The Cluff Family

College was a frustration for me because it was never like I could really pin point one thing that I enjoyed or one thing that I was good at. I guess I was scatterbrained in the dreams department that I never chose one career. I understand that my ultimate career will be to raise a family and be a mother and wife, hence my major choice (home and family living). I do still think it is possible to incorporate all of them into my life.

One-I love designing. Whether it be rooms, cards, scrapbooking, etc. I LOVE IT. Ever since my mother asked me my opinion on what color to paint my room when I was six years old (PINK)... I have always loved to design.

Two- I also love baking. There is something that I do want to learn in the future and that is cake decorating. I am obsessed with finding new recipes and trying new desserts. Cooking... FORGET IT! but baking... well I could spend hours.

Three- I also have had a passion for photography. I took a photography class in high school and I'm not even lying when I say it was probably my favorite class. If I could go back in time I would have majored in Photography at BYU. At the time of choosing my college path, I was a scared freshman who never thought I had a chance of making it into the very competitive program :(. I know that you don't need a major to do photography or even just do it as a hobby so that is another goal of mine.... save up enough money to buy a camera and take the next step.

Four- I love flowers and floral design. During one of my summers off during College, I worked at a Party store that was co-owned with a flower shop. I envied all of the florist and desperately wanted their job just so that I could learn.

I guess to conclude all of my aspirations it comes down to one word: CREATIVITY. I desperately need to express my creativity and have fun in the process. This leads me to my dream job: Party planning. While blog stalking today, I found the cutest website that I fell in love with. This is what I want to do. It incorporates everything! Design, cake, photography, flowers, fun, organization! It is called onecharmingparty.com. Check it out!

Tanner and I have decided that we want to start being more frugal and not eat out as much and start making things from scratch etc. I decided to pull out my bread making machine and give it try. There are two things that I absolutely dread cooking or baking and that is meat or bread products. My reasons are 1. the yeast scares me and I swear I ALWAYS mess it up when I try to rise the dough and 2. raw meat is just gross and cross contamination scares me as well. I decided to face my fears if you will and bake a simple white bread (using a bread machine he he). It surprisingly turned out and tasted delicious! I was so excited and proud of myself even though it technically didn't take no skill on my part but still... something so simple to be proud about. I am now excited to explore the world of bread and see what else I can come up with!

I desperately needed a vacation and an escape from the cold Utah weather so I convinced my husband to drive down to Arizona for the weekend. It was the best spontaneous decision ever and we completely surprised his entire family when we showed up Friday night. On Saturday we soaked up the 99 degree weather by going to Sun Splash (a water park). I didn't get too much sun because I lathered on the sunscreen but the day was so much fun! That night we ate at Tia Rosa's for some mexican with his family and later splurged and got bahama bucks (a snow cone place). They have the best snow cones and I wish they had them in Utah because I think they would be a big hit. Sunday was a day of family, BBQ, games, and relaxation. Monday came too fast when we had to drive home again :(. It is alright because next week I head to New York with my sister to visit my soon to be born nephew. I CAN'T WAIT!!

The weekend started early this week. It started on Thursday because Tanner decided to stay up during the day and sleep up until work instead of the other way around. We spent the day enjoying the beautiful warm weather by hiking bridal veil falls. We had a picnic and played a new game that Tanner got me for Mothers day called Pandemic. It is a great game for couples and especially if you are the competitive type, because you work together against the game instead of each other. After getting enough vitamin D we headed home and Tanner went to bed while I went to the temple. I love going to the temple. I always learn something new and I just love the atmosphere of being in the Lord's house. I ended the night with American Idol :).

Friday morning I met up with my friend, Lauren, who I met my senior year in high school. She is leaving for Boston for grad school pretty soon and I am really going to miss her. From the short 6 months that I lived in Connecticut, she is definitely the closest friend I have and still keep in touch with. We had brunch at Ruth's Diner up in Emigration Canyon and it was delicious! Apparently this diner is famous and has been on TV. After catching up with her I went to visit my Grandma since I was up in Salt Lake already. It is always nice visiting with her and I always feel like I walk away with more wisdom... weird? I personally think that Grandmothers are the best advice givers. That night I came home to my sweet husband and we watched Harry Potter (his choice). We are both excited for the last movie to come out and knowing my husband, we will be there at midnight.

Saturday I went to a baby shower for my friend Kristin. It was fun seeing her cute belly and talking with her about her pregnancy. She is having a boy and they are naming him Kael. She definitely is one of those pregnant ladies who is skinny everywhere except for a tiny little bump... lucky. I had fun visiting with my other high school lady friends as well. It is weird how grown up everyone is with their careers and husbands. It seems like just yesterday that we were all in high school together. Tanner and I treated ourselves to some red mango and relaxed the rest of the evening. I am planning on being outside most of the day tomorrow since it is supposed to be beautiful.

I'm in the process of finding a job and it is SUPER ANNOYING. I have come so close with many second interviews... but no.... the other person gets it. I think that job searching is a big self-esteem boost... well when you get one. Without one, I feel that it is hard to wake up in the morning and feel motivated to do the monotonous daily house chores. I would rather just lay in bed all day and let the hours pass. I am sorry for the depressing post but honestly it is how I feel right now. Yesterday my mom forced me to be excited about making freezer meals. I am so grateful for a mother who is so in tune and knows exactly what I need. I not only was serving my husband by preparing dinners in advance but keeping myself busy. I also made some strawberry jam that tasted delicious! There are so many things to be grateful for and when I finally realize that... it is amazing what a mood booster it is. I am grateful for my family and friends who lift me up every day. I am grateful for toast and homemade strawberry jam :). I am grateful for dancing. I am grateful for my best friend (aka my husband) who will forever be my constant. I am especially grateful for my Heavenly Father. He is the source of comfort and love. I know that he has a plan for all of us, and when we remember the big picture... nothing else matters. I will do all that I can and he will do the rest.

Sometimes Sunday's are the best days to rejuvenate from a hard week and just kick back. That is exactly what today was. Here is just a lazy list of what we have done ALL day:
-Watch TV/movies
-naps
-Sunday walk
-reading in the park on a blanket
-letting the crock pot cook a delicious roast dinner for us :)
-blogging

I know it probably seems like I always take pictures of my sleeping husband and post them on here but I had to show what he did. We acquired an extra mattress from my sister and today he pulled it out from the room and put in our living room...:) He read while I watched a movie. He eventually fell asleep hence my boredom and now my blogging! I must admit it has been hard having opposite sleep schedules but we are making it work. I hope everyone had a much needed Sunday. Happy Month of May! :)