Il Divo

In high school I had the most incredible teacher, Mrs. Obray [my AP US History&AP Gov/Law teach]. In her classroom one of two things were listened to daily. NPR or Il Divo. And so, my Senior year, I fell in love with Il Divo, [and NPR too].

Last night I was able to go to their concert in the beautiful Beacon Theatre in New York City. It was AMAZING. There are no words. They sang Halleluja, one of my favorite songs. I might have teared.

We went with some friends and had such a nice night. Kristin Chenoweth [Glinda in Wicked] sang a few songs with them as well as an incredible girl on the violin. The theatre was breathtaking and the music was unbelieveable. Afterwards we ate at a cute Greek restaurant, Nicko's. SO DELICIOUS. The night couldn't have been better. Great music, great food, great people. We're happy.

And guess what? Christmas is one week from tomorrow. I am going home in FIVE days. I can hardly contain my excitement.I miss home so much, I didn't even realize how much until I started thinking about going home for Christmas and suddenly the days started dragging. Let me go home!!! It will be a perfect two weeks.

One last note, I wasn't feeling very Christmasy this month, mostly because I wasn't home and missing all my normal festivities has been kind of hard. I was feeling sad but then stopped and remembered what Christmas is really about. Not the lights or gifts or pretty decorations... even though I adore that part of it. I had to remind my self that Christmas is a celebration of our Savior and the night he was born into this mortal probation. The significance of that holy night and his infinite atonement that was to come. When I focus on that aspect I feel the Spirit so strongly. I'm excited to celebrate this season of hope and promise with my family! Merry Christmas to all!

Soap

Recently my Mom started her own soaping company. After an incredible amount of research, work, stress, and excitement, she is ready to launch her beautiful creations and share them with the world! She has developed a line of pure, natural, vegan soaps that are gentle on your skin and uplifting to your spirits! They're darling, hand-crafted, and she uses a special blend of essiential oils in each bar. Take a look at her new blog; http://www.ittybittysoapcompany.blogspot.com/. [The peppermint one was inspired by yours truly, so I must recommend it]. These make great Christmas gifts. If you like them [and you will], tell a friend.

With Thanksgiving so close to being here and me being so in the spirit of things, I just wanted to write a little post with a gratitude theme. These past few months I've thought a lot lately, "Is this really my life?!" I'm unbelievably happy and content and so grateful for the people and expierences that have been placed in my life. I know the Lord has been instrumental in the direction my life has taken. So a few things I'm thankful for this year: [and not in any particular order] First and foremost, the Gospel in my life. The relationship I'm strengthening with the Lord and my testimony that is constantly solidified and made stronger by His influence in my life. I have grown to love the saints in this area, my fantastic Bishopric, and the people in my ward. I am humbled by my new calling [Gospel Doctrine teacher] and feel that it is stretching me to new places, spiritually I am growing so much. I'm so grateful to the Lord for recognizing my needs and desires and blessing me with opportunities and expierences that are helping me to become a better version of myself. I'm thankful for my sweet, supportive family in Utah. They are my rock and the sunshine in my life. My parents truly are "goodly parents". Our home is a haven from the world and the peace I feel there is a direct result of their diligence, love and dedication to their family and Heavenly Father. I'm thankful for my sisters- my best friends. Each one so unique and sassy and wonderful. I'm thankful for my brother- quite possibly the sweetest, most adorable, kind-hearted 11 year old on earth. I'm thankful for my AMAZING friends... such great girls, that "friends" doesn't even seem like a strong enough word to use for them. I'm so proud of each one. They've all had tremendous influence in my life. Little apartments in Rexburg will always bring sweet, sweet memories to my mind. I'm thankful that Mara is coming to spend Thanksgiving with me! We'll both be missing our families [first Thanksgiving away] but I'm so excited to spend it with her! I'm thankful for nice people. I do believe that people are genuinely good and on a daily basis I see this. The other day I was in Nordstroms at the Bobbi Brown counter [the foundation is to die for] and this darling older woman was getting her makeup done for some event she was going to that night. Her and I and the lady doing the makeup just chatted. No joke, I sat in the chair next to her for 45 minutes. Doing nothing. Just talking. I love people who smile, who are friendly, and who are kind. They make me immensely happy. I'm thankful for my extended family. My aunts and uncles and cousins and incredible grandparents. I'm thankful for the lady who carried the stroller down the stairs in Grand Central for me while I juggled everything else. We might have missed our train had she not stopped. I could go on and on... There are so many things we have to be thankful for. We are richly blessed, and I feel that very strongly this holiday season.

