kate elizabeth

torino, italy

2011-12-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

this picture is from torino, italy. we only were able to spend a day there, but i really loved it. the morning really was as beautiful and magical as the picture makes it look like. no, i take that back. it was much lovelier than that. the street performers' music filling the square, the fountains, the happy, smiling people, and the warm sun on our skin... i would have to say that it really was one of the loveliest mornings of my life.

i went to an italian restaurant with my parents tonight after the basketball game and it made me miss italy... everything about life over there was just a little bit slower, more old-world, more quaint.... i miss the personable, passionate people, the incredible architecture, the balanced lifestyle that is just part of their culture, and the food.... i know i was complaining about the lack of variety in the cuisine over there, but since being back in the motherland (america), nothing has really tasted very good to me (yet i keep eating like there's no tomorrow.... go figure). but i have come to think that it was worth every pound i gained.. or didn't, i don't know-- i am still too scared to step on a scale!! :)

back in action

2011-12-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

my dear friends,

it sure has been a long time since i've posted!! i write to you from my kitchen in utah! i'm drinking a diet coke and eating kettle corn.

i asked sweet paige to do a guest post while i was traveling around in europe after my program ended, and i was expecting a post along the lines of what she does on her own blog, but instead, she surprised me with an absolutely lovely post about why she loves me... and while i have been deeply touched (over and over again, actually) by her kind words, if you read between the lines, that post that she wrote actually tells much more about the kind of person that SHE than it does anything about me at all.

i am so so lucky to have paigie as one of my very best friends. (and i am far less idealistic than she wrote me out to be, i'll tell you that right now!)

not only do i love paige for loving me, but i think even if she didn't like me, i would still be incredibly drawn to her lovely, fascinating charm, like everyone else is (boys and girls included). watching paige be paige is like watching your favorite character in a movie... she is incredibly fun, unique, and inspiring. she is the dearest, most wonderful soul.

paige, thank you a million times over for that incredible post. it was a huge overestimation of who i am, but it sure does give me something to strive for.

besides for striving for that ideal, i have another goal. as of late, i have been absolutely horrible about keeping up with all things electronic.. this blog has been neglected, texting has been all but dropped from my life, my email inbox has become very cluttered, and calling people back has been a total joke..... spending time with my family has pretty much taken over completely. and while all the family time is not a bad thing whatsoever, i still think that i need to get it together in the technological area of my life.... i'm sure its starting to seem rude on my part (which was never my intention, of course).

and as far as the blog goes, i think it might help me to remember:
ultimately, i started this thing to capture feelings and sources of personal inspiration...

so after contemplating leaving the blogging world completely, it just took remembering that to realize that i want to keep it... and i'll try really hard from now on to be a better blogger!! (again, eww, what an ugly word "blogger" is, don't you think?! haha)

in other news.....

my dear friend drew is finally HOME! what a joyous day it was!

my brother christian's team had a great win tonight! read about it here.

-this is a kinda funny quote from the article:

"Lone Peak coming in they were the No. 1 team — we were the underdogs … we were second place to them, but now we're No. 1 place to them"

-and here is an insanely scary/funny picture:

i mean, look at that face!! the kid's name is tj haws, and he is on lone peak's team. he is an INCREDIBLE player (and he is only a sophomore!!)... that guy sure has some fire in him!! hahaha, look our #2.. poor kid! i'm pretty sure i would be terrified if that scream was happening in my own ear!

2011-11-28T18:02:00.001-07:00

Hello one, and hello all! What a wonderful pleasure to be a guest on this delicious blog...

This is me..Paige Tueller (doin' the dishes )..and I am claiming myself as one of Kate Clark's best friends ( in fact, Kate might have taken that picture of me).... and just in case you don't believe that I really am Kate's friend....Here we are together... smiling like the great friends that we are.

Do you know what it is like to have a friend? But not just any friend... a friend like Kate Clark?

Have you ever even had the pleasure of knowing someone, who is as good and pure of a person as Kate Clark?
(If you haven't...then I am SURE Kate Clark, my best friend, would be more than willing to be your friend. And I will too.)
I am the friend who gets really emotional about my friends, because I love them so much. And I want Kate, and anyone who may be reading this- I know there are thousands of you out there :) - to know what a great friend Kate Clark is to me.

Everyone loves Kate. Everyone. And if you don't love her..you don't know her...even though I am sure there are some of you that love her, that don't know her at all!
She is so beautiful...just look at her...

But this beauty comes totally from within, and just shines right out through her bright beautiful eyes..( boys always love those eyes) and her beautiful smile.
This beautiful girl has a heart of Gold. She LOVES life...she loves people..she loves culture...she loves her family, and she loves her friends. She wants to make the world a better place..and NO DOUBT, she will.
She has countless talents... I mean..I don't think there is one thing that she isn't good at! She can Sing ( like an angel), she can dance ( yes you can, kate) she can crack a joke ( and they are dead on!) she can cook, she can listen, she can understand you and give you advice. She can make you laugh..she can pick up on any good joke. She has an awesome sense of humor.
She is smart. So smart..and she does excellent in school. She is a good writer...she is ambitious and inspiring. She is loving and kind to EVERYONE...the tall and the small..and everyone in between.
She is tender hearted
She is a hardworker
She can go to bed at 5 am and wake up at 8 and do that the whole week...( beats me...)
She is Slow to anger, quick to forgive and love
Patient
Submissive
Supportive of her friends and family and any good cause
She has a strong testimony and it is the most genuine and true thing I have ever heard when she talks about it.
She is so understanding and non judgmental of other people. She can see things from their perspective, and she is sympathetic and kind.
She handles things so well..she handles correction so well..Somethings that she handles with a soft smile and "I'm sorry"..I get mad for weeks over!!! ;)
She is so fun. She can be silly, and she can be goofy...she can laugh and laugh and laugh.It is so fun to laugh with Kate.

I mean, when she walks into a room boy's jaws drop..they "ooo"and they "aaaw" and they flawk from all angles!!( I mean this sincerely even if it comes out silly)They are completely bamboozled by her beauty...and then they talk to her, and can't help but fall in love...Because she is just truly so so great.

She is the most wonderful wonderful wonderful friend.

I want to be like her. She inspires me and lifts me up when I am feeling sad. She supports me, and listens to me, and loves me despite the things I do all of the time that are hideous and annoying and dumber than dumb.

Kate, I love you so so much. You are such a wonderful friend..and such a wonderful person.
You are amazing. You have already done so much...and you will go on to do so many wonderful things in your life..I just know it.
I love you I love you I love you. And I cannot wait to see you again when you get back from Europe!

Love, the guest,

Paige Marie

p.s. Before I go, I must remind you and thank you for your forgiveness for the countless times that I would put on full thermals and a hat scarf and gloves...then turn the heat up in our room to 100 degrees (because it was the middle of winter and freezing) then we would wake up a few hours later...DRIPPING in sweat...peeling off the layers...turning the thermostat as low as possible and open the window next to our bed......a few hours later we would wake up Shivering and teeth chattering...absolutely FREEZING as the ice cold snowy weather was being blown onto us from our window....I would then close the window..turn up the heat to about 80 degrees and the process would be repeated the next night and the next night etc etc.

time keeps on slipping...

2011-11-20T14:49:00.001-07:00

finals week is upon us here in italy.

its crazy and wonderful how short our semester is cut here (you have to get a visa if you stay in an EU country longer than 90 days... so BYU made our program 86 days to sidestep the hassle of us having to obtaining a visa).

so for me, that means a week and a half of post-program travel time and the longest christmas break that i have had since i was in preschool. i really couldn't be more happy about it.

here is my schedule for the next few weeks:

monday: hum201 research paper due. review session for hum201
tuesday: cooking class. final cooking course paper due.
wednesday: review session for italian. final exam for hum201. final exam for hum 280R
thursday: final exam for italian. cook an american thanksgiving dinner in italy. last day in siena.
friday: leave siena early in the morning and go to venice, stop at palladian villa on the way there

saturday: museums and church visits in venice. last day of the program.
sunday: meet up with my mom and my brother will in venice :)

~travel with them! venice, rome, and paris. possible day trip to florence while we are in rome.

sunday: mom and will fly home. i fly to sweden, meet up with my friend maggie. stay with friends in stockholm.
thursday: fly home! home sweet home.

so, though i plan on updating here and there over the next three weeks, if i go MIA for a while... that is why. maybe i'll see if i can get some people to do some guest posting if the crickets start chirping too loud over here.

i still plan on sharing photos from all of the places that we have traveled here, though, so stay tuned over then next month or two for those! some fun videos will be on the rise as well, including one crazy one from a soccer game that we went to this weekend. IT WAS AWESOME.

and... at this point, i might as well leave you with a few more links, right?

if you are at all into fashion, style, photography, or just good humor, please read garance dore's blog. she is so funny.

if you ever are going to want an idea or inspiration for nearly anything, you should get into pinterest if you aren't already. let me know if you need an invite. its a gold mine of creative ideas. you can see my boards here.

i'm obsessed with hailey haugen and her brother/sister-owned company, haugen creative. i've spent in inordinate amount of time watching her vimeo videos.

i know i've talked about him before, but i'll say it again: seth godin is such an interesting, smart man. see what i mean by reading his blog. you especially need to do this if you are interested in business, marketing, advertising, progressive thinking, or creativity. so many good things to think about and apply to daily living, even.

ok, i'm off to write papers. ciao my friends!!

subzero pictures + one of my favorite links

2011-11-17T17:08:00.001-07:00

i know that i said i would do a post about italy today, but iphoto has become "unreadable" and has stayed that way for the past six hours, so we will have to see how it is feeling tomorrow.. i'm not too worried though. worst case scenario, i will have to import the photos to my computer again using my external hard drive. thank goodness for back-up!

nick, me, caroline, sophie, christian, and will

these are a few pictures from my last night before flying out. my family had a little farewell celebration for me at subzero.. that crazy place where they use liquid nitrogen to freeze your ice cream!

i am so excited for the holiday season, to be able to spend more good quality time with my family. oh, how i love them so.

and if you are bored...

has anyone else been won over by Real Simple? at home, i love the magazine, and since being abroad, i have loved their website. so many useful, interesting articles.. such as 18 common phrases to avoid in conversation. have fun exploring that site!

until tomorrow, ciao!

a month of thanksgiving

2011-11-16T06:03:00.001-07:00

today i am thankful for my friends from home.

i am thankful for drew (the one who is on a mission and coming home a week after i get back!). he made me read this quote again today... and it was exactly what i needed.

