Winter Running

Since we moved to Utah from Texas last year, this is my first winter in a while where I have had to get used to winter running. But luckily, I love it!! I love the feeling of the crisp, cold air against your face as your body is nice and warm (as long as you are dressed accordingly, of course :). I also love that I don't get hot when I run. It makes me feel like I can run so much longer... as long as I'm watching where I'm going and don't wipe out on some ice!

I got a few new running toys for Christmas. Other runners out there can understand how exciting running toys are. Russ gave me a heart rate monitor. I feel so official now! You wear a strap on your chest that accurately tracks your heart rate, which is displayed on a watch. So far it has really helped me to know when I can "step it up" if my heart rate just isn't as high as it could/should be while running. I probably should have taken a picture when I was actually running. According to the heart rate below, I am dead. 

{And yes... winter running means you layer up. 2 to 3 long sleeve shirts/fleeces, gloves, ear warmers, you name it!}

I also got a new pair of Nike Frees! I have a bad habit of running way too long on the same pair of running shoes. I was still running on my Nike Frees I got early last year (that I loved!). These have been my favorite running shoes to date. No blisters = happy Camille. As you can see I went with the bright orange and grey, cause why the heck not?

And finally, somehow I managed to convince this guy below to run with me. Ever since reading THIS POST, I'm a bit spooked to go running by myself outside. But ironically, I've never been a fan of a "running buddy." I've thought long and hard about this, and I think it's for a few reasons. 1) I hate feeling like I'm slowing someone down or they are slowing me down, and 2) I am not very good at being set to run at a certain time and place. For instance, I had full intentions of getting up and running yesterday before work, but as soon as I woke up I knew that was NOT going to happen. But sure enough, all I could think about at work all afternoon was going for a run. I've found, with myself at least, I enjoy running so much more when I don't force a run in just because it's scheduled. (Obviously sometimes I just have to go for that run when I have the window of time, but you get the gist).  

But in case you were wondering, Russ is a good guy to have by my side, even when running. :)

A Blog About Love

Have you ever stumbled upon a blog/website/book/show that you just could not stop thinking about? When that happens you just want to tell everyone you know about it. Well that's how I feel about my most recent stumble, A Blog about Love. Their blog really is all about love -- how to love, what to do when you don't feel loved, how to be a better spouse, family member, friend, and so much more.

One night last week I just could not sleep. I was upset, angry, sad, frustrated, among other things. Basically, I had a lot on my mind. So I sat in my bed and started reading their blog from the beginning. I woke up the next morning and already felt like a different person. Without sounding too corny, I really feel like this blog came into my life for a reason. I am 100% inspired by these two people, and within the 5 days I have devoured everything on their blog, I truly feel like I'm one step closer to the person I want to be. I'm happier. Less things "bug" me. I'm choosing to be happy, because let's be honest, who wants to choose the opposite?

These two have definitely been handed their fair share of trials. Long story short, Mara's husband of 7 years left her (after years of going back and forth between telling her he didn't "really" love her or wasn't attracted to her), all the while dealing with infertility for nearly 5 years. After she was divorced, her friend introduced her to Danny Kofoed by a friend (who's wife of 4 years had also left him). They lived in different cities so their relationship basically started out via email. They fell in love quickly. They were both so excited to be in love once again. Their outlook on life was incredibly positive, and continues to be that way, even after dealing with infertility once again. Like I said, lots of trials.

Some of the posts that have been my go-to for inspiration as of late include:

+ How to keep a marriage glued
+ Choosing to not be offended by silly things people say
+ Best Beauty Secret in the world
+ AMAZING marriage tips
+ Feeling Spirituality in your life
+ The "Little" trials of life -- we've all got 'em
+ Working on being the best {future} mother I can
+ Being grateful for what I DO have, not dwelling on what I don't
+ Learning how to not react in a negative way

... And so much more. Seriously, I kind of want to be her BFF. Her writing is so genuine, kind, and honest. And come on, she's got rockin' style. Just give the blog a try, won't you? I hope you enjoy as much as I do. :)

Surprise Party!

Russ had a birthday, shout hooray!!

