Eat.Pray.Love.

It has been a while since I have picked up a book to read for pleasure. I always had school books to read (not that I even read those either). So as a suggestion from my mother in law I read this one.

The author, Elizabeth Gilbert takes you into her life, shares her struggles, and allows you to follow her journey to discover herself, true peace and balance. Elizabeth is witty and honest and she made me laugh, cry, and relate to her. I now have a better resolution to choose to be happy, to medidate, to love more deeply, to pray more fervently, to achieve a simple balanced life, and discover ME more fully. Gosh, that sounds like a lot to work on...one step at a time. Right?

Throughout the book I gained insights and found quotes that seemed to be just what I needed to hear. One particular day, cruising along the Mexican Riviera, I was allowing myself to think about my situation at home: how Ben and I are at a crossroads and don't really know what the future holds for us or where we will be even next week, or how much longer he will have to travel for. Thought built upon thought until I felt sorry for myself, and allowed myself to complain...just a bit...to my wonderful hubby who works so hard and treats me so nice that he does not deserve to hear it. After finishing my complaint I sat back in my lawn chair and opened up my book to read. I read this:

"Here you are in India, in an ashram in one of th holiest pilgramage sites on earth. And instead of communing with the divine, you're trying to plan where you'll be meditating a year from now in a home that doesn't yet exist in a city yet to be determined. How about this you spastic fool--how about you try to meditate right here, right now, right where you actually ARE."

Umm hello!? Can anyone else see how this relates perfectly to me? Here I am on a cruise, having the time of my life and I'm thinking about home and complaining?? So immediately it was like I was bonked in the head and a lightbulb went on. I said "Britney, enjoy the moment. Life is a journey. It is exciting that it is a mystery, it is not monotonous, and you have a clean canvas to paint." So no more complaints will come from me. I learned my lesson. :)

Halloween, the Utes, and the 'lil Tank too

Ben attended the University of Utah for some time so he is very loyal to the Utah Utes. We hopped off the plane from the cruise just in time to make it to the Halloween black out game. So I guess you could say we dressed up for halloween this year...we dressed as Utes fans in all black. :) We were so lucky and got 3rd row tickets from Bens neighbor.

We ate hot dogs, drank hot chocolate, cuddled in the chilly weather, cheered our guts out, and were so relieved when the Utes won after a very close game.

GO UTES!



On Sunday we were so happy to see Bens friends from Highschool, Geoff and Morgan while they were in town from Washington D.C. The last time we saw them was at our wedding...they were so awesome and made it to both receptions in Boston AND Salt Lake City! This time they have a new addition...Josh (aka the "tank"). What a cutie! Here he is mesmerized by Ben. But we also found that he is mesmerized by the football game on tv...such a boy! His parents seem to have the mom and dad job down and we couldn't be happier for them and their little family!


Oh and sorry Josh, if Ben is crushing you in his armpit.

Cruisin' the Mexican Riviera!

For my birthday Ben took me on a 7 day cruise through the Mexican Riviera! We sailed on the Norwegian Star and had three stops: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerta Vallarta. It was a dream vacation full of sun, food, adventure, and relaxation. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter gift, or a more wonderful time with my hubby!

Highlights of the trip:

Sun bathing...and Bens 50 cent swim shorts from Salvation Army size 10-12 little boys. What a dweeb I am in love with. Haha.



Dressing up nice and fancy for dinner just about every night. Finally a reason to dress up! We girls love playing dress up and I am such a girly girl.



As many people know, the dining experience on a cruise ship is defintely one of the highlights. World class chefs, joined with excellent waiters and beautiful surroundings created unforgettable memories. The dining experience also enabled us to dine with other passengers on the ship; which we loved. We made some good friends from many different places. One of the evenings we decided to dine alone for what we thought would be a little more private and personal...but the experience quickly turned uncomfortable as we were seated right next to a couple who was obviously having an argument:) For your enjoyment we would like you to re-live our awkward experience. Here's the situation:
*Couple in their 70's.
*Table RIGHT-NEXT to ours.
*Empty bottle of wine on their table.
*They are getting ready to order dessert.

