List of Twenty Four: Things I'd Love to Do

This list is constantly changing, and has even been transformed multiple times.  This is actually a list I think I've been making (and re-making) my whole life.  Thanks to my dad's constant goal-setting lessons.  Some of these are goals, and some of these are wishes...

1. Be in a Musical
2. Live in NYC for a while
3. Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
4. See a concert of some sort in London
5. See Adele in concert
6. Learn pattern-making and create my own clothes
7. Illustrate a Children's Book
8. Watch all the Star Wars movies in one day
9. Become a more proficient Art Historian
10. Learn Tchaikovsky's "grand pas de deux" on the piano
11. Become a gluten-free baker
12. Take ballet classes again
13. Learn to play tennis
14. Learn to ICE SKATE (like Michelle-Kwan-style)
15. Go to the Grand Ole Opry
16. Sleep on an overnight train
17. Go skydiving
18. Learn to re-upholster furniture
19. Buy a fixer-upper and completely re-design and decorate it
20. Meet Prince William and Princess Kate
21. Earn a Masters Degree
22. Get sealed in the Temple
23. Design my own Wedding Dress
24. Have a baby (or actually maybe a few)

(hahaha See?! I've secretly ALWAYS wanted to be in a musical;

thank you dearest sister Sophie and cousin Kirsten for making

my dreams come true!!)

Grateful for:
Kindness.


Quote of the day:
"You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights."
--Dr. Seuss

Eyebrows

So I have a really weird obsession.

EYEBROWS.

I had a roommate in college who opened my eyes to how much a nicely-shaped eyebrow can enhance your face.  I'd never thought of such things before.  Now, it's like the first thing I notice about people. And don't worry, I think you have great eyebrows... I just know you'd be weirded out if I complimented you on them.

Here's some of my fave celebrity eyebrows:

Elizabeth Taylor's are legendary.

Audrey's mix perfectly with her pixie cut/bangs, and cat-eye makeup

I love Marilyn's makeup/eyebrow combo in my fave Marilyn movie:

"How to Marry a Millionaire"

(and how well they compliment her glasses!)

I love Jennifer Connelly's gorgeous dark hair and eyebrows...

...and Ashley Olsen's blonde hair and dark eyebrows.

And when I saw "The Blind Side" the first time, at the end of the movie I thought,

"That was a great movie, and Lily Collins has great eyebrows."

That's fine.

And this doesn't just apply to the ladies...

...gents with great eyebrows make a good impression too

Mmm James Dean.

Very expressive brows.

And Mr. Josh Hartnett's eyebrows make his face.

Make it smoldering, that is.

So yes, I know I'm weird.

But you know YOU have strange things you notice about people

the first time you see them.

You should admit them sometime.

Quote of the day: "You must never underestimate the power of the eyebrow"

--Jack Black

List of Twenty-Four

I recently discovered the charming blog of a graphic designer in NYC.  Oh so lovely and inspiring.  Makes me want to move to New York reeeeal bad. (I think secretly since I saw You've Got Mail when I was like 10, I've wanted to move to New York and eat bagels and drink Starbucks hot chocolate and live in a cute little apartment and buy over-priced childrens books, and sometimes that desire still pops up with random encouragement from such things as cute blogs...)  I was particularly inspired by an idea for her most recent updates.  She's been doing these "Lists of Thirty"--I think because she recently turned thirty--these lists included "Favorite Things to Eat in NYC", "Things I Learned in my 20's", etc...

So it got me thinking, I recently turned 24, and I LOVE lists.  They're rather organized, but still this wonderful modge-podge of lots of different and wonderful things.  (Okay, so maybe my gargantuan, weekly list of "to-do's" for each week is not exactly loaded with wonderful things, but the wonder is scattered throughout amidst lots of "must-dos'"... I still love it all the same, and would not accomplish much without this list)  So I thought I'd do my own versions as posts; Lists of Twenty Four.  And here's #1.


