Inspiration Everywhere

So last night we were making tuna and cheese melts for dinner and Seth asked me if I remembered the "power of cheese" commercials. No. I didn't. He was shocked, so we had to get on Youtube to watch some while we ate. We watched this one where a politician said he didn't like cheese and everyone was horrified, then BAM. The mornings paper with the shocking headline slams to the ground.

Beautiful right?? Ok, it's just a stack of newspapers, but what I saw was a beautiful newsprint pillow. Maybe it's just the journalist in me, but I think a pillow like this would be so charming. Made out of newsprint fabric, and tied with some simple string. This one's going in the future inspiration files. 

As for a newsprint fabric, how about this one from Etsy? Covered in totally iconic images and headlines. Look, there's even Audrey up in the left corner! *sigh* I love her. A lot. This fabric would be stunning.

Well, it's time for me to go to work, but I hope you have a fantastic day. Look around you today, and be inspired by something. Anything. As *ahem* cheesy as it might sound, I am constantly finding myself inspired by everyday things around me. I truly believe you don't have to spend a lot of money for beauty. God has placed it all around us. Just open your eyes.

*amber*

Dear Santa...

For Christmas I want:

1. Long luscious locks.

I miss the feel of my hair whipping in the wind. Like this.

Or this. Actually, if you could just insert my into this picture, I wouldn't mind. The hair, the dress, the cardigan, the scenery... take me there.

Or, if you can't just give me the hair, can you at least make mine grow faster? It takes FOREVER!

2. Cozy sweaters and boots. To keep me warm. 

Like this.

And these.

3. And finally, could you please just slow time down? Or maybe stop it altogether?

I need a good long vacation in Italy. So I can pass my Italian final tomorrow morning! Really, it's not a want, it's a need!

And so I can have time to work on all the projects I have planned in my head. Like making amazing reversible sweater stockings, inspired by these.

And do this to our bedroom wall.

That's all, ok? Simple requests, really. Ready... Go!

*amber*

To get you in the Christmas spirit...

Here is a holiday classic. I know you'll enjoy it.

Isn't it fantastic? In a perfectly creepy yet awesome sort of way?

"I was vaccinated against all known poisons." Classic.

Merry Christmas...

*amber*

While visions of lovely things danced in her head...

Wow, I'm blogging alot lately. That means my life is just very exciting right now! On Saturday, a friend invited me to the Bridal Fair with her. She got engaged a few weeks ago and isn't getting married til the Spring, but she wants to start getting ideas and figure out what she wants. Knowing how much I obsess over all things wedding, she graciously invited me to come with her :)

The fair was so much fun and I loved seeing all of this year's new dresses, sampling yummy cake, and checking out creative photography. Weddings are so fascinating to me. I love seeing people find their individual aesthetics as they meticulously pick each element of the biggest day of their lives so far. However, this was the first time I've ever been able to talk to a bride about what she wants, discuss details, and give suggestions on things I've seen in my years of wedding blog stalking. :) It was such a blast.

Now, I have lots of images like this floating around in my head...

Inspiration board made at Polyvore.com.

That's kind of the overall look that I picture at this point. Of course, it could be a very long shot from her vision, because so far, we haven't talked that much about it. But still... I have a feeling this will be one lovely garden tea-party inspired wedding. Congratulations my friend!

* * *

Tonight, I decided to be spontaneous and try making homemade donuts. I got home from work and felt like being a culinary genius... (ha) so I dug right in and promptly turned our kitchen into a disaster area. I used the Food Nanny's Spudnut (the dough is made with potatoes) recipe, and they turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe Liz! (This recipe isn't posted on her website yet. It will probably be in her next cookbook though.) 

The glaze is pretty good too, and I usually hate the glaze on donuts. Mmm... Tasty.

Happy Monday!

*amber*

Chya!!!

Last night Seth rented the new Karate Kid. (Why is it called Karate Kid? It's not karate; it's kung fu! Hm... anyway.) I fell asleep about 15 minutes in. I guess at some point, I got up and walked into our room and got into bed. I don't even remember it, but that in itself was strange because usually Seth ends up carrying my unconscious body into bed. When the movie was over, he came to bed too. Around 3am, we woke up because the girls upstairs were blasting their movie as loudly as humanly possible. Seth informed me that for the last hour or so, I had been flailing around like crazy. At some point, I punched him in the face. I'm sorry honey. But... you DID rent Karate Kid... Just Sayin. Who knows what that caused me to dream about?

