TID + BITS OF LIFE ❤️

I have been squeezing in a lot these past few weeks. Probably too much! Like attending concerts when I am nine months pregnant, haha. I took my brother with me to the Imagine Dragons concert and we had a blast. He was a true sport spending the night with his pregnant sister who couldn't even stand up that long to dance! I know I was probably a pretty lame date for something like this, but he was sweet about it all and didn't seem too embarrassed to be seen out with me! haha It really was such a great show. They know how to perform and really get the audience going. I also loved all the stage setups, lights and smoke etc. Such a great show! I wish we had been on the floor, but then again, knowing I could hardly stand for longer than 5 minutes.... I really did need a seat! haha

Full on nesting mode! We still have a few tweaks we need to make in the nursery but for the most part, all the hard stuff is done. I painted the closet doors last week, Trevor installed them, and started putting doorknobs back on everything. This little girl won't even appreciate all the hard work that it took to pull this off with me being so far along and Trevor not being able to walk! haha But we are happy with how everything turned out and are getting pretty excited to bring a little one home soon.

My visiting teacher is pretty much an angel, she also happens to be my neighbor. She insisted on throwing me a shower and even though I feel like hardly anyone knows me in the ward or neighborhood a great group of people turned up for it. It really meant a lot to me because I haven't felt like I have been apart of a true ward family since the home ward I grew up in. It was very thoughtful, and she made some killer liege waffles that tasted just like the ones from all the food trucks! They were Uh-MAZING. I am kicking myself now for not getting a picture with her, but I did manage to get some of the food :) haha

And if those waffles weren't enough I got plenty more the same week! Courtney really wanted to hit up Bruges Waffles & Frites, a place we introduced to our families back when we were freshly married and living down town (mentioned here, here and here and who knows where else on this blog we go so much! haha) and now they always want it when they come up to visit, haha. 

And then I proceeded to have even more waffles... You guys, I can't make this stuff up! haha Trevor's family wanted to throw me a family baby shower and so they came up and made.... waffles! haha It was nice to see so much of Trevor's family and spend some time with them. He has so much family up here and it is a shame we don't get together more often. It was really sweet of Trevor's family to drive all the way up for it as well from St. George and Arizona. Courtney and I got to take a pregnant sister pic finally as well, she is due in October!

Trevor's parents, sister and niece stayed the weekend so it was fun to spend some more time with them as well. Mia and Trevor enjoyed each other's company that is for sure, she took the guitar and music lessons from Trevor very seriously. It was the cutest!

Then I got to celebrate someone else for a change! My good friend Lisa is also expecting a little girl, due in October, and I couldn't be more excited for her. A few us met up at the scrumptious Eva's Bakery to indulge in pastry heaven and stuffed french toast. We topped the afternoon off with some much needed pedicures! And yes, I realize every part of my body is swollen in this picture... I am busting at the seams people! haha Baby girl is probably going to come out as some form of brunch item since apparently all I eat is sugary breakfast food ;) 

tid + bits of life ❤️ AND an easy $140 Giveaway!

Like a crazy woman I decided to bake up a huge batch of mini donuts in my kitchen when our AC was broken and Utah hit 100 degree temperatures. Oh yeah and did I add I am pregnant? I was one hot mess but the donuts turned out adorable, no? I made these as "Thank Yous" for all the people who have been so generous lately! For neighbors who welcomed us to the neighborhood with multiple cookies, and amazing girlfriends who helped throw me such a fun baby shower. People are good, and let's face it, donuts are the best!

My friend Jalynn has been the perfect date to the last few blogging events I have been able to attend.
A few weeks ago we hit up a fashion infused tea party hosted by the talented owner and designer of Kingdom and State and the brilliant shoe company Yosisamra. It was a fun night!

We also got to go try out the new menu and The Roll Up Café in Orem! Everything was amazing but my favorite by far was the dessert I got. This would be a Cinnamon Roll Crepe! Think a Cinnabon that's less bready and more amazing. There was even ice cream in it! You guys seriously need to check out the revamped menu. So much goodness from savory to sweet. The location has new ownership and the chef has created magic with her new dishes! Oh yeah, and make sure you try the Nutella shake!

And while we are talking about scrumptious food down in Provo, anytime I am there I HAVE to get some 180 Tacos, Chicken Buffalo to be exact. Do yourself a favor and get some if you are ever in Provo. It's a good thing I don't live there anymore I would be stopping here on the daily! haha

 

I don't know which is worse, the fact that Kraft macaroni and cheese is still one of my favorite things to eat, or that I was super giddy about these Star Wars shapes?!!

