Best. Tee. Ever.

I have a new favorite tee. So soft, comfy, and striped! Adorable with a front tuck too! I swear I love being comfy waaaay too much. But can you really go wrong with t-shirt and jeans? Plus the color block with the pink and green makes it a little more summer-y. Also I'm stoked for how blonde the sun is making my hair! :-)

Tee: Gap. Boyfriend Shorts: Loft. Shoes: Loft.

Photo cred: Sassy.

Blessed.

Today I feel truly thankful for a special person in my life--my husband Cole. When he came back to Oregon last year and we started talking I knew from day 1 that he was different. He is so different from another guys I've ever known. He's sweet, handsome, and he always puts his family first. I know that he will be the absolute best dad, and I hope our kids are just like him. The cool part about it is that since Cole and I were married in the temple, we get to be with each other and our future children forever. How cool is that? I am just so lucky to have him in my life. I don't know what I would do without him. He truly is my best friend. I am so grateful that he also loves the gospel and is a worthy priesthood holder. Another thing I love about him is that we can just be ourselves around each other. He works so hard to provide for our family, and I am so thankful for his motivation to get thorough school and become a doctor. His work ethic has always astounded me. I am so blessed to have his example in my life. I really am the luckiest girl alive. I love this boy and I'm so blessed to be with him for forever!

Baby Cole.

Young Cole and his sister, Paige.

Cole and I--forever.

Dear Ladies:

Dear Ladies,

Or should I say ladies? When it comes down to it, sometimes we do not always act like ladies. Sometimes we act more like children: spreading rumors and believing completely irrational lies. Granted, I am not trying to say that I’m perfect. I have had my part in proliferating rumors--as have we all. However fellow women, I do have a plea for all of us.

I propose that we STOP. Let’s just STOP spreading and creating rumors. Let’s STOP talking about other women behind their backs and instead start talking to faces. Let’s STOP believing elaborate lies without skipping a beat. Let’s STOP trying to be “friends” with people only to their faces. 

Instead, let’s START. Let’s START being real.genuine. Let’s START having enemies rather than these “half-friends” that we have a love/hate relationship with. Let’s START being happy for the success and good fortune of others. Let’s START being LADIES.

Fellow women: we are all strong, beautiful, and talented women that have better things to do than be petty. Let us all try a little bit harder to focus on the things that really matter. That is my plea. 

With love,

Kiley

Just a Little Bit of Me.

Texas born. South Carolina started. Oregon grown. 19. LDS. Married. In love. BYU coug. Italian versed. Ocean native. Freckle familiar. Adventurer. Alpine Ski Racer. Baby blues. Uke crafter. Sun bleached. Taken with travel. Forever family. 

Thankful Thursday Take 3!

Today for Thankful Thursday I want to express my gratitude for families and temples. I love that Cole and I are sealed to our families for time and all eternity. I also love that as of March 7th, 2014 that he and I were married and sealed as a forever family. I love knowing that our family units will perpetuate after this life. The only way this is possibly is through marriage in one of the temples. It is so reassuring knowing that whatever happens to my family or Cole that we will still get to be with each other forever, and that our marriage will continue after this life. I'm so grateful for this blessing and that I get to spend forever with my soul mate--Cole. I am so grateful for the gospel and for temples and for my family. 

Outlaw Choir.

Go outlaws! Sassy had her choir concert tonight. Tears got the best of her but she looked stunning as usual! Best rendition of "Dancing Queen" eva! I love you Cay!

Missing Her.

We miss her!! After Cole and I got married we decided to adopt a beautiful Great Dane puppy- Ivy. 

She was the runt when we went to go look at her. 

However when went to go pick her up she was horribly sick. She passed away at the vet the next day. Cole and I still miss her so much--she was a part of our family. However we both know that she is in a better place and we are glad that she is no longer suffering. Great Danes are known as "gentle giants" and even though they are massive they are considered to be one of the best family dog breeds. When the timing is right he and I fully intend to adopt another Great Dane. However even though we plan to adopt again, it will be hard to top our first puppy--Ivy. 

S'more Love

Now this: this right here. This is what it's all about. 

I am so blessed to be Mrs. Hayden. Cole truly is the BEST husband ever. I don't know how I got this lucky?! I can't wait for forever with him. 

You know we "trashed the dress" in the Pacific Ocean after a perfect wedded day. 

Sorry for the love overload.. Just feeling especially thankful today. 

Our Collection:

Cole and I have started collecting something new ever since we've been married. We collect temples! Basically every time we visit a temple for a session or a wedding we cross it off our list. Our goal is to visit every temple in Utah before we graduate! So far we have collected the Mt. Timpanogas Temple, the San Diego Temple, and the Provo Temple. We are excited to cross off the St. George Temple in a few weeks too! Cole and I love to visit the temple. We love the spirit and the feeling of peace we feel while we are there. The temple truly is the House of The Lord. We are so blessed to be in close to proximity to them. 

The Mt. Timpanogas Temple-- where I took out my endowments on March 1st, 2014.

The San Diego Temple--this is where Cole and I got married on March 7th, 2014. Maybe I'm biased but it is my most favorite temple ever!

The Provo temple--this is where Cole and I spent one of our date nights before we came back to Oregon. It totally looks like a cake with one candle in it! 

To learn more about temples or the LDS Church visit lds.org

And the Best Uncle Award Goes To.....

