donkeys, roads trips and spring.

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone!

Hope ya didn't forget to wear green today-
I didn't and paid for it!
We're being really crazy and celebrating with some green smoothies.
We're wild!

It reached 85 degrees yesterday.. can you believe it?!
I'm still in shock.
I was walking Romie and actually said the words, "it's hot."
SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!
And I finally got to wear just a sweater outside-
no winter coat!
I really hope I don't jinx it.. watch it snow next week.

Anywho life's truckin' along and time just keeps flying by!
Only two weeks till I'm visiting AZ again- woot woot.
This past weekend we went on a little trip to Galesburg, IL to see family.
It was so nice visiting, eating {way way wayyyy more than I should have} and just shutting out the world for a couple days.
When we move back to AZ, I'm going to miss being close to that little town.
It's so nice having family in the midwest.

We have to cross the Mississippi River and it's always to exciting to see!

Zak studying his life away. 

Zak snuck this pic of Romie and I soaking in the warm temps on the porch. I miss being there already!

Work was a little crazy last week.
I did a story about a donkey rescue that got lots of attention- good and bad.
Can't get too much into it, but I'm so thankful to have a hubby who helps me through hard times and then has me laughing about those times a few hours later.
And after I came home from work he had dinner and a little fort built in the living room for a much needed movie night sleepover.
I don't know what I'd do without him.
And PS I'm truly thankful for people who open their hearts and homes to animals in need-
we need more of them in this world I tell ya!

This was my stressed face at work. Cute right?! Kidding. 

Oh and I wanna give a quick shoutout to Romie for being the sweetest pup in the whole wide world.
While I'm blogging he's just so content laying in my lap.
I love him.
He's the best fur baby ever.

And I'll finish this post with some random thoughts and photos..

^^^My mom sent me this photo of her pup- he should be a dog model!

We've been eating lots of salad/smoothie combos lately in an attempt to be healthier..
blah.
Umm what else.
- I host girls night this week- so look for that post soon!
- I applied for my first AZ job- or at least asked if there were any open positions..
but hey that's a start.
If any people in the journalism world know of job openings.. help a sister out!
- Zak and I have some pretty exciting ideas for the future of this little ole blog..
tell ya about those later on.
- I'm still searching Craigslist daily for places to rent in AZ and they're still all nos. Sooo that's a little stressful.
- We've started a super strict budget and we're determined to stick to it. If you have any money saving tips send them my way!
- My hair is long enough to put in a pony without bobby pins! It's a miracle! But now it's in this in-between short and medium length and it's tempting me to cut it again.
- If anyone wants to do some blog collaborations let me know.. I'm in the creative mood!
- I've been thinking a lot about planning a baby shower lately- and no I'm NOT pregnant. Just thoughts! :)
- We got a new Wal Mart by our house and it's made grocery shopping MUCH better. Thank heavens for clean Wal Marts.
- I bought a bunch of reusable shopping bags that also make grocery shopping that much better.
- I have to miss this weeks married to medicine ice cream sundae party and I'm bummed. How good does ice cream sound right now!?
- I got my butt kicked in spin class today.
- Afterwards I went to the dollar store and found some great stuff for girls night and Easter- score!
- My day off is almost over so I'm trying not to look at the clock and notice it's already 6:15- where has the day gone?!
- And Zak is gunna take a little dinner break from studying now so it's my time to sign off!

Hope you have an awesome and safe St. Patty's Day!

xoxo

arizona.

Can you believe it's been six months since I've been back to Phoenix?!

Crazy!

I went back at the end of September, because my best cousin was getting married.

She really was the prettiest bride, ever.

Just wait for the photos!

It was a nice excuse to make a mini vacation and see my family and friends again. 

The first day my mom picked my up bright and early..

oh and I have someone new to introduce you to!

She had my new baby brother Jack along with her at the airport,

and let me tell you how stinking cute this little two pound pup is!

Seriously melts my heart looking at him. 

ADORABLE. PUPPY.

Then the three of us had brunch at Arcadia Farms.

It was sweet soaking up the sun on the patio,

catching up with my mom,

and having each and every person who walked by ooh and awe at Jack!

My mom ordered a blueberry crepe, and somehow Jack managed to sneak a lick..

and ended up with a bright blue beard, and I was dying laughing.

As my mom was panicking that it wasn't going to come out!

Thankfully, it did. 

We then made our way to the Scottsdale Mall.

I had been totally looking forward to shopping.

Love the midwest, but when it comes to fashion, we're like a year behind.

I snagged an Anthro dress on sale and had the best time picking out presents for the newlyweds!

Then we went back home so I could take a little cat nap.

My flight was at 4 AM.. so I was a little slap happy and sleepy!

That night my dad {who I hadn't seen in 6 months..!} took me out to my favorite restaurant {Pita Jungle} and then we grabbed pedi's together.