Woman: "You're gonna order MORE dessert?!?"
Man: "You have a problem with me doing that?!?"
Woman: "I have ALOT of problems with you!"
Man: (whispering) "You're embarassing us."
Woman: (NOT whispering) "You want me to REALLY embarass you?!"
Man: "You want me to give you a BLACK EYE?!?"

-The woman then got up and walked out. The man followed behind her at a safe 20ft distance.

It was WAY awkward in the moment; but, now we just laugh about it! :) Sometimes, when we get upset with eachother we say, "You want me to give you a BLACK EYE?!?" and we laugh.

Here I am eating lobster for my first time and I loved it.


Being pampered and waited on with room service and cool towel creations like this elephant.


The Chocoholics buffet. It was a dream, absolutely everything was chocolate from chocolate dipped fruit, to chocolate sushi, to these beautiful carvings.


Our first stop in Cabo San Lucas. We rode the glass bottom boat to this beautiful place, Lovers beach.



We ate lots of real Mexican food.


Our second stop in Mazatlan where we toured around in this little taxi. Ben is the best travel buddy considering he is fluent Spanish and could make friends and bargain for us. I learned a few phrases but mostly used "no gracias," as many natives tried relentlessly to sell us anything from a hammock to chewing gum.


We went for a jet ski ride. It was wild...Ben was holding on for dear life as I drove. Haha.


Our third stop was in Cabo San Lucas where we went zip lining through the jungle! We are hardcore with our face paint.




We swung from this rope swing into the water. If Ben were a Disney character he'd be Mogley on the Jungle Book. :) He got a little crazy jumping with me on his back, and head first.



We didn't forget to do our handstands. This time with the beautiful Mexican sun setting and the waves glistening as our perfect backdrop to our perfect vacation.


Thanks baby hunny for the birthday gift, for your thoughtfulness, for being so romantic, for making me laugh every day multiple times, and so much more. I love you!

Birthday Week

My birthday lasted all week! Ben took the week off work and came home for a visit!

Summary of the AWESOME week:

Picked grapes from the yard and froze them...

Did lots of yard work, including taking down a tree...

Ben dominated that tree like King Kong.

I was a bit worried this might make it onto stupidvideos.com or the Darwin Awards but as you can see it all turned out just fine. phew. Ben did such a great job, and I was an excellent supervisor. :)

I opened my birthday presents at Midnight because I was too anxious to wait 'til morning...

Ben spoiled me rotten with gifts:

1. Set of Oceans Dvds

2. GPS for my car

3. 7 day CRUISE to the Mexican Riviera!

This was a complete surprise and I'm giddy with excitement to go on my first cruise ever with my favorite travel buddy, Ben. The countdown is on! We leave on Oct. 24th.

Ben woke up earlier than me on my birthday morning and surprised me with a cake he made himself. I'm so impressed at his baking and cake decorating skills. What a hunk.

We gained five pounds this week...

Ate at Five Guys for lunch.

We had fondue at the Melting Pot for birthday dinner.

Ben took to me to a secluded but popular place, Ruths Diner. It was so quaint and the food: DELICIOUS! How good does that caprese look!?

We also ate at the fancy Market Street Grill, had lunch at Whole Foods, and don't worry I did cook once. I made one of Bens favorites: Pot roast. But other than that, ya we ate out. :)

Ben did Bikram Yoga with me... He mouthed "We are in a fight," as we lay sweating in the 110 degree room after class. I guess it was a bit harder than he thought. He is tough though and a few minutes later said, "lets go again tomorrow."

We celebrated our niece Kensingtons 1st Birthday! What a cutie! We gave her the Hello Kitty dressed as a pink leopard in the picture.

xoxo

We also attended my mission reunions, saw "The Invention of Lying" in the movie theater (I wouldn't recommend it), watched all of The Office season 5 in order to catch up for season 6, watched LDS General Conference, and I got a pedicure with the girls in the Snarr fam.

