2 Wonderful Years

On Sunday, Brian and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! This is been the absolute best 2 years of my life so far.  Its hard to believe that it has only been two years, because I feel like I have known him my entire life.  I could say all these lovey-dovey, mushy things about him, but there really isn't enough time or space to say everything I want.  And I will spare everyone from having to read it ;) I will just say that I am so grateful that I have him for my husband.  He is absolutely PERFECT for me, and I know for a fact that there isn't anyone else on this planet that I could or would want to be with.  I more than love him with all of my heart and soul. 
This year we kept our celebrations pretty low key.  We are working really hard on trying to get out of debt, so we decided to stay home and celebrate and just enjoy each other and our time together.  Since our anniversary fell on a Sunday, we decided to do most of our celebrating on Saturday.  We spent most of the day shopping and goofing around at the mall, and then we went to a delicious dinner.  We went to a Mexican restaurant called Garcia's in Layton. Yes, it was a little bit of a drive, but we wanted to "get out of town" and try something new (well it was new for me).  We seriously just had so much fun, and ate the best food!
On Sunday, I woke up about 6 am and started to throw up all the delicious dinner from the night before.  It was pretty awful and very not fun.  Brian is such a sweetheart and took such good care of me.  It makes being sick a little less painful and miserable. He is also such a trooper, because that is not how either of us wanted to spend the first half of our actual anniversary day.  After a couple of hours of not being away from the toilet, we were both able to fall back asleep and get a good few hours of rest in. We woke up around 1 o'clock and I was feeling much better.  We decided to go on a walk with Ian, Katelyn, Kevin, and Owen down Provo Canyon.  It turning out to be such a nice afternoon after all the ran from the day before.   When we got home, Brian and I made a delicious ham and mashed potato dinner.  Then we put in a movie and snuggled the rest of the night.  It was simply perfect. 
I realized that I don't need a fancy vacation or anything to celebrate our wonderfully, amazing marriage.  All that matters is that I got to spend the entire weekend with the love of my life.  I wouldn't have changed a single thing (except maybe the being sick part).  Thanks for all you do for me, Brian, and for putting up with all my craziness! You really are the best husband (especially for me) and I am the luckiest girl in the world to have THE Brian Shriver as my husband, best friend, eternal companion, and love of my eternity.  I MORE THAN LOVE YOU BABE!

Our "anniversary walk" down provo canyon.

 

This was Saturday before we went and played.

My gorgeous anniversary flowers :)

 

This was the day we got engaged :)


From our wedding day! My favorite.

 

 

We Like to Run

Brian and I have decided that after a year and a half of marriage, and lots of weight gain (on my part!),  that we wanted to start getting healthy and fit again.  Not only do we want to loose weight, but we just want to be all around healthy.  We want to be able to live long, healthy, active lives. We want to be able to play with our future children and not get exhausted.  We want to be able to play with our future grandchildren with ease. We want to be 70 years old and still running races.  There are so many things we want to do with our lives, and we won't be able to unless we are healthy.

I don't know what happened after we got married, but I started to get a little careless and "comfortable" with just eating whatever I wanted and not having any desire to exercise.  I mean absolutely NO desire. I was pretty pathetic.  Since I had lacked desire, and didn't care what I put in belly, I put on a whopping 35 pounds. THIRTY FIVE POUNDS!! All within 18 months. Not my proudest moment in my life. In fact, its a little embarrassing.

I don't know the exact moment I decided that I wanted to start getting fit and loosing weight.  Maybe it was when I stepped on the scale and saw I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life. Maybe it was when my clothes started splitting at the seams (literally, I had 3 pair of pants split right up my butt crack...and I cried about it....hard...like a baby). It could have been a number of things, but the fact is, I decided to make a change.  In February I got a gym pass to Planet Fitness and started going to the gym with my friend Haley.  If it wasn't for her, I probably would have never gotten that pass and actually started exercising.  After a couple months the weather started to warm up and my mom and I decided to start walking/running the Provo Canyon trail.  We did this a couple times a week and would walk (and try to run) from Bridal Veil Falls to Vivian Park and back (about 5 miles total).  It was then I started to notice my thighs and tummy start to get a little bit smaller and flatter.  YAY!! I could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

