{angus.mitchell} in salt lake city

had the opportunity at school to meet the son who keeps up the genius of a little guy we like to call paul.mitchell...

all of my beautiful friends and i with {julian} left and {angus.mitchell} right...

what happens in {vegas}....

so on account of all of the weird personalities i've been experiencing with myself lately, my friend constance and i thought it would be extremely appropriate, and more importantly a blast, if we went to vegas for the weekend...we were both in need of the best healing medicine on the planet, some serious sun!

i'm lucky enough to have the very best friends in the whole world, ashley and miles reynolds, who so kindly let us stay at their house for the weekend. the plan was to go down and stay with them and they try to sneak into a pool on the strip...however, we quickly realized that was impossible, so on a very spontaneous note, we got a room at mandalay bay for the night, and it was soooooo worth it! the pool was perfect and just what the doctor ordered....and i don't know how everyone else feels about the bellagio, but i could sit there for hours just to watch the fountains. it's the only peaceful thing about las vegas, the only thing that you can really just watch and nothing else around you distracts you....mmmm so nice....

i do have to say it was quite weird being on a trip without trev, for seriously the first time in a long time, but i couldn't have gone with a better friend! she was awesome and helped me keep my mind off of things....

and to top it all off, i got to talk to dana on the phone for like 2 hours on our drive back.....much needed weekend? i think so....

running {outside}...

so here's the honest truth...working out is like the hardest thing ever for me to do. i can't make myself enjoy it. i don't know what my problem is but i can't. the part that drives me crazy is jogging for what seems like forever on a darn treadmill.

so naturally, i blamed my shoes. so what did trev get me for my birthday? probably the best gift ever and most motivating, a gift card for new running shoes!

so now you may ask, how are these shoes ever going to be put to good use? well i figured out my main problem. the problem is i need to run places where i want to run...which means yes, i need to run outdoors where i can observe real things, not pace myself on a machine that i'd rather throw out the gigantic reflective window staring me back in the face as i do my pathetic runs...

my plan to run outside?...one 5K every weekend through October...can it be done? i am very confident and my first one is this saturday and i'm pretty freakin excited about it. so if you're one who hates to run, try running outside...it's already changing my perspective on the sport and i love it!

a special thank you to trevor, i truly would not have done this without you...i love you!

Birthdays...

as we approach the month of March, it always without fail makes me think about my birthday. of course that makes sense since that is the month that i was born, but it's so weird to think about how fast we get older.

last year, when i turned 20, i can honestly say that i felt different. i don't know how different i felt, but it was the kind of different where you still say your a year younger by accident (what some people might call denial, i call a reality check). that was a reality check and this year even more so...

21

some people might also say that this number shows no significance to those of us who choose to use our age for good, not evil, but it is a big step. you receive power from a number, and with power does come responsibility. the power of 21 is a power that a lot of people choose to not use responsibly, which we can only expect...what i want to know is why people desire this age so badly? when has anyone ever had to lie about their age to get in anywhere except to get the senior special on the early bird buffet?

it makes me think of everything that's going on in my life and where it's all going to go. i do have to say, that the past year has kind of been like a 'groundhog' day kind of year where i go to work, proceed to school, go to church, repeat process...of course in between the repetition there's been a lot of inconsistency in the boy scene, but that was made extremely consistent as well as of last November.

now i don't want to be too confusing because i don't want to come off as a complainer. i'm so happy with myself and my life and the way it's going, but at the same time i hate the feeling that it's not going anywhere. i know it is, i know it, but i can't help but think that it's just standing still in a sense.

i need a pick-me-up, an epiphany, a discussion, ANYTHING that would change this pattern that i seem to be living day by day. maybe it's my fault because it does seem like the only thing that i'm waiting around for it to change is my relationship, but that's a whole lot of reliability on another person and nothing that i can really control. i did shave my legs and that made me feel a whole lot better, but i need something different that i can look forward to, that can get me excited, and get me out of this lull/rut that i feel like i'm living in (i'm extremely open to suggestions by the way)...

i just want to figure out the significance of this number, because it's creeping up on me fast and it does make me feel a little weird, so it'll be interesting to see if anything happens i'd say...

i had to post this picture of the Jimas' twins first birthday...here's to 21 plus more you two!

