Pup-date!

How far along? 5 weeks

Gender: Boy

Sleep: He puts himself to sleep every night at like 9:00! It's so cute. He sleeps in his crate every night and actually really likes it. He doesn't whine or anything when we put him in. 

Likes: Sitting with me while I'm in the bathroom.

His bulldog friend at daycare.

Looking in the mirror at himself. (This pic is from our puppycam haha.)

Dislikes: When we don't let him greet other dogs on his walk. He lays down until they leave. In this particular situation the other dog wasn't moving either. So eventually his owner brought him over. They sniffed each other and then moved on lol.

Milestones: He learned how to get on the couch!

He learned how to watch T.V. with me.

Best moment this week: When he learned how to jump up on the bed! I've been waiting for this moment forever.

Food cravings: He ate a Cheese It that I dropped on the ground. Other than that we give him 0 people food.

What I'm looking forward to: Him getting older and becoming calmer haha!

XOXO

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E and Tucker

Utahhhhh, People Working Together

So these are all the pics from our trip to Utah! In one post! I took minimal photos and got most of these from J and our moms. Yay for other people taking photos. Without further ado!

Tuesday // So this is us flying over Connecticut. IT. IS. SO. GREEN. I actually really love the green. When we first moved here, we kept driving around trying to find neighborhoods and suburbs, and there weren't that many. Seeing an aerial view, it makes sense! It's mostly like, houses tucked in the woods, which is v cute. 

Cookies and cream frappuccino at the Minneapolis airport. THE BEST. I can't remember what this place was called, but it was v good. Bless coffee shops. They are like my home away from home.

Anddddddd here we are flying over Utah lol. Alllllll suburbs and brown! Is there somewhere that has the suburbs like Utah, with the green like Connecticut? Let me know. In the market, here!

I was telling J he could be a model because he has a beautiful resting face. This was the photo I took afterward of his resting face lol. Gosh, especially once he gets his man bun he gonna be on that model train!

We stopped at Pizzeria Limone before we even went home. Straight from the airport, my babies. Yes, it's that good. Also I forgot to get a picture of the divino, but it is still the best dessert pizza in all the land. Oh, maybe Max Brenner ties or is better? Idk. 

So we use Rover (formerly DogVacay) when we are out of town/gone all day. It's like Airbnb, but for dogs. I love it because it's just someone's house and you know your pup is well taken care of. If you sign up for it, use this link so I can get $20 for T. #notsponsored. Just a fan. When I really wanted a dog I signed up for it. Watching a few dogs definitely held me over until we could get Tucker!

Anyway, Tucker made this bulldog friend last week while I was in the city for school, and he was there again on the 4th of July! They are cute. It makes us feel like we need to get a bulldog friend for him...

The rest of the day we just swam and chilled! Utah is flat, so we were able to watch fireworks (it was the 4th of July) from my inlaw's backyard! It was so nice! They went on for a long time too! I miss them haha. In Connecticut, each town does them on a different day, and you have to park and take shuttles to the places to view them, so it's pretty crowded. (We never went, this is just what I heard. So if it's wrong, forgive me.)

Wednesday // The next morning we picked up Kneader's breakfast for J's fam! I make a pretty mean French toast with sweet syrup, but nothing beats Kneader's. 

This is J pre-haircut. Keep reading to see him post-haircut.

This is what like, 13 orders of French toast look like, in case you're wondering. They had to take some out and hand them to us separately, because they couldn't fit through the window lol. 

Also, lol. So on this trip I was still in school. Like, we left on a Tuesday, and I had class Thursday and the next Tuesday. I kept forgetting? I had papers and stuff due though. So on Wednesday (and for like 1 hour early Thursday morning) I wrote a paper. It was supposed to be 10 pages with 8 references, but I just did 8 pages with 6 references because I'm over it. I wasn't expecting to get a good grade, but guess what? This girl got a 90/100 lol. Also, on that note, I studied for a research final the night before and the morning train ride to. Guess what I got? 104/100 lol. I got every single question right, including the extra credit!

