wait, what? christmas has already come and gone? and new year's?  somehow i missed this. ok not really. but it all happened so suddenly and so quickly that it sure feels like it.

colorado was a great visit. spent the first few days playing with my sisters, the kiddos and hanging out at the little mountain homestead. it was the first time that i had been there since the parents got back from fiji. while they were away, they had some friends living there and they did a lot of cool improvements on the house. including a better wood stove, new counter tops and my favorite:

i know- who cares. but i love the little details in hardware pieces. the bathroom sinks have these killer vintage pump style faucets and i am pretty sure that i washed my hands 37 extra times just to play with them. 

like these knobs:

they are so great. i just wish that i had more places to put them. and by more places i suppose that could mean furniture that is my own, not crappy particle board that comes with my overpriced apartment.

speaking of the little pieces, i also received this for christmas:

i had been wanting a large, goldtone, menswear watch for quite some time. but as they are far more pricey than my average time pieces (do $10 running watches count? or the watch of the person sitting next to me?) i have been hesitant/too cheap to invest.  i rarely wear anything more than a pair of pearl earrings and pinky ring for daily accessories. but this little piece adds something fashionably functional and i love her.

i also like little things like,

nasty phone pictures with baby bugaboos. we went on a few snow hikes, saw a couple movies, ate non stop, played wii until we were sore, read books, and took naps. it was fairly ideal. including having jared come spend time with us (thanks mama and daddy for flying us home). this was the first time that i have ever had a boyfriend (notice that is ONE word. meaning we like each other...not just a friend that is a boy...ok moving on) come to my house, meet my whole family and spend an entire 4 days with us. it all went smoothly and was a lot of fun seeing him interact with everyone. em and josh were especially gracious and spent a lot of time with us and catered to our boredom with a lot more food, kids, laughter and games. it was great.

oh and mama made these for part of our christmas feast:

olives, carrots and cream cheese... in penguin form. vegetable appetizer perfection. nancy is the best.

i will have to do another post about the rest of the christmas gifts that i received, because this was definitely a good year. and those gifts deserve a post for themselves. i was so happy to spend my holidays with my family. it was just what i needed. lots of love and jesus and food. what else do we really need.

in lieu of the christmas holiday,

don't you think that the airlines could maybe pretty please waive those ridiculous baggage fees?? $25 per bag and a 50lb maximum. i am asain, thus i am fairly talented at math, and if my genetic talents don't fail me, that is $.50 a lb and in my opinion, absurd.

this also causes cheapies (like myself) to try to stuff as much as possible in the largest carryon bag as possible.  which means that there are all the more of those people reaching up over your face to jam their bags in the overhead bin. i am pretty sure that this delays flights all the more. oh, but though i am cheap, i am considerate. so i will NOT be using a lovesac sized carryon. merry christmas.

i am willing to pay this fee because it means that i am one step closer to playing with the bugaboos and bringing their christmas presents to them (yes i buy the love of children).

and even better, em is pregnant again, so it will be three and half kiddos to spoil. cannot wait. those turds are totally worth my baggage fees and ten million other fees they tack on.

i am excited to be home and to do nothing but relax, eat, play, nap, talk to my parents, snuggle with my sister and tromp around in the colorado mountain snow.

last night valentina and i spent a good 4-5 hours making balls.

oreo truffle balls. mmm. yeah we made a lot to give away. it was pretty fun. there were a few explosions and lots of "oopsies" along the way, but after 60 or so, we started to really get the hang of it.

you do know that calories don't count in decemeber, right?

ps speaking of flights, this cracks me up. 

what is love.

according to some children, very wise beyond their years, love is:

"when the way they same your name is different. you just know that your name is safe in their mouth" - billy, age 4.

"when a girl puts on perfume and boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other"- karl, age 5.

"when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your french fries without making them give you any of their's." - chrissy, age 6.

"it is what makes you smile even when you're tired"- terry, age 4.

"when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure that the taste is ok." danny, age 7.

"when you kiss all the time. then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you stalk more. my mommy and daddy are like that. they look gross when they kiss. - emily, age 8.

"when you tell a boy that you like his shirt, and then he wears it everyday." noelle, age 7.

"during my piano recital, i was on a stage and i was scared. i looked at all the people watching me and i saw my daddy waving and smiling, he was the only one doing that, i wasn't scared anymore. that is love." catie, age 8

"when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." elaine, age 5.

"when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." maryann age 4.

"when my gramma got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her tones anymore. so my grampa does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. that is love."

"when you love someone, your eye lashes go up and down and lots of little stars come out of you." 

