snow cones on a summer evening

There is nothing better than a snow cone on a hot summer evening. You can imagine my surprise when we showed up to the little local shack only to discover they don't make my favorite flavor, Ocean Pacific. Bum deal. Instead, I had to trust my intuition about what flavors might go into that amazing mixture. It turns out half blue raspberry and half lemon lime was spot on. Mixed those flavors together and I had myself an ocean pacific.

You know what else was great about this summer evening?? Wearing those new blue Toms you see up there ^ and sitting on a grassy hill overlooking the city. Summer evenings are magical.

As for this week, I'll be spending too little time studying and working the dental hygiene board exams and a little too much time anticipating next weekend. We are going on a little romantic getaway to Nic's family cabin in Bear Lake and I can hardly wait. There will be birthday festivities, swimming, card playing, a local restaurant with the most heavenly huckleberry milkshakes you will ever taste, and a little r&r.

Cheers to summer evenings and weekends!

P.S. I took a step up in the social network world and got a Twitter account. Follow 2 Little Love Birds here https://twitter.com/#!/2LillLoveBirds if you wanna! I'll be working on some social networking icons coming soon. Also, leave me a comment if you have one too so I can follow along. Happy Monday! 

Saving

My savings account and I have a love-hate relationship. Love because I have always been a saver and this habit has never let me down. My momma taught me that. When I was in high school my parents never made me get a job during the school year. They wanted me to focus my time and attention on getting good grades and excelling at extracurricular activities, which I did. Then in the summers I would get a job and save every penny I earned. I loved saving it and watching my account grow as I worked hard for it. Here comes the hate part - when you watch that account tank in one fell swoop. A lot of times it can be for just one thing. That is exactly what happened after saving those few years of summer jobs and I paid for my first semester of college. Don't get me wrong, I saved it for exactly that purpose and I have never taken my education for granted because I worked hard for it but it still isn't enough justification to take away that little twinge of disappointment that follows watching the numbers drop to practically nothing with one check and realizing you have to start all over again from the bottom.

Since I've been a college student, the only thing I have ever really saved for in my life is school. Now that Nic and I are both in school, we continue to use our savings towards education but we also decided to save for something else, our first home. And while I love saving for that next step of our lives I also hate saving because that is where that twinge of disappointment creeps back up on me when life happens. For example, needing a new set of tires for a car. $600 for new tires isn't exactly a fun way to spend savings. Another semester of school isn't so fun either.

I've never really gotten the opportunity to save for something fun. Like a trip for example. Nic and I have dreams of going to Italy or on a cruise somewhere tropical but the savings are usually needed elsewhere. I know we are young and have our whole lives to travel but I'm not naive enough to know that there will always be something more important to save for like a house or a baby.

While my relationship with my savings account is partly hate, it is mostly love. It helps take care of Nic and I and provide for our needs which is more than many people in this world can say. For our age, I think we are doing pretty darn good if I say so myself.

But seriously, I'm pretending my savings are taking me here today instead of a new set of tires mmkay! ;)

via

A day at the zoo

I'm about 99.956% sure that we were the only people without little kids in tow at the zoo last weekend but that did not stop us. The Boise Zoo may not be quite as fantastic as lets say, the San Diego Zoo. I don't know though considering I have never been there. But since the last time I have been to the Boise Zoo, they have made some serious renovations and have added so many new animals! 

The butterfly exhibit was amazing! It was probably Brendan's least favorite part and his face when they landed on him speaks for itself. We figured out they must be attracted to white because anyone inside the exhibit who was wearing a white shirt was covered in them. At first, my  mom would freak out whenever they landed on her, and then the longer they stayed the more she eased up. 

They also had a brand new wallaby exhibit and one of them had a baby in its pouch. Cutest thing I've ever seen! Brendan was fixated on seeing the lion until he found it lazy in the shade. I learned that his future plans involve catching/stealing a baby lion and raising it himself. Good luck with that one Bren! My mom's favorite were all the monkeys and Nic's favorite were the penguins!

As for the rest of the experience, I'll let the picture overload speak for itself...

 Biggest bunnies I have EVER seen. 

And naturally they are all huddled around the food bowl.

This little boy marches right up to Brendan out of nowhere announcing that HE wanted to ride the tiger and wanted Brendan to get off. It was too funny!  

 

 

Over the weekend we

Took our second trip to Boise in the last two weeks!

Went to my friend Angelina's Baptism.

Had lunch at TGI Friday's with one of my best friend's Brooke who is leaving in two weeks to serve a mission for our church in Scotland and Ireland. 

Asked our waitress to take our picture and after exclaiming "perfect!", this is what we got. I am telling you that is some serious quality right there. Perfection was definitely the word to use. Lovin' the silhouette look. {which then proceeded with several minutes of laughter}

Followed lunch with some shopping where Bren decided to dress up in everything he saw.  

 Saw Snow White and the Huntsman and had an early birthday dinner at McGrath's Fish House. I love seafood. 

 Had birthday dessert at a new ice cream shop called Yogurtz. Seriously they have at least 20 different flavors and 60 different toppings to choose from. This girl was in heaven. 

 Went to the Boise zoo, it was a blast!
{more on that tomorrow}

 Visited our darling little nieces. 

 Finally said some teary goodbyes and made it home just past dark. 

 Now it is Tuesday and I'm wishing we could just do it all over again!

Hope you all have lovely week!
 xo,

 

the smolder.

When we took a few pictures on our anniversary a couple weeks ago, I learned something new about Nic.
If you have seen the movie Tangled then you know exactly what the smolder is. 

If not, you are about to find out. 

Because you see, Nic has the smolder DOWN.

It looks something like this...

and this...

I realize that I am partial but woah. 

The smolder may not have worked on Rapunzel but it sure works on me.

In fact, he has more than the smolder going for him.

Like the infectious laugh...

and the handsome grin.

Me on the other hand, I don't have it.

yeaaahhh about that,
better go work on my smolder now kbye. 

Baby Shower

Saturday was one of my best friend Mindy's baby shower. 

She is having a girl and is due the middle of July!

At the shower we played "Guess the Celebrity" based on baby pictures which I learned was definitely not my forte. Without any hints from the host of the party I'm pretty sure I only got two, which both happened to be the most obvious ones I might add. {Drew Barrymore, E.T. and Michael Jackson, Jackson 5}

We also got to guess with string how big around we thought Mindy was.
Every single person measured bigger haha oops, sorry Mindy.

The host handed out pieces of paper for us to give Mindy advice on.

Every person had a baby at the shower except me and one other girl and I'm pretty sure our answers were probably the same... "Well, I don't EXACTLY have any advice for you but I know you are going to be the best mom." and left it at that.

We had ice cream sundaes and got to make the baby a flower to attach to headbands.

Present opening time was my favorite.

She got so many cute things. 

I love shopping for little girls.

The momma-to-be ...    

Even though I didn't get any pictures of it, while the girls were at the baby shower, the boys {Nic and Mindy's husband Beau} were having a "guy's shower" I guess you could call it at our house.

In case you were wondering - a guy's shower that involves Nic and Beau really just means hours of Halo playing and an endless supply of pizza.

It was a fun day for everyone!

Congrats you guys, can't wait to meet that little one in July!

 

To the Birthday Boy

Mr. quarter of a century,

So glad I got to share your special day with you. 

And might I add, you are looking younger by the minute! 

{cause I know you were secretly worried about this}

love you.