November

You may have already heard, but we've got some really exciting news! Momentum is opening ANOTHER gym! I honestly can't remember if I've already mentioned this, but consider this the official announcement!

The gym is set to open this November in LEHI and we are so excited! It will be the largest bouldering gym in Utah and Devin has been asked to manage the gym! This is huge for us, and we are so thrilled! 

When Devin quit his very steady, well-paying job in 2012 to start working for a climbing gym, it was a huge leap of faith for us. He wasn't happy where he was, he wanted to be working in the field he was studying (he's an Outdoor Recreation Management major at UVU), and he needed a change. The call from Momentum came right on time, and even though it was a really scary decision for us to make, it has paid off over and over ever since, and it's really cool to have it manifested to us that we made the right call in taking this job! I am so excited for Devin and all the opportunities he is getting! I'm so proud of all his hard work and dedication! And I can't wait for this gym to open! 

This photo is just a 3D rendering of what the gym will look like, and framing has begun! Things are moving very quickly. This gym will be just bouldering, which means shorter walls, and no harnesses or ropes involved. 

The best part about this gym is that it is less than a minute from where I work in Lehi, so when our lease is up in September, we will hopefully be moving to Lehi as well! It's crazy how things line up for you when you make good choices, even when they're hard! So proud of my husband. He's kind of a big deal.

Katie, Lately

 

i really hate devin's work schedule sometimes.

 

melting my heart, like always.

 

afternoon at tibblefork to take some engagements for one of devin's old friends. and i will truly never get sick of this view. it's the prettiest thing in the world to me. this is one of my favorite places in the world!

 

posted this photo for father's day. this was a neighborhood tradition! the grover's had all these rowdy teenage boys that loved to work on their dirt bikes and motorcycles, and i grew up in a very involved neighborhood. summers were always spent outside with every kid that lived on the block and we stayed out until dark, we were all best friends and it was the coolest way to grow up - anyway, any time we saw those grover boys pull out their bikes to work on, we'd go over and beg them for rides around the block! their dad, my dad's best friend, always gave the scariest, most fun rides, but every once in awhile, my dad would come over and give us rides, too, and those were my favorite.

 

another short story: we really hate leaving cooper at home when we go down to orem to spend time with family. depending on where we'll be, we sometimes take him, but that's not always the case. this particular day, we brought him because we went to the park, but then went to my grandma's after, and no dogs are allowed on grandpa's lawn, so we took a risk and put him in the dog run with my parents' dogs. one of my parents' dogs  (you can't really see her in these photos) is really territorial and a bully, so we were worried about letting cooper in with her, but when we got back to get him, we snuck up on them and this is what we found! how cute is coop?!

 

he's a good kisser.

 

THIS. this is why nothing gets done at my house.

 

so i went through this huge juicing phase last year and have liked it ever since and then provo got a fresh pressed juice shop, so i started following their instagram, and had been wanting to try forever, but i'm never in provo when the open! until saturday, that is. i finally got to try their boost juice and this delicious infused water. it was a little pricey, but still so good! i loved it. go try Mend Juicery in the riverwoods!

 

lunch and errand running with my baby love and her mama. she loves to talk and laugh right now and there is seriously nothing better. babies are the greatest, even if she can't hold still.

 

he's just. i can't.

 

the prettiest skirt shadow, my favorite shoes, and coconut toes for church on sunday.

 

this photo SLAYS me. That dog!!!! look at him looking up at me!! biggest mamas boy EVERRRR.

 

homemadesalsa. homemadesalsa. homemadesalsa. #obsessed #onionbreath #garlicbreath #dontcareitsdelicious

i loooooved the infused water from mend, so i made my own! i actually haven't tried it yet, but it looks so pretty sitting in my fridge. you should try it! this water pitcher is from ikea and i filled it about halfway full with pineapple chunks and bluberries and then i added 4-5 mint leaves and cold water! the one i got from mend definitely tasted better ice, ice cold as opposed to later when it warmed up a bit. the possibilities here are endless! i'm excited to try one with cucumber next. maybe strawberries and cucumber? let me know if you have any ideas!

/ / other things / /

mexican food for dinner with morck's sans scarlett. we originally wanted to go to summerfest with them, but sometimes when you're an adult, you make important decisions to skip out on roller coasters and deep fried everything for the sake of your health. you just set your denial aside, and admit that you'd get sick. and you go home and sob uncontrollably in front of the TV while you watch the seven fifty-two episode of scandal. literal, body-trembling, tear-streaming, never-ending baby tears. I hadn't cried that hard in a really long time. And it was all in the name of Huck! He's crazy and scary, but I love him and I want to give him a hug. HUUUUCKKKKK.

