Perfectly Human

Things I Hate

2010-12-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

I know we're in that time of the year where people share what they're grateful for, but today I want to share what I hate the most (at the moment). You ready?

Daylight Savings. Sure, that extra hour of sleep is wonderful when I fall back, but it's not worth it being pitch black by 5 p.m. I miss the long days of summer. It might be time for me to move somewhere where it's sunnier a little bit longer every day.

And on that note, just because it's dark out, doesn't mean stores should close at 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. I am definitely not a fan of that.

Perhaps the thing I hate most right now? When companies turn Christmas rhymes and songs into advertisements. I heard two on the radio yesterday and it made me so mad! I don't want to think of the California lottery or whatever kind of satellite TV you are selling when I hear 'Twas the Night Before Christmas or Here Comes Santa Clause. I love Christmas and all it entails, so stop taking the best parts of it and making it awful.

Packing for the return leg of a trip. I LOVE an organized suitcase. Seriously. I would pack everyone for every trip if I could just so I could organized everyone's suitcases, but I hate packing at the end of a trip. Half of your clothes are dirty and you have to be careful not to mix them, but really you'll wash them all when you get home because you hate that suitcase smell that permeates clothes no matter what (okay, maybe that's just me). Plus there's always more than when you began your trip, whether a shopping trip occurred or not. I just hate it. That's all.

Getting to the airport super early. I made it through security this morning with an hour and twenty minutes to spare. Sure, it's a little stressful when you hear "last call for Emily James" blaring over the speakers and you've just barely walked through the metal detector, but aren't those anxiety-inducing moments what we should live for? Running to the gate with jewelry, belt, and coat in hand? Being personally greeted by the gate agents impatiently waiting for you - a forced smile on their faces because they wish you hadn't made your flight so you would have learned a lesson to arrive just a tiny bit early the next time? (Let's be honest. I'm a smart enough traveller to not wear jewelry or a belt that I have to remove. So really it's just that coat in hand that I'm running with). Thank goodness LGB and SLC have free wireless for those times I do get there early. SFO - more than 45 minutes would be appreciated. Remember how I said I arrived at my gate an hour and 20 minutes early? Well you're not encouraging passengers to adhere to TSA's recommended 90 minutes early arrival on domestic flights when you're limiting their wireless access.

Getting out of bed when it's cold outside. There is nothing worse, except maybe the commercialized Christmas songs.

This weekend I'm looking forward to:

2010-11-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

-an overnight in Pacific Grove. Thank you United Airlines for making it possible to fly there from SFO.

-spending time with my favorite nephew and the rest of the family

-the annual Thanksgiving Eve Crab Fest

-doing the dish with the fam on Thanksgiving morning

-quality time with neighbors

-Thanksgiving dinner with wonderful family that I just don't see often enough.

-attending a weekend showing of Topper (starring my most favorite actor - Cary Grant) at the Stanford Theater with the organist

-lunching with all the girls who are back in town

-lying in bed and catching up on my ridiculously long Hulu queue

-an afternoon of movie hopping (Love and Other Drugs, Harry Potter, The Next Three Days, Megamind, Fair Game, The Social Network, Red, and probably so many others - can you tell I'm way behind in my movie watching?)

-some soccer games with Palo Alto friends

-shopping for a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving

-officially beginning to listen to Christmas music

-a day trip to SF to soak in my favorite city

I guess it's a good thing I haven't purchased my return ticket to Huntington yet! Now I can just stay until I get everything done that I want to do!

My Current Obsessions

2010-11-17T12:58:00.000-08:00

My Hulu queue is getting quite full (27 episodes back in my favorite shows, just waiting to be watched) due to my new obsession - How I Met Your Mother. Seasons 1-4 are graciously on loan from a friend. After having watched all of these episodes on DVDs, it has made me hate the ads on Hulu.

{image via thenextreporter.com}

Now that it's starting to cool off a little bit in Huntington, I'm having fun dressing in bulky sweaters and ponchos. Ever since Ugly Betty, I've had trouble wearing ponchos. I guess I've just always felt a little bit hideous in them, like I threw a blanket over my head and am hiding underneath. But over the past few days I've discovered some really cute ones that are sewn up the side, ones with kangaroo pockets ... basically just ones that don't make me feel quite so much like I am under that blanket (but that still allow me to curl up under them like I kind of am under a blanket - a cute one).

