Merry Happy

Thanksgiving around the world

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

Harold and I share a love for travel and we constantly are talking about places to visit and things we want to see and the adventures we dream to go on. I love that we share that passion. So for this past Thanksgiving we decided to use our holiday time off to go on a trip. After throwing around a lot of ideas we decided on Spain and Morocco. It was an amazing trip. Spain was romantic and beautiful and Morocco was a cultural experience and unlike any other place I've ever been. We felt lucky to experience that part of the world and here are some pictures from our trip..

Part 1: Marrakech, Morocco

One of many mosques in Marrakech. During the day (I think it's 5 times, if I'm not mistaken) you will hear what sounds like a sort of alarm come out of the mosques, they are a call to prayer for the muslims.

Pretty park next to the mosque

Here we are at the famous Djemma el Fnaa square in the heart of the old city. They have monkeys, snake charmers, ladies doing henna tattoo, and little shops selling all sorts of spices and such. I love monkeys so I was happy to hold him but after I was sad thinking that he may not be treated right. One can only hope his owner treats him good...

The ladies doing henna as well as making spices and oils. I read in one of the travel books that there are two kind of henna and one of ones they commonly use here is one that has some sort of chemical in it that can burn and scar your skin. So ya, no henna tats for me..

Look closely and you'll see snakes. Big thick ones and those scary black Cobra ones. The "snake charmers" would be playing music and get so close to these snakes. I didn't want to get to close..

We let ourselves get lost in the city but we also enjoyed a carriage ride to see the city

At night the place really livens up. Groups of people gather around to hear people playing music as well as "magicians" doing magic tricks.

At night they aslo bring out rows and rows of table and there are plenty of stands selling fresh food to eat. Some sell only one specific dish and others a variety. We ate meat skewers, couscous and tagine.. all very good and very cheap. And we match! presh.

Close by the square are the souks. The souks are little shops selling every sort of knick knack and patty wack you can think of.

There were kitties/cats everywhere. Unfortunately I was told not to touch them cuz they could carry a lot of diseases. Sadly I mustered every bit of self control to not pet and pick up every kitty I saw.

Harold was brave and tried some snails that this guy was selling. I passed...

It's not uncommon to see donkeys pull all sorts of stuff through the small roads and alleys of the souks. These donkeys were pretty small but very strong- it was amazing to see some of the stuff they could carry

These two pictures are ruins from an old palace built over 1,000 years ago and at one time parts of it were paved with gold. That's one very rich Sultan

The architecture and design was so intricate and beautiful in Morocco. This was a school where they studied the Koran

Right before we left Marrakech we managed to squeeze in a quick trip to see these Yves Saint Laurent gardens. YSL loved Morocco and bought this land and help create this garden as a gift to the city. Really pretty and I loved the bright colors (especially the blue) he used in the gardens.

Looks like my red pants fit right in..

This is a picture of the "New City" quite a contrast from the "Old City" or the medina as it is called. The medina is surrounded enitrely by a wall and was the original city founded about 1000 years ago. The medina is very crowded with all the old ruins and more traditional looking building where as the New City is modern, clean and not as crowded. It was like being in two different worlds- crazy to think it is all the same city.

And before I forget, in honor of Thanksgiving we ate Mcdonald's in Marrakech. God bless America and those mcdoubles (or mcchicken in my case)

Up next: Travels in Fes and Southern Spain

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”

-Mark Twain

pizza is for lovers

2011-11-14T16:09:00.001-07:00

If I would have to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be pizza. It really doesnt get any better than this little pie of goodness- plus have you ever met a person that doesn't like pizza? I doubt it. Well it's safe to say it's one of my favorite foods so when I came across this easy way to make personal pizzas at home I was thrilled (as was Harold- probably his favorite thing I make), plus it's super easy. double whammy.

Anyways here's how I do it:

-Buy a pack of naan (indian flatbread) for the crust. (I know, I know- you're confused. Well here in Florida at Publix Grocery Store they sell naan in packs of two and the brand is called Stoneground. It's really good and fresh, and makes a perfect crust for pizza- we buy the whole wheat one and it is super yummy. I don't know if they have something like this at say a Smith's or something but I would try and look because not only is it perfect for pizza crust but it can also be used for sandwiches and of course with indian food- whcih Harold and I have almost on a weekly basis)

Really the naan is the big secret- everything else is typical pizza making stuff. Put your sauce on (I buy it from the store but you can make it too- real easy.) Then I put on mozzarella cheese and whatever toppings I feel like. Then put it in the oven @ 400 degrees for 10-12 min.

Above pizza we did a half and half. One half we did hot wing sauce, blue cheese, red onions and tomatoes. Other half was onions, green pepper, tomatoes, pesto and cream cheese. A local pizza joint here does pizzas with variety of toppings and on one of their pizzas has cream cheese and we love it so we copied and do it ourselves. the pesto and cream cheese is a great combo.

We have made it our tradition to do this every Sunday after church for lunch. It's also a great option when you need to make a quick meal. Either way it's delish and Harold and I both love it.

enjoy!

p.s. yesterday (when I started to write this post) was our 6 month anniversary. It's crazy to think that we have been married for half a year already. It seems like just yesterday when he asked me to marry him. sure glad he did.

-love, 6-months-and-counting-Mrs. Abell

5 pictures for 5 months

2011-10-14T12:45:00.002-06:00

Happy five-month anniversary to us!

"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. I say, fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. How do you find him? Well, you forget your head, and you listen to your heart. And I'm not hearing any heart. Cause the truth is, honey, there's no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, cause if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."

-Meet Joe Black

good thoughts

2011-10-12T17:10:00.003-06:00

-Roald Dahl

I love this quote and here are some good thoughts of my own:

-my lunch date with Harold at Chow Tyme, a really great chinese buffet

-saving $18.63 at the grocery store
-my baby nephew that's coming in a few weeks
-the Twins!
-browsing through our wedding photos and thinking about that day
-halloween - and what should be my costume this year. oh and martha stewart's black cat costume
-thinking about the next time I get to read my book, Open
-Utah's fall. and thanks to friends on instagram that share lovely pics so I can have a glimpse
-knowing Harold will be home from work soon and tonight our show is on
-the texts, emails, g chats, and phone calls I get on a daily basis from friends and family. I'm one lucky gal to be surrounded by such great people
-double stuff oreos are in my pantry right now and milk is in my fridge. you do the math

those are some of my good thoughts..

What are your good thoughts?

what's cuter than a panda?

2011-09-29T11:55:00.001-06:00

...probably a whole passel of baby pandas in one crib!

Dear China,

How do you feel about sharing one of your baby pandas with me? It seems like you got a lot there and I would take real good care of it. Promise.

but seriously, what do I have to do to get one of these as a pet?! I'm not sure if I have seen anything cuter.. maybe a puppy on the dailypuppy.com (Sarah..)? I dunno.

A big thank you to kylie for sharing this precious photo with me.

That's all.

p.s. if the whole panda thing doesn't work out, I'll take one of these. (it's a wallaby and people have them as pets and they sleep in pouches. amazing.

p.p.s clearly, we need a pet.

working woman

2011-09-26T12:17:00.000-06:00

Well, like I hinted earlier, I got a job- and have been at it for a few weeks now. I work at a place called Nancy's Haute Affairs which is an event planning/catering company. Their store also sells cute gifts perfect for weddings and parties (stationary, beautiful serving-ware, food items, etc) as well as having what they call their "gourmet to go" which is a bunch of really yummy hot dishes, sandwiches, salads, and incredible desserts. It's pretty much a place that does a little bit of everything. I work a lot in the store as well as helping out with the event planning. Last week I helped with a wedding- the rehearsal the night before as well as the wedding day. I loved doing it- It's about the next best thing to reliving your wedding day and what girl doesn't want to do that? (which explains the pic above- my beautiful wedding flowers thanks to the Grow's) Plus I love the fact that I dont sit at a desk, all. day. long. I feel really lucky to get a job like this- I wanted to get into event planning but I was worried with no real experience (I don't think here in Florida they know, or recognize, what being on the activities committee or being an FHE mom entails) that I would be able to get a job (and not an internship..) but alas I have found a great fit and it is really getting my foot in the door with event planning and I am loving it so far.

So life is good and I am glad to be working again and learning new things- you can only run so many errands before you get a little stir crazy.. or start thinking about having a baby- just kidding Harold! :)

And here's a pixely photo from our weekend- which consisted of Pensacola Seafood Festival, pool time, relief society broadcast and a laaate night movie. 11:20 movie is late for a couple that usually goes to bed at 10:30 during the week..

p.s. President Uchtdorf's talk was the bomb and applies to everyone. So if you didn't get a chance to go, read/watch it here. I particularly loved the Willy Wonka golden ticket analogy

The Weepies make me happy. so do beignets.

2011-09-16T13:44:00.000-06:00

Well it seems fitting that I am just now writing a post about last weekend when this weekend is just about here.. But I am getting used to the working life again (which reminds me, need to do an update on that too..) Last week Harold and I took a short road trip to Nola (New Orleans) since it's just a mere 2.5 hours away. Part of the reason for going was because The Weepies were playing there and I have always wanted to see them in concert and it was a great place to have an early bday celebration for Harold. So off to The Big Easy we went.

Excited that the weekend is here and en route to Nola.

We left Friday after Harold's work and made it to Nola in time for an amazing dinner. The place was called Cafe Amelie and most of the seating was in this darling courtyard that was low lit and looking like a scene from Paris. It was booked with reservations so we had to eat inside but it was still great and the food was really good.

This is Cafe Amelie, where we had dinner the night before. The pic doesn't do it justice, but come nighttime this place transforms. A definite recommend if one is going to visit Nola

We spent saturday afternoon strolling along the French Quarter and seeing all the lovely architecture and colorful homes- wouldn't you be so happy to come home to a colorful home like this everyday?

We had fun at the hat store. I love hats. I wish I wore them more and had more reasons to wear them. I need to get int with the Royal family, they seem to like hats a lot.

We happened to be there for the Seafood Festival so we joined in on the festivities and enjoyed some seafood and some live music-and yes mom, I tried some of it too.

..and of course beignets! We went to Cafe du monde twice over our 2.5 day weekend. and yes they are as good as they look. in fact, probably better.

The Weepies concert. It's a husband and wife duo (with bass player in the back) and they are the most precious couple. They laugh at each other and you can tell they love what they do and love doing it together. Loved it.

Here she is on the piano- her voice is amazing not to mention she plays a bunch of instruments. Harold and I both think that her voice reminded us of Allison Krauss. There's a clearness and uniqueness about it that I love.

Here's an itty bitty video of her playing one of my faves. The concert was in a small venue which was nice because it's much more intimate. They were excellent live and they did some of their songs how they originally played them, instead of how they turned out in the studio- and to be honest I usually liked the originals better. Their stage presence was genuine and charming, a lot like their music. I really loved it and Harold enjoyed himself too.

All-in-all a great weekend filled with good food, great music, a bit of shopping and enjoying the easy going city of New Orleans.

his birthday is just as great!

