do i look like christmas?

christmas 2009 gets 2 thumbs up.
i'm officially over the post-christmas blues...as of now. they might creep back up when i have to take down my tree and put everything away but we'll see.
the festivities continued on christmas eve - we went to see the movie the blind side with my family and had a delicious late lunch at pf chang's. loved the movie, food and company.
then, after a brief scare that our car wouldn't start, we headed down to springville to spend the night at isaac's parents. we woke up the next morning {earlier than planned, i still can't sleep very well the night before christmas} and made a big yummy breakfast and opened gifts. it was a lovely morning, we were definitely spoiled with very thoughtful gifts. isaac knows me so well, he got me the most fabulous things - a mint green diana camera, polaroid film, my favorite chocolates, etc.
in the afternoon we went to my parent's house for christmas dinner, christmas movies {elf for the second time, i can't get enough!}, and games. we also got spoiled again with amazing gifts.
thank you sweet husband and family!

when i got ready i asked ike, "do i look like christmas?!" and he said yes. i was very pleased.

our first christmas was better than i imagined. can't wait for the next!
tomorrow is the new year! better hurry and set some resolutions real quick.
happy new year's eve!

poof!

cricket on christmas, laying in her new bed with her new toys. sweet thing.

i definitely have some post-christmas blues. you plan and plan and plan and then poof! christmas is over. it all happened so fast! and for some reason i feel like if i drag out telling you about it, it will last longer...i'll shoot for tomorrow.

as of now, i'm too busy enjoying my break! i'm already consumed with planning/preparing for new years/my 23rd/valentine's day.
yes, valentine's day.
i don't know if you know this about me but i love holidays.
i bought isaac a vday gift yesterday and i am already dying to give it to him.

i'm officially addicted to holidays.

christmas babes.

christmas was so great.

having a husband made it 100% better than all the past christmases combined. our festivities began on the 23rd at my family's annual christmas party. the best part was not the delicious food and fun games but these little babes. all of my cousin's kids are so sweet and i can't get enough of them.

i can't wait until i have myself a little christmas babe...

remember, remember.

i don't only love today because it's christmas eve, but also because it's the one year anniversary of this event. i can't believe it's been a year! christmas has an even more special meaning to me now.
merry christmas!

dear santa.

santa came to isaac's family party and we loved it. he asked what i wanted and i just didn't know!! i've thought about it since, maybe i should write him a letter?

sorry for the terrible picture quality.

is it wrong that i'm 22 and still secretly believe in santa?

i hope you have a holly jolly christmas!

party party.

when my sweet friends arrived on saturday night they were all dressed so classy! i had forgotten that i wrote to come in their "christmas best" on the invite...whoopsies! so i threw on a quick party outfit.

ready to go.

katie brought these fabulous headbands! brynn originally got them but i snatched them right up when it was my turn. sorry brynnie.

bffs. it's sad we hadn't all been together since this party.

oh, i just love you christmas.

sweets craze.

last weekend i threw a small christmas get together for my dearest girlfriends and it was so much fun. it really got me in the christmas spirit. we did desserts and i went a little crazy baking...

treats, girlfriends and small gifts are the best combination.
more to come...

told ya.

remember how i said i was glued to my couch during finals? here is proof. isaac and i were in this position every night for a week straight. we love this spot because we lay down the electric blanket and it warms our bums. and this is also proof that we will do anything [take dumb pics] to avoid studying.

don't you love the tissue and cup on the floor? i'm a sickie.

hallelujah.

i'm done with finals! and i'm officially halfway done with nursing school and i couldn't be happier. it feels like i just started. now i have 3 1/2 weeks off to do whatever i please. i can finally enjoy christmas - baking, wrapping gifties, party planning, and family time. can't wait!


for some serious laughter go here. kristen wiig is my favorite. you won't regret it.

it's a wonderful life.

at the beginning of december we went with my family (minus party pooper jenna) to see the production 0f "it's a wonderful life" by the odyssey dance theatre. of course we love their production of "thriller" so we thought we would see what their christmas show was all about.

not our favorite, but we had a good time with the fam and taking pics during the numerous intermissions...

collin the vampire.

dear mom,

thanks for getting us free tickets, we really did have a fun time...even though i was begging to go get hatch's hot chocolate instead of staying for the third act. am i an adult? apparently not...

