Things Only Provo-ites Know

 // University Avenue and University Parkway are two completely different streets, and are horrific at the following times:
+ 4-5pm everyday
+ Whenever it's snowing
+ Monday night FHE {family home evening}
+ Friday & Saturday date nights
+ Wednesdays during MTC {missionary training center} drop-off times
+ In between General Conference sessions
+ And during the summer when EFY kids are being dropped off at BYU

// The Velour is known for hosting up and coming Provo bands for hipster kids to drool and obsess over. Neon Trees anyone? {Still bitter that I didn't go when they were performing there...}

// Going on the West side of University Avenue over by the train tracks is super sketchy...how does that part of Provo even exist?!

// Everyone knows what you mean when you say that you live south of campus or condo row.

// Granted, everyone still gets Alpine Village and The Village confused...

// You are accustomed to random people asking you for weird favors such as: a picture for their FHE picture scavenger hunt, to film you wishing a stranger happy birthday, or taking surveys from you for their psychology class.

// If you are an out-of-state driver, then you blame all the horrible accidents and driving practices on other driver's "Utah plates".

// Instead of the Six Degrees of Separation, we have the Three Degrees of Just Being Mormon. You pretty much can track down a connection with anyone through various friends, acquaintances, school peers, missionaries, or family because we are all so dang inter-connected.

// BYU Cougar fans are the loudest when we win a game, i.e. driving through the streets honking, screaming, dance parties, fireworks, etc. When we lose? Provo is a complete ghost town.

// Betos drive-thru is hoppin' between the hours of 10pm-3am cause BYU students don't get the typical drug-induced munchies....we get the study munchies from studying all night for our dang tests! {Plus Betos is one of the only 24/7 businesses in Provo...smart move Betos, smart move.}

Midway Ice Castles

Back in December I snagged a Groupon for the Midway Ice Castles knowing that it would be a perfect budget friendly date! Especially since it's hard to get myself to go out on dates during the wintertime...cause all I want to do is cozy up in blankets, eat pizza, and watch Netflix. We finally went this last Friday and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Even driving up to Midway was beautiful, I snapped this picture and just enjoyed looking at all the snow capped trees. Sometimes I forget how pretty Utah really is, so it's nice to have these reminders every once in a while!

Ryan was being a rebel and punching some of the icicles...that dork. It was cool to see these manmade ice castles and walk through all the different mazes and crevices they had to offer. At nighttime they have LED lights inside the castles light up to make it even more magical, how cool is that??

We even saw Queen Elsa and Princess Anna from Frozen come to take some pictures, and it just made me wish I was a Disney princess! Although, I do think that I have the whole Sleeping Beauty thing down ;) This is something that I would definitely want to do next winter, it's a good excuse to get out of the house and make the best of the freezing temps here :)

Weekend Update: Baby Ford

This past Saturday I went to my blog BFF's baby shower for her little girl who's due on Valentine's day! How cute is that?? Everything was decked out in pink & gold by her awesome mom and sisters, and the food was deeeelish. I seriously had 10 of some sausage roll-up finger foods, cause they totally hit the spot. Yummmmm. {Check out Kyla's full post on the shower!}

Ryan and I had a blast picking out adorable little girl outfits for Kyla's little one, and it makes me look forward to that time in my life when I'll be buying little baby clothes up the wazoo. Tutus, baby jeggings, and frou-frou galore! Until then, I'll just spoil my friends babies :)

After the shower, Ryan & I just vegged the rest of the weekend because we are exciting married college students and all. Hooray for sleep & a ridiculous amount of Sodalicious runs! 

Snow Leopard

Can you believe it's only one week until Christmas? I heard this quote the other day "the days are long but the years are short", and it feels so true! Most days I'm just trudging through to make it to the next, and then I look back wondering what happened to the last month??

