Twenty-Thirteen

Is it just me or are the years going by faster and faster? I know I know, its just because I'm getting old and so time goes by quicker because a year is a smaller portion of my lifespan... blah blah blah.

The point is, its time for the YEAR REVIEW!!!

Lists of memories from this year:

BIG Things:
Angel and Mike tying the knot!
Newest nephew & Nevin-ite born - Koen Hale Nevin!
Parker baptized at age 8!

Trips:
Portland - for Ari's very special Wildwood birthday party!!!
Texas - just because I miss all my dear friends and family who live far away & I had to meet all their new babies I already love and adore!
California - where we rocked six flags and sunburns (okay it was just Julie on the sun burn thing)
Cedar City - Utah Shakespeare Festival for my first time! We saw 12 Angry Men and Peter & the Starcatcher. Both were amazing.

Shows worked on:
Rapunzel - first time I was back ON stage, probably since High School, for reals.
Harlem Shake - does this count as a show? haha In case you missed it:

The Box - a wonderful new piece by Christian Swenson, that I was dramaturg for (kinda.)
Hello Dolly - SM for the Jerry Elison
The Scarlet Pimpernel - SCERA Shell Summer show, again alongside Mr. E!
The Jerry Elison Scholarship Night - I was the emcee - which was scary. But I'd do anything for that man!
A Christmas Carol - 3rd year! It gets better every time! And of course, with Jerry!

Other Shining Moments:
Our beautiful new juicer!!
Being Cinderella for a day in the 4th of July parade!
Seeing Wicked for my 25th birthday
#uglypicturefacecontest
Andrew finished wheel of time series - an end of an era
Hiking up around Strawberry Lake & seeing wild beavers only a few feet in front of us
Attending the Beautiful Singing vocal camp at BYU with my Mommy!
Lincoln riding on 2 wheels
Halloween - biker duo
Anvil, thermos, axe collection grew and grew
Little camping trip
Witches Tea Convention
Andrew's axe from the Ukraine
And of course just stopping at every estate sale and antique shop we can! seriously.

Not-so shining moments:
Spraining my ankle jumping in puddles
Scout's eye infection and having to wear the miserable cone
My awful sunburn from Cali
Cracking my iPhone
My fantasy football team
.....wait why are these mostly about me?
Wasting too much time of our lives watching the Netflix original series Hemlock Grove.

Memorable Movies of 2013 (in no particular order):
Catching Fire, Ender's Game, Gravity, Monster University, Iron man 3, Life of Pi, Bridesmaids, Warm Bodies, OZ: Great and Powerful, The Great Gatsby, Silver Linings Playbook, Django, Les Mis
Burt Wonderstone, Saving Mr. Banks, Bernie, and The host.... just kidding about the last one. :)

Firsts that happened this year:
Pyrex! And so began my obsession.
Dirty Dr. Pepper (at Swig)
Men in Black
Acting performance on Utah stage
Bachelor and Bachelorette viewing
Andrew's Handmade knife
Utah Shakespeare Festival

What I wish I could say we did this year.... and is *maybe* going on our goal list for 2014:
Buy a house
Start my online vintage shop
See a Broadway show in NYC
Take lots of pictures on our amazing camera. (I mean I took some this year, just not enough!)
Camping camping camping (again we did go, just not as much as we'd like to have)
More swimming and hot tubbing!!!! (notice the amount of exclamation points - this is serious)
Grow a garden

More of 2014 goals to come. But for now....

here's a little photo flip review of twenty-thirteen! 

Goodness it has been a long while.
I'm hoping to eventually catch up and start this whole blog thing again!

But for now, I'm just going to share a quote. I heard this quote for the first time yesterday, and I cannot stop thinking about it.

“There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer: no disease that love will not heal: no door that enough love will not open...It makes no difference how deep set the trouble: how hopeless the outlook: how muddled the tangle: how great the mistake. A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all. If only you could love enough you would be the happiest and most powerful being in the world..."

― Emmet Fox

The love he talks about is not limited to our own human love, but also by the love from our Heavenly Father. The love from our Savior. The love that abounds from the atonement. Because that love, specifically, is the love that will conquer & heal all things. Although, even among each other, it is always about love. Love is what brings us peace and joy.

