Spring has Sprung!

And I love it! I'm not use to having an actual spring. Spring in Utah usually means one day it's sunny and the next day it's snowing but here it is wonderful :) The flowers are blooming, there are lots of citrus trees down here that line the streets and they are all full of fruit. It's kind of fun to see! Here are some pictures just to show how I've gotten in the springy mood lately :D

I am loving the fact that I can wear spring clothes down here although I've never really had spring clothes.... so I had to invest in some ;D

My Easter decorations

 Also I finally finished my first set of pillows for my couch. I hated the old ones so I made these floral ones and I am going to make some others with buttons eventually... 

The front

 The back

And that is about it.... I'm still working at DownEast and Austin is trying to dominate his last semester. He is doing a great job so far :D We can't believe that a month from today we will be celebrating our 1st Anniversary!! Has it really been a year already? Really where does the time go....

Thanks Uncle Sam!

So thanks to Uncle Sam I am now blogging from my new computer!! Man oh man did I need a new computer. My little white macbook from 2007 was getting slower and slower by the minute and I just couldn't take it any longer. I had been saving up since my birthday to get a new computer and our tax refund was just what we needed to finally go out and get one! I really wasn't expecting to get it so soon but Monday night Austin said, "You decide if you want a new desktop or macbook pro and we will go get it." Man I have the best husband ever!

So for the past few days I have been playing with my new computer and there is no comparison... this computer is 10x better than my old one!! Thank you uncle sam!! Austin may have been a little jealous of my new computer at first but then realized that there was an extra laptop around the house so he created MegaDesk (like Dwight's mega desk on The Office) hahah all so he could create his NCAA brackets... lol 

And to make this week even better my parents finally settled on a family vacation for this summer.... Maui!! They were going back and forth between Cancun and Maui but they found a great deal and so Maui it is! Austin and I are so excited because we went to Cancun last year and neither of us has ever been to Maui :D Austin keeps telling me he is going to go skydiving when we get there... we will see... I told him he would be going by himself cause there is no way I am doing that.... EVER! 

So Long Old Friend...

I know Austin is totally gonna make fun of me for posting this but to me this is a big deal! I broke my curling iron yesterday... and this wasn't just any old curling iron. I have had this curling iron since high school!! It helped me get through all those drill team performances when I would douse my hair and curling iron with gallons of hair spray just to keep those curls in place. It even came with me as I journeyed through college and it was there the day I got married. Yes it was the curling iron I used to curl my hair on my wedding day. So I was so sad when I realized a few months ago that the cord was fraying. It held out but yesterday I dropped it and that was the end. It cracked and was done. So with some reluctancy I went to Ulta and bought myself a new curling iron.

So goodbye my old curling iron. You will be missed. Hopefully this new curling iron will be just as wonderful as you were. I wonder what new adventures this curling iron will have... maybe one day it will even curl my little girls hair! (Cause I am going to have a little girl... even if I end up like that woman with 19 kids hahah ok maybe not...) 

Spring Break Visitors

Austin and I really had an awesome spring break! You saw how we enjoyed the first few days of break and to be honest the last few days were spent the same way just with company! Diane, Steve and Ashley came down to sunny Arizona to get away from all the cold weather they have been having lately and we had a blast!

Diane and Steve got here Thursday afternoon and of course we had to hit up Paradise Bakery so Diane could get those sugar cookies she loves haha After that we spent the day showing them around Glendale. We even took them over to Midwestern so Austin could show them campus.

Dr. Horrocks with his mom

Austin was in heaven with the fact that Steven had rented an Escalade to drive around but for the most part Austin was the one driving it around all weekend. He loved it! I'm sure he wasn't to thrilled when they left that he had to go back to driving the Baby Bug and Old Trusty around haha but maybe someday Austin will have an Escalade of his own... hinty hint hint ;D

That night we had to take them out to On The Border. We take everyone who comes to visit there because... it's the best! They really loved it. So much so that we actually ended up going there again Saturday haha but more on that later. Ashley didn't get in until 10:00 that night so we didn't want to have to much fun without her :)

Friday Diane wanted to do some "intense" stuff which included going for a walk around the neighborhood and then laying out by the pool. I was totally ok with that. I was in desperate need of a tan anyways. I mean you can't live in Arizona and be pasty white!

After a day by the pool we got cleaned up and headed over to Scottsdale to eat at BJ's Restaurant. They have some awesome pizza and even better Pazookies. Cookies and Cream pazookie is definitely the way to go! haha

Saturday was a lot like Friday. We didn't go for a walk but instead took them out to see a local golf course and then to take pictures by some cactus. They really wanted their picture taken by some cactus haha.

The view from the club house

Diane & Steve with their cactus

We made a few more stops at the Nordstom's Rack and Circle K but then it was back out by the pool. They were absolutely loving the weather out here. Sometimes I forget what it's like to be stuck indoors with the crummy winter weather so I'm sure it is nice to get away from it all. As I mentioned before we went back to On The Border for round 2 that night. And as luck would have it we ended up getting the exact same waiter! He remembered us and everything. It was so funny.

The Fam

After dinner Diane and Steve wanted to get some more pictures out by the pool now that we actually looked cute and not all sweaty and gross.

I love this picture! Mom and kids :D

I felt like we were back taking engagement photos again haha

Like I said before it was an awesome break!! We were sad to see them go :( Now it's back to school and work for a few more months before it's officially summer!! Thanks Diane, Steve and Ashley for coming out to visit! And don't wait to long before you come out again haha

We looove breaks!!

