weekend update + life update

Written January 6th. There's alot more to get caught up on, but let's start here.

As of three weeks ago,I was wrapping almost non-stop preparing for Christmas. A corner of my room was piled crazy high with gifts! I also got to visit with my mom and aunt v. We had Rubio's for lunch. Mmm! We laughed so much talking about my grandparents and about upcoming Christmas plans.  At least three days a week the past 2 weeks my room has been so messy with all wrapping materials out, shreds of Christmas wrap scrapped on the floor and price tags or tape adhered to my hands or clothes! I love it though.

Christmas was so great; I was so happy to spend it with my family.

I've been feeling a little better since a month ago (been sick since September for those who didn't know)...major respiratory problems. Had a picc line placed on October 9th to receive IV antibiotics. Went through two separate rounds for two different bacterias in lungs/trachea. I am still not feeling 100% better (phlegm still thick and green, gross, I know) and needing suction more than my normal, but I am thankful to have some energy back and actually do things outside of the house. It can get depressing being cooped up inside everyday all day. I now feel a cold a brewin'.

I went to my ward's Christmas at the beginning of December.We had a greek dinner, watched a short video on the birth and life of Christ, sang Christmas songs and socialized, socialized! Of course you know I took some photos with some of my favorite people! That was my first time doing something fun with many friends in three months!

I am still experiencing pain everyday. My back and arms especially have been the worst (the left leg has gotten some relief). I am still on pain medication. Met with a pain specialist a few weeks ago and he suggests I take a longer acting medicine and keep current pain med for breakthrough pain. It's been a mess and now just waiting for my primary dr (who is back on my team) to write the script for the new med...which might not be til January 30th.

I didn't send out cards this year (handmade or sending a bunch out). I narrowed my list from around 60 down to about 30. Extra special exceptions! :)

Talk soon!

weekend re-cap

*This post is not sponsored by Cafe Zupas, but if they were interested in sponsoring I'd be more than happy to work with them.

I firmly believe in order to appreciate the good you have to kinda know the bad. My little world hasn't been the brightest in months, most days blur into one another, but when I get to see my family or friends, my world is definitely brightened.

Friday, I took a nap and when I  say nap, I mean 2-3 hours of broken nappy time. and it's in the middle of the day.

On Saturday, I got together with my friends for lunch at Cafe Zupas. Omg, it's so delicious! There are a few other menu items that look appealing, but every time I get food from there, I get the same thing, a salad, but not any plain ol salad but: the roasted red pepper + asiago chicken ceasar salad,
because it's so dang good and I just want to eat it and I go with what I know, ya know? Cafe Zupas only has locations in Arizona, Utah + Nevada, sorry everyone else, but maybe they'll expand?

 

Our group, the BBB, aims to get together once a month or two and eat out at a different place each time we meet. We try to keep our group to no more than eight peeps at a time just to make it easier to sit together and to have a more quality experience. We have four core members (we had 5 but David got married and he + his wife, also our friend, moved to NYC), Jason + Scott (brothers), Diva Des and myself. We add new members that can rotate each time we meet so that different people can enjoy being a part of our get together as we cannot accommodate all at once.

So what does the BBB stand for? It means, Brioche Brunch Bunch. Say that three times fast. Jason and Scott came up with the name and founded the BBB, however, they made me president! haha.  Apparently, Brioche is a type of bread and they came up with the name after eating some brioche french toast at Ihop back in January.

I loved getting the group together this past Saturday. It was way fun! New members for this round were Amanda, Kjerstin and Mister Mister. He took the best selfie ever and it was not an easy task to get our whole group in one shot. Our bishop and his wife showed up at Zupas too, so naturally we asked them to join our tables! It was meant to be.

Sunday, I didn't make it to church because I was so dang tired. Saturday was the fourth night in a row that I was not able to sleep well because of extreme back pain. I ended up taking another nap Sunday and woke up around 1:30pm. I really missed being at church and I definitely plan to be there next Sunday! I can't wait. One good thing about Sunday was that A: I did get rest, B: I got a pedicure at home and my toes are re-polished a tangerine color! oooh!

How was your weekend? Do anything fun?

Graduation Giveaway with Alyssa of Impractical Composition!

▲ Impractical Composition ▲ Love, The Skinnys ▲Sunny Tales and Happy Mail ▲ Olive & Ivy ▲

▲ Taush.O ▲ Alisonleighann. ▲ Peace Love Sequins ▲ My So-Cakked Chaos ▲

▲ Live, Laugh, L0ve. ▲ Friday, We're in Love ▲ The Students' Lifestyle ▲

I couldn't say no, when Alyssa of Impractical Composition asked me if I wanted to help celebrate her college graduation with a giveaway! She's worked so hard and hey, a graduation of any kind is a BIG DEAL, so let's help her celebrate! Congrats Girl!!!

A few words from the graduating girl!....


The days is finally here, it's the day I've waited for, for the past 6 years. I'm graduating today!! *raise the roof emoji*  I cannot begin to tell you how exciting and relieving it's going to be to walk across that stage. I really just hope I don't trip-but I think that's what goes through everyone's mind!

