Picture A Christmas

*Sugar Shudder*

I love being home.
I love playing games.
I love the big screen TV.
I love our family dinners.
I love being with my family.
I love our big cozy couches.
I love family shopping trips.
I love the lights on our house.
I love all our countdown calendars.
I love goofing off with my crazy family.
I love being back in beautiful Washington.
I love getting to cuddle with my puppy again.
I love the constant Christmas music in our house.
I love the real Christmas tree cut down by my daddio.
I love the feeling of not having any school work to stress over.
I love the movies and books and decorations all over the house.
I love sleeping in my own queen sized bed (yes, I'm spoiled like that).
I love seeing people from my home ward that i've been in my entire life.
I love all the presents under the tree that my mamma has carefully wrapped.
I think its clear, I love being home.

But oh, the FOOD. It never ends. Its everywhere. It surrounds us. Everywhere you turn, there's a bowl or a container or a jar or a cup filled with something delicious. Its dangerous. I'm serious. Today I went around and gathered it all together so I could show the rest of the world that i'm not exaggerating. And believe it or not friends, this isn't even all of it
*sugar shudder*
Oh and ps, ITS ALL HOME MADE. My mom = Mrs. Claus with some seriously wicked baking and candy making skills.



Would you like to know what you're seeing here folks? Because i'm going to tell you. So buckle up, and grab yourself a tissue because you're going to need something to clean up all the drool you're about to produce.

1) Hard tack. Huckleberry, raspberry, lemon-lime, and strawberry hard candy deliciousness.
2) Toffee. Chocolate and nutty goodness.
3) Peanut brittle. The best she's ever made. Makes my teeth stick together, totally worth it.
4) Jelly beans and jelly wreaths. Okay, not home made, but still great. Green ones are always fought over. Red ones get left in the jar.
5) Peppermint kisses. Also not home made, but heavenly.
6) Bread. Lemon, poppyseed, and pumpkin chocolate chip. Take your pick.
7) Fudge. This year with no nuts (YAY) and SO very delectable.
8) Hello Dolly bars (or 7 layer bars, depending on what your own mamma called them). Coconutty greatness.
9) Yummy soft chewy mints.
10) Almond cranberry white chocolate chip bark.
11) White chocolate covered pretzels.
12) M n' Ms. Every kind. Almond, peanut, original, pretzel, mint. WHY do they not make Christmas colored peanut butter ones?!
13) Candy canes.
14) Rocky road chocolate bars.
15) Molasses cookies.
16) White chocolate dipped peppermint oreos. Irresistible.
17) Super soft frosted sugar cookies.
18) Oh, and dare I mention that we have SIX cartons of ice cream in the freezer?

Crazy thing is, there is always more being made or coming in to us from friends and neighbors.
I live in candyland.

So, the point is, don't be surprised when January 2nd rolls around and you have to use a forklift to transport me back to Provo. A plane is out of the question, seeing as my accumulated sugar weight would bring the whole thing down. In fact, we wouldn't even be able to take off, so lets not risk that embarrassment and just stick with a forklift. Or maybe a U-Haul... hmm I like our options here!

Cheers, here's to waiting for Santa to come, and looking more and more like him every day.

Happy Birthiversary

Its a big busy weekend.

Item of business #1:
I think I know of at least 5 couples that just got married this weekend, but there is one couple that I specifically wish to mention today, and they've been married a little bit longer than a few days. Its more like... 31 YEARS. Thats right guys, as of today my parents have been married for 31 years. 31 years of love, growth, and tremendous experiences. They've been a pretty productive and special 31 years. I mean come on, they made this didn't they?:


Happy anniversary mom and dad! You guys just have so many cute pictures together, how could I not share them with the world? :)






Item of business #2:
Its Kirstin's birthday!!! How old is she today? I'm NOT telling because she would kill me! But here's a clue for you to try and decipher: she's not turning 29, and she's not turning 31 (well thank goodness, that would make the previous item of business a rather scandalous one...). But check this girl out, does she look like she's turning... um, whatever age she is turning?! Absolutely NOT. I mean come on, when we're together people ask us which of us is the older sister. So that could mean that I should be concerned that maybe I look 10 years older than I really am... but I don't worry about it because I know the truth is that she has a rockin' body and a healthy, young, wrinkle-less face that does not depict her age.

