Friday, August 31, 2012

new in town

this week we put our pink kitchenaid to use! {maybe my favorite kitchen item}
we made some yummy chocolate chip cookies and took them around to all of our cute neighbors in our apartment building...it was fun, but i realized that maybe this is more of a utah thing, because while most people were sweet and gladly took the warm homemade cookies, they all seemed a tad surprised and a maybe little confused that people were at their door with treats..ha. but don't worry, this didn't stop us-- i'll gladly spread some utah neighborly love any day.
the world needs more of it!
i am thoroughly obsessed with this pink kitchenaid, and especially the clear bowl! 
go make someone's day {and maybe surprise them a little}
by dropping by some treats or just saying hello!
xo

do you know your neighbors well?
what is your favorite treat to take to others?
any favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes to share?

Thursday, August 30, 2012

go utes

today i am missing home more than ever...
why? because it is the opening football game for
the university of utah.
i grew up with utah football and spent the best college days at the U,
so this is literally the first year of my life i'm not there. it feels like
missing christmas! at least husband and i are both huge fans who will
stay utes forever! to make ourselves feel better about missing game day,
we are repping our gear (see my ute earrings below) and luckily we 
joined the U of U- bay area alumni chapter so we have fellow fans to
watch the game with today! it will be fun to watch here in california, but
nothing will compare to the tailgating, the sound of the crowd, the smell of
kettle corn, and clapping along to the school song in rice-eccles stadium.
"so fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky, we'll 
fight for dear old crimson for a utah man am i..."
ki yi! GO UTES
some U of U earrings i'm wearing today in honor of my utes!
we love our alma mater!
maybe these will help me feel better about missing the game today?

 we love you, U of U
xo

what team/ school is nearest and dearest to your heart?
which sports do you like watching the most?

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

i love him because...

what kind of a man did i marry?
one who insists on always doing the dishes
and says it is the man's job.
i cook, he cleans. always.
i'm a lucky girl! xo


what household chores do you dread?
which ones do you enjoy?

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

teach for america

time for a little update on our current jobs...
have you heard of  
we are both corps members in this organization, and it is already one of the craziest
but best experiences we've had. teach for america is a national organization which
recruits top college graduates their senior year of high school to take 2 years and teach in low-income, high-need schools around the U.S. 

neither of us studied education in college or planned to teach, but TFA looks for people who are pre-law, pre-med, pre-business etc...and recruits them to teach before going on to those endeavors. we are so lucky we both got into this program and got into the region we wanted: the bay area.
over 50,000 college grads apply each year, and around 4,500 get in- so we are lucky!
plus, i will be able to get my master's degree during this 2 years which is amazing.
then chase will plan on going to law school after this.
here are a few pictures from our experience so far...
i'm teaching high school 10th and 11th grade (guided studies and government)
chase is teaching 7th grade math.
i'm also the tennis coach at my high school, which is busy but fun!
in our classrooms!
 
husband in his cute teacher clothes
 
a glimpse of being the tennis coach
one of my favorite students named rowe
loyola marymount university: my grad school!

we are happy to be part of this movement and ready for a memorable two years!
i think everyone can agree that where a child is born should not determine their academic future, and we are part of the organization which is trying to close that achievement gap!

Learn more from the website:
Teach For America is developing a movement of leaders who will help drive change at every level of our education system toward the goal of closing the achievement gap. These leaders start their paths as corps members, helping students in high-need communities make the academic progress that expands their opportunities. Deeply affected by their teaching experience, our alumni continue to advocate for students and build lasting change in many different roles and fields.

We believe that providing a great education for all is the most effective means of ensuring equal opportunities for everyone. All kids in this country deserve the chance to reach their full potential. Educational opportunities should not be determined by your family’s income or the neighborhood in which you live. 

have you ever been involved in education?
who was your favorite teacher you've ever had?

xo

**ps.. if you're a teacher, check out these great teacher discounts!

Monday, August 27, 2012

things we loved about summer

25 reasons we loved summer 2012

1. peaches
2. the london olympics
3. living by the beach together our first summer married
4. getting married & honeymooning in jamaica
5. sparklers
6. grilling
7. homemade ice cream
8. runs on the beach
9. homemade cookie sandwiches
10. visits from family
11. breezy skirts
12. string lights
13. freckles
14. bike rides
15. poppies
16. finding cafe rio in california
17. outdoor movies
18. meeting ashton kutcher on an LA movie set
19. california sunshine
20. fresh tomatoes from the farmers market
21. hiking to the hollywood sign
22. palm trees
23. a birthday weekend in laguna beach
24. coconut popsicles
25. starting our marriage just the two of us on the coast
xo

