Christmas Time is Here

Christmas is my all time favorite holiday. There are so many reasons why I love this time of year, just thought I would share a few {ok, maybe a lot more than a few}...

{Food}

I'm a "choco"-holic all year long, but especially in December! Homemade chocolates are my favorite. Not that I make them, I just like to eat them...Baking and frosting homemade sugar cookies was so much fun this year, I haven't done that since I was little...Don't even get me started on how good Fat Boy's Peppermint Sundae on a Stick is. Wowww...McDonalds makes a mean Peppermint Hot Chocolate too...I can't forget about my mom's homemade toffee, melt away cookies, mints, chocolate almond balls...I could go on and on, so good!...Then there's the traditional dinners. The Whiting side of my family has the same meal every year: Egg sausage casserole, homemade scones, sugared banana's and mandarin oranges, hot chocolate and oj. Amaaaazing. We used to meet for breakfast every Christmas morning, but with everyones busy schedules we have a fun dinner a few days before. It's such a simple meal but we look forward to having it all year. Love it!

(My sugar cookies this year!)

{Movies}

There are certain movies that I have to watch every year. In no particular order...

[1] The Holiday- I love this movie. I watch it allll the time! I think I secretly want to be Kate Winslet's character and switch houses with someone who lives in Hollywood. And I love Jude Law, love him.

[2] Sleepless in Seattle- Every Christmas and Valentines day you can find this movie in my dvd player.

[3] A Christmas Story- I have watched this movie every year since I was little. TBS has their 24 hour marathon and I love watching it. The leg lamp, the turkey, the bb gun, the bunny costume, the kids tongue stuck to the pole...it's a classic!

[4] Christmas Vacation- Sooooo funny! The Griswold family is hilarious.

[5] Elf- FAVORITE MOVIE EVER!!! I usually start watching Elf in October because I'm so excited. I quote it all year long. "Purpley" "Tickle fight!" "Did you hear that?" "Byyyee Budddyyy. I hope you find your daaad." "Watch out, the yellow ones don't stop." " I painted a picture of a butterfly!" "Call you in 5 minutes" "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" "Son of a nutcracker!" I think I have memorized the entire script.

{Music}

I love Christmas music! I have a mix cd with all my favorite songs, it's in my car as we speak. Click on the links to listen!

[1] Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays by Nsync- No description necessary. It's awesome.

[2] I'll be Home for Christmas by Drew Seeley- I love his voice so much and this version is beautiful.

[3] Last Christmas by Ashley Tisdale- This is such a cute song and I love her take on it.

[4] Winter Wonderland by Vanessa Hudgens- Everyone knows I love Vanessa. I love her jazzy spin on this song.

[5] Mistletoe by Justin Bieber- So freakin cute, not afraid to admit it!

[6] Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Tyler Hilton- Tyler will always have a place in my heart, such a sweet guy. His raspy voice makes this song perfect and cozy.

[7] Christmas, Baby Please Come Home by Leighton Meister- Just because it makes me want to dance and I love the rock and roll/pop sound on a Christmas song.

[8] All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey (or Teddy Geiger)- Lovvvee it!!!

[9] This Christmas by Chris Brown- I didn't really like this movie (which I only saw because Chris is in it), but I like the song. Cute video too.

[10] O Holy Night by The Canadian Tenors- I am in love with this group!!!!!!

[11] Grown up Christmas List by Michael Buble- I had to include Buble, Christmas just wouldn't be the same without him.

[12] Kiss Me at Midnight by Nsync- It's more of a New Year's song but I can't help but love this whole cd. Don't judge me.

[13] Sleigh Ride by Spice Girls- Love me some Spice Girls Christmas fun!
[14] Hark! The Herald Angels Sing by Carrie Underwood- This is one of my favorite Christmas hymns. It always helps remind me what Christmas is really about.

My favorite Christmas songs, however, are from the LDS hymn book. Lately I have just been playing them on my iPad app. Music is my favorite way to get into the Christmas spirit. As Elf would say, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." I'm not much of a singer, but Buddy is right!