Well, the snow is sticking to the ground in time for the holidays and my love for leopard is still going strong. If it weren't completely weird and totally old lady, I would wear some form of leopard print every day. Btw, this Old Navy jacket I picked up on mega sale is probably my new favorite. Olive puffer coat, black leather lining, with a fur collar? Sold.

{Remixed: Blouse}

I'm living it up in the snow for now, because being in California for the holidays mean 65-70 degree weather everyday...you don't hear me complaining! Ryan always freaks out because he thinks it's "inhumane" for it to be that warm at Christmas {PSH!}, I laugh because it's all I've ever known! I'm just ready to break out those sandals again ;)

End of Finals Countdown: T-9 hours

Xtend Barre Provo

After a really awesome Winter, Spring & Summer full of consistently working out {average 2-3 times a week}, I epically failed this Fall. My school schedule had me running around like a chicken with my head cut off so I didn't put any emphasis on gym time. Sure, I walked the 30 minutes to and from school 3 times a week and had dance classes, but I'm usually accustomed to a more rigorous workout. Which means that lately I've been feeling unfulfilled in regards to workin' up a really good sweat.

I've heard about Xtend Barre before, more specifically about how it's a new style of working out that is similar to a dance warm-up...but way more intense. After my first class there, I totally agree. Two days later I'm still feeling the muscle soreness, but it hurts so good and I love it! Our teacher Kacey was a total rockstar, keeping everyone motivated to do just 4 more reps. We did: arms with weights, abs, and leg strengthening on the barre, along with cardio; so this workout is not for the faint of heart, but it's absolutely worth it. It's pretty much addicting, and I honestly cannot even wait until the next class I'm able to attend. 

At the end of the blogger Xtend Barre class, the teacher came up to me & asked if I was a dancer? I told her that I had taken some ballroom classes at BYU, but didn't consider myself a dancer by any means. She complimented me on my foot-floor connection, pointed toes, and how I was able to keep good posture pretty much the entire class. Suffice it to say, I was pretty stoked to see that the teacher was impressed by my technique and even came over to compliment me on it!

Deidre, our awesome host of the event, handed out prizes for Most Creative Instagram pic, Cutest Instagram pic, and Best in Class...which I won! The teacher had picked me to win Best in Class and while I definitely wasn't expecting it, I was super stoked to win that Albion Fit gift card! I seriously had a blast here, and will definitely start making Xtend Barre classes a part of my routine. The teachers, support from your classmates, high energy music, adorable venue, and creative full body workouts are AMAZING. Make your way over to Xtend Barre Provo in the Riverwoods, you will not regret it one bit!

Thank you to our event sponsors!
Xtend Barre: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram  
Rock These Socks: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram \\ Twitter 
Blickenstaffs: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram \\ Twitter 
Mend Juicery: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram \\ Twitter 
Provo Beach Resort: Website   
Lime Ricki: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram \\ Twitter
Sodalicious: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram \\ Twitter 
Sammys Cafe: Website \\ Facebook 
Albion Fit: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram \\ Twitter 
3B Yoga: Website \\ Facebook \\ Instagram

Walkin' In a {Ridiculously Freezing} Winter Wonderland

Well my friends, it is absolutely and ridiculously freezing. Though, I actually think that we were blessed this year for the snow to start in December as opposed to last year when it started in October {gross!} Suffice it to say, last winter was a loooong and horrible one. This year I was able to thoroughly enjoy fall, and so I'm trying my best with winter!

First off, winter means over the top and adorable accessories. When else can you wear a truckload of fur, lipstick, or hats with flowers/fluffy pom poms/lotsa ribbon on them? Technically you can wear them other times of the year...but you'll probably look stupid {just to warn you.} I've been soaking up all the time I get to rotate all my cute gloves, coats, boots, wool skirts and tights because I know I'll miss them in a few months!

