top five friday.

i have to be completely honest - this week was a little difficult for me to come up with five things that were so great. i really haven't done much at all. ever since we picked up copper on sunday, i think i've left the house five times. and two of those times were with him. if i'm not outside waiting for him to pee, i'm inside, unable to move because he decided he has to take a nap on my lap. case in point:

this was taken five minutes ago. this dog has some serious separation issues. hopefully they'll even out with time. anyway, bear with me as i share my favorite things from this week, no matter how small or trivial they may seem.

#1 - peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

i don't remember when i fell in love with these things, but something about them brings me some serious satisfaction. we had a ginormous thunderstorm this week and i soon found out that pb and banana sandwiches are a big comfort food for me. i could probably eat them every day and not get bored.

#2 - girl's night. the mr. lucked out in getting so many girls in his class in california. or i guess i should say that i lucked out in him getting so many girls in his class. there are five of them and one of the guys from his class is married too. so, all seven of us had a girl's night this last week and can i just say that it was so wonderful to get some serious girl talk in? i love every one of those girls. they have seriously become like family to us. i don't know what we would do without them!

#3 - i got a little stalkerish this week. like big time. please don't judge. it was for a good cause! i know i've talked about our first dog, jetta, about a billion times on this blog and i'm sure you are all sick of it. but, i can't even tell you how many times i've wondered in the past year how she is doing, whether or not she is being taken care of, etc. well, the guy we sold her to was an insurance salesman. and like all salesmen, i guess he felt that it was his duty to give us his business card. i think we tossed it that night, but i will never forget his name. me, being my curious self, looked him up on facebook this week. i just wanted to know if he still had jetta and what she looked like. well, folks, this is what i got:

what a beast! seriously, talk about huge! she looks fabulous though. there were a few other pictures that made it look like she was really being taken care of and is happy. i can't even tell you how much good that does for my heart!

#4 - jo totes. never heard of them? they're only the cutest, most stylish {and roomiest!} camera bags in the world. i need one. i've entered four giveaways for one in the last three days. cross your fingers for me! here are my two favs. they're to die for!

 #5 - my little sister called me this week and told me that she wants to come see me...tomorrow! i'm so excited!! i've been trying to plan out fun things for us to do all week. there's nothing like a spontaneous visit from your family. not only will it be fun to hang out with her, but i won't have to drive to utah by myself next week either. hooray for driving buddies!

thanks for stopping by friends. hope you have a great friday!

-the mrs.

what your your top 5 favorite things from this week? grab this button and link up below, so we can all read about it!!

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awards, facts, and nominees.

something happened here at the {mr.} and the {mrs.} that has never happened before. i was given an award! i am truly humbled and grateful to simone for nominating me. i love reading other people's blogs and to get to know them through their words. her blog is one of my favs, so be sure to check it out!

there are a few obligations that come attached with this award. seven of them actually:

1 - thank the blogger who nominated you.
2 - include a link to their site.
3 - include the award image in your post.
4 - give 7 random facts about yourself.
5 - nominate 15 other bloggers for the award.
6 - when nominating, include a link to their site.
7 - let other bloggers know they've been nominated.

so to start off with 7 random facts about myself, let's see:

#1 - i use men's razors to shave my legs and pits. {no, not my husband's. sicko.} seriously girls, if you want nice, clean cut, smooth legs, do yourself a favor and buy a men's razor. i used to cut myself all the time  with my venus razor. especially around my knees. i've been using a men's razor for about a year now and haven't cut myself once. go ahead and try it. you can thank me later.

#2 - i hate pork. and i don't have a reason as to why. i know it's all in my head, but it's just dis-gusting to me. i can still remember the day i stopped eating it. it was the summer between my junior and senior year in high school and we were having pulled pork sandwiches for dinner at girl's camp. i turned to my best friend and told her there was no way i could eat it and i thought i was going to be sick. i haven't touched it since. okay, that was a lie. i think it's rude to go to someone's house for dinner and refuse to eat what is in front of you, so i guess i'll say that i haven't touched it since by choice.

