Katie, Lately

 

My first time trying Ramen: loved it! Well, loved most of it. Pickled bamboo shoots? Not my jam. But everything else was absolutely delicious! Everybody needs to go see our favorite sushi guy, Mike at Kobe Sushi in Milcreek! He's amazing.

 

this photo of my husband makes me so stupidly happy. He has been working so tirelessly helping get the new gym ready and I'm so proud of him and his coworkers and his boss, Jeff for all of their hard work! The gym is INCREDIBLE. I have no words to describe how amazing it is. I am so proud! Today is opening day!

 

Fresh squeezed orange juice is so much better when you just juice the oranges, rather than squeeze them! This glass in particular followed an awesome mid week yoga class in provo at 3B yoga with my sisters! We loved it. 

 

My house now has a dirty diet coke station, but the syrup is going fast! Best purchase I've ever made.

 

Coop, just doing the dishes.

 

my cute sleeping family on a sunday morning. i love these two more than anything in the world.

 

quick story: about 4 years ago, I worked at Bath and Body Works - we were getting some new "props" (tables and display furniture) so these old tables were gonna get chucked. My boss offered to sell me one, so I bought it! And then it sat in my parent's garage for the next 4 years… and then, I got this absolute obsession over finding myself a way to have a little office space in our house and brought this desk home a few weeks later. Devin helped me sand it down and paint it (the yellow is a nod to our bedroom in our first apartment together - exact same paint color!), and viola! A little corner of my own in our tiny little house. I love it!

 

And so… I've been looking for any and every excuse to sit here and do stuff. (cutest thank you cards from the dollar spot in Target - I always find amazing stuff in there!)

 

Let's also talk about the day I took off work last week to make ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY FRENCH MACARONS. Yes, I took the day off work. To bake. And it was worth it! I feel like if I can finally get some consistency in my batches (they all come out different shapes and sizes, even though I use the same process every time) - I could really start doing this for real! If you know anyone who needs some macarons, and wouldn't mind my amateur skills, i'm your girl!

 

Let's also talk about how this 4 year old girl gives the very best hugs. She's got a huge heart for her Uncle Devin. I love her so much!

 

Finished product! I can't even believe it. My macarons!! I made those! What a proud moment.

 

So the story is this: Cameron is Devin's cousin. Melanie, his now wife, is french. As in FROM FRANCE. As in, not according to her ancestry, but as in full blown french. So, Devin's aunt, Cameron's mom thought it would be cute to have french macarons at the wedding reception, you know, since Melanie's relatives would be flying in, FROM FRANCE. Talk about intimidating! As I was putting the cookies out, Melanie asked if she could try one. I told her that made me nervous, since she was french. And in the cutest french accent, she said "why? because I know what real french macarons are?" and I said… exactly. She tried it…. and loved it! How much better does it get? A bona fide french woman loved my macarons. My life is COMPLETE.

The Shops at Riverwoods has the prettiest view of Timp. What a gorgeous day!

Favorite Things Party

A few Saturdays ago, while all the men went to the Preisthood session, Danica and I threw a big ol' party. We invited all these great ladies to come eat salsa and macarons and cake bombs and dirty diet cokes, and we had the greatest time.

We asked each girl to bring 3 of her favorite thing (I brought this incredible candle that everyone needs in their home), and then we did a big exchange. We all took a minute to tell everyone about our favorite thing (there was candy, there was lipstick, there was laundry detergent, the list went on! everyone was so creative!) and then drew 3 lucky girls' names who got to be the recipient of our favorite thing, so... we each left with three new favorite things!

I left with this e.l.f. eyeliner that Rachel swears by (and I completely trust her, because her eyeliner that night was phenomenal), this amazing NYX matte lipstick in the shade "Indie Flick" which Emilee brought, as an ode to her favorite fashion blogger, Cara Loren, and an amazing candle Eleisa brought from Alice Lane (I'm obsessed with candles right now), which is where she works, the lucky lady! It was like Christmas morning every time a girl called your name and you got to take one of her favorite things!

And let me just tell you: best. party. ever. I am still on such a high from it. I met so many awesome girls, and had so many great friends come (and for those that didn't come - namely my own sisters! - we will for sure see you next time, because trust me, you won't wanna miss it!), and it was just this giant, girl love fest all night long. So much girl talk. So much diet coke. And a killer game of hilarious, cliche utah valley mormon girl bingo (we couldn't not. it was just too funny). I loved it.

