Sunny Days Ahead

You know your ready for summer when your skin starts blending in with your white t-shirt! The sun came out last week and I was pretty happy about it. Since it has been warming up James and I have been taking walks around our neighborhood when I get home from work and it has been something I look forward to every evening. It feels so nice to be able to enjoy the outdoors and wind down after a busy day. I have been trying to enjoy the quite moments I get with James and appreciate the time we get to spend together. It is amazing how life continues to get busier and busier and it is easy to fall into daily routines. I always have to remind myself to stop what I am doing and let James know how lucky I am to have him in my life. He is my best bud and my partner in crime. Boy I sure do love him.

New House Tour

James and I got the keys to our new home this week, right before the Thanksgiving holiday. We have been moving boxes and furniture for the past few days trying to get moved out of our apartment. We only have a few things left in our storage unit and we will be officially all moved in -- and then to the fun part, unpacking! :) 

The morning we got the keys to the house, we pulled up with a trailer full of our stuff and I told James to wait - that I wanted to hurry and take some pictures of all the rooms before we started filling them with boxes. I am so glad I did. 

We are loving our new home and I wanted to share a few of the pictures I took. Check it out!

[Living Room]

[Dining Nook & Kitchen]

[Master Bath]

[Upstairs Bedrooms]

House Update

Our house has come so far! It has been so much fun seeing our house come together and to see the progress -- from a whole in the ground to a fully framed home. Every day after work, James and I grab dinner and head over to our property to take a look at the new developments and make future plans.

This has been an interesting time in our lives. All of our things are packed into a storage unit and James and I have been living in a little 2 bedroom apartment while waiting for our house to be built. We have literally been living off of bare essentials and I have been known to say that it feels like we are living our first years of marriage all over again. Its sorta fun to relive that phase of life again.

There have been so many nice things about bumming it this summer. My office is just down the street. Our apartment is right across the street from the new recreation center. And I refuse to cook in our teeny kitchen, so we eat out every day. Our apartment actually feels more like a hotel room. We really are only in the apartment to sleep, shower, or to watch T.V.

James and I are so excited to get into our new home and lay down some roots. So I guess we will be living in Utah for a while!

New Mexican Birthday

I spent my 27th birthday in New Mexico with James' family. Ate yummy Mexican food, had sparklers on my cake and received a lot of very nice birthday wishes. It was a perfect birthday.

Ever since my 23rd birthday I have been bad at remembering my age. I don't know if it is because time starts speeding up as you get older, or if birthdays are different when you are an adult, but I always think I am a year younger than I really am. (Or maybe I am just in denial.)

Just last night I asked James if I was 27 because I couldn't remember, haha.

I actually missed my 25th year - I don't even know what it feels like to be 25 :) For an entire year I thought I was 24 years old. Whenever anyone asked me how old I was, I would tell them that I was 24 and I honestly believed I was!  So on my 26th birthday, I went from being 24 to 26. haha

Summer To-Do List

During one of my lunch breaks, I was inspired to jot down a summer to-do list. I try to get lunch by myself at least once a week. There is something great about being able to spend some time by yourself and reflect on things. I also love making summer goals -- to embrace the warmer weather and encourage me to live every day in the moment. Sometimes I get so caught up in everything going on in my life, I feel like I didn't enjoy everything as much as I should. I have also noticed that my life keeps getting busier, which means the years feel like they are moving faster. Summer lists help me slow down and love life more.

These are a few things on my list, and I am proud to say that I already started working towards a few things on the list. (I signed up for tennis lessons in July, and I have been really good about running after work.)

• Go running 5 times a week
• Attend the new fitness classes at the Provo Recreation Center
• Take tennis lessons
• Get a tan
• Start working towards my own business
• Go camping
• Organize my living space
• Take one educational class
• Take more pictures
• Make a family video

It is a short list, but the perfect size for me to actually accomplish these goals. Now I just need to get my tan on. :)

Change of Plans

So, I have had a change of plans recently. I decided to make a career change. Last week was my last day working for the Parks and Recreation Department. It has been really hard for me to let my event job go. I loved working with Parks and Rec and I loved all the people that I got to work with. By chance, my last day ended up being the Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. It really was the perfect last day. I was able to see all of my interns from last year and just reflect on all the fun experiences I have had. 

The nice thing is that I will still be working for Provo City, so I will still be able to see a lot of the event staff and work with Parks and Rec to a degree :)

Now for the exciting news.... I am now working in the Mayor's Office as the Public Relations Coordinator! I am really excited about the new position and everything that I am going to learn. This is an awesome opportunity for me and I am loving every second working in this new position. I am so happy and grateful. :)

Here is a pic of my new office. I have a few Miss Provo pictures hanging on my wall right now as a joke. :) I am going to keep them up until I decide how I want to decorate it... so girl power for now!

Summer Time

Saturday was the Utah Lake Festival, which means summer has officially begun! I spent all day working at the event and soaking up the sun. 

James and I have been working in the backyard a lot on the weekends. We planted a garden that I am pretty excited about! We will see if anything grows.  :)

Backyard Patio

James has been working hard in our backyard, trying to get it ready for the summer! It seems like every time I come home from work, James has a new surprise for me :) 

We love sitting in our backyard and looking out at Utah Lake.

I came home from work one day, and James was building a Pergola! He is such a hard worker.

James also called one afternoon, and told me that he had a surprise for me when I got home from work! He bought us all-new patio furniture! It is a good thing he has good taste :) It was such a fun surprise and I love the furniture so much. 

I love my hubby so much! 

This is James pet snake, George. He lives in our backyard. James checks on him every now and then :)

On a side note, check out the awesome 'boyfriend watch' I found at Kohls. They have them in silver, gold, and rose gold for $14 bucks! So I snagged myself one in rose gold.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a fun summer, and I can't wait!

Ikea Entry

James and I went to Ikea this weekend and bought a table for our entryway. That room has been needing some furniture and was feeling pretty empty. We love it. Now what to put in those baskets?...

Jazz Night

Two weeks ago was my work Employee Association Christmas Party. Every year they do a big raffle and give away tons of big prizes. -Around the office everyone knows that I never win any of the raffles... for example: last year, at our department party I was probably the only person who didn't get my name drawn for a prize... Well, guess what? At the party, my name was drawn for the NuSkin Jazz tickets package! James and I were able to use the tickets last Monday {which went down as on of the best Mondays in my life}.

We got free parking passes and tickets to have dinner before the game at the restaurant on the top floor. James and I felt VIP all night long.

Our seats were center court, sixth row!! So much fun. After dinner they gave us dessert and drinks to-go, so we could eat them while watching the game. 

During half time, James and I were able to go to the Sponsor's Lounge - more free drinks and treats to take back to your seat!