#3 - i'm obssessed with animals. mostly baby ones. i've even got the pictures to prove it!

these were all taken over the last month or so. the last one is definitely my favorite. ;) thank heavens for animals!

#4 - i was on a spelling team in elementary school. i was forced to pick between that or being on the math team. it was actually a really tough choice for me. {just call me a nerd} i put hours into practicing spelling words like acetylsalicylate and gubernatorial, which as a second grader were pretty difficult. i ended up winning second place in the district spelling bee when i was in 5th grade. i got out on the word 'zephyr'. i'd never heard the word in my life and i quickly {and sadly} learned that it is not spelled 'zeffeur'. that's okay though because the girl i lost to was an 8th grader and while i got the word zephyr, she got the word 'institute'. can you say "totally not fair!!"?

#5 - my girl celebrity crush is jennifer aniston. are there any other jen fans here? not only is she smokin' hot {no homo}, but she is super funny and can act really well. she is hands down, my favorite 'friends' character and if you haven't seen the movie 'just go with it', you've got to! she does a fantastic job.

#6 - if i had it my way, i would be able to wear flip flops/sandals 365 days a year and my feet would never once get wet. that would solve two problems. 1 - my feet wouldn't get hot from wearing normal shoes and start to sweat and be nasty. {gross, i know} 2 - my feet wouldn't be wet - which is one of my biggest pet peeves. maybe i'll just have to wear waterproof socks with my sandals from now on. because we all know how attractive socks and sandals are.

#7 - i love spontaneity. one of my favorite memories from when the mr. and i were dating is when we randomly grabbed some taco bell, took it to the local airport and watched the stars. i know it doesn't sound like much, but that night, all by ourselves with nothing but some cheap fast food and the crickets to keep us company, will forever be a cherished memory. there's nothing like flying by the seat of your pants and seeing where it will take you!

now, i would like to nominate and hear from these people. check them out yourself. they are some fantastic bloggers!

kaitlyn @ bits and pieces of [flair]

elyse @ home sweet holmes

arika @ a is for arika

jena @ jena kaye

meg @ big red clifford

whitney @ the zufelt's

kara @ freckles and rouge

kelsie @ my beautiful life

alexa @ he and i

katie @ a place to spit it all out

kiana @ life o'kiana

amy @ the reeves

april @ i thought i loved you then

amanda @ it's a powell life

sam @ reddy or knot

-the mrs

is that normal?

it's time to link up with allyce for another "is it normal?" post! there are some fantastic question's today, so here we go!

#1 -  is it normal to lie about your age?

no. it might seem normal, but come on people. really? it's not that big of deal. and i know you might think, "oh, you're so young. you have no reason to lie about your age, so your opinion doesn't count." well, try being the youngest person everywhere you go, all the freaking time. i've never been tempted to lie and say that i'm younger, but i have been tempted to say that i'm older. i feel like when i tell people my real age, my credidation goes down the drain. but have i ever actually lied about it? no. because that would be ridiculous.

#2 -  is it normal to have mistaken someone for the opposite sex?

...yeah...my husband and i love playing the game, 'chick or dude?', where we will see a person and try our best to determine whether they are a boy or a girl. sometimes, it's actually really difficult. i don't think you can help mistaking them for the opposite sex sometimes. it's their fault if you do, not yours.

#3 -  is it normal to go #2 in a public restroom?

when you gotta go, you gotta go. so, yes. it's normal. but does that mean i like doing it? &$!# no! let's just say that i think there should be a mandated law that all public places have music playing in the restrooms.

#4 -  is it normal to sit right next to a stranger at the movie theater?

no, no, no, no, no! i've never been one to have a personal space bubble, but i sure as heck don't want to be rubbing elbows/fighting for the arm rest with someone i don't even know! even when the theater is packed and i have to sit next to a stranger, i usually make the mr. sit next to them. it's just weird and uncomfortable to me.