I so wish I would have been more mindful and taken better pictures, or even more pictures, but I snapped these so quick while we were finishing setting up, and the group shot took 3 tries to get just the one photo (I was using some Japanese self timer app... it was complicated, and kept timing it for 30 seconds on accident... now, that's an awkward length of time to pose for a photo... anyway…) Great night. Great girls.

Goodie bags for everyone to take their swag home in.

The spread: dirty diet coke station (best investment I've made this year: a giant bottle of coconut syrup.), chips, salsa and queso, macarons, and cake bombs (Danica is a cake bomb genius).

After we finished the favorite things exchange, Danica sent around a notepad so we could all list what we brought, in case we didn't get something we really wanted, we could go buy it ourselves! (totally going to buy one of haley's water bottles that had a built-in filter, and the gel nail polish that nicole brought, and probably everything else!) This party was so much fun, we're already getting ready to plan another! I think this will become a regular thing! Thanks again for hosting with me, D! Read Danica's post about the party here.

Go Outside

As a kid, a lot of mixed emotions always surfaced whenever my parents announced another camping trip. All we ever did was go camping. Every vacation, every spring break was a camping trip. We always had a lot of fun on these trips, but I couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy when my friends were at Lake Powell or flying to Hawaii. I had never even been on an airplane (and that's still true).

As much as I fought it, though, I still loved camping. My parents instilled in me from a very young age, a wild love for the outdoors - and I'm so glad they did.

Luckily for me, I married a man who loves it as much as I do. And now, when we make plans for a sporadic weekend in the backcountry, I get this overwhelming sense of relief, knowing I am about to spend some time outside. Nothing makes me feel as at ease as that.

So... we're headed outside this weekend! I think you should do the same :)

Katie, Lately

 

"mom. are you coming?"

 

snapchats like this? day makers. these two are my whole world. i'm obsessed with them.

 

particularly good hair and makeup days warrant excessive selfies. (it's so funny to me that i will take like, 200 pictures until i pick one that i'm okay with. and this is the winner. isn't that sad and also hilarious? haha also - forgive my winged liner. i'm still in the learning stages.)

 

cooper would so boycott computers and phones if he could. poor buddy.

 

snuck out (no, literally. it took me a good 5 minutes just to get outside because i was being so quiet) on a saturday morning while devin was still sleeping and snagged some donuts and hot chocolate (what's in dunkin's hot chocolate? it's my favorite. the best.) and then we ate it in bed and cooper laid in the sunshine and it was such a content, happy moment - the kind that i just live for!

 

coop and i have taken to evening runs at the local park. luckily, he's cute and nice enough that nobody cares that he's never on a leash. i reward him with a few rounds of fetch afterward. he's such a happy dog when he's tired from exercising.

 

this baby girl is just… auh! i don't know that it's possible to love a baby more. she is the sweetest little baby and i'm always so, so happy to see her. she is perfect in every single way. i just love her so much. being an aunt is so rewarding.

 

a couple weeks ago, we went on a sushi date with some friends, and grabbed coldstone after (sushi and ice cream. perfect combo, right?). i got the cotton candy ice cream (duh), but hardly any of their mix-ins go with cotton candy. that is, all except for jimmies. i told the girl i just wanted sprinkles, and she put about 15 on top. ummmmm, no. i told her i wanted more, and she proceeded to carve a giant hole in the middle of my ice cream and filled it with sprikles, totally redeeming herself. it was amazing.

 

 

girl scout cookie season! this is actually the first year that i bought girl scout cookies, but i've gone back for more already! those girl scouts are just the cutest. oh my gosh. the ones outside the harmon's in the district are my girls. they are so darn cute. i will buy all my cookies from them.

 

sno-balls. hands down favorite hostess product, or probably just treat in general, ever. and now that hostess is gone, or bought or whatever is going on, they are so hard to find. so when i do, i stock up. and when they're bright pink? even better. also? sunny days in march. that's the good stuff.

 

i've got probably the sweetest friends in the universe. even though i've had a tendency to be a horrible friend lately, they love me anyway. they totally get it. that's the greatest. it's so hard to find such genuine friendships as an adult, and i want to write more about that later, but anyway.. on a particularly hellish day a few weeks ago (like, not kidding, it was a cry at work in the bathroom, and then again to your sister on the phone, and then again on the drive home, and then even more to your husband in bed that night kind of bad day), Danica showed up at my work, completely unannounced with a giant-A dirty diet coke, and this shirt as a present. like… what? how do people that nice even exist? i could have cried. i almost did. it was the sweetest gesture. i love that i've got the macaron lady label. i can totally go with that. Danica, you are such a thoughtful friend. seriously. i just love you.

