the varleys

Life Update

2011-10-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

We have really been neglecting our blog. I guess that's what happens when you move, transfer jobs, travel a ton, have family in town, send a sister on a mission and just try to get use to a new life in a new city. We are loving Salt Lake and all it has to offer.

First off, I was able to go to Colorado to go through the temple with Kara before her mission and it was an amazing experience. Scott came the next day to spend some time with family before we had to head back to Utah with plans to return for her farewell.

The next month was Kara's Farewell and she gave a beautiful talk in church which brought tears to my eyes. She really is an extraordinary person, I am blessed to have her as my sister.

Next we ventured to California to visit family, part of the trip was spent in Central California and the other part in Southern California.

Morro Bay

San Luis Obispo

Cambria

Anaheim Angels Game

Back to California, a month later for my Birthday! We spent my birthday at Mickey's Halloween Party with family and it was such a treat.

We are still settling into our home in Salt Lake and exploring the city when we aren't busy with work. To sum up our life update, life is great and I will be posting more often.

TWO YEARS!

2011-08-15T18:59:00.001-07:00

Lately

2011-07-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Scott and I have been crazy busy with our jobs lately, so it's a good thing we enjoy them so much. Scott is in New York for training right now and I have been focusing on Nordstrom's biggest sale of the year...

Check it out!

Red, White and Blue

2011-07-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

I love how Provo has so much going on for the 4th of July and everyone joins in on the fun. We started the weekend at Stadium of Fire, which was a fantastic show this year staring Brad Paisley. My favorite part was when four men parachuted out of planes wearing red, white and blue, the last one had an American Flag and when he landed everyone stood, it was magical. The fire works were pretty awesome too.

Late Sunday night we rode bikes up and down University Ave and enjoyed the crowds of people camped out for the parade. After some much needed rest, the next morning we practiced our game of tennis, rode our bikes down to check out the freedom festival and had lunch. It was pretty hot out so we decided to go to a cool theater and see Disney Nature's African Cats. Our 4th of July was very relaxing, just what we needed.

I LOVE AMERICA!

Mr. Varley

2011-06-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

My man turned twenty-four this last Saturday, so this post is to him. He is truly the best in every way. I am so lucky to be Mrs. Scott Aaron Varley and feel blessed to be married to my perfect match, my better half, the man I love.

(looking so young)

For his birthday, we went to a new favorite restaurant Lone Star Taqueria (thanks Dad for the recommendation) it was absolutely delicious. Then to Bruges, another new favorite that we first went to with this lovely couple and they showed us what to order and man is it good. Although I had to work during the day, an evening together was long over due so it was perfect just to be together.

Scott started work at the beginning of the month and has been waking up at 4am to commute and be at work before 6am without complaining once, which shows how amazing my husband really is. This morning I couldn't sleep so I got up with him and enjoyed hanging out while he got ready. Here are a few shots I snapped of my handsome hubby.

Yup, he's got it all and he's all mine.

I love this man!

The Gourdins

2011-06-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

Drew and Tiffany are two of our favorite people. You know how people say finding couple friends after you're married is like dating all over again. Well, we really scored big time dating these guys, you couldn't ask for better friends.

Cabin Get Away

2011-06-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Barton's were so sweet to invite us to their cabin for an enjoyable weekend get away with a bunch of friends.

We had so much fun relaxing, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, playing with Baby Jane, playing tennis, fishing, off-roading up into the mountains, playing games late into the night and just hanging out. All in all it was a perfect little get away. Thanks again Bartons!

Seven Peaks

2011-06-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

I joined this bunch at the water park in town this week and had a ton of fun. I can't wait to go with them again.

Brick being his adorable self.

Can't get enough of this girl.

He sure loves his mommy.

Tae's red tongue from a delicious tiger's blood snow cone.

I love summer!

Roll Up Crepes

2011-06-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

A new place just came to town called Roll Up Crepes. They serve delicious sweet and savory crepes in a fun woodsy atmosphere. If you are in town you should definitely give it a try.

I love me some crepes!

We Love the Bartons!

2011-06-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a fun filled day with the Bartons that included golfing in the sun, a delicious lunch at one of my new favorite places, Station 22, a little bit of Wii, playing with Baby Jane, NBA Finals and of course Cafe Rio.

What a great way to spend my day off. We are sure going to miss these guys when they move to Florida.

Euro Trip 2011: Part 8

2011-06-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Last but certainly not least...
PARIS!
We arrived in Paris on May 15th and were lucky enough to stay in a wonderful apartment in the heart of the city right next to the Louvre, thanks to this couple, who found the place and were fun and fabulous to stay with.
After getting settled in, we met up with my sister and Ian, who stayed a block away in a hotel. We found a little cafe for dinner where we had delicious soup, salads and sandwiches and then headed over to the Eiffel Tower for our reservations to go all the way to the top! Scott planned it perfectly so we were on the top enjoying the beautiful views of the city as the sun was going down and although it was windy and a bit chilly, it was so fun! Right as we were walking off the elevator back on the ground, the tower lights began to twinkle and we all just stood back and enjoyed the show. We ate some delicious crepes while enjoying the lights and company of our friends.

The next morning we went to a little bakery around the corner from our apartment, where we saw some good looking pastries the day before and they were so yummy we had one every morning we were there.

After breakfast we all headed over to Notre Dame where we explored the cathedral and climbed the hundreds of steps to the top to enjoy the beautiful views of the city with the gargoyles and grotesque. (Peyton informed us that gargoyles are the stone creatures with rain-spouts and grotesques are the ones that do not spout water :) It was a bit chilly so we enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa, although bitter, it warmed us right up.

We wandered back near the Louvre and had lunch at Angelina's, which was quite classy and yummy too! Everyone was drinking the hot cocoa so we made a point the next day to have some at the Angelina's in Versailles.

After lunch we took a stroll through the Tuileries Gardens where we ate Amorino Gelato which I was introduced to by Christine last time I was in Paris and it was just as delicious as I remember it, probably my favorite. Well maybe tied with Old Bridge Gelatoria in Rome, can't gelato just be my favorite.

We continued our walk along the Champs-Elysées to the Arc De Triomphe, enjoying all the shops and each others company so far from home.

We spent our last day with Lauren and Ian in Versaille, admiring the palace and wandering around Marie Antoinette's Village and Gardens, my favorite part.

Our last day in Paris we spent with Blake and Peyton exploring the Latin Quarter and going to see Sacré-Coeur. As we strolled through the streets we stopped in to try some macaroons at Laduree, ate lunch at a little Mexican Resturant, browsed through books at Shakespeare and Company, and tasted gelato at Berthillon which had delicious fruit flavors.

Our evening ended with a delightful dinner just taking in our last moments abroad before we headed home the next morning.

We can't believe this trip we anticipated, planned and saved for has already come and gone. We had the time of our lives and fell in love all over again.

Euro Trip 2011: Part 7

2011-05-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

We are home now, all unpacked and recovering from jet lag so the documenting continues.

We left Vienna on a train May 11th and arrived in Prague! The train ride was beautiful with fields of yellow flowers for miles and little towns. I love trains in Europe, they are efficient and the journey is relaxing and beautiful. When we arrived in Prague, there was a man waiting to drive us into town to our hotel. The hotel was up a cobble street road, right next door to the US Embassy, where our brother-in-law worked a few years ago. Hotel Sax was unique from all the other places we stayed, with its fun, inviting retro decor.

For dinner we journeyed up the cobble stone path behind our hotel and ate at an authentic pub, I went with the safe bet and ordered schnitzel, Scott went for the house special, an assorted meat plate complete with pork knuckles, duck and more. After dinner we ventured out to get a feel for the town, walking along the river, before heading off to bed.

