easter surprise.

today had a lot of mini-miracles. despite a crazy day at the office--i still had energy. that alone is a miracle. {it seems these days i never find the time or ability to sleep.} so to feel awake all day at work is amazing. the second miracle came when my on-call shift at j.crew wasn't used. i had been 99.9% sure that they would need me tonight, so when they told me no i could not have been happier. but the best of all best surprises? my easter surprise from my sweet mama. oh how i love her. she is my best friend and knows me so well. what was the surprise you are wondering?!

S A L T W A T E R S A N D A L S

i have the fondest memories of wearing these cute, comfy and practical sandals as a little girl. i am soooo excited to begin a new summer and make new memories in my saltwaters {this time around i feel much older, but somewhere in there is the same little girl}. i tried them on the second i figured out what was in the package, and instantly fell in love with them all over again. i even frantically ran upstairs to show my roommate...and then downstairs to show two more in the kitchen! none of them had worn or heard of them before, so my excitement over such a simple sandal was probably a little strange. but they are just so fantastic. {they will be perfect with painted summer toes and glorious sandy beaches...just thinking ahead to my vacation to Duck Beach in May!} isn't it wonderful how mothers know just what their daughters need at just the right time? i have been feeling a little sad that i won't be home for easter this year. it's really one of my favorite holidays. it's so peaceful and a time where i can reflect on my Savior and His love for me. the gift of His atonement is the most incredible thing in the world. usual easter festivities include church, an egg hunt with the kiddos {where sometimes i get to pretend i am still young enough to find the magically hidden eggs that the easter bunny has brought} and dinner with the whole family at grandma's...and while i will be away from my family this year, i am lucky to have the blessing of being with them for eternity.

jet lag.

so there is this wonderful thing called jet lag. it makes me want to eat hummus and m&m's at 2 am while sipping on a diet coke. even after a 12 hour work day. what the?! i wanna know why. but nevertheless, it's been an enjoyable couple of late night hours. even if i regret it in the morning (and tomorrow night at work...ugh).

i decided since i was up i might as well document some of my trip home for the holidays. it was fabulous.
need i say more?
probably not. but i will anyway.
one of my favorite days was when my mom and i drove up to Sundance to take my little brother Konnor snowboarding.
since we were lucky enough to sneak away alone, we decided to make a little date of it.
we ordered a turkey bacon avocado and perused the catalog store.
it was delightful.
i kind of love my mom.
a lot.
she is my bestest friend.

can you tell i am homesick already?

{photos from my phone on our little adventure up the canyon.}

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!)

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.}