The Fam. Reunion

In July my husbands family had a family reunion. I was a little hesitant when I heard the location, Hurricane Utah, but it honestly turned out to be so much fun. I can't wait to do it all over again.

The only bad part about the trip was that I couldn't take this sweet girl with us. When I was packing up the car I went in the house to get another load and came back out to this. She had jumped in the trunk of the car and she WAS NOT getting out. She wanted to come! She went and played at her BFF's house Zoe, so she had her own fun, but I can't wait until we go on a trip when we can take Scout with us.

We stayed at this great house on the Sand Hallow golf course (that didn't allow dogs). The place was miraculously large enough to hold all 30 some odd of us . . .

. . . and our shoes. This pile grew at least 3x this size by the end of the trip.

One of the main reasons we headed up to southern Utah was for the Shakespearean Festival up at Southern Utah University. Some people saw a number of shows but Jeff and I just saw Le Miserables. They put on an awesome show with a lot of talented actors and singers. Very glad we saw it.

The house was near Sand Hallow Reservoir (no one was unlucky enough to get Swimmers Itch, even though there was a high risk at the time). Most the "kids" headed to the Sand Hallow every day to play, and play we DID!



Here is my sis-in-law Amanda with the wake board. (I wont embarrass anyone by posting pictures of them while they were wake boarding. Don't get me wrong, we have some pretty talented wake boarders in the family, but there is always that look of concentration or fear of falling on wake boarders faces that isn't the most flattering.)

We also did our fair share of para-sailing. Yep, Uncle Kim also has a para-sailing kite in his bag of tricks. I've done this several times on vacations elsewhere so I didn't go up this trip, but lots of family enjoyed the ride.



I think this is my sis-in law Natalie going in for a dip, whether she wanted to or not- haha.

This was more my speed this vacation, I stole some time away from the "kids" and went tubing. I hadn't done this for ages and it was pretty awesome. I snuck a ride in right before the boat ran out of gas. We had to get towed in, which was kind of fun in its own right. Pictured are two of Jeff's cousins. Spending time with family like them is what really made the whole week great!

Sorry for the Instagram Pic



Besides my quick tubing trip this is what I spent most of my time doing at Sand Hallow, cliff jumping! Honestly, it wasn't as fun as I remember, I think I am getting old or something. But it was still a bunch of fun. Some of the cousins got to show off their swimming and diving skills making up all kinds of dives off the rocks.

We even snuck in some hiking. Here the family is up at one of my favorite places, Zion National Park, earlier in the week before I drove up.



This is our cousin Nathan jumping into a small pool up at the Red Cliffs hike I took them on later on in the week. Nathan just got back from his LDS mission. It was so great to see him again. He is pretty much awesome sauce, as you can clearly see from this picture.



Jeff, of course, took his normal role in the family and was a bit of a dork. Seriously, why did he put mud on his face? Not really sure, but he is super cute anyway. Spending time with him and his family this week was so relaxing and joyous. It made me think about what the next life must be like, where we get to spend more time with our family, then say, with strangers at work that we've never met before we got the job. We were both just in the best mood the whole time because we were having fun and surrounded by people that we love and who love us. I don't know if there can be a better feeling then that.

This is a pretty good picture of the whole crew. Not sure if we ever got more people then this all together for one event. This is at the Red Cliffs hike trail head.

On our last full day of the reunion we went to the St. George temple. I did a session with some of the other adults, while Jeff went and did baptisms for the dead with the younger cousins. There were a number of family names that we did the work for in the temple that day, so I'm sure we had even more family in attendance at the reunion that are not pictured ;)

Lastly, we took over a local burger joint for lunch. After that different families started to head out at different times. Jeff and I left the next day, did some killer shopping in St. George and visited with my grandparents (who took us out for an awesome lunch and we had a great visit).

 It was an awesome family get together. I loved getting to spend time with all of them. I hope that my family can get it together and have a reunion sometime soon too. It makes me just want to go hang out with our family all the time. Jeff and I are so blessed to have amazing family so close on all sides!

30 x 30 Completed . . . Kinda

Well, it's that time to see how I actually ended up doing on my 30 x 30 goals.

(italicized is something I've completed since my last post. Gray bolded text is new.)

