california (again)!!! //

- - - - - -

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! 

ACHOOOOO! // when paige came to visit.

- - - - - -

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! 

WEEKENDING

- - - - - -

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! 

GLOBETROTTERS!! //

 - - - - - -
Last night we went on a double date. If you were wondering, it's our third in two weeks! WHAT! We are so proud of ourselves. Like, SO proud. I suppose it's only two because one of them was a Superbowl party with the Smith's (heartbreak for the Hawks...)(but hi, Tom Brady keeps it tight...) but HEY! Vast improvements! Social butterflies! WE. ARE. FUN. DANGIT.

Anyways, we went to see the Globetrotters with Avery + her man boy. I was secretly cheering for The Generals + kept Googling each player's salary + information because HOW IS THAT A JOB?! And the abuse The Generals have to put up with?! Can you imagine that interview?!

Okay so you're hired. The job entails losing every time we play + putting up with our antics. You in or what? 

I'm such a fun sucker.
Anyways : The Globetrotters. The night ended with soft-serve + Jackson 5 + Jeff + I high-fiving each other for leaving the house.


GO GENERALS!

TODAY I...

|| Shot a wedding + arrived frighteningly early.

|| Walked into a gas station to find a boy eating assumedly stale Christmas peeps

while crying into a walkie talkie + thought : Hmmm. Been there.

(also Pink's song Try was playing in the background)

|| Drank so much soda. SO MUCH. 

|| Took this super emo self portrait. It was cloudy. Don't blame me.

|| Laughed out loudly watching Friends. Season 8, I love you.

|| Bumped into like, everyone from my freshman year of college + 

instantly regretted my sweat-inducing turtleneck. 

|| Made a Lizzie McGuire reference that didn't land. 

|| Probably racked up the water bill to $4,382. Three baths is always a good idea(?).

|| Patiently waited behind a man attempting to buy cigarettes by 

unsuccessfully pointing. Left, left, down, left, right.

AND that, my friends, was my Friday.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
(well, sort of. My wedding tomorrow is at the same place...eery?)

2 people at Applebee's who don't really want to be at Applebee's...

Last Saturday, Jeff picked me up after a particularly grueling shift at work (how grueling can retail be, you ask? You haven't seen how badly thirteen year olds can destroy a dressing room, have you?! Have mercy!) + declared it was time to eat dinner.

"How about Chinese?"

"Or burgers? I'm in the mood for a burger."

"Maybe Thai food?"

"What about Cheesecake Factory?"

"...I hear there's a yummy Mexican restaurant downtown..."

...this continued for five minutes until we looked across 

the street and saw Applebee's.

Applebee's?

It was a booty call of sorts. Convenient. Open. Ten feet away.

The food was...Applebee's + our waiter told us he thought the 

Frugal Gourmet was a pedophile + we just scratched our heads and ate.

Applebee's, guys.

Saturday is showing off // a day in pictures.

Fish tacos, Acai bowls, sunny weather, + the beach all before noon. 

You're showing off, Saturday. 

A recap of May because it is JUNE(!!!!)

Today I walked out the door for my Sunday stroll with Jeff and he looked bemused. I did a little twist and twirl for him because I thought it was heading that direction and he just kept blinking on.

"Whaaaaaaat," I begged.

"You just look so..."

Twist, twirl, flutter of the eyelids.

"Butch."

Apparently long shorts, black flip flops, and a baseball tee aren't the most feminine look. Noted and noted. Ha.

On our walk we recapped May and decided that it was equal parts hectic and happy. I was living in Utah for half of it and was mostly homeless. I mooched off friends and lived in their apartments for a few days (I'm the worst roommate. I am totally out of the 'compartmentalized fridge' game -- I see almond butter, I eat all the almond butter. Oops.) while shooting weddings and feeling totally exhausted/totally thankful for having the world's best friends. I'm just going to throw it out there that every one needs a Morgan Randall. She let me bunk with her for a week straight and fed me and didn't even complain that I ate all her bananas...every time she bought bananas. One day I was locked out of my car and texted her early in the morning asking for a ride to which she responded immediately, "Sure! Coming!" without even asking why. Oh, bless her heart fifteen times over and promise I'm done being gushy.

