This fall has been wonderful to us.
The most perfect weather you can imagine.
It is slowly getting colder, but I love all the colors fall brings.
Thanks Rexburg.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Natural Grocers
Brantley and I had the AWESOME opportunity of going and learning about Natural Grocers in Idaho Falls, a 100% natural grocery store.
The thing I found most interesting about the store is its founding principles. It is so different than any other business I have ever encountered.
-Its a Family Store beginning with a simple nutrition book
-Dedicated to provided nutrition education (they hold seminars 10x a year for their employees just so they are educated about health and nutrition)
-Everyday affordable pricing. I was a little skeptical about this one at first. Who knows of 100% natural foods as ever being "affordable" but as I looked around the store I noticed it really was! They can do this by saving money elsewhere (like no plastic bags or paper, only reusable-how awesome) so they can lower the prices for produce.
-committed to community. They provide free classes and one on one private nutrition coaches weekly in the store.
They have classes on...
Heart Health
Bone Health
Brain Health
Weight loss
Food Jungle (reading food labels)
Gluten Free Living
Meal Planning
(and more)
(I really want to take their cooking classes made with all natural ingredients)
-committed to employees. They provide their employees with a "living wage" rather than a minimum wage. It was cool to learn that when the company wasn't as big, the owners would take all the employees to lunch.
Basically the whole point of Natural Grocers is to inform others of the benefits of natural eating so that they can then make better decisions.
I love that.
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| Trevor Benion is the Nutritionist at Natural Grocers and put on the seminar |
I really enjoyed this seminar, partly because an AMAZING display of food was given to us. All made with 100% non artificial, organic and natural ingredients (that is HARD)
YEAH IM SERIOUS. All of these things were delicious (which I did not expect to be honest). It really is amazing all you can do with real ingredients. and they taste normal and GOOD. I don't know why we all don't all make these changes. I would eat like this everyday.
Top Left: Sausage and egg casserole
Top Right: curry and BLT lettuce wraps (my favorite)
Bottom Left: Vanilla Greek yogurt with Brazilian nuts and raspberries
Bottom Right: Dairy free blueberry cheesecake (so stinkin' good.)
I would recommend everyone go learn about making healthy alternatives and becoming educated in nutrition and other parts of your life!
PS) Natural Grocers also has a "health and beauty" section. I was in heaven.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
October-the love month
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| On October 17, we celebrated 6 MONTHS as husband and wife. We went to Applebee's and reminisced about our adventure so far as a duo. We both agreed it was pretty great. :) we started thinking about all of our "firsts" October 2013 was a pretty packed month for our "firsts" and I am so glad we wrote them all down :) |
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| On October 1, we celebrated the one year anniversary of the day we met!! Exactly one year ago on that day, we were in Room 214 in the Clark building in our Family Foundations class. I had talked to Brantley once before on the very first class when he asked me if I was trying to add it (I was on the wait list and so was he) But we never had really "met" (I also thought he was WAY too cute and I was like a little girl too nervous to look at him. true story.) BUT on October 1, he came up to me while I was packing away my notebook in my brand new backpack "Hey, is your name Claire?" My heart stopped as I looked up and saw that cutie. I also think I started sweating. He complimented me on my blue flower dress and asked if he could walk me to the library. What I thought: UM YES ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! What I said: "ya sure" haha He walked me to the library (actually showing me where it was-I still got lost on campus a lot) he asked me to "lunch sometime" my heart was his right then. I was so mad I forgot my phone that day when he asked for my number. I had to wait TWO whole days before he texted me. But it was worth it :) On my walk home from the library, A voice came into my head "This one is different, be yourself with this one" I will never forget that walk home It was the perfect day and I love that story and that man with all my heart. |
Our Story
October 1-First meeting
see above
October 4-First date at the Haunted Straw Maze and cocoa bean(So fun. I was so scared and grabbed on to Brantley's arm a couple times on accident...maybe not on accident ;) We went with two other couples (first time I met either of them) and this year we went to the sealing of Ben and Kenzie! They are our favorite. We celebrated our one year anniversary of our first date with them by going back to the haunted maze and cocoa bean :)
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| sorry bad quality |
October 8- First time I saw Brantley play basketball and met his parents.
Oh boy I was scared for this one.
Brantley invited me I think the day of, I think not expecting I would say yes
(we were texting and I asked him what he was doing that night because I wanted to know if he was with a girl
and he invited me!) and I was so there.
It was a 30 min. drive to Idaho Falls. When we got there, I sat with his mom.
That was so scary.
But I loved them from the get go! :)
I think this is when I really started liking him because his mom was telling me all these wonderful things about him :)
also he was really quite attractive making every 3 pointer he shot.
