When you live in Utah and want to road trip somewhere fun outside of Utah for a weekend in the winter, you don't have a whole lot of options. For us, Vegas was the only option outside of a staycation, and though Vegas had never really appealed to us we thought "Why not? We won't really have this chance again after we move to Indiana!"

So we got to planning our weekend trip to Vegas. And of course those plans mostly consisted of food, and by mostly I mean, 8/9 things we put on the itinerary were food... And now I will summarize our weekend trip.

Drive 2 hours. Realize I left my wallet (with booking credit card and ID) at home. Have panic attack and cry. Call hotel. It's all okay. Of course.

Keep driving and end up at the Monte Carlo hotel. The lobby looks awesome. Our room doesn't.

We go to the Shake Shack next door and gorge on delicious food and die over the insane chocolate concrete custard concoction. Then we walked it off at the Hershey Store, M&Ms world, and some other stores around the block.

The next morning we walked the VERY LONG BLOCK to the Mandalay Bay for the buffet we had a free voucher for. And it was a delicious brunch. And a lot of food. And I had awesome egg egg rolls that were literally eggs inside an egg roll. So we cancelled our lunch reservation and went back to the hotel to sleep it off.

Went to the Fashion Show Mall. We had gotten so well practiced at ignoring people talking to us on the strip that we were REALLY good at avoiding the people at the mall kiosks. And we didn't buy a single thing because that mall is overrated.

Booked it to a reservation at Sugar Factory which turned out to be a big mess and we left and went to Serendipity which was amazing. Totally worth the hype. The frozen hot chocolate blew my mind and I wanted it the next morning for breakfast.

Went across the street to the LINQ promenade where we ended up at a store with lots of funny and cool books and random gifts. Then went to Sprinkles where we got 4 cupcakes we shouldn't have gotten and checked out the cupcake ATM which was indeed very cool.

The next morning we went to Pink Box Doughnuts which had the most insane flavors I've seen and it was delicious. I mean, balsamic glaze, almond, feta, and date donut. Then more shopping at random places in Summerlin.

And then Bachi Burger blew our minds. I don't like burgers much but that was the best burger I've ever had. Banh Mi + Burger = Perfect. Yum yum.

Then we took Josh to the Zombie Apocalypse store that was pretty funny and cool. The guy that owned the place clearly loved his job which made it much more fun.

And a long drive home back to Bruce dog.

Overall, we enjoyed the food in Las Vegas but hated the city itself. If we go back, it will likely be for a quick stop at Serendipity and Shake Shack on the way to SoCal.

Our January Books

One of our New Years resolutions this year was to read more. At least, it was one of my goals and Josh surprisingly joined in! And if you aren't aware what a miracle that is, his favorite quote in December was "Nah, I don't read" (Tom Hardy). So to help keep us honest and to remember what we liked and didn't like, here's our reports!

