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30 September 2010

snippets from my diary


dear diary...

life is so good!

I am starting to get excited for Fall.
we have been sleeping with our windows open every night.
the mornings are so crisp and cool.
it's time to bring out the long sleeve shirts!

I really miss my family.
it has been way too long since I have seen them.
Kansas is feeling very far away.

living in Provo is so great.
we love being close to great friends.
they are truly our Utah family.

why are Me&Ry so busy?
school, work, school, work, and school-work consume our lives.
I miss being together all the time.

my houseplants are on the verge of death.
I thought I was watering them the perfect amount...
they get plenty of sun...
practice makes perfect I guess.

I absolutely LOVE advertising.
I feel so lucky to have found a major that I actually enjoy!

I have been slacking in the kitchen.
my most recent concoctions include mac & cheese 
and microwaveable meals.
guilt...
see above "busy life" entry.
I plan to make up for it over conference weekend.

and why wasn't I born with a little latina in my blood?
I would look a lot less awkward trying to dance in Zumba class.
luckily I take a no shame policy at Zumba
and dance my little heart out anyway.

I wish my sewing machine was not collecting dust in storage.
I am dying for a project.
bedroom pillows, quilts, curtains, tablecloths.. 
..the possibilities are endless!

we are so blessed!


love, Shelb.

23 September 2010

good eats


Last weekend in Arizona, we ate very well.

1. Rosa's


2. BJ's pizza

3. Dilly's Deli


4. Oregano's

We made sure to eat at our favorite restaurants during our short trip.
We miss our Arizona food on the daily!

Why is it that the best food is always a state away?

Mmmm! I can't wait for next time...

21 September 2010

no room at the inn

This weekend, Me&Ry went to Arizona!
Ryan's little sister was baptized!
We were so excited for this special event that we just had to be there.

Well, we had a little adventure during our travels.

You see, it all started Wednesday. 
We wanted to take off after school and go to Vegas.  Breaking up the long trip makes it seem a lot shorter and easier.  We planned to leave around 5:00 after my class and quiz.  Well, Ryan got called into work at the last second and didn't get off until 8:15.
So, by the time we finished packing and loading up, plus filling up with gas and food it was 9:30 p.m.
In hindsight, it was a little late to start a roadtrip, lesson learned.

About two hours into the trip we realized how truly dead tired we were.
Monday-Wednesday are our busiest days.  By Thursday we are so drained.
Ryan smartly suggested that we just stop at a motel for the night.  Las Vegas was feeling really far away at this point.  So we turned onto highway 20 and headed toward Kanab.  
To be honest, I didn't really want to spend money on a cheap motel room, but how expensive could it be anyway?

At this point we were doing everything in our power to keep each other awake.  Seriously? Two hours into the drive? We turned on some upbeat music (Ryan's choice of course) and just kept talking.  Making it to Kanab would take a miracle.

As we rolled into Panguitch, I noticed something strange.  Every motel along the highway had their "NO VACANCY" signs lit up.  On a Wednesday night?  Normally I wouldn't even notice, but I was anticipating finding a room of our own for the night.
Even Orderville appeared to be full.  No motel rooms to be found and the streets were full of cars.

Well, we finally made it to Kanab.  We were extremely tired and ready to pass out in the nearest bed.   
So, we settled on the first place we saw.  The Best Western "Red Hills." Ryan went inside armed to negotiate for a cheap room but came out shaking his head.  "no vacancy."  Hmm that's a little odd. On to the next place.  The Holiday Inn: "no vacancy."  The Comfort Inn: "no vacancy."  Even the Treasure Trail Motel was full.  There was not one open room in the entire town of Kanab.


So we started calling places in Page, AZ.  The lady on the phone informed me that the Best Western "Lake Powell Inn" might have a room for us for $129.99
Excuse me?
Even if we could make it to Page, I was not going to pay that much money for a gross old smelly room.  Not.  Happening.

