BROW GAME STRONG

Last week I made one of the best decisions I have made in my 22.5 years of living and got my brows MICROBLADED.

 

The coolest new technique in the permanent makeup world.

 

I have always had really weird eyebrows. They're long, curly, coarse, have random spacing, and pretty much just a hot mess.

 

So when I heard of this whole microblading thing I said SIGN ME UP.

 

The only stitch of makeup I'll wear before teaching Pilates every morning is fill in my brows, and now I don't even have to do that! It's INCREDIBLE!

 

I got them done at Salon O ( where I get my hair done) by their brow specialist that was trained in this technique. It was a super interesting process, and some of my Pilates clients are now interested in getting this done, so I thought I'd write out the process and my experience in a place people could easily access it :)

 

The whole process took about 3 hours. Kathryne, who did them, took a lot of time with me and explained every step of the process so I felt really comfortable. I went in for a consultation before, and then she told me to come the day of with them filled in how I liked. I liked this because then we could work off a shape I was used to on my face. I chose not to show her pictures of brows I liked just because I only wanted to enhance the natural brows God gave me :) Like if you notice, my right eye is ever so slightly higher than my left, making my right brow a touch higher than my left. But I didn't want to mess with that, because that's how I was made! I just didn't want to have to fill them in every dang morning.

 

So I came with my brows filled in, and then the first thing she did was perfect them. She measured them for symmetry and made sure I was loving the shape.

 

After that she took a purple surgical marker and traced the brows we perfected and decided on. After they are traced she wipes off all your brow filler. She then uses a little tool to barely break the skin around your brows so that the numbing cream can sink in deeper and be more effective. That part didn't hurt, just a tad uncomfortable but it's fast. Then while the numbing cream sits on your brows you discuss color! I wanted my brows to be about the same color as my natural and loved how it turned out. She explained that the lighter colors are warmer and darker colors are more ashy, and even though as a blonde I wanted them a touch ashy I mostly didn't want them super dark, so we started in a medium place. You can always alter your color in your touch up too!

 

You get a touch up that's included in the price 4-6 weeks after your first appointment. During your first healing process, some strokes will soften or fade so you go in and perfect them. This is the time where you can also adjust color, add thickness or more of an arch, and that kind of stuff.

 

After we decided on a color and the numbing had sat, we were ready to start! She takes a tool that looks and works kind of like a tiny xacto knife, dips it in ink, and makes little hair-like strokes through your brows! It is pretty incredible. It didn't hurt but was a little uncomfortable at some parts, but she continues to reapply numbing cream the whole time. The knife only goes into the derma layer of the skin so the colors don't fade to weird colors like in the older soft tap method. Like I said, it isn't painful, but the weirdest part is HEARING it make little scratches in your skin.

 

So for the next hour and a half she makes a few strokes, and then uses a wipe to wipe off the extra ink and see exactly where the strokes are, and continues on. To be honest, the wiping was the most annoying part. She has to wipe hard to get the ink off and it's a lot of wiping. But still 100% worth it! Beauty is pain!

 

After she finishes you take long looks and make sure you love everything, or if you want to add a few strokes here or there, and measure again to make sure they are equal. She then puts the ink all over the brow to sit for a few minutes, wipes it off and then you are DONE!

 

It was pretty fascinating and I am so happy with how my brows turned out! I am excited to take them a touch thicker at my touch up.

 

My brows will last about 3 years or as long as I wish with a yearly touch up, which heck ya I'm doing! I love how low maintenance this is! That's what really sealed the deal for me.

 

It takes about a week or so for them to fully heal, and they give you instruction on how to care for them during that time! The one thing I didn't know about was that you aren't supposed to break a sweat! So I sure missed Pilates, but it was a small price to pay :)

 

If you are interested in this, let me know if you have any other questions! When I find something I love I want to tell EVERYONE!

 

You can also search #microbladedbrows on Instagram to find out more info and see more examples.

 

Merry Christmas to my brows!

 

xoxo



BRENNAN TURNED 28!

 

 

My darling, darling boy is now 28! I'm sure he totally woke up with a few more greys on the sides of his hair the morning of December 10th.

 

I mean it when I say he gets better with age. And more handsome too!

 

It is hard to put into words how much I adore this human being, but I'm going to try!

 

He truly is such a better person than me. I have always known that, but it's been especially reaffirmed lately.

