honeymoon

The whole thing was an absolute dream! First of all, we got to leave right after our luncheon because we had the reception the night before which was great! 

We made our way up to Salt Lake to the Anniversary Inn. It was starting to get dark and this place is up this creepy hill in a super austere building and we were kind of freaked out to be honest. Everything turned out fine, but there were not good vibes walking into that place! I was reading the little info book when we got in our room and turns out the building used to be the Salt Lake Prison a long long time ago. That explains all the creepiness. 

But it was the funnest thing! All the rooms are themed and we were in the lighthouse room! Our bed was in there!! We would definitely go back! We want to try out the jungle or enchanted forest room.

The next morning we left for DISNEYLAND!!! I haven't been since I was 6 so I was beyond thrilled. California was glorious. I felt all bundled up coming from Utah and immediately started shedding layers as soon as we got off the plane.

Everyone treats you really nice when they find out you just got married ha! Our car got upgraded and we were feeling great about life. Our hotel was right on the PCH at Huntington Beach and I was in love. I am just in heaven any time I'm by the water. More importantly the ocean. We checked into our room and then took a walk on the beach down to Ruby's diner for dinner. We had heard great things about it and we loved it!

I highly recommend getting the max pass the next time you're in Disney. You get all your fast passes on your phone and you get to keep any pictures that a Disney photographer takes! It's the bomb! 

Also, Disney during the holidays is a must. It was absolutely beautiful! The decorations are amazing and it just completely adds to the magic! I definitely wasn't complaining about Disney music AND Christmas music playing throughout the park!

We watched the lighting of It's a Small World, tried the grey stuff (it was delicious) and saw the Frozen musical!

 Aside from being in the happiest place on earth, we got a very important phone call. BRYAN GOT A JOB!! We played phone tag with quite a few S&I people but finally got the news that he will be teaching at Maple Mountain High School and we are thrilled! Bryan felt like his whole world had been turned upside down in just two days with getting married and getting hired. Now the future isn't a mystery! The director's favorite ride was space mountain and he asked us to have a moment of silence for him and do a dab so we made sure we got it on camera and sent it to him haha!

Car's Land was so dang creative!! I was so impressed with it! And after I got over the sheriff popping out at me on the Radiator Springs ride, I absolutely loved it!

I felt so blessed to be there with this cute guy! He is literally a Disney expert. I just followed him around everywhere and trusted his every move. He knew the times for everything, was a walking map, and knows the ins and outs like I've never seen before! It was such a party!

We also kind of loved staying at the beach and driving in every day. It gave us a chance to channel our inner La La Land as we drove on those LA freeways and then jam to the Beach Boys on our way back to the coast. I think I could've stayed there forever!

book review: the paper bag christmas

This was such a cute story! It was perfect to have a nice, easy read for such a busy month!

Our discussion focused on the character development of these children and really how they grew and the lessons they learned.

This story takes place in the children’s ward of a hospital and I think that so many valuable lesson can be learned from Jose who are sick. They have such a different perspective on life and although they are struggling, they always seem to have a positive attitude.

Through this book you learn the true meaning of Christmas and also of the good that can be done at this time of year. The rest of our discussion focused on service. We always say that we want to be more involved in service and yes, there are things you can do weekly or monthly that are planned out, organized acts of service. But just as meaningful are those acts of service that are simple, kind, and unplanned.

So I think that it’s more about being mindful of service and just searching for opportunities in our every day life and accept the opportunities that are presented before us.

I highly recommend this book for all!

pre-wedding shenanigans

early fall

I am sooo behind that I realized I never posted these fun pictures. We had a little family FHE and went to the pumpkin patch! There is never a dull moment with these boys!

I am so obsessed with fall! Except this year I really wasn't ready to let summer go! But I could look at these golden leaves all day!

We also went for a drive through the canyon to look at all the pretty leaves! I caught my photographer through the rear view mirror in action. He was such a good sport as I made him take pics while I drove haha!

We love going to new food places too! We went for Chom's anniversary and it was so good! We also noticed something about their branding and asked the guy there about it and confirmed that he did the design for Shake Shack as well! The sweet potato/regular fry mix was great! 

november

 We take any excuse to have a jeru crew reunion. This time it was for Nicole's homecoming! You could tell that she was an absolutely amazing missionary but we're so glad to have her back!

I also had a Bridal Shower! I'm so grateful for such a sweet friend like Greta who made it perfect even though so many people had already gone home for Thanksgiving! It was such a fun little group. Any wedding activity just seemed so surreal!

We got the UP group together for Savior of the World. We were have a grand ol' time reminiscing when we were all in it in junior high and all the lines and memories we could still remember. It was such a fun way to start off the Christmas season!

december

B and I took a road trip down to St. George for a softball tournament he played in. It was super fun to be in a little bit warmer weather and to watch a lot of ball games! They didn't make it to the finals but they played 6 games or so and we had a blast. St. George definitely has good vibes. We also got some much needed quality time in!

