The Snowball Effect...

V-Day love

2012-02-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to my cute, funny, sweet and almost perfect husband. I love him more and more each day.

And Happy Valentine's Day to all my friends and family. Love you all.

Special shout out to Rich and Lexie who are finally OFFICIAL! So excited to have Lexie join the family. :)

Isn't love the best?!

xoxo

White Girl Problems

2012-01-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

Just a typical Friday evening:

I'm home alone
My house smells like meatloaf from last nights dinner
I pulled my hamstring in spin class
Got a recall notice from Costco on a bottle of Excedrin I bough in 2009.

Just thought I'd share my insignificant white girl problems.

In other news, JR is car shopping again.

Because this happened:

It wasn't his fault. He had to swerve to avoid T-boning a girl who turned left in front of him. He swerved on to the curb, took out a stop sign and drove into a small area between a light pole and a tree. Miracle that he didn't hit either one. I am so so glad he is safe and did not get hurt. Big bummer about the Porsche. He loved that car. I am sad for him and I am sad to see the car go even though I complained about it so much. But don't feel too sad for JR. When it comes to cars- he has A.D.D. He has moved on and his mind is already focused on a new car.

:) Fine with me. I'm just glad he didn't get hurt. I don't know what I would do without him.

This weekend, looking forward to...... well, I guess all I've really got is a $150 gift card to spend at Pottery Barn so I'll be doing that tomorrow. Rough life.

xoxo

Pasta

2012-01-12T19:15:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made "creamy avacado pasta" which I first saw on pinterest and led me to this blog for the recipe. It is actually a vegan dish. Although I have no intentions of becoming vegan (and I have nothing against anyone who eats vegan) and I didn't even know it was vegan until after I ate it and I ate it with a side of grilled chicken so the whole vegan thing was out the window anyways. But it was quite delish. And the next thing your probably thinking is: what? Laura ate something with avocado? Yes. Apparently it is good for you. Somebody tell Grandma Fowkes!

In other news.... there's not really much going on except working crazy hours. And JR is back in school so he's pretty busy with that.

I've decided on the races I am going to run this year:

Salt Lake Ten Miler
Salt Lake Half Marathon
Deseret News Marathon
Top of Utah Marathon
SoJo Half Marathon

The first marathon is in July so I've got plenty of time to train. My goals are 1:55 half and 4:30 full. Ever since my horrible St. G race I am determined to get a better marathon time.

So, sorry I'm boring today and there's no pictures but... I don't really care. Next time will be more exciting, promise! Until then...
xoxo, L

Photo shoot

2012-01-05T21:22:00.000-08:00

A little while back (like May, I think) my cute friend Mindy did some fun photos for me and JR. I think they turned out super cute. We had such a fun time taking pictures. The best part was how JR insisted on wearing baby blue pants. Love him.

Check out Mindy's photography website here. Thanks Mindy!

Some other events from the holidays...

2012-01-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

We were able to go downtown to see the lights at Temple Square. That is always nice. Before the lights, we ate at Tucanos at the Gateway. It was delicious. JR always picks the best restaurants!

Sooo... we were trying to capture the "jumping" pic but couldn't figure out the setting on the camera to take the picture fast enough. My bad.

I don't remember why Lexie has a sad face in this picture. Probably because Richard had a nasty beard and refused to shave it.

We also attended the Fowkes Family Christmas party in December. This picture is the cousins (many that are missing) with my Great Grandma Fowkes.

The holidays were busy and they flew by! We had a lot of fun being able to spend time with our family and friends and of course, go to Mexico! I'm glad the new year is here.

Oh, Mexico

2012-01-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

We were able to go to Cozumel, Mexico the week before Christmas for 8 days. After a day and a half of traveling, we finally made it to this beautiful little island. It was so much fun just to relax and be with family. We ate a lot of good food (and some not so good food), went on the zip line, drove around the island, went shopping, slept on the beach, snorkeling, scuba diving, and ate more chips and salsa that I could ever care to eat again. We took so many pictures but here is a quick recap with a few.... you can check out JR's Facebook page for more.

The first night we ate at a place called "Especias" and it was delicious. Very authentic and the owner of the restaurant came out and talked to us and told us his story of how he got started.

One day we got a car and just drove around the island. We stopped at this little shop on the side of the road and the beach area here was so pretty. They had hammocks set up so you could just come and fall asleep next to the beach.

We went into town a few days to go shopping. Cozumel is a port for cruise ships so everyday there were at least 2-3 cruise ships coming in for the day.

We went on the zip line. I was a little scared at first, but after the first one you get used to it and it was so fun!

This is the look Richard would give to you any time you tried to take his picture!

Just laying out.....

Rich and Lexie snorkeling at our hotel. There was a sunken plane that you could see. The water was so clear and there were tons of fish.

Some classy shots from dinner.

JR and I also did some snorkeling, but the best part of the trip was scuba diving. We got certified in Utah before the trip and I am so glad that we did. Diving was by far the coolest thing I have ever done. The water was so clear, we saw coral reefs, fish, huge sea turtles (HUGE), barracudas, sting rays, sharks (from a far), lobsters and eels. We didn't take any pictures under water because I wouldn't let JR buy an underwater camera. By the next time we go diving tho, we will own an underwater camera cause it was so cool! We dove on two different days, four dives total. They were all drift dives so you hardly even had to swim. If you ever go diving in Cozumel, you should dive with Alex, and his company is called Scuba Alex. He was a great dive master and made our experience really great.

We were also able to do a surface dive just from our hotel. This is me in the whole get up walking on the dock. I am walking backwards because it was a lot easier with the fins on (and the tank!)

Us in our gear ready to go into the water. PS- we were going to send out this picture in a holiday card after we got back but we never got around to it. So.... happy holidays from Mexico!

And leaving you with JR's always smug, sunburnt lobster face.

We had a great time in Mexico. We flew back Christmas eve, ordered chinese food and fell asleep just in time for Christmas the next day!

I can't wait to go back. I just love being on vacation!

New Year

2012-01-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

2012 is going to be a great year.

Seriously, swine flu was the worst! and Y2K? What a joke. :)

I got to spend New Years Eve with my family and friends. Most importantly, I got a New Years kiss from my charming and wonderful husband.

Lots of big plans for 2012. But I don't want to spoil it for you.... so you'll just have to wait and see.

xoxo, L

Christmas Party

2011-12-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this picture. SOO hilarious. We had our first annual Ugly Sweater Friend Christmas party and we did a white elephant gift exchange. It was too funny. I got some old DVDs and JR got some cookies from Hawaii. The gifts we gave were a black baby doll, Denise Austin Pilates (on VHS) and "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" book.

This picture is classic. Sadly, Scott and Cass hadn't arrived yet so they didn't get in on this picture. Makes me laugh every time I look at it.

{I was pretending that I was almost dropping the baby!}

I love all these people so so much! Such a great night.

I might try and catch up on my posting while in Mexico. Maybe. But I'll probably be too busy BEING ON VACATION!!!

Merry Christmas. xoxo

2011-11-16T21:52:00.000-08:00

One year ago [last Sunday] JR and I went through the temple. That was a great day.

This is my favorite picture from that day.

Maybe JR will surprise me one day and get it framed for me. Just sayin'. It would be real nice.

In other news, to prepare for our trip to Cozumel, we are getting dive certified. We've only done the pool part and we do our open water dive this weekend at the crater at the Homestead. I was a little freaked out when we first started our dives but then you get used to it and it is really kind of calming under the water. Just don't forget to breathe!

I'm excited for the holidays to be here and to be able to spend time with family. Speaking of family- my sister is going to have a baby any day now. Number 3. A girl. And I'm sure she will be just as cute as the other two. And someday they will get cousins. Someday.

Awww. My little buckaroos.

And of course. My decorations for Thanksgiving. My momma made that turkey for me and I improvised with the rest.

The chances of me blogging again before Thanksgiving are rare. So today I will tell you what I am thankful for:

John Robert

Tank

All my family

Friends

My messy home

The Gospel and the temple and everything that comes with it

Food

Heated seats

Hot chocolate

Having a job

The ability to run and exercise

My health

Washer/dryer/dishwasher

Medicine

Free country

JR again and the adventure it is to be married to him

I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday. And if you're lucky- I'll post pictures from Halloween one month later. xoxo

Running and some other stuff

2011-10-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Okay. I am finally ready to write about my marathon. It was so tough. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It wasn't exactly the experience I was hoping for my first marathon but that's okay. My chip time was 5:12:50. I can honestly say that I was not fully prepared for this race. I didn't train enough for the downhill and definately didn't prepare for the heat! AHHH it was so HOT! My half time was 2:12 so I was doing pretty good at the beginning. I got to about mile 18 and just about died. My iPod died, I was dehydrated and my lower back was hurting so bad. I was super bummed. At that point, running was just painful. I was walking and went to the side of the road to squat down and stretch my back and as I was getting up a fellow runner came over to pat my back and said "the hardest part is getting back up." And I just cried and cried and cried. It was very emotional. I was sad and broken and sore. I just wasn't expecting that. Even though I wanted to lay down on the side of the road, I was determined to finish. So I trekked and finally made it into town. I saw JR within my last mile and I think he was so relieved to see me and that I had not passed out! I crossed the finish line and cried some more!! This time with relief and accomplishment. Phew. Donezo.

