the spencers

Creative outlet

2012-01-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

I love browsing other blogs and getting inspired. I will have to admit that my own blog is pretty boring... for the following reasons: I am dressed in sweats EVERY DAY. My job as a tennis coach means Nike sweats every day on a pretty steady rotation. No fashion/cute outfit posts for me... I spend most of my time on the tennis court coaching. Tennis tips may not make for the most exciting content (unless you are an aspiring tennis player)... I do not have kids, I have a cat. Enough said... I do love design but I do not do enough creative projects/design to warrant an original content design blog.

Between my Nike sweat wearing, tennis coaching, cat loving, my purpose for this blog is just to be a creative outlet from here on out.

A Perfect Picnic in Paris

2011-12-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

As I have been going through my pictures of Europe and Paris, I stumbled upon this picture. A picnic in Paris. In front of the Eiffel Tower. I absolutely loved my time in Paris and cannot wait to go back.

Au Revoir!

2011-07-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am off to Paris today to meet up with the family... Soooo excited!!

Kierstin's 30th and the Fourth!

2011-07-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

I had almost given up on this blog but figured I would give it another go... For the fourth Kirk and I decided to be spontaneous and drive down to CA last minute to celebrate with my family. Kirk, my brother, and future brother in law were determined to get a fire pit at the beach and went at 12:30 am to reserve a spot... they ended up getting kicked out and then eventually slept on the beach. It was a loonnng beach day with a lot of sunburns but still a great way to spend the fourth... Yesterday Kirk and I celebrated my cousin Kierstin's bday up in PC at the alpine slide and coaster. Since my uncle owns PCTV we had an awesome hook up with unlimited rides and fun! My favorite is def. the alpine coaster

Now for the fourth of July pics...

A Month Later...

2011-03-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have been a horrible blogger and have many things to blog about so I will now play catch up. Over the past month I have spent three weekends in CA... One with the tennis team (we played Fresno State and UCI) ... One for McCall's 21st Bday ... One for Mayci's Sweet 16 Birthday Party. Here are some pictures from my trip down with the tennis team...

I took the team to the Santa Monica Pier and met up with this lady

Then took the team to the BYU vs. USC Men's Volleyball game... My parents also were in attendance :)

Je t'aime!

2011-02-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ever since I decided to take French in middle school over the popular and "practical" choice of taking Spanish, (growing up in Southern CA, everyone speaks Spanish) I have been dreaming of going to Paris. I am beyond excited to say that I will be going to PARIS THIS SUMMER! I have been wanting to go for too long.

I. cannot. wait.

Home Match and Sundance

2011-01-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

Saturday was our first home match of the year vs. Washington. We had a great match against the Huskies and then I jetted up to Sundance for the festival. My awesome Uncle Stanton owns PCTV and always invites us up to see a few movies during the festival. Although it was freeeezing and we decided to walk to our movies it was a blast. I am just looking forward to our next tennis trip... (we leave tomorrow for Hawaii!!) Hopefully my face will see the sun because I am looking pretty white!

Doing what I do

Aren't our new uniforms cute?

My cousin Kierstin and I having fun while freezing

Ps. If any of you are interested our tennis team also has a blog of all of our trips and matches! check it out... byuwomenstennis.blogspot.com

Need your help...

2011-01-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

So I have been thinking lately that it is time to get a new sofa... problem is I do not know which one I want to get and yes, both of these sofas look very similar yet they are very different... so I need your help... which one do you like better??

Photoboother

2011-01-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

Recently I went to dinner with my dear friend Amy Wiseman. We ate at BJ's pizzeria and walked around a weird mall. As we were walking around we spotted a photobooth and decided we wanted to try it out.. but we forgot... Luckily, I remembered that my REALLY creative cousin Stanton created a website that can turn your pictures in to a photobooth picture strip (I know, really cool)... So before I said goodbye I snapped a few silly shots of Amy and I in the car and turned it into this!

Stanton's website is called photoboother.com and is free! You upload the pictures and voila! you're done and then can download the image, email, or buy prints. Check it out and spread the word!

NYC Storyboard

2011-01-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

These last few months I have slacked on the blogging front to say the least... so this is my attempt to do a little bit of catch up via storyboard since I have wayy too many pictures from my trip to New York City!(this is about 2 months late)

01. This is where it all started... Amy came to town to visit Jessie and I, we decided we needed to have a girls trip... 02. We took the redeye into NYC, this shows how fab we look once we landed... 03. It rained all day and was super cold so we strolled around until we could check in but one highlight was getting tickets to Letterman that night to see Steve Martin!... 04. Day 2 began with our venture out to Soho to get some delicious pizza and... 05. Hot chocolate. 06. In Soho we shopped til we dropped and then some.
07. We ventured to Serendipity but stopped in Dylan's candy shop while we waited for our table... 08. Serendipity post meal and post frozen hot chocolate... 09. Day 3 took the red bus tour around to see the statue of liberty... 10. Warmed up inside the Plaza hotel, so beautiful!... 11. Met Connor (my cousin) to ride bikes through Central Park but ended up walking the bikes... 12. Jumping in Central Park
13. Thank goodness Connor was there and patient enough to take a lot of pictures of us in Central Park!... 14. At the fountain in Central Park... 15. Connor and I left the gals to meet up with Stanton and Rubi (my cousin and his wife)... Love stantons face in this one... 16. Decided to go to the Brooklyn bridge to see the city lights (freeezing) but stopped by Dayna's work to surprise her on our way!... 17. Freezing on the bridge... 18. Then took the subway to Stanton and Rubi's place in Harlem
19. Actually putting the bikes into use Connor gave me a tour of Columbia, the Hudson and a few of his favorite spots at 12 am or so which happened to be my favorite part of the day... 20. Camera timed posers...21. Connor the tour guide once again coming to the rescue to take us to Brooklyn's Egg and the Brooklyn flea market... 22. On the way to brunch at Egg we ran into the NYC Marathon and ran through it(so fun!) ... 23. Ladies in the subway... 24. Finished off the trip/day by walking from Brooklyn back to Manhattan over the bridge...