And a random addition to this post, because these dump updates are always random, here is a video of my beautiful hometown - San Diego! This video is so cool and captures the beauty of San Diego so perfectly. They hit some of my all time favorite spots and it made my heart flutter a bit. While I have grown to love Utah, San Diego will always have a big piece of my heart. I wouldn't say I think about "home" daily, but probably weekly! haha I love my hometown!

 
Good Morning, San Diego! from Eladio Arvelo on Vimeo.

 

AND NOW A GIVEAWAY! We wanted to switch things up, no instagram loops or HUGE rafflecopter forms. Your chance to win $140 PayPal cash couldn't be easier! Just click follow by clicking on the 7 Bloglovin accounts below - that's it! Told you it was easy. Plus, these bloggers have been some of my favorites for years, you will love them too ;)
 

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tid + bits of life via instaLOVE❤️

So excited for Wendy bird on her graduation! Promising future these two. Also loved being back at my Alma Mater! Please excuse my "disheveled, just got off work, it rained, it's Friday and I'm pregnant hair!" Haha 

I haven't done a tid + bits update on my blog for forever and that is probably due to the fact that we have been so busy! I also haven't been very good about documenting things. Sometimes just being somewhere when you are pregnant is enough of an accomplishment that taking pictures  of such events is the last thing on my mind, haha. But I thought it was about time I did some kind of an update on life. Trevor and I continue to work our butts off, and scramble on the weekends to get stuff done. I swear our place has been a hotel the last few months! We have had friends and family staying with us a bunch.

My parents came up a few weekends ago for Wendy's graduation, and my other sister-in-law Sharley's baby shower. While they were here they helped Trevor and I with our yard which got incredibly out of control while we were gone in New York. Utah has been having a ton of rain and my goodness our grass must be mutant grass because it looked like a jungle when we got back. My Dad was amazing and mowed the lawn while Trevor and I were at work, and we have a big lawn you guys! Then Saturday morning Trevor had left early to go turkey hunting, and when I woke up my parents were out weeding our yard and flower bed in the rain! They really do go above and beyond when it comes to serving those around them, and it was a really sweet gesture. Trevor and I were both so appreciative. Just getting the yard in shape made such a difference! The house looks ten times better and I am excited to get some new plants in the flower bed and polish it off. My mom and I were even talking about how to make over the front doorway. Many, many exciting and exhausting house projects coming to the blog soon ;)

 

After Wendy's graduation, which was later in the evening, we all went to one of my favorite places in Utah for something sweet, Bruges Waffles & Frites (mentioned here, here and here.) Wendy opened some gifts, we chatted, enjoyed some frites, waffles and some Flemish stew that my Dad called by its proper name that I can't remember now. My Dad served an LDS mission and lived in Belgium for two years so he loves this place! It was a great night and we are all so proud of Wendy. She will definitely be going places. She gets impeccable grades, and already secured herself a pretty great internship for the summer. The next morning was Sharley's baby shower! I am so happy she did it here in Utah so I could be there. I figured this would probably be the only time I see while we are both pregnant, and I wanted to document it. Our due dates are only 2 weeks and 3 days apart! Although, it is looking like her baby will be scheduled to come earlier. Sharley's shower was book themed which suits her perfectly. It was the cutest idea ever and the details were awesome. It was a beautiful shower and a fun morning!

I also got to spend Mother's Day with my parents, which I honestly can't remember the last time I was actually with my Mom on Mother's Day, so that was nice. It was extra special since I am going to be a Mom myself soon, and felt like this was my first "official" Mother's day! We had a great breakfast, where we exchanged awesomely cheesy Mother's Day cards and gifts, and then went to Church. After Church Trevor, my little brother Alex, and my Dad prepared me and my Mom dinner. They made on of my favorite meals from growing up! Homemade roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. My Dad even made some homemade lemonade from some lemons from our tree in the backyard. Yup, he brought them up from San Diego specifically for this dinner, I was in heaven!

We took some prom-esque pictures :) Or just being weird, whatever  haha

A few weeks ago I attended Bright Night with my friend Tearsa. I went last year and briefly blogged about it as well. I know the ladies who started the event and they each are such rock stars! I love them to bits and they did an even more amazing job than last year if you can even imagine. It was such a fun evening spent with so many fun and inspiring women. There really a lot of amazing women here in Utah, it can be overwhelming! My friend Ali spoke and it was really cool learning about how she started and grew her business. She makes some incredible bags, her company is Sage & Harper, you should check her out! Tearsa and I had a blast, which we always do, so that wasn't a surprise. It was nice to just get out together, get inspired, eat amazing food and have fun.

