Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Only 3 months until Halloween! I know, I'm obsessed - now hush. I decided to share my excitement with my sister who also shares my love for the Holiday (and Nello, but I didn't have your phone number - otherwise we could have chatted about our favorite Holiday). I hope you all are getting your costumes ready! Mmmmmwa-ha-ha!

Hairspray!

Here is another picture from the weekend - this is after we went to see Hairspray.

The movie was so good! We loved it...as it evident from our swanky dance moves.

3rd Annual Ladies Soiree!

I had SUCH a blast this weekend! Lots of food, shopping, laughing...a good time was had by all. The first day we spent hours at the pool. That night we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (Los Hermanos, yummy) and then to "Hairspray". Have you seen that yet? We loved it! We laughed through the whole movie and even shimmied to the music - you must go see it, it was great.

Getting ready to go to dinner

Such a great show!

Friday we went to The Gateway and shopped until we could hardly move. Here we are boosting our sugar levels with some delish caramel apples - yummy!

I scored the best fashion find EVER. I bought this beautiful pink dress that was originally $70. It was on sale. 'For how much?' you ask? $4.97. Yeah. I don't even know why they charged me, they should have just given it to me.

Saturday we did some more shopping...did most of our damage in the shoe department.

We ended the day getting sassy and going to dinner at PF Changs. We ate entirely too much!

We went back to the house and chatted until the wee hours...like we did every night. This trip was a bit more low-key than the past trips have been, but it was still so much fun and we already decided by the end of the first night that this trip has been the best girls weekend so far! Hopefully I'll get some more pictures from some of the girls in the next few days - I'll post them when I get 'em. I know...you're on the edge of your seat. Just a few months of rest and then I'll start working on the Diva Packets for next year...

In other news, Cody starts working full-time for the PG Fire Dept. tomorrow. He is still working full-time in Orem which means that I won't really see him until the baby is born (one more month!!). He'll work 24hours at Orem, then go straight to PG and work 14 or 15 hours there. He'll leave at 7:00am tomorrow morning and won't be home until about 9:30 Tuesday night. While the extra money will be nice, it will be hard having him gone so much. After the baby is born he'll quit Orem and only be at PG, but for now he is working all the time. Hopefully I don't lose my mind!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Raul Malo...

I happened upon this lovely gem only by chance. I was messing around on iTunes and found this CD. I LOVE IT! He is like a combination of Chris Isaak and Patsy Cline. I know, random. I'm a fan of retro country and this music totally makes me want to have a Summer party in my backyard with twinkle lights and lemonade...go listen to it! The song "Welcome to My World" is lovely...

Feeling Blah...

Everybody has downer days. The kind of day where you feel...yucky and blah. I had one of these said days last week at Lake Powell. There I was, in all my large pregnant glory with my beautiful sister and my brother's hot little girlfriend. Ah, yes. See, my sister has the most gorgeous skin - even, smooth, a few sun freckles...I'm jealous. Plus she and her husband ride bikes, so she has this super healthy toned body. Rich's girlfriend has the cutest figure - she used to be a dancer, so you know what I'm talking about. If she wasn't so cool it would be much easier to hate her! Oh, and my sister-in-law also joined us on the Lake a few days later. She is 6 months pregnant and looks like she could model swimwear.

Yes, yes I know - I'm pregnant. But let me tell you what, I am SO sick of hearing that. I mean, don't we all have days where we just feel like crap? Where we just want to vent about something and eat a gallon of ice cream so we feel better? I've had friends complain to me about their own issues, and when I mention an issue of mine the response I usually get is, "Oh, well you're pregnant". Um...so that means I'm supposed to be stoked that my rings might not fit over my fingers next week? That everything I put on looks like I'm squeezing into a sausage casing? I get that being pregnant means that everything gets a little bigger, a little softer - that's expected. That doesn't mean, however, that I walk around thinking, "I like being the size of a walrus, I've never felt so beautiful! I'm glowing!"

So what do you do when you're feeling blah? For me, I tend to shop online, eat something that has a plethora of calories - the usual. Is there something you do that always snaps you out of being in the dumps? Spill your secrets!

...Just as I finished writing this post, Cody's sister just texted me and asked if I am having twins. Sigh...

What a week I'm having!

What a wonderful week! The Girls Trip is just 4 days away and I am so stoked, I can hardly wait! Cody and I just got back from Lake Powell last night and it was soooo fabulous. It felt like we were gone forever, lots of relaxing and napping and surfing and...ahhh, it was Heaven. My whole family was there and we parked the boat at a beach we used to go to when we were little! My brother Rich found the tiniest little lizard, isn't it cute? As soon as I took this picture, the lizard ran up into Rich's hair and buried himself.