So what did I learn from this race?
1. 26.2 miles is freaking far.
2. I do not like running in the heat.
3. Do not eat a granola bar when you are dehydrated and have no water.
4. Ibuprofen would have been smart to take during.
5. IcyHot is a life saver.... and those nice volunteers that rub it on your legs for you!
6. JR is a trooper.
7. I will run another one and I will do better.

Big thanks to JR and my family and friends for all the support!! Seriously. Couldn't have done it without you all.

You can see my official marathon photos here.

I had to give myself a few days to recover- both physically and mentally. Sooo... then I signed up for another race. Just a half marathon. It was this past Saturday. I'm so glad I ran it because I did well and it just helped me feel a lot better about myself and my abilities. It was the SoJo Half Marathon and I ran with Scott Cowley and Cassidy's mom and it was really fun. I enjoyed the course and my time was 2:00 hours flat. So I will definately take that!

I think I am done for the season with races. I'm going to use the winter to do some cardio and strength training. Maybe even more yoga. I do plan on running another marathon. I know I can do better. I will not be running the St. George marathon again! I am thinking about the Salt Lake in April. It will be my territory... so we shall see.

And FINALLY a quick update with pictures!

We went hiking in St. George.

Dinner at Mon Ami Gabi is Vegas.

Richard the scrub and cute Lexie.

Newlyweds Rob and Angela.

Me and Old Faithful. Or is it "ole"??

My best friend got married to her best friend. I would say she looked stunning.

Tank sunbathing. Although he looks dead here, he's not.

Big & Rich concert with Heidi and John!

Eating fried Snickers. So unbelievably delicious! Only at the Utah State Fair!

Date night at Brio. This was nice because JR didn't have his phone so it was like a REAL date! ;-)

And of course, my Halloween decorations. I think it looks better this year than last year.

Tonight I was able to have dinner with my friend Kristin. We worked at Ruby together and have been friends for a few years now. She lives in Bountiful and we only get to hang out every couple of months so it was really great to see her. It's nice to have a girl's night every now and then.

The holidays are here. I'm excited for Halloween- I think our costumes are going to be a riot. Thanksgiving and Christmas will be great but best of all- we are going to Mexico in December! We will be staying at a resort in Cozumel...right on the beach. Be jealous. Be very jealous. :)

L

Brave The Run.

2011-09-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

My marathon is almost here. Saturday. I can't even believe it. My lovely husband will be driving me down, then waking up and dropping me off at 4am, cheering for me, buying lots of ice and then driving me back home Saturday afternoon- what a stud.

It's been kind of an emotional few months with the running. I've had good runs, bad runs, okay runs, horrible runs and great runs. But my running 'mantra,' if you will, that I have adopted is:

Brave The Run.

I haven't set an official time goal becuase I don't really know what to expect and I don't want to disappoint myself. I just want to brave it, work hard, enjoy the run and finish! Here's to 26.2 miles. Wish me luck. Think of me. And pray that I'll still be able to walk afterwards. :)

AND if you want to, you can watch the race live by clicking here. Look for me...I'll be wearing a yellow shirt!

I like it. I love it.

2011-08-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sooo much to catch up on. And a lot of pictures! yay! I just don't have the time to blog as much as I used to. But there are worse things in life I guess... anyways...

I spent the past week in Nashville Tennessee for training for work. I learned a lot and met some key peeps. I was super excited to be going to Music City because I LOVE country music! There was so much to do. Sadly, I did not have any good food there. Everywhere that was recommended to me turned out to be horrible. But I guess that's what we get for getting recommendations from the Holiday Inn. Anyways, here some pics from the trip.

1. I was sitting next to this guy at the SLC airport waiting to board and I couldn't help but notice that this man was wearing socks with his Sperry's! I should have corrected his ways but I chose not to say anything.

2. I went to a show at the Grand Old Opry. The new one, not the old one. I had a tough decision between going to the Country Music Hall of Fame or the Opry. I chose the Opry. Good choice because I got to see a live show.

3. There's me. At the Opry.

4. This performer was Sarah Darling. I really liked her music. I could see her being popular like Taylor Swift.

6. This 90 year old guy named Jimmie Dickins has been performing at the Opry for 40 something years. He was really funny and entertaining.

7. We also went to BB Kings Blues Club. That was fun to have dinner and listen to live music.

I think this is the house band that performs every night.

Delicious brownie dessert with some southern Blue Bell ice cream!

So the trip was pretty fun. On my flight on the way home I saw this guy that is JR 25 years in the future. He was wearing blue "sear-sucker" pants, J Crew belt that had fish and sea horses on it, a yellow Polo shirt, Sperry's, glasses and reading the Wall Street Journal. It was quite funny. I should have got a picture...

On Saturday after I got home we went to the Tim McGraw concert. It was fun to see Tim but I was a little disappointed in the actual show. There just wasn't a lot of energy in the crowd. But I still love his songs and we got some cute pictures.

My best girl Aubs was there with Jared. We were so excited to finally have boys with us at our country concert!

And a few pics while waiting for the show to start....

Rich and cute Lexie. Go Dawgs.

This picture is awesome because it is a really good picture of all of us! So fun.

I hope you enjoyed the update.

This weekend we are headed to St. Geezy and the LV. So excited!

2011-07-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Aunt Sondra!! We celebrated with her on Friday night. JR cooked a delicious meal for everyone and topped it off with a blueberry pie! Thanks for everything you do, Sondra! We love you and enjoyed celebrating with you!

Sorry no pictures on this post. I am blogging from the iPad in my hotel room in Nashville, TN. I am here all week for training and let me tell you... it is HOT!! But hopefully I'll get to do some fun things while I am here.

One last thing for this random post: I set a personal record on my half marathon time at 1:58:12!! I ran with Scott and his other running buddy, Baptiste. It makes all the difference when you run with someone who can pace you. It almost forces you not to go slow. HA! My legs are a little sore today but it was well worth it! I am getting excited for my marathon! It's 2 months away and I've still got a long way to go!

And 25 years later...

2011-07-15T22:31:00.000-07:00

I might actually be a real live adult. Ok, maybe not so much. But I did try something new this week. So most of you might know that as a child and growing up I was an extremely picky eater. well JR has helped me try new things. So this week, for the first time in my 25 years of life, I ate a salad with ranch dressing. And I liked it.

This is a big deal, people! You should be proud...

Daytona

2011-07-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to our summer vacation. I was happy to leave Utah for a week vacation. We took the redeye flight from Utah to Atlanta to get the best use of our time only to be delayed for 5 hours in Atlanta airport! Naturally. We made it to Valdosta and then drove home to little Douglas to spend time with Debbie, Spencer, Nana and Papa. We are really lucky to be able to take this vacation every year. It was so needed.

On Sunday morning we drove down to Daytona Beach. Every year we stay at the Ocean Walk Hotel which is right on the beach. It is quite lovely with a lot to do. Last year we stayed at the pool a lot instead of heading down to the beach so this year I wanted to spend more time on the beach and in the ocean. I got JR a frisbee for his birthday and that was fun to take down to the beach. We also enjoyed watching the little kids play in the sand and see the two young ones reaction to the beach for the first time.

Here is Mr. Ben making one of his typical faces. He is such a character!

This is Jackson. He is almost one and this was his first time to the beach. I love his long hair!

And of course, Mr. Brody. He turned one while we were at the beach. He has the cutest curly hair.

The hotel did a meet and greet with a famous race car driver. (This is the week of Daytona 400 or something race, so lots of race fans were there including some of JRs family) So here we are standing in line waiting to get an autograph.

Oh, which famous race car driver did we meet?

None other than Mr. Richard Petty! I'm really not a big race fan but I at least know who he is and it was pretty fun and exciting to meet someone famous! (and I am crossing that off my list of goals, woo hoo!)

He was really nice and took lots of pictures with us.

Some other fun things we did while in Daytona was celebrate JR's birthday at his favorite place, Bone Fish Grill. And it was delicious. We also surprised him by getting him an ice cream cake! And I surprised him with concert tickets to see Tim McGraw in August! We also saw Cars 2 which was really cute and Transformers 3 which I thought was good and entertaining. We also ate at Barnacles and they have really good seafood. Jay and Lee got the "All You Can Eat" crab legs special and had a contest of who could eat more. I think it was about a tie. They at least got their moneys worth. It looks like eating at Bone Fish Grill and Barnacles are new traditions.

