Things to do in Utah Valley. Yo.

It must be Thursday! Which is awesome because that means tomorrow is Friday and the next day is Saturday and Saturday means I'm going to MOAB! I love Moab. If you're not going to Moab like the cool kids, here are some things to fill your weekend full of fun and excitement.

What: Mystery Dinner Date Night
When: Friday, July 27; 6pm
Where: BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures - 700 North 100 East, Provo
Why: A mystery dinner! I want to do one of these. It always seems like such a rad idea. It's like real-life Clue.
How much: $24/couple

What: World Record Slip 'n' Slide by Namify
When: Friday, July 27th; 4pm - 6pm
Where: Hill next to Timpview High School - 3570 North 650 East, Provo
Why: they are trying to break the world record for the biggest slip 'n' slide. Plus, if you participate, you get a free shirt from Namify and JDawgs. Completely awesome.
How much: free!

What: Orchard Days
When: Saturday, July 28 through Saturday, August 4; minus Sunday
Where: Centennial Park - 300 West 100 South, Santaquin
Why: they are having a cherry pit spit. It's just like it sounds - spit a pit. Awesome. There is also a rodeo, and fireworks, and a parade, and all of the other amazing things that come along with a city celebration. Just go!
How much: prices vary depending on what you do.

If none of those things interest you, here's something that might be fun - a video contest! How? Simple! Create a 2-minute (or less) video about "Why You Love Utah Valley" for the chance to win a vacation prize package in Utah Valley. The video can be a creative cinematic masterpiece or a simple, fun webcam recording. All we ask is that participants have fun with it and show us why Utah Valley is the best place to be.

The winner will be determined by the number of likes the video receives on uvtogether.com. That’s it!

But what about the prizes?! Well, here's what you get if you win... flights, lodging, and activities for the perfect getaway vacation! This is a great opportunity to bring family/friends to Utah Valley or for Utah Valley residents to enjoy themselves right here close to home. More specifically:
1. 4 hotel rooms for 3 nights
2. $1,000 Frontier Airlines Fly-Bucks
3. Admission to Thanksgiving Point Gardens and Museum (16)
4. $200 Sundance Gift Card
5. $400 Voucher to Seven Peaks Resort or Provo Beach Resort

Sweet action! For more information and to post your video in the contest feed, go here.

Wordless Wednesday - the new addition to the family.

Want to be a fit mom? Read this book.

I was sent a copy of Fit Moms for Life: How to Have Endless Energy to Outplay your Kids by Dustin Maher to read, and have been taking it on my lunch breaks with me for the last couple of weeks.

When they contacted me initially, I wasn't sure it was going to be a good fit for me, since I've never given birth and don't really ever plan to. But I was definitely wrong - the tips and advice shared in the book are relevant not only to mothers, but to all women; even men may find some helpful info.

The book chronicles the stories of 31 moms who used Dustin's fitness/weight loss program with amazing success. It's got their background, before and after photos (maybe it's just me but with any fitness program, I love seeing before/after pics!), advice, tips; a ton of stuff to help you on your journey. The book explains the five "pillars" of fitness (mindset, nutrition, strength training, burst training, environment) and why each is important. It's got snack ideas, exercise routines, food tips and more.

Would I recommend you read this book? If you are looking for a fitness plan and haven't had much luck, I would absolutely say yes. Check it out and let me know what you think!

***I was sent the book for review purposes. All of my opinions are my own and are being posted on my blog accordingly. I was not forced to review the

Utah Valley. Stuff to do. So go on and do. Eh?

Kids, get out of the house this weekend. I promise, it's good for you. Here's how...

What: American Fork Steel Days!
When: today through Saturday, times vary
Where: Robinson Park, 100 East Main Street
Why: A carnival! Rides, food, carnies... Just do it. Also, fireworks, a boutique, a doll show, and more. Tons of entertainment options!
How much: it all depends on what you do. Walking around, checking out the carnies? That's totally free.