He peeked out a few times, but Rich's hair is so thick it was hard to find him!

We also spent a windy afternoon flying some kites...I probably won't make it back to the Lake again this year. So sad! I'll just have to go lots next year.

Before I left for Powell I sent out the Diva Packets for the 3rd Annual Soiree that is this weekend. They turned out so great! The theme this year was "Diva University". We are having the trip here in Utah because this is where we all met - either in High School or College. Here is what the packets looked like-

Inside I had a Diva U Spirit t-shirt, a red pom-pom, an Orientation Packet that had an acceptance letter from the Dean of the University (me), a syllabus (trip itinerary) and a packing list. There was also an activity card for each girl, a pennant flag, a DVD full of pictures from last years' trip and a CD of songs for this year.

I had a t-shirt made for each girl

I also created a Sorority for us - Psi Omega Diva!

Here is the front of the DVD. It's a slideshow with all the pictures from last years' trip. There's also a slideshow of pictures of the girls from the last 12 years that we've been friends- it was great

...the back cover.

The front of the Orientation Packet

The acceptance letter

I was so happy with how they turned out! There are usually 8 of us each year, but sadly our friend Emily couldn't make it - she will be missed. I still can't believe that the trip starts this Thursday...it will be such a blast!

Happy Anniversary...

Cody & Julia
July 19th, 2003

Happy Anniversary!

Smash Hit

Cody's party turned out so great! Lots of yummy food and we got to spend time with our friends, it was awesome. The food was delish - Kabobs, corn, salad, chips and salsa, strawberries and cream...Mmmm. It was fun decorating everything - here is our dining room table:

I covered it in green felt, chips and dice. I even made sure that each pair of dice was rolled to a "7" in honor of the Birthday boy.

Cody's cake turned out especially nice! It was super yummy...we didn't have any leftovers.

I made "grape-tini's" for the girls...

...and the boys had ice cold Root Beer in bottles.

I apologize for the blurriness of the picture, but the bevs turned out so well that I just had to take a pic before I took a sip!

...lots of candles.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It was such a fun night. We had a great turn out and it was so much fun to hang out.

I also had some shopping finds this week - some great silk shirts that I obviously can't wear until after the baby. But hey, they were fab and on sale - the best combo ever! I LOVE this shirt. It's really thin and light, plus the pattern is super pretty.

This shirt is so cool. Certainly can't wait to wear it this Fall!

Now I will be focusing the next two days on mailing out the Diva Packets for the girls trip and getting my house ready before we go to Lake Powell with my family for 5 days. We are leaving Tuesday afternoon and I can't wait! I'm sure I'll be in the water the whole time since it will be so hot, but that's fine by me. AND Cody and I get to spend our 4th Anniversary on the Lake. Cue the tune, "...Isn't it Romantic"...

Invite

I'm getting some things ready for Cody's party and I thought I would post pictures of the invites I made. They were pretty simple, here's the front of the card:



And here's the inside...

Didn't they turn out great? I'm doing a casino theme so I put the return address as "Jolley Casino". I think the party is going to turn out really cool, I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

Not Gonna

I have lots to do. You know this. Lots going on, lots of things on my mind. Today - I took a break. Cache and I spent the day in Salt Lake with my Mom, some shoes were purchased, we went to lunch with my brothers, and we (ok, I) did some damage at Ikea. After I took my Mom home, I went to see Cody at the fire station. Later Cache and I came home, brought in our loot, had some dinner and I put him to bed. Now? Hmmmm, I guess I could start on some laundry, organize some things, clean the floors.

Or...

I could pop some popcorn, settle in and watch a movie. Yeah, I think I'll do that.

UNBELIEVEABLE

You MUST watch this video...

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I didn't do WILW last week, so I'm posting two things that I'm loving right now.

Bronzing Oil!

I enjoy a nice shimmer lotion, especially in the Summer - it makes my skin look all golden and dreamy, I just love it! However, it's almost impossible to find a lotion that has some sheen to it without it containing any self-tanner. This little jar has the best of both - It's like this glittery oil you can put on your arms, legs and chest and it will give you a hint of color and some shimmer. I only put it on my legs because it is kinda slickery and you have to let it absorb before getting dressed so it doesn't get on your clothes, etc. It's from Victoria's Secret, gives me an instant glow and it washes right off in the shower. So great! Oh, and it smells like coconuts and Summertime.

What else am I loving? Fall Fashion!

Yes, yes - it's July, but so many stores and mags are starting to advertise Fall lines and I am SO excited! Fall is my favorite time of year and it just so happens that I love Fall fashion more than any other season. Love it! I'm getting so excited to wear boots and tweed and sweaters...even though it's over 100 right now and I'm thinking about taking an ice bath.

