two birds with one stone

Sorry that we have been MIA lately! Things are going really good at our house. So anyways, I thought that I would combine our 4th of July post and one of my simple pleasures post. I decided to do this because the other day I finished a post about what we did for the weekend and because we didn't have any pictures (we were too busy having fun to think about taking pictures) it was just a boring travel & activity log. So I thought it would be more interesting to combine the two. So here we go:

I

...This man for who he is, that he is my best friend and is such an example to me. I know I talk about this with everyone of these posts, but I truly just cant help it. It is always just at the forefront of my mind.

...making (BBQing) & devouring 4 racks of ribs (which were absolutely amazing) on the 4th of July with some of our best friends the Bennions as well as chocolate chip cookies, an amazing dessert called the Bomb (think brownies, vanilla & choclate pudding and snickers...) and my favorite Popsicles!

...(on that note) Edy's Fruit Bar Popsicle! They are amazing and I have yet to figure out which one is my favorite! So far lime and lemonade are running for first. They are SO good. I think they are my favorite dessert lately!
...going to the lake with the Bennions for the 4th of July weekend! We went on Thursday and on the 4th of July after dinner and it was so fun swimming in that nice water!
(I am not a huge fan of this picture I found on google but it will work for now until we get better pictures when we go back Saturday)

...coleslaw & mashed potatoes from KFC!! O man, delicious (why are all my simple pleasures about food?! haha)

...finding inspiration blogs like this one that make me realize how wonderful I have it on days where I might be stressed or overwhelmed. It's great having people in your life, even if it's just through blogs and you've never met who inspire you to be so thankful for your life and help you see how wonderful it really is. If you haven't checked out NieNie dialouges, you should.

...my new vacuum!! I decided that I am officially a homemaker because buying a new vacuum was the highlight of my week! Ours stopped working and so we decided it was high time to buy a new one and I LOVE IT! :)

...finding a new singer (Natasha Bedingfield) that Richard & I love! we love the same music, so that's not the cool thing. But I love finding good singers with good songs! I have heard of her before, but I was really introduced to her this weekend. These are our favorite songs:
I wanna have your babies
(it sounds bad, but its actually adorable. Watch the video that I linked to. It's even cuter)
Happy
Freckles
Unwritten
A love like this

Check them out! They are so fun, wholesome, uplifting and have great messages! It's so refreshing to find good singers! (In fact all of those songs except "A Love Like This" is on my second playlist at the very bottom of my blog)

...doing movie marathons! Starting the first day of the 4-day 4th of July weekend we started a Harry Potter marathon with the Bennions. We watched all 5 of the Harry Potter movies in preparation for the next movie coming out in a couple weeks! I think I might try to read the books before the next movie because I have never read any of them and I finished the Children of the Promise series recently and I need another series to read!

...avocado's, cilantro, lime, Jalapeno's and black beans. Seriously, I have been cooking a lot with them and they are so good! Like killer black bean & corn salad, white bean chili as well as homemade Jalapeno poppers etc. that are full of those yummy ingredients! So good. I am obsessed.
Image courtesy of Flickr

...sleeping in and especially sleeping in on the weekend! Because we were up so late watching the Harry Potter movies this last weekend (I did fall asleep early every night anyways and missed 2 of the movies) we slept in late this weekend and it was heavenly!

...The thunder & lightening storms that have been happening a lot lately! I love how hard the rain comes down and the sound of the thunder. I am one of those weird people who really enjoys that and gets really excited!

...that my family is coming to visit next week before we all head down to California for my sisters wedding!!! I am so excited that my sissy is getting married!! :)

...4-day weekends! This last weekend was so much fun and so relaxing! I loved having Richard around all the house without any school for the 4 day weekend! I sure miss him when he is class! I am so excited for the 7 week break when Richard isn't in class and we can spend all day together having fun!