Christmas part 3

check out part 1 and part 2 of my crazy christmas adventure

a very vegas christmas and a trashy new year....

my brother got meg, my mom, dad and me Las Vegas Bowl football tickets for us. we love college football in this family a little too much. however, USC is my brother's favorite team and we could not miss that. we drove down to mesquite and saw this precious niece of mine. it is incredible how quickly newborns grow and change. she is adorable.

 meghan and i then drove onto vegas for the night. it was wonderful to get out of salt lake and just hang out and roam the strip.

 the next day my family drove into vegas for the game and we stopped at the bellagio before the game. these creations are made of flowers. how incredible is that?!

 it was actually really warm outside and the sun was never in our faces, so it was a perfect day for a game.

 this was randomly thrown to us at the game....we love our utes and still find a way to support them at a game they are not even playing.

 we drove back to mesquite that night and megan took my sister and i to one of the casinos. on my first penny slot machine i put in a dollar and won 20. it was pretty awesome.

we went to church the next day and then drove the long trek home to salt lake.

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.