The little chef

July 19, 2013 — 1 Comment

So yesterday Jonas made me dinner. I have to brag about him a little bit. Basically he’s an amazing cook. Let me show you:)

Everything was so perfect! He was running around making sure of that;)

Martinelli’s and everything:) Just because!

Seafood pasta and fried zucchini and egg plant. Did I mention he’s a great cook?

And this dessert was to DIE for. Berries and this amazing chocolate sauce. I swear to you I died a little bit.

Happy Thursday everyone!

Lemonade skies

July 17, 2013 — 2 Comments

Last night it rained. A lot. So the fact that I work at a waterpark/campground was fun. But people were mostly nice, so that was good.

Yesterday the sky was the color of a good raspberry lemonade. And there was mist coming off of the asphalt because of the cold rain on the hot road. It was so pretty. I hope you all saw it (well those of you that live in Utah anyway).

Today the skies are very blue with just a few whispy clouds.

I have to go! I have a million things to do (mail a package, finish a journalism essay, clean the house for my mom’s cute friend to come over, see a friend who just got home from his mission, the list goes on and on!)

One last thing. Happy birthday Ashley. I know we barely talk, but that’s ok. I hope you have a really special day and I am so happy you’re finally 19! Have a wonderful birthday, love you!

Liebster Award!

July 15, 2013 — 6 Comments

So I get on my blog today, and see a few fun comments from some of my favorite bloggers. One of them was telling me that I got nominated for the Liebster Award!! WHAT THE HECKA. Sam over at These Moments nominated me and I am THRILLED. She is so cute, and I am so lucky to be making blogger friends. This blogging community is the best thing ever and I just adore every girl I meet, especially you Sam!

So here’s what the Liebster Award is!

The definition:
Liebster is German for sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. How nice is that?
Blogging is about building a community and it’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers and blogs.

The rules:

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.
2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself, and create 11 questions for your nominees.
3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 other blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have been chosen.
4. Copy/paste the blog award on your blog.

Here are Sam’s questions:

1. Why do you blog? I blog because I love writing, I love making new friends, and I am awful at journal writing! So this is, in a little way, my personal journal!
2. What’s your favorite holiday and why? Christmas! I hate snow, but I adore the snow around Christmas time. There’s something wonderful about that season, when everyone tries to be a little nicer, and we remember Jesus Christ.
3. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Chocolate. Yes it’s a food. Yes I could eat it all the time.
4. What is your favorite quote? UMMM I have WAY too many to pick from! One of my very favorites is “The most important thing is to enjoy your life–to be happy–it’s all that matters” Audrey Hepburn
5. If you could go anywhere in the world (money is no object), where would you go? I would head right on back to Paris and spend LOTS more time there. Less than a week did not do it justice!
7. What is your favorite family tradition? I love every tradition my family has around Christmas, but one of my favorites is the Christmas scripture countdown. We read a scripture that has to do with a theme, and on Christmas Eve we do an activity that ties the theme together! One year all the scriptures were about light, and our activity was lighting candles on a walk around our neighborhood. It was so fun!
8. You get to spend an afternoon with your favorite celebrity. Who would it be? Harrison Ford. I would marry him tomorrow if he asked. But spending an afternoon with him would also do.
9. What is the best book you’ve ever read? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! Seriously. Go read it.
10. Where is your favorite place to shop? I love Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters:)
11. What is your favorite color? Pink or grey!

11 Random Facts about Maddy:

1. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I love my religion more than anything!

2. My best friend is serving a mission for our church in Fukuoka, Japan. He has 18 months left and I am so proud of him!

3. I am majoring in journalism and am hoping to become a news anchor one day!

4. I have this addiction to art and art history. I can’t draw, paint, or anything like that, but I’m fascinated by people who can.

5. I hate spoons.

6. I can bowl a whopping 80 on a really good day.

7. My eyelashes are naturally red. So mascara is a good buddy of mine.

8. I have been a ballerina since age 3.

9. My family ROCKS. I love them more than anything.

10. I eat pasta for breakfast. Regularly.

11. I love life!

Ok here are my nominees for this illustrious Liebster Award!