People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people will accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have 
and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

this is from our trip to sweden a few years ago

i am thankful for paige and maggie. we did a three-way skype call last night and it was so fun to see their faces and have a conversation with the three of us all together!

this is such a funny picture.. i didnt even realize that the screenshot had worked until after we had all hung up. we were actually a lot happier to be talking to each other than we look here, i promise!

i am thankful for erin lee, my soul sister. we don't see each other as much as we should, but i love that girl with every last part of me.

this is from london town.. shout out to my girls on the london study abroad program!! ;)

i am thankful for those of you who read this silly little blog of mine. sometimes i wonder why i have it... but then i get a comment or two and there is something about having people on the other end, behind a computer screen somewhere, sharing in these adventures and thoughts of mine. especially receiving emails from readers... i like it. all of it.. please, never hesitate to say hi or ask questions. i love hearing from you.

more italy stuff coming tomorrow.. ciao for now!

perugina chocolate factory tour

2011-11-15T06:44:00.001-07:00

our main reason for going to perugia was to tour the perugina chocolate factory. it wasn't actually IN perugia, and it was a little bit of a hike to get out there, especially considering we accidentally got off at a bus stop miles away from where we needed to be... and then realized, in this residential, off-beat part of town, that the next bus wouldn't come for an hour. well, it was a memory.. and as you can see, we got there eventually :) it was well worth the time it took to get there.

no photos were allowed in the actual factory, so that's why you are only getting to see the museum/chocolate tasting ones... they set out trays of like ten different kinds of chocolate on the counter, and we got to try as much chocolate as we wanted!

i have realized that i am by far a dark chocolate fan over any sort of milk or white chocolate.. (though the swiss chocolate that i got gave dark chocolate a run for its money... but i'll tell you about that later!!) ciao!

perugia

2011-11-15T06:13:00.001-07:00

after the program day-trip in assisi, 14 of the 19 of us wanted to stay a night in perugia... so the bus dropped us off there on their way back to siena.

you can see assisi off in the distance... its the little white dot at the base of the mountain. it really is like a castle on a cloud!

this is lucy earlier in the evening. sweet picture, huh? later that night, from the rooftops, you could see so many stars! it was fun to talk and hang out up there.

in the middle of taking her make-up off....

she can be so emotional sometimes.

"drama drama drama" ;)

morning sunlight

the next morning, on our way to tour the perugina chocolate factory, we ran into an antiques fair

we were able to stay a couple of house, and it was so fun. there were so many cool things to look at.

i loved these trees! they were all twisty and turn-y and a lot of them had moss growing up the sides of them. so beautiful.

11/11/11

2011-11-14T10:48:00.001-07:00

did you make a wish on 11/11/11 at 11:11? i sure did. two wishes, in fact. the first time, we were in a church in florence.. we took a moment of silence to savor the minute and send up our wishes. and an incredible minute it was.

for the 11:11 pm celebration, we all met in the compo and had a dance party... (a video of that will make it on here someday!)

did you do anything fun for 11/11/11?

l.i.f.e.g.o.e.s.o.n.

2011-11-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

i'm loving noah and the whale lately. enjoy!

florence

2011-11-08T14:15:00.002-07:00

firenze is one of my very favorite places in italy. it is such a charming city.

cute cafes, cool museums, beautiful churches, gorgeous views from on top of the duomo, great shopping.. i also ate the best pear that i've ever tasted there... so what's not to love?

and the david... oh, the david. what a fascinating and beautiful work of art. michelangelo was a genius.

we have been on multiple day trips to florence, as it is just an hour away from where we live. these pictures are from a few weekends ago, when we spent the night there.

as always, there will be more photos to come!

on this night in florence, we went to an opera! it was incredible. i love seeing people perform.. it really inspires me to see god-given talent, developed through hard work, that is being shared with the world!

it was an interesting seating arrangement (kind of like a theater in the round) and so i was able to watch people's reactions during the show, and that was delightful in and of itself! there were these ladies on the front row who were eating it all up, smiling and laughing to each other the entire time... one of them was mouthing along the words of the italian opera songs, looking thrilled out of her mind to be there. it thrilled me to watch them.

there were also some kids on the front row, who would laugh and look up at their parents/grandparents with the sweetest light shining from their eyes, also seeming so happy to be there. what a lovely little night it was.

{the rest of these pictures were taken on day two of our weekend, after camping... yes, you heard me right. after we went to the opera, we got on a bus and headed up to a camping site! pictures of that to come!!}

the leaning tower of pisa

2011-11-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

before going we had heard pisa was a dump, but it turned out to be prettier than expected! (still, there are many more beautiful towns in italy than pisa. but its one of those places that you've got to do sometime if you want one of these classic pictures!)

so like i said in the cinque terre post (which i'm actually going to do another post about soon).. the best part of my afternoon was watching people pose. SO FUNNY.

this girl had her leg up FOR SO LONG. oh, the lengths that we'll go for a good picture. that's some true perseverance right there.

oh no. that stance. never failing to adhere to cultural norms.

hmm didn't quite know about this one... maybe they are going for a "holding the tower" picture?

oh tourists. so naive. ;)

no words.

and THIS girl... this was probably the most ridiculous one i saw all day. was standing on that pillar with the the full body lean and extended leg necessary? i mean,.. really? ;)

it was windy. tricky with a breezy skirt on. good thing alli was there for back-up.

mom look i'm holding up the leaning tower of pisa!! i love stormie off to the left in this picture.

mother and child. alli looks so brave and i look so scared. haha!

the fam.. we couldn't resist.

yeah she's funny.

beautiful bride and groom

another day another dolla.. another pizza.. another pound.. c'est la vie. when in rome!... :)

i mean, i'll have my whole life to get my killer bod back, right? get back down to the size zero that i never was? haha.

day by day, old joy comes back to me*

2011-11-03T20:17:00.004-06:00

november third. its been a few months now.

i find myself sitting here, waiting for the thoughts inside my head to transfer to my patiently waiting fingers, to this screen. but the words don't come. they haven't for a while, actually.

its like this past summer took all of the words out of me.

so much thinking. so much writing to try to sort out so much thinking.

by the end of it, by the time i boarded that plane, i was ready for a break. for some time to go by that didn't feel so heavy.

part of that was putting down my pen and taking a little hiatus from writing. at least from the kind of writing that really comes from somewhere real and thoughtful.. the kind that paints with all hues of the heart. i like that kind of stuff. but my heart and my mind just needed a breather.

a break from writing, think of that. writing has always been something that i've loved. pieces of my heart live in my journals.. they are surely among my most valued possessions.

i am lucky. the timing of this semester abroad couldn't have possibly been better. a new country, new culture, new language, new classes, new faces.... it was a sunshine-y start to a new chapter in my life. i couldn't have hoped for a more ideal situation.

i have a new light blue leather journal from florence, and finally, i think i'm back to really writing again. my friends, i can't begin to tell you how good that feels.

i took this picture at an antique market in perugia last weekend. looking through all those vintage postcards did something fantastic for my soul.

*favorite song lyric and life mantra of miss meg.. an inspired writer and a genuinely loving, helpful, sweet, and brave woman. click on the link.. i think you'd like her blog (if you don't already!) xo.

assisi

2011-11-03T19:10:00.001-06:00

deidra, ali, natalia, forest, chelsea, abi, me

the morning started off really foggy! it was fun.. being in such a quaint little town, with the fog, it kind of felt like we were on a movie set or something.

this is my friend michelle. she is beautiful, smart, funny, fun to be around, and kind. this girl's got it goin on.

lucy, alli, brittany, me, ashley

stay trendy

clara, me, alli, ali, kaity, chelsea

token glamor shot in the castle. "forest, do i look like a princess?" -lucy


does this not look like a postcard? i can't believe the things that we are seeing every. single. week.


interestingly enough, it is still the fun people here that are really making this experience so unforgettable though! we have such a great time together. i am so lucky.

in love.

