San Diego with Kierstin!!

Meet Kierstin. She's fully awesome. So awesome in fact that she and I took a trip (BY OURSELVES!!!) to San Diego. Yes, it was in September, yes I am just now posting about it. It took me that long to get over the awesomeness that was this trip. We have been friends since junior high. Maybe that's why we still act like we are in junior high. The trip was originally going to be to New York, but there was this whole hurricane thing going on and the subway was supposedly going to be shut down the whole time we were there, so we rerouted. The hurricane wasn't nearly as bad as they anticipated, thank goodness, I can't say I'm sad about the change of plans though. We are both beach girls all the way.

We spent three nights on Coronado Island at the Marriott Resort (beautiful!!) and then two nights across the bay in San Deigo at the Marquis.

On Coronado Island we spent lots of time at the beach, particularly this one at the Hotel del Coronado, where Patrick Swayze was working as a dance instructor. We had a lovely time learning how to do lifts over his head and whatnot.

We also did a few hours of surf camp. It was a complete joke. I suck at surfing. However it will not dissuade me from throwing a lot of money at the problem and going to a week long girls only surf camp in Costa Rica with awesome friends in the near future. Oh, it's happening.

We brought our special friend along with us everywhere. He represented our other Kirsten who couldn't make the trip and we missed her dearly. Homeboy is even worse at surfing than me.

We hired a private surf instructor from Coronado Surfing Academy, he was way cute and fun and I totally recommend them to anyone, it wasn't really even that spendy. But it was cold.

At the Marquis we we on like the 14th floor which was awesome, for me at least. Kierstin could barely step out onto the deck. The view was awesome though.  Slightly less awesome was the fact that the hotel was fully occupied by the Narcotics Anonymous Convention.  Yup, two little Mormon Utah moms surrounded by recovering Narcaholics and felons.  They were kind of awesome though, it was like being surrounded by Born Agains.  

Both properties were so stinking beautiful and well kept up.

This view though... not so beautiful. I love Kierstin. She's like a mix between Martha Stewart and Jillian Michaels and a Swedish supermodel, but is the biggest goober you'll ever meet. She was a perfect traveling companion, we rented bikes on Coronado & just biked everywhere. Get up, work out, get ready, bike, bike, bike, shop, beach, beach, beach, shop, eat ammmmaaaazzzing food, sleep. Repeat.

Amazing food like fish tacos.

and cupcakes. yeah, we pounded all of these in like 20 minutes. Don't judge.

They were awesome. You'd have done the same. The food was so awesome that I created an entire album on facebook dedicated to the food from this trip. I look at it fondly quite often.

One super cool place we stumbled upon was called Sinfullicious, or something like that. It was a customize your own bath products bar, such a cool idea. You pick the product,

the scent, the color, everything is totally custom & natural. It was so fun designing a signature scent. Mine was a combo of fig, warm vanilla sugar and hawaiian rain. Delish!

Then they mix it up for you right in front of your eyes. So fun!

And there ya go. So go to San Diego. Leave your kids. Leave the hubs. Find a girlfriend who rocks and listen to her funny stories. Tell her your funny stories. Make up new funny stories together. Then go home and be a better mom because you took time out. If that's not your style, I'm sorry, it was so awesome. Thank you Kierstin!!!!
Now about that New York trip...

an unupdatey update

oi. it's been a minute, eh? here's a brief synopsis of the recent goings on.


-we like vegas.
-matt's job is good.  exhausting & long, but good.
-we need friends.  our current neighborhood is considerably less awesome than our old one in Layton.  there is missing going on. 
-we really want to get this house that we put an offer in on a couple of weeks ago.  but it's a short sale, so it's a big long waiting game.  it's lovely.  please keep your fingers crossed. 
-i like my kids.  Sawyer & Abram get along so well, I feel very blessed.
-i love, double LOOOOVE my new gym.  performax can go suck eggs. Ann Road 24 hour is blowing my mind with awesomeness.  for the same price. with a outdoor pool, a sauna, a hot tub, a steam room and all of it clean.  with classes (I'm such a Zumba addict right now) that murderize performax's.
-i'm off sugar.  and bread.  meats & veggies for me right now & it's doing me right.  i didn't' realize how much of a sugar addict i've become.  which for me is motivation enough to kick it.  I don't want to ever be addicted to anything.  Ever.  So I've channeled all my disdain for smokers into kicking my sugar habit.  working like a charm.
-we sold my lexus.  well, steven did.  matt's brother steve has been such a sweetheart to us lately.  don't tell, but he's really not as big an Ahole as he'd like you to think.  the lexus wanted to drive around in the snow & I was all "well, i'm not going to be doing that anymore" and she's all "well then sell me, my 4wheel drive is being squandered down here." So I was like "fine! I will! have fun in the snow, you beautiful beautiful automobile you!"  and that was the end of that.  at the moment I'm driving the avalon, but we are selling that too, it's not to hot of a mom car, and buying probably a Honda Element. 

