ThankFULL

Would it truly be November if I didn't dedicate a blog post to all things for which I'm thankful? Probably not. Would it truly be November if returning to work today after the Thanksgiving break wasn't completely rough + me being in dire need of a large diet Dr. Pepper? Probably not. Also, would it truly be in Shayli fashion for me to blog about what I'm thankful for after Thanksgiving? Probably definitely YES. So, here we go with another thankful post! It may be late, but I'm definitely still thankful.

BUT FIRST: A picture of Chris holding a baby, because it makes my heart melt and uterus skip a beat all at once. That is all.

... I guess Chris and baby Averi can start at the top of my thankful list.

Other people/things I'm thankful for in no particular order:

- My family. Especially my mom's side of the family that brings more food to Thanksgiving dinner than anyone knows what to do with. So much veggies + dip! So many crackers and cheeseballs! So much happiness.

- My in-laws. But if you read my last post than you already knew that! + When Tom G has a birthday and has an adult only dinner/game night! + When Chris wins the quarters game so we can have a new Swig fund.

- Speaking of Swig fund... I am always thankful for diet Dr. Pepper. Cranberry Sprite Zero is up there, too. 'Tis the season! Actually, I'm pretty grateful for almost any caffeinated beverage these days.

-Friends. This pic sums that up perfectly... best friends wearing a Friends sweatshirt. If you don't understand our sweatshirts... are we even really friends!?? Also, a majority of my Thanksgiving break may or may not have been dedicated to Season 7 of Friends so. . .

-Also, let's take this time to appreciate that my phone automatically smooths my skin in pictures ^^ #thankful

-Christmas decorations. It's like putting up instant happiness! Although, Chris may not agree with that statement. I think he's still bitter that a majority of our gift cards from our wedding were dedicated to Christmas decor our first year of marriage.

- Lupin. Who gets his own stocking this Christmas ha (another thing Chris probably doesn't agree with). I'm mostly thankful for Lupin when he's not trying to rip the ribbon off of our Christmas tree or chew on my Santa hat.

- Naps.

- Black Friday... because I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping! I'd also like to add that I don't work retail anymore so I'm extra grateful to not work on Black Friday.

- Candy Cane Kisses. Always! Why were they so hard to find this year?!

- Work, but more so my amazing co-workers. Who else can you complain to about crazy students?!

- I guess I'm thankful for my students, too... most of them, anyway ;)

- Becca's Backlight Primer + Benefit Porefessional. Mama got some big pores that need to be filled. The combo of those two primers are truly a gamechanger.

- Fuzzy socks. Mostly when I'm sleeping in them.

- My primary class. Especially when they tell me things like "Sister Gourley your hair looks weird." Way to keep me humble, kids.

- The Gospel and all the hope and happiness it brings to my life.

- Jett and Graham! Reminding me to remember what truly is important in life.

Annnd I need to mention that I'm grateful for Chris one more time! Especially because he agreed to stop at the store to grab shredded cheese on his way home from work + he stepped on the scale after this weekend and suggested we go on a cleanse + he sent a picture of him eating salad for lunch today. He is my favorite.

-

happies

+ getting in my car and it being HOT. bless this spring weather, b l e s s it. 

+ cold cereal. give me ALL THE COLD CEREAL! specifically cinnamon toast crunch. 

+ rimmel london's provocalips. . . hi, lipsense dupe! ($7!!!)  

+ Chopped. like, c'mon, guys! you should know you don't just crumble an ingredient over your plate, don't make ice cream in the dessert round, and don't overcook your protein. i'm totally ready to be a contestant. . . obvs.

+ donkey kong country + dr. mario with chris. despite the tension it's caused in our marriage. ha!

+ fruit punch crystal light. mmm. 

+ walks along the jordan river trail. 

+ waiting for new nephews and nieces to join the fam. yay!

+ chris taking the trash out. always.

+ kickball with my students. also, this is the dream semester, i tell you! most perfect angel kids.

+ listening to the twins heartbeats two (okay, three...) times a day (bless my sister in law for letting me use her doppler!!!) + finding out the gender tomorrow! yay yay yay!! my students think gourley twins are boys... we'll see (hopefully)!

life is so, so good.

