Our Blog Has Moved!

I'm so excited to announce that our new site ShelbyAndRyan.com is live! I'll be posting regularly with updates on our little life! Be sure to add our new address to your reader list!

xoxo

Shelby

girls weekend

I haven't had a chance yet to write about the amazing girls weekend we had last month in St. George. It was so refreshing to spend some quality time with my very best friends... I really needed it. We've been talking about planning a girls weekend for a while now, but with busy lives and schedules to work around, there were little things in the way of making it happen. So, one night Nicole and I were talking on the phone and decided just to set a date, and it actually worked out! I'm going to try to apply this to more areas of my life! :) We definitely missed friends who live far away and couldn't make it!

St. George is the perfect place for a quick getaway. It's close, warm and there is so much to do! We all stayed at Nicole's house. She was THE perfect hostess! We had the best time just hanging around, eating, laying by the pool, watching chick flicks and TV shows and chatting for hours on end. It was so nice to really get caught up on everyone's lives. We all used to live together in the dorms and Alpine Village but have since spread out. I will always consider these girls my best friends and I'm so grateful to have each and every one of them in my life.

I just love my besties!

We spent all day Saturday getting some sun by the pool.

We went to get treats Swig where they are famous for their "dirty" drinks. "Dirty" = a shot of coconut... And let me just say, Diet Coke + coconut = divine. Look at the line in the drive-thru... so popular!

We had dinner at Pasta Factory... and I ate way too many of their amazing breadsticks!

And of course we had to get custard at Nielson's!

Thanks for the amazing time girls! Love you all!

a quick trip to Arizona

I went to Arizona over Labor Day weekend for an orthodontist appointment. My dad was out of town so it was just my mom and I at home for a short girls weekend. It was just what I needed! I absolutely love being with my mom. We always have so much fun together. She takes such good care of me and spoils me every time I'm home... I never want to leave!

We did some shopping {bridesmaid dress, beauty supply store, makeup} , ate at all my favorite places {Orgeano's, Rosa's, Johnny Rocket's}, colored and cut my hair, went to the movies and spent a lot of time chatting {and snuggling my puppy}. It was also great to see cousins and family I've been missing.

It was a perfect {quick} trip home!

{Diet Coke @ Oregano's}

{Mesa Froyo! A #1 tart raspberry}

{sitting @ Dr. Frost's office}

{I love having a mother who does hair!}

{Nothing better than a grilled cheese @ Johnny Rocket's}

visitors in Provo

Our weekends in September have been pretty busy with family in town. We have loved having the Skousens here visiting! The whole family was together for the first time in a while! We're sad that it won't happen again until the holidays...

Everyone was here for the first BYU game of the season. It was rainy and a little colder than I would have liked but it's always fun to cheer on the Cougs! I got a little teary-eyed hearing the band play the fight song. Ryan was totally embarrassed. I just love my alma mater!

We drove up Provo canyon and took family pictures! It was my first glimpse this year of the gorgeous fall colors that remind me why I love Utah.

We celebrated Rachel's 10th birthday with a family dinner at Brick Oven. It was so cute. She loved having the attention of all her older siblings with a party just for her. Rachel confiscated all iPhones for the entire dinner. She said it's "really annoying" when everyone is on their phones. Rachel, I agree! We played a game where each person takes turns answering a question about themselves. The answers had us laughing pretty hard!

A few of us went out for 9 holes at Hobble Creek. Mackenzie took a golf class at BYU over the summer and it was really fun working on our games together!

We just love having visitors in Provo! Book your trips now... our guest room is always open!

thoughts on this weekend

This past weekend was spent driving through Northern Utah, Idaho and Wyoming to help support Ryan's dad Mike in the LOTOJA bike race. This was our third year helping with the event and it has become something we look forward to and have loved to be a part of. I was hoping to share some photos we took of the gorgeous scenery and write about the fun time we had... but unfortunately the weekend did not go as planned. Tragically, a member of Mike's team experienced a terrible accident and passed away during the course of the race. To read about the events of the day, click HERE.