So, I didn’t get my list done. That’s okay. I still think I did a lot more than I would have without making the goals. Jeff says it’s better to aim for the moon and miss than to aim for the ground.


So here is what I missed:

5) Lose 20 lbs, feel more fit. Lazy
12) Print the disposable camera pictures from our wedding- Didn’t print due to budgetary constraints.
14) Complete 5 crafts from the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Crafts. Lazy.
15) Find at least 5 go-to recipes from "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cook Book." Lazy.
17) Write, record, memorialize my grandparents history. Started, not finished.
19) Decide if I'm going back to school and for what. I decided I can’t decide until at least Jeff is done with school. One person at a time.
25) Get preggo. Working on it, may take some time.
26) If preggo, decorate the cutest nursery ever! Maybe I will get to someday :)
29) Learn how to play my favorite piano song from the Sense and Sensibility movie. Lazy . . . and I have no piano.

Here is what I did that WASN’T on my list:

-Get a new job! (Tell you about it later)
-Paint the guest bathroom,
-Re-do the flooring after our flood (okay, technically Jeff did the work, but I picked the flooring out.)
-Decorate the guest bedroom,
-Upgrade our patio furniture,
-Finally buy a rug for the living room,
-Get a DOG, Scout!

And I’m sure I did lots of other stuff too. I was busy to say the least. I like making goals and would like to do something like this for this next year too, but am not sure what to do. I learned a lot about making goals for the future. Instead of trying to do 5 things from such and such, I need to just start with doing 1 thing. I also need to be more specific in some instances, like "pray more" and more vague in other areas.

This year I was thinking of making a list of things to accomplish each month instead of doing 31 things. I also thought about just trying to do 31 acts of service. Not sure where I’ll end up, and again, I may not succeed at everything, but I’ll do better than if I make no goals at all. I’ll keep you posted.

I'm Old

I know, seems like all I've been taking about lately is my birthday. I just can't believe I'm really 30. When did that happen? I thought I'd be so much cooler by now! Honestly. But, I do want to share some more birthday stuff this week (last week I promise).

This year was a big birthday for me, so I wanted to do something a little different. Low and behold- Groupon came through for me! They had a great deal on a two night stay at the Hard Rock Hotel here in Las Vegas. I thought a staycation - where I did nothing but chill by the pool - sounded like a heavenly idea!

Jeff was a sweetie and upgraded the room for us when we checked in. It is probably the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in. HUGE bathroom, 2 TV's, nice seating area and big ol' COMFORTABLE bed. Afterward Jeff and I both agreed it may be time to upgrade our mattress at home, this bed was paradise!

We went to eat at Dicks with younger sisters our first night we checked in. It was pretty funny- it's a restaurant where the waiters are purposely rude to their guests. They also do funny hats- my sister's said "My Twilight underwear have skid marks." They were the most clever at the table. Jeff's said "What happens in my butt stays in my butt." and mine said "Ex-stripper."

The next night, on my actual birthday, we went to Bahama Breeze. It's a classic family favorite and is conveniently located by the Hard Rock. After dinner we went back to our hotel room and opened gifts from the family with some ice cream cake.

The main event though, and the reason for picking Hard Rock Hotel (along with the killer deal scored on Groupon) was for this  . . .

The pool at Hard Rock is pretty sweet, and I just sat and relaxed for 3 days at it! Let me show you it's amazingness.

Our Groupon deal came with a daybed by the main pool. It was cushy, had misters and a fair amount of shade from the palm trees. Jeff utilized it mostly to read his books. He does the same thing at the beach. I don't really get it?  I however, played with my sisters like we were little kids! (Well, J still is a kid, so she has a legit excuse.)

We went down the slide (not pictured, too much fun for camera phones).

We swam in the glass sided pool and took silly pictures . . .

Also took some sweet pic on the glass bottom pool . . .

Jeff even stopped by on occasion and participated in swimming and photo taking goodness.

I just used instagram the whole time. It was great, no worries that my nice camera would be swiped at the pool!

But after 3 days of swimming it was time to go and celebrate Independence Day. I thanked the Hard Rock for giving me one of my best birthdays ever! (Really only surpassed by my 19th Birthday in Hawaii.) And we went to Jeff's parents house to finish off the festivities.

