Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from the Wards! We’ve had a crazy busy season around here but it feels so good to spend the holidays together. Although the break is definitely not long enough, it’s been so good to have some time to relax. We’ve done so much with family and Trent’s sister comes in from Texas today and we can’t wait to see all our nieces and nephews! It will be so fun! I am so grateful for family and friends! Trent and I are surrounded by some truly remarkable people!

For Christmas this year Trent’s sister surprised us with the nicest gift. She took pictures and ordered Christmas Cards for us! This is something I never would have thought to do myself and I loved that it was such a personal gift. Trent was a good sport during pictures and we got some good ones. No, that is not our dog, I wish! Ryder is Trent’s parents and although we sometimes feel like he is our dog, he’s not. We sure love him thought and he had to debut in some of the photos.

We had one big snowstorm a couple weeks before Christmas and then up until Christmas it was all dry and warm. Luckily Christmas came with a miracle and it snowed all Christmas night long. I really do love the snow, especially in December (after that…not so much) Trent’s been hitting the mountains snowmobiling and I’ve been catching up on some much needed cleaning and relaxing. I can’t believe the break is already almost over. It’s crazy how fast time flies.

 

Today it is bitter cold so I’m staying inside trying to keep warm. I’m so grateful for this wonderful time of year to reflect on family, our new goals and just how blessed we are. 2018 was an incredible year and I will do a whole post about it later. I can’t wait to see what adventures await. Life truly is wonderful.

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Thanksgiving in Junction

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays. It’s always been a holiday full of time with family and a break before the chaos of the Holiday season really hits. I’ve always loved it and this year was no exception.

Thanksgiving Day was spent with Trent. Holidays aren’t always the easiest when you’re trying to figure out how to share families and figure out new traditions. We’ve learned lots over these past couple years and I’m always so grateful for how gracious and loving Trent is. I love building new traditions with him each year.

The day after Thanksgiving we took off to Junction Utah with my mom’s side of the family for a little weekend away. Junction is quite the tiny town and it was so refreshing to be off the grid and connecting with one another. We arrived on Friday afternoon and spent the day playing games and walking around the town. On one of our walks we were followed by a darling dog who we quickly grew to love. She had about 10 different names by the time we left and if I didn’t live in an apartment that had a no dog policy, she would definitely be ours.

Lucky for us, Junction is about an hour away from Bryce Canyon National Park! I’ve never been to Bryce and it was absolutely incredible. The red rocks and amazing formations blew me away. I’ve lived in Utah my entire life and have never gotten out here. There are so many unique National Parks in Utah and I want to do a better job of getting out and seeing all of them.

After Bryce, we went back to Junction for an delicious Thanksgiving feast and then began our journey home. It was a much needed weekend and I’m so grateful to be surrounded by such incredible people. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others but it’s important to remember how blessed and lucky we are.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Adventure Buddy

The Fall weather in Utah this year has been nothing short of glorious! The leaves have lasted for so long and the days are still perfectly pleasant. I definitely prefer the warmth over the cold so I’m holding on to every last minute of warmth until winter hits. I’m always so happy when fall hangs on just a bit longer and this year has been the best. The leaves are stunning and the mountains are covered with color. Trent and I try to find time outside together and we always talk about how life’s problems seem to get a little smaller when you get outside and enjoy the world around you. The other night we went on a bike ride out by Farmington bay and almost died by mosquitoes but it was still a blast. 🙂 I’m so lucky to have married a man who loves to adventure and even though I sometimes need to be convinced of an idea, it always ends up being just what I needed. I love my adventurous life and adventures call for Thread Wallets.

I wear a lanyard everyday for work and usually people know when I’m coming down the hall because it jingles as I walk. It holds everything that I need for the school day and I always freak out a little bit when I misplace it. When my old lanyard broke a couple weeks ago, I was so bummed! Luckily, Thread Wallets came in to save the day! Thread Wallets is a company that makes wallets, phone cases and lanyards. They have full length lanyards as well as wrist length lanyards and their wallets are simple and perfect. All the patterns are unique and stylish, not to mention they are local! I love supporting local Utah brands and feel like they always have such great quality products. Thread Wallets is no exception and I’ve loved my new lanyard.