The next day, we explored Prague Castle which is considered the biggest ancient castle in the world. We were impressed by the beauty of the St. Vitus Cathedral on the castle grounds with its gothic architecture and large clock tower. Inside the cathedral we loved the stained glass windows, the most impressive was designed by Czech artist Alfons Mucha, who also has a museum of his work in town. As we explored the rest of the castle grounds, we saw the Czech crowned jewels, the Basilica and Convent of St. George, which is the burial place of Czech royalty, and the Lobkowicz Palace, where we saw how the royal Czech Family lived. As we were exiting, we saw a toy museum and decided to take a look. It was filled with toys dating back to the 19th century and an incredible Barbie collection with one of the 1959 first edition dolls. We even found a BYU cheerleader Barbie!

We headed across the Charles Bridge for lunch and then made our way to the Old Town to explore. We saw the Old Town Hall Tower with the Astronomical Clock and waited with a crowd of onlookers to see the clock strike the hour. Every hour the little characters on the clock move and make noise which is quite entertaining. As it started to rain, we headed for shelter and ate a delicious Belgium Waffle with chocolate and strawberries for dessert. We tried to see a few more sites but decided to head back because of the rain. After the rain stopped a bit, we went to this delicious cafe for dinner and I had the best goat cheese salad.

With a little more sun on our side, we woke up the next day and headed out to see the Jewish Ghetto. On our way, we walked to the top of one of the Towers of Charles Bridge, where we saw the bridge with all the people, street venders and statues from above. We explored the Jewish Ghetto next, where we learned about the concentration camps in the Czech Republic and the treasures of these people. The cemetery was fascinating and really made me realize how little disrespect these people had in their very own country. In one of the museums, there was artwork from children while they were in the concentration camps displayed, it was hard to read what the children had to face in their lives and how they didn't know what was to become of them. It made me realize the great blessing it is to have freedom in our country. We had Bohemia Bagel for lunch (thanks Kelsea for the recommendation, loved the endless Diet Coke!) Then we went to the top of the City Hall Clock Tower, it was the best view of Prague. There was a hockey game being broadcast in the main square so people were packed in and cheering loudly. As we crossed the Charles Bridge on our way back, we learned more about all the statues along the sides, thanks to Rick Steve. Near our side of town, we went to see the Lennon Wall which is so fascinating. I love all the quotes, colors and extreme artwork. We ended the night with dinner at an Irish Pub and a beautiful walk along the river watching the sunset.

The last part of Prague we still had to see was New Town. We took our Rick Steve’s tour of New Town and went to the Communism Museum. The movie inside the museum was very moving and interesting. It really opened my eyes to the state of the Czech Republic within communist rule and how recent it was a communist country. We had lunch at Café Colour, which was delicious, especially our dessert of strawberry chocolate crepes. Then we headed back to our hotel to pack and get ready for our flight in the wee hours of the morning to PARIS!

Euro Trip 2011: Part 6

2011-05-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Vienna after a short train ride from Salzburg. We were excited to explore another city and see what it had to offer. After getting checked into our room, we quickly found a delicious restaurant around the corner from our hotel, right outside the gates of the Schonbruun Palace. We had one of the best meals of the trip at this delightful restaurant sitting on the patio. Scott had a special named after one of the empresses of the palace, Maria Theresa which was chicken stuffed with feta cheese, wrapped in bacon with a creamy sauce. I had the best chicken wings which were marinated in a light, tasty sauce with delicious potato wedges. After our taste buds were completely satisfied, we went inside the palace gates and took an audio tour of the Schonbruun Palace which included the fascinating story of the Habsburg Royal Family. On the grounds of the palace, there are beautiful gardens, fountains and hedge mazes which entertained us for quite a while. In one of the mazes, two large rocks were placed by a famous Feng Shui Master to represent a male and a female. The master said, if you embrace the opposite rock, you will have peace in your relationship, it has been working quite well. After a delicious magnum ice cream bar for dessert, we headed back to get a good night sleep for our second day in Vienna.

After getting into the center of town, the next day and figuring out where we were on the map, we had lunch at a little cafe that was very popular. We quickly realized, if we wanted a table we were going to have to fight for one. We staked out our territory and after a bit of waiting, swooped in on a table and were able to enjoy some delicious sandwiches. After lunch we took Rick Steve's tour of Vienna which was filled with fascinating sites. St. Stephen's Cathedral was very unique, although it was under a lot of reconstruction, the stained glass was remarkable. When we finished our walking tour of the city, we headed over to a cafe for some dessert. I had the royal tart, Scott had an apple tart and we shared a banana milk shake, it was all very good, I especially liked my royal tart covered in raspberries. We wandered around the city, exploring a little more, before heading back and getting some sleep for our trip to Prague in the morning. We were pleased by the delicious food, interesting history, beautiful sites and especially the classy feel of Vienna and hope to return again.

Euro Trip 2011: Part 5

2011-05-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

We arrived at 4am in Salzburg, thankfully our hotel was close so we took a quick taxi ride to Hotel Mozart. Scott did it again and booked the perfect accommodations for our stay. Since it was so early, we fell right asleep. We woke up after some much needed rest and had a delicious lunch at an Austrian Pub. Scott had cordon bleu and I had fried chicken and fries. Their spring chicken is fried to perfection, not greasy or over breaded at all. After we took a walking tour of Old Town with our trusty Rick Steve Guide Book as our Tour Guide, Salzburg is gorgeous. The views were incredible! During our tour we stumbled across a Russian choir group touring and Scott was thrilled to chat with them a bit. Scott said while they were singing "they were throwing down verses, Sound of Music style". For dinner we went to another pub/brewery style restaurant and Scott had a pumpkin breaded cordon bleu dish that was delectable. I ordered dumplings, a bowl full of fried bread, not that tasty. We loved our first day in Salzburg and are excited for the next.

After breakfast at our hotel, we headed to hike the hill up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress which sits on top of the Old Town of Salzburg, the history was interesting and the view was the best part! While we were in town there was a festival going on in Mozartplatz, one of the popular town squares. We had a delicious lunch of rotisserie chicken (best I have ever had!), fries, and live music. There were tons of locals there to enjoy the festivities and for one of the songs tons of people both old and young joined in, clapping, singing loudly and dancing, I think it was an Austrian favorite. After lunch we went on our Sound of Music Tour. Our tour started with a drive, our tour guide, a local born and raised, explained history of the city while explaining facts about the real von Trapp Family as well as facts about the movie. We then made stops in varies places where footage from the movie was taken. It was exciting to see the beauty I had seen in the movie all growing up in real life, the movie didn't even compare. As we drove up into the mountains being completely amazed by the views, we stopped and were able to go on an alpine slide. Scott is an experienced rider but it was my first time, I loved it! We will be taking full advantage of the slides in Park City. As we drove through the mountains, on the edge of the Alps, we saw adorable homes with wooden carved details that looked like they should be in a storybook. We stopped at a little cafe that looked out over a breath taking view of a lake town and mountains all around, that was the topping on the cake, absolutely perfect. As we took in the view we enjoyed the best apple strudel and the company of another couple on our tour. I was sad for our tour to end and even more sadden by the end of our stay in Salzburg but Vienna was calling so we had to continue.

