oh, yeah. we went to hawaii.

i know it's been a month since we took our heavenly vacation, but when you don't have a computer, it makes it hard to sort through and edit photos. luckily, the mr. bought us a brand new laptop over the weekend, so all of that changed!

one of the perks of a husband being in the military is being able to fly space-a on military planes. travis afb, near san francisco, is a huge space-a hub and i couldn't stand the thought of leaving california and not taking advantage of that. the up side to flying space-a is that it's absolutely free. the down side is that no flights are guaranteed. after two failed attempts, we were on the verge of just getting on the next plane out of there to anchorage, ak. luckily though, the third time was the charm and we finally made it to our destination - oahu, hawaii. as much as i would love to give you every little detail about our trip {because really, every tiny bit of it was fantastic}, i also don't want to bore you to death. so i'm just going to share my favorite parts:

#1 - waking up from my nap on the plane to one of the majors baking cookies. what the random! yet fantastically awesome.

2 - the honolulu swap meet. best place to buy souvenirs, hands down.

3 - matsumoto's shaved ice. i love shaved ice!

4 - having a beach right outside our cabana.

4 - snorkeling in hanauma bay. this was definitely the highlight of our trip. it made me kinda nervous at first and i was positive that i'd be swept out to sea, but after i got used to it, we found ourselves way past the breakers and into the good stuff. coolest. place. ever.

now, without further ado, here's a video to summarize our trip in pictures. enjoy!

-the mrs.

an instagram birthday.

who has two thumbs and just turned 22? this girl. here's how we celebrated, instagram style:

{i'm sorry if you follow me on instagram. looks like you get a double dose of birthday!}



1 - there isn't anything that makes me happier than packed bags and a new destination in mind. {even if it means packing our suitcases from our suitcases.} this weekend's destination - denver, co.
2 - when we checked in to our hotel, they asked if we would like to upgrade to a suite for $3.50. umm, yes please. air force hotel suites aren't exactly what you would picture as ritzy and glamorous, but they are decent. lucky for us, this particular hotel is brand new, so it was actually pretty nice! besides, you can't complain much when it's only 40 bucks a night.
3 - we stayed up watching the game show network {big fav. in the averett household} and eating red velvet cupcakes to celebrate the eve of my birth. that's how spoiled i am by my husband - he wants to celebrate my birthday when it's not even my birthday yet.
4 - the mr. fed me a bunch of lies all week about how my presents weren't going to come in the mail in time and that he would only have one gift for me and how bummed he was about it. then i woke up to a counter full of presents and was shocked. not only did he lie about the presents, but he also lied about "going into work" last week when he was actually out buying me the new dslr camera i've been wanting for months! {note: i believe that lying is completely acceptable during birthdays and anniversaries. oh, and engagements - that was probably his biggest lie yet.} let me introduce you to calvin the canon. i love him so much already! all i need now is to figure out how to use the thing and i'll be golden.
5 - a birthday in our house can't officially start without a plate of german pancakes. or as they're called at the original pancake house: dutch babies. mm-mmm delish. i'm so glad this place was nearby so we could keep up our breakfast tradition!
6 - i've always wanted to go to an mlb game. in fact, it's on our bucket list. it just so happened that the denver rockies had a game yesterday and military got in for free. could we have asked for anything better? {the answer to that is actually yes - to not get stuck in traffic, making us miss the fly-by and the national anthem. we won't dwell on that though.} we had a blast soaking up some sun, eating ballpark food, and occasionally watching the game. ;)
7 - i've been in dire need of a new wardrobe. thanks to my best friend, h&m, i'm slowly making my way. is anybody else in love with this store?
8 - just when i thought the party was over, cue morgan and stephanie with the most fabulous birthday cake {no, that's not a mini fire in our hands} i've ever had. they sure know how to make a girl feel loved!

this is going to be one birthday that'll be hard to top. i'm so grateful for my sweet husband in making it so magical and for all the birthday wishes from friends and family. 22, here i come!

