Playing Catch Up

School has swallowed up my life. Not really, but it's been a lot busier. A lot less free time. This post is going to be quite sporadic considering I haven't journaled anything from the last month. I am just going to focus on some of the highlights that I actually remembered to photograph. I took some pictures of my dad for one of my photography classes but these were just after shots where I had Ron jump in. :) I love these two together. They crack me up. 

Maryanne went to Homecoming.

My mom and I hung out this week a couple of times. Doing some shopping and running errands. And of course, watching The Voice.

Brandon and I went to Macaroni Grill on Friday for our date.

We also grabbed cupcakes from Cravings cupcakes in Pleasant Grove. We couldn't decide so we got two each. I got snickerdoodle, and chocolate chip pumpkin. Brandon got coconut tres leches and chocolate with vanilla pudding inside. That last one being my favorite.

My new hat. :)

Saturday my uncle Spencer and I went and wandered around Thanksgiving Gardens, enjoying the last little bit of sunshine before it gets too cold. Pictures to come.

Steph agreed to be my model for my lab time for Lighting. Usually I don't share my homework assignments but she is too cute not to. More on my photography blog here.

The latest movies we have gone to see. Brandon preferred World War Z and I of course enjoyed Austenland more. :) Steph and Spencer joined us for that one and we could not stop laughing. One of my favorite authors is Shannon Hale. I have every single book she's written and Austenland is among them. If you haven't heard of her and like to read, check her out. Her Goose Girl series is my favorite. 

Sadly I haven't taken any pictures of Brandon and I this month. That's going to change. :)

Fall/Winter

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite time of year is, I say summertime. And it is. I love the warm weather, no school, vacations, blonder hair and having some color to my skin. But I don't get the same feelings for summer as I do when fall rolls around. I can't describe the feeling, it's almost anxious, giddy, and mind bottling all at once. (Blades of Glory reference.) Unlike summertime, I instantly feel like doing a million things all at once...going to get hot chocolate, taking a walk to see all of the changing leaves, breathing in the crisp air and the smell of holidays on their way, buying cute jackets and scarves, changing to darker nail polishes, picking pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, thinking about what we will be doing for Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. This time of year is exciting because three great holidays roll into one another. It also triggers more movie days for me, snuggles and fuzzy socks. I love seeing all the colorful leaves gather on the sides on the road, anticipating the first snow fall, wanting to cuddle up and read a good book. This time of year is magical.

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Liebster Award

I was nominated to participate in the Liebster Award by Hailey and pass it on to other fellow bloggers! I love question and answer posts, so this should be fun. You can check out her blog here.

"Liebster" means dearest in German, and it's awarded, blogger to blogger, to up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers.  The rules for accepting and giving the award are pretty simple.  Once you accept the award, you just have to do the following in a blog entry:

Answer the 11 questions posted by the nominator on her blog

Give 11 facts about yourself

Nominate 5-11 other new, up-and-coming blogs with less than 200 followers

Make up 11 more questions to pass on to the bloggers you choose to nominate

Thank your nominator by linking back to her blog

Upon your post going live, contact your nominees about your nomination for them

Hailey's Questions

1. What's your favorite flavor of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream? (Or just favorite in general)

I'm not even sure I've tried Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream so in general I would have to say cookies and cream. Anything with Oreo's in it, it's going to be good.

2. What has been your favorite vacation so far? 

I would have to say my honeymoon in Kauai with my husband. That one is going to be hard to beat.

3. What would be your dream vacation? 

Traveling around Europe. Particularly Spain, France, Italy and Greece. I'm getting my minor in Art History and would really like to go and see all of the things I have learned about.

4. What is your favorite perfume and favorite cologne?

My husband doesn't wear cologne. I love his natural smell. But if I had to choose, it would be Acqua Di Gio for men. My favorite perfume right now would be Noir Tease from Victoria's Secret. Followed closely by Juicy Couture.

5. How many kids do you hope to have? (If any) 

I'm thinking around 4.

