The last month of my life: Instagrammed

Ice Cream for FHE 

+

White hot chocolate

Marley's for lunch 

  +

matching beanies courtesy of our family Christmas party

Finals Week snack of choice 

+

Finals Week drink of choice

My lone car in the parking lot at 2 AM after being in the library for 15 hours straight 

+

Christmas presents for everyone!

After we arrived back in the USA, post-Costa Rica 

 +

husband and I picked out the same treats without even knowing!

 My mom and I took full advantage of the Crate&Barrel after-Christmas sale 

+

Mimi's Cafe has the best hot chocolate

 Cinnamon Roll Pancakes for Sunday brunch 

+ 

AC on in January?!

My reward after attending my 8 AM class 

+  

my favorite D.I. find ever

1 Year of Sunsets

Hello everybody!

I usually try not to do this but I am eliciting everyone's help for a project I am super excited about!

One of my brother's New Year's resolutions is to get at least one picture of the sunset each day, and at the end of 2012, he is going to make a book out of them -he's super creative and artistic (definitely stole that gene from me...seeing as I am neither) so I really think this is going to turn out so sweet!

So this is where you guys come in: 

• If you ever are outside at sunset and have a camera on you (phones work great) take a picture of the sky! I know my friends usually take pictures of the sunset anyway, because who doesn't think sunsets are awesome?

• And then just email it to provosunset@gmail.com with the time and place it was taken! You can include your name too if you would like credit!

So no matter where you are- Provo, Russia, Canada, Europe, etc- send in those sunsets!

This is how we bid farewell to 2011...

 

We went on a little Chipotle-Nordstrom Rack-Hot Chocolate date and finished out 2011 with style!

A Recap of 2011:

In January...

I moved in to my new apartment...

I went on a weekend getaway...

And saw a movie at the Sundance Film Festival...

In February...

A new tradition was started...

I flooded our kitchen... (whoops)

And discovered a new Provo favorite...

March came along and...

I saw Joshua Radin in concert for the second time...

I drove to Vegas in the middle of the night (a side-effect of Jimmermania)...

Jean Paul and I celebrated 18-months of dating...

April consisted of...

Family bonding time...

A London reunion disguised as a bridal shower...

and someone I think rather highly of graduated from BYU...

May included...

A road trip to the city by the bay...

The rugby national championships...

someone else I think rather highly of graduated from high school...

and I took Jean Paul to see Les Mis for his first time ever...

In June...

We took an eventful trip to St George for a wedding...

I redecorated my room...

I went on the wedding tour 2011...

and took off to the annual Collins beach trip!

In July I...

got engaged!

celebrated the Fourth of July...

put a flag on top of Squaw Peak...

said goodbye to a key component of my childhood...

and had my very first bridal shower!  

August was a pretty important month because...

we went to three wedding receptions in one night...

I celebrated my birthday...

I had my bachelorette party...

and bridesmaid sleepover/brunch...

My sister in law got engaged...

and oh yeah, I got married!

In September...

I begrudgingly posted a few pictures from our honeymoon...

We had a fabulous Labor Day weekend...

and celebrated my brother's birthday...

October consisted of...

A new temple for Provo...

our living room coming together...

a bachelorette party for my sister in law...

a spontaneous yogurtland date...

and a Halloween date too...

In November...

I put together our picture wall...

I finally made a video of mine and Jean Paul's San Fransisco trip...

I hosted the most epic wish party... 

We celebrated 3 months of being married...

Jean Paul hosted his first annual pie party...

In December we ended the year with...

Jean Paul taking the LSAT...

some gingerbread house construction...

a drastic change...

the third annual classy Christmas party...

Christmas in Costa Rica..

and our first Christmas (non)card...

Auld Lang Syne

We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne,

Here's to 2012:

A chance to become better. 

An opportunity to fix mistakes and move forward.

A clean slate.

 

A new year means another chance to recommit yourself to becoming who you want to be.

And perhaps this will be the year you decide what kind of person you want to be.

We'll be given more opportunities, be placed in new situations, and be faced with harder decisions.

And we will get to prove to ourselves that we can do hard things. 

 This year is bound to contain happiness & heartbreak, goodbyes & reunions, inspiration & discouragement,

but we get to decide how we let it affect us.

 

 

 

[Life can be magnificent and overwhelming — that is the whole tragedy. Without beauty, love, or danger it would almost be easy to live.]

Albert Camus 

3 in a Row

After returning home from our trip, we promptly decided to be really effective with our time and money. 

So we have gone to three movies in a row. 

 On Wednesday we saw Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law (be still my heart),

last night we watched Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 4,

and tonight I'm dragging Jean Paul to see New Year's Eve! Woohoo!

We also managed to find time to attend my good friend Natalie's wedding reception!

I love Christmas break :)

A Very Special Tan Line

 I've never had a tan line on this finger before.

But let me tell you, I am quite taken with it. 

It makes me feel like being a wife is ingrained upon my skin -- completely part of me. 

The effect surprised me, and you know what? 

I really like it.

[the thing is... no one tells you about that moment--that moment well into the night when you get up to use the bathroom and you spend a minute in there--breathing, water on the face, studying yourself in his oversized, knit shirt and then you open the door to return to bed, and yes, he's still there and he's still asleep but his arm is reached out to the empty space where you were just minutes before. and you climb in--and he pulls you in. into him. all without ever really waking.

his awareness of your absence. no one prepares you for that.]

quote via