St. George Getaway // Inn on the Cliff + Tuacahn

Ryan and I have been married for a long while, already 5 years as of June 4th, 2016! I decided to make our 5 year special by planning a weekend getaway to St. George. I got tickets to Tarzan at Tuacahn, and booked a few nights at the Inn on the Cliff with this killer view. The pool and hotel looked over the entire city, it was beautiful! 

The first night we were in town there was a downtown concert and food truck roundup, we had a blast walking around and listening to the live music. We grabbed some Hawaiian BBQ off a food truck, and ended up being pretty picky since we got to have the real thing in Hawaii last year! haha It was still pretty delicious ;)

Saturday morning we chilled at the pool reading books, then at night we drove up a canyon and watched Tarzan outside. It was amazing! Totally not what I was expecting, and would definitely go back in a heartbeat to Tuacahn to see the other shows! The rest of our trip was low-key and it was great spending time with one another. Those breathers from work and school are so necessary to keeping our sanity! Grateful we got the time to run away together just for a quick bit :)

UNPLUGGED // A phone free networking event

Location: Sodalicious @ The Village Apartments (602 N 600 E Provo, UT)

Does anyone even remember the last time you didn't have a glowing screen in front of your face? Whether that be a smart phone, laptop, tv, or iPad...I constantly have one burning into my eyeballs! DevMountain is sponsoring this event: Unplugged/A Phone Free Networking Event, where you check in your phones at the door and get some much needed human interaction!

Come for a free Sodalicious soda, live music, face-to-face communication with rad locals, and to chill with a boa constrictor...for serious! 

REGISTER HERE

Prep for Summer with European Wax Center

This past weekend I visited the European Wax Center in Draper, UT to prep for my vacation. I used to frequent the salon for waxes growing up because I was constantly at the beach or pool! Since moving to Utah I'm unfortunately not in the sun as much, so I went on the search for a highly rated salon or wax center and found EWC. It is such a pain to shave every single day, which is why I visited the European Wax Center so they could help me out! 

I scheduled a Brazilian wax so I could feel confident in my swimsuits and save myself time during the trip. While getting a Brazilian wax is notoriously known for not being comfortable, my esthetician Carolina made it as comfortable and fast as possible. Which I definitely appreciated!

European Wax Center uses an exclusive comfort wax, it's a hard stripless wax which is surprisingly gentle. EWC is the only company in the WORLD who uses this type of wax! After the waxing session Carolina applied the Ingrown Hair Serum which everyone in the Draper location raved about, saying it was their best product. It prevents bumps, breakouts, and irritation after a waxing session. Ummm, pretty much amazing!

EWC offers year-long wax passes or various packages to make it more convenient and affordable for your hair-removal needs. They even have a payment plan option, which makes it easier on your wallet! Make sure to visit European Wax Center before your spring/summer vacations! 

Gift bag and services c/o European Wax Center Draper, UT

Layers 'n Lashes

Since the holidays I have been OBSESSED with lash extensions, and I'm so grateful to have an awesome girl who is willing to hang with me for a couple hours every few weeks ;) Nicole from Layers 'n Lashes uses high quality products and does a fantastic job with my lashes. Lashes can last up to 6 weeks, but it is recommended to get them filled every 4-5 weeks to keep them looking great.

I just got them filled tonight and will be getting them filled in again at the end of the month before heading off on vacation! I love that I can just wake up, do minimal make-up, and be ready to go to work within a few minutes time. It's nice waking up and looking fab every day :) 

Go say hi at Layers 'n Lashes!

Tamarack: A Fantastic Addition to the Provo Food Scene

Does this logo look familiar to any of you Provo residents? Ryan and I have passed this restaurant going east on University Parkway numerous times and have said "Isn't that where the old Magleby's use to be? Well, this place looks cool so we should try it out sometime." Tamarack happened to invite Ryan and I to try out their restaurant, so what better time for a fancy dinner than on my birthday weekend?!

I never visited this location when previously occupied by other restaurants so I don't know the before/after transformation; but after walking around Tamarack I was stunned by the gorgeous interiors. If I could build my dream house it would be this blue, white, and brown color scheme and feel as cozy as Tamarack. 

We had SUCH a hard time picking out what we wanted to try out. When our waitress first brought the bread and butter, Ryan and I were already sold. Ryan kept on saying "this tastes like my Grandma's homemade bread on the ranch!" If we were so impressed by the simple bread and butter, we couldn't wait to dig into appetizers and entrees! We started off with some blackberry limaides and basa bites with berry dipping sauce. YUM. 

