lately

making: something i thought I would never make--a cute "cheap date ideas" jar.  the other night, taylor and i hammered out a budget. we've had a semi-budget since we've been married, and even though i'm extremely happy and impressed with our savings,  we decided we really wanted to be more responsible.  and not eat out whenever we want and spend $150 on toys every week. HA but for real--it was getting out of hand. soooo, i decided one thing that may help is having prepared date ideas! in hopes that our date doesn't turn into dinner+new clothes for me and new toys for him. i'll share it when I'm finished with it!

cooking: um, i suck at actually coming up with dinner ideas. but i've been trying to be better! I made a chicken chowder that was sooo good last week. and i've had the soup for left overs for the past couple of days! yum!

drinking: water water water water. ever since starting the 30-day shred with jillian michaels, I have been downing the h20.

reading: "hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet" one of my students lent it to me, and I've been really bad at finding time to sit down and read it--but so far, it's really good!

listening to: investing podcasts. i listen to them while I run--it's so intriguing to me. also--I just started listening to the ensign while I'm driving. such an easy way to read the whole issue!

looking: for a new running route. getting sick of my regulars.

wishing: that there was a way to use emojis all the time. like in real life. like when i see an outfit I love, I wish my eyes would turn to little hearts to adequately express my feelings.

missing: my sisters who left me. thank goodness for my brother's wife who is still here and taylor's sister (who moves back this week!)

enjoying: 30-day shred. I really hate it while I do it, but it's only 20 minutes of hell--that's manageable ;) and I LOVE having sore muscles all day. any one else with me on this? it makes me feel so accomplished!

looking forward to: THIS WEEKEND! one of taylor's clients booked a getaway for us in park city (one of our favorite escapes!) more to come on that--but man, we are going to feel like royalty all weekend!

liking: grey's anatomy! thanks mom, for getting me hooked ;)

excited about: having a shredded body in 30 days. ha! see, now would be the time to insert another emoji--the laughing/crying one.

needing: a nice long massage.

wearing: an outfit that I'm still not sure about--but i wore it anyway because i was running late. ha

noticing: that i always use the phrase, "to be honest..." like, "to be honest, that outfit is not my fave." why do I feel the need to preface that I'm being honest? am I normally not honest? ha

thinking: about how i can continually be a better person--and how there's so much I want to learn about!

p.s. i stole this prompt from kayla at all my best. she's the cutest.

another picture overload of a very happy weekend!

this past weekend was so happy having almost my whole family in town!

(we were just missing our favorite woodland clan!...and in the picture we are also missing my brother and his wife. whoops!)

but man! we had a good time together.

we ate good food, went to a trampoline house, celebrated our littlest brother's 17th (17!!) birthday, shopped, and laughed a lot.

and whenever this davis clan gets together, you can guarantee that it will take us 2 hours to decide where to eat and then another 2 hours for the girls to decide what to wear. 

because, well, we are all indecisive.

and seriously...could you have a prettier sister with cuter babies? 

I think we've got a winner over here.

can you tell who married in?

attempting to bring some height genes back to this family! ha!

and also, I'm really upset at these two girls.

because they live next to each other now--and that's just rude.

and also #2. marci left me her jillian michael's 30-day shred DVD to try out.

I started it yesterday, and OH MY GOSH.

my arms are dying today.

it's going to be a long 30 days.

and...I kinda hate jillian.

well, at least I do when I'm sweating and hurting and she's still smiling and chatting away.

oh and please enjoy this little film strip.

I told my sister to "be my paparazzi" on graduation day.

and I had no idea until I looked through the camera, that she took it extremely literally.

there are about 200 of these little pictures of me on the camera. ha!

that giiirrrl. always making me laugh.

so yesterday was a little depressing with an empty house and no more family.

thank goodness taylor's sister moves back in just a few short weeks!

and guys, it's almost may!

which means 1 more month of school until I am summer freeeee!

and it also means 1 more month until we are lying on the beach!

it's a countdown!

i'm married to a graduate!

see this cute guy?

he's mine.

AND he's graduated!

aaand, this guy is so sweet.

see that watch he's wearing?
he inherited it from my grandpa. --it's an original bulova watch.

and he wore it on graduation day to "bring grandpa with him."

it makes my heart smile that he loves my grandpa as dearly as I do.

