Brittany's Favorite Things Round 8

Kerastase Elixir Ultime.  Liquid Gold, and I call it that not only b/c of the miracles it performs on my hair, but also because of the very hefty price tag.  Its a wonderful blend of aromatic exotic oils and leaves the hair silky and shiny.  I use it on wet hair, I use it on dry hair and every day become more attached to this product.  If you're a product junkie like me and have a few extra bucks in your pocket...try this stuff.  It's the shiz-nit and THAT is what's up.

That Dog

That dog is 7 years old and still acts like a complete maniac when we take him off the leash at the dog park.  We never quite know if we're going to leave scolding him or telling him what a good boy he was.  He's totally unpredictable and I love that about him, but I don't love the dog park...its all Munch having fun and me holding my breath, closing my eyes, waiting for someone to scream.

The weekend

This past weekend was full of family, skiing and lounging around the house with my husband.  Overall, a nice weekend.  Can't complain.  Well, I can't complain about the weekend that is.  Here is what I can complain about:

• Head Colds.  You know the one my husband had...you guessed it.  It now resides with me.  How awesome is that?  We share everything, even colds.  Awwww.
• Weather.  We have no snow in the mountains and smog in the valley.  It actually snowed pollution yesterday in SLC.  No storms, just pollution. 
• My soreness.  One word, Crossfit.
• Being at work during the holidays.  So Lame.
•  Not getting enough sleep...thanks to my guest blogger from yesterday.
• Lack of time.  Just in general.  Right now, I feel like I have so much to do/take care of and just not enough time to do it all.  

Sadly, I could go on and on with this list of bullets but I'll spare everyone my gripes.  Plus I need to save some for  the drives home from work with Garrett.  He's a lucky, lucky man.  No need to tell him cause he already knows.  Thanks.

Hey Ya'll, it's me Munch!!

It's Monday in Park City.  My mom asked me to do a blog post, something about being too busy to be creative.  What's busy?  Anyhow, I'm hanging at home with my brother today, catching up on my sleep.  We had family in town this weekend so I'm exhausted!  It's going to be a long week!  I could have just slept last night, but I decided to get up at 3 am to go outside...I mean, I have the whole Monday to sleep but my mom doesn't need sleep...no sir.  She didn't get me just so she could sleep did she?  She gets cranky at 3 am, but I have to pee ya'll and then I'm usually pretty thirsty.  My mom is usually not on her A-game at that time of the morning, so I had to get her up AGAIN to fill my dish.  I like the funny names she calls me when I scratch her side of the bed and R.U.N.  It's a fun game cause I always win.  Well, have a great week everyone, and just in case you're interested, I like cake, cookies and cheese and am hoping to get all 3 for Xmas...just sayin.

Catch ya on the flip side,
Munch

Brittany's Favorite Things Round 7

I love small stud earrings.  Despite my jewelry box full of other options, I always turn to the simple ones.  They're small, I don't notice them and I'm not very likely to lose one.  I'm not one of those lucky girls either that can put any old stud thru their ear.  If it's not sterling or gold, my ear will crust up within hours.  Lucky me.  Anyhow, I found these cute little things on Etsy, and they have been my favorite earrings for months.  They are super reasonable and all around perfect. 

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend Everyone!  We have family trickling in over the next few days, and I'm pretty excited to see everyone.  I'm working next week but I'm taking the week b/w Xmas and New Years off.  Hooray for 10 days of no work!!

In other household news, the husband has a head cold with a cough.  A cough that he denies and wakes me in my sleep during the wee hours of the morning.  Munch and I are OVER it.  The part that kills me is he will not take anything for it.  If it were me, I would happily pour night time cold medicine down my throat with a funnel.  Just sayin.

I gave Mogley a bath yesterday and simultaneously lost 10 days of my life.  These are going to add up.

Christmas shopping is done.  Presents are wrapped.  I love buying gifts for people, but I hate coming up with a gift to buy.  It's stressful.

Speaking of stress, does anyone else hate driving their cars thru one of those automatic car washes??  I hate cleaning my own car, so sometimes it's just necessary, but I'm always certain I'm aligned wrong and one of the sprayer poles is going to penetrate my car or take off my side mirror...oh and the dryer...does it really need to blow so hard that my windshield is in danger of spontaneously combusting.  I don't think so.

