Autumn Amelia

Hello everyone!
As you may remember, because I haven't shut up about it, I set out to do 26 new things in my 26th year.
Last week I officially turned 27 and am happy to report that I actually did it?!?
There were a few things on my original list that I didn't complete but, I switched them out with some other things I had never done and had always wanted to.
So, here it is.
My 26 for 26.

Attend The Halloween Party At Disneyland



Went to the first-ever Oogie Boogie Bash as fox Robin Hood and Maid Marian.
It did not disappoint!

Visit Harry Potter World



Visited Harry Potter world and drank way too much Butterbeer.
Worth it!

Watch My First Rated R Movie

Spent Memorial Day weekend downtown and decided it was the perfect place to view my first rated R movie, Pulp Fiction.

Attend Balloon Fest

Kind of a fail as the wind didn't allow the balloons to be inflated for more than fifteen minutes but I did go!
It counts!

Take My First Cycle Class



Tested out the newly opened CycleBar and fell in love!
I went several more times and can't wait to go back.

Work With My First Brand

I had the opportunity to work with several brands this year, including Friday Apparel whose sweater I am rocking above.
Do yourself a favor and head to their website and buy yourself something with the code AUTUMN20 for 20% off your order!

Go On My First Hike Trail



Okay, I have "technically" hiked before but not on an actual trail.
Look at those fall colors!

Giraffe Encounter At The Zoo



I legit sobbed after feeding the giraffes.
It was everything I wanted...

Attend Swiss Days



Ate a scone the size of a small toddler.
10/10 would recommend.

Disneybound



Went as Genie and Jafar to see Aladdin the musical.

Earn My First Paycheck From My Side Hustle

See The Legend That Is Elton John



Erik and I spent weeks trying to win tickets on the radio.
We ended up spending a small fortune from our savings.
No regrets.

Attend My First Blogger Event



Had the pleasure of previewing Vintage Market Days with fellow bloggers and Instagrammers.
I still don't know how/why?

Have My First Taste Of Alcohol

Buy An Extra AF Piece Of Clothing

Work For A Company I Admire


I have always wanted to work for a local company in Utah who's shop and product I adored.
I was hired on for seasonal help at Letterfolk and am still there!

Get A Passport

Attend My First Therapy Session

Pay For A Stranger

Penguin Encounter At The Aquarium

Adopt A Doggo


We adopted Ziggy from the Utah Humane Society a few weeks ago.
He is perfect and I love him.

Rock A Temporary Hair Color

I don't know about rocked...
But my hair was temporarily rose gold and I low key loved it.

Visit The Ice Castles

Elsa, who?

Do Goat Yoga

Hello everyone!

Happy New Year!

The older I have gotten, the less into resolutions I have been.

Resolutions are great, don't get me wrong, but when I don't stick to them I tend to spiral.

So, I don't regularly make resolutions anymore.

I do love me a fresh start and any excuse to organize though. 

As we head into the first full week of the year I thought I'd share a few things I have done or will be doing to help me feel refreshed for the New Year.

Update A Space

We all have a space we spend the majority of our time in.

Maybe it's your desk at work, a desk at home or even your car.

No matter the space, start the year by giving it a little refresh.

Organize the clutter, throw out what you no longer need and add some fun new items that make you happy.

I decorated my desk at my seasonal job with some washi tape, illustrations and quotes.

It took no time at all and made all the difference.

Now my little desk is brighter and a lot more fun.

Enjoy Some Uplifting Content

I love bad TV.

I mean LOVE it.

It's one of the things that helps me turn my brain off.

That being said, I do notice a difference when I binge hours of bad TV rather than intake some good content.

So, turn off that bad TV show, put down that gossip magazine and get some uplifting content in your life.

You know, the stuff that motivates you to do better and be better?

I have loved watching Reese Witherspoon's Shine On series.

It highlights women in different career fields that are making a difference.

You can find it currently on Netflix.

I also love listening to the Awesome with Alison podcast.

She is a girl that lets her freak flag fly while sharing advice on how to live your best life.

