Katie, Lately | Not Much

 

whenever we leave cooper with friends, when we go out of town, he is always absolutely exhausted when we pick him up. 

 

this is what i found when i cleaned out my purse before we left for phoenix. can you say #hoarder?

chocolate and raspberry macarons (i spent the week before the boutique/AZ making macarons every. single. night.). i think it's safe to safe i've mastered them.

 

my newest experiment with macarons turned out amazing: orange creamsicle!

 

devin and i played farkle with some friends a few weeks ago, and now we love it.

and now: experimenting with how a photo changes when you crop it differently (using the photos we took in october with jared and lynn) i love how most of these turned out. i think cropping them so close gives them more focus. it totally changes the photo.

Johnson Family | My Favorites

A few weeks ago, my parents cashed in on one of their Christmas gifts from us kids last year, and we finally took some family photos. The last time we took family photos was in 2009. On my dad's film camera from his high school photography class. Using a tripod and self timer.

Yeah.

We've since added 3 boys into the family, and we all grew out of our awkward stages. We were long over due for a family photo. (The time before 2009 was several years earlier. Probably 10  years ago, my head is floating because the sweater I wore was the exact same color as the backdrop. Awesome.)

Without question, we called Jared immediately. Jared and his wife, Lynn are some of our favorite friends, and Jared took our bridals and wedding day photos (I still get compliments on them. He is so talented!) Jared is so, so easy to work with. He has amazing, endless ideas, and has so much knowledge and experience with photography. He has such a keen eye for lighting and posing, and his pictures always turn out phenomenal. He makes you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. I cannot say enough good things about Jared's photography skills.

We headed up to Big Springs Park and it was really, unbelievably cold. These pictures were taken within seconds of ripping off coats and blankets and layers, and then right after the photo, put them all back on. I'm glad we don't look that cold, though! Plus, the lighting was so warm and bright, you'd think it was hot out there! 

These are some of my very favorite shots Jared got. I will post all of them later. These ones, I played with in the VSCo Cam app - I just can't stay away! These pictures make me so happy. This is my family. These people are my absolute favorite. Being with them is so much fun. I love them. 

Phoenix | Part 2

On Tuesday, Devin was feeling a lot better. We took our time waking up and eating breakfast, and by 11:30, were back on the 51 to Tempe, to explore Mill Avenue. We had come during the week, and John and Caree still had work, and Rory still had school, so it was up to us to fill our afternoons. This area is really fun because it's right by ASU campus and there were lots of shops and cafes. We walked up and down the street while planes flew disturbingly low overhead (we were near the airport as well) before deciding on a place for lunch: La Bocca, a local pizzeria. Devin and I split the truffled mushroom chef's pizza, and it was the greatest pizza i've ever had! Sauteed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, goat cheese (my favorite), spinach, balsamic vinaigrette and truffle oil. Amazing. I can't even. Just... auh. Yes.

After we exhausted Mill Avenue, we drove to downtown Phoenix, and got lost almost immediately. We passed all the major league arenas and found ourselves in the sketchy part of Phoenix, before happening upon a street name we recognized, and then we decided to check out the local rock climbing gym, which was ultimately unimpressive (we've concluded that we're just really spoiled at momentum. no other gym really compares).

Next we headed back home to rest up and get ready for the concert: our whole point in coming to Phoenix. We had watched the Pearl Jam documentary, "PJ 20" the night before in preparation (it got us all pumped!), and I was so excited to finally see them in concert. We grabbed a quick dinner at in-n-out before heading into Glendale to the venue, the Jobing.com Arena where the Coyotes play (NHL team). The drive was sort of long (Arizona seems to be a lot of really, really long, really straight roads).

We got there about 30 minutes early, but seats were assigned so we weren't worried about that. The show started almost an hour late, and then began the mind blowing.

Holy. Cow. After 22 years together (I will always remember how long Pearl Jam has been together because they started the year I was born!), they can still entertain. They are veterans! This was no rookie show. The second song they played was "Release Me" which is one of their most popular songs, but also one of the most powerful. I had goosebumps! Eddie Vedder sounds the exact same as he did in the 90's - if anything, just better.