We had a busy and fun few days in NYC... even though it was freezing I loved being in the big city!

Lately...

2010-10-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been pretty crazy busy with the fall tennis season. We just finished up our last tournament of the fall and so things will start to slow down again! Here is where I have been for the past month or so...

Saw Amy while I was out in San Francisco for the Berkeley invitational

Hung out with A.C. Slater at the Grove

This lady come to visit me in Santa Barbara and watch the girls play

Hanging out in the hot Vegas heat (in the shade of course) during out 13 hour days at the tennis courts!

The good ol' days

2010-10-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

I was looking at some old pictures on my computer and found these gems. I believe these photos are circa 2006 or something? I miss the good ol' days hanging out with these ladies doing nothing but taking silly pictures and being totally entertained! Too bad these two live in AZ and Im still here in provo! I miss you guys!!

The Big 2-5

2010-09-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I turned the big 2-5. The night before (friday night) I took the team on a traveling practice up to Sundance. We spent the night and had fun playing games all night. The next day we went on the chair lift at the resort which was beautiful! From there Kirk took me to Salt Lake shopping and for some yummy lunch and dinner. He had me pick out a new dress for a surprise which ended up being going to see the Lion King at the Capitol theater! I was so surprised and had so much fun!

At the top of the Sundance chair lift with some of the team

In front of the theater before the Lion King

(video below is the team playing the fruit game

...you have to play the game to understand)

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

For the Labor day weekend some special people came up to visit. We had such a fun weekend with a lift ride in sundance to celebrating grandpa brown's bday!

We couldn't put little Brighton down all night

The Bday boy!

Sundance!

Viva LV

2010-09-05T09:41:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Kirk and I went to LV for a last little get-away before school started. We stayed at the Trump hotel which was nice and we had a few visitors meet us on their way to UT from CA. We walked around, ate good food, saw ja rule, and lounged at the pool, recipe for the perfect mini-cation.

getting ready for the day (there was a tv in the mirror)

lovebirds

planned candid pose

a little overrated, maybe the LA one is better?

Georgetown

2010-08-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

I recently found these pictures from our trip to Georgetown... We loved everything about this place, especially the cupcakes :)

Eighty Five

2010-07-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today was Grandpa Jones' 85th Bday. I recently spent last weekend at home celebrating with him and family in CA. One thing to know about my grandpa is that he is the most kind person I know. I am not just saying that because he is my grandpa, he truly is the definition of kindness. I sure love him and had so much fun spending some quality time with him this past weekend! Happy 85th!

During his time as a radio operator/gunner in WW2

At the site where David killed Goliath

Keepin it cool in his shades and backwards hat

Please excuse my nudity here

This past weekend enjoying some ice cream in the heat at Balboa

D.C.

2010-07-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

I figured since it is the weekend of the fourth I would post about our time in the nations capitol. As mentioned in the previous post, Kirk and I went out to D.C. for a wedding... drove to Pittsburgh to go to a wedding reception... then drove back to D.C to see the sites before heading back. Saturday was our day to go out and see everything bc it was the only day we really had open! First we took the bus to the pentagon metro station. We got on the metro and took the first stop to Arlington Cemetery. The cemetery was crazy at how large it was with rows and rows of white gravestones. We ventured around for a while up and down the hills and made our way over to the tomb of the unknown soldier, which honors all the soldiers that were killed but bodies weren't found or identified... From there we got back on the metro and headed to the "mall" where we went to the Washington Monument. It was super tall in person and pretty amazing. We had to take a little breather before walking down to Lincoln Memorial. I opted to walk along the pond to the memorial instead of taking the shaded sidewalk so we could get the full experience. We made it to Lincoln and I was so surprised at how large he was, I always imagined he was not much taller than me (since I am so tall ha)... Our next stop was the white house, which was neat but you could not get very close up to it so that was a bit of a bummer... By this time we were both EXTREMELY hot from the 94 degree weather and humidity and had some pretty sore feet. Kirk had the idea to head down to Adams Morgan to get a "Huge Slice of Pizza". Little did we know that we had a long walk to the subway to get there and when we got there we had a mile walk to the pizza and a mile walk back to the metro! No pizza is worth that much walking after being exhausted from walking all day. We made it to the pizza, ate it quick and headed back to see some Smithsonians. We went to two of the Smithsonians and then decided to walk to the capitol before heading back to the metro to end the day... It was a great day full of a ton of sightseeing, a lot of sweating, a ridiculous amount of walking and sore feet but overall very fun! (warning there are a lot of pics!)

First time in the D.C. Metro

Arlington Cemetery

Tomb of the unknown soldier

Walking to the metro!

Taking a break at the Washington Monument

Had to get a jumping picture

Walking to Lincoln

Honest Abe

Some more jumping

White House

Trying to cool down in the crazy weather

Walking to the metro... again

Huge Slice of Pizza... It appears I am kissing the pizza but I am really eating it.