2011-11-02T18:06:00.000-06:00

i'm in love with this video!

i hope you've had a great week so far! cross your fingers that i'll be able to get a good post (or three) up tomorrow... its about time, if you ask me. xo.

cucina toscana

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-06:00

here are a few pictures from our weekly cooking class!

we've made a lot of yummy things.. i am hoping to be able to recreate a lot of the dishes that we've made here once i get back home!

ps...

pasta makers are really cool, and christmas IS coming up, and you KNOW that i'd make delicious italian food for you if i was gifted one of them so..... any takers?? ;)

finally a few pictures of siena

2011-10-20T06:06:00.003-06:00

so this is siena, where i live... it is an old town with the tiniest little windy streets, and all roads lead to the campo!

this is the piazza del campo -- its basically a big hang out spot.. i'll have to take a picture on a weekend night when it is completely filled with people. its fun- i wish we had a place like this in provo where everyone just kind of congregates!

this little alley-way is a street or two away from my house.. its the greenest part of town inside of the city walls!

hello friends and family.. its me again. i'm a stranger to my own blog lately, and its a shame because there are a lot of great things to be shared if only the internet would cooperate!

i love italy. have i said that yet?

i love it for the culture of the people. open, friendly, helpful, funny, passionate. i really like passionate people. its been interesting to live with our italian host mother, and to get used to her way of dealing with little things. living at her house is definitely a different culture from what i am used to! but that's also why this is such a valuable experience-- i feel like i'm broadening my understanding of people and the world even just a little bit better.

i love it for the food. ok, to be honest, its a love/hate relationship... because its too good. and its 80% carbs. if you think of classic italian cuisine, then you know exactly what i eat everyday.. minus alfredo, which is apparently american-italian.. but literally everyday, we eat pasta, pizza, gelato, cheese, bread, tomatoes.... i've never been a big pasta eater, but now-a-days, if i don't have a bowl of it every night, something seems wrong.. i just love it. its so good here!!

and the problem is, i can't easily change my diet to include more vegetables without just going without food (because we are fed breakfast and dinners by our host families, and the only realistic options for lunch are nearby sandwich shops or pizzerias... but then again, dieting isn't part of the eatalian experience anyway). but they don't really believe in entree salads over here (we have lettuce with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar every night, and rarely is there anything else in it), or really, any other food other than the stuff they're good at. and i'm not complaining because i really do love it, but i am looking forward to mixing the daily routine up with some mexican and thai food again when i get back home. thinking about what i eat here, i guess i could go without gelato more often, which actually is easier now that its getting cold, but. the gelato is so good that it doesn't make sense NOT to get it. i know in two months time i'll be missing it... so what's a girl supposed to do! ;)

ok that's enough of my ramblings for today. i am happy, i am blessed, life is so so good. god created such a beautiful and interesting world and it is meant to be appreciated and explored! i'm so lucky to be doing a little bit of that right now.

arrivederci i miei amici!

cinque terre

2011-10-11T07:36:00.001-06:00

buongiorno! i am back from cinque terre. it was quite possibly the best weekend of my life.. no joke. i love when you look forward to something and then it ends up exceeding your already-high expectations. that is how it was with new york for me, from the first time that i went there when i was fourteen, to the three months that i lived there last summer. sweden, rome, and now, cinque terre are also on that beloved list of mine.

we left on thursday after our italian classes, and arrived to one of the five towns, rio maggiore (in italian, cinque terre literally means five cities) that night via bus and train. when we caught the first glimpse of the mediterranean shoreline from our train windows, there was an audible gasp from our train car. it was cool/hilarious.

after finding our hostel, we were on our classic search yet again for food. pesto was invented in cinque terre, and being on the coast, cinq is also known for its delicious seafood. luch and i shared a trofie pesto pasta and a salmon penne pasta, and we definitely got the best of both worlds. ahh. delicious. the little old man that seemed to own the restaurant loved talking to us, and finally cut us off after a few bread baskets saying that bread makes people fat. uh huh. he obvs doesn't understand that we are eating our way through italy at all costs.

the hostel that we stayed in that night was at the top of the mountain. the view from up there was well worth the 300+ steps that it took to get there (hey, maybe it counteracted some of that pasta+bread too?)

on friday, we hiked from town to town, from the fifth to the first. i know this is a really bold statement, but i think it might have been the best day of my life (so far, at least!) maybe it had something to do with the too-good-to-be-true views that we saw along the way, the endorphins that were kicking in from hiking, the gorgeous weather, and the good friends that i was with..

it felt as if all the events in my life had brought me to that moment. it just felt so "right" and i couldn't imagine myself being happier with things any other way. what a beautiful, blessed feeling it was. at one point along the hike, i wondered how i could possibly explain the magic of cinque terre to any of my family or friends back at home, and then i realized that the things that i was feeling inside were as beautiful and exciting as any of the views that i was seeing. its just one of those things that cant be explained. i wish i could though. all i can say is, what a beautiful life this is!

friday night, we stayed in a hostel in monterosso, and spent saturday morning and afternoon on the beach. fresh fruit, attractive italian men, gelato, lots of sunshine, and turquoise waters = a noteworthy beach day.

later that afternoon, we took the ferry back up to rio maggiore.

in rio mag, we we ate more pasta, more gelato, and found mamma rosa, who hooked us up with our final hostel... and.. oy. it was an experience. the super cheap price and the sheer memory of it made it worth the unbelievable conditions that we slept in that night. as for the bathroom, it was basically outdoors.. think aladin. the shower was a thick drizzle.


'cept she gave us an even more discounted price, which she WAS necessary for the place that we got. at least we didn't have a curfew!

making the most of the experience though, we pushed our beds together, and eight of us ended up sleeping on that one massive bed made up of seven baby ones. we couldn't be too sure about anything about that place, including/especially the sheets, but we tried not to think about it. there were a limited number of blankets, so lucy and i resorted to the final object on the bookshelf, which was some sort of old velvet curtain.. and oh, the smell. we never would have used it if we wouldn't have totally frozen alive otherwise, but having spent the night before that tossing and turning from the cold, we used it. and we shared one baby bed (the mega-bed was intended to be shared among all of us hostages, but somehow it ended up that everyone got to sleep on one, side by side down the line, except for lucy and i..) so yes, we spooned all night long. underneath the blue velvet curtain. we laughed until the moment that we both passed out (probably from the smell + exhaustion).

this was taken earlier on saturday, after putting the beds together. lucy was OUT (almost to the point of snoring). and in my arms, naturally.

on sunday, we woke up and made our way to la spezia, where we went to church. alli has a friend on a mission there, so we went to his ward. it was fast and testimony meeting, and enziano (elder) bona translated for the ten or so of us english-speakers, which was a change for us--we actually understood a sacrament meeting here! it was great. i love seeing the church uplifting and bringing people joy even in these random towns in italy!

on our way back to siena, we made a stop in pisa to get a leaning-tower picture. the best part of pisa was laughing at people posing, and then being ultra-ridiculous and watching people laugh at us. #toomuchfun

life is good, and i am very blessed. if i've come to really KNOW anything in my life so far, it is to trust in the lord, follow my heart, and "seek after all things virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy," and beautiful things will follow!

as i checked lds.org to put a link to that quote above from the articles of faith, reading over the whole 13th article really struck me... i love it more than ever:

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

no matter what you think about religion, that is a wonderful way of living, dont you think?

go read the 12 other articles of my faith here.

get in on my way of happiness by checking out this website.

im struggling with internet connection again and it wont let me upload the rest of the pictures that i wanted to post, so i'll be back with more from cinque terre soon! pictures from pisa, siena, san gimignano, and volterra are on their way soon as well! ciao!

hello again

2011-10-04T03:54:00.000-06:00

ciao my friends. i have so much to catch up on, and i apologize for my long leave of absence. internet connection these days is "scarce to say the least," and with such spotty connection, uploading pictures is all but impossible (and what good is a blog post from italy without pictures?) so, recent efforts to post anything have been in vain. but you better bet i'll keep trying!

today though, i wanted to stop in and make a small request..

my thirteen-year-old brother will has been in and out of the hospital for the past few weeks now. will was born with kidney problems, but has grown up healthily and happy with one kidney. but what started as a painful slam on the soccer field last month has resulted in a lot of nights in the hospital and a whole lot of missed school lately. he had surgery on saturday and though he kept high spirits for the first few weeks of this ordeal, being deprived of normal food and friends and sports and having oxygen tubes up his nose has found him in a miserable place. but gratefully, he will be ok... life just isn't fun for him right now.

and with the four other kids at home and my dad in miami right now (my mom was supposed to be there with him but was luckily able to turn right back around and come home upon will's most recent unexpected hospital stay), the voices i've spoken to lately from home have sounded so tired and stressed.

could i ask any of you that fancy praying to send up a little prayer in his/their behalf? being so far away, i feel a little bit helpless. i know things will be fine, but i also know that prayer really does help. always. in one way or another.

i hope things are going well for all of you lovely people. i'll be back soon with some updates from italy! ...even if it is just one photo at a time :)

grazie, ti amo, ciao! <3

day eleven

2011-09-22T02:43:00.001-06:00

on this day in rome, we visited a few churches and took it easy during our free time. here are a few pictures from the day.

this fresh, lighter lunch tasted really good after eating so much the night before!

anastasia anyone?

i love these girls!

day ten

2011-09-20T14:43:00.001-06:00

ciao ciao ciao.. i am still alive! we are now in siena, where we are two days into classes and four days in to living with our host families. i am excited to write about siena, but first, i want to talk more about the rest of our time in rome!

on wednesday, our morning schedule started out with another museum. because of the way that the museum worked with reservations and such, when we showed up an hour late because of the faulty directions we were given, we also missed out on seeing the museum. bummer, considering the fact that it was supposed to be a cool one, but after SO many statues, they all start looking the same (to me, at least).. so, we didn't feel TOO bad about it... especially when during the time that we would have been museum-ing, we found an amazing bakery and had a tart that with cream sauce, nutella, and pears on it. it was dang good.

later, we spent a lovely few hours in a beautiful park, listened to some great guitar playing, and met amir, who we ended up meeting up with for dinner that night..

is this not the cutest little boy that you have ever seen?!

we met at amir's outdoor restaurant in the park and had drinks (like fresh carrot/orange/apple juice) and appetizers. then we went to one of amir's favorite little restaurants for some authentic italian cooking, where amir is tight with the owner/chef. she served us a full 4-course dinner. so yeah, talk about a lot of food, but it was seriously the best italian meal i have ever had. we had this incredible pasta dish with a cheese, pepper, and cream sauce, and it was unreal. the texture of the pasta alone was incredible. nothing like i had ever tasted before.

a lady named pia also joined us. she works for amir and was fun to talk to and easy to joke with through her broken english. we loved her.

did i mention that we came and went by golf cart? amir owns a few companies, one of which involves transportation. so no, we weren't each on the back of a vespa with a sexy italian man, but riding through the little streets of rome in a giant golf cart wasn't too bad either.. haha we had a lot of fun on there!

it was a perfect night in roma!

day nine

2011-09-15T11:58:00.000-06:00

we are in rome until saturday. after saturday, we will be living in siena until the end of november. so four more posts of our days in rome.. hang in there with me!

on day nine (was this tuesday? my days are getting all mixed up in my head), we didn't have to meet with the group until the afternoon, so the fam slept in and then made french toast. it was almost too good.

then we went to the capitoline museum...

then luc and i wanted to save money so we came back and made our own dinner, which turned out to be de-lish-ee-oso.

photos are taking FOREVER to upload so to heck with it.. you will have to do without!

xoxo ciao ciao!

day eight

2011-09-13T23:58:00.000-06:00

michelle and i. michelle is the bomb.com

marriage.

i need to stop with the gelato.. but i can't.

alli, stormie, me, lucy, abi. we love each other, obvs

he let us help make our pizza! i have a video that i will be uploading as soon as internet connection gets better

vatican museum

this isn't everyone, but look at the fun group we've got here.. i am so lucky!

day seven

2011-09-13T06:09:00.000-06:00

this is the fam.. there is a whole post about us coming soon.

steve and i really hit it off. our second date is happening tomorrow..