This pumpkin soup came with Ryan's entree, I was afraid it was going to be too sweet but it was actually perfect. Creamy consistency, sweet but not overpowering, and not super filling (which means you can eat the whole bowl and not be too full for more food.)

I got the shrimp fettuccine alfredo. OMG. I don't even know how to go about describing this deliciousness to you, but I'll try. The shrimp was large, perfectly cooked, and tasty. The pasta came with mushrooms, peppers, and bread with pesto/cheese on top. While the dish was a little more on the expensive side, I got a ton of pasta and even took home a box of it for later. Seriously, so good. 

Ryan got the "Tamarack Chop" which is a pork chop with a dried cherry barbecue glaze. He was in heaven!! 

We finished the night with a chocolate berry cobbler...which pretty much sells itself. It was a great ending to a delicious night filled with awesome food. Make sure to swing by Tamarack and try out this fantastic new addition to the Provo food scene!

Tamarack Cuisine: INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK 

Francesca's Collections Friends & Family Sale

On August 14th I attended the Friends and Family Sale that all Francesca's locations were hosting, and was so excited to snag something cute on sale before going on vacation! The whole store was decked out in balloons, posters, and there was even cake pops by the cash register for all their customers. Um, so cute?!

I worked at this particular location for about a year and frequent the Orem shop to make sure I always get the cutest new arrivals. Above is my friend and the Assistant Manager, Josee who showed me around the store and helped me pick out an adorable blouse and necklace! 

Absolutely EVERYTHING in the store was 25% off, what what?! I love how Francesca's Collections always has these amazing sales, because they really put in the effort to show their customers that they're loved :) Plus being on their email list is the best because I can always plan my seasonal shopping around when they're having a BOGO or discount sale. I can't wait to show off my cute goodies that I picked up from the Friends and Family Sale!  

*Gift card compensation was provided by Francesca's. All opinions are always my own!*

Road Trippin' Home

After a ridiculously tiring and long night cleaning up the reception, we were overly excited to wake up the next morning to eat an amazing breakfast burrito with our friend Jaz. Chorizo, egg, potato and everything else delicious that belongs in the perfect burrito. Yummmm. After we chomped down we started our 10 hour drive back to Utah! 

As we were making our drive out of Sacramento, I kept on seeing people waving at us out of the corner of my eye. I looked over in the lane next to us and saw the newlyweds on their way to their honeymoon in Lake Tahoe. What are the odds?!

I saw this gorgeous sunset as we pulled into Utah, and I felt like this crescent moon was welcoming us home. Until we got off the freeway to gas up our car and it started to slooooowwww down. We were out of gas. Literally 15 minutes away from home. Luckily my brother Jesse was awake and he snagged some gas to fill up so we could scoot the car back to Budget rentals. By then, it was time for some Wendys drive-thru and to head home. As Ryan and I cuddled up on the couch, he gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead and we both agreed that we need to start planning our next vacation together :)

First Impressions: Merco Box

I received my first Merco Box in the mail the other day and had to restrain every fiber of my being from just ripping it open. Snail mail and packages makes me extremely happy! Like, weirdo giddy happy. I held back so I could film my first impressions when opening the box and discovering all the goodies in it with you! 

I've dubbed the Merco Box the Birchbox of local businesses, it's such a unique idea. I love finding new local Etsy shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and boutiques; so it was a blast opening up my Merco Box to find out what's inside! Visit Merco Box by Merco Local to snag one for yourself, and use this code for 25% off! Coupon code: "iheartutah"

{c/o Merco Local}

Best Cheap Eats in Provo

Whenever there are family or friends passing through town they inevitably ask "What are the best places to eat in Provo?" I have some good places up my sleeve and figured it was about time that I make a list and share it with all of you! If you're heading to Salt Lake? Check out this awesome list from Kelsey of the Best Places to Eat in SLC!

This is a total hole-in-the-wall taqueria that Ryan showed me when we were first dating. It's our secret favorite place that we hardly share with anyone...you lucky ducks! My go-to dishes are the carne asada tacos and carne asada quesadillas. A great place to get authentic Mexican food in Provo!

This place is known for its pie shakes and delicious burgers. Plus they have our unique Utah fry sauce that is perfect with their sweet potato fries. It has a total hipster atmosphere and is special only to Provo and Rexburg, so it's definitely worth the stop by!

