california, part two

we woke up bright and early on Monday morning... I mean how could we not? we were going to Disneyland! after a quick breakfast in the hotel lobby, we were on our merry way.

we were firm on not paying the ridiculous prices for Disneyland parking, and were pretty excited when Kendrick came across a parking spot in a neighborhood about 15-20 minutes from the park. however, looking back on everything, the shuttle ride to and from our car would have been great after a long day of walking at Disneyland- but I am happy that the money we saved was spent on more fun things, like trying all kinds of treats within the park.

when we finally arrived at the park, I could hardly contain my excitement. we were in Disneyland! I hadn't been in over ten years, and I had so much nostalgia walking around the cobblestone paths, remembering bits and pieces of my childhood spent there. but honestly, there was a lot that I didn't remember, so I'm really happy that I was alongside my cute disneyland-enthusiast husband who knew where we needed to go and what we needed to do first.

note: I absolutely love that we went in October, as the entire place was decorated for Halloween. so much fun!

our first ride was Space Mountain, and our wait in line didn't exceed ten minutes! I was blown away by the quality of the ride- because while I'm a fan of Lagoon, those rides just don't even compare to how well done Disneyland's are... not even a little bit.

we quickly hit all of the main attractions- including Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, Cinderella's Castle, and the Haunted Mansion. the Haunted Mansion by far had the longest wait, but it was also the most fun to look at, as the entire place was decked out in spooky Halloween decor.

we decided to tour the park a little bit after this by going through shops, taking some pictures, and grabbing a treat. obviously, I couldn't resist a dole whip, so that's the first thing I purchased. we were also on the hunt for "first anniversary" badges (basically, disneyland carries badges for all occasions, and all you need to do is ask guest services for one, and they'll give it to you for free!) however, to our disappointment, the "first anniversary" badge was getting redesigned, and that was the only one they didn't have! but, they did have "happily ever after"... I guess that will do. :)

funny story about this picture- I told Kendrick before our trip that I absolutely wanted a picture with us both in Mickey and Minney Mouse ears- I mean, in disneyland, that picture is a must. however, we soon realized that all of the booths in disneyland literally only sold Minney ears with big bows on top (I'm assuming Mickey ears weren't a top seller.. as most guys don't view walking around as a mouse "manly"). Kendrick was sure that he had gotten away with taking this picture, when towards the end of the day, we finally came across a pair of Mickey ears, sporting a wizard hat and all. so, long story short, I got my picture, and Kendrick lost a portion of his man-card.

we spent the next few hours going on lots of rides (specifically Splash Mountain over, and over, and over) and taking even more pictures. by 4 o'clock, our feet were incredibly sore, my toes were just about rubbed raw (I literally picked the worst shoes ever), and I had a very upset stomach that was requiring me to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes. we decided to head out around 5 o'clock, which really didn't matter, as the park was closing as 6 anyways for Mickey's Halloween Party. we literally raced back to the car as quickly as my limping and stomach-holding self could handle (this is where I really wished we would have done the shuttle thing).

once back at the hotel, we decided it was best to stay in and gear up for a full day at California Adventures the next day. the hotel's front desk was super sweet to send us up a bottle of wine (as they knew we were there for our anniversary), and then we sheepishly made our way downstairs to let them know we don't drink. but, they were super understanding and allowed me to trade it in for some ice-cream instead- score. 

stay tuned- our California Adventure post coming up next!

california, part one

what better way is there to celebrate a one-year anniversary than going to Disneyland and acting like a couple of eight year old kids? we honestly couldn't think up a better way, so that's exactly what we did.

our flight took off from the Provo airport on Sunday, September 27th- the day after our anniversary. "Provo airport?!" you're probably thinking. yes, not only does an airport in Provo in fact exist, but flying out from it's Allegiant airlines made our round-trip tickets $100 each. I just don't think there's anyway to top that, and that price was definitely worth the small and cramped plane and lack of complimentary drinks and pretzels.

we landed in sunny Los Angeles around 10:30 a.m. I'm not going to bore you with our travel fiasco for the next two hours, but let me just say, we were fed up with LA at around 10:36 a.m.. despite all the trouble we had with getting our rental car and the stuffy traffic everywhere, we were on the road and on the hunt for food around one o'clock. our gps search for the nearest In-N-Out Burger led us to the college town of UCLA. I'm sure it was just the food, but both of our moods brightened significantly as soon as we were fed, and we both kept commenting on how much fun this college town looked. there were seriously students everywhere, and they all seemed to be having such a great time!

in need of a nap, we decided to drive to our hotel in Anaheim. Kendrick and I were extra clever when booking our hotels for this vacation. using up all of our accrued Marriott points, a credit for a free night, and Kendrick's employee discount, we ended up paying for only one night ($40), out of the four nights that we'd be in California. of course, doing it this way meant we were in a different hotel every.single.night, but we figured our entire days would be spent at Disneyland or the beach, so as long as we had a place to sleep- it didn't matter!

