6

Last week we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary! Woot woot!

These past 6 years have honestly been the sweetest and most fun years of my life. Eric is my partner in crime and best friend...I can't imagine what life would be like without him. I miss him every time he walks out the door for work and get excited when I hear the garage door open because then it's our time. All around he is just the most amazing person I know (supportive, honest, loving, funny, forgiving, dependable, smart, hard working, etc. etc. etc.). I always wanted to marry someone like my dad and Eric and my dad share a lot of the same qualities. I lucked out big time.

We had plans of going to California for my nieces wedding and luckily our anniversary was going to land during our stay. Unfortunately, that didn't end up working out. With our minds on the kitchen renovation we didn't really think about how we were going celebrate our anniversary until the day of. So we played it by ear, kept it chill. We went to the gym together (we love working out together though it doesn't happen very often), had street tacos from the best taco cart in town, drove around Sugarhouse looking for inspiration colors to paint our front door while Leila napped, enjoyed shamrock shakes at Sugarhouse Park while Leila chased the birds, and just went where the wind blew us (literally, it was a windy and gloomy day). It doesn't take much to keep us happy and entertained.

 

The weather wasn't cooperating too much and Leila almost got blown away by the wind so we packed up and got ready to drop Leila off at Grandma's so we can go to dinner.

But before dinner we made a pit stop at Home Depot (our favorite store) to pick up a few things for the house sans Leila - though we're huge fans of the good ol' HP, Leila isn't. We thought we were going to beat the crowds for dinner at 5:30 but we took longer than expected at our favorite store. By the time we got to The Cheesecake Factory it was 1:20 min wait. Whomp whomp whomp...we turned the corner and decided to check out the new restaurant Brio. But it was a 55 minute wait. 

What were we thinking trying to get dinner at 7pm on a Saturday night without a reservation for our anniversary? Laughing at our lack of planning, we waited the 55 minutes at Brio. But luck was on our side because it was the shortest 55 minutes ever. 5 minutes after we checked in our buzzer went off. What? It was a packed house. Guess they buzzed 5 peeps before us and no one showed.

The service was impeccable, food was great, and it was a very comfortable/elegant ambiance. Whatever the occasion, we usually do gifts in the morning right when we get up (birthdays, anniversaries). This time we waited to swap gifts over dinner because it made it that much more special and gave us something to look forward to. Eric gave me this beautiful necklace that says "California" in the shape of the state. I'll always be a California girl at heart. He picked it out all by himself and it was a winner. You know in movies when the guy buys the girl a necklace and puts it on for her, well that's what Eric did for me and that little moment was so romantic. Well, the whole evening was romantic. I just cuddled into Eric's arms while we talked and reminisced about our 6 years. 

We'll probably start rounding up to 7 years soon, we always round up. Ah, 6 years sounds old but as I just typed the number seven, it sounds waaay long. It's weird to not be newlyweds anymore because it's always felt like we have been. 

My gift to Eric wasn't as romantic. He's a sucker for nice sunglasses and would have 20 pair if he could (I just like cheap ones from Target) so I got him some sexy Oakley sunglasses. I wasn't sure they were the ones he wanted but I must say I did well and he kept them (I'm known for exchanging gifts from Eric for a different color or style, I'm horrible right?!). Without any help from each other, we did well in the gift section.

 

 

It was the most perfect dinner and the server kept calling us lovebirds...he too could sense that love was in the air. Ha ha. We didn't have time for much else so after dinner we picked up our little girl, who we missed, and headed home. To be honest, I didn't want to do anything else. Just wanted to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie that we picked up from the RedBox on the way home (In Time with Justin Timberlake - good film) with my husband of 6 years. 

The day was perfect in its imperfectness because it wasn't planned. But that's what I love about our marriage, it's easy. 

birthday bash 3/5

the day of his birth eric got:

-a yummy homemade breakfast

-card from leila

-a hilarious sound card from me that leila helped me pick out. she yelled "puppy" when she saw it at the store and wouldn't stop opening and closing it in the shopping cart because of the funny sound message it said inside. i had to get it. too perfect.

-a tagged car

-sushi for lunch

we had intentions of going sledding at soldier hollow. we packed our snow clothes, dropped the baby off at grandma's, and headed up parley's canyon. on our way up there we decided to call and see how late the sledding hill stayed open. turns out by the time we would have made it to heber they would be closing soon so my birthday plans for eric went out the window.

we didn't know what to do. it was just me and the birthday boy sans baby. no plans. just us. you'd think we'd have a laundry list of things we wanted to do...nope, there was just one thing. shopping. eric desperately needs clothes so i wanted to spoil him a little (with his wallet). shopping without a baby is heaven. unfortunately, we striked out at nordstrom rack and didn't find anything. we were getting hungry and shopping on an empty belly is a no no. it was time for dinner.

we heard about this hipster restaurant in the heart of downtown called Eva. it's a mediterranean place where they serve small plates. probably the only happening restaurants on main street because there was a gathering of people outside the door. we squirmed into the tiny restaurant and they said it was an 1.5 hr wait. it didn't look like a place to bring leila and looked pretty rad inside so we hoped the wait would be worth it and put our names on the list. we took a stroll downtown, people watched, cuddled as we walked to keep warm, and checked out city creek...it was romantic and just what we needed.