I will just list them from here. I have way too many good stories about us
October 12- Tennis and Subway date
October 13- Talk at the Temple (PIVOTAL)--this comes into play when he proposes :)
October 15-attended first devotional together (at BYUI thats a big deal)
October 17- swimming date and we told each other we had crushes on each other <3
October 18-Deep Love concert and 4-wheeling
October 20-dinner with family and holding hands
October 25-26-Took a trip to Utah! (we stayed with separate friends) and this is where we had our first kiss in the BYU gardens in Provo :)
October 30- Boyfriend Girlfriend :)
As you can probably tell, from day 1 we spent all our time together.
I loved October and all the months after :)
Thursday, September 25, 2014
strands of rope
Hey! Its Brantley. I am blessed to be in a Book of Mormon class at BYU-Idaho and for an assignment I have the opportunity to share on a blog a part of a lesson we have been learning. So here goes!
Recently, I took a trip down memory lane and was able to watch one of my favorite childhood movies: The Three Ninjas. The premise of the movie involves 3 young kids who are training to be skilled ninjas from their grandfather. Every year, they spent their summer learning from their grandfather new moves, but more importantly learning from his wisdom. One piece of wisdom he shares with them is that between the four of them, they represent four pieces of rope, which separately are not very strong but together, can hold the heaviest of burdens.
I related this to my marriage (to the breathtakingly perfect Claire Brooks). I am so grateful that we have a strong marriage. However, I learned a lesson this last week that I hope to never forget. Things were good, as usual, but on this particular night we decided to discuss our marriage. We began talking and as time went by, the conversation got deeper and deeper. We both shared things that we adore about each other and things that had been weighing on our souls. Before we knew it tears were flowing and we embraced realizing that talking to each other and seeing from each other's point of view is one of the best ways to bring us together.
After this experience, I was reading the Book of Mormon. I read of Lehi and Sariah when they were put in a difficult situation. At first glance, in 1 Nephi 5, I was almost sad to read that Sariah was murmuring when they were in such a difficult situation. But the truth of it is, she was asked to give up a lot of things: her spacious house, her wealth and riches, her friends that they left behind in Jerusalem. And now what does she have? She is living in a tent? she does not know if her four sons will ever return from her journey? Of course she would voice her concerns! No mortal can experience that amount of trial without feeling some measure of an overweighing burden.
Sometimes in life, we have a tendency to judge others for their lack of faith or "dignity" in hard times, but that is not our place. We are not aware, fully, to what people may be battling inside. Only our Savior who died for us and took the place for our suffering knows. We have no place to judge or to look down upon others when we do not understand the trial that has been placed upon them.
Striving to understand people's feelings will add an extra strand of rope to our relationships with our husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, parents, etc.
-Brantley
Recently, I took a trip down memory lane and was able to watch one of my favorite childhood movies: The Three Ninjas. The premise of the movie involves 3 young kids who are training to be skilled ninjas from their grandfather. Every year, they spent their summer learning from their grandfather new moves, but more importantly learning from his wisdom. One piece of wisdom he shares with them is that between the four of them, they represent four pieces of rope, which separately are not very strong but together, can hold the heaviest of burdens.
I related this to my marriage (to the breathtakingly perfect Claire Brooks). I am so grateful that we have a strong marriage. However, I learned a lesson this last week that I hope to never forget. Things were good, as usual, but on this particular night we decided to discuss our marriage. We began talking and as time went by, the conversation got deeper and deeper. We both shared things that we adore about each other and things that had been weighing on our souls. Before we knew it tears were flowing and we embraced realizing that talking to each other and seeing from each other's point of view is one of the best ways to bring us together.
After this experience, I was reading the Book of Mormon. I read of Lehi and Sariah when they were put in a difficult situation. At first glance, in 1 Nephi 5, I was almost sad to read that Sariah was murmuring when they were in such a difficult situation. But the truth of it is, she was asked to give up a lot of things: her spacious house, her wealth and riches, her friends that they left behind in Jerusalem. And now what does she have? She is living in a tent? she does not know if her four sons will ever return from her journey? Of course she would voice her concerns! No mortal can experience that amount of trial without feeling some measure of an overweighing burden.
Sometimes in life, we have a tendency to judge others for their lack of faith or "dignity" in hard times, but that is not our place. We are not aware, fully, to what people may be battling inside. Only our Savior who died for us and took the place for our suffering knows. We have no place to judge or to look down upon others when we do not understand the trial that has been placed upon them.
Striving to understand people's feelings will add an extra strand of rope to our relationships with our husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends, parents, etc.