after some much needed relaxation time, we decided to break out of our hotel room that night and visit Newport Beach. I am so happy that we did, as we got there just in time to watch the gorgeous sunset. Kendrick and I walked along the beach for a while, letting the waves crash against our feet as we excitedly talked about what was in store for the rest of our vacation. we were headed to Disneyland in the morning, and neither of us could hardly wait.

reupholstered dining room chairs

while we search for our own place to live, there is one thing I cannot stop doing, and that is decorating every single square inch of that future place in my head. I can't wait to decide where each piece of furniture will go, and what colors the walls should be, and adding little accents to each room that will make the entire place come to life. while this is fun, and creating "house wishlist" boards on Pinterest is drastically entertaining, there is one teeny tiny problem- furniture is expensive.

along with every other girl on this planet, I am constantly referring to Target's website for my furniture and decorating needs. while it provides plenty of inspiration, Target is dangerous. Sure, one piece of furniture there is affordable, but who stops at one piece at Target? you find a small bedside table that you like, and conveniently placed next to that table is a lamp that would look perfect on it, and then you turn to the next aisle where you find all sorts of trinkets and doodads that compliment the desk as well. before you know it you are at the checkout purchasing a duvet cover, two night stands, three throw pillows, and a jewelry holder that you simply can't imagine your life without from that point forward... I rest my case. 

one of the first things on the list that Kendrick and I need are tables and chairs, and these Target chairs have been taunting me ever since I laid eyes on their gorgeously tufted selves. 

but, as most things in life are too good to be true, each of these chairs rang in at $100 each- making it $400 for a set of 4. yeah, my husband and bank account are both telling me a big fat no on that one. however, after stumbling upon this gem of a pin right here, I knew that not all hope was lost... at least not yet. I absolutely loved so many things about this tutorial- the high back chairs, the simple no-sew reupholstering steps, and most of all, the price to do it all. 

to be honest, this whole project idea had slipped to the back of my mind for a month or so before I came across these four beauties at the DI.

beautiful, right? Just kidding, I know they are absolutely treacherous. but, the potential! I loved the high backs, the clean lines, and most of all, I loved the basket weaved back because it gave me the perfect stencil for tufting. at $8 a pop, these puppies were sold.

because these all needed to be painted/stained before any reupholstering, I decided to buy only the first-stage supplies. this included:

* spray paint- make sure that it's the primer type

* stain- I did Dark Walnut for mine

* cloth

* paint brushes

the first step was removing all of the seats from the chairs. this was super easy, and only required a screw driver. I was able to remove all of the seats and dispense of that horrible fabric in a matter of minutes.

as for the color of chair legs, I totally stole the idea from the tutorial on Pinterest. basically, what I did was spray paint each chair gray, and once that was dry, I painted on the stain. after the stain dried for about 20-30 minutes, I grabbed a cloth, and rub it off. it ends up leaving behind a weathered wood look that I absolutely love!

before:

after:

next came the beginning stages of my reupholstering!

for this, I purchased:

* full sized bed topper- this is so much cheaper than foam

* 1.5 yards of batting

* 2.5 yards of fabric (we chose a gorgeous cream linen, similar to the fabric on the Target chairs)

* spray adhesive

* covering buttons (we purchased these)

* nylon cording (we purchased this)

I am so angry at myself because I completely forgot to take pictures during the process. but I will explain it best I can!

first, I spread my mattress topper out on the ground, put each chair on top, and traced (with a sharpie) the outline of each chair's back and each disconnected seat. then, I cut out my pieces and with my spray adhesive I was able to attach each each piece of foam onto its coordinating seat, and all of the foam to each chair's back.

next up is the batting! I cut out the batting big enough to cover each seat and each back, with about a 1.5-2 inch allowance (this allowed me to wrap it around and staple it in back). once the batting is stapled on (it should be holding the foam in nice and tight), you're ready for fabric!

covering the chair with fabric is the exact same process as the batting- cut out your pieces in the same shape as your foam, but with a 1.5-2" allowance for stapling.  be sure that your fabric is as tight as you can get it- this will really pay off when you start tufting, as it looks so much better.

now you are on to tufting! before starting, I made all of my buttons. I had no idea how to do this, but this tutorial really helped, and button covering ended up being really fun!  like I had mentioned before, having the basket-weaved back on these chairs gave me the perfect stencil for spacing out my buttons and ensuring that it all lined up nicely.  if your chair doesn't have this, I would suggest a ruler and maybe even sticky notes to mark where you want to prick the fabric each time you thread a button through. tufting my first chair was honestly trial and error- after completing the chair, I realized that one of my rows of buttons was too high, so I cut the cord in back, and started over.

