Blogging Party 2012

So awhile ago Casey, Alyica, and Danielle posted about a 2012 new year blogging party. Where all who wanted to join was paired up with another blogger. You then chatted and got to know the other blogger. You also sent each other care packages. It was super awesome getting know a new blogging friend!





I was paired up with: Bridget from Bridgey Widgey

Some facts about Bridget: 

+she grew up in bountiful, utah. where i am currently living && she lives in draper, where my dad and stepmom also live. small world huh?

+she is mommy to a darling little boy. 

+she is one awesome party planner. seriously go check out her blog. i wish i could be that creative!

+she is the nicest girl, ever. she even dropped off this cute basket at my house.

I can't wait to bake something yummy with all my new goodies.


Thanks Bridget, you are the sweetest! :)

{guest post} bonnie from life of bon

Hey guys, it's Eryka. I am over on Bonnie's blog today. After you read her guest post go on over and check out my post on her blog! :)


Well Hello hello!  It's Bonnie here!  Now, I know you're probably slightly confused because you moseyed on over to this blog today expecting to hear a little word from Eryka, and suddenly someone else is writing up all over her blog  I know it's crazy, but just go with it, and it'll be worth it, I promise.   

I write over at Life of Bon and today Eryka is allowing me to post on her blog because... well... because she's awesome.  Just a little about me: I've been married for ten months, and therefore am in the process of learning that, much to my disappointment, everything does not revolve around just me.  During the day I teach high school English to ungrateful seventeen year olds who have somehow completely stolen my heart.  I'm an avid reader, a hopeless romantic, and a terrible driver.  I write mostly about failed attempts to decorate my house, awkward visits to gynecologists, and absurd things that come out of the mouths of the hoodlum students. 

Eryka and I met through the blogging world a couple of weeks ago, and let's just say it was love at first blog site. (Bad pun, I know)  Now, if you want something that will really blow your mind about me and Eryka, listen to this:  We decided we were each going to write a post about the joys of marriage, and AFTER said decision was made, we discovered that we got married on the exact same day!  Is your mind officially blown?  Because mine is.

This week I had an interesting experience that led me to do some long, deep thinking about this thing called marriage.  You see, every year I have an appointment with the ...*ahem*... lady doctor.  To make sure all my...*ahem*...lady parts are doing everything they are supposed to do.  This week was said...*ahem*... lady doctor appointment.  

I always get just a tad nervous before these appointments.  And by always I mean the two times in my life that I have ever been.  To calm my nerves in the waiting room, I looked for something to read.  Well, I'll tell you what, that place was hard up for some reading material so I resorted to the pamphlets on the wall.  My choices were "Menopause:  What you don't know you don't know," and "The infection question:  it's not always yeast."  This much I know for sure, whoever is writing the titles of their pamphlets needs to get paid less.  I opted for the menopause pamphlet.  You see, I always like to be prepared.  Sometimes things happens sooner than you'd think, people.

I didn't get far into my riveting read when they called me to the back, demanded to know my weight, and them told me to strip and put on a robe with the opening in the front.  They've got a lot of nerve at that place.

The lady doctor came in, and immediately began firing questions.  I figure she did it to take my mind off the exam and I'll tell you what, it worked.  I was so busy answering her relentless questions that I didn't have a second to think about what else was going on in the room.

"How was the wedding?"  "How's teaching?"  "Do you want to get pregnant?" "What does your husband do?" "Do the students mistake you for a student at your high school?" "Have you ever gone on an African safari?" I mean it.  This lady didn't let up.

Then she asked me, "So how is the marriage going?  Everything marital bliss?"  I considered briefly telling her that we had already divorced- just to see her squirm- but I decided instead to be a good girl.  "Yah, pretty much."

"Yep, that usually lasts about two years." She said with a complete straight face.  "Now, I'm going to give you this prescription for a year..." 

We finished up and I took my prescription and free birth control and menopause pamphlet and headed on home.

I got to thinking on my drive.  About the whole marital bliss thing lasting two years.  Here's what bothers me about it.  I have gotten that remark, or a similar version of it, probably 100 times since I tied the knot.  "Oh, that will soon wear off and before you know it you'll be two people who live together and tolerate each other's bad smells." or  "Oh, you're probably just so in love right now, aren't you?  It doesn't last forever you know,"  or "After a few years you won't even be touching each other anymore, trust me."

Its not that I think me and Hubs have a better marriage than everyone else.  It's just that... I think everybody should have a better marriage than that.  

While my marriage has been a blast and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, it's no cake walk.  It's not like we've just been sitting on the couch kissing and eating ice cream.  We've had to struggle through things.  We don't always see eye to eye.  We're both strong willed people.  Sometimes we are selfish.  Sometimes we say things we don't know are hurtful.  Sometimes we just don't even really know how to be married.  But every month is easier.  Every month is more fun.  Because we understand each other more, we know how to treat the other person, we know how to talk to each other.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that it seems to me that each year of your marriage should be getting better, not worse.

