Thursday, November 27, 2008

this years list

My friends mom challenged everyone to make a list of 100 things we are grateful for. So, in no particular order, here is MY list!

  1. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
  2. My madre for all her amazing-ness
  3. My padre for teaching me the value of doing hard things, and how to save money
  4. My little [but much bigger] brother for his constant humor and silent strength
  5. Peanut butter, peanut m&m’s, and pretty much any peanut related food
  6. The alphabet – so that I can more easily organize things
  7. Starbucks mint hot cocoa
  8. A gentle confirmation that Someone is watching over me
  9. Emma Lucy and her constant friendship
  10. my Matthew
  11. Traveling and the cultures of the world!
  12. Weekends
  13. afternoon naps
  14. really warm, soft blankets
  15. Christmas
  16. new shoes
  17. AMAZING friends – Diana, Bri, Nic, Sheri, Jon and Megan – who all teach me by their amazing examples
  18. the smell of rain
  19. Portland
  20. The internet and it’s ability to keep in touch with people
  21. the excitement of what the future holds
  22. Dr. Pepper
  23. Music and those talented enough to perform it and share it with those of us who are not musical!
  24. Pictures
  25. Digital cameras
  26. Microsoft Word and Excel
  27. Temples – and having always lived so close to one
  28. kissing a cute boy on New Year’s
  29. Summer 2005 good times with Jess – concerts, staying up way too late, and eating lots of ice cream!
  30. scrapbooking
  31. The Book of Mormon and the Bible
  32. New socks
  33. Fireworks
  34. my own apartment
  35. A car that’s paid off
  36. Soy chocolate milk
  37. ex-boyfriends and lessons learned
  38. Snow
  39. Skiing
  40. Holiday memories with my family
  41. my YSA ward
  42. Having a job [some days more than others!]
  43. My Grandparents
  44. freedoms that I take for granted daily
  45. the extra pounds that I’ve gained – which means I have plenty of food to eat
  46. Clean, warm sheets [especially since mine are red!]
  47. Blogs
  48. Chapstick
  49. My extended family
  50. Contacts and glasses
  51. Concerts
  52. toothbrushes
  53. hoodies
  54. The Ensign
  55. a warm shower
  56. Disney movies
  57. Institute
  58. mittens
  59. tulips
  60. people who are still reading this list
  61. a college education, and Utah State University
  62. good health
  63. text messages
  64. airplanes
  65. the Word of Wisdom
  66. pedicures
  67. mountains
  68. my home ward in Alpine, and all the people who helped me find my own Testimony
  69. Brother Rose, my 9th Grade Seminary teacher
  70. a cute purse
  71. hair color
  72. family memories
  73. laying in the sun getting a tan
  74. Patriarchal Blessings
  75. Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream
  76. my cricut
  77. Snapfish.com
  78. YouTube
  79. flip flops
  80. a good book
  81. a good fortune inside your fortune cookie
  82. pay day
  83. curling up by the fire
  84. Macaroni and Cheese
  85. new haircuts
  86. Facebook
  87. doing service for those who need it
  88. a good sale
  89. Diamonds ;)
  90. clean clothes and doing laundry
  91. French fries
  92. Lone Peak High School
  93. freshly shaved legs
  94. a gym membership that I need to actually use
  95. getting letters in the mail [old school, I know!]
  96. co-workers
  97. Sunday walks
  98. NetFlix
  99. the perfect Little Black Dress [which I have yet to find, but I know it’s out there!]
  100. mascara
  101. good hair days
  102. Turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving!!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

quote of the week

Maybe the most any of us can do is not quit,
play the hand we've been given,
and accessorize the outfit we've got


[I think this quote pretty much sums up the past week or so of my life! Love it!]

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Visitors are always the best – especially when it’s a cute boy! Matthew came up to Portland to visit me last weekend, and it was great! He flew in Thursday night, we hung out downtown and when to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant! Matt ordered crab, and I had some amazing salmon!


Friday, we spent the day at OMSI [Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]. We went on a tour of a submarine, learned all about the human ear, saw a show at the planetarium, and had a blast in the area that was actually for younger kids – but we still had fun!

[in a rocket ship - all ready for take off. isn't he cute?!]

[right outside the submarine tour - it's the background]


[the beds that the soldiers slept on. i would never have survived!]


[in one of the control rooms]



After fighting traffic to get home, we and hurried and changed, then to dinner and the Opera with my friends Megan and Diana. The Opera was pretty good, and it was nice to have something fun to get all dress up for!


Saturday, we went to the 'Living Room Theaters' – which was awesome! It's just like a normal theater, but instead of normal chairs, they have these big lazy-boy type chairs, with foot rests, and if you order food, they bring it right to you! We saw a documentary that was about this guy who tightrope walked between the roof’s of the Twin Towers. It was crazy!! After the movie, we ran a few errands, then some of my Portland friends came over to play games and such!


Sunday was my birthday, and it was a great one!! Matt and I went to Sacrament a my ward, then I took him to the airport so he could fly home. We had such a fun visit, and I was sad to see him leave.


After dropping him off at the airport, I went over to Diana's for a birthday dinner - manacotti! - with all my friends. It was really yummy, and lots of fun, and an amazing cake!

[me, Diana, Andrew, Nic, and Megan]


Overall, it was a great weekend! I love having visitors, so next time you’re looking for a vacation, come see me in Portland!!

Monday, November 3, 2008

I AM 1/5 DARKNESS.......


Or atleast I was. That's right, I actually dressed up for Halloween this year!!! My friends and I were a league of Super Villans - 'Darkness'. We spent quite a bit of time on the costumes, which means that I have a Halloween costume for the next few years!! We made multiple trips the to the fabric store, did some paper mache [yeah - haven't done that since elementary school!!], and took full advantage of my friends vinyl cutter and heat press. We had lots of fun making the costumes, and even more fun at the Dance Party that we went to! We even won the prize for Best Group Costume!



The Distractor

The Devistator

The Deliberator

The Danger

The Deluxe



(Disclaimer: We took these pictures at about 2am - after dancing all night!! Please pardon the dark circles under my eyes!)

In Cambodia

In Cambodia
January 2007

A DAY AT THE PORTLAND ZOO!!! (June 1, 2007)

A DAY AT THE PORTLAND ZOO!!!            (June 1, 2007)
on a tricycle for elephants