-the mrs.

top five friday.

#1 - racquetball. wow, has anybody else played this beautiful sport? i'd played once or twice before and got kind of bored and had no interest in ever playing again. then, despite my reluctance, the mr. dragged me into playing with him last saturday. we're now addicted. i think we've played just about every day this week. it is so fun!

#2 - jimmy johns. we were in need of a quick, cheap fix for dinner this week when we spotted a jimmy johns. ironically enough, it was the exact same jimmy johns that we ate at with the mr.'s brother and wife on our trek back from florida a couple years ago. we loved their sandwiches so much that we went again the next day. and bought four loaves of bread to make our own. mmm good.

#3 - antelope. they. are. everywhere. yes, i know this is a weird thing to enjoy, but every time i see one, i can't help but think of the song, 'home on the range'. you know, '...where the deer and the antelope play...'? i remember my mom singing this with us all the time when we were little and on road trips. that song carries a bit of my childhood with it, so whenever i see an antelope, it just takes me back. oh the little joys of life.

#4 - it's a 4 day weekend! the mr. gets memorial day off and they let him have today off as a 'family day' too. honestly, it's been like a month long weekend already, but i'm not complaining. the moment we got here, the mr.'s squadron told him to take it easy until his training starts, so they haven't had him doing a whole lot. i've been enjoying every second of having him home, but sadly, he will be starting again on the 29th. so this is our last weekend of vacation and what a better way to end it than to have 4 days with absolutely no obligations? denver, here we come!

#5 - good friends. we got lucky in california. the mr. was put into a class with some really great people. then those really great people made the trek across the country with us to cheyenne. it's been so much fun to have them here in this new place to make us feel a little bit more at home. literally. our 10 free days of lodging expired this week, so to save money, we are actually living with one of his classmates and what a blessing it has been. i'm so grateful to have such fantastic people in our life!

happy friday my friends.

-the mrs.

p.s. my birthday is in only three days!! i can hardly contain my excitement. :)

wild hair.

in attempts to make things look casual when i went to talk to the pharmacist at albertson's on monday, i found myself filling my shopping cart with random objects. i figured that if i had a full cart, i wouldn't look so desperate in wanting a job and it would look more like i just 'happened' to come across the pharmacy. i don't know how well it worked, but i ended up going home with a lot of things i didn't need - like hair dye. but boy, it sure made for a fun time that night.

it had to have been 10:30 or 11 when i announced to the mr. that i was going to do it - i was going to color my hair dark brown. and i was actually really excited about it. i was only 5 minutes into it when, with dye dripping down face, i made a cry for help. good thing i have the best husband in the world that doesn't hold it against me when i make him stay up until 1 in the morning to color my hair. what would i ever do without him?

{Interjection by the Mr: I actually hired someone who just happened to look exactly like me to accomplish this task. The creep put on my clothes and even fooled Sarah into thinking it was me. Of course, I wouldn't be caught dead doing something so not manly. So here's a shout-out to my creepo look-alike who single handedly allowed me to maintain my manhood. Thanks.}

so, what do you get when you mix this:

with a box of 4 dark brown natural from loreal paris? behold:

and i'm loving it! here's to trying new things friends.

-the mrs.

p.s. the bestie is hosting a giveaway and i'm sure she'd be delighted if you stopped by. plus, there are goodies involved, so it's a win-win situation!

letter to me.

i came across an adorable blog a couple weeks ago called lovely little things. jessica is a fantastic writer and has a link up called 'smell the roses'. every week she gives you a task to do - something small that will help you appreciate your life and...well...stop and smell the roses. i honestly think it's one of the most creative link ups i've ever seen! this week's task was to write a letter to your younger self. here's mine:

dear sarah,

there are a billion things i could tell you right now that would make your life ten times easier. not because you have a hard life, but because you stress. over. everything. that's our first item on the agenda - stop worrying. you're going to make it to college, despite the swearing off boys periodically, you will be married to a wonderful man, and you have a family that loves you.