 

Just one of of many examples:

 

He read some article about how not complaining for 30 days changes your life (or something along those lines) where you wear a bracelet one on wrist and if you catch yourself complaining, you switch it to the other wrist. ANYWAYS he is so cute and been sticking with it and looking for the perfect manly bracelet to make his challenge OFFICIAL. He asked if I wanted to do it with him and I said no without hesitation. I know myself well enough to know that would last about an hour with this whole house buying/building deal ;) So there's an example of how perfect of a person Brennan Adams Gregory is. I hope to one day be as cool as he is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my one year older, wiser, and more handsome Brennan Gregory.

We celebrated all week long with a Jazz game, pizza night with his family, and Bonsai and go kart racing with my family. The boy is LOVED.

He also got a ping pong table from yours truly for his basement/man cave room in the new house he is sooooooo excited for.

My heart could just explode. I love celebrating him more than anything in this world.

xoxo

 



House Update #2

 

 

Hello!

I have been MIA for an entire month. Not that you probably noticed. But my future self will when I read these posts back one day when it's printed in a book on my coffee table!

Life took on a whole new level of busy since coming back from our little California trip. So busy we didn't have time to dress up for Halloween or do a single fall activity. Part of me was sad, but I knew we were doing more important things. Instead my days and nights have been filled with 2 jobs, getting a logo designed, getting insurance for the Pilates studio, figuring out a liability form, printing business cards and other materials for the studio, and now working on a whole new website and ad for Draper Magazine (shout out to my graphic designer and good friend Haley for seeing my vision and then making it even better-- I would be in the fetal position without her). We spent every night for 2 weeks before the studio opened working on the chalkboard wall. Brennan gets all the credit for that one. While he would draw away I would write up my Pilates lessons. I have put 110% into this business and have never been happier.

 On top of all the busyness of the studio (which will get it's own post the second I find some time to write about it), I've been at the house everyday twice a day making sure things go as planned. Because of the weather things have slowed down a tad which is hard for me because I am DYING to quit my other job and solely focus on Pilates, and I can't do that until we close on the house. They say it will be done by Christmas, which probably really means Valentine's Day hahaha.

After my classes on Friday morning I ran over to the house and noticed 2 guys there starting to put the stone on. HAPPY DAY!!! When you go there so often and not much has changed you get overly excited when something new is happening. I have never loved baseboards or stucco or stone more ...BUT they were putting the stone on with grout in between instead of stacked like I requested at the design center. The guys were so so nice and said they would do it however I wanted, and re-did the stone stacked. A few Little Caesar pizzas and some Cokes go a long way my friends. It is starting to look more like a real house and it is thrilling! Just missing some shake single on the hip roof and a little paint on the front door.

Our nights and weekends are mainly spent at RC Willey, Target, West Elm, Ikea, Costco, Best Buy, Down East -- you name it. We're trying to decide between 1080 and 4K, 65 and 75 inch, curved or flat-- new TV talk I didn't know about until a few weeks ago. We've had to decide between front and top loader washing machines, and let me tell you everybody has a different opinion. We've also been looking for the perfect couches which don't seem to exist when your husband only cares about comfort and I only care about looks.

We've also spent lots of nights and Saturday mornings at the house measuring for things, and last Saturday it was to decide on the size of the TV for the basement. Brennan is beyond excited for his big TV so he can have his friends over to watch sports. Whatever makes him happy I fully support. He is just about the cutest kid on the planet.

We snuck into the house one night and sanded down a small wall for a chalkboard wall in our house. Do you think the painters will notice hahaha? These days they do a light texture on the walls, because it's less labor, but it's funny because 15 years ago when my parents built their house it was an upgrade to have textured walls...oh how things change. Anyways, we were COVERED head to toe in dust but we sure made that wall smooth. When you live with an artist, you just have to have a chalkboard wall in your house you know?


We are so blessed to be having such an exciting time in our lives. Both of us are now doing what we love and soon we will be living in a place we love. We have a whole lot to be thankful for, especially this time of year.

xoxo

Ash

A little trip to California

One of the many wonderful things about Brennan is how close he is to all his childhood and high school friends. Some of them have moved away to medical school, dental school, and to get their masters, but they are all constantly in touch, and we get together with his friends and their wives that still live here about once a week, especially if they are playing in a softball or soccer league. It is a really fun group I am very lucky to be a part of.

One of his very closest friends Brent and his wife Courtney moved to San Diego for Brent to get his masters at San Diego State University a little over a year ago and we have been promising we'd visit them! We figured October would be the perfect time. SOMEHOW, the stars aligned and The Gregory's were actually headed to Disneyland the same week! So we started our trip in San Diego for a few days, then rented a car and drove to Disneyland and flew out of John Wayne the next morning.