Euro Trip 2011: Part 4

2011-05-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

After leaving our little home in Rome we took a four hour train ride to Venice. Although we slept, we also enjoyed the beautiful Italian countryside as we traveled. When we arrived in Venice, we took a water bus near the Rialto Bridge and made our way to Locanda Casa Petrarca, the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at for the night. After getting settled in, we decided to explore the town and find dinner. We decided on American food and went to the Hard Rock Cafe and enjoyed a burger, chicken and fries. We walked along the water and found ourselves in little cobble stone streets and squares where locals and their children were playing soccer and enjoying each others company. Of course we had to get our fill on gelato, I tasted a new cookie flavor that was delicious. After ending the night in San Marcos Square, we were anxious to begin our second day in Venice.

I love Italian breakfasts, well at least what we are fed at our B&Bs so far. Delicious juice (blood orange is my favorite), hard boiled eggs, croissants (they are covered or filled with goodness), fruit and toast with nutella spread perfectly on top, doesn't get much better than that. After another perfect breakfast, we headed out to enjoy Venice. Making our way to Frari Church, we strolled through small streets lined with shops, squares and small bridges to cross, where you could look down and see the little homes on the water. We listened to Rick Steve's walking tour of Frari Church and learned all about it's Gothic beauty. After our tour, we saw a crepe stand and I was over joyed to eat my first crepe on this trip to Europe! It sure hit the spot! We made our way back to San Marcos Square and went to the top of the light house where we realized Scott had left his IPhone at Frari's Church a ways back. After enjoying the view from the light house as much as possible in the circumstances, we trekked back to the church in hopes of finding the lost phone. Some one had returned his phone, an answer to our prayers. What an amazing tender mercy! Being throughly relieved, we decided to go on a gondola ride. It was a beautiful relaxing journey through the canals and under beautiful bridges, one of my favorite parts of Venice. After our ride, we had our last Italian dinner of pizza, spaghetti and gelatos. We ended our stay in Venice with our Rick Steve's tour of San Marco Basilica, which was one of Scott's favorite churches so far. We collected our bags from our B&B and made our way to the train station to take our overnight train to Salzburg. I was fully impressed by our room on the train, complete with a sink, snacks and breakfast at 3:30am before we arrived in Salzburg at 4am.

The waters of Venice were beautiful and now we are in the hills of Salzburg, that are alive with music, European traveling is the best!

Euro Trip 2011: Part 3

2011-05-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to head back to Vatican City to climb the hundreds of steps to the top of the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica and were shocked at the line wrapping all the way around St. Peter's Square. We were a bit disappointed because the view would have been amazing but we just kept saying well we will do it next time we are in Rome, we will be back soon. :) We decided gelato would make us feel better and Trip Advisor had Le Gelateria Frigidarium as the number one restaurant in Rome so we had to try. Although it was delicious, I say Old Bridge still is number one on my list. Scott got Frigidarium's house flavor though and it was amazing. I guess we can have more than one favorite gelato place in Rome. While we were walking around town, near the capital there were tons of people from the Italian Military with their tanks parked with people taking pictures in them, we decided to join in. We had a couple outdoor plazas and market places circled on our map we hadn't visited so we moseyed through some of them on our way to dinner at the number two place in Rome on Trip Advisor, an Indian Restaurant called Krishna 13. It was fantastic, the best Indian food we have ever had! We ended the night with a little more gelato on our way home.

Euro Trip 2011: Part 2

2011-05-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Every morning we have a delicious breakfast made by Laura and enjoy the company of the other house guests, I love B&Bs! Yesterday after breakfast we began our day on a walking tour by Rick Steve in a beautiful area near the river called Trastevere. The walking tour really allowed us to get a real feel of the beauty and character of the area. After our tour we had lunch in the area at a quaint little restaurant which had the Italian classics.

After lunch we headed up to Vatican City with reservations for the Vatican Museum, thanks to Scott we skipped the long line in the heat. We walked through the museum which ends at the Sistine Chapel and enjoyed the beauty of Michelangelo's work. Right outside Vatican City there is the best gelato (thanks Addie for the recommendation) at a little shop called Old Bridge Gelatoria. The line was quite long but totally worth the wait. After our delicious gelatos we went into St. Peter's Basilica and walked down to the crypts below the cathedral. After admiring all the art and history of the Vatican we headed over near the Patheon for dinner at a little Italian Pub which was quite interesting. During dinner an older Italian man came out of the back yelling at everyone to cheer while he served a girl a plate with a pretty explicit meal while everyone yelled and laughed. We couldn't stop laughing and asked our waiter, although he didn't speak much English what this was all about and he just said "we do it all the time". I love all the funny, interesting, unforgettable experiences of traveling. We ended the night walking home in the rain and laughing about our funny, fantastic day.

Euro Trip 2011: Part 1

2011-05-02T12:03:00.000-07:00

We are in Rome, Italy!

After arriving yesterday afternoon, throughly exhausted from our flight, we were thrilled to be greeted at our bed and breakfast by Laura the owner of Aldebaran B&B where we are staying. Laura is very friendly and really makes us feel right at home, she even refers to it as our home. We took a nap after getting situated in our room and then woke up in time to go out on the town to see the concert for May Day (Labor Day for Italy) and the celebrations being held in honor of Pope John Paul II being declared blessed. There were tons of people here for the ceremonies which made for interesting people watching. We walked around downtown for a while, bought our Roma Pass (best decision ever), ate some Italian Pizza, had my first Cola Light of the trip and ended the night with some delicious gelato. It was a perfect first day in Rome!

We had a good night sleep and woke up today to some delicious breakfast made by Laura and were joined by other couples staying in the house for some enjoyable morning company, one couple from Spain and the other from England. After breakfast we were off for a full day of sightseeing. Thanks to Scott's preparation and Rick Steve's advice our day was wonderful.

We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Piazza Venezia, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps. Although the sites were very busy due to all the visitors in the city for the Pope, we didn't wait in any lines and had guided tours without paying a dime. How you might ask? Well Scott was on top of it and had us get a Roma Pass which includes all these sites without lines and we downloaded Rick Steve's Audio Tours on our phones, directions and pictures included to give you a free all inclusive tour of all the sites. Also Rick recommended an inexpensive, delicious place to get lunch which made the day enjoyable and in the budget. Our day was fantastic and well worth every step on the cobble stone roads.

I also added my map reading skills and memories of last time I was in Rome to help us get around.

By the end of the day we were ready to get home fast so we hopped on the metro and a couple stops later we were back at Manzoni, our metro stop to our home in Rome.

Stay tuned for the Vatican City and more tomorrow!

XBOX KINECT

2011-04-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Scott has been wanting a XBOX for a while. I wasn't too excited about the idea. I might have even returned one he had purchased a while back, even though I agreed to the purchase. So my sister being the most thoughtful person you will ever know, decided Scott deserves a XBOX no matter what I thought. So for Scott's graduation she got my whole side of the family together to get him a XBOX. We have been playing Kinect Sports and besides getting a little work-out, I have to say it is a great deal of fun, especially with friends.

Tonight our friends Drew and Tiffany were over for a little Kinect action and man did they get it.

Thanks for the fun times guys. Let's have a rematch soon. If anyone else is up for the Varley Challenge just let us know!

Graduation

2011-04-25T18:05:00.000-07:00

Scott is officially a BYU graduate and I couldn't be more proud. He has worked so hard and landed the perfect job for our little family. Although we are sad to leave our college life, especially all the amazing friends we have made, we are thrilled to begin the next chapter of our lives in Salt Lake City. Scott and I are so blessed to have so much love and support from our family and we enjoyed having so many of them here for Scott's graduation. Thanks again for all of you who sent your love and congratulations from near and far, we really appreciate it!