1. Haley at The Ink And Anchor. So she has 206 followers…it’s close enough right?

2. Haley at The Life And Times Of Haley. One of my best friends:) Love you!

3. Julie at Different Is Beautiful. One of my favorite blogs and bloggin friends:)

4. Sydney at Sydney Brereton. She’s beautiful right?

5. Maria at Sewn By Maria. A fellow missionary girlfriend, this girl is the bomb.

6. Katie at The Silver Lining. Not sure she knows I exist. But I adore her blog!

7. Kenzie at Makin’ the Most of the Moments. Went to high school with this gem. She’s great:)

8. Ivy at Ivy Lauren. She’s also an MG who I love!

9. Emma at Tightrope to the Sun. I adore this girl. You will too. Promise!

I don’t have any more since all my other blogging friends were been nominated, have more than 200 followers, or have already taken part! But yes. Here are your questions friends:)

1. What is your favorite clothing article?

2. What is your life motto?

3. Paper or plastic?

4. What color is your hair?

5. What is your favorite movie?

6. If you could live in any time period, what one would you choose?

7. Is the glass half full or half empty?

8. What is your favorite physical trait about yourself?

9. Who is your hero?

10. What is your favorite holiday and why?

11. What is your biggest goal/dream in life?

Thanks again Sam for the nomination for this award, and here you go friends! Blog away:)

Happy Monday everyone:)

Eva

July 13, 2013 — 4 Comments

First of all, happy 13th to my favorite missionary! So Randy and I write lyrics to our favorite songs on the back of our letters, or quotes from movies, or things like that. So here’s what he wrote on the last letter….”There’s something in your smile that says everything’s gonna be alright.” It’s part of this song. Listen. I promise it’s worth it:)

So yesterday was a super great day:) Jonas and I headed off to Salt Lake City for dinner and a wedding (congrats Bree and Nathan! Ya’ll are wonderful:))

He likes SLC:)

So my mom suggested we try Eva. It looked kinda sketch on the outside so we were a little hesitant…..

It was seriously the CUTEST restaurant EVER. I walked in and was in love.

We decided to sit out back….best choice ever. It reminded both Jonas and I of Italy. It was this small, cozy patio with hanging lights and plants. GAH I LOVE THIS PLACE.

And the food was AMAZING. It’s a small plate restaurant so you order five or six small plates for the same price as a huge meal. Every single thing we ordered was AMAZING. Even the pig stomach. I don’t think Jonas knew that’s what we were eating;)

Happy campers!

So if you’re in Salt Lake City and want an amazing restaurant for a great price, that’s NOT a chain. Go to Eva. HUGE shout out to my mom for recommending it.

Happy Saturday everyone!

A picture is worth….

July 11, 2013 — 3 Comments

So instead of blabbing on about what’s up, I’ll show you!

I am so lucky to live so close to a temple. Seriously, it’s the biggest blessing. It’s easy to remind myself that this is the goal when there are so many, so close. I AM going there someday.

Double date with this cute girl, Jonas and Jonas’s brother! We have fun:)

Alyse and I can rock bowling shoes and shorts….

My combined score for two games was the exact same as his score for ONE game. Yeah. I rock at bowling.

Easily the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen….seriously. Golden locks of perfection.

And it’s totally a guy…..

Last week I sent Randy a picture similar to this, but with my British flag phone case showing. His response? “That phone case is SO MADDY. Also. That’s a new shirt. I love it!” He notices the cutest little things:)

Happy Thursday everyone!

6 months

July 9, 2013 — Leave a comment

Yup. 6 months down today. Elder Low is LOVING Japan. He is getting the language, though it’s incredibly hard, and cares so much about the people. He loves teaching English class to the little kids (of course;)) and is so concerned about helping everyone. Typical Randy!

I could not be more proud of that boy.

18 months to go! Also I need help with a big package I’m sending in the next few weeks. So far I have a bunch of junk from the dollar bin at Target (who doesn’t need a bacon tie…?) some gum, and a pen. Yeah. I need help! Comment or message me your ideas!

SUPER wish his arm was around me…but it’s fine.

I miss my best friend like crazy, but I KNOW he’s doing the right thing being in Japan right now. I couldn’t let him go if I didn’t know that the message he was sharing was true. It’s true folks. I wouldn’t let him out of my sight if it wasn’t.

