Thanksgiving.

Idea for this post from this blog.

1. Who do I appreciate? , my Heavenly Father, my family and friends

2. How am I fortunate? so many ways. my job. other job offers. that we have practically everything we need and want

3. What material possessions am I thankful for? home, working car, iphone

4. What abilities do I have that I'm grateful for? being able to listen to people yell at me quite often and not care -- maybe this isn't a great thing, but today, especially, I am grateful for it.

5. What about my surroundings (home/neighborhood/city/etc.) am I thankful for? the mountains!, snow falling, no humidity

6. What experiences have I had that I am grateful for? College Education, growing up in NY, being married young(er), lots of work experience, to make my own decisions, to be able to help others

7. What happened today/yesterday/this week/this month/this year that I am grateful for? Successful job interviews, being able to work in the nursery, playing the organ in church, spending quality time with family and friends

8. What opportunities do I have that I am thankful for? nursery (most of the time...), organ, having a job that allows me to interact with others, the chance to have new ones in different places

9. What relationships am I thankful for? my marriage! and my wonderful family and friends.

10. What am I taking for granted that, if I stop to think about it, I am grateful for? wayyy too much. sadly. but isn't that what Thanksgiving is for? 

"I believe laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing; kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles." -Audrey Hepburn

happy st. patrick's day.

I'm not a fan of St. Patrick's Day. I am only wearing green because I think I get a treat in chemistry if I do. (haha - oh what I will do for candy. I'm like a little child.) But I couldn't think of a better title.
Anyways, we got to see some of our engagment pics yesterday! And I'm kind of in love with them so I'm putting some here.(I'm sorry about the kissing photo. I just think it's a cool shot.)

Anyways. They just make me happy. :) :)


OH.
p.s. I applied for graduation today!
Hallelujah.

For them.

Dear Random Bloggers,

You don't know me. And I can pretty much guarantee that we will never meet. But I just wanted to thank you for having a blog. And not making it private. And for letting me become a part of your world for a few short minutes. I just happened across your blogs in my everyday wanderings of the worldwide web. I was only looking for something to read about that would take my mind off of the clock that ticks so slowly and reminds me that there are plenty of minutes left before I can go home. BUT for a few short minutes, I stumble across your world. A world that seems out of a fairy tale. A world that I long to be a part of for even a short space of time.

I envy your lives sometimes. You all have incredible stories to tell and captivate me with the minute details that make it feel so intimate. The courage and faith and patience and love and firm hope I read in your words is marvelous to read about.

I envy your trials - even the pain that comes from them. The lessons you learned from them and lived to blog about are awe-inspiring. You say that they were so difficult, yet you made it through them with such grace and poise and elegance. I know that maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture, but the glimpses that I do catch take away my breath and make me wish I was stronger like you.

I want to have the same kind of happiness that you have. The babies being born, the myriad of memories, the holiday celebrations, the school performances, the vacations, the moments where you have tender mercies and hopeful revelations. Oh please, take me into your world for two seconds. School and work seem oh so dull and not worth blogging about. There are millions of people around me saying the same thing. "School is hard, work is tough, not enough hours in the day." All I want is to have an adventure. And you give me that while I can't have it on my own - by letting me look through your eyes.

May you continue to have wonderful birthdays and beautiful memories so that I can continue to grow from seeing how you go through your world. You make me want to live better, be better. And I owe you tremendous thanks for that. I am excited to have adventures of my own someday. And if we do meet, can we trade stories?!

Graciously,

The girl you don't know and probably never will.

Break is over.

Christmas was a whirlwind. Lots of trips. Living out of a suitcase for 2 weeks. Flying in airplanes. Lots of driving. Idaho, Utah, New York. Train rides. And pictures. Lots of pictures. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, you get many pictures. And I will save my words for later.

Salt Lake Temple

American Museum of Natural History.

Little Italy

Manhattan BridgeRockefeller Center

On the Train

At the park across the street from my house

Times Square

The Intrepid

Brooklyn Bridge
Quickly! Best drinks ever.

