Adventure of the Day: Topaz Mountain

So Dave decided this week that he wanted to go to this place called Topaz Mountain. He had learned about it in Elementary School, and had always wanted to go. I love dirt, rocks, and crystals, so I was all in!

Friday we bought all the of the supplies we would need. We purchased some chisels, and rock hammers (that weren't actually rock hammers, but we found the next closest thing!) and some floppy hats. That morning we filled our Camelbaks and grabbed a few granola bars, and were on our way!!!

The drive was awesome! I am always so amazed at how beautiful Utah is! It took about 2 1/2 hours to get there. The last 3 miles were all dirt roads with HUGE rocks and dips in them. It was an off roading adventure! That's for sure.

When we arrived to the place we wanted to dig for topaz, there were several people up on the mountainside. We had literally no idea what we were doing, and asked a lady there for some tips and tricks. She directed us to a gentleman a little further up the mountain.

It turns out this guy she directed us to owns The Rock Shop in Provo! SCORE! He only comes down twice a year, and we just so happened to be there on one of the two days he was there a year! How cool is that? He gave us some tips, and sent us on our merry way.

Digging was SO FUN! We had a blast busting open rocks and finding topaz, amethyst, and quartz. And brushing the ground to check for loose topaz, and watching the little lizards run around the rocks! It was seriously such a cool experience. After we had been digging for 2 hours (we lost track of time, because we were having so much fun...) One of the women in the big group invited us to join them as the Rock Guy showed us where to find agate and jasper. After we had collected all the jasper and agate our hearts desired, the Rock Guy gave us some directions to find some garnets. After a half hour of off roading, and not feeling totally certain of where we were supposed to go, we decided to head home.

We walked away with some seriously cool rocks. I am totally planning on going back. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to dress up like a geologist for a day, or for anyone looking for a quick and easy adventure.

All my love,

Alex

XOXO

Things as of late.

Dave makes my life a wonderful place to be. He's seriously my best bud. I want to do everything with him. I love that he is always up for anything. Recently I've had hearts where my eyes should be. I'm totally smitten. 

Speaking of Dave...Dave took me down to this wonderful little place called Treasures in Springville last week. If you haven't been there, and you love antiques, it is heaven on earth. We found so many wonderful things. However, the highlight of the trip was when I found. Not 1. But 2 dress vintage dress patterns. In my size. With ALL of their pattern pieces and instructions. For 3 bucks! I don't know if many of you sew with patterns, but let me tell ya! Patterns are almost as expensive as buying the material to make the item in the pattern! So it's safe to say I was ecstatic!

Sara is MARRIED! Oh my gosh! My sister had the most amazing wedding! The food was wonderful, the flowers were wonderful (I did all of the flowers and flower arrangements for her wedding, so I'm a little bit biased....but still!) the atmosphere was so romantic, and the dancing was totally killer! Her husband is Syrian, and he had several of his middle-eastern friends at the wedding! They kept the party going! It was such a wonderful celebration for Sara and Ahmad. The Borazans! I couldn't be happier for my sister as she starts this crazy awesome journey of her new life!!! 

Sami and Josh are married! Sami is Dave's best friend from high school. We drove out to Arizona for their wedding in Sedona. It was BEAUTIFUL! There were so many personal touches to the wedding, and in the ceremony that made it so special. The food was delicious, and I could eat most of it, despite being gluten-free. The dancing was so fun, and they are truly such an amazing couple. I loved hearing all of their family's toasts! They are a wonderful couple, and we were so happy to be there for their special day!

I was talking with my dad about how emotional I was at Sara's wedding. And honestly, even Sami and Josh's wedding. I found myself on the verge of big fat tears, and really had to fight to keep them in. And he told me something that I found quite profound-the reason I was so emotional, and why married couples in general become so emotional at weddings, is because you know the journey they are about to embark on. You know the highs, you know the lows, you remember what your wedding day felt like, you truly know what they are committing to. And that's truly something so wonderful, and so beautiful, it brings tears to your eyes.- And Daddy, you are so right. But there's something else. It's the way the groom looks at his bride. She is the most beautiful person that has ever walked into his life. And the way the bride looks at the groom. He has made her world a wonderful place to live. AAAAAAH. I just love weddings.