{image via campuskitchens.org}

Yams and spaghetti squash. One of my favorite things about the new seasons is the produce. I'm loving the yams, spaghetti squash, pumpkin and butternut squash. I had some "autumn harvest" from the Whole Foods salad bar last week. It was made up of mashed sweet potatoes, pumpkin and butternut squash - heaven! Oh, and the winter pomegranates and grapefruit that are sneaking in just make it all the better!

The 13 Days of Room Cleaning

2010-10-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

After moving home from NYC, I spent a significant amount of time cleaning out my room. I had boxes stored with middle school photographs, high school papers, and college everything. I figured it was time (a.k.a. my dad ordered me) to clean everything out and get rid of most of the stuff. I did. It took months, literally months, but I finished and love having everything organized/cleaned through. The reason this project took so long was because every single thing was significant in some sort of way and I had to stop and pause for a moment to remember and relive it, before the item was sent to the landfill, or maybe to be recycled.

13 journals.

12 journals with only one or two entries. That's right. I suck at consistently writing in journals.

11 pairs of nail clippers.

10 million CDs. Seriously. I counted them all. Then I got really jealous of today's mp3-only youth (I no longer count myself among them) who don't have their favorite songs on CD, or even tape, and therefore don't have to find space in their room for said CDs and/or tapes.

9 dried roses of all different sizes and colors. What they were from that I felt they were significant enough to dry? I'm still not sure.

8 Book of Mormons (or is it Books of Mormon? I can never remember. You'd think I would remember from my Deseret News days).

7 dozen extra buttons of cards with thread on them. Since organizing them, two have already come in handy. My yellow coat and tan shorts are now wearable.

6 different kinds of PETA stickers from my vegetarian days.

5 Spanish (or English-Spanish) dictionaries.

4 unopened cross-stitching projects. If anyone needs a baby bib with a little airplane, followed by the name Joshua written in clouds, I'd be happy to cross-stitch that up for you. I have no clue who Joshua is/was and I can't recall any babies named Joshua, let alone any I was close enough to to consider learning to cross-stitch for.

3 checks from 2001 that I never cashed. My bad.

2 $2 bills

1 California relief map made of salt and flour dough from 4th grade (sadly, I finally parted ways with the map, but photographed so I could always remember it).

An Identity Crisis of the Seasons

2010-09-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's been in the high-90s this week, and I am loving it! But I'm a little bit confused. Doesn't October start on Friday? And didn't Fall officially begin last week?

So shouldn't I be eating pumpkin everything and wearing my new fall skirts and tops, paired off with tights and boots? Instead I'm wearing swimsuits at the pool by day, and sundresses and sandals by night.

Instead of eating my favorite pumpkin treats (pie, bread, muffins, and of course Reese's shaped like pumpkins), I'm eating fresh berries on pound cake.

I made this for something my mom had to go to last night and she brought home a slice for me for dessert.

And instead of playing with my favorite nephew in the autumn leaves, we've been playing in the sprinklers.

Like I said, I'm loving this weather, but eventually I'm going to need the weather to cool down so I can wear my fair share of plaid, burnt orange sweaters and saffron skirts before winter comes and I transition to all black (with an occasional splash of gray).

Political Preference

2010-09-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

As my mom and I were watching the Desperate Housewives season premiere tonight, a commercial for "Jerry Brown for Governor" came on. The following conversation occurred:

Me: I really like Jerry Brown's voice. I think I may vote for him based on that.

My mom: *head shake*

Me: Is that silly? (I don't know why I used the word silly, but lately I've been using some silly words that I would not normally use.)

My mom: Yes. He's a Democrat.

I love her logic. And I love what motivates me to vote for certain people. Don't worry - I'll probably give my vote for California Governor a little more thought than just the sound of his voice. Probably.

I want to ride my bicycle ...

2010-07-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

... I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like.

Blair and I took our bikes out for the first time since I have been home (my first time - he rides everywhere). It was such a nice night and it was so great to go for a ride around Barron Park!

The best part?

The bicycle basket my sister and brother-in-law got me for my birthday from Nantucket Bike Basket Co.

