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Reminisce about falling in love with your significant other. To find your forever partner in life is the greatest and best adventure you will ever have. I still think back to those nervous/excited moments when Parker and I went on our first few dates. It’s always fun to talk about the sweet moments at the beginning of your relationship. - Always have cookie dough or ice cream in the freezer. More times than not it comes in handy. Personal favorites? Ruby Snap and Halo Top Icecream (only 250 calories in a pint!!)
- Don’t let anyone else make you feel insecure. That includes crappy boyfriends or people that tear others down.
- It is okay to be nervous. It usually means that we are jumping out of our comfort zone and attempting something new.
- Death is hard. In my opinion, the death of a loved one is the biggest trial that we will face in life. Time, prayer, and love can help.
- Babies always make things better. The cuddles, coos, and smiles can’t be beat.
- Laughter can save a lot of situations from getting too serious.
- Everyone relaxes in a different way, find what works best for you. Exercise is my time to relax my mind and focus on strengthening my body.
- Ask people about themselves, you will usually find out something interesting.
- Find some female role models to look up to. Read their stories and experiences. Learn about their pitfalls and achievements. Every story can teach you something. Here are a few different articles that feature women I think are fascinating: Joy, Megyn, Oprah, and Mindy.
- You will always need your mom, to talk, laugh, and cry with.
- Fill up the car with gas BEFORE the gas light comes on.
- RSVP to events. When you become the party planner you realize how helpful it can be.
- If you find yourself in a bad mood and it is past 10 pm you probably just need to go to sleep.
- Get a grill so that your husband can wow you with his cooking skills.
- Remodeling a house will be much more work than you expect, but the results will be very rewarding.
- You can make new friends in your late twenties and thirties! This includes couple friends, gym friends, cooking friends, running friends, etc. Embrace new relationships!
- Don’t waste your time at a nail salon, just buy the at-home kit (this is the one I have been using for 3 years) and save hours and hours of time and $$$.
- Find your “hair lady” and stick with them. Someone you trust that won’t leave you crying in disappointment after a haircut that went 6 inches too short or a dye job that left you with purple hair instead of brown.
- Buy yourself some “nice” sweats. You know that you will get enough wear out of them.
- Be assertive. Learning how to say what you mean takes practice. It is obviously something that I strive to improve every day. {especially when my words are broadcast on TV every day}
- Find a job you look forward to going to every day. Being in the news business can be tough at the beginning. However, I have happily found my niche in the lifestyle genre and look forward to interacting with our shows varied guests every day.
- Social media free Sunday’s are a good thing that I need to try to stick with!
- Dinner parties are fun! Your guests will not be mad if you do not serve them on your best china. They will most likely remember the conversation and how you made them feel.
- Your family is not perfect, no one is, so you shouldn’t expect them to be. Love them for all of their quirks, but mostly because they are yours forever.
- Listen more than you talk.
- Ask for advice. On anything. From your morning routine to your marriage, it is always refreshing to hear someone else’s perspective.
- I have so much to learn. Thank goodness we are able to gain wisdom through experience every day!
A Fill-in-the-blank Travel Guide to Big Sur, California
Q: The very best part of Big Sur is the ________
A: The very best part of Big Sur is the coastline! Every visitor feels like a professional photographer because the scenery is so beautiful. No matter where you stop along the coast – you will get a beautiful photo! (All the pictures on this post were taken with an iPhone #nofilter)
Q: The ___________ surprised me the most.
A: The quaint atmosphere of the town surprised me the most. I expected a bustling tourist town with shops, crowds, and lines. Sort of like Carmel or Monterrey. Instead, we were greeted with a beautiful campsite (surrounded by dozens of ancient redwood trees!) and a few small gas stations and hotels. I would encourage anyone planning to visit the area to come prepared with your own food and supplies. The “shops” in town are more like convenience stations with higher priced items.
Q: My favorite memory from Big Sur is ________.
A: The conversation and smores at our nightly campfire chats. Our campground was surrounded by the most beautiful redwood trees and had a stream running alongside us. We were able to visit Big Sur due to the fact that our friends, Erin and Cole who live in Palo Alto, reserved a campsite 6 months in advance! They were really the brains and organization behind the entire trip. We just love their little family and had so much fun chasing around their hilarious toddler! Roasting marshmallows while chatting with good friends is a great way to end each travel day.
