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? 

Hooray for Fridays!

Fridays are my day off.

Best.Thing.EVER

I didn't even write myself a to-do list for today. 

Plus David is back from Seattle and isn't going on a plane again without me! 

(we leave for NYC together in 34 days!)

Thanksgiving is only 6 days away and I am just feeling so grateful right now!

Grateful for David getting interviewed.

Grateful that they went well (or so we think)

He did get to stay in some pretty swanky places - like Hotel 1000 in Seattle.

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Grateful I could spend time with his family while he was gone. 

Grateful he is home. 

It was bad enough without him for one night. Even more would be awful.

Happy Friday!

Memory

I have two distinct memories that I associate with this picture.

1. I lost my wedding rings. 

We were meeting by the side of the road next to a random field (see picture above? That's Utah Lake in the background.) to take my bridals. I was wearing my dress and I decided I wanted to put on lotion. But I had just gotten my rings cleaned so they would be all sparkly for pictures. So I took them off to put the lotion on. Bad idea. 

Notice the ruffles on my dress? My rings slipped under them and I completely forgot about putting them on. (Being engaged did weird things to my memory. I had a hard time remembering a lot of things.)

We get to the field, I get out of the car and my rings just slipped off my dress.

But did I notice? 

Of course not.

We just went ahead and did a 2 hour photo shoot - including driving from place to place... 2 large fields, one amphitheater, one gazebo at an apartment complex.

It was only when we were back in the car driving home that I realized I didn't have them. Or couldn't find them.

ANYWHERE.

So what do I do? Start crying and freaking out. 

We drive back to the first field - but how are we to know where exactly we pulled over on the side?
We pull over and get out of the car.
I'm still crying. And sort-of-not-really looking at the ground.
David at least has his head on straight.
The first place he looks is in the side of the door in our car.
And underneath all the junk,
there were my rings.

2. My wedding dress broke on our wedding day.

I know I mentioned it, but here's the whole story.
I got my dress altered - and by altered, I mean I needed to have the top completely custom built. The wonderful lady who did it for me had to put a whole new zipper in, so we just went with one of the cheaper/easier to do zippers. However, when I was trying it on, the zipper pulled apart. Luckily, we were able to fix it that time by just undoing it and redoing it. (But just in case, I sewed a handful of hook&eyes to help.)
Fast forward to our wedding day. I'm changing into my dress, right before we walk out of the temple together. And my mom and another sweet lady were helping me.
And my zipper did it again. Just split. We worked on it for a little bit.
Except this time, we couldn't zip it down and back up.
No matter how hard we tried.
Then the zipper came off on one side.
Oh man.

I just started laughing.
Of course something like this had to happen.
Luckily, after one phone call, a group of seamstresses come upstairs to help us.
They unstitched my whole dress in the back, reconnected the zipper, and sewed it all back together.
Then after they had zipped me up and fastened my pointless hook&eyes (great job, Nat. They didn't do anything.) they did a couple stitches on top of my dress. Just to make sure I could go the day without any more trouble.

I love this memory. I'm sure David was just sitting out there wondering what could have possibly happened to me. And no one told him what was going on. Mostly, I can't believe I didn't cry. (That is my go-to reaction for anything - happy, sad, angry. Sad, huh?) I laughed.

Because if that is the worst thing that could happen to me on my wedding day, then that was great. We were married already and nothing - not even a broken zipper - can make me give this up.

Hope

Today has been all about this:

I'm not supposed to get my hopes up. But I can't help it. 

in transition.

I think this title kind of sums up where I am right now with my blog. I'm trying to find a look I like, but nothing is the way I like it...... ugh. Plus it keeps doing weird things with my pictures, so if you can't see them or if they are weirdly huge, I apologize.  I guess it's one of those days.

David comes back from Dallas tonight! I never knew I was such a baby on my own, but after not really having to be apart, I really miss it.  But his trip to Dallas went well, so I guess I'm okay with missing him for a night.

His plane gets in at 9 which means I get to go walk around the mall (specifically the new H&M!) and buy Christmas presents.  Also. I bought a bathing suit today from Jcrew. Normally $104, I got the top and bottom for $10. I love good deals.

Also.
David just told me he was hungry.
So I told him to go eat. Except my phone decided to tell him go war!
haha!

11.11.11

Today is LAURA's birthday!!

Tonight we are heading up to dinner in Salt Lake, staying the night at a cabin in Solitude and partying all night long.

