Mountains! Snow! Christmas Break!

...is heaven! Today I went to the gym, ran errands, and cleaned my house IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. It's seriously amazing what I can get done in the middle of the day when I don't have a full time job! Haha. Our christmas break ends on Tuesday (and we got out on the 22nd, don't even get me started). I am already dreading having to go back to teaching. I love my kiddos and my job, but this whole not-working thing is seriously amazing. And I can already feel that the break was not long enough!

Our Christmas was pretty low-key, but it was a great day spent with my in-laws. I tried really hard to focus on the "reason for the season" this year, so gifts were not over-the-top, but I was impressed with what I got T-Money with our budget. I am so grateful that I was able to sing in church on Christmas Sunday and to participate in so many fun, festive Christmas activities over the month of December so that I could focus on our Savior and his birth. I promised myself that is something that I would do and I stuck to it. The whole Christmas season seemed so much better! This whole week I have been catching up with my life: working out twice a day, cleaning, and running errands. It hasn't been super exciting, but it has been productive and slow-paced, which is so nice for a change. T has had to work all week so it's pretty much been me and Saylor, my sidekick, doing things. And I've loved it!!!

I have been up in the canyons hiking in the snow a few times this week to change my workouts around (so that I'm not always just as the gym! ha). Plus, watching Saylor run in the snow might be the cutest thing in the world. If you don't have a dog, you don't understand. I caught some absolutely gorgeous photos while on some of my hikes. It is freeeeezing up in the canyons, but I stayed bundled up and tried to enjoy the outdoors. I will show you those amazing sites and photos below. As always, please do not take without permission. 

Over the break, I:
-read three books. Man alive, am I nerd, or what?
-deep cleaned my house (like doors, baseboards, everything).
-Did about 7 loads of laundry. Yikes.
-hiked in the canyons multiple times. So gorgeous!
-went to the gym. A lot.
-slept. A lot.
-saw movies (my fav) and watched Netflix (also my fav).
-ran a gazillion errands.
-drank a lot of sodalicious (guilty).
-saw grandparents and cousins and family members all over Utah.
-Took down Christmas decor (and cried while doing it. Always makes me sad).
-Went to a New Years Eve Casino night.
-Caught up with friends.
-cuddled with Saylor. A lot.

If you follow me on Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, you may have already known these things, but it's fine. Whatever. (@sierrasview for all).

Without further ado, here is WINTER IN NORTHERN UTAH. AS THE YOUTH WOULD SAY, "I JUST CAN'T EVEN." Also, just take a moment and look at that stinkin' adorable dog. I'm obsessed with her. I think we all knew that though. Note: these were all taken on different days, hence the different lighting.

DO YOU SEE THE PEOPLE?! Gah! 

The lighting on this day was ~perfect. 

Love the edit on this one, too. 

And the Saylor photo shoot starts NOW...

Mom. Stop. 

Had to edit this one a little different. Love the look of this. 

look at my cute house in the snow!!!! I'm obsessed. 

Utah. You are cold, but, MAN you're beautiful.
Wish all the teachers luck as they endeavor back to school this week. Gahhhhhhhh.

Why Everyone Needs a Dog.

THAT FACE. 

It's come to my attention that a lot of people don't like dogs. And, really, this just breaks my heart. I honestly don't understand it.
So, I'm going to tell you five reasons why dogs (especially Saylor) are the best.

I got my puppy, at about 11 weeks, two summers ago. Saylor, is a mini australian shepherd-poodle (aussiedoodle). Come read all about her here. She seriously is the best dog in the world. She is currently 2 1/2 and she has about a 100 word vocabulary right now (understand about 100 words that I say). She loves to swim, hike, go on walks, cuddle, and play. She will do anything with all ages. She loves kids and adults and anyone who will love her. She is incredibly smart and listens pretty well. She's my little sidekick and follows me around everywhere like a shadow. It gets annoying at times, but because it has been such a lonely summer with T gone, it has been nice to have another presence in my home and a buddy to hang out with.

Disclaimer: Puppies are a lot of work. This is not a post to explain why everyone needs a puppy, but rather, why everyone needs a dog. Puppies are fun and cute and you can train them how you want, but they are a lot of work. You can always get a two year old doggie :)

Okay, let's get this party going.

1. They empathize with humans.
Goldsmith College released a study that showed more dogs will approach someone who's crying or in distress than someone who is not. This shows that dogs are empathize and are eager to help comfort humans in pain. My dog always knows when I don't feel well or when I am sad. She comes and lays with me and is very attached. Dogs can sense pain or sadness. They empathize better than some humans! Ha!  

2. They are the best cuddle buddies. 
Dogs love to lay with their owners--even if it's just by them or on them, they are the best cuddlers in the world!

3. They have so much personality. 
Who says dogs are boring? Often times, my husband and I will just sit there and laugh at our dog. She is always doing something funny. We like to tease her and make her do tricks for us. She is such  a good source of entertainment. 

4. It bonds your family. Or gives you a companion. 
I know this may sound silly, but since having our puppy, I have noticed how much closer my husband and I are. We like to take her on walks or hikes together. We talk about how to take care of her. We aren't quite ready for kids, so this next step of getting a doggy, to have something to take care of together is awesome. If you are single, it is such a great companion. You leave for ten minutes and you come back and they are just as excited to see you as if you were gone for ten days. 

