Texas: Magnolia Market

MY TRIP TO TEXAS FINALLY CAME!  It did not occur to me that I should visit Magnolia Market in Waco until the day before I was planned to fly to Texas.  Eric and I both love watching Fixer Upper and both dream of living in Texas again one day and picking that area.  I've been home to Texas two other times since it opened, but never made plans to go and I don't know why!  I'm so happy it worked out this trip.  It was a blast.

The first thing you have to understand about Magnolia Market at the Silos is it is very well thought out.  The idea is genius.  The design is beautiful.  It has Joanna Gaines ALL over it.  I love the episode where she brings Chip to this location and tells him she has a dream for it.   It also happened to be the Silos Baking Company's one year birthday!  It was a HUGE celebration.  The balloons were magical! 

First, we walked around just taking it all in.  There is a huge pavilion with picnic tables, more shaded picnic tables, a stage, food trucks with yummy smelling food, and the recognizable grassy opening with swing sets and games.  This is what I loved the most.  You don't have to pay a thing to walk onto the ground of Magnolia Market.  It's a great family atmosphere to hang out and throw the football or frisbee (that are provided complimentary) with your family.  

Next, we checked out the store.  That was something else, especially if it's your style.  I did get a few things like a magnet (we're that couple that collects them) 😂 and a magnolia t-shirt and a mug! #souvenirs. 

It was hot and humid.  But no worries, they provided umbrellas for everyone to block the heat and provide shade.  Like what??  HOW THOUGHTFUL! 

I did not know that there was a garden as well.  It was charming and enjoyable to explore! 

The bakery was adorable.  I'm not one to stand outside in long lines, but come on, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try a cupcake.  I was amazed how quickly and efficiently the line moved into and through the bakery.  

And the BEST part... biting into this yummy cupcake.  I got the Birthday Cupcake and it was SO good.  I'd rather eat a chocolate cookie than a piece of cake or cupcake, so I was really surprised how much I did like it!   

Thanks Mom for taking me!  I will definitely take as many future trips back with friends and family.  

Recent Happenings and Changes!

Hello! I believe it's time for another catch up. Some of my excuses for not blogging include Texas, a wedding, graduating and moving to a new state. So those are all perfectly good reasons :) 

On March 12th my best friend, Alyssa, from high school got married to her high school sweet heart! It was the perfect excuse to fly to Texas for 5 days to finish wedding plans, catch up with friends and eat mexican food. Alyssa's bouquet was AMAZING and the wedding party made their own! It actually felt intimidating but turned out fun making mine. I just don't think I could professionally do that haha.

Since September 2015 we have taken a trip almost monthly to St. George.  The photos below were taken early February after we felt prompted to officially move to St. George and we were there looking for a home! If you've been to St. George you most likely can guess exactly where we are standing :) Not pictured is Easter weekend when we took a trip to St. George. The first full day there Eric felt so sick he requested to be taken to the Doctor and after a nasal swab we found out he had type B influenza. I'm so happy we caught it quickly and he started taking his medications so that he was better for our move the following week. But during that weekend I had a job interview and was offered it! I accepted and so far have been LOVING it. 

At the time of our decision to move I was in an online program to get my Bachelors degree in Nursing. I was working as a RN up to 60 hours a week with the demand of about 25 hours a week of school papers and projects. With the decision to move during this time saying I was stressed is an understatement. I was drowning. I'm so grateful that we were in a good place that allowed me to quit my job the first of March and focus on completing my online assignments as fast as possible and pack up our belongings. We had our official move on April 1st! Minus the stress leading up to it, the drive went smoothly and great. My feelings of leaving Rexburg were strange because I've spent the past 5 years there growing and changing as a person. Living in Rexburg for college gave me my best friends, my engagement to Eric and our first 2 years of marriage together there!

