Popcorn Balls

This weekend has been fun! On Friday night, I made dinner with friends and caught up on our favorite shows we had missed throughout the week. We also watched the new show Grimm.

I am pretty sure it will be tradition for Mindy, Amanda, and I to all watch it together on Friday nights because there is NO way any of us would watch that alone! Super scary! I thought it was really good though... perfect for a Halloween weekend!

On Saturday I did one of my most favorite things... cook with my Mom! We carried on tradition and made my Gram's popcorn balls for Halloween. They are so yummy and one of my favorite fall treats. I think they beat any old Halloween candy.

We also went to my Aunt Sandy's house for a fun Halloween party with Katelynn and Jake. There were all sorts of creepy food and cute costumes.

Today has been a day of homework, housework, and cooking. I am studying for my big Praxis II exam coming up in less than 2 weeks. Yikes! I am really nervous. I also have some Italian chicken bubbling in my crock pot. Thanks, Savanna for the recipe! It sure smells good!

I also had a wonderful 25th birthday. Thanks to my friends and family for making it so much fun! Justin got me these super cute boots that I am in love with...

I hope everyone has a happy Halloween tomorrow! Hunker down, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Viva Las Vegas!

In celebration of my 25th birthday, a couple of friends and I went to Las Vegas for a girl's weekend. I had so much stinkin fun! We did Vegas up right with blackjack, slots, no sleep, Fremont Street, shopping, shows, and the Strip. OK, first of all... the people in Vegas are absolutely one of a kind (ha, no pun intended). I love people watching in Vegas. People just never cease to amaze me. Here is one guy I saw who was awesome!

We left Thursday night and got to the Luxor at about 8pm. We checked in, ate, and wandered the hotel, then went over to the Excalibur. The next day we shopped until we almost dropped, walked a TON around the strip, and went to see the Jabbawockeez. They were nothing short of amazing. Their dancing and comedy was spectacular and I had a TON of fun... minus the drunk lady next to me that was making weird hand gestures all night to the music. Whatever!

Saturday was the M&M store, the Coke store, Fashion Show Mall, the Wynn buffet, and Fremont Street. I got some fun souveniers at the Coke store, Mindy bought some cute Halloween M&Ms. I spent most of my time at the Fashion Show mall at Forever 21. That store was completely overwhelming. I have never seen so many clothes in one store for women in my life. And they have 132 dressing rooms. Crazy! Then we ate at the Wynn which is spendy but pretty much the BEST FOOD EVER.

 Halloween M&M's

 Fountains at the Bellagio

 Me being a goof and making the same pose as the cowboy...

The last night was Fremont Street. Mindy turned me into a blackjack queen! We played at a table in Fitzgerald's until about 2 in the morning. I love Fremont Street because the tables don't require big bets and you can play on just a little money for a long time. We played until about 2am and then had to drag our tired butts back to the hotel to pack and catch an airport shuttle at 5am. No sleep for us!

Haha, there I am rocking my giant McDonald's Diet Coke next to the cocktails at the Blackjack table.

Fremont Street was full of people in costumes for Halloween, scary bands, freaks, and an awesome light show. I had a great time in downtown. I almost think it is more fun at night than the Strip.

I had a TON of fun and can't wait to go back to Vegas again! Maybe next year!

Nice Week

I have had a really nice week. It is fall time and beautiful outside, I have had a short break from school, and I also have spent lots of fun time with friends and family. Yesterday my brother and sister in law were in town to visit. Justin's parents had dinner and then a little birthday celebration for my brother in law, Erik, and I. Oh, here's an interesting factoid for you... my sister in law, Emily's birthday is on the 23rd, mine is on the 25th, and Erik's is on the 26th of October. Fun! Anyway, we had lots of fun playing Nerts and Mario Kart and catching up. 

My cousin, Darcy, had a purse party with family and friends last night. I just love my family. They are hilarious! 

On Friday, my friends Savanna, Mindy and I went to this "What Today's Women Want" expo at the Shilo. I love looking at crafts and jewelry. They had so many cool things there! Savanna got these nail stickers in a chevron print that were pretty much the cutest thing ever. They are this new thing called Jamberry and they have a ton of cute designs. Speaking of nail designs, I am working on a new blog post with all my nail designs I have painted over the last few months. Stay tuned!