(Allie and I with our favorite Tyler Hilton, love this guy! Ignore the evil red eyes...)

{Memories}
I have always loved Christmas and have some very fond memories of the holiday. Allie falling in the Christmas tree with her looonnnnggg hair when she was little...Memorable gifts from Santa like my scooter, play kitchen, bike, cameras and a trip to Disneyland (that was just a couple years ago and I was as excited as a 7 year old)...All us kids sleeping in my room Christmas Eve, staying up way too late. My mom always has to wake us up in the morning, we are sleepers...even on Christmas morning!...Every year I make a Christmas card that I email to my close friends. It's usually with a celebrity, or a cardboard cut out of one haha. Going to the Christmas tree lot to pick a tree, we haven't done that for a while...fake trees are so much easier...My first Christmas in my apartment I was going to skip buying a tree, real or fake. My sweet mom and dad wouldn't let that happen and showed up at my door with my very first Christmas tree. I will always remember that...Most of my memories involve my amazing and fun family. I am so lucky to have them and I am so excited to make more memories this year! I can't wait to have my own family one day to share traditions with and to make new ones.

(Glam photoshoot 2010)

{The true meaning of Christmas}
I have so much to be grateful for and the holidays always have a way of reminding me. I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. This year I have really been focusing on Him as I celebrate the season. There are so many distractions with parties, gift giving and entertainment, which can make it hard to remember what Christmas is all about. I am grateful for my knowledge of the Savior and I think of Him daily. Christmas is my favorite holiday because it always brings me closer to my Savior and my family. The two most important things in my life.

...Thankful...

My parents. My brother. My three sisters. My crazy & cute nephew. My extended family. Fab five. Friends. My job. TV shows. Movies. Books. Chocolate. Comfort food. Good health. My iPad. Diet Coke. Sonic. Chick Fil A. Mascara. Essie nail polish. Big rings. CTR ring. High heels. Boots. Skinny jeans. Fuzzy socks. Bed buddy. Cozy blankets. Sweats. Music. Justin Bieber. Water. Cupcakes. Snuggies. Curling iron. Holidays. Smiles. Laughter. Slippers. My car. Just Dance. Farr's ice cream. Cell phone. Vacations. Road trips. Sleeping in. Falling asleep watching movies. Naps. Summer. Patience. My home. Love. Faith. Prayer. Scriptures. My Savior. My testimony. My religion. My Heavenly Father.

...Just a few things, but I have so much to be thankful for...

The Canadian Tenors

I'm pretty much obsessed with this song right now, have been for months. The Canadian Tenors are aaaamazing! I discovered them when they performed "Hallelujah" on the Emmy's this year for the In Memoriam segment. I normally don't like this song, Shrek killed it for me...but they are soooo good! I may or may not sing along really loud to this while in my car.

Ten points if you recognize one of these guys from a movie! ;)

Gone Fishing

I went camping with my family in July, more like "cabining". A softball friend let us use their cabin at Soldier Creek Reservoir. It's one of our favorite places to camp and we haven't been for a couple of years. The cabin was big and beautiful! We had a blast hanging out and watching tv...see, not much of a camping trip. My back was screaming at me after the drive so I was actually grateful we weren't in tents.

We took my brother's fishing boat out one night and that is when our trip became memorable. All of us girls got a fishing license for the day so we were ready to go. I haven't been fishing since I was little so I had to relearn everything. Allie had never been, and she scored! She caught the biggest fish we have ever seen! A 26 1/2 inches, 7 lbs cutthroat! My mom came in a close second, 23 1/2 inches, 4 lbs cutthroat! Allie almost broke her arm reeling hers in and we were all in awe, screaming, taking pictures, laughing...it was such a great day on the lake! My favorite part was seeing the reactions from everyone at the dock. There was a family of about 20 Asians and they were clapping and ahhing as Allie carried the fish to be cleaned. A couple older gentlemen were visually upset that some city girls out-fished them. It was hilarious! We had a lot of fish for dinner that night!