Jeff's brother Spencer made his famous hamburgers (he makes the best hamburgers I've ever tasted), I got more gifts, we ate yummy food, Jeff swam some more, and we set off some fireworks.

Seriously, I could not have asked for a better birthday. it was so much fun! Somewhere in all that swimming we also fit in playing some dart, a few games of pool, movies, and exploring that huge rain shower and ginormous bathtub at the hotel. I think staycations are going to become a new tradition at the Bame house!

Dirty Thirty

I am turning 30 this week. It really sucks, which is why I call it the dirty thirty. Dirty ol' rotten birthday is taking away my 20's- which were great. Hope that my 30's are even better!

pic

I am out celebrating with my hubster. I'll be back later this month with birthday pic and hopefully Sage's graduation pics. Have a great Independance Day!

Pinterest Pickings- Independence Day

On New Years I made a "I don't really make resolutions" resolution to add one decorative item to my collection for each holiday. Yeah, it's not gonna happen for Independance Day this time round (read: crazy busy at work, with my church calling, and oh yeah- I'm turning 30 birthday extravaganza plans!) , but that doesn't mean that I haven't thought about what I'd like to craft up if I had the TIME.

Made from Pringle cans- how clever. I only managed to save one can, so maybe

I'll make these after I eat some more Pringles!

found here

So cute for a BBQ in the backyard!

found here

These are from Etsy, but it'd be fun to try and make one if you could find awesome paper like this!

found here

I need to learn how to make layered cakes that don't fall apart!

found here

Awesomeness!

found here

For more cute Fourth of July ideas go visit my friends blog here. Victoria is so creative and always has inventive ideas!

Birthday Wishes

A few weeks ago the girls at work were taking about stuff that they wanted, probably for mothers day. I seriously couldn’t really think of anything! What an awesome place to be; I could really do, or do without anything (unless we’re talking about babies. Babies are welcome in my house anytime!)  I am a pretty happy girl when it comes to daily physical needs, I have everything I NEED and it really is just coming down to WANTS these days.

WANTS come in handy, however, when you have a birthday on the horizon and people are out on the hunt to get you presents. So I thought hard, and tried to come up with some things that I’d like. Turns out I thought up a pretty good list. This is for you familia:

For Me-

Red Lipstick: I forgot to write down the name, but I found the “perfect” red lipstick at MAC.  I need to find it again and get one!

Earrings: I’ve been jones’n for some gold and aquamarine/jade earrings. It’s just such a pretty color combo.

Black Cardigan: I want another, more casual, black cardigan. I wear one all the time at work and could use another.

Gray Shirt: I need some more “go to” casual shirts. Just shirts that will always fit my mood.

Floral Work Shirt: I like shirts like this that look super comfortable but are still appropriate for the office.

Black Purse: I’ve been on the lookout for a cute black purse forever. This one is cute and inexpensive!

Navy Heels: I really actually need some black heels for work and church, but these navy kitten heels really float my boat.

For the Casa-

Deer Hook: I love little bits of quirky home decor, and I like it even better when they are also functional like this deer hook. (Jeff says all decor items have to be functional, so stuff like this works for us both.)

Art: I’ve really wanted this art print for a long time, but I’d take any art that I’ve been eyeing lately.

Turkish Hand Towel: I really want this gray hand towel from West Elm, not monogrammed necessarily, but I think it would look awesome in my half bath.

Domino: I need to beef up my design book collection, as in, I need to start one. This book has always been at the top of my list but I’ve just never gotten around to picking one up.

Jawbox: These are awesome, plain and simple. Having a speaker that would work for my phone and my ipod would be tops!

Meyers Cleaner: I’ve always wanted to try this stuff, but, again, have just never gotten around to it. I am overflowing with cleaning products right now, but I’ll always welcome more.

Bissell Spot Cleaner: We now have a dog. A dog that likes to pee for attention. I think this may even tread into the NEED category. My carpets NEED some cleanin’!

Pinterest Pickings- Review of cleaning recipes

I spent this last weekend running around completing errands like a mad women, being sick (yuck!), and cleaning my house. Ever since the re-plumbing, my house has just not felt like it's gotten back in full order, and of course, a really good scrub down always makes things feel better.

