Zachary and Sarah

top five friday.

2012-02-24T18:08:00.006-06:00

#1 - i'll just get this one out of the way...dry shampoo. i know, i know. i sound like a broken record after yesterday's post, but it really has changed my life. thank you all so much for your feedback! i'm going to have great hair in no time. my cousin also recommended the conair infiniti wand for curling my hair as well, so i went and bought it last night. it was right before bed, so i wasn't trying real hard to make the curls look nice or anything, but for not trying, it worked pretty dang good. i've been looking up reviews for it all day and everyone that's reviewed it has loved it! you should check it out. oh, and look at this video. she does a pretty good tutorial on it.

#2 - the weather here in sunny california. {i'm pretty sure i've said this on top 5 before, but oh well. get over it} i went to the 'the natural cafe' for lunch yesterday and there was a sign on the door telling people to keep it closed because the air conditioning was on. in february. i don't think i've ever had the air conditioning on in february. by the end of the day, my office warms up enough that i actually start to sweat. {that's really not saying much though because i sweat really easily. tmi? sorry.} my point is that it's sure warmed up here and i am loving it! thank you air force for sending us to such a wonderful place during the winter.

#3 - a few weeks ago, i was having a bit of a crisis in not having a good book to read. i got a lot of recommendations and have actually made a reading list out of them. thanks guys. the one i'm currently reading though is one that was suggested by my sister-in-law: the clockwork angel.

i haven't been able to put it down. i read it at work, i read it before bed, i read it as soon as i wake up. it's ridiculous. you'd think i'd be finished after all that reading. maybe i'm just slow. it's a good one though. i highly recommend it, so far.

#4 - zachary and i are trying something out this week. we had stake conference at church on sunday and our stake president gave an incredible talk. i was surprised with how forward he was with uncomfortable topics! it was awesome. anyway, he encouraged us to take the 'nothing' out of our lives and put in more of the things that really matter. ie. reading your scriptures, spending time together as a family, doing service for others, etc. zachary and i thought about what kind of 'nothings' take up a lot of our time and we determined that we sit in front of the t.v. way more than is necessary. we're both at work all day, so when we come home, all we want to do is plop ourselves down on the couch and unwind. it's not all bad really. it gives us some good cuddling time and we get some really good laughs from 'new girl' and 'modern family'. we decided to do an experiment though and try to go an entire week without watching an ounce of television. we started on tuesday and so far it hasn't been too bad. is it hard knowing there are new episodes of 'how i met your mother', 'the biggest loser', and 'suburgatory' sitting in my dvr? yes. but i can't begin to tell you how crazy it is to see how much more time i have to get things done. {in other words, the house is somewhat clean for once} i've been impressed by the results and if things keep going the way they are, this could be the beginning to an end of cable t.v. in the averett household. {ok, that was a lie. probably just a major cutback}

#5 - chicken tikka masala.

guys...oh. my. heck. this is hands down, my favorite meal of all time. just talking about it makes me salivate. our friends introduced us to it a couple months ago and they so kindly gave us the link to their favorite recipe last weekend. you have got to try it. it's incredible. it takes some time though. not a lot of work, just time. so since tomorrow is saturday and you have the day off {unlike some of us. boo}, make this for dinner because i promise you will not regret it. it's served best with naan. the recipe we used {which was also delish} can be found here. welcome to heaven my friends.

what are you loving this week?

-sarah

hair.

2012-02-23T13:16:00.006-06:00

confession: i don't know crap about how to do hair. seriously. i was the girl in high school that put her hair in a ponytail every single day. partly because of the fact that i looked like a drowned rat with it down {no volume, whatsoever} and partly because i just plain didn't know how to do it. then i discovered the concept of 'teasing' your hair. that works well, although zachary thinks i look like his second grade teacher every time i do it. but at least it's not flat and hideous! {i hope} the only down side to teasing is that anytime there is wind, my hair turns into one hopeless mess. kinda like this:

becky and i. sure miss that girl!

but usually much worse. what i wouldn't give for a head of nice, thick, beautiful hair that will style any way i want it to. or to be able to get out of the shower and let my hair dry on its own, only to have some rockin' beachy waves, hours later.

the good news is, that i recently discovered dry shampoo. a friend shared a blog about it {which you should read even if you don't care about dry shampoo. it's entertaining} a few months ago, but i didn't try it until last week. it's incredible. my hair is super fine and thin, so blow drying and straightening it every day takes a hard toll on it. now i've started showering the night before work, letting my hair dry while i sleep, then just using the dry shampoo to freshen it up. that way i don't have to worry about waking up early enough to shower, blow dry my hair, etc. i feel like my hair actually works better when i do it this way instead of styling it right off the blow dryer. after seeing success in this, it then got me wondering...are there any other tricks that i'm completely unaware of that you ladies use out there? what do you use to give your hair a little extra volume? any tips on getting perfect curls to stay in all day long? what kind of styling tools do you use and love? do you use a curling iron or a straightener to curl your hair? what kind of product do you use to protect your hair from the heat? and if you do use dry shampoo, what's your favorite brand? i'm not looking for something incredible that i've never heard of before. i'm just wondering what you do and hope to possibly get help on learning how to turn my hair into something worth looking at.

-sarah

oh how pinteresting: dessert.

2012-02-22T18:39:00.004-06:00

i don't know what my problem is today, but all i want is a tall glass of milk and something that will leave me with a sugar hangover. here are a few things i've been dying to try, while wishing junk food friday would come sooner.

coconut cream pie.

this is exactly the kind of pie that should be served at every thanksgiving.

no more of the nasty fruit ones.

just coconut cream, pecan, and pumpkin.

found here via deborah hunter

lemon crumb squares.

o. m. g. these are to die for.

i've made them a handful of times and i'm still working them

off because i ate so many.

delicious!

found here via amy reeves

oreo cheesecake bites.

i am a cheesecake die-hard.

for the last few years, my mom has made me a cheesecake for my

birthday instead of a traditional cake because i love it so much.

these look fabulous.

i have a feeling i'll be giving them a go here in the near future.

found here via virginia lewis.

homemade samoas.

if you have never heard of a samoa, there is something seriously wrong with you.

i just bought a box from a cute little girl scout.

when they're eaten within the first hour of receiving them, i'll

be sure to keep this recipe in mind.

found here via nikki barton.

one-pan skillet cookie.

zachary and i received a cookie skillet as a white elephant gift

at his squadron christmas party.

i'm not sure what it is about being able to spoon a cookie out of

a skillet rather than just holding it in your hand, but it's delightful!

i recommend you get one asap.

found here via cindy hampton.

homemade twix candy bars.

i'm not a chocolate lover, but if i had to pick a favorite candy bar,

it'd definitely be a twix.

i've actually made these bad boys a time or two.

i find it's easier to make them into bars rather than what you see in the picture.

either way though, they're like heaven in your mouth.

found here via lori brenizer.

last but not least, dulce de leche cheesecake bars.

i am craving these right now.

like hard core.

my friend made them a few weeks ago when she came over for

dinner and i have wanted more ever since.

i think i'll have to stop by the store on my way home.

found here via chantel mckenzie.

what are you pinning this week?

-sarah

top five friday.

2012-02-17T16:57:00.004-06:00

#1 - we sold our motorcycle! after 2 and a half months of wishing, hoping, and praying we finally cleaned our hands of the dang thing. i'd only ridden it once - for a much needed ice cream run.

maybe that's why i felt such vehemence towards it, because i didn't experience it enough to actually appreciate it. whether i liked it or not though, that's a $3500 debt that is cleared from our name! all day long i've been logging on to our bank account, just so i can see the big fat zero next to the motorcycle loan tab. paying off debt is so satisfying.

#2 - waking up to this on valentine' day:

i finished up getting ready for the day and stepped out of the bathroom only to be welcomed by a trail of rose petals. i had to bend down and touch them to see if they were real, because they were so pretty! they were. they led me down the stairs and through the living room and when i turned the corner, this is what i found. i married such a sweet man. i thank God for him every single day.

#3 - staying in and eating pizza on the most lovey-dovey day of the year.

i honestly wouldn't mind making this a tradition. it was easy, cheap, and oddly romantic. plus, what says 'love' more than a heart-shaped pizza?

#4 - skype. zachary and i had a skype date with arika a few days ago and then i had one with kaitlyn yesterday as well and it made me miss them so stinking much! what is it about being able to see a person's face while talking to them that makes it so much more enjoyable? i want and need to do it more often.

#5 - this phone case:

i am obsessed. i've almost saved up enough of my fun money to go ahead and buy it. i can't wait!

what are you loving this week?

-sarah

oh, how pinteresting: words

2012-02-15T13:10:00.002-06:00

apparently, i need to be a professional pinner.

and facebook addict.

oh, and blog stalker.
found here via michelle johnson

zachary and i must be real lovers.

i'd be embarrassed if someone saw how silly we really are.

we can sure make each other laugh though!

found here via mykel beorchia

my 11th grade english teacher used to say that dresses are like english papers.

"they should be long enough to cover the topic,

but short enough to make it interesting."
found here via lisa marquardson

someday, i hope to really live.
found here via laurin wilson

i need to take this to heart.

i loathe the wind.
guess i need to embrace and enjoy it from now on.
found here via kim coelho

how true is this?

nobody is perfect, but we are all capable of becoming such.
found here via brittany mason

i saw a sign like this at jimmy john's when i was passing

through cheyenne, wyoming last year.

it'll give you something to think about the next time you're on a date.

found here via peter sydloski-tesch.

zachary has needed to tell me this a few times recently.
i get so wrapped up in things that are so trivial.
let it be and let the real things matter.
found here via kim coelho

what are you pinning this week?

-sarah

top five friday: utah edition

2012-02-10T18:06:00.001-06:00

#1 - seeing family and friends. arika and kaitlyn picked me up from the airport last friday and we had our very own 'airport moment':

holy hannah, i've missed these girls. we had so much fun together!

i don't care what you say, i have the cutest nieces in the entire world.

so fun being with the familia!

i also got to grab some lunch with my buddy vince and see my soccer coach from high school. sure do miss those guys, but it was good to catch up!

#2 - my nephew's baptism. this is our first nephew to be baptized on zachary's side and i am so glad i was able to go! triston is such a sweetheart. seriously. like one of the sweetest, most respectful kids i know. i'm so proud to call him my nephew and i'm so happy he made the wonderful decision to be baptized!

#3 - every sunday, zachary and i write notes to each other in church. don't worry, we still pay attention, but i honestly look forward to the note writing a lot. so much so, that zachary actually bought me a little red notebook for our anniversary and it is our official 'notes writing' journal. one of our traditions when we do this is to draw a few pictures of the things that are on our mind at the time. then the other person has to guess what they are. some of them actually end up to be pretty funny. since we weren't together this sunday though, i decided to draw what i was thinking on my phone and send it to him. here's what i came up with:

now, i know i'm no artist, but does #4 look anything like a cookie to you? if so, may i ask who in the world cuts a cookie in to 8 slices?? come on.

#4 - sending my baby brother off on his mission. this was kind of bittersweet. i'm so excited for him and for all of the things he is going to learn, but it's sure sad to see him go. tampa, fl has some very lucky peeps.

#5 - excuse me while i get serious here for a minute, but i had an epiphany on my trip. i realized that there are some really good people out there. i feel like i see the world as a black hole of lust, money, and selfishness sometimes, so it did my heart good to see some little acts of kindness. the first time this hit me was when i was on the bus on my way to the airport here in cali. i didn't realize they don't give you change when you pay your fare, so after frantically searching for a dollar bill, i decided i'd just have to suck it up and give them my five. i didn't care so much about the money, i think i was more frazzled by the fact that i was traveling alone in a place that i'd never been to before. there was a lady and her son sitting across from me and she must have seen how distraught i was when she tapped me and held out three ones and some quarters to trade for my five. she didn't speak a lick of english, so hopefully my repeated "gracias" let her know how much i appreciated it. it doesn't sound like a big deal, but trust me - at the time, it was a very big deal. the second time i noticed how great some people are was on my flight back to california. before i even boarded, the pilot announced a handful of times that it was going to be a pretty bumpy ride. my stomach sank to my toes. when i got on the plane, i saw that in my row there was an old-ish lady in the aisle seat and a young{er} man in the window seat. my seat was the window seat. i asked him if he was in the right spot and when he realized he wasn't, he moved to the middle. i was afraid that he would secretly hate me the entire time though, so i told him that i normally wouldn't even care about which seat i was in, except that i am terrified of flying and i like having the window to look out of...that way if we plummeted to the ground, i would have at least some kind of warning. both the lady and the man must have taken this as a cry for help {not my intention} and said that they were going to talk to me for the entire ride to keep my mind off of things. and they did. that's two hours of talking to a couple of people that i had never even met. surprisingly, it did a fantastic job in distracting me and was actually really fun to get to know them. usually i sit quietly by myself and stress about every little bump, so it made me grateful for their good souls. these were only a couple of the things that i saw, but it really did strenghten my faith in mankind.

what are you loving this week?

-the wife

giveaway winner!

2012-02-09T18:54:00.002-06:00

it's time people. i know my giveaway ended last night at midnight and i had all these plans to stay up until then to do the official drawing and such, but after a two hour flight, an hour long bus ride, and a three hour drive, the only thing i cared about doing was snuggling with my husband in my very own bed. then, i had to go to work in the morn and was so busy catching up on the days i missed, that i haven't been able to pick a winner until now. so, if you were sneaky and commented any time after last night...good for you.

i just cut and labeled all of these.

good thing there were only thirteen of you or this might have been really difficult.

who's it going to be??
{i've actually got really bad butterflies right now}

drum roll please....

congratulations arika on winning this giveaway!!
if you could e-mail me your address at sarah_june7@hotmail.com, i will send this out today...or you could just text me, cause let's be honest, things aren't very professional over here.
we like to live on the edge at the zachary and sarah blog.
thank you everyone else for playing!
it was actually kinda fun.
maybe i'll have to do another one.

-the wife

p.s. if you are interested in entering another giveaway, my friend kynslie, is hosting one to win some movie tickets and it is actually pretty cool. i'm working on it right now and can't wait to post my picture! also, my friend, meg, is giving away one of her custom made iphone cases on my sister-in-law, nikki's blog. i'll be the first to tell you that they are such stinking cute cases! i'm saving up for one right now. it would make my day if i were to win nikki's giveaway. head on over to these blogs and check them out!

oh, how pinteresting: valentine's edition.

