birthday week[end]

confession: birthday week was kind of crappy. i had something happen sunday that started birthday week off on a lame-o foot. i pushed through and didn't let anyone know how sad i was feeling, but the inside of me was not happy. despite that [and a little cry sesh in the bathroom during my party saturday night] i had a fun birthday weekend!

saturday the day was spent cleaning, riding front runner to and from SLC, shopping and eating at City Creek with Jenny and Abby, enjoying peaceful Temple Square, getting froyo with my dad, playing games and watching Avengers with friends. oh yeah, and here are some pictures.

surprised face!

did i mention i bought pink [coral] pants? yes i did.

monday my family had lunch and presents for me. mom made citrus halibut, rice pilaf, with veggies and fruit. she was proud she used everything fresh- even the herbs. yes, she loves me. she also made me my most favorite and delicious carrot cake. you haven't had good carrot cake until you've tasted my mom's carrot cake. deevine. i gave my parentals the camera which pretty much means the most awkward pictures ever were taken. it's fine. 

carrot cake. yuuuuum.

i'm a gem. thank you mom. 

[did you notice my pink pants??]

all in all, i had a good birthday. 23 isn't terribly exciting, but any birthday is great :) i had so many friends bring lovely and unexpected gifts. and i had a lot more people show up to my party than i ever thought! i felt loved and appreciated. it is definitely times like your birthday when you find out who the people are who truly care about you. i sadly had the discovery that some people i thought were my good friends, did not care as much as i thought they would. however, there were many more people who showed their love. and i really appreciate that! i wish every weekend were a three day weekend full of parties and fun. but sadly real life continues onward.

last year for my birthday i made the goal to be a force for good in the world. this year, as i am now 23, my goal is similar, but different. 

goal: set the world on fire with love!

here's to a great year of being 23 and showing love to those around me!

january update

i do have a life and i do have some thought provoking (hopefully) posts coming up. but here's a quick update on my life! i'm taking five credits-- Chem 285 and voice lessons. so far so good. i'm excited to sing some Nora Jones and Adele in voice lessons. as for Chem, it's pretty easy so far. i'm working between 20-40 hours a week, trying to pick up as many shifts as possible without going insane. i like the big paychecks (and the fact that more money= paying back my parents sooner).
weekends are different now. i usually work Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening. but i still have tons of fun! especially this weekend.

thursday afternoon after class (and getting a free manicure c/o BYU Women's Services and Resources), i went to the temple. geez, i love that place. even when my hair freezes during the walk from the temple to my car. later that night i went to institute with jenny. afterwards we joined Klemme and the Metz to go get sushi! we are making thursday night, sushi night.

we ended up at Osaka on center street in Provo, laughing, chatting, and pounding down sushi. i lurv me some sushi! can't wait for future thursday sushi nights! friday afternoon i went to lunch with mom at Zupas. i really love Zupas food, but i feel like they keep the place a little too cold. i would rather just get it to go and then eat it in the comfort and warmth of my apartment (where i can be wearing sweats and watching Lost and no one will care). jenny and i went over to the Smith Fieldhouse at five in order to get the best seats possible for the volleyball game against Irvine. guys, i had literally been looking forward to this the entire week! so what if i'm obsessed? we ended up in the standing student section (aka the ROC ... i think) which was a blast! our blind dates got there around 6:30 and that was... nice. (i have opinions about blind dates that will not be discussed in this post.) ok ok ok, the game was AMAZING!!! i have not screamed that hard or been so invested in a game in a long time. i love our boys!!! they beat Irvine! (for those who are illiterate in sports- Irvine was number 1 and we were number 3.) I am so proud! oh and we got a picture with Cosmo. he's cool, except he tickled me and jenny. i felt a little violated. but whatevs, i guess.

