Archives for 2014

I’m Thankful {Brooke}

2014 has been so good to me. Through weddings, celebrations, goodbyes, and loss I have once again learned to treasure each moment a little bit more.

Here are a few things I am thankful for this year.

– Family. You never know how long you have with someone so take full advantage of opportunities to spend time together making memories. The Hackett’s excel at this and therefore I have so many fun memories with Rory over the past year. Whether it was his warm hugs and greetings, the way his boys emulated his every move, or the constant love and respect I saw between he and Linda. He is deeply missed.

– Littles. Kids make you slow down and have a little more fun. I love the sweetness and innocence that they so comfortably express. The picture above shows my nieces cruising around with me in the convertible on a sunny fall day. Of course they had their arms raised in the air the entire time like they were on a roller coaster. Pure happiness.

– Sisters. Brittany because she is the best confidante, sounding board and co-worker. Heather because she is the most supportive and genuine person that I know. Lindsey because she is a DIY master and gives me hope that I can sometime in my life create something crafty (if she oversees it!). And of course my newest SIL Maria. She is one of the most talented, beautiful, and kind people – yet so incredibly humble.

– Fun career. I’d say I am pretty lucky when dressing up like a princess and holding an owl is considered a normal work day. I absolutely love my job and realize the incredible opportunity I have to meet so many amazing people in the world around me.

– Husband. I consider Parker to be a little piece of heaven that I get to have by my side. He has added so much happiness to my life in the year we have been together. He is the most selfless, fun, and handsome person I know. I am so grateful he chose me.

– Wisdom. Isn’t it a blessing that we all get a little bit smarter and wiser year after year thanks to life’s experiences? I look back at some of my high school decisions and I am so glad that Instagram wasn’t around yet 😉 Here’s to one more year getting a little bit smarter!

Thanks for reading our silly blog and supporting all of our career endeavors! I hope you all get to spend time with family and friends this week. Happy Thanksgiving!

Wedding Reception Photos

Here is a look at our wedding reception. It turned out better than I could have ever imagined or planned. These pictures are even more special now that Rory is gone. I am so grateful for all the memories to look back on. Thanks Travis J Photography.

5 Holiday Shopping Tips

Brooke and I have been trying to be more proactive this year. We want to get to things before they stress us out and I would say for the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job. You can still catch us baking a stressed out batch of chocolate chip cookies every now and then (are we the only ones that do that?), but I just convinced her to start using her phone calendar (welcome to the 21st century Brookey!), so we are getting quite organized. We were diehard paper planner users, but have now transitioned to the phone calendar and it’s SO much easier! What are your favorite calendar/scheduling apps? We would love to know. So, in the spirit of owning life and being on top of things, why not do some Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving? We made a little date out of it earlier this week and explored Trolley Square and had so much fun!

Here are 5 Completely Unsolicited Holiday Shopping Tips:

1. Go NOW! Holiday shopping is so much easier and less overwhelming if you start early. I know, I am probably preaching to the choir with this one.

2. Start your shopping trip with a meal. And end that meal with spumoni ice cream from The Old Spaghetti Factory because I forgot how good that stuff is!

3. All holiday dress shopping begins and ends with Ypsilon. This store is jam packed with the sparkliest, most gorgeous gowns. If you need a show stopper, go here!

4. Buy yourself a little something. This may sound completely egotistical, but I think if you allow yourself to pick out a few things it makes shopping even more fun.

5. Make sure you ask about the return policy, most stores are extending theirs through January!

{strawberry pistachio and chocolate perfection}

{stunning dresses at Ypsilon, someone invite me to a fancy holiday party!}

{Sam and I are known to throw on onesies Christmas Eve, so I maybe might have bought this for him from Spark}

{Brooke and the cute Sarah Tyau – look her up, she does the most amazing things with vintage clothes! Also, not sure who the creepy photobomber is behind them :)}

{do not go to Alice Lane because then you will go home and try to convince your husband you need the entire store. Is this bedroom not an absolute dream?}

What are your holiday shopping secrets? We would love to hear!

Do’s & Don’ts for Couples Photos

We present… Couple Photo Do’s and Don’ts. We jumped at the chance to work with Jessica of Jessica Janae Photography . She is a world renowned photographer known for her ability to capture beauty and movement.

We are in the stage of getting married and wanting beautiful engagement photos, so we thought it would be fun to show you some Do’s & Don’ts for Couple Photos. Of course we had Sam and Britt do it because they are a couple who loves to laugh at themselves. Whether you are getting Christmas card photos or engagements, or just photos as a couple, we hope these tips help!

