i can't help it

it may shock some to find out that i grew up in an anti-country music family. neither of my parents are into it (major understatement), so i grew up thinking i hated it, even though i honestly had never even tried it out.

when kendrick and i started dating, i was appalled to find out he listened to the stuff. "isn't it all just about dead dogs and broken hearts?" i'd tease him. finally, he showed me the country songs he liked, and as hard as it was for me to admit it... i kind of liked the stuff.

pretty soon, i found myself turning on country music on our long drives down to richfield. eventually, i started making country playlists on my phone, and finally, i started listening to it when i was by myself. i know, i know... sorry mom and dad.

something that we always talked about was going to a country concert together. it has been on our bucket list for two and a half years... until we finally made it happen last saturday night. two of our absolute favorite country singers were playing at usana- jason aldean and thomas rhett. yes and yes!

we were happy to have kendrick's cousin shelby join in on the fun!

without sounding too cheesy.... the concert was everything i hoped it would be and more. we had fun singing and dancing to every single song, and people-watching all the drunk fans definitely topped the night off.

we also found out that my crush on thomas rhett is stronger than ever and can't be tamed. kendrick snapped this completely candid photo of my face when thomas rhett came out on stage.

 i just... i can't help it.

we are already planning our next concert... luke bryan, anyone?

we'll see you there.

kendrick and kendrick

our good friends marcus and loni invited us down to logan to do some boating at bear lake, and be there for their baby's blessing... baby kendrick adam lichfield. i'm not even making this up- my kendrick adams and little baby kendrick adam. pretty cool, right?

unfortunately, our day at bear was a cold and gloomy one, and i could think of a thousand things i'd rather do than dip one toe into that icy water. kendrick was a lot braver, and tried out some wake surfing, which he was really great at! however, once he fell into the water he was completely numb and called it quits for the day.

once everyone was done boating, we hopped into a hot tub for some thawing out, which felt incredible as it even started raining a bit. we enjoyed getting to know all of marcus's friends, who were some of the nicest people ever!

kendrick and i went off on our own after that, and treated ourselves to some pizza and shakes. i started feeling pretty sick at this time, so we decided to book a hotel in logan, rather than stay at marcus and loni's house (i didn't feel like dominating their bathroom all night, if you know what i mean...) luckily, we found an awesome last-minute deal at a marriot, and enjoyed relaxing and watching movies for the remainder of the night. 

the blessing was the next morning, and marcus did a beautiful job!

(big kendrick and baby kendrick)

after church, everyone met at a park nearby for some food and chatting. thankfully, the weather had cleared up a ton by this point, and it ended up being a gorgeous day!

before we headed back to salt lake, we decided to take a mandatory stop at the temple. i mean... how do you not?

we have two more trips planned for bear lake this summer... crossing our fingers for better weather for at least one of them!

the glory days

in honor of my six year anniversary from graduating high school (yes, SIX), i've been reminiscing back to those glory days. i've really been giving plenty of thought as to what i wish i would have known, and what i wish i would have done differently (you know, basically, everything).

1. eyeliner is not your friend. i have no earthly idea as to why i was so inspired to look like a raccoon for four straight years of my life, but i have plenty of cringe-worthy pictures because of it.

2. ap classes. i am so, so jealous of anyone who knocked out college-level classes in high school. i can't even fathom how much money that could have saved me.... and i'll continue kicking myself over it for years to come.

3. two words: purple shampoo. i'm pretty sure my bleach blonde hair resembled a lemon head for about two years... it could have definitely used lots and lots of purple shampoo toning lovin'.

4. build friendships that last. i'll admit that i didn't fall into the best group of friends (specifically in my last two years of high school), and i really wish I was more cautious about who i let into my life. needless to say, i learned a lot about what attributes make a true friend, and i've kept my guard up since. it's so important to surround yourself with people who raise you up and bring out the best version of yourself.

5. get more involved. i was a student body officer in junior high, and absolutely loved being in the loop on events and clubs. i always wanted to continue that into high school, but at some point i lost the desire to be involved in school at all. i still get a tiny bit jealous when i flip through a yearbook and see people involved in numerous clubs and groups. i mean, isn't that what high school is about?

6. boys, boys, boys. i really wish i dated more, and not only that, i wish i chose to surround myself with good guys! all i remember from high school is having boyfriends and drama, drama, drama. don't get a boyfriend in high school!

7. your parents know best. okay, i know i'm not the only one who was convinced their parents were trying to ruin their lives. but looking back, i realize that all their warnings and endless lectures were really just them trying to ensure that i had the best possible childhood. as i've gotten older, there are so many time i think back at my teens and think "i can't wait to tell my children not to do that". i now realize that's what my parents were doing for me- trying to stop me from repeating their mistakes. wisdom is gold, people.