2011-09-15T11:40:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday it was Harold's birthday and being that I love birthdays and I love Harold I was probably the most excited for his special day. As in, I-was-counting-down the-days-'til-his-birthday-kind-of-excited. He turned a ripe 28 years of age and we had a great celebration. It started out early with a weekend trip to New Orleans last weekend (more on that later) which was a blast and then a fun little birthday evening after a long, hard days work for him.

This guy wanted a cookie cake for his birthday cake.. and boy are they good. We've been eating it with every meal since.

presents!

the birthday boy!

We got a puppy for his birthday!!!!
...
just kidding.. we just went to the puppy store that's in our mall and this cute lil guy was running around the store. We really want a dog but we're going to have to wait a bit for one..

What a happy evening of birthday celebrations it was. I think one of Harold's favorite gifts was a book of birthday messages from some of his friends. I secretly emailed them and asked for each of them to send me a birthday message for Harold and I put them all together and he absolutely loved reading each passage. Being away from and missing his friends, especially on his birthday, it was great to have a little piece of them in this book. A big thank you to his friends for doing this and really making his birthday special!

I couldn't be happier celebrating his birthday and feel so lucky to be able to celebrate the rest of his birthdays with him. He is so deserving of all the happiness in the world, especially the happiest of birthday celebrations. Happy Birthday, buddy.

Mississippi Weekend

2011-09-08T12:31:00.000-06:00

Over the long labor day weekend Harold and I drove up to Oxford, Mississippi for the BYU-Ole Miss game. We met up with Harold's brother in law Heber and his dad, whose friend hosted us and let us in on their tailgating and showed us some great southern hospitality. Below are some pictures from our weekend:

A glimpse of the tailgating, before it got real busy

Harold in the "rebel camp"

This area is called the Walk of Champions, it's where the players walk through before the game. Most of the sororities and fraternities set up their tents here. If you notice the girls are all dressed up; Ole Miss is known for getting dressed up for games- the girls all wear dresses and the guys wear nice slacks and collared shirts. They say when the weather cools down they will even wear ties and go all out. A little different from the BYU t shirt and jeans I usually wear to football games..

This is the Ole Miss Rebel- their original mascot. He's an old southern plantation owner, although now he is no longer their official mascot...
(note we got the memo about what to wear to an ole miss game, hence the dress- but still white and blue for my cougs

Happy to be at the cougar game in our blue and white!

Harold and his dad after the game, we had great seats and we were right in front of the action when we scored that touchdown off the qb fumble.. Great victory cougs!

The next day we took a drive to Greenwood, Mississippi where The Help was filmed. Our hotel had a map of all the places they filmed and you could drive around and see the places. Neat to see them as well as drive around the old town. It was an old washed up town that at one point may have been doing pretty well but was now struggling. Really quite a cultural experience.

This is the old white church- where Aibeleen and Minny go to church

Saw a lot of neat graves next to the church- many were also unmarked as people cant always afford to put a grave stone.

Holly Holbrook's house

The Junior League Society

We also saw Skeeter's house but it was a quick drive by so I wasnt able to get a picture. Her house was right next to the country road that Hilly drives down in a fury..

Another piece of history in Greenwood is that Emmitt Till was killed here- a black boy that was accused of flirting with the store owner's wife. His mother brought his body back up to Chicago and had an open casket funeral to show how badly he was beaten. This move was a big catalyst for the civil rights movement and Rosa Parks even said that she thought of Emmitt Till when she was told to move to the back fo the bus. An interesting piece of history and so we visited the spot where the grocery store was and historical marker

Bryant's Grocery store where 14 year old Emmitt Till went in to buy some candy

Between the cougar victory and a bit of southern exploration and culture we had a great weekend and road trip. But the fun's not over yet- we will be on the road again this weekend as we are headed to New Orleans for The Weepies concert and an early celebration of Harold's birthday. The drive is less than 3 hours so we figure we best be taking advantage of such a fun place!

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

-Kathryn Stockett

p.s. I got a job! more on that later but I am glad to say that I have to wrap this up as I go get ready for work!

3 months and 3 sizes bigger

2011-08-14T16:52:00.002-06:00

It's our 3 month wedding anniversary! -and yes I'm that girl that is counting it by the months (but I do this with my birthday too so at least I'm consistent). Marriage is wonderful with all it's perfect moments as well as its imperfect ones too. It's amazing to love someone so much on your wedding day and than to find out that it just continues to grow even more after. I feel like the Grinch when his heart grows 3 sizes.

So in celebration of love and marriage, I'm posting a little picture wedding video our photographer made for us.

"Give all to love; obey thy heart." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saturday is beach day

2011-08-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

So after living in Pensacola for almost two months we have finally made it to the beach! We've both been out of town a lot of weekends and other times we tried it was raining so we were happy to have a sunny saturday to have fun at the beach.

Pensacola Beach is great and only about 15 minutes away. The water is nice and warm and we found a spot that wasn't very crowded. I'm hoping maybe this tempts you to come visit..

That night we got to go see the movie Buck. I originally wanted to see it at the Sundance Film Festival but it sold out quick and ended up winning some awards there. So I waited and waited til it finally came here and it was at this darling little theater in Gulf Breeze. The theater is run by this precious old man and when we didn't have cash or check (they dont take credit card) he just told us it was ok and we could bring our money next time. I couldnt believe it and loved that he would let us do this. It really made us want to go back and support the movie theather again. Oh and the movie was fantastic, an amazing documentary about a "horse whisperer."

We also took a walk around downtown Pensacola where they have all these old homes built in the 1800's, including an antebellum home that has been turned into a bed and breakfast. I laughed after taking this pic cuz I didn't even look in the mirror prior to our walk and I was napping right before.. and well my hair got a little messed up. I was just walking around looking like I just rolled out of bed (which I did) and had no idea. tee hee.

Well what do you know, by the time I wrote this post- it's almost the weekend! Looking forward to some more beach time- come join the fun!

"I was walking along looking for somebody, and then suddenly I wasn't anymore."
— A.A. Milne

I'm back.

2011-07-28T21:13:00.002-06:00

Guess who's back in Utah?!? that's right, this gal. I came back for a friend's wedding and a family reunion trip to Lake Powell. Unfortunately my man couldn't come but he was wonderfully supportive about me coming back and enjoying family and friends, and did I mention for TWO weeks. Yes I have left my dear hubs for 2 weeks, poor guy. Anyways I have tried to take a handful of photos to document what I have been doing while I have been here so far- Plus I've been really enjoying the little instagram app that has taken the blogosphere by force- I know I know, it's old news for most of you but I have been having a fun time with it. So here's a little iphone/instagram dump for ya..

I arrived on my sister's 16th birthday.. some kids get cars for their birthday but this gal wanted this darling beach cruisin' bike.. you can't tell but it's got these cute little red flower details on the bike

The next day one of my best friends got married... the beautiful Mandi Winterton to the handsome Quinn Beisinger. You can't tell in the pic but both these lovelies have AMAZING hair- their kids are going to have rockin' do's.

the happy couple.. I love seeing them right after they come out of the temple.. so blissful!

It was my first time coming back to the SLC temple after Harold and I got married. It was great to be at my friend's wedding and remember my special day as well. Such wonderful feelings here.

Got to be reunited with some friends at the wedding festivities and had such a good time being with them. Harold and I don't exactly have a lot of friends in Florida yet (unless you count the missionaries that live in the same apartment complex as us) so I was especially ecstatic to hang with my pals.

I also got to meet this handsome little fella for the first time, little Ezra Paul Cook (My newest newphew- more on him later..)

..and of course hanging out with the other little guys. My nephew Beckham has the chubbiest thighs I've ever seen. He's absolutely adorable and completely squeezable.

I took these cute boys (brothers to the above chubby baby) and the little princess below to the new Winnie the Pooh movie. Precious movie- (although at times the little ones thought it was funner to run up and down the aisles of the movie theater..)

Got to enjoy a nice outdoor sunday dinner with my big family. Harold and I talk about how it is one of the things we miss most about being away from Utah.

Also got to meet up with some other friends who are recent, fellow newlyweds. And not to mention indulge in some yummy yogurtland.. havent been to/found any good frozen yogurt shops in P-Cola yet so this was a nice treat.

..And this random picture shows our preparation for Lake Powell this Saturday. Big family reunion = a lot of food. and soda.

That's about sums up what I have been up to so far.. wedding festivities, friends, babies and family- couldn't ask for a better combo. Looking forward to Powell this weekend and then back home to my man that I've missed.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."

-AA Milne

-[the official] Mrs. Abell (got my license and social security card changes this week- took about a whopping 30 minutes or so to do both- not sure what the fuss is all about..)

Wedding Party in Louisiana

2011-07-13T21:07:00.000-06:00

I know I am late on all these pics but better late than never.. right? After our honeymoon we had wedding party in Louisiana that my wonderful new in-laws threw at their house. It was such a good time and I was so happy to be able to wear my wedding dress again! Pics are complimentary of my sisters- Megan and my new one Mary Martha..

happy to be wearing my dress again

I just love the back.

My new darling nephews- have you ever seen cuter lil boy outfits?! yes their initials are monogrammed on front

Yes, this cake is as good as it looks

Us and part of my family

My wonderful new family

They love uncle Harold

Such a wonderful party.

After the party we left the next day for New Orleans with my family. They had never been but I was more than happy to go back- especially for those beignets..

We started with a really nice dinner.. If you don't know already the food in New Orleans is real good. Famous for its food in fact

Walking around the French Quarter at night

Harold's signature "nantucket red" pants. I think I fell in love with him in these pants..

next day we went to an amazing brunch place, Brennans

Next we went on the carriage ride around the french quarter.. I love architecture and it is indeed french looking

and of course it wouldn't be a trip without stopping at cafe du monde for some of their deliciosu beignets. They are covered with a lot of powder and it gest everywhere..

One of my favorite things to do here is take the trolley down St. Charles street and see all the amazing houses

a cute little pink number

and how about the violet one..

When I was a kid I had always wished my house had 3 floors for some reason..

Not only are the houses amazing but so are the big trees..

That's the great Mississippi river behind us- super full, it's not normally that high up to the ground

Between the wedding party in Monroe to the after party in New Orleans, it was another great trip down south. And speaking of the south, we're doing good down here in Pensacola- an update on our life here soon!

my new motto

2011-07-11T10:34:00.000-06:00

Anyone who knows me well knows I LOVE my birthday. Which is why this sign is all too perfect for me because if I lived true to this sign, every day would be the best day ever. Because your birthday is the best day ever. What a wonderful thought.

bora bora

2011-07-07T10:36:00.000-06:00

So remember that scene in parent trap (the one with lindsay lohan when she was still sweet and innocent) where she tells Jesse that she was on the phone with her friend who was vacationing with her family in bora bora? Maybe not. Well I remember as a kid watching that and thinking, "is bora bora a real place and if so, where is it?" and for whatever reason I have always remembered that scene/thought. So when Harold surprised me for our honeymoon on a trip to Bora Bora, I was ecstatic and past thoughts of "I wonder where that is" came to mind. Well for those wondering, Bora Bora is part of the French Polynesian islands and right next to Tahiti. And lemme tell ya, the place is a dream. I've been to many beach places but none come close to this paradise of a place. I'd like to say I'll let the pictures do the talking but even then they dont do it justice. It was a week of pure bliss and I couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon.

