And the Winner is......(dramatic drumroll)

....Steve Deviney!

Steve aka @acgrapher on Twitter gets two tickets to the Pairings Party and a Sunday night stay at Harrah's in Atlantic City.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and congrats to Steve. Look forward to seeing you and all our guests at The pool May 19th!

Harrah's - The Pool
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Spring is Here?

I'm so excited that it's FINALLY starting to warm up. I feel like this Winter was so extremely long. I'm hoping it stays warm, but.. everyone knows this Utah weather is a tease..
 
I know I already did an outfit post with this shirt but I'm kind of lovin' it right now so you'll probably be seeing more of it this Spring!
 
 
 
 
Shirt: Bohme Boutique
Floral Leggings: lovemelrose.com
Ruffled Zipper Shoes: Forever Young Shoes
 
 
 
 
XOXO

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Jurassic Grandma

First I have to apologize for being totally MIA. This past week was a week from hell- I was SO SICK & had work + school after. Any free time was spent sleeping rather than blogging.

anyways..
In my post earlier last week I mentioned that we took my pink gma to Jurassic Park 3D a few weeks ago.. (which is why this post is titled Jurassic Grandma. Not because she is old..)
Now.. Grandma is someone that you do NOT want to sit by in ANY SORT of performance, including movies. She talks through the whole thing, comments, moans, squeals, taps you when something happens.... I think you get the point.
 
Everyone thinks pink gma is so innocent. I sort of think otherwise.
Does YOUR grandma like James Bond movies? Does YOUR grandma like rough westerns? Does YOUR grandma handle violence & gore like a champ?
Didn't think so.
My brother Jeff is a TOTAL movie buff & knows he can always count on grandma to go see the wild movies with him.
 
This brings us to last week when we took her to see Jurassic Park 3D & after I called Dibs-Not-Sit-By-Grandma, I was the one that ended up sitting by gma.
My right arm was literally sore at the end of the movie from her hitting me every time something popped up on the screen or someone died, a dinosaur came running by....
 
(By the way my gma looked SO cute in her 3D movie glasses I could hardly stand it)
 
At the end of the movie I wanted a picture of us to send to my sis. I told everyone to "make your best dino face." See below.
 
After we take this hideous picture we are all walking to the car and I hear THEEE MOST HORRENDOUS noise... & turn around to see my grandma in FULL-ON DINOSAUR STANCE. I'm talkin hands up into claws, head moving side to side.. practically screaming IN THE PARKING LOT WITH PEOPLE WALKING BY!!! When I looked at her in complete shock she just assured me this was her "dino noise"
...At this point, my pink grandma became my hero...
*You should have seen the look on Spencer's face!*
 
We got in the car to go home and she made her "dino noise" OVER & OVER! I could hardly contain myself. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard.
Little did she know I recorded the audio of her "dino noise" & sent it to my sister. And my mom. And a few of my friends.
 
Fast forward to this week. I go to visit gma and papa with Wendy's Frostys and gma comes marching in saying "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU TOOK VIDEO OF MY DINO NOISES!"
..Apparently my sister Fatalie wrote to grandma & told her it absolutely made her life & she listens to it at least once a day.
BUSTED.
 
Gma asked if I still had it because she wanted to listen to it. Like Duh I still have it.
I played the audio for her and papa as they both laughed SO HARD together. Gma had tears rolling down both cheeks and papa nearly choked on his Frosty!
Pink gma was so happy with herself.
 
Here is the audio from my sweet grandmother after watching Jurassic Park 3D!

If THAT audio doesn't convince you that I have THE coolest grandma in the world, then let me tell you this..
Driving home I said, "Gma you are so much dang fun.." and she threw both arms up in the air and yelled, "LIKE.... YOLO!!"
 
I have no idea where she learned the term "YOLO" but my Grandma. Is. The. COOLEST.

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Twitter Chatter

Less than one month from the Pairings Party & Golf Challenge.

Here's some buzz Twitter buzz as we gear up for the events and a sneak preview at some of the celebs that are lined-up!
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Real Beauty

If you were to ask me, I would say I don't think I am overly critical of myself. I would tell you that I'm pretty happy with what I have been given. Of COURSE I have my insecurities.
Don't we all?
 
I know you've probably seen this posted on facebook over and over, but watch it again!
 


