Thursday, January 31, 2013

A Birthday Shout Out

directed at this girl:







Happy 19th Miss Abbie Paige. I love you with all my heart and I can't wait to see what adventures 19 has in store for you! Thanks for always making me laugh, being the best baker I know, and being such a wonderful example. I'm extremely glad you weren't the brother I thought I wanted. I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

-Colie

Monday, January 28, 2013

10 Things Making me Terribly Happy..

10-Good people filling up my home. Seriously nothing makes me happier than to have our apartment full of lovely people all eating, laughing, playing games, watching movies and just hanging out together.

9-Matching, $5.00 rain boots. We're taking coordination to a whole new level now...

8-Allison's ultra-soft blanket that I may have sort of somehow taken over. Ok but seriously this blanket is microfiber on one side, and some form of warm woolly goodness on the other. If anyone finds a blanket like this please let me know. Allison should probably get hers back...

7-Water. I mean seriously, has it always been this good? I can't seem to get enough of it lately. I swear it fixes everything: Hungry? Drink some water. Tired? Drink some water. Feel a cold coming on? Drink some water. All these examples making you thirsty? Drink some water. It's my new answer to everything....right after "ask the missionaries".

6- Unexpected, snail-mail style letters from friends who live far, far away...

5-This girl has been rocking the job interviews lately, and with a cute new interview outfit I'm positive she'll have a job in no time.

4- I have rotated a few new pictures into my room, and I'm loving how happy they make me.

3-This girl will be home in Sandy this weekend to celebrate her 19th birthday! I can't wait to see her.

2-Making plans for President's day weekend in St. George, where not only my family will be, but where my friends will all be as well. It's a dream come true for me.

1-Tuesday I booked a flight to Washington D.C. I'll be there for a week in February, and I could not be more excited to see the places, meet the people and get a feel for the lovely city that really seems to have a hold on me these days.

(And to spend time in some airports. I LOVE traveling, airports, people watching, turning off my phone and reading magazines so basically long flights with exciting layovers are a serious guilty pleasure for me)


.................

PS If you have restaurant recommendations for DC send them my way. Also I just found out they have Einstein's bagels there so I can cross that off my "Reasons that I Could Not Ever move to D.C." list. 


Friday, January 25, 2013

Taking, and Planning Trips

One of my most favorite things to do is travel. Although I have an affinity for Europe that cannot be dulled, I really do love this country here the very most. So I always get excited to see more of it!

And, what better time to travel, and plan for it than in the cold, dull month of January. (more on that later)

My first travel experience of 2013 took me to the lovely Boise, ID.
 Now I must say that Natalie has told me how wonderful Boise is for the last 2 years, so I had pretty high expectations for this town, and it didn't disappoint. Some highlights included:

Freak Alley

Ringing the bell at the Capitol building

Playing Hell with the Williams family

Meeting Lucy

Seeing BSU (smurf turf was covered in snow though...)

Batman parking the car

Bagel Factory and Sunrise Cafe

Tiptoeing through the Tulips

Our roommate Ali's stunning wedding

and

Getting to know Natalie, and her family a little better.



A big thank you to Kevin and Kathy for letting us stay with them, and for taking such good care of us. I had a wonderful time in Boise, and I can't wait to come back again sometime.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A Series of Unfortunate Events (A True Story)

Bad things have been happening around here. Very bad things. They have been bad enough that it's got me wondering if I walked under a ladder or broke a mirror,or if this is all just karma for making fun of Jessica Simpson relentlessly (Don't we all?)

After not being able to recall any broken mirrors or ladders, and remembering that the sole reason Jessica Simpson exists is to be made fun of I just had to accept that my life has simply become a new edition of a famous book series.

You think I'm exaggerating? Let me illustrate for you the Nicole London edition of A Series of Unfortunate Events that my life has become:



Saturday:

-Slip on ice and in an attempt to catch my balance accidentally cause some blunt force trauma to my forearm as the bone there came into some serious contact with the corner of my cement apartment complex

-Have a church meeting at 9:00am on a snowy Saturday. Then have said meeting last TWO HOURS AND FORTY FIVE MINUTES during which time you get called out in front of everyone for glancing at the clock (I was embarrassed nearly to tears but hello! 2 hours and 45 minutes???)