Real pops take their daughters to get their nails done. ;)

Kidding!

He would KILL me if he knew I was writing about this hahhaha. 

We then picked up the kiddos and went to the bowling alley.

Which then turned into playing arcade games and laser tag instead-

I seriously had a blast playing laser tag {won twice, woot woot} and felt like such a kid.

I highly recommend playing laser tag on a week night {so no one else is there} with you family.

It's hilarious, completive and actually a good workout. I was so out of breath at the end!

Sad.

I ended the night staying up late with my bestie Charlcie and catching up on everything under the sun.

I miss that girl!

No one makes you laugh as hard as she does.

Never a dull moment with her!

Crossing my fingers we'll be back next year so we can have more nights like that!

Anywho, day one was killer. 

Day two:

Coffee with my awesome mother in law.

Love, love love catching up with her.

Driving around sketchy Mesa trying to find sparklers for the wedding..

with my mom, two kiddos, myself, and a pup.

Hilarious. 

Driving to Cali for the wedding. 

Putting together flower arrangements,

visiting family,

and eating lots of Mexican food. 

Day three:

WEDDING DAY!

It went bye in a flash.

So much fun.

Absolutely gorgeous. 

And picture perfect.

The dance floor was a riot,

and everyone had a blast. 

She said she wanted to look like Carrie Underwood, and I love Carrie, but Ash you looked a million times better!

Barbie bride! 

I couldn't be happier for Mr. and Mrs. White,

they were certainly made for one another!

Best wishes, you love birds!

She's like my sister. 

Gotta love a good photo bomber..NOT. Ash still looked stunning though! 

That dress was EVERYTHING.

Real life Barbie, I tell ya!

And then boo boo fell asleep on my lap and it was the sweetest thing ever. Love this little one so dang much. 

I LOVED those letters!

Day Four:

We met the newlyweds for breakfast,

said our sad goodbyes

and I headed back to AZ with my mom and Jack.

We spend the rest of the night together, which was awesome. 

The weather was seriously so nice.

Fall in AZ is perfect. 

We took the pup to the dog park for the first time.

It was the cutest thing ever to see him hoping {he doesn't run} with the other dogs in the "shy section" of the park. 

Then we went and ate Chipotle on the patio and walked around the outdoor mall with him while snacking on Gelato.

I really cherish nights like those.

And pray like crazy we get on the Phoenix track so we can be closer to our families and have more days like that. 

Okay no more talking about it or it'll make me sad. 

Like he's TOO CUTE!

Final Day:

Charlcie was awesome and picked me up in the morning with a BoSa donut in hand!

Only true BFF's do that. 

We went shopping at Anthro and target {typical},

and then met up with the rest of the girls at Pita Jungle,

yes again. 

I swear I laugh so much around them.

The sweetest friends I have!

It's crazy how we're all growing up, out of college and starting little lives as real adults.

Reason number 2395406847267 I hope we get to move back there. 

No one can replace your true girlfriends. 

Zak's mom then picked me up and took me to the airport-

ugh didn't want to leave. 

But guess what?!

Both my parents had to work that day..

and I didn't realize my flight left at 3 in the afternoon so it was going to be impossible for them to see me off.

That is, until I saw my pop in the terminal in his work clothes ready to say bye before I left.

The airport was empty for once, so we got to sit and talk for over an hour,

which I'm so grateful for!

Living away from your parents and family makes you seriously hold on to simple times like that,

and thank the Lord for time together. 

Goodbyes really suck.

I cry each and every time. 

Saying bye to the kiddos makes my heart heart.

Saying bye to my mom makes me homesick.

Saying bye to my dad makes me sad. 

As I was going through security I had tears running down my face.. and every TSA worker kept saying "I'm so sorry, I see your dad waving, how sweet.. " 

which made me cry even harder. 

Whenever my parents see me off they stay and wave me goodbye until I can't see them any longer..

and it's the hardest thing to not have a mini breakdown in the airport. 

Sounds drastic. 

But going 6 months without seeing them can be really tough.

And I'm done talking about that as I'm starting to tear up.

HAPPY THOUGHTS SIDNEY!!!

Bestest friends, and bridesmaids a girl could ask for, 

Anywho,

sorry for the novel.

I'm playing catch up and writing out my feelings.

Oh and trying to ignore the fact that there's Reese's and pumpkin bread staring at me from the kitchen. 

{I'm attempting to eat good, since I've been terrible, oh ever since this little AZ trip.}

Have a Monday people!

xoxo

visitors.

Hello Hello!

How is it almost August?!

Remember when I was just posting about it being the start of summer break!?

And now it's the end. 

Sad face. 

Anywho hope you're having a great Tuesday. 

Zak's golfing with some buddies, so I figured this was the best time to do a little bloggin.

The last three weeks we've had family in town visiting, it was the best!

It's always fun showing people around Omaha. 