Dave has one more shift, until he is mine for a week. I can not wait. 

All my love,

Alex

XOXO

Sami and Josh are MARRIED!!!

Dave was one of the cool kids in high school. (Granted he went to UCAS, but still...) He had a big group of friends and they were all fairly close. As he got older he fell out of touch with a lot of these friends. Everyone went their separate ways, made their own decisions, and some moved away. Sami was one of the friends that moved away. Dave and Sami were still in high school when Sami moved across the country to Virginia. They stayed close friends. Talking often, and even going to Paris together when they were 18. (I know better than anyone how hard it is to stay in touch when your bestie moves cross country. Looking at you Suz!!)

Dave and Sami in Paris

I first met Sami the summer that I graduated high school. Dave had given me Cirque de Soleil tickets to their traveling show that was going to Arizona! We flew down, and stayed with Aunt Raquel. We went to the AMAZING show, and Dave wanted to introduce me to Sami, who was living in Chandler (I think?)  at the time. We pulled up to her place, and she came out to greet us. I was immediately taken with her. She was a tiny brunette in a batman shirt and shorts. She was so wonderful! And she introduced us to her boyfriend Josh. He was hilarious. I think we talked that night for 3 hours. As we left, I knew exactly why Dave had loved her for so long. She was amazing.

They came for our wedding that December. Which was amazing because A) It had been a super long time since we had seen them and B) They flew up from Arizona! How nice is that!!

Fast forward a lot of months. (Like 11). Sami and Josh get engaged! Dave and I took a spontaneous trip down to Arizona in November 2013 to visit my brother PJ who is in Arizona going to law school, and we took the opportunity to visit with Sami and Josh as well.  Again, we just were able to talk for a long time. Sami and Josh were so wonderful together, and we knew how happy they were. It was infectious.

So it made sense that we would attend their wedding in May.


Their wedding was the second to last weekend of May. May in Arizona is BEAUTIFUL! They had their wedding in Sedona, AZ, at the Poco Diablo Resort. It was a sunny golf course surrounded by incredible red mountains. (Part of the forest up there was on fire. You could see a little smoke, but it was surprisingly not smelly!)

Dave and I loved their ceremony. It was simple and sweet, and really spoke to the love that Sami and Josh share. They even did a little sand blending ceremony with their wedding colors. It was really romantic. It was a moderately small wedding. Maybe 80 people. But everyone was family and friends, and really loved Sami and Josh.

 

The sand ceremony was really cool!!

They had a delicious dinner for everyone. (The chicken was my favorite part.) Dave and I ended up being seated at the grandparent table, which was amusing, but really fun! They had cupcakes for everyone with perfect frosting, and toasts were made to them. You could tell how much everyone loved them, the toasts were the perfect mix of sincere and hilarious!! There was lots of dancing, which was so much fun.

The tables were beautiful!! Sami made all her centerpieces!!

The delicious cupcakes. I was GF at the time. I ate ALL THE FROSTING.

We were so happy to be a part of Sami and Josh's special day, and are even happier to have them as close friends. We love you guys!

Gluten Free Trip to Disneyland!

So I've felt pretty bummed out since I've lost my job. Dave's been really great about it. And honestly, I've enjoyed the time we've been able to spend together. We've been wanting to do another trip to Disneyland for a while now, and since I no longer have to request work off, we figured, why not? We researched dates that were slow times for Disneyland. We wanted to be able to ride lots of rides, and just enjoy the park together.

With the exception of our honeymoon, we always drive to Disneyland. It saves lots of money, and honestly, it's not that bad of a drive. Dave and I have found things we enjoy doing. We talk a lot (I always insist on playing the question game. Pretty much we ask each other questions about each other like growing up, random interests, silly stories, etc.), but most recently, we've enjoyed listening to audio books while we drive! Especially Game of Thrones. We already are obsessed with the show, we figured we should start reading the books, and listening to them makes it so much more enjoyable.