Man oh man I can't explain how amazing it is when Austin is on break. It is the best feeling ever! For both of us! Austin doesn't have to stress about school and I have a husband 24/7. Now usually we are pretty much homebodies meaning we really don't mind just hanging out at home, watching some TV/movies and not much else but this week I have been taking advantage of every moment we have together haha When I'm not working then we are out and about. Some of the things we have done so far include going out to eat with a bunch of friends at Cheesecake Factory, making a Trader Joe's shopping trip, discovering a new mall in Scottsdale and today we really did something different by hiking around Thunderbird park. It was so much fun! Here are some pics from the hike.

Mom this one is for you. I know you loved all the random cactus when you came out in January haha

 Austin called this my action shot

 Cheese!

 You could even see the stadium from up there! 

After our little hike we decided to lay out by the pool for a few hours.. because you can do that here haha

Listening to some Jack Johnson, laying out by the pool, doesn't get much better than that! Tonight we are going to see the movie Unknown with some friends.. it should be fun. We have throughly enjoyed the break and can't wait for the real party to start when Austin's family arrives Thursday :D So here's to an awesome break thus far!!

A Dayquil Valentines

So when I imagined my first married valentines it definitely didn't involve a box of tissues and a pack of dayquil tablets... Unfortunately that is what we have. I have been getting progressively sick these past few days and Saturday was a turn for the worse. Needless to say for the past two days this is where I have spent my time...

yup sprawled out on the couch. Austin has been the best husband though, making sure I was well taken care of. Now that is some true love. He even surprised me this morning telling me he had to go to class when really he went out to buy me some flowers and powdered donuts (I really think the donuts were for him) And look at that dog card he got me! He knows me all too well :) It really brightened my morning.

I had got the idea from a friend to make a handmade box of chocolates. I thought it was a cute idea since Austin doesn't really like the fancy chocolates, he is more of a Reeses guy so I was able to fill it up with chocolates he would actually like. Luckily I made the box on Saturday when I wasn't feeling like complete crap so it was all ready for today :)

I had also made some cupcakes for our little primary kids Saturday but come Sunday there was no way I was going to make it to church so I didn't get to give them their cupcakes... (we figured it wouldn't be the best idea to say here have a cupcake that Jackie made and oh by the way she is home sick...) Sad day :( They were so cute too!

Well that has been our valentines day... a wife sick on the couch and a husband studying for school. Romantic we know :) but to be honest we don't need a silly holiday to remind us how much we love each other, luckily we tell each other every day. So really it's like everyday is Valentines Day!! :D

Little Loves.

So I figured that since it is February, the month of love, it would be a good time to post a few little everyday things that I am loving right now.

<3 My new pink nails. If you know me at all you know that I don't usually paint or even maintain my nails. This is probably due to the fact that in high school I played the piano and could never have long nails so it was always easier just to keep them short and simple, no polish. Well right now I am on a nail polish kick and my latest buy was this pink! Every time I look down at my nails I can't help but smile at the color. I just love it!

<3 While we are on the topic of pink, I absolutely love the month of February not just because of my birthday being this month but also because of Valentine's day. I love going to the different stores and seeing all the valentines decorations. All the pinks, reds and whites just puts me in a very happy and springy mood. 

<3 I am definitely in love with the whole cupcake fad going on right now. This is probably an obvious one seeing as I have made two or three posts on here about the cupcakes I make but I mean come on, who can't look at pictures of cupcakes and not just have an instant love for them... 

these pictures made you happy didn't they? me too... 

<3 I love this "wear anything I want to" weather we are having right now. One day I could be in long sleeves and jeans with my Ugg boots on and the next day I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt and capris... and it's not that the weather fluctuates so much that I need to be wearing a certain thing, it's just that you can wear either/or and still feel comfortable outside. I know that soon all I will be able to wear is shorts and flip flops so that is why I am loving the weather right now and taking advantage of it every day :) 

 Oh and Old Trusty (aka Austin's car) is loving this weather too... 

<3 I am loving that I just got my hair done. Nothing can make you feel better, faster than getting your hair done. It just makes you feel pretty again after weeks of trying to figure out why you felt ugly in the first place... those dang roots will do that to a girl! 

<3 I am also loving the new wannabe Anthro necklace I made yesterday. So I saw this necklace on Anthropologie's website and about died when I saw the price... $198! Yes you read that right... one hundred and ninty-eight dollars! So I told my self, "Self you could make that necklace and I can guarantee it won't cost you $198" and I did just that. 

The inspiration

 The necklace

 Ta da.. a little bigger than I was expecting but still cute :) and guess what... it cost me a total of $7 to make! 

<3 I love love love when I make a big sale at work. It just makes me feel good knowing I helped someone buy some rocking outfits that will in turn make them feel good! I probably also like it because I feel like I am living my wants through them. How nice it must be to just go out and spend $300 like it's nothing... maybe someday...

<3 The fact that there is a radio station down here that still plays the song "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake. I love it!!! At least once a month I hear this song on the radio and crank my speakers up loud to rock out to probably my all time favorite song. Well I heard it yesterday and it just takes me back to the good ol' days when I was in 8th grade and had no bills to pay, no house to clean, just homework and hanging out with friends :)

<3 And finally the thing I love most right now is knowing that after a long day of school or work Austin will come out here around 8:30 and we will spend the rest of the night cuddling on the couch and watching all the Office episodes we record on our DVR. It really is the highlight of my day. Relaxing with the one I love... doesn't get much better than that!


So there you have it.. a list of the little things in life that I am loving right now :D