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!

Teach me to blog? (my current happy list)

THINGS THAT ARE BUENO BUENO AND MAKING ME HAPPY AS OF LATE:

Brace yourselves, you're about to be list-slapped so hard.

// not to go all white girl on you, but the blossoms--all of the blossoms! my favorite part of walking out of my portable at work

// playing kickball and capture the flag with my PE classes (outside!)

// Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

// HIGH fitness (Hi, Jenessa!)

// bright pink lipstick

// getting in my car and having to roll the windows down

// my students--i truly look forward to seeing them every single day

// spring cleaning

// apples + peanut butter

// lunch club with Keisha

// teaching

// Chris. specifically, Chris singing Adele's "Hello" daily

// peach mango crystal light

// Elder Holland's talk

// planning the Summer of Shay
// being a blondie again

// running and exploring the trails behind my house (guys, the flipbelt is life-changing i tell you, life-changing!)

// list blog posts 

// the sun freckles on my nose

// FRIDAYS (duh)

cleaning out my drafts box

I've been wanting to blog for a while, but haven't had anything super blog-worthy to post about (do I ever?), so... I guess this post is just tidbits of non blog-worthy things that have been sitting in my drafts box! Don't scroll too fast now! I know you're all just dying to read another bullet point post from me. Here goes...

One Tree Hill- my newest Netflix obsession (thanks to my friend Keisha). Yes, I'm quite aware that I'm about 13 years behind on that train, but holy Chad Michael Murray! And lesbihonest, Sophia Bush... is it okay if I maybe have a bigger crush on her than Chad? Look me in the eye and tell me you don't think she has the best voice! Such raspy goodness. Anyway... um... can I still keep my temple recommend after confessing all of that? But really, One Tree Hill really is just good stuff, man!

Peach Fresca- a favorite bevi in the Gourley household right now. It's just so... happy? Summer-y? Sunshine-y? Not-Winter-y? You get the idea. It's become our new little pick-me-up and we're not sorry about it (even if our future beach bods are). Oh, and I only used the word bevi because I laugh every time Chris says it.

Nivea Men's Post Shave Balm- if you watch YouTube, chances are you already know about this "face primer." For those of you who don't, you need this stuff in your life like yesterday! I've tried quite a few higher end AND drugstore face primers, and I can honestly say this has been my favorite product to prime my face with so far. For starters, it's so cheap and comes in a huge bottle (primers are usually in tiny packages and a freaking rip off!), you can get it at Wal-Mart, AND it's super moisturizing, but doesn't make you look greasy. Oh, and it smells like a dude! If you're into that sort of thing...
Just go try it, ok?

New students- I completed my first semester as a first-year teacher! ... which meant I had to say goodbye to my first group of students :( Do you remember on Friends when Monica had to break the news to Rachel that Chandler was going to move in with her, so Rachel was going to have to leave? And at first Monica was really upset that Rachel didn't even shed a tear about it because she didn't really think it was going to happen? But then Rachel realized it really was going to happen, and both her and Monica started to break down and cry and Rachel says, "It's like the ending of an era!!" Yeah, that's how that transition was. I was Monica, my student's were Rachel, and my new in-coming student's were Chandler. It really is like the ending of an era for me. I miss my first semester student's every day + get a little sad when I see them in the hall going to their new classes. Luckily, I've had lots of them come back and visit, but still! It's hard to imagine loving these new student's as much as my first ones. There is just a special place in my heart for them, you know?!

New huuurrrr- I guess I figured new students, new hair! It was just time for a change, you know Annnnnd maybe Khloe Kardashian may or may not have been a main contributor in my decision to start going blonde... I know, I know. But you can't tell me Klo Money isn't looking freaking amazing right now! Anyway, I've really had to tell myself that going blonde has to be a commitment. No switching back to dark 2 months later. Not this time. Wish me luck! And maybe pray that I quit watching E channel? Or quit following Kardashians on Insta... whichever you think I would benefit from most.



Ah, doesn't it feel so good to clean out the drafts box?