2012-02-08T23:12:00.003-06:00

it's time for another "oh, how pinteresting" wednesday!
since we won't have another wednesday before valentine's day, i'm going to share my favorite valentine's day pins:

what's better than cinnamon rolls?

cinnamon rolls in the shape of hearts.

so cute.

first off, this looks super comfy.

second, i would totally wear this on valentine's day.

it says, "i support this holiday, but not so much that it's annoying."
love it.

this is so cute!

zachary loves hot cocoa, so these would be way fun for valentine's day.

i think i'll be making a trip to joann's today to pick up some mini heart cut-outs.

i want this.

now.

my first thought when i see stuff like this is, "how could i make that?"

someday when i get my silhouette cameo, i'll give it a go.

my mom and i saw these last week and couldn't stop laughing.

aren't they so funny?

i can't wait to have kids, so i can send them to school with some of these.

heck, i think i'll make them for zachary and i anyway.

this would actually be a very simple diy.

it's creative and simple and would go well anywhere in the house.

i am in love with this wreath.

i've looked everywhere for the materials to make it.

i even e-mailed the girl who made this one.

she wasn't any help at all.

i guess i'll just have to love it on the internet instead of on my front door.

boo.

what are you pinning this week?

top five friday.

2012-02-03T21:00:00.000-06:00

1 - our new table:

we've been trying to save up for this bad boy for months, but every time we got close we would spend our money on less important things. it feels so good to finally have something more than a card table. don't get me wrong, that card table worked wonders and i'm so grateful for the ephraim lds institute for buying it for us or we probably wouldn't have had a table at all until now. but it sure makes a world of a difference to have a real table. we've had it for almost a week and i am still pleasantly surprised every time i walk into our kitchen.

2 - the san luis obispo farmer's market. i didn't get any pictures, but boy was it fun! we've heard so many good things about it since we moved to santa maria and it did not disappoint.

3 - getting to have dinner with the cliffords one last time.

they moved to san diego this week and boy were we sad to see them go. they've been wonderful friends to us and we are glad we got to live close to them for the little time that we did!

4 - mini golfing. every time we drive up north, we pass this super cute mini golfing place and every time we talk about how we should have a date night there. well, we did it and we were more than impressed. so. much. fun.

on the very last hole, they take your ball and you can't get it back, so we decided that we would wait to do the last hole until after we played a game on each of the two courses there. then whatever score we got on the last hole would count for both games. as we were finishing up, i told zachary that maybe we should play another game, just in case we tie. all he said was that it would be basically impossible to tie. so when all was said and done, i added up the scores and what do ya know...we tied. i won by four in the first game and he won by four in the second. it looks like we will be making another trip there in the not so distant future. it was the most fun i've had on a mini golf course though, so i'm not complaining.

5 - i'm going to utah today! i can't wait to see everyone!

what are you loving this week?

-the wife

very first giveaway!

2012-02-03T10:17:00.001-06:00

you are looking at the 100th post on the zachary and sarah blog.
it feels like i've written way more than that, but whatever.
to celebrate this momentus occasion i am going to host a giveaway!
i've never done this before, so i am really excited.
since it's almost valentine's day, this will be the theme of my giveaway.
so if you're a fan of hearts, junk food, and good music, this is definitely for you.
one person will win this little beauty:

in it is:

a pair of heart shaped cookie cutters to make some delicious treats for your valentine
some yummy rice krispy treats which, of course, are in the shape of hearts.{these aren't pictured because i want them to be fresh for the lucky winner!}
a cute heart shaped wreath. {which was super fun to make by the way!}
the sountrack to the new 'breaking dawn' movie. i'm not a twilight fanatic, but this is probably my favorite cd that i've ever owned. i love everything on it! i believe it's one cd that every person should have.
conversation hearts, because you can't have valentine's day without them. {don't worry, i got the kind that are actually worth eating}
and last, but not least, you will get a personalized valentine from yours truly.

there are a few ways to enter this giveaway:

#1 - follow our blog and leave me a comment below.
#2 - blog, facebook, or tweet about this giveaway and give me the link to it in a comment below.

this giveaway will end on february 8, 2012 at midnight pst.
good luck!

-the wife

oh how pinteresting!

2012-02-01T13:22:00.008-06:00

it's time to give credit where credit is deserved.

pinterest is an inspired website.

i'm linking up with michelle at the vintage apple to share with you my favorite pins!

the iphone cameras already work incredibly well as it is.

apparently they just got better.

i need these asap!

found here.

we had these chicken pillows for dinner the other night and as my friend meg put it, "they're like crack!"

seriously though.

it's like a piece of heaven in your mouth.

found here.

this is just plain pretty.

i love it and will probably be making it soon.

found here.

well put president mckay, well put.

found here.

this is a cute spin on displaying where you met, married and honeymooned with your sweetheart.
love it.
found here.

someday i will have the hand/eye/hair coordination to do this.
found here.

what are your favorite pins this week?

oh, ellen.

2012-01-31T23:27:00.002-06:00

just as promised, here are my favorites from ellen this week:

1. jimmy kimmel's tribute for ellen's birthday:

2. "a fan painted this picture of me on a purse. i really hope there’s something wrong with her television.":

super sweet, but so very wrong.

3. and kristen bell's sloth meltdown:

if that doesn't make you laugh, i don't know what will.

so. freaking. funny.

enjoy!

-the wife

let's talk books.

2012-01-31T16:31:00.003-06:00

i'm in need of a good book.
lately i've been reading the mortal instruments series and they're just not cuttin' it for me anymore.
they're a tad bit juvenile for my taste.
i grew up loving to read.
i think i read every franklin the turtle, junie b. jones, and ramona quimby book that ever existed.
those were the days.
i seem to be having a difficult time finding something i like now though.
what are some books you've read and loved? {that don't require a long attention span}

-the wife

the doctor's best kept secret.

2012-01-30T11:44:00.007-06:00

zachary and i were talking the other day and we realized that we haven't been sick in a really long time.
like since our wedding day.
and i think i discovered why....

these are just a fraction of the number of times we've eaten frozen yogurt this year.
i know regular yogurt is good for you and helps in strengthening your immune system and while frozen yogurt might not be as good for you, i've read more than once that it helps to strengthen your immune system as well.
i guess i need to eat frozen yogurt every day now if i want to stay healthy.
poor me.

-the wife

p.s. blah blah blah vote for us blah blah blah.

top five friday.

2012-01-27T16:32:00.007-06:00

#1 - surprise visits from our family! in the entire year we've been married, we haven't had a single visitor. i don't blame them really because we haven't exactly lived where anyone would want to come visit. zach's brother, derek, was in l.a. last week though {shooting a commercial with kym johnson and mark ballas from dancing with the stars. i know. awesome right?} and made a quick trip to santa maria on sunday. we took him to the private beach on base and played in the tide pools.

or at least what used to be tide pools. this was taken right after a big wave came in and engulfed derek and the rock he was standing on. good times. it was so fun seeing him and i can't wait to host more of our family in just a couple months!

#2 - my husband's cooking. i sure got lucky in the fact that zachary loves to cook and is actually really good at it. he can whip something up with no recipe whatsoever and it tastes like restaurant quality food. here's a big thank you to my father-in-law, val, for teaching him how to be such a good chef!

#3 - the bachelor. i know, i know. i'm pathetic for being one of those girls that gets sucked into 'reality' tv shows, because let's be honest. we all know the majority of it is staged and the only reason they have girls like courtney robertson is purely for the drama, but so what. i like watching it. and this episode was particularly intriguing because it was filmed in my home state. holla! i honestly felt pretty proud watching it because holy. crap. utah is beautiful. i think that was the only good thing about this episode though. as much as i love the show, i'm getting kind of frustrated with ben because #1. he should not have given rachel a rose. it looked to me like they had no connection whatsoever and he shouldn't be giving out roses just to be nice and #2. he seems more and more shallow as time goes on. even if he doesn't see how much of a brat courtney is to the other girls, she still acts like she's 15. even when she's around him. if that doesn't turn him off, i don't know what does. not to mention she manipulates him like crazy! even my woman ellen agrees:

video platform video management video solutions video player

{for how much i talk about ellen, i think i'm going to just have a 'favorites from ellen' round-up every week. we'll do it on...oh i don't know...tuesdays? ok, tuesdays. yes, that just happened. tune in next week.}

#4 - this painting from pottery barn:

very pretty? yes. worth $103.20? heck to the no. i found a tutorial on pinterest for it though and thought i'd give it a go. now i know it looks pretty much nothing like the original except that there are lines and circles on both of them, but i was happy with how it turned out and it looks great hanging in our living room!

#5 - california weather. it's been a steady 70-75 degrees for the past few days and i am absolutely loving it! i'm not looking forward to the cold january we will have in cheyenne next year, so i am soaking up and enjoy the sun as much as i can right now. {which isn't very often considering i work 8 hours a day}

what are you loving this week?

-the wife

p.s. don't forget to vote for our picture, so we can win a two night stay in park city! it's the one where we're about to kiss under my veil. we are in third place right now and the person in first place has 33 votes more than us. your vote makes a difference, i promise! thank you mucho.

on my knees and begging.

2012-01-26T23:06:00.000-06:00

ok peeps.
we need your help.
like hard core help.
see this picture?

it needs your vote, so that zachary and i can win a vacation to park city.
where can you vote, you ask?
right here.
when it loads, click on the 'get started now' link and then wait a few seconds for the pictures to appear.
then scroll down and find this picture and vote for it.
it's that simple!
tell everyone in your family and tell all your friends while you are at it.
please, please, please help us win!

sincerely,
zachary and sarah

my playlist.

2012-01-26T17:06:00.004-06:00

i discovered yesterday that this is the most incredible song in the world to run to:

and so is this one:

that's all.

-the wife

top five friday.

2012-01-20T12:14:00.008-06:00

#1 - monopoly. we played three games in one day this week. i grew up thinking that the game was over once all the properties were bought cause we didn't understand the whole mortgaging thing {nor did we care to}, so in my eyes monopoly has always been just a really boring, short-lived game that doesn't have a point. zachary taught me the official way to play last weekend though and it has turned me into a monopoly addict...and kind of a rude person. i hate losing.

#2 - saving money. i went to joanns last night, looking for some valentine's wreath inspiration. i didn't find any sadly, but what i did run into were some huge christmas sales. these 6 tins were originally $32.40 and i got them for a whopping $3.24.

there aren't many things that i love more than a good deal. especially when it's 90% off. i'm envisioning homemade caramels and peppermint bark in them for gifts next christmas. can't wait.

#3 - campfires on the beach:

i got off work early last weekend and when i came home, we made a spontaneous drive to grover beach for a weenie roast/date night. we wanted to watch a movie while we were at it and were seriously comtemplating going out and buying a laptop just so we could, but decided against it - smart move by us. it felt like we were in a movie the entire time we were there though. it was super romantic and really fun.

#4 - the temple. my testimony of temple attendance has grown tremendously in the last few months. not just because of the things we are taught in it, but because of the renewal of love i feel for zachary each time we go. it's like all the reasons i married him come rushing back and it makes me grateful for him more than ever before. it does my heart good to know that because of this wonderful place, i will be with zachary forever. not to mention it's also very beautiful.

#5 - junk food fridays. zachary and i made a few new years resolutions this year. we want to read our scriptures every day, save enough money to go to europe, run a mile for every day of the year, pay off a big chunk of debt, and the one that is proving to be the most trying: eat junk food only on fridays. it doesn't make it easy when you have this staring you in the face everyday:

but when friday finally does roll around, i can't tell you how satisfying it is to let loose and stuff my face with all things bad for me.

what are you loving this week?

-the wife

p.s. this has nothing to do with top five friday, but did you know that kirstie alley, the star of my favorite childhood movie, toothless, is 61 years old?

61! that's older than my parents!

she looks no where near that old.

oh the things i learn on ellen.

averetts 1.0

2012-01-17T15:18:00.004-06:00

here it is.
the moment you've all been waiting for.
drum roll please...

a post on our anniversary trip! *crickets chirping*

my gut tells me that this will be one of those 'this-is-what-we-did' posts that none of you could care less about and that the only reason i'm writing it is for my kids and i to look back on 20 years from now and honestly...i'm okay with that.

after watching the bachelor last night and seeing them go all over san fran, i got really excited being able to pick out the places that we've been too. first of all, i was blown away at the fact that it was even time for us to celebrate a year of being married. it didn't feel like it had been that long at all, but we were happy we were able to go somewhere fun for it.

our first stop was to get something to eat because that's the best part about traveling - eating at cool places and not having to cook. i dunno about you guys, but zachary and i love the show diners, drive-ins, and dives on the food network. guy fieri is awesome. it just so happens that there are a dozen or more diners, drive-ins, and dives places right in san francisco, so we knew we had to eat at at least one of them. we chose rocco's cafe - best choice ever. it really was so good and the staff was super friendly! i definitely recommend it. {p.s. you'll have to excuse the terrible quality of pictures that you're about to see. we forgot our camera, so our phone cameras had to make do. they're kind of hit or miss.}

we then checked into the hilton hotel at union square. i don't really want to get into details about it because honestly, i'm still a little peeved about our stay there. not only did they give us two queen beds instead of a king and told us we'd have to pay an extra 40 bucks a night to upgrade, but the rooms weren't anything better than a best western. disappointing for an anniversary? you bet. luckily we weren't there much and it was right close to our bus stop and union square, so i guess that sort of made up for it.

when we go to big places like sf, we turn into real tourists. we strap on the backpacks, stop to marvel at how big the buildings are, and try to make sure we can see every famous landmark possible. one of the best decisions we made was to buy tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus tour. they put you on these double decker buses and go to every site possible in town.

{check out that person's face behind us. not quite sure if it's a chick or dude...}

once you get off, you can stay at that place for as long or little as you like. then you just jump back on one of the other buses that are circling every half hour. {hence the hop-on hop-off} we saw seriously everything there is to see in san francisco. we walked on the golden gate bridge:

checked out pier 39 and fisherman's wharf:

walked around chinatown {which really did feel like china}:

visited alcatraz island:

met zachary's hero, yoda:

saw the painted ladies:

rode the cable cars:

and we also went to ghirardelli square and union square. it was a blast. i think my favorite thing we did though was our dinner date on our actual anniversary. the reservations we made were for a place called forbes island restaurant. it was on this little island just off of pier 39 and the coolest thing about it was that the only way to get there was by boat.

after being dropped off, we then had to go downstairs to the eating area, which happened to be underwater. it made for a super romantic atmosphere.

then we topped off the night by drinking some bubbly {sparkling cider} and playing 12 days in europe. {funnest game ever.}

we've seen a lot of places on our travels, but i think san fran has been my very favorite. the city has so much personality and lots to do. have you ever been to sf?