Here is JR with Brody in his cute shark swim trunks.

And the one picture we got of us together at the pool.

Cute Mal with the Brodster.

Daytona was fun even though it rained every single day. We made the most of the sunshine we did have. I enjoyed lounging around and reading my book and spending time with the family. We drove back home to Douglas on Friday and we are now just spending the rest of our trip with Spence and Debbie before we go back home on Monday.

Happenings...

2011-06-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Be sure to buy today's Groupon for Cowboy Grub! Over 50% off! Come on, just do it. Support local and support my hubby! yay!!

Click here to buy.

In other news... I got a new job. It's still with the VA which is nice. I interviewed for it a few weeks ago and I got it! I am super excited. It will be a big change but a good one. It also changes my hours from 10:30-7 instead of 8- whenever I go home. So that will be nice too. And I get to go to Nashville for training in August! I've never been to Nashville.

We are just counting down the days until we leave to go to Daytona Beach. The weather here in Utah has been so so. And not especially warm for June! And I am so ready for vacation!

Perhaps I'll post some pictures soon with more updates. Cause pictures are way more fun. :)

L

Shamless plug

2011-06-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this new website called I Heart Salt Lake.

Apparently, JR told me about this site a long time ago when they did this feature on Cowboy Grub. (shamless plug!) I guess I wasn't listening....or I like to discover things for myself.

I like this site because it features all kinds of businesses here in Salt Lake. JR is friends with one of the Co-founders of the website, Julie Knaphus. Check it out...especially the post aboy CBG!!

L

Birthday

2011-06-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I turned 25. Man oh man.

Nah, it's not so bad. I don't even feel different. JR is loving it though. For three weeks he gets to boast about being married to a "Cougar"

It was a great day. It started with JR waking up to kiss me goodbye. awwww. bless his little heart.

I went to work and my mom and sister, Tiffany, had made me cupcakes! Then we all met up with Heather at Cowboy Grub for some delicious lunch. JR had the crew sing to me and bring me dessert.

Tiffany got me some shimmer lotion and my mom got me these gel pens that I wanted for work. JR got me an Adidas gym bag. I now have a real gym bag. Before I had been using one of those reusable grocery bags. haha He also got me the water bottles that attach to my running pack. Now I can run long distances and not have to stop for water. Thanks for the presents everyone!

Back at work I got a card from the peeps on my team along with a little cake. It was so nice and thoughtful. They also sang to me. That night I went to Young Womens and they also sang to me. It was sweet. JR cooked dinner for me. He grilled ribeye steaks. mmmmm. Lexie and Richard joined us for dinner. They also got me two cute necklaces from J.Crew. so cute!

I was going to post 25 things about me for my 25th birthday but then I decided against it because then I would have to think about 25 things about myself that are more interesting than "Thor is my new crush." Seriously. But if I do think of anything good, I'll let you know. Also, I won't do it becuase I won't be able to add any pictures to this post because I am writing it with my iPad.

That's right. I got an iPad. JR and Debbie got me an iPad for my birthday. It is seriousy so cool. It's pretty much the iPhone on steriods. I love it.

Well I was absolutely spoiled for my birthday and it made turning 25 fun. Thank you everyone for the gifts and the birthday wishes! Especially Juan Roberto, he always takes care of me. :)

L

2011-05-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

I turn 25 tomorrow.

I don't even know what to do!!!!

The Glory Days

2011-05-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I watched my wonderful, sweet, almost perfect husband play in an Olympus alumni lacrosse game.

That's him #1.

I cheered for him. He was on defense.

During half time all the alumni introduced themselves and said what position and year they played lacrosse for Olympus. I think there was one guy there from... 1998 or maybe 1996??

Richard also played. He is thick.

I'm glad I go be there to see JR re-live his glory days of high school lacrosse. I think he had a good time- he even came home with a bruise. Bless his little heart.

Thanks for being my stronger half this week.

Love,

Your number one fan.

2 years.

2011-05-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Two years ago we said "I do."

Actually, we just said yes.

We kissed.

We ate cake.

We danced.

Thanks for two great years, JR.

Here's to 100 more.

Yesterday (May 16th) we celebrated our two year anniversary.

I didn't blog about it yesterday because I was in Vegas celebrating with JR.

Yup. Vegas. I might blog about it. Just like I blogged about my last trip to Vegas.

Why do you run?

2011-05-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have currently taken a small break from running to take a yoga class. (more on that in a few days...) It has been a nice break and yoga has been a challenging change but I am excited to get back into my running routine. Better yet, perfect my running routine. I plan on doing a lot this summer.

I registered for the St. George Marathon which is in October. The race is capped at 7,400 runners so it's a lottery and you have to get picked. So I'll find out on May 9th if I get to run it. Click here to find out. I still plan on running one this year, even if it's not St. George. Which means I'll need to get my butt back in gear and do some serious running.

But anyways... the point of this post is to share this article about running. Why do I run? To challenge myself. To give my mind a break. And to stay in shape, of course ;-) . I am going to try doing a couple runs without my iPod. In high school I absolutely hated running with music. Now I hate running without it. I think it would be nice- take in the scenery and just to let my mind wander.... who knows what great ideas I'll come up with!

L

2011-05-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

oh, I was.

I think I'll do it again tomorrow.

remember that 6 hour test I took a few weeks ago?

I passed.

YAY!!!!

2011-05-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Today I am happy because....

I didn't have to work
The sun has been out all day (and no snow!)
I did yoga
One month until my birthday
We went to church
I am feeling great (physically and mentally)
JR is a fantastic cook
I took a much needed nap
One month until my birthday (that one deserves to be twice on the list, don't worry.... birthday wish list coming soon...)

L

Pictures and happenings

2011-04-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well, life has been so busy lately. So here are some picture updates in no particular order.

A few weeks ago my diamond fell off of my ring. Okay, it broke off. See the picture. The diamond is still in the prongs so the setting came off of the band. I was washing my hands in the bathroom at work and then dried them with a paper towel. Next thing I see is the diamond GONE!!

So, needless to say I start freaking out and crying. The other girls in the bathroom helped me look around for it. I had no idea how long it had been missing or what. So I searched back at my desk. These two nice girls went through the trash can in the bathroom and checked every paper towel. I owe them big time! The diamond had come off when I was drying my hands and had fallen to the bottom of the trash bag. It was traumatizing!

So we took it on in to Shane Co. The manager said that in the two years he had worked there, he had never seen anything like that happen. The jeweler said that there had been air bubbles in the setting so hitting or knocking it on something just right would have knocked it off like this. Thankfully we found the diamond but if I hadn't they would have replaced it- no questions asked. Thank you warranty!

Anyways, it is all fixed now!

This is the poppy seed bundt cake. I made it twice. Once for work (my trial run, as JR called it) and another time for Easter. The second time was better for sure! I got the recipe from the best cookbook ever, The Gathering of Friends. This cookbook is awesome. The ladies who put it together live here in Holladay. The house were the pics in the cookbook were taken is the same house where I got my bridal pictures taken. The connection is from our photographer. I think it's cool!

This is just JR on Easter morning. Asleep with his phone in his hand! He didn't sleep the whole night like this but every morning he checks his phone when he wakes up (email, FB, etc) and this time he fell back asleep with it. It's just so funny because he is on his phone all the time!

Easter was great. We slept in, we went to sacrament and enjoyed a wonderful choir presentation, and then we went to Tuscany brunch. Now don't be a hater. This is tradition. This is our third year going together. JR and his family used to go every year when he was growing up.

My favorites are the eggs benedict, waffles and the miniature creme brulee! ohmygosh, it was so good!

This is me with my selection of desserts. It was a great part of our Easter. We then spent the rest of the afternoon at my mom's house with family where there was an Easter egg hunt for the kiddie's. Dallin was so funny because he was walking around the back yard scoping out all the eggs but not touching them. What a smart kid! haha

And finally, pictures from the race!!

This is me and Heidi with our medals. We should have run together but Heidi stayed to go to the bathroom before the race started. I wish I had stayed with her because at about mile 7 or 8 I had to stop and go to the bathroom!

Heidi did so good! Her time was about 2:03! Next year we will run together for sure!

So this is me during the last 100m or so. I didn't see JR but he took this picture and he said I was staring right at him!! I think I was just so out of it and ready to be done that I couldn't focus on anything else but finishing!

JR was such a trooper, too. Like best husband ever. He dropped us off at 5:30am. But then I realized I forgot my iPod/iPhone in the car so we called him and he had to come all the way back to give it to me. There was no way I could have run without my music! Then on his way back home, he got trapped within the bicycle race boundaries. I felt so bad!

