2016 Beauty Favs

. . . because everybody is doing it! Also, I know pretty much all of these products I mention have been out for a long time and were not released in 2016... but these were the products that I have enjoyed most this year!

Primer: NYX Angel Veil Primer. I feel like this primer is one that anyone would love... whether you're oily, dry, large pores, etc. it makes your foundation go on SO smooth and last a long time. The only downfall about this is that it IS one of the more pricey products from NYX.

Foundation: IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream. Oh, Ulta... why did you have to give me a sample of this stuff? After months of literally squeezing out every.last.drop of it, I finally broke down and just bought the full-sized tube. I love this stuff because it looks so natural on the skin, but it's still full coverage. With that being said, you will need to blend this stuff out with a brush or a damp sponge, don't try to rub it in like a tinted moisturizer, or it'll be a complete disaster! Also, this stuff smells good, like citrus... I love it.

Concealer: Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer. Everybody and their dog on Youtube talked about this stuff this year... and for good reason. The tiniest bit of the product goes such a long way, and I love the huge doe foot applicator! This stuff is extremely full coverage, but it's super easy to blend out. If you can ever find your color in stock... just buy it. You won't regret it. And just in case you're wondering, this stuff smells good, too!

Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo. Been using this stuff for two years... only just this month did I have to open up a new one! I've tried other brow products from Anastasia, but I feel like powder is what works best for me and my brows. Annnnd that's all I'm gonna say about that, because brows are boring.

Eyeshadow: Makeup Geek. Why it took me so long to purchase these, I have no idea. Maybe it was the fact that they were single eyeshadows? + the thought of having to get a z-palette just seemed too intimidating for my eyeshadow palette loving heart! But I'm so happy I finally purchased some (peach smoothie, creme brulee, cocoa bear, prom night, and grandstand), because they blend out so well, and are very pigmented. Plus, I just feel kinda fancy whipping out a z-palette now ha! (Am I Jaclyn Hill yet?!) I definitely understand why these shadows have been talked about on Youtube for years!

Eyeliner: Essence gel liner. I feel like no one talks about the brand Essence! It's so freaking dirt cheap and such good quality! I feel like it's even cheaper than E.L.F! Anyway, I decided to try their gel eyeliner, since my Maybelline one was drying out, and I'm so glad I did! It's literally half the price of Maybelline's... and Maybelline's is already cheap! I feel like this gel liner is even better than Maybelline's... it's creamier and blacker! There's a lot of things from Essence that I love, but this is probably my favorite. This brand is seriously the best kept secret at Ulta!

Mascara: Butter London Double Decker Lashes. This is another product I have to blame (or thank?) Ulta for giving me a sample of, otherwise I would have never even looked at this, but it was truly love at first swipe. The brush reminds me a lot of the Loreal Voluminous and the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara- so obviously it's a volumizing mascara. I must say that my other favorite mascara this year would still be the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara, too... I will always love it (and the price).

Bronzer: Hoola Bronzer by Benefit. "If it's not broken, don't fix it"-my motto for this bronzer, since I've been using it for almost 3 years. Maybe my 2017 resolution should be to branch out and try more bronzers?! I really just love this stuff so much. It's the perfect color on everyone I put it on!

Blush: Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso". Why was I so late to this party?! Oh well, I'm on the luminoso train, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. This stuff is the perfect everyday color blush, and I love that it gives you a little highlighted glow! I have never hit pan on a blush until this... that's how much I'm obsessed with this stuff.

Highlight: Champagne Pop by Becca x Jaclyn Hill (of course). I think another 2017 resolution would be to branch out with more highlighters... but I think I will always love this the most, mostly because Jaclyn Hill created it ;) #highlightonfleek

Setting Spray: Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray. Ain't NO oil getting through my huge-A pores while I'm wearing this stuff! This spray is an oily girl's best friend.

Lip products: Buxom Lipgloss in "White Russian," Bareminerals Marvelous Moxie gloss in "Rule Breaker," and NYX retractable lip liner in "Sand Beige" This year I was all about those super glossy, almost wet looking lips (thanks Kardashians). Most days I would line and fill my lips with NYX lipliner in "nude" and then throw on one of these lip glosses. Sooooo pretty + easy + no worrying about it being on my teeth.




