Fall Faves

I enjoyed blogging about my summer loves so much that I decided to continue the tradition. It's fun to compile a mental list, even if nobody really benefits from my contributions. Anyway, here they are:

Mistral Verbena body wash - or anything Verbena that Mistral makes. Ooh I love the scent. The more I smell, the more I love.

Shelli Segal for Laundry jewelry - some of my favorite finds this summer and into fall. She designs some cool sparkly stuff... have I ever mentioned liking sparkly things?

Sean Hannity I started listening to talk radio when my iTrip broke, regular radio became mundane, and also when I started to feel like an uninformed American. Sean Hannity is awesome.


Diet Rite Red Raspberry - a really refreshing break from DC. Also love DDP Berries and Cream.

Fleece-lined Crocs - need I say more?

Shade Clothing bodysuit - I'm still trying to figure it out, but overall a great concept! Especially when wearing dresses or skirts when you need the shirt part but don't want the extra fabric around the waist (or tugging/riding issues)

CSI: Vegas - Ben and I got hooked on these (all cities) this summer at my parents'... but now we have limited ourselves to the Las Vegas show. We DVR every episode that airs, including this season. It's fun to finally be watching it in sequence.

Chaka Khan - "I'm Every Woman" How about that for a fall theme song??

Anything for Baby!!! Oh Tary I love you. I just can't help myself. I bought you something today...

Baby Wheatley

Today I was waiting in another long line at the grocery store...where do these people all-of-a-sudden appear from right as I'm getting in line??

Anyway, as I perused the magazine rack... I saw this - darling picture of what could very well be the future child of Taryn and Mike. And the Yale sweatshirt just capped it off! Oh Tary, I can't wait to find out what the baby will be... but regardless it will be a precious little thing!

Pebble Beach

We were so lucky to get away over Labor day to Pebble Beach. Ben has family friends with a home on the golf course - it far exceeded my wildest dreams. Right on the 14th fairway, and with views of the tenth and twelfth, we hardly wanted to leave the house.
Ben and the golf enthusiasts in the house were excited about the Champion's Tour Pro-Am that was on the course that weekend. I felt dumb, not being able to recognize any faces... let alone from 50 yards away... (I'm just starting to recognize the names and faces of the PGA tour, give a girl a break). But I will give myself credit for spotting Clint Eastwood from afar... point Lauren. The back of the house sits literally on the 16th tee - so close you could get hit with a swing by standing there. Needless to say Ben had a wonderful time watching his favorite senior players.
I fell in love with the scenery and the little town of Carmel-by-the-sea. Just adjacent to the Pebble Beach resort - this ten block-square village is filled with local boutiques, bakeries, art galleries, antique shops and mini hotels. Darling! Very crowded while we were there, but so fun to walk around all day and tons of beautiful things to see.

The most picturesque view I saw was at Spanish Bay, another golf course nearby. If heaven has golf courses, they look like Spanish Bay. We had dinner at the grille there on our last night in town, and I ordered the BEST salad I've ever eaten. We finished just in time for the sunset which was just as amazing as the salad. If I ever get back to Carmel - I will be camped out at Spanish Bay.

Here are some photos from the weekend.
the backyard

Day trip to the wharf

Ben's sister Sara with new baby Drake (I love this musher, you've never met a happier baby)

10th fairway

the famed "Lone Cypress"

Topping the charts for 'greatest nights of my life' @ Spanish Bay

This is so ME

Who else feels this way?? Click here -

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wFO0D_fEDCs

Meghan's wedding

Ben and I returned from Montana (yes, we went again!) just in time for his sister Meghan's wedding. What a beautiful day it was! Perfect weather at the Salt Lake temple, a lovely dinner at the Grand America, and a very happy bride and groom. Here are some pictures from the sidelines.

Summer loves

I love summer. Instead of always posting pictures of myself doing silly things ( I admit it!), I've been wanting to post on the things I've been loving this summer. Anything from what I love eating, to what I carry in my purse, what I watch, etc. Summer is not over yet, so if any of these things inspire you, give them a shot!

Corn on the Cob: Taryn taught me how to make it, (tough I know right?) and now I'm hooked. I can just taste it now - my mouth is watering. Plus, sweet Ben now thinks I'm a Gourmet.

Did I catch on to this fad late? It's one of the best inventions of the decade. Practically perfect in every way.


I really like this magazine. Funky, fresh, lots of how-to and ecclectic ideas for creative minds. Confession: I love Martha's magazines. I guess this would be the Martha version of "Domino" (but less emphasis on selling products and more on "how-tos"). I also love Living magazine. It's a classic, even if you only get into 15 pages of the entire mag.

Who doesn't love otter pops? And just because you don't have kids doesn't mean you can't enjoy them ALL summer long. I bought a large box a few months ago that I think will last well into fall. The grown-up way to eat them is eat two instead of one. Quiz: can you name all the flavors??

My sister Tessa introduced me to this - Cover Girl Volume Exact mascara. It has a cool silicone wand and goes on just how I like it. Mascara is a personal choice - but my motto is go big or go home. At $7 everyone should try it.

Geraniums. For now, my yard is a balcony. I put red geraniums in railing planters and have loved watching them grow outside. Love the punch of red color and the almost more interesting leaves. Easy to care for and can last all year if moved inside during cold winter months. love them.


Borderline obsessed? Maybe. I've loved her show "Divine Design" for years, and discovered her book this summer. I'm adding this to my library of reference books. I think she's pretty great.

