It Makes Me Cry...

There are times in my life I think I'm super tough....

...and these are of course the times that I am the most exceptionally delusional.

I've realized lately how many things make me tear up--every time I see or hear them.  No other circumstances are necessary to cause this reaction; these things just have to exist.  And for some reason, they fill my heart so full of feelings of love and joy and sparkly goodness, that my body can't contain them, and it leaks out through my tear ducts.  So I guess they don't really make me cry... they just make my happiness overflow.

For example:

1) This Van Gogh painting.  Not the Sunflowers painting, not Starry Night.  This one.  I saw it in a museum once, and something about the brushstrokes and colors just got me! Haha, didn't see that coming.  Who knew "Sower at Sunset" would be the most evocative painting I've ever seen??

2) The last scenes of Mona Lisa Smile.  If you've ever taught in any capacity, this one will get ya.  (But just maybe, it's those Van Gogh paintings for me again...)

4) Conversations with my grandparents.  I sure love them, and they've each lived marvelously rich and inspiring lives.  All of their stories are wonderful.

5) This Maurice-Sendak-styled, 1986 version of the Nutcracker pas de deux.  Even though the quality of this video is awful, and the Nutcracker has a thin, creepy mustache, I cry every time.

6) The temple.  It always brightens my life with truth and simplicity.

I used to get embarrassed to wear my heart on my sleeve, but I've come around to being grateful to feel all those emotions (good and bad), deeply.  I mean, what a blessing to be so full of "happy", that my body just can't contain it!

#LifeIsBeautiful

When I grow up...

...I want to be:

1) As boss

as Professor McGonagall.

2) As 

classy a fashionista

as Princess Kate.

3) As confident in my individual

talents and abilities

as Adele.

4) As ladylike as

my grandmas.

5) As good hearted as

and sweet

 either of my grandpas.

6) As diligent and

perseverant

as my dad.

7) As earnestly dedicated 

of a wife and mother

as my mom.

8) As

steadfast

a testifier

as Sister Dalton.

9) And as optimistic

and wise as

Sister Hinckley.

Time to set some more goals :)

Quotes of the day:

" 'Thank you' is a wonderful phrase.  Use it.  It will add stature to your soul. "

--Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said,'We are here in mortality, and the only way to go is through; there isn't any around!' I would add, the only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it.  You either have to laugh  or cry.  I prefer to laugh.  Crying gives me a headache."

--Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"As we got closer to marriage, I felt completely confident that Gordon loved me.  But I also knew somehow that I would never come first with him.  I knew I was going to be second in his life and that the Lord was going to be first.  And that was okay.  It seemed to me that if you understood the gospel and the purpose of our being here, you would want a husband who put the Lord first."

--Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Christmas time [was] here...

I'm a big fan of the Christmas season;

I looove that Christmas lasts a whole month.

The shopping and such does stress me out,

but I do love that it's socially acceptable to sing Christmas songs every day,

and everyone seems to be a bit friendlier for the month December.

I also love the excuse to go to concerts and throw parties.

Me and sweet miss Livvy 

got to attend Emma's choir Christmas concert;

I loved when they sang "Santa is the Man".

And then Livvy Lou gave me this Christmas present--

because she knows how much I love Paris!

It was so sweet!! 

And thennn, I went to a lovely little Christmas party,

where apparently a group of us subconsciously decided 

that we wanted to show the Christmas spirit

with the color of our pants.

I ended up making way too many presents

I didn't mean to, but I spent a whole lot of hours

(that I should have been sleeping, mind you)

making, remaking, and perfecting Christmas presents...

and loved every moment of it.

My sweet roomie gave me a super wonderful gift.

And left it in my stocking before she left to go home; so cute!!

My family even came over to my apartment for treats, and coco

and the "Polar Express"

We wore Christmas sweaters 

(and snowflake headbands)

and everything.

Such cuties!

"The first gift of Christmas!"

We love the Polar Express.

And then we donned footie pajamas...

And also party hats while we were eating our Christmas Eve soup...

...we made CC and Papa wear some hats too--they were great sports.

It was an extra special Christmas because these guys were there.

They are some of the most wonderful people I know.

And we all sure love them.

...

(and then came this big, lovely trip my family took to NYC; 

just imagine a group of nine people shuffling on and off of subways,

and in and out of tiny NY restaurants and stores...

It was simply fantastic.  I love that place.)

...

It's been an exceptional Christmas!

Grateful for:

my Papa serenading us on Christmas Eve,

my sweet Grandma and friend CC,

gluten free NY pizza,

the Manhattan Temple,

my faithful, soon-to-be missionary sister,

getting to go to the temple with my parents and brother and sister,

a whole new year ahead of me,

a nice, neatly organized list of resolutions

and the blessing of forgiveness

Quote for 2013:

"It's never too late to become what you might have been."

Photo Project

So I ended my last post with a quote that I just love so much, I think I'll start this post with the quote just one more time:

"Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed."  -Vida Dutton Scrudder

I LOVE this.  I am a big fan of buying things with the intent to alter and create something with them.  I also equally enjoy re-purposing old things and concocting new creations with them.  It is one of the things that brings me the most satisfaction in life.  That process is what calms me down and keeps me from unravelling from the stress of my day-to-day routine.  I forget how much I need it most of the time, but every once in a while, I do take the time to to work on a project... here's the latest.  It's been in the works for a loooong time.

A collage of my very favorite photos...

Inspired by pinterest of course.

But instead of expensive IKEA magnet boards,

I used a canvas and some little bitty pins.

And photos and trinkets from my trips throughout the years.

And sharpies of course!! (I'm super obsessed)

I have a picture from every trip I've been on,

and then photos of some of the people that inspire me the most;

like my handsome cowboy daddy,

and my beautiful mom and aunt Celia.

And my gorgeous Grandma CC...

And my absolutely lovely Grandma Rosie.

And some things I've picked up in some sweet places.

(this is from Versailles)

I feel like my room is now complete.

It's filled with reminders of the things that mean the most to me.

Like this newly framed photo of my fam.

And John Lennon has joined all the rest of the Beatles on my wall.

Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra also invited themselves to the party.

Party with my ukulele of course.

Ahhh... I am grateful for inexpensive ways to create and design and decorate.  I would be a basket case with out them!!

Grateful for: The chance to visit my family in California next weekend!  I've only been to the airport LAX on my way to other places, so I'm excited to actually have a Californian experience.  Aaand, take a little weekend trip with my mom.  Cuz she's definitely the coolest.