this week i:

don't like the new iTunes 10.0. its horrible. bigger isn't always better!

am excited to have my sister in town for the weekend.

love talking to my siblings. even when its not in the most conventional ways.

{take that however you want. ha!}

am scared by the fact that hoda has the same color of skin as she does hair.

started writing a new book. {let the frustrating process begin again!}

love my friends.

what's on your mind this week?

trip re-cap in a nutshell.

well, i'll sum up my utah vacay in a nutshell for you.

tuesday jan 12th: VERY stressful day for me. i don't know. just the packing for a nearly 2 week long trip and getting ready to leave for that long absolutely took its toll on me. i even had a little break-down-cry-session for a few minutes because i was just having a crummy day. couldn't find the ipod, laptop wasn't working, zipper on suitcase was broken and so on and so forth. -- when we finally got out of the house i was still in bad mood due to sissykins tape player (yep i said tape player) not cooperating which meant no listening to the ipod (and no i didn't find mine. brother was just kind enough to let us take his), and then the cds in her cd player were scratched-a-mundo so we couldn't even listen to most of those. *sigh* i was glad to finally get to our destination AND see my bestie kimberly. - she made everything better by purchasing FAME (which i had not yet seen) and making us velveeta and shells (a bestie tradition). i love my kimberly.

wednesday jan 13th: for starters, i know i missed words of wisdom wednesday and i'm sorry. -- we-ll. a not so stressful day (and thank goodness!) although kimberly worked a double, my mckay friend got out of school at noon, so we were able to have lunch and do a little catching up which was g-r-a-n-d. we watched FAME again and i burned music from kimberly so i'd have decent, non-scratched cds (owl city, she&him, a little imogen heap. life was good) for the rest of the drive down which was to take place on saturday.

thursday jan 14th: i went to yoga. first time ever. and guess what? i'm TOTALLY addicted. i plan to start it up with my momma. another highlight? i got to see aunt laura (kimberly's aunt that i have adopted as my own) and amberkins (kimberly's sister whom i've adopted as my own) AND taggy-baby (kimberly's sister amber's baby haha whom i L-O-V-E).

friday jan 15th: i'm aware that i missed a fun fact friday and i am very very sorry for that. well we drove to st. goerge on this day. and before even going to our house, i convinced sissykins to make a stop in at our cousins sami and becca's. it was GRAND! they grabbed their over night stuff and joined sissykins and i at our house for a totally girly sleep over (complete with nail painting and michael buble listening.)

saturday jan 16th: i'm not going to lie. pretty much all i did on this day, was watch season 2 of gossip girl. i'm completely addicted and i wanted to get it out of the way so it wasn't consuming me the rest of the trip, which it only 1/2 did. :) (three dreams about chuck bass in three consecutive nights... okay. i was consumed!) later on that night i went and ate with the cuzzies (sami&becca), played clue a few times (love that game!) and we went and got frozen yougart at krave which i had never been to. excellent fro-yo, but nothing beats my spoon me. nothing.

sunday jan 17th: complete awesomeness because i got to see my amigo mikey cakes. we went to church together (which was quite a weird experience, as the people that are there every time i go back just keep getting younger and younger! i was in a college ward with 18 year olds that were in my home ward. i never imagined i'd see them in a college ward...) - then i got to see 2 of my 4 sets of grandparents (and the cuzzies again)! oh and! my dad was in town on his way home from vegas so we got to see him as well. that was fun.

monday jan 18th: finished up season 2 of gossip girl (so exciting i know!) and... i think that was about it. i may have seen the cuzzies, but to be honest, i can't really remember.

tuesday jan 19th: went to my other bestie kim's house (yep. two besties named kim. which is why one is kimberly and the other is kim. thank goodness bestie number 3 is named ashley. i don't know what i would have done with another kim!) - we did lunch at pizza factory (delicious!) and ran errands for her and all that kind of good stuff, then since i was sleeping over, we stayed up pretty late (mostly to feed and watch baby kai) and started a business!

wednesday jan 20th: oh. missed another words of wisdom wednesday. gotta forgive though. computer useage was VERY limited. BUT what i did do is: colored my auntie's hair on this day, which meant hung out with the cuzzies somemore. it was spectacular.

thursday jan 21st: well mostly i helped my kim friend organize her house. i also got to see an old co-worker/friend of mine, claudia. she came and chated with kim and i while i was at kims house. then, i met up with some girls that sissykins and i have known for almost 20 years! we ate at 25 main (YUM! cupcakes!) and it was great to see them and catch up with them.

friday jan 22nd: bah! missed another fun fact friday! ssssorrrrry. BUT: got to see another set of grandparents! we ate lunch with them, then went back to their house to view pictures from their recent trip to china. it looked amazing. then i went to my bestie kim's house and helped her orgainze more, and worked on the business a bit too. colored her hair, ate some pizza, watched a little bit of the office, and then went home for bed.

saturday jan 23rd: saw the cuzzies one last time, ate lunch with grandparents one last time (grandma took us to see some artwork of my uncles and i helped grandma get a facebook), and set out on the road for provo. - when we got there, we hit up a show at muse music (archie and the traveling sales men), and of course slept at kimberly's.

sunday jan 24th: i said good bye to kimberly and headed home. almost missed the exit (becuase of sissykins!) almost rear-ended someone (again because of sissykins), but made it  home just in time for dinner. it is glorious to be home.

like home,


p.s. it rained 80% of the time we were in st.george which was LOVELY!