It's the best! It's super deep so I never have to worry about anything bouncing out of it.

I've loved bike baskets forever. I even have this photograph hanging up in my room.

I met the photographer, Dennis Barloga, at the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival a few years back. He has amazing pictures from everywhere, but his favorite places are in France and Italy. It's been so fun to visit so many of the places he has been and see what he has captured, in person!

I came across this blog - The Bottom of the Ironing Basket - and have loved looking back through the archives. Check out some of her favorite bicycles in her Bicycle Beauties post from last fall. I loved this one!

It makes me wonder why we all don't ride bicycles everywhere with beautiful things in the baskets!

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-13T22:08:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the 4th of July!

No, seriously. I love it enough to have just colored that sentence to be more festive. Aside from Christmas, it's my favorite holiday to celebrate on the actual day. Like, I love the festivities leading up to Halloween, but I don't love actual Halloween as much as the 4th of July!

So this year for the 4th, I made my way down to Washington, D.C. Yes, I say down because up until yesterday I was living in New York City while I spent some time at Newsweek Magazine. And yes, I am the worst blogger ever and a lot has happened since I posted last (in November) and people get on my case to post more often and I always say I will and I never do so now I am living up to my word and posting more and I'm starting with the 4th of July because it was recent and I love it!

My wonderful cousin (technically my mom's cousin's daughter), Lani, is living in D.C. for the summer and hosted me and showed me everything wonderful in D.C. (Georgetown Cupcake, shopping on M Street, Sunday brunch, Good Stuff Eatery and a whole bunch of other fine things D.C. has to offer).

But the best part about the weekend was that I wore red, white and blue every day I was there! Yes, I did type "white" in a grayish-white color so as to be consistent with my color-coding the holiday words.

I wore these colors at a Washington Nationals game ... it was ridiculously hot ...

... I wore them to get Nielsen's Frozen Yogurt in an attempt to cool down from the insanely hot weather ...

... and to Sunday brunch on the 4th (you can't see the red heels, but they're there) ...

... and to the Capitol to watch the fireworks ...

... and we jazzed it up even more in our tent made of sheets, again because of the insanely hot weather, while waiting for fireworks to start four hours later.

Dear East Coast,
Your humidity and heat waves are crazy!

... and then the fireworks did start. And they were red, white and blue too. And I felt patriotic. And I loved it.

Happy in Hanford

2009-11-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

My weekend was amazing! I relaxed, played with James, baked and cooked to my heart's desire, caught up on TV shows and slept almost twelve hours every night.

Oh! And I got to baby-sit James while these two went to a fancy formal.

I documented everything I ate because I hadn't eaten this good in a long time. Prepare to be jealous.

Belgian Waffles for Breakfast on Friday

Twice Baked Potatoes from 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' for Dinner on Friday

Sour Cream Pancakes from 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks' for Breakfast on Saturday

Filet Mignon from The Harris Ranch (just down the road) and Mashed Potatoes for Dinner on Saturday

Chicken Chili from 'The Barefoot Contessa' for Lunch on Sunday

Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes from Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book

It's probably time for me to go to the gym now. And to exercise for nine hours every day to work this weekend off.

The only things I didn't do in Hanford were buy surprises at Target (didn't really have time to look the one day we were there ... although they DID just put in the HUGEST Forever 21 I have ever seen!) and drink root beer at the root beer place. They were closed for renovation :( But I did find out that Hanford has not ONE, but TWO Starbucks ... in the same parking lot.

The Retreat

2009-11-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

So the last time I was here in Hanford, I thought I might have been scarred for life. I was working on the impossible - a wedding cake for 200. Might I mention, this was the first time I had ever attempted anything but a classic 9" x 13" cake. Needless to say, what was supposed to be a relaxing few days turned into whirlwind of baking cakes 24 hours a day.

I didn't rest. I think I wore the same clothes the entire time. My mom even gave me this apron afterwards because I was so attached to it.

(It had been a birthday gift to her from a friend a month earlier).

But the finished product brought relief. Relief that it was finished. Relief that it didn't fall apart. Relief that it looked presentable. Relief that I was still alive.

I definitely would not have survived what was supposed to be a low-key girls weekend without the help of my mom and sister.