Annnnd there you have it! My 2016 beauty favs! What products do I need to try in 2017?! You know I'll take any excuse to go to Ulta.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, peeps.

Our day was filled with all the things that matter in life: The Savior, family, and food (of course). Oh, and me trying to bribe Chris to wear a freaking Santa hat with me, which as you can see, didn't really work out despite my best attempts at bribing Chris with a back massage to an entire episode of Modern Family (bah humbug, Chris!). 

I hope you had a Merry Christmas, and Chris hopes you had a Santa-hat-free Christmas!

Love, 

The Gourleys

when I said we're leaving our mattress in the living room...

... I really meant it.

Besides the occasional trip to the grocery store + Swig (my punchcard loves me!), we have pretty much set up camp in our living room.

Who woulda known that simply putting a mattress in the living room is all it takes to make me actually like watching hours of sports? I wish I could say the mattress gave Chris the same tolerance to watch Hairspray Live!, but it didn't (please tell me you watched it?!).

Now I know I said #noshame when it came to having a mattress in our living room, which is still true, but I think there is a little shame to be had when people come over and see it... do they think we're fighting and Chris has to sleep downstairs? Or maybe they just think we're really white trash? Which they wouldn't be completely wrong, seeing as how we've made a nice little border with our Swig cups. . .

Anyway, now you know where to find us + you'll understand why our bellies are giving Santa a run for his money.


p.s. CHRISTMAS IN 10 DAYS!!!! How?!

when life sucks // 6 simple steps

Sometimes life is just rotten. Like, really though.

So, what do you do?

Step One: Make sure you're married to a Chris Gourley.
(okay, the real "step one" is CRY. a lot).

Step Two: Have your Chris Gourley suggest that you go to Swig.

Step Three: Have your Chris Gourley voluntarily + completely drag down your mattress to the living room so you can enjoy watching TV surrounded by Christmas lights.

Step Four: Contemplate on leaving your mattress in the living room all month of December. #noshame

Step Five (optional): Convince your Chris Gourley to take a kissy picture (which probably ain't our best look) on self-timer solely for the purpose of being on the blog. #seriouslynoshame

Step Six (also optional): Realize that having a Chris Gourley is absolutely the one thing that helps life feel just a little less rotten. . .

just a little thankfulness

'tis the season, right?!

I am thankful for (in no particular order)...

+ CHRIS
+ both sides of my family
+ self-tanner
+ Costco blankets (thank you, mom!)
+ the Ellen show, because feels
+ candy cane kisses
(even if my waistline ain't so thankful)
+ voicemails from Lexi
+ my students. especially when they randomly all start singing in unison Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor" + convince me to do the #mannequinchallenge
+ the gospel
+ my coworkers 
+ sunshine
+ friends
+ also Friends the series 
(and even more specifically, Ross Gellar)
+ High Fitness + my Vasa pass 
(literally the only reason I haven't completely given up and wanted to just waste away on these colder, darker days)
+ naps
+ skookies (the addiction is truly real)
+ the blessed person who decided mashed potatoes should be part of Thanksgiving dinner
+ zits...always keeping me humble
+ Christmas music. Ain't ashamed.

...and I think I'm just going to stop there, which I'm sure most people that are reading this list are thankful for.

Together4Ever

Have we really been together and complaining about weight gain for FOUR years?! Do you think that's why Chris got us a gym pass for our anniversary gift? I still am a little in denial about all of this! About the being together for four years--not the gym pass. There's no denying that it's about dang time we got one. "We're feeling skinny, Tony!"(we're not friends if you don't know what movie that quote is from)

In all seriousness though, it's SO weird to think Chris and I have been together for FOUR years now. Four just sounds so...... mature? Experienced? Like we shouldn't be fighting over the remote anymore? Like, do we reeaallllly have to give up the "newlywed" title now? Clearly I'm still in denial, but at the same time, it totally makes sense we're now on year four. I feel like this last year we've grown closer than ever before. I guess it's true what they say, marriage really does get better with time (er.... is that what they say about wine?).

This year we kept it pretty low key, since it's pretty hard to top being in Disneyland like we were last year for our 3rd anniversary (you can read about here and here), but I'd be lying if I said I didn't try and convince Chris to take me back for this anniversary. Spoiler alert: He said no. I was completely fine with settling for a fancy dinner at our all time favorite, Alamexo, and then going home and making skookies and watching BYU basketball (my gift to Chris ha!).

