First Tea Party

Last Saturday, we took our first dive as a business and had our first tea party. Back in January when we initially started planning the business, I had talked to my sister about doing her twin girls' 4th birthday party assuming we'd be more than ready to do a trial run. Well with life going as it does, it was quite a push getting everything ready, but we made it!

The party went great. The kids really seemed to have fun and we took some notes to be more prepared for next time. I only managed to grab a few pictures. I know! It's not like I was busy entertaining 10 kids or anything! We'll have more photos done professionally (thanks Emily and Andy!) on our site in the coming weeks.

For now, here's what it the party looked like mostly. It's certainly not as decorated as if we had our own solid location for our business, but remember that everything we decorate with has to be transported somehow, so I think we'll always a be a tad more simple than we would want to be.

Everything neatly packed. Pretty good for a first time run. We will eventually have a few more plastic totes for clothes (in the suitcase) and tableware. 

 Table setup. Service for 12. My sister was smart to use a tablecloth underneath my table runner that leaves sparkles everywhere. I made the vases myself. You can see how on my craft blog.

 We even had chair bows to add some extra elegance.

We forgot to get a pre-eaten food picture. But there is also a lovely shot of the cake. (We did not make this one. Grace and Lilly's crafty parents did!) Turns out, less is more with food for the tea party. We had peanut butter & marshmallow creme sandwiches with grapes, pretzels and lemonade to drink and the kids had no complaints. I think we can definitely scale down the menu options we had previously!

 Happy 4th birthday Grace and Lilly! Thank you for letting us be part of it!

The Journey to 25

I turned 25 this week. And while a great friend reminded me that 25 is not that old, it still seems like a huge milestone for me. For a while, I was having a pre-midlife crisis about whether or not my 25^th birthday would be depressing feeling like I haven’t accomplished much. So to help myself (and brag a little I guess), this blog post is dedicated to the things that I have accomplished in 25 years. I have also learned that pictures from below events were never on my computer as I thought, or I deleted not caring about anymore.

Friday April 22, 1988 7:35PM (Dodger Time) I was born. Shout-out to my mom for surviving natural birth for the 6th time. You're welcome for coming on a Friday night and not having to deal with school for the older kids. Apparently my birth was quite the party as my grandpa was there and cut my umbilical cord, as well as my awesome Aunt Kath.

Fast-forward 15 years later which is when I defied the family norm, learned how to play trumpet, joined marching band and was mentored by some amazing musicians and band director that instilled confidence in me to keep playing even though I was always competing with people who had been playing longer than me.

I also met my husband in the fall of 2003 and we hit it off pretty awkwardly for a while…but I managed to hang onto him.

 

Age 18: I left California (a 2 season state) for Rexburg Idaho, where the 4 seasons are fall, winter, more winter and road construction. 

2 years later I graduated with my Associate of Science degree and transferred to BYU-Provo. 2 years prior they had rejected my application and after proving I could handle college, accepted me to finish my undergrad in Provo.

April 2009: I joined a group of 12 other amazing women and spent a summer in Romania working with adorable kids who melted my heart and changed my life. I lived in bloc housing, ate yummy food, strange food, and learned just how hard it can be to integrate into a society that has different customs and not much of an appreciation for the Americans that invade their city every semester.

 

June 2010: I did the whole "white dress and veil thing" (with red ruby slippers).

September 2010: We bought our first car and managed to pay it off in under 2 years. We love our little zippy car. It may or may not have turned me into an SUV person rather than corollas or civics I once “dreamed” of having.

April 22, 2011 (Happy 23rd birthday to me!): I graduated from BYU. Behind my diploma in the frame is my initial rejection letter. During the time frame of my college career (5 years), I managed to live in 8 different locations, not including 2 summer stays in CA. I’m pretty much a professional packer. 

October 2011: I completed my first sprint triathlon. It was perhaps the hardest thing I've ever done physically, even more than my first 10K in freezing whether uphill in the cold. I didn't finish last, and even finished within my goal time frame.

May 2011: Less than a month after graduating from college, it was like starting over when we moved back into freshman housing for my current job as a hall advisor at BYU. I’ve had some awesome experiences working with housing and met some great people.

Seriously....how do you describe my job with a picture?....it just wouldn't do it justice...

May 2012: Went on my first cruise (with Mark of course!) to Catalina and Mexico. I rode horse back for the first time and loved it!

At 25, I can’t say I’ve seen Niagra Falls, hiked Mt. Everest (I never want to anyways), or traveled to multiple foreign countries (just 3). But the journey to 25 has been full of experiences good, bad, and hard. Wherever the next 25 years bring me (us), I'm sure it will be just as awesome.