Now onto the part you've been waiting for.. the pictures:

Before heading to Bora Bora we spent a couple nights in Park City after our wedding. It was a great time but on the day we were leaving it started to SNOW. We were glad we were heading to warmer climates!

At the airport ready to go

they greeted us with real flower leis at the airport in bora bora

Our first view of the place

We had to ride a boat to get to our resort

After being on 3 different planes and a boat ride we have finally arrived to paradise. worth every leg of travel. Those are the cabanas we stayed at in the background

We stayed in these little cabanas over the water and that mountain was our view. Me in front of our Cabana.

harold on the catwalk

The cabanas are there in the distance over the water and there is a big walkway that connects it to land where the resort is. Here there is a nice beach, pool, spa, 2 restaurants, and a bunch of other great amenities

We went to this popular restaurant that a bunch of famous people have eaten at.. Not expensive just a fun place where the entire floor is sand and they have a bunch of cubbies at the entrance where you put your shoes.

Harold makes a friend

Every other night they created a "beach lounge" and set up comfy beach furniture and played live music. The guy was great and played american cover songs. right behind us is one of the restaurants so you could eat and listen too.

At the other restaurant they had polynesia dance show one night. They called some people from the crowd and I happened to be one of the "lucky" ones that got called to go up there and dance. I tried to copy his moves but this tall, lanky body doesnt flow as easy as his...

Taking the classic tourist pic with the dancers

we spent a lot of time by the pool

and lots of time reading.. I read 3 books while on our honeymoon

Harold was actually really good at this.. did jsut as good if not better than the guy teaching him

a peek in our room.. our bed faced this giant window that looked out into the water- I took a diagonal view so you could sort of see our back deck connected to our place

In the other room it had this coffee table that was a big see-through box that you could see down to the water. At night you could turn on lights to see if you could see any fish. We saw a few but not a lot

Our cabanas had its own little private dock attached where we could jump off and swim around as well as lounge chairs to lay out

this handsome fella looooves being in the water. It's nice and warm just like the Louisiana bayous he's used to.

Paradise.

Here's a (big) handful of pics from our honeymoon. I felt so lucky and appreciative to go to such an amazing place. It was so romantic and relaxing, (not to mention I couldn't ask for better company.) Just looking at these pics makes me want to go back.. maybe a 10 year anniversary?! (hint hint dearest husband..)

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so i never have to live without you." -AA Milne

May 14, 2011

2011-06-27T08:44:00.000-06:00

I know it's late (we've already had a 1-month anniversary!) but I couldn't help to relive and share a few pictures of the best day of my life and the man I get to spend the rest of eternity with..

"What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined... to strengthen each other... to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories."

-George Eliot

love, Mrs. Abell

*p.s. my pictures were taken by the wonderful Justin Hackworth.. and there are a couple pics here that were taken by my lovely new sister Mary Martha (hers are the ones without the copyright logo)

COMING SOON: pics from our honeymoon!

Coming soon

2011-06-20T07:13:00.000-06:00

Remember me? I know i have been the worst at blogging lately, but between my wedding, honeymoon and moving to Pensacola, FL I've been a little busy. But don't you worry friends, as soon as we get Internet at our place I'll be uploading some pics and giving you all the update. In the meantime, come visit us in Florida! (and if that doesnt convince you maybe our white sand beaches will..)

harold the baller

2011-03-31T16:24:00.003-06:00

Last night Harold had an intramural tournament basketball game.

He's been at BYU for about 7 years now and has competed and played many intramural tennis matches and basketball games, and even played on some inner tube water polo, soccer and flag football teams as well. The guy has played a lot of intramural sports to say the least. In fact I have lost track of how many intramural championship tennis shirts he has won, which I have been a grateful recipient of such shirt from him. After all the games and tournaments he has played in, the guy has managed to not get too seriously injured in these intramural sports...

until now.

That's right. Harold has broken (fractured) his ankle on his last BYU intramural basketball game (in fact, last intramural sports game at all, since he is graduating and we are moving away from cougar town).

the wounded baller

Well the story goes that he was going up for a three-pointer and when he came down his foot landed on the other player and his ankle rolled. ouch. (for the record he made the three-pointer- at least he went out with style!). I was not actually at the game since I was helping a friend with a special something (wink wink) and was actually up in salt lake when I got the call that Harold was in the hospital and had hurt his ankle. I felt so bad not being there to help him or be there for him at the hospital but luckily he has great friends that were there and took great care of him. I sped down the freeway as fast as I could and took over as soon as I got there. He was in good spirits and has been so tough about it and luckily not too much pain. He has an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on Monday to see what the official diagnosis is, what treatment he'll get and how long recovery will be...

Until then, we've got our engagement pictures to be taken this weekend so things might get real interesting. Don't be surprised if there's a pic of me giving him a piggy back...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come, let's be a comfortable couple and take care of each other! How glad we shall be, that we have somebody that we are fond of always, to talk to and sit with."
-Charles Dickens

for he's a jolly good fellow

2011-03-18T17:10:00.000-06:00

Today Harold officially finished his 160-page thesis. That's right, ONE-HUNDRED AND SIXTY pages. Can you believe that? I tell you what, I probably would have given up after about page 26 and thrown in the towel. But not this guy, he persevered until the bitter end and I couldn't be more proud. As we were talking about his great accomplishment we realized that ever since we have been dating he has been working on the thesis. There has always been talk of this day in the future when a time would come that he wouldn't have to work or even think about his thesis.. and at the time those days seemed so far away, and yet now they are here! The thesis has been defended, passed, revised, checked, revised again, checked again, bound, printed, submitted and finally in all it's glory been turned in today. It's been a long road coming but I am so proud he has finished and can enjoy the last few weeks of his masters program without the weight of the thesis riding on his back.

This picture captured a look of victory and accomplishment from Harold.. the exact feelings he is feeling right now

CONGRATS to the smartest (and most handsome) engineer I know! Now time to go out and paint the town red and bask in all his thesis-completion glory.

two months

2011-03-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

exactly 2 months until this guy and I tie the knot.

HOORAY!

..still lots left to plan though!

agassi v. sampras

2011-03-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing that Harold and his family loves it is Tennis. Which is why it came to no surprise that Harold and his buddy Kent bought tickets half a year ago to the Agassi v. Sampras exhibition match in New York City, and lucky for me I got a ticket too. So last week Harold and I headed to New York to see some of the tennis greats (for the record, Agassi is Harold's favorite player) and hang out with Harold's best friend Kent. I didn't take a lot of pics of us around the city because I did a lot of that last summer, but I did manage to get some pics of us at the tennis match.

Agassi and Sampras on the court @ Madison Square Gardens

Mcenroe and Lendl played first.. more tennis greats

Andre Agassi. Harold's all-time favorite sport's player

Agassi v.

Sampras

I like this picture because you see Agassi looking up with the rest of the crowd watching the video that they played of clips from the past games they had. Quite a history these two share.

die hard fans. harold and kent- best friends

thumbs up is always cool.. and Kent is that some sort of gang sign?

PASSION.

Agassi and Sampras after the match. unfortunately Sampras won..

cute.

It was a great game and so cool to see the retired pros play. I especially loved watching Harold get so excited about it all- like a kid in a candy store. Since dating Harold I have been to a lot of his matches and have started to understand and appreciate the sport. It's so exciting to watch and when there is a long rally I feel like I am holding my breath until the point is won. And then there is the whole mental game that is such a huge factor in this sport- which has been something that has really interested me. It all makes me eager to become a better tennis player and keep getting taught by my man.

We had a great time in New York and this was definitely the highlight.

Introducing:

2011-03-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Mr. Beckam Hall Cook

is that a smile I see..

My new nephew!! He is precious in every way.

he doesn't like the bright light of my camera.

Dad (my brother) with his two other kids- brother on the right (Preston) has no idea what's going on our how this new little baby is going to rock his world. and take all the attention away from him. clueless.

the happy family. yep, 3 little boys. bless mom's soul.

his favorite aunt! we love eachother.

I love Baby Beckam and wish I could hang out with him everyday.

moving.

2011-03-07T14:21:00.001-07:00

Harold and I have finally found out where we will be moving (for Harold's job) after we get married!! Want to know where..??

....

I'll give you a hint:

It borders a very large body of water (an ocean, a lake, what could it be???)

...

It's in the south (getting warmer, literally)

...

It's know for these:

(photo from the actual place)

....

figure it out yet?

....

well if you guessed:

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

then you are correct!!!

That's right folks, come this june we are headed to Pensacola, Florida. We were not expecting this at all (we were told we would most likely be sent to one of three places and this wasn't on the list), but we are very excited to head south and enjoy the beach! sounds more like an extended honeymoon to me.

Well after hearing about this great news, I have been doing some research on this place, where it is, and what it is close to. Here is a map to give you some reference:

(the red dot)

We will be right along the Gulf of Mexico, and it looks like Alabama will be our next door neighbor with Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana all close by.

Sounds like home to my Southern Man.

We will be 3 hours from New Orleans.

6 hours from Harold's home town in Monroe, Louisiana.

8 hours to Savannah, Georgia- which I hear is quite a beautiful place.

and less than an hour to Alabama and just a couple more to get to Mississippi.

but most importantly, we are a mere 7 hours away from THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER (harry potter theme park). That is quicker than a trip to Cali. You better believe I will be making the trek to go here. can. not. wait. (hp fans, invited to join me in my travels).

Basically I am stoked to be moving here and excited for our adventures to start! And remember visitors are most definitely welcome, so if any of you friends out there need a little beach time and some rays, come join the fun in Pensacola, Florida (wow, sounds like I should be a tour guide there or something, wonder if they're hiring.?.)

I think this news of living in warm weather and close to a beach is making this dreary winter day much more bearable. cheers to the sun!

what to see, and not to see

2011-02-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of movies I have seen recently. and my opinions.

SEE: Temple Grandin

This movie is fantastic. It is based on a true story of an autistic woman who is an animal behaviorist that has a big hand in helping the cattle industry, as well as her issues of being autistic during a time when know one really understood it. It is such an interesting film and so insightful in trying to understand autism. The movie was well made and Claire Danes acting is superb. Not your typical film, but give it a chance and I think you'll like it.

DON'T SEE: Unknown

If you were like me and thinking this recently released film would be almost like the sequel to Taken, it's most definitely not. Very anti-climactic and Liam Neeson is half the man he was in Taken. The whole movie I felt like I was waiting for it to get good and exciting.. and then it ended and I was still waiting. And it didn't help that the acting was that great either. I'd say save your $9 and wait 'til the dollar theater or redbox.