{pics taken by me, me, a girl at 25 main whose name i can't remember but am very grateful to her for snapping the pic, me, and me!}

happy birthday to my baby sister.

today is my baby sister's 16th birthday.

boy. do i feel o-l-d.

nonetheless:

happy birthday sister!

i ♥ you!

lets take a look at some of the good ole days:

{^disneyland 2006 - me, sissykins, sister.}

{^4th of july 2007 - sissykins, cousin b, me, cousin smee, sister.}

{^bowling 2008 - me, sister, cousin smee.}

{^yellowstone 2009 - sissykins, sister, moi.}

i hope you have a {wonderful} day,

an {awesome} month,

an {incredible} year,

and many more to come!

xoxo

you look like a monkey,


{pics all courtesy of the familia's files on my computer.}

happy new years eve. a year in review.

its new years eve everyone!

i'm stoked for 2010!

its going to be a great year!

i've decided to take an idea from my blogging friend jacque and do a year in review.

just so ya'll can see what i've been up to!

{january}--

in january i planned and participated in my last convention with my old job. i was sad to leave, but excited for new adventures!

{february}--

i had a lot of health issues in february, most of my month consisted of proceedures, doctors offices, blood tests, and all around blckiness. -- i also quit my job to move to california and attend make up school.

{march}--

march was pretty un-eventful for me. i ended up not moving to california, OR attending make-up school. i mostly just sat on my duff. -- in march, however, i decided to attend a different school that was closer to home. keep reading to see if that ever happend.

{april}--

i spent most of april in my home town of st. george, ut! it was sissykins 21st birthday and so i was there with her. i threw her a mad hatter tea party themed birthday, it was a blast. i also ate a lot of spoon me while there, and way too many 25 main cupcakes.

{may}

in may i started planning for my big move, and the start of my new school.

{june}

june marked the 1st anniversary of moving to our new state, and it also brought mom and dad's 25th wedding anniversary. (25 years! wow-sa!) to celebrate, we all went to jakson hole and yellowstone. it was my first time ever going, and i've never seen anywhere (in the united states) so beautiful (minus the red rocks of st. george...). -- michael jackson died this month too. -- i packed up all my stuff in anticipation of my up coming move. 

{july}

i moved away from home, and set out on the road to become an official uvu student!                                       {<--here i am bawling like a baby cause i'm going to miss my babies so much!} - i had a blast living in utah again with my very best friend ever! but the truth of the matter was, i was having a really tough time finding a job, and was starting to worry how i was going to pay all my current bills, along with school and rent on top of that.

{august}

oh august! boo got baptized into our church (such an awesome event), we took a nice long trip to california (and had a mini family reunions along the way), and i turned the big 2-4. i also moved back home because of lack of a job in utah. i was really sad to leave, but i felt it was the right thing to do.

{september}

i was hunkering down, getting ready for the snow. it was sure to come soon! brothey turned 18 which made me feel somewhat old...

{october}

i left my old blog and started this one. sissykins moved in (huzzah!) and we celebrated halloween together. such a blast. oh and i colored my hair haley williams (of paramore) red.

{november}

thanksgiving time! this year was spent just the 8 of us at home, but i learned a lot from our new thanksgiving traditions. - oh and how could i forget! november brought the release of new moon.

{december}

december is where i stand now. having had an awesome christmas, (and mourning the death of brittany murphey) i look forward to the new year with bright hopes and anxious anticipation! bring it on 2010!!!

have a great new year everyone, stay safe, and stick to those resolutions!!

and a happy new year,

{all pics were taken by me, or a family member. wow-sa.}

phase 10.

played {phase 10} tonight with mom, and sissykins.

what fun.

    

    

    

sissykins won.

{boo-ya sissykins}.

go fish,

christmas eve dinner.

every year we have a {special} christmas eve dinner.

all of us look forward to it every year.

mmmmm.

{pasta} with {shrimp} and {crab} and {alfredo}.

d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

here are some christmas eve pics:

{me and brothey}

{sister, little m, me, brothey, boo, sissykins}

not a creature was stirring,

{pics courtesy of mother dearest. good job mom.}

homemade christmas gifts.

yes christmas is over, but i still have 5 gifts i haven't given yet.

