winnnnter

ive wanted to blog but i cant think of anything interesting to blog about. seriously- you'd think i could come up with something clever and then finally ill think of something good and then a couple days pass and its old news. soo whatever i just decided i'd post a couple pictures from the week or so. plus ill share a little secret of mine.
get ready cus its a pretty good secret too...


im actually liking winter!

there its done. i said it...i admitted to liking the cold, frost biting, icy, inconvienent snow. maybe its because i lived away last winter or something but its beautiful! i am loving it! (minus the part about falling in the parking lot cus its icy an im an idiot and wear high heels...?) Anywho...i drive a lot. probably more than i would like but i go to salt lake like twice a week and i spend my weekends up there as well. Lately its been a think of mine to seriously, deeply think while I'm driving and as i was on the freeway the other day and was looking at the gorgeous white mountains with the low clouds and the glistening city lights it dawned on me that i actually might like this. i always say i hate winter...but hate is a pretty strong word. its actually growing on me and im appreciating the beauty it brings a little bit more and more each day. plus im not gonna lie- winter styles and fashions are by far my favorite to wear over any other season. all the cute jackets and coats and leather boots :] its jusss dandy. not to mention i am obsessed with the lights. me and zach drove around the neighborhoods the other day and looked at peoples lights and i loooove seeing what people can come up with. of course i love the tradtional look of white lights but i do appreciate the people who put ever color on random places and over do it times a million because it adds so much more fun and adventure to the whole thing :] i picked out my dream house while we were at it too! and i know just how i want the lights on it when i own it someday! haha (i am so ahead of myself its not even funny)






okay so thats really is just a thought ive been having the past week....anddd heres a couple photos of what ive been enjoying this week.



me and meggy spent the day together. one of my favorite things about no school on mondays- i get to tend my little buddy. she is sooo stinking cute!





sledding & zoo lights with zach!







the other day at school we had a birthday party. the little girls were hilarious and so cute. i wanted to do something so crazy and fun with my girls hair but she insisted on a french twist. haha shes in the purple shirt :]





thaassss it!

in the spirit of giving thanks.

i know its a couple days after thanksgiving but i decided we should always be grateful- not just on thanksgiving itself.

so the other night at dinner my mom, dad, naomi and I all talked about being grateful & how to have a grateful heart. It sparked my thoughts and so I decided i would make a list (in no specific order) of some things I am grateful for at the moment (i certainly couldn't name EVERYTHING, so its all randoms):

my parents. && family








35 years of marriage and these two are still madly in love. what an inspiration. my sisters are my best friends and i couldnt ask for better examples in my life. not to mention they have brought along WONDERFUL husbands and the cutest kids i have ever seen! ohh i how i love them all :]



Zach<3












it helps that he is super cute but thats not the reason why i am grateful for him. I am grateful for zach because of the person he makes me want to be. i love the way i feel when he is around and i am always so amazed at his positive and gracious attitude. he is a hard worker and is so respectful and kind to everyone he meets. he is an amazing example to me and i personally think i am the luckiest girl :]



fudge shoppes.




whoevers idea it was to make a mock "thin mint" girl scout cookie was genius. i munch on these babies ALL. DAY. LONG.



BEniceORelse.


what a remarkable book, written by an even more remarkable and amazing man! i had the most wonderful oppurtunity to meet him a couple weeks ago and it was so great to hear his inspiration. How refreshing it is to hear someone speak about being NICE in a world where being nice is becoming more and more forgotten.



music.



especially new cds that have come out! i am loving the new john mayer, onerepublic, rihanna, switchfoot, norah jones, even the susan boyle cd.... ah i love it all!



newmoon.

call me crazy- but looking at taylor lautner for 2 and half hours is def no sacrifice! & thats totally fine if bella chooses edward, that just means i can have jacob!




my eyesight.


the other night i had the oppurtunity to meet Sabrina. i dont know this girl. i dont know anything about her to be quite honest., but she changed my life. i can't think about her without a tender heart or starting to cry. last night as me and zach were walking over to my brother in law's mom's concert we saw a girl, about 20 or so, looking very lost in front of the big catherdral where it was held. She had a walking stick with her and immediatly it hit me that she was blind. She heard us coming and as she was roaming through the garden area she asked me and zach if we were going to the concert and i told her yes and she asked if she could follow us in because she couldnt find the door to get in. to say the least, my heart was overwhelmed. we helped her inside and up the stairs and into the concert. As i took a seat, i just began to cry uncontrollably. it hit me so clear that i was so blessed to be able to see. i take it for granted and i think everyone does. i imagined myself in a dark world, just as sabrina was, where all the regular things i see everyday would be no longer existent. my heart was full of love for this girl and the blessing i have to be able to open my eyes every morning and see around me.



