Oh, Utah (The Subway)

I hope I never take this beautiful place for granted <3

Iceland and France

Welp, it’s been a while (oops). It’s been a fun summer! At the end of May, we took an amazing trip to Iceland and France! We flew to LA and then Reykjavik, spent 8 days driving the Ring Road, then took the 2.5 hour flight to Paris.

Just…. Wow! The beauty, the food, the people, the adventures… this was definitely a trip to remember :)

Iceland has got to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It was so pristine, untouched, majestic, (expensive), and all-around awe-inspiring. We took mineral baths at the Blue Lagoon, snorkeled between the tectonic plates, saw more waterfalls than I even knew existed, explored the inside of a glacier, ate all the seafood and lamb, saw the puffins, toured lava tubes/caves, and generally had a blast.




France was the perfect addition to our trip! We spent 2 days in the alps (where my hot husband climbed the alpe d’huez), a day touring Normandy and seeing the historic sites, and a few days walking Paris! That meant all the sight-seeing, eating (macarons, chocolate, pastries, crepes… sigh), and shopping.




There’s nothing I love more than getting to explore the world, get a glimpse into these amazing cultures, talk to people who live such a different lifestyle than I’m used to, and be reminded of how beautiful the world is!

We went to Mexico last month!

Last month, we made a Valentine's trip to Cancun with our friends! It was an amazing week of beaches, sunshine, spike ball, street tacos, spear fishing, jungle adventures, fishy pedicures, and cenote scuba diving. We couldn't have gone with a better group of people, and it was the perfect getaway from the Utah winter!

Kip also made a sweet video with his new drone. :)

Lessons Learned from Eating No Sugar

For January, the husband and I decided to give up sugar. It's one of my biggest vices (prob. because I don't drink, or eat sauces/cheeses, or really do the soda thing), so I knew this would be a tough one. But it really was a great experience! I lost some weight, and I learned a few great lessons:

1. The first few days were the worst. Man, I really craved sweets and treats. I even got irrationally angry after a few days, and I couldn't handle the idea of not having my treats. But that passed, and it got much better.

2. I have to keep things interesting. I loooooove food. So the thought of only eating chicken breasts and veggies in an attempt to be healthy is a special kind of torture. Great flavors, quality ingredients, and switching things up are absolutely necessary so I don't get bored out of my mind and switch back to eating delicious (but fattening) treats.

(Turkey sweet potato chili - looks gross, tastes great)


3. Meal prep is a must. I'm just too busy to go grocery shopping, cook full meals, and then do clean up every day. So, once or twice a week, it really works for me to make some sort of protein (chicken, fish, eggs, etc.), cook up some sort of carb (quinoa, sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc.), and portion out fruits and veggies (switching it up often to avoid boredom). I liked to prep breakfasts and lunches, then switch it up for dinners.

(extra delicious burrito bowl meal prep)


4. Veggies are the key. I like to eat, and I like to eat a lot. The whole, eat tiny portions and then be hungry the rest of the day thing just doesn't work for me. If I can't eat my fill and be satisfied, then I get so hungry that I just give up and snack like crazy later. So, if I can fill a meal with lots of veggies, I can still stay in the delicious-and-low-in-calorie zone without feeling starving afterwards.

5. Exercise has to go along with it. Not only is it so important for physical health and fitness, exercising kept me motivated to keep eating healthfully. Once I'd worked out, I didn't want to undo all my hard work by eating crap. Plus, the combination of healthy eating and working out helped me sleep better and feel better overall.

(skipped cardio at the gym, so getting it in on the mini trampoline!)


Overall, it was a great learning experience for me, to go without sugar. I'm not going to keep up the extreme rules forever, but it definitely taught me good lessons about moderation!

Is there anything you could give up for a while? :)

Weekend trip to California...

While we still have our companion pass, we decided to take a quick trip to LA over the weekend! It was great to escape the snow for t-shirt weather, and we had a lot of fun around the city.

Day 1 we hit up Knott's Berry Farm! It was actually a really fun little theme park, and the lines were so so short, making it a great day :)



Day 2 we crammed in a lot of fun - we started with the Grammy Museum downtown, then we headed out to the old (abandoned) LA Zoo. After, we saw Moana (loved), swooned over a cupcake ATM, then headed up to the Griffith Observatory so Kip could geek out about space :)









Not pictured - the amazing Indian food, pizza, and tacos that we stuffed our faces with. Let's be honest - food is the main reason I travel :)

Life lately....

Things have certainly been busy since we got home from Europe! Between getting promoted at work, picking up a few more yoga classes, and gearing up for the holidays, things have been crazy and beautiful!

I graduated from Yoga Teacher Training - Level 2! What an amazing experience with such wonderful people.

We got to keep my little bro with us for Thanksgiving! :)

And now we're gearing up for Christmas - Kip couldn't be any more excited for this one :) :)

I'm feeling incredibly blessed and full - how beautiful life is! :)

Italy & Greece.... Best trip ever!

If you ever want to take the vacation of a lifetime, I highly recommend Italy and Greece. The food, the sights, the history, the culture, the adventures, the beauty.... there are not words to describe how truly magical this trip was!

After a long trek to Europe, we got to hike through Cinque Terre, the cutest series of costal fishing villages you'll ever see!!



We briefly stopped in Pisa...



and then headed to Florence! We did a spectacular bike tour of lovely Tuscany! (PS it's as beautiful as you'd imagine).



Our next stop was Rome. Ah, Roma. What an amazing city. The history, the nightlife, the beautiful streets that you can wander through for hours... this was one of my favorite places.



Our last Italian city was Venice. Just..... wow. The waterways, the gelato, the narrow streets.... I loved exploring this place!



We then hopped on a cruise ship to take us to Greece! Our first stop was actually Kotor, Montenegro.



Then, we got to scuba dive on the lovely, green Corfu! We did an awesome cavern dive, and even saw an octopus!



Then.... ATHENS!!!! FREAKING ATHENS!!! I was so excited about this place, and it didn't disappoint. The acropolis, the temples, the food... seriously the best.



Next up, Mykonos! We rented a buggy and drove from beach to beach, taking in the amazingly blue water and white buildings!



Our last stop was on Kefalonia, where we did a kayaking tour of the coast. I've never seen water like that, and I've been to quite a few oceans! We saw some awesome caves and squooze (that's the technical term, I think) through some really tight tunnels! What a gorgeous way to end our perfect trip.





Truly, this trip could not have been any more fun, and I'm so blessed to have had this adventure with my favorite person ever!!!
<3 <3 <3