travel troubles

i'm not sure what it is, but apparently i'm entirely incapable of traveling to or from anywhere without there being some complication. do you remember about 8 months ago when i had the hardest time getting home from ecuador? or a couple thanksgivings ago when i missed my flight? or every other time i've flown anywhere and the airline somehow manages to lose all my luggage? well this trip to kentucky hasn't been any different...

i missed my flight

i'm not leaving until tomorrow morning

i'm stuck in a hotel...

but i'm not even that pissed because i just ordered takeout and i'm watching dermot mulroney <3

on gratitude

right now i'm cuddled up in a big blanket, with my puppy and a cup of hot chocolate that my brother made me. my hands are warm, my feet are toasty, and i am thankful. i have been so blessed with the best life i could ask for. i have a family who loves me, friends who support me, a boy who cares about me, a job that provides for me, and countless other things and people that make waking up every day worth it.

i'm in lagrange kentucky right now. it's kind of strange. this isn't my home, but my family is here so it feels right. the house my mom bought is beautiful and the town is charming, complete with railroad tracks that run right through main street. the view from every window is picturesque and the trees lining the driveway are something out of a movie. my brother and sister are lucky to finish growing up here.

this is the first thanksgiving i've spent with my family in two years and i'm not ready for it to end in a couple days. however i'm enjoying the little moments while i can; the laughter that accompanies 30 minute rounds of apples to apples with my mom and siblings, the childishness of letting my sister give me a makeover as we sing and dance to britney, katy, and gaga, the wet on my face as my puppy kisses me awake every morning, and the warmth that comes not from the fire burning in the room adjacent me, but from the family that i get to call mine forever. 

this is thanksgiving. this is gratitude.

21 hours

in 21 hours i will be departing from salt lake city and on my way east and a little bit south to kentucky. am i over-the-top excited? i am. have i been counting down to this day since i booked my flight? i have. it's been a long four months since i've seen my family and i miss them! this week means hair appointments, scrabble games, a turkey feast (duh), probably some movie watching, a tour of my family's new town, late-night conversations cuddled up in bed with my sister, hugs from my baby brother who is taller than i am, and making up for way too much lost time. 

i'm thankful for my family and that i get to go home for thanksgiving this year.

the feeling of complete and utter defeat

i caved.

i did it.

i'm weak and pathetic and should be shot in the foot...

i'm a firm firm firm believer that christmas doesn't come until after thanksgiving. this means that no trees, lights, or stockings go up until after november 25th. and certainly no christmas music should be played. but yesterday, on november 17th, i listened to justin bieber's christmas album in its entirety... twice. kill me now please. i'm embarrassed and ashamed and my mom would seriously judge me if she knew. but before you hate more than i know you already are, listen to this...

ugh, love him

tumblr thursday

today i'm going to be productive. i always say that and then end up sitting around, drinking hot chocolate, and watching movies all day. but not today. the second i'm done with tumblr thursday i'm going to clean my room, study spanish vocab, and meet a girl to work on our presentation for tomorrow. here you go, lovelies.

i would just like to say that the other day was ryan gosling's 31st birthday and if you didn't celebrate in some way, we can no longer be friends. i love the man. i watched the notebook last night and loved every second of it. i'm probably due for a ryan gosling marathon in the near future. god did great things when he created him. ugh, beautiful. happy thursday children!

the most random of all posts

this lyric has been stuck in my head the last two days...

"and all at once the crowd begins to sing, sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same"

this video is pure gold. and by pure gold i mean i-cant-stop-watching-because-i-love-aj-and-tori-and-the-biebs-so-freaking-much.

and last, but not least, this has been my life the last couple days...

loving my job, and these two

freezing my behind off with chelsie at cory's championship soccer game

this may not look like much to you...

but it's my newww haaaard driiiiiive!!!!!!!!!

i represented during the kansas/kentucky game last night...

but it wasn't enough, kansas lost :'(

and this morning i missed three classes (on accident)

but when i finally awoke, i curled up in cory's blanket and read my scriptures

and it was fantastic

and i didn't even regret sleeping through class

and thus ended the 48974819th year of the reign of the judges...

just... happy

the last couple days have been such a manifestation to me that God lives, that He is aware of me, and that He loves me so, so much. i feel incredibly undeserving of all the blessings that ive been given and for all the love that ive felt recently. im working on being deserving and worthy of those blessings and that love. im getting my priorities straight and figuring out what matters most. im making changes that have been a long time coming. and im feeling more motivated and determined than ever. i can do this.

thai thursday, tumblr thursday, thirsty thursday

i woke up and really liked today. first, because i immediately looked at my phone and realized it was 11:30. i really enjoy sleeping late. second, because i woke up to a text message from chelsie that said, "i am so excited for thai food today" and then i realized that today was thai thursday... imagine my sheer joy. if you haven't experienced the magic that happens at original thai on main street in rexburg idaho, repent and then go! only $7.25 for any lunch dish plus a crab rangoon. i should be paying them. seriously. please feast your eyes upon the deliciousness that entered my belly today.

i hope only positive words entered your brain. because trust me, it tasted as mind-blowingly phenomenal as it looks. today is also the day that i decided to finally order my new hard drive for my poor computer that died about a month ago (moment of silence please...okay, moment's over). 

and, drumroll please... tumblr thursday. sometimes i contemplate the discontinuation of tumblr thursday on this blog, but then chelsie confessed today that she loves it, so i'll keep it. for her, and the rest of you that enjoy it.

