Twin Tested Archives - Page 12 of 15

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.

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 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

Wedding Day Photos!

I have split my wedding photos into two categories: wedding and reception. I love them all! A huge thank you to Travis J Photography for capturing our day. Every time I look at them I am reminded of how lucky Parker and I are to have shared our day with so many supportive family and friends. Thanks again to everyone who helped make it the perfect day! Now onto a fabulous weekend filled with warm weather and a mini getaway!

Twin Tested: New Workout Orange Theory Fitness

Orange Theory Fitness has made its way to Utah! It’s the only workout we know of that focuses on your heart rate to get results. We decided to test it out. Here’s 10 things to know about Orange Theory Fitness: orange theory 2

1. You wear a heart rate monitor during the entire workout

2. The workouts are developed by a team of doctors in Florida.

3. Each workout is 60 minutes.

4. Any skill level can take the classes.

5. The average calorie burn is between 300-600 calories per workout for women. (Brooke and I both burned more than 600!)

6. The workout is split into three parts: treadmill, rowing machine and strength training

7. Everyone’s heart rate is displayed during the entire workout on a big screen in the front of the room.

8. The trainer gives you a “target heart rate” to aim for during each part of class

9. There is fun music and the equipment is brand new.

10. After every workout, you get an email with all of your stats from class (your heart rate, how many calories you burned, etc.)

The first location is at The District. We had so much fun trying out this workout and were so sore in the days that followed. Our favorite part was the rowing machine, because it was something fun and new that definitely made us feel the burn! Tonight is the Grand Opening and they are offering all kinds of great incentives and deals to sign up. If you want to switch up your workout, you should try it out! Everyone that works there is so friendly and really helps motivate you to work your hardest during class. They have classes that range from 5:00am to 8:15pm. For more information, you can go to www.orangetheoryfitness.com or call (801) 758-0500.

We loved it and are definitely going to sign up when the new Salt Lake locations closer to our houses are finished!

Let us know what you think.

Wedding Dress Dilemma

Now that I have officially been married for 3 weeks (yay!) I wanted to post a wedding photo. But before I share the photo I wanted to share my WEDDING DRESS DILEMMA story! My wedding day was truly the best day of my life and everything went perfectly… my dress was the only major hiccup along the way.
So to begin the story, a couple of weeks before Parker and I got engaged I was able to snag a gorgeous Reem Acra gown that had just gone on sale and had the exact bodice and skirt that I was looking for. Thanks to Pinterest I had an idea of what I wanted the top to be built up to look like. I found a seamstress and handed the dress over with pictures and instructions of what I wanted. Here is a picture for the top of the dress from Pinterest that I gave her: STUNNING, right? All of my wildest fashion designer dreams were about to come true! (And no I never wanted to wear pants, just that top!)

I went to some fittings for the dress and nothing really changed with the dress over time. Then one day I arrived for my appointment and the top of the dress had been cut off and replaced with a flimsy thin fabric. What the heck? That is when I realized this dress making thing was getting a little fishy. However, I still wanted to give the seamstress the benefit of the doubt so I scheduled another appointment for the next week. As I arrived for my final fitting 3 days before my bridal pictures I walked into the room and saw the top of the dress in shreds. Some {tacky} ribbons had been haphazardly pinned onto the flimsy top and the edges were frayed with no sleeves in sight. This is the moment that I began to panic and hope that some kind of fairy godmother would show up. I immediately went home and showed Britt this picture I had taken during the appointment:

Thankfully she kept me calm and successfully convinced that I would be able to find another dress in 2 days! Little did I know she was also freaking out inside (how could you not be?!?). We were finally able to track the seamstress down after being blown off countless times. Planned out a little tag team approach and left with some cash, but NO DRESS.

This is the point when my fairy godmother/BFF Bailey came to the rescue! She told me she had a friend who bought a few extra wedding gowns for her big day and she thought I might like one of them. So… long story short I went over to the girl’s house to try on the dress and it fit like a glove. It was meant to be and I am so glad! I loved the dress I got to wear and now could not imagine things going any other way. Crazy how things always work out, right?

Here is a sneak peek my photographer Travis J sent me of our wedding day photos of the dress in all it’s poofy glory!

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