Craving Adventure

Every now and then I go on a little rampage where I just want to go on an adventure soo bad. This is one of those times. Growing up in a relatively small town in Idaho, I haven't had a lot of world experiences, and I think that's what my adventure craving is fueled by.

The other day, I got a coupon in my email from Groupon that was advertising zip-lining in the Provo area. Now this got me excited. This last Christmas, I got to go with my family on a cruise to Mexico, where we had the greatest zip-lining experience ever in Puerto Vallarta. We had so much fun that day and it was probably (sadly to say) one of the more adventurous things I've ever gotten to do.

Here is a map of the course that we went on. It is one of the biggest zip-lines out there!


We got to ride up the mountain in this big mercedes truck.


And what the truck couldn't get up to, the mules could. Mine liked to go as slow as possible (unless of course someone tried to pass us up, then we were off!)


Cute Lorren!


Scotty!


Precious waterfall kiss.


Typical me.


Mia familia. Oh funny people.


Muscle man, Jace. This zip-line went straight into the water!


Dad was a little afraid. He made a little bit of a bigger splash than the rest of us!


Cute parents.


On the bridge at the end!


I love looking at these pictures (these are just a few of many)! They remind me how fun it can be to experience something new and different. Zip-lining in Provo probably can't even compare to the experience that we had in Mexico, but it's good to know that adventure can be nearby too. I am so excited for summer time and the things I want to do! Hikes, camping, climbing, and adventuring!

Mongolian Beef - PF Changs Copy-cat

Yummm! I made this a couple of nights ago and I got a 10 out of 10 in fiance approval rating!!!

I stole it from this blog:




Here was my attempt!

Mongolian Beef

1 lb top round steak or flank steak, cut thinly on the cross grain

1/4 C cornstarch

3 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger or minced ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 C water

1/2 C soy sauce (I used low sodium)

1/2 C brown sugar

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

3 green onions, sliced into 2-3″ pieces

oil for frying

Dry off meat with a paper towel and slice into 1/4″ thick slices against the grain. Add to a bowl with the cornstarch and coat thoroughly.

Add 1 1/2 tsp oil to a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger, stir until fragrant. Add soy sauce, water, rice vinegar and brown sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes and remove from pan.

Add remaining 1 1/2 tsp oil to pan over high heat. Add the meat and cook until brown on all sides and slightly crispy. Pour sauce back into pan over meat. Add green onions, stir and remove from heat. Serve with rice. EAT UP! It sure is tasty.

Good Ole Days! :)

I have been reminiscing about some good times of freshman year of college. Of course, I am so excited about the new chapter of my life to begin, but it wouldn't be right to not reflect on the good times that have led me to where I am today. Freshman year I really had some of the best times! And I shared them with my best friends.

Ohhh funny good times.

Wedding Planning with the Moms

This was a crazy weekend! I am still recuperating and catching up on homework (yesterday was a stressful day that included basically only school work from 9am - 10pm, after which of course I watched the Bachelor). My Mom and Suzanne (Alan's mom) were both here this last weekend. Of course I loved every second of it and we got a lot done, but the planning is only just beginning.

One of the weekend's greatest and most exciting finds: BRIDESMAID DRESSES!!!

I also had my first dress fitting. I LOVE my dress. It's brand new and from David's bridal. I would post a picture but I don't want my snoopy fiance to see it!

Surprisingly, the most stressful thing about the weekend was the flowers. I originally wanted daisies and sunflowers, but I've recently been led to believe maybe my taste isn't so great. :( Disheartening. Anyways, I have found a variety of arrangements, and now I just can't make up my mind (because the truth is I'm still maybe a little hung up on my original idea).

Here are my original first choices:

I thought these were perfect! But according to the flower lady, it wasn't the most "traditional" and she would "go in another direction" if she were me. ): ugh. Do you listen to the flower lady with tons of experience, or go with the flowers you imagined for your wedding? Well... I didn't find a few alternatives that would maybe be even cuter. But I'm just not sure yet! So here they are:

Decisions, decisions.


I have recently decided of a fun craft that I want to do. I found it on this fabulous blog!
I want to make a monogram "R" wreath for mine and Alan's house when we get married.

You can also find it on etsy, but I'm a pretty firm believer in not buying anything you can make yourself. Also, I have been creating a wreath for every occasion lately, so I figured I might as well continue the trend. Be looking an "R" wreath coming soon! (Ignore the fact that I won't be able to use it for another 4 months!)

I love wedding planning, but sometimes it isn't very conducive to my schoolwork. Stressing over flower arrangements hasn't exactly been good for my sleep either.

Maybe I won't give up on my sunflower wedding... we'll see!

Be mine, Valentine!

Valentine's day this year was really fun! I decided to make a heart-shaped wreath to celebrate the season, make Alan a two layer, cream cheese frosting, marshmallow fondant, red velvet cake, and buy lots of candy for my loved ones! I also got some lovely flowers from my sweetie!



Naturally, my wreath was a pinterest find. I couldn't find all of the materials I needed to make it the exact way that it was shown, but I had a lot of fun and I think it still turned out cute (maybe just not AS cute). Click HERE for the link to the site!

Here was my attempt:

I couldn't find a heart-shaped foam wreath, so I hot glued the felt circles to a another heart-shaped wreath that I found in a craft store. (Yes, that is my reflection in the window!)

Here is how it is supposed to look:

A bit of a different look, but it was still really fun to make, despite the fact that it doesn't turn out quite as cute as it would have if I couldn't have followed the instructions with the right materials (living in Provo makes it so all people want to do the same crafts and therefore materials go out of stock).

The cake was really fun to make for Alan, and it made a great desert after our dinner at PF Chang's (yumm!!!).

I didn't realize fondant was so hard to work with! It was really fun to make but kind of a disaster in my kitchen for a few hours. Powdered sugar EVERYWHERE! I made the hearts with little heart-shaped fondant/cookie cutters.
Despite how amateur of a cake boss I am, he appreciated it anyways :) What a cutie!

All in all I would say this Valentine's Day was a success!

The Best Day

February 3, 2012 was the best day of my life so far. The love of my life finally proposed, and turned the last year and three months into an eternal future together.



Much to my surprise, a walk at sunset by the Provo river meant a proposal and a shiny diamond ring!

Oh to be the luckiest girl in the world.... oh wait! I am :) I am so blessed and excited to have a man that I want to spend eternity with and cherishes me as I cherish him. It goes to show that patience and faith really do pay off!

Alan and I had a long journey to get to where we are now. The one thing that never changed throughout it all is that I always knew I didn't want to be with anyone else. Even through the hardest days when he was away in El Salvador, I knew that it would be worth it in the long run. Soon we will be starting a family and our future is exciting and bright. I really couldn't ask for a better person to love and make a life with.