Of course we took our traditional anniversary picture! We took some at the restaurant in Salt Lake, but then I made Chris take another one at home, since I felt like that picture would be more "us," you know, because sweatpants and couch (and now I'm even more grateful Chris got us a gym pass after typing that).

Man, Chris is such a good sport about taking this picture on our anniversary.

Speaking of Chris... I freaking love that guy. There is no one who knows me or loves me better than he does. He makes me the happiest and is always there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on (how is his shoulder not just a big prune by now?!). Chris is so selfless and always looks on the bright side of things. How in the world did I get him to settle for me and then put up with me for these past 4 years?! I'm seriously still trying to figure out what I even bring to the table in this marriage...besides quite literally dinner.

Even if I still can't fully understand how I got Chris to marry me there is one thing I know for sure: Our love is FOURever! Sometimes even eternity doesn't seem long enough.

Love you, Chris! Here's to year 4!

A Guide to Being a Basic White Girl in Shayli Form

If you're wanting to profess your love of all things Fall related and you're not quite sure how to do that in proper white girl (Shayli) form, don't worry--I got you covered. Like, yoga pants and UGG boots covered!

First things first: Post a selfie of you sportin' a nice dark berry lip + awkwardly trying to master the no-teeth-showing smile because you suffer from a disorder called "turtle lips," in which your top lip disappears completely when you smile. Consider not smiling with teeth a cheap alternative to LipSense (for us broke basic girls who can't spend $55 on lip product) if you're concerned about lipstick on your teeth. Check, check, and CHECK!

Next, have a bowl of pumpkin shaped Reese's on your table at all times because Reese's in any holiday shape are a must (the perfection of the peanut butter to chocolate ratio in the holiday shapes is almost uncanny!). Also, give yourself mental high fives when you walk past the bowl and it's not completely empty after only 2 days.

Speaking of food, you must have your crockpot out at all times, because that soup isn't going to make itself! Just kidding, it IS going to make itself.... that's why we basics love the crockpot, duh.

Okay, and if you think you're supposed to wash all this delicious Fall festive food down with a pumpkin spice latte, think again! You should actually be drinking hot chocolate with International Delight's Almond Joy Creamer in it. Even if it's still 70 degrees outside.

Also, If your'e going to be a basic white girl in Utah, you should probably just accept the fact that it's going to be sweater weather in the morning and heatstroke weather in the afternoon. (Utah what the freak am I supposed to wear?!) If you're going the Shayli route, you'll still wear your flannel no matter how much you're sweating your guts out, because your'e just too damn proud to admit that it's not completely Fall in Utah yet.

Last but not least, make sure you create a "Fall Bucket List" that has things on it like "Go to Corn Belly's," and "Make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies" and "buy more berry lip colors." Oh, and make sure get pumpkins, haystacks, and cornstalks to put on your front porch because how else is your neighborhood going to know you're a basic white girl?

HAPPY FALL YA'LL!

Quarter of a Century Club!

If I would have known that turning 25 was going to be so freaking fun, I would have acted more excited about it beforehand. I don't know why, but 25 just sounded so.... old er...mature? Not way old, but like, shooooot I'm old enough to rent a car + I should probably stop asking for suckers at the bank? But I'm over it, because 25 was probably my best birthday yet!

It all started last Thursday when I walked into a fully decorated classroom + presents from previous students and co-workers (all of whom know my love language is food). Oh, and if you ever want your birthday to feel really special, be a jr. high teacher--your students are more excited for your birthday than you are ("Do we have to do anything today since it's your birthday on Saturday?"). It also didn't hurt that I had the next day off from school.

Sadly, Chris was in St. George on my day off on Friday, but he totally made up for it with the vinyl machine that I sent multiple emails to him about a month in advance ;) Saturday (my actual birthday) started off with my most favorite, most artery clogging breakfast--The Champ from Ernie's! Then I took advantage of what I like to call "birthday Chris," and had him take me to Ulta to pick up my free gift there (makeup is my second love language) and then we headed up to Salt Lake to stay at the Marriott Hotel up by the U.

