So every once in a while I release the need to brag about my husband's musical talent. Yes, I said "release" because if I didn't keep wraps on it, I would pretty much have a blog entitled "My Favorite Songs by J" ....
This is a little video he did in our living room with the new camera he got me for my bday. The song is a new one he wrote for a friend.... and it could be my current favorite :)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
a Rockin' Wedding
Wow... things have been CRAZY! Between Denver/Albuquerque trips and countless meetings, I have been behind on EVERYTHING. With that being said.....
This past week was our good friend's wedding. Dave was in J's band back in the day and was even a groomsman in our wedding.... not to mention our roommate for a year.
Dave is a rocker. There is no other way to sum him up. He has ALWAYS had an intense passion for music and has played in bands his entire life. He is also part owner of a guitar store and met his wife at a show he played. To say music is the most influential part of Dave's life would be an understatement. They sent out the cutest invitations!
Dave is in his late 30s and to be honest, none of us ever thought he'd get hitched. He is very free spirited and well, Lisa completely swept him off his feet. In all the years of friendship and living together, I never saw Dave as happy as he has been since he met her. He has become a wonderful father to her 2 children and has become the man that Lisa deserves.
J officiated the ceremony which I thought was really special.
It was the third wedding he has officiated and I love how he incorporates so much of his friend's lives into their ceremonies. He brought their kids up and said a little spiel regarding their "family" which brought tears to the eyes in the room.
It was the ultimate music themed wedding! The entire wedding party wore chucks.
The groomsmen walked out to "Back in Black" by AC/DC and an acoustic guitar served as their guestbook. Even the centerpieces were records with carnations.
They had a beautiful cake and even a fun photobooth.
It was such an honor to even by invited to their big day! I danced with Dave a little during their "money dance" and he said something that floored me. He said that him and Lisa always strive to be the "J &Meg" in their relationship. I was floored and humbled all at the same time.
This past week was our good friend's wedding. Dave was in J's band back in the day and was even a groomsman in our wedding.... not to mention our roommate for a year.
Dave is a rocker. There is no other way to sum him up. He has ALWAYS had an intense passion for music and has played in bands his entire life. He is also part owner of a guitar store and met his wife at a show he played. To say music is the most influential part of Dave's life would be an understatement. They sent out the cutest invitations!
Dave is in his late 30s and to be honest, none of us ever thought he'd get hitched. He is very free spirited and well, Lisa completely swept him off his feet. In all the years of friendship and living together, I never saw Dave as happy as he has been since he met her. He has become a wonderful father to her 2 children and has become the man that Lisa deserves.
J officiated the ceremony which I thought was really special.
It was the third wedding he has officiated and I love how he incorporates so much of his friend's lives into their ceremonies. He brought their kids up and said a little spiel regarding their "family" which brought tears to the eyes in the room.
It was the ultimate music themed wedding! The entire wedding party wore chucks.
The groomsmen walked out to "Back in Black" by AC/DC and an acoustic guitar served as their guestbook. Even the centerpieces were records with carnations.
They had a beautiful cake and even a fun photobooth.
It was such an honor to even by invited to their big day! I danced with Dave a little during their "money dance" and he said something that floored me. He said that him and Lisa always strive to be the "J &Meg" in their relationship. I was floored and humbled all at the same time.
Congrats to Dave and Lisa! Love you both!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
28 - oh so great!
BEWARE: this is a pretty photo heavy post
That's right folks, I just had my 28th Bday. And man oh man, it was wonderful :) Being born on a holiday makes things pretty interesting. Growing up, I could never have a party on my actual birthday due to the holiday festivities.... but this year, we were able to make it work!
J started off the week by surprising me with some roses.... I love my husband! :)
DAY 1 - July 1st
My parents' present arrived from Oklahoma... I was thrilled to receive some amazing presents from them! Including a Vegan Cookbook and a Vegetarian Cookbook! Not to mention a cute little Snow White purse from Disney World... I'm addicted, I know. J and I opened my presents and I was BEYOND ECSTATIC to receive a brand new Camera from him! My camera is a giant Nikon so it is very hard to take places and carry around. Now I have a new smaller Canon that I can fit in my purse :) Best present ever!
J and I have a "Birthday Tradition" so we ate hibachi at Benihana and then had some fun martinis at the Red Door downtown. I got Liquid Sin and he had an Espresso Martini.
We finished the night off at Club Vegas where Rob's new band was playing a show. They were phenomenal and we had so much fun :)
DAY 2 - July 2nd
J and I invited some friends over for some pre-party/appetizer action! I made a new vegan chili recipe I found online... and man, it was TERRIBLE! But everyone adored the vegan chicken fingers and their beverages :) I got some amazing gifts from some wonderful friends.
After the pre-party action, we walked to the bowling alley down the street from our house and did some Beer Bowling.