speaking of family - stop acting too good for them.

there will come a day when you look forward to and cannot wait for the few times in a year that you get to be with them. they love you. especially mom and dad. if you took a moment and stopped complaining about the sleepovers you can't have and the seemingly ridiculous curfews {which, let's be honest, really weren't that bad} you're told to keep, you'd see how much they do for you. think about all the sports games they've been to just to support you, the many chauffeuring trips that they've taken to provo for you to go shopping, all the papers they've helped you write since you're so terrible at them, and much much more. tell them how much you appreciate them. go out of your way to spend time with them.  one day, you'll regret not doing these things.

this one is important so listen up: don't care what people think about you. i cannot stress this enough. you'll look back at your life and want to kick yourself for being so timid sometimes. you may not be the most popular girl in school or the prettiest, but you're worth just as much as those that are. be confident and stop trying to fit in. be your own you!

also, don't worry about not making the softball team in high school. {not to be rude, but you're just not that good.} you'll end up playing soccer that season and find that's where you belong anyway.

soccer will bring you some of the most happiness throughout your high school times and will give you some of the greatest friends. just promise me this - that you'll run a few extra heart attacks during practice, so you don't end up to be such a fat lard!

next up, the first boy you truly fall for - just keep walking. it'll save yourself two and a half years of waste and heartache. and spoiler alert: he ends up going bald. the man you should really be concerned about won't come into your life for a couple years. be patient. he'll come. and he'll make you so grateful that it didn't work out with any of the others. in the meantime, remember that you are a strong and independent woman and your happiness isn't built on boys.

finally, don't hold grudges, don't let jealousy have a place in your heart, and be original. if you can accomplish these three things, you will have it all. i can't wait for you to see the fantastic life you are going to have, the pure love that you will experience, and the happiness that awaits you.

love always,

sarah

top five friday.

1 - tucano's brazilian grill. o.m.g. if you've never been here, you need to fix that asap. there are a lot of other brazilian restaurants like it - you know, the bring-evey-kind-of-meat-you-can-think-of-right-to-your-table kinds of restaurants? but my favorite is definitely tucano's. we didn't know it, but they were having a mother's day special while we were there, so instead of having the limited lunch menu, we got the full blown dinner menu, plus some. it was heavenly. and on top of that, my meal was free! happy early birthday to me! {only 10 more days folks!}

{cheesy, cheesy grin}

2 - blue bell ice cream. i woke up with a pulled muscle in my back yesterday {can you say 'old fogey'??}, so when we went to the store, the mr. let me pick out any ice cream i wanted. after all, ice cream makes everything better. and let me tell you this my friends: blue bell is quite possibly the best ice cream you could ever eat in your whole entire life. if i could have one dessert every day and never get fat off of it, i'd pick blue bell ice cream - pralines and cream to be exact. the sad part is that it's not sold just everywhere. we saw it in both alabama and texas, but i've never seen it in utah or california. that was probably a good thing though. it's not exactly the most healthy thing in the world. but on the bright side, maybe this can be an incentive for all of you to come visit us. we'll buy you a whole gallon for yourself!

3 - having a gym again. after my little tucano's/blue bell spiel just now, it's easy to see how bad i need a gym. i think that was the only good thing about laughlin afb is that they actually had a really nice work out facility. then when we moved to california, the park we had behind our house was fabulous, but since we didn't have bikes, we were limited to only running/walking. having a gym here is like i've rediscovered working out again. i'm loving it! i put on my 'grey's anatomy' {which is really intense right now, just fyi} and i feel like i can run for hours. i guess i can add another thing to the list of my favorite things about cheyenne.

4 - this sign:

{photo credit here}

isn't it just perfect? and the fact that there's a tutorial with it makes it an even bigger favorite of mine. i can't wait to move into our house, so i can get to work on this little beauty!