What: Spanish Fork Fiesta Days & Rodeo
When: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday (today through the 24th, minus Sunday), times vary
Where: City Park - 40 South Main
Why: Another carnival! (side note: I love summer in Utah Valley.) Plus, their rodeo is a big freaking deal. It's a legit rodeo, and you should check it out. They even built a new stadium for this year.
How much: depends on what you want to do

What: Taste of the Valley
When: Saturday the 21st; 11am - 3pm
Where: Shops at the Riverwoods - 4801 North University Ave, Provo
Why: this is on my bucket list. I've wanted to hit this up for, um, forever. This year I hope to make it there! And you should, too.
How much: $10/person for a crapton of food. So worth it!

What: Lehi City Foam Day
When: Saturday the 21st; starts at 11am (foam is from 2pm - 4pm)
Where: Lehi Sports Park - 2000 West 700 South
Why: foam day! How could it get any cooler!? They spray foam everywhere, and you get to play in it. Plus, free watermelon at 2pm!
How much: free YYEEAAAHHHH!

What: Provo Farmer's Market (because I can't NOT remind you...)
When: Saturday, July 14th, from 9am to 2pm (and every Saturday through October 27th)
Where: Pioneer Park in Provo - at the southwest corner of 500 West and Center Street.
Why: Because I said so. Are you sick of me suggesting this yet?
How much: Free! Unless you buy something.

Wordless Wednesday - my cat is a couch potato.

He is watching TV. Seriously following along. It's a new thing he started doing in the last week or so. He especially loves the NatGeo channel. We were watching a show about leopards and he watched like this the entire time, sometimes moving closer to the TV (usually when there were birds or small, talkative animals being shown). It's pretty adorable, I must say.

Dinner, fast and easy and cheap.

Can I admit something? Since I started working full-time and 30 minutes from home, I've become completely worthless as a cook. We eat out almost every day. It's terrible, I know. I've got all the respect in the world for those ladies who work full-time, then come home and cook dinner and clean and take care of kids. I'm just not cut out for that.

Which is why I really love Little Caesars' HOT-N-READY pizzas. For only $5*, you can get pepperoni (our typical go-to) or for $8*, you can get the 3 Meat Treat - pepperoni, sausage, and bacon. I really need to try that one because, seriously? Bacon on pizza? Plus, they're always fresh and hot out of the oven when you get there. Find your closest Little Caesars location by clicking here.

*plus tax, obviously; and valid at participating locations only






***I was contacted by Little Caesars, who asked me to post about their delicious pizzas. I am getting a gift card out of it, and they provided me the commercials you see here, for your entertainment. I truly love Little Caesars, gift card or not, which is why I chose to participate.***

What to do in Utah Valley this weekend.

In case you didn't know, summer is a good time to get out of the house and do something. So, here's a list I procured of things that you should possibly do. Probably not all of them, though. That'd be a little much.

What: Outdoor Summer Cinema
When: Tonight! at 9pm-ish
Where: 20 North 100 West in Provo (across from Sammy's Cafe)
Why: The movie tonight is HOT ROD! One of the funniest movies ever made.
How much: free!

What: Payson Scottish Festival
When: July 13th and 14th, hours vary
Where: Memorial Park - 250 South Main Street, Payson
Why: It's in the name - Scottish freaking festival! Go enjoy watching (or participating in) some Highland games, eat some Scottish food, and listen to bagpipes. I love me some bagpipes.
How much: free, homies.

What: 18th Annual Llama Fest
When: Saturday, the 14th; 5pm - 9pm
Where: Krishna Temple - 311 West 8500 South, Spanish Fork
Why: LLAMA FACE! Need I say more? Okay - llama competitions, food, music, obstacle course, baby llamas... they have so much to offer!
How much: $3/adult, $1/child

What: American Fork Steel Days car show & cruise
When: Saturday - car show from 11am - 7pm, cruise from 7pm - 9pm
Where: the car show is at Rotary Park - 400 South 200 East, the cruise is on Main Street
Why: I feel like this is part of American Fork. The car show and cruise should be something you do at least once in your life.
How much: free ninety-nine

What: Provo Farmer's Market (because I can't NOT remind you...)
When: Saturday, July 14th, from 9am to 2pm (and every Saturday through October 27th)
Where: Pioneer Park in Provo - at the southwest corner of 500 West and Center Street.
Why: Because I said so.
How much: Free! Unless you buy something.

