Class

I appreciate class and I appreciate modesty but not frumpy t-shirt and baggy jeans modesty. I appreciate high-fashion, covered-ness like what was displayed by many women at the Oscar's tonight. Loooooved it!

Helen Mirren

I really love this woman. I think she is class from top to bottom...all the time. Not to mention a wonderful actress.

Cate Blanchett

You may have hated this dress. I adored it. I love the tiny yellow detail on the shoulders and the shape that made it oh-so-interesting to stare at. It was hard to stop staring at just the dress!

Amy Adams

I'm sorry, did you just say ONE MILLION DOLLARS worth of jewels?

Florence Welch

Although her singing was awfully odd, I think this dress would be super comfy to wear.

Susan Downey with husband Robert Downey Jr.

I wonder what it's like to live with him?

Annette Bening.

I adore her all the time. Just look at that smile.

Anne Hathaway

Terrible picture but here she is with her mommy. I'm in love with the gown.

Yikes!

"We all sorely complain of the shortness of time, and yet have much more than we know what to do with. Our lives are either spent in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpose, or in doing nothing that we ought to do. We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end to them."

-Seneca

Right?! How many Facebook statuses do we read that mention needing more hours in the day, needing time to slow down, or all the things that need to get done AND YET think of the time wasted in posting a status that says such things. What tasks could have been accomplished if I hadn't gotten caught up looking at my second-cousins-best-friends-aunts wedding pictures and posting a status about how busy I am?

That's embarrassing.

living.

Somebody take me back to three years old where finger painting was the most pressing thing on my calendar, when there was always a bigger bed to climb into, and when I got a weekly allowance. Take me back to the days when we would jump on the bed and eat croutons for our playdates and my princess underpants would hang out the sides of my leotard in dance class. Let me be the little girl in the backseat of the mini-van eating a pink cookie and a rootbeer. Somebody take out my high ponytails late at night and then give me a head scratch just like mom used to do before bed. Let me have just one more 5 am family scripture study when dad would read with more enthusiasm than a room full of preschoolers at snack time. Make me practice the piano, cello, flute, and my voice every day. Tell me I can't play with my friends until I've developed my talents that day. Carry me in from the car when I fall asleep on the way home. Let my brothers and me have just one more "time-out" on the top stair. Somebody make us sit there and pass the time just chatting. Stop thinking it's embarrassing when I have food on my face...remember how you used to think I was cute like that? Somebody pick out my outfits and give me back that body that looked adorable in everything. Please, somebody set out a pair of polka dot leggings and a matching oversized sweatshirt for me to wear tomorrow. I promise to wear my ruffled socks and a matching bow on top of my head. Take me back to the day that we got our ears pierced AND a jamba juice. Let me go to 4-H again and sew, cook, and learn calligraphy all over. Don't mind when my seven-year-old self spends the afternoon mimicking Mariah Carey's vocal stylings and whistle tones. Take me back to my first CD purchase: Ace of Base. Lets go back to the days when the street ended at our house and there were no houses to be seen. Replant that tree that housed the neighborhood tree house. Let us neighbor kids put on one more play for you in our backyard and let us spend one more Sunday night playing night games til we're all too tired to move. Give me forced-family-togetherness again. Make us drive in the car together for hours going from lesson to lesson as we talk about life, love, and Mario Brothers.

If you'd let me do all this, I'd do alot of things different. I'd savor every bite of those pink cookies as one of those would most assuredly cause an immediate heart attack now a days. I'd eat more croutons. I'd tell my brothers that I loved them more and annoy them less. I'd work harder in dance class, princess underpants and all. Maybe I could have saved my knee if I'd done things differently in those classes. I would practice my instruments harder and never would have given any of them up. I would be a little less competitive during night games and I wouldn't mind being "it". I would never fight my mom about what to wear or how hard she was pulling my hair as she tried to comb through it. I would try to beat dad on the enthusiasm meter instead of acting like the world was coming to an end. I would cherish the nights snuggled in between mom and dad on the waterbed. I would put my allowance into savings except for the dollar I'd spend on a See's Butterscotch sucker. I would realize how good I have it and wish on a star every night to never grown up.

But if that wish came true, I wouldn't be married to Prince Charming. I wouldn't have walked in from work tonight to find a beautiful dinner on the table. I wouldn't get to giggle at how silly he is all day long and he wouldn't get to laugh at how blonde I am. I wouldn't get butterflies every time I see an incoming call from him. I wouldn't miss him so much every day that it hurts. I wouldn't get to hear him say his ultra sarcastic "OOOOOKKAAAAAYYYY." I wouldn't get the perma grin I get whenever I hear him making his momma laugh over the phone or skype. I wouldn't have anyone to take care of my car when it's having bad days. I wouldn't have anyone to lie next to at night and talk about our future, going green, and CNN's headlines.

So, whether you take me back, or you don't, it was all good and it is all good. Just living is good.