. i'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

day six

2011-09-13T06:08:00.000-06:00

i LOVED our day on saturday. mainly because we visited one of my new all-time favorite places. let me introduce you to st. peter's basilica, my friends. i have a few things to say about it too, so listen up..

first of all, look at this place. one of the most awe-inspiring settings i have ever been in. the grandeur and sheer amount of detail work that went into decorating this place ASTOUNDS me. how did ordinary people create such magnificence? i guess they weren't texting, facebook-ing, blogging, or doing a number of things that we spend our time doing now-a-days. what i have had to come to think with is that the technological advances occurring now would be as staggering to them as this kind of beauty is to me... maybe an iPad would be considered incredible magnificence to them.. it probably would, right?

but what about producing quality work on a daily basis with our god-given talents? i fear that in this technologically-savvy era that we live in, we have a lack of quality art/etc. actually being produced. it makes me wonder if there is a lot more that i could be doing with my life/producing from my own talent and hard work if i would choose to cut out the less-important things that i let eat up my time.

back to the basilica. we were able to go on a tour to the lower levels, which was one of the coolest experiences of my life. seriously. the lady giving us the tour is working on her masters degree and gives this tour as her part-time job. she was a genius, and she was so sincerely fascinated with the whole story of the basilica herself that communicating the epic-ness of it to us seemed so natural for her. so this is basically the story of how it went:

peter, christ's disciple, died. he was buried on a hill. the hill was a necropolis (a town they built for the dead, believing that the soul still lingered near its body.. so they wanted to make the resting place of the bodies a nice area for their souls to dwell around)... the necropolis became a pagan (non-christian) grave yard.. that was ok, peter was buried there before that happened, so it isn't weird that his tomb is there. people built shrines and trophies and such around peter's tomb.. later, constantine wanted to build a church above his tomb, to honor peter. the hill made it hard though.... so they buried the necropolis and then leveled off the parts that were too high. then they built a church above it, with the alter above peter's tomb. a pope rebuilt the church later, in more grandeur and significance than before. they aren't really sure when the knowledge of the necropolis was lost, but somehow, through the ages, it was. sometime around 1940, the pope commissioned a secret group to hand-dig underneath the basilica.. they put the dirt from everything that was being unearthed in the garden neaby, to keep everything under close wraps, you know? big secret. what they found mystified them. through a lot of crazy details which i won't go into, they realized they had found a whole preserved city (the necropolis) from thousands of years ago, and even more exciting, they reached st. peter's tomb! there is so much more to the story, but that is the reader's digest version.

here are some more pictures from the day:

look at these cute nuns with their school girls/nuns-in-training!

day five

2011-09-10T23:51:00.000-06:00

friday was a free day. a few of us thought that it would be fun to go to the beach. after a long journey there... we found this. and the metro and train and buses and walking that it took to get there were all SO worth it :) we loved the mediterranean sea!

i love lucy

2011-09-10T23:10:00.000-06:00

there are twenty of us in this study abroad program (19 girls and one guy! the one guy has the perfect personality for this situation though-- he is very chill and fun to be around. we love forest). anyway, all of the people in our group are SO great. i wasn't expecting how much fun i would be having here due to these people! i am so grateful the great dynamic that we have in this group!

so i'll stop going off about how much i lucked out with this group. you get it.. i love everyone here. seriously. right now though, i want to give a shout out to my girl lucia. you've seen her in pictures with me if you have seen any of my posts from Rome so far. lucy is an amazing girl.. she is fun, hilarious, really loving and sweet, sensitive to people's feelings, sincerely interested in those around her, very optimistic and adventurous. she's just chill (ya know?) and real.. and real-ness is a trait that i really like to be around.

on day one, we were "traveling buddies,"and the rest is history. she's the best "tb" ever.

little miss sunshine

she thought green shirt was cute... so naturally, she was t/o'd about white tank slipping in there


there are speculations of a love affair going on between lucy and i... i can neither confirm nor reject this statement at this time

always

frank came back for more the day after we met him. i'm so glad that lucy was in the group that ran into him again!

ps.. the men in italy LOVE this girl. it is fun watching them fall all over themselves when she passes by. something about her naturally gorgeous hair and her big blue eyes. she's got some serious swagger.

day four

2011-09-09T16:16:00.000-06:00

ciao! i don't have much time right now, but i just wanted say hello and post a few pictures from yesterday! the main event yesterday was going to the colosseum. we also walked around the forum, ate at an italian restaurant that is close to our apartments, made a token shopping trip at H&M (always necessary), people watched, and saw the trevi fountain at night. loved all of it!

supposedly, people add locks on as a symbol of their devotion to their lover/spouse/boyfriend or girlfriend/etc.

ciao! hanno una bella giornata!

day three

2011-09-07T18:02:00.001-06:00

today, we went to ostia. to be honest, seeing all of the ruins wasn't my favorite thing we have done so far... i prefer the colorful, beautifully decaying buildings and the charming italian men and women on every corner in roma. i love the mopeds and old fashioned motorcycles and new trendy little vespas that zip around on the cobblestone streets. i love the accordion players and their music that saturates a side street or two.. and the gelato. they aren't joking when they say the gelato in italy is to die for. i'm sure its annoying to hear this from any other part of the world, but i'm telling you, it really is the best!

but back to what we did today.. despite the many, many hours we spent at the ruins, today was still great. the girls here are so much fun. we laugh so much everyday, and it makes anything that we are doing just that much better!

here are some photos from our day:

day two

2011-09-07T12:20:00.000-06:00

yesterday, we were up bright and early and headed over to the Colosseum. after waiting around for quite a while, we found out that it would not be opening because there was an organized strike going on! that meant that museums and public transportation would be closed from 9-5... so good ol' Stanford (our program director) spent some time on the phone re-booking our appointment at the Colosseum and making new plans for the day.

isn't natalia hilarious?! we didn't know she was in the background when we were taking these pictures!

we ended up walking around and seeing a lot of churches. i know that sounds boring, but i actually enjoyed it a lot. there is so much creativity and artistry in the architecture! i especially loved one church that had these amazing stone pillars with a wooden ceiling. everything together was absolutely stunning to me. we also hung out outside of a church for a good hour or so on the steps leading up to a door that was straight out an anthropologie catalog. so, of course, an imprompu photoshoot was inevitable...

this city is bea-ti-ful. everywhere you turn, there is something amazing to see. it is incredibly picturesque.

one highlight of the day yesterday was meeting frank. frank won our hearts.. what a sweet, dear man. he used to be a photographer, and his friend sandra once went to illinois... yeah.. through the language barrier, that's about all i was able to pick up. haha. luckily there were a few girls who were around who were able to step up to the plate and do a little translation for the likes of me... i'll learn eventually! anyway, he was adorable. i love the happy, open, friendly people here!

day one

2011-09-06T13:35:00.000-06:00

today, i have felt so happy. deeply, inexpressibly, impossibly happy. i walked the streets of this ancient, beautiful city with the incredible girls here and i felt something so sweet that i can't even begin to describe. it wasn't as if i was blinded from any painful emotion that i've ever had, but as if it is because of those experiences that i was able to feel so much. like my heart had been carved out a little deeper and bigger from those trying experiences, but today, it was filled to the brim with pure happiness and lightness. it was so wonderful.

day one: we tossed coins into the trevi fountain. we sat in churches. we saw monuments. we walked the spanish steps.

as i sat in the pantheon, i was mystified that mortal men, in such an early era, could create something so magnificent. it is a testament to me that passion and purpose, paired with hard work, can bring forth incredible results. it makes me want to drive more passion and purpose into the things i do on a daily basis.

good morning from ROME!

2011-09-05T00:34:00.000-06:00

i can't believe i am here. i went to bed last night wondering if i was going to wake up in the morning in my bed at home and realize that this whole thing was just a dream. instead, i joyfully woke up to this:

see pictures of my apartment on my roommate ali's blog !

i'll post more pictures later.. i need to get hurry and get ready now! ciao! :)

on a lighter note..

2011-09-04T10:13:00.002-06:00

passing through different time zones does funny stuff to your body..

walking through the airport at 6:45 a.m., i passed by a japanese restaurant, and i honestly could have gone for some sushi if they would have been open. sushi at 6:45 in the morning. haha.

since day two of traveling, when i have seen something that touches me, or if there has been something upsetting (maybe like missing a flight?!), or if there has been something that i just kind of like, i have cried at the drop of a hat. i'm not usually this way! (the "family zone" security line that was decorated with bright colors and kids cartoons/characters should NOT make my eyes well up with tears.. right? i just thought that london was so sweet to go out of their way to provide families with that!) haha. ridiculous.

i think at one point in Rome i might just flop right over..

here is the YOTEL that i stayed at last night.. yo yo what up!! the place was teeny tiny.. it was kinda cool though. something about that purple lighting really won me over.

ps....

who is pysched about my new camera?! i'd like to introduce you to her... she's a canon rebel t2i. thanks to those of you who helped me decide between a canon or a nikon when i asked about it on facebook. i have only had it a few days now but i have been absurdly happy with it so far :)

it couldn't be too easy..