I'm sick of my random thoughts and poor capitalization.  I'm sure Stacey is too, if she, or anyone, reads this anymore.
off to bed with me then!

It's tired here

Tonight (as with most nights) Matt attempted to hang out with me until his exhaustion overcame him.


Looking at houses online must bore him. Its starting to bore me. Actually, bore is the wrong word, frustrate the hell out of me is what it's really starting to do. We have a very specific area we want to buy in and we want a pool. Pretty much we are flexible on everything else, but apparently you have to know someone, the right someone, to get into a house there. The second something is listed, there's an offer on it. It doesn't help that our stupid freaking house hasn't officially closed yet, so we aren't in a position to be slapping down any offers of our own. It should close any day, but I'm getting a wee bit antsy. I'm sick of being in limbo. The kids & Cyd & I ran up to Davis county real quick this week to clean out the last few bits the stupid movers left behind (thanks, guys). It was good to see my friends & some family real quick, but I gotta say, it really didn't feel like "going home". Seeing the Stratosphere looming in the hazy distance felt more like coming home. Probably because my baby was there, but also because apparently I am a warm weather chic. I'm off the meds & more content than have been in a long time. Me likey.

- Posted from my iPhone

waaaaant...

so there's this house... it's fully awesome. Here's the backyard.
I want it. We snuck in last night & now so does everyone else. It needs work, but the bones & yard & location are all perfection. The kind of work it needs is the exact kind of work I'd WANT to put into a house anyway, to make it ours, you know. I want it bad. But it's a short sale & last night somebody put an offer on it. So. What do we do? Our house should close in the next week or so. Should we put an offer of our own in? I hate that we'd have to wait so long to find out if either of them were accepted. I'm sick to death of waiting for things, of being in limbo. I've felt like this since July. I don't know if I could hack three more months....
In other news, I'm not the only one who loves it here in Vegas. We've been playing outside much more than we did in Layton, the weather is just glorious! These kids of ours are having a great time with the fenced backyard/dirt pile. Sawyer is a fan of having her picture taken. She makes up poses & faces & sets up each shot, tells me where to stand & when to take each picture. She's hilarious. Abram always wants in too.


We have a very friendly cat next door, Abram was being so so very gentle with it, we've really been working on that with him & I was so proud.


Look at those fat little hands! Ohhhh I just wanna gobble them up!
It was a great day despite the burned pumpkin bread, and the missing sewing machine cord. I love my family.

- Posted from my iPhone

sunshine, lollypops & rainbows

I'm really happy right now.

I don't know if it's the extra sunny sunshine or the drastically decreased amount of "stuff" in my life or maybe it's that my husband is retardedly in love with his job, but I'm having a hard time wiping the smile off my face lately.

Things have changed since my last update, thanks to a huge tender mercy, we aren't having to live in St. George & have Matt commute, we are renting an awesome house in the Centennial Hills area (Northwest LV) from my sister-in-law Jennifer's parents who live down here.  They have been so completley welcoming & sweet, it's like having built in family already.  Our ward and neighborhood here are also wonderful & very welcoming.  Las Vegas is a huge city, but somehow it manages to have a small town attitude.  I find the desert extremly peaceful, which is odd considering how un-peaceful the part of Vegas is that most people think of.  It's much more than the Strip, and I love it. 