Vancouver 2010

i love the time every four years when it's the winter olympics, once again. i love that no matter what i'm going to most likely enjoy having the tv on to watch them. i love most of all, that everyone turns into 'judges' if you will. well, we all turn into either self-proclaimed judges, or we decide that we have to get out and do these activities more since they make it look so easy and look like so much fun!

i hope everyone enjoys these olympics as much as i have so far, and that you all watch as much of them as you can...

(picture taken by rachel thurston)

For those of you that know me, know that i am obsessed with Rachel Thurston and her photo work. As she explained in her blog, she had a special opportunity to do some photo work with some of the U.S.A. athletes and their coaches which i found extremely cool! You can check out all of what she did and more details here...

www.rachelthurston.com/blog

i just wanted to add a little blurb about this incredible blog that i've been constantly stalking for about 2 years and have officially been following since the summer time and i am just so proud of her! i know she doesn't even know who i am but she is so talented!

rachel, it's about time you get this incredible website going! i'm so excited for you and can't congratulate you enough!

Now, as for the contest, i want this trip! and i don't necessarily feel the greatest about just "taking" this trip if i was chosen to win. Not that i wouldn't be forever grateful, but i have been extremely blessed in my life and i know that there are going to be many more people who respond to this that deserve it more than i do, but Rachel, you HAVE inspired me...

(both pictures in this blog are most obviously not mine, definitely Rachel's)

i have never been to Seattle before and i know this will sound lame, but i have been a loyal follower of Grey's Anatomy, and ever since then, i have wanted to live in Seattle. I have been to Vancouver once before and i absolutely loved everything about it! I love the weather, i love the constant cloud cover, and i love the atmosphere of a big city with so much going on. So my goal no matter what, SAVE UP and GO to Seattle! This would be a great trip and a fun experience and you truly have inspired me to just do it! of course, not many of us can just pick up and go on a vacation, me being one of those people, but i am going to start putting together a vacation fund so that when enough pay checks have added up, i can visit this intriguing place...

so when that day comes, i will need some guidance and will need to know where to go and what to see. it may not be for another 6-8 months, but since it's now a goal i know it will happen.

For all that want to participate in this Seattle giveway, make sure to follow this link to Rachel's new blog and get the details...TELL EVERYONE!!! and hopefully, we can make sure that one of us get's to go on this incredible trip...

rachel, if you read this, tell anna that allie petersen has been stalking you and says hi to her on her mission...she'll know who i am and tell her i think she's incredible for going! thanks...

Goodbye Jules...

I can't believe this day has come already. There are so many emotions i can't even describe. She is moving on and i am so proud of her, but i am going to miss this girl so much. The worst thing is, she probably had no idea what an amazing person she is and what an incredible impact she has made on so many aspects of my life. Not only in our incredibly deep conversations, but in the way that she radiates with so much self-confidence that only makes me want to be like her.

Jules Morrow started working at School Improvement Network (common theme with people i love you might start to notice) and from day one, i knew that we were going to get along. She is someone who you know is going to change you from the minute you start talking to her.

The thing is, you don't realize sometimes that she even has anything to do with the fact that you've changed, until you trace back to the exact moment where you knew that she was the one who did it.

Now, why would a person this amazing be leaving us? Well, good ol' uncle Gary's office hired her on the spot at their Johnson Family Dental office in Ventura, California and from then on, things fell almost scarily into place for her. She found an LDS family renting their basement and made the arrangements to move out 3 weeks from the time she took her vacation...crazy huh?

I know i talked about this earlier, about how this has always been my dream to just pick up and move to California and really figure out where my life was going, but letting that happed closer to the ocean and warm weather than i am here. But that wasn't the right thing for me. This is right for her! In fact, this is perfect for her!

The world needs to hear her music, and if this is how it's gonna start, than i say what better time than now?

I just want Jules to know how truly happy i am for her. I can't imagine any situation being better for her at this time in her life. I love her so much and she truly has changed me forever...

Bird & Banner

As everyone knows, i love things that people make by hand and through so much creativity and then sell them, and this website is just that. These two have made all different sorts of invitations (mostly wedding) and sold them for unreal prices. All of their orders are custom and they are incredible. Check them out though because they really are inspiring...

Who woulda' thought...