We went with some friends to a western bar last weekend, complete with line dancing and bull riding.  Not at all our typical Saturday night, but we had so much fun!  Not that our typical Saturday night is hard to compete with...think Keith Morrison and a riveting murder mystery...yeah, we're those people now.  Don't judge.

Thankfully, I got a new camera to replace the one that bit the dust unexpectedly.  I love it.

And it has an optional fish eye lens.  

By the way, he doesn't read this blog and if you tell him I posted this picture, I'll kill you.  I will. I took a photo of Munch with the fish eye, and you can barely tell the difference...see??   I think my camera was confused by the roundness of his face.  Poor guy.

Have a great weekend everyone!  Our plan is to hang with family and ski, and by ski, I mean do circles on the 3 runs that are open at the Canyons.  We need snow in a huge way, and the 7 day forecast is not at all promising.

XOXO Britt

Brittany's Favorite Things Round 6

This year I am totally into the whole Falala thing.  Maybe its the beautiful Christmas tree in my living room or maybe it's presents arriving daily at my doorstep. (Note:  Sadly, none of the presents are for me...my family is coming for Christmas so they are shipping everything to me to avoid traveling with all of their gifts).  Anyhow, this year, the tree is making my house smell like Christmas.  For those of you not so lucky, buy this candle.  Its a little on the pricey side, but if you want your house to smell like Christmas, your money will be well spent.

Brittany's Favorite Things Round 5

 For the last 6 months or so, I have been completely obsessed with carbonated water.  Since I do drink so much of this stuff, I have suggested to my husband on numerous occasions that we just buy a Soda Stream, you know, to save the environment and all.  Then he gets all engineery on me and starts to calculate the cost of the machine, the cost of supplies you have to replenish, etc. vs continuing to buy my plastic bottles at Costco.  That's where these type of discussions always end.  He really knows how to steer me in the opposite direction.  Anyway, 30th birthday rolls around and much to my surprise, Garrett has actually been listening to me all this time.  Oh and he also likes the environment.

Can I just say that this thing is so awesome.  It is so easy to use and I have been drinking the bubbly water like a mad woman.

 I haven't actually tried a flavor yet, but it comes with lots of fun options.

This is the cute gift wrapping job...manufacturing paper and a piece of a desk plant.  So cute.

30, But Who's Counting

Today I'm 30, and actually I'm completely okay with it.  Sure I liked saying I was still in my twenties, but mostly so I could taunt my husband.  The truth is, I'm happier now than I have ever been, so what's not to like about that?  I'm having so much fun right now, as evidenced from the photo above. 

In 30 years of life, I have learned a lot...and some things I am still working on. 

I have learned that my husband is and always will be the most important person in my life.  I love my parents to the moon and back, but it's different.

I have learned that there is nothing better than coming home to the love of your dogs.  The sloppy kisses and extreme excitement just from your presence makes for a happy soul. 

I have learned that having good girlfriends should not be taken for granted.  If you find them, keep them.  Always.

I have learned to try and get to know people before judging them.  I blame this trait on a terrible, clicky highschool, but I'm working on it.  I have found the odds are, if I take the time, I actually like most people.  Who'd a thought??

I have learned to ignore things that bug me if they don't matter.

I have learned that I can't keep everything to myself.  It's okay to talk to people.

I have learned that I am quick to be a bitch if I don't like a situation.  I'm working on it.

I have learned to not take my health for granted.  It can be taken so quickly with no warning.

I have learned that I'm bossy and I need to tone it down a bit.  People generally don't like to be bossed around even if I'm right and they're wrong and the world would be a better place if they just did what I said.  See, progress.  Right?

Anyway, here's to another great year!  Hopefully there will be some exciting things going on within the next year.  At the very least, I hope to take the Bitch thing off my list. 

Brittany's Favorite Things Round 4

The Dog Days Scarf from Madewell.  It's navy and has cute little doggies on it, which means it was pretty much made for me.  Now, if only it were on sale.

Brittany's Favorite Things Round 3

If you are looking for a night cream, go buy this stuff.  It's not very expensive and makes my face feel so soft and smooth.  I wake up every morning feeling like I need to wear more diamonds to match this fancy face of mine. 