And the weather was sunny and 70  each day, so it was the perfect time to be outside exploring with company. 

The first person to make out to the ole 'Good Life' {Nebraska's cheesy state motto}, was Zak's mom. 

We had a blast showing her around, giving little tours. 

We..

 Stopped by Zak's school

 Lunched at Pitch in Dundee

Drove around the Happy Hallow neighborhood {dream houses upon dream houses people}

Went shopping at the Old Market Farmers Market

Hiked the Fontenelle Forest

Hung out around the Missouri River

Took Romie on lots of walks

Cooked homemade dinners

Watched scary movies

And visited for hours!

She's such a great mother in law, and I'm so happy she came to visit us!


PS: since there are so many photos I didn't want to be annoying.. so I posted the rest below, just click "read more"!

arizona.

Man oh man. 

My trip to Arizona was great. 

It was well needed and a breath of fresh air. I and don't get me wrong- I missed my man for sure. It was the longest time we've spent apart {married, that is}. Every time we were together as a family someone would say, "I wish Zak was here too." 

It was really weird being in Arizona without him.

I have got to say that Arizona Octobers are simply amazing. It's finally when the temperature starts to drop, and you can really enjoy the holiday season {and go outside without having a heatstroke}! I certainly spent most of my time outdoors, soaking up all the sunshine I could get. 

When I got into town I was welcomed by my mom, niece and pup {Romie} at the airport. It was such a heartwarming feeling seeing them after over two months of being gone! I spent the morning with my mom up in Scottsdale, she just landed a new job at Restoration Hardware so she was showing me all around the store. It is beautiful, by the way.
I was oohing and awing over everything!

Afterwards I met up with my best friend over lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Sauce, and then went shopping. It was so nice to have girl time. We had tons to catch up on. I always love hanging out with my bff.

That night we had a family dinner at my absolute favorite restaurant of all time {I know I know, I ate out A LOT} Pita Jungle. And that's when I also got to see my pop for the first time! If you know me, you know how close I am with my parents, so it was wonderful being with them again. 

On Friday my mom and I took the kiddos to Schnepf Farms. And PS if you have little ones and live in AZ you must take them here, it was the perfect place to celebrate Fall. There was a beautiful pumpkin patch, rides galore, a wittle piggy race and the best chicken chili i've ever had! We certainly had a blast and I'm really thankful we were able to spend the whole day at such a festive place. Afterwards we ended the night with dinner at another favorite spot of mine, Liberty Market.
Too good.

I spent all of Saturday hanging out with my pop. Our first stop was Joes Farm Grill. Yep more eating out {I told you I gorged myself}. Goodness that veggie burger was delish. Afterwards we just went shopping for a little bit and walked around the Santan Mall people watching and enjoying the perfect weather. Later that night we met my mom for sushi at Blue Wasabi and then went to see a sneak peek of Tom Hank's new movie, Captain Phillips. So much suspense packed into one film, it's certainly a nail biter for sure- you gotta go see it.

On Sunday I got up and went running with pop around the new Temple in Gilbert. It's gorgeous! I can't wait to see it finished. So I'm really close with both my parents if you couldn't tell, and
I honestly think them being divorced is what brought me so close to both of them. I had tons of one on one time with my dad growing up, we would always just go hangout and go on little adventures whenever we could. Even all the way through college and after I was married I'd go grab lunch or dinner with him at least once or twice a week. It's kinda crappy having divorced parents, but I have to say that was one blessing that came out of it I suppose. So anyways {sorry for the tangent} it was really nice getting to spend some time with them again.

After our little run I took my niece and nephew to another pumpkin patch and corn maze in the area. But you know what sucks? When you bring your camera, but forget to put the battery in it. Yuck.
 It was great spending time with them though. I swear if you go a week without seeing little ones they grow like weeds! So I was soaking in all our time together.

The rest of Sunday we cooked and had a nice big dinner with our whole family and Zak's momma too. Sunday dinners are just the best really. I miss them most definitely. Monday was pretty special too. I spent the majority of my time with my mom in the kitchen. Ever since we got married i've been trying really hard to take culinary seriously. I mean cooking real recipes and not microwaving Smart Ones. So my mom took me up on my eagerness to learn and taught me how to bake her famous pumpkin bread that's been passed down in our family. Like I said before, it was pretty special. We baked about seven loaves together, laughed about life and of course ate a bunch of {unnecessary} calories.

Now the sad part comes in.
I had to say my goodbyes and then we headed to the airport. Ugh goodbyes never get easier.
We all hugged and cried. And I then I cried a little more as TSA checked my luggage and thought my pumpkin bread loaves {yes I took some home for Zakary} looked suspicious.

I had such an incredible weekend full of family, carbs, pumpkin patches and wonderful new memories.
Thanks Arizona for the sweet time, I'll miss yah dearly.