With this hard {& stressful} semester finally coming to an end and the temperatures dropping like crazy, I've made the conscious effort to really enjoy where I'm at. Thinking of every little thing I have to accomplish between now and next Wednesday makes my head spin! Though, if I only focus on taking it one day at a time then I start to slow down and appreciate the little things. Such as this gorgeous sunset reflecting off the snow & school buildings on my walk home after a long day of classes, it makes my heart feel so warm!

With all this snow, I was inspired to do a winter snow manicure! Not gonna lie, this was FREAKIN' HARD. I'm making the effort to be more creative with my nails, but I have possibly the most un-steady hand in the world {which is why I could never ever ever be a surgeon/nurse, that and the fact I gag at the sight of blood and skin lesions. Even typing it out makes me want to bleghhhh. Yet I digress...} Can't even tell you how many times I swiped off the color and started from ground zero when I would mess up on a snowflake. What made the victory of finally finishing this manicure even sweeter, was Ryan asking me when I put the nail decals on? SYKE. I painted them on! He was genuinely impressed, and it made me genuinely happy :) 

A Christmas Throwback

I realized that I never posted my pictures from Christmas last year, and still want to share them with all of you. Thus, a Christmas throwback! I was working retail during the holidays and was not able to leave Utah, so my family came up from So-Cal to spend Christmas with Ryan & I in our 'lil yellow brick house.

I went all out with a real tree, stockings for everyone, and lots of Christmas decorations to help them feel like they were at home. I absolutely love decorating for Christmas, it's so festive & fun! Our Christmas decor theme is a "winter candyland", so we have lots of candy ornaments on the tree and even a little light-up candy house. Plus I looove penguins, so they are all over our house! 

If you haven't noticed, Evan is a total ham when it comes to Christmas photos! After opening up presents, we made a turkey dinner topped off with Evan's homemade apple pie {yumm}. Then we hit up the theaters for our Christmas movie tradition, and finished off the night by a warm fire. I was so grateful that my family came up to be with Ryan & I for the holidays, it was fun hosting them for Christmas. This year we will be going down their way for the Christmas break, and I can't wait! :)

Harvest Your Fashion at Francesca's

The Orem, UT location of Francesca's Collections is hosting their second ever blogger party, this time to show off their new fall fashions! It is exclusive to bloggers only, after typical mall hours, and complete with blogger coupons. A night full of games, treats, and visiting with other local bloggers...a total blast! All bloggers are welcome to attend, just know that because of the small store size that there will be a limit to how many bloggers we can stuff in the store :) Make sure to RSVP as soon as possible and tell your blogger BFF's about it to make sure they are there with you!

To RSVP, please follow the instructions:

1. Follow Breezy Days through GFC or Bloglovin' for party updates.

2. Send an email to franniesparty(at)gmail(dot)com to reserve your spot.

3. A PayPal invoice of $3.00 {for food costs} will be sent to you, and once it is paid you will receive a ticket with your name on it to get in {seeing as how it's after mall hours}. You can show your ticket by bringing it up on your phone or printing it out to show to the person at the door.

4. Then post this button on your sidebar to show all your friends that you are attending.

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5. All that we ask is that after we've promptly partied our autumn buns off, that you write a post about your experience and favorite items in the store!

Thanks so much, can't wait to see you all!

Weekend Update: Comedy Sportz & The Choc'late Mousse

Ryan & I have made it a point to plan one date night activity for each weekend, a time where take a breath from school and really focus on one another. We haven't been good about consistent date nights in the past, so this is something new for us! Last weekend we hit up Comedy Sportz {a comedy club in Provo, on Center St.} to watch one of our friends at work, and it was such a blast! 

Being that we are in Provo, it was fun to have the comedy tailored to us as an audience. Meaning that it was clean with some Mormon culture jokes thrown in there :) If you want to try it out, make sure to pay for the tickets online {they are cheaper, $8 instead of $10} and make a reservation in advance. The Friday & Saturday nights get sold out super fast!

