It's Christmas!

So. Christmas was a little different this year since it landed on a Sunday. And church in the middle of your Christmas can throw off the schedule a little bit. Add into the mix a couple of sisters who spent the morning getting ready to perform in the ward Christmas program, and your Christmas just might extend well into the afternoon the way ours did :) Things to note:

↑ My mom is absolutely adorable! Biggest surprise of Christmas--she got us all matching Christmas robes! They are fluffy. They are soft. They are so incredibly warm! It's like a blanket you can wear! So much fun! Mom, you are the coolest!

↑ When it comes to dancing, my family has some serious moves! One of our family Christmas gifts was "Just Dance 2" for Wii... oddly enough, it's a game that is both enjoyable to play, AND enjoyable to watch! And talk about a workout--it's a nice way to stay warm in the winter :)

↑ Mo-mo saw a picture of dwarf hamsters last month and fell in love with them. So guess what? Her bf bought her some for Christmas (after asking my parents for permission, of course!) They are pretty silly... they squeak and fill their cheeks so full of food they can barely fit through their little crawl tunnels. But they are really cute, and Mo-mo is an excellent first time pet-owner! This one's named Izzy :)

Other fun stuff... We had berry-filled crepes for breakfast--yum! We all received floaties in our stockings for our cruise in March (we are all getting so excited!) Sister gifts turned out great--I made Katie-cakes a towel wrap for mine, and Bumblebee's gift of Chi products for me was MUCH appreciated/celebrated/I-can't-get-over-how-good-it-makes-my-hair-smell! J-bug's Christmas presents were oddly Halloween-themed this year... she's really into a show called Monster High and a book series entitled "My Sister is a Vampire" this year--she makes me smile :) We played games and tried out the Spot-It cards I brought home which were a HUGE hit... who knew my family could be so intense about a game? And yeah, pretty much we just took it easy.

Thanks family, you guys make my Christmas complete each year!

Besitos,

me

Antes de la Navidad

So. Christmas break is just about over. My family pulled out of my parking lot this morning and no joke, I just about cried. I have had sooooooo much fun with them the past two weeks, and I am so sad to have to come back to school and miss out on being with them! Don't get me wrong, there ARE things I like about being in the valley, but those things are mostly limited to my friends (who are all still out of town right now...) and--wait, nope, my friends are about it right now. ;)

Anyways, I took about a ka-trillion pictures over break, so I'm splitting my Christmas-break post up a bit and I'll try to narrow things down a bit so you don't have to scroll through 18 million pages of photos. Okay, things before Christmas:

↑Epic Food. Seriously, the best food I've eaten in a long time. Italian soup. White chili and cornbread. Jello-pretzel-cream cheese salad. Shrimp and cocktail sauce. Salami. Churros. Tamales. Enchiladas. Is your mouth watering yet???? Okay, so by now you should know that I have this weird fascination with food and cooking. I haven't had much time this semester between school and working part-time to cook the way I want to, so it was such a treat to go home and cook and eat and to have well-stocked shelves... *contented sigh* If I counted all the pictures of food on my camera, well, let's just say people would think I'm a fattie! I'm starting to forget how to cook for a crowd though--my mom caught me cooking three chicken breasts to make enchiladas for the whole family. The second she asked me if I was only cooking for myself, I realized--I've been away from home too long! :/

↑Mo-mo's Quilting Project. Mo-mo made a super-cute, super-intense denim quilt for her bf in the week leading up to Christmas. She worked so hard on it (think hours and hours of sewing), and it turned out AMAZING! Am I the only one who is blown away by the awesomeness of their younger sibs?

↑Christmas Pajamas. Every year my sisters and I get new pajamas on Christmas Eve. This year my mom put a fun twist on things by letting us choose in the order of who was willing to perform a Christmas song first (see photo below). J-bug was first to the piano... it made me laugh since she was the only one guaranteed to get a specific set of pajamas (footies with a hood!), but hey, I wasn't about to down on her Christmas enthusiasm!

:) Happiness.

Lotsa' love,

me.

