What I'm LOVING Wednesday

I'm loving all the fun blog posts I have planned for this week.

I'm loving that Andrew and I have stuck to our "no eating out, except (AT MOST) once a week for date night" plan. I hope we'll see all the savings soon and that we'll also lose some weight in the process. I think a  big part of why I gained so much weight is poor eating habits so I'm really turning that around and feel better already. I'm eating breakfast (which was rare before) and making my lunches and dinners. HERE'S TO SUCCESS!!

I'm loving that I broke out my planner and I'm getting ORGANIZED.

I'm loving that DISNEYLAND is getting closer and closer.

I'm loving that it's a new year and there are so many fun things in store for 2012.

And most of all, I'm loving my sweet husband who seriously is the love of my life. I couldn't ask for a better person to spend forever with and I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father brought him into my life. I LOVE YOU BABY!

Lessons Learned on my Fitness Journey

So as I mentioned yesterday...I'm not very smart with picking shoes to wear while working out. 

Actually, to be honest, I'm not very good at picking shoes in general. I always end up with shoes that tear my feet APART and leave me wishing I never had to wear shoes again. I don't know what it is about shoe shopping but I can rarely find a pair of shoes that fit correctly.

So I don't know what I was thinking today when I forgot my work out shoes as I left for work. All I had with me was my super comfy Uggs that my sweet hubby bought me while we were engaged.

I went about my day as a comfy happy camper and enjoyed an AMAZING lunch with my life long friend and bridesmaid, Kelli. Then I went back to work and as I was finishing up, got a text from Brittney about going walking. I'm so glad she texted me because I probably would have not gone without that extra push. As I was texting her I was reminded again about the shoe situation and told Britt that I'd have to take it easy today...or at least that was the plan.

While we did walk at a slower pace than yesterday, we walked much longer than expected. I was thinking we'd only go a half hour or so, but after walking and talking, we realized an hour had passed.

I'm SO glad that I go walking with someone because it definitely makes the time go by faster and makes it much more fun. My only problem tonight was that my shoes didn't agree with my walk, haha. While we were walking I could tell they were rubbing on my heals but I just ignored it and kept on trucking.

While I love these shoes on a daily basis, I quickly found out they are NOT the shoes to be wearing while working out. I came home and found that I have quite a few blisters because of these cute boots I own.

I'm happy to say that I'll have the weekend off from walking and will definitely have time to find some appropriate shoes for my weeknight walks.

Here's to resting my poor feet and continuing to work out.

Oh, and since I posted those old Christmas pictures, I couldn't end this post without posting another picture from that night.

Can't believe that was two years ago. Can't wait to CONTINUE to work out and get back to that weight.
Anyone know a good shoe store? ;]

What I'm LOVING Wednesday

I'm loving that I went on a walk yesterday with my cute hubby and our puppies to the Post Office. It was between 1.5 and 2 miles and a GREAT way to start my weight loss journey. It also helped with a goal I forgot to mention, which is to take our puppies on more walks.

I'm loving that tonight I met up with Britt to go walking to prepare for our 5K I mentioned. We walked for about an hour at a pretty quick pace, and besides my sore feet (I wore HORRIBLE shoes) I feel GREAT. :] I also went on a short walk with my hubby and our puppies again tonight. We have to stay committed and I'm excited to have walked two days in a row.

I'm loving that I've been cooking and baking lately. However, I should probably stop baking to help with my weight loss. Either way, don't these look yummy?

I'm loving that the "Gospel Library" App for the iPhone allows you to download the LDS magazine articles for free.

I'm loving INSTAGRAM and taking fun pictures. Follow me at: lovethelawrences. :]

I'm loving the fact that I get to plan fun dates again this year for our Date of the Month Club.

I'm loving that I get to go to Disneyland at the end of the month with family. I haven't been since Andrew and I were dating and I'm super stoked.

I'm loving my new ride and my new camera (both which you'll hear more about later). ;]

I'm loving my sweet puppies.

