The Maze Runner Trilogy

I know I've talked about these books before.. or maybe it was just on Facebook? Anyways, quick recap  just in case I haven't said anything about them:

Carly let me borrow her copy of The Maze Runner, and I was hooked right away! I finished the book in a couple of days, got the second one, and finished that one in another couple of days, (7 days total for the two books) and I wasn't getting any homework done. I procrastinated my Meteorology homework until the last week (DUMB) and did two tests in one week.. Getting less than half right on all three tests of the semester. Somehow I still ended up with an A?! Don't know how that works, but I'll take it! If you go to UVU and you need an easy A for one of your science distributions, take online Intro to Meteorology from Paul Taylor. ANYWAYS, back to my book rant. The first two books were far better than amazing, and I loved every second of it! So when I took a break from reading, I decided to wait a little bit longer to get the third. And for some reason, when I finally got the third and started reading it, I didn't get very far the first couple of times I picked the book up. I just had other things on my mind that I wanted to finish first. Well, I finally got into it, and soon began to hate it. I HATE the new zombie fad that the entire world is going through, and unfortunately, this book has a lot of "zombie ish" stuff going on in it. I would read it before bed to help me fall asleep, and I'd end up having to put a movie on so that I wouldn't have nightmares.

Long story short, I did not like the book, except for one bit; the end. It was the only good part in the book, in my opinion. Although, I'm known to have a very different opinion than most others out there (seeing as I loved the third Hunger Games book and no one else did). So take it for what it's worth. Read it if you want, but in my opinion, you just need to read the last few chapters if you want to skip the zombie apocalypse.

Hahaha this is awesome.

Watch the whole thing.

Project Life Update!! (FINALLY!)

 Remember that this was back in April, so no, I'm not pregnant. That was the first test I bought.

I still have a HUGE stack of pictures that I'll be adding to the project, so be looking for more updates soon!

I am happy!

This weekend was absolutely perfect! Cody and I were needing a get away with just the two of us. The week in Washington (which I still need to write about...) with my family was AMAZING, and so good to get away from work, but alone time wasn't had very often. So we took the present that my Mom and stepdad gave us for our wedding, two nights in a condo in Park City, and put it to use! We made our reservations a few months ago, and had literally been counting down the days until we could go! Then my friend Jori decided to get married, which is an awesome thing, but she was having her reception in Nephi canyon on the 17th, which was the day we made our reservations for to be in Park City. But, since we love Jori and the fact that she's finally married, AND since she got married when we were in Washington, we decided to go to the reception and just go to the condo later that night. And I'm so glad we did! 

We hung out with Carly, Courtney and Emma pretty much the whole night, Jori looked amazing, and everything was just so perfect! We danced our hearts out and they had some dang good looking food there! (Too bad Cody and I ate right before we went down! DUMB!) We didn't end up leaving until around 10, but I was so happy that we went down there for this happy occasion!

Once we got up to Park City, we were able to find the place pretty quickly, thanks to Cody going up there every day for work and knowing the place like the back of his hand! The outside of the condos wasn't very pretty, and I was expecting something a little .. well, not fancy or anything, but was still so grateful to be away from our house, with just Cody. After figuring out the little details and figuring out where our room was, we walked in and were completely shocked! It was beautiful!

The yellow walls in the bedroom really made me want to paint our room!

Crooked TV in the bedroom haha

The tub had jets! Didn't use them though.. :(

Pretty mirror/light fixtures in the bathroom!

I was so excited about being there, and leaving all of my worries back at home, that I couldn't get to sleep because I just wanted to spend all night talking and playing and watching Say Yes to the Dress (he watched a whole episode with me even though I could tell he didn't want to!) with Cody!

Saturday morning came, but not too early, because we slept in until 10! It felt so good! Ate breakfast in bed while watching Phineas and Ferb (hilarious, by the way) and eventually got up to get our day started. We were reading the magazine they had in our room of things to do in Park City, and saw the zip line and alpine slide, and decided to do that! So we headed up to the Park City Mountain Resort, and bought the Triple Play package, with one ride on the Zip Line, the Alpine Slide, and the Coaster, which was $41 each.. Super good price in my opinion! THEY WERE SO MUCH FUN!! So glad we did them all!

Going up the ski lift to do the Zip Line!

The ride guy told us we'd go faster if we went on the same coasterbob (HILARIOUS NAME!) so of course we did! 

