I do like Christmas, I really do

It's pathetic that it's the 11th of December and I've barely had time to enjoy that special holiday spirit. Decorating the shop, going to the Christmas Devotional and walking around Temple Square with Bearded M have been the highlights of the season thus far.

I do plan on getting more into the holiday spirit now that finals are over {HURRAY!!!} This survery Sarah sent got me thinking that now I can relax and look forward to some holiday cheer{why oh why am I such a sucker for surveys?}

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, I'm too cheap for bags.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I have an awesome candle that makes up for the lack of yummy smell.

3. When do you put up the tree? After Thanksgiving for sure, anytime before and I get antsy to clean it up earlier.

4. When do you take the tree down? Around the new year.

5. Do you like eggnog? Um, does Rudolph have a red nose?

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Hamsters. Definitely the hamsters. I loved them to death. Literally.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Good heck, every one has been hard this year if I'm being completely honest. I haven't even started. I'm in trouble. I have one day. ONE DAY before I fly off and things get trickier and more limiting.

9. Do you have a Nativity Scene? Nope. I did once but it got lost in a move somewhere.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Email just isn't an option. Although I apologize, cards aren't happening this year.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't think of one??

12. Favorite Christmas Movies? While You Were Sleeping {tho I treat it as a year round movie}.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start thinking about it pretty early then buy stuff when I run across it in my wanderings around town when I find a good deal.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Never, ever. But I do like the art form known as 'returning'

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Trick question. What don't I like to eat at Christmas time? Oranges are especially good in December, why is that?

16. Lights on the tree? The more the better. White ones.

17.Favorite Christmas Song? Now that just can't be answered. It's like having a favorite color, changes with my mood.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends on where my family is. I'll travel anywhere to find them, if at all possible.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comic, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Dopey, Sleepy...Rudolph

20. What's on top of the tree? This is the strangest year yet. I haven't decorated a tree. Remember when I used to decorate at least 15-20? Me too. I miss it.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One Christmas Eve {pj's, surprise, surprise} and the rest the next day.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? bell ringers that won't smile

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? OH! Depends on what you're after!! I like my tree that I spent months collecting things for: Olive branches, poinsettias, snowflakes, dark red, dark burnished gold, rust and lime green bulbs. Sounds weird and it probably is, but it's cool and quirky so I like it.

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner? Clam Chowder, but that's Christmas Eve. I like Grandma's buffet sandwiches too.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? sleep, possibly a Kwona Special Massage {nudge, nudge, wink wink}, and a lot of hugs from those nieces and nephews of mine.

26. Who is your favorite Christmas Character? Buddy the Elf

27. Who is most likely to respond to this? Jackie, if Charlie doesn't come before she gets a chance.

28. What is your favorite Christmas CD? Mix of course. Josh Groban is on right now. Louis Armstrong, Perry Komo, old blue eyes, Michael Buble, Harry Connick.... crooooners baby.

silver snowflakes

I did so many of my favorite things today I don't know where to begin to tell you about them all!!!

We are officially open at the Gateway now and I was scheduled as a receptionist instead of my usual consulting so I thought the day was going to drag along sloooowly.

THEN! To my complete joy I was given the assignment to decorate the place for Christmas!!! OK, twist my arm!

I was pointed towards a tote full of glittery surprises and I went to town building all kinds of things. The snowflakes hang over the bridal consultant desk area in a clean straight row that looks very sleek and shimmery. The snowball/silver globe mobile hangs in the front of the store next to the lobby.

It was a great change of pace to create real things that I can see the end result for instead of spending hours on drawings of things I wish would become real at the end of the project. It also took me back a couple years to the fun filled days at Traditions where I got to create floor displays all the time. I can't ever live enough days spending time getting covered in glitter and hanging out at the top of a 16' ladder.

mondays

I've come to love Mondays over the last few weeks. Not only do they mean one week started and closer to being done with the semester but since I've started working for LDB I've had Mondays off. That will probably change soon but until then, I like Mondays.

I discovered a fantastic new website full of grammatical wisdom today. Check it out here. I've been writing a paper for my Biz Writing class about the affects of color on us {had to pick a design related topic in order to put in any real effort} and found that I had no idea about the subtle differences of the proper uses of affect/effect. I knew I was in over my head and could use it wrong if I wasn't careful. I'm well versed now thanks to Grammar Girl. Ask me if you really want to know. I even picked up an awesome mnemonic to help out next time I'm up to my elbows in grammar related conundrums.

{I know, sometimes I blog out of habit, rather than to update you on the latest. But I guess this is the latest. Finals are making me fuzzy.}

more gratitude give me

it would take me all day to list the things I'm grateful for today. If you are like me you can list off the usual suspects with ease {family, freedom, pumpkin pie} and then once you get going it's hard to stop.