And as always, I'm loving my sweet husband and that we've been married for two years! Two years since January 2nd to be exact. :]

What are YOU loving lately?! :]

I'M BACK and 15 GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Sorry I've been MIA lately. With the holidays I just couldn't find the time to blog, but now I'm back with full force and hope to blog a ton!

I have a lot of different topics to blog about, but to start I figured I'd share my many goals for 2012.

I am so motivated to do better in a TON of aspects in my life and figure the best way to stay accountable is to write them down and report how I'm doing.

So, without further ado, here are my goals for 2012 in no particular order:

1. STRIVE TO BE HEALTHY!

I know I always talk about this over and over again on my blog without many results. However, I'm honestly hoping for the best this year. I plan on losing weight and getting back to the weight I was when I got married.

To help, I'm going to start walking and running with the hubs and with my girl Brittney and I'm also going to use my free membership at the gym and take advantage of what is offered to me rather than just letting it go to waste.

I have plans on running two 5Ks this year so I need to get my butt in gear and start training.

The first one is on February 25th and is called The Color Run.

Looks like fun huh?! I'm running it with Britt so hopefully we do good and have tons of fun.

The second one I'm doing is on July 4th with my wonderful sister. I'm not sure about the information but I'm excited to have two mini goals within my overall goal to become healthier and I'm excited to get in shape!

2. BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET!

Andrew and I have been talking about when we want to start a family, and while we aren't ready yet, I think it is important for us to get in gear and start spending our money more wisely. Today I sat down and figured out that we CAN live off of just Andrew's money if we try hard to stay on track so we are going to be working on doing that over the next couple of months. 

We are trying to SAVE SAVE SAVE and just become more responsible and not waste all our money on going out to eat. As a result, my money will go to SAVINGS, house projects, and a little bit of fun along the way.

3. COOK DINNER MORE

If we plan on saving money, we need to not eat out as much. That is seriously one of our biggest issues with spending money we don't need to be spending and (I believe) our weight gain. We just got so busy with work and other things that we took convenience over health. As a result, I want to cook dinner AT LEAST 6 days a week...day 7 is DATE NIGHT. I started writing down all the foods I want to make or already know how to make so that we can eat a wide variety of things and just have fun with cooking...but more on that later. ;]

4. GO ON ONE DATE A WEEK

Andrew and I are pretty good with going on dates, but with this new year I want us to go on a date EVERY week and make it a commitment. We are going to switch off each week who get's to plan the date and they are going to be so much fun. There will be different guidelines for each date that we plan and it will just allow us to spend more time together. But again...more on this later. ;]

5. TAKE MORE TIME FOR CHURCH CALLINGS

I LOVE being a Primary teacher and that I get to teach the 6 year olds this year. However, I'll admit I've been slacking when it comes to my lessons. My goal for this year is to spend more time preparing my lessons and to be a better teacher overall. I love the faith that Primary children have and love that they teach me just as much as I teach them (if not more).

6. BE BETTER AT INVITING THE SPIRIT INTO OUR HOME THROUGH FHE, FAMILY PRAYER, AND SCRIPTURE STUDY

I'll admit that Andrew and I aren't so good at having Family Home Evening each week, however I'm hoping we'll do MUCH better this year. This Monday was our ANNIVERSARY so we didn't have FHE but I'd say we had a pretty good excuse. ;] So starting this Monday we're going to do MUCH better and take off turns planning a lesson for our little family of two. It's important to start now so that when we DO have a family, we'll already be in the swing of things. I also want to do better at saying prayers together and reading our scriptures together. I want to learn more and more about the gospel and always have the spirit in our home.

7. ATTEND THE TEMPLE MORE

Andrew and I have both said we need to work on this, so I'm super excited to attend the temple more and learn and grow, especially spiritually.

8. BE MORE ORGANIZED

I already bought a planner and a calendar because I plan on being much more organized this year. I plan on using all the tools I have to STAY organized and just make life less stressful.

