it's true.

i love these. they're so clever!

and they're pretty much the way we all should think. i discovered these funny pictures/sayings yesterday, which is ironic because about ten minutes later i went upstairs and discovered i had put my iPod through the washing machine.

so i cursed about it for a minute or so...and then i burned about 30 cd's. hey, if it plays, it stays! 

quote for today.

be that self which one truly is.

-soren kierkegaard

i stumbled upon this lovely quote earlier this week and i definitely needed it. it's a really smart, fancy, philosophical way of saying "be yourself." and it really IS ok for me to be myself...even if that includes my mood swings, my tendency to belch in public, my nerdy tastes and weird quirks. it's ok for everyone to be who they are...and that is pretty amazing.

yum!

i just got home from a long, kind of ridiculous day at work. [who knew people freaked out so much when we're out of peppermint? weird.] i haven't eaten all day and i stumble upon this. french toast kabobs?! oh my goodness gracious, yes please!!
also, here's a funny picture that describes the way i am feeling today:

a mix tape.

am i the only one who still enjoys a good mix  tape every now and then?

well..maybe not a mix tape. i upgraded to the "CD" a few years ago and despite the craze of iPods and such i still enjoy burning a good CD every so often of things i'm currently digging on.

i think today i'm going to share my most recent mix with youuuu!

hope you enjoy.

1. joanna newsom - sawdust and diamonds

2. freelance whales -enzymes

3. kings of leon - the end

4. band of horses - is there a ghost

5. portugal the man - all my people

6. animals as leaders - soraya

7. fleet foxes - blue spotted tail

8. john legend & the roots - wake up (arcade fire cover)

9. ra ra riot - ghost under rocks

10. mumford & sons - little lion man

it's all a bit random, but it's a lot of great music i've been digging on lately, both old and new. hope everyone's weekend was fantastic.

birthday!

my birthday [last wednesday] was a fabulous day!! i was lucky enough to have some of my closest friends in town for thanksgiving. soren was in town from new mexico.. he was one of my favorite snowshoeing buddies [and salsa partner] up in logan. he graduated in may and has since been in new mexico. so it was very lucky that i got to see him!!

my cousin gardner was also in town from L.A. and ally was here from logan! i hardly ever get to see gardner ever since he joined a legit band and moved away. 

soo pretty much it was a fabulous night!! i was glad to get to hang out with not only these people but everyone else who came over and wished me happy birthday! 

you guys are the best. :]

harry potter.

one of the highlights of this long holiday weekend was getting to see harry potter with my family on tuesday.

we have been spending the past couple sundays having harry potter marathons to get us pumped up [as if i need to be more pumped up...i'm such a nerd] for the second to last HP movie!

i'm so sad that there's only one movie left. harry potter was a huge part of my childhood. the books are amazing and the movies are all really well done. this most recent movie is no exception.

if you haven't seen it yet, i must say i QUITE recommend it. :]

happy thanksgiving!

thankful.

ah, thanksgiving day.

there is a lot to be thankful for.

today i am thankful for my cute family, for how my life is turning out, for regular's at my work who bring us pies, for food in general, for my best friends, for the house i live in, for my job, for the people i know and love.

it was a wonderful holiday week! i always forget that thanksgiving week is one of my favorites. it's my birthday, thanksgiving, going to the movies with my family, hanging out with good friends, sweatshirts and scarves. it's a little bit of everything i love.

more on the week's events later though. for now i just want to share my favorite part about thanksgiving, other than the stuffing.

so. much. pie.

i'm also grateful for my incredibly adorable, cuddly, lovable, and quite obese cat.

beautiful.

this week i'm obsessed, yet again, with florence and the machine. they are a lovely group and i especially love their dog days are over music video. it's crazy. and this youtube video proves i'm not the only one who likes that song. how cute is that?? i about died when i saw it.as of lately i am also currently obsessed with:

electric president is a side project of the lead singer of radical face. i think it's official that i like electric president more! check out their song insomnia and you will see why.

hope everyone in utah is safe and sound and not out braving the blizzard! schools are cancelled, people are taking off work, everyone is leaving early. i'm supposed to go see harry potter tonight with my family...i sure hope we get to still go!

bring it on.

i don't know where it came from....

or why...

but suddenly i am a huge fan of winter.

i smile when i see the snow. and despite having to brush the snow off my car every morning on my way to work.. i am glad to see beautiful white stuff surrounding me every day. i don't mind bundling up. in fact i've learned i love wearing scarves, hats and gloves. i love warming up next to a fire or curling up in blankets. winter is actually really pleasant! who knew?

this is all so weird. this time last year i was hating snow with everything in me! i was notorious for wanting to hibernate for 6 months until it was warm again. but this year i have found myself thinking more and more:

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

ps i think this might have a lot to do with not living in logan. logan is notorious for its awful awful winters...as you can see here. 

trans-siberian orchestra.

this week my friend kallie won 2 tickets on the radio to see

trans-siberian orchestra 

live at the energy solutions arena. and she asked me to go with her!

here we are waiting to get in.. it was freezing. and windy [hence why my hair is all gross and frizzy].

