Monday, February 28, 2011

do it.

go see the ice castles up in Midway.
it won't disappoint.
plus the entrance fee goes towards a boy's mission fund.
so you get an awesome winter wonderland adventure AND do some service at the same time.

then go to Fill Her Up Coffee Station on main street for gourmet hot chocolate.
i recommend the tan (dark + white chocolate) hot chocolate but the mexi (hint of cinnamon) is good too.
the decor is funky, retro, nick-nacky and there are toys to play around with.
like ridiculous sunglasses, ice cream cone hats, and mini cars to ride in.
its the hidden gem of Midway.

something that makes me feel better

looking at ridiculous old pictures.


Sunday, February 20, 2011

something that makes me cry

i am losing steam on this 30 posts in 30 days thing, even with only picking the ones i like and doing it whenever i want. this might be one of the last.....

things that make me cry:
  1. Finding Neverland
  2. Little Women (i always end up watching it with Stefi)
  3. too many books to list. one of the top ones would be "To Kill a Mockingbird" (plus it would be boring to read for anyone else but me. and maybe Abby.)
  4. WWII anything - museums, books, movies. The best Holocaust museums I have been to: the one in Washington D.C. and Yad Veshum in Israel.
  5. the more i think about it, a lot of things make me cry. i am easily moved by significant things. i don't cry over just anything, it has to be meaningful- if only to me.
  6. my favorite art pieces
  7. sunsets over Jerusalem and Sea of Galilee
  8. last Sabbath in the Jerusalem Branch
  9. saying goodbyes. (to people, cities, phases of life)
  10. being really happy

Thursday, February 17, 2011

cake pops


every valentines i love to get my bake on. i am really good at baking (my cooking is much more limited....) and pink is my favorite color. so i get really excited for any excuse to bake pink things and valentines day is perfect! (not to mention that it is my favorite non-religious holiday. yes it even beats out the 4th of July)

for a dessert party i decided to make CAKE POPS! I didn't really have a recipe, I just kinda did whatever my inner baking goddess told me. It was super easy and totally worth it.

1. Bake a cake from a box. I used milk chocolate, but you can do whatever flavor. like cherry, yellow, red velvet or white! Just follow the instructions on the back of the box

2. let the cake cool down completely. then scoop out the cake into a mixing bowl and mix in one can of frosting. once again i just bought a can. i did buttercream. but if you wanted death by chocolate or something, you could do chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. but i think buttercream works best because then it doesn't overpower the cake flavor. Blend together with a handmixer and a dough forms.

put the dough in the fridge overnight or for at least a couple of hours.

2. once the dough is chilled, roll it into little balls3. put the balls of cake back in the fridge for another couple hours. then melt 2 bags of chocolate chips in a separate bowl. take the balls out of the fridge then dip into the melted chocolate. 4. decorate with sprinkles! if i had sticks, i would have put some in to make them look like lollipops but i didn't have any. the party-goers had to just had to use their hands or a fork. and voila! yummy cake pops!

it was a hit at the party. and people thought it was more work than it really was. (i mean, it was all store bought stuff that looks homemade! muahahaha) this is a great baking secret. i am also excited to try new combos like carrot cake with white chocolate or strawberry with white and dark chocolate or maybe Funfetti! the possibilities are endless!

happy baking and hope your valentines day was splendid!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

dream

my very first dream i remember was when i was super little. i was still sleeping in a crib.

in my dream, the opening scene was the last thing i remember before falling asleep.
i was watching mom close the door to my room through the slots in my crib.
then the closet started to rumble and out came a monster! it was the same monster from a book i was obsessed with. it scared me to death but it was terrifically terrifying. the book was called "There's a Nightmare in My Closet".

Anyways in my dream i started to cry for my mom but then the monster said, "no don't be scared! i am nice!" to prove it, he and i went up stairs to my kitchen and made sugar cookies. and for cookie cutters we used toy fire trucks.

then i woke up in my crib.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

this week

monday: classes and after my last one, i met up with my family. they drove down to provo to have an fhe to see the Carl Bloche exhibit. then dinner @ los hermanos!!!! after that i went to my other fake fhe (the byu kind) for ice cream sundaes.

tuesday: snow photo shoot at 2 am again with skj. this is our second year of doing this.

wednesday: classes and went to the lib with the roomies
thursday: roomie date with camilia. we went to guru's for dinner and saw BYU's ballet of Cinderella. excellent night!

friday: took a test in the morning and in the afternoon i picked my cousin up. we went to target for a shopping spree. we may or may not have both bought a matching boyfriend sweater that we both didn't need.

