Valentine's Day

I have to say that yesterday was definitely the best Valentine's Day I've ever had. We decided not to get each other any big gifts or do anything extravagant (since we're saving for a puppy) - but it turned into the most perfect low-key night. 

However, I did happen to mention to Erik that I wouldn't hate it if he got me some flowers, to which he promptly replied, "Flowers are too cliche on Valentine's Day."

But apparently he was joking because these showed up at my office around 2pm:

You'd think I'd have learned by now how to tell when he's being sarcastic - but it sure was a sweet surprise. 

After work I rushed home and put out a ton of candles and set up a little picnic on our living room floor. Then Erik brought home our delicious dinner from Macaroni Grill, opened a bottle of Martinelli's, and popped in The Notebook (which was his idea by the way...and can we just talk about how much that movie makes me bawl!?). 

Oh, and I almost forgot! Erik had to open his present. 

It may not look like much but these are three of his very favorite things. He was pretty excited. 

I really snagged myself a great guy. He even liked The Notebook! Like I said before, our night was nothing extravagant, but it was exactly what I wanted. I'd rather spend a night at home with Erik than do just about anything else. He really is my perfect match. 

Instalife

1. Forcing Erik to take a picture with me 2. New Ray-Bans 3. Salt Lake Temple 4. Diet coke with lemon 5. Fish Tacos at Loco Lizard in Park City 6. My folks at Loco Lizard 7. Me at The Store in Midway 8. Erik's famous grilled cheese sandwiches 9. Erik at Zupas 10. Me at Zupas 11. Paninis and salads at Zupas 12. The view our the window of my cousin's house in Park City 13. Thrifted Rollei camera 14. Sun coming through the trees outside our house 15. Another view from the Park City house 16. Erik with Ruby Snap cookies 17. Thrifted Pendelton blazer 18. Cohen Rackham 19. Future lovers 20. Reese Hunter 21. Our wedding rings 22. Coconut chicken 23. Goodies from Bountiful Baskets 24. Making salsa roja 25. His and Hers Arsenal jerseys 26. Veggies from Bountiful Baskets 27. Erik at The Store in Midway 28. The view on my way home from work 29. Rootbeer float from Dairy Keen 30. Erik at the movies 31. The inside of the Park City house 32. Erik grillin' 33. Erik in the Park City house 34. View from the couch in the Park City house 35. Salsa roja and Diet Coke

A little motivation for your Thursday.

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of

time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.” 

Gordon B. Hinckley

I found this on Pinterest yesterday and couldn't resist sharing. It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. 

Grown-ups

I fully intended on doing a Wedding Wednesday post today, but I couldn't decide what to write about. So instead of stressing about it I decided to just write about something else. 

On New Years Day, Erik and I had the privilege of making dinner for my parents. Now, that might not sound like a big deal, but it was actually our first time making a real, sit-down dinner in our apartment. We went all out with a Honeybaked Ham, homemade mashed potatoes, broccoli, and Rhodes rolls. We got to use our serving platters and spoons for the first time too! We sure felt grown-up. 

Everybody's shovelin'...

Please tell me you sang the title of the post to this tune. Because that is what I thought of when I wrote it.  I was sitting on the couch one night and all of the sudden this title just came to me - and I thought I was pretty clever. 

Well enough about my incredible wit... and on to the point of this post. We've had an unusually warm winter in Utah with hardly any snow. But a couple of Saturdays ago we got hit with a doozy. By 2 in the afternoon we had a good foot of snow on the ground. Which isn't really that much in Utah standards, but it was more than we've had all winter. 

When Erik got home from work he headed out to shovel the driveway. Seeing as I've never actually lived in a house in Utah before, I knew I had to get in on the shoveling action - but not without snapping some pictures first.

I'm pretty sure all the Nystul men thought I was crazy taking pictures of them doing something that they've done a million times. But I just couldn't resist documenting my first time helping out!

And I also couldn't resist making my first GIF! 

I have to say though, despite my initial enthusiasm, I got tired of shoveling pretty quick. I told Erik we need to move to California ASAP. Or maybe I'll just leave the shoveling to my hubby. 

Bridals/Groomals

I'm linking up again tonight for Wedding Wednesdays with Joelle at Something Charming. Last week I posted our engagement photos so I thought this week I would post our bridals/groomals. Our fabulous friend Molly Hunter also took these for us. We got married in October right when the leaves were changing in Utah so I knew I wanted pictures that would capture all the gorgeous colors. 

Erik wasn't quite as into the whole idea as I was. He said on more than one occasion how ridiculous it is to go traipsing through the woods in a wedding dress, because anyone looking at the pictures is going to think "Why is that girl in the woods in her wedding dress?" And I have to admit...he's sort of right. But I have spent why too many hours looking at amazing photos of women in their wedding dresses out in nature to miss my opportunity to have the same thing - no matter how illogical the whole thing is. 

So basically I won the debate and we headed up the Alpine Loop a couple of weeks before our wedding to make my dream a reality.  Molly did an amazing job as always and we got to have the gorgeous photos to display at our reception. It also saved a lot of picture taking time on the actual wedding day - which I think Erik was very grateful for. 

I know it's not totally traditional to let the groom see the dress before the wedding day but I'm thankful we did it this way. We got to have our own private moment at home without anyone else around. Although I would have loved one of those neat "first look" pictures, I think this way was a lot more special. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Erik's face when I walked out in my dress. He was totally speechless and made me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. 

Obsessed

I have developed a minor obsession with English Bulldogs. 

Okay...maybe it's not so minor. 

It's actually a HUGE obsession. 

It all started when I first saw Kingsley on The Rockstar Diaries. From the moment I laid eyes on those wrinkles and that adorable scowl-y face, I was hooked.

Since Erik and I are basically dying to get a puppy, we spend a lot of time researching dogs. And unfortunately we've found out that English Bulldogs tend to be very pricey and are also plagued with tons of health problems. So they aren't exactly the most practical pup for newlyweds on a budget. But a girl can dream right? 

I think I've almost got Erik convinced that the extra money is totally worth it. Especially since the dog he really wants will require a 10-acre farm. 

In the meantime, I'll just have to be content swooning over all the cute bully pictures I can find on the internet.  

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And just in case you have as big a bully obsession as I do check out this, this, this, and this. Oh, and I can't forget this.