And now school starts. 16 credits, 6 classes. Oh joy oh joy.

consider it.

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life." - Ezra Taft Benson.

Which reminds me of this:

Thanksgiving marks the time when we begin to focus on presents and gifts and decorations and carolers and snowmen and twinkle lights and hot chocolate and treats and stories.

However, it also kicks off the start of the season of giving.

Maybe there are a few gifts that we can give that might leave a more lasting impression than any temporal, store-bought, bow-topped gift under the tree.

think about it.

I love candid photos.

Found this little gem. Isn't it precious how the love just ooooozes off the page?

Personally, I think it would be a lot cuter if the lady on the left wasn't staring at C and J.

Oh well. you get what you get and you don't get upset. :)

'Tis the season, I suppose.

It is almost Thanksgiving. And I'm starting to think I need to start taking a healthy dose of gratitude every day. Sometimes being a grump is so strangely satisfying that it is hard to get out of the slump.

I should be grateful I have at least one exam every week because it gives me more points to help my grade (theoretically speaking).

I should be grateful for the long hours at work despite the slowness because it means a bigger paycheck with less stress.

I should be grateful for my education because it is almost over and I am starting to get the feeling I might actually miss it.

I should be grateful for my busy days because it means I am actually doing something with my time (and hopefully those things are worthwhile)

I should be grateful for the time I get to spend with friends because very soon we will all be doing different things with our lives and going in different directions.

I should be grateful for planes that can fly me home for Christmas because it means I do not have to take a 176 hour train ride or 5 day bus ride.

I should be grateful for this blog because it gives me SOME PLACE TO RAMBLE on about things and not waste someone else's time by making them listen to me.

I am grateful for family and soon-to-be-family.

I am grateful for winter. Because it makes springtime even better.

I am grateful for photographers who can capture the incredible beauty of the world we live in. And make us realize how precious the little moments are.

I am grateful for twinkly lights, pumpkin rolls and hot chocolate. Because being happy inside makes you happy on the outside and then the happiness spreads like warmth.

I am grateful for professors who tell you everything they are asking about on their exams. Because it is nice to know that they aren't trying to kill you and that they want you to do well.

I am grateful for fashion. And the pops of color that have been carried over from summer. And ruffles. For some reason, I really like the femininity they create.

I am grateful for the Honor Code. For the ways it helps us be better.

I am grateful for weekdays. They make the weekends so much better.

I am grateful for bloggers who are willing to share their creativity and imagination with the world.

I am grateful for emails from across the world. Because somehow reading someone's words brings them that much closer. Even when they are really FAR AWAY.

I am grateful for my best friend.

And, I am grateful for hope. Because sometimes things get overwhelming. And that is okay. Because I can handle it. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe if I keep repeating it, one day I will believe it.

I guess that's enough gratitude for the day. I apologize if you made it to the end of this post. I think I needed to write this more than anyone else needs to read it.

Maybe next time I will just make a thankfulness tree like this one:

'Adjectives Illuminate A Gloomy Page....'

I am not a wordsmith. I have no gift of tongue, no twisting or arranging of words to create a profound and prolific thought that in turn leads others to think. (And I'm not writing this to get anyone to say otherwise, I'm just simply stating it - not fishing for compliments.) That is not my gift - if anything, that's Lisette's. And although I can twist other people's words to make them sound pretty, it's not quite the same thing.

I've always admired authors and poets and public speakers and songwriters because they have the gift I don't. Being able to string words and sentences together that just sound so pretty. And how sometimes they have incredible meanings, but other times, they do it just because they like how it sounds. Robert Frost said, "All the fun's in how you say a thing." And it's true. Some of my favorite words come from songs I've heard or poems I read when I was younger. And now, I find new ones every day. For example, The Avett Brothers have some incredible lyrics. I'm slightly, minorly obsessed with them because of this. Sometimes I wonder how they do it. And then I simply listen in awe.

"When nothing is old deserved or respected/ And your life doesn't change by the man that's elected/ If you're loved by someone you're never rejected/ Decide what to be and go be it."

