a happy christmas.

MERRY: Christmas.  Well I had a fabulous Christmas this year. It came and went very fast.  I had finals right up until the 19th of December and then spent all weekend and Monday moving into a new apartment.  I am really excited about our new place.  Cute, comfortable, and most important- close to all my girly friends.  Winter semester 2009 is our years girls. ;)  Anyways I ended up having to do all my Christmas shopping two days before Christmas and can I say the mall was jam-packed.  Seriously I was getting anxious and stressed.  I can't handle the mall for too long, especially with it being crazy like it was.  Lucky for me though I got all my  Christmas shopping done in one day.  I was excited about the gifts I got my loved ones and hopefully they liked them- (it sure seemed that way on Christmas..) Christmas Eve we had a yummy dinner and watched Home Alone.  I love that movie and it was the perfect Christmas movie to watch before the big day.  Christmas finally came I was lucky to get everything I wanted and then some.  I was really excited about my external portable hard drive (I know sounds totally nerdy but I needed it!)  It's great because I backed up my 5,000 pictures (mostly they are all London pictures) and loads of music.  Now there will be more room on my computer and it will go faster.  It was also fun to watch everyone else get their gifts, especially my nephew Jaxon.  He's 2 and was loving it.  My brother and sister in law, Kat, got Rock Band and Guitar Hero III and so we set it up at our house and played for awhile.  We all took turns playing and had a lot of fun.  I could play the guitar forever.  LOVE that game.  Anyways we left that night to go up to our cabin and stayed there til saturday night.  It was a lot of fun at the cabin and most importantly it was RELAXING.   I slept in, lounged around, read books, watched movies, and even got a bit active by going snowmobiling.  It was a great time with everyone.  I love the Christmas spirit of miracles, family togetherness, cheer, love, decorations, snow, christmas cards & music, etc.  I am happy to report that so far the Christmas break has been quite merry.  

shoes.

HAPPY: new pair of shoes.  Well I purchased these little red cuties about a month ago and have worn them several times and each time I wear them the compliments come flowing in. I wore them on campus once because I had to dress nice for a presentation and I had girls stopping me in the halls, bathroom, while I was studying, and checking my shoes out as we were passing by.  Without fail, I get at least a couple of compliments when I wear them.  I don't think I've owned an article of clothing that has gotten so much attention.  They have become a new favorite.  They make my feet look small and every time I slip my foot into each shoe and buckle them up I feel a surge of confidence and beauty.  Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme but I still love the way they look and there's nothing better than looking down to a cute pair of shoes.  I'm sure most girls can agree that a good looking pair of shoes can make us happy.

F is for finals, not for my grade.

HAPPY: Christmas break is right around the corner. Well this is the last week of class and next week the dreaded finals begin. I have a few papers and a project due this week so let's hope I get them all done without having a break down. So far so good. Like everyone, I hope finals go well. I'd also like to give a quick shout out to BYU and Harold for lengthening your library hours 'til 2 am. I love being on campus for that long and that late. That's how we cram and get the grades. Well for all those studying hard this week and next, good luck on your tests, projects, papers, and presentations. May your minds be agile and your thoughts clear.

But keep in mind, grades aren't everything. "I have never let schooling get in the way of my education." -Mark Twain

thankful for..

MERRY: Thanksgiving. Well I hope like me, everyone had a great Thanksgiving break. I spent the week in St. George with my family and grandparents that live there. It was a fun, relaxing week in the george. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and on Friday we took a girls only trip to Vegas and spent the day shopping. It was great, although I probably spent too much. Dang those good sales.

Well in the spirit of Thanksgiving and being thankful I would just like to express my attitude of gratitude towards things that make my life merry & happy. My family and friends have been most significant in my life and I am thankful for them everyday. I am thankful for a lot of things.. for moms who always know the right thing to say. For dads with great counsel. For brothers who tease and make me tougher. For friends who always listen and make me laugh. For sisters that can relate to the life of being a girl. For school that fills my brain with knowledge. For books that make me think and imagine. For the gospel that is my life and points me in the right direction. For a job that pays my rent, tuition, food, and other expenses. For limbs that let me dance, exercise, and feel. For a heart that can have and share love. For the sunshine. For rain. For this world, that even though there is much confusion in it today, there are always moments of goodness around. I'm thankful for happiness, which comes from each of these things and many others. When in the right perspective, happiness is all around us.

good read.