I finished at 1:59:03! That's according to my watch, which I stopped when I went to the bathroom so I could get a more accurate time. Mile 11 killed me. It was a slight incline running north on State Street. I had not trained on any hills!! haha not even small ones. So besides that mile, I felt pretty good most of my race. My mom, Heather, Tiffany and Dallin were all out there cheering me on.

This is Lindsey coming around to the finish. Brandon also ran with us!

These last few pictures are from Richard's lacrosse games. He is number six. I really enjoy watching Richard play, especially when he levels guys to the ground because he is so much bigger!

Finally, I am super excited for my besties, Aubrey and Jared! They are the ones that got engaged last week! These two are probably the only reason I passed some (most!) of my business classes (namely, accounting, management and statistics!) We were all at the business school together, they were in the accounting program and I was in marketing. I love them and I am so excited that they are getting married!!

I hope you enjoyed the update. Some things I am looking forward to in the next few weeks:

2 year anniversary

finding out my test results

warmer weather

my birthday

and JR being done with school for the summer!!

Exciting news!!

2011-04-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite people in the entire world just got engaged....to each other!! I am so excited for them!! I've known all along that they would end up together..... actually, that's not true. JR always said that they would end up together from the beginning because, and I quote, he is a "matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch...."

But I am so glad they did! Congratulations!

ps- I'll announce who it is in a few days or so. I'll let them share thier own good news first! :)

Also, if you want to see some awesome pictures of me from the Salt Lake Marathon, click here. (And by awesome, I mean awful/funny/ridiculous pictures.)

2011-04-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

Goal #8 completed on Saturday! Woo hoo! More details and pictures to come....

L

2011-04-16T06:00:00.001-07:00

I came to win,

to fight,

to conquer,

to thrive,

I came to win,

to survive,

to prosper,

to rise,

to fly.

Happy Birthday, D!

2011-04-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Dallas!

My one and only brother is 23.

This is us at my wedding right before I walked down the aisle....showing our "nervous face!"

It's too bad he lives in Louisiana. :(

Happy Birthday, Dallas!

Come back home, we miss you!

5 Things I love

2011-04-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

5 Things I Love:

1. My husband, of course.

2. "Power Song" option on Nike+. My power song is, of course, "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga.

3. This new blog.

4. And this one. Especially this post.

5. The TV show "Greek." JR and I are watching it via netflix streaming. I think it is funny. And while Cappie is no Tim Riggins, I still think he is cute.

L

Run Forrest

2011-04-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Two weeks until the race. I am getting so excited. Here's why: I've had a breakthrough in my running. Okay. So I've been running kind of slow, probably because I've been running inside and sometimes I sell myself short. So last Monday I planned to do a 10-mile run. It almost didn't happen because of the stupid weather and I was sick of running inside. So I did it. I ran my 10-miles, outside, it was freezing. It was my longest run since I started my training. And something happened. I was running fast. Like, faster that I ever thought I could run 10-miles.

I felt like Forrest Gump, ya know, when he is a kid and he runs out of his leg braces.

I was running right below an 8 minute/mile pace....for 10 miles.

So I have set my official goal:

13.1 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes (or less)

I just have to break two hours because I know I can. So fun!!!!

Be sure to come cheer us (me, Linds, Brandon, Heidi and all us other crazy folk) on, you can check out the map of the race here.

Well, I am off the enjoy what's left of my weekend!

The Help

2011-03-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading this book the other day. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

I really, really enjoyed this one. It is set in the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement and is the point of view of three characters, two maids that are "the help" and one white woman who is about change. It is very easy to read and I couldn't put it down. It gives a good point of view of what racism was like during that time. I would highly recommend this book. I will also be returning it to the Holladay Library tonight so you can go check it out.

I also finally bought the Nike+ sensor to go with my iPhone4 and I am pretty excited about it. Hopefully I will get to use it this weekend. So far I think it is the coolest thing. You would think I would be more saavy with this kinda stuff...but I'm not! I don't know why JR didn't make me buy this sooner.

AND I bought an armband for my iPhone to run with. The Nike+ only works with iPod touch, iPod nano or iPhone. Well, I have two ipod shuffles. Buying an armband was a lot cheaper than buying another iPod. So hopefully this will work!

The race is in 3 weeks! I probably haven't been getting in the amount of running that I should...but whatever. I just want to finish!

I also have a huge test to take at work that will determine if I get a raise or not! And the test is 3 days before the race. So I am gonna be a little bit of a wreck that week! Just kidding. I am pretty confident about my test. It's only 6 hours long...

Anyways, looking forward to this weekend. I'll be getting in some running, working OT, Richard's lacrosse game, sleep, church and some good old fashioned QT with JR. (quality time, that is).

Have a great weekend.

2011-03-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Wishin' I was back in Puerto Vallarta with my sweet husband.

Instead, I am sitting at my desk, at work, in my winter coat

because I am freezing.

Awesome.

Can't wait for summer.

Things I am looking forward to this summer:

My birthday.

JR's birthday.

Daytona Beach.

The pool.

Running.

Kenny Chesney concert.

NOT working my life away.

The sun.

Getting a tan.

Georgia.

I'm still waiting on spring to arrive...

He's Baaacck!

2011-03-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Tank the Lion.

I am officially the coolest wife....EVER

2011-03-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

I let JR buy this:

It's a 1999 Porsche Carrera 911 C4. And it only has 60,000 miles on it. It is also navy blue. JR joined the blue car club, of which I am the president, of course.

I referenced it in this post a few days ago.

There it is. JR's pride and joy. He almost loves this car more than me. Almost. I like it plenty. It is fast and sweet looking. I don't ever plan on driving this car because a) it is a stick shift, and I can't drive stick. and b) I don't want to be held responsible if anything bad happens. I am a terrible car owner.

It also now has bluetooth integration so hands on driving for JR, which I am happy about.

Congratulations on your new car, JR. Now bow to your queen.
(just kidding, but seriously....)

L

Pure Birthday Amazing-ness

2011-03-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

Photo candy from Dallin's birthday party.

So, I was asked to make a cake for Dallin's party. Time to let my baking skills shine. I decided to make a 6-layer rainbow cake. I've seen it on like a gazillon "mommy" blogs so I figured I could do it. Starting with the mixture- I used cake mix in a box cause I'm lazy- don't judge me! :)

Okay, so here is the finished product. It's a little lopsided....

The lopsided-ness is a special touch I added to it. Now don't be jealous by it's beauty. As I was frosting the cake, it kind of started to tip over. And I thought it looked ridiculous and I wanted to throw it away and go buy a cake from Schmidts. Well, JR thought he could save it. So he took the spatula that had frosting on it and tried to smooth out the side of the cake, like so....

And well, he ended up pulling off the side of the cake.

We somehow managed to get the cake from our house to my mom's house before this happened:

It was like a landslide! We just couldn't stop laughing!

The best part about it though...was that Dallin was excited to have his own cake! And a big one! So we took some pictures with the cake.

He was so anxious but we had to wait for Dave and JR to get back with the candles!

So we let him eat some cake... you couldn't even notice. :)

Keep scrolling through the pictures and you will see the final outcome of the cake!

Me and Dallin with our cheesiest faces!

So I wanted to get a good picture of me and Dallin on my phone but he just kept making all these faces and they just crack me up! So I had to share:

This one is my favorite:

Oh, and yes I got my bangs cut. I haven't had bangs like this since I was like 8 years old. Some days I like them. Sometimes I feel like a little girl. HA!

Dallin and grandma! Hey, that's the best smile all day!

And this is Dallin's way of showing Tank how much he loves him.... I guess. ;)

See, a Rainbow cake!!! It really did look cool....so Dallin, I hope you never forget that birthday cake! (How could anyone ever forget how awesome my domestic skills are??!!)

Once again, Happy Birthday, Dallin!

Happy Birthday, Dallin!

2011-03-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today is Dallin's 4th birthday.

(this is my nephew...JIC you didn't know)

When Dallin was born, I flew out to Indy to stay with Heather and Dallin, as a new born, just slept on my chest for hours and hours. We called him Peanut.

and now he is 4!!!!

Dallin at his birthday party on Sunday!

Here are four things I love about Dallin:

(of course there are more than 4 things that I love about this kid, but in the spirit of him

turning four...you get the picture!)

1. He always gives me a hug and a kiss when I see him.

2. He is a great older brother.

3. He will always blow me a kiss.

4. When you ask him a question or tell him to say something, he will whisper it to you. so funny!

I have some pretty awesome pictures from his birthday party that he had on Sunday to include the cake that I made him....I'll post them soon.

Have a great birthday, Dallin!

xoxo

Aunt Laura :)

2011-03-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

"I'm beautiful in my way

'cause God makes no mistakes.

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way."

~ Lady Gaga

I don't care what you think about Lady Gaga. I love this song. It is also my new ringtone- so you should call me just so I can hear it.