Now you know to think twice about what movies you choose to rent. That's a warning.

Love,
*amber*

One day you're in, and the next day... YOU'RE OUT!

We don't have tv. Well, we have a tv, but the only thing it's useful for is watching movies. So we use Hulu to keep up to date on all the current pop culture... ok, not really. I didn't know who that Justin Beib... whatever his name is was until a couple weeks ago. But the one current tv show I do watch? Project Runway. I know, I know. But I just love seeing how people find ways to creatively express themselves.

This week's episode was the best I've ever seen. I'm sure it will be a long time favorite. Enjoy! Hehehe...
(PS, I would put it in full screen so you can see the subtitles all the way. And of course, so you can more fully enjoy the amazing fashions as they come down the runway.)

:)

Kids are the best. I wish all reality tv was like this.

*amber*

Change of heart??

Let me say this up front. I hate MacDonalds. Probably  always will. Although part of it probably does have a lot to do with the whole Super Size Me obesity thing, I really just think their food is super cheap and disgusting. However, I may have to have a change of heart... for the next little while at least. 

We've all had those kids meal toys that look really cool, but end up breaking while you're still at the drive through window. But, guess what Mickey D's is promoting right now? MADAME ALEXANDER DOLLS!!! What?! See for yourself here. 

Granted, they're probably just about as cheap as most fast food toys... but they're so adorable! I've had a soft spot for Madame Alexander dolls for many years. And yes, these may not be great quality (or even moderate quality), but I'm certainly not willing to pay full price for the dolls. I think a kids meal price is much more reasonable. 

So... who wants to go get 8 kids meals at McDonalds with me?

*amber*

The Dickson Dream Home: Numero Uno

So I have a confession to make. We are officially obsessed with having our own house. Someday. Far far in the future. When we don't have to worry about school anymore... Anyway, we've fallen in love with the idea of having a real home someday. You know, a place that won't be infested with spiders but have landlords that won't pay for pest control. A stove that won't randomly start the washer and dryer instead of the burners... oh yeah. That will be the life.

It all started this Summer. We've spent a lot of time at my parents' house this Summer for family events, things to do up in Salt Lake, etc. Every time we're there, we watch tv. Bad habit, I know, but we don't have tv so we take advantage of it when we can. Usually, the television ends up on HGTV. Thus, we have been watching lots of shows like "My First Place" and "House Hunters". And guess what? We've caught house fever! (Oh ya, and I've been watching Design Star on hulu all season... This is not a good combination)

As a consequence, our conversations lately have consisted largely of layout discussions, theoretical design questions, landscaping ideas, and plans for our future home. Now let me tell you, our dream home is turning out to be quite the little pad... completely state of the art of course.

Since our future nest has been on my mind so much lately, I've been noticing things that I like and good ideas everywhere. So I've decided to put some of those things on our blog. That way, I'll have easy access to all of my good ideas and I don't have to worry about forgetting things.

Thus begins... THE DICKSON DREAM HOME PROJECT! 

By: Amber and Seth Dickson

* * *

Many of my favorite ideas and inspirations have come from pretty pictures I've seen. Photographed rooms and homes always look so perfect don't they? But what happens when you take a closer look? Often, you find a lot of vignettes of random objects that don't necessarily go together, and furniture pieces that serve absolutely no function. But hey, they always photograph well, right?

Recently, I happened upon this blog by LA comedian Molly Erdman (who you might recognize from the Sonic commercials.) She takes pictures from catalogs and adds a story based on what is in the picture. I guarantee, as you follow Gary and Elaine through their perfectly photographed world, you won't be able to help falling in love with this blog and its perfect satire.

Here's one of my favorites:

The only things Elaine treasures more than her prized blue and white urn collection are the framed drawings of her blue and white urn collection.

Visit Catalog Living to see more goodness.

