generation gap goes to lunch

i post pictures all the time of my running friends. it's starting to turn into a little bit of a joke every week when we run. we take pictures everywhere we go, but we don't always look the best in the wee sweaty hours of saturday morning. 

 a couple of weeks ago we all dressed up and went to lunch. we celebrated renee's birthday.

 i'm not sure how it started, but we all wore red. it was actually really cute.

 it's amazing how much better we look in real clothes and ready for the day

i love these ladies so much!

being a utah blogger

being a utah blogger comes with plenty of perks. utah is like the motherland of bloggers. there are so many of us here. there is always something going on. there are always people to meet up with. there is always someone to brainstorm ideas with. if i tried a little harder, there is always someone to swap fashion or other photos with. there are plenty of people to give advice or to help out with most any and every blog or other related thing. there are great connections and hookups. all of this makes me wonder what in the world took me so long to connect with utah bloggers. my first blog friends are people from all over the place except here which kind of makes no sense at all. i am so happy i finally came to my senses. i'm pretty lucky living here. i continue to meet amazing friends who happen to be bloggers. BUT...(you knew it was coming)

saying goodbye to kelsey

i recently discovered there is a downside. a lot of people living in utah aren't here to stay. i came to utah with the very same intention. i was here to go to school and then get the heck out. well, here i am a lot of years later. i am likely here to stay. i am also one of the oldest bloggers around the place. many utah bloggers are in school or have husbands in school. school ends and people get the heck out of here. in the past month, 3 utah blog friends have moved or are moving this week. i know there are a few other moves in the works soon and in the next couple of years probably more. the utah crowd is a bit transient. let's get real, no one likes goodbyes, but i really really hate them. i hate not knowing if/when i'll see these friends again. thank the heavens for social media and blogs so we can still easily keep up on each other's lives, but it's just not the same.  thank the heavens also for the utah bloggers who are more settled here. even though it's sad and pretty inevitable, i'll keep making friends with utah bloggers who may eventually leave. the risk is worth the reward.

blogging the bach 18.8 and 18.9...it's ok

ashley, kimberly, and i are back for this week's double header.

2 nights of the bach is a lot of tv for me in 1 week. this season is killing me...in more ways than one.

i don't have a ton to say about the hometowns.

nikki...she really really wants to tell juan pab she loves him, but never does. am i the only one that just learned missouri is cowboy land? my parents live in missourit (on the other side), and i've never thought there were lots of cowboys.

andi...lots of awkward. andi is willing to risk getting her heartbroken and feels close to being in love. her family was awkward about the whole thing, and i feel sad for her. i still think she is way too good for him.

renee...if juan pab had 1/2 a brain he would keep renee. she's really chill and seems like a good fit. her fam is cool, and she's so cute with her son.

clare...crazy clare obvi gets it from her crazy fam. i have no idea what happened with her mom and her sister except i don't think her mom speaks english. is that even possible? why doesn't clare speak spanish? why don't any of the girls speak spanish since juan pabs clearly doesn't speak english well.

they all go back to miami. nikki looks a little rough. renee gets the boot and she is probably the least ugly crier the bach has ever seen. she was also the best dressed along with andi who kills it every single time. clare's dress wasn't my fave.

night 1 word tally

journey/adventure...3

amazing...9

love...50 (yes 50 but somehow no one said i love you to juan pabs)

connection...1

and onto the fantasy suites...

clare...love talk starts right away. she says "love" 3x in the first 60 seconds and 17 times on their date. still no "i love you" though. after the ocean we all know she's going to spend the night so i'm really confused why she acts like she's not. juan p tells clare he has to make sure he doesn't make a mistake, and my jaw drops that he would actually say that (possible language barrier...prob not). they talk about the future except not really. it's super vague. juan p asks "why are you thinking so much?" and i wonder why he isn't thinking that much. clare's duck face is.killing.me!