Friday was such a special day!

I can't tell you how proud I am of this guy.

I know I've said this a million times, but I'm going to say it again:

this guy amazes me.

he graduated in three years.

started a thriving business while going to school full-time.

and is already preparing for his MBA!

(they make you wait 2-4 years to apply though--how dumb is that!?)

quick story time.

I feel like this story would only happen to me.

because things like this always happen to little me.

I borrowed my mom-in-law's incredible lens to get pictures of taylor as he walked across the stage.

I had all of the settings to perfection.

I even practiced shooting five random people as they went across the stage--to make sure I got every handshake & smile.

finally, taylor started getting close.

I was so excited--and ready!

I was going to get some rocking pictures to cherish forever!

and then.

right when they say his name--my camera says: BUSY.

and wouldn't let me take a single picture!

in the 1.5 years that I've had this camera, I have never seen it say BUSY.

and of course, it chooses the moment that is a "once in a lifetime" kind of a moment to display this little BUSY signal.

and the camera continues to say BUSY as he walks all of the way across the stage!

WHAT!

I was literally hyperventilating and freaking out.

and so.

 this blurry, blurry picture is the ONLY picture I have of taylorray going across the stage!

and yet, I have beautiful, pristine pictures of everyone else he graduated with.

why, world? why!?

And now--a picture overload!

because all of these pictures make me so happy!

I couldn't help but cry when I finally got to hug this man and congratulate him on his achievements!

^just two BYU graduates!^

Friday was also special because I FINALLY got to give taylor his graduation gift!

I have the hardest time keeping exciting secrets--so I was so happy to finally let this secret out! 

and his expression?

priceless!

big thanks to one of taylor's best friends for helping me pick out the perfect clubs for taylor.

I had no idea what I was buying when it came to golf clubs. ha

but I knew I wanted to replace his--I think they were about 10 years old?

and taylor loves his new ones (and they were dang expensive!), so I must have done something right!

after he saw them, he kept saying things like, "look at the camber and the balance point on these wedges! and the shaft of the driver!" (okay, he probably didn't say it exactly like that, because I have no idea if those sentences even make sense. but he was using a lot of golf jargon that I'm trying to mimic...ha!)

I kept asking him, "Wait, is that a good thing?"

take a look at these expressions, and I think you'll agree that I did a good job ;)

dear handsome man of mine:

I am SO proud of you.

can I say that enough?

you are so smart, and so cute, and so great.

and hey!

no more homework!

we are BYU grads, baby!!

a surprise visit!

last night, just as taylor and I were lying in bed, taylor turned to me and said, "was that a knock at the door?"

I looked at the clock--10:45, and said, "I doubt it."

then he heard it again, and despite me saying that no one was possibly at the door, he got up to check anyway.
and when he opened the door, he found a little boy.
a very special little boy.
he yelled to me, "hey, kell, someone is here to see you!"
confused as ever, I got out of bed--and then the next two minutes were pure excitement as I saw my little nephews, my sister, and her husband.
a surprise visit!
after lots of hugs (and tears on my part), we drove down at midnight to surprise my other sister.
it was great.
and wow--
I cannot tell you how excited I am!
my parents come down tonight--so it's going to be one great weekend!
we will just be missing our favorite woodland clan who lives all of the way in kansas :(

as soon as work ends, you can find me partying with my favorite people!
and dear marci: i love you and your great ideas and your surprises.

getting ready for a breakdown...

our weekend was FULL of super-smash competitions.

like we may have a slight addiction.

in fact, we even have an official bracket system.

but hey, siblings that play smash together, stay together, right? ;)

big thanks to taylor for forcing me to play every night with him for two weeks--I actually got semi-good and now all I think about is when we can play next!

 six days left living in the same state as this little sister.