When I asked Russ what he wanted to do this year for his birthday, he shrugged his shoulders and said "oh, we don't need to do anything. I had a party last year." .... hem hem .... queue awesome wife duties and plan a surprise party! I do have to say that Russ is so much fun to plan a surprise party for because first off, he's totally oblivious to the quiet planning and running around I was doing all week to get everything together. He was legitimately surprised. For example, I completely ran out of time by Friday night, but I still had to make my little "poof ball" decorations. The problem was that Russ was home all night with me and I made them in front of him. When he asked what I was doing I just told him I was making them to put in the guest room. He just looked at them, a bit confused, and said "ok." Really Russ?? Paper poof balls in the guest room? I just let out a sigh of relief that he never pries and totally trusts my design decisions. :) Second off, he loves parties. He had a perma-grin the whole time. It's the best.

The party was so much fun. Thank you to everyone who came and helped surprise Russ. He loved every minute of his 28th birthday party. We are so grateful for our amazing family and friends.

(Seriously Natalie, I couldn't have pulled this party off without you!)

Happy Birthday Russ! I sure do love you!

Our Musical Addition

I'm sorry I left you all on a bit of a cliff hanger last week with our "new addition." That was probably annoying, and perhaps even more annoying if it is a bit anti-climatic to you. But to us this addition was a huge deal. We shopped around for months. We researched. We hunted the classifieds. We saved and saved. And finally, we brought home our new musical addition:

Please meet our lovely new piano. It is a Kawai US-50 upright grand piano. We think she is bea-u-tiful.

I am seriously in love. Growing up I played a lot of piano. Call it a bit dorky, but I would say it was my "sport" in high school. I spent lots and lots of hours with this instrument. So needless to say, I am a bit picky when it comes to playing on some pianos, let alone spending my own money on one. Some think we are crazy for buying a new piano, and that we should have just settled with a used one from Craigslist. Believe me, we tried some out, but none of them were "the one." We finally found this beauty at a little piano shop (which we would highly recommend!) that was selling this piano for more than 1/2 the price of the "big box" Kawai store. From the first song I played while testing it out, I knew it would be ours. 

I love that I can make music in our home once again. I have missed my time at the piano. Any emotion that I am feeling can be expressed on those keys. The guy who owned the shop we bought it from was telling me how a half an hour at the piano is worth more than an hour at the therapist. 

I couldn't agree more.

Oh hey world

We are alive! We are kickin'! Things have been a bit busy around here lately (hey, what's new?). I know you've been worried. Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to:

// Watching Fictionist rock it, once again, at a sold-out show at Velour. A couple even got engaged on stage! How cool is that? Caitlin at Hue and Hum has a great rundown here.

// Getting sick, and recovering. I spent a good few days this last week/weekend pretty much out of commission. Blech.

// Organizing, organizing, organizing!! Like the majority of the world, I started 2012 with a huge determination to organize everything. Russ has been a good sport and has helped me along the way. I have mostly been focusing on closets. I felt like nothing in the house "had a place." Well not anymore! One closet in particular was this funny little guy in our loft that was impossible to keep organized... until now!

Seriously... nothing like organized bliss. {ooooo ahhhhhhhh}

// Continuing to actually hang some frames on the wall (go figure!). These frames that have been propped against the wall are now a part of a lovely picture gallery. Pictures soon to come, don't worry.

// And last, but not least, acquiring a new addition to our family. No, it's probably not what you think. But... it's getting late (10:35... yes, I'm lame) and honestly, I don't have a picture, so I'm going to leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. :) Stay tuned!

Framing Time

Since the day we moved into our home I think I have hung up approximately 2 frames. For some reason hanging frames is so scary! It's like super permanent or something. Really that makes no sense, because I didn't pause 2 seconds to put up bright floral wallpaper (something that is way more permanent than frames), but then frames are the scariest thing ever. Maybe it's because when I hang up art or pictures I want them to mean something. To be significant to us. 

Over Christmas I was given a couple really beautiful prints and art pieces. It's like my family knows me well or something!! Our walls are finally looking a little less bare. Thank goodness! 