*amber*

New Favorite Commercial

Has everyone seen the new Old Spice campaign. I love it. If you haven't, please watch this. Cracks me up every time. Well, Seth showed me this today. It made my day. You BYU-ites should enjoy it :)

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

*amber*

Summer Lovin'

My Summer mood has finally hit. Which means I don't feel like doing anything but going on spontaneous adventures. Really. We've been doing lots of fun things lately but (as usual) I am WAY behind. I'll get around to it eventually :) Maybe when I get back from our next adventure. We'll see.

In the meantime, I hope your Summer is as exciting as ours has been so far. 

Full of magical surprises.

Now I'm off to...

Sigh, life is good.

*amber*

Ummm...

Tonight we were playing Would You Rather.

We got the question, "Would you rather be the ugliest person in the world, or be the dumbest person in the world." 

Seth said ugliest. "Because then you could get a decent job and pay for the plastic surgery."

I figured that's what most people would say, so I decided to consider the other option instead. I chose dumbest. "Because then I wouldn't even know I was dumb. And people would just love me and think I was cute."

Seth: "No, they would all want to kill you."

Amber: "What? No, they only want to kill smart people. They are the only valuable ones. Why would they want to kill me?"

Seth: "I don't know, they just would."

Suddenly, Seth's eyes get really wide, then he starts laughing uncontrollably. Apparently he had gone into some half asleep trance and was just talking without knowing what he was saying. At some point, his consciousness heard something about killing people, which startled him awake. 

He didn't stop laughing for a long time. He just couldn't get over why he would have said they wanted to kill me... oh man, he is so silly :)

* * *

We also got the question, "Would you rather share your room with an elk, or your bathroom with a man with a strange skin disease?"

Hahaha... That one got me started into my own laughing fit. Oh so random. 

* * *

Which reminds me... one time at girls camp, we were playing would you rather around the campfire really late at night. The Beehives came up with some pretty priceless ones.

Beehive 1: "Would you rather be a swimsuit model, or a stripper?"

All Laurels in unison: "Um... a swimsuit model!!!"

Beehive 1: "No, I mean the two piece kind" :O (shocked face)

Hahaha... oh the innocence.

Beehive 2: "Would you rather be a (insert something gross here, I can't remember what she said), or an old heifer?"

 Certain Laurel leader: "Do you even know what an old heifer is??"

Beehive 2: "Yes! It's a cow!"

Mm... maybe you had to be there for that one.

And finally,

Beehive 3: "Would you rather have gold teeth...?"

Yep, that's all she said. It still baffles me to this day hahaha. Oh man, now I miss girls camp. Well, I hope your weekend is just as full of crazy randomness. Ours is shaping up to be pretty great so far :)

*amber*

Tales of a Happy Home Nevening

That's what my sister used to call Family Home Evening. 

Last night, we had an interesting one. Nothing worked out as it was supposed to. Oh well. It made for a very interesting nevening :)

Originally we wanted to hike the Y. I've never done it before so I though it would be fun to take a little hike and have a picnic at the top. But when Seth got home from work, he was exhausted. He plopped down and almost fell right asleep. So we realized we weren't going to hike; even if it's just a short one. 

Seth wanted to take a nap, but I still wanted to spend some time outside. I feel too cooped up during the winter. So Seth, sweet man that he is, agreed to come up the canyon with me to have dinner and maybe take a short walk. 

All the meals I had planned for this week were bigger, at-home type, meals. I didn't really have anything that would be good to take on a picnic. However, I had a discount for this place called Smokehouse Pizza and BBQ in Provo, so we decided to pick up a pizza and take it up the mountain with us.

When we got to Smokehouse, we realized that it was more of a sit-down place. Oh well! We decided just to stay and have dinner there, then go up the canyon. It was a tiny little restaurant with only a few small tables. It was a cute little place and they had this cool clock wall that I liked :)

Only four of the other tables were occupied. When we walked in the door, a waiter told us to go sit wherever we wanted. Hm, must be a pretty chill little place. So we picked a nice little seat next to the window. All of the people at the other four tables were already eating, and some looked like they were getting ready to leave, so we figured our orders would be taken soon.

So we waited.

And waited.

And waited...

And figured out how to take panoramic pictures on Seth's phone...

And then waited some more. 