I already know I will totally lose it when she moves.

good thing our summer is packed with california visits.

if you're looking for me this weekend, I'll be spending every spare minute with this little chica and probably crying every couple of seconds.

and I loved the opportunity this easter to stop and realize how dang grateful I am to have this guy by my side.

he is my best friend, my #1 supporter, and the greatest cuddle buddy around.

my family comes into town tomorrow for taylor's graduation!

i am SO excited to see them.

and I may try to kidnap jamie so that she can't go back with them.

i'm going to need lots of ice cream + best friends + modern family to get me through after she leaves.

and of course, she's got to be all dumb and decide to leave on an 18-month mission.

ha. kidding.

but seriously.

aghgkajdhflkajghlkajhdglkjshfl--i'm sad.

my life in lists // 3

it's time for the weekly "my life in lists" link-up!
this link up is hosted by me and my cute sister over at if these walls could speak.

the question today: if your bank account had no limits, what kinds of things would you hire someone to do for you?

as soon as I heard the question this week, my mind was racing with a million things that I would LOVE to hire someone to do for me.

but i'll spare you from the million, and just list my top five!

in order, here are my choices:

#1. no doubt--winner-winner, this will always be at the top of my list:

cook AND grocery shop for me!

(special emphasis on the last part!)

I hate grocery shopping with everything I have.

(does anyone have tricks on how to make it better?)

I wait until the last possibly moment.

as of tomorrow, it will be 4 weeks since I've last grocery shopped. ha!

(except for a few staples, like milk and fruit)

so, I bet you can guess what special item is on my to-do list tomorrow (and has been on my to-do list since early last week...)--grocery shopping.

we never, ever have good food (or any food) in our cupboards.

which I'm totally fine with--I'm not a big snacker, and I could live forever on cereal and almonds.

so yes, yes, a thousand times YES.

I would hire someone to do this dirty chore for me.

and if they're buying the food, they may as well just make the dinners right?

kill two birds with one stone...right? right.

#2. be my driver.

I will admit.

I am a horrible driver!

I try so hard to be careful, but somehow I am always driving on the wrong side of the road, or running stop signs, or hitting curbs.

see this post from two years ago as proof!

and this video as proof! ha! it makes me laugh every time.

PLUS, think about how much you could get done in the car if someone was always driving you around.

#3. laundry.

ohhh laundry--you are my personal beast.

this is pretty much my laundry mantra:

sort? tomorrow.

wash? later.

fold? next week.

iron? NEVER.

so...yep, I could really use a personal assistant on this.

#4. do my hair every day.

I am SO uncreative with hair.

I try. and then give up really fast.

but if I could just sit and read while someone did my hair for me every day?

now that would be fantastic!

aaaand #5. be my outfit decider.

I have the same struggle every day:

which shoes?

which belt?

which earrings?

and then I think I mutter at least every day, "that's it. I'm not wearing clothes. this is way too stressful."

I used to ask taylor his opinion, until I learned that he would always just choose the first option.

now, I rely on group messages with my sisters.

but sometimes it takes them too long to respond.

and I HATE when they choose option #2, when I'm already out the door with option #1.

way to go, guys!

I like to think that someday I will be better at all of these things--but I'm not holding my breath.

my cupboards will always be overflowing with only one item: almonds.

my car will always be parked three feet away from the curb.

my laundry baskets will always be full and there will always be a forgotten load in the dryer.

my hair will always be boring and only semi-creative.

and I will always stress every morning over which belt to choose.

and you know what? all in all, I'm really okay with that.

(sorry about those almonds, taylor...)

now, it's your turn!
link up below! and be sure to visit others on the link up!
it's a great way to find cute new blogs!
you can link up ALL week!

and also! 

hope you all had a fantastic easter!

i'll be sharing about our wonderful easter tomorrow!

but for now, an easter-day picture from this little Gilbert duo.

saturday faces

 remember when I told you my mom wanted me to start watching grey's anatomy?

well I started last night.

annnnd, i can't stop watching it!

I'm already addicted.

how have I not seen this show before!?

buttt, here's the problem.

it's almost 3pm.

and I'm still sitting in bed, braless, make-up-less, shower-less, and watching grey's anatomy.

and while the show makes me extremely happy...

I remember that I still have SO much to do today.

like grocery shopping.

and I hate grocery shopping with all of my might.

and so, instead, I am taking pictures and blogging and trying to convince myself to get up and move.

but mom?

I have only you to blame.

at least you'll be proud that my bed is made.

right, mom?

right.

maybe just one more episode...
dear netflix: i hate you.
but I still love you so, so, so very much.
someone tell me that they wasted their saturday too!
(but is it really wasting a saturday? I think I can make a pretty good argument that this makes for a great saturday.)

happy easter tomorrow!
xoxo

so many happy things!

