and i brush and brush and brush...

i just want to start out by saying that if you haven't seen the movie "tangled" yet, you need to. i am obsessed with it and it must be seen by all. 

next. im just continuing to love winter break and i just checked some of my grades and THANK GOODNESS I PASSED PHYSICAL SCIENCE WITH A PRETTY GOOD GRADE! who would have thought i could do it?

so i've just been hanging out with mah fraynds here at home and the other night some of us went to em's and zach was wearing this multi-purpose "thing". i don't even know what to call it. it can be a scarf, a dress, a turban, who knows. haley and i decided to fit two people in it and call it good. it definitely grabs at your curves or "child-bearing hips", ha. 

 yesterday our family went to roller gardens with the peniatas which brought back some classic memories from sixth grade. stu was showing off all his skills, being a sk8r and all...sk8 or diieeeee 

also, for all you single ladies out there, here's a glimpse at one of the stages of stuart's "christmas goatee". woof

i can't stop smiling

i am definitely one of the happiest people in the world right now. i've been able to come home to plymouth, minnesota, sleep in my own bed, see my family and friends, my pup rufio, eat way too much food, and just relax. 

let me just start with arriving home. i got home not this past thursday, but the thursday before in the afternoon. the plane ride was great, it felt super short, i sat next to this super cute lady from south carolina who was a hoot, and slept the whole time. i got off the plane, had two giant suitcases, one filled with my clothes and the other with a bunch of maura's stuff, saw my mom and the smiles didn't stop from that point on. i went to the armstrong winter choir concert that night with teresa and dub-face and i just beamed the whole time. it was so good to be back with my friends from choir. i was able to go to lunch with trump, our choir director, the next day and as usual i gained a lot of insight into my life and what i need to be thinking about concerning school and relationships and life in general. love her.

i went to a chamber gig on saturday and got to see ZACH ENQUIST for the first time in four months. zach is muh bff and as soon as i saw him i was up in his arms and was not planning on letting go. we obviously practiced our lifts even though lynn and ed (his parentals) told him because of a shoulder injury, perhaps he shouldn't be lifting things...like eleanor. my b.

the next couple of days were filled with seeing every possible friend that i could, trying my best to divide my time evenly between family and friends. i went caroling the other night with some old chambers around jonny's neighborhood in golden valley and it was so good to be singing our old christmas songs again with the people i sing with best. then we went and sang at trump's house, and brought her almost to tears because class of 2010 is the best there ever was. 

i went shopping with maura and my mom a couple of times and i got soooooooo bored because they seriously took about 45 minutes to choose between two suitcases for maura's mission. so i decided to take some funny videos of mom on her new fancy phone, sing the christmas songs in the store extra loud and obnoxious, and try on a 3XL fur coat to show maura what she'll need to survive in russia. i look fab, i know.

we also saw this little beauty walking around the store. check out that leather/fur combo

for papa ji's birfday we went to pf changs. ohhhhmyygoodnesssss. delicious. i think that's all that needs to be said, except for the fact that since then, i have not stopped eating. i am surprised at how much of an appetite i have gained back being at home. at college you don't feel like you need to eat a ton because you don't just have a plethora of food around you at all times. whereas at home, i just can't turn any of it down so it looks like i'll be needing to hit the gym this semester after being home for only two weeks. 

christmas eve we had the flake family over for dinner as we do every year, which i always love. i love catching up with their family and seeing what new and fun things they're up to, since i think they lead very creative lives. we loved making fun of this hand model lady the entire night and christmas morning we took a hand model pic on the stairs. tradition from now on probably. 

christmas eve, the sibs and i decided to have a sleepover in caroliney's room, so we moved two mattresses in to be on the floor, so i slept on the crack between quinn and maura. we watched mighty ducks, which is such a classic and i haven't seen it for forever. we awoke in the morning, opened presents, and i'm grateful this year that it didn't feel so much like a "want-fest". there wasn't an overwhelming amount of presents, it was what everyone wanted/needed but not this huge pile of presents taking up the room. it helped me focus a little more on what christmas is really about, how i really don't need a whole lot anyway and just to be grateful for what i do have. 

i just want to give a shout-out to my main man rufio as well. i honestly think we have one of the strangest dogs, but i love his personality. he's found a new way to sit since i've been away at college and it's not very modest...but he seems to like it. 

santa are you there?

quinn will probably be really mad at me for posting this but it's just something that you all need to see. this was made like, two years ago and shows quinny's creative genius. enjoy.

i see you...