It was a BLAST! And I won 2 out of the 3 games! Who knew I had such skill!? ;) joke
After bowling, a few of us headed over to the Drive-In where we watched Bad Teacher and Hangover2..... I already saw Hangover2 a couple weeks ago so I ended up napping through the whole thing .... whoops! Cleo came to the drive-in with us even though they don't allow pets. And I would just like everyone to know that she did AWESOME! Didn't make a peep the whole night :)
DAY 3 - July 3rd
J spent most of the day picking up our new washer and dryer from Provo/installing it/ etc. That evening, we went to Olive Garden for my favorite salad and then saw Midnight in Paris..... I absolutely adore Rachel McAdams... as in, she is my FAVORITE actress! So I adored the movie even though she played a total bitch. J liked it a lot too since it incorporated the creative side of things and discussed living in the past vs. the present. I recommend it for a fun, lighthearted evening. :)
DAY 4 - July 4th
MY BDAY! Woo to the hoo! J cooked me some of my VERY favorite breakfast... flaky biscuits! He bought vegan bacon so I was able to have a semi-normal breakfast sandwich ... which was divine :)
We had planned a tailgating party for the Real Salt Lake game that afternoon. We showed up at the tailgating parking lot around 3pm and J cooked burgers/hotdogs for everyone.
It was SO much fun and my FIRST tailgating experience since leaving Oklahoma! 4 years without tailgating?! Talk about withdrawal! None of my Utah friends had tailgated and they were ranting and raving how awesome it was! They may make it a regular game tradition!
My friend MK even made me vegan cookies for my bday :) love her!
Not to mention I was rep'ing OU ....
The game was a lot of fun but we ended in a draw (3-3) due to some bad calls by the refs.
That evening, they also honored the Real Salt Lake coach and retired his number from when he played for our team. It was a really awesome memorial type service.
After the game, J and I raced across town to try and get to the fireworks near our house. Due to traffic, it didn't look like we were going to make it in time. But thanks to an accidental wrong turn and some awesome driving skills by J, we found a perfect spot up near the east bench. We pulled off into a little dirt parking lot and sat on my trunk. From our spot, we could see 9 different firework shows going at once. It was REALLY neat to see because the shows ranged in distance so some were small and far away and some were close and huge!
After returning home, I then spent about half an hourdancing around like a goon playing with sparklers in my drive way.... I am a total nerd.... but it was my favorite holiday so who cares :)
No, that is not a Red White & Blue crown on my head... maybe ....
It was the perfect cap to a PHENOMENAL Birthday weekend! Hope everyone had a fabulous Independence Day! Here's to 28!
That's right folks, I just had my 28th Bday. And man oh man, it was wonderful :) Being born on a holiday makes things pretty interesting. Growing up, I could never have a party on my actual birthday due to the holiday festivities.... but this year, we were able to make it work!
J started off the week by surprising me with some roses.... I love my husband! :)
DAY 1 - July 1st
My parents' present arrived from Oklahoma... I was thrilled to receive some amazing presents from them! Including a Vegan Cookbook and a Vegetarian Cookbook! Not to mention a cute little Snow White purse from Disney World... I'm addicted, I know. J and I opened my presents and I was BEYOND ECSTATIC to receive a brand new Camera from him! My camera is a giant Nikon so it is very hard to take places and carry around. Now I have a new smaller Canon that I can fit in my purse :) Best present ever!
J and I have a "Birthday Tradition" so we ate hibachi at Benihana and then had some fun martinis at the Red Door downtown. I got Liquid Sin and he had an Espresso Martini.
We finished the night off at Club Vegas where Rob's new band was playing a show. They were phenomenal and we had so much fun :)
DAY 2 - July 2nd
J and I invited some friends over for some pre-party/appetizer action! I made a new vegan chili recipe I found online... and man, it was TERRIBLE! But everyone adored the vegan chicken fingers and their beverages :) I got some amazing gifts from some wonderful friends.
After the pre-party action, we walked to the bowling alley down the street from our house and did some Beer Bowling.
It was a BLAST! And I won 2 out of the 3 games! Who knew I had such skill!? ;) joke
After bowling, a few of us headed over to the Drive-In where we watched Bad Teacher and Hangover2..... I already saw Hangover2 a couple weeks ago so I ended up napping through the whole thing .... whoops! Cleo came to the drive-in with us even though they don't allow pets. And I would just like everyone to know that she did AWESOME! Didn't make a peep the whole night :)
DAY 3 - July 3rd
J spent most of the day picking up our new washer and dryer from Provo/installing it/ etc. That evening, we went to Olive Garden for my favorite salad and then saw Midnight in Paris..... I absolutely adore Rachel McAdams... as in, she is my FAVORITE actress! So I adored the movie even though she played a total bitch. J liked it a lot too since it incorporated the creative side of things and discussed living in the past vs. the present. I recommend it for a fun, lighthearted evening. :)
DAY 4 - July 4th
MY BDAY! Woo to the hoo! J cooked me some of my VERY favorite breakfast... flaky biscuits! He bought vegan bacon so I was able to have a semi-normal breakfast sandwich ... which was divine :)
We had planned a tailgating party for the Real Salt Lake game that afternoon. We showed up at the tailgating parking lot around 3pm and J cooked burgers/hotdogs for everyone.