This twisting of words and connecting with someone's soul leads to the creation of thoughts. I was reading about words today. By a woman who simply puts them down for others to enjoy, because she, indeed, is a wordsmith. She wrote the seemingly unimportant line, "Adjectives illuminate a gloomy page" in the midst of a paragraph on how to create a sentence that has energy. And the very next thought that came into my head was how friends are like those adjectives - when your days are feeling gloomy, there are rays of sunshine breaking through.

I would be remiss if I did not appreciate the sunshine in my life. So, no more focusing on the clouds and gray skies. I'm going to focus on the light breaking through.

(Kinsey, I had to find a picture that had you in it from forever ago, just so you could be in this post too. And I would have a picture with the boys except I can't seem to find any. I guess girls just take more pictures than guys.)

shout out.

dear little brother,
happy birthday! you are no longer a teenager. you are now the big 2-0. you are pretty awesome. but you are very far away. so maybe can you work on coming home soon? like maybe in a year or so? because i miss you.
love, your big sister

wednesday wonders.

today was interesting. good and bad, with ups and downs. lots of downs, but really good ups. because it is the 12th, here are 12 things I learned from wednesday.

1. "If there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action." i believe it.
2. the tiles in the bathroom at my brother's house aren't really tan. they are purple. i just didn't realize that until after i scrubbed it for 2 hours.
3. the BYU bookstore can be talked into giving you an extra 20% (40% total!) off of all 48 pompoms, 24 footballs, and all 29 yards of fabric (etc.) that you have to purchase. it just requires that you climb up and down 3 levels of stairs repeatedly, go on a goose hunt for someone that doesn't really exist, and convince a lady named Nicole that you really are doing this for a good reason.
4. pinesol smells DEE-LISH. actually, I really like cleaning with it. when something smells so fresh like that, i'm more willing to scrub harder because i want the whole house to smell like it.
5. sometimes good things happen to good people.
6. mango flavored things make the days a little bit better.
7. BYU football and thursdays are exciting. :D
8. attitude is a matter of choice, not consequence.
9. land rovers are very roomy. they can fit 3 sets of golf clubs, 2 suitcases, 1 memorabilia football, 3 containers of random clothing/curtains, 2 boardgames, 1 lampshade, 3 college students, and lots of love.
10. relish the awkward moments. they make for awesome memories.
11. I have no Napoleonic dream. I'm just hard-working and pragmatic. ("pragmatic"=matter-of-fact/concerned with practical matters)
12. as long as you don't give up on me, i won't give up on you.

I'm conquering dragons. How about you?

So today I found this:

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be defeated.
- g.k. chesterton

I can remember wanting to be a princess when I was little. I wanted to find a white horse and ride off into the sunset. I wanted to live in a tower in a land that was perfect. I wanted the pretty dresses and long flowing hair. I wanted to be able to talk to animals, to sing with birds. I wanted carriage rides and tiaras.

And now that I know that princess school does not actually exist, this is the kind of princess I want to be:

That girl knew what she was doing. Thank you, Princess Elizabeth, for being on my list of heroes. My dragon may not be your dragon, but you showed me that I can beat mine - without a sword, a suit of armor, or a horse.

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket - Never let it fade away.

Last night as I lay in bed and the lines between reality and dreaming started to blur, my mind was filled with an incredulous story that seemed so.... cockamamie to me. Unbelievable and fallacious. And yet, I could not resist putting it here for you all to enjoy. (Parts are true, parts are not: believe what you want.)

Once, there were these two young, amazingly beautiful, charming, witty and knowledgeable girls named Yesnik and Acceb. Their grandfather was one of the noblest in the land, but all of his wealth had been inherited by other descendants, so these girls had to settle for the distinct privilege of being recognized as the belles of their boroughs. Although Yesnik and Acceb lived miles away from each other, they were given the opportunity to spend a very small amount of time together once every two years.

