Campfire Sing-alongs, Nails, and More

You know it's summer when there is camping, fires, and campfire sing-alongs. Nothing gets much better :) I love when the acoustic guitars get pulled out and songs are played that we can all sing along to. So I thought I would share some of my personal favorites.

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge (classic sing-along song and probably my all time favorite)

2. Charlie Daniels - Long Haired Country Boy

3. Sublime - Santeria

4. Metallica - Nothing Else Matters

 

5. The Devil Makes Three - Old Number 7

6. Last but not least, Zac Brown Band - Toes. I couldn't find a good video for this song, but I am sure you all know it (if you don't, I highly recommend checking it out). Another great song of theirs is "Chicken Fried". So I thought I would share one of my all time favorite live performances of theirs.

Now that I have covered more than enough music for one blog posting, it's time to move on to nail polish :) I am going to go ahead and say that gray is the new black. I don't know if I have the authority to do so, and I don't know who that person is, but I am just going to go ahead and say it. I got the cutest gray nail polish and I absolutely love it! I can never wear black nail polish because my skin is so fair it looks weird on me, but gray on the other hand, it works!

I know it's not a fun bright color for the summer, but I manage. Speaking of summer, another thing that I just can't get enough of is Yogurtland!! If you haven't been to this place, you must experience it ASAP!! They have the best frozen yogurt ever! It's light, delicious, and healthy (depending on your toppings haha). 

A little taste of heaven! :) http://www.yogurt-land.com/ 

Handshake Etiquette

This is a topic I feel very strongly about and due to some recent incidents I felt compelled to blog about this. If any of you are guilty of this, please do not take it as offensive, but rather as constructive criticism for future encounters :)

So here it is... handshakes. Let me describe a scenario for you. You are meeting someone for the first time. Perhaps this person is a confident looking, big, strong man. You extend your hand to offer a greeting and when you go to shake their hand, their hand is limp (this is known as the dead fish)!! I don't know why it is a pet peeve of mine, but there are few things worse than this type of situation. I instantly peg that person as a potential creeper! I know it may seem wrong of me, and it may be a bit unfair and rash, but I can't help but judge a person by their handshake. I also understand that maybe there is a different approach towards women as we are sometimes considered "fragile", so you don't want to crush our hands. But remember peeps, a little firmness never hurts!!

I am going to leave you with a a short little video on handshakes 101

50th Anniversary

A few weeks ago my Grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!! What an amazing milestone to reach. I am so happy for them and so grateful for the wonderful examples they are to me.

50 years and still going strong!! Love you both so so much! :)

Captured by the Canon

This weekend has been awesome! Great weather, good company, fun games, yummy food, and time outdoors. Spending time at our trailer by the Provo River with my family is one of my favorite things about this time of year. One of the reasons I love living in Utah is the fact that in less than 30 minutes I can be up in the mountains completely separated from reality and all of the day to day chaos. It's so peaceful and calming. The scenery, the wildlife, and my family (who I absolutely love of course)! Here is a little preview of what I am referring to (view from our deck)...

Another great thing about this weekend is that it has gotten me super excited about my camera (Canon Rebel T2i that I am still figuring out how to use). Not that I wasn't excited before, but I am not going to lie that it was a little intimidating at first. The more I know, the more I want to take pictures! I practiced all weekend long and figured out some more settings and tricks. Here are some pictures that I thought turned out pretty good.

Action shot (playing fetch with Barkley)

The cool thing about these next few pictures is that we were sitting far away on a lawn chair. I used my telephoto lens so I could get a picture without scaring them away.

Hummingbird

This Yellow Warbler was singing to me haha

This picture was from last weekend, but I had to share. Kennedy's new puppy, Bella. Isn't she adorable!?

For the Girls!