But enough about the cake I am so proud of. The truth is, I'm not actually scarred. I came back to Hanford and I relaxed. And I baked too! Well, actually I cooked. The baking is happening this afternoon. I'll share my masterpieces with you later. And yes, I have tried two of The Pioneer Woman's recipes. And yes, I loved them both. More to come in a later post ...

This Weekend ...

2009-11-05T08:07:00.000-08:00

... I'm going to Hanford to see James be blessed! I am so excited to see him (and Alli and Mike of course)!

Other reasons I am looking forward to visiting Hanford:

1. The high temperature there today is 72 degrees - a temperature I haven't felt in months, years even!

2. Target is the only store in the whole city that sells clothes and so it is always stocked really well. Maybe I'll be able to find some surprises?

3. We're (hopefully) going to try out recipes from these new cookbooks:

4. Their house is like a retreat. There are no distractions in their town (like malls, movie theaters, Starbucks etc.) to take you away from reading books and catching up on favorite shows on Hulu.

5. There is a store with 500 million kinds of root beer for sale and I have been craving root beer since I gave up soda in May. I can't think of a better place to start drinking soda again!

Hope you have a fun weekend ahead too!

Henry M. Gunn Gives Me Hope

2009-11-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

I went to a wonderful high school in Palo Alto, Calif. A high school that always ranked in high in Newsweek's Top 100 Public Schools and sent more kids to Stanford than anywhere else. I graduated from there in 2005, but things have changed drastically since I attended.

In the past six months, four students have committed suicide by stepping in front of a train at the same intersection. A fifth student attempted suicide in the same manner but was stopped by his mother and a passing motorcyclist.

I drove past the train tracks about 15 minutes after the second suicide occurred and it was a sight I'll never forget. I immediately called the editor of the newspaper I was interning at over the summer and reported what I had seen. He took over and updated the paper's Web site throughout the night. The next morning, I was assigned to go to Gunn High School and write a story on the girl who had committed suicide. Going back to the hangouts on campus where I had stood four years earlier, anxiously awaiting my graduation and the adventures in my future, I was sobered by the mood and disbelief among the current students. And the universal question -- why?

I didn't get it. Four years earlier I was thrilled to be where those seniors stood. Senior picnics, graduation parties and a summer of fun awaited me. So what would drive someone to take their life when that is what they too had to look forward to? I'll never know. And I've learned that wondering can drive a person crazy.

But these musings are not the point of this post. A certain blog I recently heard about is.

Recently, the news of a suicide contagion in Palo Alto has been spreading across the nation. I've read about it on AOL, MSNBC and in the LA Times.

Through these stories I learned about a blog -- Henry M. Gunn Gives Me Hope, better known as HMGGMH.

People from Austin to Australia have posted on it and shared their feelings, views and anything else that comes to mind regarding the recent suicides and about things in their lives that give them hope. For many, the HMGGMH blog is what gives them hope.

Someone in Florida wrote:

"I’m not to the point where I’m ready to talk, but knowing that there is hope out there GMH. I have thought some things, but never really acted on them. After reading all of these stories, I promised I wouldn’t hurt myself anymore. Someday, I’ll let people in. I’m not in any way connected to Gunn, but the strength and love in this community has shown has meant more then you all can realize. Thank you. HMGGMH."

A freshman wrote:

"Today, I was feeling really depressed. I’ve been fighting a lot with my best friend lately and my parents are constantly pressuring me. I was crying in my room when i got a Facebook chat from a girl who I don’t know very well. She said that she was worried about me and asked if I needed to talk, and gave me her cell number. With everything that has been going on lately, her kindness and concern for others GMH. You don’t have to do something huge to make a huge difference."

These both GMH (give me hope), but especially the second one. How hard is it to reach out to someone? You never know who is in need.

My friends GMH. And so do memories like the one brought up by this picture.

More Birthdays

2009-11-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

This ad played online while I was waiting to watch a video and it brought me to tears.

The American Cancer Society has started a campaign dedicated to helping people to have more birthdays by beating out cancer.

Cancer is always a difficult thing with me. My favorite Uncle Steve has been battling a form of cancer called chondrosarcoma for the past four years. In fact, I think it is four years this month.

He's the funniest guy you'll ever meet and he's also the toughest.