I had to say bye to "birthday Chris" when we got to the hotel, so that he could watch the BYU game. BUT the hotel brought up a beautiful tray of delicious food and I was able to play with some new makeup while the Cougs played, so I was okay with giving "birthday Chris" a break.

After the game was over Chris took me to one of my fav restaurants, Alamexo! Kind of pricey, but definitely worth it. If you ever go there please order the queso fundido! You can thank me later for it.

The rest of the night was spent shopping at City Creek and hot tubbing at the hotel. I really don't think I could have planned a better birthday than that. And it sounds so stupid to say, but I feel like this fun birthday and little staycation was just what I needed you know? I feel refreshed + recharged + more accepting of the fact that I'm part of the quarter of a century club.

With each passing year there's always one thing that remains the same on my birthday--Remembering how blessed I am! I have the best family and friends that always take time out of their day to wish me a happy birthday, and I am always so grateful for it (even if I forget to proclaim said gratitude on Facebook... oops!)

As you can tell, year 25 of life is already off to a great start! The only thing I'm not so sure about is giving up suckers from the bank.... that might have to be a half century kind of thing. We'll see.

Cheers 25, cheers.

because I haven't mentioned teaching in a while

If you're wondering why September's almost over and I still haven't posted about my students/teaching in general, you're not alone--I'm wondering the same thing! Because it's definitely not for lack of content... there is never a dull moment in jr. high! I'm certain of it. I guess you could blame my lack of blogging this month on the fact that season 14 of the Ellen show started! Chris walks in from work almost every single day to me in mid-ugly-crying-from-Ellen-feels-face, and man, that can really take it out of ya! In all seriousness though, there have been a lot of changes (good and bad) going on at the Gourley house, and teaching has remained my constant, and I am so, SO grateful for that!

With September almost being over, I'm at that stage where my student's personalities are fully showing--I love it! The best is getting to know them through some of the assignments I give at the beginning of the school year. My favorite is probably the Bucket List Book assignment, where I have my students write down 10 things they want to accomplish before they die, and then they take a few of those bucket list items and turn them into "SMART" goals. Giving this assignment has taught me that there are 2 kinds of kids in jr. high: the kids who make goals like, "get married, become a doctor, or publish a novel," and then there's the other kind who make goals like, "fill a hot tub full of jello" or my personal favorite from this year, "Get a first kiss." Behold:

And in case you're wondering what "romance" is in jr. high.... it's going to the movies.

Aren't jr. high kids just the best?! They seriously kill me. They also think it's a really big deal that I have fake Yeezy shoes, and I'm always flattered when they think they are real and that I can afford $600 shoes. Yes, jr. high kids are a good breed. A good, hilarious, weird, confused little breed that I enjoy getting to know more and more every single day.

I'm sure there's more I can fill you in on for this 2016-2017 school year, but I'm just going to leave it at that for now, because it's my day off and I have a birthday weekend to prepare for + mourn the loss over Brangelina (JK. I was always team Jennifer!!) + let my basic white girl out and make pumpkin everything in celebration of it officially being Fall now.

Happy Friday! I've missed you, blog world.

Never Forget

I know I was very young when this event took place (I was only 9 years old), but this day still stings for me. Like the rest of the country, I completely remember where I was and what I was doing that September morning. I remember seeing my mom staring at the TV and she just kept saying "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..." I remember entering Mr. Andrus' classroom to all my classmates buzzing and asking "did you see the news?!" and then the principal calling over the intercom to the teachers to not discuss anything about it (but my teacher did anyway). I remember just being so confused... maybe a little scared, but mostly just confused. I think that's why this day stings to me... because every day after September 11, 2001, I started to understand more and more about what really happened that day.

It's crazy to me that 9/11 happened 15 years ago, it feels like only a few years ago. But it's even more crazy to me to think that I'm a teacher to students that were not even alive yet when it happened. Do my students even understand how scary that day must have been? Do they even care that their country was attacked? Will they "never forget" what happened that day? 

May September 11th always fuel our love for our country, our respect for those who serve it, and our desire to fight for peace in our world.

I will never forget.

2 Thumbs Up for Year 2!

When your husband is out of town and can't take your obligatory "First Day of School" picture, you end up awkwardly giving the camera two thumbs-up and realize that's about as good as it's gonna get. . . at least the Fonz would be proud? Ayyyy.

