Hello friends! Are you as happy as I am that April is over? It's been a weird and difficult month for me. I can only hope yours went smoother. But I'm excited for May. I love this month, my anniversary is this month, I'm starting a work weight loss challenge this month and hopefully can get happy about my body again, and have some other exciting events to go to. It'll be good.
Anyways, let's get into a rather brief review of the month of April, in no particular order.
April had some really great events, between seeing my favorite singer Jon McLaughlin and having him Tweet me saying this blog is nice... well that was basically the highlight of my year. You can read all about my concert experience HERE.
Chris and I also had the amazing opportunity to see Kyle Beckerman, captain and midfielder of the Real Salt Lake team, when he came to speak at USU. He talked a lot about how he was able to reach his goals and his dream of playing in the World Cup. I was inspired by a few of the things he said and have tried to add his wisdom into my own life.
I've gotten really into podcasts this month and have been inspired by those as well. I listen to funny podcasts, podcasts about writing, podcasts for bloggers, podcasts for YouTube, and podcasts about being happy. I have a rather brain-dead job and I can sit at work all day and listen to podcasts while still getting all my work done. It's been a rather exciting experience and I hope the lessons and inspiration I've received from listening to these podcasts will carry over to this blog.
I've also gone into major writing and planning mode. This September I will be releasing a series of short stories onto this blog, and I want them to be good. I still have a lot of writing and editing to do, but everything seems to be on track for the release date of September 17th. I really want to hype this up and get more followers to my blog beforehand so when it comes out there will be a larger response. Me releasing my stories is a big deal. I normally don't let anyone read my writing, so I'm hoping this all goes well.
*On that note, I am in need of illustrators who would be fine working for free. Any art style is welcome and you'll have a lot of personal input on how it's done. I also want a few readers to read my first drafts and fill out a form with their input. If you are interested in either of these things email me at thedancingcowblogger@gmail.com.*
Continuing on, my April started with me being sick for a week. It was a terrible week and it was the same week my baby was due. I honestly didn't even think about my baby on the due date because I was so sick. But I want to thank everyone for the response to "A Letter to My Miscarried Child". That post was written about a month before the due date during a particularly bad moment. I have not been able to go back and read that post again since I wrote it. I have loved hearing your responses to that letter though. A lot of my pain stems from feeling so alone, like no one understands, but so many of you have addressed me personally with your own stories and it's been incredible to listen to your stories and to help give me hope for the future. So thank you, I love each and every one of my readers, and I am always looking out for you.
I believe that's it for my April review, not too much went on, and it wasn't too exciting, but I'm excited for May and everything it brings. I love you all!!
If you follow me on Instagram then you already know that this weekend I had one of the most exciting moments of my life... I PET A BABY COW!!! And it was amazing! I got to see so many baby cows and they were the cutest things ever! But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I have been looking forward to Baby Animal Days at the American West Heritage Center for months now. I was continually on the lookout for the official dates of the event. Finally one day in the mail we received a notice about it and I clung onto the piece of paper, waiting patiently for the event to arrive! When it was finally the week of, we realized we didn't have any money in our bank account and our chances of going were growing dim, and I was truly upset. But my husband, knowing I had my heart set on going, saved up his tip money just for this event!
I absolutely LOVED Baby Animal Days!! We didn't get to see the baby bear, because the line took over an hour and we had to drive down to Salt Lake (another story for another day) but we got to see so many cute little animals and Chris bought me rock candy, which is my favorite.
Honestly, this event was the most exciting thing I've done in a very long time and it made me truly happy! So I'm so happy we were able to go and pet some animals! If you live in Cache Valley or nearby, you should definitely check out this event every Springtime, and don't forget to look at my Cache Valley Checklist for over 100 things to do in Cache Valley!
So now here's just a ton of pictures from the event! Yay!
Showing off our wristbands!
I GOT TO PET A COW!!! So in line there was a little girl before us and she just ran over to the cow and hugged it and kissed his head, it was pretty much the cutest thing ever.
I held a bunny! And if you know me, holding animals is a pretty big deal for me.
Santa's reindeer!!
This is Chris's hand, he said the tongue felt like sandpaper. I don't let my hands go near animal's mouths, even for an adorable little cow.
Sorry, so many cow pictures! But what do you expect from a blog named after cows?
Us with our candy!
Chris showing off his bag of candy.
I'm afraid of bridges, but I totally crossed this.
Now Chris knows how to handle the duck living outside our apartment.
This was by far the cutest little horse I've seen in my entire life. Pictures don't do it justice. I couldn't get good ones though because it was dark and rainy the whole time we were there (until we left) and this little guy (actually I think it was a girl) was in a barn, so it was darker anyways. But seriously, tiny, most adorable horse in the whole world.
