lately

 

we get funny stares when we go to cafe rio.. he gets a giant salad & i stuff my face with a smothered burrito. people can never quite grasp that HE'S getting the salad.

 

squinty-eyed nesta (this is her 'i'm in heaven' face. she only makes it for luke cuz 

she likes him more than me.) 

 

...sometimes a hot dog sounds good at 3 in the morning when you're at work.

don't judge me. 

 

nesta has learned to open the door.

this cat-child... keeps me busy. 

also, everyone! important announcement, yo!

i'm switching over to a new blog: yes, i finally got that notice that i have to "pay" if i want to use more photo space.

eff no.

so here we are:

www.peacelovelauren.wordpress.com

you can start following my adventures there! i have to do that blog for a class (why does it seem like my whole blogging career has been for school?) so expect to find a lot more writing. that's cool though, right?  

quote of the week.

bleh

 

what's another foot of snow anyway??

i swear utah has never had a winter like this! it makes me wish i was still good at snowboarding so i could actually go take advantage of the fluffy stuff.

still, we're trying to have a positive attitude round these parts.

i can't help but chuckle every time it snows cuz i think of the first time it snowed when luke & i lived together. 

we went outside to see it & i slowly grabbed a handful of snow & packed it up into a huge snowball. i threw it full force, aiming for his legs, so of course i hit him right in the side of the face (my aim is about as good as my math skills).

to this day he still makes fun of me & how evil i was.. it got in his ears & down his shirt.. of course right after hit him i screamed "OH MY I'M SO SORRY!" but then i laughed so of course he didn't believe me.

as if he needed any more proof that i am NOT a sporty person. ;)

 

he got revenge later when he made us do donuts in my car in a church parking lot.

i screamed then, too.

we're slowly counting down the days until spring.

we usually bring spring in pretty hardcore round these parts, by celebrating this & this. super excited for holi 2013! 

my cat is satan.

 

i sadly took these photos to prove to my coworkers that my cat is an "exception" to the "cats suck" rule.

we'd had a debate all day friday over it... "CATS RULE" "NO THEY DONT THEY'RE GROSS" & I kept trying to convince them that nesta was totally cool.

so on friday night luke & i noticed her being cute, watching us watch tv.

these pics are the result..

& just like that i realized, cats are the devil.

:D

unplugging.

 

i've had a super bad attitude lately, & i think i may have finally come to terms with WHAT is causing my negativity.

everyone knows how addicting social media can be, especially facebook, & i've realized in the past few months it somewhat consumes my life.

the other day i was walking to school with my nose in my phone, & something someone posted ticked me off, like it tends to happen every day.

i looked up & realized there were blue skies out.. & it was a beautiful day. but i'd hardly realized that because i was so consumed in what was going on online.

so with that i've decided to take a much needed sabbatical from facebook.

i'm sure i'll be back... it's so addicting, you know. but for now i'm just sticking to school, work, sleeping & hanging out with luke.

you can still find me on twitter cuz i have to have it for my job: @laurgardner13

you can also find me on instagram: @laurgardner because i'm still way too addicted to that to give it up.

but i'm hoping the lack of facebook in my life will bring about a more positive attitude.

i have to say so far it's been mostly funny. people think deleting your facebook is some "cry for help" or something. i've gotten several text messages along the lines of: "lauren! your facebook is gone! are you ok?" or "noticed you nixed your facebook. just wanted to check in with you."

i giggled so much! it really is crazy how much social media is used to measure other's behaviors. like, deleting someone off your list is the ultimate middle finger to your relationship.. & corny vague statuses are all you use to describe your life.

giggle, giggle, giggle.

anyways. 

i'll keep you posted on how my much needed "sabbatical" goes.

i do miss photos of my family, so hey family! if you're ever bored, you could always send me some picture messages :) or we can facetime! i am all about that form of technology, especially with my brothers living so far away.