Year TWO of teaching started today! It was wonderful and exhausting and exciting and everything else that first day of school dreams are made of. My students are freaking adorable and there are a couple of classes that I can already tell I am going to LOVE (specifically my class that wanted to debate whether Cafe Rio or Costa Vida was better). PLUS! I am going to be in charge of the school's HOPE Squad (suicide prevention) this year and I'm so nervous + excited about it. And did I mention my students are freaking adorable? Because they are. I really didn't think I missed teaching this Summer, but after today I realized how much I did! Oh, "teacher's high"-you've been missed. I'm finally feeling motivated to be a kick-A teacher, and to make a difference in these kiddos lives! 

Hello 2016-17 school year! I am SO ready for you! Now let's just hope that I'm still wanting to awkwardly give the camera two thumbs up at the end of this year... 

Goodbye Summer of Shay

I really thought that going back to school today and setting up my classroom would make me more excited to get back to my teaching gig and have all the motivation in the world to be a kick-A teacher this year. . . but it didn't. I'm still very much in Summer of Shay mode.

What are pants? 
What's the date today?
What's the password to my school email again? 

It's kind of hard to be in school mode since I had a pretty good send off this week from the Gourley gang. Monday we went to the pool (my second home this summer) and had pizza and nachos for lunch! (Thanks, Gourley girls!)

And if pool day with the Gourley gang wasn't enough. . . On Tuesday, me and Martha had a movie marathon day! Three movies + two Swig drinks snuck into the theaters = one epic day! I think this might need to become a tradition!

Can you blame me for not being in teacher mode yet? This Summer of Shay has been so good to me! Like, SO good. But I guess it's time to trade in my pool bag for my backpack and my flip flops for tennis shoes (life of a PE teacher is super glamorous-obviously). I'm thinking once I'm with my students again the teacher feels will come back, but for now, I'm just going to mourn the ending of a great summer.

Sigh... I will see you in 10 months, Summer of Shay. It's not too early to start counting to Christmas break, though.... right?!

Ready or not, here we go 2016-2017 school year!

Master Chris!

Chris graduated with his Master's of Public Administration on Friday (August 12th)! Well, technically he graduated back in June, but he walked on Friday and we celebrated! Annnd I got to play paparazzi wife for a while. Any excuse to celebrate my lover dover bobber and go to Outback ;) 

I am so, SO proud of you Chris!!! I got to see first-hand how much hard work + dedication + sacrifice it takes to get a Master's. You never cease to amaze me.

I love you, Chris! Or should I say,  MASTER CHRIS!? ;)

Things I Repeatedly Buy At Ulta

If you know me, you know my happy place is roaming around Ulta with a very large dirty Dr. Pepper in hand. All I would need is Chris waiting by the register in there an telling me to get whatever I want. Ha! Chris despises that store, so I guess I'll settle for Shelbs + my dirty Dr. Pepper as my Ulta shopping companions for now.

Anyway, besides drenching myself in free samples of Marc Jacob's Daisy perfume, there's a reason, or I guess I should say reasonS, I love going to Ulta, so I thought I'd share them with you. Now you might look at this list of products and think, "But Shayli, I can buy these at places other than Ulta," and I would admit that you're right, but I always get these at Ulta because I get points for buying anything there. It's like I'm being rewarded for buying makeup... yes, please! I also love that Ulta has a drugstore side AND a high-end side... you get the best of both worlds! (Right, Miley? Sigh. I miss Hannah Montana.)

Philosophy Purity Face Wash- This face wash is the only face wash I've ever had that completely removes my make up (except eye makeup). Even after a couple of years of using this face wash, I still get giddy after I dry my face with a white towel and there's not a single trace of makeup left on it! This product is also bueno bueno because it doesn't dry the $h!z out of your skin, like most face washes do.

NYX Butter Gloss- Very rarely do I leave Ulta without one of these bad boys. There's a reason they are called "butter" gloss--so smooth + creamy + not sticky at all! There's a huge color range of these, too. The best part is, they all smell like cake. Um, yes please. Go get one and thank me later.

