Life Lately - Via Instagram

I am in love with Instagram.

Here's (some) of what life's been like lately - 

(according to my iPhone)

My Rock Star Jordan graduated from high school and started college.

(yep, I am now the momma of an adult!  what?)

My Cutie Caden is excelling in 9th grade - 

and making us laugh - every. day.

And boy did we ever love watching him play football!

(for the last time - his momma hopes!  Time to break out the bribes...)

I am a lucky Young Womens President -

with 24 new lovely ladies in my life.

I sure love these girls and our adventures together!

My dream of getting paid to travel and take photographs - 

came true!  I am loving my new job.  Isn't it amazing the things

you can create for yourself?  

San Diego in the early morning hours.  

Just another day at the office.

The whole crew (plus one) on the train to the big city!

One of the many holiday traditions we love.

Christmas came and went, and we soaked up the time together!

We said good-bye to 2011, and welcomed 2012 with open arms.

It's going to be an AMAZING year for the Tanners.

The girls with Frosty.  

(glad he finally showed up - we've been waiting!)

These two girlies make my heart sing with joy.

Love notes.  My favorite!

Being a mom is the best.

Hiking (love) in Sedona (love) all expenses paid (love)

Did I mention? - I love my job!

What is better than hiking in Sedona?

(Answer:  Hiking in Sedona with Superman!)

So there you have it.

A quick glimpse into my busy, beautiful life via Instagram.

What do your adventures look like lately?

A love letter.

Dear Chad,

(Whenever I hear this song, I can't help but think of us!)  So, in the words of Uncle Kracker and in honor of February (the month for lovers) and Valentines Day (my favorite holiday!):  

You're better than the best.

I'm lucky just to linger in your light.

  Cooler than the flip side of my pillow, that's right.

  Completely unaware.

Nothing can compare to where you send me, lets me know that it's okay!

 And the moments when my good times start to fade... you make me smile like the sun,

fall out of bed, sing like a bird, dizzy in my head,

spin like a record, crazy on a Sunday night.

  You make me dance like a fool, forget how to breathe, shine like gold, buzz like a bee.

  Just the thought of you can drive me wild.

  I see the best of me inside your eyes... you make me smile!

I love you.  I love our life together.  19 years ago, we dreamed of getting married.  We dreamed of having a house full of children who would need kisses and tickles and talks.  We dreamed of traveling and new adventures.  We dreamed of creating new traditions and making amazing memories to last us a lifetime.  Those dreams have come true.  Thank you for your positive light and for always making me smile.          

(Me + Superman)

And now as our life together moves on, we have new dreams...

exciting, crazy, wonderful ones!

I. can't. wait.

xoxo

Chad Rocks.

Yes. He. Does.

In all senses of the word.

He is cool, and does amazing things - (he is Superman, after all,)

but this summer - He rocked!  

Our house, that is.  

And he did an amazingly beautiful job.

This is our cute house BEFORE.

(the Tanner house BEFORE)

(The very beginning of construction)

(In the back - the start of construction and tar paper and wire)

Our house had siding before... we wanted to update it - give it a NEW look!

So off we went.  Are we crazy?

YES!

You haven't figured that out yet?

The first step was to repair all the siding, take off the wood borders 

and then cover the entire house with black tar backing paper and wire.  

We hired this part out - the guys who did our prep and Stucco did AMAZING WORK.

Seriously.  Amazing.

(Our black house - Caden wanted to keep it black!)

(Under Construction!  Let the mess and Chaos begin...)

Chad had the fun job of painting all our doors - 

as well as painting all of the soffit & fascia, all the trim and rain gutters.

(Me taking pictures and hoping I like what paint color I chose.  Chad is hoping, too!)

(Our Cement house!  One step closer!)

The next step was our stucco cement coat.  

It was funny to hear people ask if this is the color the house would be.  

Um, No.  

This is only the first coat!  

Again, the Stucco guys - AMAZING WORK.

Next comes the color coat!

And let me just tell you - it was HARD to pick a stucco color.

The color of your entire home!

Once you decide there is no going back.

I had a vision in my head - and I really wanted it to turn out perfect.

AND IT DID!

(See, I told you, Chad rocks!)

Now that the stucco is finished, its Chads turn.

Time to ROCK!

 

He spent many, many, many, many, many (you get the idea) hours rocking!