5 - speaking of houses...we know the exact one we are going to live in! i honestly can't complain about our living situation right now. we are in the air force hotel and when we got here, the only thing they had available was a 3-bedroom place. it's got its own living room and kitchen and, well, 3 whole bedrooms. i do miss having my own stuff though and i'm not a fan of living off of only the things i could pack in my suitcase, so it'll be nice to be able to get into our own place. like i've said before, we still have until june 1st-ish until we can move in, but that doesn't stop me from getting my creep on and driving by our soon-to-be-house at least twice a day.

isn't it so cute? i love it already! i can't wait for the swing that will go on that front porch and the flowers that will go in those planter boxes and to know that this is where we are going to keep our feet for the next four years. it's such a good feeling!

happy friday to ya my friends. hope it's fantastic!

-the mrs.

hold on, back it up.

well, we did it. we completed the biggest circle of our entire lives:

the road we took to get to f.e. warren afb was the exact road that we drove on in february last year to get to maxwell afb. it's funny where life takes you.

before i get into the happenings here in cheyenne though, i have to say how stinking proud i am of my mr.! after five long months of training, he finally graduated as one of America's newest missileers!

{accepting his graduation certificate from colonel stanley}

the graduation ceremony was phenomenal. colonel stanley, the vice wing commander of malmstrom afb, spoke and i was completely blown away. i wish i could've gotten his speech on tape. i was pumped and ready to go and do something awesome and i'm not even the military member! he did a fantastic job.

{showing off their missile pins}

i know he's too humble to tell many people this, but the mr. was one of the top in his class, giving him the 'academic excellence' award. not many receieved it, so it was kind of a big deal. i felt so proud!

 {morgan and steph. love these girls!}

it was so great to see all of their hard work pay off. it's also great that we will be living in the same place as these girls and all of the other awesome people in the mr.'s class for the next fourish years. can you say par-tay?

 {mmm-mm}

i feel so blessed to be married to this wonderful man. congrats to you, my dear! thanks for working so hard for us.

-the mrs.

top five friday.

of course my favorite thing from this week was hawaii, but since i already told you that last top five friday, i’ll control myself from saying it again and tell you some of my other favorite things from the week:

#1 - i had my very first energy drink. it was utterly disgusting and i don’t think i’m ever going to do it again, but it was still fun nonetheless. it made me feel like a grown up.

#2 - finally making it to utah. goodness, i love this blessed state. salt lake city is simply gorgeous and i get butterflies every time i roll into the sanpete valley. we finally got to see the city creek center that everyone is raving about. it did not disappoint. my parents were also kind enough to take us out to dinner for my birthday that is in a few weeks. holla! and tomorrow we are having a big family get together and i can hardly wait. i'm so excited to see everyone. it feels so good to be home.

#3 - my adorable niece, kaylee.

we showed up in north salt lake and were shocked that she knew both of our names.  zachary went to take a shower and she stood at the bottom of the stairs and would periodically yell, “zaaaach, uncle zaaaaach”. it was the cutest thing i have ever seen. i can’t believe how grown up she is!

#4 - snow creams. we went to a place in hawaii called matsumoto's that sells shaved ice with sweetened condensed milk on top. mmm, it's heavenly. well, there's a guy that moved from hawaii a couple years ago and lives near my hometown and has done a pretty good job at duplicating matsumoto's work. he calls them snow creams and they are to die for. i went with the mr. and my sister to get one today and we loved them.

#5 - last, but definitely not least, we got a call yesterday, letting us know that there is a house available for us on base! we’ve been fretting over housing ever since we heard the wait could be up to a year, so we are very grateful that this wasn’t the case. it’s not ready to move into until june 1^st, but we are still so so excited! all i can say is that God really does answer prayers.

do you have any favorite things from the week? i want to hear about them! happy friday friends.

-the mrs.

top five friday.

I think all 5 of my favorite things from this week can be summed up into one word: hawaii. yep, that's where the mr. and i are at this very moment. right now i'm busy soaking up the sun, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and being with my man in paradise, so i'll fill you in later. i will leave you with this photo we took at breakfast this morning though:

happy friday friends!

-the mrs.