BETHANY'S BOOKS

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
This book blew my mind and continues to blow my mind. I started it a LONG time ago and loved what I was reading but then got busy and didn't have time to read it so I let my mom borrow it and within that time she finished it and managed to get it back to me and then it sat on my shelf with a depressing sticky note not even a quarter of the way through.
So I finally picked it up again and, once again, loved it. And I still took a long time to finish as each little section told me something about myself that absolutely changed my perspective about experiences both past and present so I would have to close my book and think about it a bit and talk to Josh about what I'd learned and how it plays into my life. Halfway through I even pulled out a pen and started marking it up (something I NEVER do, not even in high school when my teachers told me to) because I wanted to remember everything I was thinking. And even with all those talks and pauses and note-taking, I managed to finish.
I may have to write a separate post about what I learned about both myself and the world.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwabe
Another light read that I really loved listening to while I was working. I expected it to be depressing, but in fact it was very sweet as a man talks with his mother who has cancer and they read books together and reflect on them. I loved listening to the stories from his childhood, especially those revolving around books, and the conversations he had with his mom when he asked about them. Plus I got a few great books to add to my list! But it also taught me a lot of lessons as his mother was a very inspiring person and taught him many valuable lessons that he reflects on.
It's a very thoughtful memoir that made me love his mother and mourn with him when she died. I had to stop listening about three chapters to the end as I knew what was coming and wanted it to be more personal so I grabbed the ebook so I could read instead. I may or may not have cried the whole way through the last chapter. This could possibly be one of my favorite books now.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by MaryAnn Shafer and Annie Barrows
I've seen this book around and a few people have mentioned it to me but since I didn't know much about the story and no one ever "raved" about it, I never bothered with it. But I needed another audiobook and that was available so I gave it a listen. And I LOVED it! Another book that might become a favorite. Of course I love books that talk about books, but it's also placed right after World War II, is a love story (that isn't mushy or sexual), and is rather funny. There's a lot of great characters and I love the way it's written- the style made a great audiobook. I'm glad I found this at the thrift store so I could add it to my shelf and read it again later.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
On New Years, Josh and I finally watched all three Hobbit movies. I really liked them, but since I hadn't read the book since I was probably ten I couldn't remember what the book was like and how similar to the movie it was. So I read it again and it made me want to punch the movie in the face. They took out some great stories and added in a million others that were completely unnecessary. I loved the book, as I know I did before, and will be looking for the Lord of the Rings trilogy at the thrift store so I can read those, too.

The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
This was a quick light read that I really enjoyed, but didn't necessarily get hooked on. It was an audiobook that I liked listening to while working because I didn't NEED to pay attention to every detail and could tune back in at any time. It's a collection of stories and information about the wives of the astronauts of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. It got a bit confusing as an audiobook as there were many different people to keep track of and I couldn't flip back to see who they were, but the more important people I got the hang of.
I especially loved paying attention to all the mid-century sexism where the wives were manipulated by the press and NASA into being simple housewives that just loved cleaning and baking while the men were celebrities who slept around and drove Corvettes. It also gives you a really good glimpse into what it was like to be a wife of an astronaut, something that I wasn't necessarily curious about before but loved learning about all the same. Plus it helped to educate me about these missions that I haven't really looked into before.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
This book has been recommended by so many people but since I don't usually love Young Adult novels about high school kids, I didn't bite. But I saw the audiobook in my library's database and was waiting for other books I was itching to read to free up so I decided to give it a go, knowing it would be quick. And it was. And it was entertaining and written in an interesting way and thankfully nothing incredibly immature and no awkward sex scenes that always really irk me in YA books. I found myself getting particularly upset about Eleanor's situation and wanted to punch people in the last section. But otherwise, it didn't change my life and didn't teach me anything new and I didn't even have anything to say about it to Josh. But it was good and entertaining and the perfect listen while I was working. Maybe I'll have to stick to listening to YA books that are light enough I don't need to focus on but entertaining enough to keep me interest? I have a hard time paying attention to deeper books while I'm working.

Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn
I had a hard time with this book. Another one that was recommended to me by a billion people and when I found the audiobook in my library's database, I requested it. And when I started listening, I loved the writing style (though HATED Kirby Heybourne's narrating) and was intrigued by the buildup knowing that the wife goes missing or dies or something- not really a spoiler, in fact, you probably knew more than I did if you paid better attention to the movie trailer.
But I hated it much more than I liked it in the way that I really hate but sorta like the show Scandal. I hate the characters, it's too dark and vulgar for my taste, but I HAVE to know what happens. And then there was a huge plot twist halfway through which only pushed me to finish.
It's a very well written book and the structure was very unique. The story captured me. All in all, it was a good listen that kept me curious throughout, but I'm glad I didn't buy it and have to see it on my bookshelf every day.

JOSH'S BOOKS

The Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell
By the length of my list compared to Bethany's, you may find that I'm not as much of a reader as she is. I commute just over an hour everyday and was coaxed into listening to books. I've wanted to see the Lone Survivor movie about Marcus Luttrell (played by Mark Wahlberg) since I saw the trailer. I saw this as an audiobook and was listening to it the next day. I enjoyed the book a lot since I am interested in the war in the Middle East, the military, the SEALS, and most things violence. This book takes you through Luttrell and his team's background and training, the battle that makes him the 'Lone Survivor', and how a village pretty much saved his butt from the Taliban. I liked the book and would recommend it to most, as long as you don't mind imagining a somewhat graphic battle scene! So take that world, I listened to a book, and am in the process of reading another.