Russell gave me this beautiful print from evajuliet, an Etsy shop I have not-so-subtly hinted to him about for months. She is French, and most of her prints come in French and English. My beautiful Grandma is French, my first and middle name is French (Camille Elise), I love France, and everything sounds more beautiful in French. The print translates to "Choose Joy," a phrase I think everyone could be reminded of more often. Life is insane -- sometimes we can choose to freak out or just choose to have joy. I'm trying to choose joy.

The next piece of art that makes me so happy is by the amazingly talented Minvera Teichart given to me by my lovely mother. Opening this piece of art on Christmas made me so happy. I love this picture of Christ. It is so powerful and majestic, yet shows how loving and caring He his at the same time. This is exactly how I picture Him. Full of majesty and love. 

 It's amazing how art makes a house feel so much more like a home. It's really starting to come together.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, you see that amazing blanket hanging over the couch? Brittney gave me this blanket and I'm pretty much obsessed. It's a beautiful teal wool blanket with a subtle chevron print. I love how it's a pop of color yet it perfectly ties in the teal flowers on the Orla Kiely wallpaper. Thanks sis. In case you can't tell, I love it. :)

So anyway, I have 2 more frames up. So that's like 4 now. Next up is the gallery wall I have been procrastinating for way too long. It's framing time!

A Head of Hair

My husband has a very healthy head of hair. I'm not exaggerating one bit. Let's just hope our kids are blessed with his genes in this area. Lately he has let it grow longer than ever with a curly fro and mountain man beard. He was going in for a hair cut tonight, so I made sure to snap a picture last night as he was checking his head of hair out one last time. 

I sure do love this guy.

{I think the picture turned out really nice, don't you? ... hahaha... Napoleon Dynamite anyone?}

Canada & Snowmobiles

Over Christmas break we went to Washington (my home state). Oh how I love that place. A few days after Christmas we drove up to spend a few days in Canada. We were forewarned of how freeeeezing and winter wonderland-ish Canada is in the winter... so we came prepared of course. We loaded up the car with snowboards, skis, winter boots, thermals, hats, gloves, you name it. Weren't we a bit surprised when we pulled up to our resort in Fairmont to find grass?? Hmm, not what we were expecting. The irony of it all was that it was snowing in Spokane as we left. I guess that's life, right? {Side note: There was a bit more snow in Banff compared to Fairmont, but it was still very mild compared to the norm}

Also a surprise: Pulling up to Lake Louise (which we visited in the summer a few years back) expecting to oooh and awwwe over the crystal blue water only to realize that, duh, it's frozen and covered in snow! Way to go geniuses. :)

We still managed to have a good time, of course. Activities included the Fairmont hot springs, snowboarding, site-seeing, games, and food. The best.

Once we got back to Spokane my Dad made sure I got in my yearly snowmobile trip. Some people are surprised when I tell them that I grew up riding a snowmobile. From the age of about 10 years old my dad would plop me on my own machine and tell me to climb the mountain! "Whatever you say daddy!!" I've loved these times on the mountain with my dad. He becomes a little kid (again) and we get to see some amazing vistas together. Oh, and he ALWAYS encourages me to go out of my comfort zone and "push the limits a little." I've definitely had my fair share of accidents -- you know, getting stuck in waist-deep powder and even rolling the machine over my body once -- but I still love the feeling of the wind on your face as you pull that throttle. It was good to feel that once again.

{Me and Jace jumping for joy}

Auld Lang Syne // Times Long Past

It's New Years Eve and Russ and I are sitting on the couch doing everything in our power to not fall asleep. (We are so exciting!!) As we fight off yawns, we have been going through the photo archives reminiscing on memories from 2011. Wow. What a year. I don't think there will ever be a year when we say "gee, that year didn't go by fast." Time sure does fly. But luckily we have some really good times (mixed in with some hard times, of course) to look back on. Here are some highlights of our 2011:

Started the year skyping on a regular basis since we lived apart for a good 5 months. Rough.

Finally seeing Wicked! Best Valentines ever.

Good friends in Texas that helped us get through those rough times.

Russ getting a really great job offer from Adobe in Utah -- prayers are answered!