Sleeping in on Sunday. God Bless America, that felt amazing.

making and eating breakfast together for the first time in almost two months

father's day at church - all of our 8 sunbeams came! it was a little hectic (we're used to only about 3-5)

hilarious lesson about feelings with the sunbeams (some days i want to cry, but sometimes, like today, it's because they are hilarious and adorable, and not just little rascals like most weeks)

dinner at the park with devin's extended family - all those ashby's are just some of the greatest people i've ever known. did i ever tell you that devin's cousin is actually one of my oldest friends? going on eleven years now with that kasey ashby and here i am, married to his cousin! so that's pretty cool.

desserts and snacks at my grandparent's house - we had some Icelandic crepes and it was delicious. plenty of lovin on baby scarlett, like always. i'm absolutely obsessed with that baby. she is the dang cutest thing. her laugh! oooh my gosh. that tiny baby laugh. oh, and also priceless time with my sisters. i just can't get enough of them, i love them so much and miss them all the time. we've gotten so close these past few years and i couldn't handle not having them around! it is an honest to goodness dream of mine to live in the same neighborhood as them. and i don't just say that, like i actually truly want that. they are my best friends.

anyway, i had them over to my house as one last time together before kelli and sean went to PERU for the better part of a month (jealous much?!) and devin and i made them dinner and then we made cookies and watched scary movies and it was the best.

Last Weekend with my Sisters

 

the lemon meringue at eva's. to die for.

 

pedicures - probably the first time i've had white nail polish on since i was in junior high, but i love it! (why does my nail polish always last so much longer when i have it done at a salon?! i want to know the secrets!)

 

breads and amazing typography at eva's

 

i left so completely satisfied, and i'm ready to go back again!

 

we had to park a block away from the restaurant, but i don't mind walking through downtown. i know it' silly to think that salt lake is such a big city, but i really love it for being the big city in my life, because i don't know if i'll ever make it to anywhere bigger, but it's beautiful and i love it.

 

just another things that make salt lake city so charming.

 We needed a break from reality last week, so I planned an afternoon in Salt Lake City with my sisters in law. And let me tell you... it pretty much solved all my problems!

We started with early morning pedicures at Nailed - have I told you about this place already? Best nail salon ever. They are so good at what they do, and seriously the best prices I've ever found at a professional nail salon. So worth going to salt lake for!

After that, we were hungry so we walked next door to Trulie bakery and I'm moving in as soon as they'll have me because it looks like my imagination and taste in design just threw up all over that place.. but like, in a good way...(?). Amazing pastries, muffins and desserts. It was such a dream, I need to go back now!

We had some time to kill after that, so we went right to Gateway (remember how even though City Creek is open, Gateway is still there? It is). They were having this big chalk the block fundraiser and we got there while the artists were still working on each piece - it was amazing! I hate the feeling of chalk, but I envy their talent! I wish I would've taken some pictures, because it was such a cool thing! I have never been to a chalk art event, but I'm sold! It was amazing.

After a little shopping, we headed over to the theater and saw The Fault in our Stars. Perfect. Girls day. Movie. Seriously. It was adorable! I didn't have any faith whatsoever in Shailene Woodley because the last thing I saw her in was Secret Life of the American Teenager and she was just an awful actress in it, but she's totally different now and was absolutely perfect for the role! I have the book, but haven't started it yet, and I'm glad I saw the movie first, so I wouldn't know how it ended! It was so great. Go see this movie. It was so great. I want to buy it the second it's released! It was a little cheesy, but in the best way possible. It was so well done. Okay. Moving on.

Even though we ate a bucket of popcorn the size Rhode Island, we were still starving for lunch. And I insisted on Eva's! I had never been before but had been dying to go, solely because I was obsessed with the aesthetics of the place, but it truly didn't disappoint! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was better than I imagined! The menu was a little bit small, but I got the steak sandwich (probably the first time I ever ordered a steak sandwich in my life) and I could eat that every day! It was delicious. Of course, we couldn't leave without trying some of their famous desserts, and my mouth is still watering for the Lemon Meringue. Oooooh honey. Even if you don't like lemon, you'd probably love it. Maybe. It was divine.