St. Moriz Self-Tanning Mousse- I'll be honest, I have never tried any other self-tanners besides this one, but that's probably because most of the other ones I've seen are over $30 a bottle. Ain't nobody got time for that! So when I saw this one for only $12.99 at Ulta, I thought, "Why the heck not?!" and I'm so glad I did... because I love it! Super cheap, looks super natural (no oompa loompa-ness), and a bottle can last for a long time (mine lasted about 5 months). I will say that it doesn't smell good, but I'm not super sensitive to that kind of thing + that's probably what you get for paying only $12.99 on a self-tanner?

Benefit Hoola Bronzer- This bronzer is usually the reason I venture over to the high-end side at Ulta--and for good reason! This stuff is amazing. Like, I've-gone-through-4-pans-of-this amazing. This is one product that I would definitely recommend splurging on ($28 is splurging for me). It works on really fair skin to really tan skin, even though it looks so light in the pan. It's my favorite to use for contouring for sure, and the brush that comes with it inside is perfect for that. Plus, as dumb as it this may be. . . I think the packaging is so cute! Dang you, Benefit, and your adorable products!

Loreal True Match Foundation- The foundation I always always come back to after trying a new one. I also love the True Match Lumi Foundation, it just depends if my skin is super oily at the moment or not (the Lumi is not going to be your friend if you're super oily). This foundation has a huge range of colors, and I think this foundation is super build-able. You can use it for just a little bit of coverage or you can go full coverage with it, and it won't look super cakey. The only thing I wish was different about this foundation is that it came in a bigger bottle, and had a pump for application instead of having to just pour it out...but that's it! Trust me, there's a reason everyone on YouTube talks about this foundation.

Real Techniques Sponge- Speaking of foundation, how did I ever apply my foundation before this sponge?! I've mentioned it on the blog before, but it's worth mentioning again--it's such a good blending sponge!! And so much cheaper than the Beauty Blender. I love that it has a pointed edge so I can blend out my concealer, but then has a smooth, flat edge that I can press in my foundation with. Using this sponge to apply foundation makes the foundation look so natural + flawless! Like the NYX Butter Gloss, it's very rare I leave Ulta without grabbing another one of these. Trust me, it's worth the $6.


...phew! That was a lot of typing, but....but.... I just love Ulta, okay!? And I'm guessing if you read this whole post, you love it, too? (Did we just become best friends?!) Tell me what other products I need to be buying on repeat at Ulta!

No Summer Slump Here!

This weekend was the annual Sanderson "campout" in my parent's backyard. I think the term "glamping" would be more appropriate for what we actually do every year, since our "camping" usually involves the popcorn machine, pizza, outdoor movies, and wayyyy too many yummy treats. This year we added a money dig to our glamping traditions, and it did not disappoint. Who knew that watching my nieces and nephews sift through a ginormous pile of confetti could be so fun? And if we're being honest, it wasn't very long before all the adults were sifting through the confetti, too. 

After a late night of watching MegaMind outside, roasting s'mores, and sleeping in a tent, we woke up the next day and headed to Wayne Bartholomew Park in Springville, which was so cute! Fricken freezing water, but so cute! One of my favorite sights was watching Chris paddleboard with Talon to "go get the ducks." 

Of course after our time at the park, we made our way to Mooyah's (my most favorite burger ever... bless you, Mooyah's and your amazing fried onion strings), because even though we had spent the last 24 hours shoving our mouths full of pure junk, we still felt the urge to go eat there. I love my family. Ha. 

For the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking about how at almost every year around this time I get into my "Summer slump," where I start fantasizing about fall, and all summer seems to be to me is too much heat, too much swass, too much of not having a set schedule, and too much boredom... but not this year! Quite the opposite. Except for maybe the too much heat + swass stuff. I keep finding myself getting super sad at the thought of summertime being over. Like, can't I just watch fireworks + go fishing with Chris + hangout at Lehi pool for forever?! 

I'm sure once I'm back teaching I'll be happy + excited + super motivated to be a kick-A teacher, but right now, I'm just trying to soak up every last bit of my Summer of Shay I have left, because life has been pretty dang good this summer and I truly am not ready for it to end! I'm glad I still have hanging out with the Gourley gang in Park City this next week to look forward to.

Long live the Summer of Shay!!!

tidbits of life // updates

When you get a snapchat from your sister that says, "Update your blog, damnit!," I guess you're kind of required to write a blog post . . .  damnit.