andi...andi is wearing the perfect island attire, and juan p is not. men, do not wear tanks. women, do not let your men wear tanks...ever! they play the drums, eat, soccer, etc before discovering a waterfall. they are going to make out...obvi. her 1 piece swimsuits are killer...like the rest of her clothes. they talk a little about what they are thinking, and all the rest of us are thinking andi better be the next bachelorette. andi says she can't stop smiling and i remember clare can't stop making duck face. juan p is super happy and loved the over night, and andi thought it was a nightmare and disast..clearly not on same page. andi says "i'm not an idiot", and she's clearly showing she's way too smart/good for him. also she better be the next bachelorette. she also says "he doesn't get it", and she finally realizes what i have been saying about him the whole season. also as a random sidenote, the bach really needs new music.

nikki...most confusing dresser. some people are going to rave about her outift, but i hated it. she's in lala land and loving life. juan p tells her this is real life, and i  want to remind her it is tv. they ride horses and everyone is glad she is wearing pants, and i'm pretty sure juan pabs is picturing nikki in her underwear or less. they have dinner and hit the fantasy suite where nikki is the first to say "i love you.". i might be wrong, but i really think it's nikki in the end, and i think if they are still together, they won't be in a month.

juan p chats with chris h. where has he been all season? they talk a little about the language barrier, and he watches videos where he hears, love, love, and then andi

someone please explain this picture

andi is pretty upset with juan p, and we have an argument between an attorney and someone who doesn't speak english. no wonder all he said was "it's ok." i've known this whole time that andi wasn't the right fit for him for this very reason. she's too good and too smart. andi for bachelorette! she leaves and talks about finding love, and i'm pretty sure they are setting her up for next season.

clare and nikki are left, and they are totally confused. poor nikki just lost her BFF and is now stuck with the girl she hates. good thing they don't see each other again after this week.

holy moly i had more to say than i thought. i can't wait to see what happens next week. kelly, dog lover, is my new fave. follow her on twitter immediately. i can't wait to see what everyone else has to say. what did you think of this week? link up if you wrote a post.

word tally

journey/adventure...6

amazing...5

love...45

connection...2

no one is saying fairytale which shows a lot i think

wear it wednesday (on tuesday)..jane cardi

i know i know. it's tuesday not wednesday. double nights of the bach are throwing off my blogging schedule. blogging the bach is tomorrow.

is anyone else obsessed with daily deals sites? there is so much good stuff always. my new fave is jane.com. they have the cutest stuff with the best deals.

some of the faces I make when trying to take a serious fashion photo just have to be posted. 

we all know i'm obsessed with cardigans, but i am recently obsessed with elbow patches too. i'm dying. anyone else? head on over to jane, and see more to die for elbow patches.

bracelets-the shine project

watch-old nordstrom

shoes-toms ballet flats

i totally planned to style this cardi with short boots, but the weather here has been a dream. flats seemed like a much better option.

i orderd my cardi and had it within a couple of days. do yourself a favor and head on over to jane.com

weekend happs

it's been a little while since i've done a weekend happs post. before we get to the weekend, let's start with a few announcements...

1. blogging the bach happens on wednesday this week since the bach is on monday and tuesday

2. what would you do...with a yard of fabric? on march 12. 

3. i bit the bullet and signed up for passionfruit ads. i'm still deciding what i want to offer. if you have any suggestions, send them my way.

4. if you're new around here, please tell me who you are. i love meeting new friends.

5. are you a no-reply blogger? if you haven't added your email address to your google account, do it asap! i respond to comments via email, but if you are no-reply i can't respond. also, if you still have word verification on your blog, you are probably missing out on a lot of comments. sure spam comments are super annoying, but word verification deters people (especially me). if all that sounds like mumbo jumbo, email me.

and now for the weekend...

work has been a little bit of crazy town lately. i had a lot on my mind and needed to sort some things out. the temple is the very best place for me to do that. i leave feeling spiritually uplifted and more at peace.

this is not a joke! i seriously got up at 4:30am on saturday to run. yes, i am crazy! #marathontraining is no joke! i had one of the very best runs in forever, and it was totally worth getting up so early.