after the game, and i'd screamed myself almost hoarse, we headed back over to jenny's to meet up with ward friends and have a Seinfeld marathon! the best ever. serenity now!! Saturday morning i slept in. our stake had a Relief Society fireside and lunch with Hilary Weeks. i was so excited because she sings one of my favorite songs (that has gotten me through a lot). jenny and i went and sat with some girls from our ward. it was a beautiful fireside and i am so grateful i got to go! i worked all afternoon and evening. sunday was maddie's farewell (i worked with maddie at the Skyroom). she gave an awesome talk! she is Elder Holland's granddaughter and he spoke a few words in the meeting as well. it was such an incredible feeling to be in the same room as one of the Lord's servants!

sunday afternoon i made homemade pasta for the second time in my life. i lurv pasta and i lurv making things! perf! Strobelt, Ryan, Jenny and I made and let me tell you it was quite the job! it took us about two hours to get the pasta made, but it was so worth it! those people are quality. and, how have i been missing italian food? good thing i don't live in italy or i would probably weigh 200 pounds! i just wanted to sleep after eating, but i had to go to work. boo. luckily work was pretty chill. today has been a lovely chill monday. happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! he was pretty amazing. his "i have a dream" speech still gives me the chills. i went to lunch with cousin Rachel at Pizza Pie Cafe. it was foolish though because half of Provo was there and they kept running out of pizza. they didn't even have Oreo pizza, which is the whole reason i go! whatevs. it was good cousin time.

tonight i'm going with jenny and ward friends to see Perks of a Wallflower. i am so excited! emma watson is my girl celebtrity crush. i want her hair and her style and Rupert Grint. and the movie just looks overall adorable.

here's to life! and adventure! and friends! etc!

what i love about fall

where has time gone? life is so crazy and then one day i realized it was october and that i was a major slacker in blogging. let's be real, on my list of priorities, blogging is near the bottom. i am working super hard at school and my new job is keeping me really busy too. i have lots to do for my calling as well. but i am just loving life! i feel so blessed right now that it is almost overwhelming! i am so grateful! but now that it's october and fall is officially here, i wanted to share with you some of my favorite things about fall (my second favorite season).

*hot chocolate season starts- i had salted caramel hot chocolate Thursday and it was divine! i love trying lots of different flavors. there is something about having a warm cup of hot chocolate wrapped in your hands that is just wonderful.

*boots, scarves, jackets and cardigans! it's so much easier shopping for fall clothes because i don't have to worry about it being immodest ha ha.

*football season- i live for my BYU games on the weekend. and we stomped on the Aggies last night which makes me super happy.

rachel, hyrum, me and spencer at BYU vs. Hawaii

* halloween- i know halloween is creepy and involved massive amounts of candy, but i love it. i love getting dressed up and going to all the parties. i love scary movies and corn mazes. i love it all. (except candy corn.) i want to have an awesome halloween costume this year! and my friend Natalie is having a Harry Potter themed halloween party. so psyched!

*pumpkin everything. carving pumpkins. pumpkin pancakes. pumpkin pie. pumpkin bread. pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. pumpkin shakes. roasted pumpkin seeds. pumpkin curry. and of course the pumpkin smoothie from Jamba Juice. if you have never tried it then go get it now. seriously. it will change your life.

*driving Alpine Loop. i have driven up provo canyon every fall for the past three years and it is beautiful! it is wonderful to get away and view some of God's most glorious work! i hope i get to go soon this year.

*turning on the heater. now i have a real excuse to be cold and turn off the a/c. when you think anything below 72 degrees is freezing, you look forward to the time when you don't feel guilty about turning off the a/c.

*finally, General Conference! [i mean i have to put this in because it's today, right?] but i do love me some general conference. i love listening to the Prophet and Apostles and receiving much needed counsel and guidance in my life. if you want to watch or listen today and tomorrow click here.

saturday shenanigans in salt lake

i've been working hard this week and been trying to finish my summer bucket list before school starts! on saturday i drove up to salt lake with somers and decided to check off some stuff on my bucket list, mainly Temple Square. our trip was an adventure.

