a touch of green

>> once i began actually cooking for fun {& enjoying it} i began to understand & appreciate herb gardens. my mom & dad both had awesome gardens {& still do} full of herbs, veggies & flowers. i was never interested in weeding with them in the hot sun, but now i'm starting to get it. i would LOVE to have my own little garden where i could grab a handful of basil for free instead of paying $3 for like 4 leaves. isn't funny how we all, at some point, start to notice little bits of our parents in us?? ;) >> mark & i are heading out to san francisco in a few weeks to celebrate my brother's graduation from law school! we couldn't be happier for him & we are really looking forward to spending a long weekend with family in one of the coolest cities in the country. great food, wonderful company, a unique setting, wild people...let's just say i will most definitely be bringing my camera. >> OKAY! i have some exciting news. it isn't quite official yet, the contract is in the process of being signed, but i have booked my first wedding! i am beyond excited to finally put my skills to the ultimate test & photograph a wedding on my own. wish me luck! >> lastly, mark & i have been pretty obsessed with these flank steak street tacos i have been whipping up lately. grilled steak, fresh guac, homemade salsa with a bit of a kick to it, lime juice, a pinch of shredded cheese all wrapped up inside of a warm tortilla! there is probably nothing i would rather eat every day. fresh, simple & tasty.

friday's letters 04

^^^hey awkward hand.^^^

>> dear DVR, what would i do without you? i love being able to hang out and relax with a few of my favorites anytime i want with the added bonus of zero commercials. i currently have 4 episodes of revenge, 3 grey's anatomy and maybe a few more waiting for me on my day off today :) >> dear april, you have made quite the enterance this year. after the worst winter of my life, these warmer temps are much appreciated. i am beyond okay with a few showers here and there as long as it means we are done with snow & moving towards warmer days. >> dear running shoes, it is so nice to finally see you guys again. i wear my work out clothes far too often considering i'm never heading to the gym, but i only wear my nikes if i'm actually working out...which i finally did a few times last week! i think i have decided to start going back to the gym more regularly, but we will see how long it lasts. i'm hoping a while. >> dear girl's night, you are fabulous & necessary. i would just like to tell my lovely ladies that i love getting together with you girls on a weekly basis. spending time with my friends helps keep me balanced. i need girl time. i especially love it when we get together at the best restaurants in town & get to indulge in amazing food together :):)

hoping you all enjoy your weekend!

i am also featured on my friend amber's blog today! have you heard of barefoot blonde??? 

if not, you're welcome & this is sure to become your newest must read blog. 

check it out here

& if you want the chance at being featured on amber's blog follow these instructions >>

-instagram YOUR fav look, hair, beauty, fitness tip, travel destination, whatever!

-tag #bfbdailyfav and @amberfillerup. (must be in original first caption of photo)

book club? ya right!

i have never been a big reader. i kind of go through little spurts of reading and then i won't see the inside of a book for months. 

i wish i was better! 

i am currently going through one of those rare times that i am actually interested in reading!! go me! but i am almost done with the novel i have been tackling for the past 3 years. okay, come on...i don't read THAT slow! i have read other books during that time but this particular book was rather hard to get through. obviously. but i was determined to finally finish it & move on.

so for all your book worms out there, do you have any good novels that you just loved??? i'm not into sci fi or fantasy, sorry i only got through the first harry potter. i love girly books, mysteries, historical ones or basically anything with a good story that will catch my attention early on!

help me out!! i would love to be introduced to new authors or books that i would probably never find on my own.

**this picture is from a recent phototshoot i did with a friend. i did not go blonde! ;)

my life after graduation

when did life get to be so hard? everyone says enjoy your college years because when they are over you are shoved right into the 'real' world...like we were living some sort of pretend life - in a way i guess we kind of were. a few hours of classes a day, some exams & papers mixed in with a whole lot of sleeping in, friends, boys & whatever else we wanted to do. it's funny though, because once you have graduated you really do see life so differently. i mean, ya there aren't the pressures of studying for a test until the wee hours of the morning or worrying about your grade in a class, but there are different deadlines & things to worry about that perhaps we never thought about before. & most likely these new challenges are more important than any grade we ever received.

i have been struggling with my purpose in life lately. what will i do in this life that will be good enough to feel like i did something worth while. will it be a job? a hobby? my family? kids? church? next month will mark one year since i graduated & although i feel like i know some of the things i want to accomplish in my life, i also feel like i am a very confused 22 year old. is this normal? i'm sure it is, but it is also frustrating. everyone is different. we all blossom at different times & pursue very different dreams. i simply wish i knew how/when/&what my purpose will be. not knowing what i will to do with my life is kind of scary to me.

on a more cheerful note, i am happy to report that our terrible utah winter may finally be over! last week i went outside for a little walk. it was sunny, no snow on the ground, i could actually feel the warmth of the sun on my face & there was a rather strong breeze. this combination reminded me so much of the santa ana winds back home in LA {my favorite} & i was just smiling ear to ear. it's so funny how the weather can drastically effect your mood & state of mind. i found myself instantly grateful for so many different things that i have in my life. 