 
I reluctantly admit that I am one of many women that teared up while watching this Dove Campaign video for Real Beauty.
 
As these women started talking about the features that they don't like about themselves, I found myself thinking "ooh I hate that about myself too" or "ugh I wish I could change that on myself as well.."
As this video finished I could not believe how critical I am of myself without even noticing or thinking twice about it.
 
As women we are so overly critical of ourselves!
 
A few months ago in Relief Society I taught a lesson on Kindness & how it goes SUCH a long way. We hear all the time to be kind to our neighbors, be kind to our family members, be kind to our children, co-workers & the people we come in contact with..
 
....How often are we told to be kind to ourselves? Or how often do we even think about it?
 
It is so easy for us to stand in front of a mirror and look at all of the things we would change, the things we hate & the things that make us insecure. We see millions of advertisements, commercials, billboards, magazines and ads on TV that convince us as women we are imperfect. If we aren't tall and skinny with long lean legs, perfect hair and perfect skin we have failed.
 
That is a lie.
 
Instead of waking up thinking how unfair it is that so-and-so has way better hair or SHE has perfect skin, thinking life is unfair all together..
How about we start waking up thinking how FAIR life is? How lucky we are to wake up to another day.. How wonderful it is that we can still find miracles, beauty & happiness in such a sad dreary world that we are surrounded by..
 
This week I challenge you try to be better at loving yourself.
Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are beautiful, and mean it.
If you find you are being critical of yourself, say something positive instead.
 
We are women of all shapes, sizes, colors, nationalities & backgrounds.
And we are ALL beautiful.
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Shenanigans

 
I'm happy to say my first week of school is over! I'm loving it so much though that getting home at 11:00 pm after working a full day AND going to school doesn't seem to faze me as much as I thought it would. I'm soaking up learning & spending time with new friends. I've also learned that not having any school/homework the last 6 years has certainly effected my study habits (or the lack thereof..) Getting into the swing of studying and having homework will be an adjustment!
 
I spent Friday afternoon with my pink gma and papa which is always an interesting time. We ate Frosty's together and Grandpa was really enjoyable, which actually doesn't happen very often. He's even smiling in this picture..??!


Grandma and Fatalie, my sister, write each other once a week. Natalie told my gma that I sent her gma's "dino video" & I got scolded from Gma for that.
***a post with the details on this to come..***
 
Friday night we went to see the movie Oblivion with Jeff.
Not my favorite, but I also have a really hard time sitting still very long. Especially when I'm super tired.. All I could think about is how the stranger next to me was breathing heavily and how I just wanted to be at home. Preferably in sweat pants.

I had school all day Saturday & received my first tip! Woot woot!
After school Spencer and I had date night eating take out food at the park & then shopping for school supplies. Romantic, right? It was good to spend some time with him, I feel like I haven't seen much of him this week.

Yesterday we went to our friend's baby blessing. Babies make me happy & they smell good.
After the blessing we both had so much homework and studying to do we spent all night with our noses in our school books. Had a quick dinner at mom's house & came home to do more homework.

This weekend I felt extra love for the fuzzy animals in my life. Sometimes I think I like them more than most human beings on this earth.
I had a slight obsession with Winston's tiny mouth this weekend. He chews with his mouth open and it's so tiny and pink it's hard to not love it.
When I was at my parent's house I noticed my puppy Jax needed to have his eyes cleaned. I went to get a warm washcloth and came back to find him like this....
Sorry Jax, but I can still see your big ears!
 
The weekend ended on a high note when I got in bed & was still so happy that I looked done up. Every time I get my eyelashes done I wonder how I ever lived without them.
Seriously.
 
 XOXO

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Giveaway Winner!!

 
MEGAN ELWELL!!
 
Congrats on winning the Stylish Stitchings Giveaway!
email me at mikell.k@hotmail.com for more info!
 
 
HAPPY FRIDAY!!
xoxo

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Twitter Contest

 ESPN'S Sal Paolantonio Enjoying Harrah's Pool

You have the chance to party with Ron and his NFL & celebrity friends at this year's Pairings Party, May 19th at Harrah's AC.

Win two tickets to this year's Pairings Party by simply following @JawsGolf on Twitter and retweeting the following message:
  
Follow @JawsGolf & RT this for chance to win 2 tix to Pairings Party 5/19 & Harrah's AC room http://tweetswin.com/2224/ #JawsParty

These tickets are tough to get and this year's prize package bonus is a room Sunday night at Harrah's AC.

