This week has flown by.

It's been work, hang out with Bubs a bit, sleep. Repeat. I've been spending most of my down time asleep- hence me not blogging until now. This was Bubs' first week of school and he has been a busy bee! He's taking 15 units and working part time, so he hasn't had much down time. I've been making more of a point to put down what I'm doing and hang out with him when he gets home. I even planned a romantic night in to celebrate finishing his first day of school- complete with M&M's, apple juice in fancy glasses and lavender scented candles. (I love candles that smell good!) It was nice to spend time together without the distractions of school/work/social media.

Thankful Thursday: health, baby smiles, good hair days, heavy sleep, running water, social media, lady friends, air conditioning, first world problems.

I have to recap! 

Friday of last weekend, Bubs & I went to my work luncheon at Biba's. Here is my last minute outfit.

 I love these shoes! It makes me feel posh to wear chevron. Is that weird?

 For some reason he always looks like this when he drives.

 Bubs insisted that breadsticks need butter.

 I always get the beet salad.

 This guy is happiest when he's eating. (He got the spaghetti carbonara)

 I always get the lasagna. (It's only made on Thursdays and Fridays, so I take advantage)

Going...

 Going...

 Gone.

 He liked this spaghetti because it has "the fancy bacon".

 This is how you know he likes the sauce.

 The chocolate mousse cake was devine!

 Bubs got the lemon gelato with the raspberry sauce. I wish he would have let me eat more than two bites!

Friday night we were invited to go to a concert in the park with our friends. They have two of the cutest kids ever!

 Their son is really into Lightening McQueen, and he challenged Bubs to "race" at least ten times. They ran all over while "revving their engines". They took the occasional break to take off their shoes and put them back on change their tires and drink water refuel. It was too cute.

Bubs' parents hosted family dinner at their house on Sunday. This is the usual hangout. I always thought the kitchen was the house of our home, until I went to the in-laws house. They congregate here often because someone's always making something yummy. This is where I usually learn a new lesson, like how to chop things!

 That day's lesson was making a salad. I did fine with the assembly, but tossing it was a whole 'nother story. Can I just say that that's way harder than it looks? I got salad everywhere. I put it all back in the bowl before I took this picture. Notice the bits of carrot still on the counter? That's the part that I was too lazy to put back.

 Dinner was pork chops, salad, corn, chips & mango salsa! Delicious, per usual.

 We always play 5 Crowns after dinner. It's grown on me. I can now play without having to review all the rules beforehand. (which I had to do the first 6+ times I played it)

 I was doing really well until round 8. Bubs claims that I did that well only because I "cheated"...which may or may not be true... ;)

 Overall, a super fun weekend. I hope you all are having a relaxing Saturday!

I'm So Fancy!

Just kidding. I've got to be the exact opposite of fancy. Which is ok because fancy people are opulent and in my mind that means "mo' money, mo' problems". Isn't that the truth!

Thankful Thursday: the basics (food, clothes, a safe place to live), the small things, nature, the smell of evening air, confidence, having room for improvement, Bubs.

I used to run a lot. I ran so much I almost used to like it. But then I took a day off. And then two. And here we are and I haven't ran in a a very long time. I also used to be really good about staying away from sugar and meticulously tracking everything I ate. I'm trying to get better at that. I'm also trying to walk in the evenings after work. I say trying because I always decide to do it and then I get home and realize how hungry/tired/lazy I am. So most nights I don't make it off the couch out the door. But I have walked twice this week which I am pretty proud of. Yay me!

Anyways, this past weekend was chock full of fun! Friday night Bubs' best friend, Phat Kid came over to have dinner and hang out! Bubs made Swedish Meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy AND corn! It was delish! Witness the glory.

 Can you tell that Phat Kid is a foodie?

After dinner, Phat Kid and Bubs had a "mini-LAN" which is always entertaining. I used to stay up and watch/laugh at them playing their games, but I'm pretty used to it now, so I just hung out in our room and went to bed early.  Phat Kid ended up sleeping over, so I made us all pancakes for breakfast. I learned after making super fat, huge pancakes that Bubs likes his super thin, so as to keep the "chocolate chip-pancake ratio" in tact. Whoops. Next time, Bubs!

After breakfast, I went shopping with a good friend of mine. We went to the Moth Hole for one of their $5 Parking Lot sales! Stay tuned for pictures of my haul! Saturday evening we went to the Rivercats game with the Cub Scouts in our ward! (Bubs' last event as an assistant in the Webelos) It was Scout Day/Star Wars Day at Raley Field! We got to ride the secret tram for people with disabilities. (Don't worry, we had someone in our group that qualified us for the ride!)

 As soon we walked through the entrance, we were handed foam "light sabers" and to my delight their were people in costumes for me to take pictures with! I was pretty dang excited. Like more excited than the three year-old that was in our group.

 We sat on the lawn! We had a blanket and everything! The sun was in our eyes for a while, hence these squinty eyes.

 We got Merlino's too! In case you haven't tried it, you need to go! Its like a cross between a slushie and a smoothie. We got Bubs' favorite flavor: Strawberry.

 Being that it was Star Wars Day, Darth Vader threw the first pitch and boy did he put on a show! He used the Force to freeze the ball. Pretty cute!

 I told Bubs to show me his light saber.

 This little cutie is in my Nursery class at church! He also happens to be the son of Bubs' other assistant Scout compadre. Bubs had a ton of fun playing with him!

 During the fireworks after the game, they played parts of the Star Wars soundtrack. It was pretty cute watching this little guy dance to the music.

 *Cue Star Wars theme*

It was super great! Anyways, time for my Weekly Obsessions!

 Calligraphy.

