Savin' my bacon!

In celebration of the weekend, I thought it'd be fun to share a few things that Saved my Bacon this week.  Link up if you'd like.... we all need Bacon Savers!

It is safe to say that if I only was allowed to buy one brand of T-shirt the rest of my life I would be sufficiently pleased with J-Crew. I wouldn't even whine about it. They never lose their shape, are the perfect weight, beautiful colors, all styles, and just all around.....well.... PERFECT. Plus as an added bonus, you can usually find them on SALE!

I'll be honest, I've uses alot of face creams in my life, I've spent ALOT of money on face creams trying to find the right one. Well ladies, I won the lottery with this one, after getting bummed out with all the fancy schmancy ones, I sort of went on strike, went to Target and just randomly chose some off the shelf. I am a good picker.... These are fantastic, my face has never felt better and I hardly have breakouts anymore. The day cream also has an 18spf so double triple I lost count bonus for me.

This one I realize will gross some of you out but I'll say it anyways. I am having a love affair with beets, not even pickled ones, just plain beets.....from a can. Ok yeah it sounds bad when it's written like that. Oh well, It makes a quick low fat, healthy, tasty lunch if you add a piece of cheese and a few wheat thins to it. YUM!

Lastly, I am starting every morning with the Proverbs 31 Woman devotions. They are wonderful and emailed right to me every week day! I don't even have to turn on my computer, I can sit in bed with my coffee and read it straight off of my phone. Starting my morning studying His word makes the day seem so much brighter. You can click through the pic to subscribe or use this link. It's FREE! Proverbs 31 Ministries


*I am not affiliated,each one is just my personal opinion.

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.”

Friday! Yay, it's Friday! Just a little quickie eye candy today... Have a great weekend everyone!
Here are a few of my plans/goals for the weekend, join me if you'd like!

• Kiss my husband when he's least expecting it.
• Be kind to a stranger who needs a pick me up.
• Smile at EVERYONE I come in contact with.
• Pay a compliment to somebody who least expects it.
• Smother my kiddos in hugs and kisses at least every hour.
• Laugh uncontrollably
• Sit back and find the grace moment in each moment, then say a prayer of gratitude.

Life is too short to waste on anything but love, kindness, gratitude, and forgiveness. My goal is to start living that way. I seem to find myself wrapped up in negative emotions all to often. It is time for me to break free from those nasty habits and thought!

WHAT:
Jeans: J-Crew (final sale)
Tee: J-Crew
Scarf:Target (sale)
Bag: D&B (gift)
Cardi: Banana Republic (e-bay)
Shoes: Target
Belt: Lucky (sale)

"I love you more today than I did yesterday, but less than I will tomorrow."

Happy 13th Anniversary to Us!!!

Today marks my husband and I's 13th Anniversary. Lucky number 13...hehe. I thought in honor of our day share a little of our story.

This story begins WAAAAY back in sixth grade. Mr. Martinelli's class, the first day of Middle school (or as others call it junior high) and I found my assigned seating in the center of the two desk wide rows in the very back of the classroom. I looked curiously at who would be sitting next to me for the year. Jeremy Pepperd... huh, never heard of him, I hope he doesn't stink or something weird like that. (Don't judge, it was sixth grade) I can honestly say that it was a done deal for me after that year. Game Over, I was off the market.  I fell in love (or serious like) in sixth grade! Which literally scares the ju-ju's out of me seeing that my daughter just completed sixth grade and the other will be there in two years. ACK!

 We shamelessly, and I mean shamelessly flirted our way through middle school and the first couple years of high school. I was a complete dork and began each school year with the same questions... How many classes will I have with him? (I even overheard him one spring talk about which classes he would be taking the next fall and signed up for those classes too....only to have it backfire on me, not only did I not get into his period but It was an AP class and he is an uber smarty pants...I am not, it did not end well.) Where will his locker be? Did he get a girlfriend over the summer? Our sophomore year I eagerly awaited seeing him again after summer break only to be heartbroken, he wasn't there. Two weeks went by...no Jeremy. I was crushed! Then out of the blue he showed up and had a locker RIGHT NEXT TO MINE!!! Wow...patience really does pay off! He had taken an extended summer break and enrolled  late...he could do that, he's a smarty pants remember. I could not believe my luck, every day, every hour I would be able to see him, talk to him and WEAR HIM DOWN!!! We had a great time teasing, flirting and becoming best friends that year.

  Jeremy was to busy living life to have a girlfriend *bonus for me* and I barely dated so when my alarm woke me up (serious psycho weirdness here. I already know...it's ok to judge :)) one morning that summer to some random country song, the lyrics being "I shoulda asked him sooner, now he's gone" or something to that effect, I panicked. (I know...psycho!) I called him that day completely random and asked him to go to the movies with me. Phenomenon with John Travolta to be exact. Don't ask me what it was about I have no idea! He said yes and even asked if we could go to the later movie so that he could take me in his Mom's car, he didn't want me to ride in his beater of a truck...AWWW! He was a gentleman, and everything a girl dreams of . We went to coffee after the movie and that marked our "dating" relationship. We continued very, very, very slowly until November of that year when we finally made things official. We were "going out"!