Monty '07

Ben and I just got back from ten days in Montana - I don't know what it is about that place... Usually when I go on vacation I like to relax, read mags, lay around and get tan, etc., but being in Montana is like summer camp! You wake up every morning and say, "what should we do today??" To save myself from uploading a bizillion pictures I created a slide show of some of the things we did. And - we had SO much fun, that we decided to go back up next month.

60% addicted?

60%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I saw this post on my friend Blythe's website and decided to try. Since I'm not working full-time anymore I thought I would be online a ton, but I've found it's the opposite. Probably because I used to spend 40 hours a week at a computer, and now it's only for leisure purposes. I was surprised to see that I'm 60% addicted. I only blog a few times a month and don't even check my friends' blogs every day anymore.
I think I got this 'high score' because I answered yes to the question, "Have you ever come up with a great blog idea while doing something completely random, such as taking a shower or watching a movie?" (how did they know to ask that? they are good.)

I'm not ashamed... I'd imagine anyone who finds the quiz is probably already somewhat addicted to blogging. Somewhat ironic, no? Maybe 60% is considered below the average.

July Fun

July has been so much fun I've forgotten to post! I feel better knowing that Taryn hasn't posted in a while either... see, we're both too busy having fun together every second.

Here are the month's highlights: Thursday night dinners with our friends Chris and Maeve (love them), West Valley Drive-in movie to see Ratatouille with the fam, and fourth of July with both sides of the family (how lucky am I... I can't do anything without my sisters I guess, or just don't want to).


(Taryn and Mike with Ben's bro Matt and his wife McCall)


For any of you who haven't seen Ratatouille - I liked it. I also really liked the van full of 9 kids under the age of 10 that was parked next to us. No car seats and the kids never exited the van, unlike the other hundred kids that were pajama-clad, barefoot, and dragging blakies around the parking lot. At the end of the movie I walked to the ladies room. The line was so long, I decided not to wait in it, but to count the number of women in line: 67. (and 2 men, strange). The drive-in is a post in and of itself.

What else is new - well, we've been watching Age of Love and we can't get enough. I'm proud of myself for not taking a picture of us watching the show so I can post it on my blog. (Ben now thinks the only reason I want to do fun activities is so I can post them/photos on my blog... silly).

This weekend we'll head up to Montana to spend a week with my folks. My mom no doubt has a variety of planned activities awaiting us. (great blog material) :)

Back to School

I'm back in school - almost exactly 2 years after finishing the Public Relations program at BYU - I'm starting the Design program at the LDS Business College downtown. I'm only in 2 classes right now, art and perspective drawing, one of which is fun. As soon as fall rolls around, I think I'll begin to like the program more and more, being able to take more classes and more serious classes, and also having more than 5 people in the classroom. LDSBC is like BYU in that it's a CES school, but it is very small (one building) and the course offerings are not as widespread. I left the Board of Regents to do school full-time, and so far it hasn't been as serious as I anticipated. I guess I'm viewing this as a post-grad or professional program, when many students are young and just getting into school for the first time. Step aside! :) Maybe I'll post a drawing or two when they become presentable. The good news is, because I have the general classes out of the way I'll be able to take straight design courses. (if stats 221 were in the picture again I don't think I would have applied)

Totally look the part

If you've been keeping up with my darling sister's blog, you'd know that her husband Michael is working at the US Attorney's office this summer here in SLC. Most of his duties revolve around research, however, a perk of the position is his chance to attend 'real live' trials and court cases. Mike came home yesterday and told us about his day in court. Taryn and I were intrigued and (since we have so much free time on our hands at the moment) decided to sit in on the trial the next day.

We strode boldly downtown to the courthouse and, when we got in the courtroom, wow! how fascinating! We saw everything from the judge, to the stenographer, to the full jury, the crazy "I'm representing myself" defendant, and even a few US Marshalls (the crazy defendants watchmen) who Mike said, "could seriously mess you up."

We heard a few witness statements, cross-examinations, and the closing arguments. I don't have enough time to blog about this case, but if you're interested, read here or here. Basically, this man robbed a bank because he was trying to raise money to enable Utah, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana to secede in order to create it's own "White motherland." This white-supremacist, anti-goverment man, who resembled a smaller, skinnier version of the monopoly guy, said some of the craziest things I've heard in a long time (especially live), the most annoying of which was his repeated use of the word "irregardless."

The jury decided a guilty verdict in a record 12 minutes.
Taryn and I had the most interesting time, and, while we were there, I kept envisioning the above picture, which I'm so glad I found. Behind Elle, you'll see Mike, Taryn, and Moi! :)

Lake Powell 2007

Those of you who've been with me since last year (or before) - may remember my trip to the Lake with the Oviatt's last year. This year's trip was fun in a different way. Because of a few recently born babies or soon-to-be-born babies, our numbers were down from 26 to 16. When we got to the lake and launched the boat, it was only a few minutes until disaster struck! The boat's engine started smoking and ended up being broken for the entire trip. The houseboat had some leaking problems as well... bathroom leaking problems. For the first two days of the trip the weather and winds were so bad we had to stay docked on the side of the marina, next to the boat-gas station. The first night, the winds were so strong that the frame on the top of the boat cracked and I felt like we were on the movie White Squall or that tv show Deadliest Catch. (we found out later that the gas station dock collapsed that night as well).

Once we left the marina the whole trip turned around. Without jet skis or a ski boat, we only had the flower-shaped blow-up raft that I bought before the trip. It ended up being the only source of entertainment. (but a good one!) The little boys fished and had so much fun catching catfish, carp, and blue gil. Kids are so cute. We also took a few hikes and of course ate lots of food.

Here are a few pictures from the adventure.