SEE: Evita

Harold and I watched this a month or so ago but it is a fantastic movie. Based on the musical Evita by Andrew Lloyd Webber. If there is one thing you should know about me is that I love Mr. Webber and his musical talents- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an absolute favorite of mine. So it came to no surprise that I would enjoy another one of his works. Plus it is based on the true story of Evita which is very interesting. A poor girl that makes her way to the top of the social class and ends up as wife to Argentina's president. The people love her and she does a lot to help them. Great music, great story, and an overall great film. It's a true musical so there is really hardly any talking at all- everything is sung. Oh and did I mention MADONNA is Evita. She does a great job.

That's all folks.

Next on the list to see: Never Say Never. We'll see if I catch the fever.

dream home

2011-02-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

How precious is this house? Well turns out this little beauty is for sale in South Carolina, which could potentially be one of the places we move to come this June for Harold's job. There's a few other places that we could be sent to so we'll just have to play the waiting game for now.

Looking forward to the future (May 14th in particular!)

save the date.

2011-02-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention in the last post but we've picked a date..

May 14, 2011

I feel so great about this date. I love the idea of a spring wedding. I love flowers, blossoms, sun, and warmth- and I think we all know that there is nothing better than those warm spring days after dealing with such a cold, harsh winter. So here's to praying and hoping that May 14th will be warm and sunny and basically the best day ever. I feel really good about it.

hope to see you all there!

the story.

2011-02-09T13:19:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my soon to be sister, Mary Martha, she was able to capture some great pictures of me and Harold's engagement. Before the pics I'll share a quick version of the story..

February 1, 2011: Harold and I had made plans to go to dinner for my birthday because I was going to miss it due to a business trip. While on his way to pick me up he suggest this great little restaurant up in Heber called The Spicy Lady, where we have gone before. He told me there was a guy playing a guitar that night and it should be a fun time. However he made it very clear that it was my birthday and my choice and so if I didn't want to no pressure.

Well the guy knew me too well and knew that I would definitely go along with it.

So up the Provo Canyon we go!

In the car ride I bring up my trip to Houston and what he is going to do while I am gone. He tells me he is going to go hunting and then casually "remembers" that he needs to get his gun and that if we have time could we stop in Wallsburg, where his family's ranch is, to get his gun.

The only if we have time convinced me and I didn't think anything of it.

So as we are getting closer to Wallsburg I tell him that we will have time and may as well stop before dinner to get it.

So easy for this guy.. I mean I suggested that we stop. He didn't even have to convince me to stop before.

Well we pull up to the ranch and I notice there is a light on inside but again I just think someone forgot to turn out the lights.

completely oblivious.

We get out of the car and are walking to the door and as we approach it, I can see through the windows on each side, all the splendor within.

candles. hundreds of them.

roses everywhere.

petals all over the ground.

giant pictures of us blown up real big.

and a giant sign that says "will you marry me?"

Well at this point I finally caught on. go figure.

We entered the house and as we get inside he says he has a question to ask me..

I wonder if it is the same one on that extra large sign, hanging from the ceiling?

Well my man got down on his knee, pulled out the ring and asked me for my hand.

ahhhhhhhhhhh.

I said yes.

and we kissed, laughed, hugged, and carried on.

It was very surreal and I couldn't believe that I was actually engaged.

Oh, and did I mention he had a whole dinner ready waiting for us- martinelli's and all?

It was the best "birthday dinner date" ever.

After our special moment I was informed that Mary Martha had lit all the candles so she was hiding in her car behind the barn whilst he was asking me. So after we had our moment she drove out and came in and took pictures of everything. Here's just some of the pics of our little "engagement photo shoot"

the reenactment

It was the most amazing evening.

I love him.

-love, the future Mrs. Abell

YES

2011-02-06T16:52:00.000-07:00

It's true, I'm engaged and couldn't be happier!

(more pictures coming soon)

part 3, Guatemala

2011-01-31T16:42:00.001-07:00

Alas, the Belize pictures come to an end. This last roll of pics come from our day trip to Guatemala where we visited the Mayan ruins in Tikal. These were some amazing ruins. I have seen some ruins before in Mexico but these definitely outdid those. Huge temple after huge temple, Tikal is quite a site to see. If you ever get the chance, GO.

(so I felt like I had to do these pictures extra large as to try and show the magnitude and magnificence of the ruins)

this tree was suuuuuper tall. and don't you think it looks a bit "suess-ical"

the first ruin we saw.

trying to spell "tikal" at the top. not sure what the person in the middle of "I" and "K" is doing..

we are far above all the greenery and jungle. If you look in the distance you can see a couple of ruins, plus some mounds that are more temples and buildings that just haven't been uncovered

the whole gang on top of one of the temples- trust me, we're up real high.

Harold is all that is left of the human pyramid we made ourselves in front of this. hence the reason he is on all fours.
the foundation.

taking a break from all the ruin hiking (and all those steps)

Harold and his little guatemalan buddy. He served his mission here and loved being with the people again

more ruins

try and notice how big this temple is and how small the people at the top are.

amazing.

more ruins hidden in the jungle (this was taken on top of a temple)

Jaguar Temple (the sand part to the left that you can see half of is where they did the sacrifices, for some reason I always thought they did it at the tops of the temple but I guess not.)

These were rooms- often wear royalty and nobles lived (Adam and JEss sitting on the steps)

more ruins surrounding the temple, where the royalty/wealthy lived

On our way home we passed this amazing lake in Guatemala that is supposedly their "cleanest" lake, not sure if that actually means much, but it was enough to convince us so we all jumped in and after watched sunset on the dock.

Harold and I

Annie and Alex. such a precious picture.

the whole crew plus another couple that was on the tour too. A great day to end such a great trip.

cheers to a great trip, great people, great food, great weather, and great memories. (I think we need to make this a tradition, eh guys?)

The End.

part 2.

2011-01-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are more pictures from my trip to Belize..

Harold and I drank a lot of this on the trip. I heart fanta. don't ya wanta?

our hotel made this awesome floral arrangement while we were away..I thought it was such a clever tropical creation- especially with the conk shell being used.

our hotel had canoes you could take out and it's own little private dock.

the boys

the gals

Harold and Celisa admiring "supper" - fresh lobster

One night we went to a reggae club and we were the first ones there and had the whole dance floor to ourselves. It was hilarious and we had a great time dancing the night away with a fluorescent pole..

Turns out Trent is quite flexible

pole dancers.. kidding! it was just fun and games, guys

a couple of the places that we went to had swings for chairs- including the reggae place. Such a fun idea I thought.

Celisa got some braids thinking it was only 5 belize dollars (like $2), turns out it was $5 USD

The rest of us joined, although we could have easily done 2 french braids ourselves for free ninety-nine. oh well. the ladies were nice and fun to talk to.

Annie opted out for the french braids and got what is called "around the world" braid. I think there was a miscommunication because I don't think this is what Annie was planning on. Regardless this hairstyle was hilarious and out of her face- not to mention she got her 5 US dollars worth, win-win.

We left the island and went inland Belize to San Ignacio. We got a local tip from one of our braiders about a cool natural waterfall/pool hangout that the locals go to that is free. We jumped on the idea and landed in this beautiful oasis:

Investigating the water depth (it's also a bit higher from the water than you think)

Harold may look unsure here but he jumped in too

I feel like we look photoshopped into this background- but no joke guys, it's real.

the falls were located outside of town so we got dropped off by a guy and was told to meet him back in an hour or so along side the main road. some were a bit worried he wouldn't come get us but he most definitely did. great guy!

best buds

our view in San Ignacio at our hotel. take me back.

Well that's a wrap, folks. Only one more batch of pictures left and that is of our little excursion to see the ruins in Tikal, Guatemala.. stay tuned!

~intermission~

2011-01-27T10:27:00.000-07:00

I had to hold a quick intermission before next batch of Belize pictures.

why?

Because jimmer is my hero and last night's game was AMAZING. #9 BYU beat #4 San Diego Aztecs.

It was an insane game. the cheers were deafening. the crowd was insane. every. single. person. was on their feet. with good reason if you saw Jimmer score FORTY-THREE points.

Well lucky for us, Harold and I were able to go witness where amazing happened (thanks Mary Martha).

..and see the Aztecs get Jimmered.

the fans rushed the court and of course Harold and I couldn't resist

Jimmer is somewhere in that mess trying to get to the locker room. Notice harold in the top right corner- he was able to touch Jimmer and tell him he loved him. I think everyone felt that way last night.

happy cougar fans!

flash makes you look tanner. cool.

so proud to be a cougar right now.

the unbelizeable trip, part 1

2011-01-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

I belize it's about time I posted some of my Belize pictures. Being that there are a lot I think I may have to do a couple posts as to not overwhelm you. The trip was great- I mean it's a no brainer when you have warm weather, a beach, great company, and good food. But from here on out I'll let the pictures (and my captions) do the talking.

on the plane, ready to ditch the cold in Utah and get to the warm sun in Belize!

Waiting to take the boat to Caye Caulker- the island we stayed on.

the guy has some great dance moves.

- Now to introduce our group: -

Alex & Annie

Adam & Jess

Celisa ... and ... Trent

(and of course Harold and I but I didn't get a shot of us on the roof since I was taking the pics)

Seriously though, this group was the bomb. After the trip I missed waking up with all these people and being them all day everday. and I am pretty sure the sentiments are returned.

anyways.. moving forward

just walking around the island. caye caulker is just a tiny little island that is about 4 miles long and a half mile wide. No cars are allowed here, just golf carts and bikes- like this rando is doing in the pic. I loved that you could get everywhere on foot- such a fun little beach town!

Once we arrived on the island I don't think Al wore shoes once. or a shirt. the guy knows how to do a vacation right.

Harold makes friends with this random local who turned out to be quite the gem. Probably a bit drunk but he gave us quite a laugh. Anytime you said something like "love" "appreciation" "thank you" he would say, "hey, how'd you know my name?" We all thought it was hilarious. (maybe you had to be there?)

"appreciation" and Alex dancing

We told "love" it was our friend Jess' birthday so he said he was going to make a birthday crown for her. So he got some leaves and sticks and some how fashioned this lovely hat for jess.

Jess fashioning the birthday hat with "thank you"

buddies

the gang.. but how about that scenery?

just two buddies just enjoying a nice sunset on the beach..

nothing like ending a fun day with a fabulous lobster dinner (I even tried it and liked it)

these guys really bonded on this trip.. true friends rub ocean potion on each other.

-bored yet? good, let's keep going-

this picture is for mary martha.

all the girls. again, wouldya look at that scenery???

celisa thought we should have a pic of just us 3. a bit silly since we are all friends, but the three of us have been friends since elementary school.

Trent found this star fish and we had some fun with it..

annie's first encounter with a starfish.

so silly

Celisa tried to make it stick to her.. but to no avail

Sorry to make such an abrupt ending to these pics but I got to run. Hope this first dose leaves you wanting more and coming back to part 2 of this trip.

p.s. go cougars tonight! team jimmer baby!

you better belize it!

2011-01-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

Soooo... I'm going here tomorrow...

(belize)

because I decided it is just too cold in Utah right now.

plus, I just got scuba certified and need to put it to good use right?

I thought so too.