Thursday-ness // a happy list

Thursday's are kind of bittersweet for me.  I hate that I have to wait until 11pm for Chris to get home from school, but I also kind of like the fact that Thursday has turned into "my day." Meaning, I can spend 8 hours with just me (Shayli likes Shayli) and do whatever I want and have no one to answer to...is that bad to say? But today I decided to spend "my day" with my best friend, Whit. Oh, and my family, because let's be honest, that's really who I'm with when Chris is gone. Hence, a happy list! 

But first, the struggle that is taking a picture in the blinding sun, and not being on the same page when taking pictures ("Wait, we're taking a "cute" picture now, right?)

+ Getting amazing feedback from my teaching adviser this morning (apparently it's good to talk about your Pinterest board to your class). 

+ Pulling off a fake pop quiz for my students to introduce the topic of stress management. I was able to keep a straight face the entire time! But I'm still shaking from the stress of deliberately being mean.

+ Going to The Hot Potato* because you're a duh face and forgot to bring your temple recommend/clothes to go do a session with Whit. 

+ Getting extra fries AND an extra shake because the waitress at Hot Potato could not get my order right (that I put in on an ipad). 

+ Getting the following text from my mom: 

"Where are you today? I have a drink waiting for you. (my love language)

+ Taking a long, hot bubble bath + listening to a playlist that consists of Cher, Whitney Houston, and the Hairspray Soundtrack (making mama Sanderson proud). 

+ Being in bed BEFORE Chris. So rare around these parts.

+ Not having to plan a lesson for Friday. Ah, bless you A/B day schedule. 

* My thoughts on The Hot Potato... great concept (it's like a fry bar! choose your style of fry + seasoning + sauce), decent food, terrible service. Oh, and their chili cheese fries aren't as good as Del Taco's. But let's be honest, nobody's chili cheese fries can beat Del's. Also, raise your hand if you think Swig should start serving french fries! Rant over.

Top 10 of 2014

For someone who doesn't like change, I'm actually really excited for the new year! Maybe it's because I'm almost done with school, or because Friends is coming to Netflix, or maybe, it's because they're bringing back crispy M&M's(!!!!). For whatever reason, I'm just so giddy thinking about the new year!

Even though I'm ready to bring on 2015, I can't help but look back and reflect on this past year--2014 has been so, so good to us! It was hard to narrow down our top moments to just 10, but here they are:

1. Our Caribbean Cruise!
2. Upgrading to a king bed
3. Adding Tessa, Lexi, Talon, and Rain into our family!
4. Chris getting a new job (and me not worrying about him getting shot everyday)
5. Finishing my second marathon
6. Celebrating two years of marriage
7. Chris starting graduate school + surviving the first semester
8. Sanderson pickle ball league
9. Wicked + Disneyland  (me)
10. Mama and Papa Sanderson's hot tub!


You done good, 2014. Real good.

December-Do List

Despite the fact that the first three days of my December have consisted of stress, top-knots, yoga pants, and 44 oz of Diet DP daily + the caffeine shakes, I'm still surprisingly pumped for this month! Maybe it's because I'm two weeks away from being done with Biomechanics? Or because I don't have to sing Feliz Navidad , or any other Christmas song for that matter, under my breath anymore? Or maybe it's because Pinterest and Instagram showed me inspirational quotes and pictures telling me that I need to make the last month of 2014 a good one? For whatever reason, I'm ready to indulge in all things December! Which is why I made myself a December-Do list that includes things I want to see/do. Also, I feel the need to tell you that there's things on my list that I've already done or know I'm going to do this month, because I'm totally one of those people that puts stuff they've already done on their to-do list just to cross it off. Here they are:

:: Make caramels! Or just eat the ones my mom gets from the neighbors. Probably just eat, though.

:: Go ice skating! That was one of mine and Chris' first few dates, and we haven't gone since (sometimes I miss pre-married Chris and Shayli-they were so adventurous and nervous to hold hands + really skinny)

:: Sleep out in the living room with the Christmas tree lights on. 

::  See Annie & Unbroken (better yet: BOTH in one day!)