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

So... I left my apartment at 1pm today. And I arrived home tonight at 10pm. How does that happen, you might ask, when I live less that 5 hours away from school? Good question. Ummm... so I may have turned a series of small errands into a mountain of time-consuming effort. That's right, I went into several stores. And me + Christmas shopping + a big drive = WAAAAY longer than it should be! But everything is done and I am home finally, and let me tell you, there is no better feeling than coming home. There is no better feeling than talking with my family and playing with my sisters and just BEING in my house. I love it. Love, love, love it. Like seriously, I'm not sure you realize how much I love it. Try to imagine me exploding with joy like the picture below:

Yeah, I'm pretty happy right now ^_^ Anyways, I've been thinking lately about small moments and how the little things like hanging with my family and talking with my friends are what bring me the very most joy in life. So when I stumbled across this video, I knew I had to share.

Author Anna Quindlen once said, "Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live." So, during the busy holiday season, I "triple-dog-dare-you" all (name that movie!) to enjoy those small moments. Enjoy the family and the friends and the blessings in your lives. Enjoy the respite from work and finals and whatever other busy-ness you have going on. I promise you won't regret it!

Thank you for being a part of my life,

me

Christmas is Coming to Town...

Dear everyone,

I am missing my camera. It is blue, and cute, and looks like this:

I last saw it on Thanksgiving day in a black Panasonic case. Which means, yes, my Thanksgiving pictures are currently unavailable. So if it happens to show up, let me know. Of course I most likely just misplaced it in my apartment somewhere, but I get REALLY frustrated when I can't find something (personality flaw...) and I can only handle looking for 10 minutes at a time. Plus I have a theory that if I am patient enough, most of the stuff I lose will turn up. And if it doesn't, well, usually by that point I've realized I can live without it (like two of my most favorite pairs of flip flops. *sigh*). But I'm not sure I can live without this camera...

Anywho, Thanksgiving was awesome and now I can finally turn to the next holiday--CHRISTMAS!--without any guilt! I spent the last of break decorating our apartment:

Baby Christmas Tree!

Wreath I made with one of my bf's out of ornaments :)

And just tonight I finally got around to making Christmas countdowns! I sorta' stole the idea from the ones my mom used to make with us when I was little. You get to cut a piece of bubblegum off each day and there's a cute little poem to go with. By the way, (I tried SOOO hard to blow a bubble for you guys... apparently it's not one of my talents so I gave up and just smiled for this pic. Sorry!)

"Did you know that Santa Claus chews bubble gum everyday?

And did you know that Santa Claus blows bubbles in his sleigh?

Just 25 days 'til Christmas, I hope it gets here fast!

I'll have to plan carefully to make my bubblegum last!

One bubblegum each day is all that I will chew,

and with every bubble that I blow, Santa I'll think of you!"

Successful day! But in all seriousness, it WAS a great day. I spent all day on campus studying for my test and scored... (drum roll please) a 94%! Woot! It was such an awesome feeling to see the little "Fantastic!" next my ID# at the testing center! And I got to see all the Christmas lights on campus, and I have awesome friends, and I have a family who makes sure my radiator is working properly, and I have a dad who will listen to me and help me process my life for hours on end, and life is just kinda' really good. Famous Anne Frank is quoted as saying, "Think of all the beauty still left around you and BE HAPPY." I like that :) This time of year, it's easy to get swept up in finals, and how cold it is, and how much there's left to do in school before the semester ends, but when I take a step back to really look at the world, well, I can't help but realize how blessed I am. So as things get busy this Christmas season, I challenge you all to count YOUR blessings. And life will get a little bit better. I promise.

Take care,

me

Many Thanks

So the other day I found a picture online that made me chuckle. Those of you who know me may understand why:

Yeah. The words stress-muffin, drama-queen, and worry-wart get tossed around during gentle teasing quite a bit at my house... And I know, I know, it's silly to end sentences about academic choices with "...and it could ruin my whole life!!!", and yes, it does seem strange to have personal emergency plans for airplane flights, but hey, I promise I'm working on it! Anyways, when I start to get stressed out or overwhelmed or WHATEVER by life, I find it's usually due to a lack of perspective.