Be back [hopefully not too] soon with some pics.
(and hopefully tan skin)

ciao!

come to my birthday party, I'll make you a match.

2011-01-10T14:39:00.001-07:00

This is me and my cousin Nicole.

Nicole came to my birthday party last year.
as did my best guy friend from high school, Tyler.
They met at the party and started talking.

They flirted.

and basically went googly-eyed over eachother.

Later that night they both (at separate times) told me they thought the other was pretty darn cute.

my little matchmaking head got all sorts of ideas.

so I swapped some numbers and talked each other up.

soon one contacted the other.

and a date was set.

and then another.

and another.

and then a lot more texting, calling, talking, dating, hugging, kissing, and some serious talking.

that brought them to this point:

ENGAGED.

yep, my best guy friend in high school is marrying my cousin.

couldn't be happier.

this, my friends, is a small world.

the happy couple.
(you're welcome guys)

p.s. for the record, they are the SECOND couple to be getting married after meeting at my (and Mandi's) birthday party. just sayin. FYI, my birthday is coming up soon...

candy shoppe for life

2011-01-06T16:39:00.001-07:00

Had dinner with these girls last night. The candy shoppers were reunited. I'd say we've done a pretty good job at keeping in touch since the sad day of moving out of provo's best house, the candy shoppe. Some of you are probably thinking right now that we are a little too obsessed with this whole "candy shoppe" thing and each other- but if you lived there too, you'd understand. The year of the candy shoppe was a year I'll never forget.

kellee, rebbie, sarah, mandi, kylie, maryjane

here's to the cutest little house south of campus, to world's best couch, to 6 girls that needed each other that year, and to being friends for life. here's to the candy shoppe.

(and here's to JK Rowling for her brilliance with words):
"I am nearly finished. I have one last hope for you, which is something that I already had at 21. The friends with whom I sat on graduation day have been my friends for life. They are my children’s godparents, the people to whom I’ve been able to turn in times of trouble, people who have been kind enough not to sue me when I took their names for Death Eaters. At our graduation we were bound by enormous affection, by our shared experience of a time that could never come again, and, of course, by the knowledge that we held certain photographic evidence that would be exceptionally valuable if any of us ran for Prime Minister."
-JK Rowling, Harvard Commencement Speech

thanks for the encouragement, Victor.

2011-01-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

"Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart."
-Victor Hugo

This is exactly how I feel.

hello 2011.

2011-01-03T17:19:00.003-07:00

More pics! I'm really doing great at this whole taking pictures thing with my new camera. I just hope I don't get carried away and become like my study abroad self- that was out of control. I think some of you know what I'm talking about. Anyways here are some pics from NYE (new year's eve) festivities. I'll let the captions do the talking:

At Tucanos for lunch with friends (one of the friends is moving away)

besties.

getting ready to go out for NYE. how handsome is he in that cowboy hat??

dinner at a yummy place in SLC called The Copper Onion. we recommend it.

some call us twins.. what do you think?

there's a funny story to this. so I wasn't exactly thinking about spending much time outside in the cold when putting on my NYE getup- hence the reason I chose a pair of heels over some warm boots and socks. I liked to get dressed up sometimes and tonight was one of those nights. Well turns out we decided to go to EVE, a party that SLC was throwing downtown where they closed off the road and have free concerts, entertainment, live snowboarding/skiing tricks, and fireworks. Well thankfully they had indoor events because after walking around for 5 minutes my no-socks-feet were fuh-reezing. We went inside for the indoor concert and Harold made this clever wrap out of his scarf and warmed up one foot while he rubbed the other one warm. and look at him up there, happy as ever to do it! looks like i'm not the only inventor.. right sarah?

more pics while warming up

Rather than stand out in the cold again we decided to go back to Harold's car and watch the fireworks from there. Luckily we had a great spot and view of the fireworks. We brought in the new year in a nice warm car, some music and front row view of the fireworks (and a new year's kiss! a first for me.. must be a good omen for 2011)

Hellloooo 2011!

pedicure date

2011-01-03T11:36:00.001-07:00

A few months ago Harold and I went to get pedicures because, well the guy loves foot massages and anything to do with feet. And I hear from other pedicure-going-men that it is the best kept secret us women keep. Harold would agree. So because he loved it so much the first time I decided to get him a little gift card (to put in his christmas stocking) to go back and get another one at our favorite place (Nail Expo). Here he is loving his life:

pure joy.

During the pedicure Harold asks "Twe" tons of questions about feet, his webbed toes and such. She thinks he is absolutely hilarious and we have great convo with her. we love her.

a festive red for me

I have always loved getting pedicures and now that I have a man that loves it too is even better! I'm hoping this becomes a tradition with us.

pedicure + talking + relaxing in massage chairs + dinner after = great date

first roll of film

2010-12-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well as promised I have got some pics for you from my new camera! It's a fun little digital camera that is small enough to fit in my pocket and take with me everywhere. Here are some first pics that I have taken:

Christmas Morning:

Christmas morning.. can you tell we had just woken up? (not together, obviously)

some of the siblings (we missed you Kat, Christy, Ryan, and baby Ava)

lil preston. kids make christmas so much more fun.

harold and I are obsessed with this game on the ipad called DOFL ball. He currently holds the high score.

If there is one thing I have had a lot of this christmas time is all the wedding receptions. This is Chelsey's Wedding and their reception that turned out great.

harold and I (wearing the scarf my mom gave him- cute!)

I heart them.

A great pic of us ladies, if I do say so myself

Mary Jane and Kevin (darling couple on the right) just got married last week. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera yet or I would have snapped some pics of their wonderful wedding. Kevin got officially inducted as an honorary candy shopper at their wedding. lucky guy!

One of my fave couples ever. they're great at hosting third wheels.

babes.

Got a picture with the bride (in the pink coat) before she left. (the stranger struggled using a camera)

and alas, the reason we were celebrating. I wish I had a better shot of her great dress.

The wedding turned out great and some of the girls pictured above did a surprise dance/skit for chelsey. It was hilarious and if they don't mind I may have to post the video on my blog... ladies?

Well that's a wrap for the first roll of pics. Don't worry, there are more to come soon.

new head..

2010-12-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well actually I have a new blog header.. not a head. But I figured if you saw "new head" as the title you might be more apt to read it. So looks like I got your attention, but now the trick is to keep it. Don't worry, I'll keep it short. Basically I was getting sick of my old hearder and had some down time at work and decided to make a new one. And being that I was at my work computer I didn't have Illustrator to make it so pretty sure I created this little guy in Paint... yes, the little painting game that has been on PC computers since the 90's and has not changed or upgraded since. Hence the colors and lines don't look as good. Keep this in mind when taking a peak... so whaddaya think?

Also,

When I typed in "new head" into google this is the first picture it showed:

creepy.

robots that look like humans creep. me. out.

busy.

2010-12-27T15:56:00.002-07:00

I've been busy this holiday season...

attending holiday festivities with this guy:

at the annual drew ludlow christmas party

shopping for family and friends.

eating. way. too. much.

preparing a relief society lesson.

attending winter weddings.

spending time with the fam.

watching movies. ps. true grit is amazing. go see it.

sleeping in, taking naps, and relaxing.

hiking with my mom and friend up the provo canyon- they go hiking almost every morning. and lemme tell ya, they are quite the hikers. I was keeping up with them rather then the other way around.

enjoying CHRISTMAS. (with the man above)

taking pics with my new camera.. pics coming soon!

so clearly there hasn't been much time for blog posts. however I hope to be back in full force with more pics to my posts. Like my cousin said, "I don't care about your artsy-fartsy stuff, I just want to know what's going on in your life and see pictures." well said, Kim. ;)

Hope your Christmas break was as good as mine.. and longer! (already back to work.. welcome to adulthood)

FILM: Joyeux Noel

2010-12-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

I realize I have been slacking on the posting for the past while but it's hard to find time in the holiday season! Between Christmas parties, shopping, friends and family gatherings, etc I have found little time to write a post- let alone read blogs. (I think my reader is up to about 500 unread items.. eek!) However I found some time last night to watch a Christmas movie. I love watching movies and I love Christmas so it is a no-brainer that I like Christmas movies. This was one I hadn't seen yet but was suggested by my friend Mandi and it didn't disappoint. The movie is Joyeux Noel and it is a fantastic, touching Christmas film. The movie is set in the time of World War 1 and is about how the Germans, French, and Scottish cease fire and befriend each other on Christmas Eve. It is inspired by a true story. My words don't do the movie justice so go watch it for yourself because it is really a great film and quite an amazing story- a Christmas movie must-see.

What are some your favorite Christmas movies you enjoy watching?

What if Christmas..

2010-12-08T11:18:00.003-07:00

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

-Dr Seuss

For more on the true meaning of Christmas go here.

p.s.

don't ya just love Christmas music? I sure do- and here's one (of many) favorites.

grateful for louisiana

2010-12-03T16:05:00.002-07:00

As promised, here is a post with pictures of my trip to Louisiana for Thanksgiving. Before going straight to Monroe this time around we decided to go early and take a trip down to Baton Rouge and New Orleans. A big part of the reason we went early was to attend the LSU v. Ole-Miss football game which was amazing and we had great seats thanks to Harold's best friend's family. And since we were already down south we decided to hitch a ride with Harold's friend down to Nola and he was gracious enough to also let us sleep on his couch. New Orleans is great and most of my pics come from our time there. We spent a lot of time walking around the French Quarter (great vintage and boutique shopping - minus bourbon street) and took a trolley train through uptown and saw some of the most amazing houses. Oh and did I mention it was like 80 degree weather? After that we headed up to Monroe (North Louisiana) where Harold's from and had a great time with family, friends, bayou bowl, late night movies, horse rides, ping-pong and basketball tourneys, good food, car racing (wink wink), shopping and a bunch of other fun things..

Now I'll let these phone-captured pictures do the talking:

At LSU game - GEAUX TIGERS!
p.s. I need to buy new glasses- these are much too big for my face.

Best pals- Kent and Harold. Thanks Kent and family for great seats!!!!

Mike the Tiger. Yes, that is a REAL, LIVE TIGER in that cage- it is LSU's mascot. For years I have been lobbying for BYU to get a real life cougar and now I see it can be done. Although I doubt PETA is very happy with them. But who cares, this is so cool! I kinda wish I went there so I could visit Mike the Tiger in his $6 million habitat everyday.

After the game we went to a popular bar and played some shuffleboard. Kent was a rockstar at it but I held my own for a beginner.

Nothing quite like New Orleans- this is the Saints party bus that drives around on game days blasting music and carrying partying, drunk people.

This little treat in my hand is called a Beignet, aka a french donut. Can you say scrumptious? It's like a soft little pillow of sweetness covered in powder sugar. what more could a girl with a sweet tooth want?

We walked into a mask shop which are very popular here- especially during mardi gras. They were actually quite stunning and if I had a better camera you could see the colors and detail. Too bad I don't get invited to too many masquerades..

This is where authentic jazz happens. It was sort of a darker room so can't really tell but we listened to some good jazz by these guys and it was fantastic.