Whether I’m wandering around the classroom or adventuring with T, this lanyard has been a perfect addition. Here’s to enjoying this wonderful fall weather while it lasts!

10 Easy Breakfast Ideas

Mornings have always been hard for me. I press snooze until the very last minute, jump out of bed and then rush to work. With that in mind, breakfast is usually an afterthought. My mom always talked about breakfast being the most important meal and I often reflect on that when my stomach is growling at 10:00 that morning. I started thinking about how I could up my breakfast game. I’ve been making muffins that Trent and I can eat as we rush out the door but I’m struggling to find other things to do. Luckily I have some great friends and an awesome family that pitched in some incredible ideas and I wanted to share my top ten suggestions with you!

 

10 AWESOME AND EASY BREAKFAST IDEAS

 

1. Cut peppers, onions and your favorite sausage and put them in a tupperware. In the mornings, pour some into a pan with two eggs and you’ve got the perfect morning mix.
2. Make a bunch of mini waffles and then freeze them. Pop into the toaster in the mornings. Genius!
3. Yogurt Parfaits. Store in mason jars or little containers and throw fruit and granola in each morning.
4. Eggs Muffins. Eggs, milk, veggies, protein, bake in a muffin tin. Grab and go in the mornings.
5. Make bags of ready to make smoothies. Put everything you need in little ziplock bags except the liquid. Stick them in a freezer for ready to make smoothie packages. (I’m a fan of this one!)
6. Cereal in a Mason jar for a totally “on-the-go” approach.
7. Muffins. Muffins. Muffins.
8. Overnight oats. Use the pioneer woman recipe found here.
9. Like the waffle idea but instead of waffles make protein packed pancakes. Make a big batch on the weekend and warm up throughout the week.
10. Ready to go breakfast burritos. Make them the weekend before with your favorite fillings, eggs, sausage, bacon, peppers etc. Individually wrap in tinfoil and store in the fridge. Unwrap and reheat in the mornings for an easy breakfast out the door.

 

Hopefully this helps spice up your morning routines! If you have any other suggestions, please drop them in the comments. I need all the help I can get!

 

Golden Days

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but there is something about having a day off of school that is absolutely amazing. I feel like I’ve been running 100 miles a minute lately and it felt so good to take a day and relax. My body won’t let me sleep in but I stayed in bed till around 10:30 so that was a total win, haha. Trent came home from school and we had a completely peaceful morning and then we were off to do something fun!

I love being married to Trent. Marriage is such an adventure with all the ups and downs but being in this adventure with T is such a blessing. He is always so positive and he works so hard! School this semester has not been easy on him but I’ve been so impressed by how hard he’s worked. I sure love him!

Today we decided to go on a 4 wheeler ride up at his farm. This fall weather has been incredible and the farm has the best views! As we wove through the mountains, Trent led the way and I tried not to crash. Jk, I’ve gotten a lot better with machinery since knowing Trent. This is a ride we do every year and I love seeing how the mountains change.

Funny story, when Trent and I were dating after our missions we had a moment that was kind of a make it or break it for us. We were both trying to figure out if we should continue in our relationship or who knows what? (Ugh…I’m so glad we’re married) It was a rough couple of days but we ended up going on a date and riding horses along this exact same trail during this exact same time of year. The ride was totally stressful because the sun set earlier than we thought and we were riding our horses in the dark…you can ask Trent about that one, haha. After the ride we came back and talked about “us”. Needless to say it was a good conversation and the rest is pretty much history. Every time I ride this trail I think of that day and how grateful I am that it all worked out.

Trent was kind enough to let me takes some pics, haha. I don’t think he knew what he was getting himself into with this photography thing. Sorry T!

It was so wonderful to be up in the mountains, soaking up as much fall as physically possible and just being together. It was just a happy, golden day.  This life is crazy but there are so many happy, happy days to appreciate. Don’t forget to find the happy and take a day for yourself every once in a while. We all need it.