diamonds aren't always a girls best friend

I've been meaning to write a post about my wedding ring for a long time but... well I don't have a good excuse. But no better time than now. I've never been a "bling" girl. In fact I would have loved to have a turquoise wedding ring, but I knew that no one would be able to tell if I was married or if that was the only finger the ring would fit on. So a while back, I stumbled upon a ring that was made of something called moissanite, that looked just like a diamond... and it changed my life. Here is a brief summery of moissanite (although the Wikipedia page is posted at the bottom of this post for further reading):

• Natural moissanite is actually rarer than diamonds, and was discovered on a meteor in 1893. However all moissanite in jewelry is man made because of it's rarity.   
• Moissanite is a fraction of the cost of diamonds but usually only trained gemologists can tell the difference. Don't be shocked if you had never heard of it. Most jewelry stores don't carry moissanite because they want you to spend more on the real deal.  
• Moissanite is hard like a diamond because its made of some of the same components and properties. A diamond is one of the few things that is harder than it. 
• Moissanite refracts more light than a diamond.
• All moissanite gems are near flawless and nearly colorless. 

Moissanite on the left; diamond on the right. 

Below is the article I first found that truly converted me to moissanite:  

http://diamondssuck.com/

If you don't want to read the article, I will paraphrase a few of the great points that sold me:

1. Why start you marriage in debt? Moissanite is a fraction of the cost of a diamond and you get more for your money. If you are looking for a cheap alternative go with moissanite, NOT cubic zirconium. CZ is cheap, scratches, doesn't shine, and you will have to replace it about every 3 years. Not worth it. The total of my ring was still in the 4 digits, but the very very low 4 digits, AND I got a 1.5 carat stone! That would have cots me anywhere between $3,000-$6,000 if I had gotten a real diamond (and that's just for ONE diamond since my ring is a solitaire). It meant a lot to me that Spencer paid for my ring and not his parents. I can look down at it and know that it's truly from him. And the best part was that he paid it off in about a month.  
2. Now many of you have hear of "blood diamonds." Through out history, it's been a known fact that whenever a precious resource is found, the locals die in great numbers. Take for example oil, ivory, rubber, and gold. Now, only about 3-6% of diamonds in the US are blood diamonds, but 2/3 of ALL diamonds in the world are imported by the US! We may be getting better about buying conflict free diamonds, but it was OUR countries demand in the first place that caused the blood shed. Why is it that we as women feel like we need a big sparkler to validate our relationship and to "one-up" our friends?
3. Moissanite is also better for the environment because it's man made. Diamond mining can often cause great damage to the land to the extent that nothing will grow there for several years afterwards; not to mention the extra pollution it causes.

The article lists many more reasons why to make the switch but you can read it yourself. One last thing I would like to say about why I didn't buy a diamond, is because that's not what was important to me in my marriage. The first thing people say when you get engaged is "Let me see the ring." And sometimes you can't help but feel judged by it's size. Why isn't the question "Are you happy?" "Does he treat you well?" My ring is a reminder of the promises I made, but my choice in spouse is the true reflection of the rich blessings I am going to receive through out my life. I know some you don't want to compromise and you have your heart set on a diamond. That's just fine! I'm only writing this for those who may not know they have other options. It's a personal decision that everyone has to make, and I know if I had gotten a diamond, it just wouldn't have felt right. For anyone in Utah who is interested, Sierra-West Jewelers was the only place I found that had moissanite on site at the store. I custom made mine and it turned out just as I had described! I'm so happy with my ring, but I'm even happier with me cute husband! :)  

                                                                                                       
 

Wikipedia page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moissanite

apartment = work in progress

So a lot of people have been asking to see picture of our apartment, BUT it will have to wait. I'm not quiet done with everything and I'm waiting for my parents to come help me hang pictures. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I don't have enough money to buy everything for my apartment in the same month. ;) Spencer and I have been very blessed though when it comes to our apartment. It's super cute and it was a miracle we even ended up with it. We also originally thought it would be out of our price range. We also received a lot of money for our wedding and were able to use it to buy furniture and decorations. AND his wonderful parents gave us a really nice couch and bed. SO most of my rooms have pretty much one dominate color that's surrounded by neutrals. Our living room/kitchen is one open space and red is the main color. I decided I needed to take a color risk and add another bold color to the bedroom. I've never cared for yellow in the past but lately I feel like it's been making the perfect accent color (ex. my wedding). So I've decided to do a Navy blue and mustard yellow room, which I am thrilled about. Here are some examples below: 

Below is a lamp that I saw on Pinterest and I became obsessed with it. When I want something I HAVE to have it. Exhibit A: a once saw a Nixon watch I NEEDED but they had stopped making it a few years ago. After 5 months of scouring the earth, I finally got a call from a friend (Laura) saying she saw one in Salt Lake. After buying that and then losing it, I spent another few months on eBay trying to find another (which I did). Anyyyyyyyyywho. By PURE chance of googling "yellow lamp shades," I found out this one was at Target. Only problem was they didn't sell them online and after lots of research I found out they only had one left in the whole valley (and I needed 2). I don't take no for an answer, so after more research I found a Target in Las Vegas that had 3 left and so my kind mother-in-law (that lived near there), went and got them for me. Yay!!! I don't know when I'll see them next, maybe in a few months, but I can sleep peacefully knowing I have them. 

