Into the Great Wide Open

2011 - A Year in Review

2012-01-04T00:23:00.001-06:00

Grant and I had another great year! I won't go through every single month. Just the highlights! :)

February

Crazy snow storms in Tulsa

and an awesome new job as a travel agent for Maren!

March

I got to go visit my sisters in Chicago! Mom and Emily met me there and we had a mini girls reunion. This is a picture of us downtown after the St. Patrick's Day parade. They turn the Chicago river green! Grant had surgery on his ACL and I was called as the Riverside Ward Primary President. Scary!

April

Even though Grant was laid up we still managed to make it to Troy and Brooke's wedding in the DC area. We were only there for a couple of days, but we went to Gettysburg, some of the Smithsonian museums and I even got to see my old roommate and long lost friend Lauren Cozzens while we toured the national mall. The wedding was super fun and so classy!

June and July

Went to Utah and Idaho to visit family. It was maybe the prettiest I've ever seen Utah. We had a great time! We went boating, hiking and made it to Justin and Sunny's wedding up in Nampa, ID. We even got to see the famous Melba 4th of July fireworks! Totally worth the trip alone! ;)

August

Grant took me on a surprise trip to Branson for my birthday! Although Branson itself is pretty cheesy, we had a great time! We went paddle boarding at Table Lake, we saw an awesome Chinese Acrobatic show, ate at some really fun places, and (my favorite) went antiquing!

September

By far my favorite month of this year! We started by going to Austin to visit my dear friend Lindsey (who was just about to have her baby) and her husband Blakely. Oh, and BYU just happened to be playing Texas that weekend too. :)

On the way home from Austin Grant and Mark surprised me and Sam by pulling into the Dallas/ Fort Worth airport where they announced that we were flying to Costa Rica!! The second surprise of the night was when Dallas and Audrey met us at the airport! Costa Rica was incredible. It was lush and green and full of great hikes and incredible waterfalls. We ate the most delicious local food at roadside shacks. Then we topped the trip off by going bungee jumping!

September (continued)

I told you it was a great month! The week after we got home from Costa Rica I flew to Cancun to spend five days at a luxury resort (El Dorado Royale) in the Riviera Maya for work. Although I had to do some site inspections and training meetings, I had all morning and early afternoon to myself to do yoga on the beach, try out all the fancy restaurants and yes, get a tan!

October

Over conference weekend Grant and I and Mark and Samantha set a new tradition! We decided that every October conference weekend we are going to go camping! We camped at Greenleaf State Park where we went fishing and then we cooked Samantha's delicious campfire dinners. And we roasted s'mores of course!

November

In November our little gang met our friends Dustin and Emily in Las Vegas. Troy and Brooke live in Vegas too, so we got to hang out with them, too! We went to see the Elvis Circque du Soleil and also Ka Cirque du Soleil. We ate at an amazing Spanish restaurant at the Aria, and even went dancing! :)

Grant's parents were called to serve in the Greece, Athens mission, and left later that month for Cyprus. We are so proud of them! November is the month that we found out that we were having a baby. What an exciting time! We can't wait to meet you, little one. xox

December

Christmas at the Cranes! Pictures still to come.

Grant and I have been so blessed this year. We are grateful for our health and for our wonderful marriage! Next year will be full of a very different set of adventures. We can't wait! Bring on 2012!

A Long Hiatus..

2011-11-13T22:12:00.002-06:00

Grant and I are absolutely thrilled to announce that we are having a baby!! I am about 9 weeks along and the baby is due June 17th. We feel very blessed.

Lessons from my Father

2011-06-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

This post is several days late, but I have been dealing with a nasty bout of strep throat and needless to say I have been out of commission.

The first lesson my dad ever taught me was, "Just because somebody hands you something doesn't mean you have to take it."

What a nugget of wisdom! It can mean so many different things and it truly has guided me through some tough times. Say you're a impressionable ninth grader and someone hands you a beer. What do you do?? My dad's first lesson echoes through my head and I don't take it! Yes! Bullet dodged. Although I'm sure that this was probably developed so that he wouldn't take my mom's purse when she hands it to him. :)

Love you, dad! You're so wise!

Happy Father's Day, dad. You are wonderful and this is just the beginning of the things that you taught me.

Well Hello Again!

2011-06-11T16:27:00.000-05:00

Good News and Bad News

2011-02-10T21:59:00.000-06:00

I believe in always giving the bad news first.

Bad News: our trip to Egypt was cancelled.

Good News: we're not trapped in Cairo right now.

Well, as a friend reminded me, "The pyramids aren't going anywhere."
I sure hope not.

In other news. I got a new job!!! yes! and it is a great one!
On Monday I started at the Travel Group in Tulsa as a travel agent.

I love my life :)

Walk Like..

2011-01-10T08:27:00.000-06:00

an Egyptian.

Excited to announce that we are headed to Egypt in February!

(all images from here)

A Look Back.

2011-01-01T09:34:00.012-06:00

It has sadly taken me so long to finish this post! I figured it was better late than never, though. What can I say?? 2010 was a great year!