So since today is Thanksgiving, thought I'd gain some perspective while contemplating the things I am grateful for. Slightly cliché? Perhaps. But that doesn't affect my sincerity.

FIRST OFF: My family. Seriously, they are my most favorite people in the entire world. There's something special about being part of a family--something wonderful about knowing that you are loved just for being you; that your existence makes a difference in someone's life; that you are safe with them to laugh and cry and be silly and just be 100% WHO YOU ARE. And at the end of the day no matter what, they'll always love you. It is the best feeling in the whole wide world to know that there are people who will pick you up when you fall, and who you know you would be willing to do the same for. My family is the best part of my day, whether I get the chance to talk with them or just think about them. I am who I am today because of my family--I learned patience from my mom as she listened on a daily basis to my after-school chatter growing up; I learned the value of time from my dad as he watched Saturday morning cartoons with me or read me my favorite books (over and over and over...); and through the example of my sisters I have learned to be confident in my decisions, to love deeply, to not be afraid of being silly or being a little bit different than everyone else. Today I got stuck working two 4-hour shifts, but the fam decided to celebrate with me and make the drive up. And Thanksgiving with family... well, that automatically makes it the best ever.

SECONDLY: My friends. Call me ridiculously lucky, say I'm blessed, either way the truth is that I have incredible friends! They are all so very unique and talented in their own way, and I am so grateful for the chance to be a part of their lives! They make me laugh when I'm grumpy, they give me a clear perspective when I'm hung up on stuff, and they show me everyday that the world is an incredible place full of new things to learn. And sometimes, they give the ultimate gift by just listening. They are examples to me of all the best things in life, and I hope I can grow up to be as amazing as they are.

A lot of other stuff: a job where I get to serve others, a car that gets me everywhere I need to go safely, a warm apartment, good roommates, an awesome ward, the chance to attend BYU, hazelnut creamer to go in my hot chocolate, soup & grilled cheese sandwiches on cold days, a ukulele, so many more shoes than I need, a nice mattress (finally!), covered parking (no more scraping my windows!), living in the internet age, a computer, good music to listen to, that it's almost the end of the semester, and sooooo very much more!!!!!

In the October General Conference session of 2010, President Thomas S. Monson said:

"Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings... sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love."

It's so very true. Anyways, I hope you all have an incredible Thanksgiving.

Much love (and many thanks for your role in my life!),

me

Really Quick...

So. Last weekend Mo-mo came to visit me. Sisters are the best EVER! We spent probably 5-6 hours shopping. Which translates to some serious sister-bonding time! Her bf was playing in the state semifinals (or is it quarterfinals? I can never remember which one is right before the state championship...) so Saturday we bundled up and headed out into the cold to watch. Football is kinda' a big deal in my hometown (I mean, where is football NOT a big deal?) so half the city was out there supporting the football team... tons of fun! People at school ask me all the time if I ever hated growing up in a small town. The answer--NEVER!!! There's something incredibly cool about being part of a community; about knowing your friends and their cousins and their grandparents and being able to rattle off their family trees; about knowing the people in your life not only as they are now, but as they were in high school, in elementary. There's an incredible sense of being CONNECTED. I love it so much.

Anyways, here's one of me and the little sis at the game:

The cutie-patootie on the left of the cheer line is another very talented and beautiful sister:

Later that day I was able to go support a high school friend in his improv-comedy premiere:

So yeah. Life's pretty awesome. And if you thought things couldn't get any better, get this--

I BOUGHT A UKULELE!!! That's right. I am one step closer to being as cool as Israel Kamakawiwo'ole... now all I have to do is gain about 630 pounds and absorb the essence of Hawaiian. Yeah, not entirely sure how that's gonna' go, but at least I have the uke!

(Here she is!)

Oh, bonus shot of the view from my balcony... even though it's cold, there's something lovely about fall turning into winter.

Well, sleep well everyone,

me

The Great Pumpkin!

