In My Closet : Striped



The Impeccable Pig Top , H&M Jeans , Steve Madden Boots , The Impeccable Pig Earrings , Anthropologie Bracelets , Michale Kors Watch



I really have no intention of this being a fashion blog at all , the notion is simply laughable , but I had to take these photos for work , so I thought I'd share them on here .

It was a long day today .

For the moms out there who work full time , all the time , hats off to you .

I literally don't know how you do it .

More thoughts on that tomorrow .

For now , sleep .

Lots and lots of sleep .

Looking forward to a full day with my girl tomorrow .

I really need it .

-e

We Make Mistakes

Some of you may have heard the story in the news today about the tragic death of a two year old boy at a Philadelphia zoo . While I won't repeat the details , the story is one that has weighed heavily on my mind today .

I first saw the story on Good Morning America , and then later read an article about it on Yahoo .

As I came to the bottom of the article my eye caught the comments that were being made about this sweet baby's mother .

My heart broke for her .

I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child . I cannot imagine the anguish of feeling like you were even somewhat responsible , a burden which I'm sure every parent carries no matter the circumstances . I especially cannot imagine having my loss spread across the nation as some kind of gross example of how you can never be too careful , and having to endure the judgement of the mindless.

.

Most of all , I cannot imagine missing moments like these .

I wouldn't think that the people leaving those malicious comments were parents themselves .

Because if you were , you would recognize that we all have careless moments with our children .

We all do things that seem perfectly harmless , until suddenly they aren't . . . we're just lucky enough to have our children walk away unharmed .

Yes , we are the lucky ones .

When Annie was about 7 months old , I put her on the counter in her Bumbo chair while I was making dinner for another family in our neighborhood. Looking back now , it seems careless , but at the time it was something I had seen other people do .

I just . . . didn't think .

As I turned to place something in the oven , I heard Annie's toy hit the ground , followed my a loud smack . I ran over and found my baby face first on the tile floor , crying .

As I picked her up her eyes bulged out , rolled back in her head , and she began to convulse .

She then let out a long sigh , her eyes closed , her was body completely still .

At that moment , if only for that moment , the thought crossed my mind that I was watching my baby die - and it was all my fault .

By the time the paramedics arrived , Annie was awake and responsive .

After a long evening in the hospital , all results came back that she was completely okay .

The doctors and nurses told me not to beat myself up , that they did the same thing with their kids all the time .

I was one of the lucky ones .

To the mother of that baby boy , whose precious life was taken all too soon , I know that you will see him again . I also know that nothing will ever fill the hole in your heart until that day comes when you can be reunited with him .

I pray that you will have strength .

Today , after hearing his story , parents around the nation held on to their children a little bit tighter - accidents and tragedies were further prevented as we all became more aware .

He left a legacy , even in his short time .

- e

P.S. - I spent some time looking for a quote or scripture that would go with this but came up short . If anyone has one they would like to share , would you please leave a comment ?

 

Halloween 2012

I was so grateful that Blake was able to fly in to go Trick-or-Treating with Annie and I .

And I know he was just as thrilled that he got to go out in full costume - what a good sport he is : )

After going round and round with so many ideas about what our girl was going to be this year , we finally settled on Little Red Riding Hood .

I dressed up as the wolf and Blake , being the silly fellow he is , was the grandmother .

Get a load of our little Red - my awesome mother-in-law made her costume !

We kept it pretty low key - driving to a few homes of family and friends , and stopping at a few neighborhood houses with my mom and dad .

Then off to a delicious dinner at my in-laws house - Annie's sweet Aunt Carli and Lala put together quite the spread for us.

So grateful for them and all that they do !  

Hope you all had an amazing night as well !

- e

A Little Fall Outing

A few weeks ago , Annie and I were lucky enough to head back to Utah for two whole weeks to be with Blake . We enjoyed General conference , BYU Homecoming , and my birthday ! Some of Blake's family were in town too which made it extra fun !

While we were there we came across this sweet little farm that had the most adorable pumpkin patch .

We also got to spend the evening with some of our favorite people : Annie's Uncle Brad , Aunt Carli , and Cousin Henry .

It was the perfect evening for our little family and especially our baby girl .



It was the best day .

And it made me realize something .

Blake and I are not originally from Utah .

We went out there for school and both ended up finding jobs and just sort of ended up , as we usually say , stuck . I almost constantly find myself looking for our next move that will take us somewhere else .

But this trip , this return "home" , felt completely different .

I realized how much , after a full month away , I really love Utah .

The weather is amazing , the scenery is beautiful , it is an incredible place to raise a family , the people are kind , and we have a unique opportunity to be surrounded by so many people with our same beliefs .

Really . . . what more could you ask for ?

So here's to enjoying the moment and not wishing away the time you have .

Appreciate it while it's happening .

Now we're back in Texas and all I have to say about that is - could the cooler weather get here already , and stay here ?

This heat is making me grumpy .

- e 

Radio Silence

Oh hey there .

Remember when I said I was going to post every day

for the rest of the year , and then missed two whole

days in a row ?

Yep , that happened . . .it just does .

Trying not to sweat the small stuff .

Enjoying time with my family .

Adventures from this month to come tomorrow :)

Have a great weekend !

- e 

Sandy



I did this post over on The Impeccable Pig's blog today , so if you also read over there , please forgive the repitition but it seemed the only thing that was appropriate in light of recent events .

Today I wanted to give a shout out to everyone who was directly involved with or knows someone involved with Hurricane Sandy .

You are in our thoughts and prayers .

The East Coast is currently dealing with one of the largest storms in U . S. history , with damage costs estimated in the billions .

The Red  Cross is going to need all of the help they can get !

You can donate here , or simply text REDCROSS to 90999 .

That's it for today !

- e

West Elm in Salt Lake City!

via West Elm Salt Lake's Facebook Page

Hey hey hey !

I'm back !

Where have I been , you ask ?

Well , more on that to come :)

A promise / new goal : I will post on this

blog at least 5 days a week until the end of the year .

But first , let me say Hallelujah !

For West Elm has come to Salt Lake City .





While I wasn't cool enough to be invited to the grand opening party ( I know , they don't know what they're missing ) , West Elm has been one of my long time loves , and I can promise you I will be a regular sight in their store from now on .

Sorry BW , consider yourself warned. I will now begin slowly saving for many needed items to complete my kitchen , living room , and master bedroom areas !

Now all we need is a Zara and I might actually consider making Utah my permanent home .

Maybe . . .

- e