There are a huge amount of awesome homes in our price range, but I'm finding myself being really, really picky as I look.  Like "I-have-developed-multiple-styes-on-each-eyelid" picky.  It just feels like we'll be here for a good long time, and I don't want to find myself in a home I like in an area that I don't.  I don't want to put up with a home design/yard/neighborhood/ward that is anything less than awesome.  We honestly just left the best ward & neighborhood that I have ever expericned.  It was bliss.  Sooo hard to leave.  It's not even about getting the fanciest house, or a huge house (goodness no, I don't think I'll ever want a huge house, not my style) I'm seriously just trusting in the Lord to help us find the neighborhood that He would have us be in.  That's my priority.
Well, that and a house that I can picture our family loving life in. 

This post by the always inspiring Sarah of Clover Lane is helping me refocus my intentions right now.  Perhaps that is another reason for the lightness of my heart lately. 

I've been living in a state of gratitude.  I've been ever so conscious of how mindful our Heavenly Father is of us, little us, and it blows my mind.  The move to Layton, the people we met there, the children I'm so lucky to have, the timing (and loveliness) of Abram's birth, which ultimately lead to Cydney being with us, even the miscarriages I went through, Matt working at Advanced Title (with Kirsten's husband Dave! a junior high pipe dream come true!), Matt running into Jake & setting us down this path of moving to Vegas, so many other little things that simply didn't happen by accident! All these things have "worked together for our good". 

Doctrine & Covenants Section 90 Verse 24 (this reference is inscribed into Matt's wedding ring by the way.)

Search diligently, pray always, and be believing,

and all things shall work together for your good,

if ye walk uprightly and remember

the covenant wherewith

ye have covenanted one with another.

Regardless of the reason for the smiles, I'm certain that staying in that grateful mindset will keep 'em coming, no matter what comes our way in the future.

Sometimes I think I accidentally married Pedro

like riding on a dragon. Clearly.
We are up at the cabin escaping the last few chaotic bits at our 98% empty house, and the cleaning that is eminent. The last time we were up at the cabin, it was for the 4th if July, where at the Oakley Rodeo, Matt ran into his old college buddy, Jake & we got this hairbrained idea to switch careers & move. The only things we were certain of were 1) that Matt should go to Medical Sales College like Jake had, and 2) that it was time to sell our house so that we could be available to go wherever Matt got a job after he finished school.
Over the course of the past few months, we've done more than our fair share of speculating & impatiently stamping our proverbial feet wondering where in the helk this journey was taking us, and why. And while we don't really know the why just yet, we do know the where! Las Vegas! Yesterday Matt accepted an offer to work for an Arthrex distributorship in Lost Wages (as my pseudo-father Sherwood Pack calls it), selling all sorts of screws & plates & biologics (ask him about it next time you see him, it's so fun to see him excited about his work and throwing around medical terminology. At least it is to me)
I'm so excited for him. It's great to see him passionate about what he's doing & excited to work hard & be successful.
So yeah. Moving to Vegas. I'm excited about the change, there are so many things about it that lead me to believe that it will be a great fit for our little family. And the thing that gives me the most hope is that this move makes even less sense than our move to Layton, and that has turned out to be a huge blessing, full of wonderful friends & lots of opportunities for growth. So by that logic, Vegas should be good. Right?
We are spending the next week with Susie, tying up loose ends with the house & whatnot, then we'll move down to the condo in St George to mooch off of Susie's generosity some more & be closer to Vegas for when Matt starts work on the 10th. Hopefully we'll find a great house (pool!) and be able to move officially & be reunited with all the crap in our storage shed soon.
So that's the updated plan.

- Posted from my iPhone

All is right with the world again

Yesterday I woke up at four am, got on a plane, took a bus for a hour, rode light rail and walked a mile, all to surprise my amazing-doesn't-even-begin-to-cover-it husband. Cydney got Sawyer off to school, dropped Abes off with Stacey & Ryan and then freaking delivered a wedding cake for me. (the delivery is for sure the hardest, most stressful part, this is a big deal.) There are no words to adequately express my gratitude to her, to JaNae & Kirsten & Stacey (and to my parents for the ride to the airpoirt at an unholy hour) because surprising Matt & being here in Denver for his graduation was a total "movie moment". He had no idea. It was the best.