I didnt take this picture (just found it online) but this is a glimpse of what the houses in uptown New Orleans looked like. Absolutely beautiful and amazing architecture.

Now back in Monroe riding horses. That's little Cutler (Harolds nephew) riding with me

Like I said in previous post if you want to see more pictures of us in Monroe, head over to Mary Martha's blog because she took some great ones.

I had quite a great Thanksgiving and am thankful for all those that made it so great! (Especially the Abell's and Clawson's! What a trip!)

coming soon...

2010-12-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

A post about my fabulous Thanksgiving trip to Louisiana.. This time we also took a trip even further down south and experienced Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Quite a fun excursion. I took pictures on my phone (my camera is broken) however, since I left my phone charger in Louisiana the phone has now died and wont be able to get the pictures until I get my charger- which will hopefully be today. Be warned that the pictures aren't great quality since they are coming from my phone's camera which has the zooming capability of just about what squinting your eyes can do..

But if you want a preview of our time in Monroe with Harold's family and Thanksgiving festivities, head over to Mary Martha's blog for some great pictures she took. She's quite the closet photographer.

les miserables + deathly hallows

2010-11-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Can we talk about how great this musical/book is? So last night Harold and I (and friends) went and saw the live concert production of Les Miserables. Last night was the 25th anniversary of the play and they were hosting a special live production from London sent out to theaters across the nation. It was more of a concert of all the characters singing all the songs than the actual play. They still went through the whole story and had some minimal acting- but all-in-all it was all about the music - which is absolutely fine by me. The music is spectacular and can bring tears every time. Our Jean Valjean was fantastic- his rendition of Bring Him Home was unreal. Of course seeing the actual play live on the second row is tough to beat (did that when I was on my London study abroad) but we still thoroughly enjoyed the concert. At the end they brought out the original 1985 cast for the musical and had them sing a few songs. Yeah, the original Jean Valjean sung Bring Him Home again. double whammy. They also brought out the writers of the play as well as the producer. Hats off to them. If you haven't got the chance to see Les Miserables, than I suggest you go.. and if you are from Utah, I hear it is coming to the Capitol Theatre this May. You better believe I'll be going to that.

In London back in 2007. I need to go back.

Also, Harry Potter 7 comes out tonight and I couldn't be more excited. You better believe I am going to the midnight showing, will be dressing up, and will be extremely tired the next day at work- but all worth it for the HP. Luckily this is only part 1 and this wont be my last day of attending opening night of something HP related. Maybe they should create a Harry Potter musical. How great would that be? Combining like two of my favorite things.. could it get any better? I submit that it could not. Call me crazy, call me weird, call me whatever, but I'll be an Harry Potter fan for life. This post explains it all.

aren't these movie posters awesome? and Helena Bonham Carter makes an amazing Bellatrix. even though I hate Bellatrix. RIP sirius.

birthdays in louisiana

2010-11-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Louisiana with Harold to attend his Grandma's 85th birthday. She is the classiest lady and looks absolutely fabulous for her age- a true southern belle. It was a short trip- got in friday night and left sunday evening, but still enough time to have some fun. The luncheon for her birthday turned out great and there was even an after party- Harold's little nephew turned 2 and we celebrated with a little party after the luncheon. A day of birthdays- which as some of you might know is a great day since I love birthdays so much.

Mary Martha (Harold's sister) took some great pics on the trip and here is one of my faves from the luncheon.

the little boy is harold's nephew - cutest little guy

Needless to say it was a great trip- I even got to see the small country town where Harold was born and spent the first 9 years of his little boyhood adventurous life. I think like 100 people live there and there are these really cute, old white churches- we're talking pre-civil war here. They are like the ones you read about in books or hear about in country songs. precious.

But turns out this short trip wasn't enough for us- Harold and I are actually going back to Louisiana for Thanksgiving- and going early to visit Baton Rouge and New Orleans first. So excited!

good thoughts

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

"A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely." -Roald Dahl

I love this quote by Roald Dahl- remember reading his books when you were little..? The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox, or my personal favorite The BFG. All such good reads, I just love how imaginative and clever his writing is. Well this quote is no exception and oh so true. Something good to always remember.

My good thoughts today: scuba class tonight, go to louisiana in 3 days, this video, and the Reese's in my purse.

what's yours?

remember, remember

2010-11-05T16:06:00.001-06:00

..the 5 of November!

Ol' Guy Fawkes

Today is Guy Fawkes Day. A day of celebration for those in the UK. Since I lived there once upon a time ago I celebrated it while I was there and have always tried to remember the holiday since. and for those of you who don't know it is a celebration of the day Guy Fawkes and associates tried to blow up parliament. He was caught before it happened so many see it as a day of thanks.. sort of like our Thanksgiving I suppose... The holiday is spent by having huge bonfires (often people burn doll like versions of guy fawkes) and fireworks. When I celebrated it there I was in a little town called Whitam in the Essex area- we went to an entire festival the town was throwing with one of the biggest bonfires I have ever seen. (This is also where I was introduced to Kate Nash's lovely music, as they were playing it over the speakers).

and here's the traditional poem they use:

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent

To blow up the King and Parli'ment.

Three-score barrels of powder below

To prove old England's overthrow;

By God's providence [or By God's mercy] he was catch'd

With a dark lantern and burning match.

Hulloa boys, Hulloa boys, let the bells ring.

Hulloa boys, hulloa boys, God save the King (Queen)!

And here's a great movie to celebrate the day...V for Vendetta

HAPPY GUY FAWKES DAY

breaking news!

2010-11-04T15:33:00.002-06:00

INVISIBILITY CLOAK INVENTED

ok, ok. I'm getting ahead of myself. but I just came across a pretty legit article that claims we are one step closer to creating an invisibility cloak like the one in Harry Potter. I know, I couldn't believe it either but read the article to see for yourself. Something about bending light..

don't worry it's a short article:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20101104/tuk-step-closer-to-harry-potter-s-invisi-dba1618.html

Something about bending like and meta-something-or-other ..yada yada yada... but it sounds like the real deal. I figure if we can do all the magical stuff iphones can do than why not an invisibility cloak ya know?

Anyways I just thought everyone needed to know this extremely important news. We're one step closer to the magical world. Next step: brooms that can fly. If only I could play quidditch..

Had to add this hilarious picture of Harry Potter from the first movie using his invisibility cloak.. what a youngster he is!

oh young harry.

I'm a harry potter nerd and proud of it. and yes I already have my tickets bought for the 7th movie.

scuba steve

2010-11-03T16:59:00.002-06:00

Well from now on you can all call me Scuba Kellee if you like. Why you ask? Well because last night I started my first class of scuba diving lessons. I am doing it with a group of friends and we got a pretty sweet deal not to mention a great teacher who likes corny jokes just about as much as I do. In our first lesson we spent a lot of time "in the classroom" learning the basics of scuba diving, along with jumping the gun and asking him ridiculous questions.. "have you ever seen a dolphin while scuba diving?" -[and insert any other cutey animal I hope to see someday while diving]. "what are my chances of seeing a dead body while diving?" "I'm scared of sharks.. are they going to try and bite me?" and on and on. so silly. As you can see some of us were a bit jittery initially but as time went by I think we all got a little more comfortable. We eventually got to get in the water with all our gear and learn some of the basics including breathing under water. lemme tell ya- it's quite the experience. I felt like Harry Potter in the 4th book after eating gillyweed- minus the mutated gills. aka way cool. You're under the water and yet you can still breathe. It's hard to explain but trust me it is somewhat of a surreal experience- but totally cool. Well after going through some basic drills our cool teach let us go to the deep end (ooooh) and play around. Again way cool going to the deep end of the pool and hang out down there with no worries. I was just disappointed we didn't find any lost jewelry or pool toys. All-in-all it was a great first class and I look forward to my next 3 class sessions and then my final- 2 open water dives. Let's hope I pass!

This is what I hope to do if I pass:

see a sea turtle - but not touch one because you're not allowed- this guy didn't get the memo apparently.

dive with a dolphin.. because I love them.

I want to be this lady aka amy winehouse look-a-like. seriously though, our instructor told us that sea lions are hilarious and super friendly. So naturally I want to be friends with them.

FACT: scuba divers are more fun than normal people. (it's a scuba joke.. soooorry normal people)

halloween recap

2010-11-01T17:06:00.001-06:00

This halloween turned out to be a total success.

Harold and I dressed up as characters from the movie Up (if you haven't seen this movie yet go see it now, it is absolutely precious and a favorite of mine). Well I was the house with balloons attached and Harold was the cute little scout Russel. My ever so crafty sister-in-law created the "Up" house and it was done in absolute perfection. Seriously everyone was so impressed, including myself, and Harold made an excellent Russel- I mean he practically looks just like him... well at least he is just as precious..

We began Halloween night with a fun party that my friends Michelle and Heather threw. Michelle made yummy homemade pizza and we played the always favorite eatthedonutoffastringgame.. well my love for krispy kreme and all things donut really payed off because I beat all the girls and had the fastest time. something to be proud of eh?

dominating that donut.. slash making out with it.

these girls had no chance..

After that fun party we met up with Harold's buddies and went to a big dance party. I initially thought I was going to swear those off this Halloween but something always pulls me back in...I'll be a provo all-star before I know it. Well turns out I was happy I went because we had a great time. Harold and friends thought it would be a great idea to hoist me up on his shoulders and work the crowd, making it look as if the house was really floating. We took crowd surfing to a whole new level. It was great- everyone in this big, mosh pit dance party was looking up at me and my costume. If I did a fist pump, they responded with a fist pump. The crowd was mine. Many people took pictures of the house and me- I'm hoping that it will find itself in everyone's halloween album and rival all the festival of colors pictures.. ha! like that could ever happen. Well regardless it was a really fun night at the provo dance party scene and for a short bit I felt like I got my few seconds of fame. See girls, you don't need to be slutty to get attention. Unfortunately I don't have any pics of me floating above the crowd but perhaps you'll be able to find some on facebook

Well the party didn't stop there.. we continued on in the festivities and headed over to the stewart's house to enjoy a little karaoke party. I wish I had pictures from this- (the ice skating couple and gollum and frodo were particularly great) it was a night filled with some classic renditions and great costumes.. and of course more sweets. I was a sugary fiend all day. Well the late night karaoke sesh was the perfect end to a fantastic Halloween.

we love halloween

Don't you just love Halloween?

paul the octopus

2010-10-26T16:38:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately it wasn't until today that I heard about this Octopus named Paul. I say unfortunately because Paul the Octopus died today. Morbid, I know. But what makes Paul so cool (besides that him and my dad share a name) is that he was an oracle of sorts- apparently he had a perfect record (8 for 8) for predicting some of the World Cup games, even predicting the final game. Since octopuses don't talk (doi) they placed two plastic boxes with an octopus treat inside and the flags of each country on top. He would then grab the country's flag with his tentacle and lift it up to get the treat- that being his prediction. What a peculiar thing this all is. However when I saw this news story today I knew I had to pay my respects to the little 8-legged cephalopod- that's octopus in scientific lingo. I've attached a video below to show his final prediction. A little scary- perhaps not suitable for younger eyes or kids that have nightmares.