:)

live it up & write it down

this cute little "j" notebook is my photography journal where i write down notes, ideas, things i learn & what not relating to photography. i love looking back at the things that i have written down & to see how far i have come in my craft. journals of any kind are such a cool thing, don't you think? they reveal so much about a person! 

as a little girl i kept a diary that i wrote in from time to time. it had a lock & key so that no one would be able to read my deepest secrets. looking back on it now, i wish i wrote down more so that i could remember the important things that were occurring in my life at the time. i love being able to remember such innocent & funny things that i deemed important enough to jot down as a 10 year old.

i like to think that this blog serves the same purpose as my personal diary did then, but i know that i don't share very intimate & personal details about my family's life on here. to me public blogs just aren't the place to completely vent about everything. maybe for some, but not me at this point in my life. but i do love that this blog is a little place to share experiences & thoughts with others, as well as a mild journal of sorts.

// i really wish i would spend a little bit of time writing in a personal journal, though.
journals are great for venting & really fun to look back on. unfortunately, for some reason i find it hard to
find time to want to sit down & write with a pen and paper these days...thanks, technology! //

how much is too much to share on your public blog? do you guys keep a journal other than your blog???
how do you stay motivated to keep writing in it?

this week's menu

in order for me to actually eat healthy i have to plan my meals for the entire week. i thought i'd share my menu this week so that you guys can check back in & make sure that i actually made these items instead of ordering take out like we did last night. :/

^^^is anyone else already planning their dream kitchen for their dream home??? i'll take tons of counter space, classic white cabinets, new appliances, cute pops of color & tons of windows please^^^

tuesday:

spaghetti with ground turkey tomato sauce

garden salad on the side

wednesday:

curried veggie burgers topped with a yogurt sauce & fresh mango or pineapple

steamed//broiled artichokes

thursday: 

asaian salad with a sesame chili vinaigrette & shredded chicken

friday: 

pork chops & mashed potatoes with homemade apple sauce

garden salad on the side

saturday:

mark's bday! it's a surprise!! 

sunday:

leftovers

now, on to the grocery store!

our day of love

valentine's day was great this year. mark & i kept it really low key, which i was totally happy with.

i spent the morning making a DELICIOUS cake & had some fun decorating it. mark then surprised me around noon with flowers & a few gifts and took me out to lunch. on top of all of that when he came home from work he made dinner for us. i wasn't allowed to help or even look in the general direction of the kitchen while he was preparing everything. sneaky guy! he made such a tasty meal, too!! fresh salmon, rice & bacon wrapped asparagus. pretty impressive, right? after dinner we watched the vow for a little romance & spent the rest of the night just hanging out.

how did you spend your valentine's day//night????

keeping a memory jar

some of you may have notice that i changed my URL & blog name to FIVE FOOT SEVEN! i thought it was about time to give this little blog a slight make over. 

i decided on the name five foot seven because it is a small piece of information about me. this is a lifestyle blog after all, so i figured making it a bit more personal wouldn't hurt! and yes, i am 5'7". :)

over the last year mark & i had a fun little idea to keep a jar full of funny memories throughout the entire year. if something silly, weird or note worthy occured we would quickly write it down and stick it in this little glass jar. our plan was to open it on new years eve and remember all the funny little things that had happened over the year. we were in seattle over new years and totally forgot all about it, but for some reason we were hanging in our office last night and mark suggested we read the notes!

there was only about 15 items but each one made us laugh and remember some of the fun times that we had during the past twelve months. i think this is an awesome tradition, one that may be hard to remember all year long, but something worth giving a shot! i also think i will save the ones from last year and make a little scrap book just for these little memories!

