Evan found out a little while ago where he’s going on his mission. Lima, Peru! He’ll actually be serving in the northern mission which is mostly jungle and has very little area in Lima itself. He leaves at the end of September and will serve for two years. He’s been studying up on his Spanish and is learning very quickly. We’re very excited for him. Brad and I hope to fly down to spend some time with him there before he comes home.
The problem with Fitness Fridays is that I’m always too busy to remember to post. Sorry about that! Just to update you, I’m still on the program. I haven’t weighed myself so I’m not sure if I’ve lost any weight yet. Brad swears up and down that I have. I don’t know if any of you ever read comments left by other people, but my friend April mentioned that she has been using a program called nutrimirror.com and has lost 16 1/2 pounds since the end of March! Wow! Definitely worth checking out! Congratulations, April! That is major motivation for me!
Deceptively Delicious. Have any of you heard of this cookbook? My mom got it for me for my birthday last year. I really like the concept. You hide pureed vegetables in everyday foods so that you and your family can easily increase your veggie intake pain free. Since I was already making Ezra’s baby food, it was a snap to try. I’ve had a few mishaps, but for the most part I’ve successfully hidden veggies in all sorts of things. Cauliflower puree is one of the easiest things to hide. Carrots, too. I haven’t tried any of the baking yet. They look delicious and I can’t wait to try them, but all of my baking stuff has been in storage since we moved from Utah. One more reason I can’t wait to move!!! (By the way, we got the house!)
Brad and I adore modern design and architecture. Our first apartment was a total score. An old loft with vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors with sweeping views of downtown Salt Lake City. Perfect. But when it came time to buy our first home, we had no such luck. Modern homes were slim pickins. Most were considerably out of our price range. With no affordable option, we settled (most people do) for a home in suburbia, where every street looks the same and the only difference between the neighboring house and yours is a slight color variation. Beige. Light beige. Dark beige. Beige, beige, beige. We tried to make our home unique on the inside by decorating with modern furniture and light fixtures. But it wasn’t enough. It hardly scratched the itch.
After Brad graduated, we moved back to the south. Suburbs are less common out here (though I’m convinced they are slowly taking over the world), so it’s nice to be in a place where each house is different from the neighbors. We still haven’t given up on our dream of a modern home. The upfront cost of building a new modern home from scratch was putting the dream just slightly out of reach. We live in a really expensive area so lot prices are outrageous. So instead of building, we’ve decided to buy a “normal” house and make it modern. We found the perfect house (it’s by the beach!!) and the bank accepted our offer. So now our journey begins! Follow us as we turn our piece of crap into the modern home of our dreams!
There’s nothing like 4th of July in the south. Perhaps I’m biased, but I love it! We do it up right! Growing up we used to go out to the Friendlys (I’m sure I’m misspelling the name, but they were friendly people so it works 🙂 ) every year for a BBQ. They had grandkids our age that would come up to visit and we would go swimming in the creek on their property. It was so much fun! Good times. Good times. Of course nowadays I don’t think I would ever jump in that watering hole! Hello! SNAKES??? I guess ignorance is bliss!
I haven’t been home for the 4th in a really long time. This year we decided to make a (really) quick trip up to TN. My parents wanted to do some painting/updating to the exterior of the house and we offered to help. On the way we stopped by the fireworks superstore outside of Chattanooga. This place has been here as long as I can remember. There’s something I find charming about it. Maybe it’s the vintage vibe of the run down neon signs. Or maybe it’s just nostalgia. I love it. I have fond memories of coming here with my family. (Remember the caffeine free Dr. Pepper, Erin??)
As I took this shot, some guys in the truck let out a loud cat call. Flattered, but I nearly jumped out of my skin.
We got eaten alive for this shot, but it was worth it. By the way, I know you can’t see them very well in this pic, but check out Brad’s new glasses. He has a sexy computer geek thing going on with them. So hot! He’s had his old ones since he was 16. He’s 31. It was about dang time. If we had remembered to bring his old glasses up, we would have tied them to a rocket and shot them off! Next time!
And here’s my handsome little man. What a cutie!
The weather was great right up until sundown. Then it poured! We didn’t give up though. We shot fireworks in the rain and had a blast!
Hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday!
I love this girls blog. She’s forever coming up with genius ideas. I’m starting to think her creative well never runs dry! She once threw an impromptu wedding reception outside city hall for a couple she didn’t even know. How neat/outgoing/crazy is that?? I want to steal try this shadow idea at some point with my family. So clever! I also dig the thought bubbles and silhouette portrait projects. I’m so envious of her creativity! *Sigh*