This year, unfortunately Yesnick and Acceb had their time shortened due to previous social engagements. So all they had together was one night. That night was the time for divulging secrets and re-enacting adventures! Tonight - this one memorable night - Yesnik and Acceb decided to finally exchange their sagas of their individual quests for the elusive falling stars.

Now, it is important to give you this sidenote: Ever since the beginning of time, it has been the goal of each young lady who lives and breathes to catch as many falling stars as possible. In some vast lands, it is an honor to have the most falling stars. In other different lands, you are revered and esteemed for only catching a small amount, and shunned for catching more than is considered your fair share - for let's be honest, that can be misconstrued as being avaricious and greedy. All lands view falling stars as precious gifts and catching them is more than just a rite of passage - it is a wondrous opportunity and an honored privilege to experience.

You must also understand that Yesnick and Acceb differed in age by only a few years. As both Yesnik and Acceb began to relate their tales, both were reluctant to admit to the other the amount of falling stars each had acquired. But as the stories of each conquest were revealed, Yesnik and Acceb could only exclaim that they had also had done what the other had accomplished. One by one, star by star, through the complexities they had separately endured, Acceb and Yesnik only grew closer together - through caring for and saving the life of a child to competing and conquering challenges issued by others,. As their caboodle of stars continued to proliferate, so did their love and caring for each other.

Yet, as much as they loved each other and their bond of almost-sisterhood, there was a slight sense of competition between them. When it came down to finally giving the exact specifications of how many falling stars they had each amassed, they agreed to tell each other at the same time. On the count of 3, they both said their number of falling stars. And which of these do you think took the prize? Well, my dear reader, neither. At the same time, both Yesnik and Acceb called out the exact same number - twenty-nine. A number to be applauded, indeed. And because of their exceedingly high successes, they were lauded as the most talented and accomplished ladies in all the land.

THE END.

Well, folks, I laid there in my bed thinking about my collection falling stars. And I take comfort in knowing that the sky is so vast and filled with balls of gas burning billions of miles away and that there are more available if I choose to seek them out. And I think I'm okay with just having my two falling stars right now. I'll leave the shining, shimmering and being the heroes to Yesnik and Acceb.

I'll Love You Forever, I'll Like You For Always...

dear Mom,

Today is your birthday. It seems inappropriate to say that you are older and wiser now because you have always been so wise, and you do not seem so old. You are so lovely to me - with your quiet confidence, your steady perseverance and your endless love. The moment I realized you truly truly loved me was one of those days back in high school- during the times when it seems like all I did every weekend was fight with you and Dad about every thing; when I assumed I was right and you were wrong.

Of course, it was just after we'd been fighting. Dad and I are so alike, Mom. We both like working with our hands, we both make a face when we're being stubborn, we both like to do things in certain ways - so of course, why would we be able to get along when we both assume we're right? Me being the over-emotional teenager that I was, I remember running out of the house crying and sitting down on the ground because nothing seemed to ever go my way and thinking that Dad was ruining my life and now I had no way to escape feeling like that. But, Mom, you came out after me. You didn't come and apologize or say things could be my way and that I could go and have fun. You didn't lecture me on respecting my parents or being a responsible person. No, Mom, you just sat down next to me on the ground. And when I finally opened my eyes through the tears I couldn't stop from coming, and finally looked at you, I saw that you were crying too. I knew, right then, at that moment that you loved me so much. You loved me enough to let me hurt and let me learn. You loved me enough to let me grow. I think at that moment, I finally began to understand the love a parent has for their child.

Mom, you taught me how to always strive to be my best, to not quit when things feel so low. You taught me how to be independent and that I am the happiest when I can be myself. I know I take you for granted and that you deserve so much more than I can give. I love you and I always will. Thank you for being the person that you are and for teaching me how to be like you.

I love you every day of the year,
but especially today, and always for eternity.
your daughter

Suddenly the world is too big.

dear fam damily,
i missed you all like crazy today. so i looked and looked through pictures. and laughed at the wonderful stories behind them. i love you a million swedish fish
love,
me

I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way.
And I will love you like this for eternity.

(*and this is a TON of pictures. sorry.... except i'm not. i like them all.)