as you thread your buttons through, be sure to pull tight when tying them off in back. if you're using the wax cord that I linked above, this may cut up your hands a bit and make them quite raw. But it's all in the name of a successful dyi project!

once you're done with this step, be sure to get a good look at all your buttons- as this is your opportunity to fix any mistakes! ensure that you like the spacing of the buttons, the tightness of the tufts, or anything else that may look "off" to you. once you attach the backs onto the chairs, it will be very difficult to go back and correct anything.

and now onto the last step- the back! the easiest way to do this is finding a sturdy piece of cardboard, cutting it out in the exact same shape as the chair, covering it with fabric, and stapling it on!

quite the transformation, right?

kendrick and I are really happy with the way the chairs turned out and how they compliment our table. and the best part? it cost less than $100 to make all four.

ready to reupholster and tuft your own kitchen chairs?

the story of us

i'm kimberlee. i'm currently working as an executive assistant, where i get to daily exercise my love for organizing, creating spreadsheets, and being in control of schedules (yes, i am aware of how nerdy that sounds).  i love interior design, diy projects, binge watching on netflix, and having any excuse to throw a baby or bridal shower. i also have an irrational addiction to all things kate spade that i don't think can be tamed.

and this is kendrick. he is currently working as a medical research assistant and going to school, in hopes of working towards a career in the medical field. when his head isn't buried in books, kendrick loves playing the guitar, killing terrorists on his xbox, doing anything deemed "manly". and going to the movies (just so that he can get a large popcorn).

we were married on september 26th 2014 in the salt lake temple. the story of how we met is my favorite- as it's pretty much the story of pam and jim from "the office". i was the receptionist who had my eye on the cute guy in sales, and lucky for me, he had his eye on me too!

together, we love scary movie marathons, sushi date nights, weekend getaways to park city, traveling to new places, and devouring an unhealthy amount of buffalo wings. 

we keep this blog as a record of our life together, because we love it and want to remember it- every single part of it.

welcome!

one year down...

that's right! Kendrick and I made it to our one year anniversary on September 26th! honestly, I don't know why I just phrased it like that, because let's be real, Kendrick is just about the easiest person to be married to.

we spent the morning at the Salt Lake temple, reminiscing the perfect morning that we had there exactly a year ago. whenever I think back to my wedding day, I am flooded with emotions. I envision the precious time Kendrick and I had alone together in the celestial room before our sealing, or kneeling across from him in the ceremony, or hearing the words that we were sealed for eternity... I feel nothing but peace and love from those memories. that was such a special day for me, and what I felt in each and every one of those moments, I know I will never forget.

the plan was to do some sealings that morning, but due to the women's conference being held that weekend, the Salt Lake temple was closing within a half an hour from the time we arrived. we decided to grab some breakfast at the Lion House pantry (in honor of our wedding luncheon that was held there). sadly, we weren't craving any of the lunch items that were being served, but they did offer us some hot and delicious rolls (and they were also free- win, win).

after breakfast, we headed over to the Legacy Court apartment complexes in Midvale to put down a security deposit on our new place. earlier that week, I had received a call from the office manager letting me know that an apartment would be opening up within a week (we were on a waiting list for one in November). it was super nerve wracking to bump up our move-in date so far in advance, but Kendrick and I both felt good about the decision to move sooner than later. we were thrilled to find out that our unit was on the third floor, and compared with all of the others that we've looked at during our extensive apartment hunt, this unit was actually pretty nice!

I wish I could say that the remainder of our anniversary was spent doing something exciting, adventurous, or even romantic, but to be honest, it was spent at home packing. we were headed out to California the next day and our move-in date for our new apartment was the day we came home. from our trip. if that's not a lot of packing, I just don't know what is.

happy one year anniversary, Kendrick! I mean it when I say you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. you've taught me more about love, patience, and selflessness in this past year than I could have learned in a lifetime. I am so excited to spend the rest of eternity by your side, learning, growing, and watching every single one of our dreams come true.

I love you!

summer nights the lightning strikes so close to our house, all the lights go out. I will sing your favorite song along with all the raindrops falling down. and I will dance with you, till the sky turns blue. I will spend my whole life through, falling more in love with you.

here's to 24...

to say that my birthday weekend was amazing would be an understatement. Kendrick made sure that the weekend was extra special, and he completely spoiled me! married-birthdays really are the best.

I got off work early on Friday and came home to Kendrick and a stack of beautifully wrapper presents. with it being my birthday weekend, I was allowed to open one of them, of course. we decided on the largest one (because I had maybe sorta bought it myself...)... a beautiful new Kate Spade bag! after cleaning up the house a bit, we were off to dinner.