Check back for more party details!

Jaws Pairings Party Contest Rules

1. Must be following @JawsGolf on Twitter

2. Must tweet or retweet:  Follow @JawsGolf, and RT this for a chance to win 2 Tickets to Jaws Pairings Party and Sun. night stay at Harrah's AC #JawsParty

3. One entry per twitter handle

4. Multiple tweets/retweets DO NOT increase chances of winning

5. Contest runs: 4/18 - 4/28, 2013 (Entry closes Sun 4/28 at 11:59 pm EDT)

6. One randomly selected entry will win 2 tickets to Pairings Party & Sun. night stay at Harrah's AC

7. Winner will be announced the week of Monday 4/29/12 once entry is verified

8. If winner does not claim prizes by Friday 5/3/12, another winning entry will be chosen

9. Tweetswin.com will help run/monitor this contest
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Smokin Bones BBQ

For any of you that are familiar with Bountiful, there are ZERO good BBQ places around. We usually end up driving to SLC to go to Pat's BBQ (which is amazing..)
But ladies & gentlemen Lo & Behold there's a new BBQ place in B-Town!
Smokin Bones BBQ!
(Just opened this week)
they are located on 360 South and 200 West just around the corner from Wendy's.
They were PACKED and had a note on the door saying they were about to run out of food! I would suggest getting there early evening to get what you want before they run out.
 

 
Spencer & Jeff enjoying their meals
 
I got the brisket sandwich meal that came with a drink & two sides.
I picked cornbread (their honey butter was SO GOOD!) & baked beans.
Not to mention the ice in the soda machines made my drink almost slushy. I loved it!
 
The only downsides to this place: I think it's going to get SUPER busy & it doesn't accommodate too many people. There isn't much parking either since it's one of the main streets. It was also REALLY smoky smelling in there which was great for a while but my eyes started to burn towards the end of dinner. My eyes are super sensitive though, it didn't seem to bother anyone else..
 
Overall I thought the food was fantastic & the boys were so happy to have a great BBQ place so close to home!
 
 

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First Day of School

I'm sure ya'll are going to get real sick of hearing me talk about school pretty soon. Just wanted to update the fam that reads the blog about how my first day went since life is about to get a lot crazier.
(This is my excited first-day-of-school face)

Yesterday was the first day of class and we had to draw about ourselves on a blank sheet of paper and stand up and present it for a "get to know you" activity.
Obviously I drew a picture of Winston with a carrot....
There are 6 other girls and me. A small class I'm really excited about. All of the girls seem super nice & I can't wait to get to know them better.
 
We got part of our kits to take home which are HUGE so I left with lots of goodies.
Also excited about that.
We had an early day so we were done by 7:30 pm & yet I was still exhausted.
Waking up at 5:30 am for work will get tiring considering I finish school around 10:15 pm
Full days ahead for a girl who loves her sleep. And long weeks ahead since husband's schedule is practically opposite of mine. Resulting in us having 2 days a week together. HUGE bummer..
(I wasn't kidding about me loving my sleep. I even got my lashes done to save me 20 min in the morning putting on make up!)
 
I've seriously waited for this for 6 years, so to say the least I'm pretty stoked.
I just have to keep in mind it's only a year.. and Spencer is amazing for supporting me..
 
My family took me to dinner last night to celebrate my first day of school.
haha awesome right?
Another post coming about dinner.. it was amaze-balls.
 
Today we start learning European Facials with a full 5-10pm schedule!
Anyways, after I learn all the goods you guys can come in and get some serious spa treatments done! WOOT!
 
XOXO 

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Stylish Stitchings Giveaway!

I've been working with the lovely Chelsea Markham from Stylish Stitchings & I'm excited to do this giveaway! (you can find Chelsea's Etsy shop HERE & her facebook page HERE)
 
She has three different bow sizes- small, medium & large- plus the quality is awesome! 
 The lucky winner gets to pick any bow from her shop- you guys won't be disappointed with the variety to pick from!

Here are a few of my favorites!
Enter the giveaway below & the winner will be announced on Friday April 19th!
Good Luck!
 