my new scentsy.



yes im being dead serious too. my mom got one too and i have wanted one for soooo long. i love when home actually smells like home. our apartment needs a "home" smell to it and im so excited to set it up in my apartment when i go back to provo!



friends.












i couldnt name them all seperate or else this blog would go on forever. how i am ever so grateful for amazing girls who have stood by me thru everything. i have the most amazing bunch who has really showed me what true friends are and amazing ones who have just barely entered my life have already made such an impact. i appreciate their examples to me and their constant love.





thanksgiving dinner.

we take it for granted. we take the company, the food, the place to eat all for granted. yesterday my mom, dad, naomi, myself and my aunts family were able to go down to the Greek Orthodox church and serve thanksgiving dinner to those who simply coudnt afford dinner, didnt have a place to go, or lived on the streets. what a humbling experience. how easy it is for us to celebrate such a day- when others simply can't. it made me realize how grateful i am for EVERYTHING i have and i honestly have nothing to complain about.



Being grateful is as easy as you want it to be- it is simply a choice. that night we sat around the table and talked, we also discussed that its super easy to dwell on the negative. its easy to get upset about the little things, or complain because your having a bad hair day or something completely silly like that. but in the grand scope of things- it could always be worse and we are SO blessed for what we do have. one of my favorite quotes says

happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.

i think it is SO true! i am so grateful for a holiday that reminds us to be thankful :]

and then it was straight!

two saturdays ago I had a very cool oppurtunity.
I had just finshed a scalp treatment on a client when I sat down to wrap a perm on my doll head.
I was pooped from staying up late on a friday night and i just wanted to be lazy...(everyone does that right?) in otherwords i was being sort of negative about working in the salon that day.
As I passed the front waiting area of the salon I saw two little african american girls with hair so curly it looked like ribbon when you run the scissors on it to make it spiral.
Seriously it was the curliest dang thing id ever seen. Even combing it out looked like it would take hours.
I thought in my mind- dang whoever has to do there hair is going to have quite the experience.
And thats just what I got.
Yup, two seconds later, little miss Jazzy took a seat on my booster chair, ready for me to comb out her dreaded curls.
Jazzy is a six year old, who is not only gorgeous, but she was absolutely plesent! She comes from a foster home and had never had anyone take care of her hair before.
Because her hair is SO curly, it gets dreaded and mangled, making it impossible to comb through and manage.
Her foster mom thought that Jazzy and her older sister needed some care and treatment to make their hair straight, making it much easier to do and style.
So jazzy sat in my seat with her 3 foot eyelashes, missing front tooth and i began to unpick her hair with the help of my lovely friend SOPHIE!
it took us about 4 hours to completely finish the process of combing on 1/4 inch sections and applying the chemical straightner to her hair and lettting it process and all that fun stuff.
However, I had the BEST time working with Jazzy. She was so cute and her foster mom was amazing as well. She brought in her real daughter whose dream is to go to hair school one day too. She was 13 and she was going crazy over the salon.
It turned out to be a great experience and the best part was seeing Jazzy with her hair looking so pretty and happy even after the long process. she was such a trooper!
I am grateful for the little tender mercies God puts into our daily routines to make us aware of how amazing and wonderful life truly is. Everyone has so much to give and so many people to meet and influence. Jazzy was an amazing example to me and meeting her sweet soul was a blessing in disguise.

I WISH i would have taken a picture of Jazzy before we started but i had no idea what a transformation it was going to be! she came in with two pig tails in the front and the back was an intire matted mess that was impossible to even stick a comb thru!



here is cute little Jazzzy waiting for her hair to process


me and jazmine


her and her sister! all fiinshed! they look great :]




soooo adorable!!

october continued...

its true...i survived!!

me and zach beginning our pumpkin carving!



me and katy attempted to make cookies...fail!


pumpkin finished!!


happy birthday to me!!



me and zach in pc for din din




sophies makeover i gave her at schoolio


cpk for dinner w/ the girlies


mm yum





blowing out my candles. welp the kiddies actually blew them out for me



halloween party at school. i put together a last minute costume. but katy is an amazing artist and helped me tattoo myself up to look more like a pirate haha



halloween party at school. i put together a last minute costume. but katy is an amazing artist and helped me tattoo myself up to look more like a pirate haha









see post below for a recap of all the pics from the month...