And on a random side note of complaining, Trevor and I have had some bad luck these past few weeks! Someone stole several hundred dollars worth of merchandise off my doorstep. BAH. These packages shouldn't have arrived until we were back from New York, but they came early. I learned the hard way that I should put my mail on hold while we are away. I will chalk this up to first time home owner lessons because we have always had apartments with lock boxes so this was never really a concern before. Some people really suck don't they? I hope they felt bad when they opened them up and saw a bunch of maternity clothes! Geeze. THEN a few weeks later while Trevor and his friend were out hunting, someone broke into his Bronco, and took his wallet out of his glove box. He had some particularly important stuff in his wallet for some reason so it was an extra hit, but thankfully, for the most part, it is pretty easy to recover the losses with stuff like that with being able to cancel cards etc. But still, both of us in a matter of weeks having something taken from our property... SUCKS!

I have been enthralled with this book. I love reading the different birth stories and feeling more empowered as a woman and realizing the amazing ability of my body! ❤️ A beautiful gift from my sister! Also, these waffles. If you live or find yourself in Salt Lake and want a unique breakfast spot recommendation, check out Pig & a Jelly Jar! Yum, yum. 

TID + BITS of LIFE ❤

So far this year has been a whirl wind. Trevor and I both work, so that sucks up the majority of our time and week. With being pregnant it has been harder for me to have as much energy as I would normally have to hit the gym and go out, but with that said I have been trying! I have been to a few fun events, a VIP party for the Provo Fashion Show, the launch party for Eleventh Avenue, and I even got to meet the adorable Brandi Burkhardt "Crickett" at a Shabby Apple event. Does anyone out there watch The Hart of Dixie? It is one of those absolutely cheesy, but adorable shows my mother got me into. It only has one season left, and most of them are on Netflix if you find yourself bored on a Saturday afternoon and need something to help you get through laundry folding. That is exactly how I got sucked in! haha

As someone who has my degree in teaching, specifically for high school students, the mission behind Threads warms my heart. Threads is a cause driven business that changes the future of at risk youth. Your purchase will directly impact a student! I love that, and the pieces are adorable. I shared this on my instagram but wanted to let you all know about it again :) Oh and speaking of letting you in the know, my favorite store bought juice comes in a quart size now! This stuff is awesome and a great introduction to juices if you haven't liked ones you have tried in the past. You can almost always find it on sale, so it is one of the more affordable juice brands out there!

I have had a few random cravings throughout this pregnancy which I have been documenting in my updates, but these two hit me while I was out and about and had to document them on my instagram. I have always had a thing for pineapple soda, and while at the Cubby's grabbing dinner I couldn't resist. I normally steer away from soda, especially purchasing it, but I couldn't help myself, Jarritos was too tempting! haha And then of course there is Costco pizza. Sometimes you just need a Costco slice of pizza the size of your face! Pregnancy problems people! haha :)

We bought our house in the dead of winter, so we had no idea what kind of plants we had in our yard. We have a huge tree in our backyard just off our deck with a big tree house in it. We were both pretty surprised to see these past few weeks that it turned out to be a cherry blossom tree! It is my new favorite thing about this house! *insert heart eye emoji here* ❤

Follow along @alyciagrayce

TID + BITS of LIFE ❤

We have been busy, busy, busy! Phew. There has been a lot going on for us! Back in November my brother and sister came into town at the same time, and with me and one of my other brothers living here, that made four of the six Leavitt kids all together in Salt Lake City for a night! We of course had to get together and do something. We went and got some authentic Mexican food for dinner, San Diego kids are heart, what can we say? Followed up with some gelato at and the yummiest gelato place down town, Capo Gelateria Italiana, owned by a sweetest Italian man. We ended the night playing games and hanging out. Sadly it is rare to have so many of my family in one place together, and I LOVED it, soaking up the whole night :) I wish we all didn't live so far apart!

There have been a ton of blogging events and what not going on! It is the time of year where there is always so many events and activities back to back and while it has been fun to go to so many things, I have been getting a tad burnt out, as mentioned here! But with all of that said, I love that I am apart of this amazing community and have so many opportunities to meet and collaborate with such talented and ambitious people. Speaking of, I have really been trying to spend quality time with my good friends and harvest new and meaningful friendships. I am so lucky to have the people in my life that I do.