It was probably about a half hour that we sat there waiting, staring the waiters down and wondering when they'd get to us. Ok, so in their defense, there were only three people working. A younger boy, girl, and an older woman working in the kitchen. However, as we looked around, they weren't really busy. The woman in the kitchen was lazily wiping a rag around on the already cleaned counters. The boy and girl were talking to each other. Then the girl moseyed over to the front and started looking at a piece of paper. The boy approached a table two away from ours and gave them their tab started helping them finish up. They were so close to us that we figured he would come right over to us after they were done. Instead, he left their table and started chatting with the woman in the kitchen. What was going on here?! We finally just got up and left. On our way out, the girl standing by the door didn't even look up. Hm... probably won't go there again...

* * *

Neither of our original dinner ideas worked out... and we were starting to get really hungry. So we just headed up to Smash Burger in Orem. Now, I'm not a burger person. Or a meat person in general. But I do like Smash Burger. We went there before the Muse concert for my birthday. Their burgers are really fresh and homemade tasting. But my favorite thing is their fries. SmashFries are cooked in olive oil and rosemary and taste just like the bread you get at Macaroni Grill... mmmmm. We both got a burger, fries, and a shake. Our meal was about $25... for burgers! Yikes! We could have actually gone to Macaroni Grill for about that... *sigh* oh well. At least we finally got to eat. 

* * * 

From dinner, we finally headed up the canyon. It was almost starting to get dark so we knew we wouldn't be able to spend very much time. We got on a short trail that we walked once while we were dating. We reminisced about the things we had talked about on that walk, just about a year ago. We had some deep discussions... good times.

Then we decided to write a novel. So we started coming up with random characters and plot ideas. Well, I made Seth do most of the story telling. I think I just wanted to hear him talk :)

The weather was so nice. There were tons of people up there, making fires and probably having ward FHE activities. There were so many fires that it felt like they were warming the air all through the canyon. You could feel that it was a little chilly, but it felt like most of the air was full of warm patches that had just come off the fire... it was a very nice night :)




* * *


Well, that's the end of my story. I think I just wanted to rant about that pizza place... it was actually pretty funny though.


PS, what they say is true. It is a little hard having FHE with just two people. If anyone has good ideas for a couple, feel free to pass them along!

*amber*

Finals Ninja

Whoosh.....

* * *

Did you see me?

Didn't think so. That's how stealthy I am. Only two finals left. 

Tonight I will smoothly debilitate my Doctrine and Covenants final with merely a touch to the right nerve. And tomorrow, I will flying roundhouse kick my Italian final in the face. All before they even saw it coming.

* * *

Um... this week really needs to end...

*the finals ninja*

The Madness of March

As the title of this post would suggest, March was a mad month for us. I am not referring to basketball in any way. I'm thinking more mad like this: 

Did you see this movie?? We loved it!!! I love Tim Burton. And Johnny Depp. He's so talented (but no, I do not find him attractive... yuck. Yes captain Jack is cool, but he's gross.)

It was more like that kind of mad. Crazy, twisted, out of control mad. As Alice said in the 1951 classic, "Nothing [was] what it [was] because everything [was] what it [wasn't]. And contrary-wise; what it [was] wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" 

Now do you get it? ... Ok so maybe March wasn't quite that mad. Mainly it was just super busy. But that was how it felt at times.

So because of all this madness, I have not had much time to update this blog. But because March was so busy, I have many things that need to be put on this blog. So I will start now and see how far I get. The posts will go by topic because if I did it all at once, this post would go on forever. I'm going to try the short (haha... right. I never write anything short) and sweet approach.

One thing that got me through March was hanging out with friends. We try to have a game night every week with Seth's old missionary companion and roommate Brenton and his wife Sabrina. They had us over for Sunday dinner one week and they made amazing Japanese food. We were in charge of dessert so I made this cake:

I've never made a real homemade cake before, so it was an experience. It was called Best Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake and it was made with chocolate pudding so the cake was really moist and fudgey. The frosting was homemade too - basically just melted whipped cream and chocolate... for some reason it didn't really thicken like it was supposed to so it sort of dripped down the cake. But it was delicious nonetheless. 

Since getting married, I have realized that I really enjoy cooking and baking. It is such a stress reliever for me. 