#5 -  is it normal to lie about your weight?

i would have to say yes. i don't mind telling people my weight. i'll tell you right now that i weigh 155 whopping pounds. yep, that just happened. am i proud of that weight? not completely. but, i've gone my whole life being ashamed of that number and being self conscious that i'm bigger than all of my friends and i'm at the point right now where i work out 3-5 times a week, i watch my calorie intake, and i try not to be a lazy piece of lard. so, if that is the number that i get in result, then whatever. the scale does not define me. i say that it's normal though, because like i said, i haven't always been okay with my weight and have lied about it numerous times. and that's okay. sometimes being ashamed of something is what fuels the fire to fix it.

#6 -  is it normal to sing and dance in the car?

oooohhhh yeeeeeaaaah. i'd goes as far as to say that it's even healthy.

#7 -  is it normal to take self-pictures in public?

if you mean self-pictures of you and your husband since you are too poor to hire a photographer that will follow you around everywhere you go {wouldn't that be nice?}, then yes. it's normal. we don't mind asking someone to take it for us, but i think we have bad luck - almost every time a stranger takes it, it doesn't turn out! irritating. but if it's just you, please save yourself the embarrassment. you just look like a narcissist.

#8 -  is it normal for women to have a gun license? 

most defintely! i don't have one yet, but i hope to eventually. i know i would feel a lot safer going out on my own if i had a gun in my purse!

#9 -  is it normal to post pictures online of yourself in a bikini?

my view on this is kind of along the same lines as the taking pictures of yourself in public thing - it just looks narcissistic. to me it says, "hey, i think i have a really great body. do you wanna check it out too?" and let's be real - anyone that looks at you and likes it, probably has a mile-high stack of porn in their basement too. sick.

#10 -  is it normal to like the smell of gasoline?

sadly, yes. i say sadly because all of us that do like it have probably fried numerous amounts of brain cells. and that's sad. but i think i know more people that like the smell of it that people that don't, so i consider it to be very normal.

go ahead and link up with us here!

-the mrs.

big news.

the mr. and i have been discussing some things lately - serious things. and now i think it's time to share those things with you.

we've made a few visits in the last month or so and decided to go through with it all. after trying and failing, we never thought we'd experience the joy of having a little one in our home - one to take camping and fishing and to be our best friend. after looking forward to and wanting it for our entire marriage and things not going how we planned, we were pretty disappointed. but now, all of that has changed. oh, and i guess i should probably mention that the adoption center we visited was for animals...

yep, we are giving things another go and just adopted a brand new puppy. friends, meet copper:

you can't have a hound dog and not name him copper right? {cue the fox and the hound}

i just can't get enough of this little guy. he has seriously got to be the sweetest puppy i have ever seen. he's a big time cuddler and is actually pretty obedient for being only 9 weeks old. he's only had a couple accidents in the house and is already starting to let us know when he needs to go out. it's made me realize that we weren't wimps about jetta after all. she was just a bad egg. copper is the dog that we have envisioned owning since we started talking about even having a dog. i can't wait to watch him grow up and truly become our best friend.

-the mrs.

top five friday.

i know this is coming in a little late, but it's been a really busy day and we just barely got internet, so don't hold it against me! here are my top 5 favorite things from the week. i want to hear yours in return, so link up below!

#1 - real breakfasts. we've been living on cereal for the last month or so. i never thought i'd say this, but cereal gets old - quicker than i thought. luckily, i have the greatest husband in the world that was kind enough to make me a real breakfast: corned beef hash and eggs.

it was actually really good. i'm so glad i married a man that can cook! now, to work on the styrofoam plates and plasticware...

2 - going on walks. we went on a nice stroll last monday and where did we end up? the cemetery. weird, i know. we stayed there for a good hour, just taking in the moment while talking about everything from how funny antelope are to what we are going to name our first child. you would never guess that a cemetery would be the perfect place to relax and enjoy some time together. but then again, it was rather gorgeous. i think we found our new favorite spot.

3 - mini golf. oh, and popsicles. and when you put the two together, it turns out to be fantastic.

sadly, i lost. i hate losing. but on a brighter note, bonnie was a champion and got a hole in one...twice! it was freaking incredible.