Blogging

Sometimes I ask myself, 'self, why do you blog?' To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I guess I like to write and I like to share my thoughts. I guess that someday I'll like to look back and laugh at myself and what I said. I guess I also write for my four known readers, namely Bree, Brittney, Sara, and Morgan. Thanks for sticking with me girls. But when I think about it, I'm related to 3 of these girls and so they probably already know all these things that I write about. Ugh. So, why do I blog? I have no idea.

THEN I get to thinking, if I don't have a reason to blog, should I continue doing it? Yes. Yes I should, because heaven knows I'm not writing in that really cute journal sitting on my windowsill.

4 months ago today...

we had the party of a lifetime. I want to get married again. That was the funnest day of my life. Nothing could have made that day any more perfect. In honor of this special four month mark, I want to share just a few of my favorite moments from that perfect day!

Mister: Saying 'I love you to the moon and back' doesn't even cut it anymore. I love you to the moon and back and then to the moon and back and then to the moon...you get the idea.

First of all, I am so grateful that we could be married in the temple. Temple marriage seals couples together for ETERNITY! I can't imagine life without Mister, and I so grateful to know that even if something happens to one of us, we will be together forever. Click here for more information on temple marriage.

Is there anything better than being surrounded by your family and friends? I adore every single person in this picture and I'm so grateful that they would spend that day with us. Mister and I are both really lucky to have best friends for siblings. There are few people we'd rather spend time with other than our siblings. The extra four people in this picture may as well be our siblings. We're pretty sure we were all supposed to be born into the same families. (Please notice the leprechaun next to the groom. Hilarious.)

Listening to my favorite two singers/performers/composers all night long was bliss. Check her out here. Check him out here.

Did I ever tell you that we cut our cake with a sword? That's the tradition in Spain (Mister's homeland). We were given a replica of the Don Quixote sword made in Toledo, Spain. Pardon my really ugly face in this one.

And finally, you have to click this link to see one of the highlights of the night. It started out as a slow dance, which was not captured on film, and then it morphed into this:

The Mister and Lady's First Dance.

Thanks for four months of wonderful, Mister Misiego. I can't wait for more!

Love Day.

I've been thinking about all the mothers around the world who will be sacrificing their sleep tonight to make their kids' Valentines boxes for school tomorrow. Thanks to my mom for doing that for us.

Remember that one year I decided to make handmade Valentines inclusive of pink doilies, ribbon, and lots of glitter? That was fun for me but mom was probably ready to beat me as I went to bed and she stayed up to finish what I'd started. Mom, thanks for that one too.

Or then there was the year that mom made me the CUTEST red jumper for me to wear to school and even bought me big red heart clip-on earrings to match. I was adorable. But recess brought the lovely experience of being chased by two boys, both of which were wearing Wranglers, and I tripped and skid across the asphalt on my face. Yep. You guessed it. I completely scraped the skin off one side of my face, arm, and leg spraining the ankle along the way. Mom had to come pick me up from school only to find me with a Phantom of the Opera look going on and little remains of asphalt stuck in my raw cheek and forehead. Mom, thanks for not shuddering like everyone else did for the following week. I remember that dad's performing group was taking group pictures that day so mom had to drag me to the photo shoot with her. I remember accidentally letting my face skim across one of the performers sleeves and she made a big old fuss about it. Way to make an eight year old feel good about herself. I'm probably scarred for life.

I was an elementary school girlfriend. You know, there was this boy who I never talked to and I never looked at. Never. That would have been majorly embarrassing but I was definitely his girlfriend because he brought me presents for every holiday. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I never brought him presents. It was kind of a one-sided relationship. It kind of got uncomfortable because how do you tell a person that you never talk to that you don't need another M&M music box? Oh, young love.

Truth be told, Valentines has always been fairly eventful throughout my life and not for the reasons you'd expect surrounding this holiday of love. I will spare you from the other 20+ years of Valentines shenanigans but let me say this: I probably won't get to see the Mister at all tomorrow (except for when I watch him on the news). We celebrated the big V-day on Saturday because we knew tomorrow would be out of the question, but let me tell you something, I love my Valentine. I think he's pretty awesome and he would never give me an M&M music box or wear wranglers. I love him.

So, happy Love Day my friends. Buy yourself a box of chocolates. They taste the same no matter who they're from.

UPDATE: I DID IT! I spoke in Spanish in front of lots of people. When I started my talk I almost started crying because I was so nervous. Naturally, I broke out into a serious sweating episode but somehow I made it through the rain. I messed up over and over and the first two rows made it a habit to correct every word I said incorrectly, so it was more of an interactive sacrament meeting. I loved it. I can't even tell you how much I adore our ward (ward (noun): name of a geographic area whose inhabitants are assigned to attend a specific building at a specific time.) I never want to move. Never.

Sometimes we do things that are really scary.