2011-09-04T01:05:00.000-06:00

arriving far ahead of the time that they said was necessary for my flight at 7:05 this morning, when i tried to go through security, they wouldn't let me through, saying that I had come too late...

(it was 6:15 and there was no line to go through security.. and there are signs all over this terminal that say that you need to arrive 35 minutes prior to departure).. if you have to be there FAR earlier than 35 minutes, don't you think that's a bit misleading?

even more frustrating, i would have been there 20+ minutes earlier had a lady let me hop on the train to transfer to this terminal. i asked her to hold it as the doors were closing, and she asked me what time my flight was. i told her 7, and she said, "well just wait until the next train then.. you have plenty of time.." --this is coming from a lady who works at the airport.

so. after being told that there was nothing that could be done to get me on the 7:05 flight and tearfully handing over my credit card, i have an expensive new flight booked for 9:10. the problem with that is that my flight gets in to Rome at 12:40, and my group is leaving the airport at 12:30 to travel in to the city on a bus together.

i don't even know where to go once i get into Rome now that i'll be making my way in on my own!

AH. it will work out, i know.. i'll just be grateful when it does!

i'm on my way

2011-09-03T16:01:00.001-06:00

the past two days:

flight to new york.. volunteered to give up my seat and fly to london a few hours later because the flight was overbooked... by doing that, i landed a first class seat.. was treated like a rockstar for the six hour flight to london (i was tempted to stay awake to keep enjoying the food, movies, treatment... but, with a fully reclined seat in the middle of the night and a really comfy pillow, i decided to get some shut-eye. and it was definitely for the best!)

i felt SO lucky for a flexible travel schedule and the great perks that i got to enjoy from being bumped to the next flight! i feel terrible for my dear friend maggie... her flight experience wasn't quite as pleasant.. read about it here!

but guys.., business class was seriously was a whole different experience. if i had all the money in the world, i would never let myself or any of my family/friends (or YOU!) fly economy class again! like a lady sitting nearby me said, "honey, please, this is the only way to fly"... (haha, yeah, maybe if you are rolling in money!) it seriously was sweet though. i had no idea what i was missing out on all these years! (and i think it is safe to say that that is a VERY good thing) :)

my seat looked like this (complete with a delicious gourmet meal and drinks served in wine glasses offered non-stop..) rather than like the picture below.. worth waiting a few hours, right?!

this morning i got in to london.. realized that my next flight (to rome) that was supposed to be for the morning of september 4 was actually booked for december 4th... silly mistake, and luckily we were able to get it switched.. hung out at the heathrow airport all afternoon and night once that was sorted out. i was going to go to london for the day, but all things considered (the price of stowing bags, the transportation time to and from the airport, the costs of what it would end up being for just a few hours in the city..) it ended up seeming like a better plan to just save a little cash and take it easy at the airport.

i have realized a few things from my traveling so far:

i love seeing men dressed so stylishly.. its a european thing for sure. i love their shoes and their sport coats and their hats.. they just look so classy. they are even classier when they are as charming in personality as they look like they should be. a very nice man who is a pilot helped me to get my flight changed today! so cool and nice of him.

beyonce rocks my world. i loved watching an interview with her on TV at the airport last night. ahh... she is so fierce and confident and powerful, yet there is also a sweetness there.. she's so awesome.

speaking of confidence... i really have come to believe that confidence is everything. confidence and an open heart. i seek to have both!

i love interactions with strangers. i love seeing people at moments that could bring out their worst sides, but instead, seeing a lot of goodness, kindness, and patience spill out.. it is so fascinating and inspiring to me! there is SO much good in the world.

i love diversity. here in the heathrow airport, i have LOVED observing all of the diverse people that make up the setting here.. what a bright and interesting place this world is!

until tomorrow.. goodnight, my friends. i can't wait to greet you from ROME tomorrow!!! :)

très bien!

2011-08-22T04:24:00.000-06:00

i had my first macaroon on saturday night, from sweet tooth fairy bakery. i have always thought that macaroons were so pretty, but i never had tried one before... hadn't ever felt the urge to spend $3 on a little cookie that probably was more fun to look at than to eat.

boy was i wrong! i can tell you that they are my new favorite go-to treat! i tried a pistachio one and it was amazing. the texture was a big part of why i loved it so much, and it was just the right amount of sweetness. i shared it with my younger brother and sister, but next time we are each definitely splurging and each getting our own!

can you even imagine how wonderful it would be to eat a true french macaron in, well, france, of course?

one more thing to put on my bucket list :)

2011-08-21T03:45:00.000-06:00

right now

2011-08-20T01:52:00.001-06:00

what happens when you find yourself wearing a mood ring instead of an engagement ring on the day that you were supposed to be having your wedding dinner?

when you are at the pool babysitting and see a friend's reception being set up just like yours was going to be, in the same exact place, but just one day later?

i'm sure it will be even weirder tomorrow, when i'll find myself in a casual summer dress, going to museums, on walks, and to the park with the darling kids i am babysitting, instead of wearing a wedding dress and living out the most important day of a person's life....

maybe this weekend has been jam-packed with so much work opportunity for me for a reason... the big guy up there wanted me to have plenty of worthwhile things to be doing instead of being consumed in the weirdness of this moment.

as i live through these days, getting through moment by moment, i have been feeling a lot.. and most of it i can't really describe. waves of anxiety pass over me and leave me literally having to remind myself to breathe. and then i am able to pull myself back up again and keep pressing on...

what i want is to brave. strong. wise.

sometimes though, i fear that i am not yet as full of those traits as i'd like to be..

i believe that progression is one of the most important opportunities that we have been given as human (and spiritual) beings.. and so, maybe, tomorrow i can be more brave and strong than i was today... and maybe in a week, i'll be stronger than i was on august 20th.

"when i get older, i will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag.."

before i end this, i'd like to sincerely say thank you for your support, concern, and kindness. you know who you are. i gain strength and happiness from your love! and you'll never know how much that means to me right now!

for the record....

2011-08-17T12:35:00.000-06:00

my dear, sweet cousin ashley made me out to be an entirely cooler person than i really am. thanks for the generous compliments that you gave me in the "guest post" that you did, ash. i'd like you to know how much i love and admire you as well. really. you are invited back anytime! ;)

i got $100, not $1000, for refraining from sugar/candy for a whole year.. as an eight year-old, that seemed totally worth it! ha- i'm not sure if i would do that for $100 now!

i have been so far removed from this blog this summer for a number of reasons, mostly having to do with my personal life... it has been quite the summer for me, and i sure have learned a lot! i know i have said that before, but it is true. anyways, i am looking forward to posting more regularly again very soon.

i think i should note that i am not getting married this month (week? eek.) anymore. as a matter of fact, i'm not even engaged. things over the past few months have been hard, but i have a bright hope that everything will turn out beautifully for both jason and i, whatever ends up happening in the long run. heartache, confusion, sorrow, pain-- it all isn't very welcome in anyone's book, i don't think-- but it also is part of life, and it can be healed.. positivity, faith, gratitude, love from friends and family, perspective, and sometimes, merely time are all things that can really help in the process. they have sure helped me.

if you are Christian, you might believe, like i do, that Jesus Christ suffered for not only every sin, but for every pain and sorrow that we will experience during this life, so that he would know how to best help us in our tender times of need. i have most definitely felt his loving and comforting hand throughout this hard phase of my life. i am infinitely grateful to know the truth that makes everything easier, and better, in one way or another.

on a lighter note, in two and a half weeks i will be in italy! i am so excited! i've been looking forward to this for so long!!

press on, my friends.. the future is bright.

an extremely unofficial guest post.

2011-08-01T01:01:00.000-06:00

hey guys.. this isn't kate.
its ashley, her cousin.
kate was using my computer earlier and i think it died on her, so all of her stuff was still logged in when i plugged it in, and when i went to get on my blog it was hers.
i was just going to log out, then i got the idea to do a surprise post for her, but then i got scared.
this is a big deal blog you know. kate's a big deal, so her blog has quite the following.
i don't want her rep to get bad because of me, so i'm going to do my best to be spectacular like she is.

i don't have anything that interesting to say, but i can say kate is great. (and the fact that her name rhymes with great makes it so much better, and greater.)
kate and i are definitely friends, we reached out peak around age 9. i remember flying out to north carolina all alone to go visit her for her birthday. it was the best ever. i got to meet her friends and go to her birthday party- it was a hotel sleepover! yeah, she's always been fancy.
i remember she was doing her sugar free diet so our gift bags had sugar free candy. (if she went a year without sugar she got $1000 i think it was.)
we went to she and christian's swim meet and for the oddest reason i remember christian got a nerd rope, and that was when they had just came out and i thought it was the greatest thing ever.
oh the random memories we have together, i really could go on her a while, but i won't bore you.

anyways. she's always been a great example to me. kate is a natural leader. there's something about her that just makes you want to be around her. she's interesting, kind and loving.
i've always felt like i'm not quite i don't want to be a bother around her.. i want to be her best friend but at the same time i feel more like a tag along. i mean that in a completely positive way.. i feel like she has more important things to do than to hang out with me. i don't want to interfere with progress! well, that came out awkward. hopefully you get it.

so anyways.. kate you are awesome. i'm so excited for you to study abroad, and for all the adventures your future holds. you will do great things :) i'm here whenever you need a friend. i respect you, love you, and admire you.

love, ashley. [x]


general conference last fall.

and now it is july :)

2011-07-07T20:33:00.001-06:00

hello again! i have been so far removed from this blog lately, but i would like to change that, because i really do quite like blogging.

in the time that i have been away, i have learned a lot about life and love and making decisions! i have a lot of thoughts jumping around in my head, but for now, i think i'll just post some pictures from my recent trip out to the east coast. i hope you are having a wonderful summer! xoxo, kate.

