spanish anna.

i miss this anna.

holiday weekend traditions.

as part of our annual president's day weekend family reunion, 

we stuck with tradition (granted, it's our only tradition...)

we headed up big cottonwood canyon toward brighton 

for some sledding and lunch. 

we ate lunch at the usual, the silver fork lodge,

and it was as warm & cozy as always. 

we shared some good conversation,

some comfort food,

and lots of hot cocoa.

is there a better combination? 

i think not. 

post script: i know how awkward i look in that picture, but i had to show off bennett's mountain man look. just because i'm a photographer, doesn't mean i'm photogenic. but i'm working on that one...

the votebook.

it's true... politics drive me a little bit crazy most of the time. 

but here's a bit of politics that i support:

my friends robert & mckay. 

these are two of the most genuine guys i know, and they've got biig plans for byu! 

so if you're a byu student, 

check out their website, learn about their platform, and vote for them on monday!

then come to this awesome party at the marriott on wednesday. 

okay, and watch this.

and that's all i have to say about that. 

bridal fair wrap-up.

so i promise i'm still alive. 

school has literally consumed me this week, 

but i'm finally unwinding a bit and can relax for a few minutes! 

so i'll start playing catch up here a bit... you know how that goes.

i was so lucky to have the help from some great friends, 

and my bridal fair booth from a few weeks ago really pulled together nicely. 

i went for a bit of a vintage feel and was pleased with the results (minus the liposuction booth next to me...)

what do you think?

aaaaand if you or someone you know is in the market, 

i've extended my sale from the fair till the end of the month.

free engagements or 15% off with every wedding booked my march first! 

cobblestone dreams.

i used to live in a fairytale.

a charmed life.

i walked the most beautiful, cobblestone streets daily. 

i soaked in the rich culture.

my life was bliss.

in my dreams, i walk those streets again and again.

lake como, italy.

brighton.

the highlight of february so far has definitely, definitely been this weekend.

every president's day weekend, most of my mom's side of the fam gets together in utah for a reunion of sorts.

we generally play in the snow, watch movies, eat (and eat and eat), and play games. 

this year, bennett and i spent the first day of the weekend up at brighton for a day of boarding.

truthfully, i haven't gone much since middle school (i know; i'm ashamed. but sports and sickness seemed to take over my winters for a while there...),

but every time i go, i remember why i love it so much!

we couldn't have asked for a better day!
the sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, and the slopes weren't too crowded.
we spent the day exploring the mountain, chatting, and jamming in the car,

and it was awesome.

a great day with a great little brother. 

can't wait for him to be here in utah permanently next year so we can go on more adventures!

post script: please ignore the pixel-y quality of my iphone photos... and my crazy ski  hair.

unBELIZEable.

i won't lie; this week has been a toughie. 

between phonetics exams and papers on worm diseases, 

i've pulled a few almost-all-nighters.

and with prospects of a scholastically-filled next few weeks straight,

i was feeling a little bleak. 

fortunately, my family came and saved the day...

(thank goodness for holiday weekends!)

but more about that later.

yesterday, as i sat in spanish class, 

i dreamt of all of the faraway places i've been...

and all of the places i want to go!

i thought about my short jaunt to belize this winter 

& about how much i love it.

we spent my mother's fiftieth birthday
(though she doesn't look a day over 42)
in the amazing country of belize. 

we packed on a bus and took a tour of the capital city and surrounding areas,

then hiked through the sticky belize jungle to a river and some caves.

we then proceeded to tube down the river, through the ancient mayan caves...

the coolest thing ever, no? 

a few tube malfunctions and a lot of laughs later, we made it back to the bus, 

where we shred a tire on the way home. 

though we were all a little bit food-and-sleep deprived,

i wouldn't have necessarily minded getting stranded in belize.

oh yeah, and all of those puns that conveniently fit with the word "belize" are oh, so real.

i can't tell you the number of times i heard "can you BELIZE it?" or "have an unBELIZEable day!" while in the country. 

if you ever have a chance to go to belize, please do. 

the country is scenic, the people are amazing, 

and tourism really helps them all.