Things we did:

-Brennan checked an item off his bucket list and played Torrey Pines golf course. I wish I could have gone with him just to see how excited he gets playing at a cool course, but Court and I did some shopping instead! All I know is I would be in TROUBLE if I lived in San Diego with all that amazing shopping. We spent more time than I'd like to admit in the 3 story Target...

-Spent a day on Coronado Island. I can't believe it was our first time going there for both Bren and I! It's practically a crime. I have never seen such a big beach with the softest sand ever. BUT I will say my favorite part was driving up and down every inch of the island looking at the incredible homes there! They left me speechless. Hotel del Coronado was also so adorable and the Coronado Crunch at the local candy shop melted in our mouths (and it wasn't just because of the 95 degree weather).

-Got to Sunset cliffs just before sunset. The waves are huge at this beach and make a big splash up on the cliffs. It was so peaceful to sit and watch. Every night we were in San Diego there were insane sunsets.

-Went to the San Diego temple! It was sadly closed for the whole month of October for cleaning or something so we couldn't do a session there, which really bummed me out because I hear the inside is just as beautiful as the outside. The temple is by far the most prime piece of real estate in San Diego. You turn the corner on the freeway and then you see it all at once in all it's glory. It truly truly truly takes your breath away. We also went back at night to see it all lit up because we just couldn't get enough!

-Spent the afternoon in La Jolla, another awesome area of San Diego. We ate at a Burger Lounge there which was DELISH-- their lavender mint lemonade and salads were divine. All clean ingredients which I always appreciate. We hung out with the sea lions for a while too. Even though they totally make the beach smell terrible, they are hilarious to watch flop around.

-Ate at Stacked at Fashion Valley mall. Another place we'd really recommend. One of the best burgers we've EVER had.

-DISNEYLAND!!! We only went for one day so we wouldn't miss too much work but it ended up working out perfectly. We were able to every ride we wanted to at both Disneyland and California Adventure even though we happened to choose the hottest and most crowded day of the year to go to Disneyland... little did we know. Even though we were melting in the heat and exhausted by the end of the day, it was absolutely magical. After getting off the Cars ride for both mine and Bren's first time, grabbing a churro, and walking hand in hand, we turned to each other and said "I think we are becoming Disneyland people." Hahahaha. It was even more special being able to see my niece and nephews see Disneyland for the first time. Ez chose to sit by me on the teacups and Space Mountain and I was on CLOUD 9.

---

And that was our fun little trip to California.

ALSO! I've gotten a few questions about where I got my swimsuit. Back in June I was looking through the swimsuits on sale online on Nordstrom and found it for $30! The brand is actually Roxy and I found it here on sale as well. I will warn that the Nordstrom reviews said it ran pretty small so I went with a medium and am glad I did.

xoxo



My own personal Michelangelo

 

I am seriously married to the coolest person ever.

 

So cool and so talented that I might even let him keep his little Yoda he drew last minute.

 

...or maybe we'll move him behind the door.

 

The studio chalkboard wall is off to a fantastic start!

 

It has taken a little longer than I expected to get everything ready,

 

but I am so excited to announce that classes begin Monday, November 2nd!!!

 

I cannot even wait to start my dream job.

 

I will be posting more details on my Instagram soon!

 

xo!

House Update

 

This whole house building thing is a full time job.

 

A STRESSFUL full time job.

 

 

I wake up, look at my phone and see it's 4 AM, and start wondering if the color I chose for the front door might have a pink undertone if the sunlight hits it weird? And did I put enough canned lights in the basement? And what if they forget to insulate my walls? Do they vacuum all the dust up before they install carpet?

 

It is TOO MUCH. Especially because I've made a few bold choices. I thought building a house would be a smart move for a type A personality, but I'm not so sure now...

 

It is so fun though to go check on the house progress everyday. It's crazy that soon we will be living there! Brennan is so excited to park in a garage for the first time in his life and I am so excited to have a pantry I could cry.

 

Last night we randomly watched The Office episode where Michael buys a condo and we just about rolled off the couch we were laughing so hard because it was so relatable at this point in our lives.

 

"A 30 year mortgage? You'll be paying that off in your mid-seventies. Forget about retiring when you're 65." -Dwight

 

"I made the right decision. I'm glad I signed, I'm a home owner, right? It's very important to own a property. If you don't own property you shouldn't be able to vote." -Michael trying to make himself feel better.

 

HAHAHAHAHA

 

xo

 

 

 

 

 

 



T Swift's BFF loves Pilates & you should too!

Karlie Kloss: Taylor Swift's bff AND twin, Victoria's Secret model, and Pilates obsessed. She also has her own line of healthy cookies and she spells it with a 'k': Kookies.