Quitting our jobs (tears!), leaving Texas, living in a temporary apartment, buying a house (eek!), and both starting new jobs. 

Being around family once again. Sigh of relief.

Camping. 

Putting in our own sprinkler system. Kill me now.

2 half marathons and a couple 10k's for Camille, lots of bike racing for Russ. Dirty Dashin' as a family.

Lots of lake trips -- McCall, Spokane, Trinity Lake.

Jace comes home from Japan!

Fishing in our backyard... literally.

Fabulous house guests (and life long friends!)

Rockin' Adobe holiday parties.

Family pictures.

Neighborhood parties -- we love our neighbors!

Christmastime in the Northwest and Canada.

Ending the year on top of a mountain. Best finale we could ask for.

Goodbye 2011. We are grateful for the year we had. We know we are so blessed, and we have both grown so much. We are feeling optimistic about the future and can only wait to see what 2012 has in store.

Holi-Daze

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were everything I was hoping for. Our holiday consisted of relaxing, eating, laughing, playing games, spending time with close friends and family, attending church and reveling in the beauty of the season. Washington even blessed us with a good-enough snow fall on Christmas Eve for a white Christmas! Here are a few scenes from the last few days. Because I feel like we are good friends, I have also included a few oh-so-glamorous Christmas morning bed-head pictures. Sorry and You're Welcome.

Usually the McLaws kids have our traditional "waiting-on-the-stairs-till-we-can-see-the-presents" picture, but this year we all gathered on the couch. Yes, on one couch. Can we say sibling love?

Top picture: The lovely Bird family came over once again for Christmas Eve dinner. I think every Christmas I have spent in Washington involved the Bird family somehow, someway. We were especially happy to spend time with Sheri-mom. I've mentioned her before. Her story is here.

Bottom picture: The most humorous picture from Christmas morning. Russ and I have been swimming a lot lately, so I was excited to get some goggles to make me pro (ha!). I even got a swim cap, but sadly for you, did not take a picture with that one. :)

 We had a post-church photo session. I sure do love all the people in these pictures. 

Today we're packing up to leave Washington for another country! That's right, we're escaping to Canada to spend a few days in a cabin in the mountains. Ohhhh, this is going to be good. 

Happy Holidays everyone!

Christmas Vacation is Here!

Tonight marks the beginning of our Christmas vacation! Hallelujah! I was a very happy girl as I left work this evening for a week and a half of zero stress. {Queue sigh of relief} As a pre-Christmas celebration, we ate our dinner by candlelight while listening to some Christmas tunes. We wanted to do our own "thing" before joining the rest of the family for all the festivities. We opened a few of our gifts for each other, and I must say that Russ did good.  Now we are scrambling around the house making sure we have everything before we take off in the morning for a lovely holiday vacation in the Northwest (wahooo!). Vacation is so near I can taste it.

I hope everyone is having a fantastic holiday season spent with friends and family, and most of all, remembering why we have this holiday to begin with. If you have a minute,  watch this video about the true Christmas spirit. It brings a tear to my eye. 

Family Pictures 2011

When my parents were in town over Thanksgiving break we got together and took some long overdue family pictures. My mom realized we didn't have a proper picture with her two "new" son-in-laws! My lovely friend Brooke helped us out and captured some great shots. I had full intentions of making a Christmas card, but it turns out the busy-ness of the season (and getting a bit sick! blech!) has gotten the best of me. I know you are weeping inside due to the lack of our Christmas card, but hopefully these family pics will get you by. I know I sure love them!

{All photos by Brooke Schultz Photography}

First Time for Everything

Would you believe me if I told you that before yesterday Russ had never ever made sugar cookies? Like he'd never used a cookie cutter in his life. Well by golly, we ended that! We made ooodles of cookies last night for friends and neighbors (using my favorite recipe compliments of Sheri Bird). Judging by this picture, I would say he had fun, wouldn't you? He particularly enjoyed making his "gingerbread army." I loved spending the evening baking, frosting, singing, and dancing in the kitchen with my favorite person in the world. 