I am not sure if I am more amazed by his prediction or his ability to open up this box. All his tentacles wrapping around it make me a little jittery. Creepy little things but kinda cool, no? Well regardless, I think I may have just found my halloween costume...

RIP, Paul.

have you heard?

2010-10-25T17:19:00.000-06:00

Celine's coming back to the Colosseum.

the one and only.

so dramatic.

That's right. Celine Dion is coming back to Vegas to play at her favorite spot, the Colosseum. I was absolutely thrilled when I heard this because I was devastated that I missed my chance back in the day when she used to have a regular show there. While some of you may mock me for liking Celine Dion, you can't deny that the woman's got talent. Plus she is an entertainer and her show I am sure would be nothing short of magical. Just imagine hearing It's All Coming Back to Me live. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. Well for those interested her first concert is March 15 and goes on through the summer. You better believe all be road tripping with all my besties to go see it. Right girls?

p.s. pretty sure as I was looking up pictures of celine, my co-worker came over and saw my screen covered in pictures of celine. awkward? a little.

newsies + lady gaga =

2010-10-21T14:20:00.005-06:00

..a really good youtube video.

Never thought you'd see those two in the same sentences? neither did I. However when my bff sarah sent me this video I loved it so much I knew I had to share it with the rest of you. But don't think that is all, I have ulterior motives in this post which is to get you readers who haven't seen Newsies to go and watch it. now. It's a fantastic musical created by the one and only Kenny Ortega (This is It, High School Musicals, Gillmore Girls, etc.). This rendition with Lady Gaga may be fun but the real deal is even better. Between the dancing and catchy songs, I could seriously watch this movie over and over again. Oh and did I mention Christian Bale plays the lead Jack Kelly who is oh so dreamy? Seriously if you haven't seen it go watch it now. And if you have, come over and watch it with me cuz I am thinking I need to watch it ASAP.

"You get your picture in the papes, you're famous. You're famous, you get anything you want. That's what's so great about New York." -Racetrack

FILM: babies

2010-10-19T14:43:00.000-06:00

notice the caption: "everybody loves babies"
why yes we do.

Well it's no doubt that the documentary Babies was a film that would interest me- anyone who knows me knows that I am kind of obsessed with the little guys. So I finally got the chance to see this film a couple nights ago and I of course loved it. Surprisingly enough the movie is all about babies. 4 of them. They are all born about the same time but in different places (San Francisco, Namibia, Japan, and Mongolia) and in completely different circumstances. There is really not a lot of dialogue in the film (why would there be, babies can't talk) but I was kept interested regardless. Not only were the babies absolutely precious, but it was interesting to watch them grow and see them develop. Sure I could probably come up with a deeper analysis and talk to you about a compare and contrast of the babies upbringing but ultimately it's just a cute film about babies growing up. What's not to love about that? nothing, I tell you. So if you love babies and have 1 hour and 19 min of time to spare, than this might be a fun choice.

CAUTION: it may make you baby hungry, so for any young [married] couple out there not ready to have a baby, proceed with caution. you can't say I didn't warn you...

p.s. speaking of babies... how cute is my niece?!?! I'm such a proud aunt.

pic taken by her mom from her blog- but had to share it!

rooting for all of you..

2010-10-18T13:23:00.001-06:00

So today I read an uplifting list that my fabulous sister-in-law blogged about a day or so ago and I loved it so much I had to share a favorite part as well. The list comes from the book Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman) and the rest of the book looks absolutely darling that I just might have to buy it on amazon.

I need this book.

Amongst many wonderful things I read in the list my sister-in-law highlighted, one of my favorites said this:

Root for other people:
"We all tend to envy other people's successes. It's not intentional; somewhere in our DNA it seems to be programmed that for every success for someone else, there is one less success for us. For every book published, there is one less book we will publish; for every baby had, there is one less baby for us to have. Of course, that is illogical. Fight off those thoughts; there is an unlimited amount of potential for everyone in this universe. Championing others is kind, and even more, it's a display of optimism that will seep into you and color your view of this life."
-Jaime Morrison Curtis

Isn't that fantastic? How easy is it for all of us to sometimes get down on ourselves because we compare ourselves to other people's greatness. Instead shouldn't we focus on celebrating each other's greatness and creating our own?

So here's to celebrating all you great people out there. I admire all of you. Some of you are brainiacs getting your masters degree, while others are the wittiest and most clever writers I know. And others take stellar pictures or make the cutest crafts that Martha Stewart herself would be jealous of. Some of you have the most precious babies, hot husbands, and a closet full of fab clothes that naturally I'd be super jealous of, but instead I am rooting for all of you who are doing great and beautiful things in your own unique way, and am glad to call you friends (or people I'd like to know on my blog subscription list).

Who are you rooting for?

ms. mom

2010-10-13T16:38:00.000-06:00

So my mom has been gone for 3 weeks which means in the meantime I have taken over the role of commander-in-chief and been playing mom. thankfully she gets back in 6 days and you better believe there will be a celebration like no other when she returns. Between taking my siblings to school and swim in the morning (pretty sure swim is at 530 AM, tell me about it), driving them all over town, and feeding them, I have been ready to surrender the white flag to motherhood. I promise I love my siblings and like to help, but all this mom stuff wears me out. It doesn't help either that I have caught a terrible cold that does not seem to want to go away, although you'd think with all the water I'm consuming I would have drowned it out by now. not so. Well luckily things have gone just about as smoothly as you could ask for. No accidents, no dropping grades (as far as I know...), no house fires, and the kids even have clean clothes and a mostly tidy house to come home too. boo-ya. but now I think we are all ready for mom to regain her rightful throne and get this ship back in to tip-top shape. I've always appreciated my mom but my appreciation has increased ten-fold since I've taken over for her.. and that appreciation extends out to all you other mothers, both new and seasoned, out there. It's tough stuff and you deserve a shout out not just on mother's day. So here's to you moms (especially mine) for being selfless in everything you do and doing A+ work for the noblest job out there. here's to moms.

speaking of moms.. this is a picture of my baby neice, ava. she is clearly very precious and has an awesome mom who takes great pics and makes the most precious stuff for her.

FILM: the painted veil

2010-10-13T10:48:00.000-06:00

This movie review is on The Painted Veil. I watched it a couple nights ago and while it was my second time seeing it and I still loved it. It is a film set in the 20's located mostly in China, particularly in the rural parts. Needless to say the scenery captured is ah-mazing. But regardless of the beautiful cinematography, the story itself is powerful and is able to stand on its own. The plot is basically about a doctor (Edward Norton) fighting the cholera outbreak in a Chinese village and dealing with a loveless marriage and a wife who previously cheated on him. The outbreak and the doctors hand in it is interesting and historical but what really is worth watching is the story between the couple and the transformation they both go through. It is not your typical love story but I found it to have more depth than most love stories I've seen in the movies. There is a specific scene when the wife (Naomi Watts) is talking to the nun and the dialogue is particularly moving and shows an insight into what real love perhaps is. It was so good Harold and I rewound it to listen to it again and we had a discussion about it and the underlying theme in the film. I don't want to give too much away so go rent it and watch it for yourselves and you'll see what I am talking about. And don't let your husbands, boy friends, or guy friends be shyed away by this movie. It's not a chick flick by any means. Oh and did I mention the acting is great in this film? Naomi Watts and Edward Norton are the stars of this film and they do a fab job. So if you are looking for a movie with some depth to it than I'd fully recommend The Painted Veil.

forever young

2010-10-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

Most of you probably know that last year, my senior year in college, I lived in the most amazing house with the most amazing girls (and the most amazing couch). We were and still are very obsessed with this amazing place, also knowns as the candy shoppe. So if we are a little annoying with our candy shoppe jokes, cliquishness, and adding -ulls to every word, I apologize but if you lived there too you'd understand. It was a place of happiness. A true home away from home. A safe place. And a place we wished that time could've slowed down and the days there lasted longer. Some of my greatest college memories happened there with those girls- right up there with my London study abroad (which if you know how much I loved it, is not easy to match). Well in honor of our love and obsession, Kylie, the candy shoppe's own talented photographer, created this little video out of a photo shoot we did. I thought she did quite a great job. A great way to remember our good times there- including my hair disaster which is captured in this video.

candyshoppe. from Kylie Nixon on Vimeo.

Wish we could stay forever young and live in the candy shoppe forever.

thanks again, christopher c.

2010-10-11T17:05:00.000-06:00

First landing of Columbus on the shores of the New World: at San Salvador by Currier and Ives

Happy Columbus Day all! I thought I'd make a quick blog post to recognize this holiday for our dear ol' explorer Mr. Christopher Columbus himself. I'm really glad he sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and happened to come across our home sweet home. Unfortunately he wasn't cool enough to get us a real holiday where we actually get work off (except banks, they get everything off). Google didn't even do a cool homepage with some sort of clever columbus-inspired design. Sad because last week John Lennon got one for his birthday (it was actually pretty cool, if you clicked on the logo it played "imagine") and yet our own land's founder doesn't even get anything- I guess The Beatles were really that big. I hear though, that NYC does a Columbus Day parade so it is good to know this day doesn't go completely forgotten. Even better, my dear friend Cassie throws a Columbus Day party each year complete with DIY newspaper CC hats, sing-a-long songs AND she dresses up in a columbus-inspired outfit. She's an elementary school teacher so she rocks at stuff like this. Well you better believe I will be attending again this year, her zeal for the holiday has really made me appreciate it, including the inspiration to write this post. Let us not completely forget about the man who discovered America and take a second (even if work and Google don't) to recognize this guy. After all, "HE IS THE MAN!!!"*

Some CC facts:

-His real name is Cristoforo Colombo- either way I am sure he prefers to go by Chris.

-In 1906 it became an official state holiday in Colorado- wonder why they were first?

-1937 it became a federal state holiday- took us long enough, eh..

-And for whatever reason Nevada, South Dakota, and Hawaii don't recognize Columbus Day- sad.

*a lyric from one of the CC songs we sing at the party

well hello there..

2010-10-08T10:15:00.000-06:00

found this little guy when walking into my house. for whatever reason I have a strange fascination with snails, so when I came across this infant of a snail I was kind of excited. tiny lil guy isn't it? I've seen many snails before but never this small. If you are wondering how I noticed it, well, I tend to have a strong inclination to anything in baby version, particularly baby animals (you should see the movie Earth with me), so naturally I was able to spot it. Well I showed my brother and he informed me that snails are asexual. so they can all get pregnant and all have more baby snails. must be a lot of snails out there then. weird. not sure about this, but I still like you little tiny guy that greeted me after a long day of work.

ya, so I like snails, so what?

I love movies

2010-10-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

When people ask me what hobbies I have, often one of the first thing I think of is, watching movies. Probably sounds like a strange or at least a lazy hobby but I can't help but love a good flick- I even took a film class in college because I was so interested and wanted to understand more. I've never really had the aspiration to be a film director or anything like that but I do however feel that I can immensely appreciate their work.. That's good too, right? Well to help legitimize this hobby of mine I want to try and highlight a movie each week on my blog(and maybe this will help me be a more consistent blogger). And remember people- this is just my opinion, I'm sure sometimes we'll disagree. But let's still be friends, k? cool.