#1 The Ring Pic:

Every newly engaged lady loves to show off their wedding ring, but it can look very stiff if you’re not careful. This before and after shows a few slight changes so you can still display your bling without looking mega awkward.

#2 The Boy Nose Smash/Foreheads

Of course it’s cute that he wants to nuzzle your face, but let’s get some space in there so it looks good! I loved this tip from Jessica to lightly touch foreheads instead, so you still get the lovey-dovey vibe without any body parts being smashed.

#3 The Kiss

Lesson learned- the moment before your lips actually touch looks a million times better than squishy faces. But, we’ve gotten a lot of feedback from people around the world that they love both pictures. I do need to mention that Jessica told us what angle to kiss in the first one as well, so it doesn’t look as awkward. There’s just something about the moment right before your lips touch that is a little bit steamy!

#4 Just say no to the piggyback

It is so rare that it looks cute and just don’t even think about it in a dress! There are plenty of other ways to look like you want to be close, without being THAT close. Especially for photos you are sending out with a wedding invite, the YES picture looks cleaner because instead of seeing jumbled limbs, you are seeing two smiling faces.

#5 The Awkward Stance

You have to create shapes and angles with your body to make it more interesting. Try different arm and hand placement instead of sticking to one static pose. It may feel a little bit awkward to move around and try different positions, but it is guaranteed to look so much more natural.

#6 The Boob Squish

Hands down the most awkward of the bunch! Although when we were taking the photos it didn’t feel like that awkward of a pose, it is flattering to no one. It might feel *cozy* but it is never a good option. Jessica had us make a few small changes and it looks so much better! You can also get a better look at the ring with the improved pose.

#7 The Announcement

If you’re not doing a pregnancy announcement (which we are totally not), then don’t do the pregnancy pose with the hands on the stomach. It is also a little too reminiscent of the “prom pose” which we all need to leave in high school where it belongs. The much better option is the sexy back hug snuggle with your best Tyra smize.

#8 The Nuzzle

Squished noses are just not cool and they make everyone look weird. By slightly turning your face, everybody gets to show their best angle! The photographer also had me move my arms down, so I didn’t look like I was trying to jump on Sam haha.

There you have it! The 8 poses that you should steer clear of for engagement photos (or really any photos for that matter). Huge thanks to the fabulous Jessica Janae for the photos, she is so incredibly talented and knows how to direct clients. If you are in the Salt Lake City, Utah area BOOK HER and if you are not she travels for clients that she really want to work with!

We had so much fun doing this shoot and have since done many more photography blog posts. Make sure you take a look!

Family Photo Do’s & Don’ts

What to Wear in Family Photos

How to get a toddler to smile in family photos

Why You Should Buy a Fiat Convertible

So we basically won the lottery two weeks ago. We were asked by Ken Garff Fiat in Salt Lake City if we would like to test drive Fiat convertibles for two weeks. Um yes! Brooke and I have always loved tiny cars and then you take that tiny car and turn it into a convertible and I’m not so sure we will actually be returning either of the cars. We got to drive 2015 Fiat convertibles. Brand new cars. They have been so much fun! We love how they look, but they are also great on gas mileage and they handle really well. The car seats four adults comfortably (really, we had lots of friends that wanted to go for a ride, so we tried it out). The best part is that they are not pricey at all! You can get a brand new one for around $20,000. Not too shabby. If you mention TWIN TESTED you get $500 off when you buy one. That’s like so many fro yo runs and stops into F21.

Here’s the best part for you guys, now that we have returned the convertibles, you can go test drive them any time you want! Fiat of Salt Lake City is located at 198 East 500 South. You don’t have to buy one, you can just go down and go for a fun little ride! You can find more information HERE.

Someone please go buy one so we can live vicariously through you and maybe catch a ride every once in a while 🙂 Have a great weekend!!

Last Minute Costume: Ms. Frizzle

This was my favorite of our costumes this year! Ms. Frizzle is such a fun character from our childhood. I knew I had to get my hair done so I had Aubrey from I’m Beautiful Salon work her magic. She used a small curling iron and some simple red hair spray. And the good news is it came out easily the next day! I also found some bright fun earrings. To get the outer space look going I spray painted cardboard circles to look like different planets and then just taped them onto my dress. You could also add a green chameleon if you are feeling like an over achiever.

