Aveda Experience Center

Last week (before I cut my hair, obviously), I was given the most amazing opportunity—I got to experience the brand new Aveda Experience Center in the Boise Town Square Mall. Aveda is the leader in the world's best body & botanical beauty products, and I was thrilled to be invited to this event. I attended along with another Boise blogger, Tanya of StyleSpyGirl.

We were greeted at the door with the biggest and friendliest smiles from Boise Aveda employees, as well as a few Aveda representatives from across the United States. They treated us to a delicious breakfast and showed us a brief video of what Aveda's all about—connecting beauty & the earth and bringing them together for the well-being of us all. They use all-natural ingredients in their products, package all their products in post consumer recycled materials, and manufacture each of their products by using 100% wind power. Also, each individual store picks one local charity to support a year, and they strive to make the community a better place to live in. This is a company that really gives back—and for me, coming from a non-profit background—this is so important.

After the video, we received a whole pampering regimen. I had my hair styled with their Pure Abundance products, got a mini-makeover with their mineral makeup, and even was treated to a hand massage with their amazing (and soothing) Stress Fix Lotion. It was the most peaceful and relaxing few hours I had all week!

There are a few photos of our experience below, with captions under some photos.

With Boise blogger Tanya of StyleSpyGirl.

The most amazing & stress-relieving lotion, Stress Fix. I've been applying this to my hands at night before bed and it's so calming.

Getting my hair styled by Derek of Boise's Graeber and Company. My newest obsession is their Volumizing Tonic. It gives so much life to my hair!

My two great hairstylists from Graeber and Company.

Getting my makeup done by Aveda expert Katie.

The natural color palette I picked out—Uruku Bronzer, Face Accents blush and Nourish-Mint Lip Glaze.

After my hair styling, makeover & hand massage. I felt beautiful!

A huge thanks to all the Aveda & Graeber & Co staff who make this experience memorable, fun, and who taught me all about your amazing brand. I can't believe I was so in the dark about it! You all totally spoiled me with some new & exciting products, and I can't wait to come back in for a cup of your Comforting Tea and to talk to Rich about my skincare regimen! Thank you again, it's so refreshing to fall in love with a brand that aspires to bring so much beauty to the world, while keeping it natural & giving back at the same time.

Boise State Football Over The Years

Today marks a very, very important day. It's the start of the college football season! While this may not be a huge deal for me, I know that Daniel has been waiting and waiting for this day. He loves college football, and he especially loves watching Boise State play. And a man that loves the Broncos is a man after my own heart, after all.

So I thought I'd kick off the season with a cool video—made by Bronco Nation—of some favorite moments over the last few years of Bronco Football. And hey, if you pause it right at 1:18, you'll see my sister and me in our rival Boise State and University of Idaho cheer uniforms!

I'm the third from the right—about to do a backhandspring.

BOISEEE.... STAAATE!

A Birthday For the Memory Books

Yesterday was quite possibly the best birthday ever. My office ladies were so sweet to greet me with the nicest compliments for my new hair cut, and my phone rang and buzzed off the hook with calls and texts from friends and family filled with "Happy Birthday" wishes. Daniel picked me up for lunch and we dined at PF Changs—one of our favorite spots—on their spicy ahi tuna roll and Chang's Spicy Chicken. Yum! After lunch, I headed back to the office and was greeted with a bouquet of flowers from my sister and brother-in-law and a giant "strawberry champagne" cupcake from the ladies in my office. It was such a treat!

When I got home, I was able to relax for a moment while Daniel and I discussed our plan of action (or so I thought). We were just about to leave for dinner—I even had my purse over my shoulder and keys in hand—when a whole group of our friends walked through the front door! It was a surprise party! To be fair, I did the same thing for Daniel for his birthday back in May, so I should have known he would have something up his sleeve!

My Skirt c/o LuLaRoe

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who came over (also to those not in the photos!) and for all of you who left sweet comments & messages yesterday. You guys made my birthday just that much more amazing. From the flowers, to lunch, to the party, to the treats, to the friends & laughter, and the best surprise we could have possibly gotten (a couple days early!), it was just the BEST DAY EVER. Happy Birthday to me... I knew 27 was going to be great!

twenty-seven.

Today is my twenty-seventh birthday. It's my Golden Birthday... 27 on the 27th. I'm not sure why, but for my whole life, I've always told myself that 27 would be my favorite year... and now that 27 is finally here, I can't wait to see what it brings.

Also, I kicked my birthday off with a "why not" of all why-nots:

I've always been a fan of change, and for this new year of mine, I'm embracing it fully. I ended up having 12 inches cut, and I'm donating my hair to Children With Hair Loss—they accept all kinds of hair and since the tips of my hair were bleached a few years ago, I picked their charity because some of the others have requirements against bleached & highlighted hair. I went to Kendall of Roots Salon in Boise (208-514-5895) and can't recommend her enough. This new cut is spunky, sporty, and of course—extra saucy. Why not, right?

Last year as I blew out my candles, I made sure that I didn't wish for "babies or anything crazy like that." This year, let's just say I can't promise the same, though I'm in no rush to make any changes that big (or small) quite yet. Oh, 27, I can't wait to see what joy you'll bring.

JUMP!

I couldn't resist making a couple fun GIF's from our camping adventure last weekend. We had such a fun time jumping in the Payette River off of the Arrowhead RV Campsite. Enjoy these fun photos!