 

monday mantra.

jose gonzalez - hints

monday mantra - a song, quote or photo to help you start your week off on the right foot :)

i like to do this on mondays on my commute home from work.

listen to calming music (or pump up music.. depending on what kind of week i have ahead of me).

we have one more week until spring break up here... so we're just going to try to make it to friday in one piece.

happy monday!

chicken noodle soup.

last weekend both luke & i came down with colds.

we've been slowly recovering this week but it has not been easy, let me tell ya.

your life does not slow down when you are sniffing & sneezing all over everything
(although one professor in my class DID hand me a box of sanitizer wipes & said 'stay far far away..') 

anyway, i wanted to make something warm & yummy for us while we were dying,

& something that luke could just eat when he got home.

he's always cooking for me & i suck at doing the same for him, so this was

my chance to try.. i think it turned out pretty good, too!

 here's the recipe for you crockpot lovers:

 

CROCKPOT CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

ingredients

 3 large chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)
1 -49 oz can Swanson Chicken Broth or Stock
1/2 can (of the broth) water
4 Chicken bullion cubes
One package (about 6) large carrots peeled & sliced

One onion diced
One bunch celery washed and sliced

 1/4 bunch parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

 

 

Add all ingredients to the crockpot and stir.  Cook for about 6 hours on low.  Shred or dice chicken.

1/2 package small egg noodles, cooked separately before you are ready to serve.  Add to the soup when ready to eat! (this keeps the noodles from getting soggy!)

 

 

after trying it luke & i both agreed that one whole onion is WAY too much. so next time

we'll probably only do 1/2. 

other than that.. it was the most delicious ever! & seriously helped our sickness, i think..

 

quote of the week.

weekend.

 

the highlight of my weekend was facetiming with my texas family.

 

omelettes for breakfast.

 

aaaand homework.

that's pretty much what my weekend consisted of.

we did get out to see MAMA which was terrifying.. i have a love-hate relationship with scary movies. :/

and now it appears my flu bug has turned into the stomach flu.. so.. stay away!

this week is horrible timing to get sick.

but.. that's how it seems to go, right? happy tuesday! 

nailed it!

please ignore our disgusting living room.. as we both can't wait to move out.

but luke ROCKED valentines day (for the second year in a row.)

i woke up around 8 pm to him saying, "can i show you what i did??"

hehe, so cute.

i walked into the living room to see he'd brought our cute little breakfast table

to the middle of the room.

he had made chicken parmesan, and had some delicious drinks set up for us.

he also got me a SUNFLOWER GROW KIT! i am so excited about this!

he knows me very well.. my favorite flower will always be the sunflower & i am so excited

 to grow some indoors this spring!

of course he gave me chocolate too, because what would v day be without chocolate?

it was perfect. hope your love day was amazing!

quote of the week.

happy valentines day!

 

happy valentines day everyone!

i hope it's filled with love & happiness for each & every one of you.

unfortunately i have class, work, homework & more to do today

(seriously, why don't they recognize today as a holiday!?)

however, luke asked me on a date this weekend, so we're celebrating then.

enjoy the day! i love celebrating love. 

i espeically love this boy. in fact, i love him 

to the moon & back.

i've been stuck all day on what to get him, but i think i've finally

figured it out.

not that matters he treats me like an angel, & is the first boy i've

ever dated that my dad approved of! (true story! my dad texted me after general

conference one day & said "he treats you well?" i said "like a princess" to which he responded "you make sure you tell him you know how lucky you are"

so, yeah. dad-approved status = perfect.

uncle kenny

my sweet family has been through a lot the past couple months.

we lost our aunt geneal in december, & shortly after found out

my uncle kenny has heart failure. last week, he underwent a scary

surgery for an LVAD. basically he is now half iron-man. he has a
metal implant in his heart that helps his heart pump, since it is too
weak to work on its own.

the upside? he's alive, & well on his way to recovery.. & closer to getting a heart transplant.

the downside? he requires 24/7 care. my poor cousins were pretty

overwhelmed when they learned that. he needs a low sodium diet as well as
constant monitoring in case something goes wrong with his LVAD.

luckily we have an amazing family that has jumped on board to help!

here is some of us on saturday at our training.

we learned how to replace the batteries to his LVAD, & what to do

in case of emergency (in which his LVAD beeps & beeps & i feel

like i will have a panic attack). since someone has to be there all the time,

we've signed up for shifts to be at mary's (his ex-wife, who is the sweetest

woman in the whole world & offered her entire house to kenny & his family)

to take care of him.

now tuesdays after i get off work, i'll head over to mary's to "babysit" kenny.

i don't really consider it that though.

i'm looking at it as a way to bond with kenny & anyone else who may be there

while i'm there.

it's going to be fun! & hopefully it won't last long.. hopefully soon

he'll have a brand new heart!

i love my family. their support is overwhelming & i am so glad to know they are here when times get tough. i am so grateful my parents are in such good health!!
speaking of good health, i'm not sure if you can tell in this picture but both
of my parents have lost a ton of weight! they are looking so good!

ash wednesday.