-Brantley
Saturday, September 20, 2014
sentimental
I am just feeling so super sentimental right now. Its incredible how amazing life is and how amazing progress is. Just wow.
My wonderful Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law are coming tomorrow to visit us in Rexburg. Brantley and I decided that such an honored visit deserved a clean kitchen. We started to sweep and clean while singing 80's songs from the movie Guardian's of the Galaxy. (we love that movie) While I was finishing sweeping, I looked around. WE ARE SO AMAZINGLY BLESSED. When we were applying for apartments in Rexburg, our best bed was a tiny studio apartment for $550 a month, which, by the end of two semesters, would be almost all of our pelgrant money, leaving us with very little wiggle room. The day we decided to sign with them, Brantley's friend from work offered us a room in his house in exchange for only 10 hours of work a week. At the time, I realized it was a blessing and an amazing opportunity, but I never thought about how it was a DIRECT blessing from our Heavenly Father. I am awed at this beautiful place we get to live for such a little sacrifice. It is amazing
My wonderful Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law are coming tomorrow to visit us in Rexburg. Brantley and I decided that such an honored visit deserved a clean kitchen. We started to sweep and clean while singing 80's songs from the movie Guardian's of the Galaxy. (we love that movie) While I was finishing sweeping, I looked around. WE ARE SO AMAZINGLY BLESSED. When we were applying for apartments in Rexburg, our best bed was a tiny studio apartment for $550 a month, which, by the end of two semesters, would be almost all of our pelgrant money, leaving us with very little wiggle room. The day we decided to sign with them, Brantley's friend from work offered us a room in his house in exchange for only 10 hours of work a week. At the time, I realized it was a blessing and an amazing opportunity, but I never thought about how it was a DIRECT blessing from our Heavenly Father. I am awed at this beautiful place we get to live for such a little sacrifice. It is amazing
Then, I looked on Facebook and saw one of my best friend's mom post a blog about her adventures as a missionary. My friend, Sister Knapp, is serving a mission in Scottsdale, AZ. She and I used to talk for hours about being missionaries and getting married. I skipped the mission and went straight for the marriage. I am so proud of her for going and being such an amazing missionary. I miss her so crazy much. I read her blog post and bawled. She has been an example to me for as long as I can remember. If anyone needs a spiritual uplift, click here to read her amazing testimony.
After I started missing Savannah, I started realizing how much I missed Kansas and my parents and my brother. (I see my sister everyday but now I miss her too right now!-haha) I have been so blessed to be raised in such an amazing family. Wow I love them! They are the perfect amount of goofy, humble, wonderful, and happy. Its amazing how amazing they are! I miss my Freebys!
I am grateful for a million other things: byui (I LOVE THAT PLACE) a wonderful new family, my incredible husband who would do anything for me, and just the fact that I have the gospel and I can look forward to being better as I go. Life is a wonderful thing.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Surprise
Happy anniversary to us! 5 whole months! Found this little guy in my backpack this morning:)
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Marriage is about...Doing each other's favorite things
We are learning a whole lot about this whole marriage business as we go through it. One of those things is learning how to do each other's favorite things.
As you know, Brantley loves guitar. loves it, and I love that he loves it! What amazes me more, is how he can play a guitar for hours and never get tired of it. The only reason he stops is if there is dinner or we have to leave or something. One of his favorite places (in the world, I think) is the "Guitar Center." It has every type of guitar you can imagine, as well as Brantley's favorite, the Taylor Guitar. When Brantley has some extra time in the evening after work, he always wants to go there, even if he does not say it, I just know by the way he is listing off other things we could do that that option is in his mind. We go a lot :) Its fun for me to see him in his favorite place, playing guitars we cant afford and telling me all about them. Its his favorite thing and I'm glad I get to experience it with him :)
Tonight, Brantley treated me to one of my favorite things :) Two actually! That boy spoils me :) When I picked him up from work today (a little early since we had a prior engagement) He told me he had a surprise for me! We got in the car and drove a little ways, I had no idea where we were going. When we pulled into the nail salon parking lot, I about jumped out of the moving car. I have been wanting to get my nails done for a while since we have been in California. That guy is too sweet. When we got to the front desk, however, he surprised me even more by signing up for a pedicure himself! Oh man that was the best to have him do it with me :) He loved it too! haha :) What the sweetest thing was was that he wanted to do one of my favorite things too. I married a good one.
Marriage is about doing each other's favorite things. It may not be your favorite, but because it's your sweetheart's you do it anyway. You do it to see what makes them happy and experience it for yourself to grow closer and happier. Thats what I learned about marriage today.
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