Countdown to the race: 36 days!!

L

In true blogging fashion....

2011-03-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

...I am posting some pictures of my crafty-ness around my house.

My new {vinyl} laundry sign. It says:

Laundry: Self-serve ~ Open 24 hours. So clever. I know. I love this stuff.

I ordered mine from Vinly Wall Expressions.

I am just in love with this. It is so cute. JR liked this "craft" because it only took me about 10 minutes to order it, then a few days later only 10 minutes to put it on. No mess. haha

I did another one with my red blocks for a "Go Utes" sign!

As you can see, they are my re-purposed Valentine's Decorations!

And what's a good blog post without a picture of Tank??

He is looking quite scruffy these days. His hair is super long. I took him in for a bath and cut, and I said to trim his hair. Well they took trim literally because it wasn't any shorter. What I really meant to say was take off a few inches!! Don't worry- as soon as the snow from the awful storm last night melts, Tank will be getting his LION haircut again!!

And lastly-- my little sister Tiffany started her own blog!! It's super cute. You can check it out here.

And if you didn't know-- my other sister Heather has a blog, too.

Oh, and one more thing!! Well, you'll find out soon enough :) zoom zoom

Looking forward to a 3 day weekend!!

2011-03-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last night, I went with JR to a meeting and he got his 4 year [sobriety] chip! Afterwards, as per tradition, we went and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. It was super delicious!

Scot and Abby joined us for dessert and some highly entertaining conversation. Between the four of us, we had 3 red velvet cheesecakes and 1 snickers and none of us could finish. And JR was pretty happy because was keeping me out late AND I was awake! It was such a fun night to stay out late with JR and our friends!

5 Things

2011-03-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

5 Things I love right now:

1. Stumble Upon.

2. Dreaming of (and planning) a vacation. Wish we could go here:

{Bora Bora}

3. Running. And my new running shoes.

4. The fact that we are getting our tax return tomorrow! woo hoo!

5. These posters. Love them. Found via Pinterest.

so true.

Never has this been more true than it is now! It's cool to be broke.

love this.

awwwwww.

The power of positive thinking.

Done and done!

yet. :)

Yes. Have a great day. and weekend.

EPL

2011-03-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

I finally finished reading this book last week and I loved it! And I really wasn't a "band-wagoner" to read this book just because they made a movie. This book was recommended to me by my friend Kacey. She was asking me when JR and I wanted to have children. Then there is my typical hesitant answer of Oh, I don't know...when I'm ready....when we have money...when JR is done with school...when I am not terrified of the fact. (I answered with something to that sort ;) So, Kacey has three kids. She tells me this: "Nothing in your marriage will ever be the same after you have kids. They won't necessiarily be bad...just different. So make sure you do everything you want to do." Okay, I like that.

Then she told me to read this book: Eay Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Honestly, I didn't want to see the movie because I thought it looked dumb. (and I have heard that the book is better than the movie-- which is usually true so I may or may not even see the movie-- therefore, I read the book.) So I read it. Something that Elizabeth said at the very beginning of the book was: "Having children is like getting a tattoo on your face. You have to decide if you really really want it before you do it." Okay, I am not comparing having kids to getting a tattoo nor am I inferring that I do not want to have kids. It's just funny. Anyways, I really liked this book. I thought it was honest and witty and really well written. It really made me think a lot about who I am and the things I want to do in life, before, when and after we have kids. (aka-- my list of goals!)
I would highly recommend this book to anyone-- whether you are soul searching or not. :)

And, maybe I'll Netflix this one, too.

L

4 years!!

2011-02-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

Today JR is celebrating being 4 years sober!! That is HUGE!!! I am so proud of him and how far he has come. JR has accomplished so much since being sober and I know he has worked so hard to make positive changes in his life with the support of his family and friends.

JR at Cheesecake Factory on celebrating one year of sobriety on Feb. 25, 2008.

"Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Way to go babe! I love you!

2011-02-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

I cut 25 seconds off my mile time from Monday to Thursday. I think I ran a total of 5 miles last night.

I have realized that [while I was no State champion] I was a fast runner in high school. I ran a 6:30 mile. That is fast. I ran a 8:13 last night and I was dying! :)

Anyone have any good running advice to offer?

Smoked Gouda Fondue

2011-02-23T12:25:00.000-08:00

This year we had the 2nd annual Super Bowl party at our house. I didn't even watch the first half. The second half was good and I think I was the only one that happy Greenbay won.

Even Tank watched the SB. He loved it.

The best part of the night was of course the food. If you are coming to the Snow home, you know there is going to be good food. Mostly because of JR. But this recipe was a collective effort, but mostly me. (Come on, I deserve some credit, don't I??) A girl from our ward gave me the recipe.

Smoked Gouda Fondue

12oz cream cheese

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 onion, diced (we used white onion)

1 cup smoked gouda

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Saute onions and garlic together. Add cream cheese, whipping cream and gouda. Melt slowly. Add parmesan and nutmeg about 10 minutes before serving.

This dip was awesome. It has some very strong and unique flavors. We served it with toasted baguettes and sliced apples and pears. Make sure you buy smoked gouda. (We found smoked gouda with bacon- even better!) If your batch is a little runny (we may or may not have added too much whipping cream) then just add more cheese!! Oh, ya, to chop your onions, if you do not have the Vidalia onion chopper, then you are wasting your life. This thing is amazing!

Enjoy.

The Rest is History

2011-02-22T10:29:00.000-08:00

Three years ago on February 22, 2008 I got a phone call from a boy. A phone call that would change everything. (Read the full story here)

15 days later we were engaged. (Yes, that says 15 days) ~~Too bad JR thought it was lucrative to take a 10 month vacation to Colorado.~~ We were running full speed into the dark with our eyes closed.

So we were a little crazy. But it all worked out.

Thanks for calling me, JR.

"And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make."

-- The Beatles

13.1

2011-02-21T10:29:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon. That's 13.1 miles in case you didn't know.

I have run maybe 6 or 7 half marathons in my 24.6 years of life (my first one was the Indy 500 Half Marathon with 30,000 other people when I was in the 6th grade with dad and Heather and it was pouring rain) and one 10 miler (it was a race down Emigration Canyon, its a sweet run but bad on your knees if you have bad knees) I ran the SL Half in 2008. It was awesome because about 10 minutes after I finished the winner of the Marathon finished. That's actually just crazy.

Ever since that race I had put running (serious running) on the back burner. I think I was a bit pre-occupied with a certain boy (read: JR)

I was supposed to run this race last year with Heidi, but I bailed. Not this year. Which menas I need to get my but in gear becuase the race is less than 2 months away!

So now that you all know- every time you talk to me you need to ask me how my training is going.

Winners train.

Losers complain.

Here's to 13.1 miles.

You know what they say:

Running is a mental sport....and we're all insane. ;-)

5 Things

2011-02-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

e5 things I love:

1. Chester.

2. JR and Tank. Of course.

3. This blog: Penelope Trunk. She is so funny.

4. This picture re-creation of "Up." It just makes me happy.

5. My Saturday morning lift class that I go to with Cassidy as the Sports Mall. The teacher is super awesome. She is so encouraging and at the end of each class, she shares this mantra with us:

I am powerful and I am loved.

I am powerful and I am loving.

I am powerful and I love it!

But without fail, here are 5 things I do not love right now:

1. Coming back from vacation.

2. People who announce thier drama/family problems/inability to spell on their facebook status.

3. Cold.

4. Working too much and not being able to go to the gym.

Ok I only have four things I do not love right now. That is pretty good.

Vegas post is coming soon. Our pictures are on four different cameras (phones included). Sooo maybe soon I'll do it. But I will tell you this-- Vegas was good to us!

Proud Wifey

2011-02-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

I just want to say how proud I am of JR. He has been working so hard on this portfolio for school and finished it last night!! It has a personal essay, his resume and five letters of recommendation. It looks awesome! I am so lucky that JR is so dedicated and hard-working so that someday I can finally be a

stay-at-home wife. I mean mom. ;-)

Good job, JR. Now let's go win us some cash.

ps-- for all you Facebook lovers out there, including me:

Maxine

2011-02-10T08:53:00.000-08:00

This is totally me-- only when I am at home, of course! HAHA!

Gotta love Maxine.

On a more lovey-dovey note.... Two things. First of all, thanks to my young women girls, the leaders and my mom for helping with New Beginnings last night. It was a big success and we had a great time.

Secondly, love this quote:

"Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other. But in looking outward in the same direction."

-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Oh, ya. And JR. Totally LOVE him.

Happy V-day on Monday. I'll be back after this weekend with a post about our trip to Vegas!

xoxo

Countdown to Vegas:

2011-02-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

5 days!