It was SO much fun and my FIRST tailgating experience since leaving Oklahoma! 4 years without tailgating?! Talk about withdrawal! None of my Utah friends had tailgated and they were ranting and raving how awesome it was! They may make it a regular game tradition!
Not to mention I was rep'ing OU ....
The game was a lot of fun but we ended in a draw (3-3) due to some bad calls by the refs.
That evening, they also honored the Real Salt Lake coach and retired his number from when he played for our team. It was a really awesome memorial type service.
After the game, J and I raced across town to try and get to the fireworks near our house. Due to traffic, it didn't look like we were going to make it in time. But thanks to an accidental wrong turn and some awesome driving skills by J, we found a perfect spot up near the east bench. We pulled off into a little dirt parking lot and sat on my trunk. From our spot, we could see 9 different firework shows going at once. It was REALLY neat to see because the shows ranged in distance so some were small and far away and some were close and huge!
After returning home, I then spent about half an hour
No, that is not a Red White & Blue crown on my head... maybe ....
It was the perfect cap to a PHENOMENAL Birthday weekend! Hope everyone had a fabulous Independence Day! Here's to 28!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
the countdown to the 3-0
Well folks ... with my 28th bday on the horizon, I can't help but think about the fact that I am getting awfully close to the big THREE-OH. So with that little tid-bit I have been thinking about where I thought I would be by thirty.
You can't grow up in the 80's, without watching Save By the Bell and thinking... man, what will it be like in high school?! Then the college years, and thinking - Man, will I have that huge freakin' dorm room like Slater has? But thirties?! What happens at thirty? Plenty of J's and I's friends are in their early 30's but I feel like that is supposed to be some sort of next chapter or something weird.
All I can think about is When Harry Met Sally and St. Elmo's Fire. But those movies are about people who were lost and were just trying to find themselves while making things work in this new grown up world. Gosh, sounds pretty much like my life in my twenties. ;)
With that being said, I decided to make a fun little list. I don't have a bucket list per say because I just feel weird making one... but I did want to make a list of things I want to do or accomplish before I'm 30. The last hurrah of my twenties I suppose......
So here it goes:
Happy 4th of July everyone! Be safe and have some fun :)
You can't grow up in the 80's, without watching Save By the Bell and thinking... man, what will it be like in high school?! Then the college years, and thinking - Man, will I have that huge freakin' dorm room like Slater has? But thirties?! What happens at thirty? Plenty of J's and I's friends are in their early 30's but I feel like that is supposed to be some sort of next chapter or something weird.
All I can think about is When Harry Met Sally and St. Elmo's Fire. But those movies are about people who were lost and were just trying to find themselves while making things work in this new grown up world. Gosh, sounds pretty much like my life in my twenties. ;)
With that being said, I decided to make a fun little list. I don't have a bucket list per say because I just feel weird making one... but I did want to make a list of things I want to do or accomplish before I'm 30. The last hurrah of my twenties I suppose......
So here it goes:
- Attend OU/TX - we've been offered free tickets several times but haven't made the game due to flight costs.... Bound and determined to make it in 2012. J's never been and I feel like he needs to witness it as part of my heritage ;)
- Get over my fear of boats and actually wakeboard for longer than 30-seconds.
- Go skiing with my husband (or at least attempt it!). I've lived in Utah for 3 years but haven't skied since I was 19. That's almost ten years people! Ridiculous! And also spend some bar/hotel time in Park City for fun :)
- Go to DisneyWorld or DisneyLand. We missed the family trip this year.... but I am determined to go before we have kids!
- Learn how to cook Vegan cuisine for regular meals (I've already started to get a grasp on this but I still have SO much to learn)
- Find a non-denominational church we enjoy going to on a regular basis (so hard to do in a mormon community)
- Take up a certain dance class I've been eying *cough charissa cough* ;) we will succeed! AND ...Take up a certain fitness class I've been trying to avoid for about a year.... *cough again charissa cough*
- start the baby-makin' train, whatever that might entail
- Finish our house projects... that's right. Living room furniture purchased/kitchen remodeled/bedroom remodeled. Big undertaking but oh so exciting!
- Be promoted at work .... believe it!
Happy 4th of July everyone! Be safe and have some fun :)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
the written word...