Jokes! I am glad Shelbs encouraged + slightly threatened me to update this blog, because I have missed it! All Summer I have made mental notes to myself to "blog about this..." but then life gets in the way and I tell myself I'll blog tomorrow. And by life, I mean Netflix or going to the pool, but guys! Scandal! Tan lines! Priorities, duh.

So, to make up for all my mental notes to blog that have been wasted, I'm just going to throw everything I've wanted to update blog world on into this one post. Yes, that means a list post! You know I love me some lists--they're like the snapchat floral crown filter of the blogging world--the best.

And because I never really know how to transition into the list part of the blog post. . . here we go! Enjoy?


Summer of Shay. As you might have already guessed, a good portion of my summer break has consisted of Netflix + the pool + no makeup and I'm not sorry about it. In my defense though, I have woken up every single day at 7:00 with Chris, worked out, and cleaned the house ("See, Chris! I do stuff!"). I will say that sometimes I have felt like Rapunzel when she sings "When Will My Life Begin," though (7am the usual morning line up....) because what the heck do you do all summer while everyone else works?! (answer: hangout with your teacher friend, Keisha!) But other than that, the Summer of Shay has been bueno bueno! And I'm kind of not ready to think about seating charts and classroom management and revamping my lessons just yet.  Why is summer cruising by so fast?!

Chris. You know how I always talk about Chris being a grown up? Well, he's found a way to be an even grownier grown up this summer (says an educator of young people). First, he graduated from his Master's program in June (yay for having a husband on Tuesdays and Thursdays again!), and then just a few weeks after graduating, he got a new job! Um, hi! Grown up pants! Chris will still be working for Intermountain Health Care, but now as a Clinical Quality Improvement Manager. I'm so proud of him!!! I still am not sure I fully understand how Chris is capable of being part manchild part grown up pants, but I'll take it!

TRUCK, YEAH! Speaking of Chris . . . he somehow swindled me into agreeing that we totally need a truck + found the deal of a lifetime on KSL. Chris has been waiting for his perfect "grandpa truck" to come along, and last Thursday, his waiting was finally over. And if you don't know what a "grandpa truck" is, it's when the truck belonged to a grandpa who barely ever drove it, and was in pretty much perfect condition--exactly what we got. I'm not gonna lie, it is pretty dang fun having a truck, even if it is my new sister wife (Chris is obsessed to say the least). We call her "The Silver Bullet," even though someone pointed out to us that that is the name of a popular vibrator. I suggested we call it something like "The Silver Fox," but Chris insists that it's name is The Silver Bullet. So that's that, and we're stickin' to it! Hello more camping + stargazing date nights + hauling my bike around + Chris doing manly man stuff!

Clean Simple Eats Challenge. Guys, I really have loved doing this challenge! I think what I've loved about it most is that it really is geared towards making lifestyle changes instead of just being a "quick fix." Like, okay maybe I don't need to put that much cheese on everything (WHO AM I?!?). I think I've enjoyed it so much because the food really is dang good, and I haven't felt like I'm depriving myself or that I've even been on a "diet." Have there been times that it's been hard? Yes (Um, hi 4th of July weekend!). But for the most part, it really has been do-able. I feel like my body doesn't look way different then when I started (I've only lost 5 pounds), but I feel so much stronger, and my mind feels clearer and I'm totally going to continue to eat a lot of the same food that's come from this meal plan. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to post before and after pics...but for now, here's a pic of my food from the meal plan, which I'm sure we'd all rather see anyway(insert heart eyed emoji):

Projies. The Summer of Shay would not be complete without doing lots of projects--"projies," as Chris likes to call them. Last year, my projy was to paint our entire town home. This year, projies have included painting the shutters outside, painting the garage, finishing our yard, and my favorite of them all: painting nightstands for us! You know you're a freaking grown up when you are thrilled to finally have matching nightstands. Behold:

Also, let's pretend that's how clean the top of my nightstand always is, and that's it's NEVER covered with McDonald's foam cups that are partially filled with water. Fun fact: the Summer of Shay has made me realize that I am super high maintenance when it comes to my ice water--foam cup + straw-- no exceptions. Poor Chris had to learn the hard way that you do NOT throw any foam cup of any sort away on my watch. Ha!


Annnnd I think that's it? Consider this blog updated... damnit!