4 - tea parties. a friend stopped by with her girls yesterday and amidst the chatting, i got an invitation to attend their tea party that they were throwing. i wouldn't be able to truly call myself a girl if i were to pass up a tea party! not to mention, my hosts were adorable.

on the menu was rainbow bread, star-shaped cheese, banana caterpillars, chocolate chip muffins, colored eggs, and chocolate-dipped oreos. oh, and you can't forget this fabulous drink:

isn't that so cool?? i can't get over the fact that it actually worked. i want to make drinks like this for every holiday! and i'm also pretty sure that i need to have tea parties more often.

5 - finally, the air force. they had a change in command for the 20th air force today {basically, that's a really big deal} and i went to watch the whole shebang.

it was all official with a military band and generals walking around everywhere and the mr. was even able to be in the march! i was kicking myself the entire time for forgetting my camera, but my phone worked just fine. can you see him? he's in the second row from the back, second person in. 

anyway, i've been kind of overwhelmed lately about how grateful i am for the air force or rather our country's military in general. i saw a picture last night that said "wouldn't it be nice if schools were fully funded and the military had to have bake sales to buy bombs?" stuff like this makes me sick. i'm not trying to downplay the importance of education, but if only people knew how much our military, the people that are literally defending our lives, are under-funded and under-manned, they'd think twice about posting things like that. so, next time you hear someone bad-mouthing our military, do the men and women in uniform a favor and stick up for them! they need it and would greatly appreciate it.

have a great weekend my friends!

-the mrs.

grab my button and link up with me here!

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top five friday.

1 - "taste of fort collins". don't know what that is? imagine every single restaurant and shop in town, setting up a booth and lining the streets, just to give away free samples of food. on top of that, throw in a free concert and a pizza eating contest and you've got yourself the perfect way to spend your saturday. here's the gang eating lunch: 

and a creepy, yet entertaining picture of the mr. and i:

to sum it up, it was a freaking blast.

2 - trains. i'm not sure what it is about trains that i love so much. maybe it's the fact that as a child they're these huge, magnificent things and then as an adult, they are still these huge, magnificent things. i'm fascinated by them every time i see them. so when one of them came right down main street in fort collins last week, i couldn't help but stop and stare.

i love that there are trains all over this place!

3 - buffalo wing pretzels.

don't knock it until you've tried it people, because these things are like a piece of heaven in your mouth. they have become my new favorite addiction.

4 - morning time cuddles with the mr.

seriously, how cute is this guy? i just want to kiss the crap out of that face. mmm, baby!

5 - it's moving day!!! goodbye to a month and a half of living out of a suit case. good bye to sleeping on an air mattress. and sadly, goodbye to our roomie, morgan. {sniff sniff} but, hello to our wonderful house!!

i've been looking forward to this day for months and i'm so happy to say that it's finally here! don't mind me if i'm mia for the next few days. between the unpacking, the decorating, and the soaking in every minute, i'll kind of have my hands full.

happy friday my friends!

-the mrs.

p.s. i want to hear your top five things that you loved this week! grab this button and link up with me below, so i can read all about it!

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nutella cookies

while the mr. was at work last week, i thought i'd put my housewife skills to the test and make these little beauties:

the words nutella and cookies have proven to be very dangerous when put in the same sentence. and the best part is? there are only four ingredients! the original receipe at tastykitchen.com calls for sugar in the actual cookies, but i left out the sugar and rolled the dough in it instead. if you like really rich cookies, go ahead and put it in, but i thought they turned out great without it.

ingredients:

• 1 cup nutella
• 1 cup flour
• 1 whole egg
• small bowl of sugar

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350 f.
2. blend the first 3 ingredients together well.
3. form into 1" balls.
4. roll cookie balls in the bowl of sugar.
5. place on a cookie sheet.
6. press down firmly with a fork or spoon.
7. bake 7-8 minutes or until set {they won't seem set, but take them out anyway! i left mine in and they turned out kind of hard. boo.}
8. let cool and enjoy!

i loved that these were so easy and still created such a delicious end result. go ahead and try it and let me know how it goes!

