gratitude

"at times like this i'd call myself a fool to ask for more."

-sylvia plath                     image via

today, i am grateful.

i'm grateful for my husband, who makes me smile countless times a day. my husband i fall in love with over and over again.

i'm grateful for my family, who i got to see alllll last week and then got a BONUS day with my momma.

i'm grateful for friends who facebook chat my boredom away and friends who help me pick out new glasses.

i'm grateful for my little store, and for all the hard work that it represents. for our customers who keep coming back.

i am even grateful for rexburg, even though it seems to be saying it hates me with this freezing cold.

pictures!

while david, brian, and i were all in town my mom decided to do our family pictures. they turned out pretty good:

dave and i snuck in and got some of the two of us. pretty snazzy!
check out those boots!
{ sorry, i'm obsessed. it's a problem. a beautiful, blue, brandilyn problem that causes me to use alliteration and wiggle my toes a lot. }

california! california! the hills send back the cry, you gotta do or die!

i haven't blogged in a week! i'm sorry! i've missed my little space here.

well, we went to california. we took our married bffs the rowes with us and had an unbelievable good time. i didn't take many pictures...actually, i only took a few. but i promise many good things happened.

we:

drove 13-14 hours each way

had a birthday dinner for nick (YUM)

hot tubbed

four wheeled

rode horses (at home & at windmill)

shopped (x3)

visited the city { which included:

visiting my dad's work

delicious lunch

fisherman's wharf

pier 39 

powell }

did 2.5 hour yoga workshops thu, fri, & sat mornings (HEAVEN)

threw a surprise birthday party for brian

dirt biked

made a fondant cake (my first! brooke taught me!)

saw the blind side 

cleaned out the workshop

surprised my dad with a ping pong table

shot some guns

saw new moon (in a impulsive, split-second female decision)

baked allll day thursday

heard courtney tattle on jake 10-12 times...a day

watched the christmas story

ate in n out

tried to watch notting hill 2 different times but kept falling asleep

saw some extended family

saw rachel ♥

snuggled with some kitties 

admired my beautiful niece

took family pictures

got seriously emotional about leaving (that was actually just me)

saw insanely cute puppies at a gas station on the way home

we are glad to be back in our apartment in rexburg, even though it's getting cold and it's back to reality with david's school work and my store work.  we're getting excited to go to georgia for christmas and i am trying to get into the christmas spirit! i hung lights in our windows and even decorated a wreath for the front door.

THIS JUST IN: david's oldest sister ashley just had their third baby!!

congratulations, tremblays!! we can't wait to meet the newest little one!!!

happy happy birthday

(L-R: Robbie, me, my mom, Brian)

today, it is my { big } little brother's 19th birthday!

david and i are excited to go out to dinner with him tonight and celebrate his big day.

brian is affectionate & hilarious & i love him.

happy birthday, brosef!

i smell

last night, david and i were both laying in our bed on our computers. david put one hand out, palm up, and pushed the air from my side of my bed towards his own face.

"you smell weird."

he repeated it on the other side and said, "yep. the smell is definitely you. you stink."

thanks, honey.
that's the price you pay for encouraging your wife to "pursue hobbies," when you know that one of said hobbies is horse back riding.

i had a fantastic ride last night. my knees are aching, my inner thighs are sore, and my back is tired.
but my head is containing a happy brain today.

today, i took a break from the store to go upstairs and make this for david. clever, right?

and if this isn't the cutest thing you've seen all day, then...well, you have no heart. i love twitchy, snoring, sleeping pierre.

higher education

i mentioned earlier that { 2 years into my eduaction } i've finally declared a minor: organizational communication

i also recently signed up for my winter 2010 classes:

COMM 102: Public Speaking
COMM 150: Interpersonal Communication
FDREL 324: Doctrine & Covenants
ENG 314: Advanced Research & Literary Analysis

things i'm excited about next semester:
1. getting started on my minor
2. seeing all those classes on my GRAD report switch from "take 6 credits from the following blah blah" to "completed
3. embarking on my JUNIOR year (!!). this feels weird because it seems high school graduation really wasn't too long ago
4. continuing my education; i love my major & i love byui

things i'm not excited about
1. only taking 12 credits - LAME! i had to be done by 11:30 every day to open the store as david won't be able to help out because of his internship with an accounting firm here on main street. i'm still trying to work an evening/online class or something into my schedule
2. only taking one english class : (
3. giving my evenings to homework/studying instead of glee, riding, & hanging out with david

it'll be a good, fairy easy semester. i've been loving where we're at in our lives right now--going to school, running the store, & living the gospel. we're happy and our lives are simple.

and i've got a snoring pierre on my lap right now :)

mom!

since my dear ofum (that means mom) arrived last night:

talking talking talking
sleeping in
deseret book store
feeling sorry for poor pierre, who gets terrified every time she leaves the room :(
laughing when val (one of our hair stylists) brought her 2 dachshunds in to play with pierre and they started sprinting all over the store

pita pit + izze

online shopping for iPhone cases

it's so good to have her here..

pierre likes idaho all right, but he doesn't like being in a room without my mom.

this is making us reasses pierre being the new store pup--i don't have the heart to be the bad guy who makes him this sad :(

also, my aunt in washington state knows someone who has a pug they're trying to rehome.

he might be a better (happier) match for the store than poor, scared little pierre.

we'll see!!

conferences and puppies

SUNDAY!