I missed Jeff like crazy and became a much better Skype-date because of it (I just stare at myself...the whole time). But it was also so fun. It was like every time we saw each other and I was back in California, we had to get all of our fun out. We hiked and biked and Disney'd and played at the beach and lounged...all in a week's time. Now I'm off to Utah for more weddings and more mooching (just kidding about that last part).

Here's our May in pictures :

from left to right :
UT -->> CA : I came a week after Jeff did and enjoyed my Diet Coke + Audible filled drive.
REUNITED! 
This trail is right by Jeff's house and I love it. It's so beautiful!
With my best babe Nikki after a little Tropical Diet Coke + shopping trip. She thought my 'candid laughing' selfie was a bit much.
Disneyland! We went with Jeff's family from Michigan and had so much fun. 
A little trip to the Newport Beach Temple where we got married!
...ewww, gross.
Beach'n it at Table Rock. 
A bit of my Whole30. I massively failed this round (ha, having no kitchen was a struggle!) but loved my first round in March. I felt amazing.
Jeffrey thinking thoughts.
A wedding! I loved this couple + their big day. 
We spent Memorial Day at the beach like the rest of California.
A sunset after a bridal session. Heavenly.
Disney'ing round two. This was on Radiator Springs. The line was an hour and a half long and we actually had no idea what we were in line for the whole time. Ha.
Beach'n it part III with Jeff's brother Kevin and friend Don. I was so impeding on 'bro time.'
At the Bee's baseball game with Morgan. Free hot dogs, y'all!

- - - - -

Happy June!

an uneventful saturday pretending to be eventful through bullet points.

- - - - - - - - - 

days that start with cancelled plans are sort of glamorous. we had our alarms set + car filled with gas for an adventure to logan to hang with jennie + company, but the weather had an agenda + foiled any dream involving a sunny day spent outside up north. by nine thirty, we were scratching our heads + asking what the heck should we do with our day?!

it was mostly uneventful. i took two naps + spent most of the day in leggings. but this is a blog about spontaneity + pizzazz + look how fun we are. i want our kids digging through the archives of this space on the internet + seeing that their now-balding parents never wasted a saturday. never! so, by the use of bullet points, here is our mostly uneventful saturday pretending to be eventful through the crafty use of bullet points. ha!

the camera loves me!

yesterday : 

• went to the morning yoga class. flung myself against a wall attempting to do a headstand. stifled my giggles for the rest of class.
• arrived at costco before the samples were set up. walked the frozen aisles with my stomach grumbling. also, let it be noted, jeff wrapped up half of his chicken bake because my at-home cooking is that impressive. 
• sat in melissa's kitchen + spewed out unsolicited marriage advice. as one does. 
• broke my sugar fast with my morgan-friend + ate some apple pie + ice cream. instant headache! instant sugar anger! it was all very monumental.
• scouted out locations for that photo side of my life. mostly just drove aimlessly around spanish fork looking for a suitable bathroom. 
• sat on morgan's couch with her + jen and talked about jen's newly married life + morgan's date this tuesday that i am so excited about that i am posting it on social media. ha! 
• went to a pie-a-betes party for my token diabetic friend, callie (click that link! read her blog! it's so funny!). games included 'diabetic celebrities', 'sculpt callie's favorite things', and 'diabetic fact or crap.' remarkably, i didn't eat the pie there. also, i almost kicked jeff off of our team for pictionary because he chose to draw his picture in neon yellow so no one could see it. what?! what?!
• applied to be a cashier at winco + told jeff to double-cross his fingers + pray that i get the job. 
• ...started worrying about the future of my life if i am asking someone to pray that i get a job as a cashier at a grocery store (...but ever since win a date with tad hamilton, i've kind of fantasized of scanning people's bulk cereal + milk. cross your fingers for me!!).
• took full advantage of our free month subscription to amazon prime + watched all season two of workaholics. not that i condone that show. ;)

aren't we fun?! we are fun. 

- - - - - - - -

here + there.