 

my heart just swells when i look at this picture. these are a few of our sunbeams on our "I am thankful for Trees, Plants and Flowers" lesson day. we planted grass in cups, and made flowers out of their hand prints. that little guy in the dead center? he's my buddy. i wish i had the other kids in this photo! they have come to mean so much to me, and i think about them throughout the week, and i get so excited to see them as they all file into the primary room each week, and i genuinely miss them when they aren't there one week. i truly think that devin and i were placed in this calling for a very specific reason. these kids specifically are teaching me so much, and i have loved every minute of it, but i also think i needed to see the gospel in the way it's been laid out for these three year olds. i needed the simplified version. i needed to break it down. it's been so great. i hope we are in sunbeams forever.

 

did i tell you we got a fish? this is lloyd christmas. devin has had several beta fish, but not for awhile and he had mentioned it more than once that he wanted another, so one night we just…went. and got one. and he's the weirdest fish. and cooper loves him. fish are cool.

 

my dog, fabio. goodness gracious, he is so dramatic haha

 

better than ordering online is when your packages come wrapped this cute.

 

since devin and i see each other so little at home, we usually find time in the week to meet for lunch, or i will grab dinner and take it to his work and we'll eat together. this was on one of those dinner runs.

 

try gnarly nutrition. i honestly don't like protein powder. it's got a weird taste and texture. but gnarly? gnarly is different. it's so delicious. this is the vanilla recovery formula and i wish i could drink it all day, every day. it's that good. and i don't even like protein powder. they are local, too.

 

this was taken a few weeks ago and the gym looks so different now, but LOOOOOK! i am so excited about this gym. i've said it before. it's going to be so great on so many levels. momentum has become home for both devin and i. those people are our family. we are so invested in this place. it's been so good to us, and i'm so excited to see what the milcreek gym does for the climbing community! i hope everyone is excited about it.

one word: spring.

March Favorites

these photos have horrible lightning. i was in a hurry. it was late. i don't know.

Philosophy Purity One Step Facial Cleanser | I had heard the hype about this face wash for so long, but was always hesitant to try it. I wouldn't say my skin is sensitive, but I am always worried about trying new products, because it's my face, you know? I can't just put anything on there. Once I ran out of my tried and true C.O. Bigelow Vitamin Boost Gel Cleanser (now discontinued, I believe), I decided to give it a try. I had no idea how gentle and simple this cleanser was! I mean, with a name like Purity, what else could I have expected, but every time I wash my face, I am surprised again. It's so gentle, but at the same time, you can tell you're getting a deep clean. My skin has loved me ever since. I wish I would have bought the bigger bottle! This stuff is a little on the pricy side to me, but I have no plans of using another cleanser ever again! You definitely get your money's worth.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in "Magenta" | This is my favorite color to wear when I want the "I'm wearing a bold lip color" look. I have a gorgeous bright red lipstick that I just adore, but I've only tried it on once, and I'm way too nervous to wear it in public. Maybe I'll try it out on Sunday at church. Church is the best place to test stuff like that. Anyway, this bright magenta is the cutest, most fun color and I wear it as much as I can. It's adorable. I think it would look good on anyone.

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer | This stuff has been making the rounds, and I've seen it all over the internet. Once it got the stamp of approval from my girl, Danica, I knew I needed to give it a try. I've got the same issue as most girls: these giant ugly pores on the sides of my nose and in the center of my forehead. The worst, am I right? Here's your saving grace. This stuff. I haven't found an awesome pore shrinking toner or any other skin treatment (yet), but this primer has been my save all week long! The texture is so smooth, but in a weird way. I'm still not used to it, but my make up goes over it so flawlessly, it looks airbrushed, and I love it. I wouldn't say pore eraser, but it definitely makes them much, much less noticeable. The bottle is bigger than it looks online, and I think it's totally worth a try. So far, I've only been using it on my nose and forehead, and a different primer for the rest of my face, but it works either way. If you were hesitant to try this, because like me, it looks like something you would have purchased in junior high, buy it. It is magical.

Organix Keratin Oil Shampoo and Conditioner | This line of hair products had always caught my eye in stores, and when I finally decided to try it, I've never looked back! I will always be a true believer in Matrix Sleek Look shampoo, but with hair as long and thick as mine, expensive shampoo is out of the question. Organix has so many shampoos and conditioners, and I've been on a quest to try them all. I was immediately drawn to the Teatree Mint line, so I tried that first and absolutely loved it, and bought several bottles. Since then, I've gone on to try Coconut Milk (loved), Brazilian Keratin Therapy (loved) and Sea Mineral Moisture (hated this one. plus it smelled like dial soap in a bad way), and now Keratin Oil - my all time favorite so far. There are so many different kinds in this line, and I still want to try them all, but I've been using the Keratin Oil Shampoo and Conditioner for about 3 weeks now and each time, it blows my mind how smooth and soft my hair is after. I haven't had a shampoo do that for me in a long time!