Smithsonian

Sore feet... fyi do not wear rainbows if you are going to be walking long distances ALL DAY. We wish we would have worn tennis shoes (George Costanza style!)

The Steel City

2010-06-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Kirk and I recently went back east for a little vacation. We originally went to DC but drove to Pittsburgh for a wedding reception. We spent a night in the city and had fun exploring the Steel City. Our drive to Pittsburgh was a little dramatic as Kirk got a ticket the first ten minutes of the drive and we took the "scenic route" which took an extra hour and a half. Once we got there we had fun at a beautiful reception overlooking the city. It was a beautiful city with a ton of bridges which makes it VERY hard to not get lost driving around.

View from the reception

On the incline which took you up to the restaurant Le Mont

Our sweet hotel

Cinnamon sugar bagel toasted with honey butter - yum!

One of the many bridges in P-town

This pic shows all of the pollution and dirt and smog built up on the post of the bridge

Le Pain

2010-06-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I took a break from recruiting in So. Cal and went to a cute place called Le Pain. My mother and I were planning on going to Earth Cafee, but since it was such a long wait we ventured around the corner and found this little gem of a place. I loved the atmosphere/decor and the lemonade was to die for!

The Bridal Belt

2010-06-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kenna, a bride-to-be, came to me and asked if I would attempt a bridal belt for her wedding dress. Since I had never actually made one before I was a little nervous but told her I would try! Sooo ta da.... this is how it turned out, pretty darn good if you ask me! The belt is ALL hand made, each and every flower etc. The belt fits flush in the back and the color scheme matches her groom's suit. She was excited when she saw it and I was even more excited and proud that it looked so good with her dress! Anyway, enough of me bragging...

New Header

2010-06-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

Kirk has been kindly asking me for a while now to take down the picture at the heading of our blog. Well, actually his words were more like " can you take that picture down, my legs look dumb" or something of that sort. So I decided to spruce it up a bit and leave out the picture all-together. I am not blog savvy what-so-ever so this is my version of mixing the blog up a bit! I may or may not be changing it over the next little while... While on the the topic of new headings or titles... I was recently named interim head coach for the BYU women's tennis team for this upcoming year. This news was both exciting and humbling as I have plenty of work to do considering the tradition of the program... I welcome the challenge and am looking forward to this next year at BYU!

Wedding Weekend

2010-06-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Kirk and I went to two good friends' weddings in the SLC temple. Thursday it was my fellow teammate (she was a freshman when I was a senior), and player (I have been her coach the last 3 years) Kristina Doerr. Kris looked so beautiful and her ceremony was really special, I am so glad she included me in her big day! On Friday Kirk's best friend from high school Craig got married. Craig has been looking forward to this day for quite a while and he found a great girl Karrie! Her dress was amazing and unique, loved it! We ended the weekend at our favorite Mexican restaurant Red Iguana.

Kristina and Shane

The Tennis Group at the reception

Karrie and Craig

Best Buds

At the luncheon

Eating chips and salsa at the Iguana

My kind of Heaven

2010-05-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

When I went to CA a bit ago I had the chance to go to Mood fabrics in LA... I LOVED it! Project runway is one of my favorite shows and I actually own all of the seasons. When I saw that Mood fabrics existed in LA I knew I had to go one day... I didn't have much time to spend in there since I had to catch a flight but I think I could spend hours in that place! I cant wait to go back

Sorry the pic is from my phone and I couldnt figure out how to flip it!

The Baird Bunch

2010-05-16T20:55:00.001-07:00

Meet the Baird Bunch! For more pics go here

Shane + Kristina

2010-05-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

She... has the best curly hair... plays tennis at BYU... has a wicked serve.

He... has a nice jaw (according to Kristina)... loves BYU tennis... proposed in front of her family at her house.

They... are going to have the cutest blond haired, blue eyed kids... met and fell in love almost two years ago... are getting married June 3 in SLC temple.

For more pictures go HERE!

The Bird and The Bee - My Love

2010-04-20T22:57:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this song, the music video was weird so I went with this version. What songs do you love right now? I am attempting to put some good music on my ipod but do not know what songs to put on! Help!

Latest Obsession(s)

2010-04-20T22:39:00.000-07:00

So I have found myself obsessed with a few things lately... I usually would not say I am a shoe person but I have found myself obsessed with shoes! These are the latest ones I have picked up... Also another weird obsession for this time of year, hoodies. These hoodies are so comfy I LOVE them and actually have 4 colors (whoops!)

Alternative apparel hoodies, sooo soft!

Tim + Becky

2010-04-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

He... is a waiter at a sweet restaurant... will be going to school in New Orleans this summer... loves becky f.

She... will be graduating in a few days... is looking forward to a honeymoon on the beaches of CA... loves tim q.

They... got engaged in Venice, Italy on a gondola... will be getting married in D.C. in June... will be having a sweet reception in PA.

I... get to take their pictures on their special day. Go HERE for the rest of the engagement shots.

I heart MARC

2010-04-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Just got this bad boy... its black and simple... I think I am in love.

Arizona Sun

2010-04-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I ventured down to the Arizona sun with the tennis team. It was the best trip in a while since we got to see the sun and walk outside at night without a jacket, I LOVED IT! It made me sad to come back since it was snowing in Utah when we returned :( While in AZ I got to meet up with my BFF and former college roommate of 4 years Brittany. Brittany picked me up and we went to Sauce, a delicious pizza place in Scottsdale. After we shopped and actually bought a BFF friendship skirt (we just bought the same Anthro skirt) We decided that we have turned into boring old ladies compared to our wild rambunctious days in Provo together, but regardless we still had fun. Overall it was a great trip full of a sun tan, fun reunion, and lots of tennis! Britt, you have to come visit me next time :)

mmmm... Sauce

On court working hard :)

Beautiful weather!!

