merry christmas to all!

Just wanted to wish you a very merry Christmas! xo

merry christmas eve eve!

Below: Children of St. Paul's Church (in Auckland, New Zealand) retell The Christmas Story. It's everything you could imagine ... adorable, honest, and hilarious. Enjoy! xo

    

holiday baking

What are the holidays without a little baking? I had grand plans of creating all sorts of Christmas treats this year for family and friends ... yeah, that's not going to happen. BUT, I did make a small batch of sugar cookies! 

(I can't help it. I'm messy in the kitchen. Frosting was everywhere.)

I was very happy with the way the cookies turned out. They kept their shape and they weren't too sweet or too bland. We used this recipe + store bought vanilla frosting to decorate.

Let me know if you try them! (Or if you have a recipe that you love!) I'm thinking I might make some more for Valentine's Day and possibly venture into the world of royal icing ...

our first tree

Last Thursday, around 8 PM, Danny suggested that we run over to Home Depot to look at trees. I quickly and energetically agreed. After walking through their tree lot, I couldn't bear to come home without one. (This is why I don't go to pet stores, you guys. I get way too attached.) We picked out the perfect one, a soft noble fir. The guys gave it a fresh cut, netted it up, and tied it down to our car. 

I absolutely love our tree (and its natural fragrance that permeates through our little home) and can't wait to share pictures of it decorated! 

thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday! We shared a feast with my parents, Hannah, and a few of Danny's siblings. It was so fun to spend an evening with them! I'm so grateful for Danny, who did most of the cooking this year while I tended to a pesky cough/cold. (That being said, I'm also super grateful for Nyquil this year.)

I can't believe how fast this Autumn season has gone ... only a few more weeks until the holidays! :)

adam's wedding

Earlier this month Danny and I attended the wedding reception of Mr. Adam Ruri, one of my dear friends from the Y. The whole event was beautiful. It was so fun to see the glowing couple and a few old friends. 

Thanks for letting us share in the fun, Adam! Congrats! xo

fall festivities

Last Friday we went to Wheeler Farm with Preston and Lindsay for some halloween fun. It was very much geared toward families which I liked! (Danny and I aren't very big into the whole haunted thing so this was a fun option!) They had pumpkins to pick, a corn maze to wander through, and a tractor ride -- something I hadn't done since I was a kid! Afterwards we came back to our place and carved our pumpkins. Lindsay and Preston were super creative and carved Y mountain (we're all big BYU fans over here!), while Danny and I stuck with the happy face. :)

a holiday collection

I know it's only October, but Lauren Conrad just posted photos of her holiday collection! These are some of my favorite pieces. See the rest over here.

Yesterday, after a long and frustrating day, I came home to these pretty things. 

And once again all was right in the world.

apple picking

You guys! Autumn is here! And what better way to spend the first day of the best season of the year than to go apple picking?! Lucky for us, my Grandma has two huge apple trees in her backyard! So we took a trip down to her house and filled up two big boxes of apples! 

It was so wonderful to spend the afternoon with my Grandma. I always love listening to her stories about growing up in Germany, traveling the world (seriously, that woman has been everywhere) and her funny anecdotes about my Grandpa. She's such an amazing woman and a true hero of mine! We are so lucky to live near her. :)

P.S. Hannah came too, but refused to be in any pictures. Even though she looked really cute and Autumn-y in her combat boots.

a crisp morning

Last weekend Danny and I had the chance to stay over at his parents' house while they were on a trip. Here are some photos I snapped the morning of September 1st ...

I love the crisp and cool mornings that September brings. 

P.S. One year ago today ... :)

a round-up

Before I start blogging about all-things-Autumn (which I cannot wait to do!), I have a few photosets from the end of August that I'd like to share with you! 

A night of mini-golfing with Maddie -- I hadn't been mini-golfing in ages! I lost, but I did get the first hole-in one. (Are you proud of me, Dad?) Maddie won with a score of 47! 

A "beach party" -- Over the Summer I was asked to serve on the Relief Society activities committee for my church. For the month of August we had a dinner with a beach party theme. It was all about spending time with each other, getting to know one another better, and eating ridiculously cute cupcakes. (Thank you, Pinterest.) I loved having some quality "girl time" and feel so lucky to serve alongside these women!