-the mrs

linking up here:

and here:

is that normal?

i'm linking up for the very first time with allyce {uh-lease} today over at chalk in the rain for an 'is that normal?' post! i'm so excited to share my thoughts on some of these normal and not-so-normal topics. so here we go. *ah-ah-ahem*

1 - is it normal to pretend you didn't already know about someone/something via facebook when it comes up in "real life" conversation with that person?

that depends. do i talk to this person frequently? or does my in-depth knowledge of their personal life make me look like a creepy stalker? if you answered yes to question one, then no, you're a weirdo. if you answered yes to question two, then yes, it's completely normal.

2 - is it normal to "fart and walk away?"

my husband and friend came home from work yesterday with a story about this actually. let's be honest, we all do it. so yes, it's normal. but if there are 10+ of you in a small, enclosed room - take it upon yourself to just clench and bear it, my friends.

3 - is it normal to spy on your neighbors?

yes, most definitely. just don't get caught. that makes things awkward.

4 - is it normal to read your boyfriend's/husband's texts?

i have every right to read the mr's texts and vice versa, but i don't really have a need to. i usually end up reading about how he just got to level 9 on his new video game or how he just unlocked this cool, new weapon. then i just get bored. like i said: i have the right, but i have neither the need nor the desire. and unless you are worried about your man cheating on you, which gives you a whole other load of problems, then no. it is not normal.

5 - is it normal to compulsively check social media for notifications?

psssh...people do that? that is so not normal. pfft. *guiltily looks around* ok, fine. you caught me. i am the queen of doing this. i blame part of it on the fact that i have nothing else to do in the day and part of it on the idea that i just want to know what's going on in people's lives. give me some gossip people!

6 - is it normal for a 20-something woman to listen to rap/hip hop?

well...i'm a 20-something woman. and i like to listen to hip hop. and i'm pretty normal. {i think} so yes, it's perfectly normal.

7 - is it normal to take toiletries from a hotel?

you can bet your bottom dollar that it is! i don't know if i've ever left a hotel without at least taking the lotion and toothpaste. it's not like they're going to reuse it again anyway. it's like getting travel items for free! {except you just paid a hundred bucks for the room. boo.}

8 - is it normal for your dog to sleep in your bed?

i read a lot about dogs before we got our dog, jetta. and even though we were pansies and only had her for a week, i did learn a lot about how to train them. that was one of the first rules - never let your dog sleep in your bed with you. it keeps them from being able to see the line between owner and pet, pack leader and follower. so, logically speaking? no, it's not normal. but, when the mr. is pulling alerts and will be gone over night, leaving wimpy me to fend for myself - there is no way i'll be sleeping in that bed alone. so to you, my future doggy: you had better be a good cuddler because that will be your job whether you like it or not!

9 - is it normal to taste test grapes out of the bag at a grocery store?

two words: escherichia coli. you know...that little bacteria that causes diarrhea, the runs, backdoor trots, etc.? all from a tiny, little, unwashed grape...

just kidding, i eat unwashed grapes all the time. and while you're only eating like a penny's worth of grapes when you try one at the store, most places will actually let you sample any produce for free if you ask. that way you can try it and have a clear conscience.

10 - is it normal for men to shape their eyebrows?

men's eyebrows should be rugged and masculine, but there is no way i'm letting a unibrow onto my man's face either. all things should be in moderation.

there you have it. that's my two cents on the normality of some of life's questions. go ahead and answer them yourself and link up with me here!:

 

 

thanks for stopping by!

-the mrs.

smell the roses: indulgence.

this week at the lovely little things blog, jessica challenged us to treat ourselves. let's be honest, that was not hard for me at all. especially with a recent paycheck, a brand new shopping mall in salt lake, and a sister-in-law that i wanted to spend more time with. a couple hours and too much money spent later, i came up with these new outfits that are settling quite nicely into my wardrobe:

i don't think there's anything more satisfying than a little retail therapy. thank you jessica for giving me an excuse to get out and do it! i owe ya one.

-the mrs

link up with me here: