Hi Friends! I can’t believe it’s already February! I feel like January was slow and fast. I don’t know, there is part of me that feels like it should be March already, but then another that’s like Wow! Where did January go?
Here’s a recap! Overall, I’d say it was a great month!
The year started in Boston with my besties and my family! I’m so thankful for them!
Flew back to Idaho and immediately went back to work on January 3.
We had a lot of very snowy days! One of the weeks I feel like it snowed every single morning!
One weekend I didn’t leave my house at all because of the snow. I would finish shoveling and immediately have to shovel again!
Went skiing at Sun Valley! Here’s to more skiing in February!
Took way too many photos of Jackson sleeping! He’s just so cute!
Spent some time reading!! Here’s to more reading in February too!
And, even enjoyed some outdoor walks to end the month with these above average temperatures we’ve been having!
My biggest goal for this year is to enjoy things I used to enjoy again. When I was in college and even before that, I had a lot of things I loved to do. Everything from reading, to running, to dancing, cooking, playing my clarinet. There were so many things I loved to do, and I stopped doing all of them because of my job. My entire life revolved around my job, and I want that to STOP in 2024. I want to enjoy the things I used to enjoy again, and enjoy my life. Life is so short and it flies by.
This has always been one of my most favorite times of the year. When I was a kid this time of year always felt so magical. Now, that I’m older, the magic has died a bit, but I’m determined to still make it a special time of year. One of the best ways to do that, in my opinion, is to decorate!!
Here is my house this year, and if I do say so myself, it looks magical!
Welcome in!
Of course I have a giant blow up, do you know me at all?
Candy canes lining the walk way!
I love changing my flags for the seasons.
A real wreath this year.
You might notice a theme, JOY! Joy is my middle name, so I have to!
My little Santa figurines were a gift from my Grammy years ago!
A flamingo with a Santa hat was a no-brainer!
This one lights up!
I saw this on Tik Tok and thought it was so cute!
A little touch to brighten up the stairs!
I painted this one.
My chocolate fix every day!
Another wreath welcoming me in from the garage.
My gorgeous tree! Do you see Jackson?
Anyways, it’s not much, but this time of year can be awfully depressing, the sun sets so early, it’s cold out. This brings me Joy and it brings me happiness to turn all the lights on and enjoy them. I’m wishing you all so much love this time of year.
Happy November everyone! I know that Halloween was yesterday and before I take all my decorations down and decorate for Christmas, I wanted to share how I decorated my house this year. Mostly because I love decorating and I love how my house came out this year!
So, Welcome in friends!!
I took this picture on Halloween night!
All of our pumpkins!
I love this flag because it isn’t just Halloween, but good for all of Fall.
My front door!
I like this because it works for Thanksgiving too!
These pumpkins light up!
These ones light up too!
An easy way I like to decorate is just to get a few wall signs that I can exchange for winter, summer, fall, etc. It makes it look like a whole new wall when I put them up!
Sunflowers are my favorite!
A great reminder!
I’ll leave this up until Thanksgiving!
I love these signs! I swear I have one for every season!
And lastly, something that I got from my Mom! Changing the hand towels to match the seasons can do so much for your house!
It’s Jackson on the towel!
I will ALWAYS get a decoration with dogs if they have it! I love dogs!
And that is it! I really love decorating my house for the different seasons. It makes me happy, and it makes me smile when I come home from work!
I am so excited to decorate for Christmas too, I’ll try to wait as long as I can, but I really just love Christmas decorations and want to enjoy them as much as I can, so it’ll probably be pretty soon by the time I put them up!
You guys, last week I had such a good week! On Wednesday, I went down to Salt Lake City and picked up my Mom at the airport and then we went to see Derek Hough and his wife Hayley on tour!
We were so excited! I bought these tickets the day they went on sale, so it was a long time coming!
Since we had VIP tickets we had to get to the theatre early, so we could check in and then go back stage!
We waited to take our picture with Derek and Hayley and then went to the Question and Answer session!
I was able to ask Derek a question, and I just wanted to share his answer with you, because it was amazing. I asked him how he deals with and handles negative comments about him on social media, or over email. As a morning news anchor, I get comments all the time towards me, and I asked him how he handles it.
Derek said that at first he would take those comments to heart, but then he started to realize that when people would said hurtful and negative things to him, he began to realize that says more about the people saying it, than it does about him. He said he began to have empathy for them, and recognizing that they are missing something from their own lives if they feel the need to reach out to you to say their negative comments. So in case you needed to hear that, there you go.
I LOVE this picture so much! The true happiness on my face can’t be beat!
After the VIP session we went to the Cheesecake Factory for a quick dinner and then headed back to the theatre for the show! We had about two hours in between the VIP session and the show!
Our seats were in the second row, right on the aisle! I turned around and this is the view!
Derek’s show was called ‘The Symphony of Dance’ and I have seen Derek in every show he has ever done, and to be honest, they have all been AMAZING! But, there was just something so special about this one. It had so much heart behind it.
The Symphony of Dance, in my opinion, was a metaphor, for the journey of life. There will be ups and downs and highs and lows, but overall it’s the journey that you remember. I loved that so much!
The females had 18 costume changes, and each one was more spectacular than the last!
Each dance told a story, and each dancer was phenomenal! I’m telling you I would see this show every night in every city if I could. I left feeling so inspired!!