:: Walk through Riverwoods. I would say Temple Square, but that's going to take a lot of convincing for Chris since we did that last year and I made him miss his rec league basketball game + my brother's car got broken into...

:: Serve someone!

:: See Thanksgiving Point lights (Wooo Gourley gang!).

:: Pass Biomechanics (this isn't Christmas-y, but it's totally going to require a Christmas miracle).

:: Try the Peppermint shake from Chic-fil-A. 

:: Visit my grandma and grandpa Sanderson.

:: Give the hand to my DDD at Swig, and actually try their dirty hot chocolate this year.

:: Trap Meet Chris under the mistletoe (but seriously, where does one find mistletoe??).

:: Actually wrap a present by myself.

:: Festival of Trees! (and NOT cry reading about each tree and who it's dedicated to...)

:: Celebrate meeting Chris 3 years ago on December 30!

Here we go Decembrrrrrrrrr!

Welcome, November!

Hello blog world! I've missed you so much. *virtual hug*

If I had to describe the past week in one word, it would be.... well, it wouldn't be a very nice word. I'll give you a hint: it rhymes with kitty. Last week was just the pits. I'm pretty sure I failed a test that I studied my buns off for, I didn't have time to do any kind of exercise, annnnnd I was on my period, which of course makes any scenario 13x worse (like the fact that I couldn't spike the volleyball over the net in my team sport fundamentals class made me cry). I think this was the first week this semester that I really have felt the 17 credit load I've been taking--I don't recommend it to anyone. 

But enough feeling sorry for myself! Because it's November! Which is all about being thankful! And I already have a lot to be thankful for this month, so I'm going to get it all out of the way in one post instead of clogging your Facebook feed every single day this month with posts that start with, "Day __ : I'm thankful for... " because I'm pretty sure you'd get tired of reading that I'm thankful for Dr. Pepper and sweatpants and Chris.

Ahem, anyway...

I'm thankful for:

• My cute niece, Morgan, asking me to speak at her baptism! It was nice being reminded of how awesome the Holy Ghost is. I also loved watching her be the example as the first Gourley grandchild to be baptized. My heart melted seeing all of her cousins gather around the font and watch her go under the water-so precious!

• The fact that I got 10 hours of sleep last night. Bless you, daylight savings! 

• Whit giving me The Fault In Our Stars movie for my birthday! + Chris agreeing to watch it with me, even if there was a lot of head shaking and eye rolling on his part. 

• Our anniversary coming up this month! How the heck have we been married for almost 2 years?! Seems like just yesterday we were sneakily making out in his parents' basement ;)

• The cold weather! Even if it has robbed me of any motivation I may have had to catch up on homework and fold laundry. I've been so giddy roaming through my house wearing a big fat hoodie and chunky socks! 

• Chris' new job! I love having him home an hour earlier +  knowing he won't have to clean up homeless man poo off the sidewalk at this job.

• The three rolls of toilet paper I stole from my parents for obvious reasons. Sorry, mom! IOU: 3 rolls of nice, thick, name-brand toilet paper! I wish I would have realized what a luxury that was before getting married...

• Target. Again, for obvious reasons. But I'm especially thankful because when I went to pick up this scarf, the cashier gave me some $3 off coupons because the guy in the back getting my order took forever. 

• Chris for agreeing to take this picture of me even when we were already 10 minutes late to church today. If you want to see something awkward, just watch me ask Chris to take a picture of me. But look at my scarf! Isn't it so fall and pinteresty?! It had to be documented I tell you! Had to!

• Anyone who actually read this sad post. I will say though, blogging is like exercising--so fun and rewarding the more often you do it, but not so pretty trying to get back into it after a week and a half of not doing it. And I have done neither of those things for the past week and half so...hopefully this is the only thankful post you'll be seeing this month.

I'm sure there's a lot more I'll be thankful for during this month, but we'll just leave it at that for now. I'm so excited for November! It's probably one of my favorite months of the year! Let's pray it's better than my last week of October was.

p.s. I'm thankful for people who wear things two days in a row, because I know they aren't judging me for wearing that striped dress twice this weekend. I'm sure they're the same people who don't wash their bras very much, either. You guys are my kind of people.