So Much To Do

I often blog about how I feel like I have so many things to do and no time to do it. This week was supposed to be breezy - the one week this month where I could relax a bit and work on some things around the house and the yard. However, this week is turning out like the rest - crazy. And it's only Tuesday!

The Girls Trip I plan each year is vastly approaching - only two weeks from Thursday. While I am beyond excited for this trip, I am stressing over the fact that I need to assemble and mail out the Diva Packets this week. "Pray, what is a Diva Packet?" Well, I'll tell you. Before each trip, I put together a little packet for each girl that has an itinerary, some gifts, a CD of songs for the trip and a DVD of pictures from the trip the year before. It's kind of involved and I still have lots to do. *Sigh* I hope I can get it all done and mailed out in the next day or two!

Cody's Birthday party is this Saturday, so naturally I'm starting to get into party-frenzy mode. This means I am frantic about getting my house clean and organized in hopes to fool my guests into thinking that I live like that all the time. Not to mention I suddenly want certain house projects done right away that in no way, shape or form will be finished in the next 4 days. Do I still stress about it? You bet.

I have decided to hire a family friend to paint some rooms in my house. We have moved our desk and office stuff downstairs so we can make the Study a Nursery. We want to re-do Cache's room and finally take some time to work on our bedroom. Since Cody works all the time and I'm not really in the best situation to do lots of painting, my friend Brian is willing to come over and take a look at the rooms we want painted and get started. Did I mention how excited I am about this? I really wanted to have him get started right away, but I'm not super stoked about having drop cloths all over my house during the party this weekend...except that might be an improvement.

And finally, the quest for new furniture. We are going to sell our leather couches in our family room and hopefully replace them with a sweet sectional. I LOVE our couches, but I just think a sectional would fit in the room better (Anyone interested? Lemme know). Of course, I also want bookcases and a plethora of other items for my home all before I have this little baby in two months. Whoa...8 weeks. I have SO much to do!!

Happy Birthday, Cody!

Cody M. Jolley
Born: 7-7-77
7 lbs. 7 oz.

Check out this handsome devil...

Today is Cody's 30th Birthday and we celebrated ALL day! We had a huge breakfast with my family which put us in a food coma until about 3:00 this afternoon. After he opened his presents, we went out on the Lake with our friend Adam and spent some time in the sun (well...too much time, we're a smidge burned - oops!). Then this evening we did some shopping and had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. I love you, Code - Happy, Happy Birthday!

Celebrating the 4th

The 4th was a busy day! We had lots going on - First we met my family for the huge Provo parade. My brother's girlfriends family (got that?) lives on the street that the parade is on, so we set up a tent and enjoyed all the sparkly floats and marching bands. Audrey's family (my brothers girlfriend...still with me?) lives in the neighborhood we grew up in - her mom actually gave some us of piano lessons - so we were able to see lots of friends and families from our old ward. It was so cool to see all of them!

Cache sitting with my brother Rich and Marty's wife, Jessica

It was so fun! The parade lasted a few hours and Cache seemed to enjoy himself. He brought a long a few friends and wanted to be sure they had a great seat.

After the parade we went to Cody's great-grandma's house for the traditional Jolley Picnic. Cody's brother-in-law had his friend from the Fire Department play the bagpipes for us after lunch, it was pretty sweet.

There was tons of food and lots of treats...Cache helped himself.

We got home around 3:00...we were all pretty tuckered out, naps were taken.

That night we drove up to PG to watch the big fireworks show! The PF Fire Dept. was in charge of setting up all the fireworks and lighting them. I wasn't sure how Cache would react, so I brought some big headphones for him to wear in hopes that it wouldn't be too loud for him. It didn't seem to matter! My parents joined us and as soon as the fireworks started, he hung on to my Mother for dear life.

The fireworks were right above us - it was insane! Super loud, but it was so awesome - just HUGE fireworks...rad. All in all, the 4th was a total blast but it wore me out! I'm glad Cache had such a great time, I can't wait to do it again next year.

I have many Birthday errands to run for Cody tomorrow. We had hoped to go to Vegas for his Birthday on Saturday, but since we still have no AC (ugh) I'm not ready to make that steamy drive. I think we are planning on having breakfast with my family, spending most of the day at the Lake and going to dinner together. I got a sitter for the day, so it will be nice to spend some alone time with the Code-Man. I'm throwing an actual Birthday party for him next weekend (just wait until I post the invite - they turned out great!) with some of our friends. I'm totally looking forward to that, so I should probably start cleaning my house now so that it's clean by then. Trust me, it will take me that long...