new project I have conjured up. So basically I am counting down until Thursday until I can spend time with MY BOY!
Boys…can’t live with ’em (Sizzler), can’t live without ’em!
Zach and I had rustic and romantic plans to drive up American Fork Canyon and spend the night.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to make a rain check. It is supposed to be 40-46 degrees, and we both decided it would be best to wait out this weather at home in our own bed, rather than in the back of Zach’s Land Rover in the rain. We don’t have a tent, you see…and we’re making baby steps at trying to be campers. Although, I have a feeling that things are only going to get colder before they get warmer. I don’t mind at all, I’ve been waiting for fall weather since August.
To celebrate the cozy night, I made chicken dinner with potatoes, carrots, and gravy. It’s Zach’s absolute favorite, so easy, and perfect for a rainy evening.
After my going to the gym and showering up, I spent the rest of the evening in my bed reading my new book while Zach was at hockey. When he got home, he popped popcorn and we watched a movie in our room. I knew that TV was a great idea! It was a perfect rainy day and night. I imagine this is how we will spend our weekend, considering the weather isn’t planning on changing really soon. Once again, I don’t mind at ALL!
Also, I must confess I did shed a tear when I heard the news about my main man, Steve. The technological geek in me is grateful at how much easier he has made our lives.
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs
Two weeks into one post, I’m all about consolidation.
1. I went to dinner with my girl friends out to Sawadee. Yes, we had the mangoes and sticky rice.
Sometimes we hold roses, no big deal.
I loved it. Kristina’s getting married, Whitney has a one-year-old, and me and Whit…have nothing to contribute to the milestones just yet.
2. Zach and I went to see Money Ball with Bradly Pitt. The movie was good, and Mr. Pitt made 40-something look good. The man is still hot, after all these years!
3. We experimented with two different recipes:
Pumpkin spread for our cinnamon raisin bagels, which is delicious and healthy. (Zach didn’t try it, but I LOVE it…and it makes me feel fall-ish).
Lemon, garlic, and olive oil angel hair pasta. Zach actually likes this one, but I haven’t told him how healthy it is…so that’s probably why.
4. First, let me ask…not to judge me? Everyone told me not to read this book because it was “dark” and “depressing”. It made me want to read it even more, especially when they announced the movie coming out in December. I finished the “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” in just over two days.
I really liked it. It is really dark, and I did have to take breaks in a horrific detailed scene, but there is a reason these books are Worldwide Best Sellers. So with that confession over with, I am on book #2 – The Girl Who Played With Fire. I’ve only put a small dent into it so far, but it looks promising.
5. Along with my mystery/murder/horror novels, I picked up my copy of the Design*Sponge @ Home book. If you follow the Design*Sponge Blog, you would be delighted to know that the book lived up to hype. Besides, a little help from Jonathan Alder goes a long way.
6. Friday night, I went out with the girls again on Zach’s side of the family for dinner and some shopping at Gardner Village.
Gina’s nursing sweet Charlie, so don’t judge her when she decided to “double fork” the pumpkin square and carrot cake. Look, you can even see the nursing apron thing she has on, I call it a Boob Guard, but I am sure there is a proper name for it.
7. Speaking of boobs, I enlisted Zach’s help in changing the light fixture in our bedroom.
It went from Ta-Ta to Voilà! I do not miss the Boob. (You can obviously tell how long it took us to wire due to the lack of natural light in the second photo.)
8. We attended the Utah Football game. Yes, Zach should have been at Priesthood Session, but when you’ve already purchased the tickets…you feel less guilty about not going to Priesthood Session. Geez, this post is full of confessions. It had a horrible outcome, but it was great weather and fun to see friends and visitors from Memphis! We decided after the game to get some cheese fries and dessert and eat our feelings together as a family. After stuffing our faces and drowning our sorrows in greasy food, we set off to the grocery store to buy items for our feast! Zach’s been wanting me to make his favorite chicken dinner for a while, so I gave in an agreed to do it for family night on Monday. Zach was definitely down after the depressing loss, but we did manage to get our dance on.
Dance when you feel like crying, right?
9. We enjoyed General Conference. My personal favorites were President Eyring, President Monson (obviously), and whoever the General Relief Society President is…? Loved her talk about fathers raising their daughters. It was a tear jerker, and I had to text my Dad immediately. After the last session we went to the Fotheringham’s to enjoy some roast and twice baked potatoes.
We are excited for the month of October. We have a lot of fun plans and we’re going to have a big kick-off this weekend: Zach and I are going to experiment being more granola and are going to camp out this weekend. We have not gone camping ONCE since we’ve known each other for these 4 years. (Lake Powell doesn’t count because you are on a boat.) We are nervous and excited. But a little more nervous.