In July, my friend Breanna had convinced Brian and I to sign up for the Hit and Run 5k that was happening in August.  Then we convinced out friend Lance and my sister Sarah to sign up as well!  It was at this point Brian joined in and wanted to start running again and getting back into shape.  So we started to train for our first 5k and was running a few times a week.  Of course, running is a piece of cake for Brian and he went out and ran 2-3 miles like it was nothing.  Me on the other hand, I was dying after about 2 minutes.  I was heaving and dripping sweat like it was going out of style.  I barely made half a mile my first real attempt at running.  But I surprisingly didn't give up, even though I wanted to and hated running with a fiery passion.  As I kept running it started to get easier, not easy easy, but easier.  After a couple weeks I was able to run 1.5 miles without having to stop and walk. (That is HUGE for me! 1.5 miles is nothing for most people, but for this girl, it was pretty amazing!) I don't know how it happened, but I somehow broke through a wall and was able to just keep running even though my mind was telling me I couldn't. 

So the 5k came and it was pretty fun! Not only did we get to run, but there were obstacles placed through out the course and it made it so much more enjoyable!

After out first 5k, we were pretty much addicted to running now and wanted to do more 5ks.  So we signed up for another one that was happening in September.  It was called the Fallen Officers Memorial Run.  So we kept training and completed our second 5k on Sept 13.  This time we had a pretty good sized group sign up with us! We had my mom and Ryan, my brother in law and sister in law Ian and Katelyn, our cousins Jose and Melissa, and our friend Lance. It was so much fun to have our family and friends participate with us! We have become a running family! Now we have all signed up for our next 5k in October.  We are doing the Haunted 5k in Orem.  Its going to be a blast! I am so glad that our family has decided to do all these 5k's together! It really is so much fun, and we are all getting healthy from doing them. 

While we have been training for our 5k's, I also started a workout program called the 21 Day Fix.  I didn't want to just have running as my main workout, so I was in search of a program I could complete while doing this.  A friend from high school had posted a picture about how she dropped a couple of pants sizes from doing this program.  I was pretty amazed (and super jealous). So I asked what this 21 Day Fix was and she told me about what it was and it sounded like the perfect program for me to start along with my running.  After a couple of weeks of talking myself in and out of purchasing this program, I finally bought it.  21 Day Fix is a 21 day program where there is a different 30 minute workout for each day of the week.  Along with this, there is a meal plan that you must follow to maximize your results. The reason I knew this program would be perfect for me was because I desperately needed help with my eating habits and the workouts are only 30 minutes.  I can handle 30 minutes of working a day.  So I started my 21 day journey on July 28.  The first week was pretty brutal.  I couldn't walk, or move my arms for the entire week! I was so sore, but it was a good sore. I love that feeling! It just kind of makes you feel like you are actually working and making a change in your body.   The exercises were challenging but doable.  It wasn't like an intense P90X workout (thank goodness!!!) but it was just the right amount of challenge where I didn't feel like giving up after the first week.  I completed my 21 days on August 17.  It was now time to break out the tape measure and step on the dreaded scale.  Much to my surprise, I had lost a total of 5.5 inches throughout my body and dropped 7 pounds! 7 POUNDS!! YAY!!! Again, 7 pounds may not be a lot for some, but for me it was a pretty big deal! After seeing that number just keep going up over the last year and a half, it felt SO AMAZING to see that the number had started to go down. I am on my second round of this program and I am now down a total of 10 pounds! WOO!! Never in my life did I think it was possible for me to loose 10 pounds.  But I have done it! And I am going to keep loosing more because I am so addicted to getting healthy and fit. I am to the point where I feel so guilty when I miss one day of exercise.  I never thought I would ever get to that point, EVER! I am not one for self praise cos it feels selfish and weird, but I really am proud of myself for getting to where I am right now!

I am  also so proud of Brian and my entire family. We have all been working so hard at getting healthy and fit and it is so amazing to me! We are all each others support system, and I am so grateful for that! I wouldn't be able to do any of this without them! It has been a hard journey to start, and it has been a complete lifestyle change for us, but it is so worth it!

