I want to go to there

it is fun to think back to all the different places around the world 

where i have just felt perfectly and completely content. 

usually it is just a moment or two between the craziness of travel that you taste the complete satisfaction of being right where you are right then. 

when i miss different places, its usually those little moments that i miss the most 

here i called my mom for the first time since being in Pairs. while passing the phone around to different family members we were in a bakery buying pain au chocolate and then stepped outside to this view: 

 i felt really happy that i could finally be in a city that mom lived in and loves so much

here at Versailles i finally found the definition of quaint 

here i decided that real countryside really is as beautiful as it seems in paintings  

i had lunch on a dock and this was our view:

 my first European city i visited and where i had my first taste of gelato, also the first famous site i had ever been to: 

and Venice.... well it is Venice:

 it still shocked me when coming out of the train station to see the 'streets' filled with water.

i almost lost my family because i stopped and stared at the canals while they kept moving on

after a long day of touring castles our family took a night walk around the Austrian country side and farmland. we just strolled and wandered. 

while driving between Germany and Austria we saw this stunning view and pulled over just to enjoy 

(i want to live in that tiny white and red house)

i laid down on this Tel Aviv beach and let the warm waves slash over my legs and decided the Mediterranean Sea is my favorite 

walked through these doors and knew i was in for the biggest adventure of my life

That is just a small collection of all my favorite moments that make me want to keep traveling and create more of those moments. 

triple threat

I can tell its my very last semester at BYU because on my very last first day of college three things happened that never do:

1. Had class AT 8:00 AM IN THE MORNING
(only time it is offered.....i checked.....)

2. Drove to that 8:00 am class
(usually I consider driving to class quite a luxury and most of the time not worth the pain of trying to find parking. but this 8:00 am class is in the Taylor Building, a building so far deep in the boonies about 92% of the BYU student population has never heard of it. that's real. walking there takes a half hour. walking a half hour at seven thirty in the morning in 2 degree weather? - heck no. )

3. Went to class in my sweats/workout clothes/didn't brush my hair so i wore a beanie
(this class is 100% girls. so the need to impress any boy is out and the need to impress the few fashionable girls that i can keep up with their stylish-ness is mute. you can have the catwalk this early morning you print mixing, perfectly curled hair, high heeled bootie wearing missy. also you stay on pinterest the whole time, so we know where your potential is going.)

(also if i wear workout clothes to class i can pretend to that stylish missy, and myself, that i will actually make it to the gym right after class.)

it is the triple threat of senioritis.

4 months people. 

Freeze Out

before the break ended we took the kiddies out to Hires and Hatches for Hot Chocolate

on the drive home I introduced the kids to a Freeze Out

obviously you have to pump music loud and drive with the windows down for a couple seconds at least  once during Winter

........

i got a call later that week from Dad asking what a Freeze out is and why the kids are talking about it.

so i told him and tried to explain that i wasn't corrupting the children.

To his question of "What's the point?"
 I replied: 

Me: "....aaaahhh.... i don't know... its just something you... do?" 

maybe it is an Olympus High School thing 

(Dad went to Cottonwood, he wouldn't understand) 

2012

This year was fabulous.

i mean it was really great.

i feel so grateful for all the wonderful and fun things i got to do.

like:

go to the Fun. concert

my big sister got engaged

friends came home from missions

roomie road trip to california

and disneyland

had another roomie road trip to Elko, Nevada

went to great BYU games

went Chocolate Salsa dancing

City Creek opened and i found the best ring on the planet at Tiffany

got to be a bridesmaid for my old roomie and friend Camilia

 went to Washington D.C.

bought red lip stick 

 Stefi graduated with her Masters

 Lizzy and I threw a bridal shower for Rachel

 Stefi got married

 visited University of Washington in Seattle

 got a brand new baby brother

 visited Northeastern and Boston

 went to Bear Lake with all my nieces and nephew

more friends came home from missions

went on the Sundance halloween lift ride

 went to Color me Mine for the first time

 my last BYU football game as a Cougar

 riverwoods lighting 

 got beautiful flowers for Thanksgiving

 went to the Killers concert

 went to the Live Nativity, candy windows and Temple lights

went to Las Vegas to celebrate a cute boy's 22nd birthday

 and we also celebrated one really great month 

 drove the alpine loop for the first time

took the GRE (!!!)

applied to Graduate school to Vanderbilt University, University of Washington, San Diego State, Northeastern University, University of Utah and Utah State (!!!!!!!!!!!!)

had great bonfires and went to a fun corn maze

(and met really great new friends)

and lastly turned 22

 2012 was such a blast and had so many blessings and surprises.

thanks 2012, you were one happy year