Dently Bruce

2011-04-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning Scott and I were thrilled to welcome another nephew in our family. My sister Natalie and brother-in-law Danny had an adorable little boy named Dently Bruce and we were lucky enough to go to the hospital and hold him when he was only a few hours old.

We already love you so much Dently!

Last Day of Class

2011-04-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

Although Scott doesn't look too happy (he has a hard time functioning in the morning) he was ecstatic that today was his last day of class at BYU as an undergrad. I have to say I'm pretty thrilled myself to have a soon-to-be graduated hubby.

To celebrate we got to attend the last Jazz game of the season, thanks to our friend Nate who provided the tickets. It was a perfect reward to all Scott's hard work.

Some of my friends from work were there too so they came and sat next to us, love these ladies!

The Jazz won which always makes for a fun game and then we left in the pouring rain. Scott didn't have a coat and we parked pretty far away to avoid paying for parking so we ran all the way to our car laughing the whole time. We were completely soaked when we got there. It was a perfect end to the last day of class.

Go Jazz!

Celebrating Wink

2011-04-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Hilary!

I am blessed to have this beautiful lady in my life and have her as one of my dearest friends. It has been such a treat to have her here in Utah for the last month while she is in flight attendant training. I am going to miss spending her days off together but maybe she will use her free flights to come back and visit really soon.

Love you Wink!

My Favorite Little Super Hero

2011-04-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend was filled with amazing company, inspiring words and lots of laughs, thanks to this little man and his awesome older brother.

Side Note: I really need to take more pictures, linking to old posts is not exciting at all. I am turning a new leaf and going to start blogging again, there I said it!

Joseph Smith on youtube

2011-03-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'm glad they put this up on youtube! It's a great film!

WE LOVE BYU...

2011-03-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

...and JIMMER!

oh so sensuous. . .

2011-02-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

hillary loves sensuous sandwich and i love hillary so that makes for a great lunch date...

here i am between some french dippin'

yes, love...i know you don't want that picture posted...i just thought it would show how tasty your sandwich is.

and lastly, one of hillary cheesing it for the camera man.

hillary and i have a great time here in p-town, maybe because there are lots of little places like this to grab a bite to eat...

Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

Our day of LOVE was filled with some of the little things in life that we LOVE.

Scott gifted me beautiful red roses, a Volcano Capri Candle with the new beautifully en-graven lids (I love lighting candles in our home and this scent never gets old), a darling headband that will make a bad hair day disappear, and an adorable card with matryoshka dolls on it, he knows me oh too well! I know Scott's love of watches and he has had his eye on this one so I put it with some of his favorite chocolates and a homemade card and he was a happy hubby!

We spent the evening at one of our very favorite restaurants, Red Iguana, it was absolutely delicious as always.

All in all it was another awesome Valentine's day with my perfect Valentine. I will keep him as My Valentine FOREVER!

I LOVE YOU MR.VARLEY!

Love These Ladies

2011-02-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

College was some of the best years of my life, thanks to these girls and they have become some of my closest friends. I loved having us all together again for the weekend, reminiscing of old times and making new memories. Love you guys!

It's Official!

2011-01-20T19:54:00.000-08:00

Scott recently accepted an offer to work for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City. We are so blessed and couldn't be more thrilled for this new adventure together!

We would love any advice on SLC living! :)

Letter to Santa

2010-12-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

It was so good to see you down at the Riverwoods, you are always so cheery and your laugh is adorable. We really appreciate keeping us on the nice list, I know it's a close call sometimes but we will try even harder next year, we promise! Really we have everything we want and more, but maybe if you could put a good word in at GS for us it would help. We will be in California for Christmas this year so drop in if you can. You are the BEST!

Love,

The Varleys

Oh, Christmas Tree

2010-12-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

We have loved having our Christmas tree up, it brings such a wonderful feeling into our home. This year I bought us stockings with the last of our wedding gift cards. Although we don't have a mantel to hang them from, I love them so much! I can't wait to spend Christmas in sunny California this year.

Isn't Christmas simply the best?

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T18:38:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year Scott's parents were sweet enough to plan a weekend getaway in SLC. We had so much fun relaxing in the hotel, shopping, eating delicious food, seeing a beautiful musical called Savior of the World, walking around Temple Square looking at all the Christmas lights and best of all spending time with family. It was a perfect, much needed, weekend away.

Thanks again Papa Mike and Mama SuzAnne for everything!

UTAH JAZZ!

2010-11-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

If you know my husband at all you know he loves the Utah Jazz! We were lucky enough to see the Jazz play the Clippers which was an awesome game with the Jazz winning in double overtime. Then the next week Scott's friend Cameron and him went to see the Nets play the Jazz and they sat three rows up from the court. I have to admit I really enjoy watching the games and love my Jazz Fan!

Go Jazz!

A Little Photo Sesh

2010-11-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Peyton was sweet enough to do a little photo shoot for us and because of her talent and creativity, they turned out pretty awesome.

Thanks again Peyton, we love them!

bread pudding...

2010-11-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

if you ever want to feel your heart slow down from sugar intake go get the bread pudding at nordstrom cafe. it is sooo worth it, one of the best desserts ever.

the flash on my phone camera kinda washed out the tasty treat, but hill still looks cute

it was tasty.

and for good measure my chicken avocado soup. also very delicious.

D.C. in Pictures

2010-10-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

A fun filled birthday weekend complete with some of my favorite people, mouth-watering food, a White House Garden Tour, a bit of history, a butterfly exhibit, shopping, fall photo shoot, and much much more. All in all, it was amazing but the truth is I left my heart in Utah the whole time.

Thank you Scott for the perfect birthday surprise, I wish you could have enjoyed it all with me.

I LOVE YOU HUBBY! :)

happy birthday!

2010-10-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

happy birthday hillary! you are the best wifey ever!

now lets all use hillary's birthday as an excuse to show everyone how good lookin' my wife is:

What A Wonderful Surprise!

2010-10-14T05:21:00.000-07:00

Scott's alarm went off at 3:15AM this morning and he insisted on giving me my birthday present. I was half asleep and thought he was crazy, since my birthday isn't till Monday and it was the middle of the night. He persisted so I slowly opened the card and I read the sweet words he wrote and was even more confused since there was a good amount of cash inside the card but nothing to explain. I went on to open the present and there was a boarding pass inside, for a minute I just kept asking questions... where is this to, do I have work, what about you, does anyone know, where am I staying??? Scott just smiled and said you're going to DC and everything is worked out. I was so excited but still really confused how he kept a secret for so long but thanks to so many wonderful people (Natalie, Brittany, Christine, Melissa), most importantly my husband I am leaving in a couple hours for Washington DC and everything is ready for me to a have perfect birthday weekend. I just wish Scott could come but he is holding down the fort at home.

What a wonderful husband! :)

A Couple Shots

2010-09-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

We hosted a BBQ on Sunday...

Scott manned the grill...

and even though I don't have pictures to show for it, there were people there. The two pictures I have were taken by my talented friend Peyton who is pretty savvy with her camera.

Our Mexican Adventure

2010-09-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

We got to spend seven days in the beautiful city of Puerta Vallarta with our awesome travel buddies, Jason and Lauren Varley! The city had so much character, friendly people, and a spectacular view.

We walked up the pebble streets of the city and admired the view and all the beautiful homes.

We walked down the boardwalk almost every night and enjoyed the sunset and all the people.

We took the bus into town each day and walked around the city, all the streets had fun shops and all the people were so friendly.

Scott and Jason doing the cousin thing, "dancing in the streets".

We kept hearing about this restaurant in town called Pipi's and decided to try it, we couldn't get enough and had to go back for our last dinner too. The service was perfect, the atmosphere was wonderful and the food was to die for!