Life Purge

Sometimes I feel like I'm too busy to blog.  My day starts and ends and most days it feels like I have no time for myself.  My days are spent DOING for other people, and I need to make time for me.  Blogging seems to give me that, so I really need to take the time and do a regular post.  I'm worth it.

It seems like a lot has happened since I last did a post.  Let's recap.

Thanksgiving.  It was soooo great this year.  Thanks to the lovely Pratt sisters for including us in your festivities.  Sure, we missed our families, but honestly, this was probably the most fun Thanksgiving I have ever been a part of.  It started early and ended late.  Lots of drinking, laughing, cooking, and eating.  Susannah and I made tshirts for everyone and girls dressed up like Indians and the boys like Pilgrims.  Not at all politically correct, but so fun nonetheless.  Munch dressed up like a bat...he likes to sing his own tune, what can I say. 

 Susannah and Peter...showing that Pilgrim who's boss

 Indian making biscuits

 Husband and Me

 Peter, the alpha male

 Susannah and me

 No words for this one

 This is the best family photo you get when you give a drunk indian your camera

 Full Kitchen

 The bat convinced many a people to hold him

Susannah giving Munch some tips on life and love

My camera broke, so from here on out, expect nothing but iPhone photos.  I'm working on getting a new camera, but for various reasons, I don't have one yet.  And just in case you were wondering, Best Buy sucks.  Everytime I see that stupid commercial about price matching, I want to punch someone in the face. 

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to switch to Christmas.  Garrett hung lights on our house this year which I am soo excited about.  We also bought a Christmas tree this year...and we have room for it...and so far, the dogs haven't knocked it over.  So, I was apprehensive to get a real tree, not gonna lie.  Garrett wanted one, so I entertained the idea.  If you know me, you'll know I'm a tad bit OCD about certain things...spacing is probably one of the biggest.  Some friends of ours laid their own bathroom tile and the grout lines gave me high blood pressure for god's sake.  The thought of having to pick a real tree with a side that laid perfectly enough to look at for a month...then the lights, oh the lights.  How would we ever get them spaced evenly...and the ornaments...nothing makes me cringe more than a tree with mismatched hand glued ornaments.  I'm going to make a terrible mom someday, I know.  Don't judge.  But anyway, I picked out a tree that is PERFECT.  Garrett strung those lights like an engineer, and did an awesome job.  I bought some lovely ornaments on the cheap.  So our tree totally looks like a Display tree and I couldn't be more pleased.  Best tree ever. Here's a pic...from the iPhone.  Sorry.

Other than that, I've been working, skiing, Christmas shopping, riding this handsome guy: 

Overall, life is pretty good right now.  Bring on the holidays!

Thanksgiving

This week is Thanksgiving.  I've never been a huge fan of this holiday, only because Americans have turned it into a day all about eating and spending DAYS slaving away behind a stove.  Don't get me wrong, I love food, but I wish Thanksgiving was more like when we were in elementary school, listing out all the things we're thankful for.  So, in honor of that, here are a few things I'm thankful for right now:

My husband...Best.Husband.Ever.

Munch's silly noises

Mogley's hugs

My Mom, Dad & Sister

My Mother and Father In Law, and my Sisters and Brother in Law

My niece and nephew

My wonderful, beautiful friends

My House
My Fireplace

My Job

My Paid off Cars

Jones, the Horse

Snow in the Winter

Date Nights

Girls Nights

Plentiful food

My Health

Running Buddies

Have a Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

Brittany's Favorite Things Round 2

One of my very favorite ETSY shops is Darlingtonia.  They make the cutest custom moccasins I have every seen.  I own the navy blue ones pictured above and adore them. They're crazy cute and super comfortable and I don't think I've ever received more compliments on a pair of shoes.  Go ahead and buy yourself a pair...you will not be disappointed.

This and That

Finally it's Friday.  And I could not be happier about this fact. 

Twice a year, I have this big thing I have to do at work.  It takes weeks of planning and stressing and phone calls.  It was yesterday and everything went great, but I would be straight up lying if I said I didn't almost have 3 strokes yesterday or almost break into my emergency vodka in my desk drawer.  Now I have 6 months to forget about it and do it all over again. 

We've had beautiful sunny weather all week.  A huge storm is supposed to roll in today and ruin all my weekend plans.  Dear Weather, WHYYYY?????

My birthday is in 20 days.  I will be 30.  Good God. 