We drove through the night, arriving in California early in the morning. We couldn't check into our hotel, so we decided to simply head over to the park. We rode our favorite rides, and looked around the park for other fun things we may want to try. Around 2 PM, we felt pretty dead, so we checked into our hotel, and took a nap. We woke up several hours later feeling much better. We went back to the park to hit a few more rides. We left when the park closed.

We were at the park for May the Fourth. No, it's not Cinco de Quatro like in arrested development. It's May the Fourth (force) be with you - from Star Wars!! The park was pretty slow on the morning of the fourth, but Tomorrowland was PACKED. Disney releases new pins and T-shirt every May 4th, and in limited quantities for those that are in the park for those dates. 

This was my first gluten-free trip to Disneyland, and we had no idea what I would be able to eat! So we drove to target, grabbed some tortillas, turkey, cheese, and cereal, and made wraps that we could eat in the park. (We always buy rice crispy treats and jerky from Costco before we leave on trips). This trip, my darling mother-in-law made me some Churro Chex Mix. I'm not even kidding, I think I heard angels when I had the first few bites. I am addicted to Disneyland Churros, and this was even BETTER!!!!

Om nom nom nom

Other Highlights of the trip:

+ Cindy (my darling mom-in-law) gave me a super cute Mickey and Minnie shirt before we left. I loved wearing it around the park

+We were able to stay for a few days.

+We had the chance to just relax, and walk around the park. We even rode some of the kiddy rides this time around!!!!

+ Dave played the fun game with his friends "Guess What Ride We're On?!" So we tried to take pictures of ourselves on all the rides.

Big Thunder Mountain

Splash Mountain

Tower of Terror

+We rode teacups! (Which we never do because they make Dave and I a little queasy)

+ I ran into an old high school friend in Disneyland. (Tyler, that seriously cracked me up!!)

I can't believe I ran into Tyler in Disneyland of all places!!!

I'm so happy Dave and I got to take some time to go to Disneyland again. It's always such a magical place for us. I'm grateful for my husband taking the time to make me feel better about my job situation. Until next time Disneyland!!!


All my love,

Alex

XOXO

I love this guy

Winnie the Pooh!

Beauty Favorites: February 2014

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24 Hour Makeup in 140 Ivore - $45.50 

Foundation is always hit and miss for me. I have very fair skin, and I am in between a yellow and pink undertone. A lot of the time, I end up too yellow, orange, or pink. This foundation has been a perfect fix. it blends like a dream and it has amazing staying power! It doesn't wear off throughout the day, so I only have to apply once. It's a bit pricey, but good foundation is definitely worth the splurge!

Clinique Pink Chocolate Eyeshadow Quad - $28.00

I've had this quad for a while, and never really used it. Recently, I've been obsessed with eyebrows. I love the way they frame the face. The dark brown color in the quad is the perfect color for my eyebrows. the two brown colors are matte, and blend very well with the shimmery pinks. It creates such a pretty soft smokey eye look. Clinique is hypo-allergenic, so if you have sensitive skin like me, it won't make you itch.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Lipstick in Rose Tea - $26.00

Lipstick is my favorite thing. I've been wearing lipstick since I was 12. I love this color so much. It looks pretty dark in the picture, however, it's a fleshy pink color. It's great if you're looking for a pretty nude that goes with just about anything.

Revlon Parfumerie Nail Enamel in Wild Violets - $4.99

I love dark vampy colors. This color is a beautiful dark purple, and for its price, it's actually pretty nice polish. It dries quickly and smells wonderful after it dries. 

Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gioia - $88.00

I have always loved perfume, but I didn't really start wearing it on a daily basis until just recently. This perfume was a gift from my mom for my birthday last year. It smells heavenly. It's a really bright scent that's not quite floral or fruity. It lasts all day, and I've noticed the scent doesn't change too much as it warms up with my body. I love wearing this to work, out on dates, or just day to day. BONUS: It usually comes in a gift set with a full bottle, a roll on, and lotion.

Gluten Free and Quest for CornDogs!

So in case you haven't noticed, I am the worst blogger in the world.

It's not totally my fault. I have lots of moments where I'm like "I should blog about that..." but then I decide it's stupid, or too personal, so I neglect the blog even longer, and la la la. Anyway. I have felt the desire to blog recently, so tada! Here it goes.


