the wedge.

rode our bikes across newport
through incredible neighborhoods
pointed out favorite homes as we went
and joked above living there someday

made it to the wedge
where the waves are the biggest
they were only 12 ft that day
even though they looked twice the size

eventually made it back
sore as can be

but, it's always worth the long ride
to sit on the sand and watch the waves crash

black + white & sometimes blue.

I'll get around to posting my Newport pictures soon,
in the meantime, here is a favorite one that Jon took of me & my Mo.

And just in case you need it like I did, this quote is taped to my mirror right now:

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning, 'It all works out in the end.' Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. If we put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy if His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

spotted.

out & about in my hood:

1. deer in people's front yards (and also walking casually down the street or on the sidewalk)-very common.

2. man carrying his belongings in grocery cart with hair down to the ground.
for real.

3. neighbors smoking weed in their yard.

this man.

Is coming home tonight.

This man hasn't been able to do that once this entire week.
Because preparing for Law School has become his second full-time job
and his first full-time job was already a doosy.

This man is my best friend.
I always knew that, but now I feel it more than ever.

This man calls me during study breaks to tell me he misses me
And I try to be positive, but I miss him, too.

This man has been my hobby for the past 3 years.
And now that he is embarking on a new adventure...
I think I might have to find a few new ones.

photo shoot with the birthday girl.

My squishy, smiley, giggly, laughing, screaming niece turned 1 while we were on vacation. Just for fun, I crawled around on my stomach in the sand one day and took a million pictures of her in her striped bikini. I realize this is photo overload, but I am posting them all mostly so Christy can steal them off the blog.

Happy first birthday Katie Babes!

1 never looked so good!

ps. Who wants to teach me how to color correct?? No, the sand wasn't green.

she raised us to be huggers.

we took the youngest moffitt to the temple the week before newport.
it was a really special night. i love my family so much.
k leaves next month, but let's not talk about it.

spooky.

Wow.

I just have to hurry and post this for those of you who know me well and know about some of the weird experiences I had back when we were living on Parkway. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, without getting into too many creepy details, I am pretty sure that house is haunted.

Granted I love that home, LOVED the neighborhood, friends, ward & miss everyone dearly. But living there was scary at times and being there alone terrified me for months. I had way too many sleepless nights and eerie mornings in bed after G had left for work. Scary things happened when I was there by myself.

G never felt anything (granted he is not intuitive at all) and I sometimes felt like an idiot for being scared. Well, let's just say I don't feel like an idiot anymore, because G is on the phone with the renter who currently lives there and she just said something along the lines of, "Blah, blah, blah, I think this house is haunted."

And no, I have never said anything to them about it (who would tell potential renters such things?) and we have never discussed anything like that before. I can't believe it. Her stories are even creepier than mine. And I am just so glad I am out of there.

Now that I am more justified in saying that this ghost actually exists, let's give him a name, shall we? We all know how much I love naming things. George? Fred? Freddy K, perhaps?

i just crossed last week off my calendar.

The only good part about coming home was being reunited with these peeps. A whole summer apart was rough and just for the record, the lady who slept in their bed while they were gone didn't even compare.

Yesterday was spent reuniting and eating lots of great food (provided by Kenz. She fed us every meal except lunch. Yes.)

And at the end of the night, frozen bananas were dipped in chocolate and coated with peanuts in memory of our summer vacation. RIP Newport 2009.

and we're off.

greetings from newport.

please ship the pups, because i am never coming home.}

we could be a snuggie family!

how sad is it that i am honestly considering getting one of these for toby?
but, the little man wont go outside from september through march without a sweatshirt.
i think he needs it.

someone please help me.

{i had the hilarious video up, until i realized it re-started after every page load. way too annoying. video here.}

random tuesday.

Today, I felt like a date.

I thought about a date all day at work and finally decided to email G and officially "ask him out" for later that night. He said yes and I was stoked, after all, he normally studies at the library on Tuesdays. A date on a random Tuesday! I told him to be ready at 6 and started planning.

By 5 my plans were set. I knew it wouldn't be as appreciated if I spent a lot of money (that's the easy way out), so I got creative and thought of something ultra cheap.

