two

once upon a time, i was in elementary school.
and when i was in elementary school, i had no friends.
scratch that.
i had 2 friends.
from 4th grade on.
well, one from 2nd grade on.
becca. and livi.
i was looking at my 6th grade yearbook last night.
[1. why in heaven's name do they have yearbooks in 6th grade??
2. i hope everyone in my 6th grade class has burned theirs.
i was hideous. it's embarrassing. you think i'm over-exaggerating?
ahhhhh. no. if only.]
my point is, i had no friends. i was weird. i still am. but i have a few friends, i suppose.
buutttttt. becca boo and i played hopscotch at recess every single day. and livia came out of nowhere to join the partayyy.
it's been a long time since then. obviously.
but the other night we got together.
[no comment. loong time gone.]
and color-coordinated without planning.
we're cute.

ok, so cute is liberally applied.

whatevs. i did it.

for the record:

for the record, i'm in love with bookshelves like this.

ones that are part of the wall.

i will have some like these in my home someday.

{oh! and lemons! la, add those to the list from the email i sent you.
you know what to do. those three. never a better combination.}

well, helllloooooo big dollop.

you're not supposed to know the people you blogstalk, right?

or maybe that's just me.

haaaahaha.

for the record, there are plenty of blogs i stalk of people i know.

and others are distantly known.

ok, so it's a stretch.

there are seriously some blogs i'm in love with. that i don't know the writers of.

i feel kind of creepy. but i can't stop. i like them too much.

ohhh well.

that's the way it's supposed to be, right?

right?

just go with it.

hoppipolla love.

this is beautiful.

the pursuit

"there is no pursuit to which i would devote myself

more zealously than the pursuit of truth."

--cosimo de medici

cmm

sherry, mommy, and me colored me mine today. loved it. 

i wish i was an artist, though. i'm not one. very much so not one. it's sad.

oh well. it's fun anyway. if nothing else.

[mine i'll post later. so as not to be a spoiler of la's gift.]

 horace!

for steven. ha ha. :

[brothers, brothers.] there were never such devoted [brothers].

i saved these for later.

the reason deb is making these faces:

and putting the music in front of her face.

a tormenting brother.

and later, why was i making these faces?

a tormenting brother:

need i say more?

victor.

---christmas day always seems so anticlimactic following the flurry of the season itself, which i am of course in love with. to me, the climax and final unleashing of events comes christmas eve and suddenly christmas day is an addendum for complete release of the season, as is the week following towards new years.
---i just reread a letter from sara michelle that came this week. and it was just what i needed. so refreshing. i feel so guilty that i'm so bad at replying in a timely manner to her letters. 'sometime i will,' is what i keep telling myself. maybe i'll go reread some of our old emails. so perfect.
---my cousins are so great. i can't remember the last time i laughed as much as i did yesterday. between revisiting childhood with doug&steve plus sherry. and then traditional christmas eve at grandma's? day of joy.
---i'm in love with my kindle. his name is victor. steve's is charles. doug's is emerson (i think that's what he decided?), and sherry's is atticus. too bad i don't have more time for reading. why did i think it would be a good idea to take an online class during the break? my hindsight is 20/20. unlike my foresight. obviously. oh well. for now, i'm enjoying jane eyre until i make myself crack down come monday. so many good quotes to be found within it. how i've never read this classic before now, i don't know. it's taking me months anyway. considering the starting it in may and never finishing, and then starting school again. and then a wedding. ummhummm. so here i am.
---"turn your eyes from the skies now, turn around and look at me. there's a light in my eyes now, and a word for what you see. we call it 'love,' my son. say 'love.' so hard to say, my son. it gets harder." --bsm+motab. i watched this dvd last week while cleaning and remembered the live performance itself. so incredible. that's all i can say. this song is so sweet.
---sometimes i think about somedays. and i make little rules to myself of how things will be. requirements or promises, of sorts. that i intend to keep.
---i'm not ready for next semester to start. though i'm excited to return to my bed. this couch thing is getting old fast.
---princess claira and i did some plotting during finals week when we were breaking from insane studying. and the only words we have are: THIS IS SO GREAT. there's no other description.
---i'm still going through a major david archuleta phase. no big.

{photo stolen from whit. because i think it's adorable.}

dear self,
i can't wait to see what changes next christmas will bring. in other words, what life brings between now and then. so fascinating all that can happen in a year. for example, i now have a sister-in-law. or all that can stay the same. for example, well, i'm sure there's something. that's all. just a thought to ponder.
love, me.

la veille de noël.

just a little christmas week lovin.

enjoy.

white christmas. with monson and uchtdorf a few rows behind us. yeyahh.

cousin sleepover. hp+ygm. plus laughter. we know, we look beautiful.

we love coddled eggs. well, sherry and i do, at least. doug & steven eat everything.

byu santa! yesss.

 sherry wanted a picture. doug wanted to eat. eating wasn't allowed until a normal picture was taken. which took four tries. obviously.

attttt last.

mike's fork. plus yummy cupcakes.

 my favorite picture steve took. so funny.

 stalker pictures from across the room.

 christmas program.

 this picture would be so cute if it wasn't blurry. dangitall.

 i know. so cute.

in case you don't remember from the wedding,

i'm obsessed with how adorable my hales girl cousins are. and oober jealous.

christmas stories.

awwwww. so presh. sibling love.

 far far away on judea's plains. such a good story behind it.

 the real christmas story.

 another picture that would be a million times better if not blurry. hahahaaa.

 bartering 'night before christmas' gifts.

 again with the blurry thing.

 "now, we're not asking you to take a calendar. we're begging you to."

 i could hang myself with all the pictures i have of the lovebirds. seriously though. i could.

stevie was going to take a picture of mikey. it took effort.

i like this one. sorry, girls. this stud is currently taken. in a way.

 he thinks he's cool.

 sooooo she wasn't going for the whole 'wearing a santa hat' thing.

christmastime at its finest.