thirty-something

Thanks!

I just wanted to quickly post and say thanks for all the well-wishes! You guys are the best. Thanks for reading my ramblings and enduring all my singlelady dating posts. No more! :)

Guess What?

Hip hip hooray!!! :)

Now for the deets:

Last weekend we went to Yellowstone. I had never been so we planned to go the weekend after Labor Day weekend in the hopes that there would be less people. There were less people (or so I was told) which was nice because the place wasn't too packed (unlike the weekend in August we were in Yosemite...craziness).

Saturday morning we headed into the park (Sidenote: We got a National Parks pass back in May and it has been totally worth the $80--we've been to 5 parks and it's normally $25 a visit). The best (?) thing about Yellowstone is that you know when there's an animal spotting because there are 50 cars stopped and people with cameras and binoculars standing around. That's what happened shortly after we got in--a lone Bison was crossing a river right near a turn off. It was awesome. And I promise pictures to come soon.

Anyways...fast forward to Old Faithful! We got there about 5 minutes before it was predicted to go off so we rushed over. I had my camera poised and did a before to after series of shots (again, I will post them soon). After it finished I think I said something like, "That wasn't as loud as I expected it to be." Even watching a Yellowstone promo movie later on supported my claim that in the movies, they make Old Faithful sound loud. It's not very loud. FYI.

I digress. So, I made that comment and Mike said something that I can't remember...and then before I know it, he's on his knee! With a ring! Asking me to marry him! I think I also may have said something like, "What are you doing?!" followed by "Yes! Of course!" and then some hugging and kissing.

What was funny was that no one stopped to watch or see what was going on. Granted it wasn't super crowded and the time from him asking to me accepting wasn't very long. But we both commented on that later. Ha. But I'm kind of ok with that. Attention usually makes me nervous. Read: planning my wedding thinking about me being the center of attention is giving me panic attacks.

We then just sat at Old Faithful for a bit after most everyone was gone. Mike, unfortunately, was in the middle of a horrible cold and wasn't feeling great as is. So, walking around a ton wasn't part of the plan and sitting was a good idea anyways. Then we drove and found a place where I got reception so I could call my family and friends.

Oh, and I think I made a comment like, "So, does this mean you're going to be my Old Faithful?" and he said something like, "No...I'm Don Draper." Nice. We've watched too much Mad Men.

And now onto wedding planning! I'm already stressing out! We're getting married on New Years Eve which I'm both really excited about and freaking out about since it's 3 months-ish away. Ha. Mostly excited though. :)

My So-called Life

I'm rewatching My So-called Life and I'm realizng a few things:

• Sometimes it is so painfully real, I feel like I'm 15 again.
• Jordan Catalano with his long hair and baggy jeans is still hot.
• I'm still not a fan of Patty Chase. 
• I still love Graham Chase.
• The acting is amazing.
• I love that a tv show in the 90's had a gay character. Love.
• This show was a big part of my growing up. And it was only one season.

 Love it. Still.

Megan's House

My sister Megan is a creative powerhouse. It took me a minute to come up with that phrase "creative powerhouse" and I realize that it sounds a little silly, but it's the best way to describe what she does with her abilities. Maybe "creative superhero" would also work...

Anyways, her home in full of inspiration--she makes, sews, finds, buys, paints, stiches, cuts, and pastes everything that is in her house and it looks AMAZING! I took Lindsey and Ann-Marie from work on a field trip to Megan's for a little inspiration. Needless to say, I think we all left with more than we thought we would. She's a powerhouse, people. Power. House.

Here are a few photos of her house:

And these are just snippets!! I'm going to go back and take better pics (these were just point & shoot-ers).

Summer Road Trip: Comedy Sportz LA

Have I mentioned that Mike does Comedy Sportz here in Utah? Well, he does! And he's pretty much amazing at it. Which is why he was lucky enough to get to perform with Comedy Sportz LA while we were in California. 

It was fun to see how another Comedy Sportz runs and I really liked the theater they do their shows in! Not to mention, it was fun to see Mike perform with other amazing improv actors.

And sadly, this was the last pic I took in LA.

What's that you say?
Where are ANY pics of LA?
I know.
I didn't take...any.
Or any with my fam.
Ugh. I'm the worst. 

I'm chalking it up to being there for a short period of time and filling up our time with fun stuff! Like Universal Studios (where it was so busy we went on one ride--Jurassic Park)! Eating good food (the names of the restaurants are seriously not coming to me...but they were good)! Hanging out! It was great. Trust me.

Summer Road Trip: Meeting My Niece

One of the highlights of our trip to CA was getting to meet my niece!! She is the daughter of my brother Scott and my sis-in-law Rachel and this was the first time I got to see her (she was born in March)!

Warning: Super Cuteness Ahead!

(I like her crazy baby face in the one above!)

This last one gets me every time! AH! She is the cutest thing ever!! Love that gummy smile. :) Hopefully we will see her soon. Good job Scott & Rachel!

Mike's Birthday!

I was supposed to not mention that it was Mike's birthday but I let it slip at dinner with Drew and Sarah. Mike's not a big it's-my-birthday-look-at-me kind of guy. I completely understand. I hate people singing and watching me open presents. Ugh. So awkward.

But we did manage to get him a free birthday dessert while at Trattoria Amici at The Americana at Brand! Hooray!

Now we're the same age! For 4 months! Then I ruin it all by turning 32. Geesh.

Summer Road Trip: Ventura

Sorry peeps...I promise I will finish with the road trip pics soon! I mostly want these posted because I don't really scrapbook anymore. Shhh...don't tell my job! Oh wait. They know.

Anyways, here are a few pics of the only time we went to the beach! In Ventura! I would post the selfie we took but I had horrible beach hair (read: messy and all over the place) so these 3 photos will have to suffice.

Have I mentioned that the ocean scares the crap out of me? Well...it does. Shark week sustains all my fears. So, when the water came in and hit my knees? Slight panic attack*. Mike is learning fast how to deal with all my irrational fears. Lucky boy.

*Understatement

Summer Road Trip: Solvang

If you are ever driving from Northern California to Southers (as we did), please, please, please stop in Solvang! It is a Danish town 45 minutes away from Santa Barbara and it's the cutest town ever. Again...I need to go back.

It feels a little bit like you're walking around Disneyland sans music playing. And I'm totally fine with that.

Summer Road Trip: HWY 1

After leaving Monterey, we took HWY 1 all the way down the coast. It was gorgeous!

We stopped every so often so I could take pics. It really was breathtaking at times. The road was windy but I only got carsick near the end! Yay me!