* * *

In other news, we might be getting a table soon! Our apartment is so small that there isn't really room for a dining table. We have a drop leaf table in the kitchen that seats the two of us and that's it. We've been wanting a table for awhile so we can have people over for dinner, but so far it hasn't happened. It would have to be something that can fold down and be stored away when we're not using it. I found one that I think should work on craigslist for free! So now we just have to find a way to get up to Salt Lake before someone else takes it.

So friends and family, you may start expecting dinner invites any day now :) I hope. Fingers crossed.

* * *

I am also excited to get a table so we can have parties and have somewhere to put the food. When Alice came out, I wanted to have a Mad Hatter party where everyone would wear crazy hats and we'd celebrate our un-birthdays by eating cake and tea. Not real tea of course. As Elder Holland said this last conference, "You shouldn't be serving tea anyway." Hahaha, I couldn't stop laughing when he said that.

And of course, I would have the tea (herbal and other delicious beverages) all over the table in a random assortment of miniature tea sets. Which, conveniently, I collect! I have a bit of an obsession with tea sets. Which may explain these pictures: 

They are some of my favorite bridal shots. Which I had taken, guess where... at the Beehive Tearoom in Salt Lake!

* * *

I would like to take this time to apologize for the scatterbrainededness of this post. Now maybe you'll understand how mad I have become from this last month. My brain now travels a bajillion miles per hour. Hopefully writing everything out will act as a sort of therapy and get my mind straightened out. Hopefully.

*amber*

I have nothing to say...

In the meantime,
feel free to listen to this lovely song. Over and over. And over. That's what I've been doing for the past few months. It's the song I'm choreographing the group lyrical dance to and I still cant get enough of it.

We also went to Idaho this past weekend to see our new niece, Hailey Darlene and hang out with our other neices, brother and sister-in-law, and mother in law. We had so much fun and it was a much needed break. 

More on that later however. I took my camera but I'm getting into a bad habit of remembering to take my camera places but forgetting to take pictures. I'll post later when I get pictures from my mother-in-law.

And now, just relax and enjoy the song again. Really. Play it over and over. You will be soothed and rejuvenated.

*amber*

This is Tight

Pun intended. I usually don't post about stuff like this but here's the deal.

Elaine from the blog Clothed Much is hosting a giveaway for a free pair of tights from We Love Colors. I usually don't enter giveaways either, but I really want to win this one. I was looking on the internet for some teal-ish green-ish tights to wear under black and white dresses and I happened to stumble across the We Love Colors sight. They have tons of colored tights options and I was tempted to order some. Then today, I found this giveaway on Elaine' blog. Convenient, no? :)

Now if I can win... oh yeah. 

So if any of you are on the lookout for new tights (or other things like socks, gloves, dancewear, etc.) I would recommend checking out We Love Colors. Truthfully, not my favorite place for tights, but they do have tons of colors to choose from which is nice.

So head over to Elaine's blog to enter this sweet giveaway for the pair of your choice. (I chose basic opaque tights in spruce green.)

Pretty, no? Yes, I'm obsessed with the color green.

So basically, this post is an entry in the contest. So if you're not interested in this, please ignore. I just want to win free tights :)

*amber*

February Flavorites!

February has been a marathon month for me. School has been so crazy and I feel like I never have a minute to stop and breathe. I don't even have time to be stressed :) but really, I really hope things lighten up soon. 

Usually February is a depressing month. I can't stand the lingering cold, the nasty dirty snow on the sides of the road that has crusted over because it's so old, and the pollution that just hangs over the valleys as thick as smoke... gross. BUT, this February has been different for some reason. Yes, I am so ready for Spring to come. But there have been a few little things this month that have kept my spirits up and my sanity intact. 

So I now introduce my February Flavorites! Yes I know I spelled favorite wrong. A lot of the things that kept me happy are food related :) so they are my flavorites. 

10.The fact that Seth hasn't been called into work to do snow removal at three in the morning very much this month. That only happened once. Of course it was the night we went to bed at two thirty...

9. Shopping at the DI. But what else is new. I'll have to do a tribute to thrift shopping post one of these days. Seriously, I made a killing the last few trips.

8. Cooking. Sometimes it's hard to plan and have time to cook real meals with such a crazy schedule. Sometimes it's just easier to make spaghetti or something. But I really do enjoy making good dinners when I can. Especially Sunday dinners. Tonight we had teriyaki salmon and pears and cottage cheese with sparkling limeade. Not the greatest meal ever, but it was yummy and fun to make.