 

Pinterest Recipe Success and Fails

For my first Pinterest post, I want to post about recipes that I have tried successfully and the ones I haven't loved or failed. 

If you are like me, dinner time is the worst time of day trying to figure out what everyone wants to eat.  When I ask my husband, "What do you feel like for dinner tonight?" he usually comes up with, "Anything. I'm not really craving anything today, so whatever is fine with me!" or, "I don't know, what do you feel like?" and with that response I usually respond back with, "I don't know, that's why I am asking you!"  I am sure most of you can relate to this.  If you are one of the few that knows what is for dinner ever night, I applaud and slightly envy you. For the rest of us, it is usually a huge, daunting task. I never understood my mom's frustration with dinner until I was out on my own trying to figure it out for myself.  For that, Mama I am sorry for always giving you grief about dinner time!

Once I discovered pinterest and all of its glory, I started looking through the food section daily. Everyday I would look for some new ideas for the dreaded dinner time conversation.  Today I have 585 pins (yikes!) to my "food" board.  No I have not tried all of the recipes (and some of them I probably never will), but I plan to try as many as I possibly can. For the ones that I have tried, most of them have been a huge success! Some not so great, but for the most part, very tasty and I will save to do again.  

Here is a list of recipes I have tried and loved! ( I know there is more but I can't find them :(  )

Corn Chowder

This corn chowder was super delicious! I have never made a chowder of any kind before so I was nervous, but it turned out really good! Plus, it was super easy and pretty cheap (yay!!) and only has a few ingredients!

Homemade Crunch Wrap Supremes (like Taco Bell)

I love Taco Bells crunch wrap supreme, and when I found this I squealed with joy! Making these at home is so much better! For one, it didn't go soggy as fast as it does when you get it from TB, and two, you can pretty much add whatever you would like and take out what you don't like! Plus it was kind of fun to make.  I think I had this three times last week, that's how much I loved it!

Breaded Ranch Chicken

This chicken recipe is one of my husbands favorites! He craves it!  Its fairly easy, and is packed with flavor.  I usually make it with some pasta and sautéed veggies to make a healthy meal of it.

Ratatouille

Yes, like the Disney movie (which is one of my favs!).  This was actually a very surprisingly delicious dish. Not to mention it is decently healthy for you. It was a little time consuming with cutting and placing all the veggies.  It has wonderful flavor and I love all the vegetables that are in it.  I topped mine with some parmesan cheese and it was divine!

Caramel Popcorn

I just love Caramel! This was the tastiest recipe I found for caramel popcorn. I had a bunch of the caramel left over so I put it in a mason jar and ate it with a spoon, it was that good! (I am kind of a caramel junkie though and love it anyway I can get it!)

Zucchini Bites

Zucchini is probably one of my favorite vegetables, so naturally I was excited to try these. Talk about yummy! Such a fantastic way to enjoy my favorite veggie. (Helpful hint: spray the pans extra good! They do tend to stick and can be hard to get out sometimes!)

 

Chicken Pot Pie Bites

Who doesn't love chicken pot pie?? I have never attempted (and never will) to make a real normal size chicken pot pie, mostly because the crust seems like it would be hard.  When I found these and all I had to do was flatten some biscuit dough and put the filling in, I was sold! Its easy, cheap, and tastes like a real chicken pot pie.

Lasagna Roll Ups

Lastly, this is the Lasagna roll ups.  If you love lasagna (like me) then you will love these little roll ups.  They are time consuming (mostly because you have to cook all the lasagna noodles) but they are a very tasty (different) version of lasagna.  If you have a husband that loves his meet, you can cook up some Italian sausage, or ground beef and add it in. 

For the ones that didn't turn out so well, there are these: (again I know there is more, but I can't find them)

Calzones

The reason I didn't particularly love the Calzones was they were more like a roll up and the dough in the inside didn't cook so it was very doughy. Plus it had little to no flavor in the crust.

Corn Bread

The corn bread tasted ok, but I think it needed another box of corn bread mix.  It was just too gooey inside for me and that kind of weirded me out.  I would like it a little more dry in the middle, and I think the extra box of mix would do the trick. 

