Some Personal Touches in our New Home

I started this blog when Seth and I were first married, which was exactly three and a half years ago (where did the time go?!). I made a few posts our first year of marriage, and then neglected it for the last two years. After a fun project that I did yesterday and other fun stuffs that we have coming up in our lives, I decided I would hop back into the blogosphere to share with you! P.S. Please excuse my low quality pictures, I am no photographer.

So the other day, we came home from church and Seth called me into the living room with his “concerned” voice. I was expecting him to tell me something really bad, so I was very relieved when all he said was “We need to make our house more homey.” Like, okay you don’t have to tell me twice! We had all the furniture we needed for this room, but our decor was seriously lacking, and was making the room feel almost cold and sterile. So when Seth gave me the go-ahead to decorate the room, I was so excited that I went out the next day and got everything I would need to make this room more “homey.” So, without further ado… Our living room!

What I struggled with the most by way of “personal touches” was filling the space above our couch. For some reason I am SO picky about that space. I didn’t want family pictures or a gallery wall or a mirror, I wanted art… But not just any art! The art had to be vintage or from a local artist, it could not be a landscape or people, and there needed to be two or three different pieces that coordinated and not just one big piece. There were two problems with my hopes and dreams, 1) it was very expensive (we’re talking thousands of dollars) and 2) it is extremely time consuming. Like, I made it through two pages of Etsy artwork before I threw in the towel and decided to go to Target… And man was I so glad I did. I found exactly what I wanted within one minute of stepping into Target’s home section, it met all my expectations and was very affordable… Take that Etsy! They even gave me 30% off for two teeny tiny imperfections on the frame, so I basically stole it from them. Does anyone else feel like they love something 1000000000x more when they get a killer deal on it?

So after I left Target, I decided to hit up Ikea to get a bookshelf. I know, basically everyone and their dog own this bookshelf but it’s so cute and versatile and cheap and easy to put together that I could not say no! This was the first thing I put together for our newly-decorated living room, and I was so surprised at how much impact this piece had in this room. When I started to fill the shelf with our favorite books and pictures and trinkets, the room felt like it was coming to life. I’m actually amazed at how adding personal things to a room can totally change the way the room feels. I love looking at my shelf and being reminded of our travels, my favorite stories, and the life we’ve created together.

Next is our entryway. We orginally had a metal table with a glass top in our entry that was given to us, but it wasn’t very kid-friendly and also took up too much space so I decided to kibosh the table idea and get a shelf instead. After hanging our shelf, I knew we were going to need something more to make the entry look more complete, so I ran out to Target (yes, again!) and bought this mirror that I’ve had my eye on for a couple of months. I also hate all the crap and clutter that congregates by the front door, so I put a medium-sized basket under the shelf that can hold all of my junk.

So whoever built this townhouse thought it would be a really great idea to not put any light fixtures in the living room (who does that?!). The only light that we have in this room is the light in the entry, which isn’t enough to fill the whole room. We’ve been using a small lamp for the last four months to light this room at night, but we still needed a little more, so we decided to go for a floor lamp. This one is from… You guessed it, Target (can you tell I love Target yet?). They have a bunch of great floor lamps, but I knew this vintage-esque one would go great with my actual vintage lounge chair. After I set it up I curled up in my chair in my newly decorated living room and read a book until it was time for me to go to bed, it was perfect.

I liked this room before, but now I absolutely love it! It is definitely, by far, my favorite room in the house now. Before yesterday we never really hung out in this room, but now I never want to leave! My favorite thing about it is that when I walk inside of the room I feel so much peace and happiness, and that’s what I think a home should feel like. Even Sam likes it!

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Babies and Blessings

One of my sisters-in-law (Davina) was recently blessed with two SWEET babies. 
One girl and one boy, Nora and Malaki.
This weekend was their (were their?) blessings!
So we headed up to Montana for the weekend to be there.
Man, was it chaotic.
I mean fun. 
Almost everyone was there.
Davina’s parents, Nates parents, siblings, big kids, little kids…
Even puppies. 
For a grand total of 22 people…
In one house.

Let me just say, it’s a good thing we all like each other. 

We rock climbed, held babies, ate good food, 
Celebrated birthdays, jumped on the trampoline, 
Talked, hung out, played games, and most importantly…
Went to the baby blessings!

It was really cool to sit back and realize
That this whole weekend was for these two sweet babies. 
They wouldn’t even remember it,
But that’s what we were there for. 
For 10 minutes of the time we were there,
People traveled from hundreds (even thousands!) of miles away for these little guys.
How cool. 

I must admit though. 
This weekend was pretty good birth control. 
Having kids will be great, but I like having just Sethy right now.
Cause it’s pretty dang good to be able to walk out the door
And into the car whenever we want!

It was so good to be with family, 
Especially good to see Seth’s mom and Charlie. 
Definitely got me excited to go to Kansas in T minus…
35 days! Wooohoo!