1 and 2 - shake shack in DC

3 - pinkberry

4- birthday flowers

5 and 6 - in jason's hammock, loving the summer sunshine

JUNE?! goodness, time is flying!

2011-06-01T03:58:00.000-06:00

i am currently packing up to go to st. george, to nanny during the filming of the nitrocircus movie that the father of this family that i work for has been working on for the past few months.. it should be fun (though i'll admit- i'm terribly sad to be leaving jason until our return on sunday night!)

life is crazy busy and hard sometimes and easy sometimes, but always wonderful, because it is being pursued relentlessly.... and i really like that sort of meaning and purpose and progression.

another thing that i really like is my fiance's ability to look at a person or a situation, and see it for what it really is. give me truth and honesty and sincerity... "real-ness" in this world is fading. but jason only grows brighter and brighter. he is endlessly kind to me, even when i probably don't deserve such sweetness. i am so lucky and blessed to have him.

read more about jason and i on a love feature today over here

last but not least... check out where i have been for the last few months.. have you heard of pinterest? oh, you are obsessed too? see my boards here.

xoxo!

an adventure everyday!

2011-05-04T00:18:00.001-06:00

so posting two days in a row didn't exactly happen.. sorry people.

it is wonderful to me how doing something that you love, even if it does require sacrifice and hard work, really can weave such beautiful sunlight into the common, passing everyday... like, i really do love kids.. and being able to live at home amongst my five younger siblings, and also being able to nanny everyday and help manage a household of seven kids (and a new dog to boot!) has curiously made me a very content girl.

anna, the sweet 8th grader in the family that i nanny for, is in new york city this week with her cousin and her grandma. i was talking on the phone with her for a bit tonight, and i was dying to be there with her in new york. but i wasn't the least bit unhappy, because i was surrounded by six cute half-german kids who i adore.

and.. maybe the plans of an august wedding, and then spending fall semester in italy with my soon-to-be husband adds to the happiness and contentment of my life right now as well :)

i'm back! with an apology and an explanation.

2011-04-29T01:54:00.000-06:00

hello wonderful people!

i've been far from the blogging world lately. i'm sorry! i honestly feel like its been a couple months since i last posted on here (even though its really only been a couple of weeks. but heck- that's pretty much a lifetime on a blog's clock!)

so much has happened in the past little bit.

i went to california with my family for a week and had the most wonderful, relaxing time, and then i flew home early and surprised jason, and we were able to spend some good time together studying and such in between the final exams i took on saturday of that week...

and then all hell broke lose as the rest of my finals set in starting the following week.. it really was so stressful for me this semester (maybe a spring break getaway right before finals wasn't such a good idea after all? just kidding- our time there was too great to ever be regretted!)

i took 6 exams. and i feel good about 5 of them. i am definitely in the right major for how my brain works... i could never be in a field that has much to do with any kind of sciences other than social science!!

that same week, i moved out of my apartment, met jason's parents and a few more of his siblings/in-laws for the first time, attended jason's brother and sister (I.L.'s) college graduation, started a nannying job for a great family in my home neighborhood, and had an enjoyable time introducing jason to a bunch of my extended family...

and this week, i have been the easter bunny for my family (we're talking 250 filled eggs and 9 easter baskets!), celebrated my dear friend maggie's birthday, nannied (?) everyday, helped my brother/mom with their eagle project/benefit concert (its hard for me to remember whose project it really is!..), and looked and thought and stressed about how in the world i possibly am going to ever get my room back into an organized and cleanly state...

all the while, i never have been able to even gain consciousness in the mornings early enough to make it to the gym before the first thing that is on my schedule absolutely requires me to wake up.

so anyway, i have just felt sort of run-down lately, and pretty bad about myself actually.. a lack of sleep and a lack of taking care of my body have built up to a day of feeling completely unattractive and horrible! i mean, i've gotten a lot better in the past while about not being overly concerned with my appearance, but i feel like i had a dumb "girl" day today and it was not fun (though luckily, i think the only people who even knew of my bummer mood were my mom and jason)..

do you ever feel like this though??

ah. i'm sorry. i don't mean to be a complete downer. i'm just being honest. some days, i feel that carefree happiness is more readily available then on other days. but that's life, and that's why it is beautiful. the struggle is beautiful.

and with all of this being said, i still feel very blessed and happy with myself and my life, despite (and in some ways, because of) my imperfections and the ways in which i have to struggle and work hard to be the person i want to be (and i mean that in many ways -- most of which have nothing to do with outward appearances!)

c'est la vie.

it is raining hard on the roof and windows as i type this right now.. so it is time to say goodnight! i have scripture study and sleep to accomplish under these wonderfully rainy conditions.

but check back soon because i'll be back again tomorrow :)

xoxo.

p.s... is anyone else tempted to wake up at 4am and watch the royal wedding live?? i know that might sound completely crazy to some of you.. and i guess with my track record, those two will be wed and have a kid or two before i even stir after going to sleep tonight... haha. i am getting married this year too though, so isn't it crucial that i become fully engaged in anything marriage-related right now?! ok, i know. bedtime, once and for all. goodnight!!

going where the sun is shining

2011-04-09T15:25:00.000-06:00

it is snowing/raining today in utah. i couldn't be more ready for sunshine! i feel very lucky to be leaving for newport beach with my family tonight!

if only j-man could be coming too! he is going to be studious and hard-working instead of joining us.

and a lovely little thought to leave you with for today:

big things

2011-04-06T15:27:00.000-06:00

dear blog-reading friends,

i have a bit of news for you...

i'm engaged!

to this handsome man (!!)

you've heard about him before. his name is jason.

i hope you guys like him too, because you'll probably be hearing about him a lot from here on out :)

goodness, how did i get so lucky?!

i am crazy busy with school work until saturday, so i'll have to leave the story of the engagement until this weekend, but i just thought i'd drop in and announce that real quick!

thank you all for reading and being a part of my life.

love love love,
kate

friday night with the little ones.

2011-03-29T18:42:00.000-06:00

we had a lot of fun on friday! we went to DP cheesestakes for dinner (new in provo and so delicious!), gave the kids a mini-cultural experience at an asian market, and had some fun at fat cats playing a few arcade games and bowling!

the kids are obsessed with jason. i would say that they like him more than i do, but that's not really true! so i won't say that.. ha its pretty close though. the middle picture up there makes it look like we are a little blonde family! but i promise, they are not my kids!! ha i'll claim them on the good days, though! ;)

mark zuckerberg forum

2011-03-29T18:25:00.000-06:00

the more time i spend at BYU, the more grateful i am for it as an institution. one of the great things about being here is the speakers that they get to come in and speak to us (my favorite so far: condoleezza rice).

on friday, my brother will came with me to a forum with senator orrin hatch and facebook founder mark zuckerberg.

i must say, social network (the movie) made mark seem like a much bigger jerk than he seemed to be when he spoke to us! i really enjoyed what he had to say.

one thing that has stood out to me in the past few days from the forum was a response mark had to the question, "what do you look for in potential employees?" he said that he looks for people who are going to come in and change things and improve the system. he is not interested in people who want to be associated with facebook for what it already is... he wants people who look at it like its broken and who want to fix it..

i want to have that kind of approach to the things that i do! i want to really improve things. i'm here to make a difference.

3.14

2011-03-29T18:07:00.000-06:00

this post is so late!

for "pi day" (march 14 / 3.14) we had a whipped cream pie fight for family home evening

(in a student/singles ward, we have groups that we get together with in the absence of our real families). but... friends are family you choose for yourself, right? i feel right at home with this group! they are such great people. i'm going to miss everyone when this semester ends and we all move out!

spending time..

2011-03-25T03:25:00.000-06:00

with my little brothers and sisters while my parents jet off to hawaii!

i'm really excited to have an excuse to be around these kiddos for a solid week.. they really are so much fun. let's hope that as their babysitter, i'm still saying that by next thursday! :)

...thinking about attempting a cake like this with the kid's help! they love being in the kitchen.

how cute is this picture?! if the weather warms up, we might have to venture up to the zoo..

i had an arts and crafts box when i was a little girl, and i loved working on creative projects. sophie l-o-v-e-s this kind of thing too. i can't wait to do some little artsy things with her and who ever else would like to join us!

two of the little munchins.... caroline, (10) and nicholas (7). not pictured: christian (17), will (13), and sophia (4).

more photos coming soon!

remembering ms. elizabeth

2011-03-23T16:26:00.000-06:00

Elizabeth Taylor ~ February 27, 1932 - March 23, 2011

another quote to love

2011-03-23T11:41:00.000-06:00

"our embraces will be tight" made me think of my friends throughout the years...

this is a picture of some of my friends from high school on our dear tawni's wedding day. she was the most beautiful bride!

i love these girls.

Oh Idaho...

2011-03-19T10:57:00.000-06:00

After spending last weekend in sunny Las Vegas, I was feeling sad to return to Provo, but after spending some time up here in Rexburg for a wedding this weekend, I am very grateful to at least live in Provo right now! My heart goes out to all of you BYU-I students who put up with this cold weather for so much of the year!

Hope this weekend is treating you well :)

ps.. If you are near a yogurtland or pinkberry, please enjoy one for me today. I am craving a frozen yogurt from one of those places in the worst way!

for your viewing pleasure

2011-03-17T14:54:00.000-06:00

so this is kind of embarrassing, but ice skating clearly isn't my thing, so i have no problem posting this for the world.... please laugh and know that we were just being silly.

haha, i had been doing so much better on those skates by this point in the night, but then i almost took the biggest spill ever... and it was caught on camera. huzzah.

so enjoy, my friends! :)

i hope thursday is finding you all well! the weekend is almost here once again!

love this

2011-03-15T13:23:00.001-06:00

giveaway winner announced + vegas weekend pictures

2011-03-14T23:44:00.000-06:00

Dometic Diva, congratulations! I will be emailing you! Thank you everyone else for entering!