oh little tree.

isn't our tree darling? i love it.
last week was full of studies and now i only have 2 days left.
i have literally been glued to my couch with the electric blanket ike bought me (if you don't have one i highly recommend getting one) with peppermint hot chocolate in one hand and med/surg notes in the other. the end is in sight!

lovelies.

i love these ladies. we went to lunch last week to celebrate jelissa's homecoming from nepal and it was well needed. i love getting together with the girls to eat and laugh our heads off. too often i get caught up in the craziness of life and forget how much i need my friends.

speaking of the craziness...finals are in full swing. i took my first of a bundle yesterday and was an hour late due to the snow. i was so upset and frazzled when i got there that i could barely think. and only had 30 minutes. it makes me angry just thinking about it. good luck to all my fellow students out there, and if you're not a student - i'm jealous.

kill me now.

last night i started studying for a final that required way more time than i gave it. why must i procrastinate so much?! pray i get an 80% on this test or i'll have to retake it, which i hate doing. finals and christmas do not mix well. i just want to be decorating and shopping and baking and listening to christmas music 24/7 and instead i'm forced to study.
help meeeeeee.

christmas date night.

it was very romantic - we went to costco, target, and a bunch of christmas tree lots. :) at the first lot i found one i loved and right in front of the guy selling it said "i love it! rite aid doesn't have this type of tree (and the salesman jumped in a said - "oh, oh yeah...they don't") and it sounds like a pretty good deal" and apparently i butchered any chance isaac had of negotiating. whoopsies. so we left that place and went to another...with reindeer! and santa! much better. isaac prepped me and this time i was much better at aiding isaac's negotiating and we found the cutest best tree. and guess what...it gets better. after they tied the tree to the car i got in the car because i was freezing to death and isaac went to pay. the guy with the credit card machine was missing so after a while they said "merry christmas, take your tree and go."
we got a free tree.

merry christmas indeed.

la la la lights.

if you live in utah, you love the lights on temple square. i've been going to see them since i was a little gal and they always bring christmas cheer.

the quality of this picture is terrible but i had to feature the pink tree. yes, i am a pink whore. we had a great weekend and it was all topped off by byu's win!
it made my husband one happy man and that makes me happy.

chocolatey orange delights.

once again, while doing my weekly grocery shopping i stumbled across another christmas favorite. the minute i got home i opened them up and now half the box is gone. i'm going to have to step up my workouts if i want to keep eating all my christmas favorites...

gaaaah.
treats will be the death of me!

black friday.

the westwood family has a seriously awesome thanksgiving tradition and i love that i'm now a part of it! on thanksgiving night we stay in park city, see a movie, hit up the outlets for their midnight sales (but if you're smart like me and ike we go at 10 pm when they're all open but no one knows and beat the crowds), spend all day friday shopping and eating, and finish the trip with the lights on temple square. i love it.

every year we go to breakfast on friday morning at the eating establishment in park city. it is so yummy and the atmosphere is our favorite.

friday was erin's birthday and we celebrated in style, isn't her crown lovely! i just love birthdays.

the fam minus brad.

it was a fab morning, we love good food.

two thumbs up.

what a fabulous 4 day weekend we had!
we spent the weekend munching on delicious food, sleeping in park city, celebrating this gal's bday and getting 99% of our christmas shopping done. it was so great.

now all i have christmas on the brain. school means nothing to me at this point...yikies.
i just can't wait to get our first christmas tree! but until we find the perfect tree, my mini pink tree from target will definitely do...

blessed.

isaac and i are on the young married activity committee in our ward and i've really loved it! (i wasn't expecting to...) we've made some great friends and last week we had the opportunity to take the fixings for a big thanksgiving meal to a widow in our ward. i get so wrapped up in our own little world that i honesty forgot how good it felt to serve another.I love this quote by president monson from october's general conference:

"That service to which all of us have been called is the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. As He enlists us to His cause, He invites us to draw close to Him. He speaks to you and to me: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” If we truly listen, we may hear that voice from far away say to us, as it spoke to another, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” That each may qualify for this blessing from our Lord is my prayer, and I offer it in His name, even Jesus Christ, our Savior, amen."

read more of this talk here.