Now we are home 
And will STAY home for awhile.
This is the first weekend we’ve been home in like… 4 weeks.
You could assume I’m pretty happy about that. 

Our next big trip is in two weeks, 
To Oregon to visit Seth’s mission!

Time is flyinggggg by!
I’m excited for the upcoming trips, 
But I also don’t want them to get here so soon, 
Because that means school is soon!

The pull up competition.

I told you in the last post to hang tight for the pull up story.
So. Here it is. 

At the festival, they had little competitions for opportunities to win “swag”
Otherwise known as free gear.

There was a pull up competition. 
Two winners, one boy and one girl. 

I was a little nervous, because I was at a rock climbing festival. 
I don’t know how much you know about climbing or climbers,
But generally, climbers are pretty good at pull ups. 

I eventually got up there and knocked out 8 pull ups, taking first place 
By one pull up. 

A couple girls got up after me and couldn’t do it, 
I thought for sure I’m gonna win. 

The announcer calls out for just one more girl to try. 
So one does.

She got up there and did nine pull ups. 
Kipping. 
(When you use your whole body to get up instead of just your arms)
-______________-

They let her kips slide.
She won a sweet pack. 
I won nothing. 
I was not happy. 

Climbing and Conference

So we’ve been very busy the last couple weeks, 
I’ve got a lot to tell ya!

Rewind to two weeks ago…
The Idaho Mountain Festival at City of Rocks.
All about rock climbing, trail runnin’, and the outdoors. 
We rock climbed, ran, camped, hit the hot springs, did some pull ups
(Hang tight for the pull up story), watched videos, froze our booties off, 
Took pictures, and so. much. more!

Climbing in the City is much different from what we usually do, 
so we didn’t get too much climbing in. 
I did lead climb a route (which was a pretty big feat for me), 
Seth got on a couple of the classic routes, 
But overall it was fun to just be with friends “enjoying the nature”
As Seth would say. 

We came home from the festival and the next day was Seth’s birthday!
I got up way to early to make him breakfast. 
Pancakes, of course. 
Then we went to Jackson Hole to go to the Enclosure, 
A sweet climbing gym, to climb for a few hours.
For dinner we went to a burger joint, 
Then to our friend’s house to play Mormon Bridges. 
(Seth hates games, but loves this one because he won by a landslide his first time, ha!)

This last weekend was General Conference, 
For those of you who aren’t LDS and are reading this, General Conference is when 
Latter Day Saints gather to listen to our prophet and other leaders
Of our church. It can be seen live (In Salt Lake), or you can watch it on TV. 
We went to Utah this weekend, because we got tickets for the Sunday morning session. 
We hung out with family and friends all weekend, 
It was a lot of fun!
Sunday morning we headed up to Salt Lake for conference, 
We walked around  Temple Square, went to the visitors center, and admired
the Salt Lake City temple. 
It was an awesome experience.
I hope to do it every conference! 

Now we are home for the week, 
But we will be on the road again this Friday, 
To Montana!

Just an Update

I figured since I’m bored I’d write a post since it’s been awhile. 

So it’s “summer” for me and Seth, YAY! 
We are off of school until January, 
So we are just working and playin’  for the next few months!
I was life guarding at a ski resort for awhile, 
but it was an hour drive to work and they cut my hours back. 
So I got a new job at a call center. 
Not the most exciting thing, but whatever, it’s a job. 

I got a new calling! 
I’m the Beehive Adviser in the Young Women, and I LOVE it. 
I don’t know a group of girls more unique or sweet than mine.
Each girl is TOTALLY different. Each has her own story, 
Her own struggles, her own personality…
But they are ALL divine daughters of our Heavenly Father. 
It’s crazy being a leader in Young Women, 
Not that long ago I was one!
I had great leaders when I was a Young Women, 
And I’ve definitely realized that I did not recognize how much they did, 
How much they loved us, and how much I took them for granted. 
Being a leader in Young Women is definitely not a piece of cake, 
But I have learned so much from these girls in the small amount of time 
I’ve been with them, and I know they will keep teaching me every day.
The love I’ve gained for these beautiful girls 
Is MORE than worth the frustration of feeling like my efforts aren’t recognized.
Anyway, I could talk all day about how much I love Young Women’s,
But I don’t wanna bore you. So I will move on. 

I’m still lovin’ Idaho, 
(But the cold weather is comin’ soon, so I will keep you posted…)
I love living near so many outdoors things, 
I’m never goin’ back to Kansas! 
Although Rexburg is pretty sparse on mountains, 
The mountains are only a short drive away.
Since we’ve been out of school, I think we’ve gone climbing
and swimming, and hiking, and running
More than I have in my whole life combined. 
I even jumped off a freaking CLIFF in Teton National Park. 
It was so fun. 

So we have a lot of trips going on during the next few months, 
We will be gone for the better part of October in Utah, Montana, and Oregon.
We’re going to Kansas for Thanksgivin’, and Montana for Christmas. 
(It’s a good thing we got a new car, ’cause I’m not sure 
How many more miles Lamara can take!)
Anyway, I’m super excited for our trips, 
And I’m very grateful that Seth and I both have
Jobs that provide both the money and flexibility we need for the next few months!

