Summer in Reno- general updates

1.  Mom- My mom visited last month and we had a BLAST!  I hadn't gotten around to posting until this week so here are some pictures from her trip.  I miss her like crazy and cherish the time(s) we get to spend together.

Wine Walk!

Virginia City Camel Racers!

Ready for the Royal Wedding!

hiking at Bartley Ranch

Speaking of my mom, we spent our first Mother's Day apart this year.  :(  It was so hard to be without her, but I'm glad that she was able to spend some time with my Nani (her mom) and I've already promised some quality time when I'm in Salt Lake at the end of her month since I will also be missing her BIRTHDAY this weekend.  I love you, mom, and not a day goes by that I don't think about you!  :)

2.  My job sitch- I have two jobs and will FINALLY have a day off tomorrow... for the first time in 21 days!  We have plans to sleep in, go for a run, eat brunch, and go to a graduation party tomorrow afternoon and attend an Aces baseball game on Sunday!!  Keeping my fingers crossed that the weather holds up for my weekend without work...



3.  LA- we were there for Easter.  To hear more read my previous post regarding this subject.

4.  Fancy Shmancy- Fidelity sponsored a table at the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation Gala and we got to have an awesome night on the town at this event!  There were performers, auctions, delicious food options, and lots of black dresses.  Not to mention that a LOT of money was poured into research for kids with diabetes and it was a smash success of a night.

5.  Pool- It's 80+ degrees here this week and I laid out this afternoon after job 1.  It was glorious and I look forward to many more afternoons poolside.  That is the one nice thing about getting off at 1:00 and not starting again until 5:00.

6.  Summer Hair- My hair is now strawberry blonder.  Please see previous post for more deets.

7.  Summer Plans- Right now we're experiencing the 'calm before the storm', but I'm ready for the storm.  I leave for SLC on May 31st/come home on June 6th for Dani's wedding, leave for OKC on June 10th/come home June 13th for Sara's birthday, host Aron's parents on June 21st for 4 days, host Andy/Candace during the weekend of July 4th, and head up to Tahoe with our small group(ies) from SLC on July 7th for 5 days!  My mom comes out at the end of July for a long weekend, and we'll wait to make more plans for the rest of the year once we know how much longer we'll be in Reno. 

I couldn't be more ready to spend such a large amount of our summer with those we are closest to, as I've REALLY struggled emotionally with being in Reno lately.  Thank God for his Wod, Aron's stability and willingness to talk with me, and my fantastic female friends who haven't quit being my biggest cheerleaders and support team since moving.  I look forward to the day where we reflect on our time in Reno and understand why a lot of the things we're experiencing have turned out the way they have.

...Off to glam up with 6+ accessories and head to job 2.  Have a wonderful weekend!

FASHION FRIDAY: Mara's Hair Update

When Aron and I first met in '07 I was a blonde.  I went back to my natural color (brown) shortly thereafter and have only played with deep red since.  It was time for a change.  I finally have two laid-back/eclectic jobs that embrace having fun with hair and style and I wanted to try something new...

I'm obsessed with the fire engine red lowlights in the bottom of my hair.

My new style was inspired by this picture of Julia Roberts:

We'll see what happens next!

I'm Dreaming of a White Easter

I have a LOT to catch up on as I haven't blogged in a few weeks, but I'm going to get back in the swing of things by discussing our trip to CA over Easter weekend!!

We flew out to LA on Thursday evening and were so looking forward to spending the entire weekend with our close friends, Paul & Andrea (and Garrett) White.  We met them through friends a couple of years ago (in SLC) and have only grown closer since they got married and we joined the same small group.  In Salt Lake, we had some great get-togethers and Andrea  played a HUGE role in the creative set-up for our wedding in January.  Andrea and Paul moved to Los Angeles the day after our wedding for Paul's job so we've all used each other quite a bit for support as we've been in the same shoes for months now. 

I was desperately looking forward to venting about the stresses of living in Reno to people who have felt those same stresses and Andrea has been a mirror to talk to regarding emotions, struggles with finding community/your place, and balancing priorities as a wife (and for her a mother).  Needless to say, this weekend was the biggest gust of fresh air I had felt in a while.  Aron was able to do 'guy' stuff while I was doing 'girl' stuff, all while being with people who really know and love us.  We laughed and played games until 2 AM each night (err.. morning), made reservations for uber-fancy Mexican food, partook in an Easter feast at Paul's parents' home, went to an Easter pep rally, baked delicious goodies, observed a Vintage Dog Costume Contest, went to a street fair, saw a seal at Seal Beach, and loved on baby Garrett. 

Here are some of the highlights:

 walking around the golf course while Aron/Paul hit some balls...

 beach lovin'

 Easter birds nests that we placed on cupcakes!

 put on your bunny faces!

look at that face.  here's garrett in his Easter outfit from Uncle Aron & Aunt Mara.

