mckevin ties the knot! // NASHVILLE, TN

just a little throwback because my posterity needs to know this! this needs to be on the internet! this was the wedding of the year + the south will rise again!

it was no secret that i was so excited for nashville. not only do i love weddings but two of my favorite people were getting married AND i got to see the south + pretend to be connie britton a la rayna james for like, a week straight. i. was. pumped.

we flew in on monday night + stayed at a house outside of nashville. there was a walking trail that ran alongside the cumberland river + it made for the most beautiful morning walks. actually i am making this sound too romantic. it was beautiful but i partially feared for my life a few times + got lost like, every day. also there was a turtle! that was cool. 

jeff + i explored nashville the next day. i texted me friend alaina (hi alaina!) who goes to belmont(!!!!) for a list of things i needed to see + we tried to hit everything up. we went to music row + honky tonk central + the country music hall of fame + some park. the parthenon? in nashville? that feels right. at one point it started pouring rain + it was all so very 'sweet home alabama' (also known as the most underrated movie ever).

the kofords were the best hosts. they took us to the grand ole opry (!!!!!!) where we watched thomas rhett play + i almost cried out of sheer excitement. it was amazing. nashville is so cool. they danced + clapped + totally put up with my squeals. the next day we went to pizza + the yummiest ice cream place with their family again. they were so, so nice + so, so cool. kenna! your family! the best! also they're not in this picture because they were being super nice people + grabbing our tickets while i insisted on this photo opp. i am the actual worst.

my calendar is all messed up but there was also a welcome party? and the yummiest cake i have ever tasted? and at one point we went to a museum + painted + an aquarium? also we had a dance lesson? this is all a blur.

and then the wedding!!!!!!

i don't care that this is lengthy because the wedding!

it was the most gorgeous day + mckenna looked so pretty + all the flowers were so good + the food was amazing + they had the best band ever + it was just. so. fun. like, not kidding. we danced all night long + everyone was majorly sweating from all the partying + i could talk about it all day long. wedding of the freakin' year. also the ring ceremony! in my mind there was a harpist? is this true? it was like, angelic + the pictures are so good. fifteen thousand thumbs up.

three months later but congratulations to kenna + kevin + THANK YOU for the best time in nashville! ...nashville, nashville, nashville. i could talk about it all day.

also thank you to the stapletons for housing me + feeding me + putting up with the fact that i was unexplainably soooooo tired all. the. time. (...i could actually be on i didn't know i was pregnant. more on this later)

california (again)!!! //

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this last week, jeff's family flew us out to california to come visit + to celebrate kenna and kevin's impending nuptials with an engagement party! it was such an unexpected + unplanned trip to end our june. what i am trying to say is THANK YOU, stapleton family! we had a lot of family time + a lot of beach time + a lot of food coma-ing. my perfect vacation.

also jeff's mom left diet coke + gluten free bread in the fridge + i cried happy tears.
NOW! THE PHONE DUMP! (scroll, scroll, scroooooooooll) :

because all blogs should have cleavage shots. HEEEEEY! 

I KNOW my beachwear is revolutionary /// i've had those anklets on for almost ten years. which is totally weird, i'm aware. anyways, in the summer the tan line gets insane. like, hi ankles! see you never. 

we went to the harbor one morning + had bagels. S'CUTE, right?! hahahaah. gross.

PSA : my kortni friend makes THE BEST swimsuits. you've probably already heard of her but hi! they're so fun + you feel like you can eat all the bagels you want + play in the sand + flip around in the ocean and nothing is coming out. and by that i mean your boobs are in and your pooch is secure. SCORE. 

i sincerely wish my life could be just one long lunch with olivia. mushy gushy. also more cleavage.

gimme all the cleavage.

jeff + i walked strands sunday night. aren't we cute?! tell me you think we are cute. hahahah. just kidding. half the time i was complaining about a stomach ache + agonizing over the split of ben affleck and jennifer garner. why is life so cruel!?!? 

on monday night, we went to an angel's game with jeff's neighbor friends + family. 

baseball is a long sport. woof. but go angels! hurry up! play faster! mike trout!

on the lats night, jeff + i went to dinner in san juan capistrano. we ate at sundried tomato + jeff's cute friend emily was the hostess there + hooked us up with some butter? toffee? fruity? cake. it was devoured in less than ten seconds + it was sooooo good. then we came home + had a second dinner + played uno with his family. i lost miserably.

till next time, california! 

a visit home + ex-boyfriend contracts

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i went up to idaho for a few days last week to stock up on anklets (if you ever are in the moscow area, go to 'tye dye everything' in the back of mikey's gyros. $1 anklets in all sorts of colors plus the opportunity to scratch your head + think, 'how is this place still in business?') + good cooking. it was a SHORT visit but i left refueled, refocused + 30 pounds heavier.