 spending almost 3 hours at the car dealership

somers almost buying a honda civic- black with tinted windows (because she is gansta like that)

wondering how car shopping can dehydrate you

stuffing our faces with Chick-Fil-A

people watching at the food court

my first visit to Tiffany's

getting a good deal at Gap

searching for a bathroom on Temple Square

talking to a cute Polynesian

. . .  and then stalking him secretly for a little bit

taking a bajillion photos of ourselves in the attempt to take the perfect photo

gazing at the Salt Lake Temple

ordering 4 waters from McDonalds because they wouldn't give us 2 big waters

planning adventures for fall

it was seriously so fun! i am so grateful that somers and i have gotten to be friends! she has been a lifesaver this summer and i am excited to have fun this fall. last night was a good reminder that i don't need to go on a date or have a boy in order to have fun! 

camping

guys i'm just busting through this bucket list of mine! booyah. one perk about never working is that i have time to do fun things. i'm trying to keep seeing the good things about not working instead of focusing on the bad things (my dwindling bank account...ahem).
this weekend i missed the opening ceremonies of the olympics (gasp) in order to go camping with my ward. i lurv the olympics, but i also lurv camping and it was on the old bucket list. i actually wasn't that excited about going and thought it was going to be super lame. surprise- it wasn't! we roasted hot dogs and i ate two. then we played games "olympic style." if these had been individual events then i would have boom roasted everyone. i'm humble. it's cool. and obviously not a team player. sorry. but our skit was stinking hilarious! later on we made s'mores and just chilled by the campfire. Kiersti and i retired to our beds under the stars and talked about the most important things in life- dating, obviously.

me and my awesome roommate

Kiersti and I

in the morning i rolled out of my sleeping bag, totally sore from the bajillion rocks stabbing me, but content. that's what camping does. i drank some hot chocolate (ie. swallowed tasteless water after burning all the taste buds off my tongue) and then we peaced out.

i love camping. there is something about being in the mountains away from cell phones and computers. something about sitting around a campfire with great people. something about fresh night air, unpolluted by cars or smog. something about staring up at a ceiling of stars and realizing that despite the huge universe, God loves you. something about waking up to crisp morning air. something about falling asleep to the sound of the breeze through the aspen trees and the creek running by. yes, there is just something about camping that speaks to the soul.

ps. this girl is really cool and one day soon i'm going to actually meet her. but you should go follow her blog because it is one of my favorites!

weekend rewind

this weekend consisted, basically, of three things.
1. Spiderman- did you guys know that when i was little i snuck and read all my dad's spiderman comic books? yeah i was totally hipster back then too. so on friday i went to see Spiderman. this is the legit spiderman. i don't know why we ever thought Toby McGuire was spiderman. i didn't like any of his three movies and this new one totally blew them out of the water. i loved it! Andrew Garfield is the perfect spiderman, plus he is verrry attractive. and let's all talk about how much we love Emma Stone. i also went with a date! it was fun and that's all i'm saying about that. i highly suggest you go see Spiderman now.

2. Michelle's Baby Shower- my old roommate, Michelle is having a baby boy in a couple weeks. we kind of dropped the ball about planning her a shower until this last week we threw a surprise shower together. it turned out wonderfully! the only awkward part was getting mistaken for being a mother of a baby while at Baby Gap. not yet people. why does this happen to me? i don't think i look pregnant or like i have had a baby... i am so grateful for my wonderful girl friends who are always there for me! we have so much fun when we are together and they still think to include me even though i am not married. they are great examples to me of happily married couples. i'm excited to meet baby Luke in a couple weeks!

3. Work. i worked from 6-2 again on saturday. it was busier than the previous training session but wasn't bad still. i did a lot more things on my own this time which gave me more confidence for when i am not training anymore. now if they would just give me some dang hours! please?

oh i also crossed another thing off my summer bucket list this weekend- homemade popsicles. i simply mixed coconut milk and blueberry yogurt. i think they turned out pretty great!

aaaand there is only 6 weeks until Spencer gets home!!! my paper chain is getting so short. can't wait!

Father's Day Weekend

this last weekend was Father's Day. and i may be the world's worst daughter/ the only one in the blogging world who doesn't do a tribute to their dad, but really, he is awesome and if he doesn't it know it by now then i don't think a blog post is going to convince him.

the weekend was great but i'm not going to write a novel about it. i'll just throw some pictures up and let you enjoy (because it's late, and mostly because i want to watch Law & Order: SVU).