We will be spending Valentines together this weekend in Las Vegas. I can hardly wait. We have a weekend planned full of people watching, gambling, buffets, shopping, shows, hot tubbing, staying out late, sleeping in, drinking red bull, walking the strip and being together in the city that never sleeps. So excited!
L

2011-02-04T13:03:00.000-08:00

Stole this idea from cute Emily. ;-)

This is Who I Am. Apparently.

I am...a wifey.

I want...JR to be done with school.

I have...a fabulous husband-bear.

I wish...that I wanted to go to Grad school. But I don't.

I hate...hot dogs and farts.

I fear...child birth (I mean the physical part of child birth- not the kid itself)

I search...for dessert recipes.

I wonder...what my children will look like.

I regret...not going out with JR the first time he asked me. <3

I love...to read.

I ache...in my arms. and thighs. and abs. (thanks to lift class)

I always...watch Step Up 2 when its on TV.

I usually...am late to work.

I am not...a BYU fan.

I dance...at 80's night.

I sing...loudly to the music in my car.

I never...have been to Europe.

I sometimes...drink spoiled milk. :(

I cry...to get what I want. just kidding. but seriously....

I am not always...good at reading my scriptures.

I lose...my iphone.

I am confused...a lot. especially with math. and accounting. and statistics.

I need...to go to bed earlier.

I should...tell my family I love them more. I love you family.

Any questions? :)

2011-02-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

I love that. and I love the creme brulee style french toast that I had at La Caille for brunch this past weekend. Life is good. :)

p.s.-- crossing my fingers that Phil doesn't see his shadow tomorrow!

Goals and short holiday update

2011-01-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

So, in the last little bit, I have completed some of my goals!

I like my list of goals because instead of setting new year's resolutions that I do not keep, I have a continual list of goals that I can complete over time.

25. Do a self breast exam every month (Nov. Dec. Jan. 2011) and of course this is continual. Not just for me, but for all you ladies and your ta ta's.

29. Cook a steak on the grill (01/24/11)- So it wasn't steak, it was chicken. Same difference. It was on a grill and I didn't burn it. I am still going to try cooking a steak soon.

39. Attend the temple at least once a month for 3 months (Nov. 2010, Dec. 2010, Jan. 2010) We were able to go to the Orlando temple over the break. That was fun. We have set a goal to go to the temple at least once a month. We can do that!

66. Watch "The Notebook" with JR (01/22/11)- he laughed. he cried. he loved it. Just kidding. He said it was just "okay" but I still love it.

79. Read "The Hunger Games" series (Finished 12/29/10)-- now I'm excited for the movie. Due in 2013.

99. Try a new teaching method for Sunday School (12/19/10)-- in the form that I am done teaching Gospel Doctrine. Now I get to teach in Young Womens and I printed them out this cute little print that says "Why Not Now" reminding ourselves that it is never too early (for the YW) to start preparing to be a wife and mom.

100. Start a new Christmas tradition (12/25/10) Eggs bene for breakfast!

Here are a few pictures from the Holiday. The rest are still on the camera.

Our cute little family. Look carefully, Tank kinda blends in with JR.

On New Years Eve, we went to Downtown Disney in Orlando. This is on the shuttle on the way there.

We got some ice cream at the Ghiradelli shop. And by ice cream I mean $9 sundaes with like 3000 calories. They were delicious. JR really enjoyed his. I think I finished mine before anyone could take a picture.

We were able to do a session at the Orlando temple which was cool. As you can see it was blue skies and about 75 degrees that day.

I'll do more updates as I become un-lazy and get the pictures from the camera.

I won't title this post "Over The Hill"

2011-01-27T15:50:00.001-08:00

My lovely mother had a birthday this month. We suprised her with a party. We all met at the bowling alley before her and Rory showed up. She didn't expect it since her actual birthday had been a week before and we kind of "sluffed" it off as no big deal. Well, it was a big deal. I won't say how old she is. ;-)

Well, I don't know how to rotate this picture. But this is the cake we got her.

Hope you had a great birthday mom! Love you!
L

Seinfeld

2011-01-27T08:01:00.000-08:00

Classic.

So here's something funny

2011-01-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

Or I guess it should be embarassing for me? I don't know. So Friday night I ate at The Dodo with my friend Kristin. As we were walking out this random girl stops me and asks if she can take my picture. Ummmmm, sure? She explained that she just moved here and had just started a fashion blog for Salt Lake City and she thought I looked very cute that night and that I had good fashion. huh. I was wearing a black sweater dress, black leggings and black boots and had my Coach purse with me. (I usually wear all black, okay, it's slimming ;) Well, I was flattered because I've never really been told that I had good fashion, go me. I let her take some pictures of me and she gives me the link to her blog.

A few days later, I check the blog. This is what she posts.

Well, I guess it was just my purse that was fashionable. Not my outfit. Or my face. hahahaha. Funny or embarassing? I don't know. Regardless, the best part about the night was that I got to hang out with Kristin and eat at The Dodo. If you have not eaten at The Dodo, you need to. You might get picked up by some blogging fashionista.

L

Our Temple Day

2011-01-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

Finally posting the pictures from the day we were sealed in the temple.

November 13, 2010.

Just for fun. ;)

2011-01-12T15:16:00.000-08:00

Missing this...

Hate this...

Today is a post-worthy day...

2011-01-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

...only because it is 1-11-11.

Rather than blogging, I have found better things to do like work (I'm supposed to work at work, not blog, except for right now, cause I feel like it), sleep, eat, clean my house (I wouldn't rather be doing this one, but I live with two boys and a dog, it needs to be done), work out (needs to be done!) read my book (currently reading Eat Pray Love, just finished Hunger Games series, which when I decide to blog about it, I will) and take care of JR in the form of helping him find his voice, cause it is gone.

L

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I hope you will be spending it with your loved ones, like I am, and that we can all remember the true meaning of Christmas.

And Happy New Year!

I am looking forward to 2011!

And I just had to post this picture because it is my favorite and the story behind it is awesome. I'll post the rest of our pictures from our temple day sometime soon. But here is this one for now and a story:

So, we had been taking all the typical pictures in front of the temple, with our family, etc. And we were headed up to the pedestal to take those pictures. We are walking along and we look beyond the pedestal to see that the fountain (in the picture) is ON! THIS FOUNTAIN IS NEVER ON! (at least all the times when I am at Temple Square, but come on, we were excited). We just had to get a picture in front of it with the temple. So we start running. Well, what is so awesome about running you may ask? I was in 4 inch platform heels and a wedding dress in a full on sprint to this fountain. (I am wearing the heels in this picture) I hiked up the dress above my knees and booked it. Our photographer, Matt Christensen, had to run even further than us to get into position to take the picture. Anyways, the best part about it all was there was this random guy up there by the fountain and he had a video camera and was filming us run up there! We made it and as we are catching our breath, the guy says to me: "That was awesome!" referring to the running in heels part. It was awesome, and we got some really great pictures that day. Too bad we didn't get the tape from him, that would have been cool.

Well, I am going to be MIA enjoying my much needed vacation in Georgia with the fam, Tank and of course my fabulous husband.

See ya next year!

27 and counting!

2010-12-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my big sister, Heather! Today she is 27!

Heather is cool because:

She got married.

She lets me ride on her back when sledding.

She has two little stinkers.

She secretly loves Tank more than her cats.

She got voted "Best Hair" in high school. (she will kill me for posting this picture!!)

She likes going to San Fancisco with Dave.

And you can read her blog here.

Happy Birthday, Heather!

Studies show... the more birthdays you have, the longer you live!

Who knew??

life

2010-12-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoyed a little update in pictures. Life has been a whirlwind this last month or so. With the temple and Richard moving in with us and the holidays and working and school-- this time is just flying by.

For Thanksgiving, I had the day off but JR had to work up at the Grub. So Richard and I went up there to help. They just did turkey dinners to go and pies. Then we ate Thanksgiving at my grandparents house with my family. It was a good time. It was just nice to relax and eat food and be with family. We missed my brother who was still in Saudi Arabia (for work). We went up to visit more of JR's family that night then came home and cooked another Thanksgiving meal. JR really wanted a smoked turkey, so he got one. Cooked that and made homemade stuffing. I made the mistake of taking leftovers to work the next day....let's just say I do not need to eat turkey again until next year! I always really enjoy Thanksgiving. It's a good reminder for us to remember all we are thankful for. I am thankful for JR, Tank, my family, food and the church!

In other news, I got a new calling in church. I'll be released as a Sunday School teacher and will now be in the Young Women's as the Personal Progress advisor. I am super excited about this. I know I'm old and married, but Relief Society just isn't my thing. haha. I'm even more excited that I am released from teaching Sunday School. It's been a good experience for me, but it's just hard. I only would teach a little from the scriptures and I liked to have more discussion on the concept of the lesson. I find it to be less boring that way. I am teaching one last time this Sunday.