Utah, can you please warm up soon FOR GOOD??

The Fearless Mind

2010-03-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

Meet Dr. Craig L. Manning. He is a great tennis coach, father to 4 adorable kids... and husband to a awesome wife McKenzie.. and an awesome sports psychologist. I have known Craig for 7 years now and can tell you that I have learned more things from him than anyone else (besides my parents maybe). He recently published his first book called the Fearless Mind where he shares his valuable insight on life and sports. I have always been a big believer that sports directly relates and correlates to life and Craig is awesome at addressing issues that relate to everyday life. His book is on amazon, in borders, costco and a lot of other places. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone regardless if you are a athlete or just someone who wants to improve their life such as overcoming self-doubt or gaining greater confidence. Craig also has a website, visualizeone.com where he consults with people and you can also buy a segment of his program on itunes. He has worked with several athletes including many olympic medal winners from the recent games. Craig is awesome and so is his book!

ps. I took his picture for his book too :)

Autumn Dame

2010-03-22T18:56:00.001-07:00

I recently did a shoot for a new clothing line Autumn Dame, for more go HERE!

Someday...

2010-03-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

I took French and Photography in High School and have been obsessed with both ever since. I recently found this on another blog and died. This sure would be nice... in my dreams... Maybe someday I will make it there. J'adore Paris. sigh.

Potato Heads

2010-03-12T23:35:00.000-08:00

I am currently in Boise Idaho for a match vs. Boise State tomorrow. We drove from Provo to Boise today, got a little hit in, went to a delicious dinner, and ate some Blue Cow yogurt. Tomorrow we will play our match, eat, then drive straight back home.

Sounds kind of crazy but I love it because I get to do it with these ladies. (This picture was taken in Seattle back in January doing our signature, the jumping picture. This has to be my favorite however due to Megan's squatting stance in the background.)

"Tennis Sisters"

2010-02-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

BYU recently did this interview on McCall and I for BYU TV. I dont really like the way I sound on video but I still think that it turned out cute!

Tennis Season has Begun!

2010-02-07T20:55:00.001-08:00

So I know I have been really bad at posting and staying up to date with the blog... I blame it on tennis season. On January 21 we took our first trip to Washington State to play WSU and UW. We went 1-1 which was pretty good for our first matches of the season. On January 28 we flew to Gainesville, FL for a wild weekend full of rain delays and no sleep playing UF and SMU. This past weekend we played our first home matches against Wichita State and U of Colorado... Needless to say, ive been slacking for a pretty good reason.

I love tennis season and our team!

The Morgan Project

2010-01-11T13:15:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Morgan came to me a few months ago asking if I could make a poster that she had found. I recreated it for her and they turned out adorable! I printed them on canvas and then she made the frame to staple them on to. She just did a post about them so I thought I would as well. Morgan currently lives in CA which I am a little bit jealous of and in an adorable apt as you can see from the picture!

Yours Truly

2009-12-06T18:24:00.001-08:00

I don't really like to advertise but Christmas is coming so I thought I would share... This summer my sister and I started making headbands and started a little business we named yours truly. Here are a few of our headbands that we make! They are really comfortable and made with love. If you are interested visit our blog or our etsy store, or you can email me. They make really cute Christmas gifts!

Remember that time...

2009-11-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

A week or so ago Linzi, McCall and I got to go to the Regina Spektor concert and she was AMAZING! Her voice was better in person than it is on her CD, not kidding. It was a fun concert minus being smashed in between hundreds of sweaty people! Since I have not posted a lot of things that have been going on, I thought in honor of Regina and her song remember that time I could post about all of the things i've missed the past few months!

Smashed with a ton of other Regina-lovers.

Remember that time.... When I went to Berkeley, Los Angeles and Vegas with the tennis team in a span of three weeks....

Driving to Vegas (I had a fever here and felt horrible!)

Hollywood walk of fame with Megan, McCall and Michael Jackson

Cream-stach at ghirardelli in San Francisco

Remember that time....When it was my birthday, I went to Cheesecake with some lovely friends then off to Spark to visit my hubby on the job...

Remember that time... When I went to Mexico on a cruise with my family end of August... We went to Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto V.

Sisters goofing off on formal night

Leaving port in LA

Cabo Wabo

Shopping the street vendors with Grandpa Jones and Fam

Family jumping shot in Mazatlan (minus Kirk)

Grandpa being such a trooper while shopping in Mazatlan

Waiting to attack us with their goodies

With a local nino in Puerta Vallarta

**Highlight of the trip, ziplining through the jungle**

and of course the yummy local Mexican Food

Halloween Weekend

2009-11-08T16:02:00.001-08:00

Last year Kirk and I did not celebrate Halloween because we were getting ready for our wedding, so this year we made sure we went all out. On thursday Kirk and I went to Linzi and Jimmy's Halloween party as Venus and Serena Williams. Kirk looked really good as Serena and loved playing the part. We ended up winning best costume! On Friday for tennis practice we dressed "80's Tennis" and had a fun friday. Later that night Kirk had to work at the Spark Halloween party so I decided I would last minute as a cat with McCall and Alex. Its been a while since we have been to a party, especially a dance party and Kirk was going crazy breaking out some really good dance moves. On Halloween my cousin Kierstin and her husband Brian had a little party with really cute decorations and yummy food. We had a blast but by the end of the weekend we were exhausted!

