3rd Annual Family Reunion- 2014

A couple weeks ago we spent a week on vacation in Red River, NM for our 3rd annual family reunion with my dad's side of the family. Before I show you how much fun we had, let's recap in pictures the last 3 years.

 2012-Watonga, OK 

 2013-We replaced the reunion with our wedding in Oklahoma. 

2014- Red River, NM

Every year we make a family t-shirt and each individual family gets to choose their color. This year the t-shirts were a surprise to most because we had a little something special on them.

5 of my cousins turned 40 in the last year so we surprised them with a birthday celebration and a t-shirt with their baby pictures on them.

 While the old farts went to pick up the pizza we decorated the game room, put on our t-shirts, got the cake ready, and blew our noise makers. I think they were a little curious, but for the most part they were surprised.

This year we started a new tradition of having a family challenge. We split the family up in to three different teams and we kept score while playing a variety of different games. My family is super competitive so there was a lot of smack talking, practicing, and strategics going on.

These were the three teams:

 Gary's team

 Rex's team

and the coolest team....Bruce's team

We were scored based on these games:

 1. Baseball- Each team member got one pitch and you had to hit the ball to get a point. It was great because some of the kids smacked the crud out of the ball and some of the grownups whiffed it....not going to name any names. Aaron got up there and broke the bat and the whiffle ball. Way to go Aaron.

 Three legged pillow relay race.

 Egg toss. You should have seen how intense this game was. I honestly didn't know if the kids would make it through the first toss, but they were amazing and so good at it.

 Kennedy was pumped! Love this picture of her.

 Look at those faces.....they are serious about this.

Kaylee and I were the only ones that broke egg all over ourselves. YUCK!

 Golf in Angel Fire was also a part of the competition. 

This was the winning golf team.

 This was the blindfold football game. You have 3 people blindfolded. The first person snaps the ball, the second person has to set it up for the kicker and the third person kicks it. The only person allowed to talk is the coach who is not blindfolded. We timed each team and the team with the fastest time won. I think the winning team got it down to around 15 seconds. It was pretty funny to watch.

 Wheel barrel races.

 It was a pretty close race.

 Until Trevor and Colby fell.

 And tried to stop Justin and Steph from finishing.

We also played this really cool frisbee game. After watching this one, we are for sure going to buy the supplies to play at our next cookout. Everybody loved this game.

 We tallied up all the points and announced the winning team!

 They were so excited. The winning team gets to take home a traveling trophy with a plaque that has their team name on it. The team leader gets to keep it the entire year, until the next year when it goes to the next winning team.

Team Gary won...not quite sure how with the uncoordinated people they have on their team ;) Just kidding, but really they didn't even have faith in themselves when we announced the teams and they ended up winning it all...kinda funny!

We also swam, tubed down a mountain, rode go-karts, fished, opened Christmas presents (we do Christmas in July), rode a ski lift up a mountain, had lunch, and played frisbee golf. It was an absolute blast and I loved every minute of it.

Love my family! 

 My Me-Ma and her three boys.

 Me-Ma and all her great grandkids.

 Me-Ma and her grandkids. We were missing a few...sad you guys couldn't come. We missed you!

 So sweet!

Love my Me-Ma!

I'm so glad we decided to start doing a family reunion trip every year. It is always so much fun and I look forward to it all year. It's so hard for everyone to get together at once, but this has been the perfect solution. We are already brainstorming ideas for next year. So far, we're thinking Lake of the Ozarks, MO. Can't wait!

The World's Greatest Foundation- Tarte Amazonian Clay Powder

You can thank me later for this post because if you go buy this powder, you will be forever changed and I promise you won't use another foundation again. It's seriously that good.

I heard about this product through the blogging community. I saw about 4,000 posts about how amazing this stuff was. They claimed it was 3x better than Bare Mineral's face powder. I'm super picky about my foundation and that's one thing I'm okay with spending my money on. Previously, you could find me wearing Bare Mineral's, MAC, or Arbonne foundations. I still think all three of those make great products, but this one trumps them all.

The price is a little more than I typically pay, but it is worth every bit of $36 dollars.

Here's why I love the product so much:
1. It's light-weight, but provides full coverage. You don't feel like you have anything on and it goes on super smoothly, almost like an airbrushed finish....and if you have any blemishes it covers very good!
2. It looks super natural and matches my skin tone perfectly.
3. It does not make my face oily, but it doesn't dry out my skin either. It has the perfect amount of sheen.
4. It stays on all day, even if you sweat (like me!). If you wipe your face with a towel, it doesn't even budge.
5. It doesn't make my face breakout, it actually has helped it stay clearer.
6. I can tell it will last forever. A little bit goes a long way and they give you a good amount of powder in the container.
7. It's not messy like other powder foundations. The packaging is great because it has a mesh net that you dip your brush into, instead of having to tip the container into your lid and use it that way. It's also in the shape of a bowl so it helps keep the powder from spilling over the sides.

picture source

 There is also a special kabuki brush that is supposed to really help work the powder in and make it appear more like an airbrushed finish. I didn't buy the brush because it was too high and I already had something similar, but I've read the brush really does make a difference. I'm satisfied with my results without their brush.

