little snippets // june

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just a little catch up from june :
jeff is currently mostly unemployed + taking online classes + i shoot engagements in the evening/weddings on the weekend so we have had l o t s of time together this summer. we are very aware that our situation right now is totally unrealistic but when else will we get to be bums together? riiiiiiight?
right. sure. who's hiring?
onwards!

we have been living at the spanish fork reservoir this summer. it's this teensy man-made lake? pond? pool? up spanish fork canyon + we have made it there at least twice a week this summer. bonus points : there is a sonic on the way(!!!). 

paige moved here! she is going to byu for summer term then transferring to byu idaho so i am soaking up all the time i can get with her. also my mama came to town + we shopped + ikea'd + had the inaugural hokulia of the summer. extra li hing mui, please! with mama time comes lots of grandma time which is my favorite time. i love that spunky lady! i also love that her apartment is fifteen minutes from the SLC temple so i can pop in on a wedding break + watch hgtv/eat all her food/wear her muumuu/nap. hehehe.

NIKKI WENT THROUGH THE TEMPLE!! it was such an awesome experience. 

i am so proud of this lifelong buddy of mine + am continually impressed by how she just. keeps. progressing. mushy gushy. the end. 

we also got a little more lake time in idaho! if you know me, you know the lake is my happiest place so i was in heaven. also i can't stop buying hats...particularly hats from walmart with dumb sayings. sue me.

bye, june! 

georgia on my mind // #miyahardingwedding

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HIIIII! it's me. in an effort to remember EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. of my life, i'm going to play a bit of catch-up from this summer so far. and then i'll probably never post again and play catch up again in october. expectations : LOWERED!

anyways. onwards, upwards : miyaharding wedding.
at the beginning of june, i flew to georgia to celebrate avery getting married to her love, brit. it was a blur of flowers + humidity + $4 diet cokes from the lobby + i am so happy i got to be a small part of it. watching your friend get married is a happy thing + watching your friend get married to a guy you know will treat her like gold forever is even happier. yay! love!

avery + i flew in on tuesday + were welcomed with open arms to a georgia downpour. it was magical. also i got called 'sugar' twice at the airport + so like, what did i care? RAIN! RAIN ALL YOU WANT! the next day, we picked up olivia from the airport + headed to stone mountain.
what is stone mountain you ask?
i am not sure. i slept through the train ride + mildly remember being tied up at a ropes course? STONE MOUNTAIN! i'll include a picture down below so you can sort it out for yourself.

the next day, the rest of the bridesmaids flew in + we went downtown atlanta to eat + see the coke museum + frantically search for nene leakes (to beg her to take her new weave out)(and also to stay on real housewives. WHAT IS LIFE!!!). i successfully tried all 300? 180? soda flavors from all the different countries + felt absolutely dizzy afterwards. sugar rush! we ended the night with face masks + tacos.

the next day was a blur of flowers + hair + makeup + bridals! also chick fil a. we shot bridals on the golf course + watched the sun set + had ice dream + i didn't even notice the army of mosquitos eating my alive because LOVE! ICE CREAM! MINIMAL SLEEP!

the next day was the wedding + it. was. beautiful. avery looked like a queen. we had a luncheon at mary mac's where everyone toasted the happy couple + ate their weight in sweet potatoes and fried chicken (bless you, spanx). it was so awesome to see them both so happy! weddings! love! georgia! the night ended with music + mingling + maybe i lost my phone + maybe lily called the police + maybe it was bizarre but hey, MEMORIES!!! hahahaha.

all the bridesmaids! minus maddy. where were you maddy? 

this was long winded. but! the point! : the south will rise again!!!!! + congratulations to avery + brit!

WHAT UP MAY!!!! // the past month.

HI GUYS! it's brooke here, remember me? i'm reporting live from moscow, idaho where i'm currently sitting under three blankets downing my third diet coke of the morning + debating whether or not to move today. you know, tough stuff.

this past month has been GOOD. or maybe it was just that april was so bad? have i said that before? well let me tell you again : april was so bad. but may! may was so good! may is the month where i am reminded that i am a sane + functioning person most usually...sometimes + that i actually do like my life. oh. okay.