By January of 2010 Grant and I were already officially Okies! We decided to stay with Grant's parents during January in Piedmont, Oklahoma while we looked for an apartment in Tulsa. They were so wonderful to let us live with them. We had a great time!

February brought our much anticipated trip to Brazil. We were there for almost three weeks. We spent time in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Manaus, Porto de Galinhas, and Iguassu Falls. Needless to say it was incredible.

By March we had moved into our cute apartment by the river in Tulsa and got callings in our ward (Me: First counselor in the Primary presidency, and Grant: Financial Clerk) I also got a job working at the front desk at the Holiday Inn.

April brought my first half marathon with Carin! So fun, and so hard!

In May I went to Orlando where I met my two oldest and dearest friends Christyn and Lindsey. Christyn spent six months working as Aurora at Disneyworld! Talk about a dream job!

In June we went to Utah and Idaho because Grant's cute sister, Michelle, got married in the Boise temple! Yay!

The summer was a busy busy time for Midwest Pest Control, so we were in Tulsa most of the time, but we took a weekend and went down to Hackett, Arkansas where Grant and Mark grew up. We even went cliff jumping at Jack Creek. That place is redneck central, and hilarious! We of course had to eat at the Catfish Barn as well.

During the summer Samantha came out from Utah to visit Mark and while she was here we went to Tahlequah and floated the Illinois river. It was sweet! Such a fun day! Sadly, this is the last photo of Grant's wedding ring (he lost it in the river) and my glasses (they got badly broken)!

In August we went to Utah for a Crane family reunion. The three families all rented condos for the week up at Moose Hollow in Eden. We also spent time at the cabin in Payson while we were in Utah. It is one of my favorite places in the world.

While we were in Utah my dear friend Amy Jo took some photos of us for her website. It ended up being quite an adventure!

We also explored Eureka Springs, Arkansas in August for our second anniversary.

October was by far our busiest month of the year! We started it off by going to Utah for Mark and Sam's wedding! They got married in the Draper temple and then had a beautiful reception up Hobble Creek Canyon in Springville where Samantha is from. We are so excited that Mark married such an awesome girl! Those two now live in the same apartment complex as us in Tulsa.

I took advantage of our time in Utah by hiking Ben Lomond Peak with one of my best friends, Tessa. It was an adventure for sure! We even had a close encounter with a bunch of mountain goats! I love hiking with Tessa.

The weekend after Sam and Mark got married we all (Grant, Me, Sam and Mark) all flew to San Francisco to our best buddy Dustin's wedding. We had two days in San Fran and we definitely made the most of our time!

At the end of October Grant and I went on a cruise with my mom, dad and Emily. It left out of Puerto Rico and we went to the Southern Caribbean and West Indies. The stops were: The British Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Barbados, Grenada, Aruba and Curacao.

The night before we went on the cruise we also squeezed in a Vampire Weekend show at the Brady with Grant's brother Bryan and his daughter Shantelle. It was seriously one of the best concerts I've ever been to. A non-stop dance party!

November brought Thanksgiving in Oklahoma City and in December we drove to Utah for Christmas with my family.

In summary, we're healthy, we're happy and we can't wait to see what 2011 brings!

Eureka Springs

2010-08-29T21:18:00.009-05:00

This is our little cabin in the woods. We stayed at this place called Red Bud Valley. It was honestly the creepiest place I've ever been. It was down in this secluded valley and I think we were seriously the only people there! We were pretty sure the guy that gave us our key was going to murder us in our sleep. Fun times though!

Christ of the Ozarks

This is the Crescent Hotel where the first night we were in town we went on a ghost tour. It was a lot creepier at night. I promise! This place was built in the 1860s and it has been featured on 3 different ghost hunter tv shows. so scary!

Grant looking down into one of the springs that the town is famous for.

The architecture of Eureka Springs was one of the best parts! Everything was either ornate victorian style, or built out of limestone.

Hopefully this video works because everyone should hear these guys. They are called Mountain Sprout and they play classic hillbilly music with a bass, a banjo, and a crazy violinist.
They played in the middle of downtown for 2 hours. It was so great.

There was a VW convention in town while we were there and they had a parade right through downtown. I was in heaven! I couldn't believe how far some people had travelled to be there. There were over 300 VW vans, busses, and bugs all around town.

We spent Saturday afternoon at Beaver Lake. We lounged on the rocks and had diving competitions (Grant always wins). The weather was perfect and the limestone cliffs and rolling Ozark mountains make the whole area so scenic.

We had a wonderful time celebrating our 2 year anniversary in Eureka Springs!!

second utah trip of the summer

2010-08-29T19:33:00.009-05:00

The first day we were in town I was lucky enough to meet up with some friends for a quick lunch. It was so good to see them! It seems like this summer we are all going our separate ways, so it was nice to catch up before we spread out all over the place.

The original reason for the trip out to Utah was go to a family reunion with the whole Crane side. It has been years since we've all been together! We rented a few condos up at Moose Hollow in Eden. We decided to eat out and ended up at this little Mexican place called Carlos and Harley's. There were so many of us we pretty much took over the place!