Then I started thinking.  Maybe I'm just being naive and stupid.  Maybe the whole marital bliss really is just a passing phase.  Then I thought of the marriage besides my own that I know the best.  My parents' marriage.  Of course, as a child of the marriage, I don't know half of the struggles that went on, the disagreements, the trials, the hurt feelings.  What I do know from pure observation is that my dad told my mom she looked pretty at the dinner table, they said their prayers together at night, my mom organized my dad's desk for him, they danced in the kitchen, and they took week long vacations without the kids every year.  It sure doesn't seem like a marriage where the bliss ended after two years.  

I also know that the two years since my dad passed away have been the most difficult and trying times of my mom's life.  I know that she has experienced severe heartache, on a level that the rest of us can't understand.  I know that she misses him every day.  I have seen her shed countless tears because of his absence.  And I'll tell you this much- my mom's not crying because somebody she tolerated and picked up after left earlier than she thought.  She's crying because they were right smack in the middle of marital bliss.

I don't know diddly squat about marriage.  I'm a freaking amateur over here.  But I know this much.  Marital bliss isn't supposed to last for two years.  It's supposed to last forever.

And that's what I learned today on my trip to the lady doctor.

Thanks, Eryka, for being so gracious to host me on your blog.  And to the readers of said blog, I hope I have entertained you enough that you stumble over to lifeofbon.  Sometimes I even post weird pictures of my husband giving other men massages.  Don't ask. 

Bonnie, thank you so much for taking over my blog for the day. I loved  your post, you have such a way with words. You are one awesome, lady and I am pretty sure we are meant to be blog bff's. I mean we were married on the SAME DAY! I mean, how random is that. AMAZING! Thanks for swapping blogs today!!! :)

xoxo

~Eryka

our weekend in photos

+friday night was date night and chinese food it was. 

+after dinner we rented "water for elephants" and popped some caramel popcorn

+my pretty lamp 

+reading bed and being able to see the painting my gparents gave us is my fave

+got a cute note from dan's sister heather who lives in maryland with a cute fam photo. {heather, dave, our step-nephew josh and step-niece briar} we miss them

+the hubby got up saturday and made hash-browns. mmm

+gorgeous sunset saturday night

+sunday morning listening to the motab

+dan drew a little picture during sacrament sunday

+here's a close up: an octapark. whatever that means

+hymns at church

+rust colored tights and gold shoes

we also got to see my cousin hailey and her husband lance sunday night. last time we saw them was on our wedding day! i sure missed my hay hay, it was so fun to see her but we sure missed megan! still awesome to get 3 out of the 4 of us together! the first two we were making space for megan! haha. :)

flashback: here's one of all of us from my wedding day. i love these girls, they are some of my bestest friends! 

stay tuned for another post tonight...exciting!!!!!!!

blogging: why i do it.

so within the last few weeks this blog has really grown and i have gathered quite the group of followers, as i have been wrapping my noggin around it all. i have been thinking about why i blog....


when i first started blogging on that christmas eve night in 2008, i had NO idea it would turn into what it has. seriously, i started this blog as a way to write my thoughts down and keep my family updated on my life. i have always been a terrible journal keeper, and i thought a blog was the perfect way for me to share what i had to say. 


the other night i was up watching teen mom 2 and was reading through older posts and i realized how much i have grown as a person. i love that this has been a place for me to share my thoughts and adventures. my life as been wonderful, sad, happy, and crazy all at the same time. when ever i am feeling down, i can read older posts and realize how much i have grown.


this blog is my outlet. this is the place where i can really be myself, i have really worked hard especially the last year or so to make this a REAL outlook on how i am. often when i read other blogs i ask myself "i wonder if this is how they really are?" or if they are just putting up a "blog front". do you ever ask your self that? anyways, i hope when people read my blog they enjoy it and really can see i am 100% real on here. of course there are some things that are very personal to me that i dont blog about but, i think i have done an ok job at trying to be as real as i can. 


i read about other bloggers who get mean emails or comments about how they are the way they are. it really makes me sad. i haven't had to experience that yet, thank goodness. but, if it ever happens i want them to know this my blog and the place where i can blog about whatever i want. if you dont like it then dont read it. simple right? 


this whole reason for this post is just me writing my feelings on blogging. yep i just blogged about blogging. haha. 


i really am so grateful for this blog and all the blessings it has brought into my life. from this blog i have grown into a strong woman, as well as made some amazing friends. even though i probably will never meet all of them in person, they really are some of the coolest friends and i hope one day to meet some of them in real life. 


i better wrap up this super long post. i just wanted to say thank you to all you who read and follow abcde. you guys are awesome! 


xoxo

{me just being the bookworm i have been lately}

something exciting//fill in the blank friday

ashley over at absolutely ashley and i have been working on something exciting for next week. we are going to be having a link up party each wednesday. each week we will post a different topic on both our blogs and then you can link up your posts to our blogs. this way we all can get to know each other in the blogging world. dont you love making new friends?!

starting next week we will have our first link up party! the topic will be a happy list. this way you guys can start thinking of what will be on your happy list. see examples of a happy list here and here.  