For example, the Mister and I go to a Spanish ward. The first few weeks were a little frustrating for me. I just REALLY wanted to understand what was going on! I got so frustrated one day that I left the third hour and found an English church and snuck in. Unluckily, I knew several people in the ward I had escaped to and they even made me stand up, introduce myself, and explain why I was visiting. How embarrassing. I most definitely said "My name is ____________ and I am here because my husband and I go to the Spanish ward and I'm just really frustrated with the language today. Amen." Good one. After church was over, and I headed back to our church to pick up my husband, I called my dad and whined and whined. He lovingly reminded me to stop being such a drama queen which I did. And that was that.

NOW I adore the Spanish ward. I've become much more attached to it than my born and raised Spaniard husband. I adore the people, I couldn't live without my Young Women and thinking of missing any given Sunday makes me really sad. I love it there.

But, this Sunday is going to be terrifying. Mister and I are speaking in church IN SPANISH. I am understanding more and more of the language every day and can get along quite well but this will be my very first attempt at speaking the language.

Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

Ugh.

Since Sunday afternoon I have been this:

I have watched this:

(laughed my head off)

this:

(super random...I know)

and this:

(Because Mister is on the 10 o'clock news there! I love watching him do the news.)

And I think I'll watch this again as soon as I'm done posting:

And probably this too:

(because it's O-SO-HILARIOUS!)

I have drunk a whole one of these:

(I'm working on my second)

and the Mister bought be a whole bag of crushy ice from here:

(HE LOVES ME! HE LOVES ME! HE REALLY LOVES ME!)

Yesterday I took two of these:

Which wouldn't be complete without this stuff:

(I swear by this. Puts me right to sleep.)

I've taken several handfuls of this:

this:

and this:

Is it over yet?

A new tradition and some great news!

I think that Valentines day is really pretty and I love pretty.

My cute auntie started a tradition many years ago called the

TWELVE DAYS OF VALENTINES.

Since I now have a permanent Valentine, I thought it seemed like a good time to get this show on the road keeping in mind that money is not growing on trees around these parts. Day ONE consisted of our favorite soda that happens to be RED.

Today is only day two but I had the best time working on the day two present! After Mister left for the day, I started cutting, stamping, writing, and drawing on hearts and I heart attacked our house! Each of the hearts had another reason why I love him so much written on it. It was a great time to sit and reflect upon all of the things that make him wonderful. Talk about fun. Not having extra money requires creativity and I like creativity so I guess it's ok. Creativity only goes so far though...any ideas for me?!?

in other news:

I received a very important series of phone calls and emails today letting me know that

GIRLFRIEND HAS BEEN ACCEPTED TO THE SCHOOL OF HER CHOICE AND IS GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!

I start in May and will graduate...again...in two years.

Mister is buying me a new backpack tomorrow to celebrate. Woohoo!

Time Out!

Today I got to go and play with my nephew and his two cousins from the other side of the family. It was me, a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old. Talk about a party. We ate lots of crackers, drank lots of water out of sippy cups, watched lots of "Curious George", and ended off the morning with "Finding Nemo."

The 4 year old is a little Princess and makes sure to keep everyone in line. She probably told me to put the babies in time out more than 30 times. She thinks that time out is deserved when a child stands up on the couch. Tipping over your sippy cup is definitely time out worthy and giving besitos is also a very good reason for a minute or two on the bottom step. After listening to her tell me to put the babies in time out time and time again, I finally said to Ethan, the 2 year old:

"Ethan, do you want to go to time out?"

and he answered with a resounding

"SURE!"

So he marched himself, 1 year old in tow, to the bottom step and plopped down. He and Landon (1 year old) sat there staring straight ahead talking a million miles an hour to each other and giggling lots and lots.

My kind of fellas. Oftentimes I think about how wonderful a "time out" or "grounding" might be. I would LOVE to be told to go sit still, staring straight ahead, and DON'T YOU DARE do anything! I wonder when sitting still and doing nothing went from being the worst thing in the world to the utmost desire of my tired body? Apparently Ethan has already found the good in the sit-still moments. What a wise little man.

Did I ever tell you?

Did I ever tell you that I was a music dance theatre major?

Did I ever tell you that I was a broadcast journalism major for a while?

Did I ever mention that I re-became a music dance theatre major?

Did I ever tell you that I was also a choral education major?

Did I ever tell you that I became and broadcast journalism/music dance theatre double major?

Did I ever tell you I was a interior design major once?

Did I ever tell you that I was an acting major?

Did I ever tell you I finally graduated as a theatre arts studies major?

Did I ever tell you that I want to learn about everything which attributed to this gal changing her major EIGHT times during her college career?

Did I ever tell you how many wonderful things I got to learn about during college because of this problem? I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Did I mention that life is to be lived and enjoyed and explored and experienced and that I continue to do just that even if I end up with eight more majors?

Did I also mention that I am relatively indecisive?

Don't even ask me where I want to eat. I'll spend a long time debating and then we'll probably end up eating PB&J's and watching an episode of Hoarders.

Now you know.