Okay. So there are no pumpkins in this post. Not a single pumpkin. But this post DOES have everything to do with Halloween, and everyone knows pumpkins and Halloween are closely related... possibly double-cousins or something wild like that. Anyway, as you know by now Halloween has made its yearly round once more. After buying a myriad of random costume pieces at DI for costumes that I knew would never be identified by modern society (or possibly any society for that matter), I ended up using none of them and went instead as an Angry Bird from the same-named game. DIY tip on the netting for my skirt... it's like 90 cents a yard at Wal-Mart (which everyone knows is the fourth coolest store after DI, Costco on a sample day, and WINCO on any day). My roommates were adorable (as usual) and went as a Cereal-Killer and a witch-in-training.

(this is us!)

Other costumes at our ward party that deserve mention: a set of goldfish, "Shawn Spencer" from the tv show "Psych", Grapes of Wrath (she drew angry faces on purple balloons and taped them to her shirt...), and Catniss from "The Hunger Games".

Of course, two costumes that really took my breath away...

Although I have never seen Hot Rod, Brandon gets points for wearing a fake mustache and for squeezing into that snow suit. And Eric gets points for emulating both Princess Bride (great book) and Cary Elwes (dreamiest man to be resurrected in a movie). Good job, guys!

Yeah. Pretty awesome, huh? And if you STILL feel like you need something to inspire you for the week, check out this awesome video a friend of mine recently posted:

Wow. Yeah. I've got it pretty good you know, and not just because I have arms and legs... I have the support of some really incredible people in my life--my parents, my sisters, my friends... and I am SOOOOO grateful for that! Don't forget how good life is, okay?

Thanks for all your support lovelies,

me

Do the CREEP!

So. This weekend I finally tracked down one of my BFs... Casey-girl! Why is this girl one of my favorite people? For starters, because when I told her that I had recently acquired a set of fake mustaches, this is what happened next:

Yes, we really are this cool :)

Anyways... that of course sparked the topic of creeps with mustaches, culminating in watching "Do The Creep" by The Lonely Island and Nicki Minaj (note to readers, you may want to censor parts of the music video if you decide to watch it on Youtube). As everyone knows, if you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want some milk to go with it... and if you give two silly girls fake mustaches and show them "The Creep", well, you can imagine what will happen:

(They'll get their arms T-rexin'!)

Oh yeah, and we made hair clips with fabric and a whole lotta' hot-glue-gunnin'.

Yep. Pretty epic weekend. Speaking of other epic things, I'd like to give a little shout-out to Eric and his family for running their SECOND Ragnar relay run this year in Las Vegas! Woot! This makes them proud owners of the much-coveted "Saints & Sinners" medals (yes, I am jealous. You should be, too.) Check out the bling and this beast of a final run Eric had to do:

(10.2 miles. 1283 foot incline. wow.)

Oh, and I finally worked up the courage to go back to my academic counselor and defer my graduation... that's right folks, I will be here at BYU for one more semester! Taking 8 more credits of chemistry isn't really what I had in mind for my life at the beginning of the year (or EVER in my life really), but plans change. And as hard as it can be to let go of where you thought life was taking you, sometimes you just gotta' go with your gut feeling and trust that things will work out, you know? I love this quote by Neil A. Maxwell:

"Those with true hope often see their personal circumstances shaken,

like a kaleidoscope, again and again.

Yet with the 'eye of faith' they still see divine pattern and purpose.

By pressing forward, we can stand on what was yesterday's horizon,

thereby drawing hope from our own experiences."

Well, have a lovely week all y'alls,

me

Homecoming!

So. The past several weeks have been a series of homecomings. Which for all those of you who don't know, is really cool. First homecoming to be mentioned:

BYU HOMECOMING!

Confession--I am not actually a very avid participant in Homecoming festivities. But I do enjoy seeing the "Y" lit up on the mountain every year. And there is one homecoming tradition I have embraced whole-heartedly... BLUE PANCAKES! Imagine if you will, a fluffy, warm, delicious pancake. Now imagine that it's blue, covered in melting chocolate chips, drizzled in syrup, and then generously doused in whipped cream. Oh, and you can add butter, if you want:) Talk about a sugar smorgasbord! You are guaranteed to go home sleepy and content! How neat is that? ;)

So anyways, Eric was a great sport and let me drag him there with me:

(Blue pancakes... yum!)

