a very merry christmas.

christmas was wonderful.

it was spent with family & friends and i don't know how it could have been any better.

we acted out the nativity story on christmas eve. 

it was fun to have a real baby jesus this year (actually two baby jesus'... so we had two mary's as well)

a big smile from brielle

& a cute pose from elise

christmas morning in our pajamas

dustin & i at his parents house

i feel so blessed this holiday season.

i hope you all had a very merry christmas as well!

carolyn, the birthday girl.

carolyn (a.k.a. carolina, caroliners, carrie, carol, caroline, carolyn marie, or karen)

i'm glad that you sat behind me in 7th grade science class.

jr. high & high school wouldn't have been the same without you.

i laugh so much when i'm around you.

& i couldn't be happier to have you living in utah again.

i luff you dearly.

now go party it up you little 21-year-old, you! 

i have lovely friends.

it was our eighth annual friend christmas party. this year it was an ugly christmas sweater theme. unfortunately alyssa & alicia had to leave after dinner but carolyn, celia, savannah, & i ended up partying til 4am. and you know what happens when we are up in the middle of the night.... something like this christmas music video.

from our heart to yours. enjoy.

there's so much to be thankful for.

I love this song by Josh Groban. I haven't listened to him much but I heard this song on the radio the other day and I love each and every word. It has such a wonderful meaning. And who can deny that he has an amazing voice. Anyway... just thought I'd share this beautiful song. It has reminded me of all the good things I should be remembering during this holiday season. (listen to the link as well.. its so much more powerful to hear him sing it.)

"Thankful"

Somedays we forget

To look around us

Somedays we can't see

The joy that surrounds us

So caught up inside ourselves

We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be.

And on this day we hope for

What we still can't see.

It's up to us to be the change

And even though we all can still do more

There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves

There's so much sorrow

It's way too late to say

I'll cry tomorrow

Each of us must find our truth

It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for 

What we know can be

And every day we hope for

What we still can't see

It's up to us to be the change

And even though we all can still do more

There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences 

There is a place we're all connected

Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be

And on this day we hope for 

What we still can't see

It's up to us to be the change

And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for 


merry christmas eve!

little notes.

dear snow, 

you made me so happy when i looked out the window this morning. & i'm dreaming of a white christmas so please keep coming. 

dear best friends, 

i can't wait for our eighth annual christmas party tomorrow evening. i love how long we have been friends & that we are all here to celebrate.

dear elise&brielle,

i'm so excited you will be here for your very first christmas. i've heard you are sitting up by yourselves now & i can't wait to see your cute little faces. 

dear boyfriend, 

i reeeeeally wish you would tell me what you got me for christmas. five days is just too long to wait. 

dear chamomile tea,

how i love a hot, steaming cup of you in the mornings. you ease my sore throat & make me feel all warm inside.

and most importantly....

dear sickness,

please go away. this is absolutely the worst time for you to be here. please just leave & never come back.

xoxo 

lulu

sunday inspiration.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,

talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of

God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give other people

permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

new york city christmas.

today as i was listening to this song on the radio, i decided that one day i am going to go to new york for christmas/new years.

yes, i have already been there (and i loved it) but how magical would it be to see nyc during christmas time?

ice skating in central park? sounds so lovely.

(pretty sure that is always where people fall in love in the movies... i must go!)

someday i'll fulfill my dream & have a 

merry new york christmas

pictures from google images & this blog

all i can do is keep breathing.

this was absolutely the longest week ever. 

           and it still isn't over, oh dear. 

tonight is lovely though. i took a bubble bath with the lights out and listened to pandora on my phone. (amazing. i should do this more often.)

now i'm in bed & going to sleep at precisely ten-thirty p.m. (i don't remember the last time i went to bed this early) and i will not wake up until precisely nine a.m. (yes, that is over ten hours of sleep.) 

i will then utilize the universities oh-so-kind "study day" and then welcome the weekend with open arms because everything will be okay again.

inhale. exhale.

i am almost to the end. just a few (or several) more things to check off my end-of-the-semester-to-do-list. 

missing these two.

hoping kristi & ben decide to leave sunny arizona & come to utah for a {hopefully} white christmas.

i am missing these pretty blue-eyed babies TOO MUCH.

christmas festivities.

 dustin & i at the festival of trees.

there were plenty of cute/creative gingerbread houses too.