We went so fast, I was screaming my brains out! I loved it!

One of the worker guys was telling his buddy "I think there's either a moose or a horse up there.. But I don't know what a moose looks like.." Haha, it was a moose, but he kept hiding his head behind the bushes!

He's sexy.

A couple had gotten married up there just before this, and they were going to go down the Alpine Slide! So cool!

After our fun adventures in the Mountain Resort, we decided to check out the mall, where we ended up buying a few essentials, such as shirts for cody, necklaces that look hot on him, and a cute little sun dress (pictures below) and almost some Nikes for Cody!

We were planning on shopping for a little bit, then heading over to the Salt Lake Temple to do a session, because we'd never been, and then head over to our favorite chinese place, that's ONLY in Salt Lake so we don't get to go very often. Well, we looked down at the time and realized we had to hurry our butts off to get to the temple and that we'd probably not make it. We ended up being completely rushed in the temple and did sealings, which was a funny story in itself.

We were running to the temple, but I wanted to take a picture of the pretty flowers.. This was the best I got! 

When we left the temple, we realized yet again that we had to hurry to get to the restaurant before it closed, so we rushed over there and made it there ten minutes before closing! They were having a huge wedding reception party thing, so it was very noisy, with a TERRIBLE live band playing. Not the ideal dinner date with my hubby, but it was good none the less.

Egg Drop soup.. First time I've ever had it and it was DELICIOUS!

Orange chicken with ham fried rice and an egg roll! And I think a fried shrimp? Didn't try it, but I did take home left-overs so I'll try it.. maybe..

 I can sort of us chopsticks, and Cody couldn't until today.. He was actually doing pretty good, until he realized that this way works better. Just stab the chicken!

He was very proud of how much rice he could pick up with his chopsticks!

Cool chinese! Glad they wrote the total in English!

 Back to the condo we went and slept like dolls! Our checkout time was around 11, so we got up, got ready and decided to go back to the temple to get pictures of the pretty grounds.

Much better than the rushed picture, huh?

Pretty fountain that I've for some reason, never seen before!

Glad there are nice people in this world that are willing to take pictures of us (:

Way to go, self timer! These flowers were stunningly beautiful!

A lady walked by us and said that we were sitting right in front of Pres. Monson's office! So cool!

Love me some hand holding (:

We really wanted to go up in the mountains, so we took a little drive up American Fork canyon! We hiked up a tiny bit, set out a blanket and played some card games!

Such a beautiful day to explore the mountains!

We had such a perfect weekend, and I'm so dang glad that I married this man! He is sexy, caring, HILARIOUS, and absolutely perfect for me in every way imaginable!

Yes To Carrots™

Yes To Carrots™ is a line of skin care and hair care made with organic fruits and veggies. I recently ran out of my face wash that I've been using for a while (Proactiv) and the only reason I started using it was because of all the "convincing" commercials. Well, it hasn't really done anything positive for me, and I still have breakouts on my face that I'm not happy with. Well, while I was reading Elise's blog, she wrote a couple posts (here and here) on how she's transforming her beauty care to chemical free products, and I think it's a great idea! I mean, your skin is pretty important, and one of the first things that people notice when they see/meet you. So I looked into a few of the products she suggested, like the Avalon Organics products, and the Pangea Organics products, and wasn't really finding a price that I was super happy with. Until I decided to look into the Yes To products. I found them on the Target website, but they didn't have them in the store closest to me, or anywhere from here to Logan. So I thought about buying two products online, a cleanser and a facial lotion, but it was going to be just over $30. Which is a lot cheaper than Proactiv, but I kept looking to see if I could find a better deal. I went to the Yes To Carrots™ website, and I found the best deal of all!

I saw this bundle for Acne problemed skin, and it said it was normally $34.97, which is true if you buy them all separate, but because of this it's only $19.99! Well, being the bargain shopper that I am, I looked online to see if I could find a promo code for this website, and I did! 20% off your entire order (using the code YESTO). It took off $4, and since the shipping was $6, it took my order down to $21.99. Well, I kept looking and ended up finding one for 35% off my order (using the code Y2PUSH4EVR2), but was hesitant to see if it worked, tried it, and it did! It took $7 off my order, making my original purchase of $19.99 plus tax end up being $18.99 after tax and shipping! How's that for a good deal?!? So I bought it right away and am really excited to get it in the mail and start using it! Hopefully I can continue this toxin free way of life as my other facial and hair products run out!