Lastly, I am so excited for Christmas. We will be celebrating early with my family on the 19th and with Sondra and Cynthia and more of the Snow's on the 23rd. Then we will be off to Georgia for the rest of the holidays. I am just so excited for vacation and to see more family! I only have to work about 60 hours this week then I am home free!! So excited! And I am so proud of JR. He is finishing up his classes and finals this week and he has been working so hard.

I hate writing a ton but it had been a while, so thanks for reading my blog! Here is a picture from the day we took out our endowments, and of the dress I bought just for that day. ;) because I can...

And that is not a baby bump...I'm just chubby.

Hope you all are enjoying your holidays.

L

2010-12-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

So, Richard came home from his mission. Old news, I know. I've only been slightly busy with...life. But here are the pictures. We told his friends to wait at our house to surprise Richard there instead of at the airport. So it was only me and JR waiting for him.

We got to the airport and there was this big family waiting for their missionary. I tried to blend in with them!

My homemade welcome home sign.

He had already been released in GA.

awww.

Brothers finally get to see each other after 2 1/2 years.

Some of the folks that were at our house waiting to surprise him.

And of course Tank was excited to have Uncle Richard home!

We are glad to have Rich home and living with us!

Temple Square

2010-12-12T18:53:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to see the lights at Temple Square. I hadn't been in a few years so it was really fun to go back. We also spent some time in the visitors center, too. In the south visitors center, there is this new display. It is a small replica of the Salt Lake Temple and it shows you all the rooms inside the temple and the layout of it. If you have not seen that yet, I would highly recommend it. JR took some great pictures from that night. Enjoy.

Goals 81 and 82...done!

Merry Christmas.

2010-12-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

I think this is the best picture they've taken with Santa...

no one is screaming or crying!

Typical face for Sarah.

Merry Christmas from my two favorite little buckaroos!

2010-12-08T08:25:00.000-08:00

love love love this album.

Only thing keeping me sane between too much work and missing my husband.

Bragging rights.

2010-12-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

Utes win.

Birthday Girl

2010-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

Today, this girl is 20!

Here are some reasons why Tiffany is awesome:

1. She is good at making faces.

2. She was my maid of honor.

3. She graduated high school.

4. She models when she is in Thailand.

5.She is best buddies with Tank.

6. She has a boyfriend named Elliott

7. She is so dang cute.

8. She is an Aggie. (although not a Ute, still better than a Cougar)

Happy Birthday, Tiffany!!!

Photo Candy

2010-11-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

More pictures from the temple...

It was chilly!

Professional pictures we took before....

Happy Day

2010-11-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

November 13, 2010.

Goal #2. Done and done.

Hands down, best day of my life.

2010-11-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is: Go Utes!

Blackout game tomorrow against TCU. Featuring ESPN's College GameDay. It's gonna be epic.

L

101

2010-11-03T22:37:00.000-07:00

My last post was my 100th post! I didn't even realize! So for my 101st post, the celebrating I want to do is being so thankful that I am not here again. Sick as a dawg.

Looking forward to next week!!!

L

2010-11-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

How do you get a BYU graduate off your doorstep???

2010-10-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Pay for the pizza you just ordered.

Happy Halloween.

2010-10-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know if any of you know this, but the Gadzooks store at Fashion Place mall is:

Well, they sell all Forever 21 clothing. I did not know this until yesterday. I love love love Forever 21 (don't judge me!) but I always hated driving to Gateway to have to shop there. The other day, I even told JR that they should put a Forever 21 at Fashion Place. Well, apparently they had. Like four years ago. If you knew about this and did not tell me, that was not nice of you.

Seriously, made my day.

L

2010-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

It snowed today. It's true. I saw the flurries right outside my window.

*sigh*

Couldn't you have at least waited til after Halloween??????

L

Rain or Shine

2010-10-24T22:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Utah CSU game. It was so nice to have the Utes back at home. JR set up a catering deal with Clear Channel entertainment. We got free season tickets for the deal and we get to hangout at the tailgate. Below is the picture of the set up. We can watch other games while tailgating and waiting for the Utah game to start. Pretty sweet.

We knew the weather was going to be sketchy that day so we tried to be prepared. Well, we brought our winter coats but neither of ours repel water too well, so we improvised:

hahahah! We are black oompa loompas. It helped us stay a little bit dry when it was pouring sheets and sheet of rain. But rain or shine, we support our Utes. Utah won 59 to 6!

That night we hung out with our friends Andy and Jessica. We stopped by Courtney's Halloween party and ate some super delicious soup! We then headed to a movie and saw this:

The Social Network. I really enjoyed this movie and thought it was really interesting. It was just the story of who founded and how Facebook began. JR especially loved this movie because JR LOVES facebook!

When we were walking out of the theater, JR threw something in the trash can and it made a loud thump. He then realized his empty cup was in his other hand and he had thrown away his phone! I was just dying laughing because the only thing JR loves more than Facebook is his phone! So, JR is pulling trash out of this trash can, I am falling on the floor laughing and crying from laughing so hard and people walking by were just super confused. Andy and Jessica came back in to figure out what was going on. At this point I can't even talk! Well, JR pulls out from the trash can some uneaten candy that he had thrown away and could not find his phone. Andy checked the theater and JR's phone had been left in there on the floor! Oh, so classic. I love him but it was just so funny seeing JR freak out about his phone because he loves it so much. Sometimes I have to compete with it. But I know how to win. ;) haha I hadn't laughed that hard for a long time! Thanks for that, JR!

The best part about this weekend, however, was today at church. JR, along with the Elders Quorum presidency, spoke in sacrament. I may be biased, but JR's talk was by far the best and most touching. I am always amazed at his spirituality and ability to touch others and relate to everyone. I had a lot of ward members telling me how much they enjoyed his talk. He spoke about the importance of visiting and home teaching and he shared a few personal stories about how home teaching has had a huge influence in his life. I thought his talk was phenomenal and he is such an incredible speaker. He is one of those people that can just go up there with a few notes and quotes but is able to really just speak from his heart. Well done, JR. I am so happy and lucky to have you in my life.

Looking forward to Halloween!

L

2010-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

This was waiting for me from JR Friday night when I got home from work:

haha, too bad I couldn't spend any of it!

On the brightside, goal number 37 was completed last night! I used my KitchenAid Mixer for the first time ever! It is this beauty:

What did I use it for you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Homemade cream cheese frosting to go on this:

This would be Brownie Pizza. The recipie from Paula Deen herself. That would be brownies, bananas, strawberries, snickers, caramel and chocolate! And for the cream cheese frosting, so delicious (and so easy to make, even for me!)!

- 2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (aka powdered sugar!)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in vanilla and then gradually stir in sugar.

Yes, I could have used my handy dandy hand mixer. But I figured this recipie was easy enough, even for me, to do without anything blowing up or burning (not that anything like that has ever happened before.....) And BTW- brownie pizza is to die for. Might be the best thing I've ever made. and JR agreed.

We also broke down and bought ourselves gym passes. Since our HOA refuses to put flat screen TVs in our 450sq ft excuse for a workout room (seriously), we decided to buy our own. Gym passes that is, not flat screens. Working out will allow us to keep eating what we like (i.e.: brownie pizza) and still be in shape. Isn't that how it works??? ;-) No, seriously. I've been happy with it so far.

Lastly, we unpacked Richard's things into his bedroom last night. He will be living with us in our guest bedroom after he returns home from his mission, which is NEXT THURSDAY! It's so crazy that he will be home. He is actually going home to GA first, so he will be in Utah shortly after. I remember when he left and so much has happened since then. My little neice, Sarah,was born on the same day Rich left on his mission so I always remember the day exactly. JR is really really excited to have his brother home and living with us. I am excited to, although I am just now realizing that I am going to be outnumbered in my own house! Well, I guess I was outnumbered before (JR and Tank and now Richard). But I'll still be in charge.

:)

L

2010-10-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

So on Saturday, I linked up my wooden pumpkin craft to one of my favorite craft blogs, Be Different, Act Normal, right? And I was looking at it today and my project was featured on a post! For a Monday morning, that was really exciting! Click here and scroll down a little bit and you will see my pumpkins that I made! Which is funny, because I got the idea from Be Different, Act Normal that provided the link to another blog which posted the original project. It's like the circle of life.

Happy Monday.
<3
L

2010-10-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

We are now less than a month away from going downtown!

THAT'S what I want.

Also, Richard comes home in 2 weeks. Get ready girls!

(Don't worry Debbie, I'll weed out the bad ones:)

And I did #48 today. Go me.

When my cooking skills fail....

2010-10-12T22:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall.

2010-10-06T08:30:00.001-07:00

Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate!