No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden by Matt Bissonnette and Kevin Maurer
Bethany was so gracious in getting me into reading by finding me books that would actually interest me. She knows I love action flicks and military so obviously my imagination would do well with the same type of books. No Easy Day is a great piece of history that happened during my lifetime which is way cool! This book is about a Navy SEAL, Mark Owen, who works his way into the most elite team in the Navy- SEAL Team Six. Owen grew up in Alaska, went to University to satisfy his parents and joined the SEAL's shortly after graduating. This book goes into detail of some of Owen's training and missions that he was deployed on during his career. I found out that SEAL Team Six was not only the team to kill Bin Laden but also the team that was part of the rescue operation of Captain Phillips who's boat was attacked by Somali pirates in 2009. This was a good book and a cool part of history to hear first hand.

A Trip to Park City

Last weekend we took a trip up to Park City to eat some food for some articles for The Collaboreat. While Utah's lack of snow this season has made this California girl incredibly happy, going up to Park City and seeing how little snow there was depressed me. And it was a tad embarrassing as we had planned a whole week-long feature of the snowy mountain town of Park City. Oh well.

We went over to El Chubasco, a mexican grill that we went to on a weekend getaway two years ago and fell in love with, probably because it was so cheap in a town full of ridiculously expensive food. Plus it has complimentary chips and a salsa bar with loads of different types to try. We took some pictures, ate our fill, took some more pictures, and then set off to Main Street.



We ended up at Dolly's Bookstore, a great little store off Main Street that I wished I had time to just sit and read in all day. I'm still regretting not buying a lovely copy of Little Women while I was there. Next time.

Then we strolled up and down Main Street, which was quite the workout, window shopping and people watching. And as we walked by the restaurants and took quick glances at their menus, we remembered why we don't spend more time there. It's so expensive!

But we ended up getting a quick dessert at the one place we could afford on Main Street- Java Cow Creamery. We'd been here before to grab some hot chocolate, but this time wanted to try out the ice cream that we'd heard great things about. One sample and we were convinced. So good. So creamy.

We hung out in the cow themed creamery for a little while, people watching and watching a skiing video they had going. It's a funny little place, so cramped with cow themed products for sale, and ALWAYS busy. It's a tradition to go there and that ice cream was amazing. Maybe next time we'll pair the ice cream with their fantastic hot chocolate.

Ahh Park City. What a great place for a weekend getaway. I'm glad it's only a half hour away from us.

New Years Resolutions

Another year has come and gone. 

It was a hard year, a long year, a crazy year, an exciting year, and an adventure of a year. 

Here's to yet another. 

• Bethany's Resolutions
  Read more books (four a month)
  Improve my photography
  Keep up with my journal
  Be much more active
  Cook at home more
  Stick to a budget
  Pray more
• Josh's Resolutions
  Execute my school/work plans
  Read the Book of Mormon
  Spend more time outside
  Build up our savings
  Get in shape, again
  Quit drinking soda
  Decrease our debt

My Favorite Christmas Traditions

Every time someone asks what my favorite Christmas traditions are, I have to stop and think for a minute because my family has oh so many. None of them are big or flashy, but all have loads of great memories and are so sweet to me. I can't wait to do them with my own family some day and pass it on. So as us kids get older and move away and do less and less of these traditions, I'm going to write them down so I don't forget and can keep them going.

1. Reading a Christmas book every night for the 25 days of Christmas.
This was much easier when we were little and didn't have friends to hang out with or extra school stuff to do, but I loved having a basket full of wrapped up Christmas books by the fire waiting to be read. No matter how old I got, I loved gathering in the family room to read our favorite books. With stories like A Christmas Dress for Ellen (told by President Monson) and Auntie Claus and the Night Before Christmas in Texas and classics like Polar Express, we all have our favorites and love the surprise of opening up each one. And every year on Christmas Eve, my mom gets a brand new book for us to read that then gets added to the collection.  And thank goodness this tradition will be super easy to start as our family now has collected SOOOO many books that we'll be able to divvy them up for us kids.