8. slippers are not shoes. yep, i'll shamefully admit it. about fifty percent of my senior year was spent wearing slippers to school. #regrets

9. be yourself. high school is really just a maze of hallways filled with people trying to find themselves. how they want to dress, what group they want to fall in, and who they want to be. i was always so eager to fit in with the "cool kids", that i forgot to be myself and let people see the real me. i wish i stayed true to myself and my religious standards.

honestly, i will always have a bittersweet outlook on my high school years. while there are many, many things that i wish i could go back and change, there are some valuable lessons that i wouldn't change for the world. i learned a lot about myself walking through those halls, and i like to think that part of who i am today is because of it.

cheers to high school!

and without further adieu, a few pictures from those magical, magical years....

 what's senior year without embarrasing mirror shots with your friends? also, that phone, though.

we came, we saw, we left

this past weekend was beautiful but so, so hot!

we decided to embrace the heat, and headed out to temple square on saturday afternoon to do some sealings at the temple, and enjoy the beautiful scenery downtown. 

once out of the temple, we asked a lady to take a picture of us... and she proceeded to take pictures of every possible angle. why can't all picture takers be as great and as thorough her?

 (two of the seven pictures she took)

we spent the rest of the afternoon walking around city creek and going through shop after shop... honestly one of my favorite things to do. 

on sunday, we headed out to kendrick's parents house for dinner with his family. chase and karissa were there, and it was so much fun having everyone together. while driving home, we decided it was way too pretty outside to stay cooped up in our apartment for the rest of the evening, so we headed out to the great salt lake (something on our summer bucket list). while the lake was blue, sparkly, and beautiful from a distance... it smelled absolutely awful the closer we got.  as soon as we arrived at the waterline, we turned right back around to our car.

we came, we saw, we left.

a night at the carnival

we spent last thursday night at the south jordan carnival (thanks to a helpful tip from chris and jade letting us know all rides were only one ticket that night!) i absolutely love carnivals on summer nights and you certainly can't beat the food!

for dinner, kendrick got some nachos while i pigged out on some waffle luv (totally my guilty pleasure). once we were done eating, tawny and keegen met up with us, and the four of us had fun chatting and playing some carnival games. either kendrick's aim has gotten significantly worse... or those carnival games are impossible to win. let's go with the latter.

i have never been on a carnival ride (out of fear of dying), but we decided to toughen up and try one out. we decided on "orbiter", which is basically the ride "scrambled eggs"... times ten. kendrick can't do spinny rides, and decided to sit out on that one (he said he had more fun watching our facial expressions anyway).

tawny and I were laughing our heads off the entire time because it was going so fast. towards the end, i had to hold my hands over my mouth because i was sure my dinner was about to come up. don't worry... it didn't, but it sure freaked tawny out, haha.

chris and jade were at the carnival as well, so we had fun catching up with them for a little bit.

once we had enough carnival for one night, we headed over to tawny and keegan's house to play some games. it was a great nice with some really, really great friends.

beach time and baseball

we woke up on saturday morning feeling drained from all the sun we had the previous day, but anxious to get out of the hotel and explore. our first stop was a small shopping district, where i found a cute little crepe and gelato shop. i treated myself to a strawberry, cream, and chocolate drizzled crepe (healthy, oh so healthy). for kendrick, we found a sea food shop nearby, and he ordered some mouthwatering marlin (i don't usually do seafood, but marlin, i most definitely can do).

after our brunch, kendrick found some comfortable benches while i did a little shopping. once i was finished, i decided to join him. it was then that i had the wonderful idea of taking advantage of our beautiful surroundings, and putting our self-timer to work for another picture. I strategically propped kendrick's backpack up on the bench across from him, and set my phone on top of it, making sure that the picture was in focus and even. finally, i set the self timer and was about to make my way over to sit by Kendrick for the picture when... a nice old man came a plopped right down. hahahaha.

i just love kendrick's confused face as he tried so hard not to laugh.

yep, still laughing.

we then took a lyft (just like uber, but since we made a new account, we had lots of free rides to redeem!) over to del amo fashion center, which was a super nice mall. the first thing i saw when i walked in was kate spade, which in my opinion is just one of the best sites. and of course, i had kendrick take my picture with it. it's tradition.

while we were at the mall we discovered a car rental service attached to the sears. while taking uber and lyft the past day was all sorts of fun, we decided it would be easier to have a car for the last day. and luckily, there was a cheap rate and it was a done deal!

after the mall, we headed out to newport beach for one last look at the ocean. i absolutely love newport beach- it may just be because that's where the show the o.c. took place, and i feel a weird sense of nostalgia being there- but either was, it really is gorgeous. we walked the pier for a bit and took a few pictures. 

and the most handsome husband award goes to...

again with the palm tree pictures. #cantstopwontstop

after we got our beach fix, we drove to our next hotel in anaheim, which was about an hour away. the hotel ended up being in the perfect location, as we had tickets to an angels game that night, and you could honestly see the stadium from our hotel room. after changing into some slightly warmer clothes, we walked the short distance over to the stadium (which also meant not having to deal with parking, score).

