Hello Again!

Wow, it seems like I haven't been here in forever!  Drew and I went back to Rapid for a visit last week, so I took the week off from blogging.  We had a great time and it sounded like we missed a good week back home since it rained the majority of the time we were away.

We've been busy since I wrote last.  Two Friday nights ago, we went to the first Bozeman Art Walk.  Boy did we have a good time!  It really is one of my very favorite summer events, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Saturday morning, we woke up early and drove to Helena so that Doug could run in the Governor's Cup race.  After the race, we made our way to his family's cabin on the lake and spent the night there Saturday.  Unfortunately it rained all day, so we were pretty much stuck inside, but we found things to do.  Sunday was Father's Day, so we drove back to Bozeman and did a little hike Sunday afternoon.  We met some friends for dinner Sunday night at Bridger Brewing, Doug's choice of course since it was Father's Day!

Monday morning, Drew and I made the drive to Rapid and spent the week hanging out with my family.  We had lots of fun and really great weather!  On Friday, we drove back to Bozeman so we could meet some friends Saturday for an afternoon bike ride.  We did a tour of the town again, this time with our friends, and I think they had as much fun on our ride as we did!

Sunday, it rained all day again, so we got some chores done and I did some cooking.  It was a pretty lazy Sunday, but that's okay.  Sometimes you just need a day to relax and recharge!

Here are some pictures from our week!!

Ready for the art walk!

Family shot!

Drew loved these two girls.

 

He really liked dancing to their music!

He found a cute girl to dance with!

How adorable is that?!

   

Drew enjoying some water while we waited for dad at his race.

Drew getting brave enough to pet Boomer!

Grandpa and Drew!

The crazy boys went water skiing.  It was 50 degrees out!

Father's Day hike!

A bone we found on the trail.  Maybe an elk?

It was a gorgeous afternoon!

 

 

Family!

My hiking buddies!  Love them!

Walk around the hood on Father's Day evening!

Drew found an enormous Pooh at my parents house.  It was love at first sight!

Relaxing!

 

The first flower Drew ever gave me!

Practicing his skills!

Sweet sleepy guy!

Helping grandpa in the garden! Drew had a highly useful hair brush!

Before our ride on Saturday!

Sleeping in the Burley!

We had a fun week, but now we're back into our normal routine. It's going to be a great week!

Summer Nights!

Oh summer, how I love you!  One of my favorite things about summer is all of the outdoor activities that take place.  From farmer's market to Music on Main to art walks.  I just love them all!  Tuesday night, we went to our first farmer's market of the season. I love walking around checking out all of the vendors, not to mention all the fun food you can try.  It was a beautiful evening, and we had lots of fun walking around checking it all out.  We left with some cookies for the hubby and a new pair of earrings for me, so I'd say it was a success!

Friday night is the first art walk of the summer and I'm so excited.  I love strolling downtown, checking out art, and enjoying free wine and appetizers.  It's such a fun event, and I'm so happy they are starting soon.  It's always fun to get outside and all of the summer activities and events cater to doing just that.  I sure do love summer!

I didn't take any pictures at the farmer's market the other night, so I'll leave you with these.  I always have a cute picture of Drew on hand! ;)

Happy Thursday! Hope you're enjoying summer as much as I am!

Loving Lately - Makeup/Beauty Products

For the final installment of "Loving Lately," I'm going to focus on makeup/beauty products.  Let's be honest, I'm a little new to the whole makeup craze.  In fact, I didn't even wear makeup until I was a senior in high school.  I was very much a tomboy and didn't have time for such frilly things!  Nowadays, I've certainly become more interested in it, and I feel like I'm finally learning not only how to apply makeup, but also how to find the products that really work for me.

Here's a roundup of the makeup/beauty products that I've been using on repeat!

• Urban Decay Naked Eye Shadow Palettes - For Christmas, I got my very first Naked palette and I couldn't have been more excited!  I had heard a lot about them, but because they are a little pricey, I had never purchased one myself.  I got the Naked 3 palette, and boy am I in love!  I have to say, the higher price is definitely worth it, as I can totally tell a difference in quality between my Naked shadows and my drug store palettes.  The consistency is so much better and it truly does last all day long.  I now have the Naked 2 and 3 palettes and I have to say I love them both. I probably get a little more use out of 3 because it is the more rose-tinted neutrals which seems to go with my skin tone a little better.  Overall I love them both and will probably eventually get the original Naked palette.  In my opinion, you can throw out your other shadows because all you need are these palettes! (Note: these are the only higher end shadows I have ever used, so I cannot attest to the Urban Decay prominence over other higher end brands!)
  
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush - I had seen other bloggers rave about the Amazonian clay blush, and I just had to try it.  I have the shade "blissful" and I really really like it.  It's the perfect color for my skin tone and it really does last a long time.  Maybe not 12-hours, but that's probably because I give Drew so many kisses throughout the day!
  