My friend Jessi called me on Thursday to chat. She moved to Spokane a little while ago and I sure do miss her! She broke the news that my other BFF Lizzie got engaged that night!  So of course, I immediately called Lizzie. Lizzie answered the phone casually and I said congratulations. Then I said, "Wait, am I interrupting a date or anything?" She replied, "No. We are just watching Cops." Ha! What a thing to do on the night of your engagement! I am so excited for her and Clayton. I have known both of them for a long time and they are absolutely perfect for each other. I am so honored and humbled she has asked me to be her Maid of Honor and that I will be able to share a part in their big day. Cheers!

On top of all those fun things, we also took the time to snap a few pictures this weekend in the fall leaves. 

I love weekends! 

Birth Month!

Huzzah! It is finally my favorite month... October! I share my birth month with my Mom, whose birthday is coming up on Tuesday. We celebrated this last weekend with ice cream, brownies, presents, and my wonderful and fun family. My dad and I got my mom a Kindle and I don't know if I have ever seen her so excited about anything! She is loving it and now I want one too! On a funny side note, my grandma has no idea what a kindle is and could not figure out why she was so excited to get a candle.
Anyway, my my 2-5 is coming up next. I am ringing in the quarter century by going on a quick Vegas trip with some friends. I love the people, shopping, buffets, and sightseeing - can't wait!
To my friends and family... here are some gift ideas (I know it seems ridiculous to make a list but everyone always asks me, so here you go!):

1. Kindle Fire
2. Riding Boots
3. Sweater Dress
4. Scarf
5. Tom's Shoes (size 8)
6. Cash or Gift Cards - I always love getting this, then I can buy whatever I want! FYI, my favorite places are Sephora, Amazon, Old Navy, and Maurice's
7. Argyle Knee Highs (to go with my riding boots if I get them : )

I love, love, love Fall! One of the many reasons I love Fall is because some of my favorite fruits and vegetables are in harvest: peaches and zucchini. I have really turned into Suzy Homemaker lately. This last weekend I tried my hand at freezer jam. It was so easy! I made three batches: peach, strawberry, and peach strawberry. They are all yummy but peach strawberry was the favorite. I made a low sugar variety but it was still plenty sweet. Here is the recipe:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/peach_jam.html

I also made refrigerator pickles. That was easy, too! In 4 days I will have yummy bread and butter pickles. Refrigerator pickles and freezer jam... where have you been all my life?!

Has everyone heard of pinterest.com? If not, you should get on it! This website is consuming my life and I think it is responsible for my domestic mood lately. There are so many great ideas for the home, fashion, crafting, you name it. I also love that I can follow friends kind of like facebook, but better!

Finally an Update!

Wow! It has been a really long time since I updated my blog. I guess that goes to show just how busy my summer was! I haven’t had a break from school since I last posted and I have had crazy events back to back to back to plan at work. But Hallelujah! I survived and now Autumn is on its way! This time of year is my absolute favorite. It just feels so new and exciting! Its back to school time, plus tons of cute clothes in beautiful colors are on the racks at my favorite stores. And let’s not forget the Fair! I spent a good share of my 4 day weekend in Blackfoot with family and friends going to the Fair to eat yummy food and see the sights. Here are some of my favorite things about the good ol’ Fair:

• Seeing people I know
• Looking at the photography, quilts, and cakes
• Eating scone nuggets, ice cream cones, pronto pups, hamburgers piled with onions, and drinking frozen lemonade
• Trying to find Kenny Rogers with Jessi Weaver (HA!)

Maybe it is just the Blackfoot in me… but I do LOVE the Fair : )

I enjoyed the summer blockbusters! I went to a lot of movies over the summer. Here were my favorites:

Here are a couple of photos from my summer fun. We went to Vegas for a much needed vacay, camped in Island Park, and had lots fun with family and friends.

Good Advice

This week was Audrey Hepburn's birthday. I thought this advice I read from her was really profound:

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives and the passion that she shows.

The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years."

Happy Mother's Day everyone!!