1. Us with Grandma and Grandpa Thomas

2. The kids and Grandma Arnesen

3. Logan loves jamming to music. 

4. I love this smiley boy!

5. Shea and I. (I may or may not have cried small tears when we said good-bye. it's going to be a long 18 months dear cousin, but you will be the best missionary! love you!)

lately

you see, i had a CNA class last week. hence the odd absence. i was in class from 9-5 every day (literally in the same classroom for 8 hours) and then went straight to work until 9 pm. usually after work i have a little homework or studying to do. it's. . . great. it has been hard going from no school to full on insanity. but i have somehow survived and even enjoyed the class (a little). i will do a full report on the class when i am done with it- in one week! be excited! here is what i've been up to in the last week. sorry if it's not terribly exciting, it's not like i went out and partied every night after being in class and work for 12 hours.

i saw this beautiful sunset on wednesday (?) when i walked out of work. after a long hard day it was amazing to be reminded of the small and yet important things in life. sorry about the bad picture quality- i took it on my unsmart camera phone. no instagram for me people.

driving home from class on thursday i saw this double decker bus. i literally screamed. then i took this picture. then i said, "take me back to london!" it was quite emotional. come to find out that some guy running for state representative bought the bus to campaign! kind sir can i buy from you when you are done?? kthanksbye.

also on thursday i went to Aubrey Olsen's wedding reception. yes she got married! i was so grateful i got work off to be able to be there. i mean, she is practically like a sister to me. the reception was beautiful and it was so fun to see some Africa peeps. i got to drive up with Andy, Paul, and Sarah. Andy and Paul are starting med school in the fall! what smart guys.  and you may remember that Sarah and Paul got married on a blizzardy day in January. we counted that 7 people from our Africa group have gotten married! i am kinda starting to feel like i am slacking off. so i tried to catch the bouquet (i never ever do that). obviously i need to work on my bouquet catching skills...

have you ever heard of the Gravitron? i hadn't until saturday. i went to Orem's Summerfest with Alex and we both rode the Gravitron for the first time. basically you stand in this UFO-looking thing and it spins around really fast so you are pinned against the wall. it reaches G forces so there is no gravity (or very small amounts) and you can go upside down or anything! really cool slash weird. after riding the Gravitron we grabbed blankets for the fireworks show. if you live in utah valley you know that Saturday was like the windiest day ever, so i was freezing. but the show was so cool! we even got showered in debris from the fireworks. and we saw the double decker bus. after the fireworks we were all way cold, so we went to IHOP for their infinite hot chocolate and some late night sustenance. have you heard that chicken and waffles is amazing? apparently they eat them in the south. anyways, i got some! sadly by the time they came i wasn't hungry anymore, but i did have some delicious waffles and chicken for breakfast and dinner today. i don't think the combo is weird at all. the night was so fun! i am glad i got to go out!
so yes that is my life. tomorrow i start all over again with CNA classes and work. i have clinicals Wednedsay and Thursday and i am praying i don't die, or worse get expelled (i mean, throw up). ah! so nervous! but i'm off for now- gotta go take more vital signs! i'll try to check in before next sunday though! have a great week!

weekend rewind

i don't really want to do a weekend rewind. i'm so freaking tired. working 20 hours a week and going to CNA class 40 hours a week (we literally get zero breaks- not even for lunch- welcome to the world of healthcare) has left me utterly pooped today. not to mention that when i left class i found out that my speedometer and gas-o-meter (i can't remember what that's called) had broken. urgk. and i have a headache. and mom, i wish you would remember that i hate mayonnaise. thanks for letting me rant for a second.
here's to the freaking weekend. that was so wonderful and i am so glad that all the people who came were there because it was just so fun! i am so thankful for the Brown's for letting us come up and for putting up with the crazy stuff we did. i'm thankful i got to make new friends and new memories! i'm thankful we had a huge bonfire. i'm thankful we ate lots of good food. i'm thankful for the beautiful Wyoming vista. i'm thankful i jumped into a freezing lake with the Allisons. i'm thankful we sang Disney songs the whole way home.

take me back.