There are some people that you meet during the course of your life who you know will be constant.  The Whites would fall into this category for us.  Their friendship has been fantastic and we're looking forward to their visit in July and many other trips in months/years to come!

updates!

1.  Visitors- We had an amazing weekend w/Britt and Dave last month!  They came to support and love on us for a weekend and it meant more than they'll ever understand.  Here are some photos from that weekend.

Wine Walk!!  3rd Saturday of every month...and you can keep the glass! 

downtown on the river

@ Lake Tahoe

Brook and Jason also came to Nevada for a long weekend!  I was, unfortunately, not able to spend too much time w/them since I left for SLC the day after they drove down.  It was nice for Aron to have some friends in town while I was away, though!

Their kids, Ashlyn & Ethan, are so sweet... and apparently strong enough to take me down.



My mom will be out here next weekend and we will be enjoying 60+ degree weather by strolling along Wine Walk yet again.  So much has changed in our apartment since she helped us move in... including this amazing wall art she sent!

2.  Kitchen Accomplishments- So I've been doing a lot of cooking/baking/experimenting since moving here.  It's been so nice to have the KitchenAid mixer and fun gadgets from our wedding!  I had never made lasagna (from scratch) or cheesecake before... so, I did!  Here's the proof:

 Snickers cheesecake: crust, center and glaze ALL made from scratch.  boo-yah!  I was so proud of myself.

 shaved Snickers on top

 love my oven ovals by Rachel Ray... functional AND beautiful

I did lasagna roll-ups instead of the standard lasagna and they were soo delicious!

3.  PC Sniffles- My computer is back in my possession after a long 'bout w/a nasty virus.  I won't tell you the story about how I *think* it caught this virus, but alas, I have it back and I can now share photos once again!!  No more 2 week absences from Blogger!

4.  Dani's Bridal Weekend- I went to SLC last weekend to throw Dani a bridal shower, see her in the last dress fitting w/hair and make-up, and celebrate her with some uber-raunchy bachelorette festivities.  I will post the photos that are appropriate for her fiance and my viewers to see (i.e. no pictures in the wedding dress or penis crown).  I was also able to spend some time with some other people that mean the world to me in SLC.

 'Around the Clock' shower theme

 candy watches as favors!

 off to keys on main for the bachelorette party!  (dani, me, kasia- bridesmaid)

@ The Park Cafe w/lovely ladies and CONNER!

5.  New Roles- Aron and I have been very active in separate (men/women) community groups through our church.  Each of us has been asked to consider taking leadership positions within our groups and we're seriously considering those opportunities.  I also interviewed for a 2nd part time job doing marketing and I'm reeealllly praying that works out.  As much as I love working at Charming Charlie, 15 hours isn't enough to keep me busy and I would love to have additional creative outlets. 

Aron and I are feeling challenged, convicted and driven in our new church and look forward to many possibilities for our future (either here in Reno... or elsewhere).  I'm doing a much better job of being present while we're here and not focusing solely on my next trip back to SLC, or when/where we can move next and how to keep one foot in and one foot out at all times.  God's made it so clear that we were called to Reno for many reasons and maybe I will reveal those things in a later post, but that's all for now.

Much love from Reno!

quick update

Life has been a bit crazy over the last couple of weeks, here's a numbered update since I'm short on time and brain cells in this moment.

1.  I have a part time job.  I'm working at Charming Charlie (a women's fashion accessory boutique) and the 7-day opening store stretch ended today...grand opening tomorrow!  I will be working tomorrow and Wednesday and will have worked 8 days straight as of Thursday morning.  It's been really exhausting to set up a 10,000 square foot store, but SOOO MUCH FUN!  I've dressed mannequins, neck forms, picked out jewelry/hand bags for displays and learned how to merchandise.  LOVE IT.  I've also made friends there... which leads me to #2.

2.  I have friends.  We've gone to lunch during our breaks at work, went to happy hour/shopping today and have a plan for trail running tomorrow before the shift.  I could literally cry as I type this.  For those of you who have talked to me over the last 2 months, you know how desperate I've been for relationships with solid women... and it's FINALLY happening!  Thank. GOD!

3.  Visitors and Travel.  Britt and Dave will be here on Friday for the weekend and I couldn't be more excited to entertain our first visitors!!!  We have plans for the wine walk, golfing (boys), great food, Tahoe, and much more.  It will just be amazing to spend time with people we know and love so dearly.  I will be in SLC over the weekend of the 2nd for Dani's shower, mom will be here during the weekend of the 16th, and then we fly to LAX to be with the Whites over Easter weekend.  We're so stoked to get away and hang out with close friends this spring!

4.  Church.  We found a church that suits us quite well and continues to challenge us on a weekly basis.  http://livingstonesreno.com/.  We're both testing 'community groups' and plan on getting pretty involved.