When i got my calling to teach the Valiant 10 class in the primary back in July, i didn't think there was going to be anything to it. I kept thinking what a piece of cake it would be, but quickly realized what a huge learning experience it was going to be...

I know they look super sweet and like they are little angels, which they are, but the equation of any 12 kids under the age of 12 is quite a challenge to say the least...


This picture is definitely a more accurate account of how they really are. They are almost always crazy almost all of the time. However, this last Sunday was our Primary Program and it truly was the most moving one i have ever attended. Now i can't decide whether or not it's because i'm their teacher or what, but there were 5 times that i can remember tearing up and hoping they didn't turn around and see me...

This calling has really helped me, not only with my patience, but with my scripture reading and always trying to have the spirit to help me know what these kids need from me. For some, it's just a friend, or an adult that gives them attention and listens to what they have to say. It truly has been one of my biggest blessings this year and i know if i told them this they would think i was such a baby, and they may never know how much i appreciate them, but i truly do more than they'll ever know...

Bailly + Andrea

This weekend, Bailly and Andrea are celebrating their 4th anniversary so i was honored to make a special gift that Bailly wanted to have made for her.

The original idea of the "coupon book" came from Ashley Hirschi who had me make one for her boyfriend. These books can be used as picture books as well, but i like to do them custom because then they can say whatever they want and we can do the exact colors to match the personality of the couple.

I'm not that great at scrapbooking compared to a lot of other Utah women, but i do love that i have a creative outlet where i can put my own personal touch and really make someone realize that a lot of work and love went into it...

I decided that i'm going to blog about all of these that i do so that i don't forget who and what i did them for, because truly, that's what's important!

These two are in love, and this was the perfect way to show it...

All good things must come to an end, but some things have the chance to just get better!

So i have to say that this camera has been the greatest thing since my first camera, which let's be honest, was not the greatest thing at all. Even at 7.1 megapixels it has taken so many pictures that it has actually worn out it's battery twice and needed to be replaced. So really i have one option, get a new camera!!!

I wanted to stay in the Canon family, however, i think that i've found the perfect one that isn't too professional for my everyday usage, but professional and legit enough to take quite the quality pictures and just be really great. I've been to the store and looked at it and it kinda just called out my name.

The one in the picture is actually the E-520 and the one i have been eying is the E-420 which is a hundred dollars cheaper and has all the same features. For those of you who are just dying to get it for me for Christmas, the link is enclosed in the title...

I'll go back this weekend and decide whether or not i can afford something like this, but i really love it and would love to have it with me at all times...

All because two people fell in love...

My parents just recently had their 26th wedding anniversary, so i just wanted to take a minute to say how amazing they really are and how much i love them. They truly are such an adorable couple and they mesh so well together. I'm sure a lot of people would question the truthfulness to that statement since they seem so entirely different, but as i've gotten older i've really began to notice how well they work together and how much they love each other...

My mom and i were never really very close, for a lot of reasons that mostly stem from my immaturity in dealing with our differences in opinions. Now, since i've moved back home, she and i get along better than i ever thought we could. She truly is such an amazing woman and i learn a lot from her. I know, however, that i still have a lot to learn from her, and whether or not she knows it, she still has a lot to teach me...

My dad and i have always had a very close relationship. If we have ever not gotten along, it's almost always been because of our lack of communication, or simply from his worry about the oldest growing up too fast. He talks to me about everything, whether i want to or not. This has been an incredible help to me growing up and has helped me to always remember that he genuinely does care about me and what i truly want to do in my life.


I know that we were all supposed to be a family and that there isn't anything that anyone could ever do to tear us apart, and that is thanks primarily to mom and dad for being our life preservers in the good and in the bad...

They have been through some really rough and some incredibly miraculous occasions together, and i can't tell them how grateful i am that they have raised us and lived their lives so that our family can be together forever.

You're the most incredible parents and i hope that someday i can be even half the parents you two have been.

Happy 26th Anniversary!!!

Grandma & Grandpa

I know this is going to be out of order, but me being the dummie i am left my camera up at Trevor's house this past weekend so i haven't updated you on my weekend yet, but i did want to talk about my fun day yesterday...

