Our Finals Fort

Friday Jenna looks at me and says, "After we watch Grey's can we make a fort?" (finals! what? where?)

Well this is just one of the many reasons why she is one of my very best friends.

And so it was on Friday that Jenna, Nat and I built the most epic of blanket forts. It takes up nearly our entire living room encompassing the TV, and couch. We also added our mattresses, and Christmas lights to give it an added ambiance.

Naturally we've slept, studied, watched tv, chatted, entertained and straight up lived in it for a week.

And I've got to say, I don't think I've been this proud of anything in awhile. It was the perfect place to hide, I mean study from finals.which went well, yay! 

Also the whole slumber part every night thing has led to some pretty fun times. I can't believe we didn't think of it sooner.

Happy Finals

A finals doesn't go by where I don't procrastinate something everything by blogging. So here I am keeping the tradition alive.(see here, here or here)

However instead of saying how stressful a time it is, or how sad finals make me I've decided to share the lovely, great, terribly happy thing that I've found and that have been happening.

-This song is probably my new favorite.

-However in exactly one week I get to go to this lovely concert:

I'm hoping to hear this new one, this old favorite, and oh my heart would melt if she performed this one.

-A lovely yellow Easter skirt.

-The Spring (and 1 year anniversary issue) of my favorite online publication, The Violet, just came out. Check it here. And marvel in the simple beauty of it.

-This week I got a lovely bike ride in, which always makes me smile

-One of my favorite bloggers is telling her life story. Which I have to admit has me enthralled. I love the idea of writing out your life for posterity. You can catch up here.

-Two words: Tax. Return.
      Ok one other word too: Miracle. It was more than expected, and it made my day. Month. Ok year.


-This print:

found here. I want a print to hang on this.

-4 bridal showers in 1 week. Tis the season for bliss.

-And finally this little article about growing up. Ah....her writing is divine.

Happy Finals!

The Day I Almost Killed My Boss (and realized that I'm just like emma)

This morning upon arriving at work I saw a spider. He was gross, and thick bodied-just the way I hate them to be.

I let out a little squeal because that spider was the fastest damn spider I've seen in my life, and it caught me quite off guard

(sorry. only the d word sufficed as description for this particular spider)

He quickly darted in a crack at my desk before I could get him, but not before two kind souls at work came to check on me. (remember how I squealed... they thought I was getting mugged. Pretty sure if that happened I'd actually yell)

An hour later my boss was leaning over said crack in the desk when the little devil decided to emerge.

I full on screamed. At the top of my lungs. At my boss, who did not see the spider that was literally inches from her body.

And my poor, sweet boss lady was reduced to panic. She kept saying "You almost gave me a heart attack" over and over again. It took her a few minutes to catch her breath. At that point she realized it was a spider I was screaming about, as opposed to a legitimate danger, and she lost her breath again. This time to laughter.

I felt awful. She kept laughing. I was near tears at how bad I felt about full on terrifying her. And because the spider was now on my level of the desk. He had ran right off the upper level (straight at me-at eye level I might add) and fell into right into my pencil holder.

My boss kindly searched the entire pencil holder and he was nowhere to be found. I error on the side of caution so I moved the pencil holder across the room.

I continued to work when all of a sudden I saw him dart from the Kleenex box to the computer monitor. He was under the computer monitor stand.

So I did what any sane person would do. I stood on the desk and started moving the computer up and down against the desk. I was certain I killed him this time. However when a kind soul I work with came up and said if i lifted it up she would kill it and check-he had vanished.

By this time I was angry. This little devil had bested me again. And people were starting to think I was crazy....

About an hour later he emerged again. He was running straight for me again! Right toward my keyboard. Just as I was about to gain my courage to  squish him with the stapler he ran under my desk. UNDER MY DESK. But not on the ground. Meaning-I could not put my legs down there and sit like a normal human.

And so it was that I spent the remainder of my shift with my arms stretched out straight and my chair positioned as far away from my desk as possible.

As soon as it was a reasonable time to leave I was out of there. But not before my boss said

"Nicole. Can you please assign TJ (other receptionist) the job of finding and exterminating the spiders."

--------------------------

Now that it's been a few hours and I've had the sense to regain my wits I feel so bad. My boss, literally put her hand to her chest and had to pause to get her heart beat to calm down after I full on screamed and scared her to death. However. It was the fastest spider I've ever encountered.

Here is hoping it's gone tomorrow.

I will say this though: if I got bit by this spider, and it made me Spider Woman (the perfect match for Spider Man) I would be ok with that. I mean look at him:

Also-his girlfriend completely understands my fear. So something good did come from this experience-I learned that I am like Emma Stone. life goal accomplished.

I Got it From My Mama

Last week I had a day or so where I was a stress case.

It would come and go and come and go. I was exhausted, worried, nervous, busy, happy, scared, excited, tired, anxious and basically every other emotion.

Overwhelmed much?

However, on Friday my mother came and met me halfway to drop off some little bridal-shower-hostess goodies (flour, sugar, cookie cutters, cookie sheets, vanilla, etc.) and some Maderma and Neosporin for the worst curling iron burn I've had yet. As she got out of the car and hugged me I started to cry. Not because I was overwhelmed/sad/exhausted but because I just kept thinking "I have such a great mom."

