sometimes you just need to take a road trip

we just got back from our joyous road trip. 

it was so nice to get out of town and free our mind of work and research. 

although the wind never seemed to die down (notice the picture with our hair blown back. two seconds after that picture was taken Bear's hat and sunglasses blew off his head and the wind gust was so hard that it was impossible to stand in one spot) we had so much fun together. 

we explored/hiked around Moab, visited and spent time with family, 

ate at some delicious restaurants, and celebrated Memorial Day in beautiful Colorado.
i have a lot more pictures to share with you all, but for now enjoy some of my phone pics. 

in my backyard

i love relaxing in my hammock 

i check on our tomatoes everyday. i am really hoping that we get lots of yummy ones this year. 

i enjoy listening to our neighbors chickens (and being a little stalkerish and watching them through the fence)

my heart gets happy watching shento roll around in the grass 

i love the way the flowers brighten up the area

i love having the option of sitting outside

dinner time has become an outside event and i love that! 

having this little backyard space has made me quite happy. i imagine we will be spending lots of time out there. 

road trip

It’s Thursday and I am thrilled about it.  We’re heading out of town today, taking our new car on a Memorial Day road trip to Moab, UT and then to Ridgway, Co. I am so excited!

The past couple of weeks months have been busy around our house, and it feels like there are very few days when Bear and I have the chance to relax and enjoy each other without rushing to the next thing.  This little road trip is going to be great, you know why? I get to have Bear’s undivided attention for 4 days.  Plus, the car is packed with yummy treats, our song list is awesome (I expect some major singing happening on this trip), and we get to try out our new sunroof. .. windblown hair, here you come.   

Have a happy memorial weekend. I hope you all have a wonderful memorial day! 

a date night for you

1. Rent a tandem bicycle. BYU offers bike rentals for a great price. Go here for more information.
2. Head on over to the Provo River trail to bike along the river and through the trees. My recommendation is to start near the parking lot at lakeshore Dr and N. Boat Drive. There are great areas to stop and take breaks along the trail, or if you are really adventurous jump off the rope swing. Go here for more information about the Provo River Trail.
3. After your bike ride, it's hamburger eating time. The best hamburger joint in Provo is Stans drive in. It has the perfect small town drive-in feel, and they claim to be the ones who invented fry sauce. For hours and directions, go here.
4. There is nothing better than ending the night with a movie and popcorn. A dark movie theater is the perfect place to cuddle! Hit up the dollar movies in Provo to see an old classic or a (semi) new release. But hey, it's a dollar so you can't complain too much about the movie. Go here to check movies and times.

I realize this date night is catered towards people living in Provo, Utah. However, you can use these ideas to create a similar date in your area. Enjoy.

It's her birthday

Hey Mom, it's your birthday and you're probably relaxing by the pool. This year is the big year... but you look fabulous! don't you feel fabulous (you have to learn to love your age). Remember with age comes wisdom. And that wisdom can be passed down to me. Thank you for always being there for me and for loving me no matter what. It has been such a special last couple months being able to live so close to you. I love our lunch dates and the over night weekend activities. It's just great being able to be around you. Have an awesome day and be fabulous!! I love you and we will celebrate when you get home.

lets buy a hammock and lay in it

this weekend was spent outside, soaking up every moment of the sunshine. 

summer is by far my favorite time of the year. 

who doesn't love summer? 

warm weather, fresh flowers, picnics... the list could go on and on.

i live for the warmth and being able to enjoy the outdoors. 

in the summer i pretty much live outside! and it's spectacular. 

but we had one problem. 

our house had no patio or place to sit outside. 

so this weekend, we created one.

 we cleared out a corner of our back yard, 

mulched it, planted flowers, started our garden, 

and the best part... hung a hammock. 

The corner transformed from a pile of leaves, sticks, and multiple disintegrating items

to this area that we are now able to enjoy and relax in. 

I spent most of sunday reading my magazine, sipping on lemonade, 

and swinging in the hammock. 

it was g.l.o.r.i.o.u.s !

p.s we also stopped by my favorite bakery to pick up some doughnuts. 

working on

i have been editing pictures like a crazy lady tonight, and i am still not caught up. how does that happen? as of late, i always feel one step behind in everything I need to do.  my todo list is forever growing, and most of the time it grows a lot faster than i can cross things off. i have been feeling over whelmed for a while now, and have never seemed to be able to get a handle on it. which has affected how i enjoy my home life and being a wife. i will be the first to admit that my wife skills have quickly disappeared. between working and trying to run a photography business, i don't get a lot of time for anything else. that's why we have gone a couple weeks with out groceries, the laundry is over flowing from the laundry basket, and Bear, being the super husband that he is, has tried to pick up slack wherever he found necessary.