Best Birthday week ever.

There's no place like home...

Ben followed the yellow brick road...hopefully he found that there really is "no place like home." I sure wish we could say he's "not in Kansas anymore." :)

Ben is moving all over for work for the next month or so.

I am in Utah.

It stinks.

Right now he is in the rinky dink town of Liberal, Kansas...which happens to be the place where the Wizard of OZ was filmed!

It looks like he met the cast, and had a fun time...without me. Bummer! I miss him so much. I just have to keep reminding myself, "somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue..." :)

Girls Trip: Las Vegas style!

The Snarr girls have an annual girls trip and now that I'm part of the fam I joined them to....LAS VEGAS! I was a first timer in Vegas and I love love loved it! I'm going to overload this blog with pictures but there was just so much we did and saw that I can't leave out. I had the BEST time with the girlies and I think we all can say: nothing quite compares to some girl time!

When they say "Fabulous" they mean Fabulous.



The Bellagio: my favorite hotel on the strip. The fountain shows to music are absolutely positively breathtaking. Inside the hotel are the most outstanding gardens.



Us girls, excpect for Syd (taking the picture) and Dawn, we are so sorry she couldn't make it!


We rode the New York New York roller coaster at night. We screamed and laughed the whole way! We would have rode it over and over again if we could.


Ice cream + girls = maximum happiness and silliness.


The Venetian makes you feel like you are outside in Italy. Papa Snarr showed up just for a day to watch the Lion King with us and treated us girls to a gandala ride through the Venetian. It was quite romantic :). Our guide sang Josh Groban the whole way.



The Lion King! This was the absolute BEST Broadway show I've seen. It was so good it made me cry. We were so lucky...we sat 3rd row!

Special thanks to the rents for giving us the most incredible trip ever! Momma Snarr planned the trip and really spoiled us girls!


We shopped 'til we dropped! This was my favorite purchase: shoes on major sale at BCBG. So stinkin' cute!


Shopping at Sephora. Yes that is me outside of the window. Yes I'm on the phone with who else but Ben. Yes, of course I missed him!


We obviously have positive feelings for the Blue Man Group.


We went to the Las Vegas Temple for a session.


I saw this exit sign on our drive to Las Vegas. I wanted to take the exit to Benjamin but no one else thought it would be as fun as I did ;)


We stayed in St. George for a night on our way and there we ate at the Painted Pony, visited the Brigham Young house, saw the St. George Temple, and watched the show, Aida at the Tuacon Theater. The Tuacon is an outdoor theater in the mountains and red rock. It was an amazing show in an amazing atmosphere! What a trip! I can't wait for another trip with the girls next year!

My summer movie pick

Out of all the movies I've seen this past summer...this is my #1! It is a story of a boy, Tom, who meets a girl, Summer. As for the rest of the story...I'll leave you hanging. :) It is romantic, comedic, artsy, hip, different than the other romantic comedies you've seen. "This is not a love story. It is a story about love."

My favorite scene...they had a date at Ikea where they pretended to be a married couple in the model rooms. In the bedroom they look over and Summer says, "There is a chinese family in our bathroom." You would laugh, you gotta see it. :)

Ben and I saw the movie at the old historic Oriental Theater in Wisconsin. It's a small, old, theater with a red curtain over the screen...the perfect theater to see such an artsy and hip movie.

Ben's 'lil red car

We missed our 'lil Austin Healey Sprite! So when we arrived in Utah we took it for many drives. It is so cute and small...we get lots of stares, honks, and comments!

We drove it to the SLC Temple where we did a session. It was my first time going into that Temple. It was absolutely gorgeus and a sweet experieince. The picture on the steps of the Temple reminds me of a picture we took there when we were dating. Aw...the memories!