He also had A LOT of people (strangers and people we know)

stop their cars and rave over how good it was looking - 

tons of people asked for his business card!

(Um, I'm just the homeowner, he would say...)

We moved our lives outside, so we could spend time with him, while he rocked.

(The back of the house - FINISHED!)

And so, after 2 months (it seemed like 2 years), tons and tons of long hot days and late nights,

a million trips to The Home Depot, spending hours debating over colors, 

bugging and bugging friends and family for honest opinions, 

lots of sleepless nights, sore backs, broken tools, chaos, messes, blood, sweat and tears,

and pizza for dinner way too much...

Here it is:

 

OUR NEW HOUSE.

(the Tanner house - AFTER)

(Chad's rock work. - Amazing huh?)

Chad Rocks.

YES. HE. DOES.

Happy Birthday to Me.

So, yesterday was my birthday.  I am another year older.

Time is a funny thing, isn't it?

It marches along... always marching... and most the time, we don't even notice it.

You just wake up one day and you have teenagers, wrinkles and aches and pains.

I don't worry too much about getting older...

My superman hubby tells me I get more beautiful everyday.  

My dad tells me the same thing.  

Granted, they have to say that... they are my hubby and my dad!

What else would they say?

Even still, I am glad they say it.

I am a lucky girl to have these men in my life.

(blackberry pic of me and Superman on my birthday)

I awoke to the sound of my family singing to me "Happy Birthday"

(except for Shaye who refused to get out of bed for such nonsense).

Then I was showered with gifts - the wonderful kid-made, home-made kind that make your heart swell and then I wonder  - how did I get so lucky to be blessed with these cute kiddos?

I also got a new vacuum - a Dyson - and I am so excited!

(does this make me a nerd, or someone who just loves to be domestic?)

***

We decided (well, I decided) that the rest of the day should be spent in the big city.

We sent the kiddos off to school and set out for a day of fun.

Some of the highlights:

*Lunch at my favorite spot - RED ROCK in Salt Lake City

and something else besides the AMAZING food that made it all the more special ~ 

my server was MATT.  I just love him.

*Shopping at The Gateway ~ need I say more?

*The megaplex ~ Robinhood ~ Russell Crowe ~ need I say more?

*Having an entire day alone with Superman 

(who, by the way, was such a good sport about shopping all the day long and listening to me talk about my philosophies about life, people, the world, politics and really understanding my wants and dreams and hopes for the future and indulging me in conversations about fashion, design and technology.  This man really knows me and he really gets me!  And that makes me so happy.)

*All the love shown towards me in the form of phone calls, texts and Facebook messages.  Seriously, you guys really know how to make a girl feel special!  I must be the luckiest girl on the planet to have such amazing friends and family!  I love you all so much.

(obsessing over pillows in Anthropologie) 

If getting older means I get to have perfect days like this one, then bring it on!

Happy Birthday to Me.

It's Friday - I'm in Love!

It's Friday!

And already its been a good day.

I had lunch with 2 darling friends.  One of my favorite things to do!

And I get to have a date with Superman tonight!

And he planned it all.

And not only did he plan our date tonight... 

he also planned a very lovely day for us tomorrow in SLC.

He must be missing his wifey - all this work and no play.

I have missed him too and can't wait spend the weekend with my BEST FRIEND.

I hope you all have a fabulous and romantic weekend!

It's Friday - I'm in Love!

Mountain Man.

What do you get when you combine:

20 pounds of home-made hash-brown potatoes

54 scrambled eggs

4 pounds of bacon

4 pounds of sausage

2 onions

and 2 pounds of cheese?

A MOUNTAIN MAN BREAKFAST

that will feed 40+ employees!

and a HUGE dutch oven of food that weighs A LOT!

Good thing for Superman strength!

Chad likes to keep his employees as happy and productive 

as can be during this merger at work!

What lucky co-workers!

And yes, me and the kids had some too, YUM!

Bacon of the Month Club.

So I have had Valentine's Day on my mind lately...

and my cute Superman Hubby...

and what to surprise him with...

Today I came across this website.

Hilarious.  Every man's dream.

A site all about Bacon.

 

Think your man would like the Bacon of the Month Club?

How about some Bacon Strips Bandages?

Or a Bacon Wallet?

Or a Bacon Air Freshener?

Funny Stuff!