6. I've always wanted to have my own secret spot that few people know about that I visit to be alone to think, but haven't found the perfect one yet. (The last one had too many bugs....) Do you have a "special spot" you like to escape to? 

My apartment is my relaxation spot. It's just my husband and I, so it's easy to find a place where it's quiet.

7. Name a band/singer that you have always loved that most people may not know.

A Fine Frenzy, Lilly Allen, Mat Kearney, Keane, Hot Hot Heat....

8. What is your favorite workout class you've been to? 

I workout at home or outside. I have never taken any workout classes. But I did go to Salt Lake for my friend's bachelorette party and we took a pole dancing class. That was pretty fun. :)

9. Do you have any dating advise for me??  
When you find someone you are interested in, show them that you are interested. Most of the good picks are shy and just need a little nudge. Then they will do the rest. :)

10. Share/describe a moment in your life when you have truly been HAPPY, something other than a grand occassion.
My dad and I went to Hawaii for a week for Beachbody and when we got there, we learned that our luggage had been left in San Francisco. There was a dinner that night for all the coaches and we didn't want to go all gross from the plane. I wasn't hungry so my dad went and I walked out to the beach with my camera. I had a shirt, capris and vans on, so I took my shoes off and started walking. It was a private beach just for people at our hotel and it was so beautiful and quiet. I watched a guy that was painting, waded into the water, wiggled the sand between my toes...It started to rain as I was walking back to our hotel and I just sat on the beach and let it come down on me. It was just a good moment. I rarely spend time by myself and I wasn't thinking about anything. Just taking in the view and feeling excited that I got to spend a week there.

11. In what way(s) have you turned out just like your parents?

The thing I love most about my parents is how close we are to each other. My family is so close and open. We say "I love you", cuddle, no subject is embarrassing to talk about....I mean, my parents still call me Amy Baby. :) I love that they brought us up that way so that now I can be the same way with my kids. I was never the embarrassed child when my parents would go into school with me, or kiss me in front of my friends. I always felt proud.

11 Facts About Me

1. My lips are tiny. When I wear lipstick, you can barely tell.
2. I have a very hard time falling asleep and a very hard time getting up early. It's a curse. 
3. I already know what baby names I want to use when the time comes.
4. My favorite holiday is Christmas because my family goes above and beyond and makes it a huge deal. We take our time and open presents all day long, listening to Christmas music, eating food and laughing, enjoying each others company. We hardly ever finish before 7pm. Christmas is also my mom's birthday. So for the rest of the night we celebrate her and make sure she gets extra spoiled. It's an all day thing and yes...I am getting excited already.
5. I met my husband in Driver's Ed. He was my driving partner.
6. I want a wrinkly little bull dog. Brandon says no doggies. We will see if I can change that in a few years.
7. I never have one favorite color but right now I love coral and cobalt blue.
8. I am going to UVU to graduate in Photography. I am a senior.
9. My brother is on his mission in Jamaica and I am one proud sister.
10. I have way to many shoes....but I still need more.
11. I love movie nights with lots of junk food and friends and cuddles with my husband.

Now it's my turn to pass this on to some of my blogger friends and I choose Chelsea, Sidney, Rachelle, Keisha, and Cassie! Here are my questions for you guys...

1. What movie have you seen more times than any other movie?
2. What would be your perfect date?
3. What has been your most embarrassing moment?
4. Have you ever seen something in a store that you absolutely loved and couldn't walk away without no matter what the price? What was it?
5. What has been your favorite Halloween costume?
6. Have you ever been approached by someone you recognized but you couldn't for the life of you remember how you know them?
7. What nicknames have people made up for you?
8. What did you want to be growing up? Has it changed as you have gotten older?
9. Favorite online store to shop at?
10. What's the strangest talent you have?
11. What is your favorite physical feature?

Alright guys, have fun with it!