=======================================================================

i thought i would do a fill in the blank friday instead of five friday faves this week. so if you wanna play along to, go ahead and link up to the little things we do. 

1.   My favorite place i've ever traveled to is     is pismo beach, ca or santa barbara, ca. i love it there. so pretty!

2.    New York or Europe     is somewhere I'd love to go someday.

3.  I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by     reading or listening to music      .

4.  My three must-haves when I travel are     a good book    ,    snacks   and    comfy clothes 

5.  My favorite travel companion is    my hubs  .

6.  The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is    um, nothing too crazy has happened. i dont travel too much  .

7.  The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is    nothing. havent traveled out of the country  .

8.  If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in    seattle, i have never been. but i think i would LOVE it there  .

9.  I have been to    seven  states in the U.S.

happy weekend everyone!!! hope it's a good one! 

tumblr love day.

it's no secret i love tumblr. seriously i cant even think why i love it so much. anyways, i do. i havent spent too time much lately on it. i have been doing other things with my time. but here are some of the images i am loving lately. you can find these and others over on my tumblr. click here.

aren't these awesome? yep they are. which do you love? 

pinterest love.

all via my pinterest. 

1. i love the color of that desk. maybe i'll paint my new desk that color..hmmm

2. cutest maternity shirt ever.

3. super cute vday decor.

4. love this collage wall. gorgeous.

5. cute vday garland. made from $1 store hearts.

6. love those striped walls in this baby room.

7. get in my belly. mmm.

8. love these cute little jars. 

photo a day//part two

see part 1 here. i love this photo a day, and i totally am planning on doing the feb photo a day too. see it here. thanks for sharing kenzie.


{dont forget i am taking ad swappers still...please email me erykaann88@gmail.com this  week!! thank youuuu!}

our weekend.

snow, rain, berkley{my cousins little girl's}bday party, church, sleeping, movies, SNOW, more snow and resting. that was our weekend! when i say snow i mean LOTS of it! watch this video from right by out house. INSANE! 

here is some pictures via valory jean photography from the photo booth from berks party! 

the first two pics are with me and these two ladies. megan and annie {my awesome cousins}. check out their blogs. they are new to the blogging world...go show them some love and tell them i sent you over ok?! :)


but, i love the last one. made me LOL literally. i love that man!

did you all have a good weekend? hope so! 


pssttt...i am still accepting ad swaps. email me! :)

instead of saturday sayings.

sometimes...

...you are in a gloomy mood because its gloomy outside. 

...the dishes seem like an crappy chore and you just can't get yourself to wash them. 

...you just need to have a vampire diaries marathon. 

...the mailman scares the crap out of you as he slams the mailbox down. 

...a friday night in with the hubs is just what you needed. 

...your abs are so incredibly sore from a yoga meltdown work out with jillian michaels. oh and your butt too. {t.m.i?! haha}

...you think you need to take a break from blogging everyday. 

...you question why you blog. then you remember its for you not anyone else! 

...your little blog has 82 followers. {thanks guys!!! xoxo}

...you feel like you're turning into a old maid by drinking tea in bed and reading while the husband sleeps next to you. {love it!}

...you realize you haven't written a sometimes post in FOREVER! 

hope you all have a wonderful weekend! xoxo 

wanna ad swap?!

i am slowly growing my following here on the blog and if you noticed over the left there is a new option here on this blog. i now offer a free ad swap option. i know lots of people charge people to advertise on their blogs, i personally felt kind of weird asking people to pay me to advertise on my blog. so i've seen other bloggers to an ad swap. i thought that is brilliant! 

if you are a newer blogger like me, and you've been thinking about sponsoring blogs/accepting sponsors. this is perfect for all us newbies!  

whats an ad swap?

basically we will send each other our blog buttons and place the on our blogs for free. i dont know yet how long i should leave them up. if i get enough interested i'll figure another option out! 

if you have a blog/shop/photography biz/etc and you wanna do an ad swap. email me at erykaann88@gmail.com 

as of right now i have two lovely ladies over to the right who i am ad swapping with! check them out. if you wanna be a part of this send me an email! 

come on what ya waiting for. 

friday five faves.

1. this picture, i am in love.

via

2.  oh so lovely's post all about the color mint julip. i love all the pics go check it out! 

via

3.  jillian michael's yoga meltdown dvd. holy cow. i thought i was fairly good at yoga, THOUGHT wrong. this dvd is such an insane work out. i loved it! she sure knows what's up! haha. you should try it! 

4.  this super cute d.i.y from the wonder forest. how cute is that box? maybe ill have to make some for our family! :)

via 

5.  kate from the small things blog's makeup tutorial. her blog is genius. i love all her hair tutorials and make up tutorials! you should check her blog out!

via

what are you loving this week?!