belated christmas post.

since i am stuck indoors, due to the fact that there is a raging blizzard outside, i decided now would be a great time to catch up with my holiday blogggg.
sorry i'm a few days behind..

christmas.
there is so much i could say about this amazing holiday.
i love it. absolutely looove it.
it's such a beautiful day.
the day where we gather and celebrate with our families-
all eyes bright with enthusiasm and surprise.
the day that we rejoice at the birth of our Savior.
the day that we give, and share our love and compassion for one another.
such a beautiful day:)
this year, christmas seemed to sneak up on me more than usual.
it seemed that because of finals, and otherrrr distractions,
christmas was at the bottom of my list.
i hardly even remembered it existed.
the one thing i was looking forward to towards the end of the semester-
winter break.
christmas was far from my mind.
although i wasn't feeling much of the usual christmas tradition,
on the 24th of december, i arrived at the 11:00 christmas eve service with my friends and family. 
as i walked into the sanctuary, i was handed a small candle- a part of the christmas tradition.
sitting quietly in the pew, pieces of christmas began to puzzle themselves back together right in front of me.
we began to sing Silent Night, as our candles were lit and raised into the air, one by one.
i glanced around the sanctuary and saw a million tiny flames held high-
rejoicing. celebrating.
such a beautiful holiday.
after a few short hours, christmas morning came.
surprisingly, this was the first year my brother and i weren't up at 6 a.m. begging our parents to jump out of bed and run downstairs.
we took our time, and i slept til about 11:00 or so:)
we opened our presents, and enjoyed each other's company for the day.
i got a lot of great gifts, but a few that stood out were a new iPod nano, a Garmin (GPS), and pepper spray:)
i'm especially excited about the pepper spray.
santa did good this year.

happy birthday baby Jesus.

p.s. fun fact- apparently, Jesus was born sometime in the spring or something, we just celebrate in in the winter. i feel a bit upset that nobody told me this sooner. for all i know, everything i think i know could only be semi-true. way cool.
;)

tagged.

court. i adore you. sorry if these answers are just not good enough.
1. what is your absolute favorite line from a movie? there are so many. and as classy as it is, the majority of my favorite quotes lie within the ever so cleverly crafted script of the The Hangover. that movie could honestly be considered my favorite quote.
2. what is your favorite halloween tradition? once again. there are so so many. halloween is without a doubt in my top 3 favorite holidays. i absolutely love it, so i soak it all up. favorite traditions in no particular order.
a. trying on tons and tons and tons of extravagant halloween costumes until i find the one i can't leave without.
b. trick-or-treating. a no brainer. who doesn't love running around in the chilly october air, begging for goods on neighbors' doorsteps?
c. trading trick-or-treating candy. if i'm not up to my chest in delicious Reese's peanut butter cups there will be hell to pay. (fitting for this devilish holiday, i know.)
d. carving pumpkins. classic.
3. what is your favorite seasonal clothing to wear and why? let me just tell you.
winter: nice looking jackets. why? i honestly couldn't tell you. maybe it's because when you wear something nice looking you feel sort of good about yourself...?
spring: spring is when i break out the flip-flops or begin walking barefoot. pretty much one of the most freeing feelings ever after having your feet bundled up day in and day out due to gross snow that sticks around for wayyyy too long.
summer: shorts. i love shorts. why? because i hate jeans. so uncomfortable. i take advantage of shorts weather, and continue wearing them well into the coming seasons.
fall: sweats. who doesn't love sweats.
4. what is your favorite part about weddings? i hate myself for the fact that i have never been to a wedding. but if i had been, i would love watching the bride and groom together. completely and 100% in awe of each other.
5. at what point in your day do you find yourself the most exhausted? at times like these, when i've just spent the day treading a close to 4 mile hike. that usually wears me out a little.
6. in all seriousness, what could you just honestly not live without? in all seriousness? this is hard. disregarding food, water, and shelter..and considering that "what" is not "who", as terrible as it is, i would find it pretty difficult to live without my laptop. i'm not saying i COULD NOT survive without it, because after contemplating this question for about 5 minutes, there are not many objects i really couldn't live without. however, my computer holds quite a few things that i find incredibly useful on a day to day basis (fbook not being one of them.....jk) and it would be, without a doubt, not as fun to not have it around for my convenience. judge me as you will.
7. if you could be anyone in the world, this century or before, who would you choose to be? i'm not going to even try to bullshit this one. i honestly don't know enough about history to be able to even remotely answer this question.
8. what is your favorite way to unwind from a completely ridiculous day full of chaos? HOT SHOWER. and fbook. and blog. maybe a good cry, and cuddle with my pupps:)

DEAL.

all better.

honesty is a virtue and life isn't so bad:)

74 and counting. a list of things i love.

alright. so after being nagged by one of my closest friends (court), i will now also become intoxicated by happy. overjoyed by a few things i love to love. here's a small list of a few of the many things that intoxicate me with happiness:) 

(in no particular order)

1. wearing absolutely no makeup.