but it ended up being totally worth it!! they put on a great live show and my favorite song was their version of god rest ye merry gentlemen and carol of the bells. 

their light show in itself was fun to watch... let alone watching a bunch of long haired dudes rock out on their guitars [and some fabulous women dancing and singing] to christmas music. it was a super fun night. thanks kallie for taking me!!!

happy weekend!

it really is the little things that make life easier.

my little sister kylie loves drawing or painting me pictures.

makes my day....every time.

books books books.

my favorite part of my semester off was finally being able to read for fun again. it's been years since i've had time to really read novels and nonfiction books just for the fun of it.

here are some of my favorites that i've read thus far:

i'm sure everyone has heard of this trilogy by now. it's sadly being called "the new twilight" which is completely untrue. the hunger games is a well written, intriguing, and political novel that i absolutely fell in love with. my brother referred it to me and i finished the trilogy in a little over a week. here is a good book review in case you want to check it out.

this is another trilogy i'm currently reading, and definitely obsessed with. [let me warn you if you decide to read these that they're a bit graphic.] it's about a mystery, the hunt for a serial killer, corrupt government, and a little bit of everything in between. i'm currently on the third book [the girl who kicked the hornet's nest] but so far my favorite has been the second book, [the girl who played with fire]. i like that one the best because it's a little less graphic than the first book, but still a very interesting and incredibly addicting read. and, i just found out they're movies too! i'm definitely going to watch them when i'm finished reading.

this is a nonfiction that a police officer who comes into my work regularly referred to me. i thought it was a kind of weird idea, but took his word for it and have begun reading. it's interesting, grotesque, and definitely different than any other book i've read. i highly recommend it.

if anyone has any book recommendations...definitely let me know. i'm sad i only have a month left before i'm back in school and reading textbooks instead of novels!

top five places i would love to visit.

1. washington dc.

i love the area [from what i've seen] and for some reason i haven't been able to visit there yet. i would love to see the white house, lincoln memorial, and the beautiful area surrounding dc.

2. sydney, australia

the opera house...need i say more? not to mention the sexy accents.

3. cairo, egypt

for some reason since i was little i've always wanted to see the pyramids, and learn more about the ancient egyptians.

4. jamaica

for obvious reasons. i must embrace my rasta roots. :]

5. paris, france

i love the culture, the music, the people, the food.

i would love to see where my uncles lived, and learn more about the language i love to speak. [mais je parles un peu...]

circa survive.

[sorry about the awful picture quality. i'm for sure asking for a new camera for christmas.]

the highlight of my weekend was going to see circa survive, dredg, and animals as leaders live. animals as leaders did the best by far.. they are some incredibly talented musicians. it blew my mind!

however i love circa survive, and they were the reason i went. they are so awesome, and anthony green is my favorite. i liked him better in saosin [check out their song "seven years"] but circa survive is the next best thing. they played at in the venue... one of the best venues in salt lake city. between bands we played pool, hung out on the deck and i was able to meet up with a few of my logan friends who i hadn't seen in forever. all in all it was a great night!

hooray for concerts!

gracie lou who turns one!

last weekend i went to my cute niece's birthday party. it seems like just yesterday i was holding her for the first time. and now she is the cutest one year old around!! she is such a sweet little girl and absolutely loves having matthew for a brother. 

grace sharing her brand new toys with aunt rachel. [love the pigtails!]

getting ready for her cake!

i just think this picture is funny. matthew got carpet burn on his face [how does a 4 year old do that!?]. he's a great big brother!

her cake.

grace pigging out. needless to say she was much cleaner than matthew was at his first birthday party.

happy birthday sweet girl!

weekend.

happy friday!! here's some random pictures i found from one of my favorite websites. they make me quite happy.

tonight i'm going to see circa survive, dredg, and animals as leaders live. i am INCREDIBLY excited because circa is one of those bands i've been wanting to see live since high school.

tomorrow is a lovely work party at my bosses house. it's going to be fabulous!

hope everyone else has lovely plans for the weekend.

i'm not immune...

as i'm sure a lot of people know (since i voice my opinion on this every october through december).... i hate christmas music. i know, i know. i'm a scrooge. i hate the day after halloween when i'm walking through the grocery store and having to listen to frosty the snowman. for heaven's sakes what about thanksgiving?!?

however i discovered today that i am not immune to christmas cheer. and while i usually spend the months before christmas plugging my ears and yelling at everyone who puts on something jolly and about santa or snow... i have found a christmas song that i think i will be listening to once a day until christmas. i lose!

it's a lovely cover of "baby it's cold outside" that you can listen to here. it's by anthony green, lead singer of circa survive (who i'm actually seeing live on friday!) and mindy white, who i've blogged about before, and it's fairly obvious i'm kind of obsessed with her.

so there you have it. i've finally admitted that i'm not immune to christmas cheer. but only on this one occasion.. usually i'm always the one to say

bah humbug!

grateful.

every november i make a point to remember all the things and people i am grateful for.

and it is safe to say that i am incredibly blessed.

my nephew and niece.

my cute niece and nephew....

as well as my brothers and sisters.

cute parents.

great friends
[among others!]

cameras. without them we could not capture our memories.

SNOW.

utah sunsets.

definitely more to come.