homework burning

this Thanksgiving, I won't be at home. Travis & I have decided to chill with ourselves this year (actually, our funds decided for us. but that's beside the point). I was okay with not being in Arizona this year. That is, until I realized that I am the only person not going to be there. The cruel revelation!!!
Ugh. It's just wrong. Plus, Travis & I not being in Arizona means we miss out on things like this:

homework burning. awesome. me not being there is just plain wrong.

lauren

candlelight

dinner by candlelight at home

is far more fun than it is romantic. 

i wouldn't have it any other way.
love lauren

a commandment

t & i took a day trip to phoenix

but when we got to otto's hungarian eats... it closed a half hour ago. what. the. lame.
i'm still getting used to the short hair, and T & i both firmly believe that QT is a blessing no arizonan should take for granted. ever.
verily verily i say unto you.
amen.

lauren

pancakes are an anniversary food.

it was my parents' anniversary a few weeks ago, so t & i woke up super early & made them a fancy breakfast!! i had a fabulous idea for their pancakes... i was a major fan of how they turned out! 

congratulations on 23 years of trial & error mom and pops!
thanks for teaching me what love really is ♥

love lauren

a sweet face

i like swimming with this boy best. 

travis in town

finally! a week of arizona passed and i got to pick up travis from the airport. is it totally lame that i was nervous? i got all glammed up {well, semi glammed up. it was 115 after all} and applied my glossiest lip gloss. then i reapplied. then i sang really loud in the car to distract me from wondering why i was nervous to pick up my husband of a year. i just really missed him you guys!

he was all smiles & muscles, as usual.

i can always count on him.

tee ty stole travis from me right quick when we got back to the house.
i couldn't argue, i mean, they even matched!

love lauren

game night

game night at my home consist of fun, laughter, and physicality. we aren't exactly one of those touchy feely hug families, but game night will always include the occasional bum-slap, playful punch to the arm, or full body tackle.  throwing one another into the pool is also a favorite past time.
xo lauren

pedicures, pals, and pails... of ice cream.

while in arizona, the women folk in our family got our nails d-d-did. girl talk about the future, the past, and whatever the hecks we wanted ensued. nothing better than getting your feet rubbed by a talented asian helper with your favorite females to welcome a girl home!

don't tell nicole that her bum made it on my blog. i found this photo on my camera & was like, "whoa. my sis has a nice booty!" just thought i'd share it with you!

after pedicures, we went to Mesa FroYo for a treat. and although i realize there are many delicious froyo places on this earth, you will never convince me any are greater than mesa froyo. something about it just hits home. {smile}




& to my surprise i was on the wall of the shop! at least, my senior prom group was. no idea how it got there, but i walked out of the place feeling a little more famous than when i walked in.

more arizona excitement to come!
xo lauren

sister swim

travis & i just came home from the most amazing vacay in arizona. i absolutely loved seeing my sweet family and breathing that hot hot arizona heat. the second i got back to family house, i shimmied my bum into a swimsuit & canon-balled into the pool with my sibs.it's the arizona way.
don't i have the prettiest sisters?

my cute bro Tee Ty with his little friend "Riverbiscuit". Tyler is a big bad Kindergardener this year! I asked him how he liked school & he answered, "Well, the prettiest girl in my class is Quinlynn". Hahaha that's my boy!

Nicole just turned 22 and is in the nursing program at BYU. she's basically hotter than anyone you've ever met. ever.
seriously, we managed to swim every night while in AZ.i just adore my sibs!
i was gone for two weeks, but travis only came for the second week i was there. {hello, somebody's gotta work!} i missed that boy while i was gone. i missed not being able to kiss a man whenever i wanted and not being able to laugh at the things he says... he says the darndest things!
i have officially learned that absence really does make the heart grow fonder,and that i need to appreciate that hunk of greatness that i have just a little more.
peace & lovelauren

home has been lovely.

today i lunch'ed at in-n-out 

& i wore a cute top.

top: consignment | belt: thrifted | jeans: anaheim flea market | flips: payless

also, it's my brother's fifth birthday today. 

trav & i snuck out of bed super early this morn

to blow balloons & hang streamers & create a birthday surprise. it was so. fun.

we also baked a cake

& it was fun.

can't wait for tee-ty's party tonight!

peace & love

i am not wearing snow boots

in boise, a foot of snow is glittering the ground. 

in paradise, it is sunny & beautiful & makes me want to sip water out of a fancy glass in the backyard.

mmmm mama loves a good vacation.

i packed absolutely nothing but my unmentionables for this christmas trip,

so i get to help myself to my sister's closet. hurray for sharing!

sweater: target | sundress: target | belt: burlington| slips: payless | headband: blossom boutique

isn't she cute??

heather is my very favorite 15 year old person.
i love her because she laughs at every thing i do, & makes me feel good.
even this:

i know. she's a saint.

by the way. trav & my wedding was featured over here, check it out if you wanna!

ariZIONa

oh hey. 

i'm home sweet home in my lovely arizona. 

trav & i are totally soakin up the sun.

we spent all of sunday in the airport 

idea credit to me+him

because our flight was delayed.
& delayed again.
& then we missed it.
& then we got another flight two hours later,
& then that one was delayed.
i love airports.

it has become tradition to hit up QT first thing once in arizona.
oh. my. gosh. i feel like i cannot fangirl enough about this perfect gas station from heaven.
well, maybe i can.

my best friendie nate picked us up from Sky Harbor.
& he hooked me up with an ipod nano for christmas
& when he sneezes, jelly beans come out.
what i'm trying to say is, nate rocks.

i'm wearing flip-flops today!
wooohoooo!


peace&love

guess who's here?

yeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

i gots my man back.

trav & i have been ultra busy this week.

so many busy people things to do!

