Thankful

For all of the beautiful people I have in my life. And, in this moment, for other people that blog...I really love being let into your lives.

My weekend was filled with great people and lots of laughter. We made a very delicious meal at cooking class and a baby joined us for dinner...yay :) Afterwards, Alex, Matthew, Robert, and I played this Awkward Family Photos board game, and it was hilarious.

On Saturday, I got to spend a few hours babysitting Abby...though it was fun, I would not recommend braving the Fort Collins Chick-fil-A on a Saturday. It was pure madness. Abby's mom is pregnant with twins and I absolutely can not wait to help her with them!

That night, I headed up to the mountains with Amanda and eight boys. We spent the evening eating, watching football, and playing Scattergories. On Sunday, we went skiing at Winterpark...my first time on skis since 5th grade. It was a very fun day and was great for what it was, but I'll be honest...I don't really love snowboarding/skiing. I really wish I did, but I just don't and I apologize.

I was reminded this weekend not to take the people we love for granted. I am so very blessed by the people in my life and I pray that I would live a life that reflects my gratitude.

 Kale Salad, "Chicken" Piccata, and Corn Chowder...sorry, the pictures really don't do the meal justice.

Cacao, Coconut, Hemp Balls...

p.s. Here's to eating a spoonful of Nutella...who says you need something to spread it on?

Um...awesome.

It's not a big deal, but this is where I got to work last summer. And those are the people I got to work with. And I plan on working there again next summer with these great people. Pretty awesome.

I'm a crier.

I skipped my morning classes today, just because. And it felt great. I watched Father of the Bride while I did a very minimal amount of homework. It made me cry. Because I LOVE weddings (ha) and because I'm a crier. That runs in the family, but I'm especially bad. Which makes me think maybe I won't be able to get married, because I would be a mess. But they would be happy tears, of course.

If I cried this much before Matthew and Alex's wedding, what would I do at my own?

Days like today are so good. I've really decided that taking time for ourselves is important. And if that means not going to school, great! Just don't tell my parents...oh wait, I live with them.

Slow Jam Wednesday

I spent the morning listening to the Celine Dion Pandora station...because I felt like it, okay?? Then I got in the car and this was playing on the radio (thank you, KOSI 101):

So I was already pretty happy. And then, I realized it's Wednesday!! And at Camp T, Wednesdays are Slow Jam Wednesdays, and we eat the best breakfast of our lives, and they play this song and some R. Kelly and other great hits. So I'm bringing the tradition back into my life...don't let me forget about Slow Jam Wednesday next week.

All I want to do...

...is make Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts and bake delicious treats. I don't even know what kind of crafts I'm envisioning, but dreaming about it is still keeping me from writing the 500 papers I have to write before Thanksgiving. The next 9 days seriously can not go fast enough!

Am I too old to want to make one of these?

13.1

 It has been a wonderful weekend! To start it all off, I got to babysit sweet baby Jackson on Friday. He's probably the cutest baby ever...I'm serious. I chased him around the house a lot...he gets going and then gets a little ahead of himself and kinda face plants. But he's tough, so he just gets up and does it all again. We also took a little walk and he rode in the backpack carrier thing. During our walk, he would point and tell me what he saw, just not in real words. Too cute. He was also wearing overalls and high-top Converse...really too cute.

After that, I headed to Denver for Alex's birthday dinner with my family, her parents, Reagan, and Kritika. We ate at Root Down, which was delicious. Olivia opened her present from Matthew and Alex early...a Tulo jersey that she LOVES.

Saturday was my half-marathon. Considering how much pain I'm in as a result, I think it's ok for me to brag to the world (aka the 3 people that read my blog) that I did it! It was a struggle and my body might be sore for weeks, but I'm glad I did it and I accomplished my goal of 9:30 min/mile. My parents saw me off and I was so happy to see my #1 fans, Matthew and Alex, around miles 7 and 9, and at the finish line. They cheered loudly for me and held these signs:

They also sang this song as I ran by...if you haven't heard it, you've been missing out. So you're welcome.

Matthew got this picture as I ran across the finish line...I was pretty happy to be done.

 I spent the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing, literally...I took a bubble bath and watched three movies. Freedom Writers was on TV. I had forgotten how incredible that movie is (and it sure is a tear-jerker)! That teacher inspires me to pour myself into others. Olivia and I got Raising Cane's for dinner and watched Life as We Know It, which is a good one. I finished up the night by watching the last half of Seven Pounds, which is also a good crier. 

Today is Olivia's birthday, so we celebrated with some good food and another movie (I'm set for the month). We got Big City...delicious, as always. Then Olivia, Mom, and I went to see Footloose. Ah. I loved it. I wasn't a big fan of the main girl, the preacher's daughter, but the rest made up for that. It made me want to buy the soundtrack and REALLY made me want to go line-dancing. So that's in my plans for Thanksgiving break, and I can't wait! 

Birthday girl...Vanna Black

You know what I love about right now?

(http://www.kellehampton.com/2011/11/you-know-what-i-love-about-right-now.html)

I love that it's snowy outside and warm in my house. I love that I have cinnamon candles burning in my room. And mostly, I love that I just listened to Mariah Carey's Christmas album with the volume all the way up...and sang along, of course.