So I don’t really have a whole lot more for ya.
I thought I’d have a lot to update you guys on
Since I haven’t written a post in a couple months, 
Guess not. 

So, until next time my friends!

Lately

Well, this is a little late
But I wanna tell you a little bit about what’s been goin’ on lately.

 So about 3 weeks ago, I went to Girls Camp.
Oh boy was it fun!
I was so jealous of everyone who went to Lenexa Camp this year,
Because I wasn’t there.
And Girls Camp is where I belong.
BUT, I got asked to go to my stake camp as assistant ward director.
Since I’m really only a few years older than the girls
They didn’t actually take me seriously.
They splashed me, and pushed me in the water, and treated me like one of them.
It was so fun!
At testimony meeting, all the girls bore their simple and honest testimonies.
It was so cool to hear them share their love of our Heavenly Father and the Gospel.

 When I got home from camp, I was home for about an hour
When we hit the road to Montana!
(It was a busy week)
My sister-in-law and her family just moved there,
She’s prego with twins, and needed some help movin’ in.
So all of the Weinert siblings went up to help!
We hung pictures, moved furniture, organized clothes, etc.
We also had some fun…
We went to the lake, jumped on the trampoline, watched movies,
Explored Helena, ate ice cream, and so much more!
It was so fun to be with family!

Now… IT’S SUMMER!
I just finished all my finals, tests, and homework this morning!
Seth just has a few more things to do
And then we are FREEEEEEEE for the next 5 ½ months!

 

 

Catchin’ Up

What an eventful past few weeks this has been,
Here’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to!

 So for Memorial Day weekend
Seth and I went down to Provo to hang with friends and family…
And to climb and be outside (of course)!
On Friday night, we went climbing at American Fork Canyon,
We went to Wendy’s afterward for a late night meal
And ran into Amanda Monn and a missionary who served in my home town!

 On Saturday we went back to American Fork
And brought along Scott, Josett, and Baby Jules with us!
We climbed all day, met new friends, and enjoyed the nature!
Seth, Scott, and Keith got on a couple of 5.11’s (I was so proud of Seth!)
Afterwards, we went to the Spanish Fork hot springs
To relax after our long day.

 On Sunday, we went to church with Scott and Josett.
We came home and had some lunch
Made some foil dinners
And packed up our stuff to go camping!
We went to a secret campsite
That Scott and Josett knew about, it was so beautiful!
We cooked up our foil dinners, ate some smores and string cheese
And talked and had fun!

 Monday morning we woke up and hung out in Scott and Josett’s tent
Then packed things up so we could (can you guess?)
GO CLIMBING!
After climbing all day, we had dinner at Texas Road House,
Packed up and headed home!

It was such a fun weekend!

 This week Josett, Amy, Jules, and Bonnie came up to the Burg
To help their sister Kjersti with some wedding planning.
We got a call at 11:00PM from Josett sayin’
“We’re comin’ over!”
Because it was too loud at Kjersti’s for Baby Jules and Bonnie to sleep.
The following morning, Josett came into our room at 6AM with Jules
And we all snuggled!

 When Seth left for work, the babies went down for their nap
And Amy, Josett, and I played Yahtzee and did handstands in our living room!
In the afternoon we went swimming at the St. Anthony Sandbar,
Jules and Bonnie got to play in the sand for the first time
And Josett and I jumped into the freezing cold water!

It was so fun to have them here,
I was sad they had to leave.
But I loved having a little girl time!

It’s been a fun few weeks, 
We love having family around!
And only 4 more days till Davina and Nate move here!
YAY!

 

 

 

The Adventure Begins!

Well, I’m a married laday, everyone!
It’s so great.
Everyone should get married.

 Our wedding day is something that I wish we could relive over and over again.
It was beautiful.
I loved the temple,
I loved dancing, laughing, smiling and celebrating with family and friends,
but most of all I loved knowing that I was sealed to my best friend for time and all eternity!
I can’t even begin to describe how blessed and happy I felt that day.
A million billion thank you’s to all that helped make it so special, we love ya!

So we’re married… Now what?
Well, the following day after our wedding we moved back up to Rexburg to our new home!

 Let’s take a tour through apartment 208

Welcome to our living/dining/kitchen room.
Yes, it is small.
Yes, the walls are pretty baron right now.
But we love it!
Seth got me those flowers on the table, isn’t he the sweetest?
He is.

I married Seth…
So we all know that this is the Seth’s favorite and the most important part of the apartment.
Don’t know what I’d do withoutcha Fridge, we couldn’t live without you!

Our bedroom.
Seth made the bed this morning.
What a gem, I love him!

The only cute area of the apartment!
Thanks D for putting those frames together,
thanks Josett for making us a guest book,
and thanks Annie for the sparkling cider glasses!
This is my favorite part of the apartment.