New View.

This is my new view. 

Monday through Friday 9:30-5:30. 

It's been 3 weeks, and so far I really do like my new job. But there are still days I just don't want to get out of bed and I just have to remind myself that job means house then babies.

I also cut 9-ish inches off my hair last week. Still adjusting to that. One perk is not spending 20 blow drying my hair, which in my book is FANTASTIC.

1. Super awesome notebook from Michael's (I bought like 10)

2. New backyard plan

3. Robot cupcake tree for littlest Nephew's birthday next week.

Yup, that's work. 

Besties.

My bestest friend in the whole world in South Africa right now on the World Race. She left in September and won't be home until August of 2012, and will only be home for a week before she moves across the country to attend Johns Hopkins for her graduate degree. 

I am so super proud of her and she amazes me everyday. Even though we are the same age she is someone I will always look up to, I can't imagine where my life would be without her. 

We aren't just besties we are sisters. 

Love you James, and come home safely. 

If you would like to follow her adventure here is the link to her blog http://jamiesmith.theworldrace.org. 

September.

Goodbye August. Hello September.

I'm still at my parents where the weather is already cool and the leaves are changing. Fall is in the air and I can't wait until it finally arrives in Utah.

Now that it's the 1st, the official birthday countdown has begun. Husby and I turn 26 in a couple weeks (we are two days apart) cra-zay! We will both have the week off and I see camping, hiking and lake time in my future, and hopefully country dancing. Husband if you are reading this I think we should have birthday weekend, celebrate mine on Friday and your's on Saturday. So you should probably plan for everybody to go dancing that night, and by you I mean I'm not going to do anything but show up. Please and thank you.

I'm off to finish the 500 invitations I am working on for my friends wedding, they are taking for.ev.er. 

Our 24th Birthday Camping Trip

Home.

Trails to explore. 

Creeks to float on. Bikes to ride. 

Birthday's to celebrate (Happy Birthday twin brothers!). 

Tons of puppy time. Trips to the beach.

And lots of family time. 

I love being here.

Country.

Husband and I were talking about buying our first home today. Where we wanted it to be, how much we wanted to spend, when we would be able to start looking (still seems forever away because we are saving up a HUGE down payment), and of course what we are looking for. I'm 98% positive I have been thinking about my dream house since I was 5. When I was younger I wanted to be in the middle of a big city, Portland, OR to be exact, but now all I can think about is being in the country. It's really strange to me because I grew up as a total city girl and you couldn't pay me to go to a farm, camp, or really anything outside. High heels and shopping, that was me every. single. day. Even if heels were incredibly inappropriate for the occasion, I was wearing them. My padre has so many stories of 'Danielle and her horrible shoe choice.' Beach, heels. College campus tour, heels. You get the idea, young me = high maintenance. Now when I think of my dream home, I think of land with a little house near a smaller town. Somewhere our future children and our animals don't have to be fenced in and there are no worries of busy streets. Somewhere I can have a ginormous garden with chickens and maybe a couple horses. Oh and you know what would be perfect.... a big red barn, but I'm pretty sure husband won't go for the horses, chickens or the barn. boo. Oh well I guess until that time comes I have my country music and my little garden to keep my thoughts company.

My super cute new apron, my wicked awesome bee slippers and I spent the afternoon together.
I LOVE being a stay at home wife. It's pretty much the best.

P.S. Please ignore horrendous floor, a) it's filthy, all 4 dogs were in most of the day and b) it will soon be leaving my life forever. 

Today.

My little brother called me today to tell me how he is going to buy a German Shepard after he graduates from college and name it Kaiser Von Sprinkles. That kid cracks me up. He is constantly making me laugh with pictures he's drawn while he should be paying attention in class, or some highly offensive joke that he has come up with.

While I was running today (I'm up to 4 miles a day, finally) I realized a couple things...

1. Either my family or husband and I need to move closer to each other because this long distance thing isn't working for me.

2. I am almost halfway to my running goal!!!

3. I really really REALLY need to put more effort into my shop if I want it to be successful and not just a hobby.

4. My once a week manicure isn't going to cut it, neither is my once a week pedicure if I keep kicking things like table legs and scraping all the polish off. Yeah it was painful and I'm pretty sure the whole coffee shopped heard me squeal.

5. It needs to be summer. now.

Saw this on my run today. Random.

Depression.

