VIRGINIA BEACH!

Since I started a new and improved blog I have kind of neglected this one, for obvious reasons.
But I decided to make this blog more of a life journal and share more personal things here because a lot less people will read this.
I have to throw this out there so hopefully I can hold myself accountable...my goal is to write on here once a week and just do a quick update and write a little bit about the previous week! Keeping a journal is such a good thing to do, but something I have always struggled with! So let's hope I can accomplish that little goal :)
We just moved to Virginia Beach about a month ago and we absolutely love this place! The sales market is great, the east coast beaches are fun, and this is where we met so it's a little trip down memory lane!
Matt works a ton during the summer & I have been working also! Not every day, but I do a little bit which is better than nothing! (I remind Matt of that every now and then haha). It's hard to find the perfect balance between working, blogging and being the domestic housewife I like to be. I have noticed that when I'm working and very busy I feel more fulfilled and it makes me happy! I have also noticed that when I'm working and very busy, the laundry gets put off more, the house gets a little messier (which bothers me a ton), home cooked meals are more rare and I'm much more tired at the end of the day! So I have found that if I work 3 or 4 days a week and the other days I take care of errands and other things around the house, everything goes so smoothly! So that's what I do! And it's been great. I think everyone has to find that healthy balance in order to accomplish as much as possible and feel their happiest from the inside out. Life is all about balance and not getting too extreme about anything. I feel like when people get extremely involved in something, whatever it may be, it can cloud their judgement and make them forget what's really important in life. I support passion and I support people going after their dreams, but life in the home should always be number ONE!
Matt is 3rd in the company right now and it blows me away. He is so amazing at whatever he does. And by amazing I mean an extremely hard worker and also very skilled, he inspires me! I'm so grateful for him and what he does for me, he makes me feel so loved every single day.
We go on date nights all the time and they are my favorite nights of the week as well as Matt's. I will always think it's so cute when he comes home after a long day and all he wants is a huge hug from me. being married has taught me so much about unconditional love and devotion and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with my Matthew!
My mom arrives in DC tomorrow and I'm SO excited to see her! I'm picking her up and we're going all around DC and hitting up the best spots! I'm so glad she's coming and going to be able to see where we are living and spend time with us on the east coast! I just love her so much and so does Matt, she's a really good friend to us and whenever she's around everyone just feels good and is happy to be with her. She has a way of making people feel extremely loved, and that's it. All you get from her is love and positivity. She's the best.
We've been going to the beach every week and that's another highlight. One of my happy places is on the beach with music playing and being with awesome people. (Can't wait for del mar this year)
Well this is all I have for now, just a little update and some thoughts. I will write more next week!
Here's to keeping a better journal!

CANCUN

Cancun 2 times in 2 months for me...spoiled much? 

It's funny because Matt won this trip for his hard work this summer and in January when it was planned for our region, he had a mandatory business trip scheduled to train guys (a bit ironic) so he couldn't go, which is why my friend Dom and I went! 

Then less than a month later and 2 days before the other region was scheduled to leave for Cancun, I got a call from my good friend, Jessa, inviting us to join them! One of the guys on their team couldn't go at the last second and they had an opening! Caught a bit off guard I looked at Matt and told him the ridiculously cheap price it would cost for us to go, and we couldn't resist. We had to pull a few strings and Matt had to make some phone calls, but we found out we were officially going 4 hours before the flight took off! Spontaneity at it's finest. We were pumped! 

It turned out to be one of the funnest weeks ever! I met some people I absolutely adore and we made some great friends, we loveeeedddd it!

It has been FOREVER...

I have been a bad girl lately & neglecting my blog! So much has been going on in the Matt & Brittany world I can barely keep up!

The biggest news... WE BOUGHT A HOME!

We couldn't be happier with it, it is perfect for us! It was really cool because it is brand new and we watched it go from the ground up. We laugh because originally our plan was to buy it as an investment and rent it out, so when picking upgrades we were sparse and didn't do too much. But if we were planning on living here the whole time I'm sure that would of gone a little different..haha so our original plan saved us a lot of money in upgrades! It's kind of a bummer that we only live here part of the year, but it's so nice to have a place to keep all of our things for the next couple years! 

