Happy Halloween!

Last Saturday I helped Elise {along with some other local bloggers} put together a couples Halloween party, because there is a complete lack of engaged/married couples parties in Provo! Ryan grew out his mustache and we went to the party together as Mario & Princess Peach :)

{Mario & Peach // Mermaid & Ship Captain}

There was an amazingly delicious soup bar with 5 different soup options & a Pinterest worthy treat table decked out with graveyard pudding cups and monster cupcakes! Check out Elise's post with pictures of everyone's fun couples & family costumes; there was a lost boy & tinker bell, Shaggy & Daphne, Ash & Pikachu, and so many more creative & adorable costumes! 

At the end of the night we met up with the mermaid & ship captain for caramel apple cider drinks and a late night chill sesh. Can't wait to pass out candy & finish up my outside Halloween decor for tonight. Happy halloween!

Harvest Your Fashion at Francesca's Blogger Party!

I had the opportunity to host another blogger event at the Orem, UT Francesca's {check out the Valentines Bash}, and it was a total blast! We were showing off the new Fall merchandise that we have in the store to our local bloggers, and of course that comes with food and games ;)

As an icebreaker we played a game called "Describe Me", where there was an index card pinned to everyone's backs. Most everyone was meeting each other for the first time, so when the bloggers when chat up someone new they would ask to write on their note card a comment or compliment! The goal was to get around to everyone at the party and write on everyone's note cards, it was such a fun and sweet way to get to know the other local bloggers.

After hopping in a circle and introducing ourselves, we were split up into 3 teams to compete in a styling competition. Each team was given a trend-specific rack of clothes and had to create a "quintessential fall look" with the trend they were given, and also dress up their model in less than 10 minutes!

Not only did each team have to put together a full look, including accessories, but the models walked in a catwalk competition while the other two teams scored the look! It was so fun to see the fall looks everyone put together with their specific trends, and the models were totally rockin' :) {If you were wondering, Team #2 won, woot woot!}

{A group photo with all our awesome UT bloggers!}

{Natalie, Alacia, Brittany, and Kim lookin' fabulous!}

{Eryka & Deidre being a couple of goofs ;)}

{The Bang's deciding on which stuffed animals from Francesca's to add to their amazing collection!}

{The Francesca's workers that helped make it all happen! They created the spooooky Insta-Photobooth for everyone to enjoy. Thanks Josee & Krislyn!}

Fran's Insta-Photobooth

{If you have any more pics from the Intsa-Photobooth that I can add here, use the hashtage #harvestatfrans}

It was such a fun night getting to know everyone, styling some fall looks, snacking on sugary treats, and shopping! Thanks to everyone who came & made the party such an awesome success :)

Blogger List

Alacia Hood Hoodwinked

Bri Rios Breezy Days

Brittany Davis Love Stitched

Deidre Miller Love, The Skinnys

Elise Hunter Hunters of Happiness

Eryka Clark ABCDE 

Jessi Bingham Haircut and General Attitude 

Kelsey & Jake Bang Kelsey Bang

Kim Bird Life as a Bird

Kyla Ford Ford-ology

Natalie Fielding Natalie Grace

Rachel Porter Rachel Sayumi

Sue Stange Chevron and Lace

Happy Birthday Darling

Today is my best friend's birthday, and all he wants is pineapple upside down cake. Well, and a steak dinner later this week at our favorite Texas de Brazil {but that's neither here nor there.} After 2.5 years of marriage and 3 tested cake recipes...I think I finally found the one. It's fluffy, light, and oh so delicious. Quoting Ryan: "It's probably the best cake I've had...ever."

Ryan & I are not keen on being super sappy on social media, but for his birthday I'll make an exception ;) When I look back at our time together so far, it seems likes we've always been together. We were like two peas in a pod from the moment we met, then everything after that just fell so perfectly in to place. I love how we are such a complement to one another, and working as a team towards our dreams in life. I'm so grateful to have such a sweet and thoughtful best friend to try out more pineapple upside down cake recipes on for many more years to come. Happy birthday my darling.

Adventures With Elder Ev's: Transfer to Agua Dulce, Veracruz

Latest Update {he has been in his new area for 2 weeks now}:

"With the start of the new transfer, I got a call...I'm going to Veracruz! I'm going to be training in the area of Agua Dulce, Cuatzacoalcos zone. This is crazy, because of the huge change (I'm traveling from Chiapas all the way to Veracruz!). My new companion's name is Elder Angeles, who is from Mexico City."