It was seriously such a great day! I'm glad Chloe and Amanda let me drag them around Salt Lake to do and try all these things! They are awesome sisters. I'm pretty glad I'm an Ashby.

PINTEREST | 10 Photos to Justify My Donut Addiction

i think we could all use a little pinspiration every once in awhile.

plus - aren't donuts the prettiest most delicious? (p.s. is it donut or doughnut? either? i still don't know. i like donut for now.)

instead of listing individual links to each photo, know they are all sourced on my pinterest account here, and i am all sorts of grateful for whoever put them on the internet. none of these photos are my own.

And that's my life

+ binge watching scandal like someone's paying me to do it. (oh my gosh. wouldn't that be awesome?!) i'm half way through season two and i've already cried at least twice (FITZ!!!!!)

+ we switched our management system at work, which has proven to be harder than almost anything ever. so that's really fun.

+ grilling peaches. oooooommmmgggggg.

+ coconut gelato forever.

+ this weekend couldn't come sooner! i'm so excited to have some fun and spend time with family. it's so needed after a long week!

+ devin has been home every single night this week. this NEVER happens, guys. his work schedule usually keeps him until 10:30 or 11:30 at least two or three times a week. so we are soaking it up! we are making dinner! we are watching how i met your mother reruns! it's fabulous!

Katie, Lately

 

it took cooper at least two days to get over his vacation to brandon's while we were in park city for our anniversary - he was a tired dog!

the sole reason I survived tuesday back at work after vacation: dirty diet coke from swig (which just opened two doors down from my work, so if you're ever at swig, bring me one, too! also, say a prayer for me, because it's incredibly dangerous to work this close to a swig…)

 

when the weather warms up, there are always kids outside. and instead of playing on the nice, landscaped park area, they like to run through our tiny backyard, right along the house. and cooper loves to watch them. and gruff at them.

 

I'd like to think I know Devin pretty well by now, but every once in awhile, he will totally geek out, and it baffles me. who is this man?! where did he come from? and more importantly, what the heck is he doing?

 

tried a new curling method. and loved it.

 

like, really loved it

 

i hope cooper never grows out of wanting these snuggles, because they are my favorite.

 

watched scarlett a few weeks ago and cooper was so concerned about her and so curious. it was adorable. and yes, scarlett physically cannot drink a bottle unless both of her hands are on her face. it's the only way.

 

a throwback to easter sunday when we were engaged and went on a hike up big springs. we look so young here, it's weird!

 

cooper's favorite car ride? to the park.

summer = berries forever. (+kiwi because [insert heart eyes emoji])

 

what's this? another swig selfie? i'm telling you, i probably would have spontaneously combusted without it last week. it's kept me sane and awake (and slightly buzzed? haha).

 

this is my cutest dad. he took his favorite child on a road trip to see the colorado rockies play some classic summertime baseball. and that favorite child? nope. not me. it's the baby. the only boy. the golden child. heck, who am i kidding, kyle is everybody's favorite! he just graduated high school and is going to be putting his mission papers in soon, so they are living it up while they have some time left! i kid you not, i'm more worried about my parents for those two years than i am kyle. they are acting like it's the apocalypse! i love them. 

 

surprised? don't be. cooper snuggles forever.

 

buy this now.

 

i'm telling you, this dog.

 

woke up one morning, saw this, tried not to laugh, slowly grabbed my phone, and got the picture before he moved. personal space? no such thing. this dog doesn't even let me pee without him. #mamasboy

 

so we found this new park for cooper. we like to take him and throw the ball and get him some exercise, every day if we can. this park is a giant bowl. kids love to sled here in the winter, so it's extra work for coop to run down and up the hill to get the ball. it's perfect. he loves it. look at that happy face!

 

they're slowly becoming best friends. we grilled for the first time ever last weekend with kayla and zac and it was so fun! a good game of farkle, delicious grilled chicken and veggies, and this cute baby girl. life is sweet.

 

washi tip: phone charger. i got this gold glitter washi from the target dollar spot! #washiobsessed

 

do you see that cute guy on the right? how old do you think he is? seriously. how old? 20's, at least, right? 18. EIGHTEEN. he's my baby brother. and all of the sudden he's a 25 year old movie star. my jaw dropped when i saw this picture. he's the greatest kid i have ever known. he looks like a movie star posing with a fan in this photo! (that's our cousin on the left, who just went into the MTC!)