And I'm so glad I got to meet all his instructors & the guys in his class. Oh my goodness the whole program was awesome, everyone was in tears the whole time, it was really something special. I cannot believe how hard he worked for this. He was in class an hour before it started every day (at six am!) stayed late every night, and if he wasn't in class he was only sleeping or studying. The top three scores in the class were just one point behind each other, Matt came in second, by one point, and was awarded the MVP award which was voted on by the other guys in the class. What an honor. I could tell in just the first few seconds of meeting them that each of those guys were phenomenal human beings, like just really super good guys. His instructor Mark I can tell is someone who will be in our lives as a mentor & friend for a very long time. I can see that being the case with Mark, Joe, Jason & Alex as well.
The whole experience was really pivotal in Matt's life. Since Scott died, he has really been dragging in so many ways. It is so nice to see him excited & passionate about life again.
After graduation and many tearful goodbyes, we went back to Bob & Rennei's, Matt's aunt & uncle who has so kindly hosted him for the last month, said goodbye to her & set out on our way to Vail where I had made a reservation for the night at the Marriott & an 80 minute couples massage! After our massage, which was awesome, we went to Sweet Basil for an unbelievably good linger-and-talky dinner. We walked around Oktoberfest and checked out all the lovely ladies with their plastic surgery faces and furs & Louis Vition bags. Vail is not messing around. Matt woke up early & snuck out and grabbed some takeout from a delicious little creperie. Now we are going to hustle home to our little ones and have a nice relaxing weekend together before the firestorm of find-a-job-move-out-of-our-house-into-Susie's-find-a-new-house-who-knows-where starts. Then there's the training a new primary president, cleaning our house down to the nubs, registering Sawyer & Cyd for new schools, finding a new gym, etc etc etc. Holy cow. But guess what? That's all going to happen just fine. For now? For now I'm just going to sit back, sing off-key to Matt's old man music, read Real Simple and be with my baby for the next six hours. There is no one I'd rather be with, make plans with, dream with, laugh with, wake up with or be stuck in the car with. There is no one I'd rather see succeed. And I know he will. In every aspect of life.

- Posted from my iPhone

new favorite blog

are you bored? do you need another way to waste time entertain yourself? I found one.  Go to here.  You don't even have to read the whole thing, just the top part about the job listing.  That's my day today.  Now goodnight.  I'm going to San Diego tomorrow with this chic & I don't have to think about things like that for five more sleeps. 
mmmmmwah!

Tuachan Extravaganza

Earlier in the month, Susie kindly took a bunch of the girls down to St. George to see Grease & The Little Mermaid at Tuachan.  They were both awesome, but The Little Mermaid was like extra spectacular.  If you have the chance, I would totally recommend it.  Sawyer loved both shows, but she really wanted to meet Sandy but not Ariel for some reason.  I was a bit annoyed though at the underlying message of both shows.  Sitting there next to "my" daughter who is really just on loan to me from our Heavenly Father with the understanding that I will do my darndest to raise her in such a way that she can make it back home to Heaven, I couldn't help but be conscious of how each female lead wasn't happy until she had her man.  They both had to change & take some crap to please the people around them.  Clearly healthy relationships do not make for interesting story lines, but sheesh!  I'm sick of Disney telling my kid that she won't be happy until she nabs a man.  Okay, I'm being a tad extreme here, I realize that.  I certainly need my man.  It's fine.  Just don't get me started on Beauty & the Beast.  I have some serious issues with that one. 
It was great that Cydney was able to come with us too.  She stayed with Abram while we went to the shows.  It was fun to see Caroline, Cate & Grace follow her around like little puppy dogs & aske her beauty advice & whatnot.  I'm so lucky to have her.  Anyway, I am so grateful that I have a mother-in-law that I absolutely count as one of my friends.  She is so much fun to be around & gives fantastic advice.  Even without the fun trips, she is a complete rockstar.  Thank you Susie!