HAPPY: finishing a book. It feels so good to finish that last page of a book, set it down, and sit a think about everything you just read. I just recently finished the book The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. It is a memoir of her life. Really interesting life and it opens up many new perspectives on certain things. I don't want to say to much because I don't want to spoil it. I definitely recommend it. I'm not sure which book I'm going to start next. Perhaps the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis or if my book club gets going, The Poisonwood Bible by Barabara Kingsolver. Either way I love reading books.

somebody loved

HAPPY: music. I love music. I believe that music has a way of communicating to each of us personally on a level that no other medium can. It makes us feel. It awakens senses. It livens memories. When a perfect mixture of music and lyrics are created, something beautiful has occurred. Recently I've been listening to The Weepies a lot. They have done a good job in creating music that goes so well with their delicate and thoughtful lyrics. Their "Happiness" album is great, along with "Say I am you" and "Hideaway." I have recently been in love with the song, "somebody loved" so I thought I'd share the lyrics but really everyone should go look them up and listen to them. song = happiness.

Somebody Loved
Rain turns the sand into mud
Wind turns the trees into bone
Stars turning high up above
You turn me into somebody loved
Nights when the heat had gone out
We danced together alone
Cold turned our breath into clouds
We never said what we were dreaming of
But you turned me into somebody loved
Someday when we're old and worn
Like two softened shoes
I will wonder on how I was born
The night I first ran away from you
Now my feet turn the corner back home
Sun turns the evening to rose
Stars turning high up above
You turn me into
You turn me into
You turn me into somebody loved
Somebody loved
Somebody loved.

bloring blog.

sorry my blog is so boring. looks like halloween and guy fawkes day are the only things interesting going on in my life. au contraire. life's a party in cougar town, I just don't post it on my blog. so sue me.
(but for the record, I'll try to do better)

Remember remember, the 5th of November

HAPPY: Guy Fawkes Day. A year ago today I was in Whitam, England celebrating Guy Fawkes Day with an English family. We went to a huge town bonfire slash carnival. Fireworks included. It was like a weak version of our stadium of fire- then again what comes close to Provo's 4th of July Party. We know how to party in the 801. Guy Fawkes knows how to party too. In 1605, Guy Fawkes and other Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, England. Fortunately, plans didn't go through and the Houses of Parliament didn't get burned to the ground. The English, like the most of us, love a reason to party, so every year the UK celebrates this day by having big bonfires and lots of fireworks. They take it a step further by burning effigies of Guy Fawkes. You try to burn down our house, we'll burn you down for hundreds of years. They don't mess around in the 020.

In respect to this great holiday and my love for London, England, and all it has to offer, my London study abroad mates and I are going to be having a big bonfire tonight. I'm thinking I should create an effigy of some sort to contribute. Either way, getting together with all my London friends and celebrating an English holiday will definitely make me, happy.

down to earth.

MERRY: Halloween. This year's Halloween costumes I got in touch with my earthy side. The night before Halloween I went to a couples Halloween party. My date and I were Mother Earth and Father Time. Mostly my outfit consisted of lots of fake flowers, leaves, and anything else earthy. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures.