Since i have PTO for work, i took the day off of work yesterday (and school for that matter) to spend time with my grandparents while they are here visiting, and i'm so glad i did! I'm pretty sure they were thrilled too, considering they were here all the way from California, their beautiful little town where i would someday love love love to live. And i know these pictures look much too warm for yesterday, but they're going to have to do since i didn't have my camera.

Anyway, we spent most of the day looking for a mini fridge for them and my Grandpa's most exciting part of the day was he got a new 'pea-shooter' he called it, or in other words, a little pistol. He even said to us that he felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. He truly was the most excited i think i have seen him in a while! They took me and mom to Cafe Rio for lunch and all in all it was such a fun day and i'm really glad that i did it.

6 Weeks!

Okay six weeks is seriously insane! i can't believe how fast time is flying. I'm excited that i get to see my best friend again...he really is loving missionary work so much which is exactly how it should be so i'm just so happy that i've been a very little part of this journey with him...

i don't think that in the 8 years we have been friends that we've gone even a day without talking to each other and to have him leave for two years has been really different. However, the more i think about it, all the things and all of the ways i have grown up in the past two years, i couldn't have done with him here i don't think. I have learned so much about myself and made decisions on my own that i know i wouldn't have if he had been here...

Now don't get me wrong, once a week one-ended conversations have been such a blesssing and really helpful, but i know it's been just the right dosage...

I can't wait to have him home!!!

Dana Montana

So this is my sister Dana. I call her Dana Montana since she calls me 'Shell' which doesn't really make sense to me but i think it's because my middle name is Michelle and so she just shortened that. But it does make me laugh when other people hear us call each other those because i'm sure they think they've been pronouncing our names wrong for years, when really we're the ones who are wrong...

Anyway, Dana is 4th in line in our family and i would say that out of all our siblings, she and I are the closest. She just turned 17 in August and that girl is going places. She just finished her last season ever on the Alta Lady Hawks tennis team where she won state two years in a row and played all 4 years.

As you can see she is also a knock out. I always get mistaken for the younger one, but it is a little hard to compete with a girl as hot as this. I do regret to say for all you guys who are looking to date this pretty little thing, that she does have a boyfriend with whom she has been with for 6 months next week.

This is Colby and we do love having him around. He just had his 18th birthday which is weird that in less than a year he will be putting in his mission papers, but we're excited for him and really do love having them around. Dana is definitely more happy when he's with her than not, and she's a hard one to tame so we really do appreciate him.

Okay now why am i bringing up Dana? Well she has been applying for colleges lately which totally weirds me out! It seems like there is no way that she is old enough for this. Even weirder, she's really interested in the Air Force and Naval Academy and is willing to do whatever it takes to get in to either of those places. She is so disciplined that i know she would last, but i really can't stand the thought of her being so far away and not getting ready in the morning together and not being able to talk to her anytime i want...

i know it's not the same, but when Rissy moved away, we didn't so much stop talking but have kinda grown apart. We're still best friends and talk whenever we need, but we have our own lives...so i guess i just don't want that same feeling when Dana leaves...

But like i said, i couldn't be happier for her and for where her life is going. I love her so much and just want her to be reassured of that every day!

Etsy

So i am a handmade-crafty junkie!!! I love to discover people who have taken their talents and turned it into something creative. I'm more on the creative side with scrapbooking and card making so I especially love people who can do things like this girl has done to furniture.

I have a bunch of antique furniture that i'm seriously thinking about driving out to Mission Viejo, CA so that she can finish it for me this beautifully.

I just wanted to give her a shout out and let her know how much i love her work! You guys can find her on Etsy.com along with so many other creative minds it will make your head spin!

Check out her stuff!!! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7059851&ga_search_query=shabbychicfairytale&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

Only 7 weeks left...

Yesterday marked the 7 week mark of the day that my best friend in the whole wide world is coming back from his mission in Rome, Italy. He is having the time of his life and loves being a missionary so much, however i, along with his mother especially, am very excited to have him back.

The funny thing is that these past two years seem like they have just flown by, but whenever i think about everything that has happened and all the ways in which i have grown, it seems like he has been gone for forever.

It's crazy to me that it's so soon. I know that week will sneak up on me and i won't even know what hit me, but i can't wait!

Chris is so amazing and i don't know what i would do without him in my life!

I love you Chris and i'll see you in just a few short weeks!