LA (wedding) story

So in my brain this was a slight upset, but nonetheless I am happy for my best friend Jocelyn and her new hubby! I can't believe that it actually happened because it was kind of a long time coming, but she is officially a Mrs! Jocelyn made one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen.  This was my 4th time being in a line (1x a maid of honor, 3x a bridesmaid) and I have always enjoyed helping the Brides with whatever they have needed, but I definitely feel like I was needed most in this wedding and I LOVED IT. I had the opportunity to visit Joc in LA beforehand for about 4 days and we had so much fun catching up since she had moved there about 6 months after I had moved to SLC for school. She came back to Cedar City with me and we played for two weeks straight (and i worked her out so hard she probably hates me)! I helped throw her an amazing bridal shower and then we went to Provo together to do the last fitting of her Zac Posen gown. MAN, that gown was unreal. I'm serious. She looked hottttt. It was a mermaid fit with a bussel. A BUSSEL. Anyways, my mom and I made a trip down to LA and the wedding was insanely beautiful. Great Gatsby never looked so good.  I loved being there for her. I also would like to publicly thank her for picking such a wearable and cute dress for us girls to wear.  Black and tight, just the way I like it ;) (AND it was modest for my missionary needs lol.)

Here are some random shots from our trip and the wedding!

The beautiful couple coming out of the LA temple (which looks like an aztec temple its awesome.)

see that BUSSEL

smooches for my momma

ummm she is soo gorgeous I can't even.

The three sassy Bridesmaids

I love this Asos one piece!

The beach was COOO-HOLD.

There were these amazing swings and things at the Santa Monica Pier. Lets just say I had some fun.

First up, NICE CREAM

Mmmmm…. one of my favorite summertime breakfasts, snacks, desserts, cravings, obsessions. Ever since I found out that I had an intolerance to lactose, I have been searching for something to satisfy my creamy-cold-sweet ice cream craving. It gets hard during the summer to stay away from that stuff.  However, I was introduced to nana "ice cream" or NICECREAM through a girl i follow on instagram.  Not only is this stuff WAY better for you, but it offers that amazing banana flavor that I personally adore.  I have failed on many levels while attempting to make this stuff but once I failed enough, I hit the sweet spot, both in my tummy and on the recipe. This stuff consists of….drum roll please….. frozen bananas. Yep, that's it! Unless you want to get fancy, and I usually do, it's really so simple.  I usually add some vanilla and a dash of water so i get the right flavor and consistency but it really does taste DELICIOUS on it's own. All you have to do is:

Freeze 2-3 sliced bananas (however much you think you'll want, I'm usually satisfied with two)
and let them thaw out for a few minutes before you want to make it.
Toss them in a high speed blender or food processor and add a tsp or so of water and VROOM, lactose free deliciousness.
If you do want to add some flavor, try
-a dash of vanilla, lemon, almond, or peppermint extract!
You can also add frozen fruit at the end and you'll end up with a chunky fruity concoction.
-DELICIOUS TOPPINGS ARE REQUIRED. Seriously you can get crazy people. DO it.
(frozen berries, chocolate chips, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, etc)

I made my own this morning for a post workout cool-down treat. I threw into my blender
-2 chopped and frozen nanas
-Mexican vanilla extract (Seriously like a tsp)
-a little water
 and pulsed for a few minutes while scraping the sides every once in a while.
Then I just blended for a little while longer on a low speed and waited for that perfect creamy consistency.
On top I added a sprinkle of
-Dried white Mulberries
-Dried Goji Berries
and my new favorite thing
-Unsweetened Carob Chips.

Talk about SUPERFOOD MANIA.

Mulberries are a Turkish Superfruit that contain 4g of dietary fiber per ounce along with Calcium (who most lactose intolerant people need a little extra of since they can't get it from dairy), antioxidants (a main one being resveratrol, promoting a healthy heart), iron, vitamin C, and taste delish of course.

Goji Berries are a Himalayan Superfruit and is said to be one of the most nutrient-rich foods on the earth (WHAT) It's a great vegetarian source of protein and is also packed with essential amino acids, vitamin A, and have a great crunch that adds goodness to anything you sprinkle them on!

Here are the brands I have been using as of late.

and here is my finished product this morning! You can thank me later for this.

YUMMMMM

Finding pure bliss in everyday

xoxo, Lyss

Intro Time!

Just thought you'd like to know

who the blonde chick is running this blog! Well, my name is Alyssa or Lyss, hence the bLYSS. I'm 19 and about to head out on the journey of a lifetime! I'm going to the Belgium/Netherlands serving an 18 month LDS mission.  I thought it might be convenient to start this blog up and let my mom take over the reins while i'm gone, enlightening you with some of my words of wisdom from the mission field and a few amazing stories, quotes, pictures, etc. straight from Holland.  I'll be speaking dutch so i'm sure you'll get some of that too! As of now, I still have a month and a half until I ship out and have a little (lotta) extra free time on my hands. I'll be baking up delicious vegan or just dairy free creations and sharing their selfies and recipes to go along with them! My obsessions include fitness/fashion/beauty (seriously, it's a problem) so there might be some of that thrown into the mix! 

Finding pure bliss in everyday

xoxo, Lyss.

P.S. I love kitties.