One of the kids tables.

Reed and Grant are such buddies now! I have missed this little guy so much!

Little Axel is growing up!

Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Brent

Aunt Betsy and Dad (who is sporting his Camp Cherry Valley shirt woot woot!)

The "fun" table. It was obvv the one that I was at :)

The kids were so excited for the cake!

Mine and Gardner's birthday cake!

Grant was so sweet. He stayed home with the kids so that we could all go on a hike together. He's so great. The hike was amazing! I have so missed the mountains.

Wheeler Creek

The is one of my favorite pictures. I love these two sweet boys!

sand castles at Pineview

The train at This is the Place state park. Asher looks like he's a had a long day. Poor little guy!

Reed having a wonderful time at the park in Huntsville.

The kids taking pony rides at This is the Place state park.

We had a wonderful trip to Utah! It was so great to spend time with our family. We also would like to thank Sam and Mark for our next trip to Utah. They're getting married October 9th in the Draper temple. We can't wait!!

Tulsa Mud Run!!

2010-08-26T21:58:00.004-05:00

BEFORE

AFTER

Saturday afternoon Grant and I and our new friends Stephanie and Jason ran in the Tulsa Mud Run. It was a two mile run through a muddy obstacle course. It ended with a giant slip n slide into a mud pit. The Tulsa fire squad was there to hose everyone off after the run. It was so fun!

After the run we went home and changed and then ate at my new favorite restaurant JoMamma's! Delicious! Best pizza ever!

the best decision i'll ever make

2010-08-22T12:57:00.004-05:00

When I was about 14 years old I made a checklist for the man I wanted to one day marry.

Tall...CHECK!
Handsome...CHECK!
Funny...CHECK!
Served a faithful mission...CHECK!
Athletic...CHECK!
My dad loves him...CHECK!
I love him...DOUBLE CHECK!
Can take me to the temple...CHECK!

Grant, thanks for fulfilling my inner 14 year old's dreams!

What I didn't know was that Grant was going to totally exceed every expectation I ever had about marriage. I have more fun with Grant than I do with anyone. I laugh so much harder with him. Grant, you're helping me to become the woman I always wanted to be. Moving to Tulsa was a very small price to pay to be with you.

I love you.

Scratch Map

2010-08-17T11:50:00.003-05:00

How cool are these?? I just saw these on A Cup of Jo and realized that I probably wasn't going to be able to live without them. You scratch off the country with a penny once you've been there. How original! I love it!

Grant, our anniversary is coming up.. ahem.. this might make a nice gift ;) I'm kidding! Kind of...

Little Buddies

2010-08-15T19:23:00.003-05:00

Photo Adventure in Eden

2010-08-15T17:30:00.004-05:00

While Grant and I were in Utah for our Crane family reunion we met up with my dear dear dear friend Amy Jo (kindred spirit!) one evening. She drove all the way up from Provo and it was so good to see her again! She took some family pictures and then she did an anniversary shoot with Grant and I. Amy Jo did all of our wedding photography. Can you believe Grant and I have been married almost two years??

We were up in Eden, Ut and the night could not have been more perfect. It was just like old times! Amy jo, thank you. We had such a good time with you!

amen.

2010-07-19T21:54:00.003-05:00

Utah Trip

2010-07-13T10:56:00.004-05:00

This picture is so classic Crane. Crista and Grant are the only ones who look normal. It turns out Cranes aren't SUPER photogenic. I do love Outback though!

Mountain man Grant chopping some wood up at the cabin!

An ad for Subaru.

The cabin in all her glory!

..and of course, the outhouse or "privy" as dad would say.

Another Subaru ad.

I've been to the Mt. Nebo overlook countless times with my dad. Everytime we go up there he brings his binoculars so we can spot mountain goats, but without fail we NEVER do. It's always a good time though.

If you look really close you can see the cabin nestled up there in the trees.

I already miss the sunsets from our deck in Ogden. Best sunsets in the world.

Orlando with the best friends

2010-07-11T21:50:00.006-05:00

Well this post could not be more past due.

Recently, (I say recently, but I really mean back in MAY) Lindsey and I went to see our best friend Christyn in Orlando where she works at Disney World as Aurora! It was wonderful to be together with those two again! We spent our time at the beach, at all the different parks and eating all the delcious food that Christyn made for us, but by far the best part of the trip was just catching up. We talked and talked and talked and talked and it never got old. I guess that's how it is with best friends :)

House of Cards

2010-04-29T16:08:00.001-05:00

Today is the perfect day for this song.

Mt. Kilimanjaro

2010-04-19T00:40:00.004-05:00

{all photos via flickr}

Well, since Grant and I don't have any big vacations or travel plans in the near future (besides Utah in June woooo!) for now I have to settle with just planning our dream trips.