Unlimited french toast anyone? Buttery, strawberry, syrup-y goodness on thick slices of french toast. Yummmm. Kneaders offers cozy soups, tasty sandwiches, and amazing eclairs along with other pastries. A great place for breakfast, lunch, or a treat!

They have an affordable and filling lunch buffet with chicken tiki masala and lots of naan bread. The service is on the spot and you get your food extremely fast. The food doesn't sit heavy like some Indian food can, it is very tasty and I always feel satisfied!

If you've never had Cafe Rio, I feel so sorry for you. The pork salad is perfection! Pretty much anything you get at this chain Mexican grill is amazing, you can't go wrong.

Their cream cheese filled croissants and orange rolls make me DROOL. All I can say is go over there right now and grab a box of pastry goodness for breakfast. Share with no one.

Located right south of BYU campus, it's the hip place to be! They serve massive pieces of unique pizza recipes, which make it stand out from the other pizza joints in town. 

This place tops Swig and The Slurp by a bazillion gold stars. The customer service is outstanding, the soda drink mixes are addicting, and the sugar cookies are absolute heaven. It's located on the back of a barber shop and is just a drive-thru or walk-up window. I honestly can't recommend this place enough!

One of my new favorite taco places in Provo. Compared to Taqueria El Vaquero, this tends toward gourmet Mexican food. They have this amazing chimichurri mac&cheese side, a huge array of tacos {Asian, American, and traditional Mexican}, and you can turn any taco into a taco salad. Sooo tasty!

Do you have any secret favorites you would add to the list or places you're dying to try?

Things Only Provo-ites Know

 // University Avenue and University Parkway are two completely different streets, and are horrific at the following times:
+ 4-5pm everyday
+ Whenever it's snowing
+ Monday night FHE {family home evening}
+ Friday & Saturday date nights
+ Wednesdays during MTC {missionary training center} drop-off times
+ In between General Conference sessions
+ And during the summer when EFY kids are being dropped off at BYU

// The Velour is known for hosting up and coming Provo bands for hipster kids to drool and obsess over. Neon Trees anyone? {Still bitter that I didn't go when they were performing there...}

// Going on the West side of University Avenue over by the train tracks is super sketchy...how does that part of Provo even exist?!

// Everyone knows what you mean when you say that you live south of campus or condo row.

// Granted, everyone still gets Alpine Village and The Village confused...

// You are accustomed to random people asking you for weird favors such as: a picture for their FHE picture scavenger hunt, to film you wishing a stranger happy birthday, or taking surveys from you for their psychology class.

// If you are an out-of-state driver, then you blame all the horrible accidents and driving practices on other driver's "Utah plates".

// Instead of the Six Degrees of Separation, we have the Three Degrees of Just Being Mormon. You pretty much can track down a connection with anyone through various friends, acquaintances, school peers, missionaries, or family because we are all so dang inter-connected.

// BYU Cougar fans are the loudest when we win a game, i.e. driving through the streets honking, screaming, dance parties, fireworks, etc. When we lose? Provo is a complete ghost town.

// Betos drive-thru is hoppin' between the hours of 10pm-3am cause BYU students don't get the typical drug-induced munchies....we get the study munchies from studying all night for our dang tests! {Plus Betos is one of the only 24/7 businesses in Provo...smart move Betos, smart move.}

Midway Ice Castles

Back in December I snagged a Groupon for the Midway Ice Castles knowing that it would be a perfect budget friendly date! Especially since it's hard to get myself to go out on dates during the wintertime...cause all I want to do is cozy up in blankets, eat pizza, and watch Netflix. We finally went this last Friday and it was absolutely breathtaking.

Even driving up to Midway was beautiful, I snapped this picture and just enjoyed looking at all the snow capped trees. Sometimes I forget how pretty Utah really is, so it's nice to have these reminders every once in a while!

Ryan was being a rebel and punching some of the icicles...that dork. It was cool to see these manmade ice castles and walk through all the different mazes and crevices they had to offer. At nighttime they have LED lights inside the castles light up to make it even more magical, how cool is that??

We even saw Queen Elsa and Princess Anna from Frozen come to take some pictures, and it just made me wish I was a Disney princess! Although, I do think that I have the whole Sleeping Beauty thing down ;) This is something that I would definitely want to do next winter, it's a good excuse to get out of the house and make the best of the freezing temps here :)