All of this is to say that I think I do better in school when I miss some days and don't do any of the reading, lol!!!

So our friends own JZ Style Salon in American Fork, and it is seriously the cutest ever! We always go when we go back to Utah. If you haven't been, YOU. NEED. TO. It has such a cute, fun vibe and all the girls are so nice. Like I need to get them to decorate my house because the interior design there is 10/10. 

Anyway, I got my bangs back this time! I feel like I am my true self with bangs. When we were driving home, J was like, "Welcome back!" lol. I got them choppier this time, so they don't have to always look so perfect. I am v excited!

Also this is J's parent's cat. He was laying in the sink and then I tucked him in. We bonded.

That night we had a birthday party for J! This is my nephew swimming lol. 

My side of the fam came straight from the airport. They were just in Spokane visiting my grandma and I am jealous. I love Spokane.

Thursday // We went to Beans and Brews for breakfast. I am sad they don't do a points card anymore because I was like, SO CLOSE to getting a free drink. And they do 24 oz hot chocolate there which is amazing. The road getting off the freeway to AF Canyon is one of my favorite views in UT. 

Then we drove up to Tibble Fork. It was a fave of ours when we lived there. I don't know what construction they did, but it looks really pretty! I would be really interested to see before and after photos.

We swam for a bit and then went to lunches! I went to lunch with one of my friends from my old work who I LOVE AND MISS SO. MUCH. It was good to chat and catch up. People are cool and doing cool things. It's fun to be gone for a bit and then come back and hear what has changed!

J went to Station 22 with his mom! How cute is this picture he took lol. I found it on his Google Photos. I just want my sons to love me as much as J loves his mom! 

I can't remember what happened after that. Probably we swam, because that's what we did in all our spare time lol. Do you think I got tan? Cause guess what, I didn't. One of these days I'm going to go to frickin' Hawaii or something and just get so tan. Just so I can say I was tan once in my life. 

For dinner my mom and I went to Tsunami! It was SO GOOD. So I thought the roll I liked was called Sean Connery, but it's actually the Honeybadger that is my favorite. It has these little crunch onions that are SO GOOD and is wrapped in avocado. GET IT. We sat at the bar and chatted with the guy making the sushi. It was such a funny experience. When we first sat down, my mom jokingly was like, "You don't mind if we watch you, do you?!" Just to be funny, ya know? And the guy was like, "Well, it used to make me nervous but I am used to it now! So it's fine!" And we were like.... "Good?" Lol.

AND THEN there was tofu in one of the rolls. My mom is like, weird about tofu for some reason. So she was trying to pick it out of a piece of sushi but is like, beginner chopstick level. So I was telling her it's like a little surgery and was picking it out for her. Then, we looked up and the sushi chef was like, "What are you guys doing???" And we started laughing and were like, "She just wanted to taste it without tofu!" "I'm just curious!" And he was just like, "You're playing Operation!" Lol. 

Needless to say, I would definitely sit at the bar again.

So this next part is way sad. I wanted to hot tub and watch The Bachelorette. So we like, got some treats and drinks (ok they were already there but we got them out of the fridge and stuff) and got all settled in to watch it. AND THERE WASN'T A NEW EPISODE.

Why do they do this to us, you guys? I mean honestly BE CONSISTENT. We just chatted instead and it was pleasant. 

Friday // We went to breakfast with J's mom at The Original Pancake House. I got the eggs Benedict and it was A+. They give you SO MUCH food there! It's v good though. 

Right after that I went to lunch with my friend Leah and got açai bowls! It was good to catch up! 

When I got back I swam for a bit and then J and I got Orange Peel. J gets the Orange Burst (or something like that) and I get this. I saw the recipe on Utah Grubs and let me tell you. IT'S SO GOOD! Boba, man. 😋

Friday was the night of J's bachelor party (we were there for a wedding), so I hung out with my mom. We went through all the stuff J and I had at her house from living there last year. It felt good to get organized! Then we got snow cones from Hokulia, aka the best snow shack ever. Are there snow cones in Connecticut or New York City? I need one, bad.