- - - - - - - - - -
hi, hello.
midst my laundry list of pet peeve -- when did this happen? when did i become a cranky old woman?! but actually, no apologies. why are crop tops still being made + why must people still be mixing up their/there/they're?! -- is my annoyance for the 'bad blogger' apology. i have made it a handful of times and cringe every time i hit publish. who am i apologizing too, anyways? and what constitutes a bad blogger? is their a mother blog that is wagging her finger at me scolding me for my leave of absence and over use of cell phone pictures? i think not. i think not!

i took a big, fat leave of absence from blogging. mostly because i was busy and partly because who reads blogs in the summer anyways?! (answer : i do.) i feel like i've been pulled in fifteen thousand different directions + that my butt is starting to take the form of my car seat. (not car-seat, you imbecile! i am not a baby! hehehe.) in the past three weeks, i've been to moscow, seattle, moscow, utah, california, utah, and back to moscow next monday. eeks! although all this traveling and craziness has been a bit of a detriment to my personal health (i think i am starting to sweat diet dr. pepper + this weekend i was up for twenty four hours. TWENTY FOUR!), i love, love it.

eww, what? people are probably reading this expecting me to say something crazy. like, 'i'm pregnant!' or 'i'm a closet alcoholic!' ...bible, this is just a long not-apology. it's an explanation, rather. to any one that has been trying to get a hold of me : i am sorry. ha. no, seriously.

...this is the part where i scratch my head and ask myself, where exactly was i going with this? 
oh, right. cell phone pictures and a catch-up!
well, a half-hearted one. 

:: i chopped my hair off. yahooligans! i decided on a thursday that i wanted my hair off my head. off with you! by a stroke of luck, i got in friday morning and badda-bing, badda-bam...collar-bone happiness! i sort of feel like a mom with this hair? which isn't a bad thing because, oh. how my ovaries ache. a friend of a friend (vague) at a wedding told my friend (vaguer) that i was like, "that cool mom that teenagers can talk to." eh? i'll take it! even though i'm seven years younger than you and kiiiiiind of regretting my outfit now? do you like my shades shirt?

:: i slowly became a low-budget porn start. my name at my job was originally 'jeff's wife' (nepotism! we support it!) then it went to 'brooke' then 'brookie' then 'brookie cookie' and now it's just 'cookie.' which is cute nickname no? well, yes. but when people start believing that's your real name, oh heavens. i have had to start wearing the highest cut tops and makeup with no glitter because i'm 75% certain they are going to start thinking i'm a stripper. sorry to any readers named cookie...

:: i signed up for classes. i'm going back to school! validate me?  you were taking a break from school, brooke? yes. yes, i was. i had a big fat quarter-life crisis where i dropped all my journalism classes + decided that i wanted to be a health teacher. because who better to teach teenagers about gonorrhea + birth control? am i right? anyways, i'm back this semester! everyone throw a parade + make sure i get my homework done this time?

:: i celebrated my one year anniversary. more on that later. i love mah boy.

:: my sis went home. more on that later, too. i love mah sister. and she made varsity soccer! paige made varsity! kick flip! come come on the kick-drum!

:: i got locked in a bathroom + had to put my feet up on the toilet and text for help. back to work! my company switched the bathrooms up for whatever reason + forgot to inform the employees. or maybe they did and we all just didn't read the email? anyways, i went into the right (or was it the wrong?) bathroom and started to do my business when i heard all these men walk in. crap, crap, crap. it was a two-stall bathroom and there was at least six of them. double crap. i sat there quietly and put my feet on the toilet + texted my melissa friend for help. the guys just. kept. waiting. what?! isn't there a bathroom code here? you do not wait out other people's business! you just don't! isn't there a bathroom upstairs? it was horrifying.

:: i offended a business woman horribly + kind of wanted to die. ugh, i am still so embarrassed over this. i had to take photos of small business owners for my job + was so nervous at my first shoot that i just. kept. talking. at one point in the shoot, i said something about women in the workforce (something i totally support!) and it sounded weird and questioning and so do you not see your kids very much then? you guys. i didn't mean it. i didn't! i was just so nervous! the whole day was one big flop. my partner in the project even started auditioning right then and there? it. was. awkward.

:: i accepted the fact that i am not five feet seven inches. because i'm not. dangit.

:: i saw my family more than any person who is, at the very least, 652 miles away from immediate family should. my family on both sides have been in and out of provo + we have been in and out of idaho/california. it's been so nice + fun + has solidified the fact that i want eleven kids. ha. we have been so well fed + well stocked on toilet paper (my in-laws just brought us a box of the cottonelle wipes! living. large.).

:: i ran a marathon. no, no i didn't. but wouldn't that be fun?! remember when i thought that was going to be my thing?! some day, some day.

- - - - - - - - - -

so there. 
don't wave that finger at me, mama blog.