While I was studying at BYU I had several classes from Dr. Durrant. Although his tests are killer, he is so awesome and is passionate about what he teaches. Two of the classes I took from him were Global Adventure Travel, and Studies of Sub-Saharan Africa. They were two of the best classes I had at BYU. Dr. Durrant was a great teacher because he has spent an extensive amount of time living in Africa and studying the people of both Tanzania and Chad. He was the one who first sparked my interest in climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak you can climb that doesn't require any technical climbing experience, which is good because I don't have any! :) Dr. Durrant once told me that you'll never forget the first time you see Kilimanjaro. At 19,341 ft. it is one of the tallest free-standing mountains in the world. It takes between 5 and 8 days to reach the Uhuru summit depending on how much time you want to take to acclimatize.

It's a unique climb because although you at the base of the mountain where you begin your trek it is a jungle, the top of the mountain is covered in glaciers and snow. You experience such a variety of climates!

So, who wants to come???

Menorca

2010-04-14T18:32:00.003-05:00

While Grant and I were dating we always used to talk about all the places we travel to together. While we already realized our Brazilian dream, we still have some other places we want to see (like the whole world!!!). Grant's brother Mark served his mission in Spain and for part of the time he served on the small island of Menorca. We all decided that once Mark got married the four of us (Me, Grant, Mark and his lucky lady) would all go on a trip there.
Well, Mark, I'm still waiting!! I'm kidding. But I do hope that the day is coming soon! Until then I'll just have to keep looking up pictures of Menorca and daydreaming of the day when I can roam these quaint street and swim in the perfectly clear water.. sigh.

I did it!

2010-04-13T13:29:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday I did something I've been wanting to do for a long time: I ran a half marathon! My dear sister-in-law Carin ran it with me up in Olathe, KS.
My goal was to run it in under two hours, and I made it! My time was 1 hour and 58 minutes (including TWO bathroom stops! whoops!)
We had such a great time running and Grant and Barry brought the kids to see us at mile 9 and then again at the finish line. I felt so good when we finished!! As we ran through the finish line the announcer said, "and here come Carin and Maren! Hey, you guys must be friends" and then we hugged. It was sweet.

Anyway, it was great experience, and I'm definitely open to the idea of one day running a full one!
Carin and I have such a good time together. I just wished they lived closer!!

Iguassu Falls

2010-02-08T20:52:00.008-06:00

Recife and Porto de Galinhas

2010-02-08T18:52:00.007-06:00

Manaus and the Amazon

2010-02-08T18:27:00.006-06:00

Rio

2010-02-08T17:45:00.010-06:00

Sao Paulo

2010-02-08T17:28:00.004-06:00

I would like to thank...

2010-01-18T12:54:00.003-06:00

Oklahoma for the 58 degree weather, Vampire Weekend, Bishop Allen, Empire of the Sun, La Roux and of course my girl Brit for the musical boost while I took advantage of this amazing day and went running outside. I would also like to thank my body for being able to dance and run at the same time. It's a life skill, many hours of practice were involved. :)

Ah! Life is good!

We also got the news that our visas are done and waiting for us in Dallas. hip hip hoooray! We'll be in Sao Paulo by Friday!!

{click the links above to listen to the actual song that was on my playlist}

have you guys seen this?

2010-01-13T16:35:00.001-06:00

This is a wonderful idea! I wish every big company would give back to the world like this. This might be enough to switch me from Coke to Pepsi. Might.

words to live by

2010-01-12T15:50:00.003-06:00

When I'm having a tough time abiding by my new year's resolutions I hop on over to this blog. The daily inspiration gives me the strength to keep to my goals, one day at a time.

Today, Have Your Cake featured the Lulemon manifesto. I loved it so much I thought it deserved a second posting!

my awesome husband is 25!!!

2010-01-06T20:21:00.004-06:00

Today is my dear Grant's twenty-fifth birthday! I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "How did Grant get to be such an old man???" You know what? I agree. How did he get so old? I'm kidding Grant.

I was going to put my list of 25 things that I love about Grant on here, but I decided it was just for him.
Happy birthday sweetheart, you are the best! I'm so happy you're mine!

btw, the above picture is from our recent trip to australia.

The New Year

2010-01-05T17:24:00.004-06:00

Yes my friends I realize that we are already five days into this glorious year, but I can just tell that it's going to be a good one.

This year is going to be full of big changes for Grant and I. We have already moved to Oklahoma, I'm deciding what to do with the rest of my life, we're no longer irresponsible college students: we are officially growing up!

I decided to make the most of this new start and make some serious new years resolutions. I'm going to be better person this year. Just watch me.

A friend of mine split her goals into four categories, and it was inspiring. Mine are below.

body:
half marathon April 10
incorporate yoga into more of my workouts
no sweets

mind:
read more worthwhile books (I'm always open to suggestions)

spirit:
more prayer in my life. there is always room.
scripture study or religious book daily

life:
no raising my voice in anger
don't limit myself because of fear-do things that make me scared.
learn to be a better cook

My dear friend Kristen Moore gave me the sweetest Christmas gift this year. Part of it was a journal with this quote written in it:

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
-St. Augustine

Thank you Kristen, those are certainly good words to live by! Grant and I are starting the year off right with a trip to Brazil!!! We leave January 21 and we couldn't be more excited!! I anyone has any suggestions on things we just cannot miss please let me know.

