Christmas Card Extravaganza

Hello! Yeah, I remember how to blog. It has sure been awhile. I could list off plenty of excuses for why I haven't blogged lately: no photos, nothing exciting happening in my life, blah blah blah. Mostly I am being lazy.

So, if you know me, you know that I love to do paper crafts. Mainly make cards. I found some awesome Christmas paper and have been going to town making Christmas cards the past couple weekends. I love the tan, paper-bag look of the cards. It matches the old world Christmas paper perfectly. Now I don't pretend to be awesome at making cards, I am still a beginner, but I do love it. Not to mention it entertains me for hours and hours so Doug can actually get his homework done. So here is what I have been up to lately. Let me know which one is your favorite.

Date Night: Korean Food and Forts

I have been so behind on blogging. Lost my moment I guess you could say. Work has been busier than ever and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. But no matter, we are doing it now!

About a month ago Doug and I had a fun Friday date. We were feeling tired of our usual restaurant places and decided we wanted to try something new. We chose Korean food and went to Spicy Corea on University Ave. It was a Friday night, so we were expecting it to be crowded and for there to be a wait. We walked in and there was only 1 other person there eating. Score! No wait! We both ordered the beef bulgogi which was very delicious. It is beef that has been marinated in a sweet juice, then cooked with onions and carrots. You eat it with rice, and the rice was purple! The meal overall we would give an 7.5/10. Good food, good service, but a little expensive for our poor income. Ha not that it was an expensive place, it was just more than our usual run to Costa Vida...

After dinner we perused the library for some flicks. The library always has interesting movies that we have never heard of before. And some we realize, we haven't heard of for a reason...When we got back to our apartment I was feeling a little restless and not quite ready to bunker down in my over-sized basketball shorts on the couch for the rest of the night. We had the brilliant idea to make a fort! Yes, we are 5 years old. Building a fort in our tiny apartment, with limited furniture to use as props is no small feet. But with some help from some tape we got a passable fort. We then enjoyed an evening of Julia Roberts in "My Best Friend's Wedding" and pazookies- my first one ever. Made the fort 10 times better.

Throwback Thursday #2

Throwback Thursday. Who started this thing? And why? I mean I guess it is fun to look back and reflect on past memories and good times. I haven't been alive that long, so my throwback only takes me to pictures filled with awkward teenage years, silly high school dress-up days, ugly 90's glasses, and bad haircuts. I suppose if I really try, Throwback Thursday can be quite therapeutic in a way. I get to reflect back and look at how much I've matured (I hope), not to mention how much better my hair looks now. Its fun to remember those carefree days with no bills, no stressful jobs, and really no other worries but if your first name sounds good paired with the cute guy from 4th period's last name. (Such a real worry by the way.)

You are in a for a treat today. Prepare yourself for what I have dubbed Transformation Throwback. I have chosen to share with you my picture from freshman year of high school, and my picture from senior year. Nothing like a transformation photo to remind you how blissful it is to know you never have to go back to being between the ages of 12-14 again. At least by the time I got to high school I was braces-free. Thank you Dr. Haslam for taking those off 8 days before that terrifying first day of high school.

July: Start to Finish

This has been such a busy summer so far. I can't believe we are already into August. Doug and I have both been working full time. Keeps us pretty busy. As usual, I have been horrible at taking pictures. I really should change that up.

July has been great though. Started the month off right with Fourth of July. We made the most of the holiday. Went and saw "Now You See Me." A very good movie I must say. Then we went to my parent's house for a BBQ. And ended the night by going to the Stadium of Fire! Kelly Clarkson! The tickets were my graduation present from Doug. It was so fun.

Kelly Clarkson is down on that stage, I promise! 

July has been filled with mini-golf, swimming at the water park, BBQs, games, and friends.

Last week we went on a vacation with my family. Every year we go to a lake in Washington. We spend all week relaxing by the lake, wakeboarding, skiing, eating ice cream cones, playing volleyball, swimming, and playing games. What a nice break it was from work. Hehe no internet and no cell service. I took a total of like 4 pictures the whole week. I know, I'm awful.