-the wife

fun facts and a questionnaire.

2012-01-16T15:46:00.001-06:00

i was tagged by my friend whitney zufelt for the "11 fun facts/questionnaire" powwow and i thought i'd play along. here are the rules:

1 - you must post the rules.

2 - post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3 - answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4 - tag eleven people and link them on your post

5 - let them know you've tagged them!

11 fun facts about me:
1 - i have 3 brothers and 2 sisters. i'm number 4 in the bunch.
2 - i am dying to go to europe. i wish it wasn't so dang expensive or that i could just win two tickets right here, right now. but, the good things in life are always worked for, so hopefully by the end of the year we will have enough money saved to make a trip there.
3 - i've broken my arm 4 times, my ankle once, and both collar bones. breaking bones runs in my family. at one point, I had a broken ankle, my brother had a broken arm and my other brother had a broken collar bone all at the same time. it's just what we do. thank goodness my parents had double insurance.
4 - i'm ridiculously terrified of drowning and flying. i get overly anxious going over long bridges or ones that are low-down, close to the water. i almost feel claustraphobic. weird, i know. and every time i fly, i am convinced that we are going to either fall out of the sky or the moment we land the plane will catch its edge and i will burn and die. put both the fear of drowning and the fear of flying together and you can imagine what it's like flying over the ocean - pure misery.
5 - i had never worn flip flops until i was ten years old. one of my friends let me wear her's to the manti pageant. i felt really cool.
6 - my first job was as a lifeguard at our community swimming pool. i love love loved it. i had to quit after two years because i broke my collar bone and i never went back. i still regret that.
7- i had a nightmare when i was little that my younger brother was a giant old lady that would lay in the middle of an intersection near my house. if you touched him {or her?} with your car when you went through the intersection, he would jump up and try to kill you. well i touched him when i went through and he started to chase me. right before he got me, i woke up. from that night on until i was at least 9, i was afraid to look out the window at night for fear that the giant old lady/man would be staring right back at me, ready to kill.
8 - i would rather be freezing cold than be even slightly warmer than is comfortable. i can't stand being too warm. i retain heat like none other and when i get hot my feet swell up like balloons. not fun.
9 - i don't have any wisdom teeth. i'm pretty sure i heard angels singing the day i found that out. i'll take lack of wisdom over pain any day.
10 - i still have every note that my best friend and i wrote to each other in middle school and high school. sometimes i go read them just for fun. gives me a good laugh every time.
11 - i can't eat pork. i know for a fact that it's all in my head and it's not even that i don't want to eat it, but all i can think about is the pig that it came from. it doesn't happen with cows or chickens, just pigs. i attribute it to a fieldtrip in kindergarten where we had to watch a bunch of hogs being slaughtered at our local grocery store. it was very scarring for a 5 year old.

questions from whitney:

who is your celebrity crush?
it used to be ryan reynolds hands down, but i have developed a new-found crush on hugh jackman. he just seems like a very classy man...and happens to be very attractive.

if you had to eat one food for a whole week what would it be?

if i wasn't worried about the calories and unhealthiness of the food, it would probably be pizza. preferably margherita pizza, but any kind would do really. if i am being calorie conscious, i'd have to say chipotle bean burritos. not burritos from the chipotle restaurant, but homemade bean burritos with chipotle actually in them. so good.

what's your favorite kind of pie?
coconut cream, no questions asked.

who did you see at your very first concert?
if you want to get technical, i'd say jericho road, but i don't really think that counts. so i will say brad paisley, dierks bentley and jimmy wayne. wasn't a big fan of dierks or brad before the show, but i went away loving both of them. i still don't care much for jimmy.

do you think the chicken or the egg came first?
the chicken. adam and eve didn't come to earth as babies. why would animals?

how do you eat your oreos?
if i have milk, i just dunk and eat. if i don't have milk, i will pull them apart, eat the frosted side and throw the other side away.

are you a cat person or a dog person?
both. if i really had to choose, i'd pick dogs, but i grew up with both, so i don't mind cats either.

what is the color of your favorite nail polish?
blush pink.

what was the last text you sent?
"what a lame-wad. that ticks me off. i'm sorry hun..." to my husband. someone was suppose to come look at our motorcycle and they bailed. all i want is to be able to sell the dang thing!

do you have any "made up" words or phrases you use in your family?

not really. zachary started calling me luftwaffe at some point last year as kind of a joke because he thought it sounded like something romantic. luftwaffe is the name of the german air force. it's now turned in to a term of endearment for us and has stuck pretty well.

if you could splurge on one fashion item what would it be?

jeans. a really nice pair of jeans. i have a hard time justifying spending more than 30 dollars on pants, but they seem to always wear out faster than the expensive ones. luckily i found some ones that i really like from the gap outlet that weren't too pricey, but i would love a pair or two that i absolutely love and don't feel guilty for buying.

my questions:

1. what is your favorite holiday and why?
2. if you had to pick between having hair all over your back that you couldn't shave or being bald and not being able to do anything about it, which would you pick?
3. what is your best memory of high school and why?
4. if you won the lottery, what would be the very first thing you would buy?

5. how old were you when you got your first real kiss? {12 and under doesn't count}

6. what is your biggest regret in life?

7. what's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?

8. what is something you are looking forward to?

9. if you could visit any country for free, which would it be?

10. if you could eat as much as you wanted of one food and you would never gain weight, what would it be?

11. in your eyes, what is the perfect date?

be sure to check out these lovely ladies' blogs to see what their answers are:

hope you're having a fabuloso monday!

-the wife

top five friday.

2012-01-13T15:08:00.003-06:00

here are this week's top five favs:

#1. love notes. ever since i've known zachary, we've had an ongoing game where we hide love notes for each other and see how long it takes for the other person to find them. he's always been better at it than me and has made it months before i've found some of his notes. it's a pleasant surprise when one pops up. kinda makes my day actually. sometimes he doesn't actually hide them though and leaves them out in the open for me to find. he's really good at the i-want-to-cheer-you-up-because-you're-grumpy kind, but my favorites are the just-because kind. this week i woke up to one of those little beauties taped to our fridge and i'm pretty sure it left me smiling all day long.

#2. cereal. i may or may not have had cereal for 11 out of 14 meals this week. don't judge. you would think i was pregnant for how much i crave the dang stuff. {don't worry, i'm not.} it could be just the cravings or it could be the fact that i have no motivation to make up a grocery list and go shopping for real food. therefore we've lived on cereal and pancakes all week long. my conclusion is that you can never have enough breakfast foods.

#3. beautiful scenery on my run:

we are lucky to have a huge park right behind our house that we go running in every night and this is the view we get when doing so. it's even more breathtaking in person.

#4. this article from the most recent issue of the ensign. holy cow it's good. for any of you that are looking to strengthen your marriage, {cause let's be honest, no marriage is perfect} then this is one article that you have got to read. it was the focus for our family home evening lesson this week and it definitely gave us a lot to think about.

#5. my husband proving that he's really just a kid at heart. i was in the other room and noticed he was talking to himself. when i walked in i saw him playing with his remote control helicopter, acting out the parts of the pilot and co-pilot in a british accent. this video might not even be funny to you, but i couldn't stop laughing. maybe it's one of those things that you just had to witness to appreciate.

what are your favorite things this week?

-the wife

top five friday: new year's edition.

2012-01-06T20:32:00.006-06:00

since it's a new year, i think it's only appropriate to share my top five things from 2011. here we go, in no particular order:

#1. we started our crazy adventure, which is taking on the air force life. we packed up and took the 1,856 mile trip to montgomery, al, only to pick up 6 weeks later and drive another 975 miles to del rio, tx. then, unexpectedly {and gratefully} we left 7 months later on a 1,395 mile trek to cali, where we are now waiting until the day we make the 1,280 mile drive to cheyenne, wy. whew. that was rough. looking at that, you may wonder why it made it to the top five list. it sounds hard and painful and sometimes it was, but at the same time, it has been so very rewarding. i've loved seeing the sights of this wonderful country, learning how to be a grown-up and do things for myself {mostly} and my very favorite part - meeting so many incredible people. seriously. we've made some friends that will be a part of our lives until the day we die, i'm sure. on top of all that, zachary and i have grown together more than i imagined possible in one year. yes, we have kind of been thrown into it, being away from family and such, but it really does a lot when you are all each other has to rely on. when you are the only person each other knows within a 1,000 mile radius. what a blessing in disguise it has actually been.

#2. we welcomed in a new member of our family. a member that is here to stay. {unlike the fish we got for christmas. or the puppy back in april. or the motorcycle. sheesh.} her name is stella.

you might laugh when i talk about a car being part of the family, but let's see you go shopping for one and then tell me how you feel. it has to click and you have to love it. i had the biggest butterflies when we drove her home for the first time. never mind that her tint job is bubbling up, causing her to look like a car straight from the hood. never mind that her night lights are very dim, making it hard to see what i'm doing. and never mind that she happens to be a manual and has embarrassed me many times as i've stalled her in the middle of an intersection. she's perfect and we adore her. i'm so glad we never have to live in one-car-purgatory again.

3. our many trips to utah. we went four times last year and each time it was incredible.

{alex and jodi's wedding - march}

{snow creams - july}

{the bestie's wedding - july}

{bryce canyon 5-mile run - august}

{temple square -november}

{black friday shopping with the sils - november}

#4. i got a job! my first job in over two years. there can be some serious down times:

but i am so so grateful for it. it really is a good job. i have prayed for this for months now, so i am grateful to have been so blessed. it's been a serious miracle. i like the people i work with and i love feeling all secretarial like. i can't even tell you how many times i've felt like pam from 'the office'.

#5. i know it wasn't 2011 when we got married, but come on. it was only 3 days before the new year! i feel like when something happens after the new year, then it's kind of old news, but trust me - my wedding is not old news. at least not to me anyway. someimes i will get on pinterest and see all the cute things that i couldn've done if only it had been around at the time. it bums me out and makes me resent the brides of 2012 that will all have perfect ideas. but then i realize that those perfect ideas will be done by more people that you can count and at least my wedding was an original design by me.

there's nothing like reliving the most perfect day of your life through pictures. it really was like a dream come true.

what are your favorite things from 2011?

-the wife

do you remember?

2011-12-31T11:45:00.004-06:00

my dearest luftwaffe-

do you remember one year ago to this exact day and hour?
we were running around downtown salt lake city, freezing our bums off, watching the fireworks, while stealing kisses every chance possible.
what a perfect honeymoon.

can you believe it's already been a year since we sealed the deal of our lives?
one year since we promised to love each other for forever and nothing less.
it feels like it was just yesterday.

remember how early we had to wake up to get ready?
no wait, that was just me.
4:30 came much too soon after staying up until midnight to put the final touches on our reception decor.
remember picking me up from the hotel room where i was getting my hair done with the girls?
my heart skipped a beat when you walked through the door.
the day had finally come that i got you for keeps.
remember how late we were in getting to the temple?
it was a good thing they couldn't start things without us.
remember how beautiful our sealing was and how great it was to have our friends and family with us in the Lord's very own house on our very own wedding day?
remember how you stepped on and ripped my wedding dress in front of all of those said friends and family?
don't worry babe, there wasn't any major damage done.
remember how cold it was taking pictures outside?
it chills me to the bone just thinking about it.
remember how perfect merilee made our luncheon?
remember all the wonderful things that our loved ones said about us there?
do you remember how handsome you looked in your air force blues?
it still melts my heart.
remember how great our reception looked?
i couldn't have asked for it to have turned out any better.
do you remember all the people that came to wish us well on our special day?
remember the great food that was served?
me neither.
next time we get married, let's be sure to eat some of our own food that we took weeks to plan out.
remember the drive up to salt lake and the countless number of times we looked at each other and yelled, "we're married!"?
remember getting to the hotel room, you in your tux and i in my dress, and hearing all the oohs and ahhs from passerbys?
remember the first thing we did {well, almost the first thing ;)} was order pizza because we were starving?
remember the feeling of being able to snuggle up and fall asleep, knowing that we'd never have to say goodbye and part ways again?

oh how in love i was with you that day and how even more in love with you i am today.
happy {late} anniversary honey.
thanks for one fabulous year.

love,
your wife

top five friday

2011-12-30T14:39:00.005-06:00

#1. zooey deschanel. she has come a long way since 'elf' if i do say so myself. i've seen her in movies like 'yes man', '(500) days of summer', 'failure to launch', etc., but my all-time fav is her tv show 'new girl'. oh my hilarious! you've got to watch it. i think if i could have any actress' hair, it would definitely be hers. what i wouldn't give to be able to pull off those gorgeous front bangs! anyway, since this weekend is new years', it just so happens that i came across zooey and joseph gordon-leavitt performing a cover of 'what are you doing new years eve?'. i thought it was too cute not to share, so i hope you enjoy it as much as i did:

#2. one of my good friends from high school got hitched today! this is kind of a bittersweet top five. i am so so happy for shandi and her beau, but boy would i give anything to be with them on this special day. they are basically a match made in heaven. they dated throughout high school, he left on an lds mission and they kept in contact and then she left on a mission too and when she came home, they got engaged within weeks. such a cute couple and i'm sure she made a beautiful bride today. congrats shandi. love ya girl!

#3. these boots. they will most definitely be a near-future purchase.

#4. this photo found on ellen degeneres's facebook page:

she posted it and said, "people need to realize that a diamond isn't the only thing that's forever." *laughs* seriously though...who would make something so pointless into a tattoo? if you're going to get one and especially that big, at least make it worth it!

and coming in at #5, {last the best of all the game} was the greatest, most wonderful thing that happened to me this week - being able to celebrate my one year anniversary with my honey!

we went to san fran and oh. my. gosh. it was one of the best vacations i've ever been on. it was like a second honeymoon! there will be more pictures and stories to come soon. i promise.

i hope you all have a wonderful and happy new year and that you get lots of treats from the new year's fairy. over and out.

-the wife

merry christmas.

2011-12-25T18:12:00.002-06:00

hope you had a fabulous day!
we sure did.
it was filled with sunshine, good friends, lots of food, and sandy toes.

wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season from the west coast.

love,
the averetts

top five friday.

2011-12-23T19:28:00.005-06:00

i'm going to try something a little different here on the blog.
this is my introduction to "top five friday"; a weekly post where i will share five things that i love.

here are this week's:

#1. zachary and i both didn't have to work today. {and don't have to for two weeks. holla!}

#2. this video from david archuleta:

isn't that just the sweetest thing ever? i may or may not have cried a little with him the first time i saw it.