Enjoy today, Happy Halloween!

Last Minute Costume: Unicorn

This is a costume we have been wanting to wear for years, so we finally just did it! All of the supplies are from Zurchers, and the best part is you really just need the hat (which is surprisingly warm and comfy). We paired it with a plain white t-shirt and hot pink workout leggings. Pretty magical.

Last minute Halloween costume: Tooth Fairy

I have seen a few different interpretations of the Tooth Fairy and decided to do an all out girly version! This outfit is really simple. You need your basic fairy props: sparkly tiara, wand, tutu or a-line skirt, and feathers! The easiest part of the costume is printing out a tooth shape and taping it to a white shirt (you can even draw one if you are feeling crafty). Instead of wearing bulky wings I chose to go with these little shoulder feathers. They are so much easier than wearing big wings around. I also loved the boots and the whimsical look they give to the costume. Last but not least, you will need a miniature little bag to carry all your teeth! All of the supplies were found at Zurchers! We will be sharing more of our costumes throughout the week! If you try one of these use the hashtag #twintestedcostume and we will re-post! Thanks to the always amazing Ashlee Brooke Photography for the photos. She can turn an ordinary day into a magical one! xo

Last Minute Costume: Pinata

Happy HalloWEEK!

We will be sharing a different last minute costume every day this week. Each of these costumes takes less than an hour to put together and costs less than $20!

First off, we have the pinata. It’s cute and ridiculously easy to put together. I took a plain red dress I already own (super cheap from Old Navy) and used black painter’s tape to attach fringed crepe paper in several different colors. Then, I added two multi-colored party hats, red tights and a fun little pinata stick.

Huge thanks to Ashlee Brooke Photography for her help with the pictures! If you end up using this idea, tag your costume with #TwinTestedCostume so we can see it!

Happy Halloweening

Weekend Escape: Sundance Resort

We were lucky enough to be invited to stay at Sundance Resort up Provo Canyon, so we decided to turn it into a little weekend getaway with our husbands!
Here are our 10 favorite things about Sundance:

1. The feast we had at Foundry Grill, the most enchanting restaurant you have ever seen. It has the most picture perfect ambiance and as you can see our food was to die for. We feasted on roasted chicken, pasta, filet mignon and ribs. We also got the truffle mac & cheese and it was some of the best ever. Melt in your mouth good. Thanks to our cute waitress’ recommendation we ordered the peach crisp with homemade blackberry ice cream on top. Hands down the best dessert I have had this fall!

2. The gorgeous mini cabins that they call rooms. We both were given suites to stay in and they did not disappoint. We both married tall guys that like their space and the king beds are ginormous! I am pretty sure they are made of clouds because we both slept like rocks.

3. Haunted Lift Ride: This spooky little ride is as beautiful as it is fun. The lift offers stunning views of the mountains and the night sky. We loved the star gazing. Since you are above the action it is really great for all ages. At the bottom of the lift they have Hocus Pocus playing on a big outdoor movie screen, corn hole games, and teepee’s. Definitely our kind of Halloween haunts!

{of course the guy in the gorilla suit came and scared us while we were getting a picture. and of course we screamed and jumped about 10 feet}
4. The general store is pretty much the cutest thing on the planet. They have so many fun local products, it is really fun to take a look at everything.

5. Handmade Soap & Beauty Products: they make them on site and they smell amazing. Every room is fully stocked with a bunch to choose from.

6. Glass blowing: Sundance brings in world renowned glass blowing artists from Guadalajara, Mexico to create one of a kind pieces. You can even take a glass blowing class at the Sundance Art Studio. They also decorate a lot of the rooms with the hand crafted glass artwork.

7. You can build your own fire in your room. As Sam said “they give you all the supplies, so it is fail proof.” There is nothing quite as cozy as a warm fire on a cold night up the canyon.

8. Location: Sam and Britt went on a canyon run in the morning and said it was absolutely beautiful. Sundance is located on the Alpine Loop and it is stunning. And this is Sam’s go to pose…. if you weren’t already aware, he works out 🙂 We also happened to choose the best weekend of the entire year, it was 78 degrees!

9. Perfectly crunchy and crispy cookies for breakfast. Yes, we sometimes have dessert before we begin our day 🙂 They pair perfectly with a pumpkin steamer or hot chocolate.

10. Canyon drive home

Thanks to Sundance for treating us so well this weekend! It was one we will always remember! If you want more information, you can go to www.sundanceresort.com

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31