I am currently giddy over SO many happy things!

1. taylor finsihed his LAST FINAL TODAY!!!

that is a serious reason to celebrate!
I am soooo happy to be done with this chapter in our lives.

and seriously, so dang proud of my guy.

little smartie pants graduated in three years!

(not quite as fast as me...but, I'm only slightly competitive ;))

and for some reason it makes him 10x hotter to  be able to say, "yeah, that's my husband, and yeah, he's got a degree."

but I feel like I'll never get the chance to introduce him that way...

and I'm so proud of him for not only graduating, but for also starting his own business at the same time!

he could have easily put one of those things to the side, but instead he pressed on--and mastered both!

two thumbs up and a lot of make-out sessions for this guy! 

2. easter is this weekend!

and there's nothing I love more than an excuse to decorate!

and thanks to easter + my birthday, our house is FULL of fresh flowers! 

fresh flowers are my absolute weakness, so it makes me pretty dang happy.

and! I found sparkly eggs at target and just about died.

so basically, our house is littered with sparkly eggs and flowers. ha

^^and how cute are these burlap bunnies? don't judge the picture though. I had to take it as fast as I could because taylor was in the middle of a video game.  I kissed him to make up for making him lose.

3. officially 4.5 weeks left of school!

okay, wait, I should clarify.

techinically there are 6 weeks left.

BUT only 4.5 teaching weeks!

the last 1.5 weeks are finals + yearbook signing days!

and plus, 4.5 sounds SO much better than 6.

so 4.5 it is.

and don't tell me otherwise...or I may punch you.

want to hear what I'm doing this summer?

NOTHING.

last summer I decided to tutor every day, because I felt guilty just sitting at home.

i made great money.

like seriously--if you want extra cash, tutor!

easy money!

but this summer, I decided I didn't want to be tied down.

I wanted to swim as much as I want, go home to california every other weekend, go on every vacation possible, watch netflix all day, take afternoon naps, and maybe even cook a few
dinners here and there! ;)

and the best part? taylor supports these summer plans 100%.

oh, summer. can't wait until we meet again.

4. this current sight makes me so happy:

my brother and taylor playing video games together.

and that means I can finally watch grey's anatomy.

my cute mama has been getting at me forever to watch it on netflix.

yesterday on facetime, I told her I had been so bored all evening (taylor was finishing his last paper!).

she said, "well I know what you can do if you're bored."

I was ready for her to say, "the dishes," "the laundry" or any other chore.

growing up, if we ever told our mom we were bored, she'd say, "great! I have some stuff to keep you busy!" and we could guarantee to end up with a broom or vacuum or rag in hand. ha!

but instead she said, "watch grey's anatomy on netflix!"

ha! apparently it's her newest obsession.

she even texted me today, "grey's anatamy yet!?"

okay, okay, mom.

if I really must... ;)

5. it's FRIDAY!

along with celebrating taylor's last final + easter, we will be packing our weekend with good food and good friends. 

happy weekend!
oh, p.s! check back monday for a new "life in lists" link up prompt! it will be SO fun!
and such a good way to help your blog grow and meet new friends!
xoxo

i have the greatest little sister

last weekend, my cute sister and I got to go to the bijou market in provo.

it's basically a bunch of etsy vendors with cute things that make you want to empty your bank account.

we left with a few great purchases--my two favorites:

^the happy frame--perfect completion to my living room end table!^

^cutest printable.^

and now, an ode to the greatest little sister around!

I kind of secretly love that I'm the only one in my family that can say "I have the best little sister."

(because all of my other siblings have more than one little sister)

welllll...wait. 

I guess they could all technically still say that--but that'd be mean.

because then they'd be saying that they like her better than me.

which, eh.

I guess I don't blame them.

she's so rad.

this girl is turning in her mission papers in one month--and ah!

I want to cry just thinking about it.

I am so proud of her and so excited for her, but how will I live without daily texts conversations with her?

I don't think there's been a single day that we haven't texted.

well..okay wait.

we weren't texting when we were five.

but you know what I meannnn.

and she has the best fashion sense ever!

 she can pull anything off.

funny story: the other night, she came over for dinner.

and I was telling her how much I loved her necklace.

