dripping with passion

  to celebrate my brother-in-law’s birthday and the last day of the year, we went bowling at a swanky new place near my parents’ house. it was so fun to be with this whole clan. i love them. in the last hours of 2011, those left at my parents’ house started getting a little droopy and tired, and even though i felt quite dreadful, i whipped up some new year’s eve activities and got us celebrating. i can’t let a holiday pass me by! i made everyone write down their top 20 from 2011 and their top 10 for 2012. we had a little dance party (here’s a snippet: dad : oooh, i like her voice, who is this girl? me : dad, it’s justin beiber!) and then settled down by the fire to share our lists. the best part was hearing what 6-year-old mckay loved best about his year. just so i’ll remember all the goodness of two thousand eleven (and everything i want out of two thousand twelve), here’s my lists: top 20 from 2011 top 10 for 2012 kissing a stranger husband job offer triumph ch...

on christmas eve, i found out my brother and his family were driving to utah from san diego after church on christmas day. that surprise was the best christmas present of all! i got to meet my brand new nephew, baby bennett on december 26, and thus began a great week of inter-holiday goodness in home sweet utah home. 3 things i didn’t like too much about the week: 1. getting sick (yuck!), 2. no snow (boo!) and 3. spending long days studying for the gre. (confession: that is a semi-lie. i secretly enjoyed the studying – at my parents’ house or the cool public library downtown – just a little.) i took the big test on december 29 and i’m so glad it’s done! BUT! 3 things i loved about the week: (besides the trump-all of being with family – more on that later) 1. hanging out at my alma matter: good old east high. my brother played in an alumni basketball tournament and i went to cheer his team on (go class of ‘99! they won the big trophy). i honestly think that i have spent mor...

christmas eve and christmas day with the looslis in ogden: traditional “jerusalem supper” on christmas eve – by candlelight and in character (mary and joseph’s last meal before they head out on the donkey for bethlehem) acting out the nativity story the one gift of christmas eve (can you guess what it was?) early the next morning: after singing carols {loud} on the stairs to wake up parents, uncovering stocking treasures a little excited to go downstairs to see if santa came the big fat man in his red coat certainly delivered for these kids! and jared got just what he asked for! purple q-tips! eyre traditional eggs benedict for breakfast! best meal of the year. we went to church for an hour (which was wonderful – sunday is the perfect day for christmas!) and switched back into our pajamas immediately for more present opening! saren and i randomly got the exact same oh-so-cozy slippers (from different people!) super fancy christmas dinner – with christmas crackers and still pajamas! to...

every time i come back to utah, i am astonished at how home it feels. i remember that particular, potent brand of poignant familiarity from last time, but i am still amazed. my friend julie picked me up at the airport and we headed straight to ruth’s diner for brunch. it’s an adorable little mom-and-pop place built into an old traincar up emigration canyon, around the corner from the ‘hood i grew up in. and they have these biscuits that are outrageous. julie and i drove up the canyon after we ate, and the bleak beauty was pure splendor for my mountain-missing eyes. i picked up a car at my old house, went to see catherine, bert, and baby sam, and was astonished at how big he grew since i saw him last. i took the long way to get there, through neighborhoods of my youth and neighborhoods of my memories. i met dani downtown and we went to cafe rio – a utah favity fave. all just so home . then i met my sister and her family at temple square – always glorious temple square. seeing the ch...

for my last day at work, i got real festive.   oh how i loved wishing people happy holidays from under my santa hat! some little kids whispered to their dad outside the kiosk, “look, daddy, there’s an elf!” and he replied, “why, yes, it’s a cookie elf!” my last day as a cookie elf was wonderful. i’m gonna miss that bubble. i am in utah, which will always always be home sweet home, celebrating with my oldest sister and her family. it is, well, magical. i teared up this morning as my 6 year old nephew read this scripture in his cutest little voice: “for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called wonderful, counsellor, the mighty god, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.” with all my heart i believe in and love and adore the babe of bethlehem. here are some of my favourite words about the reason christmastime really is, really is, really is magical: knowest thou the condescension of god?  ...

my roommates and i decided that we had three really good reasons to have a little party one week before christmas day: 1. the gorgeous tree we cut down deserved admiration from all our friends, 2. mindy went crazy decorating and our house looks absolutely magical and 3. i am moving out and we needed to celebrate my time in “the dollhouse” (as our home has been dubbed by members of the san francisco singles’ ward). so – we threw a classy, yummy little soiree on sunday evening and it was…dare i say?…magical. after church, we baked for literally hours and hours . i loved every minute (and all the sneaks i took of cookie dough). we had quite the spread for our guests, including “hot cocoa stirrers” i made out of marshmallows, chocolate, candy canes and straws. i was completely obsessed with them. my new addiction to pinterest is already paying off:   mindy was the master baker…we were all her apprentices. beth made chex mix with santa hats made out of bugles! wow. aubrey decided n...