 I used to be super into calligraphy. I'm not so good with making up fonts and things but I can copy/freehand things pretty well. See that super cute print above? I made that.

I like big buns and I cannot lie.

 This is how many bobby pins I've been using in my hair each morning to make my super huge buns. I like having a big bun without using a hair donut. It makes me feel accomplished.

Hope you all are having a good almost weekend! I'm super looking forward to my work luncheon tomorrow! I'll post pics soon!

This has been a long week.

But thankfully, its Thursday!

Thankful Thursday: the simple life, pillows, fresh sheets, hugs, peace and quiet, Temple covenants, my eternal companion, the Word of Wisdom, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I realized today that I haven't done a Weekly Obsessions post in a while! My favorite things this week are:

This little beauty.

I've been wanting to try the Clairsonic for a while, but was put off by the ridiculous price tag. My Mother felt the same, and so she did some research and found a bunch of reviews that said  the Olay Pro-X was on par with the Clairsonic but was a fraction of the price! She ended up buying one and she loved it, so when I heard her rave about it, I requested one for my birthday. It's awesome! It's compact and has two speed settings. It comes with a trial-size cleanser, but I use my own (the Oil-Free Acne Face Wash Pink Grapefruit Cleanser from Neutrogena). I use it twice daily with my cleanser and my skin has cleared up so much! I'm one step closer having clear, pretty skin!

Burt's Bees.

You all know that I have a deep love for their pink grapefruit lip balm, but I recently branched out and tried some of their other products- and you know what? They're pretty cool. I received these as a gift from my dad and his wife. I love that their line uses all natural ingredients plus they work great! The shampoo and conditioner are free from sulfates, parabens and artificial fragrances! They also smell really good and it keep my oily hair in check- which is always nice. Most lotions boast of "24 Hour Moisture", but this is the first I've seen that tells the truth! It keeps my skin moisturized, but doesn't leave me feeling oily or sticky. I'm in love!

Cookie Dough!

 Ryan went on an overnight camping trip with some friends on Monday. Being that this is only like the third time we've been apart overnight since we got married, I had to something epic to keep myself from being sad and lonely. I contemplated getting dressed up and going to the one store that I have contemplated living in Target. I thought about reading a book and contemplating life. But due to the laziness that sets in after a long workday, I ended up Netflixing and eating cookie dough. I made an entire batch of cookie dough and didn't bake a single cookie. This, my friends, is my version of living large on a budget.

My ultimate weekly obsession.

Bubs loves this show, but I had never watched it prior to last Saturday. Honestly, I had written it off because it wasn't my usual drama chick type show Pretty Little Liars-esque. I decided to watch it because I was in between shows and Bubs loves it, so I figure I should at least give it a shot. Being that he is a "geek",  I was concerned that I would have a hard time following along and that I would miss hints and clues pointing back to the comic books. I actually love Arrow! It has a intricate plot along with lots of drama and I love the way it has flashbacks that give you info so you can piece together how things happened (it IS like Pretty Little Liars after all!) I find Oliver Queen's internal conflicts to be fascinating and the other characters are pretty interesting also. I highly recommend it!

I hope everyone is having a good Pre-Friday!

The Color Run

Happy Thursday/pre-Weekend!

Thankful Thursday: air conditioning/box fans, a place of our own, faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ, running water, technology, Bubs, forever families, Temples, serenity, freedoms as a member of the Church, freedoms as a woman, health, the smell of rain, the beauty of nature.

So I've know you all are super pumped to hear about my AMAZING birthday weekend! Let's start with Friday. Ryan & I went to Sports Authority to pick up race packets for our team. The people that worked there were super impressed that we had 9 people on our team.

Each race packet came in a reusable shoulder bag. Inside was a tshirt, rubber bracelet, race bib, temporary tattoos, and sweatband.

My dad and his family came in that evening and we went to dinner at Chang Brother's Chinese Restaurant! It was so good!

 Awkward selfies are a must when I'm with this girl.

My fortune.

Saturday was race day! We were up bright and early and excited to get dirty! 

                                                             Can you tell I was excited?

It was so fun! First race: COMPLETED. I felt so accomplished. Even though I walked the whole thing. Especially since I ran the whole way.

Saturday evening Bubs, Little Miss and Big Boy(my sibs), Big Boy's lady friend, Mother, Jeffrey and I went to dinner at this fancy Italian place in Folsom- Visconti's. It was so good! The lasagna really hit the spot AND our waitress surprised me with a scoop of gelato complete with a candle!

Sunday dinner was with Bubs' family. Mom-in-Law made a super delicious dinner (per usual). The menu was beef stroganoff, homemade rolls, salad, and my favorite part- birthday cheesecake topped with fresh berries! It was delish!

 Bubs is always my food model.

 He got a belated birthday card and gift too!

I love love love Burt's Bees!

 We played games too! I somehow managed to not be the target of Bubs' attacks.

Monday I had to work (boo) but Ryan was able to have fun with my dad and his family. They went to the Pedrick and the Jelly Belly Factory! He got to sample all sorts of goodies, Needless to say, I was jealous.

When I was  done with work, I met them at our fave Mexican place- La Fiesta Taqueria! I always order the same thing- a wet California burrito (with green sauce) and al pastor. It's my fave!

Big Boy was working (at Taylor's) and missed dinner, so we decided to trek out to Loomis and see him! Plus, the fam had never been there, so we had to go! We all had delicious milkshakes. I had the PB&J of course, and Bubs had a vanilla ice cream cone. He was a happy boy.

After we had said hi to Big Boy and eaten our yummy treats, we said goodnight and goodbye because my dad and his fam were leaving early the next day.

This was one of my favorite birthdays yet! I guess being 24 isn't so bad.