ACCESSORIZIN'

There was an employee sale this morning and they sold some one-of-a-kind items. I got a sneak peek yesterday after work; there were three hard wallets that I wanted: a sage one, an orange and a purple. I couldn't decide, so I only had Tyler give me enough cash to buy two. I woke up super late for work, so I knew I was going to miss the sale. I got there and my lovely co-worker of a friend bought me this one. She said she couldn't remember which one I wanted, but I didn't care… she just made the choice for me. Booyah! Tonight, we went to Desert Star with the Lynches to see the last show of the season. After every show they read off names of people submitted by their families, those who have birthdays and wedding anniversaries. Tyler's family submitted our names and the cast had us get up and dance while everyone sang 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart'. It was awesome!

TWINKLE TWINKLE

Trip 2.0 to the temple started off our night, where we waited for an hour and even saw my dad (ward temple night coincidence). After the temple we made our way back to Smith's Marketplace for some last minute additions to our tree. We bought ornaments and garland last night and lights the night before, but we still needed a star. So we found the perfect one and also picked up some more lights to finish off our six foot tree. Ain't it purdee?

THESE BOOTIES

I forgot to mention that on Monday we went to Target (I love shopping with my husband; we're like kids in a candy store) and I bought these bootie heels and plum tights on sale. BOOM! So, I decided to give them a trial run tonight as we planned on going to the temple. We scurried to the Jordan River Temple only to find that it has been closed for the next couple of weeks, boo. So we scampered up the mountain to the Draper Temple only to find that everything had closed down. The night ended with us going back to Target to buy decorations for our tree (oh yeah, we bought that too, on Monday). Christmas is coming!

NEW SHOES

After work I got home and went all Mr. Clean on our bathroom. I've been meaning to for a while now, but who wants to clean a bathroom when there are so many other things to do, right? Once Tyler got home we went on quite the expedition when we thought we were buying just a snazzy pair of shoes. We made our way to Smith's Marketplace because we got some sweet connections to some sweet deals this week. We first entered the electronics and went a little crazy for a Christmas movie classics sale. We then got Christmas lights, hair stuff and went to go find some much needed sneakers for my husbandry. Of course, they didn't have the regular size we needed in the basic color we wanted. So we drove to the one downtown and got the last ones on the shelf… and went crazy in the electronics section, again. 

ONE YEAR

One year ago today, I woke up giddy, excited and boiling over with anticipation to marry the man of my dreams. Today, I woke up getting a present from the man of my dreams and giving a present to the him as well. One year ago today, I shivered happily outside the Salt Lake Temple taking billions of pictures with my friends, family and my brand spankin' new husband. Today, I stayed in my pajamas way past noon and ate multiple slices of long-awaited strawberry bread. One year ago today, I ate lunch with Tyler among all of our close friends and family at Spaghetti Factory. Today, Tyler took me to his favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant (B&D Burger) for a mint oreo shake and the crispiest fries my tummy has ever had (after driving all over the valley trying to get my birth certificate in time for a new driver's license… fail). One year ago today, Tyler and I stood in a reception line for two hours straight with no food, cut our cake and left town into the night sky. Tonight, Tyler and I played nintendo, ordered pizza, downed Dr. Pepper and stayed up way too late for work tomorrow. Two of the best days of my life…

ANNIVERSARY EVE

All month Tyler and I have been keeping our presents and cards a secret for our anniversary. We chose to get something small for one another and we both have an inkling as to what each other's gifts are. Tyler has decided to get me ugly cards for future anniversaries (due to the graphic design background) and I will probably always hand-draw cards to him (such as this one). I cannot wait for our anniversary tomorrow! We have various things planned, but at the same time it will be leisurely paced and spontaneous. Stay tuned for tomorrow's events…

IT'S TRADITION

When I was little, ever since I could remember, my cousins on my mom's side would come and have a sleepover on Thanksgiving night. We would stay up late watching movies and sleep late into the day on Black Friday while our moms went out and braved the crowds with walkie talkies. We haven't done that in a very long time; most of them are older than me and have families of their own. This year my mom invited them down for a party tonight. The guys watched football and my mom watched the little ones while the rest of us played the infamous NERTZ. I'm happy to say that my husband kicks butt at that game just like his wife and came in second, but I still dominated by 100+.