salt lake really is working hard to make downtown a cooler/more happeneing place to be, it's getting there and i can't wait for city creek to open.

this is the size of the whole place.

we finally got seated...at the best/worst table in the house. right next to the window but practically in the middle of the waiting area. i felt claustrophobic watching people almost bump into eric and watching me eat as they waited...but despite that, everything else was amazing. the service was superb and the food was off the hook. since it's small plates we ordered 4 things off the menu, which is what they recommend. the gnocchi and brie pizza were our faves. we'll have to go there again...soon.

we used to go out to eat all the time but now it's a real treat...especially when we can focus on each other.

happy birthday eric, i love you. this is the last year of your 20's. you're getting old be you still look the same to me...and always will. and you know in my eyes that the older you get the sexier you'll be. i would spend this day with you again in a heartbeat. it was a day of good food, great conversation, and even better company.

tuesday night date night

Yes, it was the last day of the month but we made it to the temple for January. Our trips to the Temple usually end up falling on the 30th/31st...we're kinda last minute people that way. It's usually packed on the last day of the month too, but was surprisingly chill last night.

Side note: I love how sweet the Temple workers are. I enjoy hearing, "Hi sister, it's so nice to have you come to the temple tonight, thank you for being here." We really need to go more often than we do.

45/365

Best. Date. Ever. Period.

The surprise:

That night, we bypassed the Valentine's day rush and crappy service for an intimate dinner for two at "Grandma and Grandpa's Restaurant" aka Eric's parents house. 

Eileen did all the hard work. She made us a fabulous meal complete with a table decorated to the nines. She LOVES decorating tables, its her specialty and always goes above and beyond. 

It was complete with candles, bouquet of beautiful fresh flowers, Hershey's kisses, and heart shaped confetti...you couldn't get that at a restaurant!

The menu: chicken and plum sauce (amazing), asparagus, salad, rolls and sparkling cider (gotta have the bubbly). Everything was divine.

This was much more intimate than going out to dinner. I loved it. Everything was perfect.

Thank you Mike and Eileen for a wonderful meal, gorgeous table, and for entertaining our little one.

Grandma gave Leila a cute valentine cat that sings.

Grandpa playing with Leila.

   

The night didn't end there...oh no it didn't!

For dessert we went to the Grand America Hotel for 

"An Evening of Chocolate and Jazz".

This is where we spent our first night as Mr. & Mrs. Fuessel. I married such a romantic.

We had the BEST seat in the house.

Close to the band and right next to the fireplace.

We had a three course dessert:

Strawberry caviar.

Fondue.

3 trays of delicious goodness.

We felt like important people because the service was AMAZING and we were treated like Kings.

We listened to awesome music played by a live band.

It was quiet, intimate, and warm. 

We had great conversation and learned new things about each other. 

Great ambiance, and even better company.

Therefore, dubbed the best date ever!

I love my hubby.

Thank you for the best Valentine's yet.

36/365

Date Day.

Grandma and Grandpa Fuessel love watching Leila on Saturdays...we are so lucky! It's great to have some time to ourselves, they are the best. 

To start our day we headed back up to Daybreak so we can finish checking out the rest of the model homes. Last Saturday we were gung-ho about Daybreak and were ready to buy soon, however, today we left unsure. We really want a single family home, but there are some town homes that we fell in love with that are gorgeous and in our price range! Today we learned that HOA fee's for a town home are $200, for a single family its $100. Guess what the extra $100 gets you: 

you don't have to mow your lawn...whoopty freakin' do. $200 in HOA is ridiculous! 

A large town home and a single family home are similar in price...so at that point we feel like we should just buy a single family. Also, the average person spends $10,000 in upgrades. We added up the upgrades we want and it totals about that. 

Buying a home is such a big decision. We are on the fence about many things and we're still trying to decide whats best for our family. Obviously, right now is a great time to buy a home, but we want to make sure its the right home in our price range. After seeing every model home in Daybreak, we went to dinner at Zupas to talk it over. 

We chatted about life and our future. 

1. Do we buy a home?

2. Do we wait and save $$$ to get the home we want or settle for what we can afford and get something smaller...in Daybreak.

3. Find a home not in Daybreak...nah, I'm pretty set on Daybreak and all of its wonderful amenities.

 If we suck it up and stay where we live a little longer we can put more money in savings. Although, we are pretty ready to get out of the storage business...especially so Leila can have a room of her own. Currently, she sleeps in the laundry/water heater/furnace room. Yes, its big enough for a crib and dresser but it worries me. Here's a picture of it. (The curtains hide everything and make it feel more like a bedroom).

We aren't ready to take the plunge yet...we have some more thinking to do.

Next we hit up the movies...its been a while. Going to the movies is a luxury now.

We saw The Dilemma. Loved it...its a comedy with depth. 

