Magic

A couple weeks ago I entered a giveaway on the cutest blog love and photographs. I started reading Stacy's blog when a friend of mine had it open in class a couple months ago. I quickly discovered that I loved it, and I think you will too. Anyway, she had a giveaway for a free Brazilian Blowout...and guess what? I won. Ya, I know. I screamed for 5 minutes. I got it done this week from Kristi at Stewart Palmer Salon in Provo. I am in love. Below are some before and after photos. The straight hair was achieved with only a round brush and blow dryer. No flat iron needed! My curl isn't gone all the way, but it is much shinier and way easier to manage. No frizz on this head!

Incidentally, Thursday was also the day I officially finished school at BYU. I have loved my time there, and I have to admit that I was feeling a bit nostalgic when I was studying in the library for the last time as an Undergraduate student. I snapped a few photos on my way through campus Wednesday night:


And last but not least, I will NEVER have to stand in line at the testing center ever again. Now that is a happy thought!

Cookies.

Today was a good day. I got fresh hot cookies, not only once--but twice. A batch made by my mother, and a batch made by my grandma. Both delicious and comforting in an indescribable way. My mom's taste buttery and chocolatey and rich. My grandma's taste like sweet cinnamon and oatmeal. Both chocolate chip, but completely unique. What is it about a cookie that makes us {in "us" I mean I am hoping there are others that are in love with cookies as much as I am}. I think this clip from Stranger Than Fiction displays how I feel when I eat a hot cookie perfectly. Its like love is baked right in.

(please excuse the poor quality, it is the only one youtube had of this clip!)

Studio.

Tonight I embarked on a homework trip with Alyssa. We went to the studio on campus. Late nights usually aren't my most productive times. All I want to do is play.

Alyssa is amazing and helped me and some friends with a group project earlier. She helped us morph our idea of a mock magazine cover into reality! Her magic photoshop and illustrator fingers impressed us all. Here is the inspiration for our idea:

Here is our idea made a reality:

The project was to create some sort of poster or visual image of an argument from one of the member's research papers. Our argument is that the media is not the only source to blame for young girls developing anorexia/eating disorders. I think it turned out pretty well, thanks to Alyssa! Our group owes her big time!

p.s. If you want a good laugh, read this article Alyssa and I discovered the other day. We have been laughing ever since.

Can't sleep...

It's been one of those days. One of those days when your eyes tear up for no reason, there's not really anything tangible to put into words to explain why you feel kind of down. Have you had one of those? Well now to top it off, I'm homesick for Italy. It feels like a lifetime since I've walked those cobblestone streets and listened to the melodic rhythm of the language. I miss Siena. I miss it always, but I'm always a little surprised when I start missing it as much as I do now.

Spontaneous Rendezvous.

{please excuse the horrible photo arrangement...blogger is sooo frustrating!}

Timeline:
12:15-my english class starts
12:30-Gavin: hey what are you doing at 2?
12:35-Me: getting out of class and eating lunch, why?
12:36-Gavin: my parents aren't using their les miserables tickets, do you want them? show starts at 2.
12:38-Me: Mom!!! wanna go to les mis right now??
12:39-Mom: YES!!!
12:40-Me: Gav! We want them!

and so begins the day of spontaneity and wonderfulness. i booked it out of class so fast, but realized i was still in scrubs from my morning shift at work. mom raced to my house and i ripped off my clothes, found the first skirt and shirt that matched and ran out the door with my boots in hand. we drove as fast as we could to salt lake city and got there right at 2. {we had to drive 70 mph the whole way, despite our rush because we got stuck in the oldandgutless car.} we still had to park so we missed the first ten minutes, sadly, but the remaining 3 hours were incredible! it was opening day, and it was fantastic. i have wanted to see it for sooo long! the music was absolutely amazing.

after the show we walked a couple blocks over for an early lunch at MARKET STREET GRILL. they have delicious fish and chips, and i hear their clam chowder is todiefor {according to my mother}. my personal favorite is the market street house dessert. its comprised of vanilla bean haagen-dazs, sabayon sauce {bitter rum custard}, and fresh berries. Delicious!

then we stopped over to Gateway for some Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters goodness. I snagged a cute $20 skirt at anthro, and my mom got a really cute light switch cover. overall, the day was a success. great entertainment, good food, wonderful atmosphere, and delightful company. i loved exploring SLC with "the mama".

Sometimes you just need mom time.

Tonight I was craving some mom time. It seems like this past two weeks I haven't gotten nearly as much of her as I have wanted. Today I got to meet her at the hospital for lunch during her break...there is something so wonderful about my mom. We have a ritual of getting cheeseburgers from the cafeteria, because we know the salad bar would be a healthier choice-but we also know that we would never be satisfied unless we have those delicious battered fries. Even when we don't talk about anything in particular, we connect on such a deep level. I love my mom. Tonight, she came to get me a little bit after ten just to go on a drive with me. We ended up going to get a reese's shake at JCW's. Delish. She even shared the chunks with me at the bottom. I think that is what is so great about mom's, they are so good at sharing. I love going on drive's with my mom, talking about the fun new design blogs I have discovered, and thinking of ways we can be creative together. Tonight was perfect. Just some quality mom and daughter time that I desperately needed.

{this is my cool mom jumping my car for the second time in two days. she even knows how to do it without shocking herself. she is pretty awesome like that.}

"i'm bored...fix it."

This weekend was filled with lots of wonderful events. Friday I got to hang out with some of my bestest friends, Gavin and his wife Lacey. We went on a big group date and had a wonderful time! What can be better than good company, La Jolla Groves, and Yogurtland all put together in one night?

Saturday was all sorts of craziness. I woke up early in the morning and went to our Stake Relief Society Day of Service. We were reminded that as we serve we forget ourselves and increase our happiness. Afterward, I raced up to my good friend, Heather's, baby shower. She has little boy Cohen on the way. I am so excited for her and Kevin to be parents! {Kevin just finished the MCAT so luckily he will get to enjoy the last few weeks of Heathers pregnancy before Cohen comes!}

{cutest "wish" tree at Heather's shower}

After the shower, a bunch of us went up to the National College Rugby Championship game. We got to watch BYU battle it out with Cal for the title, unfortunately we lost. There's always next year! The game was still a lot of fun and the boys played hard. We set a record for largest college rugby crowd in the United States with 13,000 fans in attendance!

{my roommie Karen and I at the game!}

A couple days later, I made another trip to Yogurtland. It was heaven. This time my lovely friend Alyssa came. She always knows just how to make me laugh. She just got her mission call...to Anchorage, Alaska! I'm so excited for her, but I will miss her terribly.

{Alyssa wearing my glasses. <3}

Now back to the monotony of the week. Looking forward to another weekend. Hopefully it brings as much happiness as the last one.