A HARD DAYS WORK

Yes, Tyler and I both went to work today while all of you waited in lines for stuff and sat in your pajamas eating turkey on your waffles. But that's okay, because we are taking Monday off for our anniversary. Speaking of anniversaries, I forgot to mention yesterday that while we were in the midst of cooking the Thanksgiving feast, the neighbor across the street walked this gift over for us. Note the note (tee hee) and the name written on it. At first Tyler's mom called Jason to the door, but soon they realized there had been a misunderstanding. It was pretty hilarious though, seeing how Jason is not married and my husband's name is clearly not Jason. Kudos to us, though, for getting wedding presents a year later, yes?

A LYNCHLAND FEAST

We slept in a bit this morning, but not too long because we had a pie to make. We got out the crust from last night and proceeded to make my sister Tiffany's famous sour cream apple pie per request from my sister-in-law, Nicole. We got arrived at Lynchland a little after noon and were immediately put to work to help make the pies that would contribute to the many pies that were already made. I made the rookie mistake this year of snacking WAY too much at the annual snack table set out in the living room complete with varieties of chips, dips, candies and our double-batched acorns totaling at seventy-two. By the time the actual feasting rolled around I only had room in my tummy for a few bites of the traditional Thanksgiving plate. We then lounged in the living room watching movies and TV episodes to let the food settle for pie. Poor Nicole was super sick with a migraine, couldn't keep much down and ended the night with a toothache; what a way to spend her favorite holiday. We made sure to save a slice of our pie for her because clearly we didn't have enough pie of our own. I ate myself sick due to everything BUT the actual Thanksgiving feast, but it was very worth it and nice to spend with family. Happy Thanks! (giving.)

MARTHA'S ACORNS

Work dragged on for what felt like forever and a day. Finally, the day was over, and once Tyler got home from work and running grocery errands it was time to begin the baking prep for Turkey Day. We first made a pie crust right out of Martha Stewart magazine. It was strange and there was a lot of hoop-jumping involved (Really? Cutting up the stick of butter into itty bitty cubes and sticking them in the freezer for a half hour will really make this pie taste better?), we'll see how it turns out. While it was chilling in the fridge, Tyler was making these little acorn buddies. Peanut butter dipped in chocolate with a pretzel up top. I can't wait for tomorrow… can you?

THREE

This is the current view of our freezer: filled to the brim with food for Thanksgiving. That turkey is actually for Christmas, but we have so much room in our freezer we volunteered (first dibs on leftovers!), but the pies are definitely for Turkey Day. I am extremely excited, for I get to cheat that day! Who wouldn't cheat that day on a diet?! Mmm sugar, carbs and starches… soon to take over my three-pounds-lighter body. Holidays are not ideal for losing weight, but let's give it a go shall we?

GIDDY AS A SCHOOL BOY

Tyler has been antsy for the past month waiting to hear back from the University of Utah. He would always hop on his computer after dinner and check it, while saying aloud, 'I'm sure it's not there' almost every night. Finally, tonight he checked it and this is what appeared… ADMITTED! I'm so proud of my husbandry and we can't wait for Spring 2013.

MOVIE BINGE

Today I opted not to go to nursery; I am pretty sure I would get all of the kiddos sick. After sacrament meeting we rushed up to Sandy to witness Tyler's brother, Kevin, set apart as an elder. So proud. We then rushed back to Murray to attend a nursery training meeting. We finally got home around four for much needed relaxation. Tyler and I have been craving to watch Ratatouille, so we borrowed it last night and even watched some Mean Girls to top off the evening.

PAMPERED

Today was filled with sleeping in, eating nothing and taking it easy. Even after all that I still felt like the ultimate crap. I did end up showering late in the afternoon (it took it right out of me), I bundled up in one of Tyler's hoodies and then we made our way over to my parents'. We had a good visit and my little sister even played with my hair into this fish tail french braid. I'm lucky.