friday's letters 03

>> dear hubbbster, i am so happy you are my guy. i love that we can simply sit together watching tv {far too much lately} and just enjoy each others company. i have always felt that you are truly comfortable with someone when you can sit next to one another and not need to constantly speak. i am excited to see what is in store for our future. >> dear kitchen, i am so sorry for neglecting you lately. i have fallen into the lazy trap of take out food & i am ashamed. i will work hard to use you more, even if that means cleaning you after as well. >> dear super bowl sunday, i can't wait for you to arrive! oh, you mean there's a football game going on that day? well i am particularly excited about having the cook's come over & binging on all the great food MC and i will be making. bring on the fries, burgers & doughnuts!! all homemade, of course. >> dear february, can i say how happy i am you are finally here? i don't particularly love the month of february {although my handsome husband was born this month}, i am just more excited to be moving closer to spring.

happy friday y'all!

life lately {iphone edition}

 life lately has been full of freezing temps, too much food & some new york lovin!!!

cheers to the last day of january! february, i've been waiting for you :)

vinegar hill house, brooklyn

day two in new york was amazing! technically this was the first full day that my uncle & i have been here, but we went out friday night, so i like i'll consider that day one.

today was a full day. i will post more pictures soon with the various things that we did today, which included exploring brooklyn in the early hours of the morning, walking across the brooklyn bridge {both ways}, & hanging out in lower manhattan. but, one of the highlights of today was lunch at vinegar hill house. this little hole in the wall was so cute inside & out. i loved the quiet neighborhood it was located in & the food was awesome. we stopped here after our long morning//afternoon of exploring & grabbed some french dip sandwiches & sourdough pear pancakes. i know, sounds great, huh?

my favorite part about the trip so far has been seeing how people live in this wild metropolis. it truly fascinates me. typically when you hit up really popular tourist joints you won't get a realistic sense of how locals live. & how people live & thrive in such a busy, crowded space like new york is what i'm most intrigued by. ah, i love it!! i am having so much fun & looking forward to going to the fashion shoot tomorrow morning for sarah's dress line.

stay tuned....

friday's letters 02

i used to think winter & i got along, but after this year...i'm not so sure! i know i've blogged enough about

 the joys of winter {sarcasm}, but here are a few more for ya! 

>> dear hands, i'm sorry i let you turn to icicles every morning. i am now starting to really understand & appreciate winter clothes. like real winter clothes. lately my hands have been frozen, especially when driving in the early hours of the morning, & my little target mittens just aren't cutting it! leather gloves make sense to me now. i would kill for a pair right about now. >> dear excessive layering, as pretty as the snow may be...i'm officially over bundling up to go anywhere! this pretty woman in the picture above is so stylish & gorge walking down a city street with snow at her feet, but come on...there is no way. >> dear me, let's try to be more optimistic, shall we! so, on a more positive note, winter is a great time for soups. i have enjoyed making various soups & stews lately. i do tend to miss this aspect of winter when the hot summer months are around. so, i think i will try a few more new soup recipes before the winter chill is gone & spring arrives! >> & since we are chatting about food, dear waistline, my apologies for not paying enough attention to you. making desserts seems to be inevitable when you are snowed in...or perhaps simply too cold to even think about going outside. i sometimes feel like a bear. all i want to do is eat a bunch of heavy desserts & hibernate for a while. i know some of you girls know what i'm talking about! &&& with all the many layers of clothing i wear every day, no one will notice the extra lbs, right??? because we all know i haven't hit the gym for a few weeks...okay, months. yikes!

cheers, winter.
but i am happy to report i am headed to NYC today!!!! big apple, here i come.
i can't wait to see you tonight.

do diets ever work?

^^^evening baking sessions can be a dangerous thing^^^

ugh how many times do we all start a "diet" & then half way through the first day find ourselves eating chicken nuggets? a little while back mark & i counted calories for over a month & we both lost a good amount of weight! yay us! but ever since we've stopped i've just gone back to my bad habits. a cookie here & a piece of pizza there. i love food so it's really hard for me to give up some of my favorites....but....when i was eating healthier & consuming less calories i felt so much better!

how do you guys find the motivation to pass up a yummy burger & stick to a salad???? i need some help...with a side of will power, please.

crepes & a clean home

i don't know about you guys, but i've come to realize that a clean home truly is a happy home.

you can ask my parents & they will tell you that my bedroom growing up {& when i come home to visit} was a mess, to say the least. i lived with clothes all over my bed, the floor & stuff just everywhere. but now that i've got my own place and mark & i are the only ones here, somehow those little messes in every room don't just magically disappear! bummer, right? and when you are living in a tiny little condo, a mess in one room just makes the whole apartment feel cluttered & dirty!!!

