Davenport Developments

Dear Santa Barbara

2012-02-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you for being so beautiful during our visit two weekends ago (I know I'm behind). Chadwick had to work on Monday and got a hotel on Sunday so I could come and join him, because work is so much more fun when we are together. We left after church and took PCH all the way up, I love that drive, having an ocean view the whole time is so relaxing and therapeutic. We decided to get out in Malibu at a surfing spot Chad likes and see some hardcore bikers who stop to get a drink (not pictured)

His shirt says it all

We got into your beautiful city and stayed the night at Hotel Santa Barbara on State Street. After quickly checking in we walked down to the beach to catch sunset. The sunset is different here, it's not right over the water from where we were, I loved seeing it peek through the palm trees.

After Sunset we went back to our room, put on some warmer clothes and in no hurry at all looked for a cute restaurant with a local feel. I even put on red lipstick for this occasion, although Chad isn't a huge fan, are guys in general lipstick fans? I like to tease him its because he then can't give me a kiss whenever he wants :)

1. Pretty lights 2. Red Lipstick 3. Tower or terror elevator in our hotel

The next day Chad had to work. I was able to sleep in, take my sweet time getting ready and do some shopping on State Street. I took a few pictures on my phone of my day there.

1. Lunch @ Silvergreens 2. Pretty stairs 3. Chevron flower pot

I love this city, the "Santa Barbara" style is so pretty to me, the vibe of the city is laid back and beachy. I hope that we can come back soon.

Self-Control

2012-02-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

I do not have the best self-control when it comes to candy, treats or anything I find yummy at the moment. As a little girl I remember going to a friends house who always had candy in little dishes around the house. By the time I left those candy dishes were wiped clean. I laugh now thinking about the mom noticing all of her candy is gone, and totally knowing it was me, even thought I thought I was very sly in snagging each piece.

I like to think that as I have gotten older I can now refrain from over-indulgence, but this week I have proven myself wrong. I ate a whole box of these Sweetarts (before 9 am) and now have a raw tongue, finished off this box of Goldfish in one day, and have eaten 5 blood oranges this week.

What can I say, when I like something I can't help myself! Am I the only one that does this?

Sunsets

2012-01-26T11:45:00.000-08:00

7 Reasons Why I love Sunsets:

1. Perfect way to relax and forget about a tough work day

2. They are romantic

3. I always think that "this" is the prettiest one I have ever seen

4. When I was little my mom said that fairies lived in the pink clouds

5. No two sunsets are the same

6. Everyone gets to experience them

7. I like to think of them as God's paintings (He's a pretty awesome artist)

What about you, what do you love about sunsets?

Ice-Skating

2012-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:00

Friday night we went ice skating with the youth at our church. I'm not sure who had more fun, this kids, or the adults (if we count as adults). I haven't been ice skating in years, last time I went I remember looking at the girls in the middle of the rink with the pretty outfits and graceful spins. This time was no different, I watched them glide across the ice and envisioned that is what I looked like. Only this time when I looked back at the pictures from the night realized I looked nothing like those girls, who am I kidding? Grace is not found anywhere in my name. Anyways we had a great time, just look at the pictures I think they are good proof.

Eric and Madison doing an ice dance

Had a couple falls during the night

But it's ok, they got up and still had fun :)

Even had some tricks performed toward the end of the night

Group Shot

Guest Blogger: Catherine from Fest

2012-01-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to have my friend Catherine be my very first Guest Blogger :) Catherine and I have become really good friends over the last year, we have a lot in common (i.e. work with the Young Women @ church, love volleyball, love the beach). She just started a new blog called Fest with a pretty bold goal for 2012. I was really intrigued by her goal and asked her to share it on my blog.

________

They say the 2nd most common New Year's resolution behind losing weight is saving money. I guess I'm just taking that one step farther by focusing on my clothing budget, which this year is $0. Yes, $0. I'm not going to buy a single piece of clothing this year. A lot of people think this idea is crazy (I've received reactions like "I could never do that.", "That is quite an ambitious challenge!", "Good luck!"), but I'm really excited to show other people that if you buy the right clothes and have good quality, properly-fitting pieces, you really don't need such a huge closet to look great everyday.