And that's all I have to say about that, but here are a few words from my iPhone: 

People watching at the park. 

Date night at Nickel City. Got 150 tickets and this is all I got. When I was little 150 tickets got me a pony! Sheesh!!!

Made homemade Butterfinger bars! It's sooo easy and the main ingredient is candy corn so buy it while it's the season! No baking required and only 3 ingredients. They are pretty rich so I cut mine in small squares.  Recipe HERE. 

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm not using my degree... and other stories

I would just like to take the time to post a little something I've learned recently: 

It's ok to graduate from college and not do anything with your degree!

Although I graduated in Advertising in April from BYU, I am currently working at the BYU Student Health Center as one of their full-time receptionists. Now I'm someone who felt like it was a waste of a degree and money if I didn't have a job in my field. But after my internship I realized there were only a few specific things I liked to do in advertising, and all of them were hard to get, and none of them were in Provo. Since Spencer still has 2 more years at BYU I realized it just wasn't worth it for me to spend the hour 1/2 round trip commute to Salt Lake or Park City everyday, where the jobs I was interested in were. After I realized this, I had to take a long hard look at myself and ask "Am I a complete failure if I don't use my degree?" "Will people be disappointing in me or look down on me?" After discussing this with my mom she reassured me that I wasn't a failure, and that it was the degree that mattered, not what you do with it, and that I should be proud of myself for finishing college. My mom even told me after the fact that she was surprised I graduated from college, and thought I'd drop out a couple times.

 I'm very proud to say that I endured 5 years of a bachelors degree and have come to realize that there is no right or wrong path in life. We aren't all meant to do the same thing. Some of us didn't even go to college but that's fine too. Between the fact that there were no jobs in Provo I wanted, and that I know I want to be a stay at home mom eventually, and that Spencer still has a million years left of school (because he wants to go to med school); I knew I needed a job that paid fairly well, provided me with healthcare, and was something that I could survive several years while he was in school. I'm currently reading the book "White Girl Problems," by Babe Walker and she said something that made me realize we were soul sisters: 

"Until that moment, I'd assumed that my life would just go on as it had been going. I'd buy a lot of clothes, marry Leonardo DiCaprio, get divorced, get scary skinny, get fat, and then die. I never saw myself as a career girl."  


Amen Babe. Amen. I love my job at the health center. It's one of the first jobs I've had that I don't complain about constantly. But I just want anyone who is still trying to find their path in life, or has questioned themselves, to know that if what you are doing feels right, and if you feel satisfied with your choice, then DO IT!  

Now for pictures from Lake Tahoe! 

Mini golf with the fam. Spencer's mom as the dog cracks me up EVERY TIME! 

Looking at vintage boats

Scary tubing with Spencer

Don't mind me, I'm just putting on my sunglasses.


If you haven't been to Tahoe, GO! It's like no other lake. The water is as clear as glass and there are these cool boulders both under the water, and above it. I went snorkeling and paddle boarding for the first time there and it was so beautiful. Thanks Hansen's! 

working out & eating out

Celebrated our one month in Lake Tahoe! A few more weeks and I'll have outlasted Kim Kardashian!  

Well I escaped to lake Tahoe for a week and let me tell you it was heaven! I think we can all agree that not working is always fun even if we like our jobs. Hopefully I will get around to posting that soon but I wanted to talk about two things that I've discovered recently about eating out and working out: 

EATING OUT

A few weeks ago Spencer and I were trying to figure out where we wanted to eat but neither of us were that hungry, and we didn't want to spend too much. That was when I did (probably) the most ingenious thing to date. I'm sure most of you know that now a day, most sit-down restaurants have the "to-go" option. You may also know most restaurants wont let you share a plate or let you order from the kids menu. But when you have a take-out order they have no idea who it's for! Therefore me and Spencer ordered one entree from the Old Spaghetti Factory over the phone (which comes with bread, salad, and ice cream). It was the perfect amount for us and we didn't get overly stuffed, or have leftovers! Seriously I'm doing this from now on! Especially when it comes to restaurants where I always have a ton of leftovers. And the best part... You don't have to tip! 

WORKING OUT

So yes I have a gym membership, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't use it as much as I wish. I'm more of a class/cardio girl. I use to go to the Gold's Gym kickboxing class all the time and it freakin' kicked my butt, however 24hour Fitness doesn't have kick boxing, and the classes I want to go to are often during work. I've always been a workout video kind of girl as dumb as that sounds. Seriously in elementary I use to do my mom's "Richard Simmons: Sweating to the Oldies" all the time just for fun. FUN! Remember when working out use to be fun!? Then in between the summer of 8-9 grade I discovered Bill Blank's Advance Tae Bo video and lost 15 pounds of baby weight (I didn't have a baby, I just was a baby)! And since it's only on VHS, a nice person put it on YouTube and I still do it occasionally. However, I have found a new video I love. On our honeymoon I saw an infomercial for a video entitled Brazilian Butt-lift. The guy who makes them works with some of the Victoria's Secret models. My butt and hips are the area I have the hardest time getting toned (especially since I have so much butt), and I was so excited to have Spencer illegally download it so I didn't have to pay $60. I did it 1 day and  then I couldn't walk for 3. Welp, then I went on vacation to Lake Tahoe so I plan on doing it again tonight. Such a freakin' work out, I love it! Hopefully my butt will look like Gisele's by Christmas!


