Kick the Bucket (List)

During the last couple of weeks of school, while my kids were diligently working on their final projects, I started compiling the perfect summer bucket list. I scoured the internet, recalled past fun summers and searched pinboards.

Unfortunately the summer is 2/3 over, and I haven't even scratched 1/3 of the items. Help?

Some of the items - stargazing, picnic, and camping will hopefully be accomplished this week on a camping trip with the Findeises. I know. I'm as surprised as you are.

I have less than a month to finish off the rest of the list.

• Swimming at the Res
• Provo River Trail (non-raping hours)
• Temple Square
• Hogle Zoo
• Clark Planetarium
• Feed ducks
• Try tennis
• Visit Art Museums
• Free concerts
• Sunrise Yoga
• Tour State Capital
• Try a new temple
• Hike the Y (any takers?)
• Bike Ride
• Burraston Ponds
• Lagoon!
• Midnight food run at the hospital. What's up Oreo shake?!
• Gilgal Sculpture Garden
• Try a crazy new restaurant. I'm thinking ethnic.
• "This is the Place" Monument
• Red Butte Garden
• Drive-in Movie
• Living Planet Aquarium
• Tracy Aviary
• Rock climbing (Ashby's?)
• City Creek
• Keys on Main

Sometimes, Always, Never - Neon

Nothing brings out a summer tan like neon.  You can't go into stores today without walking right into a display of new neon goods. Here's my advice for the neon trends:

SOMETIMES

Start out small with accessories like a belt, necklace, and nails. But check the mirror to make sure it's a *pop* and not a *CLASH* of color.

Wear the neon BIG. Like a shirt or pants. After trying neon nails (which I love) I branched out. I got two neon v-necks from Victoria's Secret 2 for $28, which is awesome by the way, and I've been mixing it into my routine.

ALWAYS

Pare down your neon with neutrals - black is great for night but can look too severe for day, tan is very runway-chic this season, and white is the celebrated combo. I chose gray with neon pink for a casual afternoon with my family - Happy Sumo and The Dark Knight Rises. The Beard is getting sick of taking iPhone outfit photos, but he's nice and does it anyways. :)

Tone down your makeup. Define your eyes with liner and mascara and swap your blush for bronzer. Nude lipstick or a sheer gloss, take it easy on the color. Your neon is supposed to steal the show.

NEVER

Avoid your problem areas with neon. If you are worried about your BBQ belly, don't wear a tight neon tee. Yuck.

If you are wearing neon to work or church, be forewarned that everyone is looking at you and shaking their heads in disappointment.

If you are very fair, take it easy with the neon. You'll look like a Tim Burton character. See-through, green-tinged and creepy. 

Why You Shouldn't Post Your Opinion on Facebook

#1. No one cares. Sorry. But for real.

#2. Your amateur opinion is not going to change anyone's mind. If you care deeply about a certain topic, either they do too and won't be swayed, or they don't and won't ever care. Hence, useless.

#3. Facebook arguments literally bring out the worst in EVERYONE. Have you ever seen a Facebook argument that doesn't end in childish name-calling or deleting the comments/original post? No. Because it's against the rules of physics to have a logical, mature discussion on Facebook.

#4. Having an opinion, whether it's about gun control, gay marriage, or the Twilight series, does not mean you also have to share it or shove it down anyone's throat. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN just have your own private personal opinions. 

#5. If you really, truly care about something, you'd be spending your time doing that thing in real life, not Facebooking about it.


Go ahead. Like a Facebook page. Write a blog post. Create an event. Talk to me about it in person. But if you post it regularly as a Facebook status I reserve the right to leave trolling comments and alter my opinion of you.

Also I'm going to buy some of these and use them liberally.

A Non-Gushy Anniversary Post (You're Welcome)

Today is our 1 year anniversary. This time last year we were cutting the cake, throwing my bouquet, retrieving my garter, cramming into the photobooth with my cousins and sucking down Diet Coke between hugs. The best day of my life.

I'm not going to post the million reasons why I love the Beard. Believe it or not, we talk in person regularly, so we actually share that with one another. The internet doesn't really care.

We are going on a small getaway trip next week, so we just spent our anniversary very low key - attending our new AWESOME ward, watching baseball and making delicious fajitas. A very Holdaway Sunday.

I'm just sharing how amazing temple marriage can be. I feel so safe, happy and reassured that the Beard and I have done everything right and now we can be together forever. Hey, if we made it through the first year, we're good to go, right? That's what they say, anyways. :)

Sometimes, Always, Never: Trendy

I'm kind of a late adopter of trends. I firmly believe that waiting through the first wave of a trend makes your fashion decisions much more informed. Instead of running right out and buying the hot new thing at the doorway display at Forever 21, I watch. I see how bloggers, college peers and celebrities wear it.

So here's my inspiration. This last weekend I was in Cedar City at the Shakespearean Festival with my Budge girl family. It's our little girl reunion that we try to do every couple of years. It was awesome. Anyways. My mom and I had some time to kill before the next show so we went shopping. A Downeast Outfitters was having a sidewalk sale with discount bins, so we rifled through them. I have never found anything good in a bin because it's usually ugly stuff or XL-XXL sizes. But then I pulled out something, and lo and behold. Angels sang. 

It was soft.

It was blush pink.

It wasn't XXL. (It is a size too big for me, as you might be able to tell... whatev.)

It was a knee length pencil skirt.

IT WAS PEPLUM.

And it was $10.

What do you guys think?