2. my old, nasty mickey mouse sweatshirt that i got at the D.I. for 2 buckaroons.

3. putting my hair in a crazy ugly bun and not caring.

4. rapping all the words to my favorite eminem songs.

5. hanging out with my mom.

6. long talks with my mom.

7. the PINK collection from victoria's secret.

8. coming up with creative ideas for photo shoots and capturing them.

9. causing people joy even though the cause of joy may be my own pain (e.g. wisdom teeth, falling over wheelchair ramps).

10. my new laptop.

11. thinking about what the future holds for me.

12. Christ.

13. nail polish.

14. clearance items.

15. indian/hispanic inspired clothing.

16. my tattoo.

17. chapstick.

18. working at a nacho joint where my boss is my friend, and someone i always share many great conversations with.

19. all animals in general. (spiders are not animals.)

20. the way my teeth feel after brushing and flossing.

21. the way hot, hot water feels on my skin during a shower after showering in cold community showers for a week.

22. my queen sized bed.

23. participating in charity efforts.

24. singing.

25. cafe rio's pork salads.

26. spending time with my oldest best friends.

27. spending time with my newest best friends.

28. when my brother and i sincerely enjoy each other's company.

29. dreaming of my wedding day while watching "Say Yes to the Dress".

30. dancing like a fool in public and not caring one bit about it.

31. being a bit out there.

32. saying what's on my mind and meaning every word of it.

33. standing up for what i believe in regardless of what anyone decides of it.

34. knowing what i stand for.

35. walking throughout my house, my back yard, or out to my car in nothing but my bra and panties.

36. being slightly provocative in public when i feel like it.

37. knowing that no matter what others think of me, i will never fail to be myself.

38. when my dad and i share our love of babies and non-annoying toddlers while (unintensionally creepily) staring and goo-goo-ga-ga-ing over other people's children in public.

39. reminiscing on old memories.

40. when my sweet puppies lay next to me and cuddle with me when i cry.

41. when my sweet puppies lay next to me and cuddle with me when the thunder scares the shit out of them.

42. giving makeovers.

43. drawing fake tattoos.

44. writing in cursive.

45. working out in spandex with paul.

46. walking along the waikiki strip.

47. going to frogurt and filling my cup up so much that it nearly overflows with toppings and deliciousness.

48. driving through the canyons by myself with the windows and sunroof down, while john mayer plays softly in the air.

49. laying in the sun.

50. swimsuit shopping.

51. waking up at a decent hour and feeling absolutely alive and refreshed.

52. holding hands.

53. wearing clothes that don't fit me.

54. my freckles.

55. driving through pouring rain, crackling thunder, and lighting in the middle of nowhere.

56. compliments.

57. spending time with certain people, doing and saying nothing, but still being perfectly content in the other's prescence .

58. amazing conversations.

59. letting go of grudges.

60. adorable panties.

61. wearing no panties.

62. movies that make me cry and cry because i can feel the reality in them.

63. putting my possible future childrens' names in my phone under a list of "baby names:)".

64. how safe and content i feel while lying in bed after a long and satisfying day.

65. knowing that i'm smarter than i often give myself credit for.

66. reading and hearing meaningful poetry.

67. all the material i managed to soak in during my senior year of english.

68. the fact that i am a soft-hearted and emotional girl who continually gives compassion and love to those around her, and even though it isn't always returned, it means no less to the ones who aren't ready to accept it.

69. how excited i am to see the movie "Eat. Pray. Love."

70. that many of my friends trust me enough to come to me when in need of a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, a voice of advice, or arms to be wrapped in.

71. raw and honest relationships.

72. that my mom brought me lortab at 4:30 in the morning last night (due to my wisdom teeth pain), and layed with me in bed until i was able to fall asleep.

73. my incredible sony dslr camera. i love you.

74. exotically flavored yogurt.

i may add to this list later if anything else occurs to me.

a list of a few things that i love to love.

what a lovely little list.