Q: The worst part of the trip was the ________.
A: Traffic. I will never understand California traffic. We are so lucky to be able to travel so quickly to our destinations here in Utah that I usually take it for granted. That being said, the traffic was only backed up on our way to and from Big Sur. While we were there things were very smooth.
Q: My 3 favorite spots on the trip were _______.
A: McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Beach(for the purple sand!), and Bixby Bridge.
Q: ______ was the moment when I audibly squealed because I was so blown away by the view.
A: When we were driving into Big Sur and stopped off on the side of the road to look at Bixby Bridge. It was our first glimpse at the crystal clear water and breathtaking cliffs after a long trip in the car.
We loved our time in California!
What it’s like to meet a Backstreet Boy when you’re 27
Our 13-year-old selves would’ve died had we known that one day we would meet our absolute FAVORITE Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter. The opportunity came up because of FanX, which is part of Salt Lake ComiCon. As teenagers, Britt and I did not just like the Backstreet Boys – we were obsessed with them! We had their posters plastered all over our bedrooms, learned the dance to every music video, and attended every single concert. Nick was invited to SLC ComiCon because he is working on a new movie about zombies and 90’s boy bands…? We hear there are even members of N’SYNC in the movie. Anyway… before we met Nick for our photo-op a few questions raced through my mind:
- What do you say to a Backstreet Boy when you are 27 years old?
- Do you fan-girl or act like a polished professional?
- Small talk or just smile and nod?
- What exactly are you supposed to wear while meeting a member of a 90’s boy band?!
Well, here is the conversation. In all it’s 90 seconds of glory:
Nick: “You must be sisters?”
Brooke: “Twins”
Nick: “Well you both are beautiful.” (as he wraps his arms around our waists)
Brooke: *Cheeks start turning red* “We are doing the picture together so that we can put it on our show Monday.”
Nick: “Oh, really?”
Britt: “Yes, we host a lifestyle show here in Salt Lake.”
Nick: “That’s great, thanks for coming, you both are beautiful.” and wave…
Quite eventful, right?! No, but really, the experience was really fun. We were lucky to skip most of the line thanks to our press passes. The line must have gone on for hours! Nick was really gracious and kind to all of the fans that we saw him meet with. Life is crazy, you never know who you are going to meet. Now, I am off to go listen to some BSB!
We bought a house!
Sam and I just bought our first home together. No one tells you that you literally go through every emotion when going through the home buying process: excitement, fear, dread, regret, happiness, fear, excitement and on and on and on. We are finally moved in and are so content to finally be living in the home. I have to say, the two things I am most pleased with are the garage and no longer having to share a bathroom with my husband! I was telling Sam that I know I shouldn’t base my happiness on material things, but having more space has definitely put a pep in my step. I can’t wait to make it our own and decorate, but I seriously need your help! I am the type of person who loves a lot of different styles, but really has a very difficult time picking just one. I want our home to be comfortable and inviting, but also classic and structured. I know, I’m a mess, huh? Well, our most daunting project is decorating the living room, which currently houses one teeny side table. I need advice on everything: paint color, couches, coffee table, etc. Here are a couple things I love, but please send me your favorite places to shop for furniture!
(Is it that obvious that I’m obsessed with blue and gray?)
Photo sources from L to R: Joss & Main here, Target, Studio McGee , couch, Rug, pillows, chair, living room
It also helps when you have adorable neighbors that drop off a basket of cookies that are shaped like little houses. We love our neighborhood and feel so lucky to be there!
Aerial Yoga: From a Husband’s Perspective
After months of asking, Parker finally tried Aerial Yoga at Xcel Fitness with me! I have done the class a couple of times on my own and loved it. I thought it would be fun to do a little Q & A with Parker about his inaugural hang time!
Q: Why did you finally agree to go to aerial yoga?
A: Because I love my wife. And because hanging in hammocks looks fun.
Q: What were you expecting?
A: I was expecting to be twisted in a hammock floating upside down but not as much stretching as was actually involved.