7. Choreographing dances. This year, I am choreographing my sister's solo again, as well as a group lyrical dance. Practices are usually early Saturday morning, but I miss dance so much that rehearsals are great  because I can immerse myself in that world again. Plus I need as many creative outlets as I can get.

6. Finding out that I qualify for a clinical research study to get my wisdom teeth out. I'm going in Wednesday to get them out and, although I'm nervous because I've never had a medical procedure or surgery of any kind, I'm getting three hundred dollars for it. I figure that's better than paying fifteen hundred dollars to get them out. And I'm getting all four out which is more than some of the other patients can say.

5. Lemon and Ginger Herbal Tea with honey. I spent most of the month sick and this stuff got me through most of my miserably cold and stuffy mornings. It's pretty strong but once I got used to the flavor, I couldn't stop drinking it. And it smells really good. REALLY good. I'm tempted to put the tea bags around my house as potpourri. 

4. Cutting hair. I learned how to cut Seth's hair so now I can do it for free! Then, Friday I decided I was sick of my bangs. So I cut them. Now you might say, "Amber, you only get like one real haircut a year. Don't you cut your bangs all the time?" Yes, you would be right about that. I am way too cheap to pay for a trim for my bangs. However, I got home from school and said, "I think I want to try straight bangs." So I went into the bathroom and cut them. Yes, it was impulsive and yes, Seth thought I was crazy. But I actually kind of like them. I'll have to go to a professional and get them done for real one of these days but for now, I'm enjoying it.

3. My job. I work for BYU Broadcasting and I like it way better than my last job. Everyone there is great and even though work should probably stress me out more because I'm already so busy from school, it actually helps me relax and take it easy for a few hours every day. I mean, we do do work, but it's not just tedious work and the atmosphere is so much fun.

2. The cupcakes I made for Valentines Day. These made the number 2 spot because they were definitely one of the very best things this month. No joke. They were so delicious, I might end up making them for every holiday or something. We went to a cupcake cafe for fhe last week and although the gourmet cupcakes were good, I honestly would have rather had one of the ones I made. I'm addicted.

1. The excuse to spend more time with my dear husband. Aside from all the craziness of school, February gave us a few oportunities to have fun together. Valentines Day, recreating our first date, and our six month anniversary were the three things that made February the very best. 

 We also had some good game nights. I like to make things out of the Settlers pieces...

So February, it seems you've redeemed yourself. Hopefully you'll rise up to the occasion again next year. 

* * *

Now March, you've got a lot to live up to.

Things I'm looking forward to in March:

• Getting these random teeth taken out of my face.

• Going to Idaho this weekend to see my sister-in-law's new baby, Hailey Darlene Leavitt. 

awww...

• Competition season starting for my dancers.

• Going to St. George for a weekend of competitions and relaxation in the sun (or at least a warmer climate than here).

• Being almost done with this crazy semester.

• Saint Patrick's Day! Best day ever when everyone wears green... ah. Such a good color.

* * *

After further evaluation, it looks like March will be even more hectic than February. Bring it on March... I'm ready for you.


(I hope...)

*amber*

Io Amo...

("I Love..." in Italian)

Mi Amo (I love me continuation)
Ok, I missed a day, so here are my six things:

• I love the color of my hair. I've had times when I've wanted to dye it slightly lighter or darker but then I realize it is the color God chose for me. And it suits me.
• I love being short! I've accepted the fact that I'm never going to be long and lean and elegant. I'm little and spunky and I wouldn't have it any other way.
• I love that I love to read (rather than, say, play video games). When I moved down to BYU, I started 3 books and never finished them because I was too busy with school. However, this year I have slowly but surely been making my way through books that interest me. Reading is so valuable. It has taught me so much about life and myself.
• I love my ability to dance. Although I have lost a lot of flexibility and I'm sure technique too in the last two years since I was officially "a dancer," I love that I have the ability to express so much through this body. It brings me so much joy and has been able to bring others joy as well.
  