11 Things You Should Probably Know About Zumba

1. If you think you look weird doing Zumba, it's only because you look weird doing Zumba. It's okay though, because everyone else looks weird too.

2. It takes 3 classes to learn Zumba. And by learn, I mean that you learn to tell your egocentric self that nobody is looking at you, because they're all trying to keep up with the instructor anyway.

3. Zumba is actually a really fashionable fitness class--the more neon, beaded sarongs, and bum tassels, the better! Add some glittery cheetah high-tops and you're good to go.

4. While we're on the subject of fashion, consider this a public service announcement to NOT wear cotton, light colored, or see-through bottoms to class. Swass is an unfortunate common occurrence, and so is swajayjay. Trust me, ladies. Just don't.

5. Pitbull is to Zumba what Lil' Jon is to clubs--people just change when a Pitbull song comes on. For better or for worse. You might think you know that sweet, innocent, stay-at-home-mom down the street, but I can assure you that you don't. At least not until you've seen her booty-clappin' to Pitbull as he yells out random countries around the world.

6. Just know that when a Merengue song comes on, some serious sh*z is about to go down.

7. Zumba not only teaches you dance steps, but also teaches you how to chant to the universe. Don't be surprised if some woo-woo's, rrrrraha's, and ay ay ay's escape from your mouth--it's a completely natural reaction.

8. Don't be the person who deliberately does a different dance move than the instructor. Nobody likes that person. Promise.

9. In a Zumba class, you can burn anywhere from 300-1100 calories. Um, hi! That's like almost half of a Cafe Rio Salad! Or all of that freakin' Halloween candy you eat every single time you pass the treat bowl. Justified!

10. You might cry while you're dancing--Zumba is an endorphin overload! Your body won't even know what to do with all of them! It also doesn't help if your instructor is your little sister and you just get a gust of those "proud big sis" moments...

11. When in doubt, just shake your booty.

It's Okay

It's okay that my breakfast consisted of a huge (like way more than the suggested serving size on the side of the cereal box says, but really, who only has 3/4 cup of cereal?!) bowl of Cap N' Crunch, immediately followed by 3 handfuls of Lays Cheddar n' Sour Cream potato chips.

It's okay that I didn't go running this morning because I wanted to stay in my pajamas and watch Grey's instead.

It's okay that packing a lunch took priority over doing my hair (at least it's not in a top knot today! hashtag littlevictories)

It's okay that I've bought 3 different kinds of mascara within the past 2 weeks out of pure curiosity.

It's okay that that there's been a foam camping pad on my living room floor for the past week solely for the purpose of laying on it to watch TV.

It's okay that my to-do-list has "paint nails" and "shave legs" on it in front of schoolwork and laundry.

It's okay that I am already lusting after fat sweaters and booties and wishing it was fall season already because summer is not my jam-too much shaving of legs and asking my sister if she can see my swass through this skirt.

It's okay that I just made you visualize me having swass.

It's okay that I said I was going to go without Dr. Pepper for a week and I'm already on my 3rd one. Also, it's okay that I documented my trip to Swig with a car selfie (but guys! I was adventurous and added raspberry to my DDD!).

It's okay that it's almost mid-July and I've only been to Seven Peaks once.

It's okay that my eyebrows are giving Joe Jonas a run for his money right now.

It's okay that I look forward to going to the bathroom at work just so I have something to do (I die a lot bit inside every time I refresh Pinterest and nothing has changed).

It's okay that I'm blogging at work and making you read this less than mediocre post.

...right?

stuff i'm peeing my pants over

:: The Fault in Our Stars. I couldn't do what I usually do and wait for this to hit the cheap theaters... I had to see it! Even if it meant going by myself on Friday afternoon, which made me realize what a great/cheap date I am! Also, can we talk about the fact that I burst into ugly cry every time I see a cigarette or I hear the word "Okay" now?! I wonder if the movie theater guy noticed my tiger stripes of partially washed away bronzer I had left on my face after??