My skis are in the process of being painted HOT PINK.  I am giddy with excitement. 

Thanksgiving is next week! I can't believe it's already that time of year again.  Garrett and I will be spending Thanksgiving with friends this year.  There is a lot planned for the turkey day festivities, some of which include screen printed t-shirts, feats of strength games, a lasagna cook-off and lots and lots of booze.  Right up my alley, can't wait!!

Speaking of the holidays, Christmas is just around the corner.  Finally, I have a home big enough to accommodate a Christmas tree.  Our old house, a tiny little bungalow, just did not have room.  It was actually one of the first things I mentioned when we made an offer on our new house...it will fit a REAL ADULT SIZED CHRISTMAS TREE!  Now the question is, real or fake.  I'm  torn but am leaning towards buying a fake pre-lit tree and here's why.  My one reason for wanting a real Christmas tree is the lovely smell.  That lovely smell, however, is replicated with the purchase of THIS candle.  A fake tree is easy to deal with, will last me for years and I don't even have to string the lights.  Oh and I'm 75% certain the first thing Munch would do is lift his cute little leg.

Enough rambling for one day.  It's Friday.  Have a great weekend everyone!

And since nobody enjoys a post without a photo, I'll leave you with this cute little guy.  Sleeping backwards in his bed...he is such a trend setter, that little Munch.

Brittany's Favorite Things

I am going to do some posts titled Brittany's Favorite Things.  It will be a little like Oprah's, only better.  Some items I already own, and LOVE.  Some items I would LOVE to own.  Get ready to get your WANT on. 

First up, Sorel Joan of Arctic Boots

As you can see from the crappy home photo, these babies are mine.  And I love them.  Like a lot.  Here's why:  They are 100% waterproof.  I live in the snow for too many months out of the year to not have a pair of waterproof boots.  They are also crazy warm, like keep my feet warm in the cold down to -25 degrees below zero.  Again, Park City is cold and if my dogs have any hopes of getting a walk in the winter, a warm boot is mandatory.  And last but certainly not least, these boots are pretty stylish in person, well as stylish as a waterproof, cozy warm boot is ever going to be.  Definitely not anything I EVER would have worn in Texas, but a Park City staple in my book.  So, go, buy them now.  Your feet will thank you.

My weekend according to my iPhone

I had several plans for this past weekend, all of which fell thru for one reason or another.  By one reason or another, I mean the weather.  And by weather, I mean snow.  Lots and lots of snow.

Here's a weekend recap according to iPhone:

Saturday morning Garrett got up at the crack of dawn and went fly fishing via drift boat with a friend of his.  He said he had fun but I'm not sure how anyone could have fun fishing in weather that necessitates gloves.  Munch and Mogs slept in with me.

We woke up to snow and it snowed the rest of the day.  Not the nice, fluffy stuff either. It was heavy and wet and just made a huge mess of everything.  I was planning to ride Jones but it was cancelled.

So I cleaned the house and the dogs laid around.  Fun...at this point, I was wishing I was fishing in gloves.  Just sayin.

I managed to get my act together and headed out in the snow.  I went to this great little boutique on Main Street in Park City, Olive and Tweed.  I bought 2 pair of ridiculous tights, which I LOVE and proceeded to wear for the rest of the weekend. 

Then I rented Bridesmaids from Redbox and watched it while Munch slept on my face. We were supposed to attend a party that night, but again, snow ruined the plan.  Garrett's trip home was rerouted due to a highway closure and he didn't get home until late.

Sunday was equally as exciting.  We cleaned the garage (this is the point when I'm realizing how terrible my weekend really was).  We can now fit both cars in the garage!! (this is the point when I realize what gets exclamation marks these days...and it's mildly depressing).  Garrett smoked a turkey for dinner.  This is him cleaning it and me sitting at the bar making remarks about how disgusting this process is.  See how helpful I am.

I REALLY hope next weekend is a bit more fun...like maybe we can wash the dogs or sweep the driveway.  A girl can only dream.

Friday

Finally it's Friday and the weekend is just around the corner.  Sorry for the lack of blogging this week.  I have been insanely busy with work.  I need a little weekend in my life.  Look who decided to come to work today with me...yeah, he's working pretty hard and his snoring is really helping me concentrate.  Thanks Munch.