 

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Nordstrom Beauty Event

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go to the Nordstrom Beauty event with my friend Leah. Thanks to Melissa over at Je t'aime & Co she got us all set up for appointments with NARS who brought in their top make up artists from all over the country! Melissa is a Clinique Specialist and took such good care of us the minute we arrived!
We were pampered with Clarisonic facials (..which sold me right away..) & had our make up done. There was a little miscommunication with some of the witches ladies at NARS but Melissa took care of it right away!!
 
 
 
Overall I had a ton of fun seeing Melissa & spending the afternoon with Leah!
(Plus I got some awesome goodies!) $$$
 
Saturday was my last Saturday home for the next YEAR. School ruins lives. Naturally I sat on the couch and played with Winnie most of the day. Spencer and I met up with Josh & Kiersten for dinner & decided on Johnny Rocket's at Station Park in Farmington. After we ordered our food something smelled like it was burning and two police officers RUSHED in with the fire department but they all casually walked out. They opened up all the doors to ventilate the restaurant which was FREEZING. Our dinner was awesome and we were waiting for our check when we were asked to immediately evacuate & not pay for dinner.
UM OKAY! FREEEE MEAAAAAAAL!
 
 
 
 We dropped the men off at home and went to see the movie 42 which we both LOVED! Everyone needs to see this movie!!


Hope everyone had an awesome weekend
Stop by tomorrow for a new GIVEAWAY!!
 

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Light Pasta Carbonara

This is considered "Light" Pasta Carbonara because it has HALF the calories of the restaurant favorite!!
 
PASTA CARBONARA
 
Makes: About 6 Servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Spaghetti
6 slices of bacon, diced
1 Cup of milk
2 Large eggs + 2 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
 
 
1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti noodles & cook as directed on package. Drain the spaghetti & reserve 1 CUP of the pasta water!
 
2. Meanwhile add bacon to a large saute pan & cook over medium heat until slightly crispy. Drain on paper towel & reserve 2 TBSP of the bacon grease. Chop bacon into small pieces.
 
3. Blend milk, eggs, egg yolks & salt.
 
4. Heat bacon drippings over medium heat. Whisk in flour & cook for about a minute. QUICKLY pour in milk mixture whisking constantly to make sure the eggs do not scramble. Cook 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
 
5. Toss drained pasta with sauce, bacon, remaining 1/4 Cup of cheese & some of the reserved pasta water. Sprinkle with black pepper & Parmesan cheese just before serving.
 
 
ASPARAGUS
 
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch of fresh asparagus
1-2 Lemons (depending on how much you are making/lemon to taste)
chopped garlic to taste (I buy the little glass jars)
Freshly cracked pepper
 
 
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut about 1- 1 1/2 inches off the bottom of each piece of asparagus. Line a cookie sheet in tin foil and place asparagus on the cookie sheet.
 
2. Fully cover each piece of asparagus in olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice (to taste- I like a lot) on asparagus and use a pastry brush to lightly cover in garlic.
 
3. Bake for 5-10 minutes.
(our oven is absolutely nutso- we cooked ours for 7 minutes- I would keep an eye on your asparagus- you may need to leave them in the oven longer!)
 
 
Enjoy!
Both of these recipes are super easy. From start to finish dinner was READY & on the table in less than 30 minutes!

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My Little Mermaid

I know I've told you before how awesome my little sister Natalie Fatalie is..
If you STILL don't believe me.. here is some hard evidence.
aimsphotography was visiting Hawaii and did a photoshoot with Natalie.
 
Seriously. Amazing.
 

 

 
 
She's my little fish.
You can also find sister's blog HERE
 
aimsphotography blog HERE
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Fashion Night Out

This was a much needed weekend!
Friday night I went to the Spring Fashion Show at Fashion Place Mall with Jessica & had a blast. I loved meeting new blogger friends & we had an awesome dinner at California Pizza Kitchen afterwards!
 
With Gentri & with Jessica
 
 
Shout out to Nikki for the group pics!
 
...................................................................................................
 
This weekend I also did another Ariel Yoga class & enjoyed some Jamba goodies afterwards..
 
..Got myself an ipad mini (which I'm LOVING..)
 
..And enjoyed a LAZY Sunday watching Conference!
 