You can find it wherever you stream your podcasts.

I have heard amazing things about Rachel Hollis' books Girl, Wash Your Face and Girl, Stop Apologizing.

I haven't had the chance to dive into them just yet but I am excited to devour them this year.

Switch To A Reusable Product

If you are like me, you have at least one thing that will help you go green you keep meaning to do.

For us, it was buying reusable shopping bags.

Every time we go to the store and add another plastic bag to our plastic bag family the guilt would get real...

We finally bit the bullet and used some Christmas cash to invest in a few reusable bags.

I am excited to finally be helping the environment in a small way and to also get a drawer in my kitchen back.

So, whether you have been meaning to buy a reusable water bottle, add a second trash can for recycling or get some of them fancy aluminum straws, invest in it now and feel good that you are doing your part in some small way. 

Schedule Those Appointments

The holidays are officially over which means it's time to get back to the real world.

Boo...

A few of my least favorite things happen during the first part of the year.

Taking down Christmas decorations, my yearly trip to the doctor and tax day...

We try to get these taken care of as soon as possible so we don't have to think about them until the following year.

It's such a simple thing to do but it makes me feel hella accomplished and adult AF.

Schedule your doctor's appointments, schedule your tax appointment and then if you are like me reward yourself by scheduling something fun.

This year I scheduled a stay at my favorite hotel for my birthday.

Now that's one appointment I am not planning on missing.

Clean Out A Cluttered Space

We all have those small areas in our lives that collect clutter like crazy.

Bathroom cabinets, mail cubbies, nightstand drawers.

For us, like most homes in America, it's the dreaded kitchen junk drawer.

These spaces are so small but collect random junk like crazy!

Take a few minutes out of your day and organize that space!
It really doesn't take that long and will make finding things SO much easier.

These are just a few simple ways I am starting the year feeling accomplished.

They are all easy and took me less than an hour to do. 

Do you set New Year's resolutions?

If so, what are some of yours for 2020?

All my love,

Autumn

Hello everyone!

What's this?

A post on Wednesday?

That's right!

I have been feeling really overwhelmed lately.

I have been frustrated with myself.

Frustrated with where I am and where I think I should be.

Frustrated with things that have tripped me up.

Frustrated that I am quite possibly failing in every aspect of my life.

I spend too much time and energy beating myself up and it always comes down to this.

I can give up or keep moving forward.

So, whatcha going to do?

Give up?

The first thought that comes to mind when I ask myself this question is a quote.

| via |

I love creating things and sharing them.

But trying to stick to posting two times a week here, while posting content on other platforms, working two jobs, trying to keep my house going, maintaining my relationships with friends and family and trying to keep my sanity has been hard. 

Things I have been so excited to create have left me filling unfulfilled because I do not give myself enough time to execute them. 

That's why I think this switch up will be better for me with the holidays upon us. 

For the last month or two, my Friday crafts and recipes have been going up on Sundays.

So, why not just change my upload day to Sunday so I don't feel so bad?

And heck let's change my Monday posts to Wednesday so that I have a nice space between my posts. 

I can sit and stew or I can get to work.

No one is going to make a beautiful life for me, besides me.

And maybe Erik but we are basically the same person. 😉

Here's to hoping these small changes make a big impact on my life.

How have you been feeling lately?

Let's check in with ourselves and make some necessary changes. 

All my love,

Autumn

Hello everyone!

If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen my stories about decluttering our house.

As the weather started to get warmer, I got the bug to do a little spring cleaning. 

There were so many closets, drawers and cabinets that needed some serious attention.

I was feeling ready for a new start and was finally in a good place where I could say goodbye to a few things I have held onto for years. 

I didn't want it to turn into just another thing "I meant to do" so, I decided to set a deadline for myself.

Each year my family gathers together for a Yard Sale in my parent's neighborhood. 

My parents live in a community with an HOA that only lets them have Yard Sales twice a year on specific dates.

Due to the number of people who participate, it has grown into quite a large event. 

After finding out the date of the Yard Sale I decided it would be my deadline. 

I would go through everything in our house and have it ready for the Yard Sale.