List of Twenty-Four: Things I Love Right Now
(and this idea came riiight off the blog)
1. Bluebonnets... and spring!
2. Gluten Free cinnamon raisin french toast
3.  the Book of Mormon (specifically the story of the Brother of Jared)
4. My impressionist-inspired skirt
5. Green Pants (new and improved)
6. My black Suede birthday pumps
7. Hipster/Buddy Holly glasses
8.  My doctor... first time in my whooole life
9. My mom and daddy and my bruders and sisters
10. My brother's 7 and a half minute history lesson on the Byzantine Empire
11. Claude Debussy "Arabesque 1" sheet music
12. late-night Barbara Streisand movies
13."We are Young" by Fun.
14. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit
15. friends from the Mt Bonnell singles ward
16. watching friends play gigs at cool coffee houses down on Lake Austin
17. getting in touch with friends from a long time ago
18. Pics of my besties brand new baby!! I'm obsessed!
19. Being a Nanny
20. Austin
21. Pearl Earrings
22. HGTV
23. Updates from the new Les Mis musical movie
24. My camera



Doesn't this just make you want to go gluten free??

DELICIOUS.

Quote of the day: "And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come.  Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" Ether 2:25

Two Scoops.

Tired.

  

This is my schedule for the last 3-ish days:

5:30-Wake up and go running/work out (and maybe go back to sleep for an hour).

6:15-Shower.

6:30-Wake up kids/finish getting ready.

6:45-Really wake up kids/make them eat breakfast.

7:15-leave for school drop off's.

7:45-kids off to school, onto job #2.

8:00-check in at job #2.

(enter scenes of me filing, answering phones, greeting patients, learning dental lingo, etc...)

1:00-lunch.

(sometimes lunch with mom, sometimes pick up kids for early release, sometimes take care of sick kids, maybe run a few errands)

2:30-go to pick up kids from school.

3:00-3rd grade homework.

4:00-Enter the middle schoolers/7th and 8th grade homework.

4:30-drive to tutoring appointment/soccer practice.

5:30/5:45-dinner.

6:00-8:00-games or movie or mutual.

8:00-3rd grade bed time.

9:00-7th and 8th grade bed time.

9:30-GRE study/HGTV fix.

10:30/11:30-bed.

Repeat.

A few more times in a row.

And then every once in a while (like tonight), I actually get to sleep in my own apartment.

Whew.

 Tired.

Conclusion: I have 2 jobs, I live pretty much equal time between the house I nanny at and my own apartment, I split my social time between my family and my friends, I even have 2 callings.  It's all about balance right?

Question: So I'm just wondering... where's the two boys vying for my attention??

I mean wouldn't that just bring a complete balance to my life?
I'm already juggling two helpings of everything else!

And I wouldn't mind at all two extra scoops of that. 

Juuuust sayin.

Grateful for: A second job! Such a blessing! And visiting teachers, and home teachers.  And also Kerby-Lane-gluten-free-pancake-lunch-breaks with my Mom, and perfectly-timed (and much-needed) calls from my roommate, and the fact that both my immediate family and also my absolutely wonderful extended family live close enough for me to see them a lot.  Very grateful.

Quote of the day: "Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart."   ~Erma Bombeck

New Camera

A few photos from my lovely, laid-back weekend;

Some BBQ, back-yard style.

My handsome daddy in his regular weekend attire.

My favorite Emmacita.

Jesse (aka Jelly-man): the babe.

And my little Maxy.  So serious.

And NOT serious.  He did not pose for this, he was just telling me a story.

He's definitely a keeper.

Me and Cita hung out at a soccer game this morning.

She wore that scrubber thing on her head to the game and throughout the rest of the day.

Emma made sure I knew which one was my plate.

I love my dad's hands.

And my brother Dylan is in this phase where he only likes to take creepy-looking pictures.

This is the least creepy of all the pictures of him today.

By far.

And my mom is just the prettiest mom in the WHOLE WORLD.

Grateful for: My dearest family and brand new camera to capture their lovely faces with!

And Les Miserables in concert.

Is anyone else sooo excited for the Les Mis movie???

I'm like peeing my pants.

Quote of the Day: "I never thought I'd end up in pictures with a face like mine" --Audrey Hepburn