So also we went through old photos. It was so funny. My mom put all our profession photos into a photo album, and in my 3 year old and 4 year old photos I am dressed in the exact same outfit hahahahaha. She said she feels bad about it; I just lol. I guess I grew like 0% those years?

Also we found this vintage photo of Trixie with our old dog, Buster. This photo was taken in 2001 YOU GUYS. She just died in 2017. It made us feel so weird when we found it. We were like, "She was almost 17 or 18?!?!" My mom is convinced we got her in the summer and she was smaller than this. So, it was like a Twilight Zone. Also notice how she was all black! The white on her was just grey because she was so old haha. Oh, and Buster was a Scottish and Boston terrier mix. They say he was pretty ugly but I think he's a cutie. I like his ears.

Saturday // We took a family picture with J's family. This is my mom doing a test photo on me after I set up the settings haha. Awkward turtle for sure.

The family picture! We did really well matching for it being a very last minute thing! Proud.

Then we went to see my sister's new house. J hadn't seen it so he got the grand tour! My niece was like so excited to show us her room lol. She turned on Taylor Swift and made us all dance hahaha. Also idk what my nephew is doing in the picture but it's funny and cute.

So it was also J's birthday (well it was technically the day after we got home, but we celebrated it there). If you remember from my last trip, my mom had this bathrobe that I was OBSESSED WITH.  They found them at Downeast for like $20 and I was like, "Why didn't you buy so many?!" So my sister got J one for his birthday, but then was like, "I know Em will steal it so I got her one too" lol. She is very right. I love bathrobes. 

Here's what me and J would look like if we were parents lol.

Then we went back to J's parent's house and swam for a bit. 

Then we got ready for the wedding. This is J post haircut. SMOKIN', MAN. He could model like... a men's fragrance.

Some pics from the wedding we went to! It was seriously the cutest ever! The bride had a daughter and the groom brought her up there during the ceremony and asked if he could be her dad forever. She said yes and he gave her a necklace and IT WAS THE CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD. Like writing it now I have goosebumps. SOOOO CUTE. Also, J was the best man and gave a lil' speech lol. It was cute as well.

Sunday // We left! My mom is still feeding Skully, the feral cat I have been trying to condition to be domesticated for like 2 years lol.

We munched on some candy sushi my sis gave J for his birthday on the ride home. It was v good!

All in all it was a successful trip! It confirmed for us that we want to be in the West! So we are v excited for our next move there! It takes flippin' forever to get to Utah from Connecticut, so it will be nice to be like a one or two hour plane ride away in the future! Thanks to everyone in Utah who spent time with us! You all made it a good trip!

XOXO

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E

P.S. The title of this post comes from this song, which my friend Sydney introduced me to. I sing it all the time. Especially when in Utah lol. 

A Happy List: 162

My new commute is so much shorter than it was! We are five minutes from a train station, as opposed to twenty! / So my mom got an alarm system. She set it for the front door, but it was still counting down and scary. So I was teasing J and was like, "Hurry!!!! WE ONLY HAVE 30 SECONDS! HURRY!!" He was in the middle of gathering his stuff to leave. I turned around a few seconds later and he had a box of donuts and was running for the garage door hahahahah. #priorities / Getting good grades on projects I put minimal effort into. / Catching up on my Bloglovin' feed for the first time in like, a year. / Being practically done with school! I technically have one 2 hour class once a week until the second week of August, but I'm not counting that because it's whatever. / Editing a shoot! I've missed photography as a side hustle. / Having two sinks again. I hateeeee sharing a sink lol. I'm probably the worst to live with. / My mom bought us chocolate cake donuts with chocolate frosting (because they don't exist in CT) and it was the sweetest thing. / Having bangs again. / All the new Netflix shows that are out! Criminal Minds isn't as good as I remember it, though? 