3 of my friends & and 2 of my cousins are getting home made gifts this year.

hope they like them!

i decorated these frames according to all of their personalities.

i'm excited to give them away!

this one is my fave.

♥

♥

♥

i'm thinking if i get to 15 followers, i'll give away a set of 3 frames custom made for the winner. what do you think?

if you want to be a part of the giveaway, spread the word about my blog to your friends.

at 15 followers i'll give a set of 3 of these frames away!

you could be the lucky winner.

gettin' lucky with you,

{pics taken by me. me. ME.}

seven days of {smiles}.

seven days of smiles this week.

it was a long week for me, and looking back,

i realize i had so many tiny miracles going on around me,

that i want to reflect on what made me smile.

1. {monday} -- i got my hair done. that was a major smile. and then i had a blast at f.h.e. afterwards! 

2. {tuesday} -- watched t.v. with some darling little kids all five of them wanting to sit on my lap.

3. {wednesday} -- attended not one but two christmas parties. loved spending time with my relief society girls, and then laughing with sissykins' co-workers at her work party.

4. {thursday} -- boo's first piano recital ever. and then, my visiting teachers spent 2 hours at my house. we sat on the floor and ate tater tots with sissykins' a-maz-ing fry sauce, they gave us pez dispensers for christmas!

5. {friday} -- went visiting teaching (for 2+ hours) and made some incredible new friends. we're talking incredible. played twilight scene it for the first time ever (and won might i add! - although i would have had fun no matter what.)

6. {saturday} -- drank some hot cocoa after a very long day, and then watched an episode of ugly betty with sissykins.

7. {sunday} -- woke up to find one of my out-of-town cousins at my house (always a joy.) and then after church and dinner we watched i'll be home for christmas which was an early christmas present to me!

so grateful for such awesome blessings in my life.

thank you to everyone who has made me smile this week.

here comes the sun,

congratulations are in order.

aw! one of my {besties} just had her {baby}!

i'm so excited for her!

{welcome to the world little kai.}

:)

i'm bringin' home my baby bumblebee,

"i want to be a good person".

while out in town today, little m found $0.28 in sissykins car,

and {pocketed} it to keep for himself.

when we pulled in to the walmart parking lot,

little m saw the salvation army bell ringer standing outside {ringing} her bell.

he said "i want to give my money. i want to be a good person."

and so now, the {salvation army} is $0.28 richer because of little m's kind heart.

i'm glad he understands the real reason for the season.

so greatful for such {awesome} siblings!

they're such good examples!

god bless us, everyone,


{snapped the pic meself with my little sidekick teley.}

away in a manger.

my {creative} momma and brothers (little m and boo),

made me the cutest little nativity a few years back.

and guess what?!

its christmas time. so now i can {bust} it out!

isnt it {adorable}?!

no crying he makes,

{i took the pic of the adorable manger scene you see above.}

movie chain. oh yeah.

(get ready for a big, yet thourghly entertaining, list!)

sissykins and i have decided to do a movie chain.

it all started when we watched the family stone last night

and started talking about how many people

(that are well known) are in that movie.

then we started talking about other movies each actor/actress was in.

that's when we came up with the idea of a movie chain.

so here, for the next 15 nights is what we're watching

(and how it ties into the chain).

started with:

family stone we chose luke wilson out of that

and from here on out is:

 legally blonde w/ luke wilson & reese witherspoon

just like heaven w/ reese witherspoon & mark ruffalo

13 going on 30 w/ mark ruffalo & judy greer

27 dresses w/ judy greer & james marsden

hairspray w/ james marsden & queen latifah

chicago (one of my all time FAVORITE movies!) w/ queen latifah & catherine zeta jones

the terminal w/ catherine zeta jones & zoe saldana

center stage w/ zoe saldana & peter gallagher

while you were sleeping w/ peter gallagher & glynis johns

mary poppins w/ glynis johns & julie andrews

the princess diaries w/ julie andrews & anne hathaway

the devil wears prada w/ anne hathaway & emily blunt

dan in real life w/ emily blunt & allison pill

confessions of a teenage drama queen w/ allison pill & lindsay lohan

mean girls w/ lindsay lohan & rachel mcadams who is also in the family stone,

which is the movie we started with!

ah. what fun.

if you did a movie chain, what would you watch

and how would you link your movies???

better pop some pop corn!

the cullen family and my family.

since moving here a year and a half ago, everywhere my family and i have gone,

people stare at us like we're the cullens.

{no seriously.}

even tonight, at pack meeting, there was a semi circle of chairs,

and then there was {our} row of chairs. 

and everyone {stared}. 

guess we're just so super beautiful and awesome that people can't look away. :)

(it gets even creepier when brothey looks quite similar to edward cullen.

and kids at his school think he is a vampire.)

the cold ones,


{the pic of the gorgeous vamps that you see above was found here. but i woldn't have found it without searching here first.}