My usual run down of store bought cleaning supplies were just not cutting it lately, so I decided to try a bunch of those cleaning recipes I keep pinning on Pinterest and test them out. Here is what I found:

Pin

"How to remove grease/dirt build up from kitchen cabinets. 1st heat slightly damp sponge/cloth in microwave for 20 - 30 sec. until it's hot. Put on a pair of rubber gloves, spray cabinets w/ an all-purpose cleaner containing orange oil, then wipe off cleaner w/ hot sponge. This should make the kitchen look & smell wonderful too! "

The Good: This did make my cabinets look and smell wonderful.

The Bad: It didn't get off all of our grease spots on the cabinets. When we moved in there were grease spots all over our kitchen cabinets. The last people who lived there obviously never used the stoves fan and liked to cook greasy food. We have tried pretty much EVERYTHING on the cabinets and although it's better, grease spots still remain!  Grease Lightning has probably still worked the best to date, sorry hot orange cleaner.

The Ugly: I didn't heat my sponge up in the microwave, seemed too germy for me. I just put super hot water on the sponge and rung it out really well. Not sure if this affected its effectiveness.

Pin

"Pinner said: My bathtub has never been whiter!! Works great on glass shower doors too- no more soap residue! Martha Stewart's Tub Scrub--works better than any other cleaning product to get off hard water and soap residue "

The Good: EVERYTHING! I am seriously in love with this recipe. I'm not sure I"ll ever use another cleaner to clean my tubs and showers again! This sounds gross, but the bottoms of our tubs always looked a little gray on those built in slip protector bumps. I tried everything to clean my tubs but nothing ever made it seem clean enough. THIS WORKED! My tubs have NEVER looked whiter!

The recipe calls for 1 cup Baking Soda, 1 Tbs Dish Soap (we used our blue dawn dish soap), and several drops of essential oils (we couldn't find essential oils, so we used this rosemary mint oil we found at Walmart in the candle section. SMELLED LIKE HEAVEN!). Then you add water to make a paste. Scrub the paste all over the tub and shower, let it sit for a bit, then wash away dirt and grim. Tried the bits of left over in my toilet and it worked there too.

The Bad: You have to scrub, use some elbow grease, but the payoff is totally worth it.

The Ugly: None!

Pin

"Forget keeping skin soft, baby oil also polishes chrome. Apply a dab to a cotton cloth and use it to shine everything from faucets to hubcaps. You'll end up with shiny, happy surfaces from a medicine-cabinet staple. (Who actually owns chrome cleaner, anyway?) "

The Good: This definitely does get faucets sparkling, and seems to remove hard water stains.

The Bad: It seems like a temporary fit. The next day everything comes back . . .or maybe we are just really messy?

The Ugly: My faucets seemed slippery and slimy, no matter how much I kept whipping off the oil.

Pin

"Laminate Floor Cleaner: Vinegar, Water, Dish Soap, Alcohol."

The Good: This did clean my laminate floors. Even without any alcohol (I had none on hand) it still seemed to streak less then my store bought cleaner. My floors looked amazing afterwards.

The Bad: The vinegar smell seems to linger for a while, and it is a pretty strong smell.

The Ugly: I read on eHow that vinegar on wood floors can ruin the protective finish on the floors, which makes me nervous that it would ruin the finish on my laminate floors too. If that protective finish gets ruined on laminate, then you've basically just ruined your floors. Not sure I would use this one again just for that reason alone. not worth chancing it.

Now, while I was doing all this cleaning Scout decided to have her first, second, third, and FOURTH potty accidents on our carpet. Totally frustrated with that little pup. We would take her on a walk, then 20 minutes later she'd pee on the rug. What is up with that?

I think she wanted me to stop cleaning and just play with her or something, not sure what she was doing. I tried to use the rest of the laminate cleaner on the pet stains but that just made my house smell worse (a similar recipe was being toted on Pinterest as working for pet stains). I need to do some more research on this issue. After all that cleaning, my house now just smells like animal- so gross. I've never wanted to be that house!

Any good solutions you have for pet stains please share!