Road Trip

On our roadtrip from Wisconsin to Idaho we stopped at the St. Louis arch. I had never been there...it is simply beautiful.


Everywhere we go...HANDSTANDS!

The view throught the itty bitty windows at the top of the arch.

Ben took me to lunch at the Crown Candy-it is the most popular place for lunch in St. Louis. I ate ice cream for my meal...why not :)

baby baby baby

We had a baby shower for Lauren! She is having a baby boy and is due in December. Ben made the sign, I did the food/decor, and Jamie manned the games.

YUMMY!

Lauren and a poopy diaper? No, she'll see plenty of those real soon...it is chocolate...we had to guess what kind of candybar is melted in the diaper!

Jamie, Lauren, Kristin, Melissa, Brit, Riley, Tess, and Sara. This was our fun groupie in Wisconsin. I miss them, we had such good times!!!

Day trip to Chicago!

Our sweet husbands, Ben and Erik, planned a day in Chicago for Jamie and I!

We went to the top of the Sears Tower (which is now called the Willis Tower) and walked on glass so that we could see everything below...how trippy...but worth it!




We went to the Shedd Aquarium:

How weird is that sea horse...


We found NEMO!

We finished the day off by eating at the Brazilian Barbeque, Fogo De Chao. All you can eat meat for us carnivores! I ate at one of these type of restaurants in Africa, where the servers come to your table with a slab of meat and carve some onto your plate. Except in Africa I ate meat such as Zebra, Wart hog, Crocodile, Ostrich etc!

Golfing: our new hobby

Ben and I have taken up real golfing, and we absolutely love it! But this time we went mini golfing...the first time ever together. We went with our friends, Erik and Jamie VanWoerkom. Below we are posing as golfer models:

My pool skills come in handy...

Ben takes it seriously.

Such a cheese

Sometimes you just gotta be a little cheesy to have a little fun. :)

I planned a romantic french cuisine dinner night for Ben and I. I'm practicing my sewing skills so I made the place mats and napkins. Then I used what I had for the centerpiece...jewelry and bowls. HAHA. The food: "Poulet Saute Aux Herbes De Provence," and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. I am having fun cooking new things and poor Ben is the guinnea pig! I put french sayings on the table and it was hilarious to hear Ben, a spanish speaker try to speak french! All in all I must say the night was a success and we look forward to many more themed dinner nights. :)

Prayers for 'lil Spencer

Just a few months ago My brother Jared and his wife Natalie found out that their youngest of 6 children, Spencer, who is just 2 years old, has Cancer. I can't imagine the hardship it is to see your own child suffer in such a way. Spencer has two tumors the size of grapefruit, one is in a kidney and the other is inoperable because it is attached to major arteries. He has been undergoing chemotherapy. It is wonderful to see how technological advances through time can help but it is miraculous to see how the Lord intervenes. Spencer has received many blessings by the power of the Priesthood and our prayers are being heard and answered.

The opportunity arose and I was able to visit my family for a week this past July. I was excited to see Spencer! He is such a 'lil trooper! He was still his cute 'lil self, very spunky and full of fun. One of the saddest moments was when I was taking his brothers and sisters to the pool and Spencer climbed in the van, pretending to drive and wanted to come along. Unfortunately he had to stay behind and it was the hardest thing for all of us to leave him. He doesn't quite understand and I feel for Jared and Natalie because that is an every day event for them.

I made a trip home to CT for a week, sadly Ben couldn't come along because of work. I was able to help watch Jared and Natalie's 5 other kids as our family took a trip to Palmyra NY for the Hill Cumorah Pageant (a summer tradition) and to Niagara Falls. Jared and Natalie had to stay behind with Spencer so we wanted to make sure the other kids still got to go and have fun with their cousins. Our family had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed catching up with everyone, especially my cute nieces and nephews...who are growing up so fast!!

Just can't get enough...

...of Baseball!