"you really shouldn't say i love you, unless you mean it. but if you mean it, you should say it a lot. people forget a lot." 

love is also when your boyfriend stays in provo 3 extra days so that you don't have to be alone because you have to stay longer and work. and when he picks out really cute shoes for you and makes all the other girls jealous. or when he shares your toothbrush and does baking soda microdermibrasion with you. or when he lays there and laughs and talks in funny voices with you. and when he kisses you and you tingle. and when he drives you around everywhere because you are afraid of driving at night, even though his car gets horrible gas mileage. and when he tells you that you aren't fat but that we should probably start running together.

those things are love too.

oh and watch this. 

some of my favorites.

ok, not the best picture, but she is one of the best kiddos ever.  that is anaya. or pie. or nya. or princess. or pretty. she has more names than sean diddy. she is getting to be so smart. she will be 4 years old in december and for the first time in a couple years, i will actually be able to be there to celebrate with the family. i am so excited. and why is she so great?  well just look at her.

she has fabulous style. she was about 2 years old when she got her pink crocs, look at those baby feet. so cute. i just wanna eat em. she also loves to wear everyone else's shoes. and she has recently received her first "pearl" necklace.

she has always been a great helper. 

 and she is just so darn tootin' cute.

 she is quite the chatty one as well. luckily for me, she is also extremely smart.  one of the most precocious little girls on the planet. most kids ask "why?" but she takes it so much further. she wants to know everything. "how big? how old? where are you? what does it smell like?", etc.  she hates to hang up the phone and whenever you do tell her you have to go, she gets so sad and makes you feel like the worst person in the world for ending a call. last night was a rough one and so i called emily and she let me talk to anaya.  jared and i sat in the family room listening to her and just laughing so hard at some of the things she was saying. she is such a girly girl. i didn't think that i would have as much with her as i do with her brother, but i was wrong. i am such a lucky aunt.

and here is my other favorite.

he is always so helpful. such a gentleman. honest and kind. and he tries lots of new things with me. he even helped me on craft night (he officially experienced the miracle of mod podge).

he loves detail. all the little things that make the difference. he pays meticulous attention to everything.  

and he has cool friends and great music taste. yes, they look a little weird...but they are cool. i promise.

 he is the best guy (dad aside) that i know. he takes such good care of me and makes me so happy. we have a lot of fun together. sometimes we laugh so hard other times we have the deepest conversations i have ever had. he is so smart and such a hard worker. like i said, last night was a doosie.  but we both had homework to do. so we went back to his apartment, he sat me down on the couch, grabbed a blanket and some cookies  and rubbed my feet. told me he loved me and brought his laptop over to do some smart finanacy stuff. perfect, right?

i miss you.

there are some things that i miss right now.

1. my dad. he is so sweet to me. and check him out- he's cool too. but he is far away right now, eating citrus flavored bananas and being a medical assistant to my mama :)

2. my little sister. she loves arrested development (i miss that show too) with me, she sings songs to me, she asks me for advice, she snuggles with me, she gets annoyed with me, we used to do everything together.  but now we are in different states and i miss her.  thank goodness for gchat.

3. summer hikes/runs/bike rides. some people think that it is gross to sweat...but i kinda like it. it usually means that i am working hard. and even better when i am out in the summer sun (i also miss those girls because they got married last summer).

4. my churassco palta. (this picture does not do Pantruca's justice) I am willing to go non vegetarian every now and then for a bite of ricardo and margarita's amazing sandwiches. maybe i will go tomorrow.

5. my joely friend. someone else moved into his room. i have seen the kid twice. and bless his heart, i am sure he is great, but he is no half hippie, geology loving, bff like joely. nstant messaging and texting is always there and it is better than nothing, but i still miss my friend (and i miss our camping trips). he just informed me that reno is full of hippie people and that i would fit in well...road trip?

i guess i will just need to plan a visit home, fly to fiji, drive to reno and wait for the summer. and for now i suppose that i will enjoy the good friends that i do have here and the fact that i have a car and don't have to walk in the cold and that i do have modern technology to keep me in contact with my family and friends. 

ahemm.

I am sick and tired of:

1. hearing people say "we are trying to get pregnant". Especially from ugly people because I now know what they are doing every morning, lunch break and night. (good for you multiplying and replenishing the earth, but keep it to yourself if I don't know you)

2. close minded Mormons that automatically associate Going Green with being liberal and thus they are against it or just ignore it. Get informed, make your own opinions. (luckily the world ends in 2012, right?)

3. boob jobs. it is like an epidemic around here and I find it completely ridiculous and am disappointed in how quickly women cave to immodest clothing once they have boobs. 

4. self centered or inconsiderate people or people that just lie to themselves so that they can lie to others and sleep at night. (so perhaps, sometimes, I definitely, maybe, get sick and tired of myself)

but things I cannot get enough of:

1. hearing someone say "I love you", sincerely. (esp little kids... my sister's kids)

2. walks with Ang. Rock canyon, all over provo, to frozen yogurt, etc. Check out these flowers we picked from an abandoned yard yesterday:

3. Good literature. (I need more GoodReads suggestions...but Jed and Tawnya-way to go!)

4. exercise. I love it. it is SO much fun, especially in amazing, summer weather! There is biking, swimming, jumping, hiking, running, lifting, yoga... I love it all! (braggy beckie moment: finally got my body fat down to 15%s again!)

