Steph's Baby Shower!

So I mentioned in a previous post going with my best friend Stephanie to register for her new baby boy. What an experience that was! I planned the shower along with my bestie Kelly and Steph's fabulous cousin Sara. This shower has been in the forefront of my mind for quite some time, and after lots of planning and creating we finally had her shower in Goose Creek this past Saturday! It was so much fun and it made it seem more real that Steph is actually having a baby! Not to mention it was amazing to see friends that I barely get to see. These weddings and showers are really coming in handy for keeping in touch with friends and family from home! Here are some pics...

So these are one of my favorite parts of the shower....water bottles with homemade labels! It's super easy and cheap and you can find out how to do it here!

 So I wanted to do something a little different than a cake or cupcakes (mostly b/c I was doing everything homemade and didn't feel too confident in creating an attractive cake or cupcakes), so I decided to go with cake pops! They were super yummy and pretty easy to make. I got the recipe from none other than bakerella! (Ps...while you are on that website check out the featured sweet, made these for breakfast for conference weekend and they were amazing!) I used white candy coating for my pops and finished them off with chocolate drizzle on half, and white candy coating with green food coloring for the other half. I then got candy wrappers to cover them with and tied them off with ribbon. My next dilemma was how to display them. I ended up finding these cute pails at the one stop in Target, put some floral Styrofoam in them, and topped that off with easter grass. I displayed them at different heights with some daisies and there ya go! So cute!

 Kelly made this amazing diaper cake. I wish I had a more close up view!

 This is the present table. We decorated it with the cutest homemade onesie line and tissue paper hanging decor! We got these ideas and how-to's here!

Here is a close-up of the onesies Kelly and I made for the line, it turned out adorable!

 Jackie and Schayla!

 The Wyatt Layne banner! We got the idea from the same blog we got our tissue paper and onesie line ideas from! I love everything homemade!

 For the centerpieces we found this fabulous fabric and cut it into big squares that we laid on the table in the diamond shape. Then we rotated tulip vases with the following adorable baby pics of Steph and her husband Chad!

 Lauren brought her beautiful little girl Ava! She is only ten days old and just adorable in her new head band!

 Steph opening her presents, with me trying to keep enough focus to write everything she got. (sometimes I got so caught up in cute baby stuff I had to back up and figure out what I presents I forgot to write down!)

 The beautiful momma-to-be!

 All of us girls at the shower! So good to see all of you!

 Steph with her momma Luanne and little sis Maggie, beauty runs in the fam I guess!

 Kelly, Steph, and I. Can't believe one of us is going to be a mom! We missed you Kris!

 This is how we hug Steph and Wyatt at the same time....its not weird at all....

It was such a fun time and I feel so blessed to be here in Miami so that I can be a part of Steph's life as she preps for little Wyatt! I had so miuch fun planning this shower with Kel and Sara. I was actually kind of sad when it was over....what was I going to obsess over now? Never fear....my little cousin Courtney is graduating High School in June....let the planning begin!

No more just looking at those cruise boats...

So ever since we moved here to Miami I have been looking out at the cruise boats and totally envying all the people on them sailing away. Well it's official....I'm going to be one of those people I have been jealous of! We are going on a cruise! I'm so excited! Our friends Dan and Kelsey are coming out to visit from Utah in May and we are going on a cruise to the bahamas. Guess I need to start eating more salads...

As if that weren't enough to be excited about, my little sis Caroline is coming out to visit us during her spring break! We are going to have a blast and she will be with us for Easter! I miss her so it will be so great to be able to hang out with her for a few days.

AND we are officially heading to Hawaii this summer! I have always wanted to go to Hawaii so I can't wait to go in July. The beach is my favorite place in the world and I can't wait to check out the Hawaiin Beaches!

I feel so blessed to have so many fun and exciting things to look forward to! Is it bad if I start some paper chains???

Fun with the Gould's!

Last week we were so excited to have Dan's Mom, Dad, and younger brother Jake come visit us in Miami. (We missed you Nick!) It was nonstop action and we had a blast. We went to the beach, visited the everglades (where I fulfilled my Miami dream of riding in an airboat through the swamp), and did a water sports adventure day where we sailed out to Biscayne Bay on a catamaran, rode jet skies, went parasailing, and kayaked in the ocean. Since Dan and I have lived in both Utah and now Florida, we have never been too close in distance to our families. It has really showed us how much we love them and miss them everyday, so it was so great to have them here and we were sad to see them go! Thanks for everything Gould's! Here are some pics of our trip (please ignore my outrageous hair due to the windy nature of March in Miami and the disgusting bandage on my leg...long story involving boiling water)

Dan with his mom Carol and little brother Jake on South Beach

Our new favorite place in the world

Sailing out to our watersports adventure on a catamaran! Just wanted to show that my hair isn't ALWAYS crazy....as it is in the next pic...