We would try to make a little mula and what didn't sell would go to goodwill and stop taking up space in our house.

Each weekend from March till June I would take around half an hour and go through a spot in our house.

The junk drawer, under the bathroom sinks, the linen closet, the entryway table.

One by one they were sorted through and decluttered. 

It felt so good to get rid of things. 

I would classify myself as a pack rack. 

I find sentimental value in a lot of random things. 

During the last year or so I feel that I have come to find and understand myself a little more.

Because of that, I was able to go through things and recognize what they meant to me and whether or not I should keep them.

I cannot tell you the number of things that have stayed with us unnecessarily for years.

From my parent's house to our first apartment to our second apartment to our current house.

And now they are gone!

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and everything we have now has a purpose and a place.

Plus, we were able to make a little extra money!

Erik and I brought our game faces to this Yard Sale as we knew it would be our last one for a while.

We were ready to draw people in and haggle with the best of them.

We ended up making just under $70 which isn't too crazy but, it is $70 bucks we didn't have before. 

It will help pay for some churros in Disneyland. 😉
And now we have a nice clean house!

What is the most untidy place in your home?

All my love, 

Autumn

Hello everyone!

If you are kind enough to have visited here before then you might be sick of me mentioning my golden birthday...

If not, I turned 26 on the 26th of February and have decided to make this my golden year.

At the beginning of the year I made a list of a few things that I wanted to try.

Then I decided why not try 26 new things for my 26th year?

So, I am officially putting it out there.

I am going to try to accomplish 26 new things by my next birthday.

They don't have to be anything too crazy or fancy.

Just 26 things I have never done and have wanted to do.

Coming up with a list has been hard...

Here is what I have come up with so far:

Attend Mickey's Halloween Party At Disneyland

Ride A Horse

Attend Ballonfest

Get A Passport

Try A Cycle Class (Check!)

Feed A Giraffe

Visit Harry Potter World

Go On A Hike Trail

Attend Swiss Days

Penguin Encounter At The Aquarium

Watch My First R Rated Movie

Try High Fit

Visit The Lavender Fields

Disneybound

Go To My First Therapy Session

Get My First Paycheck From My Side Hustle

Rock A Temporary Hair Color

See?

Nothing too crazy, right?

A majority of the items aren't too far away or too expensive because we be ballin' on a budget over here.

But, I am several short...

I would love to hear your suggestions of things I could do locally in Utah for little cost or any suggestions in general.

What do you have for me?

I am going to share what I cross off here on the blog and hopefully on our vlog channel which I haven't touched in a hot second so, no promises...

What is something that you have always wanted to do?

All my love, 

Autumn

Hello everyone!

The past few weeks have been cray around here...

I feel like I am always saying our lives are busy, but the last few weeks have been a doozy.

We have so many balls in the air and I don't know how we have kept them up.

Why is it so hard to be a good person?

Not even morally good but, just to be a good productive member of society?

It's exhausting...

This past weekend I was able to finally indulge in some self care.

I take myself out for a pedicure about once a month.

It is the only thing I let myself splurge on.

I am on my feet 24/7 and I need someone to make me feet new again.

Plus, having cute toes makes me feel more put together.
It's also a fun way to express myself.
I love to choose a color for the month.

This time I went for "lovely lavender."

It felt very spring and it makes my toes look like an Easter egg.

I recently took up kickboxing again.

I tried it a few years ago with Groupon and loved it!

 I am not one to pay full price for anything so when the Groupon was used I didn't go back...

After finding a coupon for Groupon (I'm cheap okay?) I decided to get back into the grove.

I really enjoy kickboxing.

It's a great way to release your negative emotions.

When you hit your bag across the floor you realize how much you need it.

It also is a great workout.

I like to feel my workouts the next day and kickboxing definitely does that for me.

Speaking of good workouts...

I recently tried cycling for the first time and dug it!

It's a little cheesy but that's how I like it.

The fancy magnetic shoes, the playlist, the lights going on and off.

It was made for me.