9. BE BETTER AT CLEANING

I found TONS of helpful tips on Pinterest to stay both organized AND clean. I want to clean a little each day so that nothing ever gets overwhelming. I want our whole house to be an oasis for us to come home to and I can't wait to finish projects with my hubby and continue to make our house into our home.

10. PROCRASTINATE LESS AND BE ON TIME

I always think of so many fun projects and ideas but procrastinate so much that things don't turn out how I want. This year I plan on doing things AHEAD of time and making my life so much less stressful. I plan on finishing my projects and getting a ton of fun things done this year. I also plan on showing up to things on time. I am THE WORST at being on time but I hope to fix that this year.

11. ALWAYS TAKE PRIDE IN HOW I LOOK

Since I've gained so much weight I've noticed I started to take less pride in how I look. I find myself curling my hair less and doing my make-up less which I'm not happy with. I want to look good for myself and my husband and take pride in how I look. I want to feel pretty everyday and just be happy. This is a BIG goal for me this year and I'm excited to follow through.

12. READ MORE

I used to read a ton but lately I haven't made the time to do so. I keep hearing how good so many books are so I'm hoping I'll make time to start reading again. To start I'm going to re-read the first two Twilight books and then finish the series. WISH ME LUCK!

13. TAKE MORE PICTURES

I realized since I've gained weight and haven't been as happy with how I look I haven't been taking as many pictures...which is a shame. I used to take SO many pictures to document all the fun things Andrew and I do together so I'm hoping to start doing that again so we can look back and remember how much fun we have. I also want to do better at scrapbooking.

14. BLOG MORE

I've been a really hit or miss blogger which I'm not proud of. I love reading blogs that update frequently and I realize I need to do the same. I want to document all the fun I have doing projects, decorating, and just updating everyone on the life of the Lawrences.

15. JUST BE HAPPY OVERALL AND TAKE EVERY MOMENT IN

My goal for 2012 is to live life to the fullest, enjoy every moment, and take everything in.

I'm super excited for what 2012 has in store for me and I'm excited to make more memories with my amazing husband.

GOOD LUCK with all your goals for 2012 and may this year bring you tons of happiness and joy!

The Many Reasons Why I Love You

Each year since we've been together, when Andrew's birthday rolls around, I center his gift around the reasons why I love him.

When we were dating, and planned a trip to Disneyland I told him 22 reasons why I love him and coordinated each reason with parts of his gift.

I got him a few big things and then a lot of his favorites, each with a reason attached.

To better explain myself I'll just show you the pictures:

Everything all wrapped up.

Us at Disneyland!

LOVED those shoes. These pictures definitely are motivation to get skinny again!

My cute hubby (at the time, boyfriend) on his birthday.

Andrew after our fun day, ready to open his gifts at Grandma Lawrence's house in California.

Andrew LOVED his gift and I loved the way it turned out so I decided I wanted to do the same thing on his 23rd birthday.

This time I did 23 reasons why I love my hubby:

Again, I coordinated a reason with each gift.

My cute husband with his gift.

Us at Mt. Charleston for his birthday.

After I had done this gift twice, I knew how much it meant to both of us and that it was really sentimental. I knew that I wanted to continue the tradition when Andrew turned 24 this year, however Andrew's wish list included many more expensive items that would make it hard for me to buy 24 gifts to go with each reason.

After thinking about it, I decided I wanted a way to keep the tradition alive but also make it so Andrew can look at the reasons all year long instead of once on his birthday and then toss out the papers. (I will say that he kept the 22 reasons while we were dating and put them in his house, but once we got married I didn't expect him to display the reasons in his adventure room).

After brainstorming I came up with: "The Many Reasons Why I Love You" book.

I wanted to do a book this year because I figured, no matter what Andrew wants for his birthday I can always tell him how much I love him. Each year I will add one more reason why I love him to the book and re-wrap it and give it to him with the rest of what I give him.