This past weekend, I was in Las Vegas with a few friends, getting in on some Jimmertime and attending a wedding reception, as well as meeting a lot of absolutely wonderful people from Jason's mission for our church.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend!

first giveaway!

2011-03-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

hello happy readers.

i was contacted by a man from CSN stores online about giving away a gift card to one of you lucky readers, for use on any of their 200+ sites.

i was looking through a few of their sites, and there are many items that i wouldn't mind arriving at my front door!

like these shoes . . .

these bags . . .

or even these lighting fixtures! (when i grow up, my house is going to have awesome pendant lighting)

so leave a comment below to enter! the giveaway will be open through this weekend, and i'll select a winner through a random-pick generator on monday. good luck!

are you happy?

2011-03-09T03:03:00.000-07:00

this has been my laptop background for a few days now, and though it seems almost too simple to be meaningful, i have found it to be very powerful in refocusing my mindset if there is ever a moment when i'm feeling less than fantastic . . .

happiness is a choice. you decide the mindset with which you go about living your life. if you are not happy, change something. if you feel as though there is nothing you can change in your routine, change your mindset. perspective and attitude are everything.

"I've thought  myself out of happiness one million times, 
but never once into it." 
Jonathan Safran Foer

so for heaven's sake, make up your mind to be happy. . .
because of {and} in spite of everything!

life is beautiful if you choose to look at it that way!
happiness is very much a matter of gratefulness, and very much a matter of choice.

all of this...

2011-03-08T01:40:00.001-07:00

and all of the rest of your silly campaign... was well worth it. congratulations you two very tall people.

orem high school is in good hands. you will be fantastic next year!

thoughts to begin the week

2011-03-07T11:33:00.001-07:00

it takes just as much time to be mediocre as it does to be great ~ j-man

that which you persist in doing becomes easy . . . not that the nature of the thing has changed, but your power and ability to do has increased ~heber j. grant

every day since, when i approach that hill, i open throttle. it's my reminder that i am capable of anything and that "each day comes to me with both hands full of possibilities" (helen keller). i simply have to reach out and take them ~natalie norton

pizzeria 712 double date

2011-03-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

two nights of delicious pizza this week (terra mia on wednesday and pizzeria 712 on friday) got me excited for the worthwhile calories that surely await me in italy this fall :)

{my} dinner: margherita pizza with added arugula and balsalmic vinegar.

{our} dessert: clove (?) loaf with greek yogurt and citrus sauce.

yes, i am writing about ralph lauren's marketing schemes. again.

2011-03-07T01:46:00.001-07:00

ralph lauren hasn't lost steam since their last awesome project that i wrote about over here (remember this cool thing?)..

they now have two children's storybook videos that allow you to simply enjoy the story, or, by clicking on one of the cute little actors or actresses, you can view the product details for their outfit, with the option of adding it to your shopping cart right then and there.

view the good stuff here.

even cooler, right now they are donating 15% of their children's wear proceeds to Uma Thurman's charity, Room to Grow.

la jolla groves dinner with friends

2011-03-01T02:36:00.001-07:00

last weekend, all of my roommates (minus maggie who was home in ohio for a few days) went to dinner with our good friend mckay from the ward, greg (paige and i know him from work), my dear jason, and our friend andrew (who is our MIA roommate maggie's cousin, actually). the guys are all awesome, and it was fun to be out and about with the roommates. i really love these girls!

(and.. if you can't tell, i kind of like j-man too.. but shh, don't tell him that!) ;)

my ad video

2011-02-28T01:56:00.002-07:00

enough people have asked about my application video for the advertising program that i thought i would just post it up on here!

the requirements were that we made a 60-second video that, in some way, advertised us... so here mine is!

admitted

2011-02-23T07:52:00.001-07:00

so, not to be obnoxious, but.....

I GOT IN!

i will be starting the advertising program at BYU next winter semester, after i return from a semester abroad this fall :) i'm so excited!!

life is so good! i feel so blessed!

did i mention that i've been really happy lately? walking up to campus yesterday to pick up this letter, i was really quite nervous, thinking about the chance of not getting in. but then, with just one look at the background picture on my phone, i was able to relax for a minute and smile, knowing that i would still have him at the end of the day, whether i got into the advertising program or not. it was quite the lovely realization :)

...that being said, it sure didn't hurt to have both :)

i hope your wednesday is filled with many wonderful things!

happy birthday!

2011-02-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

two very important people in my life celebrated birthdays over the long weekend! my brother christian turned 17 on saturday, and my dear friend erin lee turned 20 yesterday!

a bit about my brother..

i am the oldest child in my family, and christian is the sibling closest in age to me, so naturally, we are very close. but i think that even if we weren't close in age, we would still be really good friends, because christian is just such a stud - he is my favorite go-to person if i ever want to just have a fun time with no stress. its hard to worry about things when you are around christian, because its just not in his personality to really get that stressed out about anything. i like talking to him about things and going from near tears to laughter in a matter of seconds. christian is funny, he is incredibly compassionate, and he is crazy-talented with music. he has grown up playing sports and he is really enjoying being on the basketball team at his school right now, but i secretly think that he has a future ahead of him in music rather than in sports -- i just know how much he loves sitting at the piano and playing and singing.. i really wish that he would record some of the covers that he has done, because i really do love listening to him! thanks for being one of my best friends, bro. happy birthday. i'm so grateful that families are forever, so that i will always get to have you around :)

christian is very silly.. these were all taken with a "check this awesome thing out"-attitude when we were in new york a while back.. he was being sarcastic and definitely not serious though! :) ps... christian, please grow your hair back out again!?? kthnx.

and now a bit about erin..

erin and i met in sixth grade, when we both were at sharon elementary in an accelerated class that we had tested into. it was my second year living in utah, and my second elementary school in the two years we had been here. needless to say, sixth grade was a tough year for me. it was, at least, until the last month of school, when erin and i suddenly became best friends (after the whole year! how did we miss each other until then?!) that month, though, made up for the entire year.. it was so much fun. it can also go without saying that, aside from the growing experience of "doing hard things"(as my mom would say), the most valuable thing that i got out of going to that school that year was this dear friendship that i will have for the rest of my life.

my earliest memories of erin include sitting on the floor in her room, listening to the jackson 5 - erin has always been pretty retro and groovy. we were in plays and musicals together throughout junior high and high school, on student council together, and erin led the way with many humantarian projects and organizations, such as operation smile. erin really is going to save the world someday. one of my favorite times with erin was when we both went to london and scotland with a group from our school for our senior trip. one night, we talked for hours and made up our future plans to live these incredible lives that we dreamed of as we shared a bunk on the train between london and scotland. there are so many great times like these that i have had with erin. i am certain that this girl is going to do big things- she has so much fire in her! i love you so much girlfriend - happy birthday!

spinach salad with salmon, barley, and oranges

2011-02-18T13:52:00.001-07:00

Paige got home last night and brought this recipe home with her. You must try it.. it has great flavor and it is filling without being too heavy, so you just feel very healthy and fresh when (and after) eating it. I absolutely loved it!

Spinach Salad With Salmon, Barley, and Oranges | Real Simple Recipes

Serves 4 | Hands-On Time: 20m | Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

2/3 cup quick-cooking barley
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
4 4-ounce pieces skinless wild salmon fillet
kosher salt and black pepper
2 navel or blood oranges
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Cook the barley according to the package directions. Spread on a plate and refrigerate until cool.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large cast-iron or other nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper and cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate until cool. Using a fork, flake the salmon into bite-size pieces.
Cut away the peel and pith of the oranges: Working over a small bowl, cut along both sides of each orange segment, releasing the segments into the bowl.
Transfer 2 tablespoons of the accumulated orange juice to a large bowl and whisk in the vinegar, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add the spinach, cilantro, avocado, orange segments, scallions, and cooked barley and toss gently to combine. Serve topped with the salmon.

We skipped out on the scallions, but added pistachios, walnuts and fresh Parmesan cheese to the mix. Paige said that kiwi is a great additive as well.

too big for just one

2011-02-17T12:29:00.002-07:00

dear paige,

seriously, vacations are overrated - come home already!

our big bed and this little fort contraption thing i made last night is all a little too much for me to handle on my own.. plus, i miss your sleep-talk nonsense in the middle of the night {"isn't the sound of a slap just so funny? hahahaha" --- love it}

magster might have a sleepover with us tonight too!

so hurry on home. we miss you.

lovingly,
your best girl

sean diediker

2011-02-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

a few years ago, i was eating at one of my favorite places in orem with a few friends {pizzeria 712} when i met sean.

he is an artist whose paintings are sold in galleries all over the world. i later met up with him for a shoot, and just a few days ago, he posted this on my facebook page:

i love the blue tones! i am so honored to be a part of his work. isn't he a talented artist? see more of his paintings and read more about him here.