I got five free rides for me and a friend from Localfluence and am almost out...
I will be really sad once its over so I might have to splurge on this too.

On the days when I have absolutely no time to fit in a pedicure or a workout I try to wind down before bed by fitting in something at home.

A bath, an episode of a crappy TV show, going for a walk around the neighborhood or reading a book.

Erik and I have been rereading the Harry Potter books again and I love to snuggle up with him and read a chapter before bed.

Since finding a new love for exercise (I'm going to try really hard not to become one of those people who talks about exercise all the time...) I am interested to try some new forms of self care.
What do you do for self care?
What has worked best for you?
Please share!

All my love,
Autumn

Hello everyone!

While I was out running errands the other day I was in the area of a house Erik and I were interested in buying when we were first engaged.

I thought I would drive by and take a little look see.

When I drove by the house I was overcome by so many emotions.

I was sad that the house never worked out for us.

I was grateful for how far we have come.

I was sentimental for my past self.

And wait for it....

I was PROUD of myself.

That's right proud.

I have a really hard time letting myself feel proud.

I always feel like I have nothing to toot my horn about.

I feel I could have done better or I could have done more
Or I feel that I still have a long way to go. 

But, for this short instant I let myself revel in those proud feelings and I got a little weepy.

I am a crier if you haven't noticed...

I thought of my little 20 year old self and all the hope that she had for the future.

I thought of all the plans I was making and the home I was planning to create.

I thought of how hard we tried to buy that house and how disappointed I was that it didn't work out.

I thought of all the things that we would have to endure and how some of the plans would work but would take triple the time we thought.

I thought of how that little 20 year old would soon lose all that hope and feel so completely lost.

I looked at the house and thought about the house we now call home and how it's basically the same house but ours has a few things that I like better.

I thought of how hard we had to work to purchase it and how excited we were when we finally got it.

I thought of where we are now and how far we have come and I was proud dang it!

Later that night I wanted to tell Erik about my experience but it was so hard for me to admit that I was proud of myself.

He finally pulled it out of me and when I told him he said "Good! You should feel proud of yourself more often."

And I want to!

I really do.

But, it's hard...

I know that I am not alone in this.

I know many of you must have a hard time letting yourself feel proud too.

Especially if you are a women.

So, I would love for you to tell me when was the last time you felt proud of yourself?

Even if it seems small or insignificant.
Even if you just sat in your car and cried while looking at a house, see image below, I would love to hear what makes you feel proud!

All my love,

Autumn

Hello everyone!

Last Tuesday my sister Heather and I went to our 4th Andrew McMahon concert together.

I was around seven or eight years old when she first introduced me to his music.

At that time he was in the band Something Corporate and I remember hanging out at her apartment and begging her to play the song Hurricane.

Since then we have seen him four times.

Once with Something Corporate, once with Jack's Mannequin and twice as a solo artist.

Two years ago we saw him at the same venue we did last week.

We were jamming and having a good time when I started to cry.

At first I thought it was because I was so happy and then it turned into full on hard ugly crying and I was so confused...

I was honestly happy and enjoying myself.

Nothing should have been making me sad.

"What is wrong with me?" I thought.

The first response that came into my mind was "I don't want to be miserable anymore..."

I realized that was the first time I had been happy in awhile and it affected me in such a weird way.

I was doing what I thought I needed to do to be happy at the time.

I was working hard and making the most money I had ever made.

I was able to support my family.

We finally had a house.

We were able to afford things we never could before.

We were "successful."

But man was I sad.

I think that was the first time I was honest with myself about my feelings.

It led me to acknowledge that I needed to take care of myself.

It led to a conversation with Erik of putting more than half of my earnings into savings so that I could quit my job.

It led to the realization that I was suppressing a lot of things.

It led to some major changes.

Last Tuesday as we were standing in the same same spot seeing him again,  I reflected on that moment and how far I had come.

The last month or so I have been the happiest I have been in a long time.

I cried on the way home from the concert but this time they were happy tears.
I am so grateful to be where I am now.

And I am so excited to see where I will be the next time we go and see him.

All my love,
Autumn