(but for good times sake we got it. while growing up we would get "twinner" outfits every season..... embarrassing i know. but now we brought it alive again for a cute sweater sake)

par avion concert that night! it was a) free b) in a random red barn in the middle of nowhere c) got lost trying to find it. a 15 mins drive took an hour d) packed with college kids e) tons of good bands f) great dancing. SUCCESS

saturday: breakfast at bryanna and kylie's! (best friends since jr high and high school)
"and in the morning, i'm makin waffles!" - that is exactly what we did. i love these girls!

as for right now.... i am not studying for D&C and tonight is the DI dance. and making cake pops for a dessert party tomorrow. be jealous.


sunday: (tomorrow): stake conference then dinner at skjelse's aunt and uncle's

Thursday, February 10, 2011

what's in my bag

i will have you know that i have not used a backpack in 7 years. starting in 7th grade i have used a cute purse or side bag. i was so over backpacks and i didn't care that one shoulder would ache carrying all on the weight it. the purse made the outfit.

but......... something strange has happened since coming home. i got this little pup for Jerusalem last semester. i used EVERYWHERE. i dragged this bag and traipsed all around the Middle East with this strapped to my back. i even lived out of it for 3 days in Luxor, Egypt. (they made us) it has gotten me through some rough spots. i have a lot of emotional ties to this bag and am very sentimental about it. weird as it is, this bag has become apart of me and i now use it every day. it helps bring a little of Jerusalem life into my Provo life.

i don't care about the chocolate pudding stain from the bus ride to Jordan (that also got sand on stuck onto the pudding from the beach in Galilee...and yes its still there by the zipper. and i love it) i don't care that it is tattered and worn. that just means i had an adventure, the best adventure of my life using it. i don't care that people are sick of seeing people with it around campus. (actually its is really convenient , because i can immediately pick out a jeru buddy in a crowd) they are just jealous that they aren't in the super cool jeru club and don't get an awesome pack back haha.

now that my ode to my jeru bag is over, here is what is inside:

  • Mac
  • Charger
  • American Sign Language Workbook
  • Notebook for Lecture Notes
  • Pens
  • Pencils
  • Highlighters
  • 2 chocolate chip Chewy Bars
  • 1 key lime yogurt
  • Wallet
  • Scriptures
  • Airplane ticket from Chicago to Salt Lake City (from my flight home from Israel)
  • Headphones from the headset i used on jeru field trips

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

real fhe

this monday i had a real fhe, none of this fake byu kind (which i still love). my dad, step mom and little siblings came down to provo and we had a great fhe! i loved loved loved it! it felt so nice to show my little siblings where i go to school and just be with them.

*my sisters (maddie and jordan) and i

after my last class i meet them at the MOA to see the Carl Bloch exhibit - which was stunning! i loved it so much and the ipad was super cool!
*dad and i

after we saw the exhibit we goofed around in the gift shop. i love museum gift shops btw. i feel like such a cultured shopper there.

*jordan


after the museum we went to dinner. dad let me pick and i chose mexican which in p-town means Los Hermanos. MY FAMILY LOVES MEXICAN FOOD. i got a chicken burrito with a blackberry-strawberry smoothie. the food and company was excellent! i also had a taste of other people's enchiladas, tacos and burritos. for dessert dad ordered Bavarian creamed churros!

*jake- look how happy good mexican food makes him


it was fun to show my little siblings my apartment after. i got some cool older sister points for living with 5 friends away from home and next to boys no less! (maddie made that comment haha)

being a college student my intake of good food (homemade or restaurant) and family time has decreased. this night was just what i needed and hit the spot. it was such a treat! i was just reminded how fabulous and fun my family is. thanks for a great fhe!

Friday, February 4, 2011

silblings

this is one of my favorite topics! i could go on and on and on and on about how wonderful my siblings are! the are the BEST. THE BEST.

JR:

full name is John Robert Faust. Immediate family calls him JR and everyone else calls him John - and there can be no intermingling. he only likes it when we call him JR not John. (his wife Angie calls him John not JR. he started going by John in college- JR is childhood nickname) He lives in Rochester NY as a Orthopedic Surgeon Resident at Strong Memorial. (the nation's top hospital for orthopedics) He is brilliant! I am talking Math Major here!