So, today I'm teaming up with 10 wonderful bloggers to bring you this graduation giveaway in hopes that you will enjoy today as much as me! 

Good Luck to you all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Easter weekend

Easter is truly one of my favorite times of the year. What Easter means to me goes beyond the bunnies and chicks and peeps and chocolate. Now, while I do enjoy most of those baby animals or candy, Easter is all about who makes life possible and that is Jesus Christ.

He was crucified and died for our sins. And then, He did what no one else has done or could do: He was resurrected!

Because He conquered, I know that the grave has no victory.

Some of you might have seen a movement called, #BecauseofHim floatin around the internet?
I saw the awesome short video that was simple yet so profound. It has made me think all week all the blessings that are in my life, because of Him.

Because of Him, I belong to a wonderful family. and someday, my family can be reunited again in Heaven. Because of Him, I gain strength through my weaknesses and challenges I face in this life. Because of Him, I have so much hope for the future and comfort knowing I am never alone.

I was blessed to have the company of my cousin Richard and a few friends stop by for a visit throughout Saturday. It was nice, because it was a good distraction for me to take my mind off the worries of the world. I love how positive and loving my friends and family are. They are always there for me and help me, without knowing they are helping me (and sometimes they really do, like run errands for me!) It's so great to have them in my life.

waldo, the funniest.

Then on Easter Sunday, I went to Sacrament meeting at Church and came home early to visit with my dad, stepmom, brother and sister. The Easter bunny did in fact visit me and gave me cute and yummy treats (but I didn't take a picture of it all) :( but I more importantly did some good photos with my family! Plus, my stepmom did my nails (she's an awesome nail tech)! so yay for pretty french tips! I always love spending time with any of my family or good friends! It was special because my dad gave me a nice, red journal that had belonged to my grandpa Henry. He didn't write anything in it, but I will always cherish it and will definitely fill it up with my life's adventures and thoughts.

I then ended my night watching the Hallmark movie, "In My Dreams." Did any of you catch that Sunday night? Or do you like Hallmark movies? I am a sucker for them and almost all of them made me cry, but not this one! haha.

sibling selfie!

Overall, it was a good Easter weekend. I hope all of you got to spend time with your loved ones and had fun, in however you may celebrate :)

take me out to the ball game

psh, it's midweek and I am just getting to the weekend recap. it's ok, right?

over the weekend i ventured out with a group of friends to go see the mariners vs the giants! it was so fun much! Now, it hit at least 85 degrees out and if you're basking in the sun, it doesnt take long for that sun to zap you of energy and overheat you! But i brought my little umbrella and we shared and drank lots of water and slathered on sunscreen.

Clint put his sunscreen on standing up, so when he sat down he didn't think about his shorts riding up a bit, so his upper legs got burned. Then, me and des went and got some food so, browsing around helped not be in the direct sun. Around the end of the 4th inning, I needed a breathing treatment so david found an outlet right behind where our group was sitting and there was glorious shade!! and the breeze picked up again. The spot I did my breathing treatment was near the smokers area. perfect! haha.

Alot of people started leaving the game between the 5-6th inning, and our group was baked and hungry and wanted to be in A/C, so we went to eat at Red Robin.  Eric and I had our own basket of precious fries to share haha.

It was a great to enjoy being outside and being with great friends!

weekend re-cap

So over the weekend I...

-rented movies from redbox with James.
you probably saw that redbox was out of alot of movies if you rented movies too. At least ours was.
I didn't get to finish watching the Great Gatsby, but what I did see was good. I absolutely LOVED the menswear and the ladieswear that they wore in that time period. So classy and gorgeous.

-stayed inside friday during the day and all day saturday. we sure did have a heck of alot of rain on saturday. I loved watching the rain and branches of the trees swaying from my window. AZ sure did need it. Katie was kind enough to do a Del Taco run, so that's what we had for lunch. Pibb Xtra was my drink of choice as I worked on blogging stuff.

-experienced my first LDS temple dedication of the Gilbert, Arizona temple. It was a neat experience, one that I will never forget. I just felt full of hope during the session. It was nice to have good friends to sit with too, like miss tscotty (below)! She's adorable!

-I got to meet Alyssa Dawson of Impractical Composition! Say what??! She is the sister-in-law of one of my friends, so he kinda got us connected, mentioning each other to each other and then, we just happened to meet at church! She's so sweet, caring and fashionable!

I know this is like the third giveaway going on within a week, it's just how it happened, but I'm giving away a few goodies over at Life with a side of coffee this week and while you're there, you can read Christina's book review! Yay for book nerds! I love reading! :)

and fyi, friend me at: Trevinoscloset on instagram to shop my closet! Just posted some stuff today!

Anything exciting happen to you this weekend?
Hope you all have a great week!

-linking up with Lisa & Rachel and Alyssa.