so there's this boy who has been complaining for weeks on end about how he's never on my blog. stuey baby. 

so today i will feature a funny story about me and stu. last week we went to the cannon for lunch and ate with drew babay and then we had to get maura a birthday present so we went to the book store. we found a card first, which is why i have an avatar song on this post. the card was avatar themed and when you opened it, it played super intense music from the movie avatar, so obviously stu and i had to keep opening the card every time we entered a new area of the store so the music would play. stu then decided to take it to the next level and act as if he were emerging from a beautiful, blue avatar forest. we had some good laughs. "is there a matching sweater vest for this...?"

grateful

I'm always grateful for Thanksgiving time because, obviously, it's a time to reflect and think about everything I'm grateful for. my parents and quinn and caroline came which was exactly what i've needed. i think i've been waiting for that day since i drove away from my house in august. it was so much fun to see them and just spend time with my entire family. i have been so blessed with a family that loves me, puts up with me, and are my best friends. i was so sad to see them go but now it's less than three weeks until i go home so i'm going to be okay. 


unfortunately the week wasn't all laughs as my grandma wanda passed away on Friday. we all had known the time was coming soon as she had had a bad fall last year and her health was continuing to fail, but it was still difficult to hear that she had passed. since my grandma on my mom's side, leonora, had died a month before i was born, grandma wanda was the only grandma i knew on my mom's side. she was one of the most amazing women i have ever met. she had the sweetest heart, was so funny and sassy. i never heard her speak ill of anyone, always ate the most delicious food at her house, and always felt so loved. she was so good to my grandpa and i am so grateful for the wonderful example she set for me. i love you grandma and will miss you. 

Wanda Miller (Empey) Cannon 1926 ~ 2010 Wanda Miller Empey Cannon passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family on November 26, 2010. Born July 3, 1926, in Mammoth, Utah, to Frederick LeRoy Miller and Edna Maria Brown. She graduated from South High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Married Clair B. Empey in 1946, and had seven children. In 1993, she married Emerson Cannon; they joined two families, sharing 15 children, 68 grandchildren, and 26 great grandchildren. Wanda earned an RN degree from Weber State College while raising her family. She was recognized for her distinguished service in her nursing career. It has been said by all that knew her that she served others with a genuine Christ like love and compassion. She used her many talents and gifts to lift and strengthen all those around her. She found joy in serving three full time LDS missions with Emerson; in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Nauvoo, Ill., and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Her family and friends have truly been blessed by her enduring love, her caring example, and her testimony. She spoiled her family with her chocolate eclairs, candy, and Christmas tea rings. Wanda had a great appreciation for the spirit and power of music, especially musicals including her favorite, "The Sound of Music". Her favorite Christmas movie was "Its A Wonderful Life". Thank you to our wife, mother, grandmother, and friend for a most Wonderful Life, lived in love and service to each of us. Wanda was preceded in death by her parents, sister Edna, and Kevin Thygerson(grandson). She is survived by her husband Emerson Cannon, sister Evalyn Sandberg, and children Melanie Thygerson, Karen (Craig) Chambers, David (Lisa) Empey, Drew (Karen) Empey, Roger (Vickie) Empey, Chad (Nannette) Empey, Carl (Lisa) Empey, Tristan (Stephanie) Cannon, Nelson (Shirin) Cannon, Laura (Cordell) McCarrey, Rebecca (Richard) Bruggeman, Clinton (Diane) Cannon, Corinne (James) Jackson, Cynthia (Dan)Williams, Renee Cannon.

MMJ

look at this little princess. it's her 21st birthday!! just a shout out to my fave older sister. 

mojay is always ready for a picture, even if no one else is.

heavenesque.com


happy birthday mojay!! i love you and you are going to make the greatest russian missionary the world has eva seen!!

let me transfer my success to you real quick...

so there's this thing called eye contact. and sometimes it's just so hard to keep. 

it kind of goes along with how you avoid talking to someone by pulling out your cell phone...

when someone's walking past you, regardless of whether you know them or not, you look down. you'll look up right before you pass if you know them and smile or say hi, but otherwise you both look down just so you can avoid one thing: eye contact. 

why is it so intimidating to just look someone in the eyes? 

in the movie baby mama, steve martin's character at one point says to tina fey's character, "congratulations. i want to reward you with five minutes of uninterrupted eye contact". 

just the thought of that makes me cringe. your eyes can tell so much about what you're thinking that i feel really exposed when i hold eye contact for a long time. anyways. eye contact makes me laugh sometimes and that's all i wanted to share.