#3. these super easy christmas tags:

after using up our entire christmas budget, i realized we forgot to buy present tags. what's cheaper AND cuter than some kraft paper already on hand and stamps?

#4. this photo found on pinerest, captioned "this is why you marry your best friend."

pretty much sums it up. i'm so glad i married my best friend that makes me laugh everyday.

#5. new jammies. we do a christmas pj swap every year and i've dubbed these as the ones i want. think this is a big enough hint to the hubs to let him know which ones to get?

{found at target.com}

what are your favorite things this friday?

-the wife

27.

2011-12-14T22:47:00.004-06:00

someone had a birthday yesterday.
and i'm not talking just any someone, but a very special someone.
my handsome husband turned a whopping 27!
we've kind of made it a tradition that the birthday boy or girl gets breakfast in bed on their big day.
german pancakes to be exact.
sad story though - i set my alarm to wake up with enough time to make everything and catch him before he got up and in the middle of the night....my phone died. {if only i had a dollar for everytime that happened.}
i guess whether it's breakfast in bed or breakfast at the table, it all tastes the same right?

i gave it my best shot in trying to be creative this year. and by creative, i actually mean snagging an idea from 'the dating divas' and customizing it. his present consisted of a flow of presents all day long in the form of envelopes.

there was one envelope for each hour of the day, that he got to open on that hour.
the envelopes consisted of an iTunes gift card, coupons for a "man night" or dinner date, etc., a "choose a gift" card, and letters from nearly our entire family!
i really couldn't thank both our families enough for helping me.
it meant so much to hear from all of them and will definitely be something he will remember.

since we both had to work all day, it was nice to be able to send him on his way with a few envelopes, so he could still open presents when i wasn't with him!

the moment he got home though, we went to dinner at Yanagi Sushi and Grill.

fun fact about zachary: he love love LOVES sushi.

fun fact about me: i don't.

and yet, it was still incredibly delicious.

{zachary drinking his miso soup aka tofu and dirt.}

{yes, vegetable sushi is still sushi.}

to top it all off, we had some friends over tonight to eat cake and ice cream. {while watching the biggest loser. oxymoron?}

{can you believe he was able to actually blow all of those out? sheesh.}

after all was said and done, i think my favorite present was the remote control helicopter:

we played with it for hours after opening it. {we're children at heart.}

it wasn't even my birthday and i had a fabulous day.

i am so grateful for my charming man and for the things he does for me everyday.

he really is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

happy birthday, babe.

i can't wait to spend many more together!

-the wife

o christmas tree, o christmas tree...

2011-12-11T20:07:00.004-06:00

we've tried super hard to make it feel like christmas here. it feels so different having sunshine and 60 degree weather in december. {i really can't complain} we've tried to decorate and do christmas activites to get us in the mood though and we even got our very first christmas tree! behold:

ain't she a beaut? i got all excited at the beginning of the month thinking it would be cool if i made all of our ornaments. yes, those are homemade, but as you can see, there is a serious lack in the number of them.i got so burned out in making things these last couple weeks that i don't even care how shabby it looks anymore. all that matters is that it is a real tree and nothing less. {i joke, i joke. fake trees are cool too...kind of.} although i am mighty proud of that tree skirt. lots of fabric and multiple hot glue burns later gives you this:

i followed this pattern and thought it didn't turn out half bad. i've seen it in burlap and red too and it's super cute.

i'd be lying if i said the holidays aren't making me a bit homesick. we agreed on going home for thanksgiving and staying here for christmas, since the air force wasn't going to give zachary much time off. so i was sad not to be with our family, but at the same time i was super excited to have our very first {married} christmas together and be able to start our own traditions. now i just want to bag the whole idea and drive to utah tomorrow. good thing zachary is planning us a sa-weet anniversary trip three days later, or i might do just that.

anyway, happy sunday.
i hope it was merry and bright.

-the wife.

i believe...

2011-12-09T17:01:00.001-06:00

...people wearing santa hats around town is adorable.

...money creates way too much stress for a person to handle.

...i should never have been introduced to jack in the box. i'm now an addict.

...in kissing hello and goodbye.

...decorating for christmas has exhausted my creativity fund. and my bank account.

...car shopping is a pain in the #$%.

...scentsy is a dream in a warmer dish. i'm obssessed.

...this {almost} one year of marriage has been the best and craziest year of my life.

...ellen degeneres is one of the funniest people i've ever seen. seriously. how does she come up with this stuff?

...a trip to europe is in order next year.

...talking with meg clifford at work makes the day go by much faster.

...back tickling from the hubs in the middle of the night because of a bad dream is like heaven.

...the soundtrack to breaking dawn part one is a much needed future purchase.

...cake and ice cream for dinner is okay.

...shopping for gifts is hard.

...watching movies and snuggling are necessary to maintaining sanity.

...pinterest could possibly be the greatest invention ever.

...everyone has a hard life. be kind.

what do you believe in?

i'm a working girl.

2011-12-05T10:50:00.001-06:00

i start my new job today.

wish me luck!

"jetta"

2011-12-02T17:23:00.000-06:00

do you remember a few months back when we got a dog? no?
oh, that's right.
that's because we bought her and sold her before i even had time to blog about her.
here's jetta:

cute right?

don't be fooled.

after chewing on everything i owned and peeing every time she looked at zachary, we just couldn't keep her.

i think we just jumped into things too fast and didn't take time to actually think about the consequences.

well, as painful as this is to say it, we pulled another "jetta" last week.

we bought a motorcycle.

we love it, but we had no idea that zachary would be carrying 50+ pounds of books to work every day.

so we are now selling it.

i'm only telling you this because i want you to tell your friends and family and everyone you know.

i start work on monday and we only have one car so we need to get rid of it ASAP!

it's a suzuki boulevard s50 and we're selling it for $3900.

message me at sarahvalene@gmail.com for pics or if you or someone you know would be interested.

thanks mucho!

-sarah

just a mushy love shpeel.

2011-12-02T17:11:00.000-06:00

my boy started his first day of school today.
i made sure to buy him some brown paper bags to carry his lunch in along with a baggie full of keebler cookies - one of his favs.
i can't believe how grown up he is! *tear*

but, in all seriousness, i am so stinkin' proud of that man that it really does almost bring me to tears.
i won't turn this into a "my-husband-is-better-than-your-husband" story, but i will say this: he is one hard workin' dude.
he's woken up at the crack of dawn every day this week and still comes home happy.
i'm grateful for everything he provides for us and his unconditional love.
he's definitely got this husband thing down to a t.
that's all.

-the wife

cali baby.

2011-11-17T01:10:00.003-06:00

after weeks of no internet, we are finally back in business! and boy, does it feel good. there is so much to share, i don't even know where to begin. first off, can i just say that i have never been so happy to see this sight in my entire life:

yes my friends, that would be del rio, texas floating away in our rear view mirror. i honestly miss our friends so much, but i am oh so glad that i will never have to set foot in that town again...hopefully.

it took us three long days to get to vandenberg afb. in which time, there was lots of laughing, way {and i mean way} too much junk food eating, and tons of stress. the dingbats at home depot failed to reserve our truck that we asked for, so we were stuck with the only one they had left. which happened to also be the largest one available.

{look at the size of that thing!}

take that and add on a trailer and we figured that we were pulling around 55 feet of truck. phoenix and los angeles were pretty scary to go through. i had to make myself look away several times because i was sure we were going to wreck. not to mention the anxiety attack we got everytime we had to fill the dang thing up. luckily, i have an incredible husband that can handle anything. he really did such an amazing job of weaving through traffic and taking care of things in this whale of a vehicle. i'm glad i married such a manly man. we learned a valuable lesson though and that is that we will never do a full-dity move again. ever.

anyway, moving right along. it took us a while to find an apartment and get settled in, but the wait was well worth it. i absolutely love our new place. it's nothing extravagant, but it definitely has a homey feeling to it. i'll have to post pictures once we get it cleaned up.

santa maria is like living in a vacation world, no joke. so many people have told us it's quite the "sleepy" town, but we have come to find that there is so much to do and see here that we are wondering how we're going to fit it all in. i think what i love most is how much variety there is. vandenberg itself is nestled back in the mountains about twenty minutes from town. in the couple days we were driving around, we saw 5 or 6 coyotes, so that gives you a good idea at how tucked away it really is.

then as you are driving into town, you come across acres and acres of vineyards and strawberry fields and you are just sucked into that country, hometown feel. it makes you want to sit on a front porch and do nothing but drink lemonade and play the guitar. then ten minutes later, you are in the middle of the hustle and bustle of santa maria. which, by the way, happens to have a joanns, michaels, target, and a frozen yogurt store. i could live here my whole life if possible! on top of that, you drive another half an hour or so, and you find yourself right on the beach. pismo beach to be exact. that's where we visited this last weekend.

we were only there for a couple hours, but the whole time, i kept thinking to myself that i can't believe this is the life we are actually living. it felt like something from a movie. even down to the fact that we saw dolphins from the pier:

it was incredible! we also happened to be visiting at 11:11 on 11/11/11, so we had someone snap a photo for us at just the right moment.

i feel so happy and blessed to be here. we have a great ward and have already met some incredible people including this couple. seriously? they. are. awesome. i'm so grateful for their open arms in welcoming us here. they've definitely made us feel a little more at home. i'm very excited for this new chapter in our life and can't wait to see what it has to offer!

-the wife

p.s. remind me next time to introduce you to the newest member of our family. ;)

happy pinning!

2011-10-16T21:45:00.001-05:00

i believe that a celebration is in order.

i recently pinned my one-THOUSANDTH pin on pinterest.

yay! {don't mind the fact that this just proves how terribly i manage my time.}

in honor of this joyous occasion, i thought i'd share some of the projects i've

completed from this lovely site.

i've found that it's a lot easier to pin items than it is to make them, but here is my little start:

#1. Red Christmas Wreath

i am in LOVE with wreaths and this one was so easy, it's ridiculous.
all you need is a foam wreath, a couple yards of felt, and pins.

lots and lots of pins.

it's simple, yet elegant and i absolutely love it!

#2. Homemade Twix Cookie Bars

these are a favorite in our house!

if i'm not careful i could probably eat the whole pan by myself.

the recipe tells you how to make them actually look like twix bars and everything, but i found that it was easier and less messy just to make them into cookie bars.

they taste the same {delicious} regardless of what shape they're in, so whatev.

#3. Crocheted Place Mat

i actually felt like this project completely tanked.

you can't really tell in this picture how bulky, bunchy, and overall ugly it us, BUT i want you to see what the original looked like on her website because it is so cute!

if you are a crocheting beginner, this is a great project for you.

there are only two or three different stitches throughout the entire project, so once you get those down, it's not too bad.

my only sugesstion is to be sure to use some thin yarn or it will turn out to be a disaster, case in point.

#4. Felt Flower Wreath

remember when i said i was going to make this wreath?

i feel so proud that i actually did it!

it turned out more yellowish than i hoped, but that's okay.

i love it so much that it is hanging on my door right now.

it was really easy and super cheap; probably the best combo ever.

#5. Homemade Butterfingers

these seriously taste like the real thing.

it only calls for three ingredients too!

yum.

#6. Crocheted Bobble Baby Blanket

or as Zachary likes to call it: The Outtie Belly Button Blanket.

this has by far been my favorite project.

i made this blanket here for my sister-in-law nikki's new baby, jace, and i made a brown one just like it for my friend amber's new baby, wesson.

it takes a lot of time, but turns out really cute in my opinion!

these were just a few projects that i was actually able to get pictures of.

they have sure helped me pass the time from day to day.

for those of you that haven't discovered pinterest yet, GET ON IT.

and when you do, be sure to follow me!

it really is the most incredible thing ever invented.

-sarah

columbus day weekend.

2011-10-12T10:35:00.004-05:00

dear mr. columbus,

i want to thank you for coming to america so many years ago.
because of you, i was able to go on one of the best three-day vacations ever with my husband.

we took a five hour drive to big bend national park and boy oh boy, was it delightful.

can you feel our joy?

we had a rocky start at first.

this sight definitely made my stomach turn:

i thought we were in for a couple of cold, wet days.
it's hard to believe, that ten minutes later, it looked like this:

we set up camp, ate smores, and played games on our first night:

the next day, we hiked a couple miles to "the window":

it was so nice to be around mountains.

it gave us that safe, enclosed, utah feel.

i lurved it.

thank goodness, we didn't have any encounters with wild animals like everyone else around us.

between the couple bears and mountain lions that were spotted, we got lucky and only had to deal with the numerous amount of skunks.

seriously though, i felt like our camp was being overtaken every night.

we actually had one skunk almost rip a hole in our tent, trying to get in.

it woke both of us up and i shined my flashlight in its direction and i could see its little nose poking through our zipper.

i didn't want it to spray us, but i didn't want it in bed with us either, so i grabbed zachary's shoe and smacked it in the face.

it pulled back and stuck its tail up in the air immediately!

we held our breath, hoping it wouldn't spray and luckily it just walked away.

that was one of many during our two night stay.

we spent the rest of our time doing things that all people on vacation should do.

eating ourselves sick with junk food:

{i added the pumpkins to give it a falltime feel. little things like that make me happy.}

sleeping in:

{nighttime/sleeping is probably my favorite part of camping}

eating delectable breakfasts and dinners:

{cinnamon roll pancakes and tin foil dinners, mmm!}

and napping:

{isn't he so cute?}

so, basically we just slept and ate the whole time.

it was a much needed getaway and we are very appreciative of your long journey to discover this land, so we can enjoy it.

thanks again!

love,

sarah

adios tejas.

2011-10-03T22:22:00.001-05:00

lo and behold, there is an end in sight!

as much as i have loved *clears throat* being a texan for these last 6 months, it's time to move on.

in just shy of two months {dec. 2nd}, zachary will be reporting to vandenberg afb, ca for

5 months of training.

can i get a HOLLA for christmas in cali?!

and disneyland!

his graduation date will be may 2nd.

we haven't heard yet whether or not we will be going to our permanent base before or after training, but we have heard where it will be...

....drum roll please....

f.e. warren afb in cheyenne, wyoming!!

it's funny, in the past year or so, we've driven through cheyenne twice; once in the

summer and once in the winter.

both times, i remember saying out loud, "gosh, i'm so glad we don't live here."

goes to show how ironic life can be, i guess, but, i am still so very excited!

this puts us approximately 7 hours from north salt lake {zachary's hometown} and about 8 and 1/2 hours from ephraim {my hometown}.

we could do that on a weekend, easy!

that alone, makes me love it already.

life is good and finally moving forward.

i couldn't ask for more.

except, maybe, for one of these:

-the wife

we must see past what it seems.