& oddly enough, the only thing we've put off is getting the marriage license.

and umm... something tells me that's kinda important.

fail.

anyways, we'll be busy again today-- hurray!

oh! & for your reading delight, my room-girl madiSON wrote out mine & trav's relationship from her point of view. she's kick ace. you'll enjoy, i think!

last Sunday as a single lady!

& i'm enjoying it ♥

ya ya!

basically let me just say that i love the young women in my ward.

i was laurel president basically all of my two years there,

and gained such a love for each of those tiny princesses.

i feel like their mommy & they make me smile!

so, i want them in my wedding.

as my Tiny Wedding Waitresses!

i made them presh aprons to wear, wanna see?

 

i stopped in to Young Womens today & sent around a sign up sheet,
saying that i could only take 4 girls but it'd be great to get some stand-by's.
& when i got the sheet back,
it was completely filled.
front & back.
i love my young women ♥

this coming week is going to be THUH best. EFF-ERRRRR! Gahhhhhhhh i can't wait!

Trav gets in to Mesa tomorrow at 4ish pm.

do you know what that means?

that means at 4pm when you look at your clock and wonder, "gee, i sure hope there is some happiness in the world right now!"

never fear.

because there IS. and basically all the world's happiness will reside in me.

tiny though i am, i can hold a heckofuh lot of happiness.

because tomorrow at 4ish pm,

i get to hold hands with the man of my dreams again.

& i kinda can't wait!

i got my G's

& they feel goooooood.

i loved everything about today

oh. my. goodness.

i just loved everything about today!

here's me, fresh out of the distribution center.

the smile is for every good feeling i had trying temple dresses.

the thumbs up is for the BEST shopping experience of my life!

minus the ring shoppin.

that was also hecka tight.

& here's my twin brovs & i.

our first time through those revolving doors!

as twins, we share kinda everything.

today was the sweetest thing we've ever shared between us.

oh how i adore this gospel!

 my testimony has been strengthened a hundredfold

& tonight i've learned even more of this gospel i hold so dear.

great balls of fire.

i can't wait to go back. 

again, and again.

the church is true.

the church is TRUE.

& i know it, with everything that i am.

trav & i are going to the temple every tuesday from now till the end of time.

basically.

{giggle & GRIN}

i go through the temple this week

Tuesday! to be specific.

{i love to see the temple. i'm going there someday}

today i had my temple recommend interview with my stake president.

it went well! {victorious smile}

before i left the office, my stake president signed his signature on my very first temple recommend- signifying his witness of my worthiness. as he signed, he was all business.

i was all emotion.

i've been preparing myself my entire life to enter the temple.

and now my time has come, and i'm worthy.

i'm worthy!

i qualify for additional blessings, knowledge, and covenants in this life.

all of which will start this tuesday. oh how i adore tuesdays.

my worthiness is an eternal question, but for now-- i'm good to go.

i think of this as a triumph.

i love to see the temple.

i'm going there, tuesday.

{smile filled with all the hope & joy i can muster}

birthday review

yesterday, andrew & i turned nineteen.
birthdays aren't that big of a deal in my house, sometimes i just have to make it special myself.

i woke up at 6 in the am to this,

to go here,

arizona is an absolutely power ranger place to be in the early morning.

best sunrises, anywhere!

going to the temple was the most fabulous thing i could think of to kick off muh birthday.

{smile}

heather is such a lovely sister for not moaning tooooo much as i pinched her till she got out of bed,

i couldn't have asked for a better sista.

sorry, no full-on presh sister pictures this morning,

post baptism hair + 6am does nothing for physical appearance.

then pool hopping with these ladies was THE SALSA! so fun!

our tan lines are a little too sexy, i know.

here's me & brovs for our birthday lunch!

yes we ARE related,

no i am NOT on my knees.

anyway,

we went to a mexifood place to celebrate our existence

unfortunately i could only stuff my jaws with the kickace queso dip before i had to go to work.

but really.

KICKACE queso dip.

imagine every happy thought you've ever had mixed into a small, heavenly, bowl of cheese.

excellence.

night-time brought me a synchro meet.

i honestly could not think of a better way for me to celebrate {giggle}

that chinese fan was hard to open.

don't worry about it.

a few of my gorgeous girls got me a fluffy, purple tiara for my day,

 because i'm obsessed with becoming a princess.

it's a healthy obsession, i swear.

i loved my tiara.

so. FLUFFY!!

oh oh & mama got me a cute cupcake!

red velvet with a frosting rose a top. yummmmmmm!

& the best ending ever?

coming home from a long day to this

best 19th birthday yet?

yes sir.

best part, this is the last one i'll have to spend without trav.

yay me! ♥