I had to work that night and missed the homecoming football game. Bummer :( But look what some sneaky person (who's name just might rhyme with 'Derrick') drew on my car while I was at work:

Other homecomings worthy of mention: my little sisters' high school homecoming (Royalty & Powderpuff participants!):

(She's the cutie in the purple dress!)

(My sisters are so tough!)

My friend Andy from freshman year's mission homecoming:

So yeah. Pretty awesome month so far :) The only thing that would make it better is if --I-- could go home for a little while... but alas, it seems I am destined to be in school/working for the rest of my life... not really:) But I am re-evaluating my graduation plan since the U is requiring--get this--TWO THOUSAND HOURS of work experience before I can apply to their program!!! Grrrr... But I guess that's why John Lennon used to say that "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Then again, who ever said John Lennon was an expert on anything? :D

Keep up the good work,

me

RUN!

So. My mom is boss. I mean, quite literally, she is one of the coolest, most accomplished people I know. This weekend she ran in the St. George Marathon. Yes, she is really that hard-core :)

This is right before she smoked these two older guys and beat them to the finish line:

Look, you can't even tell she just ran 26.2 miles:

Taking pictures with the little sis (I LOVE sisters!!!):

Oh, and we got to go to Tuacahn and see "The Little Mermaid" with the grandparents while we were there--it was UH-MAZE-ING!!! All the actors had wheels on the bottom of their shoes so they looked like they were "swimming" across the stage, they had real-life WATER pour across the stage at one point, and they projected images onto a fountain of water that spanned the stage... so cool!

I love family. I loved this weekend.

Peace yo,

me

"Mawage is What Bwings Us Together"

So. Eric's brother Greg got married a week ago. Such a beautiful day. And the couple... radiant. They were both just so happy :) It has been so much fun to see them fall in love and grow together the past year, and I felt so lucky to be there and be part of their wedding with Eric (thanks, Eric!)

Being the musical maestros (maestras?) that they are, Eric's sisters played all the music for the reception and first dances. They are pretty flippin' talented, just so ya' know :)

I had so much fun being there! I learned the ancient art of flower de-petaling as we pulled apart roses to throw at the newlyweds when they left, I held the CUTEST niece ever, observed the timeless Turkish tradition of feeding your spouse a chocolate covered strawberry (we're pretty sure Ashley is Turkish), and pretty much spent the day with some of my favorite people outside of my family.

(You know you can't resist those chocolate-y lips!)

Favorite picture of the day:

Gosh, I love that boy :)

You know those days that are so lovely and happy that you want to hold on to them forever? Those days you want to stop time and hold on to the way you feel, the way things are just in that moment? This was one of those days. Billy Crystal once said that "Change is such hard work." I'm one of those girls who kind of fights change. Which is silly, I know, I know. But it was nice to see at the wedding how--even when things change--some things remain constant. Life is so good! Don't forget it, okay?

Love,

me

FISHY!!!!

So. I have a fish. And his name is Gill. Just so you're not confused, he was not christened after this commonly known Gill from "Finding Nemo":

He was named after this one, from the movie "What About Bob?":

Yeah, he's pretty rad. And for a cold-blooded creature, he is really cute. I mean REALLY cute! Get this--when the light is on in his tank, he likes to play with his reflection. The first night I got him, I caught him trying to fight with his reflection-self... silly fish :)

(Look at that cute fish!!!)

Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Do you ever get caught up in thinking that you are a stupid fish? I do sometimes. Well, I mean, I don't necessarily think I'm a fish ('cause how ridiculous would that be?!), but there are times when I just think to myself, "I can't do this! I am such a flop!" And in doing so, I completely miss all the potential I have in other areas of my life!

I think sometimes succeeding isn't about being the best or being perfect at everything we do... I think it has more to do with figuring out our strengths--discovering who we are--and then using that knowledge to reach our greatest potential. So remember, it's okay to be a fish :)

Songs Are Stuck in My Head!