I'm already starting to identify some staples that keep popping up in my outfits, like my skinny black belt. I wear it a lot and it helps my outfits feel put together. I'm a big fan of belts in general. They're something small that can create an entirely new silhouette for an outfit. Check out the different uses of my skinny black belt below.

I hope you'll visit FEST and follow my journey! Maybe it will help you identify some new uses for clothing items that are already sitting in your closet.

XO,
Catherine

PS. Be sure to join the site so you can enter the giveaway!

_______

Thanks Catherine! You can check out her blog by clicking {here}

Bahamas Part 5

2012-01-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Sick of the pictures yet? Well it's the last one, I think.

After the waterpark everyone went snorkeling, well almost everyone. Kristi and I were too cold to go in the water. I am so glad we went on this trip with friends so Chad didn't have to snorkel by himself.

That night we went out to our last dinner. Dinners were so fun as we would sit at the table for hours, debating over nothing that really mattered, reminiscing about the days activities, answering Chad's hypothetical questions and talking about our plans for another trip in the future :)

After dinner we went explored "The Ruins" which is the Aquarium @ The Atlantis. It was the largest aquarium I have ever seen and had so many cool things to see. My favorite was the sea horses and least favorite where the eels. They totally reminded me of Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

Our last morning there Chad woke up really early for some last minute snorkeling. We went to the Dolphin Cay one last time to see the dolphins and then headed to the airport. We were so rushed at the airport that we didn't end up getting to say good-bye to our friends. (They were all flying back to SLC and us LAX). We did get to send a message via the flight attendent which just had to do. This trip was so much fun. Both Chad and I were looking forward to it for so long and it did not disappoint. I am so glad that we have such good friends that we get to experience new things with. I'm excited to see what next New Year's will look like!

{Part 1}, {Part 2}, {Part 3}, {Part 4}

Bahamas Part 4

2012-01-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

Water park Wednesday! We spent the day at the warter park. The Atlantis has the water slide called Leap of Faith where you drop straight down and go through a shark tank. I took pictures of everyone doing the free fall drop and have to say the pictures are pretty funny.

Pre-drop shot

They conquered that slide

Relaxing after a full day of sliding

Bahamas Part 3

2012-01-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get my days blurred so I've begun grouping the pictures into activities, somewhat in chronological order:

Swimming with the Dolphins was one of my favorite things we did. They are such a friendly animal for the most part. One of the activities we did with the dolphin is we were able to hug and kiss them, there was one dolphin that doesn't like to kiss people and had a tendency to bite. Good thing that we didn't get that dolphin. It's interesting to see the trainers interact with each dolphin, they know their personalities so well. Wetsuits are super attractive by the way.

All the guys went golfing one day while us girls got massages in the spa. After our massages we all came to the same conclusion that the Bahamian masseuses were not as careful about keeping you covered during your massage :)

On Tuesday we had 40 mph winds and it was pretty chilly. We went to the Straw Market it Nassau to do some shopping. Not too much to buy, especially when the people refer to you as "hey you girl", huge turn off to me spending money.

Isn't he handsome?!?

Bahamas Part 2

2012-01-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

We spent the first day of the New Year at the beach...

Some of us kicked our feet up in the air

Some of us laid in the water (that's Evelyn sitting on the beach)?

Some of us laid out and enjoyed getting a winters tan

Some of us went on walks to look for pretty shells

And found some

Some of us acted tough in pictures

And some of us kissed at sunset

Not a bad way to welcome 2012...hopefully in return this year will treat us well :)

Bahamas Part 1

2012-01-08T15:50:00.000-08:00

After realizing I have a bajillion pictures I decided to break our trip up, not sure how many parts I will end up with, but that's the fun in blogging. There can be as many parts as I decide :)

Day 1: We took a red-eye flight on Thursday night and got into the Bahamas at noon on Friday. We stayed at the Cove Tower at the Atlantis Resort. We checked out the room, and then threw on our bathing suits to catch a little sun.

The water is so gorgeous, the sand is so soft and powdery, I think kept thinking "why isn't California in the Bahamas?"

One of the highlights of day 1 was running into Magic Johnson in the concierge lounge, I saw him walk in and stared and told Chad "OMG look who that is" right as he walked by, he stopped briefly and said hello to all of us.