We relaxed and played by the pool every day which had an infinity edge to the ocean, it was perfect!

Our big adventure began with a rafting trip across the bay to a beautiful little cove.

Then we took big army trucks up the mountain to the middle of the jungle.

We geared up at camp and got on mules (not pictured) and road to the very top of the jungle.

Then we zip lined through the most beautiful, perfectly green jungle, repelled down waterfalls, walked through rivers, balanced across bridges and made it all the way back to the bottom of the jungle where we hiked back to camp. We couldn't have asked for a better jungle adventure.

All in all our trip was an absolute success!

Time for a Vaca

2010-08-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

We will be here in four days and I can hardly wait!

Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

Time Flies When You Are In LOVE

2010-08-18T20:46:00.002-07:00

I don't know any other year time frame in my life that has gone by as fast as this last year. It's crazy how fast time goes by when you are so incredibly happy and let me tell you this last year has been the happiest year of my life. Why you might ask... well it's because I have been married to the most amazing man for this last year and for many more to come, well all the years to come... forever actually.

So here's to being in LOVE!

Happy One Year Anniversary... I LOVE YOU!

cost-co gel-LOT-o

2010-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Never Too Late To Celebrate

2010-07-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Scott's first birthday as a married man was a success! He woke up to a few gifts from me and a homemade banner I made with the help of my sweet friend Beth then we both went to work for the day but I was able to get off early so we drove up to Red Iguana for dinner and were delighted to spend the evening with our dear friends the Bartons. Scott's parents were so sweet to order a delicious cake that we enjoyed with the Gourdins and Bartons and then ended the night going to see the movie Knight and Day.

Happy 23rd Birthday to the Love of my Life!

HELP save the world

2010-06-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

eco scraps

this post is SERIOUS business. for real. please read it and please help eco scraps!

eco scraps is a provo company that has been around for less than a year. it was started by byu's own daniel blake. watch this video for a little more info:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol3KB8MY1_I

long story short: eco scraps takes food waste, namely produce and coffee grounds from local stores and coffee shops and turns it into a 100% organic compost or soil amendment (dirt).

the awesome thing about it is what it does for the environment - over 20% of landfills is made up by food waste. . .the goal is to reduce the world carbon footprint!

1 bag of eco scraps dirt is the equivalent of taking 1 car off the road for one month in green house gas reduction! our cars are not near the problem that throwing out our food is!

i made that short story long again, to the point. . .this is where we need you! click this link to vote for eco scraps in a business competition so the business can win $25,000. this will help the company grow and CHANGE THE WORLD! this can happen but only if we get your vote. we NEED every vote, this is very doable, the leader has about 350 votes, we have 13. . .but there are only 2 days to vote. please please help us win!

we really appreciate you voting, i know most people just read blogs and never comment or do anything, but this would mean a ton to some byu students trying to get this thing off the ground.

IF YOU VOTE PLEASE WRITE IT IN AS A COMMENT SO EVERYONE CAN SEE OTHERS ARE VOTING! REWARDS COULD COME TO THOSE WHO VOTE (if we win...;)

go to our twitter to see the dozens and dozens of articles published in print and on the web about eco scraps. it has been featured on the front page of the paper and even in 'green' blogs as far off as ITALY and the UK!

www.ecoscraps.net

twitter: @eco_scraps

facebook: Eco Scraps

sunday bike rides

2010-06-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

sunday sunday

2010-06-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

sunday was filled with lots of playing nintendo nes. . super mario bros 1 and 3.

here's hill and dustin livin the dream.

love sundays.

hippies

2010-06-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

hillary and i met some funny hippies in boulder a few weekends ago. these dudes are real hippies, they live in the woods and reek of plants.

Colorado Weekend

2010-06-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to spend a long weekend in Colorado with Scott's parents who always make us feel right at home.

Denver included a little shopping, Scott's favorite restaurant, Mexico City Lounge and watching the Rockies take on the Dodgers at Coors Field, the home team won!

There's nothing better than wings at the one and only Buffalo Wild Wings!

Boulder on Memorial Day was perfect, a beautiful college town filled with so much character, I loved it!

Garden of the Gods was a great way to end the trip. If you look close you can see the kissing camels in the rocks.

Thank you so much Mike and SuzAnne for the amazing weekend getaway, we loved spending it with you!

happy birthday kara!

2010-05-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

disclaimer: this message is intended for the day ofmay 28starting at midnight.

dearest sister,

happy birthday!

(this is a link)

we love you so and hope you are enjoying your magical disney summer.

we miss you lots too.

love always,

scott and hillary

just a note with meaningful sayings important to kara for kara while in orlando:

remember who your favorite brother is

return with disney secrets/gifts

wwybditis? (what would your brother do in this insane situation?)

ctr (create the radness)

i think only kara will get this. . .and think it's funny. . .funny because it's stupid.

happy birthday

beginner's luck

2010-05-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

on saturday we played some texas hold 'em with
christine and nate. . .hillary had some serious
beginner's luck. that is her stash of coin. she
would bet big every time, somehow having been dealt
the best hands. after all the cards where out and
bets in she would turn over her cards and ask if she
had anything. . . of course she did, just the
winning hand time after time. it was pretty funny.

slaby dabby do...

2010-05-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

i was given a choice: put away our clean undies or blog about our dinner. . .so here i blog. i have become the blog master as of late anyway, if you look at the posts i've got the last several. i guess that is what happens when i have homework i should be doing. . .

my buddy bryson and everyone in provo have been talking about a pizza place called slab. so hillary and i walked over and got some grub. i know, i know everyone else has already been and blogged about it. but here is our post. but i post because the owner is a cool guy. i'd buy pizza from him any day. . .plus hillary is such a babe when she eats pizza, that any time i throw up a cute picture of her it is worth the post. . .

good pizza. good date with the wife. i sure do enjoy my life.

p.s. i got a free shirt for you bryson.

p.p.s. hillary is still on the phone so i think that means my duty as a hus-badA means i go put away the undies? t of f? probably true. . . fake doing homework or put away the whites. . ? would it be more legit if i read a sentence or two from my text for real??? does one or two sentences set me free? oh the challenges i face everyday;)

m&m

2010-05-13T20:56:00.001-07:00

we had a wedding in the family! congratulations to michael and maile! they are an awesome couple and the day was great!

just some pics from my trusty holga.

thanks dad

2010-05-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

hey dad, hillary got your gift.

here is the video:

and a photo:

needless to say she was pretty excited/surprised and she loves it. thanks a million!

big announcement

2010-05-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

first i would like to apologize that this announcement comes via blog. . .tacky i know. . .but we didn't have time to call everyone and share the good news.

hillary and i have a big announcement for everyone. it may come as a shock to many, but for some time now we have been expecting a new addition to our family. . .and this week it happened. . . we adopted.

his name is spike. sometimes i call him

spikey. he is getting bigger so fast. he loves to eat and just grows grows grows. he likes to relax and is very mellow, such a good little guy. very easy to handle and deal with. he does a great job being home by himself through out the day too, while we are off at school and work. just the type of little one hillary and i need around our place.

you know. . .sometimes i think i wasn't ready yet. we always thought we would wait but when it's time. . .it's time and spike was more than ready to join this family. makes me realize that the good Lord knows better than we do and when He needs us to take in and love one of his little ones then it is our pleasure to do so.

spike has an interesting story. . .hillary's sweet mother, elaine, found this little guy at wally's worlds (walmart for those that don't comprender). he had not even hit the floor yet. . .so meant to be. she was just looking around and had the impression that hill and i have had so many times before. . .our home was missing something. that something. . .SPIKE.

he grew like crazy. this picture is after we had him for several days and i realized that i should take a picture because he literally was growing those little sprout things at a rate of over and inch a day. he has slowed down a little. probably tired.

well here he is. spike, our new bonsai palm.

con-graduation-s!

