Thursday, February 28, 2008

we gon' party like it's your birthday

So for my birthday we headed down south in search of some sun. It was so good to see Jake and Paige again! I'm so glad they moved to St. George! We had so much fun with them and Sar and Wade and my Mom and Dad. After we got there on Friday afternoon the girls took in a few houses at the Parade of Homes show while the guys golfed. I've included a few of my favorite designs at the end of the post.

Saturday Jake and Paige cooked me a huge, delicious birthday breakfast and then we headed to Vegas. Our first stop was the Tropicana and the Bodies Exhibit. Incredible!!! Jon and I had been there before, but he was suffering from prostatitis and kidney stones at the time and had to leave every 5 minutes to throw up. So he didn't really get to see it last time. It really was so interesting and I was glad to go through it a second time. After that we headed over to Cheesecake Factory for a scrumptious dinner! Yum Yum. :) Then we meandered our way in the sprinkling rain to the Wynn and hit the Venitian on the way back. Paige hadn't really ever been to Vegas so it was fun to see it with her.

I had such a wonderful birthday weekend. It is always so great to be with family. As always, Jon spoiled me with a gift card for a day at the spa (yes please!!!) and a fun weekend trip. He is so good to me and always puts me first in his life. Thank you honey. I love you! muwah.

And here are some pics of my favorite parade home. A lot of the homes reminded me of the furniture in Beauty and the Beast, which is not at all my style. But THIS house was very modern and mainstream. I loved it!!! If I had the $5 mil I'd move in tomorrow! :)

I loved everything about this dining room - the painted squares, the light, the round table, the rug and the chairs. I also loved that in this house the only rooms that were carpeted were the bedrooms. Everything else was tiled with uber-soft rugs under foot.What I loved about the kitchen: the exposed beams with the windows up top, the dark wood and countertops, the chandelier, and these doors that opened all of the way to expand the living space onto the patio.I loved the headboard in the master bedroom. The whole bed was wrapped in fabric. So luxurious! And the pendants hanging over the bedside tables were really cool too. Really cool texture to them.The basement family room was so cool too. Loved the snake skin couch and automans and those black chairs in the background. I love the chairs around the gaming table and all of the artwork on the walls. Really really love the floor with the wood and tile mix.Loved the wall treatments in the theater room and the sconces on the walls. I'm really digging the dark woods. They also had an elevator in the home that had the same fabric design in it but it wasn't red. It was a very cool cucumber green and black.

The following pictures are from different houses but I liked them. This first one is a chandelier in a master bdrm. The flames danced back and forth and totally looked real. Loved this little girl's bedroom. It made me think of my sister-in-law Nikki with the pinks and brown. I love how they painted it.This pool was really cool. Everything from the fiery columns to the hidden hot tub in the cave. The house had a secret room off of the master bdrm. It was dubbed "the boom-boom room" by locals and was themed after Phantom of the Opera. It had a little bed/'reading area' and a path that led to a private hot tub. Ooo la la.
Sorry Sar. This was a little boy's room. The paint is magnetic and there are little X and O magnets to draw up plays. Totally cute.
These flowers actually weren't in a house. They're in the Wynn but I took the picture for Em knowing she would love the arrangment.
And one added bonus for all of you who've stuck around. While we were at the Wynn we caught the water show they do. This cute little boy couldn't fight the urge. It's a short clip but you have to pay close attention cause it's dark and grainy. I love how he does the 'Beyonce shake' in the middle. Funny kid! (Sorry I couldn't turn it. I keep forgetting I can't record that way.)


Thursday, February 21, 2008

You are what you eat...


I have another obsession that I just found. I love all of these holidays because of the wonderful candies that are available. Not so good for the body, but does wonders for my mind! :) I'm not really a huge jellybean fan and the only reason I picked these up was because I thought they were the original Nerds. But oh boy! I can't stop eating them. If you are as addicted to sugar as I am, you HAVE to check these out! :)


Oh, and I got a new phone for my birthday! I am so excited that I just have to share! After some severe abuse to my last phone (dropped in the tub once, dropped on cement a million times, broken speaker, etc.) I finally found a phone I like! I'll admit, I like it mostly because it's purple, but it's got some cool features too. Wahoo! Happy birthday to me. :)

Saturday, February 16, 2008

i'm obsessed

i'm not sure i could love these two any more than i already do...




Wednesday, February 6, 2008

M.I.A - thanks, Dana, for getting me back on track

Wow! January has been crazy for us! I'm going to try to sum most of it up with pictures. As soon as I got back from Vegas we were in full blown wedding mode. We had a combined bachelor/bachelorette ski party at Snowbasin. (Thanks to Matt and Erin for letting us stay in your condo. It was awesome!!!) We got lots of Guitar Hero in and everyone loved skiing at Basin. I was sick and opted out of skiing so Nikki and I got to sleep in, head up to the resort for lunch, and chill at the condo all day. It was so relaxing!



The next week we had a bridal shower for Becky and a baby shower for Nikki. Then Becky and Shane got married on January 26th at Millenial Falls in Draper. It was a beautiful day and wonderful ceremony. I don't have many pictures to share becasue I was in front of the camera a lot as a bridesmaid and was having too much fun dancing it up! :) Here are a few of the shots I did get.



The day after the wedding I flew out to Nashville with Leila, Aunt Terry, Angie and Jen to attend Becky and Shane's wedding dinner there (she lived in Nashville for about 4 years before signing on as an entertainer with Princess Cruises). They stayed at and had their dinner at the Grand Ol' Opry and it was so amazing! The next day Becky and Shane flew out to South Africa for their honeymoon and we toured the city. We got to sit in on a recording session for our friend Annelise and then drove around to see some of the southern mansions (hello old money!!!) and then ended the night at the Wild Horse Saloon for a little dinner and dancing to a live band. There were 2 business men there that zeroed in on our table for some dance partners (well, we were the only ones there on a Tuesday night) and we talked mom into dancing a few times with one of them. Good job mom! Way to take one for the team. :)




We got back late on Wednesday night (I wasn't sure if we would make it with all of the crazy snow storms) and that weekend we celebrated Alex's 3rd birthday at the bowling alley, Sunday was the Super Bowl, and Monday Mike and Nikki brought little Addison Nicole Law into this world. They did such a good job and I'm happy to report that both mom and baby are healthy and happy.



Of course, President Hinkley passed away during all of this too. I was in Nashville when I heard the news. We were having dinner in a sports bar with an Irish pub next door blasting music so it was hard to consentrate and let those feelings sink in. I am so grateful that I was able to watch his funeral and listen to the speakers who praised and honored him in the same way that I felt. President Monson's remarks did me in and I just sat and sobbed. Such a remarkable man who deserves this wonderful legacy. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing Gospel.

WHEW! I think that covers it all. The rest of February promises to be equally busy with the Gardners visiting for 10 days (I can't wait to play in the snow with Eden!!!) and a trip to St. George/Vegas over my birthday weekend. Not to mention school and Young Womens as well! :)

And to finish it off, a couple of quick shout outs:

Happy Birthday to Erin today! It was so great to talk to you last night. Heart.

Congratulations to Kat and Kory! They are expecting their 3rd child later this year! I'll keep my fingers crossed for a boy!