Somehow all these pictures got out of order, but what do you guys care, right? So anyways, I love Baby Animal Days!!!
Okay first, Kohls has this brand in their juniors section called "SO" and they have the absolute best camisole tank tops. I wear them under my shirts on a regular basis. Both the shirts seen in these pictures are from the "SO" brand and they are wonderful. Also, good priced. Secondly, Delia's has the best pants. They don't have a Delia's in my area so I have to buy them online but they are so worth it! And lastly, I mentioned before that I'm a bargain shopper and while my shoes look like TOMS, they are not and they are so much cheaper! Kmart is great for cheaper and cute shoes, and occasionally clothing as well.
So becoming a fashion blogger has been an internal battle for me because I'm not exactly fashionable. I want to be, but I don't have the money to get there. Also, I tend to choose comfort over fashion anyways. But I decided I wanted to just be me and to do it anyways, even if I'm not the most fashionable. So if you're looking for high-fashion, you're in the wrong place, but I have a few blogger friends I could lead you to.
Also, let's keep in mind that my husband is still working on his photography skills for my blog. I forced him into this and while he makes mistakes and takes lots of pictures I can't use, he ends up with a few great ones as well. And I am super grateful to him for supporting me in this and taking my photos for me.
Now onto the main event...
For Christmas this last year my wonderful in-laws gave us tickets to the sold-out Brian Regan show!! They go every time they can and while I've heard his stuff, I've never seen him live before. So I was super excited to go last Friday and... HE WAS ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!! Seriously, I was laughing so hard! It was such a fun event and I'm so happy I got to go! Here are a few more (un-edited) pictures from our night.
This is us driving down to Kaysville to Chris's parent's house... Chris likes to pretend my taking pictures while driving puts us in real danger. He's a liar.
This is us in our seats for the show.
Chris reading the biography about Brian Regan.
The best part was we were incredibly close to the stage!! We were able to watch him moving around the stage without staring up at the big screen. It was fantastic!
Thank you Michelle and Scott for inviting us to the show and getting us tickets! We love you!!
Alright people, if you look back on my New Years Resolutions you'll remember that one of my goals is to run a 5k. This is a big deal for me because I've never been a runner in the whole history of my life. I don't run. But this year I'm going to start.
Along with my family, I've signed up for the Cache Valley Color Vibe! Now I officially am working towards my goal! So every night after work I head next door to the gym on campus and run around the track. I'm a horrible runner and walk more than half the time but I've been doing a 3k to start with. But if I keep up with it I just know I'll get better and better and will eventually be able to run the whole way!
I want to invite all my blog readers to sign up for the Color Vibe too! The Color Vibe takes place in many cities across the U.S. so you don't have to travel to Utah to participate. But if you are going to the Cache Valley one I would love to meet up with some of my readers while I'm there! I can also use this to check off number 91 from my Cache Valley Checklist!
So if you're a runner or not, maybe you should also set a goal to run in a 5k and become more active and fit! I'm so excited for this event and think it'll be lots of fun! I can't wait to see you there!
Leave a comment below if you'll be participating in the Color Vibe!
South Dakota was hit this week by a horrible blizzard! 75,000 cows were burried and killed! For this blogger, who's obsessed with cows, this is such a devastating story! My heart and prayers go out to all those effected! Join me in praying for all these citizens who are without power and without their cows.
I was ten and dumb when the events of September 11th happened, but no matter, I knew the second I got to school that day and the teachers all pooled us in one classroom to watch the news, that it was a day that was changing everything. While the events of that day were horrible and devastating, I gained a new patriotism and love for this country. I love America! And I will never forget what happened on September 11th, 2001.
I'm recently addicted to Meghan Rosette videos on Youtube. Every month she makes a video of all her monthly favorites. I'm going to try to do that on my blog! So this is the first month of that and I hope you like it! If not, just don't read it.
FAVORITE SNACK: Great Value Fruit Smiles!
My husband was just getting mad at me because he found like ten wrappers for the fruit smiles around our living room (which inspired this whole post, and shows that I'm no good at throwing away my wrappers... sorry mom!). They are just so yummy and the most simple snack there is! I love them so much!
FAVORITE MAKEUP PRODUCT: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
I'm going to be talking more about this in tomorrow's post, but just know that I love it. I've only been using it a week, but it's been fantastic for me. More on it tomorrow...
