Home decor advice needed!

Problem: We have a bonus room in our house that BADLY needs a redo.  Like, the ceiling has cottage cheese, the walls are awful, and the blinds need refurbishing.  The carpet is also awful.  So pretty much everything about the room is bad.
Remember how it looked like this?

I found a couch that I love at the furniture store.  I can basically custom make the couch to our own specifications:

I love the idea of a black and gray and red room.

But, we have a beautiful brown entertainment center that we love:

This is what the room looks like now.

Would the entertainment center go with the couch?  Should I keep the black and gray and red theme?  Or should I change it somehow?  What change would I make?

ADVISE IS NEEDED!

Welcome home!

If you haven't been following me on Facebook or Instagram, here are some pictures of our home:

 Davis's room.  It is so cute!  His light and fan are the best, but you have to see them to believe it!

 Bathroom

 Our room

 Laundry room

 SECOND bathroom

 Kitchen

 Spare bedroom.  Visitors are welcome!  Please come!

 Dining room

 More dining room.  Yeah, this picture is pretty much Davis stuff!

 This was a project I did a few days ago.  When we saw the house, there were some tacky daisies in the front room/entry.  They were gone when we moved in, which was obviously fine!  I replaced them with some silk plants, which look SO MUCH better!

The living room.  We got a new loveseat that matches our couch PERFECTLY!  Yay!!  The carpets got cleaned today, and the furniture people called last night to saw it was ready to be picked up.  Family is coming this weekend, so the timing is perfect!  This is what made me blog about our house, because I feel like it is somewhat finished.  For now.

The garage

Lest you think we are all the way unpacked, here is proof that we are not.  This is the bonus room, soon to be upstairs family room

And it will have a couch like this

Downstairs family room

And downstairs storage rooms!  Food storage, paper goods and cleaners, and everything else!

This will someday be another bedroom and bathroom.  But for now, it is just more storage!

We love our house and hope to have visitors soon!

Declaring Independence

A year ago . . .
We came to VISIT my parents in Idaho Falls for the Fourth of July.
And we said, in a YEAR, we will have a baby.
But who knew that he would be THIS cute?

And who knew that he would be so much fun to play with?
Not Chris . . .

And not Grandpa . . .

Really, the rest of us have fun playing with him too.  We just don't have pictures!  :-)
Who knew that in a YEAR, we would live in Idaho Falls, of all places, close to my parents?

Because, really, a year ago, we were barely starting to LOOK for jobs in the library field.  But then we found one here!
And who would know that we would be able to enjoy the fireworks in folding chairs, close to bathrooms with flush-able toilets and sinks with running water, and a wonderful meal with an orchestra to serenade us prior to the fireworks?

Thank to my Aunt Ruth who was participating with the orchestra at the Shilo Inn, we were able to get great seats for the fireworks.  These seats were DEFINITELY more manageable, especially for having that baby with us!

Anyway, what a difference a year makes.  We are grateful to be here!  And grateful for the amazing year that has transpired and led us to this point!  And grateful to live in a free country!

Was it really THIRTEEN years ago?

Am I really getting this old . . . ?

It all started with Facebook, of course.  One of my friends from High School mentioned that some of our friends were going to be in town.  Since I now live in town, I wondered if I could hang out with them too.  We had an event on facebook that was scheduled.  More people got invited.  It continued to grow.  But, in the end, it was super fun to see everyone and to catch up on our lives.  Here is hoping that we can get together more often, especially those of us who live in town!  Here are some pictures:

Thank you, Kristen, for hosting this fantastic event!  It was great fun to see everyone!

New title!

We have changed our title, because, let's be honest--our last name does not describe us.  Not one bit!

Happy Father's Day

Trying again--
OK, so I know this is super late . . . we have been a little busy!

Right after moving into Idaho Falls, it was Father's Day.  I had Chris's Father's Day gift sent to Mom and Dad's house because I knew that if we got it at ours, we might find it before Father's Day next year!  So, here it is:

I call it iPad 0.0.  He wanted an iPad, but it wasn't in the budget, because we just purchased a new home.
I am so lucky to have Chris as my husband and as a father to Davis.  He is the best man I could ever ask for.  Here are some of the millions of reasons why I love him:

• He is a great priesthood holder.  Right after Davis was born, he gave him a little blessing while he was in my arms.  I will forever cherish that memory.
• He is a great provider.  He wants Davis and I to be happy.  That is his second priority.
• His first priority is the Lord.  That is how it should be!
• When I call him in a panic, he does what he can to help me be okay.  I called him last week and told him that the lawn was dying.  He came at lunch to help fix it.
• He helps me to decide what is most important and what needs to be done.  I appreciate that.  He makes things that I think to be complicated easy.
• He has made taking care of his body a priority.  While we lived in Orem, he would wake up at 5am to exercise before going to work.  Now, he waked up around 6:30 because of a change in work schedule, but exercise is a serious priority for him.
• He makes Davis and I laugh.  All the time.  Sometimes he says things in his prayers JUST to make me laugh.  And it usually works.
• He seems to know something about everything.  Honestly.  Just ask my family.

We love you, Chris!

Timp Cave

I told Chris that he needed to hike up to Timp Cave before we leave Utah.  So, of course, we decided to do it at the very last minute.  This morning, we took a hike and then toured the caves.  We didn't have to get there SUPER early, like my little brother did a few years ago to get tickets.  Thanks to the fact that you can reserve tickets the day before, going up early-ish was a little easier.

 This is what I got to see on the way up.

And this.

My cute boys!

 The heart of Timpanogos is always cool!

Our family photo shoot

 Davis fell asleep in the cave, of course.  It is dark, cool, and you are being carried by Daddy.  What could be better?

We need another baby carrier.  Any suggestions?  Ours was . . . not the best!