Here's to a new year!

xox

getting pumped for tulsa.

2009-12-13T23:19:00.002-06:00

Cougar For Life

2009-12-09T18:23:00.013-06:00

With only a couple days left in Provo I took a little time today to think about all the amazing times that I have had here.
I know that not everyone agrees, but I love BYU. It has been perfect for me. Here are some reasons why I'm going to miss living here:

1. BYU is the best! hahaha, well for me anyway. BYU is also hard. I learned that my first day as a freshman here at BYU, but it's a good school and I learned how to work hard here. I had to! Although it has been a tough four years, I know that I came to the right school. I have grown so much during my years as a student here.

2. Provo rocks! It is so beautiful here. We live right beneath the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. Right now they are covered in snow, and they couldn't look better. Also, Provo is cool. I know this may come as a shock to all those Provo haters, but there are a lot of cool people down here, and plenty of awesome stuff to do.

3. I met my dear Grant here. Provo will always have special memories for me because this is where Grant and I met and fell in love. Everywhere I look there are memories of the wonderful times we've had together.

4. I've met some of my best friends here. My former roommates are still some of my best friends, and I have had some of the best times of my life down in Provo.

I don't think this post even comes close to representing the love that I have for this university and for provo. BYU is a wonderful place and I've been so lucky to go to school here. I hope my kids all love BYU as much as I do because I want excuses to come visit when I get older!

A Little Home Inspiration

2009-12-07T01:38:00.006-06:00

Well folks, as my time in Provotown winds down I'm getting a little nervous. In about two weeks Grant and I will be residents of Oklahoma! Crazy, crazy, crazy.

The great news is that Grant and I will finally be able to settle down in one place for a while. I will be able to finally decorate our home! The bad news is I have absolutely no idea how to decorate anything. Guess I have some researching to do!

I love these slate colored walls

I want a chalkboard!

I know this outdoor patio is a little intense, but I love it and want one in my future home.

I think the light fixture really makes this room.

I love this inspiring work space!

This bed is looks like the most comfortable thing in the world. I am still in love with the slate colored walls. They look so soothing without being simply white.

{All photos via you are my fave}
hammock, exposed brick wall. both are great.

Beehive Bazaar

2009-12-05T15:12:00.004-06:00

If you live in Provo/Orem and have a chance, go to the Beehive Bazaar today!

I went today by myself and had a really great time. I even bought a couple of things. I can't reveal what I got because some of them are presents. There was such a wide variety of things available. The bazaar featured artists who sold jewelry, clothes, photography, and even food! My very favorite were these tiny leather moccasins for babies! Don't tell Grant, but it made me want to have a little baby to put in the moccasins :)
I'm dying because now I can't remember who makes them!

eating out and wheatgrass shots...

2009-12-05T01:54:00.004-06:00

{image via communal blog}

So, last week Grant and I were driving around Provo trying to find a place for lunch. Here is the dilemma we always have: we both want to eat something fairly inexpensive, but I definitely don't have the same love for fast food that Grant has. Although, I did recently discover the 89 cent chicken burrito at Taco Bell, which is delicious and the perfect amount of food. So, we try to compromise and we usually end up at places like Pita Pit and Panda Express, but I really feel like if we're going to eat out we should go all out. There are a bunch of restaurants in the area that we haven't tried yet that I want to go to before we leave for Tulsa (which is right after finals! ahhh!).
Some of the places we still need to try are:

Pizzeria 712
Spark
Communal
Shirley's Bakery
Four Seasons Hot Pots

Anyway, we were on our way to Target in Orem and we passed Cafe Fresh. I harassed Grant until he turned around and TA-DAH! We had found our lunch destination. It was great. The food really is fresh and they offer so many healthy choices! It was so refreshing to finish lunch and not feel sick to my stomach, or feel so guilty about what I ate that I felt like I had committed a serious moral transgression! Poor Grant accidentally ordered a vegetarian meal, and it almost ruined his day. Grant must really love me to humor me so much (not too mention that he saw New Moon with me last night!)

Anyway, we're at Cafe Fresh and see this very cute and stylish girl drinking a wheat grass shot. Even from where we were sitting I could smell it. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was super strong. It reminded me of grass clippings. So I was wondering, what's the deal with wheat grass shots?? Are they really as good for you as everyone thinks? So, I decided to do a little bit more research about these powerful greens. The best are articles are here, here and here.

Does anybody swear by wheat grass shots? Or has anybody have any more restaurants that Grant and I should add to our list?

Grant? Can you make this happen for me??

2009-11-23T01:35:00.007-06:00

For Christmas can I just have this room? please? It's so rustic and lived-in. I love that. I don't like houses that feel stiff, like I need to take off my shoes to walk in and walk on those stupid plastic carpet covers. Does anybody even like those?? And those galoshes! so great. I guarantee the people who live here are awesome. I bet they live by the sea, and sail and do all kinds of great stuff. Is it possible to tell that about someone just from a simple room? As geographer I have a definite inclination towards maps. The one in this room is great, and that giant globe is a dream.

