I think we all can agree that in order to make it through the {sometimes} mundane and repetitive days of everyday life, we need something to look forward to. Whether it be a movie night, a hair appointment or a small getaway, having small milestones ahead can help the longs days of work seem a bit more worth it.

Wyet and I live a very blessed life. We are both lucky enough to have full time jobs, to have found the perfect starter home in our quiet little town and to be together. Nonetheless, work can get boring, housework gets repetitive and our daily routine can seem a bit dull at times. The only way I have found to combat that feeling of monotony, is to plan something in the future to look towards.

As our summer adventures had come to a close, it seemed there wasn't much to do. That is when we decided it was time to plan something. Something in the near future that we could get excited about. We needed a getaway.

After some online searching, we discovered that Park City was an ideal option for our retreat. It was close enough that it kept us within our budget, yet far enough away to feel like a vacation. Once we made our arrangements, we could hardly wait for October 4th to strike the calendar. When the day finally arrived, we were more than eager to leave behind our stresses and worries and get on with our relaxation.

Lucky for us, this mini retreat panned out wonderfully. The scenery of Park City was idyllic. The slopes had a thin layer of snow and the rest of the landscape was the epitome of autumn. We were just a short walk away from the infamous Park City Main Street where we spent the majority of our time. We enjoyed a romantic dinner next to a roaring fireplace, came across artwork from the legendary graffiti artist Banksy, ate the best Vietnamese food of our lives and even enjoyed a few afternoon cocktails. Most importantly, we were together. For the first time in weeks, we had each others undivided attention. It made me realize that a little alone time with my main squeeze was just what I needed to revive.

We are huge Banksy fans so seeing this was one of our main highlights from Park City

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Loving every minute of our sweet escape

You {All} Mean the World to Me

I am not one of those people that has dozens of friends. Rather than keeping countless acquaintances involved in bits and pieces of my life, I tend to have a few people that just know it all. These are the people that I trust and depend on whether I interact with them on a daily basis or not. I don't think that the time spent with another person indicates the amount of love we have for them. From my experiences, sometimes the people that I see least often, mean the most to me. I wanted to take just a moment and thank each of you for being a part of my life. You are the ones that make life so beautiful.

Regardless of the circumstances, these two always know how to make me laugh.

Two of the greatest women I have ever known. They both continue to teach me how important it is to be a strong, independent woman.

Here's to one of the most thoughtful friends I have {also one of the craftiest}

Whether going out for a drink or staying at home in our sweats, it's always a good time with these two.

This little peanut is as close as I ever got at a baby sister. Nearly ten years later, I am happy she is still a part of my life.

Over the past few years, Alex has heard every ridiculous detail of my life. For some reason, she still answers the phone.

Not many people are lucky enough to consider their parents as people they can tell everything to {fortunately, I am}

My brothers are the best- they really need no explanation. {Blurry picture, but it's still great}

Have you ever wondered if you changed a little, would your friends stick around? This is tried and true between Tonja and I. Regardless of any decision either of us make, the other is there without a skip of the beat.

Ashlee has always been {and always will be} my person. I am so lucky to have her in my life. She is as real as it gets, and that's what I love most about her.

And of course, my puzzle piece. Everything in my life fell in place when realized we were meant to be together. I wouldn't trade a day spent with this guy for anything in the world.

Hello Autumn

Some may view autumn as the beginning of the end. As a close to the long sunny days of summer and knowing that {realistically} the first days of snowfall aren't far off. The actual autumn season is brief. If you take even a moment of it for granted, it is gone, but that is part of the appeal. It is a time of year that I wait around for, and the fact that it only stays for a moment, keeps me wanting more. It is something to look forward to, and when it's here, I know I have to make the most of my time before its abandonment.

It's a magical time of year when nature is at its peak. The colors are vibrant, the air is crisp and even people seem to change a little bit, too. With the warm sweaters and cozy scarves, it seems that everyone softens their spirit {if just for a moment} and absorbs the excitement of change.

I'm thankful for my life in Utah which allows me to experience the happiness {and necessity} of change. I am thankful for the crisp orange leaves which remind me of how vibrant life is. Most importantly, I am thankful that autumn is short and fades before my eyes. It hasn't taught me that all good things come to an end, but rather, that all good things in life should be enjoyed while we have them here. My love for autumn is only surpassed by my love for life. My love for life is only enhanced by these months of autumn.

This photo was taken last September just as the leaves began to change. The landscape was beautiful, and my cute brothers didn't turn out too bad either.

Enjoying the beautiful scenery with my amazing brother {a man who has overcome trial after trial and still has a smile on his face}

Photo credit: the one and only Sharon

Vivian Park, Provo Canyon. Photo credit: the one and only Sharon

The happiest days are always spent in a pile of colorful leaves.

The Last Day of Summer

Living in Utah, it seems we spend 9 months out of the year waiting for summer to arrive. Before you know it, it has come and gone, and I always wonder if I made the most out of those sunny months. This year, before its arrival, Wyet and I made a few goals of the places we wanted to go and the things we wanted to do. As the close of summer rapidly approached, I knew it was time to finally cross the one activity that I had been avoiding off of our bucket list, hiking Mt. Nebo.

Wyet had already hiked Mt. Nebo once before so he knew what he was up against. I, on the other hand, had no idea what I was about to encounter. As we set our alarm clocks for five a.m. and went to bed the night before summer's end, I was excited about the adventure we were about to have. I never knew it would be one of the most taxing experiences my body has ever felt.