He lives just 40 minutes away and I love going up to visit whenever I get the chance. So here's to more birthdays with him.

It's That Time of the Year ...

2009-11-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

You know, that time when skiing and snow is on the brain! Halloween is over, November has begun and Christmas decorations are for sale in every store around. Naturally, I start thinking about SNOW!

I purchased my midweek pass to Sundance and am excited to try out their new night skiing program!

As if that doesn't have me excited enough, I came across this fence while on a road work detour through Heber. Blair and I were driving up to his aunt and uncle's cabin for a family dinner and I made him pull over so I could check it out. Isn't it amazing? Don't you wish your house was surrounded by a fence like this??

Halloween Haunting

2009-11-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

I've always been the kind of person to wear cute Halloween costumes sewn by mom or pieced together with crafty items collected over the month leading up Halloween. But my ambitions quickly diminished this year ...

What started as an idea to be a jellyfish ...

... eventually turned into being a classic witch (I'd never been a witch, ghost or pumpkin before)!

But the day of Halloween, I found myself at the Halloween superstore with Nat, Blair and Graham purchasing masks. When I told my mom, she was horrified because she thinks that kids who wear masks on Halloween are the trouble makers. But wearing a mask was so fun!

We went up to a cabin party in Sundance and danced the night away with friends.

At one point, we stood outside the window of one of the rooms in the cabin just looking in. Two girls walked in and just about had heart attacks! I laughed my face off, until I learned that they had just seen The Strangers the night before, then I felt a little bad.

I loved wearing regular clothes because I got to wear Halloween socks!

The costumes people wore were amazing though! Awards go to Nate as David Bowie in Labyrinth:

And to Kate as a troll!

Maybe next year I'll get my act together enough to look as amazing as these two!

Pumpkin Chocolate Tart, Oh My!

2009-11-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week, to get in the Halloween spirit, Lani and I decided to channel Martha and make this pumpkin chocolate tart, courtesy of Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine.

It was time consuming because everything had to set or chill or bake for a really long time.

But it was fun to have such a spooky result! The spiderweb on top made all the difference - and it was easy to do!

Now that it is Nov. 1, I get to break out the new Martha Stewart for November and Lani and I will have to pick a new treat to make!

Football Frenzy

2009-10-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend BYU played TCU in a home football game. Even ESPN College GameDay showed up for the event. They favored the Horned Frogs. It was a smart choice considering we lost 38-7! The Cougars were definitely not playing their best ... but it was fun putting on a show for everyone watching from home.

Blair and I bundled up because it had rained all day and we were worried about it maybe snowing!

Then on Tuesday night, the Lady Wingmen had a flag football intramural game against some team called "Team Bauer." We pulled out a win, 7-6 in the last minute of the game! We were shocked because for some crazy reason the Intramural Office ranked us no. 9 of the 60 women's teams. This was ridiculous because we played all of our games in the third division, and the only D1 team we played trampled us 50 million to zero! Even though we petitioned it, we are stuck in the upper division and just have to try our hardest...

Note: We lost our second tournament game a million to zero last night against the no. 1 team. It was not fun.

Brown Paper Packages

2009-10-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

To me, there are few things better than receiving packages in the mail. Especially unexpected packages! I received a few this past week, none of which I knew was coming.

My mom sent me my third fall/Halloween box in a matter of a month. I absolutely love her boxes - they are always filled with such great surprises!

Like this adorable vintage postcard tied with orange and black ribbon to hang by.

My favorite cupcake mix! It's from Sprinkles. These mixes turn out so well. I've never tried the pumpkin but am so excited to! It's on my to-do list this week.

The newest Martha Stewart. I've promised myself that I will not open it until after Halloween. I need something to look forward to come November 1.

And these fleece pants. If you don't already own a pair, I highly recommend going out and purchasing some for yourself. I was visiting home last fall and my mom had recently purchased a couple pairs for herself. I "borrowed" one of the pairs and still wear them all the time. My sweet mom was nice enough to send me a new pair for this fall and I am so glad because i wear them all the time!

I love to fill up my online shopping carts ...

2009-10-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

... especially at Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table.

I mean sure, I probably end up buying 1/1000th of everything I add to my cart (what's a college student to do?), but I still love looking through all the fun items and clicking on it as though I plan to purchase it.