 
I Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
XOXO
 
 

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Ghost Dance

Of all the founding fathers, I'd say that Sitting Bull has always been my favorite.

Right after him would probably be Thomas Jefferson, though. Not because of his hip black girlfriend(s?) or the fact that he supported the French revolution, no, I'm all up on his pantaloons like white on brown rice because that man was a gentleman and a scholar and he had a well planned day.
He'd get up in the morning and start his first class: Meteorology.  He'd measure the wind direction and a bunch of other junk about the climate. If he was around today he'd be that guy online saying dumb shit like, "Rise and Shine Facebook!" because he was up at first light. He also behaved like your typical Star Wars fan when it came to Jesus.  He couldn't get down on all that water into wine ish so he did a fan cut of the Bible. 
Imagine him on twitter, he'd always be in fights with your crazy conservative uncle. (Hashtag Separation of church and state.) Not on twitter? Well, basically, if you were Facebook friends, you'd hide his feed two weeks after you accepted his request but you'd surreptitiously check in on him whenever you wanted to feel better about your station in life. 
Lol, Jefferson is such a tool.

He'd have a blog too. 
Second class, Journalism. A dabbler in all kinds of crazy crap from "horticulture" to slavery, he was always getting tons of mail. If we put that into a modern day context, we see that he'd be mostly in the comment section dispelling myths and magic. Such a hero.

He only ate two meals a day.

His teeth were not made of wood and his wife had a much cooler name than Martha.

He'd study law and foreign languages in the afternoon because he was esentually a Tenenbaum.
After all of that, I imagine he had recess, which amounted to fathering children and supporting armed revolutions and attending to other ambassadorial duties...such as they were. 
These factoids were impressed upon me when I had to do a book report on him with some bratty rich kid I tutored back in DC. We took notes side by side while his mom loaded one of the dishwashers in their kitchen. Next week she could barely hide her venom at the fact that he only got a B on the accompanying test. Thinking back, I should have maybe appealed to her egoism and feigned culpability. But as far as I could tell, the kid did his best and paying me to parent wasn't going to make him suddenly better. Perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh in calling him a brat; it's not his fault he was going to grow up playing lacross and calling his mother by her first name.

Atanyrate, I'm trying to be more like Jefferson insofar as I'm spending more time studying. I would murder everyone I lived with if I only ate two meals a day but I've started getting up before ten and have consistently worn non-pajama based pants for more than half the day. In terms of studies, I do French in the morning and Chinese in the afternoon. I recently was able to translate this phrase in public so I know I'm on the right path...
It says 'I speak Chinese.'
Um, the rest of that probably says other things, too. Who can tell under all that MS paint blur?

Of course I don't actually speak Chinese, but I'm not so afraid of the characters that I simply dismiss them as a foreign script anymore. Paso a paso... 

Seb and I bought our plane tickets back to the States. We'll be landing in Washington in early May. By George, it's time we unpacked our storage space and drive it all back to Ohio.
We lived in the Capital city for 5 years so I'm going to be pretty excited to return and do some real white people shit like grabbing BBQ at Rocklands and heading down the hill to Glover Park to watch drunk adults play softball. I'm a little pissed I'll be missing Cinco De Mayo--that shits almost as cool as Pi Day.
Pi day, pi day gotta get down on pi day.

Things are drawing to a close but we still have a bunch of doctors appointments to run our way through. A couple of paychecks to collect. A few more big meals to make, one more mega teuf and then it's au the fuck revoir, Paris.

Some people in my position might be sad to be quitting the City of Lights, and whereas it's true that I love the language, the cut of the clothes and the quality of the food, I'm not good at sticking around anywhere for very long. So instead I'm going to take as much of it with me in my suitcase and in my heart as I can. Paris was never mine, she just let me crash on her couch for a good stint. We both are starting to feel like I've overstayed my welcome and soon my visa will be up anyway. 
I've made a lot of great friends it's true, but I no longer view time and separation as permanent obstacles; I therefore don't fear leaving them. I know this sentiment is naturally acompanied by a certain naivete, for anyone of us could die at any time. I guess what it comes down to is my death will mean I cease to exist, matter or care. And as for yours, well, the best I can do is deal with that Ghost Dance when I have to. Presently, I'd rather be remembering the good times and chasing that ever elusive better things to come. So now you're free, MordecaiAller, go. C'est parti ! 

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