Operation Survive Matt's Absence- Day One

I'm chalking today up as a success.  Granted it was only a half day, but whatever.  Matt left today at four, after taking us to breakfast at The Original Pancake House in Sugarhouse & then coming home & packing & cleaning & prepping to go.  I'm so excited for him.  He really is studying like I've never seen him & this whole experience so far is very uniting for us as a family.  After he left we picked some take out up from Cafe Zupas & went down to the Wright's neighborhood party.  We didn't stay very long because one of my rules of OSMA is to get the kids to bed on time.  After I put Abram down, Sawyer, Cyd & I had some banana ice cream & then Sawyer & I read books & played horsey on the trampoline.  I really like hanging out with Sawyer.  She's really a cool chic. We knelt down for family prayers & she told me that "this cannot be family prayers.  Daddy isn't here.  It's just girls & Abram prayers."  So apparently I need to revise my list of OSMA rules to correct that terminology. 
Here they are-


The Rules of Operation Survive Matt's Absence
#1- no late nights.  Bedtime is 7:30 for Abram AND Sawyer.  She's a big kindergartener after all & starting Monday, we are going to have to get up at like 7:30!!! (I'm not ashamed to admit that most of the summer we have still been in bed at 9 am.  Ok, maybe a little ashamed)
#2- Mommy's gym time is sacred.  Don't even try to skip or else you'll be all stabby by noon.
#3- Once a week, get a sitter & go out.  With Cyd, by yourself, with friends, I don't care.  Just do it.
#4- Family Girls & Abram prayers every day.  Once a day at the very least.
#5- Personal scripture study & prayers twice a day.  Listen to something from the Gospel Library app at some point during the day & sit down & read real live scriptures in the morning before even getting out of bed. 
#6- Laugh.  Don't take yourself too seriously.  Generally it is Matt's responsibility to see that this happens, so I hope that I can do it without him here.
and last but not least
#7- do not be afraid to accept the help that is offered to me. 
I seriously have no idea how military wives or single moms do it.  GOOOOO them!
and go me.  ;)

love note

Matt sent me this email a few weeks ago. I've reread it nearly every day since. I really had no idea how good a choice I was making when I decided to marry him. Luck, a blessing, destiny? I don't know, but I'm ever so glad he's mine.

big stuff. big stuff.

hey howdy howdy.  still alive.  not blogging & not taking any pictures, so I can't really prove it, but it's true. We've been up to some big stuff over here.  putting our house, car, children etc up for sale, you know, no bigs.  k, not children.  we really actually like them a whole heaping lot.  our kids kick butt.

but yeah, house.  for sale.  car.  for sale.  gonna have a yard sale pretty soon here too, so there'll be a lot more shish for sale as well. 

wanna buy anything?

Why, you may ask, are we selling everything?  I'll tell you.....
we are going on an adventure.  yes, a family adventure.  together.  we don't know where we will be in 3 months.  Here's the deal.  Matt has been quite dissatisfied with his job lately.  It's been a huge blessing over the years & we lovelovelove everyone he's worked with, but the actual job portion?  not a great fit.  Anyway, that's what we've been realizing in the last few, and over the 4th of July weekend, we kind of had a few things happen that helped us figure out what to do!  I don't believe in coincidences, do you?  Things happen how they are supposed to happen.  Matt ran into a friend from college at the Oakley rodeo who told him about this medical device sales college that he had gone to & how he was enjoying his new career.  Things happened pretty quickly from there, it just felt really right for us.  He starts the at home portion (4 weeks long) next Monday, then on August 15th, he starts another 4 weeks in Denver at MSC.  So, come (hopefully) the end of September, we'll have a new career on our hands, quite possibly a new place to live.  Maybe even a new house, who knows?
I'm feeling really excited though, I think Matt'll be a lot happier, and it's exciting to just feel like we're allowing the Lord to kind of guide our lives a little.  His plans are always WAAAYYYY better than mine ever are anyway, so it's cool. ;)
So that's what we're doing.  We're gonna be pretty freaking poor for a minute though, while Matt is unemployed for a few weeks, but honestly I'm thinking that'll be kind of an adventure too.  I'm finding all sorts of fun free things to do with the kids, and being better about planning meals & buying actually from a list (shockingly easier on the budget than just purchasing everything that looks tasty. amazing!) Passed up a hair appointment (so that's why I look skraggely), a concert and I'm busting out the Happenings book again! It feels really good to feel all united toward a goal as a family/couple.  I kind of love it. 
Do you see this? It's freaking 1 am.  What in the hell am I doing? 
see ya later.

waterboarding? that's sissy stuff

getting a haircut is the new torture. These pictures crack. me. up. I love how he goes from screaming like a banshee to "oh wait. is this a Popsicle? cool."
I'll post pictures of the finished look soon. Matt gave him an unauthorized mohawk. I could not be more in love with it.

oh for the love...

