Shaver Lake, Ca

the weekend

I'm warning you right now that this is more of a journal entry with no purpose and a lot of disorganization. go ahead and read if you want.

I've been thinking lately.. about how life is simple. I think I have always known that I have a simple mind. really when it comes to everything; what I believe, learning in school. I understand things in a simple, realistic way. With that being said, not everything in this world is simple, which can sometimes throw me for a loop when I'm trying to wrap my head about something more complicated than making brownies with coconut oil. (haha - I feel like I'm making myself sound super dumb and un-intelligent right now. promise I am sort of smart people). I have just been thinking lately about the decisions that Steve and I are facing in our lives. Big ones at that. Like what to do with our hard earned money, how there are so many not simple choices that we are having to make in the next little while. (really people - how hard can it be to decide what kind of dog to get? kidding - but really. That is one of the more simple decisions might you know). And then I think about how simple our summer lives are - and how I'm going to miss is tooo much. We wake up, eat, work, fall asleep next to each other, go on little adventures, discover more and more about one another each day.. It just seems simple sometimes. But soo complicated at too.

Just rambles over here. But it has been on my mind lately. How simple can life really get? And how do our minds make it so complicated.. Deep stuff friends.

Any who (I feel like I'm saying that a lot lately).. We had a great weekend. I didn't sell on Saturday which was a bummer because I worked dang hard.. and was so close so many times. but it's alright. There is always today. We went and hung out with some chubby baby cousins of mine that night and it made me baby hungry. Steve and I went to the full 3 hours of our ward on Sunday which was so refreshing. We have been traveling and out of town so much the past couple weeks, and I loved being able to just sit, and feel at peace, and just take in a lot of good stuff. (the good stuff meaning parenting - raising children - Steve and I had one of those really in depth couple conversations after church while I was making these BOMB chicken tacos which was really fun. The kind of conversation that makes you just smile and fall in love with each other all again - that is for another post though. It was cool).

We are working in Sacramento for the week and I already love it up here. love it enough that I would raise my kids here, that kind of love. I am going to be staying in a hotel room with three stinky boys though (one of them is my husband - who smells good most of the time, so that shouldn't be a problem) so wish me lots of luck and patience and stuff.

That's all.

>> Ry

Summer Dress Series 4

            

one | two | three

four | five | six 

seven | eight | nine 

ten | eleven | twelve

Summer is (sort of) coming to an end. especially for me. I feel like summer is always a big deal for us becuase it is such a change from our normal routine. (let's face is, this summer schedule is far from normal). I think it's because school is starting again in a month, and we are leaving california... going to have some structure in our lives and have to wake up earlier than 11am every day.. haha It's so awesome, and so hard at the same time. Any who. the dresses, right? (enough about my summer coming to an end shpill. although that is why this post is happening - I'll get to the point, I promise). Since fall is coming quickly, and I'm still on my "I need dresses" kick, I decided to try and find a few dresses that can still be worn during summer, but are also more versatile for the fallish months. obbbsseesseed. I really am. Too bad I only window shop and don't buy clothes right now. But hey, it's worth it. Soon enough I'll have an awesome closet in my own house rather than a tiny apartment to put all my clothes in. worth it. Okay, I'll stop rambling. Enjoy my lovelies.

(Disclaimer - don't think I can afford that dress that is 3k. (or any of the dresses over 50 dollars for that matter) ya right. like I said, window shopping. Isn't it just so fun to look at though??)

Which one is your favorite??

>Ry 

Summer Dress Series 3

Shirt - Lucky Brand (similar here)

Pants - Zara (similar here)

Shoes - Cotton On

Say hello to the comfiest outfit you ever did wear. 

sometimes you want to look decent but feel even better, right? And for those summer nights that might have a little nip to them, this is for sure my go to. (ps. these shoes are my favorite right now! They give me a little height, which I am always wanting in this short 5'3" body of mine, and are so easy to walk in) I got lucky one shopping day and got everything I'm wearing in this outfit on sale, but check out the links above and maybe those will help you do your own sale searching for something similar to these lovely items! 

cheers to summer clothes my friends!

> Ry

Life

So I had the goal of finishing a book before the summer was over. Last week I bought the book Escape, by Carolyn Jessop and I just couldn't put it down. I finished it in like 5 days. I was that hooked. I had to force myself to not bring it with me while I worked or I wouldn't have knocked on one door all week. I have always had a thing for books that are intense and empowering... maybe because of some of the experiences I have had in my life, and some of the amazing women I look up to that have dealt with and overcome some incredible obstacles.. I dunno. But that kind of stuff absolutely fascinates me (Steve sometimes makes fun of me for it ha. But it's whatever). 