2. Christmas countdowns all over the house.
This is a very very simple tradition, but we all loved getting into it. We have three (maybe more?) Christmas countdowns throughout the house and every year we fight to be the one to add the next day of December. One is a fabric tree that hangs over the door and you add fabric ornaments to it and everyone loves picking out the ornament to put up for the day.
I LOVE Christmas countdowns and I'm making our first this year!

3. 12 Days of Christmas.
We didn't do this one every year, probably because it takes lots more participation than we teenagers wanted to put in, but the times that we did were very memorable and special. Before it all starts, we sit down as a family and brainstorm who we'd like to give little gifts to. We think long and hard about the people we know that are deserving or special friends or would just need a little cheering up around Christmastime. Then we help in creating the little gifts like jams or cookies or ornaments (or picking something out at the store) for each of the twelve days and then get to do the fun part of doorbell ditching them, trying to be as sneaky as possible but usually giggling the whole time. It helped us really think about the true meaning of Christmas while also bringing us together to have some fun.

4. A huge Christmas Eve dinner.
I love the way my mom makes Christmas dinner so special, with fancy Christmas china, red cloth napkins, and our big long wood table that we all just barely fit around. Then theres the plethora of ciders, homemade rolls, jellos, salads, potatoes, and my dad makes a delicious prime rib. We eat and eat and eat and hang out around the table for as long as possible before its time to start doing the dishes so we can eat dessert and read our book together.

5. Christmas morning.
I love that our Christmas morning is it's own tradition that we stick to every single year. As kids, we weren't allowed to wake up our parents until all the other kids were awake (which was difficult when you had a lazy teenaged brother and sister) then we wait at the top of the stairs (NO LOOKING DOWN INTO THE LIVING ROOM!) for mom and dad to get ready.

Then we all bound down the stairs to find Santa's gifts to us around the tree, not wrapped and in little groups for each one of us. Once the thrill of Santa's presents are over, we check out the little gifts in our stockings and sit around together eating little candies while mom and dad get breakfast going.

Then not only do we get a full breakfast with sausages and eggs and english muffins, but we each got to pick out our own special cereal. Yes, we got to pick whatever cereal we wanted from Reese's Puffs to Cookie Crisp to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. This was the only time of year that happened so it was very very special.

Then once we've had our fill of breakfast and the clean freaks have showered, we gather in the living room to unwrap all the presents under the tree, one by one so we can all see what everyone got and have a chance to say a real thank you or let them explain something about the gift. And then once we're all done with opening our presents, we sit around and watch mom open up her presents from dad, since she gets spoiled every year by him, a funny but oh so sweet tradition that put a lot of pressure on Josh when he married into the family...

Then we shower, put on any new clothes, and if there's time (which there was absolutely none this year) watch one of the new movies, before packing into our car[s] and heading up to Grandma and Grandpa Wills house for presents and tacos (a story for another day).

6. A new Christmas ornament.
I'll never be one of those people with a color coordinated Christmas tree (thankfully, since I think those are lame and have no personality) because each year, we get a new Christmas ornament in our stocking, usually of something relating to our lives in the past year. To name a few, I have a Cinderella from the year I was Cinderella in the school play, a ballerina from the year I did ballet, a cupcake from the year I decided I was going to open a cupcake shop, and more than 20 others that are in my own special box. We also kept all of the homemade ornaments from throughout the year- the stained glass Ninja Turtles I made in my art class freshman year down to the popsicle stick picture frames from kindergarten. At one point my family had filler ornaments but now I don't think there's room for those with all of ours! Now we just have to get Josh caught up so it's not a bunch of my Christmas ornaments on our own tree!

So future children, you have a lot to look forward to. I may suck when it comes to making you Halloween costumes or baking a million cupcakes for your class on your birthday, but Christmas will be good. I promise.