Oh and Doug turned 24! Happy Birthday babe. What a great way to spend your birthday- at a lake. I am so glad that you are mine! 

So July has been quite eventful, even if I don't have the pictures to prove it. Only one more month of summer sadly.  We better make the most of it!

One Entire Year

So slow on this post! Doug and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary on June 1st. The past year went by so fast. Part of me is so surprised that I have already been married a whole year, but on the other hand I can't believe its only been a year. I am already quickly forgetting what it felt like to be single. Thank goodness.

Part 1 of the anniversary day: Waffles made by my sweetheart. 

Part 2: He let me get my hair done. Summer highlights? Don't mind if I do.

Part 3: Going to dinner at a great Italian restaurant. Had a gift card and a coupon. Score! Great food for a great price.

Part 4: Coming home from dinner to this:

My mom had been hanging on to all our extra wedding announcements for an entire year just to bomb us on our anniversary. Silly lady. But it was sure a funny surprise to come home to. We came home the next day from our outing and found our faces all over the parking lot thanks to that wind.

Part 5: Going to the dollar theater to see The Great and Terrible Oz. We spare no expense.

Part 6: Cautiously tasting the top of our wedding cake (which my mother had also saved for an entire year in the freezer). Then really enjoying the cheesecake that Doug and I had made together. 

The best part of the anniversary was spending the entire day with my best friend. The past year has been the best ever. Everybody said that the first year would be the hardest, and if that's the case then I say bring on the rest!! I can't wait for the years to come. I love you, Doug.

Just Me and My Dad

This being Father's Day I thought I would take a moment to reflect on my own father, who I love very much. I think there is a special bond between fathers and daughters that just can't be replaced. I am so grateful that I have such a loving father who taught me so much. Sure we had our battles (what daughter and father don't?) but we have had some great times together.

My dad and I are very similar. We both have similar tempers, which can usually be manageable, unless we are together, in which case if there happens to be a point of disagreement we must battle it out (very loudly), even if the issue is who left the basement lights on which is a dumb thing to fight about. We both have wide feet. We both like to be funny. We have enormous sweet tooths (sweet teeth?). We love the Oregon Coast. We like to win. We like to drive aggressively assertively. We like to give advice to others, with the best intentions of course.

"Just Me and My Dad" is a one of my favorite childhood books. Little Critter and his Dad go on a camping trip. Little Critter is too little and young to do lots of things and keeps making mistakes like knocking down the tent, and letting a bear take their freshly caught fish. But the best part of the story is that Little Critter and his dad get to spend time together, just the two of them.

Thank-you, Dad for spending time with me, just the two of us. Those are some of my favorite memories. I loved going on walks with you and talking about everything- boys, college, careers, and movies. Oh those late nights of math homework trying to explain things a different way than the teacher did and making it ten times more confusing. At least we got the right answers in the end. I loved working on the Young Women's pinewood derby car with you (which we totally won). Thanks for teaching me how to water-ski, play softball, mow the lawn, and ride a bike. Where would I be without a dad like you? Thank you for being a great dad! I am so glad I have you to turn to when I have questions about finances or computer issues. Thanks for being a great support in my life. I love you.

Giving me some last minute advice on marriage. 

Throwback Thursday #1

This is my first "Throwback Thursday" post. I kind of like the reason to reminisce. The hardest part is thinking of what part of my past I really want to throwback too! One year ago I was eagerly counting down the days till my wedding. My family was getting all packed up to drive to Oregon where the wedding was going to be. It was a good time.

But that is not what I wanted to focus on today. In celebration of the first throwback ever I wanted to go ALL the way back. I'm talking 21 years back. Back to the beginning of my life. Is that a far enough throw for ya? Plus I am pretty vain when it comes to my baby pictures. Chubby cheeks, cute smile, what's not to love?

Okay, vain moment over... Thank you for scrolling!