This lovely little impromptu performance happened at a meet & greet after one of the Origins tour dates. I'm so jealous of the people in the is room that it's just silly. How cute is Daren drumming on the table? I love how obvious it is that these guys (where is Anna btw?) absolutely adore what they do. Makes me want to sit in the grass with my brother Doug & sing with him while he plays Saves the Day songs on his guitar.....

Happy Anniversary, Cyd!

One year ago my dear sweet niece Cydney moved in with us. I thought we'd celebrate with a special breakfast of Chai pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries.



I saw this recipe on Joythebaker.com (love her!) and had been waiting for jeeeest the right occasion to make them!
I'm so grateful for the chance to have gotten to know Cyd better than I ever would have. I love how she calls me Aunt Lady & is always up for being my little live-in friend, escorting my lame mom-person butt to movies, shopping & concerts. (Oh and speaking of concerts.....eeeeeeek! Airborne is tonight!!!!!)
She has been a complete joy in our house. She gives her honest opinion no matter what. Tells it like it is & makes us laugh every day. The progress that she's making in every aspect of her life is awe-inspiring to me. I'm so excited to see where her life takes her. She's so talented & smart, the sky really is the limit.
I love you girl!


- Posted from my iPhone

typical tuesday

soooo I know this girl....
She's kinda cool. Lots of other people think she's kinda cool too, and most of them don't even know her, that's how cool she is. Remember when I did this post, and deleted like 90% of the feeds on my reader?   Well Rachel's blog is the complete antithesis of the kind of blogs I was trying to avoid.  I kinda have a girl-crush on her.  Every Tuesday she has someone share their "typical tuesday" on her blog & I get to be that someone this week.  I feel kinda cool.

This is important

Seis-o de Mayo Fiesta

Ever since we knew Abram's due date, we thought it would be fun to have a Cinco de Mayo party for him. Rent a taco truck, have obnoxious Mexican polka music rockin', and a pinata of course. I'm excited to show you the pictures. This was a lot less work than I thought it would be because I have awesome family who always offer to help & bring food & be my own personal margarita maker (thanks Steve! I love you! (even though blogs are beneath you & you would never read this)) and because the taco truck (which was awesome, thank you Danny for arranging it with your mad Spanish speaking skills) did most of the food.
I made Churro cupcakes & a carrot cake for Abram to smash, which was decidedly the highlight of the night, at least for me.
Here are the pics in no particular order because blogger sucks to load lots of pictures into. (Does anyone have any tips to make this easier? please please please)



Elder Parry! Evan's farewell is this Sunday, I'm so in love with this kid, he is beyond awesome.
miss Elsie Jane, how cute is that outfit, I could just eat her up.
G-Dawg holding Soph while Abram's little cousin-buddy Sully plays in the background
See, when you have a party catered you can actually enjoy it. What a concept.
And there's the number for ya. Olga & her husband were awesome.
Sawyer just played & played with this neighbor girl the whole night.
The kids table. Sawyer was so excited to have a special project to put together & decorate while I was setting up. She is at such a fun stage right now.
My men. Both of them were a little excited to bash George's head in.
Abram actually "got" it. Sawyer at her first birthday? not so much. Apparently boys like to destroy things... who knew?
ah, Cyd. The beauteous Cydney. Even perplexed she is still gorg.
Lucy Loo. Do you like her ever so occasion appropriate little shirt? That's authentic, too.
And here's the cake. I swear that candle was red in the store. The cupcakes have a bit of dulce de leche inside & drizzled on top. Then the cinnamon buttercream & a Costco churro topped them off. They were really good.
Seriously, that smile is gonna get him everywhere in life.
The kids really enjoyed the pinata.
This bottle was full of wishes & wise words for Abram from my friends at his baby shower. My favorite? "Dear Abram- I'm sure you're a good person, but right now we just don't know. -Grace"
No surprise that a Parry knocked the monkey's head off.
I love those little lips! (and do you like the road rash on his arm? yeah, I have no idea where he got that.)
Doesn't that look fun?



Yeah, they for sure are in love. Either that or she just wants his cake.





It was so much fun to have everyone there, besides an unfortunate delivery incident wherein the Parry family did not receive their invitation, it was a roaring success!