Memorial Day Weekend-St. George Style

Chris and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to St. George for Memorial Day Weekend! And by spontaneous, I really mean that we decided a week and half before that we were going, only after my brother and his wife invited us to stay at their condo with them. So, I guess that just cancelled out any spontaneity I just mentioned...Unless you want to count the spontaneous stop at Wendy's 2 minutes into our drive?

I like to pretend that I'm one of those adventurous, care-free, go-with-the-flow type of gals, ya know... like so many of those bloggers that just seem to be living the dream life, ya know? Did you really just spontaneously decide to fly to Hawaii with your husband for two weeks? Was your husband really just flyin' by the seat of his pants when he bought  you that brand new Range Rover for your birthday? Was your makeup and curled hair really fully intact when you decided to go on a hike "last minute" at six in the morning? 

Reeeeeaaaally??

Quick tangent: This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, and being on vacation this past weekend and trying to capture those perfect, "candid moments" just made me realize how deceiving blogs, or any social media for that matter, can be. My weekend could have been so much more enjoyable if I wouldn't have been so focused on getting the "right" picture (with my crappy phone camera...really?! Oh, Shay.) so I could put it on my blog/instagram. Plus, I probably wouldn't have had to endure the groans and mutterings of "good h e l l" from Chris after each failed attempt. Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope I never put a false image of what my life is on my blog.

Okay, now that I'm off my soapbox... Here's a buttload of pictures from this past weekend! Feel free to scroll.

Oh, the custard! I could sing praises to the custard!

I've almost come to terms with the fact that my sister got the looks and I got... the weird laugh??...almost.

Chris's idea of "fun"...good thing I love that punk!

Memorial day weekend was so much fun! Bummin' around the pool + food + Chris + my family...winning!

10 things that make me really happy.

Just so you know... this blog every day in May challenge has quickly faded into a big, fat screw it. I'm going to do the topics when I feel like it, okay? Good. Glad we cleared that up. Anyway, here are 10 things that make me really happy (in no particular order).

1. Shelbs. My sister, my best friend. I love our world of curled lips, flared out nostrils, inside jokes, secret shopping trips, and just being flat out ugly.
2. When Chris holds my hand when we're going to sleep.
3. Compliments. Preferably from strangers, but I'll take whatever I can get!
4. FOOD. It makes me a lot happier than it probably should. Currently pico or peanut butter is the way to my heart.
5. The Gospel + Going to the temple.
6. Swooning Chris with my cooking skills. Just give me a new recipe Pinterest... I dare you.
7. Fridates with Chris.
8. My nieces and nephews--the most hilarious tiny humans.The Gourleys and Sandersons have raised the bar pretty dang high for cute kids.
9. The Ellen Show. I don't think there's been a time I've watched that show and NOT cried.
10. If you have actually taken the time to read all the way to #10, bless you! THAT makes me happy.
11. Oh, and of course Harry Potter makes me extremely happy.

Anyone who knows me, knows I don't like even numbers--hence #11.

a piece of advice + a photo.

Guys, I really should just give up this blog challenge... But I still can't get myself to do it! So just keep expecting me to play catch-up. Anyway, here is a combination of day six and day seven: A piece of advice and photo of a moment in my day.

Me and my friend Lauren went to Cubby's, and oh.my.goodness. so YUM! Guys, Lauren is from Indiana, which automatically qualifies her as a beef specialist (le duh), and even she approved. We both got burgers with mac n' cheese*, and then immediately regretted that decision as soon as we saw the salads. Their salads are HUGE (CAPITAL LETTERS HUGE!) and we saw a guy eating the tri-tip steak salad which is safe to assume that it's a pretty dang good salad, right? Right! Expect another food critique in the near future on said salad. Don't get me wrong though, the burgers were good. I would recommend the Houdini, or the Dragonslayer.

My advice to you: GO TO CUBBY'S!

*I've had sacrament cups that are bigger than the side of mac n' cheese they gave me with my burger--order a side of fries. I promise that was my only complaint though.

How to Scare a Shayli.

Day 6: What am I afraid of? 

A better question might be what am I NOT afraid of?

Just ask this guy right here. He could probably tell you that I'm afraid of failure, heights, snakes, walkers, drowning, and just about anything else. But I'm not sure if he could tell you my greatest fear though...

losing him.

Guys, I am terrified of Chris dying. Like... I-haven't-heard-from-him-in-a-few-hours-so-he-must-be-dead-terrified. Needy much? I know, I know... newlywed syndrome? But really, it's my biggest fear, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it is out of my control. It's terrifying to think that he could be gone at any given moment, and there's nothing I can do about it. It's hard enough having him commute to Salt Lake every day. Our poor future children...I wonder if I'll ever let them leave the house?

 I don't want to expound on this too much, since most of you are probably already rolling your eyes at this post thinking, "just another mushy, newlywed post," which it probably is, but at least I tried? ha. 

Anyway,  Chris isn't allowed to die until I'm dead.

The end.

Joelle

It's only day 6 of my blog challenge and I'm already behind. So I'll be playing catch up in this post. 

Day 5: Publicly profess your love and devotion for one of your friends.

Joelle.