2010-04-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

hillary is now a BYU graduate!!

we had a great weekend!

she looked wonderful when she walked and we all went out to eat afterwards!

we loved having our family come to visit!

here's the group in the above picture: hill, scott, elaine(grad's mommy), dustin(grad's cousin), derek(grad's cousin), lauren (grad's sister), and biff(grad's dad)...and same group below with ian (grad's sister's man)

congratulations hillary!

oh i almost forgot. . .hillary is making us proud! she is the first college graduate on her father's side of the family!

Busy As Can Be

2010-04-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

This last week has been a crazy one... Scott finished up finals, family came in town for my graduation and WE MOVED!!! I still can't believe we started moving Saturday at 1pm and were completely moved in, boxes unpacked and pictures hung by Sunday at midnight. Scott even had food poisoning the night before and still was such a trooper. We were so lucky to have my mom in town and my sweet cousins Derek and Dustin at our beckoning call, we couldn't have done it without them and all the other helpers that came at last minute notice. We are so happy with our new place, although we have so many fond memories from our first home together. Here are some pictures for memory's sake. :)

Pictures of our new home coming soon!

nordstrom all-star!

2010-04-06T17:41:00.001-07:00

hillary is a nordstrom all-star!!! this is like employee of the month or customer service person of the month. she was awarded this two weeks ago and i was going to post about it then but decided to wait because they are going to put her picture on the wall (next to the customer service place) and i wanted to take a picture of it but i am realizing that might be a while so here it is:

CONGRATULATIONS HILLARY!

you rock! hillary is excited about this because she will now receive 33% off her purchases rather than the prior 20%. that's all she really cares about.

i took this of hillary working hard. taken with my trusty holga.

so here is what they wrote about hillary in her nordstrom monthly newsletter thing:

"hillary is a go-getter employee!! if you ask her to do something she speeds over and gets it done. she always wants more hours and more opportunity. she is excited to be at work and her customers see that in her. hillary does everything with a smile and she is always so happy to help anyone and everyone. . .she keeps track of her customer's needs and wants and gets right back to them. hillary goes above and beyond for each and every customer no matter what the issue, and she goes 110 mph through the store to find that perfect solution. hillary has a great memory and can keep her customers straight and juggle multiple things at a time. she can create sales out of dust. . .she is always eager to learn and grow and it would be a great asset to nordstrom to keep her around. we really appreciate her hard work and dedication each and every day for us."

i am so proud and thankful to have the best wife who works so so hard for us to live a good life! congrats again hillary, i'm excited to see your picture on the wall and watch....you... use....that....33%....

Procrastinating Decorating No More!

2010-04-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am not very confident in my sense of decorating so it's hard for me to make purchases in this area but lately Scott and I have been watching HGTV and I have been looking at design blogs which has inspired me to start taking action on a small scale in my decorating. I am still in the process of purchasing and decorating but for now here are some of my design dreams.

Scott's Lasik

2010-04-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp6Q4e7GfTo

here is the video of my eye surgery. i would have done one of those cool links where the youtube video is right on the blog but for the life of me i could not figure it out. So when you watch it the first thing the doctor does to both eyes is put on a suction thing and then touches this laser to my eye that cuts a flap in my eye. then he moves me to a different machine where he opens the flaps and the laser corrects my eye and then he closes the flap. simple as that!

He Can See!!!

2010-03-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

As of 3:10pm today Scott can see without glasses or contacts thanks to LASIK Surgery! Scott has been wanting Lasik for a while now and we feel so blessed he was able to get it. Although his eyes are scratchy, dry and in dyer need of itching, he is doing well and says he can see, although it is slightly blurry at this point. I couldn't believe it when we were lying in bed and he didn't have to ask me what time it was, he was able to see our alarm clock himself! Here is Scott ready for bed with his protective shields in place.

Video of his surgery to come!

Taco Tuesday Anyone???

2010-03-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

Scott absolutely LOVES fish tacos! Since the opening of Rubio's in Orem, we have made a point to go to Taco Tuesday for their fish tacos that are only $1.25 and AMAZINGLY delicious. We look forward to dinner on Tuesday nights every week because of these delectable tacos. Although I believe the fish tacos at Jon's Fish Market in the Dana Point Harbor are still his favorite, Rubio's will have to do while we are here in Utah. Hope to see you next Tuesday!

The sun is out...

2010-03-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

and so are our bikes! We took full advantage of the warm weather this weekend and went on a couple bike rides. It still isn't as warm as I would like but it sure was nice to get outside and ride around town, one of our favorite past times. I sure hope the sun stays around and the rain and snow are gone for good. Spring and summer are the best times in Provo so let the fun begin!

"Keeping Up with the Joneses"

2010-03-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

Blake and Peyton were so sweet to have us over for an early St. Patrick's Day Dinner. Peyton made delicious potato cheese soup, potatoes=Irish... cute idea huh? The Bartons were also there and Hannah made a yummy salad, the dressing was amazing and we had mint and chip ice cream pie for dessert. It was a fabulous St. Patty's Day Meal. These two couples are awesome and we are so lucky to know them. If only I could have Peyton's adorable sense of style and have Hannah's sweet laugh and smile, she could melt anyone, then maybe we could keep up with the Joneses and Bartons. :)

Elise Lauren Photography

2010-03-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

One of my friends from back home, Elise Capener, is one of the most talented people I know and she is sharing her talent by doing an awesome giveaway so check it out! She has such a love for her work and you can see it in all of her photographs. If you are looking for a REAL photographer, look no further!

A Shirt to Believe In

2010-02-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

Get yours at Nordstrom today!

California Dreamin

2010-02-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's Weekend we were lucky enough to go to California to see all of our parents, lots of family members and meet the newest additions to our family. We had so much fun and loved spending some quality time with the people we owe everything to, our loving parents... we are lucky enough to have seven! :) We also got to meet these lovely ladies, who are absolutely adorable in every way.

The weekend came and went too quickly and we can't wait to plan our next trip.

Alice Lane Home Collection

2010-02-21T22:03:00.000-08:00

We are lucky to have some real gems where we live and one of those is Alice Lane Home Collection Boutique. I discovered this amazing home decor store a while back and took Scott back right away. We love the feeling of the store and can't get enough of all the amazing decor ideas. One day we will be able to implement all of our ideas in our home but for now it's fun to look and dream. One treasure Scott and I do love is a decorative pillow that is there right now...

you probably can guess why we love it, we have a couple other matryoska dolls to match.

Everyone should check out their blog or better yet stop by and check out the store yourself and you will know why we love it so much!

A Beautiful Surprise

2009-12-17T11:17:00.001-08:00

I just finished my last final I will ever take at BYU and when I got home there was a pleasant surprise on my doorstep, a large package. I quickly went inside and opened it because I couldn't image what it could be. I was very excited when I found this beautiful gift inside.

I have been thinking our door needed something but I never imaged something so beautiful, I LOVE IT!

The best part about it is it's made from real grapevines and dried grapes from Napa Valley.

We are so lucky to have such an amazing family to think of us at this time of year.

Thank you so much Billy and Susie, you don't know much it means to us!

As of Lately

2009-12-13T22:56:00.000-08:00

Life has been busy with school finishing up, my last and final semester and work for both of us, Christmas in retail is a crazy time but I love it!