Giddy Up & Go Granola - my review

I was contacted by the people at Thoughtful Food about their new product - Giddy Up & Go Granola. I've been trying to eat more healthy lately and figured their vegan, gluten/dairy-free, organic granola was the perfect thing to add to my breakfast routine.

Giddy Up & Go Granola was created by a Mom who, after being frustrated at the lack of options when it comes to eating gluten-free and dairy-free.

They sent me both of the flavors to try (there's Notoriously Nutty and Seriously Seedy). You know how granola can tend to be dry? Not this granola! It's really flavorful and not dry at all. I was at first pouring it over sliced strawberries to eat, but I've moved on to eating it straight from the bag. It's that good! The Notoriously Nutty is chock full of nuts, not just a few nuts with mostly oats as with most granola. And their Seriously Seedy? I love it. Really. It's got pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds sprinkled throughout and it's just wonderful. The perfect counterpart for those with nut allergies!\

Whether you do or don't have food issues, I would recommend trying the Giddy Up & Go Granola. It's really tasty, and a great way to incorporate better food into your day. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

It's Friday, Friday, gotta go crazy on Friday.

There are multiple people I work with that insist on playing that damn Rebecca Black song every Friday. I can say I am still successful in never hearing the song in its entirety. I leave the room every time. And I'm starting to wonder if that's why they insist on playing it.

I have come to the conclusion that I am, in fact, the common denominator in my no-friend-zone.

I found something yesterday that could be the solution to world peace, and it only costs a dollar. It's a "limited edition cookie flavor" Crunch bar, modeled to taste like Girl Scout cookies. I'd show you a picture of how many this fat kid ate, but the internet and my phone are fighting.

I finally found a car, and I love her with all my heart. If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen it. If you don't, you should. I'll post it here once I can get my simple brain to figure out how I save pictures from Instagram anywhere else.

Today started off as an alright day, but the people around me insist on playing horrible music and singing in horrible voices and I am now decidedly antisocial.

All joking aside, we had a friend get murdered the other day, over not allowing an underage kid into his party. What is wrong with people?! Seriously. It's just plain not okay to stab someone else over something so ridiculous. He was a really good guy and will be missed.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend without death or fire or any other bad things. I hope everything goes exactly your way, today and tomorrow and forever. Because you are wonderful. That is all.

Things to do in Utah Valley this weekend.

RRAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNNNNN. Bring it down, clouds. Too much of the state has burned itself up and we need the moisture!

In completely unrelated news, here's a roundup of things you could be doing down here in happy valley.

What: Provo Farmer's Market
When: Saturday, July 7th, from 9am to 2pm (and every Saturday through October 27th)
Where: Pioneer Park in Provo - at the southwest corner of 500 West and Center Street.
Why: I love the farmer's market. That is all.
How much: Free!

What: Pleasant Grove's Promenade
When: Thursday, July 5th, from 5pm to 9pm
Where: Historic Downtown Park in Pleasant Grove - 200 South Main Street
Why: It's got so many things going for it - fresh produce, live entertainment, unique gifts, homemade food... and what else do you have going on tonight?
How much: free unless you buy something. der.

What: Camp Floyd - Johnston's Army Adventure Camp
When: Friday at 5:30 through Saturday
Where: Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum - 18035 West 1540 North, Fairfield
Why: If you've got a scout, this is an awesome thing to do. They get to travel back in time, act like a soldier, learn how soldiers lived, sleep like soldiers... this is something I wish I could have done as a child. They also get merit badges for it.
How much: $15 per Boy Scout, $12 per adult

What: The Roller Derby!
When: Saturday, July 7th, from 11am to 5:30pm
Where: The old Food For Less Building - 784 E. Chapel Drive, Spanish Fork
Why: It's a freaking roller derby! I have always wanted to be a derby girl, for real. What better to do than watch a bunch of girls beat the shit out of each other, on skates?
How much: $5 donation

Most importantly, have fun and don't start any fires. Enjoy the amazing nature we've got before it all gets covered in snow again, probably starting in August since we enjoyed such a lovely, dry winter this year.

Happy Independence Day!

We drove to Vegas last night to pick up the newest member of the family (more on that later), and may or may not have purchased some of those "illegal" fireworks. Here's hoping we don't go to jail tonight. Happy 4th!