I've been intrigued by the peplum trend. I think it's so fun and classy.  I've seen bloggers and celebrities wearing it (thankfully no Utahns have ruined it for me. YET.) And I secretly just want to be Emma Stone. I just didn't know how I could do it. I like dressing up. I like looking formal, even if I'm the only one. But peplum? It's too much, right? WRONG.

And now, without further ado, our Sometimes, Always, Never for trying new trends.

SOMETIMES

Try something that seems scary. If it keeps catching your eye, do it. Buy it. Try it. But don't just get something BECAUSE it's trendy. It needs to be something you like.

ALWAYS

Do some research. See how people are wearing it. Type the style into Pinterest and pin some ideas. I love doing that. 

Plan at least one outfit in your head before you buy it. You will regret it if you take it home and can't even make one outfit. 

NEVER

I never buy a trendy item from a big designer or for full price. What if I don't like it? What if it is totally "out" by next season? When oxford shoes were big this last fall, I bought a knockoff pair from Payless for probably $15. It was good purchase, because they look similar to the $70+ Steve Madden pair at Nordstrom (RIP), but guess what? I wore them maybe once a month. That's worth $15 for me. Not $70.  And if you do love the trend? Upgrade.

ONE AT A TIME. Never ever ever combine super trends. Do not wear leggings, gladiators, a statement necklace and chambray all at once. Choose one. This girl looks ok for fashion week, but for the rest of us,  bright peplum + statement tee + shades + beach hair + chandelier earrings + thick ankle strap heels is overdoing it. 

I'm a-leavin'... with a moving trailer

I've posted about my new job and plans to move, but now the ball is really rolling. We found the perfect place! It's a brand new, just-finished basement apartment in a gorgeous new house in Draper. We are right by the Draper Temple, and boy do we have an amazing view. The family upstairs is super nice and totally adorable. It's about a 30 minute commute for both me and the Beard (I come down the hill right onto Bangerter and The Beard is only a couple minutes to the Southbound I-15).

Did I mention there is a Kneaders right down the hill?

We move next week. As we start boxing things up and planning the move it's starting to really hit me. We're so blessed and I'm very excited, but this will be new and big for us.

Things I Will Not Miss:

• My creepy Texas Chainsaw Massacre basement
• Driving into Springville or Spanish Fork for a grocery store/pharmacy
• Being 10 minutes from the freeway
• Our 90+ degree house (they didn't believe in air conditioning in the year 1900 when this house was built)
• Being in my home ward... yeah. 
• Dead skunks EVERYWHERE

Things I Will Miss:

• Being 10 seconds from my family
• Aunt Lisa's salsa deliveries
• La Casita, The Trolley, La Dolce Vita, Sammy's, Happy Sumo, Shoots, all of our favorite local places
• A 2 minute commute to work
• The Cocoa Bean with my girlfriends

But this is life right? Moving on, moving up. I've got my Beard. I've got my Glen Coco. Everything is going to be great. :) 

Workout Wednesday: Running with Tayler Christiansen

Today's post comes from my smart and sporty friend Tayler. We met in England on our Study Abroad and now we talk all the time about history teacher stuff. :) Check out her blog about her book reviews, yummy recipes and her upcoming wedding and first year of teaching at my alma mater, Springville Junior High. And this post is the push I needed to get out and run today!

Why run? I hate tracks. Always have, always will. That is why I was never on track although I admired my younger sister for doing so. She was in great shape, able to run in such heat and at such distance. I was jealous of her legs.  But I hate tracks. Round and round and round and round. Going in a circle. That’s all it is—getting nowhere. I am a hamster running, trying to get somewhere, but am trapped in the same place.


I run (not on tracks, but outside exploring Provo) because I can. That is the reason.

I run away. I away from stress, from sickness, from bad days. When I am feeling down, I change into my shorts and running shirts, put my hair in a braid, turn my iPod up super loud, and head out the door. About 15 minutes in, whatever bothered me before is history. I am flying, I am fighting, and I am winning.

But, I am stubborn. I run towards a goal. I run because I am stubborn. Every step is a fight and I will prove to my body I can win. It is a test of courage, a test of diligence, of determination, of ambition, of spirit. But, it is mainly a test of strength. To see how far I can push myself. Can I make it all the way up this hill without walking? How many stairs can I run up? What is the longst, fastest sprint I can do? Who will give up first, my legs or my spirit? It is something I can prove to myself. Something I can strive for and show that I can achieve it and more. Besides, that high that you get after running is enough to keep you gong for the rest of the day—the satisfaction and knowledge that you just defeated your own body and made it do the impossible.

This mantra not only applies to running, but to whatever I (or you) do to work out and stay in shape. After I run and stretch, I like to do other exercises to build my muscle tone. Again, I like to push myself: 10 more seconds on core exercises, 5 more pushups, etc. 

So go out and go running. Don’t get stuck on an endless track. Find a windy, shady trail. Try some stairs. Run past your friends headed up to class and smile, showing off. Explore neighborhoods you’ve never been to before. Have a soundtrack going. Make sure to include Rocky Story music, such as “Gonna Fly Now” and “Training Montage” (even include Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” When you hear these songs, push yourself to the utmost limit and DO NOT STOP NO MATTER WHAT until the song is done. Then, don’t stop even then! Keep going!

So my challenge for you is to listen to Lowell Thomas. Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can. You will thank yourself afterward. Because, it’ll surprise you—you can actually do it. Mind over body. Determination over mind. Be stubborn. Go run.