picnik...

i think lauren introduced me to the wonderful picnik website awhile ago, but i rediscovered it and have enjoyed "enhancing" some Christmas pictures...

just a few pics from our visit to temple square. i love the lights but it is oh so cold! i love this time of year!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

sunday deliciousness...

i heart sundays, for oh SO many reasons...

a. the spiritual aspects... i really do enjoy going to church and being spiritually rejuvenated.

2. the huge amount of relief i feel after i've finished teaching a gospel doctrine lesson... love my calling, but i freak out about it sometimes!

d. it's a day of rest... is anything better than a sunday afternoon nap?!

7. no volleyball aka work... though i tend to find some good games on post afternoon nap.

m. sunday dinner... i absolutely love making dinner on sundays for any and all who want to come! yesterday we had allyce and ryan over and ate delicious lasagna, salad, fruit-yogurt salad, and bread sticks... almost as good as mom's!

12. i get to bake! i don't know what it is, but making some kind of treat is so theraputic for me, not to mention pleasurable to my tastebuds!

21. i get to spend time and relax with my loved ones!

anyways, the purpose of this post was to share this heavenly goodness with you... sorry for the tangent!

cheesecake cookie cupcakes...

2 blocks cream cheese (i used one regular and one fat-free and it worked!)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

*mix well. pour on top of cookie of choice (oreo, chips-ahoy, whatevs) in a cupcake liner. bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. cool. top with pudding, whipped cream, and whatever toppings of choice (oreo bits, cookie dough bites, etc.)

ENJOY!!

flowers just for fun...

i was surprised with these beauties at work yesterday. yeah, i'm one lucky girl!

green river ordinance...

my little bro introduced me to this group tonight... love them! just wanted to share my current favorites.

On Your Own

Endlessly... jakey seranaded me with this song and he is soo good!

yay for music :)

sixth month. sixteenth day. two thousand eleventh year...

wow... it took some serious thought to spell out the date in title. this girl needs to go back to school!

yesterday, aka June 16th was a GREAT day. let me tell you why.

A. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! it is my parentals wedding anniversary! they were sealed in the st. george temple 33 years ago. that's kind of a long time, right?! and they are still so in love and just the cutest couple and bestest friends. i love watching them interact and show their love for one another. they are the greatest examples to me, and i'm so grateful for the special bonds i have with each of them. they are the BEST!

2. happy an"KNEE"versary... get it?! yes, i hit my 1 year mark post acl surgery, and man am i grateful this year is over with! it has been a pretty crazy recovery. i was doing so great and was even back into playing volleyball and running long distances, but rehurt it about 5 weeks ago playing in an outdoor tournament. i can still bike, ellyptical, work out, and kind of play indoor ball, but with some more time and rehab i should be able to get it back to where it was. needless to say, i've officially retired from outdoor tournaments! i'm just so happy to be moving and active and somewhat normal again.

post surgery.

six months.

one year.

D. HP 7 Part 2. yes, i bought the tickets and i seriously couldn't be more excited. call me a dork, obsessive, crazy, weird, whatever, i don't even care! it's going to be legendary and i can't wait!

new trailer!

7. when the boss is away, the workers will play. my dearest boss has been in samoa for the past 2 weeks, and i have been taking full advantage of it. i went to virginia to visit the sister last week. this week i've been catching up in the office and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and summertime. i've been one happy camper, and i'm not really looking forward to the boss-man returning next week.

M. hope. i have had more peace, hope and faith this past week than i have had in a very long time. i think the sunshine, relaxed schedule, spending time with great friends, and working out like a fiend has all played a significant role in this newly gained hope, but i know that Heavenly Father has truly blessed me through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He has lifted my emotional burdens and literally taken away my fears. it has been an incredible blessing and just sheer relief. i don't have to hurt, feel hopeless or alone, and ache anymore, and it is so liberating and has strengthened my testimony of the atonement and my relationship with my Savior. i am so grateful for tender mercies and the blessings of the atonement.

happy day :)

nba crush...

i may or may not have a secret crush on this nba all star...

yeah, dirk nowitzki not only won the championship ring and mvp award last night, but he also won my heart :) haha, i think i have a thing for foreigners! it was awesome to see him finally win the finals and beat the big 3.

here's an interview with him post championship... he's such a classy athlete.