 We were pretty much inseparable after that, I fell in love with him more and more each day. We graduated high school and got married that summer. Three kids, countless adventures, good times, bad times, tears, laughter, sweet nothings, and priceless memories, we find ourselves living life as best friends, lovers, partners, and striving to be one each day. I could not have chosen a better man to brave this world with. Thank you Jeremy for letting me wear you down all those years ago. I would not be half the person I am today with out you. The life and happiness that you have graciously provided me with is beyond my wildest dreams. I am honored and humbled to be your wife. I LOVE YOU! XOXOXOX Thank You.

 


 







***Note to self*** Take more pics of just the two of us! This was tough.

Here's to many more years together. Cheers!

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Attributed to Howard Thurman

Can we stop a minute and admire these shoes.....

Minute over. I am completely head over heels in love with these shoes. They are uber comfy...comfy enough to wear them while traveling this past weekend to AND from my destination. (READ: I took a chance on them on the way down and they proved themselves worthy to make the return flight on my feet as well!) I find them also ridiculously cute,they go with everything, dressy, casual,  AND CHEAP!!! I bought them at Target... They come in two colors and I believe they are now on sale... RUN quick... go treat yourself!

Ok, shoe rant over......

My 13th wedding anniversary is tomorrow! My husband and I don't have any plans this weekend. We are thinking we may have a little staycation. We have been on the go so much these past few months we thought it may be nice just to slow down and simply enjoy each other. I am envisioning FNL (last season...sad face) in bed, walk to the coffee shop, cooking dinner together, fly-out picnic by the glacier... It sounds heavenly.

Do you have any suggestions for staycations? We've never taken one. I think we will have three days!!! YAY!!!

Grace Moments:

• My kiddos choosing fresh fruit over candy.
• Lexi prank calling her Dad while singing "I'm a Gummy Bear", the rest of us rolling in laughter.
• Giant bag of Hot Tamales purchased at Costco...My all time favorite!!!
• short lines at Costco....unheard of, but I saw it yesterday!
• my husband...no other words needed.

WHAT:
Shorts: American Eagle
Blouse: thrifted, vintage
Shoes: Target
Necklace: Target
Watch: Timex... Target
Head Scarf: thrifted
Aviators: Ray-Ban

"You may only be someone in the world, but to someone else, you may be the world." Source Unknown

I cannot believe the end of summer is in sight. It seems as though it was never here, partly because our weather has been less than stellar, but also time has just flown by. I am realizing that the saying I always was told about time seeming faster the older I get may have a lot of truth to it. I am loving the age of my children now and we are completely mobile and free to go whenever, what I fear is that we are getting swooped up by the rapid pace of life. I am diligently trying not so much to "slow down" because that is us, we are on the go and loving it. The problem lies in not seeing , recognizing , and absorbing all of the moments in life that go unnoticed. The little things in life that really make it great. The things that make you involuntarily smile. The things you really appreciate but wouldn't notice them until they are gone. I recently was introduced to the term "Grace Moments". This phrase says it all!!! Each morning I want to wake up fully aware of the moments in my life that are good, and meditate on those instead of my to-do list, problems, or stresses. So here's to finding those moments....

• The wink Jeremy gives me from across the room that speaks more than words sometimes.
• Waking up to sunshine when it was supposed to rain.
• Knowing that the laundry is completely done....for now. :)
• Fall lookbooks coming out in magazines already! I LOVE fall clothes!
• Knowing people are praying for me, without them telling me they are.
• The cup of coffee next to my keyboard.
• Bud vases with fresh flowers in them.
• Packages in the mailbox.

WHAT:

Blouse: J-Crew
Chinos: American Eagle
Shoes: Target

I am Thankful....

Hey all, remember me? Here I am again popping up again. Life has sort of swallowed me whole and spit me out this past six months or so. It has been interesting to say the least and now I am slowed down enough to begin to reflect on it...and me.  So here I am, reflecting, photographing, dressing up, cooking, loving, adventuring, and what ever else I decide to type on the pages. Today I am thankful:

• Good Morning snuggles with my little man. I love how lets me lay on his chest and he wraps his little arms around me like he has seen his Daddy do.
• The commentary in my new bible. I bought myself a Life Application Study Bible, it really breaks the verses down into life today. Incredibly convicting. :)
• My super duper HOT, but also hard working husband. I miss him terribly these days (working 12-14hr days) but am thankful for his job and his dedication to providing for our family.
• The first sip of coffee in my favorite cup while the house is still quiet.
• My husband deciding last minute to take a mini vacay to watch Motorcross in Washington this weekend!!! Woo-Hoo! Can't wait!
• This blog post. Thank you for the reminder Elizabeth.
• My oldest daughters excitement over going to church camp this week.
• FREE beautiful floral arrangements out of my mom's garden.
• Fruit Ninja...Don't judge.
• blue skies at night + evening walk = falling in love with Alaskan summer nights....again
• Ray - Ban aviators