Day 71-81: Husband

Do you know how FRUSTRATING moving can be? SUPER FRUSTRATING. Like that time earlier today when I spent $70 over-nighting our rental application, only to find out that the only apartment available was snatched up yesterday. Ripping. Out. Hair.

This is one of the days I am super grateful to have the goofiest husband in the world. Oh, you thought Breck was a stoic manly man who only likes sports and eating steaks? WRONG! (Even though he does love those things.)

I think it is time for a spotlight on Breck. This is my husband.

Today I was leaving for work, I saw a scrap of paper with his tiny scribble on it. Thinking it might be one of his cute little love notes, I peeked closer.
It read,

"Sometimes, I like to pretend that I am a gorilla and run down the street pounding my chest and making ape noises and climbing trees"

And folks, that is just exhibit A.

One of his favorite pastimes is terrifying me. Back when we were dating, we would stay up late watching The Walking Dead (He watched, I cried and hid under the blankets.) Then, instead of being a gentlemen and walking me out, he would pretend to die, come back to life as a zombie and chase me to my car. And you think this is a fun flirty routine? No. He is practically an Academy Award winning actor and a very convincing undead. When we moved into the mortuary, I made him pinky promise, no crosses that Zombies were no longer allowed. Now, I get to deal with sweet neck kisses that turn into vampire attacks and various other monsters that jump out at me whenever I round a corner.

His talents don't end there! This kid loves doing voices. You have your normal accents, Australian, Scottish, and Russian. He can do characters pretty well too! Whenever he says, "Always" like Severus Snape I get tingles. But my absolute favorite is "Elmos", Elmo with a latin flare. I tried to get a video of it... but I'm not as sneaky as I like to think. But the voice isn't the important part... who the heck comes up with, "Elmos"???

Anyway, that's a tiny peek into life with the Mr. Breck Story. He puts me in such a great mood :) So does my favorite band singing Disney songs:


Total side note, but is anyone else obsessed with Chris Powell???

Just look at that... smile.

If you have not seen Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, stop anything productive you are doing in your life and spend the next 10 or so hours with a quick Hulu marathon. In a sentence, it is a season of the Biggest Loser wrapped into a two hour package of complete and perfect motivational joy. I mean LOOK at this:

What MAKES the show is the trainer. Possibly the most sincere guy on television, Chris Powell is my hero. And yes he has a bomb.com body but you honestly can't think about it too much because you are so distracted by how good of a guy he is. If you do take me up on this, I would start with either Rachel or LaRhonda, they have been my fav's so far! Added benefit of watching is you feel extra skinny! Just being able to see your feet feels like a life accomplishment.

Day 68-70: Garage Sale

First I'll cover the details. We are moving because:
1. My job asked me to be their Texas representative.
2. We miss being close to family (moving to the Dallas will make either Conway or San Antonio just a 5 hour trip away!)
3. Breck promised me that if we moved, I could have a puppy.

Obviously, the third option was the driving force behind the decision.

How does this affect our situation with the Mortuary? We were really nervous to bring it up bossman (i.e. Breck was nervous because there was no way that I was going to do it.) However, much to our relief, they were very understanding and civil. We will be staying here until they can find another suitable couple. Am I allowed to keep the blog name?

So back to moving! If ANYONE is familiar with the Plano/Carrolton/Richardson area in North Dallas could you give me advice on decent apartment complexes? Apartment hunting from a different state is a nightmare. You'll find an apartment like this:

And it will have decent ratings (anything above 50% is pretty solid)

But then the comments will include pictures like this:

Like I said, NIGHTMARE.

So if anyone has any suggestions please let me know!

Before we leave, we are going to try and sell anything bigger than a suitcase. Sad for us but awesome for anyone needing some new furniture! Here are some of the things we are interested in selling. If you see anything to your fancy, let me know!

First lot: Our BRAND new couch. Maybe 2 months old. Gray microfiber, no stains or smells, and very comfortable!

2. Our BRAND new desk. No scratches or scuffs, probably been sat at 3 times.

3. End table, and maybe that Lamp if we don't have room.

4. My favorite piece of furniture. It's a coffee table, but Breck forces me to use it as a TV stand. Very sturdy and it has so much character!