Last week we attended Trevor's work Christmas Party. Let me tell you, Attorneys know whats up! It was an amazing dinner and night held at the Salt Lake Country Club. The food was out of this world yummy, and there was so much of it. A whole night revolved around eating is a perfect one in my book. I loved how Christmasy (is that a word? ha) the space felt, the Salt Lake Country Club really blows it out of the water when it comes to the Christmas Decorations. It was fun to get all dressed up and go out with Trevor and meet some of his coworkers. He really is blessed to work with such kind, honest, and smart people. The talent in that room can be intimidating! I tried to get a picture of us together in front of the gorgeous Christmas Tree they had out, but it kept getting fuzzy, so I opted for a selfie in the most adorable bathroom I have ever had the pleasure to be in :) haha It was fun to get dressed up for once! I got this cute bracelet sent to me from Bohme, I will be posting more about them soon.

On 12.13.14 we moved into our house! I can't believe we bought a house. It feels really strange, the first night it kind of felt like we were sleeping in someone else's home, but by Monday morning I was already getting pretty comfortable. I can't wait to really make it ours. There is so much work to do, but it will also be a lot of fun to transform the spaces ourselves. Trevor's parents came up from St. George to help us move as well as some of Trevor's friends. I am so grateful we have such good people in our lives willing to take the time out of their day to help us. I know it is such a drag to move, and to help someone else do it just says a lot about a person in my book. Later that night we went to Temple Square down town to see the Christmas lights and nativities. It was pretty chilly, and incredibly packed (everyone in Utah was there it felt like!) It was a lot of fun and there isn't much I love more than Christmas atmosphere! Christ is the reason for the season! I love this time of year and the focus on Christ, if you ever find yourself in Salt Lake, do yourself a favor and check out all the amazing lights and nativities at Temple Square! On our way out we stopped by the Macy's windows at City Creek, the displays are awesome! If you are around you should make sure you stop by there as well.

We were wanting to get dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, but the wait was horrendous. I do want to make note of something I witnessed though that just warmed my heart. There was a young high school couple waiting outside the restaurant (long wait and line remember) and you could tell they were going to some kind of dance, winter formal or something because the young lady was in this really fancy dress and the boy was in a suit. You could tell from his face that he hadn't thought ahead to make reservations, and you could tell they were in a pickle. A man heard them, and came up to them and offered them his spot in line, handing them his little reservation light up thing (what are those called?! haha) The look of relief and gratefulness that came over the young man made me instantly smile, and as he escorted the young lady inside, the girl thanked the man over and over. What a gesture! This man was willing to inconvenience his night and his plans for the sake of these kids happiness for the night. It put a smile on my face for the rest of the evening.

We gave up on waiting for Cheesecake Factory and went to our favorite sushi place instead. Oh man, I love Yi Sushi Bistro! I am going to start a Good Eats Utah series on my blog soon (I have a hashtag on my instagram right now if you want to see some good eats) where I highlight my favorite places to eat, this one on will definitely be on the list!

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TID + BITS of LIFE ❤

Fall will shortly be winter here in Utah, and I am pretty sad about it. Fall in Utah is by far my favorite. The changing of the trees, the perfect temperature, football, layers, and Halloween! Oh I just love it. Trevor and I have had a pretty eventful Fall this year. We have both spent a ton of time working to the point of exhaustion, and tried to squeeze in as much fun as possible!

Before it got too cold we headed up into the mountains to go camping with friends. It was fun to just get away and unplug for the whole night. I loved sitting in almost complete darkness under the stars and a camp fire. We made candy smores, a dutch oven dinner, and talked the night away. That morning the boys were excited to blow up some appliances, one of Trevor's favorite activities. It is actually pretty safe, since they use tannerite as the explosive. We blew up an old t.v. and microwave, it was pretty exciting!!! This shard of microwave did fly over our heads though, so it is a good thing we always make sure to duck and cover. I love target shooting so it was fun to play around with Trevor's .22 rifle.

Back in October I got to attend a baby shower for this sweet lady. Sasha is one of the kindest most genuine people I have met, and I have loved getting to know her better over the past year. I hope to know her for a lifetime. She is the type of woman you want in your life, and she is going to be an amazing mom!

I got to attend the Grand Opening Party for Shabby Apple. Man they have stepped up their game lately. I fell in love with this adorable pink dress, I can't wait to feature it on the blog! They even had a sketch artist there who drew us in some of the dresses we were trying on. She even drew my glasses on in it :) Love it!