First off for the catch up is THANKSGIVING. We were lucky enough to spend it in Vegas with the Noordas!

Uncle Jim sure knows how to cook a turkey, well lots of turkeys.

Everyone else made delicious side dishes and pies too!

Scott won a signed Millsap jersey, which ended in a foot race to the Delta Center. He told me he was going to come into my work that night with it on after he won it and sure enough he came running in with the jersey on. I have to say I didn't think he would win but he proved me wrong. From now on I need to realize when my husband puts his mind to something, he does it!

We got our first Christmas Tree and although it is kinda bare, it sure makes our home have more of the holiday feel.

Lastly we went to Costco to meet Sarah Palin and have her sign a book. It was fun experience and she said, "You are a beautiful couple!" :)

That is just a quick update, we have done a lot more but I need to take more pictures. So that is it for now.

Welcome Olive and Parker!!!

2009-12-03T19:24:00.000-08:00

Congrats to my sister ashley and bro in law shawn, their twin girls were born on nov 30!! these are my first nieces on my side of the family (hillary has several cute ones...). i am so excited for them and to have these cute cute girls in the family! i cant wait to hold them!! so here they are...:)

this is parker:)

and this is olive!

i'm pretty sure i put the right name with the right baby. congrats again ashley and shawn!

In-N-Out

2009-11-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

It's finally here, only five minutes away and we love it! People camped out the night before it opened but we waited a day to let the lines die down, even though we still waited thirty minutes in the drive through (a lot better than two hours the day before), where they had the line through out the parking lot with In-N-Out workers every few yards to guide the way. We took it home and had a delicious burger, fries and shake!

Birthday Dinner

2009-11-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

Although we were late, we decided to go to a belated birthday dinner for Dustin and I's birthdays. We decided on Red Robin and had delicious burgers and fries.

I love getting together with Derek and Dustin, catching up on their lives is always fun and they are a joy to be around.

We Love Our Families!

Thanks Uncle Craig and Aunt Tina for dinner, we wish you were there. :)

J + C

2009-11-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

We made a quick trip to Vegas this weekend for Camille and Josh's wedding. She looked beautiful and they couldn't stop smiling. The whole day turned out perfect and we enjoyed celebrating their union and spending time with friends and family.

We got to stay at Nana and Grandpa's house and spend time with them which is always a joy.

WE LOVE YOU Nana and Grandpa!

The reception turned out gorgeous and it was so much fun. There was lots of dancing, delicious food and tons of good company.

Maddox crashed from all the fun.

He is so adorable!

All in all our quick trip was lots of fun and we enjoyed our time with family. We hope to get back to Vegas soon.

A little town we call Cayucos

2009-11-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

We got to go to Cayucos to visit my Mom and Step Dad's home. They have done an outstanding job designing and building a beautiful home that is so unique and has a great location. I love it there! We had so much fun and I loved showing Scott my "home away from home". We took a picture from the pier where you can see my parent's home and my grandmother's old house that my parents turned into a beach rental.

We met up with some of my friends and had lunch in Cambria and then drove up the coast towards San Simeon where we got to see tons of seals and this is considered the less crowded time of the year.

We had to take Scott to the famous San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market which has delicious food, beautiful flowers and fun people watching.

We also went to Madonna Inn and had hot fudge sundaes which were delicious and the decor is so funny to look at.

Halloween was fun because I got to see friends and go to my parent's trunk or treat party. I was a flower and Scott was such a good sport to be my honeybee because he's so sweet!

Thanks Mom and Dad for everything... we had so much fun and we loved seeing you!

Baked Potato Please...

2009-10-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

I got home from work a few days ago and I was hungry so I decided to make a baked potato. I washed it off and placed it on a paper towel in the microwave. I put it on for about nine minutes, thinking that was a good amount of time and planning to check on it before the nine minutes were up. I went in the other room to talk to Scott about his day and before I knew it I forgot about my potato. I ran in the kitchen and opened the microwave and this is what I found...

The microwave was filled with smoke and a horrible burnt scent. The smoke covered our kitchen and then into our our living room and through out our house. My poor husband was running around turning off the fire alarm, opening all the doors and windows and doing this...

It has been about four days and our house still smells like smoke even though we have been keeping all the windows open, which makes it quite freezing.

Thanks Scott for dealing with me and all my silly ideas.

Birthday Weekend!

2009-10-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

My wonderful husband packed lots of my favorite things into one weekend to make it the perfect Birthday Weekend...

Red Iguana

Park City
friends

delicious food made by him

family

Kneaders

massages

shopping

beautiful necklace

kisses and hugs

new boots

love note

and

non-stop time together :)

It was too perfect... Thanks Scott and everyone else for all the BIRTHDAY LOVE!

check it out

2009-10-16T16:32:00.001-07:00

check out some of the photos i've been taking lately!

this is one of my wonderful wife who's birthday is on sunday!

come over for cake and ice cream around 9!

Weekend Get Away!

2009-10-13T21:11:00.000-07:00

We had the fun opportunity to go to Logan, Utah for the weekend thanks to Mom and Dad Varley! So we packed our bags picked up Kara and drove the two hours to the beautiful Logan, Utah. What brought us all together was Mary Kay. I was excited to find out a little more about Scott's parents business and meet many friends I have heard so much about. It was lots of fun and the people were awesome... all of them so friendly, kind and funny too! I am sorry to say, I didn't take many pictures, I need to get better at this.

I wish we had a picture of SuzAnne speaking because she did such an amazing job, she is such an inspiring woman.

Thanks again...

We Love You MOM AND DAD!

My "Big Puffy Jacket"

2009-10-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's getting pretty cold here so I pulled out my "big puffy jacket" that keeps me oh so warm. The only problem is my husband despises it! If anyone knows my husband he is a cuddly person, his mother says his love language is physical touch, which I would have to agree. His favorite thing is to be close to me and so "the big puffy jacket" gets in the way. Moral of the story... he hates the "big puffy jacket". He says he is going to find a warm jacket that he is still able to cuddle with me in. But as for now I will continue to wear my "big puffy jacket" because I love it and it sure does keep me warm!

My Husband the Photographer

2009-10-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Scott and his new Holga...

He was so excited when it came in the mail today, he was running around the house giggling. I am so excited to see the artwork he will create with his new camera. Thanks Scott for embracing your talents. :)
You can see some of Scott's other work on his website. He will have Holga pieces soon.

sunday night at the varley home

2009-10-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

this is what newlyweds do on sunday night...photo booth

pretend you have an itch on your nose...

show them teeth

imagine your husband came home with no gut...

the cat just died...

got any hanging?

and just for kicks a family portrait!!

Call To Serve Him

2009-10-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Friday night we went to Scott's Mission Reunion. It was so good to meet all of his friends and companions. Scott was lucky enough to have the BEST Mission President Couple. They were so sweet to come to our sealing and have given us continuous love and support. President and Sister Collins are truly amazing! They gave inspired messages to continue serving the Lord, keeping the commandments, and being obedient. We LOVE you President and Sister Collins!

Elder Sorensen and Elder Spring...

are silly boys...

we sure do love them!

Josh and Austin, thanks for being such great friends to my husband!

These are Scott's companions that were at the reunion, such a great group of guys. You can see the LOVE!

This was the whole group of missionaries. What a fabulous group, who all worked so hard to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for all your hard work and diligence. I LOVE Missionaries and RUSSIA!

THANK YOU President and Sister Collins for such an awesome reunion!

A Little Surprise

2009-10-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Last night I came home to this...

Thanks Scott for always letting me know how much you love me!