AA-UH-AA-UH-AAH!

(that's a noise my grandpa clark makes when he yawns, it's sort of like a tarzan yell. i put it in there because i'm just waking up from sunday nap)

we had stake conference today and it was really, really great.  every single one of the talks applied to my life somehow and i'm so happy we had the chance to go.

we've reached a decision about our store pup that i'm so excited about!

pierre, my little dog from home in california, is going to drive up with my mom tomorrow and come to live with us for a little bit to see how it goes!!  i love little pierre and i'm hoping that he enjoys idaho and panache life, far away from california coyotes (you can read about pierre's recent encounter with a coyote on my mom's blog here and see pictures here).  i'm only worried that my mom and madison (pierre's best dog friend) will miss him too much.  my landlord was so nice about letting me get a store friend, though.  i'm very grateful.

pictures to come!

we also watched home alone (the first one) with nick & brooke this weekend, and these guys:

inspired me to do this:

to my gloves, which has turned out to be SO convenient as the heat in our apartments isn't on (what's that? isn't it 25 degrees outside? oh. yeah. it is.) and having fingerless gloves gives me the warmth of gloves...while still allowing me to type, text, sew, cook...you know, sunday night things. so thanks, bad guys in home alone.

baby baby

he. said. yes.

my landlord said yes! to the dog thing!

i really was thinking he wouldn't.

i literally cannot contain my excitement.

expect many, many pictures.

as many pictures as though i'd had a baby.

annnd there's one of these in idaho falls. i'm just saying.

too cute to pass up

I saw this on Shalynna's cute blog and couldn't resist entering myself, too--these dresses are just too cute. I never, ever win blog giveaways, so I hope you don't feel like I'm stealing your chances of winning, Shalynna!!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Lawn Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shabby Apple Dare to Design Limoncello Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

when it's cold outside, i've got the month of may

the heater's not working in the store again,

i didn't eat breakfast (my own fault),

and the one nice person that came through my store this morning made me feel so grateful that i almost started crying.

the first and only person who's smiled at me today = just made me so happy.

hey, mr. landlord!

it's days like today that a cheerful puppy would really make all the difference...hint, hint : )

because it's healthy to remind myself that life really doesn't suck...

my list of things i am looking forward to:

seeing my mom next week

reheating last nights' pizza

riding on tuesday

thanksgiving in california

christmas in georgia

humors rehearsal

new shipments coming in next week
cooking for david tomorrow (meat pies + mexican rice)

renting home alone

being warm again...someday...

please please please

it is no mystery to those who know me that i obsess over animals.

repeat: brandilyn obsesses over animals. over and out.

i grew up surrounded by them. i rode horses every day, had dogs following me every time i stepped outside our house, and i never slept a night without patches curled up next to me (drooling on my arm).

my move to rexburg has been hard.

our apartment doesn't allow pets, so i've had to get my animal fill by posting weird cat pictures along with every blog post i do (to those of you who read, i am sorry), and i have to go out to parkwood to ride and to love on the 10,000 dogs running around out there.

well, we got a new landlord. really nice guy.

i called him last night and asked if i could get a store dog. because, according to david, "doesn't hurt to ask."

my thinking is that the dog will stay in the store, as we signed a contract for our apartment that said we understood the "no pet" rule.

i signed no such thing for the store, though. scouts honor.

he laughed, and then said he'd never really thought about it...and didn't think he really cared either way...and that he'd check with his wife and get back to me.

so now i am waiting to hear back from him.

part of me really-kind of-maybe thinks he'll say yes!

i'll keep you updated :)

yawn

today, i have been so productive.

today, i grocery shopped for the week with a cute little $30 budget. i made a game of it and it was actually pretty fun. i came home and got dinner (chicken, potatoes, and carrots) started in the crock pot. i planned out all my classes for the winter because i'm registering at midnight tonight. 

i also officially declared a minor. yep, i'm no longer just "english major, creative writing emphasis." i am now, "english major, creative writing emphasis, organizational communication minor."

swear i'm not as boring as i sound on paper.

while i was on the phone with the registrar's office, david tucked his shirt into his pants and pulled them up high, erkel-style.  he posed, leaning against the doorway, and i started laughing right in the middle of my conversation like an idiot. it was so funny.

tonight, i'm excited to go to FHE, work out, make newspaper flowers, and register for classes.

wait.. i AM as boring as i sound on paper. oh well.

song on repeat: Mountain and the Sea, by Ingrid Michaelson 

heart = melted

this little guy's on craigslist right now.

no exaggeration...i cried a little when i saw him.

he's for sale OR...i could trade a persian cat for him.
i don't have a persian cat or money...or, come to think of it, a landlord that allows pet. but i'm going to try to find a way!

doesn't his little face just seem to be saying, "brandilyn...mommy...come pick me up! I want to come play at panache with you! I want snuggles and kisses! I want you to name me elvis!"

i'm trying, sweetie. i'm trying.

that's good enough for me

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