It has been so fun making our house a home and it's really starting to feel like OURS. It was a little overwhelming at first but decorating is one of my favorite things to do so...:) Matt knew that I would take over most of the home so he claimed one of the rooms as his man cave/office and it is ALL HIM. It's really cute (there's literally a sword from Spain on the wall..haha). We have lived here for over 2 months and just ordered the fabric for our curtains last week..haha indecisive much? The struggle was real for a while, like I lost sleep over my dang curtains... but we are in the clear now because I finally found something I love! I have a rule where I don't buy anything unless I love it because I get extreme buyers remorse otherwise. And curtains are a big deal, everyone knows that.

I will do a whole post about our house and decor once everything is done! (Hopefully soon)!

We got news that we will be moving to Virginia Beach this summer! We are really excited. Turns out we will be staying at the same place where Matt & I met for the first time! They are really nice apartments with Jacuzzi's on the roof and very well kept. It's also only 10 minutes from the beach where we had our first kiss, awwwww sooo cute, I know. Virginia Beach is a really cute city!  It reminds me of Huntington Beach a little bit. I'm obviously biased and think west coast beaches will always be better, but the Atlantic Ocean is warmer! That's the one thing I have to give to the east coast. Matt is extremely busy during the summer so living in a fun town makes a big difference for me. My mom is also planning a trip out there to visit us! To keep busy I will be working doing inside sales! I started a few weeks ago and I am doing really well, the first call I made, I sold! The guys were really pumped about it and my boss called my a bloody natural..haha. I feel accomplished and I love it. It's perfect for me because I work from home, and all I need is my lap top and I'm set. So I can work and stay busy on the go! Which is great because most of you know thats how our life is...always on the go. 

Speaking of being on the go, we were in California last week so I could get my wisdom teeth taken out.....(what a lovely experience, shout out to my dad for carrying me to the car and taking care of me after while Matt was at work..haha) but while we were there one of my best life long friends, Stacey, mentioned a half marathon through Disneyland. I don't love running but I do love Disneyland! I couldn't turn down the opportunity, so we're doing it!  I have a few fitness goals for the year among others, and I am looking forward to seeing progress! I am starting to see my personal trainer this week & I'm pumped. Wahoo!

We are just loving life and are so grateful for everything that we have! My little brother Carson or Elder Smith is serving in a small town in the Philippines right now. He is so inspiring, positive, hard working, and is loving every second of his mission. Life in the Philippines is so different from the pampered life us Americans live and I just think it's so amazing that he is thriving the way he is! He is so humble, and has an undeniable light about him that you can't help but notice. He makes everyone around him want to be a better person in the most loving way. He is one of the best examples in my life! (Can you tell I just got his letter today? :)). He is amazing!

Well thanks for reading! I'll post again soon! 

I decided to post some pictures of recent adventures in CA and UT! P.S. if you are looking at these from your phone they will look blurry, but if you click on them they are much better quality! 

A lovely date with my lovely mother.

Love my home.

Gross cupcakes but great Super Bowl party at our house!

I take my taste testing job very seriously :)

Loved this sleigh ride with some of our favorite people ever! Happy 3 years Sherrie and Jeremy!

I love dating him and being married to him at the same time :)

Cutest bakery in SLC. I miss Paris. 

Glamour Mouse.

Most handsome man ever.

Tried to be serious..

fail

Possibly the worst night ever

My brother, Trevor, was getting married to the love of his life, we had just finished a successful summer of sales, and we were only days away from the trip of our lifetime.  What could possibly go wrong? HA!  It was a gorgeous wedding on the beach in Santa Barbara.  Reine, my brother's bride and now my sister-in-law, was stunning and everyone could feel the love so strong. It was the most perfect day, that could not have gone more smoothly.  The reception was perfect and beautiful.  We were all having such a fun time laughing, dancing and celebrating and....THEN IT HAPPENED...

My back started hurting and soon it turned into the worst pain I have ever experienced and hopefully will experience in my life. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but this was no joke.  My aunt Kaelyn is a nurse and thankfully she was there to help me.  The pain came on so suddenly and kept getting worse and worse.  I laid hopelessly on the couch failing to hold back tears and I even had my dad massage my back to try and help.  Nothing was working though.  No matter what position I laid, sat, stood in my back was THROBBING!  After my Aunt left and heard what was going on, she told me she thought it might be a kidney stone.  A kidney stone!? Aren't those for old people?! The pain got so bad that Matt quickly grabbed my purse and we went straight to the Emergency Room. By this point the pain was truly unbearable.  I would not wish this pain upon anyone, not even my worst enemy if I had one! 