I have the privilege of calling this beautiful lady my aunt! Although, you probably would never have guessed that since she looks young enough to be my sister! Don't worry, she's a GRANDMA too. This is what you can expect to look like if you're ever fortunate enough to reach GILF status in your life.

I chose Joelle because she is the one person I think deserves all the recognition in the world, and unfortunately, is the one person who never receives enough of it. 

  .

There are so many reasons why I love my aunt Jo. One of the biggest reasons being that she is the most selfless person I know. Seriously, you could be stranded on an island with her with only one more crumb of food left, and she would not only give you that last crumb, but she'd be smiling while she gave it to you. If you know Joelle, chances are she's already helped you in some way or another. 

Some other things you should know about Joelle:

-she works hard, plays harder.

-she was photobombing before it was cool.

-she babysits 30+ kids every day, and still manages to have a cleaner house than you ever will.

-she'll make sure everyone else is taken care of before worrying about herself.

-stay on her good side, or you just might end up with her dentures in your face

-she is the greatest supporter ever--whether it's at a wrestling match, a dance recital, a graduation, or any occasion, you'll know she's there because she's the one cheering the loudest.

-she'll never admit she's any of these things.

Simply put, my aunt Joelle is the BOMB-SHA-BOMB. 

I love you, Aunt Jo!

Wise Words from Dumbledore

"It is our choices 

that show who we truly are, 

far more than our abilities."

-Albus  Dumbledore

Would you expect anything less than a Harry Potter quote from me? I get chills every single time I read or hear it.

uncomfortable-ness.

I'm cringing already. Thinking about things that make me uncomfortable makes me...well, uncomfortable--let alone writing about it. I'll try to make this post as least discomforting as possible. That being said, I should warn you that this post may contain some thoughts on urinating.

...still reading? High-five to you! Alright, here it goes.

Conflict. Not so much the kind of conflict between me and someone else, but the kind of conflict that happens in public places, and I'm on the sidelines watching. Whenever I see people fighting, my body just goes numb, and my heart just starts racing. I can't handle it! For example, when I was at a basketball game with Chris, two guys started shoving each other, and the next thing I know, both benches are cleared. Did I mention these were grown men? Or the fact that it was a REC basketball game? Yeah... And to make it even more uncomfortable, one of the referees joined the shoving and yelling, and then a player's wife decided it would be a good idea if she got involved. My heart is racing just retelling the tale! and not in a good way.

Bathrooms. I think we all can agree that public bathrooms are just awkward. It's even more awkward when you cross paths with someone you know and you both sit down on the toilet at the same time and you just wait...because you sure as heck aren't going to be the one who initiates the peeing. Nope. You're going to sit there in silence mentally kicking yourself for not thinking to turn on the hand dryer, and wait until some blessed soul walks in and makes some noise to break the silence. Also, how uncomfortable is it when you're in the bathroom with someone who doesn't seem to care how much sound they're making? Grunts, moans, and any other descriptive words you can think of to describe the noises you hear in public bathrooms... acca-awkward. TMI? I would say sorry, but it should make you uncomfortable.

Sex scenes. Okay, it's not really watching movies with sex scenes that make me uncomfortable, it's more who I'm watching the movie with when a sex scene comes on (wow...too many sex words in that one sentence!). I thought it was uncomfortable with my parents in the same room, but oh no, then I experienced watching that kind of movie with my in-laws. Never. again. The thought just makes me want to curl up in a corner and die.

I think that's enough discomfort for one blog post... but I'd just like to add how uncomfortable it is to be home by yourself on a Friday night while your husband is out hunting turkeys.

May Day Numero Uno

I was stalking  reading Rylee's blog like usual, and came upon this Blog Every Day in May Challenge and thought, hmmm I should do that since everybody wants to know more about ME--that's why they look at MY blog isn't it?? Oh, I am so vain, so very, very VAIN. But in all seriousness, I'm going to attempt this challenge since I'm in a blogging rut, and most of my drafts begin with, "Me and Chris did this today..." or "I just want to quit school." To anyone who MAY (see what I did there?) be in a blogging rut, I invite you do the May Challenge with me! Oh, and by the way, I don't like day #2 and need to play catch-up anyway, so I'm going to just start with day #1 today. I am such a cheater... anyway, onwards!

Day One//My Life Story in 250 Words or Less (but who's counting?)

//Born in American Fork, Utah.  I was the first girl to come after 3 boys, so dad decided to trick everyone and put a blue hat on me—grandma was about in tears.

//Started switching jackets and dominating everyone at recess with Whitney in second grade— still friends to this very day.

//Grew up loving gymnastics, then discovered I really just loved the floor, so I ditched the bars and beam and started tumbling.

//Painful, awkward, and just downright embarrassing days of junior high—thick eyebrows, sweating, Aeropostale polos, bands like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, and constantly trying to fit in. Does anyone else want to erase that time period from their life?!

//High school: Drove a POS green Hyundai Elantra, realized my best friends are my family, took an English class from a woman who changed my life, discovered the greatness that is Del Taco’s chili cheese fries, and cheered for the Timpanogos T-Wolves.

//Started at BYU with my heart set on one boy, then got set up on a blind date with another boy.

[insert an awkward 6 months of “we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend” + a day and a half break up here]

//Me and blind date boy got married.

//Currently enjoying the rest of eternity with each other one day at a time.

...and that's me.