We went to another Brewers game! This time it was against Bens favorite team, the LA Dodgers. But we stayed loyal to where we are and rooted for the Brewers. We got the BEST seats...right behind the Dodgers dugout! I have never sat so close! The game was another exciting one...real close with the Brewers pulling through in the end to win the game!

Ben and his buddies, Pepper, and Skyler.

Ben found some Gorillas that he just HAD to take a picture with. We saw the players, like Manny Ramirez upclose! Then after the game we grabbed a bite to eat with our friends at Chilis.

Surprise Surprise!

Ben surprised me one day with the new 32g i-phone!
Ben=red, Brit=white.
We are crazy about our new phones!

Out with the girls

L-R: Lauren, Me, Kristin, Jamie

Us girls drove to Chicago for the day to visit the Temple, and see the city!

We ate at the famous, House of Blues

Stars and Stripes

Our Fourth of July weekend:

Friday night: A classic American meal...I even made toothpick flags to be festive.





Saturday morning: I sent Ben off with dozens of cupcakes I baked to share with his co-workers.
















Saturday Afternoon: Jamie, Kristin, and I ran the "New Berlin National Dash" 5k race. We rocked that race! Afterward we stayed to watch the PARADE:

(I want that mini!)

Saturday Night: A group of us went tubing and wake boarding on our friend Clint's boat. Ben was a pro and didn't fall off the tube once! When it got dark we watched fireworks from the boat on the water...it was the prettiest sight. Afterward we got burgers and frozen custard at Kopps. What a day...the perfect way to celebrate.

Take me out to the ballgame...

"For its root, root, root for the BREWERS!

If they don't win its a shame!"

We are happy to say...there was no shame, BREWERS won in the most awesome way.

I'm going to do my best to give you the "play by play" but I'm not a sports writer, and I can't give this game the justice it deserves. Ben says out of the hundreds of games he has been to this was pretty much the best.

We arrived when the San Fransisco Giants were winning by four. The Brewers eventually caught up, but by the ninth inning they were down again by two runs. The Brewers fans are hardcore and very hopeful but it seemed almost a certain loss for the Brewers...



Prince Fielder is our favorite player on the team. He hit a 3-run homer in the sixth AND hit the winning run. We were amazed that in the last inning the Brewers made a comeback and won 7-6!

After Fielder reached second base, he then took a few steps toward the mound, stopped and raised his arms in celebration. He was immediately tackled by his teammates! What a game! The crowd went WILD with excitement. We were high-fiving just about everyone!

Miller Park is one of the newest baseball parks. It has a retractable roof and it really is so PRETTY! There is something about being at a baseball game that makes me feel American and good all over. :)

This is the Brewers Sausage Race. It is a race of sausage mascots held at the bottom of the sixth inning at every home game. It is hilarious to see the sausages run.

Superhero Wannabe

SIX FLAGS!

S is for Superheroes and Super human power!

I is for Ice cream and dying of thirst for Ice cold water

X is for Xtreme Roller coasters!

F is for Freaked out little girl Forced on the ride by her mother

L is for Laughing as we paid quarters to spray water at people on the boat ride

A is for Almost puking

G is for Gross, stinky, sweaty lines

S is for Screaming until I lost my voice

Ben likes to call himself, BATMAN (usually when he makes reservations), so you can imagine his excitement when he saw Batman and the Bat Mobile!

The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Carousel...

Practically empty.

People must have forgotten how completely __________ it is!

(Fill in the blank. I would say "AWESOME," you might say "RAD" or whatever. Nothing negative please.) Haha.

SIDE STORY:

To this day I can't forget when I was little and how my mom took me to a Carousel in Hartford, CT. I looked forward so much to riding it and was VERY disappointed to find it was closed when we got there. Yes, that dramatic experience left scars. Life can be so unfair.

CHICAGO

CHICAGO

After a l..o..n..g drive through b-e-a-utiful countryside we FINALLY arrived at our destination: a small town outside of Milwaukee, Brookfield, Wisconsin. We love our new apartment, it is spacious and pretty and right next to a golf course. We hadn't even been here for a week yet and decided to take a trip to CHICAGO! It is only 1hr 30mins from us and I had never been there!

