colee & michael

my beautiful big sister got married. please gaze upon her beauty.

the beauty thereof is great. 

photography by annie randall

{she did our bridals too. we love us some annie.}
xo lauren

Colee & Michael's Wedding Day

because you can't be in love without an ampersand!!

the men in my family are so dashing, aren't they?

yay bridesmaids! i love being a bridesmaid!
especially being a matron of honor. {fun fact: you're not allowed to be called a "maid of honor" if you are married and have birthed a child. how matronly of me.}
but i really do love it.

if  YOU are getting married, and you need an extra bridesmaid, i'm your girl. 

you think i'm kidding but i'm not. 

this is the single best photo in the world. 

HA! colee's face is amazing like whoa.

yep..... this happened.

books, music & cookies. that's what makes up a colee! 

{& dr. pepper but that doesn't make a very pleasing centerpiece}

smack dat.

my matron of honor speech! 

i love all forms of public speaking.

i also love all forms of colee+michael so this was a win-win.

& the night kicked off with a whole lotta dancing. 

nicole was an efy counselor & she totally owns line dancing. 

favorite part of the night for sure {smile}

I LOVE THESE TWO!!

xo lauren
check out mine & trav's wedding here

christmas 2012

so now that it's almost the end of january and everything, i thought it would be the perfect time to blog about christmas. i'm all about making the christmas cheer last as long as possible, apparently. the t&l family spent christmas in beautiful, bright arizona with my family this year! the highlights were definitely seeing les mis with my sisters & mom at the very last minute ("RUN!! RUN!!!") eating my oma's annual red beet soup on christmas eve (and annually spitting it into a napkin when oma isn't looking) seeing millie mae in her darlign little christmas pajamas, and making my mom cry when i gave her the personalized family calendar i made for her. i think my new goal for christmas time is to make her cry. it's not hard to make moms cry so why not!
by the way, this is the photo i used for the cover of her calendar. a complete family photo of my family didn't exist at the time so i photoshopped in travis, michael (my brand spanking new brother-in-law!) and little mills.
we took new family photos shortly after christmas... but i think this one will go down in history as "most awesome like ever".

MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!
xo lauren

a quick trip

a few weeks ago t & i made a quick trip to utah to attend a little manager's meeting for sammy's.
we got there tuesday afternoon, hit the meeting, met up with some family & a few friends and were home by wednesday night! the quickest trip ever.
can i just say, i love road trips with that hunk of burnin' love i'm married to.
i cherish the four uninterrupted hours of hand-holding and memory lane strolling. it's THE ULTIMATE. on this particular road trip we talked all about our personal versions of teen dating & highschool. did you know that when travis was a big bad senior, i was just a little freshman? how cute is that! if we had gone to highschool together, i think i would have been WAYYYY too nervous to ever talk to him. SWOON.

here are a few photos from the trip:

visiting trav's favorite companion from the mish. {please note: if any of his other companions are reading this... i didn't mean it.}

baby jackson liked my tummy very much, we're thinking an arranged marriage is in their future.

we met up with sister colee for a lunch date at tucanos! WE. EAT. MEAT.


sisterly love is one of the best kinds of love, after all.
xo lauren

my mom is cooler than your mom.

i hate saying that. "my mom is cooler" or "my dad is cooler" or "my dog is cooler". because i know that each of us has a fantastic mother or father {or dog?} that we love and admire completely. but today guys, today my mom really is cooler. she's the coolest. she's the biggest inspiration ever and i am going to shout her props from the rooftops.


my mom lost 100lbs. {i believe she's lost 115 now}
can you believe that? over one hundred pounds! that is one of the very hardest things for a person to do, and she did it. her hard work has really paid off. my dad too, he's down some 70 something pounds and still going strong.
my parents have always been overweight. it really wasn't ever something i thought about growing up. they were just my parents and i loved everything about them! but now, WOW. it is so amazing to see how much their countenances have changed. they are so excited and ready for anything in life. really zesty you know? i guess i can't really explain it.
my mom wrote out a list on her blog, 100 things about being 100 lbs lighter. please read it! it is amazing what an effect being overweight can have on your body, a good motivation for anyone.

the moral of the story is, i am so proud of my mom {and dad} and CAN'T WAIT to be JUST LIKE HER!!!
xo lauren

sunny sun sun

hello from california!

t & i are loving this time in cali with family and fun! we just spent all day at the beach with a bag of tortilla chips and queso dip, and i peed in the ocean!!!
i also got kicked out of family beach volleyball, for being "too intense for a pregnant lady".
but like i said, i peed in the ocean. so the day was definitely a success.
enter my shabby apple giveaway!

feeling palmy

tomorrow, t & i {and t's parents} will be in sunny, fabulous, MESA AZ!! i am always super ecstatic at the chance to go home for a visit. i like to see what's changed and what hasn't, and just be with those peeps i love so much. and it doesn't hurt that we'll be spending the majority of the week laying out on huntington beach!!
i. love. summer.

xo lauren