Luckily the hospital was only 10 minutes away but it felt like an eternity.  I was a mess.  I couldn't stop sobbing, nothing was comfortable, it was awful. The nurse gave me an IV that she only had to stab me 10 times for...then immediately gave me pain and nausea medication. Unfortunately, neither was effective at all.  What is wrong with my body!? Will this horrid pain ever stop?! I kept asking the nurses, and they weren't giving me good answers. When she doubled up on my pain meds, the pain subsided slightly and I immediately got really tired. They took me in for an ultra-sound and a CT scan (CAT scan) to see what was going on. Was I pregnant? Did I have life threatening cancer?  I am only 22...  I am too young to DIE!  Good thing I have a husband to bring me down to earth and calm me a little... haha  If this is what being pregnant feels like, we are adopting! lol 

The doctors were unsure of the diagnosis but said it looked like a kidney stone and sent me home with pain meds.  I was so thankful that through all of this craziness my Matt didn't let go of my hand once. As horrible as the night was, I feel like we grew closer and have even more love for each other because of what we went through together. Seeing him so worried yet so brave and sure that I would be ok gave me the comfort I needed.  Good thing only my husband saw me as the complete mess I was... NOT!  A friend from high school randomly saw me in the ER and soon enough some of my friends were texting me hoping I was ok...of course someone had to see me...my life......haha
The next day the hospital called, and sure enough they had found a 2mm kidney stone. We were planning on leaving for Europe the next day and I was so worried that we wouldn't be able to go even though we already paid for hotels, cars, shows, and other things...the pressure was on. This thing needed to get out of my body!!!! 

I woke up feeling good, finished packing up and 20 minutes before we needed to leave for the airport my back started hurting AGAIN!...which meant that I hadn't passed the stone yet. What did I do? I took a pain pill, gathered my stuff, we left to London and I prayed like crazy. I didn't care, we were going on this trip! Some of you are probably thinking I am beyond crazy, and I guess I am! 

FYI--I learned that everyone forms kidney stones in their body, but if you are drinking enough water they will be flushed out with no pain. Drink lemonade often, tons of water and lower your sodium intake to prevent them! 
I'm seriously proud to say I survived! 

Monterey Bay

It seems that we have a thing for bay cities...in the past 2 weeks we have been to Morro Bay, San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, and now Monterey Bay. Don't mind me, just hanging out with my "bae" on a Bay! ;)

We went down to Newbury Park this weekend for Carson's farewell.  Don't worry, a post on that is coming soon. 

On our way back up north, we had to make a few scenic stops ...of course! We pulled into Monterey Bay and instantly loved this little town.  It is well known for its abundant marine life and used to be a hub for catching & canning fish.  The fish cannery was ironically converted into an aquarium and is now the 2nd most popular Aquarium in the nation! The streets are lined with cute shops, chocolate stores, seafood restaurants, as well as the famous aquarium.  Matt & I just registered to get scuba certified so we were pumped to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 

We loved seeing all the marine life and it started to make us really antsy to be IN the water, swimming with these sea creatures in just a few months!  We enjoyed the deep sea, otter, and the newly opened tentacles observatory; although, I have to say my favorite part was the jellyfish. They were so beautiful and fascinating. 

Another highlight for us was spotting 20+ Humpback Whales only few hundred yards off shore.  I had never seen a whale so I'm embarrassed to admit that I was THAT girl...a little too excited. They were adorable and it looked like they were playing with each other, jumping and spraying simultaneously!

Yes, we did take a picture in the middle of the street. Photo cred: ME :)

A few of the whales! 

Gorgeous

I could stare at these all day.

Really though, how is that neon color natural on these things?!

Me with quite possibly the ugliest sea creatures ever.

Going for it!

How do you make sure someone actually did touch the bat ray? Look at their face right after they touch that slimy thing!

Underneath the wave!

These fish swim in that circle all day long...every single day...some life. 

No flash allowed.....oops!

We finished off the day with dinner overlooking the bay! We did feel a little funny eating seafood when just a few hours prior we were admiring all the beautiful marine life in the aquarium. At least it tastes as good as it looks! 

Another day, another adventure!


xoxoxox Brittany