Speaking of the weekend, I'm going to try my best and enjoy it.  There's only one problem, the weather.  Look what I'm up against.  You know you're jealous.

Big news in Salt Lake City today...H&M opens!!  I would go, but I'm fairly certain I would stand in line with hundreds of housewives lookin to get their style on for cheap.  Crazy crowds and a possible panic attack would not be worth scoring a pair of $20 pants.  On top of that, directly next door, a Crate and Barrel is also opening its big lovely doors today.  Wait to go Utah, it's about freakin time. Now if only we could get a Trader Joes, sans wine of course.

Ya'll have a great weekend.  Looks like snow so I hope to park it in front of the fireplace with my furbaby kinda like this:

When I look at the closeup of this picture, its horrifying. I'm not sure who has more spots on their face, me or Munch...at least his spots are adorable.

Jones

Riding Jones gives me a sense of clarity and appreciation for life that I so desperately need sometimes.  Something about being with him makes me feel calm and rejuvenated.  I know he's just a horse, but he really does bring out the best in me.

Today has been a rough day...not the worst, but not great.  I need a little Jones in my life right about now, but no go.  Thanks a lot TIME CHANGE.  You're totally crampin' my style.

Munch Master Chill

Munch Master Chill. 

I'd like to think that if my little bulldog were to ever take up a career as a rap artist, he'd take this name and wear a black leather jacket that said "Bitches Love Me." And then he'd come out with a hit song about our corrupt government or maybe one about all of his ho's.

Camping

This past weekend, we packed the dogs and half of our belongings and headed to Fruita, Colorado. If you like to mountain bike, go to Fruita. Like now. You will love it.

The real substance of this post, however, is less about Fruita and more about camping. Does any girl actually enjoy camping? Like in a tent, no showers camping. If she's out there, I'd like to meet her and then we can be BFF's. Seriously though, I don't get the draw, and I mostly blame this on my lack of camping as a child. We just didn't do it and I totally get why. My life would be just peachy if we never camped in fact, but there's one teeny problem...that husband of mine actually enjoys it. When I list out all of the reasons I don't enjoy the camping experience, my mind is boggled as to why he's not changing sides, b/c let's face it, my reasons are legit ya'll.

Here's a few:
1. Showers, or actually lack thereof. Generally our camping revolves around mountain biking. Mountain biking = sweaty and dirty. If we were at home, we would never in a million years go to bed without a shower. Just sayin. And my hair...oh my hair.

2. Tents. There is something about people in Utah that makes them think a backpacking tent is the only way to go, even if they are pulling their car right up to the campsite. These people must enjoy cramming in a tent with their dogs (yes, we all them and yes, they all sleep in our tents). We're all stuffed in there like sardines and my husband thinks it's fine. Perfect, I guess it would be fine at home if we slept in a twin sized bed. Right??

3. Stuff in dirt. No explanation needed.

4. Bathrooms, or lack thereof. Cause it's so great squatting in the trees or if we're really lucky, using an outhouse. Nothing makes you feel cleaner. Nothing better than waking up at 4 in the morning, needing to go, and spending the next few hours telling yourself it's not worth it.

5. Packing. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like packing for a camping trip will be the death of me. The list is miles long and the car has to be packed like a puzzle if we want to fit everything. It's overwhelming for me to even think about.

6. Sleeping Pads. Think Princess and the Pea. I can feel the pea.

I really could go on and on. And don't suggest a camper...I've tried. My husband has a list longer than mine for all of the reasons this does not make sense. I did, however, convince Garrett that we needed to buy a bigger tent, aka THE CAMP CONDO. One that would fit all of our stuff comfortably (including our new 4inch memory foam sleeping pads!!) and one where I could change clothes standing up, not laying down on the floor of chaos (sleeping bags, clothes, dogs, etc) trying to pry my pants up. I'm a reasonable girl, I really am. And I must say, camping was better this time around. BUT, it was still torture camping. It was still a vacation IN.THE.DIRT. My next vacation in the dirt better be sand and lounge chairs, and me in that lounge chair, with someone bringing me a daiquiri. Thanks Mom for teaching me right.

The dogs. I hate to say it, but they have taken after their father and love camping. I need another girl in my house, PRONTO.

Munch, very unhappy that I interrupted his exploring for a photo op.