so you think you can dance...

One of the things I look forward to about summer is So You Think You Can Dance!  And this season, there is one more reason for me to love this show.  My cousin Joey Dowling (with Jacki Ford assisting!) is choreographing a dance in this week's episode!  She is v. talented and I cannot wait to see her in action.  Tune in on July 1 to see her....she will be the tall, gorgeous, super-cool choreographer with amazing style (and amazing dance-wear!).  Check her out!

By the way, they will be choreographing for Randi and Evan...Randi has danced at my Aunt Sheryl's (mother to Joey and Jacki) studio since the age of three and now teaches at her studio.  It was totally by chance that Joey was assigned to choreograph for Randi!  I'm not usually a voter, despite my devotion to the show, but I fully intend to vote all night long for Randi and Evan!!!  If you feel so inclined, throw a few votes in for Randi.

love you.

happy anniversary. love you more than ever.

Tara's big day

Thank heavens it stopped raining in Utah long enough for Tara and Jared to get married!  It was a bit of a crazy day for me, trying to run Reese all over town so that I could enjoy the wedding festivities.   Reese took a nice, long morning nap so that I had enough time to get myself ready and to pack Reese's bag full of all her favorite things for the day.  I gave Reese some applesauce for lunch before we left, (which seemed to go down just fine), changed Reese into a pretty white summer dress and headed for Salt Lake.  Tara and Jared were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple and Tara's sister Niki was so sweet to watch Reese for me while I was at the temple.  

Well, on the way down the canyon, I got a call from Niki--the bride was having issues with her falsey eyelashes--and I decided I had enough time to stop and get some eyelash glue.  Thank heavens I detoured because minutes before I got to the drug store, I heard a noise in the backseat of the car--that unmistakable sound of someone losing their lunch, shall we say.  Reese has not spit up or thrown up in at least eight months, and Reese had not shown any signs of feeling unwell, so I was totally shocked.  Her dress and car seat were covered, but still she seemed happy...until I took her "lovey Geoffrey" from her (I only brought one, and with no where and no time to wash it, I couldn't risk her getting him all dirty.  At the drug store, I made sure to buy more baby wipes, as I did not bring nearly enough for this kind of disaster.

Finally, Reese and I met up with Niki (and luckily, I brought a change of clothes for Reese) and I made it to the temple in the nick of time.  The ceremony was lovely!  Afterwards there were pictures outside the temple and Reese loved running around the grounds.  She even made a few friends!  Reese made it nearly impossible for us to stand still for more than a picture or two, and then we were off to make her next play date.  My long lost friend Jenny was so sweet to let Reese come over and play, and I know Reese had the best time.  Jenny has two sons and a daughter and Reese loves to play with them...and their toy cars!

I was off to La Caille for the reception.  I met the other bridesmaids in the bride room at La Caille--have you ever been to the bride room at La Caille?!  It was amazing!  Mirrored walls with at least eight stations of makeup mirrors and all the plugs you need for your curling irons and straighteners, perfect lighting, a bathroom and a dressing room (with the angled mirrors, so as to see your wedding dress perfectly!), and stocked with chocolate, cheese and crackers, and pop!  I wanted to just stay in there all night!  I would get married there just to have that bride room!

Anyway, the reception was beautiful (except for the blustery weather right when it was time to take the pre-reception pictures) and Tara looked drop-dead gorgeous.  That Jared--he's a lucky guy.  We had a really fun table of people and I got to see more of my London friends.  The tables were beautiful, the flowers were gorgeous and the food was delicious.  The only real surprise came when Jared playfully smashed cake in Tara's beautiful face.  I'll bet she didn't know it was coming.  

It was a really fun night and I was thrilled to be able to be there for such a special day.  

My London Girls.

Isn't their cake gorgeous?!

Now two of my besties share the same anniversary!  (Heidi and Ben got married on this day four years ago.)  That's easy to remember!

bridal shower

Reese and I got to Utah on Thursday and our first order of business was to plan the menu for Tara's bridal shower!  I chose a couple recipes that I had recently tested at Ashley's baby shower, a few new recipes that I was anxious to try, and an old standby that is great for parties.  I was so excited to be able to get to work in Lauren's gourmet kitchen!!!  (I love staying at the Park City house when I go to Utah!)  Since Lauren has a job, and I don't have a car in Utah, we had to be very efficient with our time when Lauren got home from work on Friday evening.  I spent Friday finalizing the menu and making the grocery list, and wouldn't you know it, when we got to the grocery, I realized I had left the list at home.  Blast!  But, I am happy to report I remembered all but about three items on the list.

Here's what was on the menu:

Israeli Couscous with Apples and Cranberries

Italian Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Croissants

Fresh Pineapple

Chocolate Chip Meringues

Chocolate cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream

Lauren was in charge of the decor for the party on Saturday evening.  We found the most gorgeous peonies at the store and Lauren arranged them beautifully.  She also had to huge arrangements at the door, and even left a flower and votive candle in the powder room!  And with all of her beautiful serving pieces, the tablescape was perfect for the occasion.

I was so happy to see Tara and was pleasantly surprised to see so many of the girls from our study abroad to London!  It was really a fun night--Tara said it was the most relaxed she has been in all of her wedding planning--and I think it was the perfect way to kick off the wedding weekend.

My sister's a celebrity!

My twin sister Lauren is big time! She recently finished her interior design degree and has been taking on more and more projects, allowing others to benefit from her creativity and expertise. She is so talented and has impeccable taste! Yesterday she added a new credit to her resume: tv personality! Studio 5 on KSL asked her to do a design segment on freshening up your winter bedding for summertime. She was fabulous! So good, in fact, that I guarantee they will want her back. Check her out!

Quick tips for a Fresh Summer Bed