Another first for us? Shoveling the driveway on our very own house! We woke up to a blanket of snow. It made me feel that much more  in the Christmas spirit (even if I was sliding around trying to get out of our neighborhood. Oy. I need to remember my snow-driving skills from years past). 

Is it Christmas break yet?!? 

Adobe Knows How to Party

{Russell wins the award for the most animated face!}

Friday night we went to Adobe's Holiday Party. This was unlike any Christmas party I've ever been to for a few reasons. First of all, it was 80's themed. Huh? I was so confused and honestly really skeptical of what kind of party it would be (foolish Camille, foolish!). Second, when we showed up we saw the Back to the Future car in front of break dancers being watched over by Mr. T. I'm dead serious. You throw some dancing competitions, arcade games, flaming donuts, thousand dollar prizes that you can win by playing rock-paper-scissors (I got really close!!!), awesome "goodie boxes" with 80's movies and treats, and a live 80's cover band and you have one rockin' party. I also got to reunite with one of my old college roommate Erin! Oh I have missed her. Her husband also works for Adobe -- it was so good to see her after way too long! (Her hair is crimped because that is back in style, didn't you know? Just kidding. You could dress up in 80's attire. We were lame and did not).

Since we are party animals and never want the night to end (ha!) we stopped by temple square after the party to check out the lights in the freezing cold. It was the perfect end to a perfect night. We really do love Adobe and are so grateful for Russ's job! They sure know how to treat their employees right. Thanks Adobe for showing us another good time! 

Herb-Roasted Veggies

These roasted veggies have been our favorite go-to dish for a while now. Please make these and tell me you don't like them, because I'd be willing to bet even those people that don't like vegetables will enjoy! You can literally throw in whatever vegetables you want or have on hand. I'm a particular fan of the butternut squash (they are like candy!), and Russ loves the potatoes. It's a perfect combination... I pay special attention to pick out the butternut squash and he gets the potatoes! Best part? Leftovers for lunch at work. Mmm mmm. Here are some rough instructions on how to make these bad boys:

What you'll need:
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
4-5 red potatoes, washed and cubed
1 small sweet potato
1 small onion, peeled and sliced into thick slices
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch thin slices
(Other vegetables I have used include red peppers, zucchini, gold potatoes, and more! Experiment!)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Thyme
Rosemary
Salt & Pepper

How you do it:
Once all of your vegetables are peeled/cut/sliced, use a large bowl to splash some olive oil and balsamic vinegar -- the amount you need will vary on how many vegetables you are roasting. Basically you need just enough to cover the vegetables, but not too much where they are drowning in the oil. :) If you don't have a large enough bowl, you can throw the vegetables directly onto a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil (I used a Silpat baking mat) and slowly spoon and cover the veggies in the oil/vinegar. Sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Roast in oven @ 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally.

* Adapted from A Hint of Honey

Scenes from the Weekend

This last weekend included a few fun Christmas-oriented activities. Friday night I had a few of my cute friends over for a Christmas craft night. We made Soup Mix jars and ate way too many delicious treats. Oh, and this crock-pot Tomato-Basil Parmesan soup that was oh-so-good. When the temperatures outside are bitter cold, nothing else sounds good but warm, hearty soup. {And who doesn't love another crock-pot soup?!?}

The next night we went out with some of our favorite people -- The Hills {who just happen to be our neighbors/saving grace}. We met one other couple from our neighborhood for dinner and then ventured to the Festival of Trees. I had never been! It's basically a huge organization where people decorate and donate hundreds of decked-out trees, gingerbread houses, wreaths and quilts. There is then an auction for all of the items and all proceeds go to the Primary Children's Hospital. Pretty cool. The first pictures is of us in front of one of my favorite trees of the night -- the Harry Potter tree!!! And the second picture is when we came upon an exact version of our house made for dwarves... or children... or any other small person who wants to live in a blue house.