ANYWAYS MAY!

i started the month running a half marathon with my nikki-friend. it was very spur-of-the-moment + we were remarkably untrained but it was so fun. seriously. at one point nikki peed on the sidewalk + that will forever by a favorite memory, hahaha. we kept a pace. was it a good one? meh. but it was a pace! and we finished! and we got a giant medal that i keep in my carry-on suitcase. in fact, i pulled it out a few days ago at our hotel just to show it off to morgan. it's whatever.

we went to morgan's restaurant in park city, zoom, and shut. the. place. down. i think i'm still full (just kidding. i'm not. i just ate like, thirty five pretzel thins -- bring on the gluten headache, y'all!). i'm talking three appetizers, entrees, and four desserts. that's what's up. morgan gave us a tour of the kitchen + we watched some mild kitchen drama unfold + i felt like i was on some reality tv show. so basically : all my wildest dreams came true.

avery has been living in my basement (hahah) while she is in transition from student housing to married housing. hi roommate! it has been fun having her + I AM SO PUMPED FOR GEORGIA! watch out ATL (horrible snapchat as proof. you're welcome.)

tandem biking! it's hard! morgan + i (WOW MORGAN! we hung out a LOT this month!) rented a tandem bike one afternoon + MOBBED down the canyon. haha. i felt like i was in a parade/a human centipede. highly suggest it.

i have decided i want to start wearing higher shoes + skirts. so there is that. my first attempt : seven inch clogs. i hardly survived one hour of church before complaining. HOW DO PEOPLE DO THIS ALL DAY? beauty is pain...but do clogs cancel out any attempt at femininity anyways? LET ME KNOW. exciting times, i know.

i had a wedding in washington last weekend (it was so pretty + the couple was the best ever ever) + jeff + morgan tagged along for the ride. side note : jeff sat in the backseat the whole time? it's fine. we're fine. it's fine. anways. washington! weddings! jeff in the backseat!

NOW! we are in idaho. well, actually we are back in washington for another wedding BUT our home base in idaho right now. i just bought a five dollar fishing hat at walmart today so yeah, you could say things are going well. ha. i have reverted back to 'high school brooke' so i have stopped doing laundry + wearing pants + am basically useless. unfortunately my 'high school brooke' legs have not returned but i'll keep you updated.

THE END. for now. that was photo heavy, I AM AWARE.

march in bullet points. //

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OH HI! 
a little catch-up on my march :

1. paige came to visit.
2. shot a butt-load of engagements + a wedding.
3. complained about how busy i felt.
4. complained about how bored i was.
5. had a slight nervous breakdown on a little caesar's bench. hahahahah.
6. self-medicated with diet coke, chocolate, tanning + 35 phone calls to my mom.
    also sleep.
7. spent time with my mom + grandma at her swanky new retirement home.
8. went to logan/vegas/st. george.
9. started unbreakable kimmy schimdt + broad city.
10. ...quoted broad city ad naseum. YAS KWEEN!
11. walked a pug.
12. hopelessly underdressed for everything.
13. tried the master cleanse for 4 hours.
14. discovered GIFS + now don't actually use real words while texting.
15. mourned zayn malik. i don't care if you don't care. I CARE.
16. debated chopping my hair off/going blonder/getting extensions/bangs then
      realized i was at no place to make major hair decisions.
17. stood in front of my closet for a cumulative 7 hours trying to figure out what to wear.
      spring. you have me stumped.
18. got stoop-id with jeff. we love our stoop. jeff has a folding chair + it's so, wonderfully
      white trash.
19. resolved to get a pedicure.
20. ate dinner with my favorite bentley family. cabbage + corned beef, you bet.
21. LOVED THIS WEATHER.

ready for you, april.
peace, love, ponytails.
xoxo BROOKE.

(i wish i signed off all the time.)

WEEKENDING

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This weekend felt like it zipped by. Actually, this whole month felt like it zipped by. IT IS MARCH. Also the dress is blue + black. But let's keep moving.

On Saturday we went + watched my friend Chelsea's game. She plays for Gonzaga + they were playing against BYU. I came equipped with a box full of Swig cookies + a fifteen Book of Mormons. Just kidding about that last part ;). WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OR BUST! 

Sadly these are the best photos we got. HA.

I look way in love with Chels. It's fine.

Speaking of in love with Chels, story : after the game, we were chatting + this BYU fan 

was lingering around us + finally he came up to Chels and started thanking her for coming 

to BYU + telling her how great she was. It was weird but I was like, okay. This dude is hitting on her.

THEN! He's like, hey! Here's my wife! Ha. It was so funny. Also he gave me a handshake

+ gave Chels a fist bump. Interesting observations. 

INDIA PALACE!! This is the cutest restaurant in Provo. The owner is so sweet + 

the food is even better. I just want to smell like curry all the time + I know that's not normal.

Jeff is cute. 

We made chili verde + then added radishes, bean sprouts, cilantro, and avocado to the top.

Random, but so yummy. 

ALSO : you should watch Chef on Netflix. It will make you want to cook + eat cuban sandwiches + beignets.