Happy birthday big (littler) sister! I can't wait to see you in a few weeks so we can add to our thousands of pictures together!







Item of business #3:
Its my cousin Taylor's 20th birthday! This guy is such a stud. And he's got the best dimples on the planet. He is serving a mission in Brazil right now, and I am going to seriously miss having him around during family stuff this Christmas! Happy birthday Tay!

Stu*DYING*

Thats right friends. Its finals week. 3 down, 2 to go. Almost there! Then one day of relaxation and fun and then home to Seattle for a couple of weeks!!!! Until then...

Stolen from my bestie Linds. This is what finals week makes us want to do:

Stolen from my bestie Jules. I WISH this was me sometimes:


So true:


This is what happens when you're a couch studier instead of a library studier. Actually according to the above picture I guess this could still apply to the library studiers too:


I am NEVER like this... thats why I am totally not wasting time blogging right now. Oh wait...

Is this too blasphemous? I quite enjoyed it:

B.H.K.

Ten years ago today I became an aunt. Brayden Hunter Kenealey came into the world and changed my life. At 9 years old I was still very much a kid myself, but his birth helped me do a lot of growing up. I learned what it was to love and care for another person so fully and thoroughly that you'd just break if anything bad ever happened to them. It was definitely a first-time experience for me since I am the youngest child in my family. He was the first baby I was ever around consistently, and I was lucky enough to be actively involved in his growing up. I held him as a baby and watched as he grew into an adorable goofy little toddler, then transition into an intelligent little boy who loved to learn, and then all of a sudden I look at him now and he is becoming a young man! Ten years old! It completely blows my mind that he is now older than I was when he was born. He is curious and smart and funny and handsome and active and strong and obedient and I love that he looks so much like his uncles. Its scary to know that before long he'll be in the young mens program, then he'll be going into junior high, then asking girls to prom, then applying to college and going on a mission!!! Where does the time go?

Since Mr. B was born i've been lucky enough to become "Aunt Nettie" to 4 more beautiful little girlies. I love being an aunt and those kids mean more than the world to me. There is something truly special about becoming an aunt (or uncle), and I can only imagine how the love that come with becoming a parent compares. Thats something thats not coming for a few years in my life, but until that time i'll settle with being that aunt that tickles the snot out of you if you come to close, takes pictures and videos of the kids' insane dance moves, lets them climb all over me while I "nap" on the couch, gives piggy back rides, and tucks you in with stories and kisses whenever I'm lucky enough to visit.

Happy birthday Brayden! You are my absolute favorite nephew :)

Discoveries

Today's 10 discoveries:

1) Pears are not the prime food to eat when you have giant wisdom teeth holes in the back of your mouth.

2) I am actually capable of putting extra peanut butter back into the jar instead of just taking more out. I know I know, it was a shocking moment for me too!!

3) Even after 3 weeks of being a lazy bum (okay lets be honest, its basically been since I did my half at the end of october) I am still capable of putting running shoes on and moving at a pace faster than a sluggish stroll!! I'm not sure that 3 miles has ever been so painful. It feels good to be back on track though :) I have to keep it up!

4) My roommate bites.

5) My mind produces the weirdest nap dreams ever.

6) I am not built for sitting on a couch and studying all day long. Getting up and dancing around the kitchen with notes in hand is necessary for thorough understanding of digestion, sexual differentiation, and repro (tomorrow's physiology test topic... joy!).

7) Brandon Flowers' pandora station is the best (big thanks to Brent on that discovery).

8) There are only 4 class periods, one test, and 5 finals standing in the way of me and a plane ride back to Seattle.

9) I can sometimes be extremely spacey and easily distracted.

10) It is possible to get to class in one piece even when its 16 degrees outside and you feel like your fingers are going to start breaking and falling off and shattering to a million pieces because they are that frozen.

A day of discoveries :) What did YOU discover today?

Weekend

World's juiciest, most exciting, most detailed post coming right up:

Well, lets just say it was a good weekend. And i'm a happy camper.