(this little cutie was the guy from "up" for halloween, presh)

idk why i threw thirsty thursday in there... it just felt right. maybe because i'm going to be drinking plenty of vitamin C today in an effort to get feeling better. sickness once a semester should be enough! i thought i was done with this. woe is me. t-minus 1.5 hours til i leave for work. in that time i plan on cleaning my room and unloading the dishwasher, and maybe watching desperate housewives. here i go...

a witness at all times

in high school i was really good at having "missionary moments" and sharing my beliefs and values with just about anyone that asked, or who i felt would like to know. but for some reason (probably the fact that i go to a church school), these moments seem fewer and far between. sometimes i think i've maybe forgotten how to share my testimony, because i'm out of practice.

this past weekend, my friend came down to vegas with us. he happens to be an athiest. we don't ever talk about religion because it tends to be a source of contention and one of us ends up angry and hurt. however, on the drive back from vegas to salt lake, things seemed different. i'm not sure why, nor do i remember what we were talking about before this...but during a moment of silence i turned to him and asked, "soo, uh, what do you believe will happen to you when you die?" and it triggered a three hour conversation about the purpose of life, what happens to us when we die, eternal families, faith, prayer, and agency. not once did i feel like things were getting heated or argumentative. i loved it. juelaine jumped in when i needed help, we were quoting scripture and words of prophets that we didn't even know we knew, and the spirit was so strong. 

that conversation made me realize how truly grateful i am for the gospel of Jesus Christ. it made me realize how much a part of my life it is and it made me appreciate how blessed i am to know and believe the things i do. it's so cliche, but i would be so very lost without the gospel in my life. i honestly don't know where i'd be or what i'd be doing without the truth in my life. i now have a renewed desire to be better; to daily immerse myself in the scriptures, to fall on my knees in prayer, and to constantly be seeking for moments and opportunities to share what i know, whether through conversation, or simply by example.

what i'm loving online

a lot of the time i think i'm way too connected... i facebook, i tweet, i blog, i tumble, i email, and i spend a lot of time on the internet. it's probably borderline unhealthy. but sometimes i think it's a good thing. like when i found this, that ashley shared with me, reminding me to keep my thoughts positive and to myself. and like when i read this, that i found so fantastic and hilarious. and like when i read this post by chelsie that i couldn't have agreed with more. sometimes being connected is a bad thing. but sometimes it's my favorite.

i don't even want to talk about how late i am on tumblr thursday. but here it is anyways!

i'm having a pretty quality monday so far. and i get to work tonight! am i freak for loving work so much? i seriously do though... it's the highlight of my day.

a little bit of vegas and a little bit of love

i'm in vegas right now and loving every second of it. the air is a perfect 65 degrees and i am unusually content. i'm loving spending time with my grandma, not worrying about the enormous to-do list i have waiting for me at home, and being with my vegas people. our kyle got married yesterday to the lovely jess elmer (which is why i'm down here in the first place) and they looked so happy! she's quite the catch, kyle's lucky...

the reception was beauuuutiful, and so fun, complete with hawaiian haystacks to eat, and lots of singing and dancing. i didn't get a picture with the bride and groom (sad face) but i was just happy to be there for my friend on his big day!

tomorrow i head back to rexburg, where i hear the snow gods did some work. i guess i can't be too mad though because we at least had fall for longer than we usually do! but before that... i get some pin kaow and a night on the strip. yay for vegas.

oh haaaaai november

it seriously blows my mind that it's already november. where the heck has this year gone!? i like november. for me, it means... leaf piles, hot apple cider, vegas for jess and kyle's wedding, mid terms, kentucky for thanksgiving, finally getting to see my family (i said goodbye to them when they moved in july), and the second to last month of school! here are my current favorites...

current guilty pleasure: leg warmers

current color: gray

current playlist: justin bieber's new christmas album, angels and airwaves' new album,

current read: hunger games, i started it in ecuador...but had to give up

current drink: raspberry peach lemonade

current food: cornbread muffins, baked potatoes, and homemade caramel corn

current favorite show: desperate housewives

current wish list: fall clothes

current needs: a new hard drive

current triumphs: having the record for bev averages and upsell percentages at work

current bane of my existence: my messy room, late work

current celebrity crush: benjamin gibbard (he and zooey split up!)

current indulgence: a full tank of gas

current blessing: the check my mom sent me in the mail, gratitude practicum in D&C

current outfit: work shirt and gray boy's sweats

current excitement: my weekend has started, vegas tomorrow!

current mood: overwhelmed, but trying not to worry about it

current link: everyone knows i love aj... all i want for christmas is to meet the man!