April 8th was graduation day and I officially have my BSN degree! Instead of walking across a stage, since I did that when I got my ASN degree, I treated myself to some ice cream. THIS is why I suddenly have free time. Only working three days of the week opens up a lot of possibilities of what I can do on my days off. Also, here's a little throwback to graduating with my ASN degree! :)

WE HAVE BEEN MARRIED 2 YEARS. WHAT?! We pampered our selfs as a way to say thank you to each other for putting up with one another. Haha just kidding :) Being married to Eric is the absolute greatest. He completes me and is my best friend. We had a very laid back day. After sleeping in, we enjoyed an incredible couples massage and pedicures at a day spa. If you want a good laugh watch Eric get his feet tickled during a pedicure. We then ate dinner at the Cliffside and enjoyed this gorgeous view from our table.

The most exciting change happening... Our future home! We have found and decided on a place to live here in the St. George area!! We are so in love with it. Obviously, it's being built! I'd say these next two months are my biggest test of patience. More updates and pictures on that to come! 

Randoms of Summer

I feel like anytime I lose interest in my little blog or I haven't posted in months I owe an explanation. So then I have no idea where to start! I figured this type of post would help me gather my thoughts best for an update. Sorry if it still seems all over the place! 

Loving: This summer. It's been so good to us. We've been living the life in Texas and having a great time. Things haven't gone absolutely perfect, but I am so happy we chose to live in Texas for the summer. In a way it has felt like a laid back summer... Even though we worked/studied/took test a lot. Haha I guess that's when you know it's been a good summer-when you worked a lot but know it's still been fantastic! 

Home; Dallas, TX

Looking forward to: I remember writing a post a while back about feeling "stuck" living in Rexburg, so far away from family and wanting a change. But now, Eric and I have been talking about how much we are missing our home there and are looking forward to returning! So I guess this summer move has been really great for us! :) And also... that Idaho weather will be so much better.

Working: I spent about 3 hours working on my resume and I still don't feel like it's good enough :/ Does that sound silly? I am applying for a new nursing job in Rexburg that will be long term for me. Fingers crossed! 

Laughing at: My first experience being stung by a wasp. Last weekend we were by the pool and I was stung... if you don't bother them they won't bother you, right?! No, I stepped on it and experienced (what I thought) was the worse, intensifying pain for about 3 minutes. 

Eric is trying to calm me and saying "Let me take a look at it so I can put some ice on it" 

But I would not let him look and kept saying "It's going to be bad!!" (because hello, it hurt)

When I finally let him put ice on it I asked "How bad is it??" 

He said nonchalantly "Oh it's just a tiny red dot." 

WHAT I thought my toe was falling off. He started laughing at my reaction.. I was mad that he was laughing when I was in pain.. then we were both dying laughing. I was perfectly fine 10 minutes later (thank goodness I'm not allergic). 

Planning: Something on our to-do list at the beginning of the summer was take a few camping trips. We received all of our gear as a Christmas present this past year... But who goes camping in the middle of summer in Texas? No one sane. We have an AWESOME camping trip planned when we return to Idaho! We have a week before the semester starts to cram in Idaho hiking and camping. 

Excited: Before we return to Idaho we are stopping in St. George for a WEEK. We are so excited to explore there, do some fun hikes and spend time with Eric's family! 

Appreciating: Beautiful mornings. I admit, since marriage I turned into NOT a morning person... But I started working at a summer camp and I left each morning a little after 6 am and it was like the quietness and sunrise made up for it. 

A little sad at: We finished watching The Office. Honestly, for years I was never a fan. I tried watching it once or twice and couldn't get into it. Then something changed. I pushed through the first 2-3 episodes in season 2 and I fell in love with it! We love The Office family and the last episode I cried. We are those annoying people who quotes The Office and makes jokes now.

Making: A Fall bucket list, because if you say fall isn't your favorite season you know you're slightly kidding yourself. I love all the things Idaho has to offer in the Fall time.

Experiencing: The excitement for structure. I'm excited for our new routine to start. I can feel myself becoming more organized as the summer ends. I have already made a packing list for next week and a list of things to get done when we return to Idaho before the school year starts... Eric thinks I'm weird. 

Grateful for: My husband sticking by my side this summer! He is the best and I could elaborate much more in another post.. or maybe 5 other ones. I love him!