29/365

Our goal this year is to buy a home. We've dreamed about settling down in Sugarhouse. I'm drawn to the tree lined streets and unique, quaint homes with character. It reminds me of back home, Palo Alto specifically. I love the urban vibe of Sugarhouse, its artsy, cool, and doesn't feel like Utah. But most of the homes in our price range are old and need a lot of renovating. Eric and I like the idea of renovating a home and customizing it to how we want but we don't really have the time or energy. New construction is so blah...and BEIGE! Cookie-cutter homes in BFE are not for us.

And then we discovered Daybreak! This is new construction at its finest. What I love about Daybreak is that the homes are mixed in with other things that make life flavorful: lake, trails, shops, restaurants, good schools, swimming pools, community gardens, "beaches", kayaking, trax (in august) etc.

We checked out daybreak right after Leila was born and knew it was the place for us...although I can't believe we are going to become west sider riders...blah. I never wanted to live on the other side of the freeway again, but this place is different.

We've had our eye on some homes and have a real estate agent. We hope to move to daybreak by the end of the year! We can't wait!

Later that night we met up with some friends we haven't seen in ages, Danny and Alex. They introduced us to this uber authentic Thai place. The owner came to our table and talked our ear off. I love when owners of restaurants do that too. She told us her whole life story, how she moved here from Bangkok, met her husband who served in Thailand, has several kids in med school, works 90 hours a week, makes ALL the food from scratch daily at 5am, etc., etc. etc.. She is one sweet lady and a hard worker...but we hardly got to chat with our friends. And the restaurant was happening too.

Oh, and she said the coolest thing to me. She asked me if I was still nursing Leila. I have no idea how she knew because I didn't whip it out at the restaurant, I asked her know she knew and she said Leila looks like a very healthy baby and she can just tell. Wow. That was a huge compliment to me. We will definitely make the trek to Sandy for that orgasimic massaman curry and pad thai. Best. Thai. Food. Ever. Period. Check it out: Simply Thai.

slc vs. san jose

Friday we went to the Real game. I was stoked because they were playing the San Jose Earthquakes. I wasn't sure who to cheer for, San Jose (20 min south of my hometown and where I was going to go to college before I moved to Utah) or my current town...I ended up cheering for Real, of course. We got awesome seats (only paid $9.50 each on U92's website instead of $30 on Real's for the same exact seats). We were next to the band...they are so full of energy, and as usual, are non-stop. I just love the band because they set the tone/mood for the game and get everyone - at least us - amped for the game.

We received American Flags at the entrance of the game to celebrate the 4th of July, and had fireworks at the end of the game. They played patriotic songs during the firework show, it made me feel very proud to be an American.

The score was 1-1. The Earthquakes scored in the 2nd half of the game and Real scored in last 5 min, so it was pretty intense towards the end.

joel mchale

friday night eric and i went to abravanel hall to see joel mchale. he is a comedian and has his own show on the E network called the soup. he makes fun of all the reality shows/stars and is hilarious...i just love him! we contemplated buying one of his shirts so he could sign it but didn't want to wait in the long line...i decided to get a picture of him signing someones shirt instead. he did a lot of bits from the soup, but also had plenty of other material...mostly his family. i'd love to see him again.

it was the first time i'd been to abravanel hall...its such a cool place, awesome woodwork, chandeliers hanging that look like jewlery, and a beautiful glass work masterpiece right in the lobby.

Love's in the Air

Just wanted to make a little post of what we did for the day of Love. After Eric got home from work we decided to brave the crowds and go out for dinner. But before we headed out Eric asked me to grab something from the car for him, I was skeptical but went anyway, in the car I found a pound-and-a-half-heart-shaped-box full of See's Candies (custom, not pre-arranged, the only way to go). It was the only thing I wanted. I was so happy to see all those beautiful chocolates staring back at me...don't worry, I didn't leave Eric empty handed, I got him the book he has been wanting for a while, Wall and Piece by Banksy (graffiti art, makes for a good coffee table book).

With all the restaurants in Salt Lake City (Utah County doesn't have as great of a selection) we knew we'd find a restaurant without a crazy wait. We love Thai so we hopped on Urban Spoon (the coolest application for iphone) and found a great little Thai restaurant in Downtown, little did we know that this little Thai restaurant also served Filipino food. That's right, Filipino food! Slowly all the Filipino restaurants started closing down in SLC and Utah county, and we thought there were none left. But it turns out there is one and we happened to find it by accident, its called Five Star. With all the Thai restaurants in SL, how did we manage stumble upon the one that serves Filipino food?

When we saw the Filipino flag hanging in the restaurant and a sign that said "we serve Filipino food" we were shocked and knew we hit the jackpot. For Filipino food, you actually have to ask for a different menu, when Eric ordered his Filipino dish the owners came over and started talking to us...they were curious as to why we ordered Filipino food. Turns out they are Filipino too. We hit it off with the owners and even got on their emailing list for when they have Filipino Buffet night. We're excited for that! Highly recommend Five Star. We finished off the night by going to the movies and watching He's Just Not That Into You - thought it was a cute movie!

hopE yOu alL had a happy valentines daY!!!