 and you can't really tell but santa is surfing and the blue trees curled over him are the waves. creative, eh?

reason #36 of why i love my brother.

when i walked into the kitchen this morning to eat breakfast, i found devin sitting at the kitchen table with his laptop, books, and papers surrounding him. then i noticed a sign he had written & taped to his chest that read:

"devin doesn't exist today as a person, but only as a mind focused on finals. please only disturb his body for the necessity of food. thank you for your cooperation."

he makes me laugh. if only i could find this same motivation to focus on finals.
hopefully i will before next week.

p.s. this is my last week of actual classes!

love notes.

dear carolyn, i miss you. pretty sure this is the longest we have been apart since seventh grade and i don't like it. i'm so happy you love me more than boston. see you oh so soon.

dear alicia, congrats on your job at sundance. it would be lovely if you could sneak some discount passes out for me. i miss hitting the slopes with you. thankyou in advance.

dear december, keep the snow coming. and please don't go by too fast. it seems as if the past months have been flying by & i'd really love if you stuck around awhile longer.

love love love, 

lulu

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.

well although the so-called blizzard was a huge disappointment, i still got the winter wonderland i'd been waiting for. 
too bad it hit before i left dustins last night because my poor car couldn't make it up skyline. so i finally parked it half way up the hill & walked the rest of the way to my house. 
no big deal though because i was so happy to see the pretty snow. and lots of it. 
thanksgiving break was way better than i ever hoped it would be. i loved every minute of it. today i finished it off by putting christmas decorations up with my family. and i pretty much listened to christmas music all day because i officially can now & not feel ashamed of it since thanksgiving is over.
lastly, let me just point out that there is only two and a half weeks left of fall semester for me. although they are going to be extra busy & full of projects, presentations, & exams... i am MORE than ready for it. 

a day of giving thanks.

thanksgiving was wonderful.
it was especially wonderful because i had two thanksgiving dinners. one with dustin's family and one with my family. i love that thanksgiving gives us a day to be with our families and eat a lot of yummy food & pie. 
and even though we all act like we don't want to do the talent show every year... i really enjoy watching everyone perform (the ones who still have talents anyway). so thanks for starting that tradition grandma, it was so fun to skype you. it sure makes me thankful for technology this year as well. 
i went black friday shopping yesterday with dustin for my first time ever. yep, people are pretty insane. but i actually don't mind the crowds, just maybe not the lines. we got what we went for though so that made it all worth it. 
and right now i'm really thankful that thanksgiving break isn't over just yet! i still have the rest of today & tomorrow to enjoy. its already been so lovely too.  


p.s. sorry i don't have any pictures from the wonderful day. guess i was distracted this year.

let it snow.

I am officially on thanksgiving break & it feels so good. I came over to dustins (the boyfriend) after school cause the poor boy is sick. Now we're watching anime (nerdy, I know... But he lived in japan for two years so I guess he can't help it) I don't mind though cause I get to blog on his iPhone. It's sweeeet.. makes me want one.
I'm looking forward to this storm that is supposed to hit which is surprising but I figure if it's going to be this bitter cold then it might as well be pretty & white. Plus I'm reeeally getting into the christmas spirit. I'm usually big on waiting til after thanksgiving to listen to Christmas music but I may have slipped this morning on the way to school.. I just couldn't help it! I am looking forward to thanksgiving though.. What's better than family & yummy food?
Anyway... Today I'm thankful to be going to school & getting a degree but I'm especialy thankful for holiday breaks off from school. And I'm even more thankful I can just relax under a warm blanket & watch a movie with Dustin. Bring on the blizzard.. I'll be enjoying the day indoors :)

today is a rather blustery & chilly day.