2011-09-21T14:14:00.001-05:00

i've been trying so hard lately to work out and be healthy.

i really have.

but, let's face it.

sometimes, i don't want to spend an entire hour pumping iron and sweating my brains out.

i don't care that it makes me feel good.

sitting on my butt, watching t.v., and eating candy makes me feel good too. {for a little bit, anyway}

to make things easier for myself on these days, i try to find things to do on my phone while i exercise, that will take my mind off the pain.

for a long time, i had a game that i would play every single day as i pedaled away on the bike, but that got old and i found myself in need of something else.

browsing pinterest and facebook has become my new thing and actually works quite well.

anyway, as i was riding and playing on facebook one day last week, i came across this story.

i was only halfway through it when there may or may not have been a few tears shed in that gym.

i was so deeply touched by this woman's strength.

not only because i can't begin to imagine the loneliness that would come with losing your husband like that, but because while i am hear soaking up this profound lesson, merely by reading her words, she had to learn it the hard way.

wouldn't we all like to wear signs around our neck, telling the world about our secrets and burdens that go unseen?

not to receive attention or pity, but like this woman said, "so that people would be more gentle..."

i am guilty of not being more gentle when i should have.

i've so easily let a snide remark slip or feelings of jealousy creep into my heart, that i don't see how someone else is feeling in their seemingly perfect life.

on the other hand, i have been on the receiving end of this situation as well.

i don't think there is anything worse than being criticized by someone that has no idea of the underlying problems going on in your life.

i can't do anything about those people, except grin and bear it.

but i can do something about the way i treat others.

from now on, i promise to try to do a little more and be a little better in reading other's signs.

feel free to join me.

-the wife

finally.

2011-09-17T00:35:00.003-05:00

so, apparently i was really off in my speculations as to when we were going to find out what we would be doing with the rest of our lives.
really off.
but the good news is that now, a month later, we finally do know.

i got this text from zachary today at 2:29 p.m.:

"3:05 p.m. i'm meeting with the wing commander. today's the day baby. pray and be calm."

i'm pretty sure my heart sunk straight to my toes.
my hands are shaking, i'm on the verge of tears, and i'm fearing that if i don't get it together quick, the two kids i'm babysitting will think i have gone crazily mad.
i take a few deep breaths and regain composure.
i was able to go home about fifteen minutes later, but let me tell you, the half an hour that followed was the longest of my life!
i sat at home trying to do anything that would occupy my mind.
i prayed, read my scriptures, crocheted, prayed again, watched some t.v. and prayed even more.
i don't think my phone rang for more than few milliseconds before i picked it up.
zachary informed me that he will be retained in the air force and will be going on to be a space and missiles officer!
i felt my whole body sigh in relief.
i couldn't have been more grateful.

that's all we really know at this point.
we don't know where our next base will be or when we will be leaving.
we know that there will be some training to be done at vandenburg afb, in california, but as to when that will happen, we don't have a clue.
so far, the space and missiles base options aren't looking too fabulous, but that's okay.
we have no room to complain.
maybe we were supposed to go through all of this crap, so that instead of getting upset about where we are stationed, we can remember the last four months of dread and just be grateful that zachary has a job.
besides, i think if we can conquer laughlin, we can conquer them all.

one thing i have learned in all of this, is that God has a plan.
for all of us.
in my time trying to occupy my mind today, i came across this quote from president Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

"to paraphrase the Psalmist of old, if we wait patiently for the Lord, He will incline unto us. He will hear our cries. He will bring us out of a horrible pit and set our feet upon a solid rock. He will put a new song in our mouths, and we will praise our God. many around us will see it, and they will trust in the Lord."

i don't think that anything has brought me more comfort in the last four months than this.
i couldn't help but think that whether the "solid rock" that He would be setting our feet on was somewhere in the air force or somewhere back home, i knew that His purpose in putting us there would be for our happiness.
that's all He wants to give us is happiness.
though we may not see it at the time, whatever happens in this life is for our benefit.
i truly believe that.
i hope this all made sense and that you are understanding what i'm feeling, which is extreme gratitude and also appreciation for the solace that comes from knowing i have a Father in Heaven that is taking care of us.
thank you for your love, support, and prayers.
we are more than grateful.

-the wife

9/11

2011-09-11T23:18:00.001-05:00

What happened that September Day?
We all struggle to understand.
With grief and anguish in our hearts,
Our country must take a stand.

Soon the Stars and Stripes appear
On every home and car,
A symbol of strength and hope,
As we prepare in war.

As the flags grow scarce,
We search far and wide,
The need for "Old Glory"
To reflect our pride ...

... Times goes on, months have passed,

The families of September 11th
Seek normalcy, if any.

But wait ... what's this ... the Stars and Stripes,
That once flew far and wide,
Many ripped and torn and faded,
Have we forgotten our pride?

I wonder what the families think,
Old Glory now worn and tattered,
As they pass those familiar homes and cars,
The flag, once all that mattered

It makes me think about our nation,
When I see our flag so frayed.
How soon we all forget the pain
Of that tragic September day.

So let's think about those special heroes,
Who lost their lives that day,
And honor them with fitting flags
And for the families ... Pray!

-Author Unknown

i was in the sixth grade on september 11,2001.
i had no idea about the attack until i got to school and my friend, kyle lund, told me what happened.
the rest of the day was spent watching the news.
i didn't understand much of what was going on at the time.
i thought it was all an "accident".
i couldn't wrap my head around the idea that someone would actually want to do harm to our country.

after watching basically every show possible this week about that devastating day, my heart goes out to all the victims' families and friends.
this isn't an easy day as an American, let alone someone who views this day as the anniversary of losing someone near and dear.

i'm so very grateful to live in a country that will stand united in trying times.
i'm grateful for those that serve diligently to defend this country as well.
let us never forget those that have fallen and always wave Old Glory with pride.
God bless America.

-the wife

five fab favs

2011-09-07T23:10:00.000-05:00

five things that i am loving in my life right now:

1. frozen coconut limeade:

{picture and recipe can be found here}

it's only wednesday and i've already made 2 batches of this, this week. zachary and i love it! i make it virgin of course, by using "coco reals cream of coconut". it's like 3 bucks at walmart, but it tastes like a million dollars in your mouth. you should make some right now. do it. and love it.

2. marble wars:

{l to r: kathryn, andrew, zachary, me, nate. amber taking pic.}

i'd never even heard of this game until i met zachary's family. his brother, alex, has a friend that makes them and when we visited utah a couple weeks ago, alex surprised us and gave us one! it is seriously the funnest game ever. we had so much fun playing it last week with these guys that zachary and i sat down and played like 7 games for family home evening. it. was. awesome.

3. "dance moms"

i think this trailer put all of the drama from every episode in to one. it's really not that bad....ok, maybe it is. but who doesn't like drama? as long as i'm not a part of it, i am a-okay. anyway, aside from the yelling and crying crazy people in this show, my favorite part is watching these little girls dance. holy-freaking-cow! for the first time in my life, i can honestly say that i would love to raise a dancer. if my little girl could be half as good as these girls are, i would be proud. all of the other moms get jealous of maddie beating their girls at every competition, but seriously? don't be hatin' just cause she is good! she has some serious talent to behold.

4. cd exchanges.
a couple weeks ago, i got a fb message from my cute friend mykel beorchia, asking me to do a cd exchange with her. she had just heard anberlin's song "inevitable", loved it, and wanted it. so she gave an offer that in exchange for some anberlin music, she'd give me some of her favorites. and just like that, i had four cd's of brand new music that i absolutely love. {thanks mykel!} it got me thinking that i could really get used to this whole cd exchange thing, so if any of you are in dire need of new music, like myself, and would want to swap some tunes, feel free to hit me up!

5. "brighter than the sun"-by colbie caillat.

doesn't this song make you want to dance and sing? i'm pretty sure it's been out for a couple of months, but i'm just now discovering it. definitely my favorite song of hers. good job colbie.

anything awesome in your life right now that you'd like to share? i'm up for suggestions!

-the wife

'the help' and the red sox.

2011-09-03T23:36:00.005-05:00

no plans for the weekend usually means going to a movie at our lovely del rio movie theater.
even though it has a slight, musty, urine smell and the speakers work on and off, we like to catch a good show there now and again.
this was the case tonight.
i'm pretty sure we were the last ones in the country to watch "the help".
everyone and their dog has facebook and twittered about it, so we thought we'd jump on the bandwagon and see what all the hype is about.

ohemgee, i'm so glad we did.

it was the best movie i have seen in a really long time.
i was expecting it to be a little more historical/serious, but it wasn't at all!
it had me laughing my head off one minute and then trying to hold back the tears the next.
not to mention, emma stone is adorable.
i think she is in my top 10 {at least} list of girl crushes.
also, i absolutely loved their clothes!
does anyone else wish that we dressed and did our hair like they did back then?
this was one of my favorite outfits:

i love the tight waisted dress and the poofy hair.
obviously you have to have the bod to pull it off, but i feel like it just says, "i am quaint and cute."
and p.s. this girl did a really good job at being mean.
basically, if you haven't seen it yet, get on it because you will love it!

in other news, i accidentally washed some of my favorite socks with our red kitchen rug today:

the same red rug that i got after zachary for washing with all of our brand new white dish towels.
it used to drive me nuts growing up, that none of my family cared about separating colors when doing laundry.
all of my yellow clothes would turn out green after being washed with jeans and all of my camisoles would have a pink tint to them after being washed with one of the billion manti templar red t-shirts we had layin' around the house.
after making the same mistake, i guess i shouldn't have been so critical.

-the wife

fall-time.

2011-09-01T20:16:00.010-05:00

it is now september!

do you know what this means?

cool crisp nights. {well, everywhere but del rio that is}

beautiful fall leaves.

school buses roaming around the neighborhood.
the feeling of halloween just around the corner.

i absolutely love this time of year!

i set out my new wassail scented wax melt today and boy oh boy, i wish i could

send you its fragrance through my little typing fingers.

it screams fall and has enveloped my entire house...mmm.

i think it's going to send me into an autumn coma.

here are a few other things that have gotten me into the fall-time spirit:

1. doesn't this porch look so welcoming?

2. what adorable little pumpkins! And the best part of all, is this awesome tutorial on

how to make them yourself. i love diys.

3. an easy and very elegant centerpiece for those holiday parties coming up!

4. boots + scarves = fall for sure. this outfit is beautiful beyond words! i love the belted scarf.

5. awesome step-by-step instructions on how to make these simple, yet decorative wheat jars. all i need is a silhouette cameo to make them with and a mantle to put them on!

i think my favorite fall decoration that i have come across so far though, would have

to be this little beauty:

gorgeous eh?

i found everything to make it at joanns for just 7 bucks!

too bad we don't have a joanns nearby though, because it's an extra 6 dollars

just for shipping and handling.

curse you shipping and handling!!

i'll probably end up caving and buying it all anyway.

i think it is beautiful and sounds super easy to make.

i was also informed today, that september is national sewing month.

so, i took it upon myself to buy some cute $5 fabric at wal-mart and will be attempting

to make this incredibly awesome scarf this weekend:

it could be a superbly rewarding experience or an awful, self-esteem crushing, miserable one.

i'll be sure to let you know which path it takes.

anyway, i hope you are all just as excited about this change in seasons as i am and that you take some time to sip a hot cup of wassail and eat a slice of pumpkin pie for me!

-the wife

the proposal anniversary.

2011-08-20T13:54:00.003-05:00

one year ago today, i said yes to the most important question of my life:

"will you marry me?"

i can remember it like it was yesterday.

zachary managed to take me by complete surprise as we sat there in that little da40 aircraft.

{for the full story, click here}

i have to commend him for that, because there are few times in my life where
i have actually been surprised.
there were so many emotions running through my head in a matter of seconds.
i wanted to jump for joy and at the same time burst in to tears.
it was such a thrill!

it's so funny to think back to that day and realize how much we really didn't know each other.

compared to now anyway.
it was a time full of superficial twitterpation.
that sounds bad, like we didn't love each other or something.
not true.
of course we loved each other or i wouldn't have said yes.
but, after feeling what i feel today, it's incredible to see how much the dynamic of our relationship has changed and turned in to something much deeper; a stronger love than i have words for.
i can't begin to tell you how much i appreciate him and care about him and i love the fact that
it only keeps getting better.
thanks for picking me, babe, and for asking me to be your wife!
i love you.

-sarah

the end of a long haul?

2011-08-16T21:44:00.008-05:00

i have butterflies in my stomach.
all. the. time.
not because my cute husband wakes me up every morning, just to kiss me goodbye before
work. {even despite my horrid dragon breath}
not because after i get out of bed, i am sometimes welcomed to a cleaner-than-the-night-before kitchen and an unloaded dishwasher. {a very welcomed sight to see}
and not even because i am constantly being left little notes around the house telling me why he loves me more than any other human being on the planet.
while these joys of being married to my wonderful man do give me butterflies, they aren't the kind of butterflies i have been having as of late.
remember how we had a bit of a change in plans in our adventures here in del rio?
well, the review board that zachary was a part of met three weeks ago.
word on the street is, we just might be finding out the results of that meeting....tomorrow.
just typing that sends my stomach into disarray.
after waiting around for 3 and 1/2 months, it's almost like we've become numb to the fact that we have no clue where we are going to be or what we are going to be doing for the rest of our life.
i have tried over and over to picture ourselves ten years down the road.
heck, even five years down the road.
are we going to be happily settled in to a beautiful home in massachussetts?
could we possibly enjoy the luxury of moving to aviano, italy, or maybe ramstein, germany?
or could we be living in logan, utah, close to family and surrounded by familiarity?
i can hardly believe that we are this close to finding out.
we basically have two options in all of this: either they keep us in the air force, or they don't.
i haven't decided which one i would rather have.
obviously, if they kept us, we would take our next assignment and move wherever they need us.
i have absolutely loved seeing new places and meeting new people over these last several months,
so i feel like there is no loss there.
on the other hand, i would give anything to live close to our families.
we visited them last month and it makes me so sad to see how quickly our nieces and nephews
are growing up.
zachary and i have a secret plan to be the best aunt and uncle ever and that's nearly impossible
when we live 2,000 miles away.
not only that, but there's something about being with people that you know love and accept you, that makes you never want to have a reason to leave.
maybe it's a good thing that all of this is in God's hands because if it were up to me, we'd probably end up being here another year while i tried to decide which option i like more.
we definitely don't want that to happen.
i can undoubtedly say that i am so grateful for this wait to be over.
we have learned a lot and have done our best to be patient, but we are ready to know.
no matter what the outcome, we will trust that God has our best interest at heart.
thank you for all of your prayers and support.
we couldn't have done it without you.
wish us luck!

