Ok so I've debated about even letting people know about this, but I'm kinda hoping there are more people like me out there so we can all feed off each other and get inspired.
Let me know what you think!!
xoxo
Yesterday we celebrated Emily's 23rd birthday! I got Em a super cute framed Families are Forever print for her house and we also went to get mani's at the mall. It was so nice to enjoy a few hours together. That night we went to dinner at Outback and after had cake and played games at Emily and Derek's house. While we were at the mall someone asked us if we were twins. We just laughed and said no, but I think Emily and I are about as close to twins as two opposite people can be :) I'm so glad we got to share our special day with you Em! Love you!!
Friends forever
Emily and Derek already had their pieces from the top of the cake earlier.
Seriously one of the funniest couple we know! Another classic shot.
Yes...that is bread in Derek's mouth. This was the best shot I could get.
So a few of my friends have been wanting me to post some more recipes on the blog. I really love to cook and thought I was a good cook until I Ryan and I got married. One cooked meal a week does not a cook make. So in our quest to eat healthy I have been cooking a ton more and am finally finding little tricks of the trade. I haven't ever burned anything or had anything be inedible, but I think my chicken is more juicy and things are becoming more flavorful without heaping on butter and salt. Here is a recipe I found on Gina's Weight Watcher's Recipes. No I'm not on a diet, but I want to make healthy foods to help me feel better inside and out.
What you need:
2 tsp Olive Oil
2 lbs Shrimp (I got shrimp pre-shelled and deviened)
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes (it only called for one but I used two)
salt and pepper
Heat your pan to medium-high and pour in your oil. Wait until your pan is hot then add shrimp. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes then flip shrimp and add garlic. Cook for a few more minutes until shrimp are fully cooked. I then transferred the shrimp into a mixing bowl and added the juice of two limes and the fresh cilantro. Toss and enjoy! Seriously, if I can do it so can you!
This is what I came home to on Monday. Actually I was stuck behind our mattress because it was wedged in between our door and the entry way. I actually had to yell for Ryan to come and move the bed...I couldn't hardly step two feet into our apartment. Why does our apartment look like it got hit by a tornado you ask? Because Ryan is seriously the best husband ever. I had been finding these tiny black beetle-like bugs in our bedroom. They seemed to just creep up out of nowhere and they only seemed to like me. I even found one in my ear! Yes, sick! I had had enough and said , once I found the bug in my ear, that we needed to deep clean our bedroom or something to get rid of those bugs. What I should have said was "I want a million dollars." because when I got home the next day Ryan had taken everything out of our bedroom (i.e.the picture) and deep cleaned the entire bedroom. He even sprayed for bugs! Even though the living room was crazy messy I didn't even care because Ryan was so proud of himself. I was so touched he would even think to do that for me. This picture below is my favorite picture...Ryan so proud of his accomplishment and being the man and killing all of the bugs.
I'm the luckiest girl ever!
Thank you gift card! Cheesecake Factory treated us well on Saturday with heaps and heaps of food. One thing I love about eating out is the leftovers and I had some seriously leftovers with the portion size of a small country. Ryan actually ate his entire burrito. He could hardly talk afterwards because he was trying to just digest his food. It took about a 1/2 hour and he finally came around and started acting normal. He was very proud of his accomplishment though, it was really cute :) After dinner we went to Nordstrom Rack and Bed Bath and Beyond to peruse. Why can't every day be Saturday?
This post is quite a few days late, but I wanted to do it anyway. Everyday should be Mother's Day so I don't think our Mom's will be too upset that it's a little late.
I can't hardly type without crying when I start to think about my mother. She has always been the rock of our family and has been a true example of faith. My Mom is a convert to the church and is the only member of the church in her family and I have always admired her testimony and strength. She seriously had no idea what her life would truly be like marrying my dad. Meetings, crazy callings, long hours of selfless service...as a newer convert you really don't think of your life as being filled with times away from your spouse, but my mom has been such an example to me of faith as she has sat by herself most of her life in church as dad was away on assignments or sitting on the stand. My mom is educated and has always pushed me to be my best self. She always made my friends feel welcome into our home and has allowed me the freedom to become my own person without any judgment. I know one day I will have my own daughter to mess up in my very own special way, and I hope I can be half the mother to my daughter as my mom is to me.
My in-laws are nothing like your typical in-laws. I can hardly even type the words because from day one I have felt like part of the family. I have been so blessed to have gained another set of parents. I now have two amazing examples of mother in my life. I can't wait for the time when Kristi and my Mom will "fight" over who gets the grand kids and feel so blessed to know that no matter where the kids go they will find themselves surrounded by amazing women and mothers. Kristi thank you for taking me under your wing and for being the amazing mother I know you have been to Ryan. He is the man he is because of you and I am forever grateful.
It's a boy! Janneke and I threw Erin a baby shower this weekend. It was fun to see some sisters from our old ward there and chit chat about all things baby. It was wonderful for me on mother's day weekend to baby-sit and then throw a baby shower for my friends and truly celebrate real motherhood from start to...well a few years into it :) Erin looks amazing being pregnant and she is so happy! She is super prepared and got lots of fun gifts to help prep for the baby. We also played "guess that baby food" and that is why everyone is sniffing diapers in these photos. I thought it was hilarious! Almost everyone there was already a mom or was about it be a mom and it made me so happy to have so many friends who are so happy with their role as a woman and mother. They are all amazing examples to me of what womanhood is truly about and I was so happy to celebrate with them.