when we first got to the stadium, we asked a man to take a picture of us, which turned out like this:

#blurry and hello, kendrick's awkward left arm!

so naturally, we found someone else to take a picture.. who ended up being a slightly intoxicated blonde girl, who was chugging some pregame drinks with her friend (yeah, not the best choice of a photographer on my part.)

anyways, here is the picture of us in front of the stadium that she took:

oh, that's right. she didn't take one! haha she was honestly so drunk, that she held up my phone as if she was taking one, but must have missed the button. #fail

then, she asked us to move over to get a picture next to the big hat:

just tilt your head a little bit, it will look better, i promise.

and lastly, she told us about the "perfect" photo opp, where you take a selfie with the hat behind you, and its supposed to look like the hat is on your head.

nope, didn't work. kendrick still looks quite hat-less here.

we decided to give up on trying to get a decent picture in front of the stadium, and headed in to find our seats (after buying kendrick a new baseball hat in the gift shop, of course! #tradition)

finally, a picture i like!

the game was a blast- filled with nachos, hot dogs, and all the dipping dots you could ever want or need. sadly, the angels lost... but let's be honest, i was just there for the food.

the game ended with some fireworks, which not only topped off our day but our whole trip, as were were flying back out to salt lake the next day.

now, we're just counting down to our hawaii trip in.... 84 days!!!!! please come faster.

love me some beach time with the cutest guy i know. 

a weekend on the beach

back in march, i was sitting on the couch thinking of fun things we could do this summer. i knew the summer would be filled with carnivals, frequent sno cones stops, plenty of time with family and friends, and a few trips to the lake. however, i knew one thing was for sure, i needed to see the ocean this summer (yes, needed.) so right then and there i hopped online and bought kendrick and i two round trip tickets to los angeles over memorial day weekend. 

well, the weekend quickly came and gone, and i must say, it was a pretty good idea on my part. 

(the sky was absolutely stunning as we flew out- pastel colors everywhere)

the best part about the flights was that they flew out on thursday night at eight pm, allowing us to get all of our traveling out of the way that night and wake up friday morning in our beautiful hotel room in sunny california. our hotel the first night was incredible and had a balcony that overlooked the sparkling blue swimming pool. 

can i just say- it's really hard to get pictures when it's just you and your husband traveling alone? i mean, am i the only one that hates asking strangers to take a picture? anyways, i really wanted a picture of us on the balcony with the pretty pool in the background and that's when the backpack tripod, self-timer setting, and a cardboard stabilizer came into play.  

(yes, i realize that you can't even see the pool... but the picture is clear and somewhat even... so we'll take it).

after our mini balcony photo shoot, we checked out of the hotel and walked the short distance to a breakfast cafe nearby. after breakfast, we had an uber pick us up and take us to our next hotel (we were going to stay two nights in the first hotel, but found a much cheaper rate at one nearby).

once our things were unloaded in the second hotel, we had another uber pick us up and take us to the beach. the driver of this uber was a super cool old man that gave us plenty of tips on great beaches, things to do in los angeles, and even took us on a mini tour through a gorgeous neighborhood that overlooked the ocean.

he dropped us off at hermosa beach- neither of us had ever been and apparently there was a festival taking place there all weekend in honor of memorial day. as luck would have it, the festival wasn't officially starting until the next day (when we'd be on the other side of town), but we still had fun walking through the shops and enjoying some of the attractions that were already set up.

the next four glorious hours were spent laying on the beach, enjoying the warm sun and the sound of the waves rolling in. yes, it really was that relaxing and we really did lay out that long (my very, very burnt body can testify of that).

once the winds started picking up, i decided it was cold enough to justify leaving the beach for a bit (yes, only i get cold in seventy degree weather). we wandered over to a nearby creamery called "paradise", and i couldn't think of a name more suited for the place. hands down, the best ice cream either of us have ever had. i would be in serious diabetic trouble if that place found its way to salt lake, not even joking.

afterwards, we headed across the street to a really cool restaurant to grab kendrick some lunch. he settled on a burger called the napoleon, and i kid you not it was about the size of my head. 

once lunch was finished, we contemplated getting another uber to get us back to our hotel. however, after punching the addresses into the app, we decided to do some walking to cut down the fare a bit. not only did this allow us to walk off some (a tiny fraction) of the food we just ate, but it also gave us a chance to see some beautiful houses in the neighborhoods lining the beach. 

and lets just talk about this beauty of an entrance- wooden trellis and doors, vine covered walls, quaint yellow house, and bistro lights strung across the yard. yes, yes, and yes. 

(and i can assure you that once this trip was over, my phone was full of palm tree picture).

once we reached manhattan beach, we decided to take an uber the rest of the way back to our hotel (our walking had split the fare in half!) the rest of the night was spent hot tubbing at our hotel (which eventually lead to quickly jumping in the freezing pool due to our aching sunburns), and then hanging out in the hotel room. 

you could say it was a successful day to start off our weekend on the beach.