Christmas Part 2

to learn of my other christmas adventures check out part 1


christmas break was so nice to be able to just sit and relax and not worry about school and homework.

my best friend of 15 years finally moved to salt lake. he just graduated and got a job down here. this will be the first time in a long time that we have lived in the same state. it has been so nice being able to see him whenever i want and going on all the fun adventures our hearts desire. he stayed with me for a couple days while he looked for a place of his own.

the onesie nonsense started a while ago when all i wanted was to own one. i could not find one decently priced anywhere though so i gave up. luke and i were at target one night and happened to find them for 15 dollars. win.

i was also obsessed with elf on the shelf and all the funny ideas you could do. i originally wanted to get one for my sister and roommate and randomly have it show up but that was 30 dollars that i was not willing to spend. so i compromised and decided to dress up myself as a human elf on the shelf. it was rather hilarious. i got home from work one night and no one was home so i called meghan and luke to see where they were at and they were 15 minutes away. i knew it was perfect timing. they laughed so hard when they saw me and then luke and i went around town dressed like that. i am not ashamed one bit.

we went on a lot more adventures. i think this year sets a record with how many times i have seen the temple square lights. they were gorgeous so i am not complaining. we also saw the lights at the gateway and city creek. i can't get enough holiday lights.

Christmas Part 1

Christmas deserves so many posts, it is not just a day, it is a season. Here is part one of many Christmas Posts.

Ballet

December started with Meg and I taking my mom to the Nutcracker (we got her season tickets for Christmas). It has been a tradition since I was 7 and saw my first ballet. From Halloween on I always think about this beautiful ballet and the years I was blessed enough to dance in it. Ballet West as always was incredible and I loved every minute of it. 

I have also been volunteering for ballet west for the past couple of months and it has been so much fun. I love meeting the people behind the scenes as well as watching the dancers from the wings. 

Party Party Party

Meghan and I hosted an Ugly Sweater Party as well. It was quite the shin dig and a lot of people came out for it. We had a DIY cookie decorating station, cupcakes and the biggest hit...a hot chocolate bar with homemade whipped cream and marshmallows. It was the great way to end a stressful week of finals and kick off Christmas Break. 

I could not find an ugly sweater that I loved or wanted to spend money on, so I made my own. It was a huge hit. I am saving it again to wear next year. 

A Night in the 20's 

Both Meghan and my friend Karli have December birthday's and they have celebrated them together the past two years. This year we threw a party that Mr.Gatsby himself would have been proud of. We figured it would be a great opportunity to use my parents basement and bring a little life to their house. We served a lot of different food but the biggest hit was the candy cigarettes and sparkling cider tower. 

We had a couple game tables up for poker and other card games which every one seemed to love. I even learned how to play and ended up winning all the chips at the end. It was a very exciting moment. 

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we spent it at my parents house in Bountiful. This is the first Thanksgiving that we have all been together in years. Except for Nick because he had to work. Megan and the baby however did come up so that was nice.

It was a fun little break filled with games, laughter and shopping. I am an avid black friday shopper and love a good deal. This year was a huge success. We went to Wal Mart at 5:55pm, our deals went on sale at 6 and we were out of the store by 6:22 with everything we had wanted.

october

october is quite possibly my favorite month. how could you not love haunted houses, costume parties, corn mazes, caramel apples, carving pumpkins...the list goes on and on. to me, it kicks off the holiday season and gives me a reason to dress up multiple times.

however to update, i must start with the end of september..the 28th to be exact. my new and first niece, kailey jo harding, was born into the world. i was able to go and meet her at less than 24 hours old. i don't think i have ever held a baby that young. i didn't meet my nephew cade until he was a month or so old, and my nephew bryce i did not get to meet until he was 5 months old. there is something so special about a newborn. i fell in love with this little girl and i can't wait until she is older.

kailey was blessed today at my parents house. it was such a special event. a lot of my family was there and it is always such a blessing to be able to see them. 

