our thrifted lifestyle

There are so many new fitness apps and fitness gurus out there. I've been wanting to try some of them but whenever I would click on their link to join, the monthly price was just too much for me to pull the trigger. Don't get me wrong, I may some day choose one because they are generally much cheaper than a gym membership and very effective programs. However, right now in our college, penny pinching phase of life saving money is key! I bought some $7 resistance loop/bands from amazon and pulled up YouTube to search for work outs and I came across 6 fitness channels that I LOVE! Being stuck inside with a toddler and pup during this FREEZING winter has made me feel like I'm majorly slacking on my fitness since we don't get out to walk/run much. These free fitness videos, tips and work outs have helped me feel so much more like myself this last month. So, if you're like me and you want to get more effective "in home workouts" without paying 20-something

I've always loved animals. As a kid I would beg my mom to let us have a dog; I would come up with chores to do as bargianing chips hoping that the trade would be enough to get a puppy for my birthday or for Christmas. I would collect animal fact cards & magazines & I loved to pour over encyclopedias of Dog Breeds. Later in life, as a newly wed, the incessant desire to have a dog of my own resurfaced. Josh and I would sit in bed and google puppy pictures of different breeds that I had been interested in over the years. October 24, 2015 was the day that everything fell into place when I found a flyer for Australian Shepherd puppies that were for sale in Elk Grove, CA. We came home that night with our sweet, fluffy puppy and named her Ruby Lou &  our lives have never been the same. So much joy, love and comfort fills our days that we spend running, hiking, swimming and snuggling with our sweet fur baby. These last (almost) 3 years have been awesome with her by our s

 Last week my sweet sister and brother-in-law came up to visit- So of course we had to do a family photo session! There are about 100 million more AMAZING images from this session and I will share more in another post in the future. We headed up to Saint Anthony and took a walk along the river. Idaho is so beautiful in the summer and all the variations in the scenery made for a diverse but also simple backdrop for this GORGEOUS family!    Little Eli did a great job, he is such an angel baby! Both of our photo sessions were dreamlike and it was all because of how chill and ADORABLE this little guy is!   I seriously LOVE shooting family sessions. It's a huge perk to the job to learn from couples and families. I love to see how they handle various situations (like standing on the edges of cliffs or venturing into sage brush with the possibility of snakes lurking nearby- but there were no falls and no snakes!) and how they interact with each other.   Obviousl

Last night we met up with Josh after work at Reed's Dairy. Wyatt loved his Coconut Ice Cream cone! This morning after our work out we went to the Splash Park again and Wyatt was in Heaven! He loved the water slide and kept trying to climb back up it! Haha. He screamed for a while when it was time to leave. The water was so cold but he didn't mind at all!  Wyatt is currently obsessed with sitting here and throwing everything within reach off of my desk! I've since had to clear it all off, haha. 4th of July included a ride up at Harriman State Park with the Little's! Wyatt loves animals and was enamored with these horses.  In the morning of the 4th we went to the Rexburg Parade then Wyatt had his first Splash Park experience at Porter Park. He LOVED it! In the evening of the 4th, after our trip up to Harriman, we went to Warm Slough and played in the water. We were in heaven. I was overcome with this sense of p