Saturday Ben got out of work early and surprised me by taking me to Chicago. We stayed at the Marriot hotel downtown. Saturday night we ate at the famous HARRY CARAYS! Ben loves baseball, so of course he wanted to eat here. We took a picture by the "Holy Cow!" which literally had holes in it and by the Harry Caray statue. We bought a magnet and Christmas ornament...because it is tradition.

We took a double decker bus tour the city. We had the BEST views from that bus and took so many pictures. The city is beautiful, especially by the waterfront. We took pictures at Millenium park of the GIANT BEAN and the waterfall/fountain. There are two fountains and they show faces of Chicago citizens, the faces change and about every five minutes the face will shoot water out of its mouth. We took a picture of Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears, it used to have a Renaissance look but with the upgrades it looks like a UFO landed on it.

Next visit: Wriggley Field...we love Baseball! And i'm crossing my fingers to get tickets to an Oprah show!

FACT: Chicago is "the windy city"...not neccesarily because it is windy but because the people are long winded.

Mt. Rushmore!

After only being married for 6 months, we've already lived in 3 states! We started in Rexburg, Idaho where we attended BYU-I, then after graduation moved to Portland, Oregon for Ben's job, then Ben's job moved him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin...of all places!

On our road trip to Wisconsin we stopped at Mt. Rushmore! Ben was like a little kid, all giddy and excited to fulfill one of his dreams...Mt. Rushmore, up close and in person.

Another place we can now mark on our map of places we've visited. Another magnet and Christmas ornament to collect. Another handstand picture!

"Portonians"

Ben calls the people of Portland, "Portonians." He obviously is not from there.



After graduation we made our way up north to the beautiful state of OREGON where we made a temporary home in Portland. I must say I wish it wasn't so temporary. We fell in LOVE! In love with GREEN...not only is it so lush and green, with rolling hills, but the people are very "green." They are earthy, organic, very hippi-like, really diverse, and very accepting. In fact you can walk outside wearing anything you want and you won't get a second glance. We had some good laughs at some of the crazy outfits and the unique people we met there.



Portland is the perfect place for a runner like me. There are trails everywhere and my favorite is the trail along the waterfront and the endless trails at Forest Park. Forest Park is the biggest park in the nation that is within a major city, it is 5,000 acres! I signed up for the FOOT TRAFFIC MARATHON on Sauvie Island, nearby.




Ben and I had so much fine dining out in Portland since there are countless restaurants, all very unique. We rarely went to a chain restaurant. One place, Montage, specialized in mac & cheese. They wrapped your leftovers in tin foil shaped as something...mine was a swan!

I rarely went to a mall since there were so many streets with the cutest boutiques. The $hopping is AMAZING there! Plus there is NO SALES TAX. What a dream! :) This is Lauren, Rachel, and I shopping on Alberta Street.




Ben and I visited the Chinese Gardens.




Just about every Thursday night a group of us would catch a midnight premier at the theater. This time we saw "UP" in 3d!




The Portland, Oregon Temple...Gorgeous and unique!

If you thought Ben can't dance...

...You still might think so.

It was "Mullet Night" at PGE Park! Our office went to a Minor League Baseball game, Portland Beavers vs. Nashville Sounds and Portland kicked trash! Haha...Mullet Night! So, of course Ben and our friend Jimmy bought mullet wigs. During the festivities, their good looks and charm also got them a spot in the dance competition during the game! To ALL of our suprise...Ben won! He won a baseball cap and probably some more pride...pride for how he looks in a mullet, and how he thinks he can dance! That is my husband....if only he broke out those moves at our wedding!

Viva Coldplay!

YES...this is Coldplay.
YES...we are going to their concert July 10th in Portland.
YES...Ben surprised me with the tickets because he loves me.
YES...I am so stinkin excited!