I have been trying to read more, I feel like blogging and social media has sucked that time away I used to spend reading books. So I have made the goal to be better at it and grabbed a few. After going to Nashville I had a pretty bad head cold so it was the perfect excuse to lounge around the house with some tea and book. I haven't had an afternoon like that in awhile and I think I need to make it happen more often, minus the head cold that is!

I don't know if it is just October in general, or what, but I have been eating a bit too many sweets lately. When my parents were in town for Trevor's swearing in I made them try Beyond The Glaze Donuts, because they are the best donuts there are. And my co-workers and I made the bad habit of trying to have Ruby Snap Fridays. Have you ever had a Ruby Snap cookie? Oh my goodness. I am not even the biggest cookie fan and these suckers are like the cupcakes of cookies if that makes any sense at all. DIVINE. Try them if you are ever in Salt Lake.

I also have to note that these boys are just EVERYTHING. I love them so much and wish I lived closer so I could see them on a daily basis! Today is #worldadoptionday and our family has sure been blessed by adoption, I LOVE MY NEPHEWS! And my sister is an amazing mother!

And a random TID+BIT from the web that I enjoyed reading this week, this article, How to Be Powerful, Likable, and Female: Learn From Jenna Lyons.

Also, my talented friend Lori is offering a killer deal on Mini Sessions in her studio! Have you had your Christmas pictures taken yet? Check her out, she rocks! 

I know I just posted about new advertising options on my blog, but I have tweaked them again and wanted to share! I am now offering a sidebar ad that includes 5 in-post bottom ad spots!

TID + BITS of LIFE ❤ Summer Fun

Wow, where have I been? My life is full to say the least these days, and it has been hard to stay up to date over here on the blog! I can't thank you all enough for your kind comments, e-mails and messages to me regarding my latest post about being in a funk. It was a pretty crazy month for me, and I appreciate all the love. It is the connections I have made through blogging and social media that are my favorite aspect of all of this. It is nice to know that we are all in the same boat.

I can't believe that summer is basically over. While Fall is probably my favorite season here in Utah, I am having a hard time letting go of this summer. I guess for me it feels like it only just started because Trevor was so crammed studying for the Bar we got a late start on having some summer fun! Speaking of fun, it has been so nice to have Trevor home and present in the evenings. We have actually been able to go and do stuff together that we are invited to. We went to a summer party that his firm was hosting, and it was a lot of fun to finally meet some of the people I hear Trevor talk about. All of his co-workers were so nice and it was fun getting to know them and their families. They went all out for this party, tons of food, bouncy houses, pony rides, cotton candy, snow cones, prizes! The list goes on and on and all the little kids were heaven. I am so happy that Trevor gets to work with such good people who care about their employees the way they do. He is a lucky guy!

Trevor and his friend Stanton have been spending a lot of time together helping each other out. Stanton has been helping Trevor work on his Bronco, and Trevor has been helping him re-brick his house. In the mean time I have been to a football game with my friend, had a few girl's nights, blogging parties have started happening, and I have been really busy working a ton! I have been exhausted trying to manage everything which is why this blog has suffered a little bit as of late, but have no fear (you weren't really worried were you) I have a ton to post and catch up on!

 

A while back we hit up the State Fair with some friends and stuffed our faces with the most amazing fair food. I was a tad worried because we ate so much crap I thought I could possibly stop breathing in the middle of the night! HA. We had a donut burger, deep fried bacon, a corn dog, funnel cake, Brazilian lemonades, and a deep fried snickers. Holy. Wow. We had a blast and it was a fun group of people which always helps, and we spent the rest of the night getting sick on rides and making fun of goats and their weird balls. Yes, we are really mature. It was the perfect summer night :)

On Sunday we went over to my brother Alex's place and him and his wife Wendy taught us how to make Sushi! Trevor and I LOVE sushi, it is a frequent date night for us, and I have always wanted to learn how to make it so I was really excited :) Alex and Wendy took a class and now make it all the time. They taught us their skills and honestly it is really simple! I think I will be making a lot more sushi now, I can't get enough!

I also went to the most adorable little baby shower for my friend Jessica, she had the cutest cake with these gold little animals on it. Such an easy and fun way to decorate a cake, I loved it. Speaking of adorable parties, one of the blogger events I went to was hosted by Tai Pan Trading, and they had the most amazing gifts and food. Such a great host, and my friend Alix from a Ruffled Life sure knows how to throw a party! Masa catered and the tacos were freakin' amazing! Gosh Utah just keeps coming out with better and better food, I LOVE IT. My friend Caroline also hosted a house warming party and had a Waffle Luv there, how amazing is that? Those waffles are the bomb.