{pictures from my parents deck}

i have been listening to the wind whip at my window all morning.
i told myself i'd be productive today and i honestly haven't gotten nearly as much done as planned, but i'm loving just sitting around in sweats doing whatever i feel. this doesn't happen very often lately so i'm thankful for this crappy weather day because i feel it gives me the right to just enjoy being at home.


and through out today i have been thinking about how thankful i am for warmth.
the warm bed i woke up in, the warm shower i took, the warm oatmeal i ate for breakfast, the warm fireplace going in our family room, the warm sweats i am wearing, & the warm house i am lounging around in.
i think i take it all for granted; but today i am truly thankful for these simple warm pleasures. 

today i am thankful for a place to call home.

a place that after leaving for awhile & experiencing a new place, i can go home to where i know people will be waiting to greet me with open arms.

a place where i know i will always be supported & loved.

a place i am familiar with and where everything seems right.

i am thankful not only to have a home; but a good home.

knowing this gives me the greatest comfort in the world.

it gives me the strength i need to go out into the world & have no fears because i know there will always be a place for me to return home to.

music is what feelings sound like.

i don't think i could live without music.
whether its waking up to mikayla practicing beautiful pieces on the piano, dancing to music with my girlfriends, singing to songs in the shower or car, listening to up-beat songs while exercising or cleaning, playing christmas music during the holidays, and especially singing hymns in church.
music does so much for the soul.
so today, i am thankful for music.

let the "what i'm thankful for" posts begin.

{the fam on easter}

thanksgiving is almost a week away. didn't november just start? how time is flying by!

well today i am thankful for my family. common answer, i know. but they are the first thing that comes to mind because since i'm living at home, i'm reminded daily how grateful i am to have the family that i do (& lately we've had a blast playing bananagrams every day once everyone is home from school... i think we are addicted). 

not only am i thankful for my immediate family but for ALL of my family. my grandparents, aunts, uncles, & cousins. i know a lot of people who hardly even know their cousins & i'm thankful to have grown up so close to all of mine. 

i truly believe that family is the most important part of this life & i am blessed with the best. 

i love you all :)

alyssa tagged me.

Four Shows I Watch:
1. friends
2. america's next top model

3. full house

4. but i don't really watch t.v. ever

Four Things I'm Passionate About:
1. spirituality/religion

2. traveling
3. love
4. family

Four Phrases I Say A Lot:
1. "oh myyy"

2. "whatev"

3. "what are you thinking about?"
4. "i love you" :)

Four Things I've Learned from the Past:
1. service does so much for a person (not just the person who is served).

2. if you do as much as you possibly can, somehow its always enough.

3. live & let live.

4. there are no accidents.

Four Places I Would Like to Go:
1. india
2. tahiti
3. japan
4. greece

Four Things I Did Yesterday:
1. went to emily's baby shower.
2. blogged about my time in hawaii with devin (made me miss it too much).
3. went to dinner for devin's bday.
4. went on a date with dustin to trafalga & i lost once again.

Four Things I'm Looking Forward to:
1. thanksgiving break
2. fall semester to be over with
3. seeing my long lost friend, carolyn!
4. the holidays

Four Things I Love About Winter:
1. christmas music

2. boots&sweaters
3. fireplaces
4. skiing

Four Things on My Wish List:
1. a good job
2. a cruise/vacation
3. a camera
4. just happiness for all my friends & family.

Four People I Tag:
1. carolyn 

2. savannah
3. chelsea
4. jessica

hey brother,

remember how we lived on an island?

and went to school here?

and how you lived in this little dorm?

but remember how i made you stay on the couch at my house sometimes since i'm scardy-cat when i'm alone?

remember how this cool tree was one of the first things we saw when we came out of the airport & we felt like we were in the move Lion King?

remember Hyunsang was one of the first people we met? 

remember the first time we walked along temple beach behind my house & we couldn't believe we were really living in hawaii?

remember watching fireworks at turtle bay for the fourth of july & then cramming in the back of a truck on the way home?

remember how cool the sand was at "three tables" & how we'd spend so much time digging for the best shells & rocks?

remember how we watched a youtube video to learn how to properly cut a pineapple & how the pineapples there tasted like heaven? (also, remember your nasty dirt stache you grew there? & how you almost got in trouble for your jedi-braid like 3 times?)

remember how much we despised the bus? especially when that extra-smelly guy sat right in front of me & i about died?

remember how cool it was to be surrounded by palm trees everywhere we went?

remember how you'd go play in the big waves while i lied out on the shore since i'm a baby when it comes to that huge, powerful thing called "the ocean"?

remember how many books you read during those two months?

& remember all the amazing hawaiian sunsets we saw?

i could go on & on, but remember all the adventures we had together in hawaii? 

  i don't think i ever thanked you.... but thanks for putting up with me for seven weeks. you're the bestest. 

most importantly....

HAPPY NINETEENTH BIRTHDAY

to my best friend/brother:

i sure love you!!