i am truly blessed.
i have the best husband, family and friends. you guys rule.

happy thanksgiving!

oh how i wish...

i fell in love with j. crew back when i was searching for clothes for our engagement pictures. before i never even stepped foot in the store because it was just too expensive, and now it's my favorite. it embodies my style perfectly. here are a few items on my christmas wish list.

this look is perfect for a holiday gathering. pair with a cardigan and you're ready to go.

i am absolutely in love with this coat. why does it have to be $395? why!?

i am a sweater girl. i wish i had one from j. crew for every wintery day.

the list could go on and on. on the day after thanksgiving we're hitting up the outlets in park city and i'm crossing my fingers for some fabulous finds at the j. crew outlet!

let it begin!

i was grocery shopping yesterday and look what i found! the minute i saw them i knew the christmas season had officially begun for me. although i prefer homemade treats, these sprinkled trees hit the spot every time.

i also started my christmas shopping with my mom yesterday and we found so many goodies.
i'm ready to embrace the season...christmas here i come!

team jacob.

new moon.
totally made my weekend. kristen and i bought tickets for us and our lover boys about a month ago for saturday night and it was so worth the wait. we got to the theater a few minutes before our showtime and went right to our reserved seats, it was perfect.
and our husbands loved it just as much as we did.

are you team jacob or team edward?
i keep debating it in my mind...all i know is i can't wait to see it again.
then i'll really decide...

going nuts.

i have been such a mess this week. let me give you a few examples...

i haven't been home except to study and sleep. our apartment has been cluttered for weeks and my ocd self doesn't even care. my fingernail polish is so chipped (a pet peeve of mine) and i don't have "time" to remove it. i was coming home on the trax yesterday and i got so nauseous that i had to take seriously deep breaths to not barf. i was forced to take care of dummy patients for 16 hours on tues/wed in lieu of taking care of real patients in the hospital- wtf?! i had a crying fit wednesday night and isaac kept asking me what was wrong and i honestly had no legit reason for the tears. i went to turn on my computer at school yesterday and it wouldn't accept my password i've had for years - what!?!! oh, and i ate a giant bag of that delicious homemade kettle corn for dinner. sometimes do you ever just stop and think,
who am i?!!
i can't tell you how excited i am for the weekend. i need to relax, clean up, and take some time to get back to my normal self.

happy weekend!

bday love.

today is my favorite dad's birthday. i wish i could spend all day with him but unfortunately life doesn't stop and i have to be in the lab until late tonight. grrr. we'll celebrate in style soon!

i've loved him the most from the very beginning, can't you tell?
i love you dad, happy birthday!

weekenders.

we had a very busy weekend.
happy sumo. friends. hatch's hot chocolate.
hair appointments.
football. family time. shopping.
birthday celebrations.
sunday night concerts at the cathedral of the madeleine.

it was a great weekend. i can't wait for the next! 2 words: new moon.

ps: at happy sumo they have chocolate mints that we love, and no matter how hard he tries ike always gets it all over his lips. love it.

chocolate minties.

yet another cookie recipe coming your way! lately i have been obsessed with cookies. it just feels so good to have a yummy meal and top it off with a sweet homemade treat. this recipe was given to me by my sweet friend tiffany. it is super easy and combines my 2 favorite flavors: chocolate and mint.

chocolate minties
(my name for them)

1 box devil's food chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag andes chocolate mints

mix all ingredients and divide into teaspoon (or if you like big cookies like me - tablespoon) size balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. remove from oven and place one andes mint on each cookie. let the mint sit and melt for a minute and then use a toothpick to swirl the melted mint.
can you say yum?!

help.

right now i'm feeling downright icky. i have a few hours before we go out tonight and my gut says to lay on the couch watch the latest episode of glee (my fav!) but i know i should get up and do something active. i've been reading the blog have your cake and i'm thinking about taking this challenge. who's with me?!
i think i'll start today.

p712.

pizzeria seven twelve.
my cousin brian took us out for such a night on the town saturday night. he introduced us to this restaurant back when it opened and we have loved it ever since.

after trying every appetizer and 2 pizzas, we got all 3 desserts. my very favorite part of the meal.

remember our chili's meal? going to a non-chain delicious restaurant felt so good.

after dinner we had a pretty adventurous night...i can't disclose any details...