halloween happenings

the past couple of weeks have been full of more fall fun. though i haven't been trick-or-treatin' in years, there are a few october-y things that will always be must do's. let me share my list with you!

number one has to be caramel apples!

 making caramel apples is always a tasty endeavor, and it's even more fun to share the adventure with friends! we invited some friends and family over for a monday night fhe. we had a great lesson watching these videos and then made caramel apples for the activity/treat. (multi-tasking is the way to go)

it was so fun to have our house full of happy people!

 check out everyone's creations!

i loved that curtis and michael just dug right into their apples (i'm more of a neatly sliced caramel apple fan), but seeing it all over their faces was definitely worth it!

 the whole group!

 couple caramel love.

it's so fun to share family night with friends.

but it made me miss this friend. i'm sure she is having a happy hawaiian halloween though!

check back for the rest of my october must-do list... 

p.s. happy halloween!

p.p.s. this was my 100th post!! how long do you think it will take me to get to 100 followers?

i have fifty friends

once upon a time labor day four years ago, my mom, mallory, and i started a tradition of hiking the Y. 

you're supposed to do some grueling form of labor on labor day... right? hiking the y was perfect!

each year for three years we returned up to the celebratory letter on the side of the mountain, and each year the hike seemed harder than the year before... 

enjoy these awkward shots..

 please enjoy how the group has grown each year!

though my mother was not around this past labor day, we kept the tradition going. 

(mostly thanks to mallory who convinced andrew to go for his training for next year's family triathlon)

this hike up to the Y marked year number 4 for me mal. 

 it is, as always, a time of great contemplation.

 glad to have this guy by my side!

 due to her inability to participate on labor day, my mom insisted we hike it while the fam was in town for the #tallberrywedding. jenn insisted we do it at night instead of at 6am the morning of the wedding. i insisted my mom get some glow sticks, just because glow sticks are cool. 

 while i was inviting some of jenn's friends to come, they insisted they didn't want to crash a "family thing". i then insisted that i had invited tons of friends and it was going to be a party. my mom insisted that i told her she needed to get extra glow sticks because i invited "like fifty of my friends".

let's just say not all "fifty" of my friends showed up... 

though my fifty buds didn't make it, it still made for a really good joke for the rest of the night, and we all got at least four glow sticks.

 win-win right?

 the glow sticks were a hit.

the friends who did make it were so fun!

 we all felt exhausted after hiking the Y twice in one month... 

 this guy came. we matched yet again.

 much wildlife was worn. and many howls were howled.

 anj made his glow sticks into horns..

 and in the end all fifty of my friends showed up... they were just late. woops!

okay, just kidding, those were all just random kids. 

despite the lack of "my friends", we all still had a blast.

thanks to all those friends who did make it, hiking the y will always be one of my favorite memories. 

insta.update

here's a quick update about whats been happening around here this month!

apples fresh off the tree // matching for a wonderful wedding // homemade chili and cornbread // sweater season // peachy treats // changing leaves // last days for sandals // couple love // waffles with grandparents // fun farmers' market // conference time // girly cousins 

as you can see there's been lots of fall fun. 

p.s. i made this fun tassel banner for our front door today!

it was super easy and i was so happy with the turnout. a perfect little halloween treat. 

i got the idea from this wonderful blog.

wise words for breakfast

i love general conference. it's a lot like christmas: you can stay in your pajamas all day, you're excited about all the new things you will receive, you spend extra time with family and friends, you eat a late breakfast that is always extra tasty. 

along with all the wise words we are being fed this weekend [and that wild new announcement about missionary ages that will be changing people's lives all around us] my sister joined me this morning for a little pancake breakfast. 

i'm so grateful for the gospel i believe in and know to be true. i'm grateful for my family, and that jenn is willing to hang out with her older, married sister. i'm grateful for this little weekend break and for the chance to be uplifted and edified. and i'm grateful for tasty pancakes. 

 yum.

i'm a mormon. i know it. i live it. i love it.

general conference, october 2012.

our wedding, part 4

just me and my guy

i can honestly say that there has never been a happier day in my life than april 21, 2012. proof: i usually can rock a good serious picture, but all of our serious pictures from this day look so silly because neither of us could stop smiling! we were so, so happy and in love, and i could not have asked for a more perfect day. i think that you can really feel that in these pictures. this guy, my husband, really is the best, and he is mine forever! these photos are some of my favorites from the day. 

this might be my most favorite. that is why it is first.

had to include the coming out of the temple experience. it's pretty surreal!

 i was adamant anj had cute socks. 

 i was also adamant that he wear a beige suit. i think he looks so, so, so handsome!

i also love this one. perfect bouquet shot!

 we could not have asked for a prettier spring day, temple grounds were top notch!

kisses. :)

 can't get enough of those tulips.. or those two lips.

single shots. can i say it again, my husband is so handsome, dapper, charming, hott!!!

 love.

ring a ding ding. gold for all!

i love this one too. it was definitely the wind that swept up my veil... perfect!

i picked out his cuff links while i was in france, secretly hoping he could maybe wear them on our wedding day. we got engaged about a week later. dreams come true! he designed the ring and it is simple, classic, and just beautiful. i still can't stop looking at it.

 we really were so happy. and i think we make a perfect pair!

thanks for bearing with me for all these wedding posts. i'm so glad i have a record of it now on my blog. i still plan on doing one on our lovely open house, but it will come later. so many fun things need to be talked about from the past two weeks. 

halloween has never been my most favorite holiday, but i am excited to put together a couple costume for our ward halloween party! (anj vote we just wear jazz jerseys and be "the jazz") let me know if you have a better idea... maybe vampires?

like i said... so in love! happy october everyone!