(photo via: a cup of jo)

So, maybe if I can't have this whole room I can at least have this great wall mural from UO and I'll just put it up in a room in our future apartment in tulsa, oklahoma and pretend that we are sailors and that we need giant galoshes to get around in our little town perched beside the sea. hmmm... sounds nice.

But seriously, aren't giant maps GREAT? I love them. and I love you all. it is far too late for nonsense like this.

I have to admit, I'm not immune

2009-11-22T23:04:00.003-06:00

I almost wish I could say,"nope, I haven't read them", or "sorry, never tempted to see the movies." But I can't. I read all four book in the Twilight series and last year I made Grant stand in line with me to watch Twilight on opening night.

I haven't seen New Moon yet because I didn't love Twilight: the movie. The soundtracks are great, but the acting was just not for me in the last one. I'll probably see New Moon over Thanksgiving with my cute sister Amanda and my mom. Should I? Is it any better than the first one? Who has seen it?

I really wished this post was going to go a lot differently...

2009-11-19T01:48:00.008-06:00

Well folks, last night didn't quite go the way that I would have liked..
Fuego lost.

I could talk all about the game and how sad it was and how I may have cried at the end, but I won't. I really just want to say how wonderful it was to be on this team with so many great girls. Maybe it's that I'm married now and don't hangout with girls as often as before, but I have loved loved loved seeing these girls so frequently. Some of us have been together for three years now! They all saw me meet, date and get engaged to Grant, and now I have had the privilege to see many of them go through the same things. When I cried at the end of the game it wasn't because we didn't get our precious t-shirts, it was because this is my last year playing with them and I know I won't get to see many of them again.

I just wanted to take a second to say something about each one of my dear friends.

Julie: Where do I even start??? I love this girl to the moooon. We became good friends when we both lived at King Henry and she dated my cute bro-in-law Mark for a quick sec while I was dating Grant (remember when we all went ice skating together and you and I held hands, Julie???). She is one of the funniest girls I know and I still wish Mark and Julie would make things work for my sake:) She is FAST, and she is the best rusher I know. love you julie.

Cami: Oh gosh. Cami is so great. I love that Cami was serious about this team. I knew on game day I would get a text from Cami (and usually one from Kristen too) that got me pumped for the game. When I gave Cami a hug after the game and saw the tears in her eyes I knew she felt the same way I did. Cami loooves High School Musical and I think it's great! I was so happy when Cami decided to marry Ethan! They are so great together and I know they'll be happy forever!

Jentri: Oh Jentri, you are so funny! I'm really going to miss our pre-game dancing and you making fun of the length of my limbs. I wish we had more time together because I guarantee we would be best friends. in fact, it's not too late. let's have a sleepover!!

Kristen: the bus driver!! ha, this girl took EVERYONE to the games. I loved getting texts from K on game days. She is like the team mom (in a very very good way!) When I need to know when our game is K is the person to call. I can't wait to see what Kristen does in life. I know she'll be so successful. I'll never forget that you were once my awesome Relief Society President, and you were such a good one!

Krista: RMYL buddies! Krista is so tough. When the rest of the girls and I show up to games in full on snow gear she shows up in shorts and maybe a light jacket. crazy. Another girl that I'm so glad I met through this team. Krista, you are the best.

Melissa: She's getting married in a month!! yay! I'm so glad I got to know Melissa better this year. She is so great and I know that her and Ryan are going to be so happy!

Anna: Best. Quarterback. Ever. Seriously, Anna is amazing, and Dante is so lucky! They are the best and most athletic couple ever. Only Anna could rock basketball shoes on her wedding day and look AMAZING. Oh anna, I'm so glad you didn't go play basketball at BYU-Hawaii. We would have missed you too much!

Rachel: This girl is so cute I can't believe it. I can't believe someone so skinny and adorable could be so good at football! Rach is so beautiful and always has a smile on her face. She cheers everyone up when we're down on ourselves. I'm going to miss you Rach!

Hey, I love you guys. Seriously. alot. I'm glad I met you all, and I'm expecting a big reunion party after Thanksgiving because I'm already having Fuego withdrawls!

maybe I have a thing for hands...

2009-11-17T16:23:00.003-06:00

but these ceramic hands (again from UO) are right up my alley.

what do you want for Christmas??

Is it too early for Christmas wishlists?

2009-11-16T16:47:00.006-06:00

I don't think it's EVER too early for Christmas lists. I absolutely love this ring and jewelry holder from Urban Outfitters. Maybe I'll get it for myself!

P.S. Don't worry, I'm not TOTALLY selfish. I've been perfecting my list for Grant too, but I can't post those or I'd spoil the surprise!

Fuego!

2009-11-15T13:05:00.005-06:00

This post sadly will have ZERO pictures because I always forget to take my camera to our games, buuuuut..

It is official, our flag football team- Fuego- will be going to the semi-finals on Tuesday!!

Anyway, our team consists of Anna, Cami, Julie, Jentri, Melissa, Krista, Rachel, and Kristen. I'm not trying to sounds conceited, but our team is goood. really good. I'm not great, but maaaan the team is good. We've played together now for three years, and this is the last year we will all be together to play. This year we're going to do it. Come hell or high water, WE'RE GETTING SHIRTS.