:: My sister is the big 2-1 today! I've realized that the older she gets, the more I become the little sister. I'm always trying to follow her around and read her diary and steal her clothes! But really, I think it's safe to say that I am the younger sister at heart, and that my sister is way cooler than me, and I just wanna be like her. Happy Birthday, Shelbs! Get ready for some Lucky 13! Also, an unmentionable source who didn't want to admit she  follows all the Kardashians on Instagram told me that you have the same birthday as Kanye West...? Congratulations?

:: My coaching internship starts tomorrow! I'll be puttin' that T-Wolf gear back on and helping out with the cross country team at Timpanogos High School! I'm so excited, but so nervous that I'm going to let slip that I love Dr. Pepper in front of the cross country children! Because everybody knows that soda is like the "he-who-must-not-be-named" of the running world. Wish me luck!

:: I'm done with Spring semester classes this week! Which means I'm done with sweaty backpack lines and procrastinating all my homework assignments and being "that girl" in the class who brings crunchy food to snack on while everyone else is trying to listen to lecture (2 hour classes are rough).

:: My marathon is on Saturday! Six days, people! SIX DAYS. Sometimes I wish I could switch to the half instead, because holy 26.2 miles... my thighs chafe (the visual! I'm sorry!) just thinking about it! Other than that I really am so excited! I will ring that PR bell at the end of the race...

:: I'm getting a new niece and a new nephew this month!!! My sister-in-laws are like the best at making beautiful babies and making me question if Chris and I are going to be the ones who have the ugly children... (I literally just knocked on wood). I'm so excited to meet them both! Like, exclamation points excited (!!!).

Happy Sunday!




p.s. that "unmentionable source" may or may not be me...

p.p.s. .....it's totally me.  

I'm waiting for...

-another day I get out of class early

-the next time I roam through Costco with my mom and ask her Is this a better deal than Wal-Mart?! every 20 seconds

-the next time I have completely empty laundry baskets

-my nephew, Dash, to come with me to my mom's again and open the door to a ice cold diet DP from McDonald's (my mom just gets me)

-Chris to surprise me with another cupcake from Cravings 

-the day Chris will let me win in tennis (he claims he's just "keeping me humble")
-the day that I really do beat him in tennis
-my phone to start taking high quality, "blog-worthy" pics of us playing tennis
-Chris to be happy about taking said pics
-another day to procrastinate my homework assignments because there's only two weeks of Spring semester left and I'm already in summer mode
-the next time I expect to have just another typical Tuesday and realize it's one of the best days I've had in a while

7 things! 7 things! 7 things!

#1 Vampire Diaries.

I know, I know... so five years ago. Whatevs. 

I.am.obsessed.

All week I've found myself thinking about vampires and witches!

... and how the CW manages to find such beautiful people (seriously Ian Somerhalder, where did you come from?!). 

#2 Eating "healthier."

Which has consisted of a lot of mandarin oranges and string cheese + binge eating at Mi Ranchitos and Chubby's over the weekend and undoing any of our "healthy eating."

(Our New Year's resolutions love us)

#3 Waxing.

In case you were wondering, waxing doesn't get rid of your blackheads... just ask Chris.

Also, thanks to my sister-in-law Haley for making my face smooth as a baby's bottom! Even if it did mean I had to see just how much hair is actually on my face. You would have thought she waxed a werewolf (Vampire Diaries!) looking at my waxing strips.  

#4 Hair
I've been lusting after this hair color.
We'll see if I have the...ahem...lady balls to actually do it, though.

#5 Chris
Chris got a raise at work a couple weeks ago.
He doesn't like to tell people, but I do! I'm so proud of him.

#6 Marathon
Obviously New Year's resolutions haven't quite faded away... but my Dr. Pepper beer belly hasn't either, so here's to 26.2 miles in June! Feel free to join me and my brother, Dugan!
This is what happens when you're bored at work...

#7 Cruisin'

Last but not least... we're going on a cruise in March!! Papa and Mama Gourley are taking us on a Caribbean cruise, so I'll get another experience traveling with Tom G! Who by the way, has already taken the initiative to print out all the different excursions we can choose from and read them to us himself ;) I can't wait! Seriously, though... is it March yet?

Date Nights!

