Katie, Lately

 

surefire way for me to wind down after a long, hard day.

 

i'm back on a passion tea lemonade kick (try it! you'll love it, i swear)

 

I declared it be Fall the first week in September, and pulled out my plaid. I'm just over summer, guys. I'm sorry.

 

Macey's is killing it with their ice cream cones. The perfect night cap to a double date with our besties, the Andrews!

 

Finally tried Cubby's, loved it, but I'm super upset because this is so close to my work, but also right next door to Vivint, so going here for lunch, ever is basically impossible. :(

 

I told Devin the rule is: He can call me "wifey" but I can't call myself that, and neither of us are ever allowed to say "hubby" or anything similar.

 

These girls were so amused when they realized Brother Ashby was the only boy in class on Sunday. This is one of the biggest reasons that I'm glad we are staying in Herriman for another year, because I have become so invested in these sunbeams! I love them so much! They're some of the sweetest little girls on the planet!

 

This stuff happens where I live: a couple of guys riding their horses right through the soccer field, in the middle of a park, in the middle of the city. I love it.

 

Wednesday night manicures and dinner with Danica was probably the only reason I made it past hump day last week!

 

Can't go to the french bakery without getting a french macaron! And whatever that dessert was (I can't pronounce it) that's blurred out in the background? I could have died, it was the most amazing thing in the world.

 

Gourmandise happens to be Devin's favorite, so whenever I go without him, I can't not get him a slice of tiramisu. It's just common knowledge.

 

Spoiler Alert: Rumbi Island Grill makes amazing sweet potato fries. Now you know all my secrets.

Cooper jumped around with me during my workout and when we were done, he promptly fell asleep on the couch.

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.

Katie Lately

I promise to stop posting just photos of Scarlett and Katie Lately posts, but I feel like all I'm ever doing on this blog is catching up with my own busy life, and cuddling that sweet baby girl! So we'll all just deal for now.


he's the sweetest thing when he doesn't feel good.


deer valley ski day / i can't believe we didn't get out to ski until february! i'm so glad we got to go nonetheless. we got up a little earlier to make a pit stop in Kamas for breakfast at the Mirror Lake Diner where Brandon is a chef. The greatest french toast, and B even brought me some homemade raspberry syrup, because he's just that great. After our breakfast, we dropped Coop off with the other dogs at Brandon's and made our way to the resort. We didn't ski for too long, and it was reaallllly cold for the first few runs, but once the sun came out and things started warming up, I hit my stride and had a great afternoon. We finished up a little early and made our way to el Chubasco for some lunch. Hands down my favorite mexican food anywhere. Their salsa bar is what dreams are made of. After chubby's, we made a quick stop at the outlets for a little shopping and then straight home to veg on the couch for the remainder of the day. Perfect. Weekend.


el chubasco / the salsa bar is worth the trip alone, but stay for the enchiladas.


is it bad that i practically inhale these?


cooper snuggles, too / it's true what they say about your mood being lifted when you're around animals. there is scientific evidence supporting the release of endorphins when you snuggle a puppy. it's a fact that they make people happier. when i've had a bad day, coop knows right away, and assumes the position. he's the greatest friend.


trying to be healthy and different, giving up, and inadvertently celebrating 3 years of our engagement / this one's a mouthful. you see, we're really horrible at "meal planning". because a) how am i supposed to know what kind of dinner i'll be up for on tuesday night when i'm grocery shopping the saturday before and b) it's very rare that both devin and i are home at dinner time on a week night. it just doesn't happen around here. but last week, gosh darn it, i tried. i got all healthy-fancy and made a massive pot of quinoa and ground turkey and all these beautiful bell peppers and it was just the worst. i mean, i could eat it again, but…. we went to iceberg immediately after and each got giant milkshakes, okay? and then the day after, we realized that that was an accidental celebration of the day devin proposed to me 3 years ago. we're not super great celebrators. or healthy eaters. so there's that.


taking full advantage of the target sale on coke products / okay, maybe not full advantage because at 5 for $11, i only got 3 cases of diet coke, because I didn't want devin to be left out, but now I sort of wish I would have just gone for it. he can fend for himself.


a friday night date with my nephew, kaden / my sweetest little nephew kaden, who just turned 8 has recently been diagnosed with ASD and it's been an adjustment for the whole family as we try to make sure we are all doing what is the very best for Kade. i take my duty as an aunt very seriously, and after kaden had been bullied in school, and ultimately pulled from the public school system last month when my sister in law decided to home school him instead, poor kid just needed a break. so i picked him up right after his karate class (he just earned his purple belt!) and we met devin at momentum for some rock climbing. kaden is a ROCKSTAR. and a sneaky little genius. he made me a deal that for every route he completed, he'd get a candy bar, and went on to finish 5 routes! i kept up my end of the deal and we stopped at a gas station on the way home after a quick dinner at wendy's (his choice, of course). i love being an aunt SO much. i have the greatest nieces and nephews. i can't imagine loving anyone more than i love makayla, kaden, addison, benny and scarlett - it blows my mind to think that i haven't become a mother yet to know what i'm up against! they are the greatest thing about life, those kids. anyway. dating your nephew. it's a blast.