Andie and Ben

On Friday we got to go to a NBA game. It was at Madison Square Garden, NY v. Cleaveland. Don't worry, when invited to this game, I had to call my Dad to ask him if the Knicks were a baseball, basketball, or football team. I think in my heart I already knew they were basketball, but I was a tad unsure. I feel really stupid admitting that; not the biggest sports fan, obviously. Our seats were really wonderful and close [row13] and we even ate a spicy bratwurst with peppers and onions from the stadium. We love sports. [I am trying]. It was fun to see LeBron James be such a super-human out there. And Shaq is a very, very large man. Jay Z was there, ndb. Kevin Rudolf performed "Let It Rock" at half time. [He got booed] After the game we strolled Korea town for some yummy treats and more food. I drank Aloe juice, which I didn't love. Also tried some really fattening crispy cookies that I could have eaten all day long. It was just lovely. The end.

Juno+Bleeker

yup, those little yellow shorts are from the women's section of sports authority. best.

my dad

today is his 51st birthday! {wow}. i wish i was home to give him a huge hug and maybe grab some sushi together to celebrate. if i were a perfect daughter i'de golf 18 holes with him, alas, i cannot golf. [but i can eat.] i don't think he even reads my blogs but i can't resist a post for him!

i could make a list of 1000 things i love about him, but that would be a little excessive for your reading pleasure... so maybe i'll just share one or two of my favorite stories? ok.

once when i was in high school [and so dramatic as high school girls are...] i spent an entire night whining to my dad about how stressed/over-worked i was. this is embarassing, but to insure that he completely understood what i was feeling, i told him something along the lines of- "i feel like a glass box, and there is just so much water inside me that it's spilling over and i'm going to shatter from the pressure!". {i seriously said that, oh my.} i was obviously distraught. we talked and chatted and i'm sure he made me feel better and then i went to bed. the next day i put in the 8 hours of school and then after school went to work. i worked at a gym near our house and had a 1/2 hour break so i went next door to the grocery store to grab a bite to eat. as i was walking back to the gym, i looked at my car in the parking lot and noticed something taped to my windsheild. i was furious because of course i thought it was a ticket {so optimistic} and walked over to see how much money i'de be fined. well, it was a sweet note from my dad written on the back of a shopping reciept. it said, "pookie, you may be a glass box near shattering, but you're the prettiest glass box i've ever known." it put me in happy tears and i still have that note!

when we were still living in california my parents bought this ginormous 3/4 ton chevy suburban. finally, we were rid of the funny [but so dependable] red mazda van. all were pretty excited. my dad especially loved it. that christmas my mom made a million carmels for people in the ward/neighborhood and sent me, regan, and dad out to deliever them. we took the suburban {which he informed us was his "b.a.t. mobile" aka; bad-ass truck} to deliever the goods and the entire time dad had christmas music BLASTING over the speakers {to demonstate what a great system his bat mobile had}. it went something like this; mannheim steamroller at ear-deafening decibel and two dizzily happy girls delivering christmas carmels with their dad all over concord, what a sight. i just remember driving around with him and regan with the windows down so all could share in christmas joy, laughing so hard it hurt.

seriously, my dad is the most wonderful man on the entire planet. i love him with every inch of my heart. i'm so greatful for our relationship and the fun we've had together for the past 20 years! we are a lucky family to call such a man "father". and my mom did good.

oh, AND

happy halloween!!! eat too much candy and have too much fun this weekend.