Happy Friday!

Up in the Foothills

Shirt: Forever 21 from 2005 (alternative), Jeans: Express, Jelly Sandals: Journeys (also in leopard), Sunglasses: c/o Glasses Direct

This desert location is the backyard of our friends Sean & Sydney, who live in a gigantic house overlooking the rolling foothills of Boise. They're constantly greeted with grazing deer, foxes, coyotes and other desert dwellers. It's a treat every time we get to go visit them and enjoy their hospitality and friendship. Plus, Sydney is a great cook, so we always dine on the tastiest meals!

Also, the sunglasses I'm wearing today are Scout glasses from Glasses Direct. They offer affordable name-brand prescription glasses and sunglasses. It was hard to pick between these sunglasses and their other women's glasses. But despite the 6 or so pairs of prescription glasses I have, I figured I could use a new pair of sunglasses, since I tend to go through them fairly quickly. Am I the only one who completely destroys my sunglasses? Maybe it's the fact that I usually buy cheap-o sunglasses, but man, I just can't seem to treat them right. I'm making a better effort to take care of these ones!

What's the one thing you seem to go through faster than others? Sunglasses? Purses? Shoes? I'd love to know!

Starlight Mountain Theatre

I have always loved the theatre. Always, always. Growing up, I took acting classes, was involved in our school's theatre program, and was even managed by a local talent agency and drove down to Salt Lake City at least once a month for auditions for Disney movies. Once, I auditioned for—and didn't get—the role as Natalie the Pink Troll in Halloweentown High. The final audition was between me and Olesya Rulin from High School Musical... needless to say, she got it!

Anyway, the purpose of sharing my love for the theatre is to introduce an amazing Idaho attraction, Starlight Mountain Theatre. Starlight's outdoor amphitheatre is found in Crouch, Idaho, a little less than halfway between Boise and McCall off Highway 55. The theatre backs up to a creek and rolling hills, and it's not uncommon to see deer grazing in the field as the sun sets.

Daniel's family brought me up to Starlight in 2011 for High School Musical (my favorite!), and last year I got to see Fiddler on the Roof and Cinderella. This year we have season tickets and we've gone up for 7 Brides for 7 Brothers and Oklahoma, and this last Friday before we went camping, we saw South Pacific. We'll be going up for one last show, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, sometime in the next couple weeks. 

They always perform Broadway musicals, and the acting and voice quality is exceptional. My favorite part is that the actors are kids! Their actors range in age from about 12 years old up to their mid-20's, with the occasional older actor who comes in to play a parental role, though the actors normally apply makeup and gray hairspray and just play the parts themselves. The actors all live up in Crouch for the summer and have performances almost every day of the week, running multiple plays at the same time. It is a lot of work! My favorite shows to attend are the final performances of each play, where they play little pranks on each other throughout the performance. These guys are the kings & queens of on-the-spot improv.

If you're in Idaho and you've never been to Starlight before, I can't recommend it enough. Make sure to bring bug spray and a blanket for after the sun goes down—it can get chilly up there! Here's a calendar of their remaining shows—come join me up in the mountains & under the stars!

Loving the mountains & theatre with my mother-in-law, Michelle.

An awesome tepee at Starlight's campground.

Enjoying the mountains with my brother-in-law, Adam.

/ / Starlight Mountain Theatre did not compensate me in any way to write this post, nor are they aware that I have written it. I just love their theatre and think everyone in Idaho should attend one of their fabulous & family-friendly performances.

Camping

This weekend, we went camping! It was my first time, and it was a SUCCESS! We camped with another family from church and it was great to get to know them better. We "princess camped" in a trailer, and sleeping in the great outdoors on a bed is a real treat, I tell you what.

We went up to Starlight Mountain Theatre and watched their live performance of South Pacific on our first evening. We camped right there at Starlight afterward, enjoying Crouch, Idaho. The next morning, we woke up and made "baggy omelets" and headed out to Cascade to our next site.

We set up camp at Arrowhead RV Park which was an amazing campground right on the Payette River. They had bathrooms and showers, a giant fire pit, a totem pole carving station, and lots of activities for people who vacation there for the summer. We parked our trailer right on the Payette, and couldn't have had a better view. Daniel and I had just planned on staying the first night, but after seeing our spot for the second day, there was no way we were going to go home and miss it.

Saturday afternoon, we fished, swam in the Payette River, played with the most adorable pug puppy owned by the campers next to us, ate huge bowls of homemade chili, and relaxed the evening away. Daniel and I were up bright and early on Sunday morning to head back to Boise, and were greeted by quite a few deer on our drive home. It was a wonderful camping trip and I can't wait to go again soon.

See photos from our trip below, with captions underneath some photos.

Daniel's dad looked like a true mountain-man camper on Saturday morning.

Baggy omelet breakfast.

We stopped by a flea market in Cascade, Idaho.

A good look for the brothers. These flea market finds were sure hard to pass up!

Fishing the Payette right behind our trailer at Arrowhead.

Jumping into the Payette!

Awesome totem pole carved at Arrowhead.

The most adorable 8-week old pug puppy.

We may not have been in the rough-and-tough wilderness of Idaho, but my first camping trip was one for the memory books. A big thanks to the Rowe's and Coleman's for the awesome time!