ski day #2 / a few of devin's coworkers at the gym all got ski passes to solitude, so we went on a triple date on saturday! devin and i carpooled up with derek and piper and we met caitlin and braden on the mountain - it was such a great day! minus the fact that there was TOO MUCH powder (is there such thing as too much powder, you ask? when you don't have the right skis, and you're not on groomers, the answer is yes. yes there is.) and it was pretty cold, we had an amazing time. i always leave settings like that, where we've spent time with devin's coworkers and their spouses and significant others, thinking that we are so lucky. we are surrounded by some of the most amazing people. we had SO MUCH FUN with this group up on that mountain. we were all new to the resort and we just made an adventure out of it! the mo' crew is always up for doing absolutely whatever, and i love that about them. i love these people so, so much. it's just reaffirms how right our decision was for devin to take the job at momentum in the first place! it's paid off more times than i can count. we've made lifelong friends here, and i just love them all!


shooting guns until my hands got sore / devin and i have been in the market for a pistol. i've grown up with a gun safe mounted to the headboard of my parents' bed and i've never hesitated about the thought of keeping a gun in the house, so when devin brought it up, i agreed. we both knew that having a gun in the house would need to make sense for both of us. if we did have a gun, and i was home alone, and (heaven forbid) needed to use it, what good would it do if i didn't know how? or if i was too scared? not much. so devin called up an old friend, who also happens to be an NRA certified instructor, and we met him at the range for a little lesson. Greg was absolutely amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher in learning about these pistols. After firing maybe 2 or 3 rounds, I was already feeling extremely comfortable, and got excited to try different kinds. our whole point was to shoot different styles of guns, different calibers, and get an idea of which ones we were both comfortable with. we needed one we would both be able to handle easily, and after shooting about 12 different pistols (mostly 9mm… and one AR-15, just for fun), i think we've settled on one, that we'll hopefully be getting later this year. i've still been on such a high from the adrenaline, and all i want to do is talk about guns! it was so much fun. i have a new understanding for gun nuts.


an overdue double date with the amazing holdaways. we ate fancy sushi (i do not have a great sushi tolerance. 6 or 7 pieces and i'm STUFFED.) and then we made the drive to Rita's for some Gelati's (I got cotton candy, of course). It was such a great night, and Danica and I got to listen to Devin and Ryan reminisce about all the crazy shenanigans they pulled in high school. I can hardly believe my husband is alive and still has all his limbs!

and then we had the cutest little visitor last weekend. meet Sallie, a 5 month old lab / border collie mix. She belongs to our good friend, Lance who needed a last minute dog sitter. And nobody says no to puppies, so we had her over for a few days. I forgot how crazy puppies are! I always think coop is still a puppy, but compared to this little thing, he wasn't even close! all sallie wanted to do was play, of course, and it was just adorable, but it even drove cooper a little nuts. we had a good time though and she is such a sweetie. she's welcome in our home any time!

Katie, Lately

i'm not sure i've ever done a post like this that didn't include a photo of coop.


when i pout about being sick, so does cooper.


have i told you about these candles yet? probably. each and every one of them is absolutely amazing. bath and body works. but i'm becoming very partial to Autumn. we've also since added Harvest Coffee to this list.


and this! did i tell you about this yet? i went to this website, logged in with my instagram stuff, and selected about 150 photos to print (you choose the size). i've already covered the entire side of my fridge (i ran out of magnets) - i don't know what else i will do with them, but i love them!


i took my sister in law to Afternoon Tea at The Grand America Hotel in SLC for her birthday and it was so incredible. more on this later. i would recommend it to absolutely everybody.


did you know the cutest bakery in all of history exists inside the Grand America? La Bonne Vie. you're welcome.


they had macarons!


now, as soon as I saw that they had macarons, i immediately had to try almost all of them. i took them home, because after tea, i was just sugared out, but devin and i had a macaron taste test the next day. i either loved or hated the flavors. coconut: loved, hazelnut: hated, pistachio: hated (which is weird, because pistachio is my favorite one at gourmandise!), passion fruit: loved, salted caramel: loved, strawberry: loved (the only flavors i didn't get were chocolate and vanilla. conclusion: these were cute, huge, and had a better variety of flavors, but they were the worst macarons i'd ever tasted. i even like my own better than these. oh well. they were still good, just not my favorite.


i accidentally made 3 jars of salsa (oops.) so we ate 1 jar during the holy war, took 1 jar to a family party, and then i brought the last jar to work the next morning and the guys ate it all in less than 5 minutes, including the chip crumbs in the bottom of the bag. so i guess i make good salsa.


i also make a dang good cup of tea. if you ever want a cup of tea, come to my house. and i will prove it to you. except, i just tried this celestial brand sleepytime nutty vanilla tea and had to plug my nose to drink it. it was horrid. worst taste ever. but i think it worked, because i slept like a baby. so if nutty vanilla sounds like it would taste good to you, i've got a bunch of tea bags left!


dinner prep


balsamic crusted chicken caesar salad. chicken made in our cast iron pan. we don't have a grill, so the cast iron pan works as a replacement, and it's so great, but it's such a pain to clean that we hardly ever use it. in fact, this was dinner for tuesday night (i think?) and the pan is still sitting on the stove. dirty. because i don't want to clean it.


when monday and tuesday are the worst, you stop in the middle of the work day, go straight to starbucks, buy a tan hot chocolate (milk hot chocolate + white hot chocolate) and an orange cranberry scone. and then you feel a little bit better. also, i'm now determined to try making these scones. this one was huge, and a bit too indulgent for me. i think i could make one i like better at home. i'll let you know how it goes.