Serena and Venus

with Jimmy and Linzi

When we walked in they stood there looking at us, they didnt know who we were!

Striking a pose

Showing off his bootylicious behind

Check out his lashes! He was surprised how much he looked like a girl

80's Tennis Practice

Freezing in line waiting to go into Spark

(McCall was treasure and her bf was a pirate)

All of the Spark employees wore cop outfits

Hanging out on Halloween

One Year Ago...

2009-11-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

One year ago...

I married my best friend

On a perfect day in San Diego

I can't believe it has been a year already!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that day...

Possible halloween costume...

2009-10-23T20:59:00.001-07:00

I love Halloween time. I can't remember the last time I dressed up for halloween so since this will be our first halloween as a married couple we are taking our costume pretty serious this year. We have only been discussing what we want to be for a few months now! haha Recently Kirk and I found this picture while browsing the internet for some good ideas. Since Kirk loves Nacho Libre he saw this picture and asked me if I could sew him some tights. I dont know if Kirk could pull this off as well as this awesome little dude... So we have yet to nail down quite what we are going to do... any suggestions?

Mr. and Mrs. Evans

2009-10-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

I have been crazy busy in the last month and a half and a lot of things have been going on that I have slacked at blogging about! One big highlight is that I was able to take Cydne and Brayden's wedding pictures. I finally finished editing them and put them on my photo blog! Go here to look at the rest!

Groomals

2009-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a little sneak peek of Cydne and Brayden's Groomals! To see the rest visit my photog blog HERE!

Mexico...Birthday Celebration...Moving

2009-09-16T13:48:00.001-07:00

Ive been slacking bigtime in the blogging department. Things have been sort of hectic and crazy lately ( we decided to move) But I promise I will post pics from Mexico and from my Birthday this last weekend! Have a great day!

The BIG 25 and Del Mar

2009-09-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

So before we took our trip to Mexico, Kirk turned the big 25!! We celebrated Nacho Libre style and what you see in the picture is my attempt to make a creative cake. (It is a wrestling arena) Since I have been watching a lot of Cake Boss on TLC I thought I could be creative and make a great cake. My idea was to put little Nacho figures in there with it but it ended up not panning out! Then before we got on our cruise we went down to Del Mar to the horse races. It was a blast to see them race and get a little dressed up! We had big floppy hats but ended up taking them off pretty soon after we got there!

Grandpa Jones and I choosing our Horse

Im going for four but I do not know if Grandpa approves

We heart Cats

2009-09-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Now I know that most people will find this post to be pointless or dumb but I thought I would share. This last week my parents had to put our sweet little Bentley down... He was really sick and had a genetic kidney disorder. He was the best cat and so cute! We are really going to miss him... On another note meet Blair Spencer, our new little addition. We have had her for a few months now and she is our little buddy, we love her... Well sorry about the lame post, more pictures and posts from our Mexican Cruise to come!

Bentley Jones

Blair Spencer

yes we are cat lovers.

Brayden and Cydne Engagements

2009-08-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to shoot these two lovebirds a few weeks ago. They were high school sweet hearts and waited for each other on their missions and are tying the knot on September 11. They were so fun and such good sports to shoot!

Mrs. Breanna Flieschman

2009-08-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

Breanna and I met about 16 years ago and have been really close ever since! A few weeks ago she got married to her high school sweetheart Kevin (they had been together for 7 years!). I was so happy to be there on their big day! Breanna was a beautiful bride! Congrats guys!

I think ill go to Boston...

2009-07-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

This post is a little overdue. About a month ago I went to Boston to recruit at a professional tennis tournament. My sister McCall came and played in the tournament and my Mom came for fun. When we weren't at the tennis courts watching and playing we were exploring the city of Boston! Unfortunately the whole time we were there it was really cold and raining. The first day we were caught without umbrellas when it started pouring. We found some plastic bags and ran around trying not to get too wet. We had a blast going to the different sites, shopping, and eating really good food! I want to go back and visit soon.

Besties

Papa Razzi, the delicious and oh-so-hard to find Italian restaurant

We love our rain boots

In front of one of our favorite stores on Newberry Street

In Boston, they give you the whole lobster

Raining downtown

Sidebag

2009-07-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

So I have been on the hunt all summer for a sidestrap long bag to wear around! I have been looking everywhere trying to find something. Yesterday while I was up in Park City I went to the Coach outlet and found this little number. I am quite happy with it but am not so sure about the metalic silver! What do you think?

In the works...

2009-07-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

A while ago I found a pair of wingback chairs on Craigslist 2 for $25. My plan was to get them recovered but when I found out that the average cost to have it recovered was around 200 I thought it defeated the purpose of the cheap chairs. Being the crazy DIY person that I am I took it upon myself to figure out how to recover them myself. I am still in the process of recovering it but though I would post my progress thus far. It was a lot harder than I thought to get the fabric off. It killed my hands so I had Kirk help me and it also killed his hands. Once Im finished I will post the before and after!

victory.

Hard at work

Sore hands

Hot Weather and Vinegar

2009-07-17T15:29:00.000-07:00

For some reason when it gets really hot outside, I crave sour foods, especially vinegar. Since I have been spending quite a lot of time outside at the BYU tennis camps I have been wanting everything sour. Does anyone else feel this way? I thought I would share my favorite vinegar recipes!