FAVORITE MOVIE: Beautiful Creatures
I know this movie came out a while ago, but Chris and I saw it for the first time this weekend. We rented it on Redbox and didn't return it for a few days because I just kept wanting to watch it! I just love it so much! This next month for my book club we're going to be reading this book, because I really want to read it because of how much I love the movie. :)
FAVORITE BLOG: Lauren Conrad
I love reading blogs so so much! And I love supporting bloggers by sharing them on my blog. Lately I've been inspired by Lauren Conrad's blog found HERE. It inspired me to pick The Fame Game for my book club this month. But I love her blog, definitely check it out!
FAVORITE EVENT: Fiddler on the Roof
This month I got to see Fiddler on the Roof at the Ellen Eccles Theater in Logan. It was so much fun! I've always loved the movie and it was so great to see it live! They did a great job. But they did have all the lyrics to the songs displayed on a projector and that was really weird, but other than that, the production was fantastic!
FAVORITE SONG: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
This song is just amazing and I listen to it constantly and never get sick of it. But I don't understand the music video... If you get it, please leave a comment below.
If you haven't already, I highly recommend creating an account there. It monitors all our bank accounts and loans, it notifies us of any problems, it's just perfect. It's wonderfully useful and I think everyone with a bank account should make an account.
I straighten my hair a lot and use heat on it a lot. I've only been using this a week, so this isn't an official review, but I have been enjoying it and it smells pretty good.
These are my August favorites! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions of new products for me to use or review, please leave a comment or send me an email. :) Thanks for reading! Also: GO USU AGGIES!!!
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! :) I turned 22 today. And it was literally THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! Here's a list of all the exciting-ness of this weekend:
Picnic with Jimmy Johns, strawberries, and Apple-Grape sparkling cider (all presented to me by my fabulous boyfriend)
Texas Roadhouse steak (family dinner!)
Banana cake (made my my amazing mother!)
Roast Chicken with potatoes, carrots and onions (made by my wonderful sister, I'll ask her for the recipe so I can put it up on here)
New boots
Taylor Swift's RED
Wicked album
8 Impressionists painting (include Degas, my favorite!)
New pants
New tank top
New jewelry (given to me by my boyfriend's parents)
$35
Hmm... what else... oh yeah.... A DIAMOND RING!!! :) :) :) :)
Ha ha, yeah, I'M ENGAGED! Chris surprised me on our picnic. I plan on tell the whole story in a different post because, thanks to my amazing new FIANCE, my family was hiding and taking pictures of the whole event. So when I get the pictures off my dad's camera I'll write about his proposal (I'll try to keep it from being to lovey-dovey).
Well I hope all my readers had an amazing weekend like I did (somehow I think i win though...).
So it began with two of my favorites, co-hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. Let's be real, Carrie Underwood is simply fabulous in every way. However I was upset that they poked fun at Taylor Swift. Yes, her new song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is very childish and silly and easy to make fun of, but Taylor Swift has a very special place in my heart. She wrote songs about and for teenage girls while I was a teenage girl. She wrote her songs for me! And so I support her in many ways. Yes her song is silly, it's sort of okay to make fun of it, but please don't make fun of her dating situation. Observe:
Did anyone else notice how much she freaked out at the end there? Taylor Swift is growing up and trying to act more mature (though her latest song doesn't show it...) And I don't blame her for failed relationships, I've been through many failed relationships. Relationships are hard. Don't give up Taylor! You are a huge superstar anyways, who needs a man? ;)
She really is so beautiful. I loved her dress for these award. She looks fantastic in red. And whomever introduced her to red lipstick, bravo, it really looks good on her. And while I've never wanted to be a blonde, I've always loved her hair. Did anyone else also notice that Taylor Swift didn't win anything this year? I think that's a first for her. I love her performance. Again, she's stunning in red. And I'm rather fond of that song. I'm hoping to either get her new album Red for my birthday on Sunday or get iTunes gifts cards to buy it. Either way, I want her CD soon.
Again, Carrie Underwood is simply fabulous. I love this dress! If I could get married in this dress, I would. I think that Carrie isn't the best host, but she's beautiful to look at and kept appearing on stage in new fabulous dresses. I went to one of her concerts in Salt Lake and I'm pretty sure her second job is a quick dress change artist. She sang Blown Away which was great, it's a wonderful song, but she sounded a bit flat. However, Carrie Underwood's songs are nearly impossible to sing because her voice is just so incredible, so maybe somedays she has a hard time singing her songs just like everyone else. I was a little sad she didn't win Female Vocalist, but I'll accept Miranda Lambert, I love her too.