Our last game was Saturday at 12:15 and we had quite the fan base. My parents and my sweet sister Emily came down to watch us play, and of course Grant was there. In my whole flag football career (three years running) he has only missed one game, and it was because he was deathly sick and I MADE him stay home. Also it seems like everyone else on the team either had their husband, fiance, boyfriend, or some kind of significant other there too. I felt bad for them because during the second half it started snowing so hard! poor fans...

Next game: Tuesday 8:15

Cowboy and Indian

2009-11-01T23:14:00.003-06:00

Even though Grant and I spent our Halloween this year volunteering and The Boys and Girls Club and the Parks and Rec Center we still didn't miss the opportunity to dress up!
We took it easy this year and just went as things that were pretty easy. ha, we didn't have to buy anything for our costumes! We just wear crazy stuff like this regularly.

A Fall Drive.

2009-09-28T00:49:00.003-05:00

Payson Canyon

featuring Sea Wolf

Land Down Under

2009-09-24T23:06:00.000-05:00

in about 3 weeks!

Today...

2009-09-22T01:37:00.003-05:00

Today was great! Grant called me after I got home after class and he said, "come outside, I have a surprise for you." And he had this beaut on top of the sub. Mark and Jay joined us with their own canoe and we drove up to the Payson Lakes for some epic fishing. Grant caught 2, Jay caught 1, and I caught a baby that we threw back. Poor Marky got skunked!! We had a great time, but it was surprisingly cold. Also, I was going to take my camera into the canoe and get some awesome action shots, but the very first thing that happened when we got to the lake - Jay tried to get in his canoe and fell into the water. fully. Needless to say I was too spooked to take our camera out onto the water after that.

Most of you probably know that this is our last semester in Utah. We're trying to have as many adventures as possible and we are definitely open to suggestions! So, if there is something we HAVE to do before we leave please let us know.

Thanks :)

Well, we are actually living in Utah. I promise.

2009-09-21T00:46:00.006-05:00

Wow. It has been about a month since my last post. It has been so crazy here in Provo, but man it is good to be back! Here are some pictures of the adventures we've had since we've been back in the beehive state.

Grant, Me, Dustin, and Kristin (taking the picture) at Australian Pink Floyd at the usana ampitheatre. It was so fun!

Grant in front of the glorious Mt. Nebo. We spent this past weekend fishing and camping up at the cabin in Payson.

Another picture of us at Aussie Floyd.

A beautiful shot from Pineview dam on a fun boating trip with the fam.

Utah Lake at sundown.

Sometimes Grant and I go on little outdoor outings. Even if it's only for 30 minutes it's so nice to be outside and in such a beautiful place. We're so lucky to live a place with such great access to the outdoors.

So amazing. So is the sunset ;)

Hike up Diamond Fork Canyon in Spanish Fork.

Grant conquering the falls.

Grant IN the falls. It was so cold!

But these hot springs were SUPER hot. It was so fun to go back in forth between the falls and the hot hot hot springs.

Our hike up the Indian Trail in Ogden. Ha, this time we did NOT get lost.

We were so happy to have Amanda with us on the hike. Having Mike and Amanda (and little or should I say HUGE Asher) in Utah was the best! We wish they lived closer.

We expect many more adventures this fall, and I'll try to keep the blog updated.

One Year

2009-08-23T15:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday marked mine and Grant's one year anniversary. I can't believe how time flies! We celebrated by staying in a little cabin in the woods by a lake. It was possibly the best day of my life (next only to the day we were married). I'll post some pictures and write more about this later.

August 22, 2008 was such a wonderful and beautiful day. I'm so grateful I get to be with Grant for eternity. Lucky me!

Grant, this has been the best year of my life, and the amazing thing is that I know next year will be even better! You make me laugh, and you are so cute. You are an amazingly sweet and kind husband to me and I know that one day you will make a great father. I am so grateful for you and I thank Heavenly Father daily for him letting you be in my life. Thank you for marrying me and sticking with me. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. I will love you forever.

xoxo

Maybe...

2009-08-20T15:55:00.004-05:00

...it's the fact that Grant and I's anniversary is coming up, or maybe it's the fact that I missed almost all of my friends' weddings in Utah this summer, but I cannot get weddings off of my mind. Although planning a wedding was stressful, I loved it! I miss going to the grocery store to check out the latest Martha Stewart Wedding magazine, and I miss spending hours poring over other peoples' wedding photography trying to find exactly what I want.

Recently I stumbled across 100 Layer Cake, a lovely wedding website and I just cannot get enough. The beautiful photography, and the amazingly unique ideas have captivated me. I guess it's not the best thing I could be doing with my time, but it's definitely not the worst either! ;)

This wedding looks so magical, and all of the tiny lights remind me of fireflies!

Speaking of weddings, our anniversary is this Saturday and we are looking for a little cabin in the woods somewhere to spend the weekend. It can either be here (oklahama or arkansas), or it could be somewhere on the way back to Utah. If anyone knows of anything please let me know.