Kendrick and I had eaten at Cheesecake Factory with his parents a few months back, and since then, I could not get the orange chicken that I had out of my head! so naturally, I picked the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner.  in retrospect, for what we spent, I would have probably picked somewhere else. the wait for our table was over an hour long, and my chicken ended up being pretty dry (and Kendrick wasn't too impressed with his fish and chips either). and to top it off, the Cheesecake Factory doesn't even offer free cheesecake for birthdays! what is this?!

we walked around City Creek for a little while, until we decided to call it a night. I'd like to say that we stayed up, doing exciting birthday things... but we were both out by 10 o'clock.

the next morning started early- it was my birthday! I was 24! Kendrick brought all of my presents in the room, and let me open them in bed. I'm telling you... for having such a manly husband, he picked me out some really, really pretty things.

 (candle and bowl from anthropolgie, jewelry box from target, day planner from lilly pulitzer)

we got ready for the day, and headed to a crepe place called Greenhouse Effect Coffee and Crepes (crepes are one of my favorite foods, so Kendrick found this place for my celebratory birthday breakfast). it was a really neat place with outdoor seating underneath a beautiful vine covered pergola. I ordered the strawberries and cream crepe with a hot chocolate and Kendrick settled on the ham, cheese, and egg breakfast crepe. both were delicious!

the next few hours were spent apartment hunting. obviously, not the most fun of birthday activities, but Saturdays are really the only days that allow enough time to do that. however, the birthday gods must have been smiling on us that day, because we were able to find and apply for the perfect place in a prime location. crossing our fingers it works out!

for dinner, we met up with Harmony and Jeff at Rocky Mountain Raceways (tickets courtesy of my dad). it wasn't exactly the best dinner, but you really can't beat free. we watched the races for about 20 minutes before making other plans to see a movie with our friends Colin and Sara. we ended up seeing a new scary movie called The Visit, and it was pretty freaky- even Kendrick yelled out in the theater at a particularly jumpy part.

on sunday, my parents threw a birthday dinner for me and Danny, and Kendrick's sweet parents drove up to attend. we had hamburgers, corn on the cob, peach cobbler, and a heap of brownies in place of a birthday cake... in honor of me. because, how else would you honor me?

it was such a great birthday and I am beyond grateful for my family, friends, and cute husband that made it that way. here's to 24!

we didn't know...

Kendrick and I wanted to do something different for labor day (and when I say different, I mean we weren't planning on staying home watching Netflix). it didn't take long for Kendrick to stumble upon the brilliant idea of touring Timpanogos Cave! going on a little adventure sounded like the perfect solution to both of us.

labor day ending up being absolutely beautiful and we were thrilled that we'd be spending a majority of the day outside, enjoying the weather. Kendrick spent the morning playing golf with his dad and brother, and I had fun sleeping in, watching One Tree Hill, and having breakfast with my family. once twelve 'o clock hit, Kendrick was home and we were on the road to Timpanogos.

in retrospect, going the Provo/Sundance route was significantly longer than American Fork canyon, but in our defense... we didn't even know that American Fork Canyon existed, and that it connected to Sundance. with this little detour, we ending up being thirty minutes late to our cave tour. the nice lady at the front desk explained to us that we could join a later group, and after writing a big scary "LATE" on both our tickets (she made sure to highlight it as well), she told us we should start hiking up the trail to the cave, to ensure that we would be on time for the 3:30 group.

for starters, Kendrick and I were both completely unaware that there was a "hike" in order to get to the cave. I remember when Kendrick first threw the idea of Timpanogos cave at me, he mentioned a "short dirt road", which he honestly thought it was! neither of us are hikers, and I can say that neither of us were ready for the 1.5 hour, three mile hike up the mountain.. we were so not ready.

this was about five minutes into the hike- we got this!

1/2 of the way there... trying to keep positive.

but in all honesty- it was fun! it was a challenge and definitely took some team work (switching off who carried the backpack every twenty-minutes), but when we finally got to the top- we were darn proud!

the cave tour was super cool, and super cold. while we weren't prepared for the hike, we were prepared for the temperature drop in the cave, and each brought a couple of warm jackets. we saw all kinds of funky stalagmites, and my favorite were the ones that you could put a flashlight up to, and the whole thing would glow. the variety of textures that you see on cave walls completely astounded me, and they are all referred to as different types of food, like "cave bacon", or "cave popcorn". whoever named them was super, super hungry.

this giant stalagmite is called the "heart of Timpanogos", as it really does look like a heart hanging down!

the hike back down the mountain was a breeze, and we even jogged about one-third of it. my favorite was jogging past people who were panting and wheezing as they made their way up the mountain, because we looked super die-hard, and little did they know that we were practically crawling up that mountain only an hour ago.

I already can't wait for the next adventure with my best friend, even if it leaves my bum feeling bruised and sore the next morning like this one did.... (TMI?)

probably.