Since many of us are always looking for cute gifts for our significant other, I figured I'd share how I made this with all of you.

If you want to make one of your own, here is what you'll need:
A scrapbook album or photo album of your choice. I chose to use an 8 by 8 album in black that is capable of having more pages added to it.
A couple of pictures (or a lot of pictures if you choose)
Extra sheet protector inserts (and if you're like me and end up buying one with only one extender piece for the scrapbook, you'll need more extenders)
Cute paper
Markers
A paper cutter
24 (or how ever old your spouse is) reasons why you love them. (You could also do this as an anniversary gift and alter it accordingly).

I recommend starting by planning out the reasons you want to say first.
This year I didn't plan out all my reasons before going to Hobby Lobby and instead let the paper influence some of my reasons.
Either way works, and it all depends on how you want to get your book together.
I went to the paper aisle and started looking at the paper they had to offer.
When I saw paper that reminded me of Andrew, I immediately picked it up. I also had a color scheme in mind when shopping and bought cute paper in blacks, creams, and browns so it would all coordinate.
At first I only bought 24 pieces, but then decided it'd be good to already have similar paper on hand for future years, but it's up to you what you'd like to do.
After I picked out my main background paper, I bought a pack of black paper and a pack of neutrals, got the rest of my supplies and headed home.

When I finally started working on the project I started out by cutting each background piece of paper into the appropriate size (in my case it was 8 by 8).
All throughout doing the project I brainstormed the reasons I wanted to mention to Andrew and started planning out how I wanted my book to look.
Once the main pages were cut, I took a coordinating neutral and cut it into a 5 by 5 square.
I then took white paper and cut 24 4 by 4 squares out so I could write my reasons down.

Once all my papers were cut out I sat down to work on writing out my reasons.
I knew I wanted to write them myself to add a personal touch to the book, however typing them would be really cute as well.
I went page by page and used brown and black markers to write my reasons down so everything looked put together.

At first I didn't think I wanted to include any pictures, however as I got going I decided a few pictures here and there would really make the gift more personal so I decided that every 4 or so reasons I would add a picture.
You can add a picture for each reason if you'd like, you'll just have to buy a scrapbook or photo book to accommodate the amount of paper you will be using.

Above is a picture of my supplies and my work station.
Once I had all my pages planned out, cut, and completed, I got out my hot glue gun and got to work finalizing my project.
I took an 8 by 8 paper, and centered a 5 by 5 neutral on top and glued it in place.
I then took a 4 by 4 white piece of paper with my reason already written on it, and centered it and glued it down as well.
Once I hot glued them all together, I put them in my book and started organizing.

It took a few tries, but I finally organized it the way I wanted it and it turned into a book I LOVE.

Here are some pictures of the finished product (not in any order):

Above are some of the examples of pages I did with pictures as well. I wanted the same paper on the reason page as well as the picture page so I had to plan accordingly.

Above is an example of a page with just reasons and no pictures. Some of my paper relates to the reasoning and some was just really cute.

Here is an example of a page I wasn't planning on having a picture with, but decided to add a picture to later. I need to go buy more fish paper and finish the page.

In the book I was sure to leave the blank pages so Andrew knew this was a work in progress.
I told him that each year I would add another reason and keep our tradition going.

Here is the birthday boy with his present:

*Unfortunately this is the only picture from his birthday because my camera is ruined.
Until I get a new one, we'll have to settle with camera phone pictures.*

I love my husband so much and I'm grateful that each year (and every day) I get to remind him how much he means to me and how grateful I am for all he does.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it inspires you to do a similar project for your loved one.
If you end up doing a similar project, please be sure to share it with me so I can see your cute final projects.

Please see my sidebar to see the many places I linked my project to. You should link up too! :]

Sweet Moments to Remember

My husband is so sweet.

This weekend I was feeling crappy and had horrid cramps.

I told my hubby I wasn't feeling well so he took me home from church after sacrament meeting so I could lay down.