HAPPY EASTER!

My parents flew in from CT to attend our Graduation and my Sister Heather drove up from Utah. It was so much fun being the hostess and having them spend the weekend at our home. I remember when I was little, I asked my mom if she was the Easter Bunny and she didn't say a word, she just wiggled her nose at me. Haha. Now this year it was my turn to wiggle my nose...

Graduation!

April 10, 2009...Blog worthy day!

Phew! We finally graduated from college with our Bachelor degrees! We feel it is really special that we could finish off our last semester at college as husband and wife and graduate together.

We are so thankful to our parents for their support through the years and for watching us as we recieved our diplomas.

Ben ran into his favorite mission buddy, Brandon Brown, at the Graduation. (He randomly runs into him in the most random places!)

What a SWEET celebration...mainly because we just graduated but also because we had Cocoa Bean Cupcakes...yum! We held a little graduation party with our parents, Uncle Shawns family, and Grandpa Larsen.

Goodness Gracious!

I'm posting this picture in honor of my sister Laina and her blog "goodness gracious" because she is always posting decorative/artsy fartsy stuff. (We love you Laina Kay!...The future Martha Stewart haha!)

These dessert plates are by SPODE. I had to have them...they are adorable! :)

Ben's 2nd love

Ben skipped school, hopped on a plane, and joined his dad and brothers for their traditional trip to AZ to watch MLB spring training...lucky! I miss him like crazy but I'm happy he can be enjoying his second love-baseball....of course I am his first love. :)

The first night he was away I pulled down the covers of our bed and I found this baseball....how cute is that!

2 months married!

February 17, 2009
Ben surprised me by making me a wonderful dinner in honor of our 2 months mark. I hadn't realized it had been 2 months so when he asked what the meal symbolized by having 2 of everything I responded: the two of us? twins? I then read his sweet card which explained the meaning well. How could I forget! Oops, women aren't supposed to forget these things, the men are aren't they? Well my man is an exception, he is by far the best! I love him!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentines Day!

This weekend was special...we spent Friday night in Jackson Hole Wyoming, at the Wyoming Inn, which was rustic and classy. We strolled around the quaint town and shopped a bit, then ate the most delicious dinner at Cadillacs. That evening we relaxed by our fire and in our jacuzzi. The next day we went snowboarding at Jackson Hole Mt. The weather was perfect and the Mt. is now our favorite spot for boarding!

On Sunday I wore my red letese skirt, that was made for me in Botswana, and Ben wore the matching tie I gave him. He also wore the cuff links I made him out of heart buttons! We were the cutest couple around that day :).

I made Ben a Valentines day themed dinner...with martinelli, candles, and three courses! I put "conversation hearts" on the table. On the back of each heart was a question to create romantic conversation. We then had chocolate fondue and fruit for dessert.

Pinnacle Snowman

We built our first snowman together!

Our home sweet home!

Our home sweet home!

After the wedding, receptions, honeymoon, and new year we settled into our townhouse in Idaho, where we made ourselves at home, and lived happily ever after...
THE END...not quite :)

Our interesting lives go on and we are finding marriage is bliss! We are attending BYU-Idaho and plan on graduating this April together. Amid all the stress of studying, our favorite pastime is decorating our house. We've done lots of projects together, collaborating our design senses...FHE has never been so fun, it almost always is a project for the house.

The pictures in the slideshow:

• We bought a table at DI, sanded it and painted it red. It is now our favorite piece, a catchall table by the front door.
• The green end table from Potterybarn, a gift from mom and dad Snarr. It matches our decor perfectly!
• A bench that was once Grandma Snarrs and we reupholstered it with fun fabric, we were going for an Anthropology (the store) look.
• We painted an accent wall in house green. It was Bens idea to paint stripes for a gradual transition from the green to the tan wall.
• We painted a picture frame and a clock a pretty blue.
• There is a photo wall we created going up the staircase.
• We hung a colorful map of the world that we had framed in the kitchen. There are pins in it representing the places we've traveled.
• Our Anthropology bedding...we love!