Any who, I've been thinking a lot lately about this life that I have been given. About how I am living my life right now, and the luxuries that I have that so many people in the world are so unaware of. I probably sound like a crazy person right now, ha the fact that one single book brought all of these emotions to surface for me (that and Steve and I had an awesome talk about obedience last night - I love talking about smart, in-depth things with my husband. I feel like we grow closer with every word that comes out of our mouths and I love it), but it's true. I have been reflecting on how blessed I am to live the way I do. I think about some of the hard things that I have had to go through in my life, or that Steve and I may have ahead of us, and it truly makes me grateful. It makes me grateful to think that there is a God that cares about us enough to help us learn how to become stronger. To give us chances to improve ourselves, and is there every millisecond that we may need help. Then I think about the people in our world like carolyn jessop. The life that she, and so many women had to (and still have to) live. That "Why?" question always comes up when I think about stuff like that, and even though I already feel like I know the answer (maybe the answer is just sufficient for me) I always get curious and have to have long thoughts with myself about it. Then I come back to the same few sentences every time. Our spirits our strong enough to endure anything that is put in our way, as long as we are obedient and willing to work with our Father in Heaven. I remember that those women who live any FLDS community, and those children that have to face all that they do in Syria, or the babies who sleep in huts at night, all have spirits strong enough to withstand their circumstances. (but that doesn't stop the other part of me that wants to walk into Colorado City and shake every single women silly and go and buy them mini skirts and take tops and take a bat to every man's head - was that too harsh?)

Bottom line, I'm grateful. I'm grateful that I have to worry about whether or not I am going to get yelled at by a complete stranger when I knock on their doors a couple times a day. I am grateful that I open the fridge and have an endless amount of items I could scarf in seconds. I am grateful that I have a man who respects me, and see's my worth, and loves me for it. I'm just plain grateful.

{oh, and last night steve and I drove home from a little sight seeing and that picture above is what we ran into. I mean, really? Heaven is for real people. Like seriously for real. I love this life.}

And now Steve and I are going to go and write down 100 things that we are thankful for. Heaven knows we have been blessed with much more than 100 things, and for that, I wouldn't give up what I know and the Gospel I live for anything.

Let's all be blessed together.

>Ry

HMB

Half Moon Bay, Ca. 

Our spontaneous summer continues. This past weekend we drove to the quaint little city of half moon bay. We walked two miles {starved} to the beach and we were so hungry/delirious/excited to be in a new place that everything was funny and we had to take breaks on the sidewalk because our legs hurt from walking. You'd think we would be used to that by now considering the fact that that is all we do all day long, but I guess not. HMB (Half Moon Bay) really is such a beautiful place. It wasn't quite what we expected - we were thinking it would be more of a beach city like santa cruz, or huntington, and boy were we wrong haha. There were some shops on main street, (that my grandma would probably adore) and quite frankly all we wanted to do was eat so we didn't even do much exploring. We settled on a hole-in-the-wall indian place that was seriously so amazing. It was one of those, "I'm so hungry I can't even think and probably can't walk a step further and this place is just around the block and we want to sit down to eat (obviously) and we don't even know if we like indian food, sooo let's go"

That's the conversation we both had in our heads - didn't really make sense, but it worked. and this indian place was so good we didn't even know what to think. It made me love indian food forever. This place was actually in a house and I was a little sketched but it all worked out. 

One of my favorite parts of this weeks adventure was the drive. OHHH the drive. We drove through fields of Christmas tree farms and the smell? oh it was heavenly. heavenly heavenly heavenly. 

I love my life. and my guy. and our relationship. and how he can make me laugh even when i'm super mad at him. random love chant over. 

>> Ry

The City Vol. 2 - The Lewis Family

This is one my most favorite little families. Jord and Mal are some of our best friends, and considering the fact that our daughters are going to have the same name, it will stay that way. Soak in their beauty. (Also, Norah makes me want a little babe RIGHT NOW. Is she not scrumptious?)

-Ry

my guy

We celebrated this guys life this weekend! July 19th is one of my most favorite days of the year. Words really cant describe how much he means to me. He has blessed so many lives. And continues to do so every day. He is the most amazing Christ-like example and never ceases to keep me from laughing. Yesterday I made him play hooky from work and go to the celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe with some friends. We went to a bbq and saw planet of the apes to celebrate. Movies and food - two of his most favorite things :) 

Thank you for coming to this earth Mr. Warner! You are loved. 

-Ry