(The rad vase he brought home from Mexico last year for me.)

why i love hillary

2009-09-26T01:02:00.000-07:00

so i can't sleep and thought this would be a perfect chance for me to list the first ten things that come to mind of why i love hillary!

10. she works hard, loves to work, and is good at it!

9. she thinks she is funny and she is, and it is so cute

8. when she snuggles me in the morning (assuming we are not late for class...) she is all warm and cozy

7. she sings the most ridiculous silly made up songs in the car when she thinks i'm not happy :)

6. other people love her and love to be around her too

5. she loves me even though i'm getting chubbier by the hour...

4. she has good style

3. she has a simple yet strong testimony of the gospel

2. she has no idea about sports and doesn't keep up with the news and doesn't care

1. she is extremely supportive in everything that i do, from frivolous little things like me wanting a cheap plastic camera to gargantuan things like me having all kinds of plans in school and life.

these are just the first ten things that came into my mind while i sat here. not a top ten, but just ten simple reasons why she rocks my world

Shhh...

2009-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in the Library on the 4th Floor where I should be studying for an Exam I need to take and would like to take before Scott gets home from work (I guess that's not happening). Instead I am blogging and dang there is some cute blogs out there. I definitely have my favorites, doesn't everyone? I mean that couple you just can't get enough of or that mother who seems to have to all put together. My blog has a lot of work but I also have a lot to learn about blogging. For now I will get to studying so on my night off of work, my husband and I can go on a date. :)

Random

2009-09-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Life is going great but I have nothing to show for it. I need to remember to bring my camera and take pictures. Here are just a couple of good times since school started.

We have used our gift certificates from our wedding to go out to dinner.

We went to a restaurant Scott use to go to as a kid called Peir Pont Cafe... but it's a new restaurant now well pretty much a pirate bar... we got carded and didn't stay for the dancing, but the food was still pretty good.

We celebrated Christine's Birthday at our house and made crepes which were delicious... it was fun to get together with old roomies and friends... LOVE THESE GIRLS! (Melissa was there in spirit... we sure do miss her)

Children We Adore!

2009-09-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

We love these kids and can't get enough of them!

It's so nice to have some nieces and nephews close by. :)

Wedding Pictures!

2009-09-20T21:33:00.001-07:00

We received all of our wedding pictures in the mail and once again our photographer out did herself. My favorite pictures are in the slide show she made that makes me teary eyed every time I watch it. My wedding day was truly the BEST day of my life and I wish we could do it all over again. Okay I am done blogging about our wedding. :)

thank you everyone!

2009-09-07T22:38:00.001-07:00

this pic is on the computer camera...so it's backwards...

this post is for anyone who had anything to do with our wedding!

a special thanks to all those who supported us, wrote kind notes, gave encouraging words, gifts, help, service and on and on!

thanks to our friends and families for coming, loving, and supporting us long before the wedding and after! you did so so so so much for us and dedicated so much of your time in everything from hillary's bridal shower, getting our house set up, haircuts, prep for both receptions, taking time off work to do odds and ends, being there on our special day(or sending notes:)and making our wedding day super amazing!

an extra special thank you to our parents!! our parents donated so much of everything! their time, talents, furnishings, patience, support, love, and...wallets;) everything was so amazing and would not have been near as special with out each individual! we know this was just as much if not more work for you (our parents) and we really do appreciate it beyond what words can express! WE LOVE YOU! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

love the happiest married people...scott and hillary varley

honeymoon!

2009-09-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

here it is. the long awaited, much anticipated, next post of our honeymoon!!! (yay, i hear cheers!) ok i'm sure no one is really that interested, but its friday after class and work, and hillary is at work so i thought i'd take this time to take a break from homework...wait...i worded that wrong...i'm letting homework take a break from ME! i'm sure my books would laugh if they could. anyway the honey moon was awesome here are some highlights...

our trip started with a 2 hr sit on the plane at the gate before we switched planes to leave LAX...we were smiling here because we had just gotten on the plane;)

this is us hiking down to queens bath. funny story. when we asked the concierge and others at the hotel where it is they always responded very creepishly, "we cannot talk of that place, people have died there..." it was weird. so we didn't think much of it. then we ran into a couple who said it was super pretty and awesome. so we went hunting. on the way we asked the gate guard at another hotel where it is...he said, "i cannot speak of the place." and that was it. creepy i know. we felt like we were looking for lord voldemort. in the end it we found it and it was beautiful and i'm sure it could be dangerous if you are not too bright , like spilling McD's coffee on yourself and thinking it should not be hot. i love hillary. that is in special blog code. new font i see on blogger.

this is me pretending that coconut milk is good. paid five bucks just to see the old timer use his machete.

aww...so cute...

eating desert at the beach house watching the sunset!

here is hillary feeding the locals the delicious ice cream i bought for her...she figured well, its not my cat...

oops...didn't see the sign until after:) of course i saw it before, just forgot to mention it...

"if you like pina coloada's..."

i love this stuff. she gives the bestest kisseseses...mmm...;)

look at that more pictures of us in hawaii because it is our blog and i can do what ever i want, and i love hillary!

cool tree:) people carved their names into it:(

wow what a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

riding off into the sunset with my queen

WE'RE MARRIED!

2009-09-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Life is crazy getting our little home in order, starting school, working, and being in LOVE. Our wedding was perfect, thanks to all of our family and friends. Soon we will get back into updating more often but for now you can see a glimpse of our wedding on our amazing photographer's blog.

the y

2009-07-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

here are hillary and i. we hiked the Y tonight and it was great. we also learned what we already knew...scott can be in better shape for the wedding;)

this is a photo i took with my old pentax camera. its a manual focus so i just guessed and did a self portrait of us and it turned out! see my photo's on my photo blog: scottvarley.blogspot.com

oh to be in love...:)

Good Company

2009-07-16T13:26:00.001-07:00

We were lucky enough to spend a warm afternoon down at the Riverwoods with some of our favorite people.

We had a delicious lunch at Magleby's and walked through all the adorable shops.

We are so excited to have Scott's Grandpa be his best man... he sure is qualified. We hope we are as awesome as this amazing couple one day.

Nana and Grandpa, we sure do love you!

Bikes

2009-07-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

We love random bike rides!

Trying to take pictures while you ride can be difficult...

but we sure have fun!

Getting Ready

2009-07-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

The checks are being made on my long list of "wedding stuff"...

*cutest wedding dress ever... check

*florist, caterer and photographer who I trust and adore... check

*invitations in the mail... check by Scott :)

*beautiful reception site due to our dear sweet friend Arlene... check

...and oh how the list goes on but it is coming together and I have a patient, loving, and oh so helpful fiance to make the checks go a little faster :)

Thanks Scott... I LOVE YOU!

We LOVE America!!!

2009-07-05T21:53:00.001-07:00

Saturday and Sunday were spent filling out the announcements to send to you! Hillary put her heart into this and did such a good job! I helped too, under the command of my fearless leader, of course;) doesn't she look so cute? i LOVE her!

Here we are on the 4th (am) going to the parade.

We LOVE our bikes and EACH OTHER!!!!

dang hillary is such a fox...

Here we are with Drew and Tiffany(below)! "They are AWESOME!" in the words of my beautiful bride, and I can't disagree!! We all went on a bike ride on the night of the third, there were so so so many people out, there must have been 500+ people just in the parking lot of the 7/11. EVERYONE was out riding bikes, scooters, motorcycles, driving big trucks, and hotrods up and down University Ave. Hundreds of families were camped out on the sides of the street saving spots for the parade the next morning. It was great fun!

This video is of the cops trying to get people to clear out of 7/11. Madness! (it only worked for ten min when they turned on the sirens;)