At home I was REALLY wishing we had a heating pad, and of course we didn't but guess who was willing to go buy one?

That's RIGHT! My sweet hubby went to CVS where he got me all that I asked for and rushed home to the rescue.

He gave me the heating pad, tucked me in, and let me sleep the day away.
It was exactly what I needed, and a small, sweet gesture that really meant a lot.

I'm so grateful for my amazing husband and all he does for me.

I couldn't ask for more and am SO thankful I get to spend forever with him.

I LOVE YOU ANDREW LAWRENCE!

FREEZING

I LOVE my husband and am so glad I get to spend forever with him.

However, one thing that I hope changes soon in our journey is his night time ritual and our bedroom fan situation...

You see, even when our room is cold enough on its own, my cute husband insists on having our fan on while he sleeps. A fan that he HAD to buy because the little nightstand fan he had was too small.

He claims that he gets too hot at night and that the fan is a must.

Without the fan it simply gets too hot in our room and that cannot happen.

Also, sleeping with just the sheet is also out of the question because that just isn't comfy enough.

Oh my silly husband...

While my husband may think all of the things above, all I see is my sweet husband wrapped up in the covers.

I see him all snuggled up to keep warm and turning his back to that awful fan.

I see myself freezing to death while the fan rotates back and forth and hoping that somehow the fan will get stuck mid rotation and blow on our feet all night.

I can only hope to someday convince my hubby that the fan is not needed.

However, until then here I am lying awake and wishing I had more blankets to snuggle under.

Boy am I thankful we live in Nevada where it never gets TOO cold.
And BOY am I glad it's almost fall and this pesky fan will be put in our closet and I'll get to break out my lovely space heater.
Let's just say, I can't WAIT for fall to arrive and I can't WAIT to hide this fan.

And I thought I loved you then...

Have you ever heard the song "Then" by Brad Paisley?!

If not...you need to listen to it pronto.

It is our wedding song and every time I listen to it, it reminds me of how much I love my husband.

The other day Andrew had to leave on a job and after I said bye to him our song immediately started playing in the car.

It only took a few words of the song to make me start crying. It's THAT good.

Here is the video so you can hear for yourself how good it is:

Not only is that song amazing, but have you heard Brad Paisley's songs in general?

He honestly melts my heart and a TON of his songs seem to relate to Andrew and I.

The fact that Andrew played me "She's Everything" when we were dating probably adds to why I like his songs so much.

I encourage all of you to check out those two songs, if not more.

Anyways...I just wanted to gush about how much I love my husband for the hundredth time.

I don't know how I got SO lucky to meet Andrew, but I'm so grateful that I did.

He's honestly my best friend and the best thing that's ever happened to me.

I'm so blessed to have such an amazing man in my life and I seriously can't stand to be a part from him.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH HONEY!

Thank you for being all I've ever wanted and everything I need.

Families are Forever

Lately I find myself wishing I was surrounded with more good friends. Ones that believe in the same things I do. Ones that stand behind me and support me. Ones that want the same things out of life and have similar goals.

But then, after I think of how fun it would be to have people to always call or text. People that would be there at the drop of the hat, and people that don't care if you sit and complain to them about whatever meaningless problems you are having. I realize that I DO have that.

I realize that my husband and family ARE always there for me and are all I need.

I will always have them with me. FOREVER.

I am blessed enough to be sealed to my husband for time and all eternity. I get to learn and grow with Andrew each and every day. I get to come home and talk about work with him. I get to plan silly dates with him and dream of our future together. I get to plan trips with him and experience the world with him.

And after I realize this, I remember that I have no reason to sit and wish and wonder about what friends will come and go. Because no matter what, I'll always be sealed to the love of my life. For time and all eternity.

Also, not only do I get to spend time with Andrew forever, I am also sealed to my family. FOREVER.

No single thing is more amazing and comforting than knowing that fact.