I wanted to show you the cake I made for her. I don't remember what I asked for when I was turning 12, but my mom gave me cake decorating lessons for my birthday. It was the Wilton classes at the local Michaels. Definitely fun, but I don't think I fully appreciated it as a 12 year old. I learned a lot there about icing and using different tips, etc., but this was my first time making fondant. I had a blast. Definitely not professional quality, but it was exciting seeing that I can make stuff like this. And I'd had this picture pinned for months so I was excited to finally do something off of pinterest.

Because of my lack of professional materials, we decided to make the bottom in a 9x9 and the top in one of my pyrex dishes. The hardest part was figuring out how much time to bake them for because those pans are not listed on the back of the cake mix.

Here are the few pictures I remembered to take:

We ended up making 2 of the little round cakes just to use up cake batter and just in case the other mini one had an accident.

Covering the cakes. Little is definitely easier. And it is surprisingly hard to get it smooth. 

Ignore the fact that they are not all smooth.....

The mostly finished cake! I attached the giraffe pieces (like how I told you what the pattern was supposed to be so you wouldn't have to guess wrong? yeah, me too!) using a small brush and water. The hardest part was trying to do it before the other pieces started to dry

My artsy shot - with stuff in the background. Clearly, I need to work on my photography skills. But right now, I'm pretty proud of my beginner cake decorating skills.

This was my inspiration:

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Maybe I should go see if I can find a blue giraffe or a pretty flower laying around. Or I can go clean my house.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

♪ All I want for Christmas is you ♪

Everyone knows that Thanksgiving is pretty straightforward - lots of traditional food (turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, etc.....), but everyone's Christmas wish lists are different. We all want things that make us happy (or that we think will make us happy).

All I really want for Christmas is to have a good internship set up for David for next summer and to spend some quality time with the people I love (and to quit my job and just craft and sew all day long, but that is just a daydream).

But since half the fun of Christmas is making a list, here are some of my wants (which, Christmas or not, I will probably end up going to buy them for myself). (in no particular order....)

1. This bed frame. It is actually plans for you to build your own. I want one to build one in black to  match our dresser. Like really really really want to build one. (We just don't happen to have some of the tools that are necessary......)

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2. Speaking of beds, I want new bedding. Just to change up what is on our bed to give it a new look. I'm looking for something bright and fun. Kind of like these: 

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3. A magazine rack, because all of our lids are just in a cupboard right now and sometimes it drives me crazy.

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4. This haircut! (And I apologize, but I can't find the original source from Pinterest. I end up at twitter every time.) I want to keep my hair long, but I am getting antsy for something different.

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5.  Juniors cheesecake. ooooh. Cheesecake. Why are you so bad for me? Remember this post? My parents brought me one over the summer when Will got married. I died a little. It was wonderful. Definitely on my list of what to eat on our NYC trip.

6. New make-up! Don't tell anyone but I've been using some stuff for 2+ years. I'm amazed that it is actually still going, but I definitely need new ones.  I've looooved my bareminerals make up. Definitely on my list to get again. (I'm in the "medium beige" category for foundation, and I am always pleased with how it evens out my coloring. Plus their eyeshadow comes in colors that I love.)

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7. Toms. The regular kind. and I wish I could get some of their ballet flats too! All images from here.

8. This skirt/shoes. Maybe you have seen this on pinterest, but I WANT this outfit. I am thisclose to just going out and buying material to make my own skirt. Red is kind of colorful for me. So I haven't yet. But what a perfect Christmas skirt!

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9. A vacation with David! Did you know he and I have never been on a vacation by ourselves?! Shocking, I know. We've always talked about places we are someday going to go, but I'm thinking a post-graduation vacation should be in the works. Here are places I think would be amazing/incredible/wonderful/fantastic to visit:

Can't find the source of the picture, but this is in the Atlantis in Dubai.

Again, no source. Thanks pinterest. But this is in Santorini, Greece.

Paris! via

10. Scissors. To make my sewing experience a lot easier. I don't think kitchen scissors are quite making it.

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11. A Clarisonic face washing brush.  I've had my eye on this for awhile now. Just have yet to go and get me one.

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12. One of these. HA. Just kidding. It's $4,410. A little too pricey to ever get. But look how pretty it is. LOVE.

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13. This headband!

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14. A nice nice camera. which David said is so unreal of a Christmas list. I'm not allowed to put a picture up.

That's all I can think of right now.

But really. All I want is an internship we love. 