Okay, I've been humming these songs for the last 3 days straight. I wake up singing them. I shower singing them. Obviously my subconscious is trying to tell me... that I need to head out on my way and pick up so new shoes??? I'm not sure, but I thought I'd share anyways!

"Pumped Up Kicks" cover by Jayme Dee

It's strange how happy this song about gun violence is. It's also strange how it makes me want to go buy pumped-up kicks (what ARE pumped up kicks???)

"Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root

This song plays at the end of the movie "Ice Age". If it's good enough for a talking mammoth, a fire-making sloth, and a kind-hearted sabertooth tiger, it's good enough for me :)

"Keep Your Head Up" by Andy Grammer

Possibly the best song of the summer... so let your hair down!

Fall, Friends, & Firsts

Friends, I have just experienced my very last first-day-of-school at BYU. It's sad to realize that after this fall I will have to voyage out into the real world, away from the safety of a campus where people ride unicycles, wear medieval clothing, and in general, are a peculiar people. It's also weird that after three years of complaining about tests and homework and how hard BYU is, I've come to a point where I actually love our university so much. I--LOVE--BYU! And I don't care who knows it! :) Eleanor Roosevelt once said that, "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." As the new school year starts, I hope you all will be able to live up to that statement and live life to the fullest, even if it feels like all you ever do is take tests or go to class. Life is too much of an adventure to pass up :)

Anywho, I was maybe a bit too excited about school starting, and I may have made everyone get their first-day-of-school picture taken, so here are just a few tidbits for you to enjoy!

The gentlemen of my life right now:

The sisters of my life forever:

And of course, me:

Stay positive!

Newbie Zoobies

A long, long time ago at a university not very far away, I was once a freshman. Eager to learn about campus and my new settings, I diligently participated in new student orientation with my roommate, Ellie-BellyButton. Well, you can imagine our dismay when we arrived to find a group of--not thirty, not twenty--but TEN students in our orientation group. Not to be rude in anyway, but our Y-group leaders (as they are called at our university) were kind of flops. By the end of orientation our group's numbers had dropped to a paltry three students. And while they say two's a party and three's a crowd, let me tell you something--three is NOT a crowd.

So when I signed up to be a Y-group leader this year, I swore to be infinitely cooler than my predecessors. I planned, I prepared, and I pitched myself into new student orientation with everything I had. And while I may be slightly biased in my assessment, I have to say, NSO was a smashing success! Group Yellow-18 was THE BOMB, and the new students who came were such troopers--we averaged 20-22 people at each event! We had sooooo much fun--from learning each others names while playing frisbee and attending the "Traditions of Honor presentation:

...to building the letter 'Y' in Lavell Edwards Stadium:

...and attending the women's volleyball game:

...NSO was such an adventure!

I am so lucky to have had the new students I did! (And yes, it was worth walking in the heat for two days straight with a balloon tied to my backpack so that they could find me!)

Great Expectations...

Have you ever had a project that you envisioned would be a project to out-do all other projects? A project that--if executed correctly--could be your personal Colosseum, your Mona Lisa, your Canon in D? I seem to have a lot of projects like that. My lofty plans, however, seem to be constantly thwarted by the fact that 1) They always involve something I'm inexperienced in, and 2) There's just so much other stuff to work on in life that it takes me a MIIILLLIIIOOONN years to finish!

This week, for example, I set out to build a rabbit hutch. Yeah. It's a little bit extreme even considering some of the crazy stuff I've decided to make in the past (ear-hats, anyone?) J-bug recently acquired a bunny named Oreo, though, and after convincing her it wouldn't fit in a hamster cage, I decided to make her a rabbit hutch.

This is what I envisioned:

This is what I had at the end of the day:

Tom Magliozzi of NPR's "Car Talk" once said that happiness equals reality minus expectations. But sometimes it is just SOOOOO hard for me to let go of that picture I have in my head of how I think life should work! Guess I need to keep working on that... In the mean time, though, it's a good thing I don't make rabbit hutches for a living :)