Happy Anniversary to my handsome hubby! We have been married for 5 blessed years and I can not wait for much more that is ahead of us!

Five years sounds like a very long time — it kind of is when you think back on everything that has happened or changed in that amount of time, but I can hardly believe that is how long we have been married! It has been a short 5 years! I am so thankful for so many things in our lives and I can definitely say that I love Garrett in so many more ways than I ever imagined possible.

We got married at age 21 (which at the time felt oldddd!) and all we knew is that we loved each other and needed to be together forever. After we had been married a year and learned so much more about each other and the responsibilities of being a husband and wife, our love was so much stronger and complete. It is amazing to think of the blessings God has placed in our lives through that time.

In honor of our 5 years together, here is a little time capsule.

Here we are, the night before our wedding:

Our Wedding Day! ((More Photos Here))

Our 1 Year Anniversary!

Two years of love — 2008:

Happy Together in 2009!

Sweet Times in 2010:

Never Been Better in 2011!

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of our lives and blessed us with love, support, encouragement, good memories, advice and so much more! God has blessed us greatly and I can not wait to see what He has in store for us in the next 5 years!

Share/Save

One of our favorite places is Malibu! While it is just about 45 minutes away from home, it is just far enough for a mini get away. Every year they have an awesome Art Festival and Garrett and I stumbled upon it last year — we have been patiently waiting for it to come along this year!

I’m sure we are not alone when life gets busy and often times we realize that we haven’t been on a real “date” for over a month — that is, besides the occasional movie or dinner out which isn’t always date material. So needless to say this was one of those times were we were due for a good time just the two of us. We drove out late in the morning and had lunch at The Reel Inn before heading to the festival — Clam Chowder, Shrimp n Chips and some fresh Fish Tacos. Have I ever mentioned that we LOVE food?!

To start off, here are some of the gorgeous orchids that were displayed in one of my favorite booths. They have all kinds of orchids and I could stroll back and forth in this booth for the entire day!

Next up, one of our favorite artists that we ran into last time (forgot his name but will add it later!). He is so sweet and we just love the color and texture of his work. I have a feeling that next year we will be coming home with one of his pieces — I had to drag Garrett away from this booth because he was eye balling a piece that another young couple had already chosen and I was afraid he might pounce!

Each year there are always several artists out creating a replica of a photo or piece of art in chalk! It is pretty amazing to watch. The man below was doing a portrait of the Beatles. He had just started but you could just tell it was going to be amazing!

Again, did I mention we love food? Particularly ice cream! We both agreed that we couldn’t leave Malibu without stopping at the Ice Cream shop!

Share/Save

…It is true!

Yellow is so bright and beautiful! I have been searching for some beautiful yellow items to add to my life and thought I would share some of my faves (with links below)! Have a beautifully bright Monday!

*Click to view the full image*

L I N K S

1. Distressed Photo Frame
2. Ruffle Pillow
3. Bright Chalkboard
4. Decorative Wall Hooks
5. Tri-Fold Wallet
6. Honey Yellow Ruffle Top (from Windsor)
7. Cute Owl Shea Butter Soap Bar
8. Pear Ear Rings
9. Bird Chain Necklace (this one I actually purchased, so far!)

Share/Save

This year I would be entirely okay with skipping Halloween and jumping straight into Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since I can’t exactly do that, just for a quick moment, I am going to do a little hop,  jump and skip over to some Christmas inspiration that I wanted to share.

First of all, you have to check out the FREE digital copy of the 2009 Holiday CARDS magazine — http://ow.ly/2Y7AX

That is exactly where I found these beauties by Tamara Jensen (Instructions on pg. 76)!

Aren’t these so gorgeous?! I just have to make a couple for my home this Christmas! I am more of a traditional girl when it comes to Christmas colors, so I will have to search for some fun ribbon to use that will match our decor and our Christmas tree! Check back soon for the finished product!

Happy Weekend!

Share/Save

Hi World!

I am still around… it has been two weeks (or more) since I have blogged but it is all for good reason. Mostly because my husband and I are working on being less wasteful of our time. Not that blogging is wasteful, but computer/internet time can get that way if you let it! We got rid of television last week (now watching just a few select t.v. shows on Hulu.com) and I have been reading! Yay!

Just wanted to check in to the blogging world and share a few of the awesome things going on in my life right now. First, 100 CALORIE CUPCAKES! from Chef Curtis Stone. He appeared on this last week’s Biggest Loser to show them that baking can be healthy. The recipe is below.

Second, I have been reading two books. It has been tough because they both are so amazing and thought provoking — it is hard to decide which I will read first each day! Both are HIGHLY recommend to you all.

Radical by David Platt

I am a Christian. I have been for a long time, but what I want to know is that I am truly following Christ. So many people say they believe in God or that they are Christians, but the Bible says that we need to test our faith. This book brings about thought provoking points using Scriptures that help you understand why God created us and chose us. FOR HIS GLORY. Not because he loves us (and he does) but because he deserves glory in this world. Do I live this out in my daily life? No. God’s message through David Platt digs deep and if you desire to live out Truth in faith and have confidence that we are truly living for God, this is a must read. Highly recommend for all who “believe in God.”

The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Kang Chol-Hwan

I think many would steer away from a book like this, yes, it is detailed but not too vivid. As a matter of fact, I think it is good for us to remind ourselves of what is happening (currently) in our world. My husband and I recently started supporting LINK (Liberty in North Korea) financially. LINK is an organization that helps escapees of North Korea start their new life in South Korea or the United States. This isn’t easy because many times they are unwelcome and don’t know what to do. Also, many of them escape into China and if they are found they will be returned back to North Korea (and punishment could be death). After Hitler, we said we would never let this happen again… this IS happening and has been happening — it is worse, many more have suffered and died in North Korea.

100 CALORIE VANILLA RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 14 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 5 organic egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Raspberry frosting

• 1 cup nonfat cream cheese, at room temp
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• Fresh raspberries to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and using a handheld mixer whip the whites on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until the whites begin to lighten up and hold their shape.
3. Increase speed to high and whip in the salt and honey until the whites hold a soft peak, then add the vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the yogurt.
5. In a separate medium mixing bowl combine the flour and baking powder and mix well.
6. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg whites a little at a time, gently folding them in with a rubber spatula.
7. Once fully incorporated, scoop the batter into cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers.
8. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes or until they have colored and gently spring back when pushed with a finger.
9. Remove from the oven and cool the cupcakes at room temp.
10. While the cupcakes are baking, puree the raspberries in a blender until smooth.
11. Pass through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepot and cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until the puree reduces slightly.
12. Cool completely.
13. Place the cream cheese into a medium mixing bowl and fold the puree into the cream cheese until fully mixed.
14. Once cupcakes are cool, spread a little of the berry frosting over the cupcakes, garnish each with one raspberry and serve.

Share/Save