Lake Powell

Brett. Allie. Jeremy. Amy. Bree. Brittney. Jacqui. Wendi. Ben. Breckin. Kai. Boy bands. Little girl and her dog. Driving in the dark. Sunny days. Fish. Reading. Laying out. Relaxation Station (aka RelaxAsian Station). Boat rides. Drunk neighbors. Navajo fire dances. Pictures at sunset. Smores. Scarfing yog. Scorpions. Diet Coke. Henna tattoos. Glow sticks. Hikes to the bathroom. Snakes. Candy. Flight attendant training. Lounge chairs. Making bracelets. Hats. Too much bread. Melted cupcakes. Sunblock. Flip flops. Wind. Bucket. Club Exclusive. Chapstick. Psychiatrist. Frogs. Kids obsessed with us. Baby pool. Fun. Friends. Family. Laughing. Another memorable trip to Lake Powell.

September 1-5, 2011

Summer Summary

So, I realize I am HORRIBLE at blogging! I have really good intentions, but I always get distracted. Usually by one of the following...people.com, pinterest.com or Chloe's Nails blog. Or it's tv...Pretty Little Liars, The Bachelorette, Gossip Girl dvds, Friday Night Lights dvds, American Dreams dvds...such a problem! I currently have three books partially read...Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks (I know), I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore and The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I have gone on little trips to Moab and Park City, I will be going Lake Powell in one month. I've had softball games, family get togethers, parties, concerts, watching my nephew and working full time to worry about also.

If you can't tell, I'm just trying to explain how busy, fun and short my summer has been. It's August tomorrow and that makes me so sad, my favorite season is almost over. I have definitely enjoyed it though. I haven't been taking many pictures but I'll post what I have. Hopefully I'll find more time to swim, lay out, go camping, make s'mores, read and blog before the summer ends.

Happy Summer everyone!

Bruno Mars Concert

Father's Day- in Moab for Softball

 The Brown kid's (Amy and Austin were gone)

 The girls at Breckin's blessing

My Birthday Party

Parachute Concert

 (Their music has been the soundtrack to my summer!)

Perfect start for Summer

Road trip. Brittney. Jacqui. Allie. Driving through a blizzard. Pedicures in St George. Sunny California. Watching The Roommate. Freaking out. Cheap hotel. "Are you going to where that in Disneyland?". Happiest place on earth. California Adventure. World of Color. Front car on Screamin'. Back car on Thunder Mountain. Jacqui driving on Indy. Flamenco on Tower of Terror. PB&J. Sleeping on Pirates. "No flash photography". Sore feet. Too much walking. Dole whips. Sleeping Beauty. "But you're my favorite". Heel click. Angel's baseball game. Ball park hot dogs. Salty pretzels. Root beer. Fireworks. Newport beach. Laying out. Swimming in the ocean. Playing in the sand. Fighting off pigeons. Sunburns. More walking. Birthday princess. Hollywood. California Pizza Kitchen. Creepy people. Disney Soda Shop. Kungfu Panda 2 premiere. Chinese Theater. Santa Monica Pier. Matching bracelets. Swings. Writing in the sand. Sunset. Rain Forest Cafe. Magic wand. Tomato basil soup. Amazing burger. Raining restaurant. "Are we going to get wet?". Hulk moments. Corn dogs. Mickey ice cream. Toy Story rivalry. Aladdin and Jasmine. More World of Color. Re-packing. Glow stick dance party. "They're taking pictures!". Waking up early. Driving home.  

Seven days. Laughing so hard it hurts. Amazing memories with the Fab Four. Best trip ever.

California Dreamin'

So, I am going to California in 36 hours. I'm just a little excited and decided I should blog about it. For some reason, vacations always bring some kind of challenge for me. The preparation for this particular trip has gone like this:

1. Took my car in for it's yearly safety inspection/registration (we're driving my car to CA) and ended up replacing the front brakes, thermostat and a few belts...$700 later, we are good to go.