Sunday, August 26, 2012

sunday notes

dear sunday, you are slowly replacing thursday as my favorite day of the week.

dear trader joe's, thanks for stocking our kitchen this week.

dear husband, grocery shopping is so much more fun with you.

dear 5ks, we need to run you more often!

dear bike, i loved taking you out for your maiden voyage this week.

dear pluots, you are our new favorite fruit.

dear living away, one of your biggest perks is the new friends we've already made.

dear football season, we are SO ready for you.

dear banana pancakes, you are the only kind of pancake i like.

dear crepes, thanks for being part of this week's date night.

dear morning swims, you are the best way to wake up in the morning.

dear new ward, we lucked out.

xo

Saturday, August 25, 2012

life lately...

what we've been up to..
it's always a good day when husband brings
fresh sunflowers home for our kitchen

we signed up for a 5k and somehow ended up
doing pretty well! i got 1st in my age group, and
husband got 2nd in his! (behind a guy who ran in college)

{a few updates from left to right}
1. got our own c&e wifi network!
2. looking for a new workout? chase found the craziest 
climbing machine at the gym called "jacob's ladder"
3. my first week teaching a government class with teach for america!
4. major grocery shopping this week to stock up
5. best date night to san pedro square
6. saturday night was spent strolling downtown san jose, getting to know it better.
7. we love this rooftop deck on top of our apartment building.
8. took my new fixed bike out for her maiden voyage to the farmer's market!
9. loved discovering this place and dancing to friday night jazz music

life is good! xo

Friday, August 24, 2012

what we eat

now that we're finally moved into our own place 
we're cooking a lot...so here is the week's recap of 
what we ate.
{links to some recipes included!}

parmesan crusted kale chips...best healthy snack!
RECIPE here

sweet potato black bean burritos- our favorite meal!
RECIPE here 

we got a tip to try this lunch spot downtown
and it turned out to be a good one! all of their 
sandwiches are made on fresh, warm homemade 
sourdough bread so that is the best part!
my kind of weekend breakfast...nutella
banana waffles with an avocado egg scramble
our ward had a chicken cook off on saturday, so i
found a "melt-in-your-mouth chicken" recipe for it..
 it turned out so moist! just go easy on the spices.
RECIPE here
{the cooking process from start to finish}
white mac & cheese
{ingredients from trader joe's}
fresh raspberries from whole foods..
made even better by the cute porcelain 
berry strainer i just got from c&b!
..we also use this porcelain milk jug from c&b..
we just pour our milk in it and use it all week!
it keeps it cold and feels old fashioned
we also discovered the BEST fruit hybrid at the farmer's 
market this week..the pluot. it's a mix between a plum and 
an apricot and we are obsessed. we bought a lot for the week!
stocked with lots of other fresh fruit
yummy swiss/turkey/tomato panini made on ciabatta bread
we discovered these amazing coconut soy bars from whole foods
this week...and we already have to go get more! try them!!!!!
last but not least, i was a happy girl when our date night
included my very favorite food: crepes..yummm!

ate well this week!

xo

what were some of your favorite recipes of the week?
do you find yourself cooking more, or eating out? 

Thursday, August 23, 2012

the best kind of visitors

it was so fun to have my parents come in town to visit
last week. it worked out perfectly because we had just
moved in to our new apartment, so they were able to see 
our new place & bring us some extra things we had left at home. 
we had the best time in the city & loved showing them our new 
place in the south bay!
we couldn't resist a few pictures on this hill
by coit tower...so scenic and SO san francisco!
cute parents
banana pancakes at mo's grill in SF- yum
walking the steep hills after breakfast
my favorite people
we all loved browsing this cute store. we had to make
ourselves leave, otherwise we could have stayed all day!
COIT TOWER
the classic drive down lombard street
we had a fun morning in the city before
heading to the oakland temple for a wedding!
gorgeous temple
 
these two were good sports helping 
carry all the flowers for the wedding
love the view across the bay from the hills of oakland
later we made a stop in berkeley
leave it to these two to find the best hot dog place in town
they are really good-- highly recommended. the biggest difference
is the sesame seed french bread they use as a bun...yum! plus,
the mustard is so unique and oh-so delicious. good find boys!
 
and of course we had lots of treats...my mom and i
might have had 2 yogurtlands within an hour
{go try their salted carmel pecan flavor ASAP!}
we also had fun exploring los gatos and playing some games
of corn hole at a picnic our friends hosted. look at my
dad and chase in their twinner outfits!!
last but not least we all enjoyed going to
paige & korey's wedding at stanford the last night.
wedding fun
it's always sad to say goodbye, but
thanks for the visit mom & dad! we love you!