5. Table with 4 chairs. It's a light wood and a very dark green. Great for newlyweds!

6. Two bar stools.

7. Audrey Hepburn. Glossy mount, great condition.

8. Antique gold frame. Okay these sell for like a billion dollars at antique stores and have all sorts of potential! It doesn't go with my "theme" so I'll give someone else a killer deal.

9. Antique, gold-gilded world map.

10. Craft Keeper (Excuse my mess)

11. Fancy room divider.

12. My car! 2002 Mercury Cougar, leather seats, sunroof, great little engine, 95600 miles. (Bossman says I need something that gets 35+ in the city!)

Let me know if you are interested! We don't have solid prices, but we will probably err on the cheaper side just to get rid of it all!

P.S. Can ANYONE get through The Blind Side without crying? Holy cow, I've had to break from writing this post 3 times for tissues!

Day 65-67: Drumroll Please

Ready for the secret? It was a surprise to him too...


I'll post details later, but it's for certain! We are off to the next great adventure!

Oh and I'm pregnant.

Haha no I'm not you sicko's, I just wanted to make my mom jump :)

Day 53-64: Secrets, Secrets

I have something huge to tell you. But it's secret so you'll have to wait.

Until then, let me share something that is guaranteed to make you smile.

This is Annie

She is my niece! What a doll, I know.
Now, Annie has many talents. She can paint:

Play sports:

Make pies:

Park cars:

Plus she is an expert sharer:

But the big news is that last week Annie graduated from Preschool! Yay Annie!
She is that charmer in yellow:

She was thrilled!

And here, taking in the moment with her sweet mom:

And my favorite:


I haven't been able to stop laughing at these for the past week, so thanks Brant and Coralee for understanding why I had to steal them!

P.S. If any one was curious about the mortuary, it's been NUTS. I know this will come off as unsympathetic, but people have been dropping like flies. We've already had 2 calls today, 2 yesterday, and FOUR on Sunday! Seriously? Just a warning people, eat your Wheaties.

Day 47-52: L-M-N-O-P

Ever wondered why you say L-M-N-O-P so quickly when you recite the alphabet? Well I figured it out.

Elementary School.
El-Em-En-tary.
L-M-N-tary.

Zing! They were teaching it to us before we even got there! You're welcome.

Anyways we had a fantastic weekend! We saw Snow White and the Huntsman:
I would say that this movie was close to worthless. I think they straight up copy/pasted half of Kristen Stewart's lines from the Twilight series. No one needed to relive that. But I will say that Charlize Theron is stupid beautiful. In fact, you know those lists you make with your boyfriend/husband of the celebrities you are allowed to snuggle with if the opportunity arose? I think I would bump Adam Levine and add Charlize.

We went on a hike:


I got to run in the Dirty Dash! SO fun. It's a 10K sprinkled with mud related obstacles. Check it out here:

I ran with our friends the Fehlburgs, the most adventurous people I know:

And Breck came to root for me! He got a big muddy X&O at the end:

And we watched more Friday Night Lights than I care to admit:

Need I say more?
This show is my favorite of favorites. It feels like someone put cameras everywhere and secretly captured all the passion, heartbreak, and victory, the little town of Dillon, Texas, could offer. To me the actors are more the characters than they are themselves. Like, who is Taylor Kitsch? No idea, but Tim Riggins looked awesome in John Carter. Texas Forever.

P.S. My husband officially has my number. Today, I realized the Spurs game would be at the same time as the Bachelorette. I turned to him began, "Hey can you..." before I could finish, he interjected, "Record the Bachelorette? Already done." Winner.

P.S.S.
YES I watch the Bachelorette. Mostly because it is hilarious, but also because Emily is kind of awesome and I wish we were friends. Creepy.

Day 46: Paranormal Activity

It happened. We were contacted by the other side. Kind of.

Last night we were watching the Spurs, when I had a little after dinner craving. I slipped over to the kitchen to cut myself a slice of the Blueberry Lemon Sparkle I made for Memorial Day. I had just placed the cake pan on the surface by the stove when my senses where overcome with a very powerful cologne smell. The scent was musky and thick, the exact opposite of the citrus pie that I was cutting into. I looked around for a source, but to no avail. I was about to ask Breck if he knew what was going on, but just then I heard my phone buzz. I grabbed my phone (and my dessert) and retired back to the couch without saying anything.