i had some big plans for saturday (errands, church things, crafts, etc.), but instead we spent the afternoon getting a new fridge. it was a pain but totally worth it. we determined we have entirely too much food, especially condiments, for 4 people.

running, utah winter, life take a toll on my feet. my friend laurann and i got pedicures in the evening. relax isn't really a word in my vocabulary. i need to take better care of myself. it was the perfect thing. after pedicures, we met up with our friend julie for dinner.

sunday was filled with churchy things. it was a really good end to a nice weekend. i love the weekends so much. i always look forward to the end of the week, but i also try hard not to wish my life away waiting for the weekend. here's to enjoying this week! how was your weekend?

foodie Friday...stuffed peppers

I've made stuffed peppers a lot. I probably started out with a recipe at some point, but it has definitely evolved over the years. 

I never thought I would be the person that cooks without a recipe, but I am kind of turning into that person. I know the basics of recipes I have made over and over, and I seem to change them a little each time. I made stuffed peppers a few days ago, and they were so good.

ingredients

peppers (green and red)-6 total

ground turkey- about 1 pound

instant brown rice (i usually use quinoa, but i didn't have any on hand)-4 servings

1 large can diced tomatoes

garlic salt

minced onion

spinach, onion, mushroom (i keep a small ziploc of this pureed combo in the freezer to use in eggs. it was probably about 1/4 c total but really added a lot to the mix)

cheese (if desired. i skip it)

1. brown ground turkey with dash of garlic salt and minced onion

2. cook rice according to directions

3. add spinach mix to ground turkey

4. mix cooked rice, diced tomatoes, ground turkey and simmer

5. wash and cut tops off peppers

6. scoop mixture into peppers

7. bake at 350* for 20 minutes

***top with cheese lat 5 minutes if you use cheese

carabox reveal

I have the best luck with blogger package swaps. I got paired with Kristine and Kenzie for the carabox exchange. We got matched up by state this time which was so awesome. I got to meet both of them when I went to St. George last month. Meeting Kristine before sending her box made it so much fun picking out things for her. Kenzie sent me the most amazingly perfect package. 

I died at the cuteness of the box. The inside was just as good. 

Blogger friend Jacquelyn posted her new planner on Instagram a few weeks ago. I've been searching every Target for her gold polka dot planner. I use my phone calendar for everything except blogging. I need a paper calendar, and this is to die for perfect. 

The whole box was perfect. It was full of sparkle, and I'm in serious love. Thanks so much Kenzie for hooking me up with such amazing stuff.

blogging the bach 18.7...the week of awks

kimberly, ashley, and i are back for another round of blogging the bach. kimberly and i actually watched together this week which made it extra fun. since the bach is on for 2 nights next week (monday and tuesday), look for one big blogging the bach on wednesday next week.

this season is full of awkwardness. i don't know if it's the language barrier or if juan pab is really that awks or if it's the girls or what. this week seemed especially awks to the max. rather than give you a play by play of what you probably already watched, let's discuss the awkwardness that made up this week. yes?

intro to miami

everything is pretty normal/things are getting real...i guess they have been fake the past 6 weeks.

the penthouse is amaze, and they might as well be in another country.

sharlene...come sea my city

s. gets the date card and responds "you're not kidding?"...awks

she doesn't know why she's there...awks (not for the right reasons i guess)

s. talks about being uptight and juan pabs says "you're not that tight"...awks again

could these two be anymore awks?!?

their attempts to converse result in nasty awkward makeout sesh after makeout sesh

the word chemistry is said a lot, and i'm really sad i didn't keep a tally

s. talks about change and it's so awkward i have no clue what on earth she is talking about=awks

nikki...listen to my heart beat

starts awkward right from the date card...i really want to like nikki, but she's making it difficult. i do love her outfit

she meets the parents and the kid...it seems like it would be super awks, but she seems mostly fine

she rocks her evening outfit, but i'm waiting for an awkward wardrobe malfunction

juan pabs would rather kiss than throw the ball so that's just perfect.