Five on Friday// 02

What a week! It wasn't so great in the productive department and my poor little blog has suffered because of it. Sleep for me this past week has been terrible and not to sound like I am complaining (that's what naps are for), it's just really affected my days. I had great feedback from the last Five on Friday that I've decided we'll give it another go! :)

One. I've ordered some things from pretty places like Nordstrom's and Fifth and Mae, which packages have arrived this week. Good news is that something I ordered from Nordie's doesn't fit me well, so that's going to be something I'll be giving away in March! Now, fifth and mae. IF you haven't heard of the website, it's super cute and you should visit. They have super cute jewelry that is way affordable. Do you love my new ring? I sure do since I am an instagram fanatic now! I got this baby from a flash sale! It's good to be friends on facebook with companies!

Two. All this hashtag biz reminds me of that funny video with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, which video can be number two because i love it.

#ilovehashtags #letmeseeyouhashtag #canigetahashtag


Three. Went to lunch with my dear amanda on wednesday. we enjoyed cheeseburgers at johnny rockets. we had fun while waiting for our food. then did a lil shoppin! Can't wait to wear my new dress. It's a bit more dressy for church. It was nice to spend time with amanda since she's been quite busy finishing up school and did so before she went out of town to visit her family.

FOUR. people that are bipolar are interesting. I have a good friend that struggles with it at times. He can be quite entertaining and can also entertain himself, yet at times needs to be entertained. I worry about him often, but overall, he's got it under control. I feel bad when he spirals out of the loop, and can't imagine living with a mental disorder like that. I pray his spirit to be strong and for anyone who deals with this or any other mental or behavioral issues( i sometimes struggle with anxiety & take a low dose med for depression), I hope you never feel alone, because you are not. And there's nothing to be ashamed about.

FIVE. I was a victim of a drive by hello an hour ago. this person reads my blog, so i should tell him that I bought him a surprise, which is chewy, sweet and in the shape of an animal. Also, James, my P.I.C,  and I were almost gone with the wind...meaning, AZ is expecting a storm and rain tonight and all day tomorrow. We sure could use it.

Goodnight all. I am about to go watch The Spectacular Now. Redbox was out of alot of movies and the two that James and I had originally picked out. Oh well, snacks here I come.

catching up: the gilbert lds temple + glendale chocolate affaire

It feels nice to be writing on my laptop again. The weather has been glorious and I sat outside on my way in from mailing off some valentine's yesterday morning. The sun's rays warm on my face, the birds chirping in the nearby tree and the silence of the morning brought me moments of peace. I thanked God for that day and for the ways He shows us his love. He created all things and so, the beauty and intricacies of nature and life, just made me smile so much.

I am happy because I sold about eight valentine cards in the last week. It makes me happy that people like my cards, but also that they buy them to give to their loved ones. I think about the sliver of cheer that person receives when they get handed a card I made.

Remember when I told you I was sick? Well, i feel SOO much better since then. I am not quite 100% but dang, I feel so much better. I am thankful for medicine that works! and seriously, for God who gives me strength. Thanks to you for sending me well wishes and prayers, they worked :)

Over one of the most awesomest weekends, I had so much fun and was nice to visit my hometown.

Friday, a few friends and I met up with my mom, aunt June, grandpa H. and his girlfriend Nat at the Gilbert Temple open house. We toured the temple and it was ah-mazing! The grounds are beautiful and some parts reminded me of a garden and then the inside is just as beautiful. really so. absolutely. gorgeous. For me, it was a spiritual experience, it's hard to describe. I can't wait to go back! If you're curious as to why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints builds temples, check out this video.

pretty little clouds just for us

ah, so breathtaking

The Temple grounds. Pretty flowers and such. and the angel Moroni atop of the temple. That up close shot was especially for my grandpa.

After the tour, grandpa & nat took us out to lunch at Arriba's mexican grill and it was delicious!! I had to bring my food home, which I gladly ate the next day for lunch.

On Saturday, a group of us went to the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. It was pretty fun. The day was gorgeous with sunshine and a touch of warmness. It was my first time going to the event and I had been wanting to go since I've lived on the west side of town for nearly six years. Now, I can say that I've been. We all kept getting samples of different fudge lol, and just looking around at different vendors. I ended up getting a chocolate coconut shake (i thought it was iced) and well, I had already ordered and paid for it, so I drank a bit, and it just too much for me, too rich lol, so thankfully Mr. J finished it for me. We vow to never order that again! haha.

selfie!

scott & kjerstin in deep convo

:)

the brothers

 A bit later, Mr. J concocted special "fry sauce" that he insisted I try..so i did, and it was tasty! We all shared this huge plate of fries because they were yummy! I got a super cute pic of Amanda and her boyfrand Andrew at what I'll call the "lovers tree." This tree is obviously old and had felt hearts tied around the tree on a diagonal. Only amanda and I were brave enough to go check out the wolf dogs. They were huge!

just the girls, dont mind the photo bomb

 The next few pics were toward the end of the afternoon. the weather was just perfect!

 

The weekend was one of the best! I still have catching up to do on the blog, but this post will suffice as I need to get back to working on valentines. Happy Wednesday! TWO more days til St. Valentine's Day!!! I am so excited!