5. They reduce stress.
Some may argue this case because dogs do require a fair amount of work so one may think that it may cause more stress. However, there have been numerous studies that have shown that simply petting a dog for two minutes reduces heart problems, lowers anxiety, and helps with depression. There is just something so happy about petting a dog. 

Yes, there are some downsides to having a dog. For example, Saylor still jumps on people and is incredibly attached to me, but really, how could you not want an adorable face like that? And if you don't want to take care of your own dog, you can come walk and play with mine any time. She loves people so much.
:)

Acceptance.

Well, it's almost the end of June, which breaks my little teacher heart. 

I have been the worst at blogging, which breaks my little writing heart. Sorry, guys. (Cause I know you are all incredibly distraught. When, really, its just my mom who reads this blog). 

I have been spending A LOT of time with my dog, which I'm not sure if I feel pathetic or awesome because of this fact. Probably a little bit of both, to be honest. 

Here's the thing. T Money has been gone since the end of April selling pest control (Hey, don't hate. It's good money). Which is good for our family for $$$$, but it sucks for my emotional state. It's freaking lonely and hard to not have your significant other around. I don't have any children (except Saylor) or anyone to hang out with (except Saylor). See, people like to make fun of me because I love my dog like my child right now. And I used to get so upset by that, but I have officially accepted it. 

You're right, I DON'T have children. For reasons that only matter to T and me, thank you very much. (Side note: it's nobody else's business when we decide to have children...come on, Utah!). But because of that, my house is so quiet. And Saylor and I have become best friends over the past two months. I am so grateful to have her because it's nice just to hear another set of footprints and other noises in my home. She is always up for any type of activity (hiking, walking, doing yard work, playing outside, cuddling on the couch--see other reasons why you need a dog HERE). 

So, I have accepted that Saylor is my best friend right now. And that's okay. Dogs understand you. They are loyal to their owners. I am an incredibly loyal person and sometimes I feel let down from friends or the people around me because they aren't as loyal as me, which is okay. With Saylor, she is always willing to listen and play and cuddle and hike. What else could you want? Plus, she is crazy smart and is an emotional therapy dog (she loves babies and kids, too!) so, she's pretty much the best. 

I love my t-shirt from Taylor at The Daily Tay. She sells these t shirts for dog charities and I think it's simply the best. It is so comfy!!! You can buy yours on her etsy shop. 

In other news, we found Saylor's twin but 20 pounds heavier (and a golden doodle instead of a mini aussie doodle). This is my friend's dog, Opie, and he is Saylor in a bigger, male version. They played so well together. I love them. 

I was joking with my friend that I'm going to do a monthly update of my dog, like they do with babies. Just put a sign in front of her "22 months old....loves sticks, playing with kids, and eating grass." Hahahahahahah. I'm not really, guys. But I have to admit, that would be kind of funny. No? Okay. 

Do you have a dog?
What breed? 
What do you love about your dog? 

Five Reasons Why You Need a Dog.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PetsLoveBeyond #CollectiveBias

1. It's fun to spoil a dog. 

See, with kids you can kind of spoil them, but not really, because you don't want them to be brats. But with dogs, you can spoil them as much as you want. You can give them treats and cuddles and let them sit on your lap in the car. It's like being a grandma except this "kid" doesn't talk back. I love spoiling Saylor with Purina® Beyond® Grain Free pet food. She LOVES the Ranch Raise Lamb recipe because, well, MEAT! Because of her mix, she is allergic to grain (diva) so we love to give her this food that doesn't upset her stomach and this works great. It has all natural ingredients and includes real meat--which is Saylor's favorite. 

H-E-B is my preferred retailer for Purina® Beyond® Grain Free Dog Food. You can find this product in the "Dry Dog Food" Aisle of your local H-E-B. Mine was located at the top of the shelf. 

2. Sometimes dogs are cuter than kids. 

I mean, come on, guys. Let's be real here for a second. There are a LOT of beautiful children (AKA anyone in my family…duh), but there are also some really unfortunate looking children. As of right now, I don't know if I'm willing to take the chance of having an ugly kid, people. Because it could happen. If that child gets Tanner's teeth with my mouth…not good. Anywho, you can choose a dog that is as adorable as Saylor. She's a mini aussie doodle and she's kind of the prettiest dog out there. 

3. Dogs love you more than anything. 

I leave the house to take the garbage out and I come back in and she's just as excited to see me as if I left for ten hours. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have an animal adore you no matter what you do. It's amazing. 

4. You have an excuse to get outside. 
I love having a dog because even if I don't have time to do an excessive hike or go to the gym, I always walk my dog. She loves to be outside so I get that time to walk her and get some fresh air myself. I love having a buddy that goes on hikes, walks, and hangs outside with me when I'm reading in my hammock.

5. It brings your family closer together. 
I know this sounds weird, but Saylor has brought us closer. We love to take her on walks together, we love to play with her. I swear…42% of our conversations revolve around having a dog. (I didn't know you could talk about a dog's poop so much?). She is so fun to have around. If you have kids, the kids all play with her together. It was so funny to watch all of my nieces and nephews play with her this past week. They all wanted to give her commands, lay on her, play fetch with her.

I mean, hello. Dogs are the best (specifically, Saylor.) 

Yes, I know. Go have a kid. blah blah blah. 

What Grain Free dog food do you use for your favorite furry friend? :)
What are some other reasons why you love your dog?