during the busy work week it is especially easy to let all those messes go & before you know it...each room looks like a bomb went off. that's why i love doing a quick run through in the house on sundays. clean the kitchen & pick up the living room//dining area. {i don't usually bother with the bedrooms because, again, i can live with some clothes in there lol} i like having the house somewhat in order when monday rolls around so i can actually breathe inside my home...who needs that extra stress during the week, right!

anywhoooo...this morning mark suggested that we make crepes for breakfast! the perk of having a husband who lived in paris for two years, great crepes! so i whipped up some cream, cut a few strawberries & we made a feast out of it. :) 

^^^strawberries, whipped cream & homemade raspberry jam is my favorite!^^^

fur on fur

before christmas i was blabbing to anyone who would listen about how much i wanted a fur vest {faux or real}. & i am happy to report that my big mouth did some good!! i got two BEAUTIFUL fur vests for christmas & thought i'd share them with you!

 ^^^my sister got me this one from tjmaxxx^^^

i love this vest because it is warm & has the cutest leather tie to sort of sinch at the waist. 

it's nice to have a little shape.

 

 ^^^& this one was from my mother-in-law^^^

i LOVE this vest because it is much lighter & more formal. i can wear this out to a nice dinner or around town & feel done up. i also like that i won't necessarily have to stop wearing it once winter is over because it is so light weight.

{p.s. ann did you notice the gold ankle boots??? :) }

i love them both so much!

 && had a blast doing this fun little shoot with my friend maryclaire. fashion & diet coke fridays!!

friday's letters 01

this is my first installment of "friday's letters!" this is where i will write little notes about various things in my life or perhaps just thoughts going through my mind at the moment. be prepared for some venting & random sharing! enjoy...

>> dear spring//summer, you can't come soon enough. i am longing for some warmth! sun, fresh fruit & flowy dresses. yes please!  >> dear lips, will you ever not be chapped??? it was fun for a while but chapped lips are such a pain. can't wear lipstick, they look bad & not to mention, they hurt!  >> dear anyone, if you are looking for a lifestyle or wedding photographer, check me out.  >> dear may, i can't wait for you to roll around. going to san fran for a long weekend with my family to celebrate my bro's graduation from law school? ah, so fun! & a new city to photograph :):)  >> dear dishes, why can't you wash yourself? you are such a pain to do each & every day. uhhhh but switching to paper ones would just be such a waste. i am green deep down!  >> dear january, you are quite the depressing month. with snow everywhere, freezing temps & no big trips back home in sight, i feel a bit blue.  >> dear NYC, i can't wait to see you in a week!!!!

TGIF & hope you all have a great weekend!
p.s. thanks for helping me reach 100 followers!

blogging to inspire

blogging is such an interesting medium. when i first started this little blog i never read other people's blogs & didn't think anyone would be reading mine. i didn't really understand what the blogging world was all about. but in the past few months i have signed up with bloglovin ^^ & began following tons of various blogs. in fact, i have found that the blogging community is actually pretty awesome.

pretty awesome? yes! you can find blogs about ANYTHING you are interested in reading about. i follow lifestyle blogs, fashion blogs, food blogs {the best!}, design blogs & of course, photography blogs. some might think, wow that is a lot of random reading to do, but the truth is i find inspiration by looking at all sorts of things that people post. finding a brand new, delicious recipe to try or stepping up your personal fashion after seeing how others creatively put together outfits! there is just so much out there! i also find a lot of inspiration for my photography via blogs. whether it is locations that i love, a pose or lighting that i want to learn how to capture, i have found that i actually do learn a lot by reading what others have done. inspiration is a beautiful thing & i love that i can find beautiful pictures, interesting stories & new things to try just from reading a stranger's blog.

at first, my biggest issue with reading blogs was how to find them. but bloglovin can help! this site is really cool because you can look up top blogs or find popular ones in certain categories. do you love crafts? cooking? weddings? you can find them all! and once you've found blogs you like, you don't have to always check back with their sites because bloglovin will tell you when there are new posts! makes my life much easier.

blogging may not be your thing, but if you want to try something new {& who knows, you may find some inspiration of your own}, then get involved in this crazy, little blogging community!

sign up to follow me on bloglovin!

liebster award

in the blogging world there are fun little ways to help your blog get noticed & the Liebster Award is one of those things. it is a fun way to share a little bit more about me & i would like to thank brooke & mrs. adventures for nominating my little blog over here.

so what is this award??

the rules

1. list 11 facts about yourself

2. answer the 11 questions given to you

2. create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award

4. choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate

5. go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award

6. thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog :)

11 facts about me

1. i hate to vaccum

2. i love love love to cook & try new recipes. healthy or not! but dishes are a different story....