-the wife

a day in the life...

2011-07-28T14:29:00.003-05:00

i know you really don't care, but i want to share with you a day in the life of sarah:

9-9:30-wake up.
10:00-have breakfast.
10:15-get ready, so i can look half decent for my man.
10:35-tidy up the house.
11:30-wait patiently for zachary to come home.
11:35-eat lunch, watch t.v., and get as much cuddling in with zachary as possible.
12:30-send zachary back to work.
12:35-facebook.
1:00-watch some t.v.
1:30-facebook.
2:00-stalk people's blogs.
2:40-find the cheapest way to travel to disneyland/europe/utah/any kind of vacation.
3:20-facebook.
4:00-wait patiently for zachary to come home.
and then the rest of the day/night is spent doing worthwhile things because i have a
cool husband that makes life fun again.

i mainly want to focus on the hours of 12:35-4:00, though.

can you see a trend here?

i waste so much time in a day, it should be a crime.

i'm not trying to complain because i'm pretty sure there have been multiple times in my life when i have wished for nothing more than to sit at home everyday and do nothing.

i am just getting a little burned out is all.

so, to all you wives out there, how do you do it?

how do you fill your time in a day without wanting to cry from a boredom overdose?

i would think that the obvious solution would be to get a job, but we are
moving soon, so it wouldn't really be worth it.

do you have any cool crafts that you have loved and are willing to share?

any fun hobbies that while taking up your time, don't drain the bank account?

please help a sista out!

-the wife

happy pioneer day, y'all!

2011-07-24T19:43:00.003-05:00

to most people, today is just july 24th.

but to us mormon-folk, today is pioneer day!

this is the day that the saints entered in to the salt lake valley after the 1300 mile long journey from nauvoo, il, using nothing but covered wagon and oxen.

i imagine, they didn't have much to eat on the road.

it's not like they could stop by mcdonald's and order ten double cheeseburgers and three happy meals to feed their starving families.

in celebration of this holiday, zachary and i decided to eat how we thought they might
have eaten back then:

porridge, hard biscuits, and dirty water.

{ok, maybe the biscuits weren't hard, but rather hot and fresh out of the oven. and that porridge you see right there, is actually cream-of-wheat, which happens to be a favorite meal here in the averett household. and the water was really red and green food coloring.}

it was kind of fun, pretending that we were living in the 'olden days' and had to fight to survive.

it got me thinking though, what if it wasn't pretend?

what if we really lived during that cold winter of 1846 and had to leave everything we had?

would we do it?

i am in awe at the great faith of those pioneers that did everything that was necessary

to keep their religion alive.

to keep my religion alive.

i can't begin to count the ways that the gospel has impacted my life or even think about

where i would be without it.

it has given me faith in trying times and hope in moments of despair.

it brings me more joy than possibly imaginable.

i couldn't be more grateful for the two mormon missionaries that knocked on

my dad's door nearly 45 years ago.

without that single event, i may not have the greatest blessing i have

now; the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

"How can we pay our debt of gratitude for the heritage of faith demonstrated by pioneers in many lands across the earth who struggled and sacrificed so that the gospel might take root? How is thankfulness expressed for the intrepid handcart pioneers who, by their own brute strength, pulled their meager belongings in handcarts across the scorching plains and through the snows of the high mountain passes to escape persecution and find peaceful worship in these valleys? How can the debt of gratitude possibly be paid by the descendants of the Martin and the Willie and the other handcart companies for the faith of their forebears? The descendants of these pioneers can partially settle the account by being true to the cause for which their ancestors suffered so much to be part of."

-James E. Faust

i love The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and i am proud to be a member of it!

i am grateful for the pioneers that paved the way for my eternal happiness.

i am grateful to know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, i can be with my family forever.

-the wife

Zach's Horror Show

2011-07-22T18:32:00.007-05:00

Disclaimer: This post is not for those who have somewhere to be. I got a little carried away. You better be ready to dedicate a good portion of the next 10 minutes reading/enjoying it. Without further ado, I present Zach’s Horror Show!

Let me give a prologue… Imagine this day: Teenager. Home alone. Don’t remember why. Concerned about hygiene – I know, big surprise. So, having the freedom of being home alone in a family of 7, I proceed to walk around the house in the nude before going in the shower. I don’t even bother preparing any clothes or a towel for when I get out. Why? Because I don’t want to, and I’m free!

I hop in the shower, not so much concerned about hygiene as I am about enjoying a hot, relaxing spray.

*Intermission* Have any of you seen the movie Arachnophobia? Remember the shower scene? If you do, just keep that in mind. If you have never seen the movie, it’s a classic. Oh, and by the way, you’re uncultured.

You know that stage in the shower routine when you wash your face and your hair? Often, in my shower routine, during this stage my eyes can be closed for a good while. Well, when I opened my eyes on this particular dreadful day, during that particularly dreadful shower, what did I see dangling right in front of my face? A spider. Now, I wish I could tell you it was a big, hairy, ugly black-widow or something. That may have justified my subsequent actions. No. It was just one of those super small and super ugly, nearly see-through spiders.

Now, if any of you were in the house at that moment, you may have thought a 9 year old girl had just accidentally cut her arm off. Nope. That was me trying to scare the spider into submission with my shameful squeal. I proceeded to swipe at the dangling arachnid, all the while trying to climb/slip my way out of the shower. Out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor I continue to swat and slap every square inch of my skin as a safety precaution. After all, if there was one dangler, the chances are pretty high that there would be a thousand other spider friends all over my skin right?

Afraid that my squeal was heard by a newcomer to the house, I shamelessly run through my home making sure that nobody was present during my… episode. Only later did I remember that I was still naked.

There’s your prologue. The point is this: I’m not a bug person. There are plenty of things in my life that could prove my masculinity and MANness, but this is not one of them.

Last night’s story was similar to last decade’s story in a few aspects. Fear of bugs, check. Added shame of not being entirely clothed, check. Girly squeal, check. Anyway... back to last night... I strolled to the living room to grab my phone prior to retiring for the evening. Upon picking up my phone I decided that I was thirsty, naturally. I flip on the lights and took a few swigs of H2O from a glass. I go to slam down my cup on the counter and see the largest cockroach I have ever seen in my life. He had found his watering hole in the form of a tiny puddle of water next to the sink. He stopped -- I swear on my life he looked at me, and then he continued slurping.

A few emotions went through my head in a matter of 5.3 milliseconds. First, utter horror and fear at the sight of the abomination. Second, even more horror and fear that the thing looked at me with its nasty, glossy black eyes and looked away – like some zombie enjoying his meal and deciding to hunt me down later. Third, an unquenchable fury took over as I made the determination to put the roach in its rightful place – hell. Of course, that fury didn’t take me so far as to raise my courage all that much… I frantically look around the kitchen for a weapon. The butcher knife? Though appropriate for a zombie Apocalypse, maybe a little overkill for the roach. The cleaning spray? No, too much risk of the little sucker running away and escaping his doom. The fly-swatter? It will have to do.

As I dashed to grab the swatter my view of the devil-roach was obscured by the wall of the pantry. When I look back, the little bugger had nearly run across the entire length of the counter. In a matter of 2 seconds the thing had travelled 5 feet. Do the math. If it were the size of a human, that’s the equivalent of running 64 miles per hour! If that doesn’t strike terror in your heart… *Zach shivers at the thought* Not to mention the “rat-i-tat-tap” of each of its six, nasty little legs striking the counter at 64 miles per hour. A chainsaw running across my counter would have brought me comfort compared to that tap-dancing cockroach. Luckily, the thing stopped just as I looked at him – like some sick version of red-light-green-light (remember that game?). The red light was definitely on him as I crept toward the beastling. Down flew the fly swatter. Not so scary anymore. I won’t tell you about the stuff that came out of him. That’s just too gross to share. We’re going to try and keep this a PG post.

You think the story is over? Do zombies die by smacking the cream cheese out of ‘em? I didn’t realize that this really was a zombie roach. I grab a paper towel to transport it to its deep, dark grave. I go to grab the thing just as the hairs on the back of my neck finally relax. I just want you to imagine for a moment the absolute, supremely genuine terror that enveloped me as I felt the little hell-bug wiggle out from between my paper-towel protected fingers. Remember the 9 year old girl who accidentally cut her arm off? This time, the squeal was short-lived. I somehow manage to have enough sense not to make too much noise – for Sarah’s sake. The rage returned as I repeatedly slammed down the fly swatter over and over and over again. My ears were ringing with the noise of cheap plastic smacking against counter-top when I finished. Last I checked, zombies don’t reanimate if their head is separated from their bodies. Safe at last.

I’d like to say I won this battle. Don’t get me wrong, the hell-bug is resting in his eternal, bottomless, infernal, garbage-can grave. However, the emotional damage it inflicted may haunt me for the rest of my life. PTSD. If you don’t know what that is, look it up. Any encouragement in the form of flowers, a friendly phone call, or money to help me cope with my condition would be appreciated. Till next time folks… lock your doors and shake out your sheets.

one very rotten apple.

2011-07-22T11:45:00.003-05:00

remember the days when almost nobody carried a cell phone and just seeing one was a novelty?
yeah, me neither.
which is why i was pretty upset when this happened:

i drop my phone all the time.

it's been knocked off my dresser, fallen from the bathroom counter,

shoved off the kitchen table, etc.

but the moment it falls out of my hand, {less than two feet from the floor might i add}, it shatters.

at least the bloody thing still works, or you might find me sitting in a corner in the fetal position, rocking back and forth.

it's more than a pain, trying to pick out the glass slivers in my hands every time i use it.

i love apple, but this is absolutely unacceptable.

not only because phones shouldn't be made of glass in the first place, but there are so many cases exactly like this and yet the warranty doesn't cover one bit of it.

i call for a strike!

who's with me?

-the wife

our cool family.

2011-07-21T13:02:00.000-05:00

i opened up facebook yesterday and was welcomed by this video:

these are our brothers, jeff and derek.
yes, the same derek that i referred to as "special" in my last post, to which i was reprimanded for.
he is only special in the sense that he is freaking hilarious!
i'm pretty sure he could make lord voldemort laugh.
i just wanted to let the world know how awesome our family is.
that's all.

-the wife

p.s. for 'dude that's nothin-basketball style', click here.

the beehive state.

2011-07-15T11:55:00.001-05:00

we just got back from a week long vacation in good ol' utah.

we dropped off the plane and it was a whopping 80 degrees.

that's a 25 degree difference from what we've been living in!

it felt heavenly.

we made it there just in time for the eaglewood fireworks on saturday:

{sitting on the lawn, waiting for the fireworks to start with our special brother derek.}

{they were huge! 2nd time i've been able to go to these. definitely a tradition i want to keep up.}

on monday the fourth, we went boating with our pal vince and his familia:

then went to the the manti parade:

{this picture made me laugh...only in sanpete.}

and we were lucky enough to be able to see double fireworks for the weekend:

{it made for a really pretty view with the temple in the background!}

The rest of our week was spent fourwheeling,

playing in the snow up skyline drive,

eating snow cones and ice cream,

going on picnics,

having mallow roasts with the cousins,

going on walks,

playing bocce ball,

and croquet

and making tin foil dinners.

one of the biggest highlights of the week, was being able to go to my best friend's wedding!

she looked absolutely gorgeous!

the entire day was beautiful.

needless to say, i think we packed everything good about a vacation all in to one.

it was so good to see our friends and family!

besides getting sunburned multiple times, we couldn't have asked for a better trip.

it will definitely go down as one of our top five favs.

-the wife

rants, raves, and ramblings.

2011-06-30T11:16:00.002-05:00

isn't this song adorable?
it about makes my heart melt.
i found it as i am sitting here procrastinating writing our wedding thank you notes.
yes, we have been married 6 months and i haven't sent them out yet.
i am kind of a failure when it comes to things like that.
two days ago was actually exactly 6 months that we've been married.
it's so crazy how quick time flies!
it seems like yesterday i was just going on my first date.
do you remember your first date?
i went to the movie 'cars.'
when we got there, i turned around and my best friend was sitting behind me.
i. was. so. mad.
i'm pretty sure there were some not-so-nice things written in my journal that night.
then you turn the page and the first thing you read is "i'm not mad at kaitlyn anymore."
that's the epitome of our relationship.
we could never stay mad at each other for very long. {except when trying to draw magnifying glasses}
speaking of cars, did you know there's a cars 2?
sequels usually blow.
kind of like transformers 2.
i've tried watching that one 3 times and have fallen asleep every time.
i hear transformers three is pretty good though.
your thoughts?
we are going to it tomorrow night in san antonio and i'm super excited.
why are we going to san antonio just to see a movie, you ask?
we are flying to utah on saturday!!
i am so giddy about this trip.
as giddy as seeing a new puppy.
speaking of puppies, did i ever tell you that we bought one?
meet jetta:

isn't she adorable?
sad story: we bought her and sold her a week later.
i know, we're pretty pathetic.
we can't even hack having a puppy.
it was fun while it lasted though. {sort of}
kinda like "it was fun while it lasted" when my brother bought me
a puppy for christmas a few years ago.
we put it in the laundry room for the night and it had diarrhea all behind our washer and dryer.
dis-freaking-gusting.
speaking of christmas, zachary and i have talked about spending it on our own this year.
obviously it would depend on where we are at, our leave situation,
and if we could afford going home.
i'm wondering though, what was your first christmas away from home like?
was it a good or bad experience?
would you recommend it for our first christmas as a married couple?
i can't imagine not being with my family for christmas, but since i have a new family now,
it might be fun to start our own traditions and such.
speaking of traditions, i had better go carry on the tradition of writing
thank you notes for our wedding gifts.
i promise i am grateful for everyone that supported us!
i just have a hard time keeping a long enough attention span to get the job done.
peace out.

-the wife

leaky faucet, coming through.

2011-06-27T13:59:00.006-05:00

i've never cried in a movie before...until the other day, watching p.s. i love you.

i don't know what it was, but the thought of ever losing zachary seemed so unbearably awful that i couldn't keep myself together. {cheesy, i know}
but if you look at it that way, then it was a good cry. right?
wanna know what else can make me cry?
this video:

works every time.

being married and loving someone enough to know that your whole world would be a wreck without them has turned me in to one big bawl baby.

i sure do love that husband of mine!