Thanks :) And aren't weddings so romantic! I just love them.

Sunday Night Bike Rides

2009-08-19T23:09:00.005-05:00

The Arkansas River is beautiful and I absolutely love Tulsa for having a river parks system that offers free pink bikes! Grant and I need to make this a Sunday night tradition (it's the only night of the week we have together before sundown). I'm so excited to make Tulsa our home!

Rollerblades+Trampolines

2009-08-12T18:55:00.003-05:00

Equals bad news for poor Brandon. Crazy stuff always goes down at Aaron's house.

21 and invincible.

2009-08-11T20:38:00.003-05:00

This post is a little bit late in coming, but we've been super busy all week so it's just had to wait.

On the morning of my birthday I woke up to breakfast in bed from Grant. I've definitely decided that is by far the greatest thing to wake up to! Breakfast included: scrambled cheesy eggs, hash browns, and a delicious waffle. A gigantic breakfast, and YES I ate all of it :) It was just too delicious to resist!

Next, Grant told me he had a couple of surprises planned for me. So we took off in the car and ended up at the Tulsa Zoo! We have been planning on going all summer, but we just never got around to it. On the way to the zoo Grant gave me my first present which was hidden in the jockey box: Viva la Juicy!! Great perfume, and since my Gucci perfume was stolen I needed a new bottle.

The zoo was a blast, but it we got a little hot after about an hour so we took off. On the way home Grant gave me my second present which was hidden under the seat in the car: a new i-pod!!! woo hoooo! My i-pod also was stolen earlier this summer so this was especially exciting.

The rest of the day we spent by the pool, at the gym and then for dinner we went to the Melting Pot a great fondue restaurant by the river that I've always wanted to go to. It was so great, but by dessert time we were already beyond full, so we decided to go back another time for just dessert.

It was a perfect birthday. Thank for spoiling me Grant! and thank you everyone who called me or texted me. It was so great to hear from you all!

Leather. Head to Toe.

2009-08-05T12:01:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I did a photoshoot with my friend Chris from Macaroni Grill. His wife is a make-up artist and is such a sweetheart! She picked out the outfit and did my hair and make-up. We went to downtown Tulsa to several locations, but this one was the best I think. I'll post some more pictures as I get them.

Be true to your school, man.

2009-07-28T01:44:00.003-05:00

Lately I've been obsessed with this blog. Rules for my unborn son. If you've never heard of it, then you definitely need to check it out. Most are rules, but some are just quotes to live by. Tonight I found one that I really liked.

"Be true to your school."

-Brian Wilson

Isn't that so true? That's what I love about this blog. Ever rule I read I think, "Man, that is SO true." One of my very least favorite things is when someone dogs the school that they attend. Unfortunately, it happens fairly frequently in Provo. When a fellow Cougar bad-mouths BYU I think two things: 1) BYU is awesome!! How could you hate it?? You must be retarded. 2)Why in the world are you going to a school that you hate? There are plenty of people out there who want to go to BYU, but can't. If you don't like it here, then let one of them come take your place.

I feel pretty stongly about this. obviously.

Diversifest

2009-07-26T23:28:00.010-05:00

Diversifest, or D-fest, is a huge music festival in downtown Tulsa. They completely shut down a huge section of the city called the Blue Dome District. Local restaurants and artists set up booths everywhere and were selling everything from beautiful peacocky feather necklaces to awesome shirts that say, "Don't hate the 918" and " I speak Okie". They are awesome and I want one.

Of course Grant and I couldn't miss out on the festivities. Especially since Cake was headlining!

Tulsa skyline

This is one half of Mates of State.

Giant Graffitti wall and me looking like a dork, as usual.

The Knux

Crazy street performer banging on old saws.

This was the view as the sun went down and we waited for Cake to start. It was so beautiful, and the weather was so perfect. Grant and I hardly know anyone in Tulsa, so it was really funny when I ran into like 5 people that I work with at Macaroni Grill who were at D-fest. Small world!

Cake!! They were actually so awesome. The lead singer at one point stopped the show and asked everyone to stop taking pictures with their cell phones and cameras. He asked us if we could just be HERE in this moment feeling the slight breeze and letting the music move us. It was so great!! I'm not sure if you can tell in this picture but his shirt is a giant kitty cat with a sparkiling American flag behind it. Only a real man can pull that off.

Solo Trip to Utah

2009-07-25T15:06:00.005-05:00

Last week I took a little impromptu trip to Utah care of Grant's fabulous cousin Read Flake. Sadly, I had to leave dear Granty in Tulsa. Utah, was absolutely wonderful. I had forgotten how beautful Utah is in the summer! All in all a wonderful couple of days. I love you so much family. So glad I could see you all!!

Highlights:

Being at Brooke's wedding reception

Painting Victoria's nails-all different colors

Getting spanked at the train game by mom, em, and Rach

Miraculously making into the temple for Court's sealing

Snuggling with Axel

Being wedding buddies with Linds

Scaling Ogden canyon's walls with Tess on her birthday

Tony's Pizza!

Late night chat with Kriz