First of all super fun title right? Yeah I know, let me just preface this post with this:this might not be the most jolly sunshine post but it's something I struggle with and it has a happy ending. Plus it's going to be long and most likely lack pictures. The end. Now onto what I would like to say.

I have decided over the last few months that this blog is going to be about my everyday life and be more like a journal for me than anything else. Something for me to look back on in the years to come and remember what life was like with just husband and I. Also a place for me to write, and hopefully become a better writer, which I would love to do. It has taken me a while to figure out exactly what I want to write about, how much I want to share, do I just share craftiness or everything? It doesn't sound like that big a decision, but for some reason it has been for me and I think that's why I have forgotten about it for the last ...oh I dont know 4 months. I'm hoping that I will find joy in blogging again and stick with it.

Not many people know that I have depression. Not the 'oh I've had a bad my whole life is ruined' but there are periods of time where I don't want to get out of bed, let alone leave my house and the rare occasion where I don't want to go on. I don't want people to think I had a tough life because I've had anything but. My family is pretty much leave it to beaver and I love them all so much. My childhood was amazing, we traveled, I never knew what it was to want, I got good grades and was excelled in soccer. Looking back now my life has been a-maz-ing. I have been completely blessed and if someone were to ask me why I was sad I wouldn't have a single reason to give them, which is really hard for most people including my husband to understand. I won't go into too much detail but a couple years ago I was in a really bad place and by the grace of God my life was saved. Since that time my life has done a complete 180, I found out what it was to be happy again and met the absolute love of my life. He makes me smile and laugh until I cry and loves me when I have bad days and don't know how to go on. As I sit here writing this he is sleeping and I am thinking about the family I have been blessed with, a church that I am growing to love and that I get to live my absolute dream, plus the bestest friend a girl could ask for. God is so so good. I don't know where I would be without Him, most likely not here. This is pretty heavy stuff and thinking about everything that has happened makes me want to cry. But I just remember that I get to wake up tomorrow go for a long run, play with my four puppies (I know 4 dogs, right, what was I thinking agreeing to this), and be crafty all day long. I LOVE my life and best of all I'm here to live it.

Totally different subject but my mom came down this weekend, and it was the best. I love when she comes down. We spend all day shopping (literally we left at 11 am and didn't get home until almost 10pm) and then finish the day off with cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. I can tell her anything and she always has the best decorating ideas. She is one of my best friends and I wish we lived closer so I could see her all the time, maybe someday.

Today has been a long day with church, field trips with our friend Sean and dinner with our fantastic friends Misso and Steve. I heart them, and we always have the best time. I am more than ready for bed and to begin tomorrow.  Goodnight moon.

This is how I wake up. every.single.morning. As soon as my eyes open Maximus think it's playtime. 

Oh hello 75lb dinosaur. 

Prayer meeting before service.

Oh and my camera decided to die. Lovely. So until I decide which one I would like to buy and then actually do it, enjoy the iPhone pictures. 

Much Love

Friday.

On Friday my sister Melynda and I were in charge of our nephews for the day. We had so much fun playing with them, plus we fed them cookies all day. (After10 days in Utah their diet is completely ruined, sorry Michelle.) We ran a couple errands and then took them up to the mountains to play in the snow, our oldest nephew had been dying to play in the snow since they got here, the youngest didn't seem too happy about it. While Melynda and the oldest had a snowball fight the youngest and I sat in the car being warm and playing with our phones. 

We went to Disney on Ice on Saturday and I will post pictures of that later on today. Sunday as I was getting ready for church I started to feel terrible. I was really hoping whatever it was would go away but by the time church was over I felt even worse and then when I woke up Monday I knew it was my good friend strep throat. I seriously might need to start coming to terms with getting my tonsils taken out, but I will think about that another day.

Much Love,

October.

It's finally fall! I love love love October and Halloween, it's pretty much my favorite time of year. I was out of town this last weekend so I need to get all of my decorations out and get to it. Husband finally decided on our costumes for this year, they will be super easy and fun. I really only have to make my costume, and I might not even have to do that. Sa-weeeet! So much is going on right now! I have 5 new cupcake tree/cake plate designs to get up in my shop plus a couple other new things I'm working on. Plus the October craftival is next weekend  and I don't have any product for that, *sigh* I need to get busy and manage my time.

Over the weekend we went to my parents to celebrate their 30th anniversary with our friends and family. It turned out really well and for once in my life I didn't wait till the last minute is start preparing everything. Oh and we finally took a family picture, I don't remember the last time that happened.

Much Love,