15 things you should give up to be happy

Again, I'm borrowing this post that I just randomly came across today from this website. I was actually looking at a workout blog and thought it was going to be about 15 foods to give up, but it's not, and I just think it's something that might be helpful to read (:

Here is a list of 15 things which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore. Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go:

1. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO ALWAYS BE RIGHT

 There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” Wayne Dyer. What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?

2. GIVE UP YOUR NEED FOR CONTROL

Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. GIVE UP ON BLAME

 Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.

4. GIVE UP YOUR SELF-DEFEATING SELF-TALK

 Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. GIVE UP YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS

about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind” Elly Roselle

6. GIVE UP COMPLAINING

 Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.

7. GIVE UP THE LUXURY OF CRITICISM

Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.

8. GIVE UP YOUR NEED TO IMPRESS OTHERS

Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.

9. GIVE UP YOUR RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

 Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

10. GIVE UP LABELS

 Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Wayne Dyer

11. GIVE UP ON YOUR FEARS

Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. GIVE UP YOUR EXCUSES

Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

13. GIVE UP THE PAST

I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

14. GIVE UP ATTACHMENT

This is a concept that, for most of us is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too, (it still is) but it’s not something impossible. You get better and better at with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things, (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another,  attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.

15. GIVE UP LIVING YOUR LIFE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S EXPECTATIONS

Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path.

Home Renovations

So we've been doing a lot of painting and getting new furniture and moving out the floral couch (FINALLY!) that's been awkwardly sitting in our front room for about 5 months now. 

The shelf on the left was the one we were using, until I got my black bookshelf back from Carly the other day, and it fits so perfectly right next to the door! And it's much better looking too!

We've been looking for a coffee table for a while now, and for some reason, every one that we've seen is ridiculously overpriced. Like from $80 to $300 for a simple coffee table! No thanks! Until we found this one from Ikea for only $40! We just had to buy it! So perfect for our little space!

And of course you can't go into Ikea and only get one thing.. we ended up getting a new bed spread! I don't know why we decided on black and white for our first one... we're much more colorful than that! And the two front decorative pillows were really cheap there too! ($9 & $5!)

Nice side view (: The bed spread is really teal, not blue.

So, I had to add this little bit in here. On Friday last week, it was our date night, and we don't have tons of money to go out every date night. So I decided to make it a special night in, and lined a pathway to our front room where dinner was ready with candles, and instead of rose pedals (too girly) I put a bunch of candy in the pathway (: I made sweet and sour chicken, and guys.. it's the best recipe ever! It's one of our favorite meals, BY FAR! Anyways, he loved the whole set up and right before dinner, I suggested that we put out the candles, and he said they'd be fine. Which most of them were. After we ate, he went around and looked at all the candles, and found one that was less than fine. It was right by the front door, and it had gotten so hot that it melted through the blanket that it was on (that was doubled up) and all the way through our carpet!! How's that for home renovations? Improving the looks of everything else, and ruining the carpet all at the same time!! (: Perfect.

After our dinner date, I looked at Cody and asked if we could paint the front door teal. What a random request. But I really wanted to do it, and I thought it would look so much better! So at 10:00pm, we head over to Walmart and get us some paint!

Yay! We love it! We didn't do it right though and it's starting to chip.. so we'll have to re-do it. But it still looks better than it did!

We painted the handle and lock black, and it looks so good!

Then our little mirror in our bathroom was so ugly.. so we painted it black (:
We're actually painting the little shelf that's in our bathroom too, but we're still deciding on the inside color.. which might take a while. I'll post picture when we finish it though!

It's not much, but it definitely looks so much better!

And this built in shelf thingy.. it's been so nice to hold our games and piano music and other random things.. but it's so ugly.

So we painted it black!!! I love it sooo so much!

One of the biggest reasons I thought of doing it at first was because I thought it would help the paintings stand out more, which it totally does! (Plus that starry night painting was done by my little sister when she was in 5th grade!! It's crazy good!)

And check out this super cute banner! My Mom had one in her craft room, and I loved it! So I picked out the fabric and she made one for me! It's perfect for this shelf!

Anyways, I just keep loving our little house more and more (: We're so lucky to have this house at the price we're paying, with it being in the perfect location, and having such a pretty view, and our ward is great too! We're so happy here, and loving every second of life!