I have to admit that I have been on a Beyonce high these last few weeks! She's getting ready to release a new album towards the end of June (June 28 to be exact, and I'm totally stoked about), but it also means lots and lots of performances and appearances. I have always been a huge fan, and just when I think her performances couldn't get any better, they do! She rocks my world and I am the biggest fan! She's so full of passion, such an amazing dancer, and so humble and real (the perfect combo). :)

Here are some videos for your viewing pleasure:

While I am on my girly kick this week, I have to admit that I haven't listened to the new Lady Gaga album enough to say what I think, but I can say that I absolutely love the song "Born This Way (The Country Road Version). It is freaking amazing!!! Check it out! :)

Time Flies.....

"Time flies when you're having fun". We have all heard this saying hundreds of times. This is so true, and apparently I am having a lot of fun lately because this year has already been going by way too fast! It seems like I was just barely saying that I couldn't believe it was already April, and now it's half way through May! I am sure I can accredit part of this to my newly added hobbies that I decided to start as part of my New Year's Resolution. With this being said, do I really want time to fly? Even if I am having fun?

It is so easy to get caught up with every day activities and live in fast forward. If you are lucky, something will come along to remind you to slow down and savor the beautiful moments in life. For me, this wake up call came from music. A couple of years ago, Adam and I got to see the band, Sigur Ros, in concert. It was honestly the most emotional and moving concert I have ever been to. Their music is so beautiful and honest. It brought out so many different emotions in me all at once. Every time I listen to their music it brings me back to that moment. The moment where I let everything sink in, the moment where time stood still. This is a reminder mostly to myself, but also to everyone to slow down and enjoy the beautiful things in life. The people, the scenery, the music, the laughs, the animals, the conversations, and even the pain. Because these are the things that create the memories and shape us into the people we are. Soak it all in! Now for the music that inspired this blog post...

Overload!

Ok peeps... I have been such a slacker! My weekly blog posts are slowly turning into monthly blog posts. I don't want this to happen, especially because now I have so much to blog about! These last couple of weeks have been crazy! One of my best friends, Amber, got married a couple of weeks ago. It was so much fun to have her in town and to be able to spend time with her. Her wedding was absolutely amazing, she looked stunning, and her dress was so beautiful! I am so happy for her and Trent. They are the cutest couple ever!

Obsessed with her dress!!

I am a true believer that everything in life happens for a reason, and timing is everything. I have to say that I feel so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing inspirational people! A couple months ago I started going to Ballet Blast (best workout class ever by the way www.balletblast.com). Besides the class being amazing and recommending it to everyone, I have gained some great friendships! You girls know who you are! Love you lots!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

- Anais Nin

Now to move past all the cheesy stuff... it's time for some good music! :)  

I had to pick two albums because I have been listening to both of these for a couple of weeks now. The first one is Sia - We Are Born. I am a huge Sia fan! I love her music (she sings for Zero 7 too). It's such a fun upbeat album. It makes me so happy every time I listen to it. The whole album is awesome, but one of my favorite songs is "You've Changed", which is on my playlist below. I would also recommend checking out her album, "Some People Have Real Problems" (one of my all time favorites). 

The second one is Ellie Goulding - Lights. This was recommended to me by a co-worker (thank you Kasey!). I have to say that I am so glad it was, because I absolutely love it! Her voice is so cool, and I think she is going to catch on really fast! Some of my favorite songs are "Guns and Horses" and "Starry Eyed" (the live version). Her voice is so unique. Hope you enjoy!

This is OPI's "What's With the Cattitude". I apologize for the horrible picture. It's a week old paint job, but I had to show it. It is such a fun color for spring, especially Easter, I love it!

Speaking of Easter, I hope everyone had a nice holiday. We had our annual Easter Egg Hunt at my Grandma Myrick's house. It was so much fun, and the little kids were so cute. I have the best family ever! I had a lot of fun playing with my camera, too. Here are some pictures.

This swing set has gotta be pushing 30 years old... haha

Baby Kynlee :)

 

 I think Preslee found an egg.....

She sure did!

Chloe and Masen

Sophie

I think Max found the candy :)

Preslee was showing me her cowgirl haha

Max LOVES the camera! There are a lot of these pictures below, but I had to post them because he was being so funny! Laughing for the camera for well over 5 minutes. He was cracking us all up!

Such a ham!