Here are some funny things people said this week:

J when I suggested we go to Taco Bell: *said really fast* Aweeee, you're so nice and sweet because it's not your favorite place but you go there for me sometimes.

My mom: I feel like I should pinch your butt!

Me on my Instagram story: *picture of a rose plant* How do I keep this alive?
My grandma: Water

XOXO
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E

Weekend Links

Has anyone else watched Gypsy? It's pretty good but I feel it could have ended stronger. Also I have to lol because it's about a therapist who lives in Connecticut and commutes to the city. And I'm an almost therapist who lives in Connecticut and commutes to the city. 😱

THIS HARRY POTTER COLLECTIVE GIVES ME LIFE.

Um, dad goals right here.

Do you even love your dog/cat if you don't do this?

This is the cutest dress!

You need these for your skincare routine! They are normally $5, but are on sale for $2.50 right now. I would have bought 10 but they only let me get 3 lol.

I have a hard time just sitting and watching T.V., so I picked up one of these a few weeks ago and it's been really fun to get back to basics!

XOXO
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E

Connecticut Guide: Nom Eez (Ramen!)

So I mentioned yesterday that we moved! We now live pretty dang close to Fairfield, Connecticut, like we could throw a rock and hit the town line. We are technically in Bridgeport. It has a reputation for being pretty dangerous, but since we are so close to the town line our little area is pretty safe. (At least according to the maps on Trulia lol). Anyway, so I always feel the need to let people know we are in a safer area of Bridgeport and not threatening our lives.

ANYWAY. Fairfield is like A+ food wise, I hear. Our biggest complaint about Connecticut is that there aren't many places that are in between fast food and restaurants. Ya know? Like places you can order food and sit down, but it doesn't have a drive thru and you don't have to pay a waiter.

So apparently Fairfield has these places and I'm like "J I TOLD YOU WE WERE JUST LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACES."

Needless to say, our new apartment has me feeling very inspired and creative. Thus the sudden increase in blogging. Also I have more time, so maybe that's it? Idk. WHO CARES LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD.

So this place is called Nom Eez and is SO. GOOD. They also sell Donut Crazy donuts which is weird but amazing, because they are our favorite donuts.

J got this rice which was like $8 and I honestly would get that next time. I got the ramen (pictured below) and it was so good, but also like $11 I think. And with the rice I felt like it was pretty fancy and a lot of food? So we are probably going to stick with that!

When I asked the girl to box up my ramen, she was like, "Oh you didn't like it?" And I was like, "I did, I am just done?" Lol. But then also we went out of town shortly after and I never finished eating it. Also I think it's still in my fridge and it's been there for definitely 2 weeks. So that will be fun.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE BACK ME UP ON THIS!!!! I SWEAR TO YOU Androids take photos that look different than iPhones? Like they look more bubbled and weird to me. I don't know. I can't stand it though. My phone shattered so all my photos have weird light leaks now, but whatever.

So, hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some yummy Connecticut food recs now that we are closer to good food!

XOXO

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E

Chillin' W/ Ma Boys

So I'm pretty much done with school until September, so blog posts comin' your way!! These pics are from forever ago when we explored the dog park with T. This was 5 minutes from our old apartment! #bae

So something gross about Connecticut is that there are ticks. Tucker already has Lyme disease so I guess it doesn't matter, but also they are so gross and I hate them. They are so small, like how are you supposed to be able to find them in a fluffer (a fluffy dog)?!?! We found one in Tucker's ear and I FREAKED out. I stripped down, made J check me everywhere, and then took a one hour shower lol.

Needless to say, T hasn't been to many dog parks since then. I need to take him to the one by our new apartment and see if it's any better tick-wise.

I've said it once, and I'll say it again! I. Can. Not. Wait. To. Get. Back. To. The. West. Coast.

I know I need to appreciate this moment and blah blah blah blah. But I'm really strugglin'! I feel we are so close to moving (10 months!) and I am so close to being done with school FOREVER it's just getting hard to keep a way positive attitude. I just want it to be over and be moved already! Gah!

XOXO

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E