also, you can go tubing through ancient caves while dodging bamboo shoots. 

need any more incentive? i sure hope not!

pink valentine's day popcorn.

it's not valentine's day without a little bit (or a lot) of sugar, 

so we decided to come up with some sugary concoctions here in north seven. 

my darling roommate, tess, whipped up a batch of this pink sugary popcorn last night to help us through our late-night study sesh. 

it was easy, festive, and delish... so try it for yourself! 

ingredients:

2/3 cup popcorn kernels, popped

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup half and half

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

6 drops red food coloring (or any other color you'd like)

directions:

pour popped popcorn into two very large mixing bowls, set aside.  in a large saucepan whisk together sugar, half and half, corn syrup and salt.  cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved.  heat mixture to 232 degrees, stirring occasionally.  immediately remove from heat and pour in vanilla and food coloring.  drizzle mixture over popped popcorn.  gently stir popcorn until mixture is evenly coated and coating begins to dry (you'll notice the popcorn kernels separating).  pour mixture onto waxed paper and allow to dry about twenty minutes.  store in an airtight container.

enjoy!

happy valentine's day!

though i'm quite valentine-less, my roommates and i decided that it was necessary to celebrate valentine's day with a week's worth of love!

on sunday evening, we concocted our very own heart-shaped pizzas and (sort of) watched a chick flick... homework always seems to work its way into our plans.

i whipped up the most delicious, gluten-free, onion, green pepper, and grilled chicken pizza

and was in absolute heaven. 

i used bob red mill's gf pizza crust mix and fresh ingredients and am still eating leftovers!

what's better than that? 

today was a decent little valentine's day.

after staying up most of the night finishing my phonetics exam, 

i spent the day in classes and finishing assignments.

kickboxing and a taco date with my roommate ensued, 

and then came a brief party visit and another valentine's treat (i know, i know...), 

and now it's back to the books.

i'm currently writing a paper on ascariasis (internal worms) to top off the night... how romantic!

and that's just the life of a public health major. 

how was your valentine's day?

orange-y days.

there is little that makes me happier than a little usps box from mesa, arizona. 

my grandparents are the sweetest humans on the planet. 

they know how much i love their home-grown oranges, 

so they send me a few boxes straight from their tree every winter. 

there's nothing that makes me feel more loved

or makes my winters brighter. 

valentine's day sale!

remember that bridal fair that kept me busy all last week? 

well, it went really well.

and as part of my booth, i offered a special rate for the next few weeks.

so naturally, i had to share it all with you here! 

happy valentine's day!

 hope you're all happy and in love with your lives.

www.annagleavephotography.com

{utah, destination wedding photography}

sundance.

we went sundancin' up in park city a few weekends ago during the film festival,
and it was awesome.
freeeezing, but awesome.

we devoured delicious bbq at bandit's,
window shopped & got free cider at roots,
searched for celebrities,
chatted by the fire,
and kept running into more and more and more friends.

the whole night was so charming...
walking around main street of this darling mountain-y town has always been a favorite past time of mine
(did you know i spent the first months of my life in park city?),
but it was especially fun with all of the excitement and clamor of the festival.
and i was a little obsessed with all of the lights strung all around.
it felt like christmas again!

though we came out of the experience celebrity-less and literally frozen,
we enjoyed an evening of ten-degree weather, tasty food, and good company.
and what's better than that?

choosing fear or faith.

i'm sorry i've been so absent as of late. 

it's really the same old excuses [work + school + a little bit of illness].

sometimes, i let the pressure get to me and really weigh me down. 

but i am grateful for a faith, friends, and a family that buoy me back up. 

i'm really relating to this right now

and love her story. 

i love when she mentions how it's not what we do that defines us...

i think this is something a lot of us should remember more often.

we are all children of god.
what we do and what we're successful at is just a teeny part of who we are.

come see me!

this (along with the ever-present stress of school) has been keeping me busy as of late:

so if you're in provo, stop on by!

i can promise you lots of treats (and business cards).

it'll be totally worth it.


anna gleave photography
{utah + destination wedding photography}