Hello, 2015.

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year! 
As I reflect on this past year, 2014 has been a year of growth and a test in faith for the both of us. We've been through some challenges, but I'm so thankful for them. In those hard times, God has been so faithful in our lives. 
I could try to come up with a list of "New Years Resolutions" but this year I'm keeping it simple; whatever chapter this upcoming year brings us into, I just want to make sure I'm spending as much time with the people that mean the most to me. Today, we started by heading up to the mountain to take Kovu to see snow! We had no idea if he had seen it before, but I have never seen him as excited as he was today. It was an amazing start to the new year.
I hope 2015 brings each and every one of you a year of joy and blessings.

Our New House: The Process and Details

Thank you for all the congratulations on our good news on Thursday! The house is officially ours!

Merry Christmas

Tis' the season for thanks and for giving. A season of celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus, and a season the hubs and I find ourselves talking about how incredibly blessed we are. A season we can find special reasons to enjoy life’s little moments more fully. Even as we experience the unexpected losses, disappointments, and heartache each year brings, it somehow seems a little less broken this time of of year with the Spirit of Christmas.

My hope is that everyone is experiencing these same feelings of merriment, and wherever you’ll be spending the season, I hope it’s Merry & Bright.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

Our First Child

Miscarriage. Sometimes I can barely utter the words, as it seems more like a blur or a bad dream as I chose to try to turn it into anything but my reality.

Today, It's been one month since we've lost our first child.

I've been incredibly blessed and grateful for all the amazing support we've received from our close friends and family. Until now, we have not made our miscarriage public. But we now have peace in knowing that this is all part of God's plan in our lives, and in that includes many more beautiful moments to come. It's now a testimony, and we finally feel ready to share it.

This is our story..

MAKEUP TUTORIAL: EVERYDAY SMOKEY NEUTRALS

Earlier, I posted a product review on the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips "Nude" Eyeshadow Palette. I think this palette is very durable and there are a lot of looks you can create with the range of shadows in the palette! If you have ever wanted to try out Urban Decay's "Naked" Eyeshadow palette, but you'd rather pay a drugstore price, this palette is essential to have in your kit.. this kit is only $10 before sales tax, and it also comes with 3 different eye liners that are already around $9, so you're getting a pretty awesome deal on this!

This is my very first step-by-step makeup tutorial. I will try to do videos in the future, but for now this will have to do, so any advice or tips that some of you may have to better my tutorials, the comments are much appreciated :)

 This look can be created to be more daytime appropriate, or you can even make it a "going out" night look. You'll see in the steps below how I blend out the colors, but if you want a smokey-er look, you want to blend the black eyeshadow further towards the middle of your lid. You can do this with or without eyeliner, just customize this look to your own personal preference!

PRODUCT REVIEW // UD DUPES: PF "NUDE" E/S PALETTE

Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow and Liner

Description: Get the nude look for any eye color. Naked and neutral, yet "never boring" shades create modern Nude Eyes. Wet & Dry application for two finishes: wet for dramatic, intense color with ultra long-lasting wear. Transforms shadow into a liner. Dry for a softer result.

Claims: Hypoallergenic. Fragrance free. Paraben free. Dermatologist approved. Safe for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. Gluten Free.

I picked this up at Walmart for $10.00 {before sales tax} and the first thing that caught my attention was the packing! It's actually a dead-on match to a bag & makeup case set that I use when I travel, it's so cute I love it! The flap opens up horizontally, instead of vertically, and it also comes with 3 highly pigmented eyeliners!

OUR WEDDING 11.11.11

I am SO EXCITED to be able to share this with you all. To all of our friends and family that weren't able to attend the wedding, I really hope that you enjoy our wedding ceremony highlights video, and I hope that it makes you feel like you were there. We love you all, thank you Aubrey Peterson for being such an amazing friend/photographer on our special day. Thank you to Mario Rivas who shot and edited our video. And thank you, Justice Eckerson, who helped us throughout the entire wedding day, we couldn't have done it without you!

Our wedding photos can be found at Here and Here.
The rest of the wedding credits are listed below the video.

Wedding Photography: Green Anchor Photo
Second Photographer Shooter: Jameson Harding
Wedding Videography: Mario Rivas
Day-of Coordinator: Justice Strawder-Eckerson
Ceremony and Reception Location: Destiny Church
First-Look Location: Floyd Lamb State Park
Wedding Gown: Bridal and Botique
Bridesmaids Dresses: H&M
Grooms Attire: Express
Catering: Malkolm Alvarez
Wedding Cake: Lezlee Goronsen
Bouquets, Flowers, Cake Topper: Layers of Lovely
Cake Serving Set: Claire Laidlaw
CD Favor Monograms: BumbleDesigns {Etsy}
Rentals: Nevada Linens
Table Runners, Candle Votives, Cylinder Jars, Balsa Wood Flowers: Jillian Bradley
Table Numbers, Mason Jars, & Stationary: DIY
Bridesmaids Earrings: WhitsDesigns10 {Etsy}
Brides' Hairpiece and Groomsmen Boutonnieres: TheHeadBandShoppe{Etsy}
Brides Shoes: Toms
Band: Ben Lunn, Mark Overlien, Jameson Harding, Hannah Pitman, Micah Ogle, Dax Dabel, & Jordan Smith
Officiant: Pastor Terry Jimmerson @ Destiny Church