Baptism of Rafael in Palenque {pictured above, from 3 weeks ago}:

"The best experience from this past week was the appointment that Elder Peterson and I had with his investigator, who was getting ready for his baptism that Saturday. Elder Peterson and his companion were going to move Rafael's baptism date a week back, but Rafael said he was ready for that Saturday. He told me that he went from smoking everyday and having no purpose whatsoever, to changing little by little because of the time he spent with another member and came to a full conversion experience. He was the ideal convert! From the scripture D&C 4: 'Behold, the field is white, already to harvest...' he was personally prepared by the Lord, and was more than ready to be baptized. My heart was filled with indescribable joy, despite him not being my investigator. This is testimony building for me, there are people out there being prepared by the Lord."

"It was an awesome baptism, I played I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus on the piano while the Elders sang. It was really fun!"

{Eating dinner with a member family in Palenque, pictured above from 3 weeks ago}

On his new companion, Elder Angeles:

"My companion is awesome! I'm really blessed to have him as my companion. Elder Angeles is very nice, talkative, open, and happy to be on a mission. I am so glad to have him as a companion, and even more happy to be training. He helps to clarify things when people don't understand me, we have a great relationship."

On his new are, Agua Dulce {pictured above, he has now been there for 2 weeks}:

"This past week, I will forever be grateful for the members here and for their help. The ward here {yes, it's a ward!}, is actively engaged in missionary work! I've accompanied the Bishop to a few lessons already. It makes me excited to work in this area!"

"Agua Dulce has been raining on and off here. And mental note, the agua here is not dulce. It's pretty dang disgusting. We are pretty lucky to have such an awesome apartment right next to some pretty awesome members. And also...it doesn't get flooded in our apartment like some of the other elder apartments."

On the pizza dinner {pictured above}:

"Had family home evening with Gustavo and his family. Had pizza {pay de queso}, and a lot of fun! That is rebanada {leftovers} de pizza with Habanero sauce...yeah, I ate that. Soy patron {I'm the man}!

*Read more from the Adventures With Elder Evs series!*

Yellow Brick House: Halloween Tour

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays to decorate the house for, plus it's helpful that my birthday is only a few days before October. Which means Halloween decor for birthday presents, SCORE! Here is a mini home tour of my living & dining rooms decked out for Halloween! {Outside pics coming this week}

Happy {almost} Halloween!

*Are you coming to the "Harvest Your Fashion at Francesca's" blogger party? Make sure to RSVP!*

Weekend Update: Cornbelly's

Growing up I absolutely LOVED Halloween, probably because my parents would go all out for decorations and costumes. I still relish the Hallowen decorating, wearing fun costumes, watching Nightmare Before Christmas, making Halloween treats, and handing out candy. My dad & I even bought a remote rat one year for Halloween! We hid in the window, watching the front door for trick-or-treaters and would then race the fake rat up and scare little kids with it. Cheap entertainment! Ryan on the other hand is a little freaked out by Halloween, mostly because he grew up thinking there was a cucuy living in his closet...so I gotta make sure my decor is "cute-sy" enough so it doesn't scare him. 

I found a Groupon to hit up Cornbelly's in Lehi, a corn maze/pumpkin fest, and snatched it right up. It was our first time going {and doing really anything Halloween-related} and it was super fun! We took the hay ride, walked through the little kid corn maze, played beanbag games, looked at all the fun Halloween decor, watched a pig race, and picked out mini pumpkins. Nothing too scary ;) Then we ended our date with Cafe Rio pork salads & burritos, what better way to cap off the night?!

What's your favorite part about Halloween? 

Are you a scared-y cat?

Hipster Glasses

I get people asking me allll the time if I'm wearing glasses as a part of my "look" that day. Dang you hipsters! Ruining the wearing of glasses for the rest of us! I actually have lenses in my glasses and wear them for things like...seeing, you know? I first knew I needed glasses when I would determine which teammate I was passing the basketball to by her hair and jersey color. I didn't even realize that I had bad eyesight because I was compensating with colors and my parents didn't know because I was still sinking shots! It wasn't until they asked why I was squinting when I played, and I responded that it was so I could see exactly who I was passing to. Enter glasses!

I'm such a bad contact wearer though, because I sleep with them in for a week or more at a time {I know, I know...stop scratching your eyeballs out.} So when I finally do take them out and my eyes burn to high heavens, I like to look cute in my glasses :)

{Remixed: Boots, Top}

I love my Ray-Ban "inspired" {aka copycat} tortoiseshell glasses for everyday wear, and I just purchased a pair of black cat-eye glasses to give me some more options. Plus, I'm on the hunt for some rectangular glasses from Bonlook so I can look super classy when studying...because that's what's important when studying right? It's nice that prescription glasses are more affordable nowadays, as opposed to my over $200 Vera Wang glasses from high school. Yikes! Hooray for more fashionable options for the nearly-blind!

What are your thoughts on glasses? What are your favorite styles?