reminiscing of rome.

reminiscingpresent participle of rem·i·nisce

Verb: Indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events.

that is {exactly} what i am doing right now. 

good thing i took hundreds of pictures in rome for times like this. 

current addiction (besides chocolate... but that is an always addiction).

for those of you who know me, you know that i pretty much never watch tv.

and i haven't seen any of the shows people are obsessed with. maybe i miss out? i don't know... i've never really cared.

but dustin got me to start watching LOST cause all of the seasons are on his netflix. so we are almost done with season 2 and i have to admit... i am hooked.

while in hawaii my roommate took me to where most of LOST was filmed. it was on north shore only about 10 minutes from byuh. the last season had just ended so when we arrived there were lots of big trucks and people taking down the set. i looked around and thought "cool". i had never seen an episode so i didn't really care. but now i'm all bummed i didn't look around more. who would have known i'd end up loving the show so much? it does make me miss hawaii though when i see the beautiful backgrounds during the show.

speaking of addictions... i also realized last night that i am addicted to the board game "settlers of catan" (i know the box makes it look lame... but i promise it's not). dustin & his friends told me it was the "board game of all board games" and that i was crazy for not knowing what it was but i am definitely hooked on it now seeing as i beg them to play it like every night.

So... since it's so bitter-cold outside & there is nothing better to do; i'm guessing the next few months are going to consist of lots of LOST watching & settlers of catan playing.

and i'm totally okay with that.

brunette.

the new year called for new hair.
i know blondes have more fun but so far being a brunette ain't so bad!
i think i'm gonna like this.... til summer comes around anyway :)

#22 on the list of my favorite things to do

bathing babies! especially these cute babies.

p.s. this list is in no specific order... because if i were to put it in order; bathing babies would more than likely be in the top ten. just so you know.

klamath falls & a gnome.

like i mentioned in my last post; you have to find things to do when in a small town.

and today we decided to go capture some parts of klamath's little downtown main street. but we figured we'd give the town a little something extra: a gnome.

grandma has three gnomes & today katelyn mentioned that they kind of creep her out.

then one thought led to another & we decided to go a gnome adventure. you know where you cleverly place gnomes in your pictures. yes. so that is what we did.

{this last picture is the high school my dad, uncle steve, & aunt laura went to}

did you spot the gnome? i think he had a good time. so did we.

small towns & good memories.

i am in lovely klamath falls, oregon. i know i tend to joke about this small town, especially since i noticed that all the people here at the klamath walmart have this "look" about them that just says "i am from klamath falls, oregon". it makes me laugh. but i really do love this town. i love all the memories i have of coming to visit grandma & grandpa here. the memories of going to diamond lake, the lava beds, crater lake, redwood forests, the oregon coast, lake of the woods, & even just staying here in klamath at grandma & grandpa's house. i love driving down the cute little main street and finding things to do in this simple town. 

savannah & i sure had fun adventures here during our high school years when our families would visit at the same time. we hung out with some klamath boys and i can tell you one thing; boys from small towns sure know how to show you a crazy but good time. including teaching you to shoot a gun at cans & even baby squirrels (sounds sad, but i was so proud), cow-tipping, cramming into pick-up trucks, and even trying to ride a horse bareback. plus, you gotta love their wrangler jeans.

i always try to picture what it was like when my dad grew up here and if he was as wild as all the klamath boys i have met. i have a feeling he was though because last night we spent the evening looking at old photo albums & grandma had saved a few letters he wrote in his early twenties to his brother steve while he was out on his mission. my dad filled him in on the stuff he had been doing back here in klamath and wow, he did the same stuff he would get so mad at my brothers & i for doing with our friends! haha i love to read things that show your parents really are human & were just like you are now (i would love to post some of the stuff he said but he would probably kill me). 

anyway, its so good to be here again after missing out on the summer family vacations to klamath the past two years due to being in spain & hawaii. i sure have missed it & i'm enjoying spending time with grandma & grandpa along with savannah, heather, katelyn, & kylie. 


here are two of my favorite photos of my dad & uncle steve: 

gotta love old photos!

the time has come

to say goodbye to another year.
for me, it is somewhat bittersweet but deep down i can feel the excitement of a new year. a fresh slate. renewed hope. a time to make the changes that you felt it was too late to change a few months ago. 


it's been an amazing year though so i'd like to review 2010:


-i got to visit kristi in arizona to help with her newborn twins
-i got hit by a semi-truck & had my first real ambulance ride (okay... not exactly included in the "amazing" parts of 2010 but it needed to be said)
-i turned twenty
-i lived in hawaii for most of the summer
-holly came to visit from england
-i went on a ten day road trip with my best girlfriends to st. george, vegas, LA, santa cruz, & san fransisco
-i bought a new car
-i successfully completed my fourth & fifth semesters at UVU (i swear i was a freshman only yesterday....)
-and i met dustin :)


it was a lovely year. can't wait to make 2011 even lovelier. 

a few of my new years resolutions: (if i blog about them, i may just keep them up a little better)


-carry my camera with me wherever i go (and save up for a much nicer camera)
-wear red (or not so red) lipstick whenever i feel like it & not be ashamed... just because i can
-live more passionately
-read more books
-speak kinder words
-exercise, exercise, exercise (so cliche, but i have a gym pass that i'm paying for & it needs to be used!)
-do one simple act of kindness daily (as i blogged about in the past here)
-learn to play the piano (i'm super excited about this.. i hired jamie, tylers girlfriend, to be my personal piano teacher)


okay, i think i can handle that. i'm looking forward to improving myself this year. growing closer to my heavenly father. & being the best me i can be. i hope to hear some of your new years resolutions as well! 


bring on 2011! (live it up since the world will end in 2012...........ha, just kidding.)