Realization: Well, I've realized a few things from writing this. We have loved this summer and Texas. But we can't wait to go back to Rexburg. I am ready for routine and structure. But I am going to miss how flexible the summer has been and the adventures we went on. Mixed feelings! haha 

Home Sweet Dome

There's just something about your home state- am I right? Or maybe it's our Texas pride :)

I've been living in Idaho now for four years and after getting married to Eric, who was also attending college (I've graduated) in Idaho, I figured we would be living there another 4 years! But plans can always change!

I explained in this post that Eric and I went to Texas for six weeks and helped his family
get ready to move and drive to St. George. Those six weeks were so fun.

After living out of our suitcases we are finally settling down for the rest of the summer... back in Texas!
After Eric had been working on the ranch the idea was presented to us to live on the
ranch (rent free) where Eric would continue working and I would look for a nursing job.

Honestly, when I dwell on thinking about living in Idaho when 98% of our family is in Texas, it makes us feel "stuck" and homesick. We have loved living in Idaho the first year of our marriage, but this is a very welcoming change for the next 3 months. I never thought we would have the opportunity to live on the ranch, but now it's definitely weird that we'll be living there and his family won't be there with us! Good thing my Mom lives here and so does Eric's brother with his sweet family!

The funnest part... We live in a Dome!

I would be surprised if you've seen these before haha! It is deceiving on the outside and actually has a lot of room! I can't wait to post pictures of the inside soon. It has two bedrooms, complete kitchen, w/d, a/c (a must in Texas heat) and 1.5 bath... with weird ceilings to get used to. I am super excited to have this be our own place and not live in an apartment complex surrounded by so many neighbors! Over the past six weeks Eric and I have both discussed how much we miss our little home in Rexburg, we will be returning to it in September and until then I'm excited to make our home here. 

Texas for a Month, St. George for a Weekend

(very long post ahead!) 

Story Time: 

Once upon a time it was Christmas 2014! Eric and I drove straight from Rexburg, Idaho to Dallas, Texas (our home state).. a 24 car ride. Never-mind that horrific long car ride because WE WERE SO EXCITED! And I didn't blog about any of our trip. It was a glorious two weeks home visiting both of our families because they live 30 minutes apart! 

Eric's family has lived on a large ranch for 16 years. Over the years I've been there many times for church activities and it's just known as the "Johnson Ranch". When we started dating we would go on four wheeler rides, fishing and horseback riding!  

The ranch has been for sale and when we were there for Christmas there was someone very interested and it looked like it was going to sale. We thought that may be the last time we would get to see the ranch and I took a ton of pictures- and didn't post any of them. oops. 

Then the ranch sold! With six weeks until the big move, our semester of school was ending. Eric was homesick + wanted to see the ranch once last time... But more importantly was looking for a full time job. Plans went into action quick! The new owner + manager of the ranch thought Eric was a great asset to the ranch- he already knew how to work all the machinery and tools and move cattle! Eric left right after our one year anniversary and started working full time on the ranch. Honestly, he's good at it. I admire Eric for his work ethic. He's not afraid of some sweat and to get extremely dirty. He grew up working there and he knows hard, long days of work.  

The exciting part was when I got to fly to Texas! Eric had already been there for three weeks when I got to join and be there for another three weeks. There was lots to clean out and 300+ boxes to pack! I'm really glad and grateful we had the opportunity to go! The day came to load the moving truck (took two days) and horse trailers. The caravan consisted of the moving truck and 3 other cars- pulling 2 horses, 4 dogs and a trailer of more things. With the stops for the horses to drink water and my two little nieces with us to get out to walk around, we did the drive in 24 hours to St. George, Utah! After being awake for 38 hours with 4-5 hours of sleep in the car we had made it to the new house and everything was unloaded! I caught up on glorious sleep.  

So I've never been to St. George... and I LOVED it!! The weather was awesome. I thought a lot of parts were pretty (I wasn't sure how I'd like the red rock and dirt). It looks like living there has so much to offer and would be a blast! We all enjoyed the weekend together. Every family member was there except for my brother in law serving a LDS mission in Washington! He was missed. It felt like a mini vacation/reunion hanging out with one another! I can't wait to go back for a visit.  

So what have we been up to the past 6 weeks?!