Halloween night rolled around and by 9 pm my friends and I didn't have a costume yet. There were four of us and we wanted to do something together. Strength in numbers. So the first thing that popped into my mind, naturally, was the four seasons. After being mother earth the night before, the earth and its offerings were on my mind. So we decided it was easy enough to do. I was Spring, Kylie was Summer, Mary Jane was Fall (she has red hair so obviously she is going to be fall, it was a big success), and Sarah was Winter. For getting ready in about ten minutes and only using what we had lying around in our apartments, it turned out pretty well. My costume turned out to be quite practical because it started raining and what do you know.. Spring loves the rain. It created rain. It is rain. I was wearing a rain coat and rain boots and had an umbrella. I stayed dry the whole night. Except when we went to a dance that turned out to be the hottest thing of my life. And no I am not talking about hot as in there were hot people and hot dance moves and hot as in sexy.. I mean hot as in the temperature. As in it was hot as hades down there. My coat did a good job of retaining all the moisture that my body was trying to release. SWEATY. not just me, but everyone. So I guess that made it less awkward for everyone. Overall though it was fun to see a bunch of funny costumes and enjoy the Halloween spirit. A spooktacular evening, to say the least. and another merry holiday.

brain food.

HAPPY: nature valley granola bars. These little oat's 'n honey granola bars have kept me well fed and energized when sugar levels are down. I think I have about one of these a day and though each time I think,"no, not another one," it is usually the only piece of food I have near me and I'd rather eat my 37th bar than go hungry. That's right, my stomach more times than not tends to guide my thought process. I'm a growing girl and need a well balanced, hearty diet. These granola bars definitely don't do the trick solely by themselves but as a in between snack, they are great. So a big thanks to these little crunchy, oats 'n honey-ey granola bars that have kept my mind alert and my stomach, happy.

alive and well.. and a bit tired.

Due to a very busy week last week I have not been able to post a blog in over a week. But no worries I am alive and doing well. My little advertising group finished our Loreal brandstorm competition campaign and submitted it monday. It was my first real experience working on an advertising project and gave me good insight to what it is like; long hours. vending machine diets. creative, out-of-the-box thinking. research. granola bars and swiss rolls. group work. surveys. etc. Great experience and I'm still really excited about my major.. Let's just hope I get accepted come January.

Besides that school and work have just been keeping me busy. I'm sort of sick of waking up everyday by 7am. I remember my freshman year telling myself that I would never have an 8am class because there was no way I could wake up that early. joke's on me.

p.s. anyone have any good halloween costume ideas?

help me, help you.

Ladies. As part of my Loreal advertising competition that I am apart of we have created a survey to better understand our target market and our products needs. The product is perfume and the survey is short. So if you could take about ten minutes and do this multiple choice survey that would be great. love and appreciate you all.

Here's the link:
http://new.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_080wSOJ0mgi3bMM&SVID=Prod

Jurassic Park IV

I could survive for 60 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds Pedia

That one wussy kid got past the raptors in Jurassic Park 3, so if he can do it, I can.

W is for Weezer

Last night I went to the Weezer concert and to say the least it was a "perfect situation." For a long time I have wanted to go to their concert and finally going last night was like fulfilling another life goal of mine. With 3 older brothers that all loved Weezer I have practically been spoon fed the blue album since I started getting interested in music. Weezer was the first band I got into and one of the few that has survived the variety of music genres and trendy bands I've been through. So seeing their show was like an event I had been waiting for half my life. To say the least, expectations were exceeded. Rivers was a class-act and very talented. The entire Weezer crew put on a great show and fortunately played a lot of older stuff which I appreciated. I left the concert feeling like I got a bargain for the $30 I paid for my ticket. A big thanks to; Rivers, Patrick, Brian, and Scott, the Weezer band mates, for putting on a great show and creating amazing music throughout the past decade.

Segway's last month and Weezer concert this month.. Can't wait to see what life-goal-fulfililng-activity November has to hold. To be continued...

let's go fly a kite

I'd like to give props to Kylie Nixon for taking the picture that now has become the background of my blog title. She is an amazing photographer and has some great pictures on her blog. check it out. This picture comes from a fun, friday afternoon adventure in Utah County. A few weeks ago we went to the kite festival and had an enjoyable time watching the kite team, yes there is such thing as a kite team, flying our own kites, and getting free rides on the segways (a life goal of mine- check.) It was a great time and can't wait for the next random adventure that Utah has to offer us. Thanks again, beehive state.

miss you, motherland. pt. 2

london.england.the tube.

hyde park.

fabulous london 'strollers' the fancy ladies. minus sloan

Random pictures of a place I once called "home."
(london, england)

miss you, motherland.

