Natale, in just a few Pictures

New Christmas PJs//MILs beautiful Christmas tree

Kimball, and the Rudolph nose that he fell asleep in//Lee's Mongolian in Ogden

Mark and his darling grandmother//the most comfy Christmas PJs ever

Just the two of us, enjoying a lovely Christmas.

We hope you had the merriest of Christmases!

I'm a fan Friday!

 via Pinterest

Happy Friday! Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner? Neither can I!  Does anyone else besides me still have Christmas shopping to do? I have some real gems to share with you for this week...

-I'm a fan of this floppy hat. As much as my husband hates them, I'm determined to add one to my wardrobe.

-I'm a fan of this lovely lady's calligraphy. It's beautiful, and I want her to be my personal secretary. And re-write everything I've ever written in my life.

-I'm a fan of listening to Christmas music.

-I'm a fan of my favorite Christmas CD, but I think it's pretty enough to listen to year-round. (Side note: one of my mission companions gave me a copy of this CD during our Christmas together in Bergamo, and I've loved it ever since.)

-I'm a fan of how the Italian nativities come with a baby Jesus that you can take out of the manger. It's meant to be hidden and put inside the manger on Christmas Eve.

-I'm a fan of finding my iPod that I lost 5 months ago. I couldn't believe it when I pulled it out of the depths of the side pocket of my purse.

-I'm a fan of vacation that I'll be enjoying with Mark's family..2 four-day weekends in a row!

-I'm a fan of the lovely poinsettias that decorate our office.

-I'm a fan of zumba. I finally went back after my long-lasting illness, and only a mild hacking cough ensued, so I think it's ok to keep going!

-I'm a fan of when Mark talks about the crazy things he sees as he shadows Audiologists.

-I'm a fan of weekend plans. Not that I have any, but I'm sure that whatever I do it's going to be great.

Happy weekend!

It was foggy this morning.

It was definitely the kind of morning that reminded me of Italy.

In other news...this week has completely wiped. me. out.

And it's only Wednesday.

And I think that the HR person at work can recognize my handwriting 

because I have so many mis-punches and other shenanigans to fix.

Yikes.

Holiday Wish List...the Mark edition

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14

Apparently Mark likes music. And electronics. 

Who knew?

I'm a fan Friday!

Hello lovlies! It's time for another round of "I'm a fan Fridays!"

-I'm a fan of Christmas dinners/luncheons. Today will be numbers 3 & 4 for this week alone!

-I'm a fan of Mormon Messages. Except I have to watch them at home, by myself, because like Gus I'm a sympathetic crier, and it's embarrassing.

-I'm a fan of owls. I think it's an obsession, really.

-I'm a fan of Aveda Control Force firm hold hair spray. It's the only stuff that can tame my wild and thick hair these days.

-I'm a fan of lynda.com's online tutorials...I only like them because I get them for free through BYU.

-I'm a fan of this sweet missionary who carried a sister who fainted (in his arms, practically) all the way here to the Health Clinic.

-I'm a fan of sunny days, especially in December.

-I'm a fan of not having to study for finals. I'm sorry for those that do, but I studied for finals at BYU 13 times just trying to get my undergrad, so I think I'm allowed to be excited.

-I'm a fan of my ear warmers that were lost but are now found.

-I'm a fan of the jokes that my parents send me in e-mails.

-I'm a fan of tender mercies.

What are you a fan of today?

Holiday Wish List

 

1//2//3//4//5//6//7//8//9//10

What's on your Christmas list?

Leave me a comment and link to your list!

A Gift to the World

For those of you who didn't see the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, 

this is the video that they showed. 

It really touched my heart.

Weekend.

Hello lovelies! How was your weekend?

Our weekend was pretty grand. 

We went up to Salt Lake on Friday night

and after eating some delicious BBQ at Pat's

we walked outside with every intent of going to Temple Square

only to turn around and come back to Provo.

We decided that the freezing snow pelting us in the face

would not have made for a pleasant experience.

So we came back and chilled with our choice of drinks:

a lemon berry slush for me,

and a Dr. Pepper for the husband.

Saturday morning we woke up to snow and it seemed to me

like the perfect morning for some french toast

from Kneader's.

So I dragged husband out of bed

(I don't think he minded though, once he got a taste of a fresh croissant).

We spent the rest of the day being as lazy as can be

until we went to a Divine Comedy show

with Trevor and Juliet. 

I haven't laughed so hard in a long time-

it was pretty funny.

Sunday morning was filled with coughing

and trying to console my poor lungs.

We followed that up with making a lasagna 

that an Italian would be proud of and

having a cousin dinner party

with Trevor and Juliet. 

We then had a riot of a time playing Rook with 7 people. 

It was hilarious.

This week will be spent trying to be more domestic.

I've already made a Wisconsin Cauliflower soup

and I just pulled some banana bread out of the oven.

What is it about this time of year that gives

me the urge to bake to my heart's content?

Side note - I had a dream the other night that I went to Paris 

and the first thing that I did when I got 

off of the plane was go to Ladurée and get some macarons.

I think it's a sign.

I'm a fan

photo via me and my trip to Venezia.

I saw this idea on another blog today, so I thought I'd give it a whack...

-I'm a fan of Fridays. Who isn't??

-I'm a fan of my husband and best friend....love you 4ever.

-I'm a fan of Le Pen. I'm scouting out some art supply stores this very evening to see who carries them.

-I'm a fan of mint hot chocolate.

-I'm a fan of decorating for Christmas. And I'm a fan of myself for getting it done before December 15th.

-I'm a fan of sending out Christmas cards. If you want one, e-mail me your address.

-I'm a fan of the snow storm that wasn't.

-I'm a fan of Psych.

-I'm a fan of my job.

-I'm a fan of the Missionaries that hurt themselves at the MTC so that I can have a job.

-I'm a fan of Pandoro. Specifically day-old Pandoro.

-I'm a fan of weekend plans. Ours include lights at Temple Square and Pat's BBQ. And sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.

-I'm a fan of my family. They're fantastic.

-I'm a fan of my nephew Tommy who gave Mark the cutest smiles on Sunday. Mark can get any baby to smile. Jealous.

-I'm a fan of not having to share a car anymore, thanks to Darth Vader.

-I'm a fan of my work benefits. At a staff meeting the other day, it was mentioned that we are "rich in the benefits that we get working here at BYU." So true.

-I'm a fan of this spell checker thingy, courtesy of google, or else I'd misspell every other word in this post.

-I'm a fan of my co-workers who make my awesome job that much more awesome.

Happy weekend!

Peppermint Tea

I'm currently cozying up to a mug of Peppermint Tea at work.
At the same time I'm doing the math to find out how much
overtime I have this week so that I can see how early I can leave
and not have to use any of my sick time.
How pathetic is that?

I'm pretty much looking forward to clocking out, driving home
and seeing my husband, who I have hardly seen all week long.
I'm also looking forward to getting rid of my cough/head cold
that has decided to take up permanent residency in my body.

I'm guessing that our time together will be spent in bed with the
humidifier on full-blast watching Prison Break
which, coincidentally, is just as addicting the second time around.