That's all.

Happy Day!

Recent Obsessions

1. The Avett Brothers 

new album, "I and Love and You" 

2. Pinterest

If you don't, you should 

http://pinterest.com

3. My new cleaning products

(more about this later)

4. Bones

I know that I swore off Bones after the finale of season 3....but things change. 

Season 7 cannot come soon enough!

 

I've just realized....

I think I'm a "stick a post-it on the mirror" kind of girl.

Tonight

I am up way too late, eating junk food & watching Grey's Anatomy. 

These signs do not bode well for me living alone. 

This is not to say that I haven't been productive, however. I have spent many hours trying to get my house into some kind of order, and have been working on projects, and the latest development: 

A Christmas Carol. 

I am very excited about this. We started rehearsals this week! I feel a little behind, but I think that is a given when I'm coming into this show that has been playing every year for the past 20 years, and most of the actors are coming back for their 4+ consecutive year! Anyway, I will just say that I will NOT object to listening to Christmas music for the next 2.5 months! (In fact I kinda melted in rehearsal when the cast started to sing "O, Come All Ye Faithful.") I am aware that it is still October. Don't judge. 

 

Also, do not judge this blog post. Please. It is  3:53AM and I'm not sure any of this will make sense in the morning. I think this is more of a relaxation therapy for me. And I think it's workinggaglksjdisdfnieallllllllll 

(lame joke...I'm so sorry. I would just delete it if I wasn't so tired.)

*And now I am singing West Side Story because my blog title*

 

Today

I am going to the gynecologist for my 'premarital exam.' I hear it is painful. I'm very scared.

Cha..cha..changes

Everything in my school/work life is completely up in the air! I have NO idea how things are going to happen - which is scary. I'm going to map out my options, for my benefit, and for you because I'm just sure you care!

1. Go to New York for a super awesome summer internship (that I haven't been offered, yet). Then take Fall and Winter classes at BYU, and graduate in April, as I have planned for the past few years.

2. Go to Dallas/Nashville for an internship for the Summertime. And proceed with school as planned - graduating in April.

3. Stay in Provo for the Summer. Take classes during the Spring, Summer, & Fall semesters, then go to New York for an internship during Winter semester. Still graduating in April, as previously planned.

4. Stay in Provo for the Summer, take classes during Spring, Summer & Fall semesters and graduate in December! Then later go to New York to live, work and play!

Problems:

*All of my plans are a little scary to me in different ways.

*Plan #4 would mean I would have to suddenly 'grow up.'

*Plan #4 would also mean that I would have to find a new job, because my schedule does not fit with the work schedule at the ticket office...not that getting a new job would be a bad idea...I could find a new job with better pay...if I could find a new job.

*I hate making decisions.

*I have to make a decision.

2008 Revelations

I stole this from one of my friend's blogs that I follow. I thought it was a fun and simple way to review the last year.

In 2008 I LIVED:
1. Glenwood, The Condo, and another condo...
2. In Portland with my precious nephew.
3. On the edge...

In 2008 the best books I LEAFED through were:
1. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert .
2. Son of a Witch by Gregory McGuire
3. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

In 2008 and for the first time in my LIFE I:
1. saw a glimpse of what it is like to have children (or at least one child).
2. actually enjoyed being in Provo, and missed it when I was gone.
3. traveled to California!

In 2008 I discovered that I LOVED:
1. Sushi.
2. bubble tea.
3. blogging.

In 2008 the best songs I LISTENED to were:
1. You Don't Know Me by Ben Folds & Regina Spektor.
2. Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson.
3. Living Room by Tegan & Sara.

In 2008 I still LIKED:
1. what I want to do with my life
2. staying up late.
3. visiting my friends from home - how I love them!

In 2008 I LOOKED:
1. like Mrs. Peacock.
2. up most of the time.
3. for the little things to make me happy.

In 2008 I LOST:
1. friends.
2. trust in people I believed in.
3. track of time - all the time.

In 2008 I LEARNED:
1. that people are not perfect.
2. that growing up is inevitable.
3. how amazingly supportive my family is in me.
4. honesty is the most important piece in any relationship.