What is on your must-have list?!

11.10.11

1. Sometimes I have trouble communicating what is in my head. Does this make me crazy? Perhaps.

I just have all these thoughts and ideas and images and i just can't seem to get them down on paper/on the computer. There are days that I feel like I have all these ideas bursting to get out of my head. And then days like today.

2. Did you know it takes me quite awhile to write one of these posts? like almost a whole day. I actually started this yesterday afternoon.

3. I made fondant for the first time. It was mostly successful. Except where it says to add 3/4 of the powdered sugar. And I only added 3/4 c. Yeah. WENT GREAT, except I couldn't get my fingers apart because of all the marshmallow on my hands. 

4. Sometimes I have really weird dreams. Like last night, this old lady kept calling me on the phone and telling me I was doing everything all wrong. And I wanted to fight back but non-confrontational me couldn't do it. Even in a dream. Sad.

5. I have have considered buying multiple things today. And have struck out on ALL of them that I actually put in my basket/called about. 

And I really want this bathing suit. I have it bad for ruffles.

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6. Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away!

7. POLL time: Which city is better/cheaper/more fun/awesome/etc? 

AND WHY? tell me! I love hearing opinions!!

Chicago

Dallas

San Francisco

Seattle

Atlanta

Richmond

New York

Friends!

It is funny to me the little coincidences that occur in life.

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Like having our car break right when we got home, instead of me driving to/from work.
The unexpected help right when you need it.
The check that comes through exactly when you think you are at your breaking point.
People that come into your life and change it.

I've been thinking about people in my life.
and I can remember back to when I was in elementary school and the friends I've had throughout the years that have been exactly who and what I needed.
There were lots of friends throughout the years, but some people made a HUGE difference.
In kindergarten/1st/2nd grade, it was a little boy named Stephen - although I'm sure my family remembers a different boy's name being used to tease me about my "crush" - which I did NOT have - and him being the apple hanging in the tree.
Then we moved to Houston partway through 2nd.
 One of the very first things I can remember about living there was not going to school right away and swimming in our pool. When we finally did go to school, I remember some of the kids making comments about how I was wearing shorts in October. BUT we moved from UTAH to HOUSTON. IT WAS HOT.
I remember a small group of girls through the rest of elementary school to 7th grade. A few moved in and out, but mostly we stayed the same. My 3 closest friends had names that started with an S. I was not like the others.
Moved to NY. Kind of had to figure out who I was again. (*I definitely consider moving to NY a huge influence in who I am today)
8th grade school year, I had people I sat with at lunch, but LINDSAY and I definitely were friends after being the only 8th graders in a 7th grade French class. (HA. so much fun.)
I went through a whole school year of sitting by Babetta in church, but we weren't really friends until girls camp. Then we were. Makes you wonder why you don't talk to people the first time. I was devastated when her family moved to Utah during high school. (And I can't find any pictures of the two of us on my computer here.. sad day.)
For the rest of high school, I had (and still HAVE) AMAZING friends. L'BAGHS was And I have so many good memories of everything. Oh man. I loved high school. Definitely get nostalgic for it sometimes.

graduation for the older 6.

Before Hannah went to Africa

Most recent of all of us! - summer of 2008

(can you tell when we all got facebook? that's where most of these pictures are from...)

Then I moved back to Utah for college. Originally it was me in one room with another girl who was never there. I didn't like it at all. One week later, I moved into an apartment of girls who changed my life.

2007

2007

2008

2009

2008

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And in looking at the two pictures above, I realized we are standing in almost the same exact order.

2009

2010 - also my arm is just weird here.

There were so many more pictures I wanted to put up because the memories are incredible.

And now that we are married, we still are finding amazing new friends! (Hello, other Beans! Also, the 4 of us have exactly 1 picture together. We should work on that.)

2010

I actually think a lot about the people from my past and the experiences I've had that have helped me and it is interesting to me that I still need to surround myself with good people and that I am still being blessed by the people that come into my life. 

I am continually amazed by the caliber of people that have influenced me and I am so grateful for them.

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nov 8

did you know today is our year-and-a-half?!

18 months of marriage

doesn't feel like a long time,

 but every minute has been a blast

ALSO.

I have an amazing sister who brought be back a plate of pure happiness frozen, then frozen in a bag of water, frozen in another bag of water, put in another bag and stuck in a suitcase.

My candlelight(!) wings:

Laura, don't look, but that will be part of your birthday cake!