It wasn't five minutes later that I heard Breck start to take deep breaths.
"Are you wearing a new perfume?" He asked, looking over at me.
"No..." I replied warily, "Do you smell some?"
"Yeah, it's really strong," he continued to look around for the source, even grabbing my wrist to make sure. "It smells like grandma perfume."

Immediately spooked, I told him about the mysterious cologne in the kitchen. He just laughed at me, "Come on! What? Do you think we are being haunted by a couple of spirits, lovers in a past life who are reuniting in our living room??"

Then, across the room, the door to our bedroom slammed shut.

Yes dear, that is EXACTLY what I think. I was behind him in an instant, pushing him to go confront the spirits that he had obviously just offended.

He steeled himself and walked forward, the floor boards creaking ominously as he approached the door. He slowly reached towards the knob, then stopped. Without warning he turned, an eery grin spreading across his face. "I can feel it now." he said tonelessly.
"Feel what??" I asked, not certain I wanted to know the answer...

"The AC just turned on, it must of pushed the door shut." (Cue huge sigh of relief that my husband wasn't possessed.)

With further inspection we discovered that the strong cologne scent disseminated when I squeezed the cake pan down on Breck's new tube of face lotion. (He wasn't too happy about that.)

The perfume was caused by my phone. Last weekend I was trying on different perfumes. The few I liked, I sprayed on sampler paper and put in my purse for safe keeping. When I heard my phone buzz, I had taken it from its spot in my purse, pressed against those samples, and put it right under Breck's nose.

What are the chances?

In other news... HAVE YOU SEEN THIS YET???
If that doesnt sell you, look at the cast here. I LOVE the story of Les Miserables. Breck and I actually saw the musical at the start of the year

My only suggestion is to BUY the soundtrack TODAY. Memorize the music. You will do it eventually so you might as well get started. They should give the movie all of the next years Oscars... today.

Day 42-45: Girls in White Dresses

When I was preparing to get married a little less than a year ago, I had it all pinned out. Theme, colors, venue, lighting, decorations, cake, music, invites, the works. The only thing I hadn't prepared for was the dress.

I am a Mormon, which means there are certain guidelines when it comes to modesty. To boil it down, I needed a dress with sleeves. Growing up, I saw exactly what I had to look forward to. I think all you BYU ladies know just what I'm talking about: A-line, cap sleeves, and a square neck. (Cue feeling of foreboding and disgust)

And it's not that the girls that wore this dress (AKA every Mormon bride from 1999-2010) weren't fashionable, it's that there was NO other option available. And that is when this lovely lady took the scene:

Let us all have a moment of silence for Kate Middleton. Kate, thank you for bringing the sleeves back to matrimony. Amen.

Okay so the royal wedding happened and designers went bonkers for the sleeve thing. Hallelujah! But even then, I had to scour Utah Valley for the right one for me. Eleven wedding appointments later, there was one that I couldn't stop thinking about. And, per Brielle fashion, it just so happened to be the most expensive one.

Normally I would just play the, "Mom, I never knew I could feel so beautiful" card. But I just wasn't comfortable asking for something so outrageous. I battled with it for weeks.

(Yes, I forgot to draw clothes.)

And then I just did it. YOLO. And it was worth it:

The only caveat I made with myself is that I 100%, no questions asked, HAD to sell it after the wedding. I'm not too sentimental to begin with so I didn't really think too much of it. I saw no point in keeping a 30+ pound dress in my closet for the next 40 years, only to have my future children laugh at me when I suggest they try it on. No thank you. So I put it on KSL. And Wedding sites. And Ebay. And Craigslist.

For months I got hits here and there, but something would always fall through. Finally, I got a solid hit. Relief! Someone I knew and who really loved the dress. I got the packing material, tried it on one last time for the husband (totally for me), and taped it up. No problem.

But then I got to the Post Office

(Yes, it looks like I showed up to the post office naked too.)

As unfeeling as I had though I was, I was a little (lot) heart-broken to see it go.

So cheers to you perfect dress, treat your new bride well! You were, in the words of my sweet husband, "magical."