  
  
  
• Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter - For Christmas, my mom got me a subscription to Birchbox, and I absolutely love it.  It's so fun to get a box every month, and I've actually found quite a few products through my Birchboxes that I now use on a daily basis.  The Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter is one of those products.  I first received it in my Birchbox and after using up the sample, I had to have it.  It's a great champagne colored highlighter that I use on my cheekbones and brow bones and it really just brightens up my face.  They have since come out with a Cindy-Lou Manizer highlighter that is more of a rose-gold color that I will probably invest in as well!
  
• Benefit They're Real Mascara - I am picky about mascara.  I had the perfect mascara in CoverGirl's  VolumeExact waterproof mascara, but unfortunately, it was discontinued quite awhile ago. I think I have tried every drugstore brand and kind since then, and I just haven't been able to find a mascara that I like even close to as much as the VolumeExact formula.  I'd heard a lot about Benefit's They're Real, and so I decided to give it a try. I bought the tester size, anticipating not liking it just like all the rest.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the closest that I have found to my beloved VolumeExact.  The wand is similar and it seems to give my lashes both volume and length.  I still don't think I like it as much as I liked my VolumeExact, but I guess it's the closest that I've come so far.
  
• e.l.f. Mineral Face Primer - I had never used a primer before a couple months ago.  I kept reading that it was a must if you want your makeup to last, but to be honest, they were all so expensive and I just wasn't going to pay that much for something that you couldn't even see and would just go on UNDER my makeup.  Then I found the e.l.f. Mineral Face Primer.  It's only $3, so I figured I'd give it a try.  It's great!  It goes on smooth and fills in the lines on my face to create a perfect blank canvas for my makeup.  If you want to try a primer, but aren't thrilled about the price, check out e.l.f.  In fact, they have quite a few products that are pretty good and they range in price from $1-$6.  My kind of prices!
  
• Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave-in Conditioner - I have to be honest, I was skeptical when I received this product in my Birchbox.  My hair is so fine and thin that I was sure a leave-in conditioner would be too heavy for my limp hair and would just make it greasy and gross.  I didn't even really use my sample until my sister received the same sample in her box and absolutely loved it.  She bought the big version, so I figured I had to give it a shot.  And I love it!  It smells delicious and leaves my hair soft and silky smooth without weighing it down or making it greasy.  I spray it on my damp hair and then comb through, which it also helps detangle my snarly hair.  It's pretty much a miracle product. I can definitely tell a difference on the days that I'm too lazy to use it.  It's been great for my hair!
  
• Aquage Uplifting Foam - Now, if you know me, you know I love Kate from The Small Things Blog.  She's really the reason that I ever started reading blogs, and honestly, a pretty big reason why I started this blog.  I just love her!  Anyway, she loves Aquage Uplifting Foam, and the girl has spectacular hair, so I think she knows what she's talking about.  My hair is so fine and limp that I figured a little uplifting couldn't hurt.  I've been using this for a couple months now and it definitely adds volume.  Again, I can absolutely tell a difference on the days I'm too lazy to use it. It has become a daily product for me and I love that little lift that it gives me!
  
• Clarisonic Mia - I got a Clarisonic for Christmas and I have to say I really love it.  It makes me feel like I'm at a spa every time I wash my face!  It gets my face really clean and I think it also adds some luminosity.  It's nice to feel like your face is really getting a deep down clean, and the Mia does that for me!
  
  
  
  

Well, there you have it.  The makeup and beauty products that I've been loving lately.  I hope you enjoyed the "Loving Lately" series.  If there's anything else you're curious about, let me know.  If I come up with other things I've been loving lately, I'll be sure to pass them along!  Happy Hump Day!

Sunday Riding!

Sunday we decided to go for another long family bike ride all through town.  It's quickly becoming one of our favorite pastimes.  Our house is about 100 yards from trails that connect all throughout town, so we are able to bike right from our doorstep.  It's pretty awesome!  A year later, and we couldn't be more happy with our house and it's perfect location!

We left the house about 11:15 and headed out for an afternoon of riding.  We rode the trails around our house for a bit before heading downtown for lunch.  We had lunch at Ale Works on the patio.  They just opened the patio for lunches this summer, and it was fantastic.  It's so fun to eat outside in the summer!  Right now, they have limited seating and a limited menu as they are trying to see if lunches would be successful.  We sure hope they eventually open the entire restaurant for lunch.  It's one of our favorite places, and lunch on the patio did not disappoint!

After lunch, we rode our bikes to the park.  Drew got to swing and go down the slide, and even ride on a zebra with dad!  He had lots of fun!  He's liking the park more and more each time we go, and it's fun to watch him figure it all out.

After the park, we rode around town on more trails.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great ride.  After riding a bit further, we decided to make a stop at DQ.  It was our first of the season, and oh so good!  After DQ, we rode up to MSU and around the campus for a bit before heading home.  In all, we rode a total of 18.6 miles.  It was such a fun day!  We have really been loving doing bike tours and it's pretty great that we can go straight from our house.  It was a perfect summer Sunday!