(I think there is a name for that - I read it once somewhere but cannot remember now).

This is my favorite time of year to do this because of all the fun holiday stuff!

I just added 63 Christmas items to my Crate and Barrel cart, but I'll wait a few oh, months to share those. These are my favorite Halloween and fall goodies.

These pumpkin and gourd candles from Crate and Barrel:

I love how realistic they look! Although are they going to melt into weird orange and green heaps?

These pie cutters ...

... to make these fancy pies!

The pocket pie molds shaped like pumpkin and apples.

And these fun covered mugs and plates.

Oh! And I'd also love the pan that makes those cute acorn breads in the picture above.

Can you get more festive than this??

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance

2009-10-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a title.

Thank goodness for Alex, who is always so on top of everything and keeps me in the loop. This book was written by a girl who was in our ward two summers ago in NYC. We marveled at her comments in Sunday School, her cool glasses and her wealth of knowledge.

Then two weeks ago Alex told me that Elna Baker had written a book and it was going to be huge.

Wonderful Nat returned home from Arizona last night with a copy of the book for me. She's wonderful because she remembered I wanted it even though I had just mentioned it in passing. As soon as I finish The Time Traveler's Wife I get to start this new one! So excited!

Trick-AND-Treat

2009-10-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

A friend found the following story on My Life is Average and I thought it was a wonderful idea for a Halloween costume! Anyone up for trying it?

"I grew up in a college town, and one Halloween our doorbell rang and we opened the door expecting to see trick-or-treater—but what was in front of our open door—was another door! Like, a full-on wooden door, that had a sign that said “Please knock.” So we did, and the door swung open to reveal a bunch of college dudes dressed as really old grandmothers, curlers in their hair, etc, who proceeded to coo over our “costumes” and tell us we were “such cute trick or treaters!” One even pinched my cheek. Then THEY gave US candy, closed their door, picked it up and walked to the next house."

What I Love About Fall

2009-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

I went for a walk this afternoon around my block and saw all of these pretty things.

I love fall.

The beautiful, rich colors of the leaves
Playing in said leaves that have fallen from trees
Apple cider
Pumpkin treats
Curling up and watching scary movies
Halloween decorations
Cornstalks decorating walkways

Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt

2009-10-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't read The Pioneer Woman's blog, start now. Her stories are hilarious, her pictures amazing and her recipes are divine! I can't wait to try these Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt. She gives the best illustrated, step-by-step instructions.

photo via here

And all that jazz ...

2009-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

no, not the song and dance kind of jazz,

the basketball kind!

thanks to Melia and Twitter, Blair was able to get us two free tickets to see the Utah Jazz play the Portland Trail Blazers last night in Salt Lake.

Blair met the miniature mascot ...

and I ran into my favorite twins ...

These girls are so fun! Unfortunately Amelia is super sick right now. I'm hoping she gets better soon! I'm also hoping to talk Amanda into visiting a haunted house on Saturday but she's worried about being a little too scared :) She also needs to start blogging more!

Mad About Plaid

2009-10-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

So I've recently been resisting the urge to splurge ... and most of the stuff I've fallen for is good old-fashioned plaid!

Both items are from here. The skirt also comes in a gray plaid, but I think the red is fun!

Welcome James Spencer Ross

2009-09-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, September 11 at 11:47 a.m., James Spencer Ross was born. The cute little baby weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz. and measured in at 21 inches.

I was ecstatic to be able to make it home in time for the big day!

Photojournalism ... Weather

2009-09-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

I am in a Photojournalism class that has me both excited and terrified at the same time. I completed my first assignment last week. The assignment was photograph the weather. Here is what I came up with:

Little Black Dresses

2009-08-31T13:28:00.001-07:00

Although it has been almost three months since my last post (I guess you could say I went on summer break), I have returned to discuss an important subject ... black dresses.

It's been said that I have too many black dresses, but let's be honest - you can never have too many black dresses.

Anyone care to disagree? That's what I thought.

I was perusing Shabby Apple for the first time and came across their entire line of black dresses! I especially love the white buttons on so many of the dresses!

These are my favorites:

I think I deserve a First Day of School treat, don't you?