Q: How well did I do explaining to you?
A: Did you ever explain it? 🙂
Q: What were the thoughts running through your head during the first 5 minutes of class?
A: When I was upside down and all the blood was rushing to my head I thought, “ouch this hurts”. But then I got accustomed to it.
Q: What was the best part?
A: Swinging in the cocoon at the end, totally relaxed and feeling great.
Q: What was the worst part?
A: Being too tall (6″4″) to make some of the stretches actually feel good.
Q: Thank you for coming, are you glad you went?
A: Ya, absolutely. It was a fun experience and the teacher made it an enjoyable experience, even for beginners.
So, there ya go! We had such a fun time together, it is always great to try something new together. For more information on classes and to sign up go here. I highly recommend it for date night!
Finding the Right Lipstick Color
We go through a lot of lipstick around here. When you have to dress up like a drag queen for TV every day, it’s easy to go through makeup like water! One thing that Brooke and I both love to change every day is our lipstick. It is an easy way to spice up any outfit. We are always trying to find the perfect color with the perfect texture.
Trestique just came out with a new lip crayon that has gloss on the other end – genius! Plus, the whole thing is magnetic. Our favorite colors are “Nammos Pink” and “Nantucket Nude”. I like to do the crayon first and then put gloss on top, but if you like to have a more sheer finish, you can apply the gloss first. I have never really understood people who loved nude lip color, that is until I tried “Nantucket Nude”. I wore it for my birthday dinner because it made me feel sophisticated and summery.
Trestique makes crayons for all different types of makeup: eyeliner, blush, and even foundation. We loved all of them because they are compact and you can easily throw them in your purse without damaging them. I just get so excited when makeup companies come up with something new! What lipsticks have you loved lately?
{cheesy birthday date selfie}
ALT Summit Stars You Need To Know About
We were so thrilled to be invited to host a round table discussion at Alt Summit. If you don’t know about Alt, it is a 4 day conference, held in Salt Lake City, where creatives from around the world come together to learn. {As well as party hard together in some of the most insanely gorgeous set ups you have ever seen.} Britt and I spoke on creating a relationship with the media and how to make the most of your opportunities. We were overwhelmed by the caliber of women that were asking US for help! It was intimidating but so gratifying. Women working together to help one another achieve goals feels so good. As we met with attendees we found some new gals that made us wish everyday was ALT Summit. They are inspiring, funny, creative, and well just nice.
#1 Rachel Ryle: She was named the top Instagrammer to follow by Buzzfeed. She is a creative genius and her stop motion videos are just so dang CUTE! She was one of the Keynote speakers and was able to share her story of success. Come to find out she is a wonderful person who has stayed incredibly humble despite her catapult to success. Thanks to her popularity she is moving to New York City and opening her own studio! We loved interviewing her.
#2 Danielle Kryssa: Homegirl is the best. She has worked with Oprah among other big names, yet she still had time to chat with us. She lives in a picturesque town in Canada where she runs the website The Jealous Curator. She is an art expert and curates her favorite contemporary art and then shares it with the world. {Little does she know that we are planning a trip to stay with her ASAP…jk, but not really.} Up next she is releasing her second book. We miss you already Danielle!
#3 Reachel Bagley: Rachel is a Phoenix fashion stylist. She is as sweet as pie and so fun to chat with. If you have a fashion question – she’s your girl! She has helped thousands of women across America find their sense of style. It was fun to have Rachel do the color test on us, we’re hoping she returns to Utah soon!
#4 Nancy Soriano: (the one is glasses below) Nancy is author of “The Jewelry Recipe Book“. She is a true New Yorker and is incredibly refined. We were lucky enough to be at the same dinner as her and delighted to hear about her life in the city. Her book is full of SO many fun projects. We will just be making our own necklaces for the next 24 hours nbd.
#5 Gabrielle Blair: (bleach blonde next to Brooke) Gabrielle is known in the blogging and writing world as Design Mom, she is also the brains and beauty behind ALT Summit. She has created something truly amazing, it’s in it’s 11th year! She recently came out with her own book called “Design Mom”. We got a copy and spent every spare minute reading it. The book is full of fun tips and tricks and appeals to pretty much every person on the planet. It’s fun to read about Gabrielle’s life in the Bay area. We want to send out a special thank you to Gabrielle for inviting us to be speakers. We had the best time!