After feeling sick a lot, never having any energy, and gaining some unexplainable weight, I decided I should probably call my good ol' GI doctor and see what was going on. After an endoscopy, and blood tests, it showed that I have mild gastroesophagitis...which is a really fancy way of saying heartburn, and a possible lactose intolerance. My test for Celiac disease came back negative, however my doctor informed me that for every 1 person with Celiac disease, there are 5 with gluten intolerance. The only real way to test and see if you are gluten intolerant is by eliminating gluten altogether.

After attending a GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) seminar, and reading up on the FODMAP diet (a diet that eliminates gluten, sucrose, and lactose), I felt I had enough information to cut out gluten completely. Within the first 3 weeks I had lost 12 pounds. It was nuts! My body was no longer in a constant inflammatory response. It wasn't until I had been off gluten for about 6 weeks that I started to notice my body feeling better. I had more energy, my digestive system was more regular, and I didn't feel sick anymore.

Eating gluten free can be really hard sometimes. Not all restaurants have gluten free menu's readily available, so I've had to figure out on my own. (And sometimes I feel like obnoxious ordering gluten free when we go out, but I feel better, so too bad.) And finding gluten free products has been interesting. It's easy to control whether or not there is wheat and gluten in my foods when I'm cooking, but sometimes, I really just want some chicken nuggets.

Or a corndog.


For about the last 2 weeks I have seriously been craving a corndog. I think Dave and I watched something, and they were eating corndogs. And I've wanted one ever since. The problem is, corndogs are not gluten free. Freaking hot dogs aren't gluten free. So I turned to the internet for answers. I discovered that there is a brand that carries gluten free corndogs. (It happens to be the same brand that carries gluten free nuggets...) APPLEGATE.

Last night, I could no longer tolerate my desire for corndogs. I had to have one. So I packed up my things and headed to Harmon's. I called my mom and announced the beginning of my quest for a corndog. She wished me the best of luck, and sent me on my way.

I arrived in the Harmon's parking lot, and hoped that they had them, because I really didn't want to have to run to walmart or target, or anywhere else. I went in and headed to their healthy lifestyle section, where they carry the majority of their gluten free products. I slowly searched every item in that freezer section, only to be disappointed. There wasn't a corndog in sight. I scanned a second time. Even slower. Still. No Corndogs. I was about to leave the store all annoyed. I really didn't want to go to Walmart. When it dawned on me.

Corndogs aren't healthy. Why in the hell would they be in the HEALTH section?

I laughed at myself, and headed towards their freezer meal section. I searched both lanes of freezers. Still, no corndogs. I was starting to get super irritated, when I realized there was an open freezer thing that had fries and tater tots in it. They would probably be there. I went halfway down the aisle. And then....I saw Applegate products. I started to feel crazy excited. And then I located the item of my affections. 4 beautifully boxed gluten free corndogs.

 I took my prize, and marched to the cash register. I proceeded to tell the cashier about my excitement, and he talked to me about how wheat is a completely different plant and that GMO's have single handedly screwed over the food industry. Yeeeeaaah! After 5 more minutes in the conversation and spending 7 bucks on 4 corndogs,  I went straight to my parents to cook to corndogs.

After 40 minutes of preheating the oven, and cooking the corndogs, I finally ate them. They had a strange texture, but damn, was it delicious.


Happy Friday Eve!

XOXO,

mrs. shuey

Happy Monday!

I generally don't like Mondays. It's a bad weekend hangover, except without the alcohol.
For some reason today, I woke up already having a great Monday!

To give you an idea of how smoothly my morning went:


AM snuggles with Dave (:
Perfect eyeliner day.
Good hair day.
Recycling my outfit from yesterday. Because no one saw me anyway.
Restless all night, woke up totally refreshed.
Got out of the house on time.
Green lights all the way to work.
Lorde, Led Zeppelin, and X96 on the way to work.
Rachel's cute baby bump.
Salt and Pepper Rice chips and ice cold water.
Looking down at my hand and seeing my anniversary band.


I'm off to a great start. Hope it stays!
Here's a comic to make your day as bright as mine.