Cole! I swear, how cute is this??

Cole playing with Piper, Ashley's adorable little girl. She loves sneaking up on him and scaring him. It melts my heart! He's gonna be the best dad ever! 

My new obsession:

Cookie. Butter. Basically it's all of the deliciousness of indulgent cookies in the convenience of a spread. Thank you Trader Joes for this find! :-). The dangerous thing about this stuff is that it tastes good with EVERYTHING... My favorite way though is just straight from the jar (but don't tell anyone)! I definitely think I've found my next guilty pleasure! 

The little things.

There is such a difference in writing down how you feel versus just saying it. I sent this to Cole while at work today: 

Cole: I love you with my whole heart to the moon and back forever and always. Love Kiley

(Please excuse then glaring run-on sentence, it was a stylistic choice)

One of my favs:

This is one of my favorite scriptures:

Helaman 5:12--

 12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

This one one of my absolute favorite scriptures! I love that when we build our lives around Christ, we have the strength and fortification to combat the struggles around us. When we center our lives around Christ we CANNOT fall. I love this assurance. I am so grateful for the gospel. I also love that when we center our lives around Christ that husband and wife can grow closer together as well. 

To learn more feel free to visit:

lds.org

San Diego California Temple-- House of The Lord

Hayden's Hikes

Cole and I love hiking. It's actually the first date we went on. We have hiked Sundance,

Tamolitch, an unreal blue pool along the Mckenzie Pass,

And Smith Rock-the location of our first date! 

The next hike we wanna go on is Mirror Lake-a picturesque lake overlooking Mt. Hood. Here is a picture of it:

Beautiful, right? Cole and I will let you know how this hike is!

Thankful Thursday!

Its so crazy that it's Thursday again! For those of you who were unaware, I've dubbed Thursday as Thankful Thursday- basically it's one day out of the week where I can consciously record something that I am grateful for. I'm showing my attitude of gratitude this week by being grateful for where Cole and I are living. We have the opportunity to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world (I know I'm biased). I'm so grateful to be able to see views like this on the daily:

Cascade Mountain Range, Oregon.

Sinful Salmon Tacos

With the weather starting to warm up I was feeling very summer-y and wanted to go all out for dinner! That being said I ended up making one of my absolute favorite summer recipes: Salmon Tacos with a Tropical Pineapple/Mango salsa. These. Are. To. Die. For. Plus the recipe is super easy which makes it nice. I never follow a recipe so it's hard to keep track of the exact measurements I used, but here is my best shot guess at the recipe I used:

For the salmon:

1. Make a marinade and let the fish sit in it for a few hours

Several tablespoons of olive oil

A tablespoon or two of chili powder

A sprinkle of cumin

A few tablespoons of fresh lime juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the salsa:

1. Chop up the ingredients in a fine dice and place in a small bowl

Some mango

Some pineapple

Jalapeño as desired

A handful of diced onion 

A bit of diced cilantro 

Some lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

For the cilantro lime rice:

1.Make white or brown rice in it's desired quantity

2. Fold in a mixture of fresh finely hopped cilantro, a few tablespoons of fresh like juice, and salt and pepper if desired

For the tortillas:

I buy the raw tortillas at the store--I think they taste better but that's just a matter of opinion. The brand I use is Tortilla Land. 

Presentation:

I usually garnish mine with a lime wedge and top with some sliced avacado. Happy eating! :-)

Waterfalls

Tried this out today: a waterfall braid. I did it myself so it's a little messy... but I definitely intend to add this to my go-to hairstyles. Thank you Pinterest for this lovely find! 

The First Look...

Cole and I got married a little over two months now... It's crazy how fast time goes by! We got married March 7th, 2014 in the San Diego California Temple. I had my bridals done a day before on the beach in La Jolla. That is also where Cole and I did the "first look shots". So here is your first look at our "first look"!

Me and my entourage at the top of the hill... We had some veil issues

Not really sure what I'm doing with my hands here...

Or here...

I missed this kid...

A special shoutout to Natalie Bray photography for helping us capture our special day. If anyone is looking for a photographer in so-cal she is the absolute best! 

... Also sorry about the photo quality, I just screen shotted these ones! 

Runnnnnnnn...

"The earth has music for those who listen"

-Shakespeare

Just a photo I took before my run today. This quote is so true though. There is something unexplainable about being in touch with nature-- it's like being a part of something bigger than yourself. It really helps me get grounded and just let go. Plus how can you live here and not take advantage of trails like this? 

#runningnerd #oregon 

Glitter OD.

So I may have gotten a little over zealous with my mani today. A little bit of glitter turned out to be a glitter overdose! In hindsight they kinda look like nails from the movie Frizen which I'm kinda stoked about. And really, can you have too much glitter? I simply used a magenta glitter polish for the first layer, then combined loose light blue and silver sparkles for the top layer. 

20/20.

Cole had his first eye exam today! He's getting practice for when he will be an optometrist one day! Good news... He's not color blind! Plus he has 20/20 vision... No fair!

Thanks to my dad for the eye exams! 

Now the fun part: GLASSES!

Some are kind of silly... Others are kind of awesome! 

Apparently Cole's style is elderly cataract shades... Jk! Waiting for his eyes to dialate! 

Thanks Central Oregon Eyecare for getting us hooked up!