the guilt of "life is just passing me by" starting to really sink in. life is passing me by, and instead of enjoying it i have been sucked into the feeling of never accomplishing anything and taking things for granted. i am so blessed that i get to wake up every morning snuggling tightly with the one i love, and that i get to come home and go for beautiful walks in a gorgeous area. these are all little things that i need to be grateful for but i wasn't.

however, this past week changed my way of thinking.  my to do list was suddenly put on hold when our car broke down and we had to quickly search and buy a new car (which is exhausting).

buying a car was stressful and overwhelming. but... it was also a wonderful bonding experience for Bear and i. we used all the extra time that we had while test driving the cars to enjoy each other. we learned that we work as a team and both bring to the table valid questions and concerns. it was fun discussing, analyzing, and listening to each other bring up all of our options. i felt like an adult, and although now having a car payment is scary.. the experience of going through something stressful and financially bearing is difficult on anyone. but being able to lean on your loved one for support and guidance is one of the best feelings.
As for our old car, one mechanic told us it was a goner, the other said it was in perfect condition. who do you believe?

P.S I took this picture last week of these two love birds. for me, this picture sums up that idea of learning to lean on each other for support. going through difficult times becomes a whole lot easier when you go through it with the one you love. 

Happy Mom Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful momma's out there. 

To my mom, I am grateful for everything that you have done for me. 

I am so glad that this year we get to celebrate together, instead of just a phone call. 

I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to one of my best friends. 

Watching her become a Mom has been a wonderful thing. 

I look forward to the day that I get to call and ask her for parent/Mom advice.  

Around Tomball, Texas {around your town guide}

Today's around your town post comes from Bri, the adorable blogger over at The Secret Life of Bee. From what I can tell, Bri is a lover of antiques, photography, and music (my type of girl). She has a lot of fun recommendations for shopping, eating, and browsing around Tomball, Texas. 

Thanks, Bri, for this great around your town guide. 



My husband and I moved down here after we graduated, which was a little over a year ago. He grew up here but the area is totally new to me. We are technically part of Houston, but this particular area is called Tomball. I have been having fun exploring and finding cool places to go.

Where are your favorite places to shop?

I love going down to Main Street and browsing all the antique shops. It doesn't matter how many times I have been in those shops, I can always find something new.

Rainy day activity? 
Rainy days are the best here. I have to hand it to Texas for its thunderstorms. If we aren't watching the downpour from the patio, we are cuddled up watching The Office.


If you could plan a Saturday filled with activities what would they be? 
Husband and I would start the day early with Kolaches. It's a Texas thing that I quickly adopted. Then we would go to any estate sales we might find. After that we'd peruse the many thrift stores and antique shops in the area. For lunch we could have something southern like brisket. Then we'd probably go into a food coma and need to rest up. For the evening we would go downtown for a show of our favorite band.


If you could recommend only one thing to see around your town. What would it be?
If I were hosting any guests, I would most likely be taking them to Main Street in Tomball. I just think it's simple and fun and just enough antique shopping to satisfy.


Around your town guide is a special feature. If you would like to showcase your town, please email me at katrinanbrooks@hotmail.com. 

weekend events

Over the weekend, we squeezed in a little time for some flea market shopping. After a very stressful few days the fun we had was much needed. My parent's decided to come hang out with us on Saturday and go to fleaology. Of course, fleaology was great, the vendors out did themselves. I walked away with a great yellow and orange carpet bag, a 1960's picture to hang in our kitchen, and a green bowl.  

After fleaology, we hit up the local breakfast spot, One Man Band. I remember frequently visiting this spot when I was younger. There's a phone at each booth that you use to call the cook when you're ready to order. When you're young, this is one of the coolest inventions ever... Bear had never been to the One Man Band and couldn't get over the fact that you had to actually pick up the phone, ring the chief, and order your breakfast.  Hence, the reason it's called "ONE" man band, it literally is one man behind the counter answering phones and cooking up a breakfast storm. Because of it being only one guy working, the service is a little slow but the food was great and the atmosphere is fun.

Thank you to Mom and Dad for coming down and having fun with us. And I want to thank them for being so patient and extremely helpful in this time of need. This coming week we have a big decision to make, but hopefully the stress of everything will slowly taper off. 

Happy Monday!!

stress

Excuse me for not writing much on the blog this week.
It has been a stressful, irritating and emotional past couple of days.

I am counting on the weekend to make up for it.
hope your week was better than mine. Here's to the weekend!

If you live in Utah here are a couple fun things happening this weekend!

Fleaology happening in Payson.

Rooftop Concert series in Provo: performers are Peter Breinholt and Ryan Innes.

Live Green Festival in Salt Lake City