Happy Tuesday everyone, and happy 6 months Elder Low!

Rain=hamburgers

July 8, 2013 — Leave a comment

It’s been super rainy lately. Like one second, it’s perfectly nice, then BOOM flash flood for thirty minutes, then back to normal. So working at a waterpark/campground has been fun during that time. Pools are closed, then open, then closed, campers are wet and upset that I can’t control the weather. It’s great fun, let me tell ya! But really. I love my job. I love helping people and I love the people I work with and I love talking to customers and hearing their life stories. It’s great.

I get free hamburgers when we close the waterpark and snack bars. Yay for rain!

Also over the weekend I went and saw Kaysville City’s Scarlet Pimpernel production. It was SO GOOD. Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my very favorite musicals, and they did it well:) My sisters and I may or may not have driven home singing “When I Look At You” in our loudest, Frenchiest voices. It was beautiful.

So now I’m off to eat Oreo’s and milk for breakfast and, once again, lack the motivation to work out and burn it off. Whatever, it’s fine.

Happy Monday everyone:)

My 4th Festivities!

July 5, 2013 — 3 Comments

The 4th of July was perfect! Well, almost. I spent the past two 4th of July’s with Randy. So that was hard. But anywho…

Kaysville is such a great place to live. Knock it all you want, (cough cough, Kurtis…) but I love it. I think being in Kaysville on the 4th of July really makes me love it that much more.

Let’s start with how my day went. I had to work this morning, so I got in my car and drove down Main Street just as all the 5k runners were coming. It was so great to see people I know, and people I don’t know, running down the street. Some were holding their kids hands, and others were incredibly focused on making it to the end. I got a little choked up driving past it all. Pathetic, I know. But still.

Then I had a grand time at work with Natalie and Alyse, who are hilarious, and that flew by. Then it was back home for some of this….

Pasta salad=heaven. Want the recipe? Comment or send me a message!

I got to spend time with my cute family and it was marvelous. Then I crashed Jonas’s family party for a bit. So that was fun. And then it was off to the fireworks. I got to talk and laugh with my family while munching on popcorn and peanut butter M&M’s (a family tradition).

Oooooooooohhhhh….

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..

While we were driving to the fireworks and sitting there, surrounded by Kaysville folks, I realized that I LOVE where I live. I have never lived anywhere else and I am so glad. I love America and I am so lucky to live here. I love the country music, apple pie, baseball, stubborn, God loving people that this country is built on. And I love the small town, comfortable feel of Kaysville. It’s home. And no matter where I live, Kaysville is home. As much as I want to get away sometimes, when it comes right down to it, it’s been the perfect place for me. And in so many ways, it always will be.

My cute sisters and I at the fireworks having “sister before mister” time. Yeah, this explains us pretty well…

Happy Birthday America!

July 4, 2013 — Leave a comment

Happy Birthday America!!

I love the 4th of July. It’s hot. There’s candy. There’s fireworks. It’s the best!

I also love the 4th of July because I am so happy to live where I do. America is the land of the free, and the home of the brave. Every day I hope I live up to that. I hope that I am making America proud. And I think on days like today, those who went before are proud of America, and what we’re doing to keep making it the great nation that it is. A blessed nation.

Well I have to scoot off to work (I know, right?) but I’ll post all about the festivities tomorrow!

For now, Happy 4th of July everyone!

The last of the saps

July 3, 2013 — 1 Comment

Let’s just say, it’s been a weird week. The past seven days have been a whirl of crazy stuff going on, all at the same time. And I really didn’t think I could handle it all happening at once. So this is the last day of me being upset about all of it. So look forward to less-sappy, more happy blog posts in the near future!

For now, here’s your last sappy blog post for a while:)

Found this gem yesterday. What would I do without Pinterest? It gives me quotes like this…

And food like this:) Lazy cake-cookie bars. They’re divine. Comment or send me a message for the recipe!

One last thing. God is good. He doesn’t leave you alone. He kindly shows you what you could work on, and then stays with you every step of the way while you shape up. And when you’re feeling incredibly alone, He sends angels into your life to remind you who you’re supposed to be. I love my religion more than anything, and I love the God that I worship more than anything.

Happy Wednesday everyone!