And We're Back!

I have been so remiss in posting on my blog. I am not sure why. Probably because I feel life at the Parker's has been somewhat uneventful lately. I haven't felt the need to share the on-goings of my life recently. I have indeed been still crafting, trying new recipes, and spending lots of time in front of the TV (i.e. had plenty of time to blog).

Here is an assorted list of what I have been up to lately:
- Made a wreath. It is so cute and perfect for summer!
- Bought a plane ticket to Oregon!! So excited to visit my gre
en home again.
- Taught a little class to some of my friends on how to curl hair.
-Went on a hike with my best friend Doug. We got on a totally wrong trail and took an hour long detour straight up a hill. Needless to say my buns have never been so sore!
- Made dinner for my wonderful mother on Mother's day.
- Have been attending a Zumba class. Still unsure how I feel about the whole Zumba thing though, but that is another blog post topic.
- Bought a new swimsuit!
-Skyped with my brother who is in  Ukraine.
- Tried to go off of sugar for 4 weeks (Hey at least I tried).
-Had a Saturday Slurpee run last week after sunbathing by the pool.
-Went to Lagoon in the rain.
-Tried sushi (raw fish!) fir the first time.
-Finally bought a bedspread for our bed
-Tried to grow a tomato plant- it died. Oops.

I guess I have been a little busy. I have been really bad at taking pictures though.Sorry! Always room for improvement.

See ya next time! Which will hopefully be soon.

Graduating from College

Graduating from college is a bittersweet thing. College was so fun and I grew so much in the past 4 years. Facing the real world is a scary prospect. I feel so blessed to have been able to get a degree at Brigham Young University. It was my dream to come to this school every since I was about 8 years old. Yes, I was one of those weird kids that was thinking about college when I was 8. But it was definitely the best decision I ever made to come to Provo for school. I met wonderful people, including my husband, and had great professors. I would do it all over again in a heart beat. (Except finals). It is almost unreal that I am done with school since that is all my life has consisted of for the past 16 years. But I am so excited for the next chapter of my life. I have been working already for two  months at an awesome advertising agency here in Provo. I love the work and I love that I was able to find a job so quickly and so close to home. I am so blessed.

Easy Wall Decor Craft

About time for another blog post I'd say. We recently enjoyed watching General Conference this past weekend. It is a conference that takes place twice a year where our church leaders speak to us. They give us direction, counsel and teach us of Christ. If  you want to learn more about it, you can check it out here. I especially loved Elder L. Tom Perry's talk. I saw him in person like a week ago at a big, fancy dinner I went to for work. I was literally like 6 feet away from him and we smiled at each other. What a sweet guy.

During the Saturday session I tend to like to do a craft. I decided our walls needed something new. I love how it turned out. The craft was actually a lot quicker than I thought it would be. So quick I might make more!

How the wall looked before- A crinkled poster I bought 3 years ago. Lame.

Now pretty patterned squares instead of the poster.

So what I did was take 4 six-inch cork board squares. I traced them on a piece of scrapbook paper. I applied a distressing ink on the edges and corners of the paper to make them seem a little worn and it gave a nice edge to the paper. Then I modge-podged the paper on the squares and stuck them on the wall! So eeeasy. It would be fun to make some bigger ones too. We bought a new couch last week. No not actually new. Ha...funny. Ya we are too poor for that. We bought a new, used couch. The couch is tan so I wanted to incorporate a little more color into the room with the tan. I was originally looking for purple paper, but it just didn't exist unless it was too 10-year old girl purple which is not the look I was going for. But the green and blue turned out nice.

Oh and I forgot to mention how inexpensive the craft was. I already had the modge-podge. The paper was 50% off at Hobby Lobby and I used a 40% off coupon on the cork board. The whole thing cost maybe $8.40. I think the crinkled poster was more expensive than that. I will gladly give it up.

Before hanging them on the wall.

Our little tiny minuscule apartment is starting to feel more and more homey (home-like?) all the time.