traditions traditions...

every year, the night before thanksgiving, the ladies in my family bake pies. it's been a tradition for years now and i look forward to it every year. it's also a bonus having little brylee around now. she is just so dang cute i forget what i'm doing. who cares if the pie burns? i've got a little girl to smother with auntie kisses! 

this year we didn't make as many pies as usual. for some reason, in past years everyone wanted to make one for someone, but thankfully this year that was not the case. baking 8 pies... it takes too long! i decided to do my traditional fresh pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust and my mom helped me make a brownie pecan pie. thank you to a beautiful mess for the idea. it was absolutely delicious!

since my sister and her husband are moving in december, i've got to soak up all the time i can with them. i really don't know where we will all be next year. we're not sure how often they'll be able to come to california. tyler has also applied for jobs out of state so we could be gone next year too. i have to stop myself from worrying so much about the hole that will be left here when they go. i'm just trying to enjoy the time i have left before a very long and tortuous dry spell of brylee and kimmy time. 

this year i am so thankful for my dear family and the time i am able to share with them. thanksgiving photos to come!

my life in instagram

i hope you all have a very happy and safe thanksgiving. i have much to be grateful for. i seem to get so worried about the troubles that come my way that i lose track of what really matters. there is goodness all around me. at the end of the day, if i have nothing in terms of things, i always have tyler in my heart and by my side. he really is my rock. 

i'm working on my attitude and trying to make the choice each day to be happy. it is my choice to do something good and productive or sit in front of the television wasting time. there are so many things that i can actually control that will help me to be happier. i need to start there. 

you might not be hearing from me for a few days. we will be spending quality time together with loved ones. and come friday my transformation into a christmas elf will be complete. the apartment will be plastered with christmas decor and i will be resisting the urge to buy my christmas tree before december arrives. 

oh, tyler couldn't be more excited. ;)

a crockpot dinner with dear friends

i love cooking a good pot roast in the crock pot when the weather turns cold. it just makes the apartment feel so cozy and it makes my culinary skills look above average. last week we had some cute dinner guests to help us eat all our yummy food. the grochmals are now joined by the recently born braden... he definitely brings some extra cuteness to our hang outs. we are going to miss the grochmals when they move in january so it's nice to have these next couple months to soak up as much of them as we can!

they are such great friends to us and we probably wont know what to do without them. who will go with us to portillo's? who will walk with us to rite aid for a scoop of ice cream or make late night 711 runs whilst tyler's bike tire decides to give way? who will go with us to the farmers market in downtown fullerton or to oahu shave ice at 9:30 at night? who will stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking sports with tyler? who will be there to listen to my worries about life & starting a family? ahhh... rachel, nathan and braden. you will be sorely missed.

rachel, i know the deliciousness of my food caused you to shed a few tears, but don't cry while you read this post (because i almost did). we love you and we will most definitely come visit you down in san diego!

see! i told you he was cute!!!

mormon helping hands

i saw this over here and decided to share it. it made me cry. it made me happy. it made me realize that i have so much to be thankful for. i am so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

a new name...

if you're wondering, my hat is from target. yet another thing found that couldn't be left on the shelf. 

for quite some time i have been thinking about changing the title of this blog space of mine. something catchy. something memorable. mostly, something that reflects my heart and my life. at the ripe age of 25 i find myself to be more tender than i used to be. more in touch with matters on my heart. more emotional. more sensitive. more in tune with my body, my mind, my heart and my soul. as i pondered about changing the name of this blog i went back and forth for a long time. just thinking on it from time to time and playing around with words on a page or words in my mind.

of course this is the place where i write about experiences of my life with tyler. he is my life. my happiness. my sweetheart. and although it will no longer be titled "amy and tyler rex", this will still serve as a documentation of our life. let's face it, tyler has been deeply imprinted on my heart and my world revolves around him. but this is mostly a space that contains my voice. the thoughts on my mind and the thoughts on my heart. so i hope you like it too because i love it. so here is a little bit of a new start. it is here that i will write about the things that are on my heart.

after all, life is not about what possessions i have, what i wear, what the balance of my bank account is or what kind of car i drive. what truly matters is what is written on my heart.

the holt family

head on over to my photography blog and check out this lovely family. it was a pleasure working with them. and we even spotted orange county housewife, heather dubrow, taking her family photos on the same beach! such a fun night.

 

 

my life in instagram; tips on how to survive when your husband is away

here are a few photos from my iphone of life lately. today mr. rex gets home from his trip to colorado. sleeping in our california king bed for five nights all alone was weird. can't wait to have his warm cuddly body lying next to me tonight instead of a stack of pillows. yes, i laid pillows all long his side of the bed so as to trick myself into thinking i wasn't so alone. 

all in all having him gone for so long wasn't nearly as terrible as we both suspected. 

here are some tips for how to survive when your husband is gone...

1. keep yourself busy! make lists and plans and stick to them. 

2. try to get out of the house. i tried to make plans that required me to leave the apartment, the place where we normally hang out. this helped a ton. 

3. lay pillows all along his side of the bed. this way you don't feel like you're all alone in that big bed. you can also sleep right there in the middle. i enjoy doing that sometimes, even when tyler is in the bed. 

4. when you are at home, put on your favorite pandora station or tv show. that always helps the house feel a little less empty. 

5. make sure to lock your doors! don't forget to be safe when you are alone in the house. 

hope this tips help you. they definitely helped me stay sane for the last 5 days. it wasn't easy, but staying busy, having work during the day and a phone call from tyler every once in a while really helped. 

what will i be doing tonight??? smothering that cute man of mine. caaaaan't waaaaiiiit!!!