SUPER SWEATS

From the second I woke up I felt like a snot-stuffed, sneezing, coughing zombie. The first half of work I felt as if I was apologizing for my germs, coughing, blowing my nose, and basically NOT getting any work done. I went home after lunch to work; I changed into sweats and my favorite hoodie, Tyler's. He got it in Australia, it's oversized, soft and covered in comic book characters. I watched hulu and lost my appetite completely by the end of the night. Tyler was so good to take care of me, waiting hand and foot per my request. He's. The. Best. 

GOING UNDER

Everyday this week I have had a bit of a tickle in my throat with a progressive runny nose on the side. This morning I woke up feeling like just a smidgen on the crappy side. I got to work and managed to get through most of the day, only because of this. My co-worker gave me some lemon ginger tea, and I swear it got me to 3 p.m. I decided to leave and work from home. Tyler got home and all I wanted was soup and oranges, the two things I can't have. We ended up going to the store to buy some ingredients to adapt a veggie soup into one I could have (Tyler is so great). The night was then topped off with a clementine that I justified with its vitamin C contents and the fact that my body needed them.

PREPPY

Today I felt mighty preppy wearing this plaid button up under a cable knit navy sweater with my lovely Craft Lake City Superman necklace. Work was long but productive, and I received many compliments on my new favorite outfit. You see, now that I am getting skinnier I am able to pull off a select number of clothing items that my dear husbandry owns. Yes, this is his button up and yes, this is his sweater; he is so good to share. Stay tuned for more wardrobe adventures in mixing his and hers into my everyday style.

TWO

Work has been a whirlwind with the catalogue starting up and all of the end of the year sales needing graphics. Being in a fashion company, we work three months ahead of present day and during the holidays it can backfire a bit. I created a graphic today for a promotion coming up in December and in addition to all of the other holiday-related collateral, by the time they actually roll around they can feel a bit overdone (like Christmas music in October overdone). Bonus: this graphic made a great pattern and dare I say would make a terrific wrapping paper?

Side bar: I lost two pounds (look at me and my consistency) and I broke out of the 190s for good. I now weigh 188.2 and baby it's showin'.

MINT ZIG ZAG

Today was cold, bitter and the perfect recipe for a long cardigan, super skinny jeans (from before I gained back all the weight), my tall brown boots and this lovely mint zig zag that I got at D.I. a couple of years ago. It combines two of my favorite elements: triangles and the color mint. On my way home from work I stopped by my co-worker's house who is currently on maternity leave to drop off some purses. It was a great way to catch up and see her new little one.

PLAYTIME

So, funny story today involving Tyler and I as nursery leaders and this white clock against cinder blocks. Nursery is roughly two hours, right? We usually have playtime for about an hour, then we clean up and have the lesson, singing time, snack time, coloring and then bubbles until the parents come to pick up their children. So we are in the midst of playtime and it feels like it has been dragging on forever. I mean, kids were throwing toys across the room, ripping toys from other kids' hands and being all around rowdy. Finally, it was time to clean up and get ready for the lesson. Just as the lesson was beginning, parents began sneaking in wondering why we were still in the thick of our usual routine. Long story short (too late), nobody changed the clock from daylight savings and none of the kids got snacks, water or a colored picture. We laughed all the rest of the day as we Skyped with my sisters and shared our hilarious event from the day.

CONTENT

This morning we woke up to mounds of snow and a sad day ahead of us. In the morning, I drove over to Stephanie's house to practice 'Peace Be With You'; they wrangled a group of us from our high school madrigal group, Vocal Ensemble, to sing at Josh's funeral. It was good to see so many of my old singing buddies, it was just sad to see them under the circumstances and minus Josh. They had us wear red and provided red ribbons because that was Josh's favorite color. It was a very uplifting service: people spoke of his kindness, his chivalry, his selflessness and friendliness to all. Everyone was so positive and I was extremely impressed by how well his wife spoke; I would have been a rambling mess. In fact, I was: I bawled, a lot, but I also laughed and felt a reaffirmation of the gospel and that we truly can see our loved ones again.