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel. I am grateful that I get to learn more about the gospel each and every day. I am grateful for my Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the spirit I feel and for the chances I have to share the gospel with others. I don't know what I would do without the gospel in my life and am so grateful for the impact it has on me.

Two Fun Date Nights to Have with Your Honey! :]

A month or two ago I bought a book titled "How to Date your Spouse" from Deseret Book. I haven't had a chance to read it all, but after reading some of the book and after looking at blogs like The Dating Divas and Love Actually I started to realize the importance of PLANNING weekly dates. Andrew and I never had a problem of finding places to "go out" to. It was the planning BEFORE hand and designating a for sure night to do something special that we were lacking in.

Because of this, every Friday night (unless certain circumstances exist) we switch off planning dates. It is the designated date planner's decision where we go, what we do, and whether or not they want to keep it a surprise or not from the other person. As of now we have to go on five dates before we can go to the same place again (as in restaurants) so we get a chance to try new places. In the future we will have more rules such as certain dates can only be $10 and so far, but for now we are just getting in the habit of going on weekly dates.

For Andrew's first date (8.6.10) he took me to Red Robin, then to King Putt Mini Golf, followed by Red Mango for dessert. We had never been to the Mini Golf place but it was SO fun.

Everything was glow in the dark, even the golf balls. I stunk at first, but after a few pointers from the husband I actually enjoyed myself and beat my hubby on a few holes.

We highly recommend going there. Also, we had heard about Red Mango from a few people on facebook, so we decided to go there since we were in the area. It's "healthy" ice cream and it was WAY good. I recommend going there as well. It was a way fun night overall and I'm greatful to have such an amazing husband.

For my date on 8.13.10, I decided to plan a fun/romantic spa night at home. Andrew had mentioned how he just needed a day to relax so I thought this would be perfect as long as I didn't make it "girly."

I made sure that he wouldn't come home all day (and luckily I had the day off). I straightened up the house, went grocery shopping, and came home to prepare for the date. I bought a TON of candles to set the mood and set those up first, then started cooking homemade pizza. I used the recipe from Cooking for Two, a book from Deseret Book and also used a Ceasar salad recipe found on Campbells.com. If your interested in either, let me know.

Anyways, Our house is sectioned off pretty well so I could have "stages" without him seeing everything that was going on all at once. In our front room I list some candles and set out some Sparkling Cider and glasses. I wanted him to get the feel that this was going to be a romantic evening. I also made sure to only light the candles for each room while in use so I wouldn't start a fire.

Next I had him go in the bathroom and shower since he hadn't had a chance to freshen up after working in the hot sun all day. Using advice from one of the blogs I read, I bought shower crayons (so fun!) to write a fun message in our bathroom to let him know what we would be doing. I also set out pajamas (I wanted robes but they were "out of season?" This actually may have been a good thing because we aren't really "robe" people so they wouldn't get used much.) for him to get changed in to after he was cleaned up.

I highly recommend buying the crayons if you are married; they are a fun and interesting way to add spice to a daily routine.

While Andrew was showering, I made sure that dinner was cooking smoothly and that it would be ready when he was done. I lit the candles for the living/dining area and set out the food.

The dinner was REALLY yummy and it was romantic to talk and eat in the candle light. After dinner, Andrew cleaned up for me while I lit the candles in our room. I DID buy stuff for facials but I don't recommend it if you have a "manly" husband. He didn't want to do facials so I didn't force it on him, and we just stuck to the massages. We made sure we both got 20 minute massages so it was fair and it was SO relaxing. We enjoyed the time spent together and recommend this idea to EVERYONE!

After our massages we ended the night with chocolate covered strawberries and brownies. We just wanted to focus on relaxing, picked a movie to watch, and fell asleep.

If you EVER need a night to relax I suggest planning your own "spa night." You can do more activities like facials and pedicures, or keep it simple like we did. I think the fact that I made dinner and dessert made it that much more special as well.

Do you have any dates to suggest?