Day 2: New Year's Eve

There is so much to do at the Atlantis, 11 pools, different beaches, a water park, snorkeling, etc. We spent the day doing a little of each of those activities.

To ring in the new year we went to a dinner/show/dancing party. It was a blast, I don't get my husband out on the dance floor very often so it was a treat to dance all night with him. Right before midnight we went outside and watched the most incredible firework show. The whole show looked like a "grand finale" that I have seen and then the grand finale was something else.

I'll leave you with a little video that Chad made for the guys. This song was played at the pool everyday and became the joke of the trip.

More pics to come

I'm Back, and 2011 Highlight Reel

2012-01-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the vacation is over! We got back late last night and I have so much catching up to do. So far I have unpacked all my luggage and cleaned my house. I still have a long list of things to do, blogging being one of them. Before I start my series of Bahama Posts I thought I would do a 2011 Highlight Reel.

January: NYE in Las Vegas

February:Went to St. George for the Parade of Homes

March: Alyssa made a surprise visit home

and met my favorite Laker Lamar Odom (still sad he was traded)

April:Went to Jake and Krist's Wedding

May: Went to my first boxing match in Vegas

June:Went to Utah for Grandpa Jensen's funeral

July: 4th of July at the beach and firework show after with friends from the ward. And Catalina for my 24th Birthday

August:Lake Combie Trip and 4 year anniversary

September: Homecoming football game and trip to San Diego

October:Halloween Party, "Dog the bounty Hunter and his wife Beth"

November:Chad got a job!

December:Went to Idaho for Alyssa's Graduation, found an apartment, Christmas, and our Bahama Trip began

Looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us, I feel some good things are going to be happening!

Adios America!

2011-12-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are leaving on a jet plane to...

THE BAHAMAS!

We are going with the same crew we celebrated NYE with last year. You can see last years post here.Work is a struggle today, I can't focus on the tasks that need to get done here. I keep thinking how I need to finish my packing, make sure all my electronics are fully charged, and that I have plenty of snacks for the week! During the time I have been writing this I talked with my boss and I am leaving work early! Wohoo! Adios America, I'll see you next week!

Taste & Believe

2011-12-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Chad's friends Nate and Barry put together a video for Veggie Grills 5 year anniversary contest. They were one of 5 winners, and they won $500 to The Veggie Grill. After having this song stuck in my head I decided to go there for lunch with Chad. We shared a "chicken" sandwich and the sweet potato fries. The fries were A-Mazing, the chicken... well let's just say I prefer the real stuff. Definitely check out the video and get "Down with the Veggie Grill"

Christmas Festivities

2011-12-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

I sure hope you all had as great of a Christmas as Chad and I had. We loved being able to spend the holiday with both of our families. I have major picture overload, I had a hard time narrowing down, each of these pictures explains our day and is special to me.

Christmas with the Wilsons:

1. Leaving Milk and Cookies for Santa, Dad and Bishop singing Silent Night, Tanner and Grandpa on the Piano and Mandolin, a child's pure joy Christmas morning opening presents

Grandpa gave Tanner his sweaters and us girls quickly overtook them

Chad and Landon putting together Lego sets, sisters taking a nap, Mom making breakfast, and Hayley doing her nails

Christmas Breakfast: Eggs Benedict!

After church family picture

Christmas with the Davenports

Luke, Claire, Kristi, and Lily opening presents

Uncle Chad and Lily, Brent opening his present, Turkey Dinner, and yummy food

Now only 363 days until we get to do this all over again. Makes me sad that it is over, but we have a really exciting trip that we have been planning for a few months that we are going on in just a few days! I'll post about where we are going later this week!

I also posted some more pictures with my sisters over here.

Hairy Situation

2011-12-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

I rarely do my hair. Most of the time my hair routine goes like this:

Take a shower at night

Go to bed with wet hair

Wake up to dry hair

The end

After spending a few days with my sisters they inspired me to try and do something with all my hair.