Moving on to Miranda Lambert, no, her dress was not quite as stunning. I love the skirt, the top just didn't seem to fit her right. And the neutral color didn't do her any good either. Sorry Miranda! Fun Fact! I have an autograph from Miranda Lambert when she came to the Sandy Amphitheater. Nobody knew who she was and there weren't many people there, but I got to talk with her and get an autograph. So I'm pretty cool. :)
Miranda and her husband Blake Shelton were fabulous tonight! Miranda won Female Vocalist of the Year, Blake won Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. And together they won Song of the Year, by writing Over You together about Blake's brother. It was so cute to see them on stage winning that award and it see their bond and their love for each other. Miranda was very emotional and crying, which is adorable considering it was Blake's brother and dad (although she is now in their family, but still, a very cute moment). Both seemed very surprised by their awards and very humble. I loved how Miranda, when accepting her award, talked about all the other nominees and how much she loved them and how she didn't feel she deserved the award. She's just cute sometimes. Blake seemed in shock for winning Entertainer of the Year, but to me it makes sense. The name "Entertainer of the Year" should mean something. Blake is always on The Voice, entertaining, he sang Footloose for the new movie, entertaining, and he release some pretty amazing song, also very entertaining. While I love Keith Urban and would have loved to see him win, Blake really did deserve it.
I love Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. I'm pretty sure they're the cutest couple ever! I loved their duet during the tribute to Willie Nelson. I loved Faith Hill's solo song, she did beautifully. But, two things 1. Did anyone else think her teeth looked weird? I mean this in the best way possible. It only looked like she had braces on. Which is fine! I had braces for 2 years. That's just what it looked like to me, no big deal. But 2. She looked really skinny. Like sickly skinny. And it worried me and my mom because we love her so much! So Faith Hill, I truly hope you're healthy, I hope you are taking care of yourself. You're incredible, I'm kind of jealous of your husband, and I love you!
Tim McGraw, what can I say, you're amazing. Congratulations on winning Musical Event of the Year with Kenny Chesney (even though I'm not a Kenny Chesney fan).
My mom is a huge fan of Little Big Town and I like them a lot as well, but... Pontoon, is probably my least favorite of all their songs. I'm happy for them for getting more recognition and getting on top with this song, but I'm not the biggest fan of it. Congratulations for winning Single of the Year with Pontoon and Vocal Group of the Year! You guys really deserve it. You all looked great on the red carpet and while performing. Karen's dress while performing is my new favorite dress ever. And anyone reading who doesn't really know Little Big Town, please listen to Boondocks. It's a great song.
Hunter Hayes is adorable. He deserved to win New Artist of the Year for sure. However, it really bugs me that his song Wanted is sung "wan-ned". There is a "T" in there. Sorry, I'm a future English teacher.
Eric Church won Album of the Year with Chief, which I personally don't love, but good for him anyways! :)
Even though he wasn't there Toby Keith won Music Video of the Year with Red Solo Cup. A fun little song that proves Taylor Swift isn't the only one writing childish music. :) I do love this song though. It makes me laugh, like most Toby Keith songs do. I love you Toby Keith!!
Mac McAnally won Musician of the Year... maybe I'm just a horrible country music fan, but I actually don't know him... sorry. So I don't have anymore to say. Congratulations though!
How could anyone not love Willie Nelson? I loved the tribute to him featuring Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Mickey Raphael, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and of course Willie Nelson. He won the first ever Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, which is well deserved. :)
Thank you Brad and Carrie for the photo above. :)
Now for some of my favorites from the red carpet:
Kimberly from Little Big Town wore this fabulous dress. I loved it. I thought she looked gorgeous and I realized how much I love her hair up. Her makeup was beautiful and her jewelry simple yet elegant.
Yahoo! voted this dress one of the worst, but I don't mind it too much. I love the matching green shoes and clutch. And I kind of just love Hayden Panettiere. This dress reminds me more of the stuff I see at ballroom competitions, not the red carpet. But I still love her and I like her neutral makeup a lot.
Who doesn't love Reba? I think she always knows how to look fabulous. She's funny, talented and very pretty. I adore her shoes and this bright blue dress looks fabulous on her!
Yahoo! also didn't like this one... Maybe it's just because red and black are my favorite colors, but I think that Kimberly Perry looks fabulous. It's a very simple dress, yes, but it's classy, I love the accent of the red belt and I think she just looks very well put together. Maybe I'm not be best fashion expert though. :)
I love this light blue dress on Kellie Pickler! It's a very beautiful and elegant dress! If anyone doesn't know, she shaved off her pretty blonde hair in honor of her friend diagnosed with cancer, and she still looks fabulous with no hair. I love her. She's so funny. Kellie looked great tonight!
My family loves Lady Antebellum! We've been to all their nearby concerts and gotten their autographs. They all looked fabulous on the red carpet. I love a man in a nice clean suit...
Well that's it for now. Tomorrow I'll give you my least favorites from the red carpet, but for now, it is way past my bedtime. Goodnight!
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