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.}

Sunday Brunch

so last sunday lauren and i decided to have sunday brunch together. can i just say that it was delicious?? church was bright and early (8 am!) and let me just tell you folks, that is really early on a sunday. hopefully no one noticed the glass baking dish, butter, and syrup i had stashed in my purse (ok, maybe it is the size of a small suit case. i like a big bag!) we made a mad dash to lauren's after church and enjoyed yummy german pancakes and fresh blueberries. i loved cooking again. my kitchen has been getting remodeled for 6 weeks now, and i have really been missing it. there is something so therapeutic and rewarding in cooking. anyway, after a little nap we headed out to a christmas concert at the daughter's of the american revolution building in DC. welllllll, after looking for a parking spot (and being kicked out of one because we weren't "military personnel"...how do they know?!) for 30 minutes we gave up. we decided we should take advantage of already being in the city and ended up driving up to the national cathedral. it was breathtaking! there is something so incredible about old cathedrals and temples. it just amazes that they were built with someone's hands. we also found a really cool school behind the cathedral that i just had to have a picture with. i just love lauren, and i am so grateful i got to spend the day with her! we had a blast just having girl talk and exploring the city together. hopefully more days like this to come since we will live within walking distance of each other come january! yay!

Lucky 100.

So it's randomly my 100th post. and it just so happens to be a post about one of the most

incredible
epic
amazing
breathtaking
beautiful
floaty-moment
timeless

nights of my life. I really can't find the words to describe it accurately. But, I will try. It started out lovely as I met my sweetest friend Kendis for an Italian dinner near McPherson Square. It has been three years since we have been home from Italy, and not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about it. After dinner Kendis had a surprise event planned. Based on her excitement I knew it was going to be something wonderful. But I never imagined what was in store. When she handed me my ticket and I saw the name "Andrea Bocelli" I literally jumped up and down and screamed. I am sure everyone around me thought I was an idiot for not knowing where I was and what I was going to. Let me tell you, my ears and soul have never been happier. It was a night filled with utter beauty. What a talented, humble, sweet person Andrea is. It was the most perfect night with my girl. I am so sad she is leaving the District, but I am happy for what life has in store for her next. My little heart just might not be able to handle life without her, but I am so happy we got to soak up Andrea Bocelli together for a night. I will never forget it.

Giving Thanks.

So this year I spent Thanksgiving away from family. I have done this once before (when I was in London for a couple days before flying home from my study abroad...but was able to spend it with my lovely friends Kendis and Lynzie and Kendis's sweet family). But this time it was different. I live away from home now. As in I have to fly home to visit for the holidays. I'm trying not to think about that return flight on December 27th too much. Anyway, I wanted to take the opportunity to share some things I am thankful for this holiday season. I happen to love this time of year (it's what keeps me excited working in the retail world...).

celebrating the birth of our Savior
soft scarves
family
caramel apple cider
helping people buy gifts
mistletoe
homemade desserts
christmas music
good books
fireplaces
linking arms to stay warm
long phone conversations with friends far away

And lastly, I am so thankful for sweet new friends that let me and Lauren spend Thanksgiving with them. Dinner was fabulous and tasted like it came from Martha Stewart's kitchen. Then to top it off Mackenna made the.most.delicious.pies.ever. The crust was buttery heaven and the filling was incredible. Homemade pumpkin and apple-cranberry from scratch. I even witnessed the apple peeling. Thanks for a lovely evening girls!

My best friend...

So this one time (a couple weeks ago...) my best friend Alexia Allred came to visit me in Washington D.C. It was the biggest slice of heaven I could have ever dreamed of. I loved having someone to share the city with. The weekend was the perfect mix of site seeing, talking, and relaxing. Some of the highlights include: seeing the White House (don't mind our big heads blocking the house, you want to us anyway right?), touring the monuments along the Mall and Tidal Basin (I have a better picture where her finger is actually on the very tip, I just can't tell which one it is), Mount Vernon (we spent all Sunday here and it was absolutely lovely), getting a tour of the Capitol by our dear friend Kendis (she did a very great job!), and getting burgers at Good Stuff Eatery! We had such a great time, I am so thankful for such a sweet friend.

Rubbish.

Remember how I live on the 18th floor?

Well. Wanna know my favorite thing about being up so high up?

Apart from the amazing views and incredible sunsets...

I love taking the garbage to the "rubbish" chute.

I even have to wait for it to drop all.the.way.to.the.bottom.

It makes a delightful sliding, falling, crashing noise. It is wonderful.

While I'm at it I should also share something kind of neat. Sometimes when I am in the elevator going down, my ears pop. That means I live really really really high. Just thought you should know.

Rooftop Magic

The last two weeks have been heavenly. I got to fly home for my gorgeous cousins wedding and spend some time with family back in Provo. Unfortunately, the garden reception they had planned had to be moved inside due to rain and temperatures in the 40's. Luckily their neighbors offered their ultra chic, modern house for the event and it turned out lovely! I will post some pictures soon.

Well, I got back to DC late Wednesday night. It had been two weeks since I had seen my friend Kendis, so naturally Thursday nights plans revolved around us getting together. We went to Dupont Circle to Panera for a bagel and hot cocoa. It was delicious. Our night got a little interesting when we got off the metro and rode the escalator out into the pouring, monsoon style rain. We were soaked in .2 seconds. (We are both brilliant and left our umbrellas at home. I know, we are ridiculous.)

After we dried off, ate our snacks, and waited for the rain to stop we decided to pay a visit to our friend Ryan. Ryan is way cool, and happens to have the most amazing rooftop view at his apartment. The three of us sat on a park bench playing random songs we pulled up on youtube. We listened to this, this, and this to name a few. The moon was to die for, and we even figured out that Jupiter was the bright shiny ball next to the moon in the sky (thanks to my handy googlesky app!). From his roof we had a view of the Capitol dome, and the Washington Monument. The night was delightful and just what I needed. I fell a little bit more in love with DC (and felt kind of at home since one of my most favorite places in Provo is the top of the Wells Fargo Parking Garage. Turns out I kind of have a thing for rooftops.).