FIRST FALLEN

I scrambled to get ready for work today: so. tired. I threw on my birthday sneakers, Tyler's sweatshirt and grabbed a breakfast bar only to open the door to see this. While driving on the freeway to work, my partially loose driver's side windshield wiper grip flew off making it almost impossible to see the road. Work was long and gloom and the snow never let up. I drove home slowly on backstreets and come home to a night in while my husbandry works late into the darkness. Long week, but I am sure glad it's over.

SIMPLY MISSED

Day three of straight shooting and man, am I beat. We wrapped early with only a few more battle wounds to add to our belt. I was home early to get changed to attend Josh's viewing, but fell asleep on the couch waiting for Tyler to get home. The night ended watching Project Runway All Stars and a tasty diet meal.

FLOWERS

Homemade flowers thanks to a kit made by Martha Stewart. A couple of weeks ago Caroline, Heidi and I sat for a couple of hours on a Friday and the weekend after making all of these delicate tissue paper flowers (Tyler even stayed up late one night to finish them up; he's the greatest). At the studio, today, we built a wall of flowers and it definitely turned out better than I had imagined. While at the shoot I received the details of Josh Hooper's services via his obituary. It is still feels so strange that he is gone, that his wife is a widow, and he was my age.

TWO

Today was the first day of shooting for our Spring Catalogue. It felt so good to see everything come together, with all the hiccups and blindsides we managed to make it all work out. Seeing all those fun outfits with the great patterns, fabrics and shoes makes me so stoked for a whole new, skinnier, wardrobe in the spring. Speaking of skinnier… I lost two pounds today and completely blew through the 190s, for now I weigh 190.25. Bam bam jelly on ham!

MIX-N-MATCH

After a weekend of shopping for the photo shoot—which starts tomorrow—we spent the entire last half of our day pairing outfits with bags and shoes, taking photos and tagging models to each look. It was long and it became apparent more than ever that I desperately lack in the style department (Caroline is an amazing stylist). We feel confident, yet so much could go wrong this week… I guess we'll just have to see.

SIXTEEN CANDLES

Today was a Peter Q day. We got a sub for nursery and attended Tyler's parents' ward to sit in on Peter being ordained a priest. Sacrament meeting was interesting because of what happened yesterday; it was defintely more emotional than I thought it was going to be. In the evening we had Peter's favorite—ribs—for dinner and an Etna cake for the candle blowing. On the way home we stopped at my parents' house to raid my little sister's closet for the photo shoot this week. It's going to be a long week; let's do this!

PRISMS

This day was completely draining—definitely an emotional roller coaster. In the morning I went to H&M (my very first visit to one in Utah, even though I live two blocks away) with my co-worker to solve this wardrobe debacle for our photo shoot next week. I was home by noon and we did some chores. I ended up taking a nap, during so I heard the doorbell faintly, but drifted off to sleep. Once I awoke I found these paintings that I had purchased last month on our doorstep. They had even been hand delivered by my artsy friend herself (sorry I missed you, Natalie). WOOT! Do you love them?

Side bar: today a tragic event happened to a young man that both Tyler and I know. His family is in Tyler's parents' ward and I graduated with him in high school as well as sang in the Madrigals together. Here is the story of how he passed away by some local news stations here and here. We are both in a bit of shock, but are grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the promise that we will be with our loved ones once again. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and his wife.

WARDROBE

So, work was a scramble to the finish line to hand off the catalogue sketches for the next crucial step before we shoot next week: wardrobe. We finally handed it off at 3 PM and through some sudden dramatic series of unfortunate events wardrobe ended up being the graphic designers' jobs (yeah, because I have SO much style). We already have enough on our plates for the shoot next week, so to lighten the load I immediately thought to rummage through my trendy sister's closet. I camera-phoned all the pieces that I thought would go well with our new line. Sure enough my art director loved most of the articles and wants them at the shoot. Now I just have to convince Aubrey to let me borrow a good portion of her wardrobe for four days.

WAR ROOM

The entire day at work looked much like this: piles of magazines, catalogues, print outs, sticky notes, pens, pencils and I believe somewhere in there is our lunch. I think we all have headaches and neck pains from the preparation for our upcoming catalogue (spring 2013; yes we are that far ahead), but sometimes it's fun.  Let's be honest though, shooting it is my favorite part. So, next week I'll be a much happier camper.