1. kailey less than 24 hours 2. the first time i held her 3. my family on her blessing day 4. meg and i visited her at a week old

i also had a mission reunion in october. i never know what to expect from mission reunions, but i am so glad i could attend this one. i was able to see a lot of my old missionary friends that i haven't seen in a while. i love the memories that come from seeing these wonderful people and also hearing about how the work is progressing so abundantly in the south. 

zach was such a good friend to me on the mission and i love that we have stayed close. the tucker's are some of the greatest people i know. i am so blessed to have had them as the leader's of our mission.

 football season is in full swing. i love it a little too much. the stanford game was one of the most fun games. it was intense, and it was a well played game. our sign was made because we were trying to win a photo competition. it was shown on the jumbo tron, news sites, and videos. it was fun to be noticed by everyone. there is nothing like standing in the student section of a football game, with passion for this sport radiating off of everyone. i love being part of it. 

 we spend quite a lot of time with our nephews this month as well. meghan and i went to green river one weekend, and there was a huge snowstorm...so what better way to seize the day after than to play in it. 

erin and todd also came to utah and we went to a pumpkin patch. the boys loved it so much. although they do not look too happy in that picture. 

my dear friend and old roommate rachelle got married this month. it was such a beautiful even. i love her and her husband danny so much and it was so fun to be able to  see the two of them begin their relationship and fall in love. they are just so precious. 

one of my old mission companions also came into town and i got to see her for a few minutes. she changed my life and i love her so much for it. 

we kicked off october right by going to a costume party within the first week. me and karli and meghan dressed as mario, luigi, and waluigi. it was a fun dance party and i can't wait for more. 

meghan and i hosted a pumpkin carving contest at our house. we had 16 people there in our tiny kitchen carving pumpkins. it was a blast. 

 a bunch of us went up to karli's cabin in big cottonwood and it was so much fun. we played a million rounds of werewolf and a lot of other games. i could not get over the gorgeous views. i have really grown to love the mountains and the beauty of this earth. 

also not pictured, but this past weekend we also went to cornbelly's. it was also such a fun night. it was pretty cold but still fun none the less. 

and last but not least, i had to throw this picture in here because here i am struggling to get off the wall to rush the field at the stanford game and it just happened to be caught on camera. the muss used this as their cover photo. 

stand together

12 years ago our nation was brought together by an act of terror. i remember sitting in my 7th grade learning experiments class and hearing the news. i had no idea what this meant. i remember my teacher turning on the tv as we watched the second plane hit the tower. it is a day i will never forger and i am still speechless at this tragedy and am so humbled to be an american. what a great nation we live in. we are meant to stand together, not divided. i love that this special day brings a country together to remember all that we have been through, fought for, and conquered. 

although i am not a new yorker...i very much wish i was and will one day be. i was fortunate enough to have visited this great site twice this summer. what a humbling experience it was. this incredible place holds a great spirit. you can feel the greatness of it. 

i don't know about you...

but i am still feeling 22...

even though for the past 15 days i have been 24. i used to think getting older was the absolute worst thing in life. ever since i hit 20, as august begun the anxiety set in that i would be another year older. i think it was because of all that i still had not accomplished in life, or all of the things that i wanted to do but still had not and time was running out. however, that is no longer my thought process. life is an incredible journey. i love mortality. i love that i get to experience it in all its greatness. sure, there are rough patches thrown at us constantly, but there is so much more to learn from it. at my ripe young age of 24, i am grateful that i am still in school...do i wish to be done, yes, however i love it. i love life. i love college. i love my job.

i read this article recently and i loved it.

especially #19 and #23. a lot of my fears came from the unknown. be fearless and be brave. i also have realized as of late, that my faith is lacking. i tend to doubt the things i do not know. however i do know what i believe and will allow that to carry me. when everything else fails, there will be something to fall back on. i love that.

the birthday however was nice, a low key night with great friends. plus we lit off paper lanterns which is something i have been longing to try ever since i saw tangled.

here is to 24..

15 years

it is hard to believe that for the past 15 years this boy has been in my life. luke and i met in church the first sunday we had moved to green river. we bonded over a puzzle ball that i convinced him to give me and promised i would buy him 2 new ones the next week...starting off the friendship right with a bribe....i still never bought him new puzzle balls.

luke has been a constant in my life. from causing havoc on every seminary teacher,  playing dance dance revolution everyday after school, scaring and pranking anyone we can, to embarking on life changing journeys, we have been through it all together..

luke has been one of the greatest supports. he puts up with my crazy antics and is usually right there beside me helping me fulfill my ridiculous ideas. i could write a book chock full of incredible memories. when i told him i was going on a mission, he didn't question it but promised to write. when i got home, there he was ready for our next adventure...

we live completely opposite of each other, but no matter what we can pick up right where we left off. 

luke and i have not spent substantial time together since i have been back, so we decided to change that and he visited me in salt lake on his way home from his vegas summer adventure.

 not only cant we stop being friends, but he was all for an impromptu firework photoshoot that may or may not have lasted 2 hours at 2 am

 we decided to hit up seven peaks for the day and man it sure was fun. i cant wait to go back. i think we had more fun than most of the small children there.

here is to another 15 years with my bestie...