My favorites are:

Tomatoes and Avocado in Vinegar

1 cut up tomato

1 half cut up avocado

1 cup rice vinegar or the vinegar of your choice

lots of salt

pepper

Cucumbers in Vinegar

2 cucumbers peeled and cut into thin pieces

1 half white onion cut up

put them into the special dressing which is:

1 drinking cup full of white vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon or less dry mustard

a shake or two of paprika

double the dressing recipe and put cucumbers and onions in bowl with the dressing! delicious!

Delicious Poppy-Seed Dressing (for a yummy summer salad!)

1 drinking cup full of white vinegar

2 tbsp oil (you can add more oil if its too sour for you)

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp or less dry mustard

1 tbsp poppy seed

Mix well!

Enjoy!

The Fourth

2009-07-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

This Fourth of July we had fun spending time with family. Kirk had to work during the day but after we went to the freedom festival with Craig, Keith, Brit, Kirk's Mom Carrie, and Kory. My cousin Kierstin and her husband Brian met up with us and we all went to Los Hermanos. Afterward, Kirk and I went with Kierstin and Brian to a park to watch the Stadium of fire fireworks. While we were waiting I got to meet up with Jess and Brody and her family.

It was a great day!

Kirk and I taking a break from the Freedom Festival

The Spencer crew celebrating the 4th (Kory, Brit, Keith, Carrie, Kirk and I)

Two of my favorite people, Jess and the Brodster (my little bf)

With my cousin Kierstin and her husband Brian waiting for the fireworks

(and yes we are coincidentally matching)

Stadium of Fire!

Hope you all had a Happy 4th of July!

One week ago...

2009-06-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

One week ago I was here with these people (dad is taking the pic) wish I could go back!

Meet the Mannings

2009-06-23T20:43:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I had the chance to do a photo session with my boss' kids. The shoot was a blast! We... blew bubbles with bubblicious bubble gum... ate otter pops... played around with balloons... and ate cupcakes. Definitely a super fun family. The Mannings consist of Craig (my boss, the head tennis coach at BYU) His super cute wife McKenzie, McKay, Abby, Josie, and little Kimble. Here are just a few shots from the day!

Any Recommendations?

2009-06-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lame non-posting lately. Kirk and I are currently in CA on vacation for a few weeks! Unfortunately the weather has been pretty lame due to the june-gloom. I am looking for a good book to read while I am down here but get so overwhelmed when I go into a book store that I can never choose, does anyone have any recommendations? I would really appreciate any :)

For all the Cupcake Lovers

2009-06-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

Above: Cupcake Poster (four separate posters shown together)

Below: Keep Calm Carry On Poster

I love the Keep Calm Carry On posters and so I decided to start making them! I print them on 11 x 17 paper and you can get them framed at Michaels with the matting for really inexpensive. I also saw the Keep Calm and have a Cupcake poster and started making those for friends. Now I am going to sell both of these for $16 each plus shipping if you live out of state. If you are interesting in either a Cupcake poster or a Carry On poster just email me and tell me what you want and tell me what color (I can use ANY color even if you want it match something you already have, you can take a picture or find a color close and send it to me so I can match it!) I will then set up a private listing on etsy for you! (Sorry the second picture looks really bad, I tried taking it without a flash) laurenjones11@gmail.com

Mayci and Friends come to visit

2009-05-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

Above: The crew arrives

Below: At the best Mexican place in Utah, Red Iguana

A Few weeks ago a few friends came up to visit me (and play a tennis tournament) My youngest sister Mayci came up with her two friends Brooke and Cassidy for a tennis tournament in Park City. It was a crazy weekend and really busy but it was a blast to hang out with these girls for 4 days! (Dont mind the shiny forehead on the second shot)

The Y

2009-05-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Kirk had never hiked the Y before so we figured with the nice weather we might as well cross that off the list of things to do. I am quite a bit out a shape but felt really out of shape hiking up that mountain. Eventually we made it to the top and took some fun pictures, jumping ones of course.

Viva Las Vegas

2009-05-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago the Tennis Team had some matches down in Vegas, I was able to bring Kirk and the Jones clan met us there. Sorry its a little bit of an old post but we had a blast and the best part was that my parents surprised McCall and I and brought Tinkerbell with them

(we kinda miss her a lot) I am a mean sister but had to snap this picture of McCall asleep in the car.
Our little surprise Tinkerbell! I love her.

Me on the job (tough)

Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity

The girls

The whole crew minus the missionary and tinker.

Mini me

High rollers (not really)

Six Months Ago

2009-05-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

Six Months ago we went here.

Got married.

We have loved every minute of it.

Root Canal

2009-04-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Bad news. Went to the dentist today after not going for 3 years. Went in because I had a bad toothache and assumed I had a nasty cavity to get filled. Instead I was informed I need a root canal. My Dad is 47 and has never had a root canal so how did I get one? So today wasn't a very good day for me, I had a bad feeling going into the dentists office.

Orange Eyebrows

2009-04-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago I started to realize a change in the color of my eyebrows. They seemed to have a red tint to them. I asked Kirk right away and he didn't seem to notice any change or difference in the color of my eyebrows. I shrugged it off but continually noticed the lightening of my eyebrows to the point where they were a orange blonde color. I hadn't really been out in the sun so I couldn't figure it out. I even had the tennis team trainer look at them and see if she could figure anything out... to get to the point turns out I decided to tell Brittany Fullmer about this funny change and she replied that her and her sister had experienced the same exact thing. She then told me hers was due to using Clearasil pads, I went into my bathroom to see which brand of cleansing pads I was using and sure enough I have been using the Clearasil Ultra pads as well! So if you notice a change in the color of your eyebrows check your facewash/cleansing pads.