Here she was dropping everything so she could help her daughter. And then she tops it off with a little gas money and a large Diet Coke. She would say it's a small act of kindness, but to me it meant the world.

That night I sat at dinner with an old friend. We talked about why I was stressed the past few days. I told her that I was worried that I wouldn't be "enough" in all my various roles. That what I gave wouldn't be "good enough".

She looked at me and said "You'll be perfect in all of it. Think of your mom. She is so great, and you are just like her."

It was the kindest, most reassuring thing that had been said to me of late.

(and that's saying something because I'm surrounded by people who are way too kind to me)

Because lets face it. My mom, she is pretty great. So if my friend thinks I'm like her, I must be doing somethings right.

Another Birthday

Guess who just turned 20.

This fashionable girl!

Oh Megan Annie,

Happy happy birthday to one of the best people I know. I had a blast celebrating with you this weekend. Keep being the happy, kind person you are. I'm sure this will be a great year for you. May 20 bring lots of change, laughter, and happiness. And of course sister time.

I love you always,

Colie

And the celebrating continues...

It's not something many people are proud of in Provo. When people hear you're from Utah there is a tendency to roll their eyes and place all of their preconceived assumptions about  those Utah girls right onto your shoulders as well.(Let the record state that I have never once embraced "Utah hair" and I don't want 10 kids.)However, be it perceived as popular or not it does not change the fact that I am a Utah girl, and proud of where I came from. I was born and raised in the shadows of the Wasatch. I was nurtured in the desert, and grew beautiful not in spite of but because of the devastating winters and sweltering summers.
I'm well traveled, well read, and well aware that the world extends outside of my beautiful valley, and yet as much as I love and long for the travel a large piece of my heart always remains here; tucked in a canyon.
So, it's been with great anticipation that I've looked forward to March 22, 2012. It was the day my city would surpass it's potential again. The day everyone would be able to see how truly beautiful this place really is.
And Nordstrom, Tiffany's, BCBGMAXAZARIA, Michael Kors, Coach and Swarovski would be the evidence.

Without further ado I end the cheesy poetics and present:

The Greatest Day: City Creek Opens

a love affair between a Utah girl and things of beauty

I had warned my father for months that I wanted to be there for the ribbon cutting, to see the doors open wide and the world let in. However he must have thought I was joking (not sure why he thought I would joke about such a thing) because when the time came he was all eye-rolls and worry about missing school.

School will be there everyday. Today is a shopping day, said I.

The day started at 6:00am for me. I was in Sandy by 7:45 and Mom, Megan and I were on Trax by 8:20. By 9:15 we were standing inside City Creek. It kind of took my breath away.

Due to my great researching skills (and itinerary I'd made) we were able to check in on Foursquare, complete a few things on the to-do list and be waiting in line for our free grab bags by 9:30 (with diet cokes in hand)

When shopping all day Diet Coke is necessary, even if you're "off" Diet coke.

Due to our preparation at 10:00am we were 3 of the lucky 100 to steal these cute goodie bags. Inside: a bracelet, coupons, stationary, lip gloss, key chains, cosmetic bags and.... a $50 City Creek Gift card.

From there were were off to shop!  Back and forth we went between shops, dressing rooms and sales counters. I managed to find a cute $20 dress within the first hour, however technically it was free.

If you use a gift card-whatever you purchase on it can be considered "free".

The highlight for me was definitely Tiffany's. I feel fast and hard for this delicate bow ring and the man who slipped it on my finger. It was a thing of real beauty.

Although I have to admit, the thing in it's entirety is the real beauty. A small creek, a huge outdoor fireplace, live music, big windows, a gorgeous fountain, a retractable roof. The whole thing radiates class.

When you shop somewhere classy, you by default are classy.

The real highlight of the day was not the sales, the gift cards, watching mom fall hard and fast for Lush, the fountain, or even the kind conversation with the man on TRAX.

Nope it was spending the day with these lovely ladies.

Who you're shopping with defines your day-choose wisely.

I joked with my mother that when I'm here buying my granddaughter pearl earrings for her wedding someday I'll be able to turn to her and say "I was here the day this place opened, and (insert a big number) years later it's still the most classy place in Utah" And I'll think back to this day and the fun I had with my sisters and mom. It'll be one of the best memories.

By the end of the day we were weighed down with bags, proud of our finds and completely exhausted. However it was worth it, totally worth it.

If a shopping day leaves you exhausted, you did it right. Treat yourself to more diet coke.

Repeat.

22

My birthday was Monday. I was kind of sad about the whole not being in California any more thing, but if I had to return at least it was to streamers, diet coke, sweet cards, texts, presents, flowers, treats and family time.

Aren't my roommates just the sweetest?

It was a great day! It was nothing fancy-just work and school, lunch at Zupas and then dinner as a family. 

And as always they were too sweet and spoiled me a little.

abbie paige! how did we not get a picture together... we'll have to take one next time.

 

Oh and I got a bike!! I couldn't be more excited to use it this Summer!

 Thanks to everyone for the kind birthday wishes, I really do have the greatest people in my life.

And thanks to my sweet family for my wonderful gifts. I love being surprised, and the bike was a big surprise! I'm so excited about it! Love you.