When I showed up my skin was pasty white from living in Idaho for too long and Eric was 49385729 shades darker already! 

Home in time for my Mom's 30th birthday! ;) She's the best and it was SO much fun surprising her- she had no idea I was coming to Texas. Even if she thought me calling her from the front porch was actually someone trying to break in... haha. We've had fun shopping trips and getting our nails done!

FINALLY REUNITED WITH MY HUSBAND AFTER 3 WEEKS! 

Sooo, three weeks is a long time. I felt I might go crazy.. I've never actually lived 'on my own', I've always had family, 5 other roommates or my husband to come home to! But we made it!! A lot of our nights looked like this. Eric dead tired after working a long day and making sweet time to facetime me. Or fall asleep.

After Eric picked me up at the airport and we annoyed every stranger there with our gushing over seeing one another, after we drove to surprise my mom, after we picked up whataburger (classic)... I thought we were headed to the ranch when Eric whips out our hotel key card for the night. I love this man. And what a great, unexpected surprise.

I was so ready to get my tan on when I got to Texas but it stormed EVERY day and was so dark and cloudy. Did you hear about the flooding in Dallas? The amount of rain and crazy storms was high! I don't remember any other time of year like this.  At least there's a beautiful rainbow after the storm passes! Then it dropped to like 65 degrees at the end of May.. what? I never got to jump in the pool.

Typical to wake up the next morning and a tree's down and the weather app consistently looking like that. 

Going for a four-wheeler ride in between rain storms to check out some streams filling up!

Mother's Day was perfect and I got to spend it with my favorites. We had a great dinner all together at my husbands home. My sister is in school at BYUI.. can you tell my mom missed her? Even though this evening was spent in the storm shelter as a storm came through and waiting for the tornado warning to be over, it was still so much fun!! 

PUPPIES EVERYWHERE! There were four that were found on their road abandoned. Seriously, who does that? My Mother in-law took them in to bathe and feed. I find comfort in knowing they each went to good homes, but oh they were so fun to have around and play with! 

Eric's family also has always had Australian Shepherds. Growing up my family also had one named Lizzie! They've had as many up to 9 at once. They are the BEST dogs! 

Typical hard, dirty day of work. 

Genius idea.. sell all of your furniture so you don't have to move any! This moving truck was filled from top to bottom, back to front with boxes. And it only took an hour to unload it all! 

Eric and our brother in law were in charge of driving the moving truck from Dallas, Texas to St. George, Utah... after only being able to go 20 mph up all the hills and mountains Eric needed a huge break and he's a little traumatized haha.. he doesn't care for Penny the Penske. 

Lots of pool time and family knockout basketball games in St. George!

I thought this welcome mat was very appropriate ;) 

All of my in-laws minus one who is on a LDS mission. They are a pretty awesome bunch! I lucked out!

We are back in our apartment in Rexburg... We're laughing because now it feels like we're on vacation because we're not living with 5-10 other people like we have been for the past 6 weeks haha! I love our life together and all of our family!! 6 days until my Mom comes to visit my sister and I in Rexburg! 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My goodness. I can not explain enough how much I am loving this holiday season.
And this much needed break.
We left our home in Rexburg on December 19th for Texas.. And we're still here!
I am so grateful both of our families live 45 minutes apart. Sometimes it is hard splitting time, but for the most part it's the best of both worlds. We have been so busy with family!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend it with close friends and family! 

I was super happy with these family cards, our first ones as a married couple!
This year has been PACKED! From engagement, to wedding, to graduation, to vacations, to newlywed life.
We are looking forward to 2015!

A moment to always remember

The first look. This was such a fun and relaxed day! Eric and I flew home to Texas a few days before the wedding, but on separate flights. It took him all day to get home when my flight was quick. The next time we got to see each other was when we were all dressed up to meet one another for a surprise look. Why we chose to do this? It took so much stress off of the wedding day! We were sealed in the Dallas Texas Temple and we focused on the sealing and our family there with us for our special day. We also took a ton of fun photos at the Temple, I'm dying to get those pictures back! Enjoy! :) 

annnnnnnnnd, my favorite photo capturing a moment to always remember.

Photography: Mae Rachelle Photography