Brandon

   So, Im going to gush about my husband for a second. Hope you all don't mind because he is worth gushing about. Remember that purse I talked about in my last post that I saw in New York and loved? Well, as I said he ordered it for me and it came in the mail a couple of days ago! I love it more than I even remember. I am not much of a purse person either, but I had to have this one. I have three photography classes this semester and a lecture class, so luckily for the first time ever, I don't have to buy any textbooks! Which means I actually get to wear a cute purse to school. :) Pretty excited about that. Anyway, back to Husband.
   Thursday, Brandon and I both had school. I saw him at 7:30am and then we kept missing each other the rest of the day. I would come home after each of my classes and he would be back at school or work. My last class ended after 9pm and I took a friend home after and rushed home myself to get my stuff to head to work at 10 til 6am. So sadly, I saw my husband for a grand total of about 20 minutes yesterday. But when I got to work and opened my backpack, I had to smile. I always have a couple of movies in my backpack just incase I feel like watching one during my shift which usually happens around 3am when I am sick of Pinterest and other things and need the time to move a little faster. These were the choices of movies I had picked....It has to be lighthearted and fun for me to watch in the middle of the night, all by myself.

When I looked in my backpack, I noticed that there were more than the 3 movies I had picked and pulled them out to find these....just so you all know, I hate Mystery Men. And although we love The Other Guys, we have seen it multiple times and I don't need to be watching it again anytime soon. He knew I wouldn't be watching these movies when he chose them. He is always finding ways to make me laugh, even when we are in a hurry.

This was our texts after. :) 

My new purse. :)

He's pretty cute.

Okay, gush over.

New York: Day 5

     This was our last day in New York and now that I am a week into school, I miss it. At the time, we were both pretty tired and ready to come home and get back into the flow of things, but as soon as I get back, I am ready to go out with him again. I love vacationing with just the two of us. Now with both of us in school and working, we don't see each other enough. I'm glad we had this last hurrah before being thrown into fall semester. So, we had to be checked out of our hotel at 11 and of course we stayed until the last minute catching up on sleep and packing. Then we headed back to the Doughnut Plant to try some of their other doughnuts. We got carrot cake, PB and J, triple chocolate, peach, and cinnamon. The PB and J was the best out of those. We checked out the New York Public Library after that and they had a really cool free exhibit with children's books. The library was huge and beautiful.

My mom used to read this book to me.

Brandon listening to Mary Poppins.

The umbrella of the author of Mary Poppins that she based the umbrella in the story on.

We walked around after that and ended up in a park eating Gelato. We did a little bit more shopping, popping in and out of shops and then headed to the airport around 4 to catch our 7 o' clock flight home. Cute story, as we boarded the plane I couldn't stop thinking about a purse I saw. It was so cute and was on sale too. I was sad that I didn't get it but usually I like to think about things before I buy them. Anyway, the next morning while I was at school, Brandon texted me. He had found the purse online and ordered it for me. :) That made my day. It was a good trip with the best husband ever.

I can't get over how cute he is in this picture.

New York: Day 4

Another thing that was on our must do list was to go to The Lambs Club. We watched Jeffrey Zakarian become the next Iron Chef and think he is amazing. We had to try his food. Of course it was really pricey, so we opted to go for brunch rather than dinner. I got the most amazing french toast ever stuffed with strawberry and rhubarb compote. It came with syrup and a vanilla sauce. My parents are headed to New York really soon and I think I've convinced my dad that he has to go try this. :) Brandon got the Lamb's Club burger which was also really good. That french toast though? Perfect.

We liked to pop over to Grand Central Station and just go into the market for a quick snack. It was so close to our hotel and always fun to look through.

After that, we shared a bagel on the Met steps by the park. They put so much cream cheese in it! I had to take most of it off. We took a subway back over to Brooklyn area and decided we would go explore over there and passed the new World Trade Center on the way. Once we got to Brooklyn, we took a picture in front of the Barclays Center because that is where the Nets play and then realised that the music awards were going to be held there that night. It was crazy. There were cops and people everywhere so we decided not to deal with it and headed back to Manhattan and just popped into shops and relaxed the rest of the night.