Easter and Spring Sandals

2009-04-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

This year for Easter we did our own dinner and had McCall and her boyfriend Alex come over. I made deviled eggs, McCall helped make the salad, Kirk made his famous funeral potatoes, and we grilled some steaks on the good ol' foreman grill. It was a pretty good Easter dinner, the foreman may have over cooked the steaks a little but it was all good. The Easter Bunny came early from CA, my mom sent us some candy, Kirk got some new boardshorts and I got some cute new sandals shown below! The Easter bunny came again on Easter...Kirk got me a massage and a new chain for my necklace that I wanted! I gave Kirk his first pair of Rainbow sandals and a few of his favorite V-Neck shirts...He was really excited to finally have a pair of Rainbows so he decided to walk to school the next day in them. Needless to say they tore his feet up! I felt really bad for his feet... Monday we went to a park and read magazines since it was finally warm enough (around 55 degrees) It was a great Easter weekend and Im glad we are finally starting to have some decent weather!

Diet Coke at the park

I'm off Diet Coke so I just had a Dasani :)

New Sandals from Mom!

Kirk and his new Rainbow sandals and torn up feet

...and of course a little craft time after dessert

Happy Birthday Bre!

2009-04-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today is one of my best friend's birthday, Breanna Stowell (soon to be Fleischman). I first met Bre when I was only 8 years old and at first she wasn't too nice to me...her mom invited me to her "Grease Lightening" themed birthday party against her will, so Breanna then threatened me and told me I could come if I didn't break some hair clip that I was borrowing from her or playing with. Of course as luck has it, I broke it on accident. Luckily she still let me come and from then on we have been very close friends. She is such a sweet girl and I am so excited to be a part of her wedding this summer in July and know she will make the most beautiful bride! She was also one of my bridesmaids in my wedding and always kept me on track with my planning! So Happy Birthday Bob, Hope you have a great day!

Sweet picture of us at Chuckie Cheese

Y Awards

2009-04-01T14:47:00.001-07:00

Last night was the 2009 Y Awards for all of the BYU athletes. My little sister McCall was nominated for rookie of the year so we had the best seats in the house! It was a fun night and good to get dressed up for once (I am usually always in my tennis sweats) I dressed my sister and did her hair and makeup, I thought her and her boyfriend Alex looked really cute...cutest BYU athlete couple! After we were lucky to score some delicious chocolate fondue and frozen yogurt, yum!

I heart PR

2009-03-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight Kirk and I went to FYE in search of Season 4 of Project Runway. I currently own seasons 1-3 and have not fully seen season 4 or 5. I love this show and think it is amazing, I even took a sewing class last winter because I was so inspired by it, unfortunately Im not nearly as good as anyone who is on the show! My cousin Stanton on the other hand is amazing and actually lives in NY and I always tell him how he needs to get on the show (even though the show is no longer running) Needless to say, I will be be busy the next couple of days catching up with PR season 4

Stanton's dress he made for his cute wife Rubi, see it on their blog.

Strike a pose!

2009-03-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my sister McCall and I decided we would go out and take some fun photos...we dressed her up and went around town to take some shots. Here are a few of them! Check out the rest at laurenjonesphotography.blogspot.com (sorry everything is linked, I dont know how to fix it!)

LJ's Giveaway!

2009-03-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

" Here is the deal: The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me.

My choice.

For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It'll be done this year.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography, I may sew or paint something. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5- I reserve the right to do something extremely creative."

I also fell for this post and commented on my friend Jessie's blog before I read the fine print...

" The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it."

I am actually kind of excited to see what Jessie makes me and to make something for you! I am always doing some kind of craft and so this will be perfect! So hurry and comment and let me also know what color you like when you do :) also if I am feeling generous I might just make something for a few more past the 5, who knows!

Green with envy

2009-03-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

I recently ran into this really cool antique green couch and I really want to purchase it. The only thing is 1. I do not have any room for it and 2. I do not have any room for it. I can imagine this recovered in a cute fabric with the trim painted in a white or black! Im a sucker for craigslist and such sites and wish this could be mine! (ps my goal is to learn how to reupholster this year, I think it would be a good skill to have)

Me + Brody = BFF

2009-03-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

So on tuesday I finally got to meet the adorable little Brody Miller. Jessie and I met at Dear Lizzies to have a little lunch and look around at all of the cute decorations. After lunch I got to go see Jessie's new place and it is super cute. (jess-you need to post some pictures of your place) We sat and talked for a while and I think Brody liked me, he let me hold him and feed him for a long time. He even gave me a few smiles and giggles. It may or may not have helped with the baby fever that is going around...(im not pregnant) Cant wait to see Baby Brody and Momma Miller again soon, perhaps for a craft night?

Kansas to Oklahoma to...snow

2009-03-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

I recently just got back from a long tennis trip. The team played Kansas State, U of Kansas, and Oklahoma State and swept all three matches which was awesome! The trip wasn't too bad considering the weather was 85 degrees almost every day. It got me so excited and ready for Spring and some warm weather... Today is my "off" day which I was really excited about until I realized how freezing it is here! Now as I look outside it is snowing like crazy and I am a little bummed, I want to go back to the warm weather!