"Hair" is the result:

Pretty Lights On My Nails

2011-12-22T16:00:00.000-08:00

Via

Yesterday I posted about the pretty lights at Temple Square in SLC. And then last night I saw on the Beauty Department they did a post about with light strands on their nails. I instantly loved the design and tried it out this morning. Instead of using string I used a sharpie marker and it worked pretty good (when using my good hand). Make sure you have someone who can do your opposite hand, unless you are ambidextrious, then you are just extra special :)

I'm linking up @ All Things Lovely

Pretty Lights

2011-12-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite Christmas activities when we lived in Utah was going to Temple Square to look at the lights. I haven't been in a few years and it worked out that Alyssa's graduation was in December so we roadtripped down to Utah and met up with my brother, his wife, and my Wihongi and Spencer Cousins. We had such a great time, even though it was fa-reeezing, we bundled up together to stay warm. By the end of the night my feet were frozen but my soul was warm (ahh :) ). I love my family is what I am trying to say. A special thanks to my mom for all the pictures, they turned out much better than mine would have.

Wihongi and Wilson Cousins

We stick close together wherever we go.

Mom, Dad and all the kids

I loved this little man who was filling the Joseph Smith Building with Christmas music

She's a Graduate

2011-12-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of Alyssa for graduating from BYU-I last week. She is an Elementary Education major and will be doing her student teaching in April. She will make an amazing school teacher; her excitement, love for children, and fun personality will bless so many students. The BYU-I campus has changed so much since I was there, I had a lot of fun walking around and "ooohhing and awwing" over the new I center, MC (main campus building), and bookstore. The one thing that hasn't changed is that feeling on campus, AKA The Spirit of Ricks. It is such a happy place with so many friendly people, I know for Alyssa it finally hit her after she walked across the stage that she was really leaving, not just for Christmas but for good. But just like many of the speakers said it is her duty as a graduate to carry that feeling with her as she enters into the real world.

Some local stops we made were Ramirez, Wingers, Great Harvest Bread, and the IF mall. It was so fun going out with my sisters and brother. We stayed up way too late both nights I was there and I definitely paid for it come Monday morning. I didn't take any pictures all the ones I have are from my mom. I'll post more about our road trip to UT, seeing the Wihongi Family, and night in Salt Lake City tomorrow.

Dear Rexburg, Idaho...

2011-12-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

I am coming back up to visit you tonight. It has been a long time since I have seen you, and I am so excited. The reason for my visit is my younger sister Alyssa is graduating tomorrow, she has been keeping me informed on all of your changes (new Hart, new cafeteria, new skybridges) and I can’t wait to see them for myself. Your city holds a special place in my heart, I experienced many life changes up there, a few of them are:

learned to cook

be independent

develop a strong testimony

hunt

meet my hubby

live in the snow

never went to bed before 2 am

~~study~~ cram for tests

get engaged

I do have one request: PLEASE be on your best behavior over the next 48 hours, I haven't been in the snow/cold in 2 years and I don't want to freeze to death. If you could warm up as much as possible and keep the wind to a minimum that would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Whitney

Learning to use a gun

The first snow happened during church so we ran out to take pictures, I couldn't believe I was really living in the snow.

MIA

2011-12-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

I've been M.I.A. in blogging and M.I.A in life also known as Moving in Action. The move went well this weekend. Thanks to many of our friends from church, we couldn't have done it with out them and without Chad's parents.
We are still getting settled in, we don't have a refrigerator yet or cable TV, so our house is a little boring. Hopefully we will get all of that figured out this week. Life has been crazy lately, with Chad starting a new job, my job being SO busy, and moving, we are having a hard time relaxing and enjoying the Holidays. I had a breakdown last night because I just wanted to come home to a warm home, make dinner, listen to Christmas music, decorate my house, and watch a Christmas movie but we had so many other things to do. Luckily I have Chad by my side to remind me how fortunate we are and that we can get through stressful times. I've decided all I want for Christmas is my house to feel like home, not too much to ask right?

The Boob Tube

2011-12-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

Last night I stayed up late watching mindless TV. I could still hear my mothers voice in my head "get off the boob tube". Funny how certain things you never forget. Around midnight I gave into my mom's voice and when up to bed. I tossed and turned for what seemed like an hour. Normally I fall asleep the second my head hits the pillow, but the combination of my mind still wide awake and missing my Mr. whose been gone since Monday on business (love the sound of that) I couldn't fall asleep. So tonight, no tv before bed. Tomorrow Chad will be home and it will be our last night before we move into our new place!!