Below we have posted a few more fun moments from the summit! xo
Maui Wowie
Our striped maxi dresses are from Island Company. So soft & comfy! If you’ve been searching for a maxi dress that looks cute, but feels like pajamas, this is it!
Britt loved wearing the Albion Catalina Pin up top and cute ruffle bottoms… just enough coverage to feel fine about eating dessert, but still getting a great tan 🙂 I’m wearing the flattering-on-everyone Albion Venice Beach one piece.
We were lucky enough to spend a week in Maui with one of our favorite couples in the entire world. Britt and I met Erin while attending BYU and going through the Broadcast Journalism program. While there we were able to watch Erin meet Cole, fall in love, and eventually get married. They are one of those all around amazing couples that make you want to be better. Right now they live in California so we jumped at the chance to be able to spend 7 uninterrupted days with them in Hawaii. Erin is the type of friend that goes above and beyond to make everyone feel comfortable and have fun. Not to mention they have the worlds cutest baby who did not cry the entire trip! We love them dearly and are so grateful they introduced us to such a pretty piece of paradise! We stayed at their condo on Kaanapali Beach and tried to pack in as much as possible.
Our top 5 favorite things we did were:
1. Swimming with turtles at Napili Beach. They are ginormous and so cool to see in their element.
2. Bamboo Forest Hike. This is along the road to Hana and was a definite highlight. Although I fell so many times I stopped counting. It gets a little muddy 🙂 You pass countless waterfalls and the scenery can’t be beat.
3. Jumping off Black Rock. Every night a local man jumps from the rock at sunset as part of an island tradition. We decided to give it a try and it was extremely fun!
4. Hula Pie, anywhere and anytime. We fell in love with this dessert and most definitely ate waaaaay too much of it while we there. We loved all of the restaurants we tried on the island. Some favorites included: Leilani’s, Hula Grill, and Cheeseburger in Paradise.
5. Paddle boarding along Kaanapali Beach. Paddle boarding is always fun and the water is the perfect temperature so it doesn’t matter if you fall in!
We can’t thank Erin and Cole enough. The trip was fabulous and we hope they become our permanent travel buddies!
Big Announcement
We are so excited to announce that we have accepted positions as hosts of Fox 13’s new lifestyle show! We never thought this opportunity would come up in our lives where we would be able to work on something we are both extremely passionate about – and do it together! We feel extremely blessed and could not be more excited to get the show going! We are so grateful to all of our family, friends, and mentors who have been so supportive all along the way. We look forward to working with some fun, new faces. We will be posting details about the show as the launch gets closer. Wish us luck!
Quick Treat: Smores Rice Krispie Treats
After making these 3 times in the last week I decided this recipe was worth sharing. Britt and I are no experts in the field of baking… BUT we are obsessed with treats and like to share recipes when we think they could be beneficial to someone else. There are a few things that make me instantly love this recipe.
1. It takes under 10 minutes to make.
2. You can take it, share it, eat it… or all of the above.
3. No turning on the oven.
I have seen a number of different recipes for these online but just decided to do my own because I am more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” type of baker. They are ridiculously simple, yet a crowd pleaser. My husband regularly requests them as his favorite treat. I took them to a youth group activity and a dozen, hungry teenagers devoured them in minutes. These are especially yummy fresh out of the oven when the marshmallows are lightly browned and ooey gooey!
Smores Rice Krispies
- 1 bag of mini marshmallows
- 1 bag of chocolate chips
- 2 cups of rice krispie cereal
- 2 cups of Golden Graham’s
- 4 TBS of butter
Melt butter in pot on medium heat. Slowly add in 3/4 bag of marshmallows. Stir continually until well blended and melted. Take off heat and add rice krispies and Golden Graham’s until desired thickness. Last add 1.5 cups of chocolate chips. Quickly pour into pan. Cover the top with remaining marshmallows and a sprinkle of chocolate chips. Broil in oven for 2 minutes. Voila! You are done!
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