Honeymoon in Aruba!

Aruba!

Aruba! Aruba! Aruba!

After a perfect, yet chilly wedding in Boston, we flew directly to Aruba for our Honeymoon! Nothing we could have seen or read could have prepared us for the magical stay we experienced on that remarkable island! Our stay was at a private beach, where we rented a beachfront bungalow that opened-up footsteps from the sand. Relaxation seemed to be the theme of the vacation as we found ourselves sunbathing on the beach, near the pool, on our terrace or under the canopies. However, with so much to do on such a little island we felt as though we needed to take it all in.... and take it in we did! We went on a Off-Road Jeep Safari, which included stops to the Lighthouse, Abandoned Mine, Ostrich Farm, Natural Bridge, Bat Caves, secluded Baby Beach and Eastern Shoreline. We sailed in a Pirate Ship that took us Snorkeling and touring and we even tried-out the rope swing! We both went para sailing for the first time and we were sure to do some shopping as well. Our daily activities were concluded with one of our highlights of the Honeymoon... Aruban dining. The restaurants are all remarkable and we were sure to sample a variety of the establishments the island had to offer. We stayed busy doing a variety of things but in the end it seemed the islands laid-back feel became contagious. We just wanted to relax.
We won't soon forget that island and we long to return. It was a great way to start-off our adventure together!

Utah Luncheon

Utah Luncheon

We started the New Year off with lots of FUN and FAMILY! January 3rd we hosted a luncheon for close friends and family who were unable to attend the Wedding and Reception in Boston and Connecticut. The luncheon was held at Eaglewood Golf Course in a lovely room filled with windows overlooking the Salt Lake Valley, the views were amazing. Fortunately, the weather cooperated as well and in addition to being surrounded by warm familiar faces, it was a bright and sunny day. We both spoke a bit about each other and our courtship, but ultimately we wanted to have the luncheon in honor of all our guests who had graciously served and supported us throughout our lives. It was a wonderful afternoon and we thank all who were able to attend.

Dancing the night away!

Reception at the Pond House

Reception at the Pond House

The reception was that evening at the beautiful Pond House. We enjoyed a catered sit-down dinner with all the trimmings, while we embraced the east coast hospitality. When we first entered the reception hall our jaws dropped at the site of the lavish decor. The sights, scents and sounds of the venue were also accompanied with amazing evening views. Mingling and greeting took place as guests flowed in. Conversation and laughter filled the air as we were surrounded by dear friends and family.

The fathers started the festivities with two very dear toasts where memories and close feelings were shared. Afterwhich...dinner was served! The meal was delectible and we made our rounds to each of the tables personally thanking all who were in attendance. After eating and mingling, the dancing shoes came out as we turned the music up and began dancing! We had alot of fun and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. To us ... it was perfect. Darlaina needs to be thanked most especially for the countless hours she spent on our behalf. Her attention to detail was the icing on the cake for a magical evening.

Boston Wedding

Boston Wedding

Our new lives began on December 17th, 2008 in Boston, MA. We were married on a winters morning with all of our family there to share the special day with us. Ben's friends from Washington, DC even made the trip as well. It was a bit chilly, but we were all smiles as we were sealed together with our loved ones present. After a few photos and some cold ears and noses, we drove to West Hartford, CT for a lovely dinner reception and dancing!

December 17, 2008

image by Kristopher Orr Photography

Welcome to our blog!! We are getting married December 17, 2008 in the Boston Temple. We are excited, antsy, thrilled, tickled, delighted, all of the above. :) La la la Life is wonderful! (you can tell I, Brit wrote this and Ben had nothing to do with it haha)

This is what true love looks like...



So now we have officially entered the world of blogging...very foreign to us but we will soon catch on. Right now it is a bit busy with wedding plans but after the wedding stay tuned because we will update this blog often! Promise.

Engagement Photos