A baseball game -- Just before August wrapped up Danny and I had the chance to go to a Bees game with our friends, Preston and Lindsay. It was so fun to relax, eat crackerjacks, and enjoy America's favorite pastime. I loved chatting with Lindsay about all matters of life and I know Danny enjoyed talking all-things-sports with Preston for hours on end. 

That's a wrap, folks!

the reveal

Just a few sweet photos (from our pre-shoot) capturing the first moment Danny saw me in my dress ... :) 

PHOTOS BY KATE BENSON

link list

I think it's about time for another link list ...

A tiny victorian cottage. I'm obsessed! This would make the perfect little getaway.

I just love everything about this.

 "Why Fiction is Good For You." I LOVE this!

Bahahaha. New motto? (thanks, Ahlin!)

A mini-golf open. Seriously hilarious.

Bachelorette fans: A young girl just wants Jef to be happy. This cracked me up!

I would love to have an office space like this. It looks so peaceful.

Ingredients for good style.

- Sera

melty way

You guys! There's a new lunch place in town! And it's all about the grilled cheese! Of course Danny and I had to check it out. We're all about the grilled cheese. The place is called Melty Way. 

Danny got the Reuben and I got the Italian. (I've said it before and I'll say it again, was there ever a more perfect harmony of flavors than tomato, basil, and mozzarella? I submit not.) Next time we go I really want to get the "Sweet Grilled Cheese"-- cream cheese, strawberry jam, and cinnamon bread. Need I say more?

fourth of july festivities

I had so much fun this Fourth of July holiday! For breakfast, Danny made me a patriotic smoothie -- note the strawberry garnish. Thanks, Danny. :) Following breakfast, we headed over to the Dukes to spend time with his family and visiting cousins. Danny went golfing with the guys while I went swimming with the rest of the gang! They had lots of different contests going on at the pool including a drop-lots-of-coins-at-the-bottom-of-the-pool-and-see-how-many-you-can-get contest. 

Once regrouped at the Dukes, we had a BBQ. Danny made two apple pies for it. :) It was perfectly crumbly, sweet and delicious!

Following dinner, we all headed out to Rio Tinto for the RSL game! Check out that little girl's cute patriotic dress!

After the game everyone was invited to run out onto the field while the stadium put on a fireworks show for the fans. It was pretty cool. And because the only thing that can make good days better is ice-cream, we stopped at Sonic on the way home. :)

 

happy fourth!

To all my fellow American readers, Happy Fourth of July! Here are a few patriotic finds from around the web ... 

Fourth of July by Rodney Smith (1992)

 I love these prints from HMH Designs. 

What would the Fourth be without pie?! Katie's Pencil Box has Fourth of July mini pies!

Plus  -- my favorite rendition of a patriotic tune and a patriotic poem.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

our engagements

Our engagement pictures! ... six months later. But better late than never, right? :) 

All of our wedding-related photography was shot by the wonderful and talented Kate Benson. She was a joy to work with and made it really easy for us to be ourselves in front of the camera. I highly recommend her to any bride-to-be!

And now for the photos ...

PHOTOS TAKEN ON DEC. 30, 2011 BY KATE BENSON

a trip to the farmer's market

Last Saturday the Farmer's Market opened at Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City. So of course we had to check it out. 

flowers and pie ... my kind of market :)

very cool exposed piano

look at the cute little boy taking orders!

you can't go to the farmer's market without tasting a thing ... or two. ;)

After our stroll in the market, we got breakfast at the Park Cafe. This is where the ReAL Salt Lake players often come for breakfast and lunch. According to their twitters. Unfortunately we missed Andy Williams and Johnny Steele by a few hours or so. The food was delicious!

Stuffed to the max, we crossed the street and sat by this beautiful pond in Liberty Park for a while. Oh how I love the water. :)

The rest of the afternoon was filled with the Euro 2012 matches. Which I was totally okay with. I may have fit a nap in there too.

And what better way to end the perfect Saturday than with chocolate fondue and fruit? Fruit makes it totally healthy, right?

I love Saturdays. :)