Other highlights of the weekend that should be noted, for posterity sake of course:

* Learning once again that miracles do happen and prayers really work. Thanks friends for helping my sister out.
* Making my first home-made cinnamon rolls that turned out bomb.com
* Starting to refinish those dang night-stands that I have been putting off for years. Literally.
* Visiting the Collette's in their new home. So exciting!
* Sleeping in till 10 am two days in a row!! Wha???
* Playing Gin Rummy with Russ. We are too competitive for our own good. :)

Bowls & Oats

Last night a package arrived on my doorstep that made me extremely giddy. It's amazing how the most random purchases are so exciting. Like bowls, for example. Do pretty, colorful little bowls also make your heart go pitter-patter? I sure hope so. Otherwise Russ's suspicions that I'm going loony are correct. 

I've been eyeing these bowls from West Elm for quite a while. So last week when I saw that they were on clearance with free shipping (wahoo!), I snatched them up. They remind me of the days when my good friend Sada and I used to kill time on our lunch breaks oooh-ing and awww-ing at pretty things at the West Elm store in San Antonio. Sadly there is no West Elm here in Utah, so now I just ooh and aww through a computer screen. :) Anyway, now it looks like I will need to make some sort of dessert to serve these in. They're just calling for something tasty to be served in them.

Speaking of tasty things in bowls, let me introduce you to my new favorite breakfast:

My mom was in town last week and brought these lovely little steel-cut oats into my life. Thanks Mom!! I don't know if I'll ever be able to eat instant oatmeal again. The texture and flavor of these little guys are amazing, and might I say, leave you feeling full for a lot longer. I'm sure the add-in possibilities are endless, but so far I have been adding in some brown sugar, a little bit of vanilla soy milk, craisins, apples, and a dash of cinnamon. They take about 30 minutes on the stove to cook, but once you have a big batch made they will literally last you all week! Mmm mmm. I'm a cereal girl at heart, and always will be, but I'm so happy to add these steel-cut oats into my morning routine. Give 'em a try!

Subway Tile. Done and Done.

I have been wanting to have subway tile in our kitchen forever! I knew it was a project we would work on sometime, but definitely far in the future. Until one of my best friends and her husband were over one day and asked if we wanted some of their leftover subway tile. Let me think about that.... YES. We got in the car immediately, drove to their house, and became proud owners of some new subway tile ready to schnazzy up our kitchen. Thanks again, Elyse! We owe you big time!

What do you think? I am in love! It totally transforms the look of the whole kitchen and definitely takes it one step away from a builder-grade kitchen. One step at a time, people. Just to get it in your head, this was the back splash before - just the basic 3 inch continuation of the counter surface. 

We were debating whether to take off that back splash or not, mostly just because we had no clue how to do it (and afraid we  would create huge gaping holes in our walls). One of our neighbors works with granite countertops and he came over to help us out. Who would have thought you literally just pop that thing off?!? Thank goodness for friendly neighbors.

Russ was the main wet saw-worker, and I was the main tile-applier. The whole process was pretty do-able overall. The only times it became a little difficult was cutting around the window well and electrical sockets. For anyone contemplating this project, I say DO IT!!! Thanks to some YouTube videos we got the job done. Even though we got most of our tile for free, we had to buy a small section after we ran out. The tile is "Daltile" brand, which you can buy at Home Depot. A 2 foot section of tile cost only about $10, so really, I think it's pretty affordable. (You just need to add in cost of mastic, grout, and a few supplies).  

One more project crossed off the list! 9,723,982,357 more to go! :)

Thankful

Well hello world! I may possibly be one of the worst bloggers as of late, but I guess that means I had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend with little time to blog. I'll take it. But I would feel a little ungrateful if I didn't take a moment to jot down a few things I am especially grateful for at this time:

via

+ I am grateful for our house, and more importantly the memories that are made inside of it. I love making a house a home. The sunrises and sunsets we see every day over the river in our backyard melt my heart.

+ My mom's orange roll recipe! I made it for the first time this weekend. It turned out pretty good... not as good as my mom's, but practice should hopefully make perfect.

+ My faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ and His love for me and my family. We are always taken care of.

+ Finding new music. Thanks to Spotify, new music has been flooding my ears and I love it.

+ Russell's job that allows us to live close to our families. We were fortunate enough to see both of our families this weekend -- it was fabulous.

+ My health. We have a lot of family members and close friends who have had this taken away from them this last year. I believe that a healthy body is one of those things we take for granted until it is gone.