timeout from the regular events of the week. sharlene decides to leave. i've said it before. juan p isn't my favorite. in fact, he bugs me quite often, but the way he handled the whole sharlene sitch was pretty impressive to me.

group date...my hometown for yours

group date=awkward no matter what. this close to end makes that worse

chelsie shows juan some notes from her parents. we all know she's not making it past this week so we all feel awkward for her.

andi gets the rose and more time and her evening dress is perfect for miami

clare and the others go home. clare and nikki have the most awkward "fight". i'm still confused about the point of it all. the awkwardness just continues.

rose ceremony/cocktail party

just when i thought things couldn't get any more awkward than earlier in the week. i was so wrong. major silence and tension...who is right nikki or clare?

so there you have it. awkwardness left and right. go check out what everyone else is saying and link up if you wrote a post.

word tally ( i was kind of chatty so i probably missed a few)

journey...0

amazing...13

love...5

connection...3

fairytale...0

sexy...3

                                     

sunshine award

i've been nominated for the sunshine award...twice. i don't know if i'm very deserving since i am taking forever to actually respond. i am flattered, and feel major guilt about how long it's been. i'm not following the rules at all either.   basically the rules include: respond to award with a post answering the questions, nominate other bloggers and ask them questions. i'm sure there is something in the rules about not taking 6 months to respond, but i ignored that part.

questions from kate
1. What are you doing today? getting my blogging butt organized including dropped the blogspot. glory glory hallelujah.

2. What is your favorite holiday and why? i love all the holidays. i love decorations and treats and fun gifts for friends.

3. Where is your dream destination? What would you do there? a beautiful beach. i would do nothing but relax. i always wanted to go to the virgin islands. i went on a dream vacation there last spring. my main goals were to catch up on my sleep and get a tan. i did both and it was heavenly.

4. What is your go-to dinner meal? stir fry with various sauces

5. Name your favorite fall fashion trend. (this questions tells you how long ago i got this award). cardigans and scarves

6. If you could live anywhere where would it be and why? 1. somewhere warm because i HATE the snow or 2. by family because it's sad living away

7.If you could only shop at one store for clothes for the next 5 year what store would you choose? probably Target except i kind of hate their pants

8. What is your all time favorite Christmas gift you have ever received? matching homemade cabbage patch dolls with my sister and cousin

9. Halloween just passed....what candy did you sneak from your kids baskets? (Or what will you steal in the future?) (again this shows how long ago this was...oops) no kids so no basket but probably peanut m&ms

10. What song comes on the radio that you immediately turn up? anything miley i know i know...how embarassing

questions from Jacquelyn

1. What’s your current workout pump it up song? anything miley
2. Who is your favorite Big Bang Theory character? i've only seen big bang a few times. the neighbor girl next door.
3. If you could have any super power what would it be? probably flying. driving sucks up so much of my time every single day.
4. Are you guilty of ever asking a/s/l? negative
5. Most of the clothes in your closet can be found from what three stores? Target, Gap outlet, Old Navy
6. Are you pro or anti vampires (answer carefully… this could affect our friendship)? anti. i read all the twilights, but that's just weird.
7. If you could live anywhere in the world with everything you need/want there, where would you live? see #6 above
8. What’s your guilty pleasure food? the chips part of chips and sals
9. I love this Q from Jenn so I’m stealing it… What are 3 positive words to describe you? responsible, dependable, driven
10. How stoked are you that I nominated you? don't let the length of time it took to respond answer this question for me. i'm so stoked duh.

i nominate you...yes you. here are your questions.
1. favorite olympic sport?
2. instagram, twitter, or facebook. why?
3. how do you relax?
4. if you could be on any show, what show would it be?
5. favorite song?
6. blog you must read daily
7. most exciting spring trend
8. never leave the house without...
9. favorite type of workout
10. 1 little confession

Love Day

happy day of love! i hope everyone has a day full of love of one kind or another.

if you are a procrastinator, here are a few final ideas for this lovely day.

i saw this snack mix on pinterest...sort of. i didn't pin it or save it or anything else. also, i didn't come up with the idea. i did change it up just a little. 