ANYWAYS. thanks fam for having me! thanks idaho for the good weather! thanks random high school acquaintances for delightfully ignoring me!

warning :  this is where a rant begins...
...truly delightfully. i feel like there should be contracts handed out to people after high school graduation where you decide if you are going to be wavers or stop-and-catch-uppers or ignorers when you bump into each other in public. YOU KNOW?!

nothing is worse than not knowing. for instance : i hugged my friend's ex-boyfriend at the AT&T store because we had not established what we were!!!! WHAT ARE WE?!!?!?

also nothing is worse than becoming a waver to someone who you don't want to be a waver with. THESE CONTRACTS ARE IRREVERSIBLE. i stupidly waved to my high school gym teacher one day + now we are forever on waving terms +, let me tell you, it. is. exhausting. and stressful!

WAIT! on to something : in addition to handing out these contracts/agreements at the end of high school graduation, you should also hand them out after break-ups to your ex-lover AS WELL AS all of their family members and friends. am i right or what?!

THE END.

ACHOOOOO! // when paige came to visit.

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spring is my favorite time of year. right now. but i always forget just how bitter-sweet it is.
the allergies. oh! the! allergies! i feel like i am gorging myself with off-brand allergy medicine (i can't afford the real stuff, ballin' on a budget here) + dayquil + eye drops + medicated chapstick + kleenexes. also with costco fruit snacks, but that is besides the point.

anyways, happier things + times.

my sister came to town last week (two weeks ago?) for her spring break + it was a breath of fresh air.
we watched seasons of dance moms (don't miss with the zeigler dynasty), drank insane amounts of diet coke + had a sugar cookie chaser after every. single. meal.

we went to vegas + complained about the crowds of people. SO MANY PEOPLE. where are you all going? why aren't we more organized here? what are you wearing?! we spat out jerry seinfeld-esque complaints the entire time. also we snuck into a fancy pants hotel's pool using my mom's old room key. KIM IS SMART. all caps. the people watching there was prime + i still have so many follow-up questions (there was this average looking man there who had FLOCKS of women fawning over him. i concluded he was a drummer? of some sort? for some band?)(speaking of bands, r.i.p. zayn. womp womp.)

recommendations, because you asked (...not) : lotus siam + braddah's island style. both of the strip. HOLLAH!

onwards. we then went to st. george which felt like a quiet, peaceful heaven where we did exactly what we do in provo except in warmer temperatures. ha. we drove through the swig drive through multiple times, pounded chick fil a (sugar free lemonade is MY JAM) + cringed over chris soules' dancing. just stop, chris. just stop.

...and then we drove home. aren't you loving this play by play?
while in the utah valley, we ate A TON + visited my grandma + cousin...and watched A LOT of dance moms. did i already say that? #abbyleeforpresident2016

also HI! we celebrated paige's birthday. i loved that i was able to semi-spoil her. her requests : donuts, french toast sticks, sonic, sodalicious, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, IKEA (WHAT!!!!!), shopping + cheesecake factory. like a true 35 year old woman. yay for birthdays! yay for paige! 

(p.s. i know i've said this before, but i wish you all could have a paige. she's smart as a whip, funny as hail + eaaaaaasy to be around. she left me with a better music library + a feeling that everything is going to be JUST FINE. also with intentions to cut out sugar forever. hahaha. this is one long cheesy way of saying i love my peep.)

AND THAT'S A WRAP. 

...paige, come back! 

HEY! Family pictures on a Thursday.

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Hey! It's my family!

Look and scroll and scroll and look.

Without further adieu : family pictures. Taken in under thirty minutes. In seven degree weather.

Woop, there it is!

Also scrolling through these pictures makes me wonder what I should do with my hair? Grow it out? Chop it off? Color it darker? Lighter? ...also these pictures make me miss my family. Because I do have a heart. Ha.

Life in Idaho according to my iPhone ||

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I am currently watching the Where Are They Now? final episode of 90 Day Fiance while lying in bed and poof! a commercial comes on announcing Stacy London's new show, Love Lust or Run. This PLEASES me. I love Stacy London like I love Bethenny Frankel -- in fact, I used to sort of think they were the same person + thought of them interchangeably. After typing out this whole paragraph, I am realizing it is pointless...much like the second 'n' in Bethenny. How superfluous.

Where am I going with this? 

...

...

Anyways? Life. Christmas break. 

I saw this tweet today that said, "We are at the point of Christmas break where you just feel like you are unemployed + living with your mom." AMEN. This is the life. Sort of.

Here are some of the highs of break thus far :

Family Bunko tournament (heated) || Shooting guns with a sort of stranger
 (...random. But so fun.) || Catching Jeff spooning my dog (hahahahahaha) ||
Acai bowls for breakfast || Having my grandma here from San Diego -- she is. a. hoot.
I love that woman + her thick Brooklyn accent || Long drives to Sonic to get my dirty
 Diet Coke fix || Breakfast Club bacon || Walking my dog in sub zero weather with
 only the sounds of old school Usher + T.I. to keep me warm ||
 A pantry of FOOD! Is this adulthood?! || Having everyone home ||
 Attempting (and failing) to win the favorite aunt award || CABLE! ||

WOOT! 

Jeff + I are going camping in a yurt tomorrow in seriously 7 degree weather. This should be interesting.

GOODNIGHT to you, and you, and you.