Nice View

2010-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

So, recently at work I just finished training. Same place of work, just transferred to a different department essentially. As such, I got a new desk! And this is the view from my desk:
Now, it's no corner office, but I'll take it! I've got myself a little bit of seniority around here finally and what has it got me? Well, a desk with a view. I almost didn't get it (at one point there was only one window seat available and there was one person ahead of me on the totem pole) But another one opened up and I made sure it was mine! This means sunlight during the day which means a happy {happier} me! I do quite often get ADD though and stare out the window for long periods of time...it helps me get through these wretched 10 hour days! :)
Here's to wishing I could be outside all day instead of working!
<3
L

Tank Love

2010-10-03T16:13:00.001-07:00

Baby Shower!

2010-10-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we had a baby shower for Bo and Baby Sawyer! It was super fun! Mindy made this awesome diaper cake!

She also made these shark cupcakes. (Bo's baby room is vintage surf/beach themed) That is also my cupcake stand that I made! We had brunch with all the lady friends from the ward! It was a great turn out.

Yes! Utes baby!

Stephanie, Jessica, Courtney, Cassidy, Suzy and Mindy. Courtney and Mindy are showing off their tiny hands!

Me and Bo!

Bo with her cute mom and sister, Bristol

Congratulations, Josh and Bo for your new baby boy! We are so happy for you! Good thing our walls are sound proof! ;)

<3
L

2010-10-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Made JR breakfast today. Pop-up pancakes and bacon. He only pretended to like it. Oh well. Number 58 done. We also watched conference together today. What a good day.

Friday night I cleaned and organized our closets. (Number 83 done!) I cleaned out the closet in preparation for Richard coming home this month and living with us. So, I basically had to make room in our closet for all that junk. Therefore, I got rid of all of my clothes that I won't be able to wear with the G's. I almost shed a tear. That was a lot of clothes. But it made a lot more room in our closet! JR was happy about that.

2010-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

yup.

2010-09-26T22:06:00.000-07:00

To see more pictures from when we first got together, click here, here and here. :)

The Day We Met.

2010-09-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

JR and I met three years ago, on September 26, 2007. (This will actually be news to him! ;) It was love at first sight, for JR. Keep reading. We were the hallway at the Institute at the University of Utah. I was talking to someone we both knew... and JR walks up saying "Who is this girl??" and proceeds hitting on me. So I was finding guys to set up with girls from Delta for our Barn Dance. JR said he would go with me, but I had a boyfriend. So I set him up with a friend. I told JR that I was pretty serious about this boyfriend of mine. JR told me it wouldn't work out. Pssssh.

Well, the weeks went on and JR and I became friends. He would call me and tell me all sorts of funny stories about his "life" and his family. Well probably about a month or so after we met, my boyfriend and I broke up. He was right. JR-1, Laura-0. Unfortunately, during that time, JR gained a girlfriend. We shall call her Nash-tastic. However, every time I saw JR, he was without his girlfriend. My favorite night was when we were hanging out with different groups of friends and we got everyone to meet up at Dee's. We ordered hot chocolate, compared our matching phones, and JR had to convince me that Richard was, in fact, his brother. It was a good night.

The months pass, JR stayed with Nash-tastic while I, uh, made my way around ;). So one night, JR called me as I was heading into work at Ruby. This was on February 22, 2008. I texted him saying I'd call him after. Mind you, at this point I was kind of dating this other guy, we will call him J. Well, J told me he wanted me to be his girlfriend. I told him I didn't want anything serious. I was supposed to hang out with J that night. I called JR after work. He told me he just broke up with his girlfriend and wanted to hang out. We both knew this was going to be a rebound, but I was cool with that. I went over to his house around 11 pm. A lot of JR's friends were there as were his parents. J called a few times and I ignored the call.

We were hanging out in the basement and I met some of JR's friends, of whom quite a few went to Highland High, like I did. They asked why we didn't know each other and I said probably because I had a boyfriend my junior year and didn't really make a lot of friends. Upon learning who that boyfriend was, the "square of love" was built. Here it is: So this boyfriend, C, broke up with me and started dating Nash-tastic. They eventually broke up and her and JR started dating. Nash-tastic cheated on JR, with C. JR calls me the night of the breakup with N-tastic to hang out. Small, twisted world. JR and I both won.

The whole rebound thing happened ;-) and JR and I hung out every night after that. We said I love you within days. On March 8, 2008, just a little over two weeks later we were engaged. Yup. Best decision I {we} ever made.

This picture is from the night we got engaged. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing.

We were married just over a year later on May 16, 2009. I am so so happy JR started hitting on me and that we met that night. I am so lucky to be married to my best friend. It's is so fun and great and wonderful and awesome. The best is yet to come.

2010-09-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

Ahhh. I feel better now. TGIF.

Draper Temple

2010-09-16T14:35:00.001-07:00

Last night, Stacy, JR and I went to do baptisms at the Draper Temple. I had never been inside this temple before and it is so beautiful! It was so nice to be there and feel the calm spirit...and take a break from our busy lives!

This is a phone pic...so its kinda blurry! :)

Dine O Round SLC

2010-09-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yes! Dine O Round is back this fall! I am so excited about this. Basically you can go to a bunch of different restuarants and get a three-course dinner for either $15 or $30 dollars a person (its usually half of the normal price per person). In the spring, we went to The Melting Pot during Dine O Round and it was such a great deal. And the Melting Pot is SOOO good! I'm hoping we can go there again and maybe some others... like Ruths Chris, Red Rock and maybe even Market Street. It's only a few weeks long, Sept. 17 to Oct. 2, so I've got to plan accordingly!

For a list of all the restaurants participating, click here. :)

<3

L

2010-09-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sweet, #89 is done. Well, almost done. It needs one more coat of paint, then it will be done and I'll post a pic.
Go me.
<3
L

A weekend without labor

2010-09-09T19:52:00.000-07:00

This year, Labor Day weekend was a blast! Friday night I headed up with Lindsey and Brandon to Heber City. We met up with JR, Amy and Scott at Swiss Days in Midway. We ate at this yummy BBQ joint. We topped off the night with an intense game of CatchPhrase. Staying at the cabin was kind of an adventure. Sunday night was the best because all the power went out and it was about 8pm and we were all starving! With no power and no working flashlights, we all hopped into the Volvo and headed into town. Luckily, we found this awesome mexican resturaunt called Don Pedro's that was still open! With almost all of us in our sweats or pajamas, we enjoyed some delicious food, although the servers there didn't seem to like us too much...

Saturday, Sunday and Monday consited of boating: tubing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding and wiping out on all three! Enjoy the pictures!

My studly husband

Lindsey and Brandon, happy before all the boating chaos started.

Linds and I ready for an adventure on the tube.

HEY!!

Lindsey was hungry.

Brandon did some EXTREME tubing!

Lindsey on the wakeboard

and JR

Heidi and I on the tube before Heidi fell off!

Check out my face! I was not a fan of the wave runner! That day it was so windy and the water was freezing!

Adam and Steph also doing some extreme tubing!

They survived.

Monday morning when it was 44 degrees!

The water was perfect for kneeboarding! So fun!

Linds on the waverunner and below is JR about to WIPE OUT while doing a 360 on the kneeboard. Below this pic is while is was backwards.

Brandon catching some air on the wakeboard.

AND Bradon wiping out! It was awesome!

The whole gang on Monday morning...sunburnt and sore. It was all worth it!

See ALL of the fun pictures here and here.

<3

L

UTAH Game Day!

2010-09-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

The first University of Utah game was last Thursday and it was awesome! They played Pitt and the game was SO good! It was a great day to be a Ute. Well, everyday is a great day to be a Ute.

At the pre-game tailgate with Cowboy Grub catering and free red bull!

JR's excited face...and Buster.

Our favorite Amy!

UTAH won 27 to 24! Great way to start off the season! Go Utes!

2010-09-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Just a little preview of how awesome our Labor Day weekend was...
More posts and pictures to come when my forehead and nose aren't so flaky and I can move my lips again...
<3
L

Make Love, Not War

2010-09-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

Great news for our country was announced yesterday: Operation Iraqi Freedom has ended! See the full story here.

This is wonderful news. Let us never forget the sacrafices made by service members and thier families during this time. And let us always remember the service to our country made by all our nation's veterans.

"At every turn, America's men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. As Commander-in-Chief, I am incredibly proud of thier service. And like all Americans, I'm awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifice of thier families." - President Barack Obama

Go to www.whitehouse.gov for more information. Hopefully our troops will come home sooner rather than later.

<3
L

Good To Know

2010-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Want to learn one new thing everyday? Well, here's 50.
50 Things Everyone Must Know. Click here.
Funny.
<3
L

I hope you like reading my blog...

2010-08-28T13:59:00.001-07:00

...cause I just posted a ton! And a few more to come.

You know you love it.

<3
L