-the wife

every cloud has a silver lining.

2011-06-18T21:46:00.001-05:00

picture this:

camping.
in tents.
no grass.
lots of dirt.
and wind.
105 degree weather.

that about sums up my week.

i was able to go to girl's camp with my church as the camp director.

it all sounds miserable {and to be honest, some of the time it was} but i actually had a lot of fun!

it wouldn't have been nearly as great if it weren't for these cute ladies:

{l to r: marisol, amber, kathryn, yours truly, alisa}

i've only known these girls for a short time, but they have already been such a huge example to me! i am so grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. maybe moving around so much isn't a bad thing after all...

-the wife

Abusement Parks - Zach checks in

2011-06-10T16:32:00.000-05:00

I’ve had several requests from friends lately to give some sort of update/post/whine/whatever. “Sarah O’ my heart” does a great job at giving the day-to-day, ins-and-outs of our situation. However, I’m feeling the itch that must be scratched! … Don’t read into that too much… It’s a metaphor for: I’m feeling the need to tell people about my life!

Since D-day, that is Demolition-of-My-Career-Induced-Irrevocably-by-Barfing Day, I have been granted quite the cocktail (not that I would know) of emotions. Let me take you on a tour of these emotions.

First stop: The abusement park known as Dizzyland, not to be confused with Disneyland. Surprisingly, they do have a lot in common. You will find plenty of roller-coasters at Dizzyland; however, they aren’t the roller-coasters of fun. Instead they are roller-coasters of disappointment, inadequacy, and (let’s be honest) fear. To dream of something since I was 5, to see every single thing line up JUST right for the last 7 years to set me up for the realization of my dream, and then to see it come crashing down in a matter of a few days is, to say the least, a big roller-coaster of disappointment, inadequacy, and fear. Luckily, I only spent a few days in Dizzyland.

After Dizzyland, I visited Irony Land. Irony Land is peculiar. I didn’t even know I was there until I saw the way I was reacting each time I glanced at my flight suit that I will never wear. Before D-Day, I witnessed the attitudes that many non-pilots (not all of them of course) had toward pilots. There was this underlying tone of vehemence and jealousy in everything they said to, or did for the pilots. I thought to myself, “pilots aren’t too bad. Why can’t anyone get themselves to do more than just tolerate them?” Funny (ironic) thing is, after visiting Irony Land, I am one of those people. I find myself fighting the insistent urge to cast judgmental glares at the sea of flight suits walking around me in Irony Land. It’s not that I’m jealous in the sense that I would want to sabotage any of them or anything. More accurately, I hope they know what they have.

Brief digression: Just last week, a pilot-trainee was kicked out of the program just weeks prior to graduation for breaking a stupid-simple, but important rule. Why risk something that is so valuable to so many? For every pilot in the Air Force, I would argue that there are probably 20 people/kids/kids-at-heart that would kill to be in his/her position. So, DON’T be a dingle-berry! Appreciate what you have!

Next on this strange vacation is a place known only as ResignationLand. This is the place where all you see around you are signs of abdication: a comfortable pseudo-suede couch, a HUGE bowl of ranch popcorn, Seasons 1-6 of Lost, World of Warcraft, and zombie books. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I kinda like this place. It occupies my time, takes my thoughts away from my troubles, but it sure is hard to leave. Kinda like Hotel California… *Zach hangs his head in shame knowing that Sarah will have no idea what he is referring to, but is quickly cheered knowing that Mark Christensen will, that is, if he ever reads this… he is cheered again knowing that SOMEONE will… right?* Anyways… Don’t get me wrong, I don’t spend ALL my time there… just more than I should *cough*.

When I can take myself away from ResignationLand, the other bemusement park (oh wow, I am just full of witty puns today aren’t I?) that I visit on a daily basis is Don’t-Give-Up Land. This park can be quite rewarding, if you can get through it. At least, I have to believe that as I sit at my desk at work writing this blog post. You see, I am now sitting in Don’t-Give-Up land. Though ‘at work,’ I find myself bored and yearning for the next non-bemusement Park to come my way. I have been tasked with a temporary job that the Air Force has given me where my potential isn’t seen and my skills under-harnessed. I understand why they did it. I’m getting paid, and I must do SOMETHING after all. I get that, but have you ever been given a temporary job that has no effect on your overall career or skill set? It can be difficult to take seriously. Yet, seriously I take it – because it’s not in me to do a half-hearted job.

Yes, I trudge on. If only because that’s what I have always done and it has always paid off. After all, I have a lot to be grateful for. I have a beautiful wife that has never failed to thank me after 1,000 car-door-openings. I have a roof over my head. I am healthy *Zach is transported back in time to November 2009 – the last time he was truly ill – remembering the fun times with Derek playing Mario Party for 5 days straight.* I’m $till getting paid. God is watching out for a family member and keeping him from dying in a potentially horrible car accident. I will be taking a 9 day PAID vacation in July. The Lakers met humility this NBA season. There are a lot of fun movies coming out this summer. I have a tootsie roll ready to be eaten in my pocket. AND, last but not least, I have full confidence that someday I will come across my favorite amusement park: I’m-So-Glad-God-Took-the-Pilot-Opportunity-Out-of-My-Stubborn-Fingers-to-Give-Me-My-REAL-Dream-Job Land. That place is out there somewhere, and I’m going to find it!

-the husband

facts and confessions.

2011-06-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

i love cold pizza.

i was on a spelling team in elementary school.
and a math team.
if that doesn't say nerd, i don't know what does.

i have zero wisdom teeth.
and allergies.

i am a mormon.

i am so ticklish that massages almost aren't even worth it.

i sleep-talk and on occasion, sleep-walk.
just last week zachary woke up to me standing on our bed, whimpering because
i thought i saw a spider.
i don't remember a thing.

i am number four out of six children.

sour patch kids and swedish fish are my guilty pleasures.

i can be very shy at times.
i hate it.

i am addicted to biting my nails.

i want to own a truck someday.
and a dog.
that seems like the perfect combo for an ideal camping trip.

i love camping.

jealousy and grudge-holding are my biggest downfalls.

my mom used to cut my meat for me before every meal.
right up until i moved out of the house.

i wish i had stuck with playing the violin.

i am terrified of bridges.
mostly because i am terrified of drowning.

i have gone a year without candy or soda.

my favorite movie is thirteen going on thirty.
i love jennifer garner.

i am self-conscious about my body.
my legs in particular.
i've never been confident in the way i look.

when i was eight, i wrote my name with my left hand on my dresser.
just so i could blame it on my little sister.

i want to train my body to like waking up early.

i took swimming lessons when i was in 8th grade.

i'm afraid of getting a job because i'm afraid of failing.

i have had the same friends since i was ten.
so making friends is a struggle of mine.

i love doing things spontaneously.
it makes me feel free.

christmas is my favorite holiday.
i love looking at the lights and listening to the music that comes with it.
there is definitely a different feeling during the month of december.
kind of like the feeling you get at disneyland.

oh, i love disneyland.
it's magical.

i love my hair in french braid pigtails.
i want to learn to do them to myself.

i love being with level-headed people.

i want to travel the world.
winning this giveaway would be a great start.

i am so done with living in del rio.
i can't wait to visit utah and see our family in just a couple weeks!!

-the wife

weekend getaway.

2011-06-07T14:48:00.006-05:00

zachary and i splurged a little this weekend.

and by splurge, i mean we drove to san antonio and went to sea world!

i realized that most of the fun things we've done in the past couple months have to do with animals; going to the zoo, visiting the aquarium, and now this.
not to mention, the animal safari in san antonio that i want to go to as well.

i feel like we're five or something.

i still loved it though.
we were able to feed/pet dolphins:

their dolphin/whale show was pretty entertaining too.

besides the fact that it smelt like throw up and the lady behind us squirted us both in the face with a water balloon, i'd say this was our favorite show.

and of course, what is sea world without shamu?
honestly, this show was pretty lame.
the only cool part was when shamu did a flip and soaked everyone.
other than that, it was just a bunch of fluff about saving the planet.
not my idea of a good time.
it was still awesome to see live killer whales though!

considering we didn't have to pay to get in, {yay for military discounts!} i'd say it was worth it.

we also went to austin to visit my brother and sister-in-law.

we haven't seen any of our family since march, so it was a nice little reunion!

while we were there, my sister-in-law, carli, made us these delicious

pumpkin pancakes for dinner.

you have got to try them.

i have been craving them since we left.

it was a great weekend minus all the driving!

that's what we get for living in good ol' del rio i guess.

we should know in the next month or two when we will be leaving this place!

i'll be sure to let ya know.

-sarah

p.s. i ordered a burrito this weekend that was the size of my hand.

for the record...i have really big hands.

just thought you ought to know...

the big 2-1.

2011-05-29T17:08:00.006-05:00

i turned 21 years old yesterday!
it was one of the best birthdays yet.

it started off with breakfast in bed from my charming husband.

he sure knows how to make some mean german pancakes.

he then sent me on a scavenger hunt to find my presents.

they consisted of a game, a movie, some things that would be
inappropriate to share with you ;), and a pinata!

i have always wanted a pinata for my birthday!

we beat the crap out of that thing.

now we eat ourselves sick with the junk food that was in it.

my favorite present though, would have to be my new sewing machine!

{i apologize for the blurry image. there was lots of excitement/commotion going on.}

he knows me so well.

i've been saying for weeks now how bad i wanted one!

my first project will be to make this pillow:

isn't it beautiful?

i discovered it right after we got married and seriously fell in love with it.
but there was no way that i was ever going so spend 25 dollars to buy it!

i found an awesome tutorial on how to make it though and i'm going to give it a go.

chances are, it'll end up disastrous, but i'll let you know how it all turns out.

we went to dinner at my favorite restaurant in del rio: jitra thai cuisine.

i had never eaten thai food until i met zachary and it has now changed my life.

want to know what else has changed my life?

dr. pepper.

you know how most 21 year olds are excited to drink alcohol and gamble?

well since i don't do either, i decided to celebrate in another way.

first, confession time: i've never drank a caffeinated drink before yesterday.

i went out on a limb at dinner though and ordered my very first caffeinated dr. pepper.

you can all laugh, but that was one big step in my life that i will never forget.

we wrapped up the night by watching kung fu panda 2.

i know it's a movie for kids, but i have to admit that we really liked it. a lot.

it was super funny!

i think half the entertainment came from all of the little kids' goofy laughs in the theater.

oh and you can't forget the birthday cake!

fun fact about me: i am not a chocolate fan.

so seeing me in this picture:

blowing out candles on a chocolate cake is a definite first.

but this isn't just an ordinary chocolate cake.

it's a chocolate molten lava cake.

it's the easiest, most delightful recipe that you could find!

it really was a wonderful birthday.

big thank you to zachary for making me feel like a million bucks all day long!

and thank you for the cards and 'happy birthdays' from all of my family and friends.

love you all!

-sarah

our humble abode.

2011-05-27T16:01:00.002-05:00

remember when i made a goal to get my house clean and liveable?
well i am finally finished!
i know i said that i also wanted to paint and decorate, but considering we aren't going to be in this house for as long as we planned, i decided to hold off.
since everything looks decent though, i can now give you an official tour!
for starters, this is what it looks like from the front:

not exactly the prettiest thing you've ever seen, but it's good enough to call home.
our grass is actually a lot greener than that now, so that's one plus!
you walk in the front door and you will be planted right in our living room:

this is where most of our cuddling/watching-lost action goes on.

i love this room!

connected to it is our beautiful dining room:

...and by beautiful i mean bland, boring, and lifeless.

yes, we know that this is a sorry excuse for a table.

we've been married 5 months and still haven't bothered to buy one.

thank goodness we got this little beauty for our wedding or we would be eating on the floor!

next is our kitchen.

what looked like this when we first moved in:

now looks like this:

that calms my nerves just looking at the after pictures.

i think my favorite part about our kitchen is this bad boy:

it was a christmas gift from my mom and dad and i absolutely adore it!

it is beginning to become my very close friend.

and you can't forget the laundry room, right next to the kitchen:

small and quaint, but it gets the job done.

we love our washer and dryer.

it took us a while to take the plunge to buy them, but it has definitely been worth it.

they even sing us songs when a load is done!

just around the corner is this hallway:

have you ever been to young house love?

it is this incredible site that features a young couple that love to decorate and design.

they have so many cute ideas and i want to use one of them for my hallway someday.

this idea consists of a collage of white frames filled with anything as fancy as a wedding picture or as simple as a bird feather.

my favorite one will be a long horizontal frame with the words "you are my sunshine" sewn on white cardstock with thin yellow yarn.

i hear those words often in a day from my cute boy and i want to make
them a part of our home.

the first door on your right down that hallway is our office:

we found this sweet awesome desk at wal-mart for really cheap.

probably because the quality is really cheap...

it has worked well for us though.

other than that, we don't have much to put in here.

someday, i want a nice comfy couch.

maybe red or yellow.

and a bookshelf or two with loads of good books!

this will definitely be the room to go to for peace and quiet.

the second door on your right down that hallway, is our guest bedroom:

considering we don't have any kids and we never have any guests, this room is nothing special.

it has become our ironing/store-our-junk-in room.

but, in case that makes any of you shy away from visiting us, i can promise you that we do have a nice queen size mattress and clean sheets that you wouldn't want to miss. :)

now back to the hallway, the second door on your left would be the bathroom:

if you go through that door on the back end of this picture, it also leads you to another bathroom that is connected to our bedroom.

we treat it kind of like a his and hers bathroom set-up.

i decided not to show you pictures of mine since it is the number one room in the house that i struggle the most with in keeping it clean.

curses to being a girl and needing a billion things to get ready with.

and last, but not least, here is our lovely bedroom:

loads different from the last time you saw it, eh?

see that little soccer ball piggy bank right there?

that's where we are saving up all of our change {literally} to go on a trip to disneyland!

we are making some major headway with a whopping $75.65.

only a few hundred more to go!

i can't even begin to tell you how great it feels to have a clean house!

i feel so blessed to be where we are right now.

life is good and seems to only get better with time.

-the wife

water safety instructor

2011-05-24T13:26:00.004-05:00

it's official!

i am the newest red cross certified wsi.