Another game, another T-shirt

2009-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Blair and Jeff for not knocking me over at the Giants vs. Braves game last week to try and steal my newest XL T-shirt!

P.S. We won 4-0 :)

The Giants Blew It ...

2009-05-16T10:43:00.001-07:00

... but the Bees pulled through! The beat Omaha 13-12!

(James, Nat, me, Wylie, Amanda)

Our free Jazz tall tees that the boys caught.

(Amanda, James, me)

The Giants on the other hand ...

(KHard, Bena, me, Blair)

... were doing great with Lincecum but then went downhill so fast!

(KHard, Bena, me, Blair)

If you're wondering if we're sitting in the second to last row in the farthest away section, we are. But it was such an experience.

Can kid's bedding work for adults?

2009-05-11T10:45:00.001-07:00

Found it at the Land of Nod.

4 Planes, 3 Countries and 38 Hours Equal ...

2009-05-06T19:02:00.007-07:00

... my return home!

As much as I have loved this trip, I am excited to get home and start summer vacation in the states! The journey to get home is going to be long though! I know my iPod won't last forever, and I can only take so many naps. But it will be worth it to have a cold glass of tap water from the Hetch Hetchy!

While I'm away ...

2009-04-27T05:39:00.003-07:00

I'm currently in Peru having the time of my life!

I'll post more after venturing to Argentina and Uruguay, when I come back to reality.

Roommate photo shoots are the best

2009-04-20T01:31:00.003-07:00

I'm going to be an aunt!!!

2009-04-17T18:05:00.005-07:00

Alli and Mike found out today they will be having a beautiful baby boy! (Technically they didn't say it will be beautiful, but come on, we all know it will be.)

Susan Boyle...

2009-04-16T23:03:00.005-07:00

...has completely wowed me. Although I have already tweeted about her and she is all over the news, I want to make sure everyone else gets to see her. I got chills just watching.

Happy Birthday Alli!!!

2009-04-16T22:57:00.005-07:00

Today is Alli's 28th Birthday. I have to get this posted before midnight to let her know I am thinking about her. Happy Birthday Alli - I love you!

Tracy Aviary

2009-04-16T22:53:00.005-07:00

Today we had a Palo Alto reunion at the Tracy Aviary. Kristine works there and was nice enough to take us on a private tour. My favorite bird was the peacock! It's feathers were absolutely beautiful. They were all a bit show-offy though.

Deep in the Trees ...

2009-04-09T12:53:00.002-07:00

... I found hidden hammocks. What a great surprise. And a perfect place to lay and read In A Sunburned Country.

One Love

2009-04-08T15:52:00.009-07:00

I am spending the week in Jamaica at Runaway Bay. I am here for the wedding of my oldest cousin Justin to his cute new bride Denise. The wedding took place yesterday in a small, open-air chapel on the beach. It was beautiful and intimate (just 10 of us including the bride and groom).

(right after the ceremony on the beach)

(Denise and Justin in front of the gazebo where we had cake and champagne)

(Desiree - Denise's daughter, Denise, cousin Justin, Aunt Carla, Uncle Steve)

Christmas in April

2009-04-05T15:51:00.007-07:00

Although it is now April, we had one of the best snowstorms of the season this past week! I went up to Sundance with Nat, Megan and Blair on Thursday.

On Friday, Adam and I went back up and there was more than a foot of new snow! We pretended it was Christmas and listened to holiday favorites and ate warm food by the fire at the Bearclaw lodge on top. My legs were beat by the end of the day, but it was worth it.

General Conference

2009-04-05T08:34:00.011-07:00

This weekend is General Conference for my church. Nat, Babs and I went up to Salt Lake to watch it in person on Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon.

Afterwards Nat and I met up with Kristina and Keena and grabbed food and clothes at the Gateway. I got this coat from Banana on sale!

Joining the Ranks

2009-01-14T10:15:00.004-08:00

I have long been a blog-follower. I love to read other people's posts about where they are, what they are doing and things they love. And although I have been registered for a blog for over a year now, I have never been one to actually post anything. So I've reached a point where I'm beginning to feel a bit like a creep. I have decided (with the help of an assignment for my Advanced Print Reporting class) that I will beginning blogging, not just blog-stalking.