When we woke up the next morning, we were both excited and feeling well rested and ready for our big day. Wyet prepared us a filling breakfast, and then we were on our way. A drive up the canyon is always a picturesque experience, but with the sun just peaking over mountaintop and the green leaves changing into the beautiful colors of autumn, this drive was better than the rest. We arrived at the trailhead, put on our packs and we were off.

About twenty feet later, I already needed a bathroom break. About thirty feet after that, I needed to shed a layer of clothing because I was already warming up. Rather than walking you through every detail of this eight hour adventure, I will just say it involved a lot of burning legs, out of breath breaks, seven liters of water and the feeling of being so small against the magnitude of nature.

On the way home, after kicking off my shoes and thanking God that I was able to make it, Wyet asked me if I had fun. My response, "Fun? No, I wouldn't say 'fun',  but I am still glad that I did it." To those who hike this mountain regularly {or at least with more ease than myself} I commend you. Hiking Mt. Nebo was challenging, breathtaking {literally} and surreal. It showed me the raw beauty of Utah, and more importantly, it showed me that I could accomplish something difficult. Undeniably, this experience has been one of my greatest accomplishments.

The goal. Mt. Nebo 11,900 feet.

Here's to a guy who looks hardcore but is actually as granola as it gets. I love nature, I love this person and I love our life together.

One small human against one big world.

 The product of a lightning strike, a hallowed out tree.

A breathtaking view. At this point it finally kicked in.. I am on top of a mountain.

Resting at Wolf's Pass right before the final stretch to the North Peak {3 hours in}

In his element

And then, my legs turned to jello and I wondered "How in the hell will I ever finish?"

Accomplished! This guy tolerated my frequent breaks, tears and complaints. I wasn't the easiest person to climb a mountain with, but this guy managed and even high-fived  me after {high-fives are still cool in our book}. Next goal: that peak behind us.

According to Plan

I wonder if anything has ever gone according to plan. The way we envision that plan in our minds is always a little bit off from how it actually pans out. I suppose that's just life. There are hiccups and there are bumps, and they always seem to show up at the most inconvenient moments. It has been said that during life's little mishaps, wonderful things can happen. When one plan fails, it is opening the door to countless other opportunities to fill its space. It all depends on how you decide to view the situation. In my experiences, I have learned that you can figure out a lot about the nature of a person by their reactions. Especially, their reactions to unfortunate circumstances.

Thinking about the way my life has played out, I realized that nothing happened the way I thought it would. I had planned to study journalism, only to switch during my final years. I had planned on moving to a big city to figure life out, instead I moved into tiny home in an even tinier town with the one person who made life make sense. I thought I had accomplished my scholastic goals, only to start thinking about grad school. Nothing ever has went according to plan, and I can only thank God for that.

Turns out, that major life plans aren't the only things that can get off track. Anything can get off track. Even what is supposed to a fun and simple weekend getaway. That's what happened to us last week as we headed out for our annual Lake Powell trip. The first few days weren't quite what we expected. The weather was going to be in the upper 90s everyday {it wasn't}, the boats were going to take us on long cruises throughout the day {they didn't} and the calm nights were to be spent around a fire with a drink in hand {not quite}.

I began to think that our retreat was going to be one unfortunate event after another. However, just as easily as things fall apart, they can come back together. We were fortunate enough to catch a few rays of sunshine in between the storms and to experience a couple of eventful boat rides. There was still laughter and smiles and of course a few drinks. Our trip wasn't what we were expecting, but it was definitely memorable.

Not exactly the way I envisioned our first night at Powell. Wyet is digging trenches around our tent in prepartion for the storm.

Hiding out in our tent while the wind and rain approach. Ironically enough, I spent this time reading Life of Pi {a story about a boy who is stranded on the ocean}, and I felt a little stranded myself.

As quickly as the storm approached, it passed, and we spent a few fun hours on the Lake.

Soaking up some sun with this babe

Wyet taking us for a little cruise around our camp.

Two little people in one little raft.

Words cannot explain this picture. Priceless.

Wyet and Jed- they are more like brothers than anything else.

Our turn for a tube ride!

Jeri and I enjoying the sun that finally came out.

Happiness Is

In a world filled with so much beauty and happiness, I certainly still find a lot to complain about. Not that complaining is all that bad {sometimes, it’s down right necessary}, but I have been known to go overboard on the negativity.

Today, rather than complaining about all of the things I dislike or go on about what’s not going my way, I have decided to do just the opposite. I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all of the wonderful things around me, and to let you all in on what I love the most about right now. It's the small things like this, that I never want to forget.

Lazy days spent in bed watching Grey's Anatomy with the puppies {using every pillow of course}.

The only thing better than walking into a bookstore, is leaving with a new book in hand.

My love for coffee is only matched by my love for weekend mornings enjoying an entire pot with Wyet. Oh, and this cup.

These three. They each have their own bed but, just like all sweet souls, they would rather spend sleepy moments together.

 You can never go wrong with Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, or any film from the 60s. To top it off, this was a surprise gift from my mama who knows me better than most.

Whether it be a lunch date, coffee date or a simple text message- any interaction with this lady will put a smile on my face.

Fresh flowers on the countertop = instant gratification.

I have a love for all things miniature and homegrown. It just so happens that Wy grew this himself in our own little garden.

Waking up for work to notes stuck on the bathroom mirror. I'm convinced there is no better way to start your day.