Girl's got it together.

I came across her Instagram last night and thought it was kind of neat we share a passion! She probably doesn't miss a day of listening to 1989 either. Is your favorite song of the moment 'Clean' too Kar?

Karlie loves Pilates & you should too :)

Classes start SOON! 

xo



Now wishing I would have taken anatomy in high school...

This is the most intense thing I have ever done.

 

But I'm loving it.



Our Anniversary Weekend

Somehow the stars aligned and we had a one week break in between my Pilates certification that happened to be the weekend of our anniversary! So we decided to go spend the night in Park City.

 

We took the long scenic drive to Park City, making a stop at Sundance to eat. We love to try fun new places on special occasions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was still so pretty up there even though the leaves hadn't quite started to change yet.

 

We made it to Main Street in Park City just in time to get our favorite ice cream at Java Cow.

 

There was some bizarre hot air balloon show going on in the middle of street, but minus the air and balloons. Guys were standing in the hot air balloons blowing fire and it was kind of hilarious but it did warm us up!

 

 

 

The next day was spent relaxing, eating at Davanza's, and shopping around Main Street & the outlets.

 

The perfect little getaway to celebrate another lovely year.

 

xo



2 Years

 

"We've been married a mission!" --Brennan said our whole anniversary weekend.

 

THE REAL BEST 2 YEARS, hahaha

 

Who knew this year of marriage could be even more fun than the last.

 

We are the definition of 2 peas in a pod.

 

We are always thinking the EXACT same thoughts. It's actually getting to be a little freaky. At least twice a day one of us will say something and the other one will say, "I was JUST thinking that!!!"

 

Nobody gets me like he does. Nobody. He knows I'm terrible with directions and that it will never change-- he lets me play a song on repeat until I ruin it for the both of us-- he knows that I have to have the salad at Spitz at least twice a month-- he understands my Lulu addiction-- he knows I need a lot of sleep-- he accepts that I watch a little reality TV-- he knows the perfect thing to say when I've had a hard day or am doubting myself-- and most important he gets my heart. He knows my heart and he has my heart.

 

And I get him. I know that even after he's eaten a big meal, he can still go to the gym (and somehow not throw up) -- He has an obsession with taking his clothes to the tailor that is both hilarious and expensive, but I get it -- I know that he doesn't even mean to leave his shoes all over the house, he was just born that way -- I know that he MUST have chocolate chips in his protein waffles-- that he worries a lot-- and that he has an absolute heart of gold.

 

We always want to do the same things. 99% of the time we are always craving the same restaurant, want to do the same thing on vacation or with our weekends, and we always need a nap at the same time. We are both equally obsessed with Chick-fil-A peach shakes and we are both ALWAYS down to blast 'Downtown' and have a dance party in the car. We both have a true appreciation for a cool pair of Nikes and think Roger Federer is the classiest athlete on the planet. We know that chips &  guac at Chipotle isn't even a question. But most importantly we always finish the night cuddled up on the couch laughing through an episode of Seinfeld.

 

 

THIS IS THE LIFE

 

xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 



Orange Peel Obsessed

I need you to listen very closely.

 

Go to your nearest Orange Peel, no matter how far away that might be.

 

Order THIS:

 

 

 

a LARGE (any other size is just plain dumb)

 

thai coconut + avocado + almond

 

bubble tea smoothie (it's not really tea, I have no clue why they call it that) with

 

no pearls (that's a personal preference but I googled it and they're super starchy),

 

no sweetener because it's so good on it's own it DOESN'T EVEN NEED IT,

 

and don't forget to add protein, so no one can accuse you of "drinking your calories".

 

Then take your first sip and watch your life change right before your very own taste buds!

 

You're welcome.

 

xoxo

 

P.S. Try to ignore my spray tan orange hands. I wash them right after I get home but I guess it's too late? Can't win 'em all.

 

 

 

 



QUEEN T

 

It is actually kind of unbelievable how big of a deal Taylor Swift is.

 

She's made more changes than the President (in the music world at least).

 

She's our generation's Madonna and then some.

 

She grounded and classy. No crazy Miley or Britney here!

 

She continues to reinvent herself with every album she puts out,

 

has more friends than me,

 

a cute boyfriend,

 

and a total Pilates body.

 

Best part is she's as real as can be. Not one ounce of fake in her long skinny bones.

 

Girl's got it all.

 

And we were SO THRILLED to be in her presence for a few hours.

 

IT'S TAYLOR'S WORLD AND WE  LOVE LIVING IN IT.

 

xoxo