you need

1. mini marshmallows

2. goldfish grahams-the store only had chocolate and vanilla cupcake

3. valentine m&ms. the pin i saw had plain, but the store only had peanut. i like it that way.

mix ingredients in gallon ziploc. i used all the fish crackers and m&ms and less than 1/2 the bag of marshmallows.

scoop some into a clear cellophane bag, staple a piece of glitter cardstock to the top, and you have the perfect v day treat.

i also saw this on pinterest but with milk chocolate. i thought pink would be a little more festive. melt white chocolate (i always always always melt in the microwave...1 min, stir, 30 sec, stir, 15-30, stir). use gel frosting coloring to make pink. pour into squeeze bottle. squeeze teeny tiniest amount of chocolate in raspberry. put in bag, tie with baker's twine, ribbon, or staple cardstock to top. another quick and easy treat.

still looking for gift ideas? tell your husband, boyfriend, mom, yourself about any of these...

go to skinagain.com to order. make sure to enter AUBREY20 for a 20% discount

these leggings are a serious must have. buy a pair for yourself and a matchy matchy pair for your daughter, niece, whoever. just get them now.

i hope you all have a wonderful day surrounded by things and people you love.

skin again

**i was provided product from skin again to review. all opinions are my own. living in utah does a serious number on my skin. it is dry and itchy most all of the time. it's one of the absolute worst parts of winter. when i got the opportunity to review some products from skin again, i was excited to try something new. to be totally honest i was also skeptical. i have tried so many things over the years, and nothing seems to work all that well.

my hands have been especially bad this winter. my left hand had the worst patch of super dry skin. i started using relief, and it worked wonders. i'm not even kidding. i've been using it for about 2 weeks now, and my hand isn't red or itchy at all. this stuff really is a miracle. here's a little more info.. SkinAgain (www.skinagain.com) is a revolutionary line of functional skin care products: Youth, Rescue, Relief, and Vanish, formulated to quickly and effectively aid in maintaining healthy skin in spite of debilitating or embarrassing skin problems like redness, itchiness, burning and inflammation, as well as noticeably diminishing the appearance of scars, cellulite, wrinkles and dark spots. Developed when Founder, Sherrie Berry, was a victim of a chemical explosion in her backyard leaving severe burns on her face, chest and arms, she set out on a mission to make products that would contribute happiness and self-confidence to customers by improving skin with compassion. A functional skin care line formulated using the highest percentage of active ingredients in cosmetics, SkinAgain’s products are also fragrance-, paraben-,gluten-and cruelty-free.
if you want to try it for yourself, skin again is offering dreaming about someday readers an exclusive discount. enter code AUBREY20 for 20% off Relief now through February 28. if you're still looking for ideas for valentine's day, you should definitely consider this product. check out the before and afters as well as their social media. i would love to hear if you decide to try it.

SkinAgain Social Media Platforms

Twitter: @SkinAgain 

Instagram: #SkinAgain

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skinagain1

what would you do...5.0

kimberly and i are back for another round of what would you do...and this time we want you to join us.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO...with a target (or any other store) cardigan?

kimberly and i both love a good cardi and love target so combining the two just makes sense.

so...WHAT WOULD YOU DO...with a cardigan???

1. grab the intern at work and force her to take a few pics for you

 target (duh) cardi, old shirt, kohls skinnies, urban outfitters scarf, toms

2. meet up with fellow blogger (bonnie) for a legit photo shoot. legit meaning we are both trying to figure out how in the world to use our DSLR cameras

target (duh) cardi, old navy chambray, HUE leggings, frye boots, shine project bracelets, blooms and co necklace

i'm sure this goes without saying but i love love love a good cardi. i wear one basically every single day of my life. i could keep going on and on about what to do with a target cardi, but i want to see what you would do. link up below. i can't wait to see what kimberly did with her target cardi.

come join us next month for WHAT WOULD YOU DO...

with a yard of fabric? kimberly and i are swapping fabric so expect lots of fun.

An InLinkz Link-up