So, we found the safest spot we possibly could.  That just so happened to be parked between two big cars in the Holiday Inn parking lot.

There was too much junk in the back of our car to make a bed back there, so we just laid the seats back and tried to get a little shut eye.  Luckily we had two blankets, but only one pillow.  So we put the pillow in between us and shared it the whole night.

I was a little nervous about the whole situation.  It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that we were actually going to sleep in our car.  We said a good prayer, but I was a little shaken up and I had a hard time getting to sleep.  I wouldn't even let Ryan roll my window down for fear that a crazy gunman could "get me" through the tiny crack.

So at 2:00 a.m. we settled in to catch a few Zzz's.  Ryan planned on waking up in a few hours to keep driving.

The next thing I knew, it was morning! The sun was shining and the hustle and bustle of Kanab was going on right outside our Subaru.

I looked at the clock and it was 8:00 a.m.

We seriously just slept for six straight hours in the front seat of our car.
Never in my life did I think I would ever be homeless in Kanab.

Luckily we survived the night and made it to Arizona by 1:00.

Lessons learned:
don't start a roadtrip late at night
motel rooms are actually kind of expensive
if Me&Ry only had one pillow for the rest of our lives, we could totally make it work
living out of your car would suck

It was definitely a night to remember! And one our backs would prefer not to repeat.

06 September 2010

a summertime project


In between Summer and Fall semesters, I did a few projects
 around the house.

In our kitchen, I took boring white "cubes" and turned them into this...


It was really easy... I haven't sat down to do a crafty project in a long time, so I had fun with it!

In case you were wondering how I did it, here is a crafty step-by-step...

1.  pick your fabric.
We got ours at Ikea.. they have so many really cool fabric designs for cheap.
Plus, they sell it by the 1/4 yard (if you wish).
I only bough 1/4 yard of each pattern.

2. trace & cut
Choose the part of the fabric you want to show. Trace around the box with a pencil. This does NOT have to be perfect.  You can always trim the edges off when you are done.


4. cut out a section for the brackets
Fit the fabric on the cube the way you want it, and make tiny cuts for the hanging brackets.  This is a little tricky.  Make sure you don't cut into the back part that is going to show!


5. glue your fabric on
I just used tacky glue.. I'm sure you could use a hot glue gun or another time of strong(ish) glue.


6. cut off the excess fabric.

...and you're done!
We have had these little cubes around for a while.  I think they were originally in my room in jr. high/highschool.  They fit perfectly on this small wall space, but they definitely needed a little something to spice them up!

before


after


p.s. you can find the blank cubes at most craft or home decor stores!

02 September 2010

sundance by moonlight {then and now..}


September 2008

Just about two years ago, my very best friends and I thought it would be fun to plan a group date.  It was the beginning of Fall semester, and we found the perfect place to go.  Up the canyon at Sundance, they run the chairlift a few nights every month during the full moon.  I had just started dating Ryan (again), Nicole had a new boy she met in Hawaii, Michelle and Aaron were a brand new thing, and Lindsay knew of a fun guy to bring.

So, we loaded up our boys and headed to Sundance.  


We were the happiest of roomies and the best of friends!








Little did we know, this was the very beginning 
of great things for these friends.
We have never forgotten the fun events of this 
night and have talked about ever since!

August 2010

Two years later, a lot has changed.  Ryan and I have been married for over a year, Nicole and Blair have been married for one month, Aaron and Michelle are off in Arizona at medical school, and Lindsay is dating a great guy that we absolutely adore!

One thing that hasn't changed, is that we are still the best of friends!
We decided to recreate our romantic night in the mountains.






(love him!)


The boys...


...under the "neon moon"

We feel so lucky to have great friends that we've kept for so long...
If you haven't tried the moonlight lift and Sundance, it's a must!
Can't wait until next year!

p.s. Michelle and Aaron you were most definitely missed!