5.  SLC.  I still really miss it and (not so) secretly hate hearing about parties, gatherings, events, small group, and friendships just because I can't be there to be a part.  However, I'm slowly starting to gain confidence in God's plan for us here in Reno and look forward to creating memories in this chapter of our life together.

Fashion Friday: Feather Extensions

There is a trend that I have only ever seen in Reno at this point in time.  The leasing agent at our apartment community has a few feather pieces in her hair and after close examination/ruling out bird $h*t, I realized that this was a new trend that would probably be popping up everywhere in the near future.  Sure enough, I go to a job interview a couple of days ago...and THERE THEY ARE, but in LIME GREEN this time? 

The girl sitting next to me at the interview is a hair stylist and said that they are a cheap and easy way to accessorize your hair and the best part is that they can be washed, curled and are simply clipped in to your hair at the roots.  They will do the same things that your natural hair do, just with a bit more color and the ability to pull them out/switch colors when you wish.  The verdict is out as to whether or not I will be adding these to my luscious locks, but they are quite fun to spot and look at. 

Should I try them out???

The Reno Routine

Life has been SO different since moving to NV.  I was used to waking up every morning between 6:00 and 8:00 (depending on if it was a gym day), heading to work and working until 5:00ish, spending time with Aron/family/friends, watching some reality TV, then hitting the hay. and repeat.  As much as I love having a break and being blessed enough to not feel stressed about finding a job... I'm getting a bit restless. 

Here is a typical day right now:

5:30 AM- Aron's alarm goes off (I immediately roll over and go back to sleep)
6:45 AM- Aron heads to work
7:00 AM- I wake up, make bed, have some one-on-one time w/God
7:45 AM- eat breakfast, turn on the Today Show, search online for jobs
8:00-8:30 AM- apply for jobs that match my background ( I should note here that we are living in NV, therefore, we are faced with living in the state that currently has the highest unemployment rate.  Needless to say, finding jobs that would suit me have been rather difficult.)  This is also the time that I occasionally Skype with Britt or mom. 
8:45 AM- put on workout clothes and head to the gym.  I then talk to my only friend, Tammie, our complex housekeeper in between breaths on the treadmill.  :)
10:00-11:00 AM- head back home, shower, get dressed and ready for the day
11:15 AM- plan/create fun things for Dani's shower!!! EEEE... soo excited for this event (being super vague in case she reads this)
12:00 PM- make a turkey sandwich, watch some shows from the DVR (HOW DID I LIVE W/O THIS FOR SO LONG!?), continue scanning ads on Craigslist and other Nevada-specific job sites and email to those that apply.  May I also mention how frustrating it is that MOST ads don't offer a company name, physical address or phone number??  I hate having to follow-up via assigned Craigslist email at the top.  bleh. 
2:00 PM- cabin fever sets in and I usually head to Wal Mart or other stores for which I have gift cards. I've been making some pretty fantastic dinners with our new kitchen gadgets and my new-found free time, therefore, I like to buy groceries every couple of days for fresh ingredients and to experience the goodnesses of "People of Wal Mart" for myself.  Never disappoints.

3:00 PM- phone calls from friends in the east begin since they're getting off work at this time.  I usually talk on the phone with friends or family for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  Thank goodness most of them are "in" the network with me.  ha.

5:00 PM- I begin cooking/experimenting with food for dinner.  Currently, I would be lost without the following:  salad spinner, rice cooker, crockpot, Henckels knives, and our Rachel Ray bubble and brown bakeware!

6:00 PM- Aron gets home from work and we eat the (most of the time) delicious meal! 

Tuesdays and Thursdays are our gym nights together and we're going to start heading to small groups on Monday nights.  We were invited to a women-only and men-only group by a married couple at the church we've been going to (Living Stones) and next week will be the first time we are able to check those out. Aron and I are pretty anxious to get involved and have the chance to spend time with people outside of Sunday church services.  Slowly, but surely, we're getting plugged in...but it's been an adventure to say the least.  I'm so not used to this little social interaction throughout the day and I've been really frustrated with how many doors have shut regarding volunteer and job opportunities.  I know that God has a plan, but I'm being challenged daily to keep that in mind.  The doors to school in the summer have now shut and it's looking the same for fall.  I will spare everyone the nitty gritty details on that revelation.  I pray that He reveals the plan soon because I'm not quite sure how much longer I can go with this "routine".  Aron has been the MOST amazing, supportive, loving husband through my rollercoaster of emotions over the last month and I am so proud of his success here.  He's such a rockstar at work and is doing a wonderful job of checking his work stress at the door when he gets home and concentrating on having a productive and fun evening here at home. 

Well, there you have it.  Some people have asked what I've been up to and I decided to share that with everyone.  I have had some good leads today for jobs and am trying to enjoy the time at home while I have it in the meantime.