**i think my dad would be so proud that i watched the game last night and even blogged about it! gotta love sports, and sexy athletes :)

movies as of late...

i heart movies... especially chick-flicks and action packed films with attractive men :) here are the ones i have seen lately...

THOR... i actually really liked it and yes, he is a sexy god of thunder and australian man.

I AM NUMBER FOUR... this wasn't my favorite and i feel like i can't talk about the good-looking main actor, Alex Pettyfer cause he's a bit young for me, but it was fun to watch it with my fam.

PIRATES 4... AWESOME! i totally loved this movie along with the other 3. Johnny Depp is one attractive pirate who makes me laugh. definitely entertained!

THE KING'S SPEECH... one great thing about utah is that they turned this R-rated movie into a PG-13 film. all it took was covering up some f-bombs during his speech therapy, but me being the swear-word lover that i am thought that part was pretty funny. seriously though, i was completely enthralled and the acting was phenomenal. i understand why it received so many awards.

X-MEN... this is next on my list to see. thanks to my amazing and comic book obsessed brothers, i love X-Men and pretty much anything marvel comic or superhero. thanks brothers :) but i heard it was pretty good, so i'm looking forward to seeing it!

the ULTIMATE summer movie comes out on JULY 15...

HARRY POTTER 7 PART 2... so freaking excited! i honestly forget to breathe and even start tearing up whenever i think about seeing this movie! love it so much! be ready for the midnight showing... 40 days!

yay for summer movies!

onward and upward...

all i said was "onward and upward" and this is what Lauren came up with... priceless right! and yes, i'm blowing it up to put on my mirror.

i really do have the greatest friends and family. thanks for all of your love and support during the twists and turns of this emotional rollercoaster that is life. it has been a "spectacle of commotion" but it is onward and upward from here!

much loves ;)

girls' weekend extravaganza

best weekend of the summer :) you can check out Britt and Bekah's blogs for the day to day, or my facebook album entitled "girls just wanna have fun".

but seriously, it was so FUN to play with my girlies and get away from the stresses of life (since my life is so stressful... not :) i'm so grateful that they sacrificed a weekend away from their husbands and adorable kids to spend time with me in california.

my highlights were the late night girl talks... facials... getting ready together... sleeping in... packing ca adventures, the beach, deliciousness, and disneyland all in the same day... cuddling with britty... yogurtland... chronic taco... sunshine and waves on the beach... roadtriping it with britt and not even needing music cause we talked the whole 5 hours... newport temple... the giddyness of being at disneyland... umm just the pure awesomeness of everything!

here are the pics...

such a wonderful time... and yes bekah, probably the most pictures and best documented weekend i've had in a long time!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Coolio...

I had the greatest privilege to listen to this blessed song during spin class this morning. Nothing like listening to a bit of Coolio at 5 am! It brought an instant smile to my face and i've been singing it all day! Love it!

Gangsta's Paradise.

ENJOY :)

preparation purchases...

so girls weekend starts on friday and i'm so excited, i can't breathe! yay for beach time with the besties!! but i decided to take a little shopping trip in preparation for it which totally just adds to the excitement!

yes, i finally gave in and got some toms... cute huh?!

and i went a little funky and bought some new sunglasses. they're so different for me and i'm not sure what i think, but they were super cheap so i thought i'd be a bit daring. what do ya think?

capturing random moments of my life...

thought i'd share some pics of the past little while. pretty random, but good times :)

"this is the place" monument... i've been in utah for how long now and decided to finally venture out to some of the "must see" places. jess and i spent a saturday hitting up the sites.

ensign peak...

my parents went to the chruch history museum a few weeks ago and said there's a picture of Christ that looks like someone we know. this is what we found... Daniel Jones, perhaps?!

jessie poo lovin her some jcw milkshake!

triple layer cookies and cream crunch... need i say more :)

best time of day... getting ready for bed!
yeah, i look good... ha!

my new bed and bedding at home...
thanks jake and dad for picking it out! yes, i'm 5!

today at work... when the boss ain't happy, ain't nobody happy :)
and i have some serious bags under my eyes. time for a nap, i think!

happy monday!