Lately

At 7pm one night my friend Alli [who is from Danville, CA and a very dedicated Angels fan] decided we should go into the city to watch the Yankee v. Angels baseball game. So we called two other girlfriends and the four of us drove into the Bronx, somehow found parking a million miles away and made our way to the new Yankee stadium. We didn't have tickets but we wached the game in the Hard Rock Cafe right next door. We might have been a little out of place amidst the screaming/drunk Yankee fans. And Alli [of course] had to sport her RED coat in Angels pride. Goodness. The game finally ended at 1am in the 13th inning. So long. Yankees won. That made the drunk people very happy.

Ready and waiting for our yummy hamburgers. Notice none of us are in navy blue, woops.

Earlier that day a group of us drove up to CT to go to this cute farm stand/corn maze. It was my very first corn maze, which is funny because I lived in Cache Valley for 4+ years. Verdict? Corn mazes are boring. I think a haunted one would have been a bit more exciting, but this one was not $7.00 worth of fun.

Our group told Alli and I to "run!", that we would play Sardines. So we ran. In circles. For ten mintues. And kept ending up at this stupid pole. #6. And they didn't even play Sardines [we are gullible?]. We just ran around like idiots. And laughed a lot. And made the entire group wait for us to find our way out. Which took entirely too long.

Cute group of autumn lovers. We enjoyed fresh Apple Cider doughnuts together after our adventure in the corn.

Other great things I've been doing-

Took a week in Saint Martin with the Akram's. That was great. I didn't work during the days so I just layed by the pool or on the beach and read "The Great Influenza" by John M. Barry. Fascinating book. I got a tan and lots of freckles. Minimal sun damage [Mom].

Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at night. So beautiful. I'm working on getting those pictures.

Saw "Where The Wild Things Are". Loved it. Thought it was a little sad and intense for a children's movie.

Baked homemade bread. Didn't suceed. Megan, Ashley, Mom and Grandma make it looks so easy, and smell so wonderful, and taste so mouthwatering. Mine was the texture of a rubbery pound cake with a surprisingly hard crust. I was quite discouraged. Mom said she would teach me when I go home for Christmas, I have faith that I will master it.

Got the new Michael Buble CD Crazy Love. I might just be a little in love with him, always.

It is gorgeous here. The leaves are bright orange and yellow and red and I feel like someone just lit all the trees on fire. I live in the most beautiful place on earth. And feel so happy and grateful and content.

Happy Autumn!

i heart dc

big exhibit. little nicki.

a few weeks ago i went down to dc to visit my good friend mara who is doing an internship. we had such a blast seeing the sights all weekend. it was go-go-go nonstop and by the end of those three days i needed a pedicure in the worst way. so worth the blisters though. please, make sure that you get to dc at some point in your life! bucket list it.

the capitol. so impressive and beautiful, like most of the buildings in the area.

library of congress. this was one of my favorites! during the war of 1812 the british burned the nation's capitol and the library of congress. thomas jefferson, having acquired the largest personal collection of books in the united states, sold his personal library as a replacement. congress purchased it for 23K in 1815. the jefferson library exhibit still has the majority of these books. it was completely astounding.

and when there is construction on the metro at 11pm, this is what we do to pass the time. so my most favorite part of the trip was on sunday when we went to the holocaust museaum. it was by far the most incredible thing to witness. no cameras allowed in, but the things i saw inside were gut-wrenching and heart breaking. it was very moving and i was in tears for the majority of the 3 hours i spent there. it was stunningly powerful and i was able to more fully grasp and identify with, even in miniscule amounts, an unfathomable time in history. other favorites? the smithsonian museaum of american history. SO GREAT. i was in there for 5 hours by myself, completely content and fascinated. national archives. georgetown- so chic. dupont circle- so hippy. thanks to; mara for a lovely weekend dc for being so hospitable the weather for not being too hot my dear feet for suffering for miles and miles