3. i declined graduate school in order to become a photographer

4. i work as a nanny during the week

5. i am so hot! as in, i get over heated SO easily! my body temperature is a good 10 degrees higher than everyone else's at any given moment...thanks mom!

6. i've always wanted to be a real city girl

7. i wish i wore glasses - i think they are so adorable, but i know the day i actually need them i will hate it 

8. i am known as having terrible taste in tv, movies & music. to get a better understanding of what i mean...i love reality tv {almost ALL reality tv...yes that includes the bad girls club}, i love lifetime movies & the radio is where i get my music.

9. i have recently fallen in love with lipstick. i never used to wear anything on my lips, but i am really learning to appreciate having a fun color pop on my lips. 

10. i want to move back to california SO badly at this point in my life

11. i try really hard to drink lots of water in a day & so i always have my pink camel bak water bottle with me at all times. that, or a diet coke...haha i know, total opposite.

11 questions for me

1. Favorite book? i'm not a huge reader, but the last book that i couldn't put down was the help. if you haven't read this book you should. i movie was good but the book was great.

2. The song you currently have on repeat? i have two. c'mon by kesha {i know, i know} & the a team by ed sheeran. two very different songs but AH i love them both.

3. Least favorite thing about your day? the idea of showering!! i love to shower but getting ready afterwards is so time consuming. long hair can be a blessing & a curse.

4. Favorite meal? mexican food. growing up in southern california i was blessed to have endless amounts of mexican food all around me. i could eat tacos everyday & sometimes do.

5. Favorite nail polish? i love OPI nail polishes. i tend to stick with pinks, reds & orangey reds. a few of my favorites are >> color so hot it berns, hot & spicy and charged up cherry. interesting names, huh? hah

6. What was your last tweet? i am not a huge twitter person. the last tweet i did was about one of my blog posts haha. i am way more into instagram than twitter.

7. Last store you visited? uhh, the grocery store? haha. we made a huge, fancy meal last night with some friends.

8. What do you like to do on a week night? i wish i was more interesting...but, i like to come home from work, eat with the husband & watch some of our favorite shows on tv.

9. Your most re-purchased beauty item? MAC zoomlash mascara...this has been in my makeup bag since 9th grade.

10. Favorite shampoo and conditioner and why? i love redken shampoo + conditioner. i actually don't use it right now cuz it's about $50 for each bottle but when i can afford it again, i will pick these babies up again! i love the smell & they have so many different kinds of shampoo for any kind of hair type.

11. Essential piece of jewelery? The one you can't leave home without? my wedding ring! i do tend to take it off at home a lot when i'm cleaning, cooking, blow drying my hair, putting lotion on, etc. so i kind of, more often than i'd like to admit, leave the house without it & feel naked! so i have to remember to grab it, it is an essential!

11 questions for my nominees

1. what is your favorite color to wear?
2. what is a hobbie that you wish you had?
3. best part of your day?
4. favorite beverage?
5. what is your favorite season & why?
6. do you have a hidden talent that most people don't know about?
7. what is your go-to junk food?
8. favorite vacation spot or memory?
9. what does your ideal saturday night look like?
10. what is a guilty pleasure of yours?
11. are you a morning or night person?

my nominees
kaylyn from the weir house
rachael from shore society
erica from la petite reine
ani from catch 21
melissa from a little bolt of life

perspective

isn't it interesting how altering your focus or perspecitive can lead to a whole new picture.
sometimes switching up your way of thinking or looking at things in a new light can be refreshing.

i love this picture because it can have so many different meanings depending on the person viewing it.

when i look at this image i think about the feeling of being stuck in the present day2day rountine 

vs. the bigger picture in life. but that's just me!

trapped vs. being free

short term goals vs. long term goals

hard work & then the reward...

just a little food for thought ;)
enjoy your weekend!

keep calm & stay warm

for the past few weeks here in utah we have been seeing single digit & even negative temperatures! the other day i was by myself at home & realized that i hadn't left the house yet, but i was wearing my ski jacket inside. that right there is cold! so in honor of these chilly temps i have put together a guide to staying warm!!

>> knit beanies

>> hot tea

>> fur vests

>> circle scarves

>> tall boots

>> a fireplace//cozy couch

>> fuzzy socks

these are my GO TO items during the chilly winter months in order to keep warm.
happy thursday!!