2 . 14 . 2011

2011-02-16T15:34:00.001-07:00

our valentines date started in the early evening, when he picked me up from my apartment.

he blindfolded me and we drove for a while until we arrived at a beautiful little spot with a gorgeous view of a wintery utah lake. we had a lovely little picnic, complete with a sunset and music playing in the background.

he made a personalized version of a game we had played at my house, with a lot of the things we have talked about/laughed about/experienced together so far included in it! it was really cute.

he then put the blindfold back on me and we got back in the car again.. we pulled up to my house (i didn't know this yet, of course) and before we went in, while my blindfold was still on, he read me some valentines that he happened to "find" when he "found" the game we had played earlier ;)

the last valentine that he read said, "kate, will you "be mine"?" and that's when he asked me to be his girlfriend. it was pretty unexpected, but i was happy and excited about it :)

after that, he guided me into my house and down to my basement (it wasn't until i was almost down the stairs in the basement that i caught on that we possibly could be in my house!)

he took off the blindfold for me to see the hearts all over the walls, the lit candles, and the pink hershey's kisses scattered all over the room. he had rented a few movie choices, and bought a box of cupcakes from the cocoa bean, which is where we went on our first date! (ha like two weeks ago... i know, i know. we have already laughed about that a lot, don't worry :))

we watched a movie and talked for a while, and then shared a cupcake. when we went back upstairs, we were able to talk to my family for a little while as well. it all was very sweet.

i was so surprised and touched that he had gone through the effort of doing all of that- talking to my mom and brother, my friends, and getting all planned and ready beforehand!

thank you mister, i seriously couldn't have asked for a sweeter date with a sweeter person. i sort of really liked it.. a lot :) thanks for giving me the best valentine's day!

the heart has reasons that reason cannot know

2011-02-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

so.. how was v-day for everyone? valentines day is usually a kind of annoying day, right? either:

1) you don't have a valentine and try to avoid the whole holiday altogether (denial/boycott/etc -- its pretty easy to hate on "single's awareness day")

2) you do have a date, but it ends up being kind of dumb anyways (because its weird to be more love-y than you normally would be with that person just because its v-day)

3) you do something with your girlfriends, but everyone is feeling a little depressed or bitter that they don't have a boy to be doing something with...

or.

4) you actually get really lucky, and you have a valentine who means something to you, and you have a great day.

somehow, number four happened for me yesterday. i feel like my life right now isn't very real.. it all seems too good to be true!

let me just make a big point of the fact that i know that there is a loving God who cares for me and is willing to direct me in the little details of my life, upon the condition that i will seek out his guidance and follow it. i wasn't going to go into all this, but if you have time, i'll share just a bit of this story..

three weeks ago today was a terrible and hard day.. i had just broken up with my boyfriend (which was a difficult thing for me to do because it went against how i was feeling about him - i didn't want to break up! but i had a strong feeling from the Spirit i needed to break up with him, so i prayed a lot about it and just went off of that feeling).

it was scary and confusing and sad not to have this great friend of mine be "mine" anymore, but it was also OK, because i knew that by following the Lord's will for my life, i would end up far happier than i would be otherwise. another testimony-builder was watching every little thing that i had prayed for be so precisely answered. because of the personal nature of the things i am referring to, and out of respect for this boy, i won't list everything, but just know- it was pretty miraculous, and God is so good and he cares so deeply for us all! i'd also like to say that this boy that i broke up with has really proved to be an amazingly kind and considerate person. they say that true colors are shown once you break up, right? well.. he is an amazing example to all boys of how to treat girls even after things have ended. he has been loving and kind but in a new kind of way. very appropriate and very mature. at one point when i thanked him for being so good to me still, he told me that i will always be his girl, even if i'm not "his" girl.. if that makes sense. haha.

anyway, a few days roll around and i was asked out by a cute guy in my ward that i had always thought was just such an awesome person, and our first date of cupcakes and country dancing was really fun.. i couldn't believe my interest in someone new after just a few days. (in ways i felt bad about this, but i kind of couldn't help but just like this guy a lot from the get-go.. i think you would understand why if you met him).

since then, (over the past two weeks or so), we spent more time with each other and things only got better between us.... ha i don't really know what more to say other than the fact that it moved really quickly and now.... we are dating. i know it is SO soon and that it might seem like a rebound-type of deal, and that it also fits into the BYU stereotype so perfectly.. but despite how much i hate what it looks like, i'm a little too into him to be dissatisfied about it in the least! i know that it is real, and my friends and family can also testify of the sincerity of it all (well, of my feelings, at least.. i guess i can't speak for him! haha).

pretty crazy, huh?

i think that the spiritual guidance that i had received prior to our first date has played a big part in helping me feel as good and ok about all of this as i do (just because of how fast things have happened with us).

so. now you know. it might be dumb to speak of this so soon, but as far as i'm concerned, i think i'm going to keep this kid around for a while.. he's pretty great :)

this post has run long.. again.. so i'll save the story from valentine's day for another post. thanks for reading, you lovely people!

nothing better than this place.

2011-02-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

"she was twenty-one, for [goodness] sake. she must be allowed to grow up. by the time they were her age, most of the heroines of literature had lived, loved and even died...if she wanted to be a heroine, it was time to start behaving like one."

 robyn sisman

"perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love. 

"our fears are like dragons, guarding our most precious treasures."

rainer maria rilke

"most people come to know only one corner of their room, one spot near  the window, one narrow strip on which they keep walking back and forth. in this way they have a certain security... we, however, 

are not  prisoners."

"we must accept our reality as vastly as we possibly can; everything,  even the unprecedented, must be possible within it."

rainer maria rilke

party in the USA

2011-01-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

my brothers and sisters were showing me some of their favorite people from american idol so far, since i have missed the shows so far this season, and i thought that this guy was so funny!

favorite quote

2011-01-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

a year in review

2011-01-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

so grateful for so much happiness in 2010!

2010 in retrospect

2011-01-03T02:37:00.002-07:00

2010 was quite something.

a year ago, i rang in the new year with dear friends and i kissed my lovely swedish boyfriend when the clock struck midnight. i no longer have that swede as a boyfriend, and i haven't seen any of those other particular friends in quite some time now. it is rather sad to think of it, actually.

life is different now, and i am different. i have grown up a lot in the past year. i may be more unsure about the course of my life at this moment than i was last year, but i am more sure of who i am and i have certain standards of character ingrained into me that i didn't feel as strongly about before. in a lot of ways, i am a much better, more mature person than i have ever been.

who would have guessed i would have learned so much in 365 days.

i have gone through a break up that, at times, i am still shattered over, but i have also dated new people and found a boy who has taught me a whole lot of things as well. i am a better person right now for dating him. both of my significant guys in 2010, though very different, have helped me to learn about life and being in love or serious-like or whatever it is at this age... i'm still not exactly sure.

i was extremely blessed to be able to spend an amazing three months living on my own in new york city. those days are so sweet and dear to me. without trying, my mind wanders back randomly to specific streets, specific conversations, specific feelings and impressions and bits of inspiration that i received while being there. this happens daily, and each random memory greets me like a kiss on the forehead from a dear friend. and i dream that i am there again at least a few times a week, still. you might say i have a sort of obsession.

i learned so much there, which is one of the reasons why i love it so much.

this past year, i worked at three fabulous places, gateway bridal and prom, roberto cavalli, and la jolla groves restaurant. though it is nice not to have an hour commute to the bridal store anymore, i do miss the sweet girls i worked with there, and showing excited brides all of the beautiful gowns.

la jolla groves is a party though, and i am very grateful for my job there. the people i work with are fabulous, and i love my boss and managers. more and more, i have learned that the happiness of your life depends so much on the people that surround you (though it is one factor, and not the only one, that determines happiness. some of the sweetest days of my life have been spent independently navigating and exploring manhattan).

roberto cavalli (where i had my internship in new york) was a fabulous experience. i got an inside look at the fashion industry while learning from some seriously cool and nice people. in a tall, beautiful building right on fifth avenue, steps away from bergdorf goodman and the plaza hotel, the whole thing still feels like a giant dream. did i really get to be "that girl"? do i really have other open doors and references from that amazing experience? the last day of my internship, bursting with excitement because of the possibilities that had just been offered to me, i couldn't keep the tears from running down my face as i beamed, roaming the sunlit streets that i had then come to know so well. i'll never forget that amazing, heaven-sent afternoon.

in 2010, friends have cycled, but i hope that each one of them knows how much i dearly love them. from my roommates last year in the dorms to my roommates now, to my high school friends, to my now-married friends, to friends in sweden and friends away at different colleges -- you have all played an influential role in my life. one of my goals for 2011 is to be a more thoughtful and sweet friend, because i truly don't deserve all of the wonderful people in my life, but i do hope that they at least know how grateful i am for their love and friendship.

the very best people in my life can be found in my home, though. my family is beyond amazing, and i am only starting to understand how extremely lucky i am. i thought i knew and appreciated them in the past, but as i get older, it only gets harder for me to leave them after being home for a while. maybe that is why i am supposed to be at BYU --- to be close enough to be home with my family as much as is healthy for a college student. mom, dad, christian, will, caroline, nick, and sophie, I LOVE YOU. thanks for making my life so precious and joyful.

2010 has been a growing year, but there is SO much more that i need and want to become and do. here's to a new year and new goals! bring on 2011!

Ralph Lauren's Movie Magic

2010-11-17T05:47:00.003-07:00

Have you seen or heard about Ralph Lauren's 4D advertisement?

On November 10, Ralph Lauren celebrated its 10th anniversary of its US e-commerce site and the launch of the Ralph Lauren site in the UK with a 4D fashion light show at Ralph Lauren's NYC Flagship store on Madison Avenue.

The ten-minute celebration included four story models, polo players just as large, and samples of what makes Ralph Lauren great. Even cooler? They had "smell-o-vision" that showcased the fragrances by Ralph Lauren.

So what did you think? Worth all the hype and money?

I would have to say so... it all looks pretty darn cool to me.

2010-11-03T11:57:00.000-06:00

family time

2010-11-02T17:20:00.000-06:00

picture 1: my family on a tour at the LDS conference center in Salt Lake City picture 2: the start of my Christmas wish-list :) picture 3: my family's fabulous Japanese exchange student, Kotoku picture 4: great pillows from Urban Outfitters picture 5: nick and sophie being good little kids hanging out at urban outfitters

a few photos from october

2010-11-01T14:06:00.001-06:00

nike TAG commercial

2010-10-19T21:29:00.000-06:00

I saw this commercial online a few years ago and it has been one of my favorites ever since. I love the creativity and pedestrian-like feel that it brings to sports brand Nike.

Every time I see this commercial, I wish that we could have a designated day every month where we could actually play this out and have a huge city-wide game of tag. I guess that it would only really work on a that level in a big city, but how about we try doing it on campus?