When Father's Day cards suddenly appear on the shelf every year, I tend to spend about a half hour reading multiple cards, trying to narrow it down to the best one, seriously consider purchasing three instead of one, and trying not to become too much of a blubbering mess while in the middle of Target. I always end up crying by the shelf.... EVERY YEAR.
This year I found one that I thought truly captured what I wanted to say. It was a thank you note. A thank you note for being the kind of father that makes sure I ALWAYS know I am loved. A thank you for the constant support both mentally and emotionally and for letting me run away to chase the dream that I found in J. I think all the time about how he actually let me move away to a state 20 hours away for a man he had only met twice. He wrote me a letter when I moved and it is still one of my favorite things. I don't read it as often as I should because it makes me cry but it is cherished none the less. He trusted me and my decision and that meant more than anything.
The song we danced to at my wedding was "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw. My favorite line from the song is...
"You're beautiful baby from the outside in
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again
Go on, take on this whole world
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl"
Chase your dreams but always know the road that'll lead you home again
Go on, take on this whole world
But to me you know you'll always be, my little girl"
I cry every time it comes on the radio because it is so accurate to me moving away and my dad's response.... yeah I am definitely a Daddy's Girl and very proud of it.
When I gave my parents my two weeks notice (it was actually 8 days but 2 weeks sounds a little more considerate) that I was moving across the country for a boy they didn't know, J wrote them a song in reference to how I felt. This is that song....
J calls it his "American Idol Song" ... I played it for my parents the day before I moved. I cry each time I hear this original version. My favorite lines are:
"You were there to see me laugh, so hard sometimes I cried.
You stood with me through the test and forgot about the rest so I'm saying my goodbye.
I wouldn't be here without you, You were as solid as stone.
And as hard as I've been trying for someone as proud as I am, I couldn't make it on my own....
I'll tell the world, tell the world your story....
I'm sure the days will pass. And one day I will go.
But on my dying day, I know I'll hear you say that I made it on my own"
I'm a sap... but proud of it :)
Friday, June 24, 2011
Poppa Pack .... 80 and counting
A couple weeks ago, J and I celebrated his dad's 80th bday. His mom had planned a surprise party and since he never gets steak, the destination was Texas Road House.
5 of the siblings were able to make it (2 live out of state).
We ate and talked and joked and laughed. His siblings have this random light hearted goofiness that is so much fun to be around. We even got his dad to sit on the saddle... the Texas Road House birthday tradition.
We don't get everyone together very often, especially without all the grandkids so it was a special evening to me. I love spending time with his siblings and find them so fun to be around. It was an overall fabulous evening and it was so great to see how thrilled J's dad was that we all planned the dinner and surprise! Definitely a fun evening with great company!
5 of the siblings were able to make it (2 live out of state).
We ate and talked and joked and laughed. His siblings have this random light hearted goofiness that is so much fun to be around. We even got his dad to sit on the saddle... the Texas Road House birthday tradition.
We don't get everyone together very often, especially without all the grandkids so it was a special evening to me. I love spending time with his siblings and find them so fun to be around. It was an overall fabulous evening and it was so great to see how thrilled J's dad was that we all planned the dinner and surprise! Definitely a fun evening with great company!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
UPDATE!
Well folks, I officially have my laptop back! Up and running! Unfortunately, I lost all of my music and all of my docs.... not to mention, a handful of photos. So just a quick reminder... BACK UP YOUR CRAP!
This past week was non-stop! I went to Chicago for my first National Meeting with my new company. There were about 85 other reps there and then all the office staff. Our company is pretty unique and I immensely enjoyed getting to meet my co-workers. Since it's been non-stop crazy and I just barely am working on putting my laptop back to it's original state, I'll leave you with some amazing photos of my talented husband...
Our good friend took them in our living room. I love how it's our piano in the photos. I also LOVE how my grandpa's trunk and book are in the photos. If you ever come up to the Rocky Mountain area, I definitely recommend Mr. Brandon Vincent! He did our engagement photos and has taken several band photos for J over the years. You can check his stuff out HERE.
This past week was non-stop! I went to Chicago for my first National Meeting with my new company. There were about 85 other reps there and then all the office staff. Our company is pretty unique and I immensely enjoyed getting to meet my co-workers. Since it's been non-stop crazy and I just barely am working on putting my laptop back to it's original state, I'll leave you with some amazing photos of my talented husband...
Our good friend took them in our living room. I love how it's our piano in the photos. I also LOVE how my grandpa's trunk and book are in the photos. If you ever come up to the Rocky Mountain area, I definitely recommend Mr. Brandon Vincent! He did our engagement photos and has taken several band photos for J over the years. You can check his stuff out HERE.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." -Clarence Budington Kelland
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the most WONDERFUL Father in the world. Thank you for being the most loving father I could ever hope for and for setting such a high standard for men in my life.
I love you Daddy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)