 

picture source

You can buy it at Ulta, Sephora, Amazon, Tarte's website, and I've also heard QVC had a really good deal where you could get the brush and foundation for the price of one...too bad I didn't call my Me-ma about that one. She is the QVC queen!

I hope you guys try this stuff and like it as much as I do. I promise you won't be disappointed. It is worth every penny! 

What I've Learned in Our 1st Year of Marriage...

I am not a relationship or marriage expert, but here is what I've learned after being married to

Aaron for 1 year.

#1. Once you become married, no matter how long, you will be asked eleventy billion times when you're going to have a baby. Just be prepared, it will happen over and over again. 

#2. Laundry folding parties are fun. Aaron and I pile the clean laundry on the guest bed and then when it gets unbearable, we have a laundry folding party together. It's amazing how a big stack of clothes can disappear so quickly when there's two working on it. Samson gets on the bed and joins in on the fun and it's actually a time I have grown to cherish. Lots of great laughs and conversations have taken place during said parties.

#3. When one person cooks, the other person cleans the kitchen. This is a rule we have established. It works great for us. I especially like the rule because 9 times out of 10 Aaron will volunteer to cook just so he doesn't have to do the dishes. 

#4. Going to bed together at the same time is a huge priority and can make all the difference in the world. Even if we're both not tired, or we still have things to get done, we ALWAYS go to bed together. I believe it is a good habit to get in to. 

#5. Making a pallet on the floor, snuggling up with Aaron & Samson, eating popcorn & watching a movie is probably my idea of a perfect night. I can't count how many times we've done this in the past year, and it is definitely one of my favorite things. 

#6. Long walks with Samson are good for our souls. That sounds super cheesy, but I really do believe it. I love them. We are outside in nature, getting exercise, there are no distractions, no electronic devices, and there are always good long talks. It's where we get on the same page....do our future planning, talk about important things, talk about how our day went, etc. Some of my favorite memories during our first year of marriage occurred on walks. 

#7. There are four things you can never over use in a marriage. Those four things are compliments, saying sorry, thank you, & i love you. It never gets old to me when Aaron looks at me during the most random time, when I feel like I'm looking rough, and tells me I'm beautiful. It also never gets old to me when I do something for him and he lets me know how much he appreciates it. For me, appreciation can make all the difference. Nothing makes me more mad than when I've done so much for someone and they don't even acknowledge it or say thank you. Don't forget to tell your spouse these things, and say them often.

#8. Dancing together in the kitchen or in the car will always lighten the mood and make you laugh. Aaron is not a dancer. I on the other hand, love to dance. For some reason, when I'm cooking, Aaron loves to come in the kitchen and either two step with me or booty bump. It will always put a smile on my face and make me laugh.

#9. Big burly manly men require a lot of food. A month of groceries for me is equal to a week of groceries for Aaron. I don't know how his mom kept up with feeding her 3 boys.

#10. There will always be some kind of season. When I was little and would ask where my dad was, my mom's response was always "what season is it?" My answer was either track or football season (my dad coached both). I totally get it now. Aaron has way too many seasons, I can't even keep up....turkey, deer, duck, fishing, hay, etc. Will they ever end?

#11. Creating and agreeing on a budget and a financial plan is a ALWAYS a good decision. It might possibly save you from wasting a bunch of time fighting over money. 

#12. Marriage is more FUN than it is hard. Everyone always says the first year of marriage is the hardest. I would have to say I disagree. Yes, it does take some adjusting and getting used to. You have to learn to be selfless and you have to put time and effort into it, but it is very rewarding and fun. I truly believe that my relationship with Aaron has blossomed and thrived so much more living here, away from all our friends and family. We were forced to rely on each other alone and when all you have is your spouse, you don't take that for granted. When we fight, we learn to get over it a whole lot quicker, because we have no where to run to. Marriage is a wonderful thing and I'm so lucky to do life with Aaron everyday. His sweet spirit and his kind, giving heart make it easy to be married to him. I thank God everyday for making him my husband. 

We spent our anniversary week in Red River, New Mexico at my family's reunion. It was an absolute blast and we enjoyed hanging out and spending time with my family. We got some quality alone time on our drive and we went out to dinner and a movie alone in Bricktown last night. We went to Kevin Durant's new restaurant. It was amazing and we will definitely be back. 

Our Wedding Day 2013 vs. Our First Anniversary 2014

There are a few traditions that we have started surrounding our anniversary. You probably will think it is cheesy and corny, but I love traditions and I think they're really fun and special. I once read a blog about a girl who's parents put their wedding dress and tux on every year on their anniversary (regardless if it fit or not) and danced in the living room to their first dance song. She said it is one of her most favorite family traditions and it is something she cherishes most about her parents relationship. After they danced, then they took a picture and put it in an album so each year you can see how they've changed and grown. I thought that was the neatest thing so Aaron and I have decided to do a few traditions of our own. 

Here are the traditions we've implemented:

1. Go on a trip somewhere different every year for our anniversary.

2. Dance to our first dance song.

3. Watch our wedding video.

4. Take a picture resembling our wedding picture and put it in a photo album.

Happy 1st Anniversary Honkie!! Here's to many, many more. Love you!