2. Discover that my credit card has been compromised (thank you Michael's craft store), and therefore cancelled immediately. Good and bad timing. Glad this didn't happen during my trip, but I wouldn't have minded it happening after...or not at all. My new card won't arrive until later this week when I am already on vacation. Considering the hotel reservation was on this card, I had to make some phone calls.

3. Looking at my bank statement, I realize my account thinks I am already in Cali. Two ATM transactions for $300 total took place in Van Nuys, CA. Could have been worse, but again, thank you Michael's craft store for giving out my information. This meant more phone calls and some paperwork to fill out.

With all the negative, I can't help but think of all the positive that will come from this trip...

Being with my best friends (minus Wendi, she will be missed but being a mommy is much more important), Disneyland, Angel's baseball game, Hollywood, the beach, Santa Monica pier, sun, shopping, laying out, laughing non-stop, eating delicious food, wearing new swimsuits, taking lots of pictures, dancing to my favorite music, falling asleep to cheesy movies, sunsets over the ocean...this all adds up to make a trip to remember.

Here we come California, are you ready for us?

Happy Easter!

Easter is such a great holiday! It is a day that we get to focus more on the Savior. Not that we shouldn't do that every day, but it is a nice reminder and very humbling to think of Him. I am so grateful for His atoning sacrifice and for what it means to me personally. I was recently introduced to a book called 21 Days Closer to Christ, written by Emily Freeman. My sorority issued all of us a challenge to draw closer to our Savior and follow the 21 day challenge this book gives. Each day there is a certain scripture and task to focus on and I am so glad I got to participate. I want to start it again because at the time I was really busy and stressed, despite that I still felt a difference in my life and I realize how powerful the challenge can be. If I felt that way while I was only partly dedicating myself to it, I can't imagine how great it will be to fully focus on it! I am so grateful for this Easter season and it always comes at the most perfect time.

(If you would like to take this challenge as well, I have the book you can borrow. I also have the daily challenges on my computer that I would be happy to email!)

To me, Easter is also about spending time with family. I love being with my family and this year was so much fun! Amy, Jeremy and Austin came over after church and we had a big Easter Egg Hunt and a delicious dinner. It was so much fun to see Austin hunting for eggs with his little basket. Although, he was a little more interested in playing with his new golf clubs, rake and shovel. Oh, and shoving as much candy as possible into his mouth at one time.

Such a cute and slobbery little guy!

I love being festive for holidays, but for some reason I am very against the prep work. I don't like carving pumpkins for Halloween, decorating the Christmas tree or dying Easter Eggs. I know, I know! This year, I dyed maybe seven eggs total. My sisters went to town and made 40+ more beautiful eggs, they were so cute! With all the plastic, candy filled eggs my mom worked on, we had a total of 140 eggs hidden in our front and back yard. It was such a fun Easter! I hope yours was just as great!

OMEGA!!!

The last four years of my life have been solely dedicated to one thing, my sorority. Lambda Delta Sigma is a sorority at the University of Utah's Institute and is made up of 17 chapters, my chapter is Omega. I can't tell you how much I have loved having this program in my life! It's an LDS sorority so it has been great being with girls who have the same beliefs and values. It has strengthened my own testimony of the church in so many ways, especially through the examples of my amazing sisters. I have my wonderful cousin Brittney to thank for getting me to Rush in the fall of 2007. She was always talking about how great Omega was and after two years of her trying to convince me to join, I finally decided to do it. I just never pictured myself to be a "sorority girl", I still don't know why I changed my mind but I'm glad I did. I rushed with my friend Bree and we had a great first year in Omega! Everyone was instantly my friend and I met so many great people who I am still friends with four years later.