The entire concert, I had these images in my head of the 20-something year old Eddie climbing up the stage scaffolding and diving into the crowd and thought his crazy days were behind him. Although there was no crowd surfing that night, there were still plenty of split kicks and more than enough head banging. It was awesome! I was so impressed by the sound, the energy, and the chemistry that can only come from playing together for two decades. It was so cool to see and recognize each band member, and hear all the songs I hoped they would play! (except no ledbetter! ugh. i'll forgive them this once, i guess.)

They did two encores, and I'm sure we could have stayed all night. They didn't have an opening act, which was so cool because it meant they played for three hours! I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I was with this concert. Aside from most of the crowd getting high the whole time and stinking up the place, it was such an incredible thing to be a part of. There were probably at least 16,000 people there and they played it like an intimate bar show. I don't think you could ever explain to someone what it's like to go to a show like that. You've just gotta experience it for yourself. I was so, so impressed. These guys are pros. Masters. AH!!!

still not over the palm trees and cacti. it's paradise.

her name's blackie.

*so…. I have photos from the concert, but they refuse to rotate? That's cool. You can see the ones I posted on instagram here and here though! 

Phoenix | Part 1

We woke up on Sunday morning at 5am and drove down to Orem to meet Brandon at Devin's parent's house. We were driving by 6:45, and grabbed a quick breakfast for the road. We drove while the sun came up, and didn't stop again until Beaver. We grabbed a few snacks, refueled, and took our exit to head into Arizona.

It was a really long drive, the scenery was unexpected, thick forest, and we all took turns driving and sleeping (i actually never drove...haha). We stopped for lunch in Jacob's Lake. The burgers and cookies were delicious and exactly the pick-me-up we needed for the second half of the drive.

The rest of the drive went by sort of quickly, and as we came around the corner to the Vermilion Cliffs, it finally felt like Arizona, and our adrenaline lasted until we pulled onto the carefree highway in Phoenix.

I fell in love with this city immediately. I had never seen cacti in real life, not like this. It was everywhere. It just seemed like the coolest thing to me. It was such a different place than Utah, and I loved it for that. It was so refreshing to be somewhere totally new. Somewhere I had never been before, and knew nothing about.

We went straight to a restaurant to meet Devin's aunt and uncle, and their daughter, Rory. We ate delicious enchiladas and mole outside (70 degrees at 6pm, thankyouverymucharizona) at El Encanto next to a gorgeous pond with authentic music and dance entertainment. We ate until we felt sick and then drove a few minutes to their home, right off the 51.

We got settled in, and even though it was only about 7pm, we were tired, and spent the evening relaxing and watching football. Devin and I brought our air mattress, which we knew would guarantee us good sleep (surprising, huh). And it was worth it.

The next morning, Devin woke up really sick. He tried his best for most of the morning to get over it. We took the dogs for a walk at the park just down the street, but he found himself back in bed right after, and stayed there for the rest of the day. He thinks it was food poisoning from the burgers at Jacob's Lake.

I spent most of the afternoon with him in bed, watching reruns and taking long naps. He kept apologizing, but I assured him I preferred it. Relaxing is one of the main reasons for vacation anyway, right? It felt nice to have some down time like that after the 10 hour drive.

That night, Brandon and I left Devin at home and met John, Caree and Rory at the Desert Botanical Garden for the Chihuly in the Garden Exhibition. On our way there, the sun was setting and the traffic was horrible. It was so strange to drive at 5pm and still see sunlight. In Utah, the sun would have been behind the mountains already, but I loved the change. It was so refreshing to be in the desert!

When we got to the garden, we had dinner at Gertrude's - one of the most amazing meals I've ever had. Of course, one of my favorite things about going somewhere new is trying new food. I had an achiote and citrus marinated chicken sandwich with bacon, avocado, jicama slaw and aioli on an amazing brioche bun. It was to die for. After our meal, we went out to the garden. It was already dark, but I snapped some photos anyway. It was just too gorgeous. the exhibit was basically colorful blown glass sculptures installed with the cacti, and it was so unique. The weather was perfect, and it was a relaxing evening. I wish Devin could have come.

 

i'll never travel without these headphones again! lifesavers, i tell you.

 

view from our table at el encanto

 

music and dance entertainment right next to our table

 

Lala, this sweet little 5 month old puppy, may have converted me to chihuahuas. she was the sweetest most cuddly little thing. i was probably so attached to her because i missed coop so much!