The crazy thing is that the things I've been the most grateful for this year are things I never would have thought I'd think of as blessings.

just a few {of the things that are easier to list}

my family. It goes without saying that my brother is my hero and my parents are prime examples of love and all that is good in the world.

Michele and Tony are tip top on my list of people I am grateful for this year. I haven't said much here about how much I love and appreciate them for letting me live in their dining room. Those two are some awesome, genuine, give everything they have and more, fantastic people. {thank you frybaby}

the design program. I knew I loved design but it wasn't until I dared myself to finish school that I realized I could really put everything I had into something and feel the satisfaction that comes with learning.

along with that - finals that keep me up at night. Not for cramming or lack of time, but because I'm so excited to work on them. {de stijl} google it. Our modular home is going to be out of this world!

{the crazy mismatched thing pictured here is my test run at building models. I was playing around with the idea of a loosely drawn elevations instead of the one pictured above {CRANE restaurant bar} CRANE is done in the right way to do an elevation with everything exact and in scale... but I want to try something a little more stylized.}


I'm grateful for the way life has a way of surprising me. Every single time I think I know what is going to happen next - I'm wrong and I love it.

KC - our loaner pet. I'm definitely so happy he has come to visit. {so cool that he got in the way when I was taking pictures of polkadot puddles}


last but not least - Bearded M. He completely amazes me. I can ramble with ease because he says he feels weird reading my blog {online diary?} so I don't have to worry about being too embarrassed about gushing a little and telling you guys how lucky I am to have him in my life. I have never felt so comfortable or so excited about knowing someone. Like a new memory of a favorite past time that might have only been a dream because I've never experienced anything like it? Making sense? Of course not.

Oh. one last thing. I'm grateful for blogs. For this fun way of getting to know the people in our family {and my friends too, of course} better. I've SO loved reading about your lives and getting your feedback on my stuff. thnx blog family!

Earth City

If Earth's population was shrunk into a village of just 100 people, with all human ratios existing in the world still remaining, what would this tiny, diverse village look like?

In 1999, Phillip M. Harter, a medical doctor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, defined these population statistics. They have been revised to reflect more current demographices:

61 would be Asian

12 would be European

14 would be from the Western Hemisphere

13 would be African

52 would be female

48 would be male

70 would be non-white

30 would be white

68 would be non-Christian

32 would be Christian

89 would be heterosexual

11 would be homosexual

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth, and all 6 would be from the United States

80 would live in substandard housing

50 would suffer from malnutrition

6 would not be able to read at all; 4 of the 6 would be women

1 would be near death

1 would be pregnant

1 would have a college education

1 would own a computer

Think of it this way. If you live in a good home, have plenty to eat and can read, you are a member of a very select group. And if you have a good house, food, can read and have a computer, you among the very elite. If you woke up this morning with more health that illness... you are more fortunate than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death... you are fortunate, more that three billion people in the world can't. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on you back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of the world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace.... you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy. If your parents are still alive and still married... you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you can read this message, you are more fortunate than over one billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

I forget sometimes how much I have to be grateful for.

loving lately

It's about that time again. Seems like sometimes I need to write my loving lately list to be reminded that I do love things. Earlier this week I attempted a half hearted 'hating hash down' list but nixed it when my blood pressure started to rise.

Loving {lately}

I can count {on 2 fingers} the amount of classes I have left to go to of the most annoying classes.

My final project group assignment. I can't tell you how big of a deal this was. It could have gone horribly wrong and it went the complete opposite direction. Perfection. I'll be working with a rendering genius, a drafting major and a third girl who I don't know well but she's had beautiful presentations in the past. YES!

Dreaming up the project: 3D modular home built to scale. 90% Green {it has to be energy efficient, sustainable, reclaimed, recycled... et al}. Modern/Contemporary. Mesa, AZ It's going to rock!

pleasantly surprised by the amount of color after the typical fall colors have blown away.

• knowing my parents are somewhere in Korea with Seaira and the gang filling up on hugs and that special kind of love Ben and Co. have to offer. This means PBPB will be the blog to read. {My mom promised lots of pictures}

• Ben becoming Major Ben!!! It gives me so many more options in terms of teasing. {and a heaping dose of pride}

• Watching home videos my parents had put on a DVD to preserve and fighting the urge to bawl. {Frybaby, you've gotta see these. I saw you when you were in high school playing with Lucky.}

• being asked questions like, "you said Coldplay is one of your favorite bands right?" by a handsome guy who just so happens to be incredibly connected and knows the man to know to snag tickets the day before the concert.

better late than never

I know it is already half way through November but I promised Halloween pictures and Janessa just barely sent them to me today. I threw in a pic of me and Coree from the first party too cuz she looked amazing!
Worth the wait to see Bearded M dressed as Wonder Woman beating up an eyeball? I thought so too.

Scary girls.

Dead scary girl.

Jazzercising. {Or whatever it is they did in the 80's to work out.} Janessa out hunting. {Or trespassing.}

Working that wedgie.