Well the most recent movie I watched was Penelope . An absolutely lovely, feel-good movie that I love watching time and time again. I would say this is more of a girly film, so consider it for the next girls night out or when you need a boost in your spirits. Anywho, Penelope is a film with beautiful, colorful cinematography (I think parts are filmed in London- automatic like by me). The outfits she (Penelope aka Christina Ricci) wears are absolutely precious- including her super fun "feathery" wedding dress. But besides the beautiful things to look at in this film it is a sweet story that leaves anybody (especially girls) feeling really good about themselves after. This film doesn't leave you with unrealistic dating expectations, make you depressed that you don't have a boyfriend, or that you don't look as good as the celebs you are watching- sounds like a hit to me! Overall, the story is about a girl that is cursed with a pig face (and you worried about your nose) from an old family curse. She thinks that the only thing that can break it is dating one of her own kind (blue blood- super wealthy) so off she is to find someone to break the curse- sounds a little cliche and childish, I know, but it's a little different than what you might think. More artistic, less cheesy lines that make you cringe (Que Letters to Juliet), and a deeper message we could all be reminded of every now and again. So get out there, put Penelope in your netflix que or shopping basket and enjoy this sweet little film- and even if you don't particularly like it you can't help but feel good after watching and that is always worth our time, right?

now get watching!

comic relief

2010-09-29T18:00:00.000-06:00

So I may or may not be one of the last to see this youtube video but I think it is hilarious. First of all his facial expressions are priceless and second of all this kid is probably like 9 but has the face of a 35 year old man- I think I see a faint mustache. Thanks for the comic relief, manchild.

inspiring

2010-09-28T12:25:00.000-06:00

This year's relief society broadcast was amazing and I recommend any of those who weren't able to attend, to watch/read it. President Monson's talk was particularly moving. The topic was about not judging each other and having charity - a concept we have all heard before but he teaches it in such a eloquent, moving way. He mentioned one of my favorite quotes, "If you judge people, you have no time to love them." -Mother Teresa and shared some great stories. A particularly great excerpt from his talk:

"Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down; it is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others."

Watch the broadcast here.

Wendy & the Lost Boys*

2010-09-27T17:10:00.000-06:00

My parents are out of town so I fed these starving "lost boys" for Sunday dinner. Besides the beef strips turned jerky fiasco I say everything went well! Just being mom/"wendy" for the time being..

satisfied smiles and full bellies

*Ronnie (head of table, with a ridiculous smile) later told my friend Mandi that I was like Wendy feeding the lost boys- hence the title of this post. Just giving credit where credit is due.

Harold- we (mostly me) missed you!

hired.

2010-09-21T13:59:00.000-06:00

Sorry day club, but as the last remaining survivor of this club I think it is time to put you to rest- I've got more serious things to do.. like work. For all those who weren't apart of day club (us graduated, jobless, often living at our parents, group of friends that would hang out during the day because we had nothing else going on), it was a real hit and we're sorry you missed out. We spent many warm summer days by the pool (whichever pool we could sneak into), driving around, eating, afternoon movies, shopping (with all the money we were NOT making), and anything else we felt like. But as the days grew a little colder and summer drew to an end, most of my fellow day clubbers went back to school or got jobs. I was left to carry on day club myself, and boy did I. But day club just isn't the same without any compadres, so I too took to looking for a job and after a few weeks of trying I feel lucky to have found myself working at OrangeSoda.* So day club, don't consider this a resignation from your club but more of a sabbatical. You know someday I hope to return.

Until then,

Kellee Marie Cook

Marketing Brand Analyst

t: 801.610.2626

*No, I do not work for a soft drink company, however, there is plenty of orange soda around and lots of orange in the interior decorating, but I do, rather, work for an online marketing that wants to add some "fizz" to the hum drum of online/internet marketing.

missing school

2010-08-30T10:33:00.000-06:00

Remember when I did this...

Well now that I am graduate I am no longer a school goer. Today is the first day of school for all the cougars (BYU students) and I find myself not being apart of it. In fact this is the first time since kindergarten (17 years or so?) that I have not and will not be having a first day of school. Sad. I've always loved school and am really jealous of all my friends who are having their first days today. But I am proud of myself to have finished my college degree and move on to the next phase of my life (hopefully I find a job soon..) and hey if I ever get really "school-sick" there is always grad school right Sarah and Mandi? Anyways, we all know one thing is for sure:
once a coug, always a coug:

proud cougars with their cougar claws

Southern Hospitality

2010-08-18T14:06:00.000-06:00

Well i did much better this time and took some pics while I was on my trip to Louisiana. I had a great time there and Harold's family showed us a great time-(We missed you though, Mary Martha & Andrew). I had never been to the real south before and needless to say I loved it! Here are some pics from my trip and unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries so I didn't capture everything. Most of these pics are from our 2 day trip to Natchez, Mississippi where we visited a lot of old Antebellum homes.

We started out by eating at this fun little restaurant- only in the south can they get away with a place like this- love it!

me and Harold's mom, Martha. also note the blueberry lemonade-delish!

This is where harold's grandparents lived there first year of marriage. They lived on the second floor and his grandmother told us that it was tradition for the husband to carry his new bride up the stairs to their new home, which his grandfather did for her. We found out later that the stairs were on the other side of the house but I love that tradition!


The place above is called the Elms and now is part of the garden club

This was the next plantation home we went to and it was huge! Very beautiful and if you can see tiny in the picture that will really put things into perspective for you

This is what I was standing on in the picture above. It is a little set of steps and was used to help them get on their horses. Not sure if it was just for the women or if men used it too...

Just relaxing on this nice big porch. I love how so many houses around here have big porches, I think I could get used to sitting around rocking on my porch all day.

I loved this cute blue home with the darker blue trip and the white detailing. I also thought it was a cool pic with the Natchez water tank behind it.

This home is called Stanton Hall and we actually went inside this one. It is amazing inside and out. These people must have had some serious money- thank you cotton.

A closer shot


This house is named Rosalie and another beautiful home. I love the contrast of the red brick in it.

The house above was right next to the Mississippi river. This was my first time seeing it. Huge.

This house's name has slipped my memory but is actually now owned by the government. It is under some renovation but you can still go inside which was neat to see. It also had the largest front lawn I have ever seen - like 2 football fields long. Maybe that's where the cotton was grown... ;)


This is Monmouth Plantation where we actually got to stay the night- It was a really beautiful place and we got to eat in the dining room and had a fancy 5-course dinner that was delicious on the most beautiful china set.

This is inside the house just right outside my room- cute lil china set!

You can see the house in the distance- so many homes had really large front lawns. Unfortunately I didn't capture the back of the house because they had some amazing gardens, ponds, and overall beautiful grounds to walk around.

Here we are driving up to one of my favorite homes, Longwood.


Here is a closer shot of the place but it is so big it is hard to capture it all. The house was actually never finished and when you go inside you can tell. It is 6 floors high and has a basement where the family actually lived. The owner had to leave for war and they weren't able to finish it so they lived in the basement. Unfortunately after the war they didn't have the means to do so and always lived in the basement. I couldn't take pictures inside it but the basement was well furnished and beautiful. The architecture of this house is really neat because it is in a circular shape and very unique especially for the time. had it been finished it would have been amazing. But the fact that it wasn't finished gives it a very historical, authentic feel because it help shows some of the effects the ward had on these people and how so many people lost their fortunes.

This is us at Windsor Ruins. This house burnt down soon after it was made. Apparently someone's thrown away cigarette started the fire and when it happened the family was not at home. The columns are huge and had it been saved it would have been one of the largest homes in the south. Sad that after so much work and money the place burned down- wish I could've seen it in its glory days.


Helps you show how big these pillars were. Even this picture doesn't do it complete justice.

Next we went to a little Mississippi town called Port Gibson. Really interesting little place and this was painted on the side of a wall and I thought it was fun

Ok so notice the captain moroni looking thing on top of this steeple? Well it is actually a gold hand with its finger pointed towards the sky/God. I thought it was pretty funny but great that everyone here loves God!

After this we went to Vicksburg but my camera died. Vicksburg was where an important battle was fought during civil war and it was a quaint little town that I enjoyed. We also went to the old courthouse where there was a sort of a pro confederacy museum there. haha. Only in the south. But it was really cool to see it and they had lots of interesting things in there.

Well unfortunately I didn't get many other pics outside of our trip to Natchez which I am bummed about but we had a lot of fun in Monroe, Louisiana where Harold is from. There is a river in his backyard which you can go boating on so we took the boat out and did some skiing. We also rode horses on the levy by his house which was fun to see the neighborhood and all the beautiful homes. We went to some local stops and ate at some really yummy places. I loved the trip and loved spending time with his family, including his mommie (grandmother) and his sister with her husband and 2 kids. I think it is safe to say we all had a great time even with the super hot heat!

I sure experienced some true southern hospitality...

Coming Soon

2010-08-09T10:28:00.000-06:00

Just got back from Lake Powell on Saturday and now I leave to Louisiana with Harold (we're going to visit his hometown) and I am so excited!!! I'll try to take lots of pics and post some when I get back.. look forward to it!

p.s. I think I like this back-to-back vacation thing- remind me why I would want to get a job???? Just kidding! I am still very much on the job hunt, so if you hear anything let me know (sorry about the shameless job plug but I am getting desperate people)

summer reads

2010-07-27T12:11:00.000-06:00

Isn't summer great? Not only is it the time of great weather, vacations, and bbq's but it is also a time when you are able to have more time to read good books. Taking a book to the pool or on vacation is prime, or if you are like me reading in the middle of the day whenever you want because you don't have a job yet also works. Recently I have finished a couple books and am just starting a new one. Here are my brief reviews on the two:

LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel

I really enjoyed Life of Pi. Many people may have read this in high school but I never did so I decided to read it. Ultimately it is about a boy stranded in the middle of the ocean on a boat with a tiger- but trust me it is not as weird as it sounds. The book is very symbolic and would actually be a great one to discuss. I really like how the boy talks about different religions and the message at the end. Some say the middle of the book drags on a bit but perhaps because I was forewarned I was kept interested the whole time. The writing is well done and overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it- especially if you had someone to talk to about it.

CATCHING FIRE (book 2 of Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins

Well for those of you who liked the first book of this series than I am sure you already read this book or are thinking about reading it. It's about as good as the first and of course always keeps you interested. Keep in mind it is a book for younger readers so it's a quick read and keeps you entertained more than it focuses on eloquent writing. But I think they are a fun series so if you are looking for an easy, fast-paced, quick read than I'd say this is your perfect laying-out-by-the-pool kinda read. The third book comes out in August!

Well for now that is it. I have just started THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett and hear great things- I'll let you know how it goes.. Aren't books the best?

"Good books are as friends, willing to give to us if we are willing to make a little effort." -President Hinckley