 And if you haven't heard Jim Gaffigan's comedy bit about Bacon then take a listen:

ITS HILARIOUS. 

What is it about Men and Bacon?

12 Days of Christmas Merging.

Chad has had an insane couple of months at work.  The Credit Union bought out Intermountain Credit Union and put Chad and his department in charge of the merger.  He started out with about 12 employees and by the end of the merger, he had around 80 working for him.  He was putting in 16 hour days, 7 days a week.  He would get home after we had all gone to bed, and leave just shortly after we were all up in the morning.  We missed him a lot!  I honestly don't know how he did it!  It was hard on him, but he never complained.  According to his version of the 12 days of Christmas, i guess you could not say the same thing about me...   

On the 1st day of Merging my true love said to me...

Good luck, have fun

On the 2nd day of Merging my true love said to me...

I will bring you dinner

On the 3rd day of Merging my true love said to me...

Don’t work too hard

On the 4th day of Merging my true love said to me...

I sure miss you

On the 5th day of Merging my true love said to me...

Your dinners in the fridge

On the 6th day of Merging my true love said to me...

The kids are going crazy

On the 7th day of Merging my true love said to me...

The house is a wreck

On the 8th day of Merging my true love said to me...

I am going shopping

On the 9th day of Merging my true love said to me...

Fend for your self

On the 10th day of Merging my true love said to me...

I’ve planned a trip to Maui

On the 11th day of Merging my true love said to me...

No, you’re not invited

On the 12th day of Merging my true love said to me...

Good luck, have fun

I will bring you dinner

Don’t work too hard

I sure miss you

Your dinners in the fridge

The kids are going crazy

The house is a wreck

I am going shopping

Fend for your self

I’ve planned a trip to Maui

No, you’re not invited

Take back your ring!!!

Ok - the take back your ring part is a little over the top.  I did not say that!  But I might be guilty with everything else...  What can I say?  I am used to having him around!  He is a huge help to me!  I am a lucky girl.  By the way - the merger turned out to be a huge success because of my Superman husband.  He is getting huge praises and accolades from everyone - Credit Union wide.  

I am so proud of him!    

A Night To Remember.

Last month, before Chad's job got absolutely insane, 

he was able to take our little man out for a fun night, 

just the two of them.  It's important, don't you think, 

to have those one on one experiences with your Dad?

I know the few times that I had my Dad alone,

paying attention to me and only me, 

are some of my most treasured experiences!

(It didn't happen too often - I am one of 7 children

but when it did, I felt really special!)

So off they went, to have some fun together! 

Chad took him to a Jazz Game.  

Their 2nd row tickets included a fancy candlelight dinner.  

I am so proud.  

He was even brave enough to try his first crab leg.

(He hated it, by the way.)  What can I say?  

He takes after his mom.

And much to our little man's enjoyment

the Jazz Bear was hanging out at the dinner.

Chad said the Jazz Bear kept taking Cade's hat 

and ruffling up his hair.  

Cade and the Jazz Bear are old friends.

When Cade was in 2nd Grade, the Bear picked him up 

and carried him across the stage at an awards show we were attending. 

They have been buddies ever since.

 

Here's what second row at the game looks like.  

Wow.  So much different than up in the nosebleed sections!

SO MUCH FUN!  GO JAZZ!

The private snack bar was open to them  

all during the game for unlimited soda's and snacks.

The Jazz Bear found where they were sitting 

and continued his playing and pestering.

I think Cade was loving every minute of it!

Yes, I definitely think this will be a fun memory for the 2 of them,

and I can't wait to see what their next adventure together brings.  

Harvest time.

Chad loves to grow things.

He has such a green thumb.

I know what you're thinking...

Is there anything he can't do?

 

I know, I am a lucky girl.

I have a hubby who loves to garden.  

Just look at his carrot and pepper harvest.

Yum.  

I can already taste the delicious soups, 

salsas and stuffed peppers, 

can't you?

(which of course Chad will be making).

(yes, he cooks too).

Wait a minute, what is that?

OK maybe his gardening skills could use some work.

Anyone know how to prevent deformed carrots?

And, uh, we might need some fertilizer.

Although, these little guys are quite cute,

 wouldn't you say?

Maybe there is a market out there for 

miniature veggies.  Think they'd sell?

Why do you laugh?

I know someone who loves miniature things, 

but I won't name names.

(*cough* adelle)

Happy Harvesting.