Although i resembled little Cindy Lou Who, i wanted to post this pic b/c you can see our apartment building! See the two twin buildings behind us? We live in the one on the right!

Dan, Jake, and I in front of our Swamp Buggy

Dan and I on our airboat...it was so cool

Dan and his Dad Rob mid action on the airboat

Creepy alligator...not far from our boat at all

Want everyone to think you're a Domestic Goddess???

So I don't know about the rest of you but my answer to that question is ALWAYS yes. I love anything homemade, whether it be food, blankets, crafts, you name it. But homemade bread, must be close to the top of my very favorite homemade things. HOWEVER, sometimes its a pain in the behind. Well no more my friends, no more. I found THIS FABULOUS RECIPE for peasant bread that will crown you, domestic goddess. It takes a couple of hours from start to finish (due to multiple risings), but its DELICIOUS. The perfect bread to add to any meal, and fool proof! And if your really want to up your domestic goddess status, just mince a couple of cloves of garlic, through it in some olive oil with italian seasonings and you have a super yummy dip! It looks like this when its finished.



Recipe and Picture courtesy of http://alisa-thesweetlife.blogspot.com/



Spring Training in Jupiter, FL

This Saturday Dan and I traveled about an hour and a half north up to Jupiter, Florida to watch a spring training baseball game. Dan got the tickets for Christmas to see the Minnesota Twins play the St. Louis Cardinals. We had awesome seats, amazing weather and had a great time. We both love going to baseball games, so it was a perfect Saturday for us!

Albert Pujols up to bat!

It was a beautiful day for baseball

Dan and I!

March Madness has Infected the Gould Home...

Well, it's that time of year. March Madness is in full swing and it has infected our home in a big way. I have always known that Dan is an incurable sports fanatics, but spending our first March Madness season as a married couple has actually opened my eyes a bit more. In a nut shell....he's crazier than I thought. See below and you will know what I mean.

Dan went all "MacGyver" on me and built this lovely blockade you see. The purpose of this blockade? To cover up the scrolling scores at the bottom of the tv. There were two games on at the same time. He was watching one and recording the other and didn't want to have the other game spoiled. Notice my sewing box even got brought in on the action.

So during halftime, they do the halftime show where they talk about the status of the games currently being played. Naturally, this is the position I find Dan in during this time. I'm telling you, he's got it bad.

On another note, for some reason I have decided that on Fridays we need to have fun dinner. So this friday, since basketball was on our tv all night, what better to have than pizza! I wanted to make our own, so I found this super yummy recipe for the dough. You should try it. Its a thicker dough and delicious. It takes a bit of time to make but it is totally worth it. I made two little pizzas so we got to pick our own toppings. I went for a margarita pizza and dan went for meat lovers. Total success!

The Creek, a wedding, family time, and Babies "R" Us

This weekend Dan and I drove home to South Carolina to go to my friends Ryan and Katie's wedding. I am going to preface this entire entry my admitting I am incredibly lame and forgot my camera here in MIA so there are absolutely no pics of our weekend. However, we had an amazing time. We got to spend quality time with friends and family. On Friday, Dan and I took advantage of having the day off work and went to a movie. We saw The Adjustment Bureau and thought it was pretty good! Then I crashed my bestie Kelly's hair appointment with my mom and got mine done as well. It was so fun to catch up with kel and get beautified at the same time. On friday night we hung out with my extended family and had a blast as usual. Then Saturday was Ryan and Katie's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception and I was so happy to be able to be there on their special day! Congrats Ryan and Katie! Then Dan and I made the lovely 9.5 hour trip back down to MIA. It was a great weekend and we were so glad to see our family and friends.

On Monday I had the crazy experience of going with my bestie Stephanie to register for her baby shower! Holy craziness! It seems like just yesterday that Steph and I, being bored in Goose Creek with new drivers licenses and nowhere to go, would just go to walmart for the heck of it and take pictures with random things. Yesterday we found ourselves sitting in the middle of the aisle of target staring at a bazillion different brands of bottles. Whether being crazy 16 year olds at walmart, or confused 24 year olds at Target, one things remains the same....people still look at us like we are crazy. We managed to survive registering at Target and Babies "R" Us, and may have even managed to register for most of what she needs. However, those of you who will be purchasing off of that registry, WARNING...it may seem a bit random at times. I wish i would have had my camera with me on this experience, but of course I failed again. But it was such a fun experience to help steph prepare for her first child, Wyatt Layne Waltrip. I can honestly say I already love that little boy, and am truly concerned that he get the best bottles that will reduce colic (and even ear infections, although I don't understand that one). I love his momma as well and am so happy that we get to live so close to each other, even if its temporary.

Slightly old school pic of Steph and I from the summer of '06...Love ya Steph!