I don't know about the rest of you married folk, but Chris and I have found that our "date nights" have turned into sitting on the couch playing on our phones and taking a break to periodically look up at the show we're supposed to be watching. Romantic, right?! Wrong! Which is why we decided that for our family night activity tonight we were going to sit and jot down fun date night ideas together.

Now I know there are a lot of lists on Pinterest for date night ideas, but have you read some of them? Some of the ideas just make me cringe and get awkward tingles. One list suggested "Have a rapping contest together," or "draw each other with your eyes closed." Yeah, umm hi! Who really does that?

Anyway, Chris and I decided to put our heads together and list things that WE would actually want to do. I'm so excited! So without further adieu, here is our list of date nights!

-Go ice skating and get hot chocolate

-Go to the Living Planet Aquarium

-Temple night + dinner

-Su Casa (it's a Mexican restaurant in Salt Lake that Chris LOVES) + a Jazz game

-Laser tag at Trafalga

-Build a fort and watch a Redbox

-Water Gardens movie + Sonic hot chocolate (Sonic keeps telling me to go try one of their 6 premium hot chocolates)

-Go see the lights at Temple Square

-Riverwoods Christmas lights + Caramel Apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

-Sledding

-Go to a BYU Basketball game

-Applebee’s bingo night and 1/2 priced appetizers

-Movie + Massages

-Game night! Cards or Strip...yahtzee? Err something...

-Build Gingerbread Houses

-Thanksgiving Point for Ice Cream and Turkey lookin’

-Bake something together and drop it off at a friend's house (be nice to us!)

-Decorate mugs together with Sharpies

-Video game night (Chris is way too excited about this one)

-Babysit for someone (again, be nice to us! hehe)

-Find a deal on Groupon and do something

-Food Crawl (drinks (most likely Dirty Diet Dr. Peppers from Swig), entrée, and dessert from all different places)-I'm so excited for this one!

-Bowling

-Nickel City 

-Write down New Year’s Resolutions together

-Plan our 5 year anniversary vacation

-Go shooting

-Window shop at Home Depot (this is nothing new for us)

-Go GeoCashing! Because I've never done it.

By the way, we are aware of the fact that most of our dates consist of getting some type of food. The couple that weighs together stays together?

Concrete Jungle

 Am I the only one who feels like blog world has unspoken rules? Like there is some mama blog that makes all the rules and if you don't follow them, you're in trouble? Yeah... me neither, ya big weird. So despite what this imaginary blog mama might say to me if I posted about my trip to Chicago that happened over a week ago (that's like 3 months in blog years), I'm doing it anyway. You ain't the boss of me, mama blog!

So onwards! To Chicago!

People usually ask me why I'm going to Chicago, to which I simply reply, "To shop and eat good food while my dad works," which are the exact same reasons I went back this year for my third time. It never gets old to me. While the reasons for returning are the same, there were some different note-worthy things about my trip this time:

+ My sister-in-law Haley got to come with us! I don't think I'll ever be able to experience Chicago without her and my cute niece, Evie, ever again.

+ The Windy City was anything but windy. Seriously, it was almost record highs for Chicago while we were there... it almost put a damper on shopping... almost.

+ We went to Millenium Park. The big metallic bean was so cool! Until some creeper guy came up to me and asked if he could take a picture with me...it was nothing a little shopping couldn't fix, though. ;)

+ Wildfire. Hands down, the best steak I have ever had... I still have inappropriate dreams about the filet mignon I had there. Did you know that filet mignon can have crusts on it? I didn't either, until they offered parmesan, blue cheese, and twice baked potato crusts on my medallions of filet mignon... sigh. Thank you, dad for the very expensive meal.

+ The power in our hotel room went out. Luckily, Shelbs brought her Surface so I could watch How I Met Your Mother and distract myself from thinking that a crazed killer was coming up to our hotel room.

+ I actually came home with leftover cash. Granted, it was only $8, but still! That's got to count for something, right?

+ It was the longest time I've spent away from Chris. This year was my first time being a wifey while in Chicago, and it was hard. I missed Chris. A lot. And judging by the candy poster (you know, like the candy posters you use to ask someone to a high school dance with? ha) Chris surprised me with when I got home, I think it's safe to say he missed me too.