Lastly just wanted to make a shout out to my man who had his big 2-3 on Sunday! Now we are officially the same age. We went to the temple in the morning, and then the wonderful Windy Ridge Cafe in Park City for lunch. After that we road the Alpine slide, followed by some "light" shopping at the Volcom store, in which we got to know a nice little 16 year-old worker named Preston, who probably should have just given us a job there because I couldn't get Spence to leave! But I can't complain; I love being married to someone who loves clothes as much as I do. Tahoe post coming soon! Ciao!  

       

Such a cutie

Windy Ridge!

the first few weeks of marriage

So since I've never dyed my hair, I've tried to find creative ways to change it up with out damaging my natural color. This weekend I decided to do a non-permanent dye... with Kool-aid! Here is the tutorial. It's so easy! I mixed one packet of pink lemonade and one of black cherry to get a brighter pink. I also only did 2 cups of water instead of 3 so my color would be stronger. And I soaked the ends for about 2 minutes. I love it! Such a fun change

I'm also in the middle of doing this to one of the walls in our house. I went to a thrift store and bought some fun frames with texture to them, and then spray painted them. But since our living room isn't beach themed, I'm putting old antique keys in the center of the frames instead of shells. Can't wait to post the results. 

   

Since I'm done with school, when I get home from work I don't have to do homework! Yay! Therefore I've made it a goal to start cooking and baking some of the foods I've pinned on Pinterest. Last week a just made basic spaghetti, but I tried this garlic bread recipe and it was delicious and pretty easy! This week we had parmesan overload. I didn't mean to. I just found this parmesan chicken recipe that I wanted to try out and decided to then pick a potato and vegetable recipe. Both happened to also have parmesan with out me realizing it. Potato recipe found here, and asparagus found here. Both were really good. And for dessert... 

 

Banana pops! Spencer loves bananas, me not so much. But how can you resist anything covered in chocolate, peanut-butter, and Oreo crumbs? Recipe here. 

And last but not least, for those who are not good at baking ANYTHING you can't go wrong with these delicious and super easy cookies that I made this weekend. All you need to do is go buy a package of pre-cut snicker-doodle cookies, place a Rollo in the center of the cookie, roll it into a ball, and voila!  

Recipe here.

Welp, here's what we've done since we've gotten married

   

We stayed up way to late building Ikea furniture

We bought another fish who's name is Kenneth Waterman. 

Working on a painting for my best friend's baby girl's room! 

We spoiled ourselves with a 50'' flat-screen.

honey and the moon

So if you read my last post, I forgot to mention one things... the bad luck continued at the open house that we had in Vegas a week later at Spencer's parents. During the last half hour ANOTHER wind store come and blew everything off the tables and it started raining. At this point I could just laugh about it and wonder who was mad at us upstairs. Luckily it wasn't as catastrophic as the reception because (since it was an open house) most of the guests came with in the first hour. The people that were left just moved on inside and peace was restored. BUT before that we went on a glorious honeymoon to Huntington Beach California. My goal was to make my first video and so I took some footage, but we will see if that happens. Until then, here are some lovely pictures: 

Spence made me a delicious waffle breakfast the morning after our wedding. Such a good husband already.

Our hotel at the Red Rock in Vegas. 

Our new fave restaurant in Vegas. If you are there go to Agave! Great Mexican food! Amazing salsa, and amazing decor.  

Our hotel in Huntington Beach with an ocean view! 

 

Love the beach, but not the wind or the ocean water in your mouth... or the water temperature. 

So attractive at the beach.


The showers at the hotel spa were AMAZING.

The hotel had a fire-pit for s'mores. We tried out some Reese's s'mores and they were to die for!

Mr. Walrus: he thinks he's so funny

One of my favorite nights. Rented beach cruisers to get Chinese and ate it while watching the sunset. I now understand that 3 miles is a lot longer then it sounds on a bike.


I made about 20 strangers take a picture of us on the boardwalk. All of which were unflattering... including this one.

Had to let the koi fish nibble on my finger every time we went to the spa. I don't know why I thought it was so hilarious.


While Spencer was obsessed with boogie boarding and body surfing in the ocean, I was content with the pool.


Many nights were spent like this, but lets face it there is only so much honeymooning one can do for a week.


On our last day we splurged on a pricey breakfast buffet at the hotel. My mouth waters every time I look at this picture. Take me back there!!!

Mr. Sleepy head. My favorite picture of all.

And that's all I have to say about that.