Hair cut!

Well, I saw my sister-in-law Jade during this fun trip and she'd gotten her hair cut and it was so cute. Then I saw Jana's sister Trisha's hair which was dang cute too and with a little encouragement and after toying with the idea for YEARS to chop off my hair... I finally did it. Now, I realize it's not super short but my hair has always been between 3 and 10ish inches past my shoulders. If my hair didn't fit into a ponytail for ballet then I was in trouble and now yes I can still make a ponytail but there are things flying out everywhere and it's more of a ponybob than tail. I love long hair, love the fancy things you can do and the curly things... but my hair doesn't like to hold curl and I don't do much with it so vuala! 

Before

(lovely pictures I know)

After

The first few days I thought I looked like I was 12, I'm working on taming it so I don't feel like I look like my little sister (she's beautiful by the way, I just want to look a bit older than her).  I do love how fast I can do it... long hair takes FORever to dry.  

My quick, packed, fun Utah trip

So, apparently I'm a picture-poster but hopefully a thousand pictures are better than a thousand of my garbled poorly worded sentences (but they'll be enough of those, no worries).  I loved being home for a bit, I needed it, loved every second of it.... the only down side was that Brandon couldn't come too and I missed him bunches.

Here are some of the highlights:

snow snow SNOW SNOW ...SNOW 

(That's supposed to be from the movie White Christmas, get it?)

It snowed just for me a few days after I arrived and I loved it!

I love Temple Square in the winter time. I love Temple Square! I love the reflection pond and I loved that they put Mary and Joseph there this year.  
Decorations... already mentioned that I love them but it's so fun to see my parent's decorations... we don't decorate much for other holidays but we have a whole storage room full of Christmas decorations at home.  It's a little Christmas land inside.  Love it.
I have realized this before but I am so blessed... for many many reasons but one of them is the amazing friends I have.  I love them.  So lucky!  I wish I lived closer so I could have girls nights and Zucchini bread making parties and Applebees Oriental Chicken Salad lunches and just talk more and be closer to their cute kids so I could be a quasi-aunt.  

Lights Lights Lights.  I love them.  Layton Park.

Family Parties... I was lucky enough to be there for the Ripplinger and Schiess family Christmas parties, it's been years since I've been to them. So fun!

My family.  I needed some family time, some sister time.  I feel rejuvenated.

Temple Square.  Lights.  I can't get enough!!

I loved every second of this little trip.  Thanks little family angles for making it possible.  Thanks honey for letting me leave you- I missed you tons.  Thanks family for spoiling me.

I needed this, loved it.  I feel...full.

CrAzY CrAzY CrAzY days of December and a little Christmas Miracle

Wow, I know that December is a crazy time for most people and this year has been no different for us.  There have been lots of surprises for us and lots of fun.  I think I'll post a few times to catch up little by little.  First off originally our plan was to head to Arizona with Brandon's family but with the economy being so fantastic right now we decided to wait... but I being, well me... still was trying to find a way home for a quick visit.  We found a plane ticket we thought we could get and were going to buy it the next day after talking to my family to make sure things worked.  Well, the next morning our car wouldn't start...for the second time since we got it this summer. Sad times.  Finally it was decided no one would get to go home and we'd get  to see friends and family one day and just be grateful for cell phones this holiday.  

Well, our little Christmas miracle was that a little elf called my mom one day thinking about me and had extra frequent flyer miles as was wondering if I wanted to come home.  I'm not a cry baby (usually) but if I say much more I'll start crying.  Let's just say that I really needed a trip home, just needed a little love from my family, a little rejuvenation and we'd tried a lot of ways of getting me home and after lots of trying it didn't look possible.  So thank you Bart and Jo for a much needed little trip!!!  and thank you Brandon for letting me leave you even though that meant you were all by yourself!  So glad we're back together.  MWAA.

In a few days I had a way home and then was home, so it was a quick and crazy trip.

Tis the season to be jolly

These are a few of my favorite things about this time of year.... (in no particular order)

I LOVE this holiday season and start the celebrating and decorating early because I just don't think that there is enough time to do all the fun Christmasy things... 

I LOVE....

The music- Christmas music is the best!! 

on the radio, the carolers, playing piano music, singing the hymns at church

Josh Groban's The First Noel, Amy Grant's Winter Wonderland, Barbara Mandrell's It Must Have Been the Mistletoe, Michael Buble's Let It Snow, Barbara Streisand's Jingle Bells, Bing Crosby's White Christmas, Alison Kruas's The Angles Cried and more and more and more

making gingerbread houses

being near family and friends

cozy fireplaces

catching snowflakes in my mouth

sledding and tubing

I love when it starts getting cold and I get to break out the sweaters, gloves and scarves.

Making snowmen

The Nutcracker always starts the holiday season for me.  

I danced in it for years and just love it and miss it.

I love the scenery

I love decorations and the decorating

Celebrating the real meaning of Christmas and being more focused on others

hot chocolate with marshmellows

ice skating

pine trees covered in snow

traditons

car drives to see the lights

just the lights, everywhere

snowmobiling

Temple Square

and of course all the goodies.

Love this time of year. Love it. Love it!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Yahoo!!  Our tree is up (well it has been for a little bit, we're one of THOSE early people).  It's pretty squishy here in our living/dining/kitchen room but we always have room for a tree (Brandon found this out last year when we lived in a little studio apartment).