While we didn't know Rob personally, the impact of his tragic accident has greatly affected Ryan and I. He was a close friend of many people we know and a member of the cycling community in Arizona which both of our families are a part of. We met his beautiful wife Bridget on Saturday morning at the first support stop in Montpelier, ID. She instantly made an impact on me as we introduced ourselves and played the "name game." My heart is heavy as I think about Saturday and what a tough day it was. The day was supposed to end with a big celebration and dinner at the Mangy Moose as it had each year after the racers crossed the finish line. However, things did not go as planned.

Again, my heart is heavy as I think about Bridget and her family. I felt so much sadness that day as we heard the news and spent time at the hospital. Many tears were shed. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of eternal families. I have no doubt that Rob is in a better place and that his sweet wife Bridget will be reunited with him after this life. That is the only thing that kept us going on Saturday night as we tried to figure out what to do next and how to cope. I've never been in a situation like this one and I realized just how precious life is and how mortal we really are. I definitely squeezed Ryan a little tighter, told my family I love them, and realized I just can't sweat the small stuff. Life is really short.

This was the last LOTOJA race Ryan and I will participate in. While we have made many beautiful memories along this route, this one will last much longer. We question whether we will keep riding our bikes or be done with the sport altogether. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragic accident, and especially to the Verhaaren family.

Oceanside in photos

The second week of August only means one thing... The Skousen's annual trip to Oceanside! We've decided this is our favorite week of the entire year and look forward to it for months and months. This year was especially nice because we took a long break from work, job hunting and "real life" to enjoy the surf and sun. The sun really came out to play for us! It was the hottest week I've ever experienced in Oceanside... Don't worry, we loved it!

Each day in Oceanside consists of the following:

Ryan golfing with his Dad in the early morning (while Shelby sleeps in)

Riding bikes or running on the beach for "exercise"

eating a yummy breakfast  - most likely a donut or two - hence the need for "exercise"

sitting, reading, tanning & playing on the beach

lunch at Johnny Manana's

more beach time

dinner with the family

taking a walk to dairy queen or red cup frozen yogurt

and finally cuddling up in bed to watch the Olympics until we fall asleep

It's basically a dream life.

By the end of the week everyone is ready to get back home to their routine and normal life. Unfortunately, we are never ready. I could totally be a beach bum for the rest of my life.

There is never a shortage of beach games!

smashball champs

very competitive ladder ball games

"pepper"

Ryan in his infamous hat. He found it at Maverick for a whopping $25 and it has been his favorite purchase of the year. We say he looks like "the ultimate tourist." The only thing missing is thick white sunscreen on his nose. No sunburns or skin cancer for this one! 

I love that we can both fit under there!

Now this is the good life!

a burrito from Johnny's and a large Diet Coke... the perfect pair.

We just loved playing with little Ollie and all the other cute babies at the beach. Ryan was in baby heaven and confirmed that he will be the world's cutest dad.

"corn dog picture"

stripes & sprinkles at DQ

One of the many amazing sunsets

Goodnight Oceanside! We miss you dearly. Thanks again to the Skousen clan for an amazing trip! Ryan and I look forward to this week every year to catch up with everyone. We love you all so much. Can't wait until next year!

p.s. last year's Oceanside trip here!

celebrating three

We celebrated three years of marriage with a little weekend getaway to Las Vegas!

Friday afternoon we drove down to Vegas and checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Westin resort at Lake Las Vegas. Our room had an awesome view of the lake! We went out for a fun dinner and to a totally different restaurant for dessert. I just love that everything stays open late in Vegas!

Saturday was all about relaxing. We decided to spend the day at the pool before a going out for a night on the town. The pool at the Westin is just gorgeous. There was even a DJ there all day Saturday. It was so great to have lunch poolside, listen to great music and be lazy in the sun!

Saturday night we had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants - Maggianno's! We had a great view of the strip while we ate. It was so romantic and just the perfect night!

Happy three years to my adorable husband that I love!

I can't wait for many more years to come!

xo