He has the cutest little family! His wife Angie is so so so great- she naturally fits in with our family so well. He has three babies - Sydney, Holden and Adelaide. they are adorable and so funny!I love how much of a planner JR is. I love that about him. He has the best ideas of how to spend a day (going to all the local shops and getting/ comparing the best specialty food, going on little adventures, hiking - he planned some famous family hiking trips to Southern Utah.......... we remember them as the Death Marches) He is super organized, proactive and a hard worker!

I adore having him as my older brother and as the oldest. He keeps all us girls in check. He does a really good job of giving us a logical, male perspective that cuts through all the emotional drama. He puts up with a lot being the only boy - sometimes he says that getting us all together and getting stuff done is like herding cats. (hahaha he is super funny and sarcastic as well)
I called him Buddy when I was little. He is the sweetest dad and husband. Even when he is exhausted from working days straight in surgery, he will still come home and play with his kiddies. I also love how protective he is. Once I had a horrible date where the boy acted like a total jerk. JR was in town for it and when the boy came to my house to apologize the next day, my brother totally gave that boy a talkin to. it was awesome!!!! PS HE LOOKS LIKE JAKE GYLLENHAAL





Sara:

the sweetest person on the planet. she is so nice, kind, gentle and just filled with light. She can always make my feel better if I am sad. She is such a good example to me. She went on a mission to Brazil (just like my grandpa, dad and brother- keeping up the family tradition!) and married Kent. She can be super goofy and hilarious. We would get slap happy together late at night in the bathroom we shared. It is where we would meet up at the end of the day and talk while we got ready for bed.... and came up with ridiculous inside jokes. (like Duckins)


She is in graduate school at USU for an English/Computer Design Program (I can never remember the official title). She edits and puts together online articles and layouts. I am so proud of her that she can put up living in freezing Logan, be a mom and still go to school. She is a spiritual giant and I honestly thought that once she and Kent went in the temple to get married, they would never come out. They would just be translated right then and there.
Anne is her baby and she is so pretty! She gets it from Sara because Sara is so gorgeous- she was on the cover of the New Era a few years ago. Anne is spunky and hilarious. Sara is such a good mom, and her and Kent have such a loving marriage. I called Sara- SeSe when I was little and she acted like a little mother for me when Mom was at work or school. She took very good care of me. Stefi and I joke and call her The Golden Child, but its true.
Stefi:

best friend. hands down. we didn't like each other for the first part of our lives but that is just because we are so similar. some people say that don't look anything alike and others say they can totally see that we are sisters. Stefi has been labeled as Hispanic, Asian and Eskimo. She isn't any of those. She looks just like my Grandma Faust who was a knock out! Stefi is at graduate school in Washington DC at George Washington (where my grandpa and brother went to Medical School) for Speech Pathology. My life is mapped out and paved by her- I am basically her shadow.


Our birthdays are 10 days apart and I was suppose to be born on her birthday. Once we had a joint birthday party and had to agree on what type of cake to get. I think I chose something lame like Barney and she put up with it because she is cool like that. I love her sense of style and all her clothes.
Little kids love Stefi because she comes up with fun projects to do and is so warm. Stefi is the life of the party. She likes to be sat on and for me to step on her back. She jiggles her foot and likes to be rocked (in a hammock)
She is an amazing baker and is especially great at making cupcakes. She is sassy, bright, funny, and diligent. She is the bravest girl I know. We have so much fun together. Basically 87% of all my best memories involve her. She my favorite person to travel with (even though on the plane she always takes the seat by mom! haha). Secret: she used to be obsessed with monkeys, soccer AND FOREST GREEN. one day she asked me why i like pink so much, "its a lame color!" Which is ridiculous because today she has pink written all over her! she swichted sides but I remained loyal since day one to team pink.
BYU would not have been ANY GOOD without Stefi there. She got me through my Freshman year and especially a certain math class we don't talk about. She was so nice to include me in all her activities and parties. I secretly love it when people say we have the same voice and that we talk the same way. We like all the same lame stuff like infomercials, Mermaids and Fairytale Theaters. She is super crafty and creative. I like when she is dating someone and they start to butter me up because they know to get to her is through me.
She has the best advice and dance moves. I called her Keki and Peffers when I was little. She is full of energy and life. I love her very much- I look up to her more than anyone else I think. She is just the greatest.
I AM ADDICTED TO MY FAMILY

Thursday, February 3, 2011

what i wore today

*sorry for the low quality picture but you get the idea

leather boots: nordstrom
tights: nordstrom's rack
skirt: skjelse
belt: mom
shirt: forever 21
scarf: shuuk in West Jerusalem