E.L.F Zit Zapper | My Target finally expanded it's E.L.F. selection, and the second I noticed, I did some serious damage in the beauty department. Luckily, this brand is unbelievably cheap, and I didn't break the bank. One of the first things I snagged was the Zit Zapper. I had seen it numerous times around the internet, and wanted to give it a try. It's a roller ball style bottle with a blend of salicylic acid (found in most astringents, toners, and other acne/blemish-fighting skin care products), tea tree oil (known for it's natural skin healing properties), witch hazel (another natural remedy) and camphor (which I don't know what that is.. but it's working). I was skeptical because E.L.F. isn't necessarily high end product, especially for skin care, and the bottle was only $1 - but I was drawn in by the combination of ingredients I was familiar with and could pronounce. It seemed like a genius product, and it's proven itself. It dries me out pretty bad, which is sort of the point, and since i'm only spot treating specific blemishes or areas, it isn't effecting me too bad. For what it is? It's absolutely worth it. It's working for me!

5 Things

 

easy peach banana smoothie: blend half a banana, 1 sliced peach, half cup milk (any kind. i had skim), and a half teaspoon cinnamon.

 

finally got around to trying the gourmet grilled cheese shop in the neighborhood i work in. devin and i went for lunch and we'll definitely be going back for more. 

 

confession: i bought this because the tin is so cute. but the tea is actually really delicious! i got on the harney & sons website and ordered 3 more kinds that very same day.

 

i'd been wanting to try the midi ring thing for awhile, and when i found these on etsy, i bought them instantly. they were the style and price i was hoping for, and i really love them (they take a little getting used to), but now i wish i would have gotten them in silver, because i'd rather wear them on my left hand, but my wedding ring is white gold! (also, i just now noticed that my photo looks exactly like their product photo - even a similar nail color! that was unintentional. haha!)

THIS. this candle. it is SO amazing. i found it on clearance at Target, but I can't find it online anywhere! hunt it down, and thank me later. It's unbelievable.

LIFE: Update

+ I have had a huge wave of people interested in things I do. I've had people inquire about booking me as a photographer, about ordering my french macarons for a party or event, about throwing a bridal shower for their soon-to-be daughter in law... and you know what? It feels really good to have my talents noticed. It's just nice. I didn't take photographs of my sweet little niece because I wanted to start a photography business. I didn't try a french macaron recipe because I wanted to make a profit from it, if I succeeded. And I certainly never thought my ideas and love for crafting and planning would turn me into a party planner - but aren't all of those sort of dream jobs? It's just awesome to be recognized for things you are good at. And I don't think it's bad to be proud of it, either! 

+ Devin and I are at such a WEIRD time in our lives right now. SO MUCH is up in the air. It's the weirdest feeling, we're floating around in this limbo stage just waiting for decisions to be made in other parts of the world, so we can figure out which direction we need to go next, and just where our feet will touch the ground. We are moving in September when our lease is up, and have already started looking for a new place to live. We wanted to get familiar with the market, even though it could be different by then, but we don't even know where we are going to be living yet. It could be anywhere from American Fork to Salt Lake City at this point, an it seems to change constantly. Every day of our lives is a new plot twist, it's so interesting. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a little stressful and frustrating to be walking into the dark, not sure which direction we'll be going, but it's also refreshing and a little fun to be surprised by what will happen next. I don't know why, but I've so enjoyed the spontaneity of our life lately, and our marriage, and our friendship. It's been a really fun couple of months, for no specific reason. Our 3 year anniversary is coming up in a few months, and I feel like we've really hit our stride this year as husband and wife. Things are flowing so perfectly and we've been in such a good groove lately, even though we're working more than ever before, poorer than ever before, and seeing each other less than before. How does that work? It just does. I'm loving it. 

+ Speaking of being busy... my weekends for the next 2 months are pretty much packed. And I'm excited about it. Work marathon plus family parties this last weekend, a party plus conference plus a wedding this weekend, another wedding plus a camping trip the weekend after that, a bridal shower the weekend after that, a ton of family birthdays plus babysitting scarlett for a few days the weekend after that, and the list goes on! I haven't been busy in this way for a few months, and i'm looking forward to it!