• I love my passion for beauty. I think Seth has gotten a little irritated with my obsession with decorating our house (quite a challenge on such a small, scratch that, no budget.) Whenever I finish a project, it makes this little place feel more like home. I believe focusing on the beauty in life makes life so much more enjoyable and, well, beautiful! (And when it's all done, Seth appreciates it too.)
  
• (This kind of counts for things I love about Seth but...) I love how well I compliment Seth and he compliments me. Every day I realize more and more how perfect we are for each other. Although I still don't understand why he chose me, I think I am good for him.
  

Ti Amo (I love you)

I am so excited for Valentines Day to come. It's only one week away! This will be the first time I've every had a Valentine! I can't wait to have the chance to celebrate the love we have for each other. Ti amo, Seth.

Coming soon to an "Inside Happily Ever After" Blog near you: 70 things I love about Seth (because there are 7 days til the day of love!)


Amo... (another thing I love)

Friday, Seth and I were grocery shopping when we found this.If you can't read the package, it says "The new color of Love." If you didn't know, green is my favorite color. It is also Seth's. I am not a huge red person. I like it, and especially around holidays where red is the color, but I will always prefer green. Bravo M&Ms. You're absolutely right. Regardless of the tradition of red and pink as the colors of love, the makers of this brilliantly delicious candy have come to the realization of the True color of love. That's right. It is green.

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!

Seth and I just got home from the Temple. In a moment, I will be off to enjoy fondue night with the girls!

(From left to right... Averyl, Jessica, Me, um... Calli? ... and yes. That is an accurate portrait of me.)

And when I get home... I'm giving my first haircut!!! Seth needs one badly and I am completely terrified.

My mother in law showed me how to do it over Christmas but I'm afraid I forgot how already.


On the bright side... if I completely ruin his gorgeous locks, I can always turn it into this!


I'm sure Seth wouldn't mind as he enjoys his occasional in-class-nap. Although, I'd have to nix the beard. Honor Code violation right there. The stache however, we're ok with.

Now off to the mighty feast. Caio!

*amber*

I feel obligated to say something... but what??

Well it's been a while since I've written anything. So much has been going on but, for some reason, I feel like there's nothing to write. Really, I think my brain is just overloaded. I've kind of been in a blah mood lately so that might have something to do with it as well.

Anyway... to update on the situation with Grandpa, things were really scary there for awhile after he came out of surgery, but now he is back awake and working on recovering at a rehabilitation center. We are so grateful for all the prayers and thoughts. (If you want the whole story, feel free to ask. It's pretty long.)

As for what we've been up to lately, basically school and working. We've started this new thing where we do something fun every night along with our homework. I will admit, some nights it totally distracts us from what we should be doing... but it helps relieve the stress and makes our evenings more enjoyable. For example, last night I did some baking (practicing an idea I had for Valentines Day) and we watched the new BBC miniseries of Jane Austen's "Emma". If you missed it on tv (we did because we don't get tv :( not even the local channels) you can watch it online here.

I loved it. But then, I love mostly everything from that genre. And Miss Austen.

Other than that, I can hardly remember what else has been going on. Time seems to be moving so quickly and the days are all a blur. I could swear it's still Monday. But no, it's Friday! Huzzah!!! I have a feeling this weekend's going to be a good one. Here are the plans:

Saturday:

• 8:00 am (That's right... 8 on a Saturday!) go up to Salt Lake to teach the two dances I am choreographing this year.
• Possibly stop by my house to visit my adorable little cousins because my mom has them for the weekend.
• Possibly also visit my bestie Lauren and catch up because we never see each other anymore.
• Stake Conference at 2:00.
• Straight from Conference to the Temple.
• Girls' Night with my old roommates. We also have lots of catching up to do so we planned a fondue night. Cheese, Tempura, and Chocolate. Mmmmm... I can hardly wait.

Sunday:

• Wake up.
• Realize we don't have church for a few more hours.
• Go back to bed.
• Wake up and realize we forgot to set an alarm so we have to rush to get ready.
• Go to church and teach our awesome Sunday school class.
• Be told we are the most awesome teachers ever because we bring them candy (this on may or may not happen... it's my fantasy of Sunday ok?)

and.... We'll see what else. Happy weekend everyone!

Coming soon: My ultimate domination of DI shopping.

*amber*

PS: I apologize for the scatterbrained-ness and blah-ness. I'm working on it...