My second year I was called to be Vice President of Omega. I was so nervous accepting this calling, I didn't know what I was getting into being an officer and I didn't really know the other officers very well. I am a very shy person until I get to know someone so I felt really outside of my comfort zone. But, luckily the Lord was on my side and helped me open up and I ended up having another great year! This was also our new advisor Laurie's first year in Omega. I had a great time getting to know and love her, she helped me feel comfortable that year and I am so grateful for her.

(2008-2009 Officers : Angie, Sam, Lexy, Sydney, Laurie, Chelsea, me, Becky, not pictured-Niki)

My third year I was asked to serve as the Pledge officer. I loved it! It was great getting to know the new girls and to be their "mentor" throughout the year. I am so grateful for that opportunity because, again, I learned a lot about myself and grew closer to my Savior through that service. I wasn't sure I could handle another year being an officer, it's a lot of dedication and hard work. But it was always worth it and I wouldn't have changed anything.

(2009-2010 Officers: Ashley, Angie, Kristen, Laurie, Lizzie, Brett, Alli, Cali, Sarah)

This last year, my fourth year as an Omega sister, is the closet to my heart. After much hesitation and worry on my part, my sweet and very patient advisor Laurie asked me to be the President of our chapter. I told her no three times, I was worn out as an officer. As much as I loved the program and loved the girls, I wasn't sure I had it in me to be an officer again...let alone be the President! Also, none of my close friends were active in Omega anymore. I felt a little alone and a little old to still be so involved, as lame as that sounds. But ultimately, my heart was in it and I just had a feeling I needed to do it. I put it all in the Lord's hands and was given my answer, I accepted and was set apart to be Omega's President for the 2010-2011 year. Best decision of my life! I'm a very shy person, as I said before, but I found myself acting with no fear this year. I was extremely outside my comfort zone most of the time and that made me learn so much about myself. I am so grateful for the opportunity and I'm very humbled by the blessings I have received. The girls this year have been amazing! I honestly love every single one of them and I hope they know that. I am a few years older than most of them but I have loved being their "big sister". It was challenging and I felt very intimidated with my responsibilities at times, but nothing has been more worth it. This year was extremely successful for Omega and I'm proud to have been a part of that.

2010-2011 Officers: Laurie, Cali, Scottie, Kristen, Emily, me, Sara & Lauren.

My amazing officers! I am so grateful for each and every one of them! This year would have been a disaster without them. They are all so dedicated and truly love Omega and the girls so much. Thank you for the hard work ladies! I would have been nothing as President without all of you! It was definitely our year to serve together, love you!

Allie, my "twin" sister who I love! I am so lucky to have spent this year in Omega with Allie. She has been very patient and has served as a wonderful "Assistant to the President". She has helped with my arriving early every Wednesday night, setting up, cleaning up, being the last to leave, waiting for LONG officer meetings to end and has been my therapist during all of my worries. I am a perfectionist which makes me extremely stressed and I turn into a crazy person, she has kept me sane...through both my personal drama and Omega drama. Thanks for all the reassuring and fun times Allie! I love you and I am so glad you decided to pledge Omega. We are now Omega sisters too! I hope Lambda Delta Sigma blesses your life as much as it has mine.

My amazing friend and advisor Laurie is finished with her calling now. She served as Omega's advisor for her three years and I can't believe it's over. We have shared many laughs and tears together. She has been my best friend through this experience and I will always look up to her. I know that Omega is what it is today because of her example. She is so sweet and loving. She sacrificed so much of her time and really put all her heart and soul into Omega. The girls will be forever blessed to have known her. Also, congratulations to Scottie on being called as Omega's President for next year! She will be so great! The girls love her, she is always making us laugh and she genuinely loves everyone. She will make next year the best ever!

If you didn't get it from this long post, I love Omega! I can't believe I am free from my officer responsibilities after three years. It feels so weird, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't relieved. I would never trade the last four years for anything, I learned sooo much and met my best friends. But I am excited to make decisions for myself now, Omega has always been my first priority but now I can do whatever I want. I guess I get to figure out exactly what it is I want now...wish me luck!