This show was particularly emotional for Derek because he is from Salt Lake City, and he had a lot of family and friends and his old dance teachers in the audience, and it was a sold out show! It was so special. I can only imagine how Derek was feeling up on that stage!
I just want to thank Derek and the entire cast and crew for this show! It was truly wonderful and I think everybody, even if you know nothing about dance, could enjoy this show and enjoy seeing the talent and hard work and creativity on that stage! I would see it every night if I could!
Thank you Derek, from the bottom of my heart, for teaching me to live my life with passion and to never let anybody make you feel bad about being who you are!
Earlier this summer, I set a list of things I wanted to do during this summer, it included everything from Watch High School Musical 1, 2, and 3 to go to a water park! Sadly, I wasn’t able to accomplish everything I wanted to on my list, because you know, real life and work and other commitments and bills to pay and chores to do. But there were still some really good days too! So, without further ado, here is a look at my Top 10 of this summer! Hard to believe it’s already over!
Visiting my family and friends in Boston!
I would consider this the start of summer! It was such a fun week and I miss all of these people so much! I have such good memories of this week!
2. Hosting a big 4th of July Party… on July 1st.
At my house, the fireworks are lit off from the field that is literally one house away from mine! So, what did I do? Hosted a giant 4th of July Party to have everyone over to watch! It was such a good day!
3. Going paddleboarding on the Snake River
I have kayaked the Snake River before but never Paddle boarded and it was so much fun! This particular day was gorgeous out as well, so it made it even better! I hope I can do that more next year!
4. Floating the Boise River!
Another first for me! I’ve never floated the Boise River before and it was so much fun! This particular day was 102 degrees and the water was 54 degrees! We had a few minor setbacks on this day, but overall it was so much fun! I love trying new things!
5. Going to Roaring Springs Water Park and Wahooz Family Fun Center!
I sadly have no pictures from the water park, but this sunset was taken on the drive home this trip, so it will have to do!
6. Kelley’s Canyon Orchard Peaches and Cream Day!
Trevor and I drove down into the Canyon to Kelley’s Canyon Orchard where they grow peaches and other fruit. On this day, they had peaches and cream and it was delicious! This spot in the Canyon is so pretty and it was so peaceful!
7. The Twin Falls County Fair
The Twin Falls County Fair is absolutely always a highlight of the year for me! I just love the people, the food, the atmosphere! It never disappoints! These two gentlemen run the model railroad building and I love them to pieces!
8. Attended a gorgeous wedding!
We went to a gorgeous wedding for our friends! Trevor was a groomsmen, doesn’t he look so handsome? But this wedding was so fun, and I danced the night away on that dancefloor!
9. Taking Jackson to the Pooch Splash!
The Pooch Splash is an annual fundraiser put on by the Twin Falls Animal Shelter for their medical fund. Jackson is from the shelter and I love to give back to the people who gave me my best friend in the world! Jackson had the time of his life too!
10. Covering important stories to Southern Idaho
I mean, considering almost my entire life is spent at work, I guess I have to include it on my Top 10 of summer. It is what I spent most of my summer doing.
And there you have it folks. I didn’t do everything I wanted to do, not even close, but it was still a really great summer full of laughs, time with friends and family, and some fun days.
I used to love summer when I was a kid, probably because we didn’t have school and I could spend all day doing whatever I wanted.
Now that I am older, I think I like Fall the most. The seasons are changing, it’s cooler in the morning but warmer in the afternoon. We’re back to our routines and schedules, which we all know I love a good schedule.
I have to be honest with you, this year in general has been hard for me in many ways, most of which I will never get into on here, but this summer wasn’t all bad! It had lots of good moments, but I’m ready for Fall now!
Hi everyone!! So here’s a weird fact about me, I LOVE making lists. I mean, I am constantly making lists. Lists of things I need to do, lists of things I want to do, lists of books I want to read, movies I want to watch, even lists of things I want to buy. I just am always making lists.
It helps me to stay organized, and also to sort things out in my brain.
So here is a list of some of my favorite things. I was thinking I will start here then break it down into subsections of those favorite things, because why not?
So, here we go!
DOGS: specifically my dog Jackson but really all dogs!
TV SHOWS: I love watching shows. I am constantly watching multiple shows at once, because my mood depends on what I am wanting to watch.
BEING OUTSIDE: I love being outside and feeling the sun on my face. Walking, biking, reading outside, swimming. I love being outside.
READING BOOKS: When I was in college and high school I would even make lists of the books I read each year, keeping track of how many books and which ones I loved.
MY FAMILY: I am convinced I have the best family in the world. No matter what, they are always there for me, and I wouldn’t be the person I am without them.
MY FRIENDS: I also have the best friends in the world. I may not have that many friends, but quality over quantity in my mind.
COFFEE: I don’t really need to elaborate, do I?
LEARNING HOW THINGS WORK: And by that I mean, understanding why things work the way they do, the behind the scenes of things. I love listening to these watch back podcasts because it is so intriguing to me learning how different shows were made.
SUNSHINE: I just love it when the sun it out. I am so much happier. It doesn’t even have to be warm, but when the sun is out, I feel joy!
SKIING: I have been skiing since I was 3 and it is my favorite! I raced in high school and I still enjoy it to this day!
Well, that’s it! Those are my Top 10 favorite things!
I want to hear yours though, because I love learning about people!
Elizabeth Joy Hadley 