Bachelor Disappointment

2009-03-02T23:00:00.001-08:00

The bachelor was a big disappointment, Jason definitely has some problems! that is all I have to say.

Melissa or Molly?

2009-03-01T11:54:00.000-08:00

I always look forward to Monday nights when the bachelor is on. Kirk and I started watching a few episodes into it but really got into to it. (Yes Kirk is also a bachelor fanatic and loves to watch it with me, he usually yells out and gets really into it). Tomorrow is the finale and I (or I should say WE) can't wait! Its down to Melissa and Molly, the final two. I have been rooting for Melissa to take the final rose but its hard to tell who Jason will choose. Who do you think he will choose?

Dresser Makeover

2009-02-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

I found this lovely dresser on craiglist a while back for my bedroom. It holds most of Kirk's clothes since mine take up all of the closet space :) I doubt it has ever been painted from its original state, so I thought I would re-vamp it and paint it white. The goal was to get it a glossy white but it didnt go too glossy. Linzi helped me spray paint, which almost killed us because the fumes were so strong! I would recommend not to spray paint inside your house especially your bedroom because it spells pretty bad. Anyway, I just thought I would share a little before and after picture of the dresser. I think it came out pretty cute!

Keep Calm and Carry On

2009-02-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to do crafts. I am always looking for a new project or a new craft that I can do! Luckily my friend Linzi is the same way and also loves doing projects. When you get the two of us together you usually can count on us planning or doing a new project. Wed. Night we decided we decided that we wanted to try to make the keep calm carry on posters that are oh-so-cute. We went and bought the frames and matting then I used my graphic design skills to conjure up a replica of the poster we love and voila!

Happy Birthday Britty Boo

2009-02-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish Britt a Happy Birthday!! Wish I were there to help celebrate :) (Chipman Hall is where we met and became besties nearly 6 years ago!! aka where it all began)

11-1-08 Wedding Pics

2009-01-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

Tis the Season

2008-12-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

This last weekend I had the chance to go home to california to recruit. I ended up going to LA and the Grove with my parents and little sister to shop and eat. On the way there we saw the "Big Fat Greek Wedding House" all lit up crazy so we had to stop and take a few pics! I love Christmas time!

Luna de Miel

2008-11-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

Kirk and I just got back from our honeymoon to Cancun and it was amazing! We stayed at the Casa Magna Marriott which was right on the water. It was quite an adventure to be in a foreign country together, we tried to stay away from the real touristy stuff and ventured off to tulum and playa de carmen and into the heart of cancun. Thank goodness Kirk could speak a little spanish and understand what they were saying ( I took French in High School). We got in on Sat. then on Sunday relaxed on the beach and recovered from our all day travel the day before. Monday we signed up for a Forest Jungle tour, we got to drive our own little boat through the "forest" and went out to snorkel, that was Kirk's highlight for sure driving that boat since they went pretty fast. Tuesday we went down to Tulum and didnt know that it would be a 2 and a half hour bus drive but it was good to see nonetheless. Wed. we took the bus again down to Playa de Carmen and explored. Thursday we relaxed on the beach again before we had to take off to come back to the US. It was a blast and so much fun, we cant wait to go back!!! (Sorry about so many posts in one day, I just was really behind and need to catch up! )

Our Elder

2008-11-30T09:52:00.000-08:00

On Nov. 19th my brother Alex went into the MTC. It was a pretty big deal considering the fact that he is the only boy in our family! He made sure that he got his fill of Mexican food before he went in just in case they didnt have good Mexican food in Atlanta Georgia. So we all went to the Red Iguana the night before, then the day of we went to Cafe Rio right before we dropped him off. The MTC was quite an emotional experience! My mom, sister and I started crying in the beginning when they sang "Called to Serve" haha and of course everyone cried when they said their last goodbyes. Elder Jones is going to be a great Missionary and we are so proud of him!

We're Married!

2008-11-30T09:27:00.000-08:00

So a lot has been going on in the last little bit! Kirk and I got married on November 1 and though it may sound cheesy, it was the perfect day. I was prepared for things to go crazy or off that day which most people forewarn you about to not worry about but everything went so smoothly! I have only a few pics from the wedding so ill wait until I get all of my wedding pics which should be coming any day now. We also had a wedding reception in Colorado Springs in Kirk's hometown which turned out beautiful as well! We got to go to the BYU vs Air Force game and see all the sites. Carrie did a great job with the reception and it was just a fun weekend! here are a few pics... the first one is in Colorado and all the rest are from Nov. 1!

The Engagements

2008-10-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well Im not really good with the whole blogging thing so its been a while since I have blogged about anything, and I have been super busy with the whole wedding planning. I am happy to say that I have most of the wedding organized and good to go but there are always little things here and there. I am currently on the hunt for blush colored wedding shoes which are almost impossible to find! Anyway, here are some of our engagement pics! Enjoy!

Soon to be Spencers

2008-08-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I thought it was about time to make a blog for Kirk and I! We are going to be getting married on November 1 in the San Diego Temple and cannot wait. Kirk is finishing up summer sales in San Jose and I am getting ready to start my new job up at BYU. I got a job as the new Women's Assistant Tennis Coach for BYU which is pretty exciting. I am a little nervous considering the fact that I have to teach 2 classes at BYU as well! I am teaching beginning tennis and flexibility, kinda crazy. Anyway ill try to do my best to keep this updated (I am a little illiterate when it comes to blogging) Oh, and send me your blog info so I can add you as friends!