I subbed on Friday. Is it weird that I debate being a career sub? Ha. Just kidding. I know it's like,

the least impressive job ever but it can be so fun (operative word : can. One time I subbed an orchestra class + just sat in the back wanting to slowly wilt away). I am now realizing that I thrive when I can be the good cop. Early lunch? SURE! Phones in class? WHY NOT! JUST LOVE ME, OKAY?

+ finally : Avery got engaged! I am so happy. 

Also she has fantastic nail beds + these are the things you notice

when your nails look like you're an anxiety-ridden 12 year old boy. 

HAPPY WEEKEND! 

Discuss! // BROOKE'S BRAIN

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A few matters to  discuss here at Simply Brooke (remember when I was newly married + changed the name to Simply Us for two + a half weeks? CRINGE).

1. THE YOUTH : I subbed a middle school class the other week + was told I looked like a girl on The Bachelor. I didn't know quite how to take it  BUT I, of course, took the opportunity to talk about The Bachelor freely only to be met by SHOCKED stares. A girl screamed from across the room, "YOU WATCH THE BACHELOR?!" + then started going off about how it was so weird for an adult to watch that show + WHAT?!?

...wait. WAIT! You are thirteen. It is more shocking that YOU watch that show. ALSO! I am not that old! ALSO! The Bachelor is MY show more than YOUR show. Oh. My. Goodness. Guys, I was fuming! She proceeded to insult my pop-culture intelligence by asking if I listened to Beyonce + knew the member of One Direction. HONEY! CHILD! I have like, three things going for me + a wide knowledge of all things pop-culture is one of them. I WAS SO INSULTED.

THE YOUTH!
Also! A kid in the class was named Chandler + I asked if his parents watched Friends + he had never even heard of it.
I wanted to just throw out the lesson plan + turn it into a School of Rock type lesson because HOW HAVE YOU NOT HEARD OF FRIENDS?

And if you are wondering, I have seen School of Rock upwards of 3,409 times. We used to have like, five movies at our lake shack + two of were copies of School of Rock. CELLO! You have a bass!

Avery + I went to Yogurtland last night + our near identical concoctions weighed the EXACT same.

The cashier pointed it out + we were oddly excited. TWINS.

2. WHAT DO I WATCH : I feel lost without Friends playing constantly in the background. What do I watch, people? Gilmore Girls? More Dance Moms? Help.

3. WHAT DO I EAT + DO : I always need to be moving. Except for when I'm binge-watching something/if Real Housewives of Anywhere is on, in that case, I'm good. I blame my hyper-activity on undiagnosed ADHD + too much caffeine. Maybe. I just get bored so quickly staying in the same place + always want to GO, GO, GO! 
Anyways, last night around midnight I started booking hotels + planning trips for spring.
The line-up includes short trips to Vegas + St. George with a trip to Idaho, Arizona, California, + GEORGIA in the mix.  I should not be trusted during the wee hours of the morning. Officially. BUT! I am so excited!
I need help, though. Where are some good places to eat in St. George, Arizona, +/or Vegas?
Also how do I dress for humidity?
Also how do I watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills online?

HELP ME!

4. LADY GAGA AT THE OSCARS : I LOVE THE SOUND OF MUSIC! In my dreams, I am Liesl Von Trapp + I only communicate through telegrams. Stop. Ha. She's the original mega-babe. But LADY GAGA. I was so happy! She looked so normal + wasn't in a giant egg + sounded SO GOOD.

5. MY BUDDIES GOT ENGAGED : My brother-in-law Kevin is ENGAGED to my friend Kenna + I am still so happy about it. The end. Also they're getting married in Tennessee + I keep talking about it to everyone. It's fine.

6. LEMONADE HURTS COMING THROUGH THE NOSTRILS : I was sipping a Chick Fil A sugar-free lemonade while perusing Cotton On WHILE talking to my sister. Multi-tasking. She was recounting a funny story from this summer involving in which I got TAKEN OUT by a skim boarder (hahahahah) + I was laughing so hard that I started gasping for air + lemonade was getting everywhere. Sorry Cotton On.

7. SALMON + HONEY + CHILI POWDER/CHIPOTLE + FRIED BANANAS : Yum. Made it tonight. Yum.

...the end. But also I just popped on Gilmore Girls out of curiosity + I think I found the answer to number two. I'm ultra excited that the harp player in the pilot is the teacher from The Lizzie McGuire Movie...also I'm just now realizing what a terribly lazy movie title that was.
Almost as cringe-worthy as 'Simply Us.'
And now we're back.