Then we walked around the corner to this cute 'lil pie bar I've seen when driving by on University Avenue. The Choc'late Mousse has only been in business for a month, but it's only 2 storefronts down from the Velour; so they are usually visited by our one & only Provo hipsters for band after parties, which actually sounds super fun! I grabbed the smallest size, because it's really rich & filling, and totally devoured the oreo crust and pumpkin mousse. YUM. Seriously check it out, you won't regret it!

What are you favorite date night ideas?

Relief

We are finally back in California after such a ridiculously long and stressful weekend. The end result after lawn-gate, is that we get to stay in our yellow brick house in Provo!!! When we finally got the phone call at about 4pm on Tuesday {after much waiting...and some mental breakdowns}, I couldn't have been more relieved. Not only do we get to stay, but the wonky set up of our utilities also got sorted out. It was such a formal phone call that it completely threw me off, seeing as how it was such a personal and emotional experience for me. Does this guy not realize that he almost kicked us out 3 weeks before school starts over a lawn? Oh well, we got what we ultimately wanted in the end and I'm definitely not going to complain one bit. I just wanted to thank everyone for your comments, prayers, concern, support, and love these past few days. It was extremely appreciated! It's always very telling to see who shows up or who contacts you in such a huge time of need. 

Thanks again to all of our friends & family :)

Lawn-Gate

 It has been an extremely stressful few days, which is funny considering I felt inspired to write this post on prayer the other day...and now I've been non-stop praying that things will work out for us.

On Friday we were sent an email saying that the property owner of our place in Provo was extremely upset to see our front lawn starting to yellow and instead of giving us time to fix it, he instructed our management company not to re-new our contract. Which means we would have the next 15 days to find a new place and move out, with our roots {internship/job} still in California left to finish, and 2 weeks before school starts. Ridiculous right? So we dropped everything and drove up 10 hours through the night to get here. Come to find out, the switch that controls the sprinklers had been accidentally turned off around a week ago, which caused parts of the lawn to yellow.

We have been watering, mowing, edging, planting, and weeding non-stop to get this front yard back to pristine condition in hopes that the owner will take pity on us. Just in case he doesn't, we have looked into other options for housing. Talk about having the rug ripped out from under you.

We met with management this morning, and I was a nervous wreck the entire time. Pit in my stomach, dry throat, palm sweating, stammering kind of nervous. We {ok, mostly Ryan} explained the situation and asked if they would please be understanding. Especially since we sprung into action once we were informed of the issue, took control, and handled it. He gave us the response that regardless, we were still responsible for the lawn, even if we were out of state and had no clue about it. Also, he would have to talk to the owner and see what he has to say about it, and that he will get back to us tomorrow...

So now we play the waiting game. Will we get to stay? If we don't, will I stay in Utah to move us into a new place? When is Ryan going to head back to California to finish his work for the summer? Will we fight to stay in the house regardless?

What I do feel better about are the following things: that we have found a couple of options of apartments to move into, the rain is pouring down to green up our lawn, and that I seriously have the bestest friends, family, and husband in the entire world. {All of these answered prayers??}

Wish us luck!

$50 Shoe Carnival Giveaway {CLOSED}

{wedges c/o shoe carnival}

If you don't know that I'm a shoe hoarder by now...then we probably aren't very good blog friends. I'm sure Ryan thinks it's ridiculous that I have a shrine for my shoes...but they are like jewelry for your feet! They always fit, always look cute, and can be found on the cheap. Ohhh I love that my heart sings when I see the perfect pair of shoes! So when Shoe Carnival asked if I could review some of their shoes? HECK YES I WILL. Their shoes are totally adorable! They are offering my readers in Utah the same opportunity to drool over their inexpensive & cute shoes by giving away a $50 gift card! Even if you don't win this giveaway, print this $5 off coupon for any of your local Utah Shoe Carnival locations!

*FOR UTAH READERS ONLY*

*RUNS FROM 7/6-7/13*

a Rafflecopter giveaway