We made a cousin trip to the Jazz game! I was so impressed with the new Vivint Smarthome Arena. They did an amazing job re-doing it this summer!  Oh, how I missed it! It was a tough game but I will always love my Jazz!

 I went to the Nutcracker for my first time ever with Bryan's mom and sister. I was totally enthralled with the whole thing! My mom always says they should have put me in ballet because it's always been something I love watching even if I haven't had a ton of exposure to it. This was such a delight to see all the music come together with the dancing and such a fun story. I really feel like I got to do so many fun things to celebrate the season this year!

We got to go to the cutest little Polar Express Christmas train where the first half is totally dedicated to all things Christmas and then the second half is all about the Savior. I thought it was so well done. It's a whole neighborhood of people who put it together and they do a stellar job!

book review: quiet

This was such a great read!

I especially found it interesting because of Bryan and I’s relationship as well as being a teacher. It really helps you to understand those who are different than you and how you can strengthen relationships through these differences.

I also loved the little quizzes that are in the book. I learned that I’m addition to introverts and extroverts there are also ambiverts which are a mixture of both and that fits me to a T!

I think it’s a must-read for everyone since we interact with introverts and extroverts on a daily basis in our homes and workplaces. It’s teally valuable information on tolerance and being accepting of the needs of others and not judging the way that they do things if it is different than you.

As a teacher into was extremely helpful in understanding my students better and knowing how to help them learn best. This includes the way they are seated, who hey work with, if they work with others at all, and how they respond to conversation and answering questions in class. I did a little bit of experimenting in my classroom right after I finished the book and I definitely saw a difference!

new york: part two

These city streets never get old! So many sights, sounds, smells, and people to watch!

ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL

Does anyone else recognize this church from It Takes Two?? (Mary-Kate and Ashley fans)

I was cracking up at this sign. "Don't even THINK of parking here!" ha!

GRAND CENTRAL STATION

STATUE OF LIBERTY

Who knew the next day he would be my fiance!

 CENTRAL PARK

I could literally spend all day in Central Park. Doesn't this just look serene?

SPRINKLES

Our last morning we were on a hunt to find some things we hadn't yet. My parents had to leave us (so sad!) but we made the most of our time before we headed to the airport as well. Top of the list was Sprinkles cupcakes. You legit can order them fresh out of the ATM. It was the cutest thing of all time! And it tasted delicious. We decided on a red velvet one!

DYLAN'S CANDY BAR

all the heart eyes over the organized colors.

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

We literally sprinted our way through all 5 floors of this museum. Mostly just so we could feel like we were in Night at the Museum. It was a fun little adventure to end our trip!

We bought the explorer pass and I think it was definitely worth it! You get to choose 5 things off of their list and so it gives you a great deal since so many of the sights are so expensive. Be wise about what you choose though because some of the places like museums are "choose what you pay" so you could pay $1 there and then use your pass for something a little more spendy.

To see the rest of our trip, check out these links:

october third

new york: part one

new york: part one

WE WERE SO EXCITED FOR THIS TRIP!!

It was my graduation trip, conference weekend, my 25th birthday, and the first time my parents met Bryan. So much good packed into one week!

My 8th grade English teacher's husband works for Sysco as well so I got to see her all the way across the country. So fun!

Bryan and I got there late Saturday night and so besides some nice pillow talk with my parents, we didn't do much friday night.

Check out this lovely view of lady liberty from our hotel room telescope.

YANKEE STADIUM

such a cool stadium! 

and so different than the last time I was there.

So turns out the one day we were outside for an extended period of time and it decided to be freezing was this day. But we survived!

So we're definitely not engaged in this picture. I should've caught on to the fact that something was up when they said we should get one taken with Robins on the locker room. I was so clueless haha!

9/11 Museum and Ground Zero

This was also so different than last time! We went when I was in 5th grade, just two years after 9/11 happened. I remember security all throughout the city and of course the airports was intense. There was just a fence around ground zero with pictures from that day. We actually talked to a guy who lived there when it happened and it was quite sombering to hear him talk about it. There was a building right next to the trade towers that was glass and completely shattered. 

The museum they've created is amazing! It was interesting to see so many artifacts and hear stories from an event that completely changed our country.

TIMES SQUARE

There is such a fun energy in Times Square. It definitely feels like the part of the city that truly never sleeps. Tons of people, things to see, bright shiny lights, restaurants, theaters, and more!

ROCKEFELLER CENTER

I just love them! They were such fun adventure buddies!

BROOKLYN

We were coming down to see Tim and Laina on Sunday and decided to take a walk near the water. Right as we were approaching we heard fireworks starting. It was seriously one of the best shows I've ever seen and I'm kind of a fireworks chaser. So the whole thing was quite perfect and magical. Especially with that city skyline in the back!

We also heard great things about Grimaldi's and had to try it out! It was quite tasty!

We then came back for engagments/the proposal because Bryan thought it was the perfect place. Such a fun area of the city!

BROOKLYN BRIDGE