+ We actually went on the Ferris wheel at the Navy Pier. I made Haley and Shelby go with me. Mainly so they could take picture of me up by the skyline (I hate Ferris wheels)--most expensive pictures I've paid for in Chicago.

+ I only ate Ghirardelli's ice cream once. Don't be fooled, I still set foot in there every day to get my pumpkin caramel spice chocolate sample. It's the little things... ;)

Chicago 2013 was definitely a success. 

Chicago, you will be missed. Until next time.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Mexico Edition (and pictures!)

Ever since we got back from Mexico, Chris and I have greeted each other every morning with frowny faces, with the mutual understanding that coming back to reality, simply put, sucks. Mexico was AMAZING to say the least. So amazing, in fact, that I'm already plotting ways to earn money so that we can go back someday. While the overall trip was amazing, there were also some not-so-amazing parts, like with every trip. And what better way to tell you about our trip than in list form?! (What can I say, I'm a lazy blogger)

 So without further adieu, Mexico! 

the good:

::Drinks! drinks! and more drinks! Pina coladas, mango coladas, mango-pina coladas, mango tangos (all virgin, of course)--you name it, we drank it. Several times... a meal, or in between meals, or just whenever a drink tickled our fancy. There were times that I swear the drinks would just appear out of thin air, and of course, we would drink them without question. So yummy, and so not healthy for you in any kind of way despite the excuses we tried to make for ourselves.  I bet they aren't too bad... they use real fruit in them, right?!

 ::The upgrade in our rooms. Footsteps away from the beach and pool. Complete with a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom! (Thanks mama and papa Gourley!)

::Getting to know my in-laws even better. The conversations get a lot more interesting when there are no kids present ;)

::Mexican night! Nothin' better than those street tacos and fresh pico.

::TOUCHING A SEA TURTLE. Hands down my favorite part of the trip.

::Pass the pigs! Oh goodness, just play with the Gourley family and you'll understand why I love it so much.

::Chris winning the ping pong tournament at the resort! He even got a medal for it.

::Casino night! I understand now how people get hooked. You really do believe that you are special and there's no way you're going to lose this time.

::The photoshoot Chris won at casino night. HA! A photoshoot. The last thing Chris would like to win is a photoshoot. I'm so grateful he did though, because they actually turned out pretty good! I like that we got to bring home a souvenir from Mexico that we can keep forever. Chris was such a good sport throughout the photoshoot, too. What a keeper.

Behold:

You like, no?

the bad:

::My abrupt kiss with a pool boy! Just kidding. It was the water aerobics instructor, but he really did kiss me. The little trickster indicated with his index finger that I should kiss him on the cheek, so as soon as I puckered up and went in for the cheek, he turned his head! Did I mention that this was in front of a huge circle of strangers? Did I also mention that we had to kiss everyone in our circle on the cheek at the end? All I wanted to do was enjoy some family-friendly water aerobics with my mother-in-law! ...What happens in Mexico?

::Sushi. 'nuff said.

::My bargaining skills. Just don't take me to a Mexican street market. Unless you like to be stared at with a "What the hell should I say?!" look. Also, I don't know how to say no. 

::Mosquito bites and then more mosquito bites. At least they were tan mosquito bites, right?

::The fact that there was one couple missing from our trip. We missed Jason and Deanna! 

the ugly:

::Humidity. More specifically, doing Zumba in the humidity. At first I thought I would be lookin' all hot like the girl in Step Up 2, you know, when she's dancing in the rain? Yeah, no. Just hot and sweaty. Exercise and humidity is not a good look for Shayli.

::The aftermath of Mexico. I'm STILL making constant trips to the bathroom (TMI? Probably) and suffering from what I can only assume are pina-colada withdrawal headaches.

And there you have it! The good, the bad, and the ugly of our Mexican experience! I'm sure there's a lot more I could add to the good list, but like I said, I'm a lazy blogger. 

Cue picture dump!

 never again.

 Pure joy.

 Proof that Chris can make friends no matter where he goes... Thanks Pablo for letting us pet the turtles!

 "salad"

 It never gets old.

El Fin.