 

as most of you know, i don't really consider myself any relgion

in particular.

however, i do like to embrace certain parts of certain religions

that i like, or that i feel will better myself & the world around me.

i've taken part in lent for several years now. i started it in 2009 when

i lived in logan & one of my best friends, adam, was catholic.

we both gave up meat for lent that year & then went to easter mass

at the end of the 40 days.

since then i've participated almost every year... i've given up

candy/sweets, alcohol & fast food.

one thing i've always been too afraid to give up for 40 days is caffeine.

but i think i'm going to do it this year.

so today at work i basically bathed in coffee as a "last hurrah." i get

to spend the next 40 days working overnights & going to school

full time with no help from caffeine... i'm a little scared.

so if you cross me in the next couple months & i'm a grumpy

grumpy girl.. you'll know why. it will be a struggle but that's sort

of the point of lent. so... here's to my last cup o joe & my last day

of having a diet pepsi for lunch.

ash wednesday is tomorrow, & my sabbatical begins!

anyone else doing lent this year? what are you giving up?

hi.

 

i dyed my hair purple this weekend.

that is all.

:) 

IT'S FEBRUARY!!!!

IT'S FEBRUARY!

this is me in february of 2010, literally jumping for joy that 

january was over.

really... i hate the month of january. it's cold, smoggy, & snowy.

& i always feel like spring will never come.

then feb 1st rolls around & suddenly i feel HOPEFUL again.

such a good feeling. happy day everyone!

quote of the week.

because i'm so good at ranting.

i had to give an oral report on a book i just finished

for my public administration class. the book was

BACKLASH by susan faludi & ugh it was a rough read.

it made me hate government (& be so glad i changed my major)

all over again. i'll spare you the spirited rant i gave in my class & 

opt instead to tell you that i got an awesome 100 percent... i blame

it on the fact that my professor just enjoys seeing me get fired up.

i wasn't expecting a 100 after i said "there's pretty much no hope

for my gender in america."
 

dang you, pay gap!!!!!!!

how dare i want to be equal! i'm gonna start wearing pants to church!
just kidding, heehhe.
but really, if you don't believe me that our government sort of sucks,
check this out. i just have to laugh at it otherwise i get angry.
this & many other things.. blerg.

43 years ago today.

january 30, 1969

the beatles made their last live appearance on the rooftop

of the apple building in london (& no, it's not the apple you're thinking of.)

this is one of my favorite songs from that show.

pretty sure y'all already know this, but i think i should have

been there. i mean, come on.

in fact, i'm sure that i was there, in some way or another.

happy wednesday!

the cure for the winter blues.

 

some days you just have to eat sushi

(& then go buy benadryl thanks to your shellfish allergy.)
but seriously, so worth it.

luke & i are sushi nuts.. & after a weekend of car troubles,

being snowed in, stuck at home.. we just had to get out 

for some yums.

also: this helps: 

BREAKFAST FOOD!!!

criddle's cafe is our go-to place for when we need a pick me up.

good cheap coffee, hash browns with gravy (luke skips the gravy)
& BACON!

speaking of bacon, i have to watch a little film on pigs & how they

are treated for a class.. my professor is trying to bring back my

vegetarianism (i tried it 2 years ago.. lived off noodles & got so sick

i passed out when i stood up. so...)
hopefully i can close my eyes.

another happy thing:

 

i hadn't seen blue skies in over a month until yesterday.

i'm so ready for spring. 

quote of the week.

my forever hero.

 

i laugh.

 

you may need to click on this to read it, but do it & laugh with me, please.

i get told this all the time, & at first i used to find it offensive.

to be honest, tina fey is kind of gross to me. (she's old!)

however, i started watching 30 rock a year ago, after luke

kept telling me i was liz lemon's "twin sister."