This used to be my home and I miss this place every day. Someday I'll move back. I took this picture on my 1st week and now it's been over a year since then. Time flies. I'll be posting a few more favorite London/Europe photographs soon.

back to school. back to cougar town.

Well school is back in session and my first week has been great. I like my classes and am still really excited about the advertising major. Plus I enjoy learning and being social with the 30,000 students at BYU. Also, football season has begun and Cougar football remains undefeated with two wins under their belt. I hope to see an undefeated season this year and a BCS bowl. Go cougs.

Viva Mexico!

A group of volunteers and I (many of those volunteers including close friends and my mom) traveled down to Mexico to help build part of an orphanage and do some humanitarian work. We had a great time and although the work was hard we loved getting to play with all the orphans.

Major: Advertising. Minor: Business.

Well there ya go.. I finally picked a major. Advertising. I am really excited about it and have taken my pretty little time to decide. It's nice to have a direction in college now and I looke forward to taking all the classes. I'll apply winter semester so hopefully I get in. I have always thought advertising to be very interesting and am constantly evaluating and looking at different types of advertising. I definitely appreciate good advertising. Here are some examples of company's advertising that I like:

Apple: Think different.




Dove: Campaign for Real Beauty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=321Kb8pBu5s
(I don't know how to post movies so just click on the link to see the commercial)

Good Reads.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I just finished Jane Eyre the the other week and loved it. It was actually for the second time that I read it but the first time I was a bit young and didn't quite catch everything. It is about a girl and her life and her internal struggles and inner triumphs. Charlotte Bronte does a great job in creating Jane Eyre as a strong, independent woman. Overall I enjoyed this classic and would reccommend it.




Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

After finishing Jane Eyre I started again on Man's Search for Meaning. I started this book awhile back, got over half way but then started a couple other books and never finished so I decided to start all over again. The book is not that long but has lots of really good insights. It is about a psychiatrist who was in the Auswitzch concentration camp but rather than another gruesome tale of the hardships these prisoners faced, he goes on to explain the mental state of prisoners and how strong the human mind can potentially be and the influence it has on us during times of hardship. He brings up very interesting points that can relate to everyday life. Ever since reading it I have thought about certain things differently- if he can find hope and still choose his attitude for the better while being under the awful conditions of a concentration camp, then so can I. I have finished the story part of the book where he proves his psychological ideas through his experiences at the concentration camp and now I am onto the last little part of the book where he explains his idea of logotherapy- one which he started and has continued to teach and share. An interesting and stimulating book- another one I'd reccommend.

Beijing Olympics 2008

Like most everyone, I have caught the Olympic spirit. I can't get enough of Michael Phelps and I love the gymnastics- makes me motivated to do ab workouts. There are also a lot of random sports that I didn't even know existed in the Olympics. Basically I love it all. One thing I do really love about the Olympics is that countries from around the world all come together and for the time being everyone forgets about differences and we come together as a world. What an amazing operation. Too bad we couldn't keep the camaraderie going post Olympics but at least for a time we can enjoy it. Go World.

The Sisterhood.

I just saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and loved it. If you liked the first one you will like the second. It's good to be a girl.

Feel Good.

I love reading and watching movies. Recently I came across these two items and loved them both. Both share simple, sweet messages and I highly recommend.

Elder Jeffrey Watkins Cook

My cute brother Jeff (elder cook) has hit his 3 month mark on his mission, yesterday. I actually got to talk to him while he was in the airport to head to Mexico. He was delayed about a month due to problems with the visas but fortunately they have finally made it to Mexico. The people will love him out there.. hola mexico!

Welcome.

Well I finally picked up on the trend and have created my own blog. I hope to share the fun things about my life and those to come. Welcome all.