5. Hearing my family tell me how much my little niece, Anya , is just like me. Adorable but a real spit ball of fire. (i have never been so proud)

i miss them.

And here we have my niece Anaya and my nephew Austin. If you ever want to feel loved or validated in any way, I highly recommend that you become the favorite aunt of the family (sorry Hill...but we know it's true).  They are the most exhausting but wonderful little babies in the world.  I cannot wait for #3 to be here this summer.  It is going to be so much fun. Maybe that kid will let Hillary hold its hand... just kidding, that was mean, sorry.

It was so much fun to spend Christmas with these babies. They remind me of the good things in the world. And all the bad... when I am with them I am suddenly so much more aware of all the awful things that they could potentially be exposed to and it makes me sick. But they are tough kids with amazing parents and the best grandparents right up the street. They will be great. Besides... look at how cool their favorite aunt is!!! yeah...they're screwed. haha just kidding.

xoxo.

Kids Are So Silly!

things that bug...and things that I love.

So that little Tagged post put me in the mood to share some things that have been on my mind as of late, or just repeatedly...so lucky you, I am going to share!

Things that really bug...

1. Scooters, bullet bikes, bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles...all of these should require helmet wearing. I do not understand what is going through someone's mind when they hop on one of these without one. They really must not have much to live for, because they are willing to give it up way to quickly. My favorite is when you see someone riding one with the helmet sitting on the seat in back of him. Maybe it is because they cannot mess up their work of art faux hawk? I don't know, but it really does not make sense to me.

2. Do people in Utah County just not work? No matter what day or time it is, anywhere you go, it is busy! There is traffic, (and we all know my wrath towards Utah drivers...), there are lines, etc. Kids, moms, dads, business men and women, everywhere you go. In normal cities this does not happen because people actually go to their jobs during the day, it is a phenomenon.
3. Orem Wal-mart. I realize that even Wal-Mart has it's limits, but if you are in Orem, don't you think that you could inventory a little bit better?

4. Twilight. Seriously people. How many times do you have to read that "Bella melted into his arms" or "kissed his ice cold lips"...I suppose every generation needs their Buffy.

5. People finding out how old I am and then giving me that sympathetic smile when finding out I am single. Yes, I did read last months Ensign about being "Single and Steadfast". No, I do not need to borrow a copy. Yes, I choose my single status and Yes, I am happy that way. And No, I do not want to meet your friend, brother or son. And lastly, I know I "will make someone very happy someday", thanks.



NOW things that I love :)

1. Instant Messaging!!! I am not a computer geek, I do not meet people online, and I have actually never been in a chat room. But I love talking to my sisters, my parents and the occasional friend on IM. It allows for so much multi tasking! I can watch SportsCenter, paint my toenails and eat my dinner all while talking to an old friend.

2. Argyle. I have always been a huge fan of the pattern. Oh and paisley. Not quite sure which era I am in with this obsession, but I love them. Socks, shirts, curtains, linens, panties, skirts, purses, so many options!!!! Polka dots have their place, but sometimes they make me a little dizzy...so paisley and argyle are definitely my fancy.

3. My niece and nephew. They are adorable. I love to talk to them on the phone. They are both quite the talkers and so SMART! For some reason hearing my 3 year old nephew say "Hi Beecckkk E", being able to talk to me, and tell me that he loves me brings more pride and rainbows in my life than a gay parade on a sunny San Fransisco day.

4. Pancakes. I am a major carb addict. Bad I know, goes straight to the belly, but I don't care, I love them. And just like the paisley/ argyle obsession- SO MANY OPTIONS!! Whipped cream, jelly, butter, syrup, candy, peanut butter, berries...and don't even get me started on waffles, don't even get me started. It's kinda like panini's...flat. OH or crepes...also flat. And so freaking delicious with so many options. I love options.

5. HDTV. I currently do not have HD, and I do not have time to watch television...but when there is an important game on, HD is amazing. Or when they are whipping up goodies on the food network- it's truly mind blowing what a little high def can do for the senses. It's like you are there! You can practically smell LT's sweat or the herbs in Giada De Laurentiis' main dish. Apparently there is now HD Radio, I don't know how that works, but I bet that's pretty killer too.

Wow, that was a lot... This whole blogging thing is new to me. And what I can't believe is that all my married friend's have these and their's are more interesting! I am the single girl living in the life. They are cooped up in apartments staring at eachother, and doing boring, married stuff...yet their's seem to kick my blog's butt :(