{don't mind the crazy hair}

i never thought i would say this, but i love swimming.

i was a lifeguard in high school and i only worked during the summers because if you wanted

to work during the school year, you had to swim a mile every month.

some might not think that's bad, but i hated every second of it!

after taking this class and being in the water so much, i have gone to the pool

everyday to swim for my work out and swimming a mile has become a breeze!

i like it more than running because you don't get sweaty and gross and it gives you a good
cardio work out while at the same time, toning/building muscles in your legs and arms.

i get bored of the same old work out routine, so it has been nice to shake things up a bit.

i am super excited to get better at it!

i am going to san antonio tomorrow to get lifeguard certified as well.

i'm kind of nervous because it's been so long since i've done any of the rescues and procedures.

i could really use the job though, so i hope and pray i pass....wish me luck!

-sarah

i believe...

2011-05-18T14:42:00.002-05:00

...crocheting has therapeutic effects. seriously, i have been craving nothing more than to watch t.v. and crochet the night away this past week.

..."peace train" by cat stevens can make the saddest person in the world feel slightly happy inside.

...maturity has less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated and more to do with being able to control what comes out of your mouth.

...facebook should receive a reward for being the best form of procrastination and the number one reason students hate finals week.

...family dinner is one of my favorite times of day.

...weddings make me feel nostalgic.

...down comforters are hot. and i'm not talking attractive hot. i'm talking way-too-warm-to-even-be-worth-your-time hot.

...money is a lousy way of keeping score.

...awkward situations are only awkward if you make them awkward. {try saying that ten times fast}

...snail mail is far more exciting than e-mail.

...a pedicure will do wonders in making a girl feel confident about her feet.

...i want a sewing machine and a cricut. then i will be able to do more than half the projects on my craft list.

...i need to learn to be less competitive.

...weekend getaways are something to live for. i don't know what could be better than not having to worry about anything and getting zachary all to myself. it's like a mini honeymoon!

...dishes should learn to do themselves. i am sick of being their slave!

...tickle fights are bittersweet. they may make me laugh, but that doesn't mean i like them.

...running is good for the soul...and for the bum!

...women need to come up with a different solution to problems. ice cream tastes good until 20 minutes later you feel fat and bloated and realize you just ate 6 times your weight in calories.

...thoughtfulness makes a good person. everyone appreciates someone that goes out of their way to make them feel noticed. the world could use more thoughtful people in it.

...i married my best friend.

what do you believe in this week?

happy birthday.

2011-05-13T16:52:00.002-05:00

today is a special day.
today is my best friend's birthday!
she's turning the big 2-1!!!
sadly, it is the first birthday in 9 years that we haven't been together for.
i have been through thick and thin with this girl.
we are a team.
like bert and ernie.
superman and clark kent.
milly and vanilly.
this once in a lifetime friendship started back in the 7th grade.
she had just moved into town and i'll be honest...i couldn't stand her. i thought she was loud and obnoxious. we started 7th grade and it turned out that she had every single class with me.

awesome.

a couple weeks later, i broke my leg. thank goodness kaitlyn liked pulling around wheely backpacks! she wanted nothing more than to pull mine around. she stuck with me for the next six weeks, getting my door, carrying my tray for me at lunch, waiting for me when class got over after everyone else left me in the dust. i realized that maybe my first impressions of her weren't the best ones. we have been inseparable ever since. i can't even count the nights that were spent sitting in her basement cuddling and watching movies, just the two of us, or the number of phase ten games we've been through {a freaking lot!} or the gallons of ice cream that we have eaten because of stupid things like boys. i honestly don't know how i would have gotten through life without her. she is seriously like a sister to me!

here are some of the things that make kaitlyn marie averett so great:

she throws super great tea parties!

she doesn't judge me when i look like poop squish from having a gigantically swollen face,

blood shot eyes, and a broken collar bone.

she goes shopping with me, just for the fun of trying on ugly clothes.

she has been with me for every big event in my life.

she's my number one home slice.

she keeps me young by stuffing me with junk food. always. caramel popcorn in particular.

she's been on just about every single vacation i've ever been on.

she makes me laugh.

she is there for me when i do scary things.

she is so pretty!

every girl deserves a "kaitlyn" in their life. someone that they can count on to be there no matter what. i am so grateful to be able to call this girl, not only my best friend, but now my cousin! she will be getting married in just 56 short days and i can't wait to see her again. she is going to make such a beautiful bride! j-dawg is one lucky boy. happy birthday katymay! i wish i could be there to celebrate. love ya.

-the wife

change of plans.

2011-05-09T15:40:00.000-05:00

well, five weeks of being husbandless turned in to two weeks on friday.

conditions were definitely different than either of us expected.

{want the story? click here.}

even though, things didn't go as planned, i couldn't have been happier to see my boy.

i picked him up from the airport at midnight on friday and we

stayed the night in san antonio.

we spent saturday going to buffalo wild wings {best restaurant ever!}, seeing the

movie "something borrowed" {worst movie ever!} and eating frozen yogurt.

in the last three days that he has been home, we have eaten

3 batches of ranch popcorn, watched 5 episodes of lost,

and made ourselves sick with all of the leftover easter candy.

looks like things are back to normal!

we aren't really sure what we are going to do now.

we hope and pray that the review board will decide to reclass zachary, but

who knows, maybe they won't.

we are going to take it one day at a time.

this is really difficult for me to do.

i like having a plan and knowing what to expect.

i guess the only thing we can expect now, is that God will take care of us.

i have full faith in that.

-the wife

happy mother's day.

2011-05-08T23:31:00.003-05:00

dear mom,

i know that you never {ever} read my blog, but i want to let the cyberworld in on a little secret about you. you are the best mom that a girl could ask for. thank you for all the things you have done for me, that at the time may have gone unappreciated. like ripping me out of bed every morning so that i didn't fail high school. or telling me to put on sunscreen before every soccer game so that i didn't get skin cancer. or making sure that i am dating the right boys, so that one day i could marry the right boy.

along with that, i want you to know the things that i have always appreciated about you. like all of the times that you gave me gas money, seeing that i was the worst money manager in the world! thank you for your thoughtfulness in bringing me treats from the grocery store, or from provo, or from anywhere you went really. thank you for making me breakfast all growing up, and still making zachary and i breakfast when we come to visit. thank you for cheering me up when i am sad. thank you for being my number one fan. thank you for being the prime example to me of what it is to be selfless. thank you for your positive attitude towards life. thank you for raising me in the church and never letting your testimony waver. and thank you for giving me comfort in knowing that you are going to spoil my kids rotten someday, as the best grandma in the world. if i could be half the mother you are, i will consider my life a success. i love you mama. happy mother's day.

love,
sarah

p.s. thank you also, for showing me how to be a hard worker. congrats on earning your masters degree!

God bless America.

2011-05-02T01:39:00.002-05:00

so as i was driving on base from church today, the lady at the front gate checked my i.d., gave me a generic greeting, and then slipped in that, "we are in real world force protection condition {fpcon} bravo." {which means there is an increased and more predictable threat of terrorist activity.} i didn't give it a second thought until i was halfway home and i realized what she had actually said. {usually we are in fpcon alpha which is just the general, everyday possibility of a terrorist attack.} i'll be honest, i got a little nervous. i talked to zachary and told him the situation and asked if i should be scared. being the good husband he is, he replied no, told me not to worry about it and just to lock my doors. haha! i was curious as to why the sudden change in fpcon though and now i know:

osama bin laden is dead!!!

i've been watching the news for the last two hours and i am impressed at the response that this breaking news has gotten. here it is 2:30 a.m. and there are thousands of people outside the white house chanting and cheering about their love for this country. there is another group at ground zero singing the national anthem and waving our country's flag. i've heard from a new york lady that lived in the area around the twin towers. she was there when the planes hit. she saw people jumping from buildings and has been scarred since and feels justice from the death of this man. i've heard from a new york fireman that was there the day that the twin towers were hit and he conveyed his pride in our country and our brave troops in conquering the al qaeda leader. a national security official declared this as, "the best day of his life." i've seen numerous facebook statuses of excitement and gratitude in this news. {my favorite being from my sister-in-law, arika...."America: "I see your royal wedding and raise you 1 OSAMA BIN LADEN". England: *fold*"}

i don't understand all the details about this war and why we hate osama completely. everything i've learned has been from one night when zachary got on a "let's culture sarah" kick and proceeded to tell me everything i need to know about osama bin laden, al qaeda, saddam hussein, terrorism, etc. yes, i am very sheltered and naive. i will own up to that. but in all of this, i feel overwhelmed and almost emotional at how blessed i feel to live in this country. i am not being subject to a leader that is raising terrorism and killing thousands of innocent people. i can be whatever religion i want. i can go to school if i want to...or i can choose not to. the point is that i even have a choice! i have fresh food sitting in grocery stores, right at my fingertips. i have clean, running water. i can light a room with the flip of a switch. i can say anything i want and not be punished for it. as a woman, i am considered an equal to a man. most of all, i can feel safe. i am so grateful to live in a country that offers me these everyday freedoms that i take for granted so readily. i'm sure that any of you can agree that life is hard sometimes, but take a minute and realize how good we really have it.

God bless America.

-the wife

end-of-april resolutions.

2011-04-28T13:43:00.001-05:00

i've been on a bit of an ambitious kick recently.

i gave myself my day to be sad and mopey about zachary being gone and

now it is time to get some things done with all of this time on my hands.

i have tried to set a few goals for myself to make the days go by quicker.

so far, they have done the trick extremely well.

i feel really lame admitting this, but we have been in our house for over

2 weeks and i still haven't put everything away from the move.

our house is a disaster.

and of course, the dishwasher just had to break right in the middle of it

all, so that definitely doesn't help my cause.

so my first goal is to get this room:

and this room:

in proper living condition. {don't judge}
right now i feel like i live in a pig sty!
not only do i want to clean them, but i also want to paint/decorate them too.
i'm thinking of a black, gray, and yellow color scheme for our bedroom.
any ideas on how to do it?

goal number 2: read my scriptures everyday.

zachary and i would read scriptures every night right before bed.

he was always been the one that would remember to do it and has taught me

so much in our relationship about gospel things.

he definitely can bring the Spirit into our home faster than

you can say "the church is true".

well, now that he's not here, it's time to put on my big girls pants and

take it upon myself to keep the Spirit in our home while he is away.

i love the scriptures and i love the comfort that i can receive from them.

goal numero tres: visit my brother and sister-in-law.

for a few months now, i've known that they were moving to texas.

they sold pest control in houston last year and that was their plan this year as well.

i've been planning on making the 7 hour trip to see them and have been

quite excited about it actually.

then i found out last week that instead of pest control, he will be selling

security systems and not only will they be moving to texas, but they will

be moving to austin, tx which is only 3 and 1/2 hours from me!!

i was ecstatic when i found out!

i definitely miss my family a lot while being out here, so having them close for

at least the summer will be a huge blessing!

goal #4: become a water safety instructor {aka swimming lessons teacher}

i have been a lifeguard before, so when i got an e-mail last month saying

that the red cross is going to be offering certification classes this summer,

i jumped right on it!

apparently del rio didn't offer swimming lessons to kids last summer because

they didn't have any qualified instructors in the area.

hopefully, this means that i will be one of few so i can get a lot of hours in and be

able to earn some extra cash for me and my honey. {while of course soaking up some extra rays!}

goal #5: lose 5 lbs.
i have been trying really hard to be sure to workout everyday.
the last three days have been awesome!
i get out of bed feeling pumped and ready to go.
as soon as i hit the gym, i feel a burst of energy and can get a
really good workout in.
i know myself though, and i know that this doesn't last long usually.
do you have any tricks to keep yourself motivated?

along with this, everything i have read has told me that it's not
just the working out alone that will shed the pounds.
it is also making sure that you burn more calories than you consume.
well, i want to introduce you to "my fitness pal":

zachary and i have been using this for about a month and we love it!
i've lost 4 or 5 pounds using it already!
it takes into account your gender, your current weight, how much
you want to lose per week, your activity level, etc. and it tells
you how many net calories you should be consuming per day.

it has over 700,00 foods in its database.
i haven't ever had a problem finding a food that i've eaten.
and it gives you all of the nutrition facts for it as well.

it also keeps an organized running total of how many calories you

have consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks.

it's hard at first to remember to keep up on it, but it becomes a lot

easier after a while because it remembers the foods that you have already

eaten, so entering in the information takes two seconds.

the nice thing for those of you with smart phones, is it is a free app,

so it can be with you wherever you go!

those of you that don't have a smart phone can just log onto to

myfitnesspal.com and it works basically the same.

some people think that counting calories is for weirdos and people that

are obsessed with their bodies.

don't worry, i used to think like that too.

but now i've realized that it's not just about wanting to lose weight, it's

about just plain being healthy!

and last, but not least...goal #6: plant our flower garden.

or better yet, plant a yard.

our yard, was basically dead when we moved in.

i wish i had some before and after pics for you.

after having the sprinklers on it everyday now, we have made

some serious progress, but it still needs a lot of work.

my only problem is, i know nothing about gardening or lawn care.

i want to spread some extra grass seed, get the flowers planted, and

maybe do some extra landscaping around our trees to add personality.

i wanted to plant a vegetable garden, but i think it's too hot for that now.

i have no idea what i am doing, so hopefully everything lives!

my plan is to finish all of these things before the big man comes home.

i may have bitten off more than i can chew, but at least it keeps me busy.

i'll keep you posted on what i accomplish!

-the wife

oops?

2011-04-26T16:02:00.003-05:00

i've heard some crazy stories of how military wives can react to their husbands leaving. they lay in bed all morning, crying at any thought of him. after pulling themselves together, they stumble across some sentimental keepsake that was given to them right after their wedding, that on normal days wouldn't even be given a second thought about, but today, it sends them into another episode of tears and tissues because it was a gift from him. they end up locking themselves in their house all day long, wanting nothing to do with the ouside world, while eating junk food and watching chick flicks that end up making them cry even harder. after all of their tears are dried up, it's finally time to go to sleep. they lock the doors, turn out the lights, and crawl into bed, only to be saddened by the fact that he isn't there to cuddle the night away with. which then...ends in more tears.

did i act like this after zachary left yesterday? of course not. did i act like a milder, slightly more controlled version of this? maybe.

all i know is there was a lot of candy eaten:

a lot of time spent wearing zachary's clothes:

loads of snuggling with this guy: {which happens to be sprayed with zachary's cologne.}

and many tears shed. but let's be honest people...as much as i really do miss my husband and i never thought that it would be this hard to be without him {i'm lame, i know} i think the real reason for all of this drama was my subconscious trying to cope with this haircut:

somewhere between the tears and the junk food, my funny little brain thought it would be cool to go all out and change up my hair by getting front bangs and cutting it a little shorter. for some reason, i thought it would make zachary being gone a little easier. no worries, it didn't. instead i am left still husbandless and looking like a boy.

-the wife