honey.

sometimes when i read other people's blogs/facebook/instagram i get way jealous or insecure and start to think that my life isn't as amazing as theirs. and then i read this article about how that happens to a lot of people. cause they only post the good stuff, obviously. so then i felt a little better. anyway i guess what i'm trying to say is don't get jealous when you read this post. cause it really was the best trip ever. and it really was as good as i'm about to make it sound. and it really was paradise. but all i'm saying is that don't get that sick feeling in your stomach that makes you think your life is boring. cause it isn't. it's probs way fun. and if you really thought about it, you've probably been in paradise too.

so i'm gonna write about our honeymoon. i'll skip all the obvious details and move right along to the beach and this bird.

i saw like a million birds. i tried to snap photos of all of them, but they can fly. whatevs. this one stayed and posed for me. i think he thought i was an idiot like "why are you taking a picture of me? imma seagull, the most hated bird of all time." but the beach makes everything beautiful. moving on.

 

 whatababe. let me tell you. he was so cute. and how great is it to spend a whole week with your new husband? the greatest. those straws in his face are our pina colada's. i'm pretty sure that's all i ate the whole time i was there. that, and endless diet coke. two pieces of grilled salmon every night. oh and chocolate cake. and steak with A1. pasta. soup. omelets. fruit. cereal. quesadilla's. one time i ordered "melted cheese" as an appetizer. it was so good. it was like, melted cheese. k whatever, i ate everything in sight. you can't blame me. blame it on the free food. we honestly didn't hear someone tell us "no" one time. everyone told us "yes". one time we asked if we could have everything on the menu? and they said yes. but then we didn't realize that half the menu was seafood and we weren't into that so we just ate all the other stuff.

we went to chichen itza. it's one of the seven wonders of the world. it was very wonderful. and i wondered a lot. and it was just fun. plus i bought some salt and pepper shakers from the myan people. they were real nice, and took me for all the money i was worth. which was about 200 pesos. pffff.

 so danny took this picture above of me being really happy to be in front of this huge pyramid. just trying to be really excited and throwing my hands in the air like i just didn't care. i wanted to take a picture of danny doing the same thing so we could laugh about it. so i bossed him around and told him to do the same thing. and this is what he did....

he thought i was talking about this asian girl taking a picture next to us. i died of laughter once i figured out what he was doing. i'm still laughing. right now.

also, on the bus ride home they tried to sell us tequila with our picture on it! we loved it.

moving on. we also swam with dolphins. yeahhhhh. really we did. we were so excited. we were like counting down the hours until we got to go. so we get on the bus to go there. and we asked the bus driver if he takes american money cause it was the last day we were there and we didn't have pesos left. and he said of course. so we get on and he takes us there and then i hand him 8 quarters. and all the sudden he changes his mind and says he doesn't accept that. so then i almost cry. and danny and i are standing there like what do we do? we stood there for probably an hour. okay. a minute. finally this nice lady and her husband give us money. we are like gracias. and headed out to swim with the dolphins!

i was really really really excited the whole time they were strapping us into our life vests. and then all the sudden when i saw the dolphins i remembered about "the cove" and if you've seen it, you know what i mean. then i was freaked. like way scared of the dolphins. i wanted to back out. but i didn't. and my swim suit bottoms came down when a dolphin pulled me across the pool. and danny tried to jump in to save me. but i figured it out. and only a choice few saw my goods. we only got a few pictures. cause we had to sneak them cause they want you to pay them a million dollars and buy them from the company. bummer.

once we took the bus down to the flea market. we found a few fun treasures and then went across the street for some food. we got caught between these two taco stands and they were fighting for our business. the decision maker was when they offered us one free drink, danny said make it two and we're yours. neither of them wanted to do it until they realized we only drink diet coke. honestly the best tacos i've ever had. even though i'm pretty sure they are the reason for a two week sickness when we got home. worth it!

we walked around for a while and then stopped at a hotel which was a sister company to the hotel we were staying in so we got more free food and laid by the pool. while danny was off ordering pizza i saw my first thong bikini. if you want proof, check out my instagram (melissarae) you'll die. then we thought it would be a good idea to walk back to our hotel along the beach. we could see it from where we were and thought it looked about a mile away. we were wrong. it was about 5 miles away.

danny and i went on our first date on august 18. and so to celebrate our first date we got manicures and pedicures and a massage. it was heaven. danny's manicurist, who was like a 50 year old woman, was so in love with him. they talked for like an hour straight. and i don't know if this really happened or not but i'm pretty sure she kissed him on the cheek. i was loving it. my girl didn't speak english but i still feel like we made a connection. after she painted my nails she was showing all the other girls. i think she liked the color. or maybe she was making fun of my nail beds. but i was happy still.