The plan:
Rush home after work and put G's golf clubs, shoes and socks in my trunk.
Run to Crown Burger to buy us burgers and fries
Wait for him to get home from work
Take him and the pups to the park for a picnic in the shade
Hang out there for a while and then take the dogs home
Drive to the nearest golf course, pull into the parking lot, then whip open the trunk to reveal the surprise!
Hit a bucket of balls around dusk and then head home for Karmel Sutra ice cream (his favorite) and a movie

Sounds like a nice date, yes?

Here's what ended up happening:
G pulled up in his car JUST as I was putting the golf clubs in the trunk. Home early for the first time in WEEKS. He laughed as he opened his door and apologized for ruining the surprise. Lame.
We wrangled the dogs and drove to Crown Burger
Waited insanely long for our food
Drove to the park and watched the pups play
Ate my disgusting chicken and salad with a spoon (they forgot my fork)
We were attacked by a swarm of bees (of course) and forced to throw a piece of chicken across the park to make them go away
Another dog peed on Toby's head.
And then stole the straw out of our strawberry shake
Came back minutes later and took the whole thing
We gave up on dinner and took the pups home.
Headed for the golf course, even though it was no longer a surprise
Drove around for 40 minutes trying to find the club house
Finally found it after circling 10 times
Unloaded the clubs and walked inside
Surprise, surprise, driving range closed.
Racked my brain for a back-up plan and came up empty.
Decided to just give up and document my failure with a pretty picture in front of the sunset, instead
Can you guess what happened next?
Yup, no camera card.

G laughed as we drove home in the sunset and I dubbed my attempt "the worst date I've ever planned". He said it was a great night and one of his favorite dates so far. That is most definitely a lie, but at least I have a husband who lies to me in situations like these. I'll take a failed date with him any day.

i like it when.

• i decide its okay to kiss my very sick husband and somehow still do not catch his fever 4 days later. thank you, immune system.
• i find a new swimming suit.
• pandora plays 9 amazing, incredible, favorite songs in a row.
• g agrees to go out for a date night on a random tuesday.
• my mother throws a huge "we're going to the beach bash" complete with fish candles, streamers, beach toys and new towells, lotion, chapstick and q-tips as party favors. that woman kills me, i tell you. please let me be her someday.
• i fall asleep with wet hair and somehow like how it looks the next morning.

oldies but goodies.

so, i got a new program to store and edit my photos the other day and after it downloaded it searched my entire computer for pictures. and look what it found somewhere in the depths of my hard drive!

i haven't seen any of these pictures for years! i forgot they even existed and i completely forgot about this little adventure!

these are from almost 4 years ago when g & i were just dating, before we even got engaged. thanks to jet-blue connections, we flew to california for the day and spent all afternoon on the beach. now, i look at these pictures and think they are pretty dorky (especially the heart in the sand one, oh dear) but still i'm happy to have them again.

now if i can only find all of our other dating pictures?! i swear our old laptop ate them.

fake it til' you make it.

last night was not one of my favorites.
i'm not going to bore you with the details,
but after a long night i am feeling less than chipper today.

so i'm making myself another happy list in an effort to cheer up!
(and, as always, i have to give her credit for inspiring me to do these)

01. g-chat, because ryan, andy, jon, scott and my dad are all logged in on a daily basis.
02. no more finals after thursday!
03. fresh berries & apples in my fridge. they make me ultra-happy.
04. coldplay's "life in technicolor II". dear coldplay, i love you all my life.
05. day off for brookie's wedding tomorrow.
06. no more finals after thursday!
07. downy wrinkle release spray
08. the soft white sheets on my bed
09. gilligan, the fish

sorry, couldn't think of a number 1o.
but, i do feel better
so thanks, mr. blog.

why i will miss him.

 because who else is going to dance party with me? i mean, seriously.

one of the greatest places on earth.

lake powell, 2009

1st day of school. sort of.

ps. i cropped your lovely face out of this because the view from up your nostrils is not your most flattering look, my dear. i've got your back!