As of right now, this is what I have tried as far as recipes go.  It isn't much, but there will be more! I plan on trying as many as I can! I would recommend that you all try them for yourselves and tell me what you think! You may have different opinions (obviously) on what I think is good and what you think is good, and that's ok! If you happen to try any of these out, I would love to hear what you have to say about them!

Thanks for reading!

Pinterest

Pinterest.
Oh how I love thee! Some days I love it more than other days, but for the most part, I LOVE it! It has actually helped many times with dinner, with my need to be crafty, and it has great tips for just about anything!

 I will admit, it can be a little bit evil at times.  I find myself looking at the travel section a lot and just dream and wish how I could be on a permanent vacation for the rest of my life (don't we all though!).

Anyway, the reason I am wanting to write about pinterest is I have tried many recipes, crafts, tips, etc., and I want to share what pins have been successful and not so successful.  As we all know, there are those amazing food pins, hair pins, nail pins, etc. that we must try, and then when we actually do it, it is a complete and utter fail!  If you haven't experienced the pinterest fail yet, I don't know whether to congratulate you or feel sorry for you! Why would I feel sorry for you? Well, experiencing a pinterest fail is at times absolutely hilarious! Yes it is disappointing and a bit frustrating (lets face it, you probably worked really hard on something only to find out it didn't turn out the way pinterest said it would). But for the most part, anytime I find that when I have experienced the fail, I just find it hilarious, laugh at myself, and move on.  After all, how do you learn and grow if you don't fail 1, 2, or maybe 10 times? Unfortunately, I have not documented any of my pinterest fails, but from now on it is being documented so you can see! Until then, here is a couple  fails I have found hilarious that other people have done. (I found all of these pictures on pinterest under "pinterest fails" and "nailed it" searches.)

 

The Epic Cake Fail.

 

The Photography Pose Fail.

 

The Classic Hair Style Fail.

 

 

With fails, there are also a lot of successful pins! In a new blog post I will post what I have tried and succeeded with, and also ones that I failed. 

 Pinterest is probably one of the most useful apps I have ever downloaded onto my phone/ipad. When it first came about I was not into it at all and thought it was kind of dumb.  But once I checked it out, I realized that it could be a huge help in my life.  At first I just wasted time looking and pinning useless things, but now that I have found true potential in it, it is the most helpful tool I have! I know, it probably sounds dumb, but it is the truth! 

 

If there are any pins that you would like me to try, please send them to me!!  Also I would love to hear what you all have tried and loved or hated! I am always looking for new crafts, recipes, tips, tricks, etc., so please share!

 

 

If you would like to follow me on pinterest here is my profile. 

 

Owen Dee Shriver- Our Nephew

If you haven't already seen, Brian and I have a nephew!
Everyone meet Owen Dee Shriver. Born January 30, 2014. (yes, he is flipping the bird. but he wouldn't be Ian's child if he didn't!)

We are a first time Aunt and Uncle! It has been so exciting and so much fun. We have only known the little guy for a few days, but we love him SO MUCH already.  We are both a very proud Auntie and Uncle.  I can't even describe how happy I am!  Is it weird that the moment I became an Aunt, I instantly felt older? I agree, it is weird, but its true! I (we) have a whole new "responsibility" in life as an Aunt and Uncle.  As a child I always looked up to mine and saw them as very wise, smart, older people and now I am one of them! It is both crazy and amazing at the same time.  We never thought we could love a baby that isn't our own, as much as we do with our nephew Owen.  I can only imagine how Ian and Katelyn feel with him being their son.  He is such a cute, sweet, wonderful baby.  You can't help but smile when you see the little guy.  He has the cutest little chubby cheeks that make you just wanna squeeze 'em.  He brings so much joy to everyone who sees him.  Not to mention he is such a good baby. He is so cuddly and will sleep through anything.  Its pretty amazing! Ian and Katelyn got luck on this one! I just hope that when Brian and I have kids that they will be that good.
Now its time for a picture overload!

That face!! 

One proud Auntie Rachie right there!

And one proud Uncle Bri-Bri!

Well that is our nephew! We love him SO stinkin much! We are so excited to be apart of his life and get to see him grow everyday. We are so happy he is apart of the family and that Ian and Katelyn let us love on him when we go visit.