A Little Christmas Cheer

a perfect way to end the year.  please note the greatest christmas surprise/gift/miracle of all... my brother Doug chopping off ten inches of his luscious locks. "Jo, your one true beauty!"

a merry christmas indeed.

Ramses Is At The Par-tay

Lauren's wedding was a success! 

Stand out moments for me:

1.  Playing with the babies in the visitors center for two hours.  I haven't had to watch all three of them at once before then, but it was seriously so much fun wrangling them from here and there.  And in all honesty, I cannot wait until I can do that with my own kiddos day after day.  Seriously, in an ideal world I would have a house full of babies right now.  {Remind me of this in five to ten years when I'm worn  to the core.}

2.  Seeing Lauren so happy once she came out of the temple was so special to me.  It's something I've been wanting for her, so needless to say that was pretty important.

3.  The opportunity to just talk with my momma in car rides back and forth from the venue {and delivering flowers to neighbors afterwards} was so needed for both of us.  Love her.

4.  The entire Fielding side of my family came down for the wedding, so after Lauren & Brandon had left for the night all of us ran back to the dance floor.  My cousin Alex was the DJ for the night and all of the girls are hard core dancers so it got puh-retty crazy for the next two hours.  Although the true highlight for me had to be seeing my aunt trying to sing "call me maybe" to me, and watching my {new} cousin Hillary cat daddy.  The best.

Props to my amazing momma who pulled off an amazing party!

Summertime

I'm so lucky to be able to spend my summer days with these munchkins.  Hearing their itty bitty voices, giving kisses, playing in the sprinklers-- only the best things on earth.

Right now though I'm back in Park City, then Provo to work sports camps the next two weeks, then back to Arizona for the weirdo's wedding, and then back to Provo again for school.

Shall I bore you some more with the logistics of my bland traveling life?  I used to blog more interesting things... Or rather every little detail of my life circa '09, and probably like last month?!  Too much of this, too little of that.  It's tough finding a balance, ya know?  Blogging's weird like that.

Maybe you care to know that I listened to this on repeat the entire plane ride while the lady next to me picked her nose and rubbed it on her book over and over again?  Maybe not?  I'm just rambling now.  I really need a nap.  I'm terrified that some volleyball camp girl will terrorize me.  I miss school {shocker!}.  God is good.

 Blogging is weird.

Perfectly Imperfect

this was a perfectly imperfect christmas.  between having hand surgery, a sick baby niece, throwing together christmas itself in four days, and major stress with my pappas work, we were able off what i believe to be the best christmas yet!  it was all so relaxed.  my family slept in on christmas morning, let mckenley open her first present, and then we all opened a few.  then my family left for church, we had a christmas brunch, and finished opening all of the gifts.  i loved that it was an all day affair and that nothing was rushed.  in all honestly, the atmosphere really allowed us to focus on the true meaning of christmas, our saviors birth!  it was blessed and wonderful, and even more wonderful because santa brought me my very own dslr to document it all with!  so without further adieu...

{we watched hours and hours of home videos}

{pulled out the christmas dishes}

{santa brought me lush! yes!}

{this bar of soap is called "northern lights" & it's neon, boo yah grandma}

{i gave my mom a lense for her iphone that she's been wanting}

{we gifted my dad a family day! i was in charge of making this beauty}

{made some prints for the babies nurseries}

{santa brought me clothes too!}

{baby brielle}

{the greatest picture ever captured of my brother in law steve}

{one of 4 puzzles completed, this one of sedona}

{lauren's butt, i don't know why i felt the need to post this... buttt...}

{baby mckenley}

ATTENTION KATE ROBERTS!:  upon returning home for the holiday, my mom {above} & i somehow got on the topic of eating whole foods, and i was all, oh kate's doing that!  it's awesome! yadda yadda yadda!  she watched this documentary...  and my mom was all, forks over knives?!  and we screamed with glee, watched it as a family later the next day, and BAM we're semi-eating vegan/whole foods.  i love it.  my sister cooked this bamf meal tonight and it was glorious.

 oh and this is my arm.  guess what guys?  i have to go to therapy for my finger & will be in this wretched cast for the next 8 weeks.  never ever cut your fingers.  you will be in a narcotic induced nauseated state with no comfortable way to place your twisted arm and stiff fingers.  it's a nightmare.  don't do it.  although i must say i love therapy.  reminds me of all the lovely MVT trainers and the annex #gotoros.

hope everyone had a merry christmas, now on to new years!

White Tiger

Well hello there!  It's been a while hasn't it?  Things have been pretty busy around hurr...

Finals came.  And finals went.  Holla-freaking-lujah.  The four proceeding days of finals week were probably the most efficient four days of my life.  In that time I studied my brains out, packed up all of my stuff for the big move in with Lindsay for the winter, and studied my brains out some more.  I even fit in a final goodbye gathering with my Tingey girls at the Creamery on Ninth {how appropriate, ahhh the memories}.  Not to mention the other final goodbyes after the final library study session for finals with the Tingey girls...  By no means did I want to leave them, but I did want to leave the stress of school and that I did!  I chose to finish my finals in the first three days of the week.  Best.  Decision.  Ever.  While I didn't do as good as I thought and hoped and felt I would, I must say that this is the best round of finals I've ever had.  However, measured by the information gained, retained, and appreciated rather than percentage scored {just ask me about any piece of artwork or architecture you can think of and I will be able to write you a separate essay for each and every one, just ask me}.  After my drawing final Wednesday night my parents {who have been in Utah for an extended time due to my brothers knee injuries} came and whisked me away to the airport.  The plane was boarded, the pilot episode of The Office was watched, and in no time I was on Arizonan soil!

Once we finished the Christmas decorations, and when I say we I mean my mom as I waltzed around "giving the tree some depth" whatever that means...  Anyway after that my family got together to celebrate my niece Brielle's first birthday!  I seriously can't believe it.  Just last year she was a newborn baby.  Well obviously, but you know what I mean.  After playing with her new presents we headed to Tia Rosas {yessssss} for a celebratory dinner.

 {kissin' cousins!}

Saturday morning was Daddy Daughter time.  We watched the BYU basketball game while I twitter stalked Matt Carlino and told Papi how he sat on my couch, gave me googly eyes {I swear he really did, didn't he Erin?  DIDN'T HE?!} and how he will be the father of my children someday.

{decked out in my thuggin' volleyball sweats #gotoros}

Then papi & I set up the Christmas lights...

And that is only the beginning of my time since being home...