I told her she should go back to the store and get me the exact same one for my birthday.

and if they didn't have any left, she needed to give me hers.

I made jokes all night about it.

turrrrns out, she had already bought TWO, another one specifically for me for my birthday!

ha! she knows me well.

and she is SO funny.

like seriously.

I laugh every day that I'm with her.

I don't know if there's one funnier.

we were playing egyptian war the other night, and I was crying from laughing so hard.

at such a stupid little game.

on her 14th birthday, I thought it would be funny to go all day without saying happy birthday to her.

I would say, "hey jamie!"

and she'd expect me to say happy birthday, but instead I'd say something completely random, like "how's the weather?"

or "that sweater looks nice on you!"

it drove her absolutely nuts.

I even had my own rendition of the happy birthday song, so as not to actually tell her happy birthday.

it sounds kinda mean, but it was so funny.

and we were dying all day.

but that night, when she fell asleep, I felt bad that I actually never said "happy birthday."

so I crawled into bed next to her and whispered "happy birthday, you weird antelope." 

pretty sure she doesn't know that.

so there you go, jai.

I didn't actually make it the whole day.

cat's out of the bag.

every year since then, she has tried to do the same thing to me, but she always forgets and accidentally tells me happy birthday.

and this story is so weird--but so the essence of us. ha

p.s. antelope is one of the many nicknames I have for her. 

she is so driven and passionate.

when she wants to do something, she just does it.

but she's also incredibly stubborn.

she's cute and beautiful and how in the world will I live without her?

she is about to get some of the coolest packages ever.

and I secretly hope she stays close so I can "bump" into her on her mission. ;)

the times when I am most grateful to god are when I think of how blessed I am to have the family I have.

I do NOT know what I would do without my siblings.

especially this sweet girl who god was nice enough to put in my everyday life.

because he knew I needed her.

and jamie?

I love you!

xoxo

feeling 23.

 basically, I had the best birthday ever.
i woke up feeling SO much better.
I must have just had a weird bug.

taylor always wins as the best present giver.

he made a book for me detailing the story of how we met and how he fell in love with me.

it is the sweetest thing ever, and I cherish it so much already.

the rest of the day was complete with:

lots of flowers from my tayray

birthday cards in the mail

a decorated classroom door from one of the cutest students ever

phone calls & texts from all of my little lovies

dinner at my favorite pf changs

more presents

an ice cream&cake party with the utah fam

OH! and can't forget that taylor and his mom surprised me by showing up to one of my classes and bringing cupcakes for the whole class! and the yummiest of all cakes for me!

all hand made by the greatest baker around--mama gilbert.

do I have the best second mom or what?

and apparently, the celebration is leaking into today.

some cute students from my old school surprised me by visiting and bringing me little birthday treats!

I miss these cute girls so much!

and wow. they made my day.

and please ignore the fact that I am on my tippy-toes and still the shortest.

I kinda had a little personal freak out yesterday when I realized that I felt old.

and I know it's not very old.

butttt I'm almost halfway through my 20s.

and that's kinda scary!

seriously. time is such a weird thing.

but this year is going to be rocking.

so many fun things to look forward to.

and guys! I'm 23!
except...does anyone else get a little depressed when your birthday comes to a close?
or is that just me and the five year olds out there?

^i want to squeeze this girl every day. how will I live without her when she leaves on her mission!?^

oh, and this MUST be documented! yesterday was a big day for one other reason:

 TAYLOR'S LAST DAY OF UNDERGRADUATE CLASSES!

I think that was more exciting than my birthday!

I am sooo proud of my little smartie pants.

the bummer deal is that business school makes you wait 2-3 years before you can apply.

so it's not the total end of school for us, but I'm taking it!

I made him a little "hoorah!" package with little notes for each gift--

for example, the coke had a sticky on it that said, "I'm soda-lighted that you are done with classes!"

some of them were more of a stretch....like:

 a new shirt I got him had a sticky on it that said, "Way to follow the honor code to the "tee!" ha!

aaaand it was kinda fun to GIVE presents on my own birthday!

to sum up.

23 feels great.

my husband is awesome.

and so hot.

and so smart.

and he is the best kisser ever!

and YAY for graduation!!