 

what do you think?

to be honest i don't see a physical resemblance, other than

we both wear glasses ;)

but now that i've watched 6 seasons of 30 rock i have to 

say i kind of agree, personality-wise at least. we're both scatterbrains 

who work in tv,

let people walk all over us & have to date a lot of awkward people to 

get to the winner.

she is so full of hilarious awkwardness, it makes me feel a little better about

being so awkward myself (perhaps that's what makes me funny??)

heheheh!

if you haven't watched 30 rock i highly recommend it. watch a few 

episodes & then let me know if you agree with what 50+ people tell me:

i am liz lemon.

 

two years.

 

two years ago today luke asked me out on a date.

i hadn't been on one in over 3 years, by the way.

i'd dated around.. but hadn't gone on a DATE.

we did the typical 'dinner & a movie' date,

saw "friends with benefits" (super awkward first movie to see, btw)

& ate burgers.

i immediately knew i liked him & thought "CRAP!" because i knew he

didn't want a relationship.

ha! i showed him.

two years later we're still goin' strong.

& i've even convinced him to grow a beard.

the two best years of my life, easily. 

if you want a laugh.

 

my friend mindy tracked down some hilarious pictures from our

days of cheerleading. i couldn't stop laughing when i saw this.

i love not making normal faces still.. but these are just ridiculous.

sometimes i miss cheer/high school.. only sometimes, though :) 

freezing.

 

our heater has been broken for 2 days.

despite copious amounts of blankets & heating pads,

i'm pretty sure we're going to freeze to death.

living in an old house = waiting days for the right part to come.

in the meantime, if you need me i'll be under the covers.

also, side note, my poor kitty cat... she is so cooped up.

she wants to go outside so bad... & then sets one paw in the snow & is

NOT a happy camper. i think she could rival the "grumpy cat" photos

lately. poor girl. poor us, too... why isn't it spring yet!?

Getting Organized in the New Year

 

-watching arrested development in the mess.

we've really put off organizing since school started back in august, because we've both been SO busy! it gets hard to keep up with a clean house when you're working 40 hours a week & spending 30 hours a week in school.

but now that it's the new year, it's time to get it together! i love the apartment therapy blog, they're always posting great organization ideas for someone with not a lot of space.. if you've seen where i live, you know that space here SUCKS! 

check out this list of tips for organizing.. i plan on using it this weekend, before school really kicks in.

quote of the week.

 

happy friday!!

i can't wait to sleep more than i should.

i'm also going to a u of u basketball game with my dear friend sadie for a double date! i'm so excited because her & i will get to catch up.. while our boys talk sports.

luke tries to talk sports with me & it really just.. doesn't work. unless it's soccer. i've grown to like WATCHING soccer lately.. playing? not so much.

what are your weekend plans? 

LAZIZ

 

the other day i produced fox 13's good day utah weekend edition (& worked 12 days in a row.)

we needed a last-minute interview, so i called up my good friends moudi & derek. these two  started their own middle eastern spreads company last year & sell a variety of delicious foods including hummus.

i met moudi (who is from lebanon) while going to USU a few years ago, & we've always been good friends.

they did a great job in the interview.. & brought me a care package of awesome too! i got garlic spread for cooking, muhammara & hummus.. & i'm already addicted.

if you haven't yet, try them out! they sell their products at harmons!

i highly recommend them, but be careful... they are seriously addicting.

thanks moudi & derek!

home inspiration.

my last semester of school has begun (YAY!!!) & luke & i decided that after i finish my senior seminar in the summer, we are heading out of o town to move somewhere closer to my work (commuting 88 miles a day is not my thing.) we're very sad because we love our little cottage.. but also looking forward to new opportunities. our goal is to find an adorable house, not too expensive, with a fenced in yard so nesta (& perhaps a boxer puppy) can still play outside even if we live in salt lake city (we're looking in the sugarhouse/midvale area.) i must say all this talk about change has me SERIOUSLY wanting to just leave behind all our furniture & start over on decorating. our cottage is a mess of unmatching crap, but since the house is so old & tiny it never felt right to buy new stuff for.

here's some inspiration i've been feeling lately:

 

i love the idea of a bright kitchen with a bright accent color.

 

this dresser (& the wall hanging) are to die for.

 

l'arc de triomphe.

 

hanging vintage plates or sewing patterns is a must in our new casa.

i'm so excited to start decorating.. & we still have 6 more months. ha!