-Walk home in the snow without gloves. When I finally arrive home I examine my arm and realize that as I follow the bone all of a sudden there is a giant dent in my arm

At this point, I admit I should have given up on the day and stayed indoors but that night my love for Target and need for gloves got the best of me.

-Rear end another car on my way to Target.... .

-Cry. Because really by this point what else is there to do?

Sunday:

-Arm hurts so bad that its nearly impossible to take a nap. Spend most of the day in the safety of my home inviting the world to come to me in an attempt to remain safe and warm (two birds...)

Monday:

-Get pulled over on 1-15 for speeding, for the first time in the 5 years and probably 700 times I've driven that route

Tuesday:

-Go get x rays of my arm and discover that it is just a severe contusion but have the doctor tell me that it will take "a very long time" to heal and have me wear an awful looking brace and good luck with the pain

-Drop my macbook on the hard kitchen floor

 ...................................................


I know, it really sounds too awful to be true. And in way I guess it is. I mean, all of these terrible, no good, awful events have transpired but there has been a silver lining in each of them. For example, the car I rear ended never pulled over...I tried to get them to, but they refused and my car is totally fine. And that ticket I should have got for speeding? The cop let me off on a warning. My macbook is still functioning. And although my arm hurts like crazy and it's taken me 6 times as long to write this post because of that, it isn't shattered or broken.

So I guess what I'm really trying to say is that even though life is really beating me up these last few days, I've been trying to focus on all my little silver linings, my miracles, and because of that I am not broken, or shattered despite life trying its best to make me so.

The silver linings are whats getting me through. Well, that and Diet Coke.

.......................................................




This post can't end without me saying that really I have the dearest and best friends a girl could ask for. Without Mela telling me to just cry Saturday, and my roommates helping me laugh at all of this I would probably be a wreck.


PS Mom and Dad. Just skip the part about rear ending and speeding and remember how great I am. Thanks.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Christmas Break

This Christmas break was exactly what I needed this year. It was three weeks full of my very favorite things. Including....

wrapping gifts, watching movies (kings speech, breakfast at tiffany's les mis, impossible, sleepless in seattle, the grinch, etc, etc.), reading for pleasure (this book is too precious), a few bubble baths, catching up with old friends, browsing People and InStyle magazines, puzzles, game nights, family dinners, cuddling/tormenting the dog, shopping, baking, and just being with the four people that mean the very most to me.

 Singles stake dance with Stace

 Catching up with guy
 Going to work with this guy

 So many movies
 Dressing up the dog...
 Game night

And you can just call me an old lady now because I may or may not have completed 3 puzzles on my own....



Really, it was just the perfect break. Thanks Mom and Dad for providing plenty of Diet Coke, delicious food, wonderful movies, and well... puzzles. And thanks Megs and Abbie for making it so fun. I love that I got to spend so much time with you all.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear

Fun fact: "Auld lang syne" means the "good old times" 

Some day I'll look back on the New Years Eve of 2013 and remember it as the "good old times". I'll recall the way I rang in the New Year twice, who I was with, and the excitement of a new year that lay ahead of me. It was a perfect way to ring in this year-surrounded by family, and some dear friends. I often like to think, as the countdown begins, of all the things the coming year has in store for me, and of where I would like to be when the countdown begins a year later.

This year I found that I wouldn't mind one bit ending 2013 the same way I started it-surrounded by family and friends, happiness, and optimism for the future.


New Years dinner, bingo and "fake New Years" with the Child's and their children (my favorite children).

And a fun little party with this girl and her family up in Park City

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013

2013 has some big things in store for me. Logically I know that with graduation, and the consequences of this change is inevitable. But more than knowing this logically,  I feel it deep inside my soul, inside my heart. I also feel it in the air. Change is coming. The kind of change that causes me to reevaluate my life, my priorities, and the things I believe in, those things that make me me. Surprisingly I am not worried about these changes, not at the moment at least. Instead I am excited for them. I am optimistic about what 2013 has in store for me. It is sure to be a very happy New Year.

P.S. In your New Year celebration might I recommend reading this talk, which I read every New Year, and about 20 times during the year. I hope you as much as I do. 


photo from here.