we also went golfing on the nicest golf coarse we've ever seen in real life. it was beautiful. and in true melissa form i fell asleep in the cart while danny golfed for a few holes. but the rest of the time i was amazing company. i was just cheering and driving the cart and being a way good caddy. plus there was this cutest cart that this man drove around with free food from the hotel. popcorn. drinks. sandwiches. it was heaven. and i took something from his cart every time he came around just because i could. oh and also, danny practically got a hole in one. it was CRAZY.

well anyway we were so sad to leave obviously. and we can't wait to go back someday!  

awesome and amazing.

i stumbled upon this random blog the other day. and i hate it. but i love it. i can't stop reading it. and i'll be honest mostly i just read it to laugh in my head at how crazy she is. her life is "completely perfect". and her husband is "the most amazing". and she is the luckiest. and i just laugh and laugh at how.... positive she is. and i make fun of how much she loves everything.

and now i have to confess. i was just reading it and loving how crazy she is to think everything is the best. and then BAM! i realized that i was the fool. i realized that i thought i was cool cause i was debbie downer. and then i realized that all the things her husband does that are "so amazingly awesome and awesome and amazing and awesome" my husband does without even a "thank you" from me. i'm the worst.

so i'll probably be saying thank you a lot more. and maybe i'll even find the greatest joys in the littlest of things. and then i'll probably realize how amazingly awesome and awesome and amazing and awesome everything is.

adding a new year's rez... see the awesome in the everyday.

HBD.

i can't say enough good things about my baby sister. she is one of the greatest humans i know. she's amazingly talented, smart, and so so funny.  plus she's a complete babe. today is her birthday. and i am totes glad she was born 23 years ago. she's been my partner in crime. my bff. someone i know will always support me, even when i'm wrong. i'm so lucky to have watched her grow up and become such an amazing wife and mommy. she's destined for great things, that one. and i hope she has the best day.

(this was on my wedding day. she and i covered this whole cake with little pearls. it's one of those memories i'll always love.)

resolution.

: listen to stories.
: be a good friend.
: feed my husband.
: gain some muscle.
: dedicate and do.
: don't be flakey.
: be more like my mom.
: go fishing/shooting with my dad.
: get promoted.
: travel.
: share my story.
: go to church.
: wash my hair.
: be a good sister.
: say "i love you" more.
: kiss eloise.
: serve.
: follow through.
: wear lipstick.
: love.
: chill.

question.

do you think i could get fired for taking a nap in the bathroom at work? i dunno. it was a complete accident this time. i needed to sit down and next thing i knew my head was against the wall of the stall and i had drool dripping down my chin. whoops.

totes a perf birth.

sooo twas my birthday this last weekend. i feel like i might have just hit that age where i start lying about how old i am. i think the age i'll say that i am is 22. cause 22 is a respectable age. you're old enough to do what you want but people still tell you you're young. plus doubles are the best. who doesn't like double?

anyway. best birthday yet. danny went CRAZY! he was like giving me gifts all over the place. and i was loving every second. trying to be all "you shouldn't have!" but i was secretly like planning out outfits in my head and stuff. plus he got me a sewing machine so i'm gonna start straight making my own clothes. ha! watch out etsy.

also we saw michelle money (if you don't know who she is, you haven't lived) at sephora in salt lake. i was so star struck. embarrassing! don't even judge me though cause the most famous person i've ever seen in real life is jared, the subway guy. anyway. danny had no fear and was like "hey, are you michelle money?" and she was. and then we talked about i can't even remember what. and then somehow i got a picture with her. i'm a freak.

the night ended with danny gifting me with a brand new gold watch i have coveted since conception. he sold his ipod, video game console, and his soul to buy it for me without me knowing. i'm pretty good at picking out a husband. 

treeeeeeee.

hi. so i decorated our house for christmas. i totes went all out with the decorations. i figured you'd wanna know how i did it.

k so first, i got a christmas tree.

and strapped it to the top of the car cause it twas too huge to fit inside. oh the sacrifices i make for the holidays.

second thing i did was pick up some glittery ornaments which i tediously tied gold string to. so rough. my hands were killing me after i did all of the twelve ornaments i needed to cover our humongo tree.

then i took a break. watched gossip girl. knitted. took a nap. and then it was back to it!

i placed each ornament carefully on the tree. i only broke one! k fine. i broke two. but the second one wasn't really my fault.

and this is how it all turned out....

now all that's left to do is for danny to wrap my presents!