ten things

1.  This year we had three (yes 3!) Thanksgivings.  We are so blessed to be surrounded by such great family and have so much to be grateful for!  But please no more turkey until next year.  I'm turkey-ed out.

2. Last week I saw Elder Holland at our grocery store!  I said hi and we shook hands.  He is one of my most favorite apostles and that little moment made my week!

3. Christmas is coming!  I've started some shopping and am also working on a special homemade Christmas gift for our loved ones.  We put up our tree last week and I love how cozy and Christmasy our home feels now.

4.  Christmas is coming!  For a harpist, Christmas can be the busiest time of year.  I love it though!  My calendar is filling up with parties, weddings, etc and I've already started rehearsals for different concerts.  Lucky me to have a sweet husband to help me haul the harp around all over the valley. :)

5. Trader Joe's is opening in Salt Lake TODAY.  I think I'll wait a few days until the crowds subside.  On my list: speculoos cookie butter, cocoa drizzled kettle corn, chocolate covered peppermint jojo's, orange chicken...

6. Dustin's last week of the semester is next week, and then he has finals. Crazy!  He is swamped with 18 credits worth of group projects, papers, and studying.  He is doing so well in school though and I'm so proud of him.

7.  Last week we had a little get together with some of my best girl friends.  It was so fun just chatting and getting caught up on each other's lives.  It's amazing to see all the different paths that we have chosen.  I love those girls.  Excited for our upcoming girls night round 2 and Christmas party later in the month...

8. My mom crocheted a pretty red/orange infinity scarf for me.  For no reason.  She is so talented at so many things and I love her.

9. Last night I had a dream that I went on a study abroad to Sweden with a bunch of friends from high school, my husband, and our friends Emily & TJ.  It was a very interesting and very detailed dream.  Maybe I should go to Sweden.  Nah, I'd rather go to Italy or Switzerland first.  The husb and I are planning to take a Europe trip before we have children.  I'll keep you updated.

10. Quote of the day:
God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing.  In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future - to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities. - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

caitlin & andrew's wedding weekend

Just got back from a quick little roadtrip down to San Diego for my cousin Caitlin's wedding!  She caught the bouquet at my wedding a year ago, so of course she was the next in our family to get married. ;)  Their sealing in the San Diego temple was beautiful, and the reception after was a party!  They had a photobooth, dancing, gorgeous flowers, a  mac & cheese bar, and yummy cake. We enjoyed spending time with our cousins that we don't get to see very often, (some of whom the husb had never met before!) and we also said hello to the ocean (a must when in CA).  Enjoy the picture overload!

driving there it was just us and shayna. dustin always drives.
coming home, we gained trevor & tanner.

Friday night - dinner at Teri Cafe

Tanner, Shayna, Me, Dustin

photo bomb

her dress was gorgeous!

guess who caught the garter?

one of my favorite places: oceanside pier

shayna aka sister hunt

My sister Shayna got her mission call last week!  Her MISSION CALL!  I don't think my mind has fully wrapped around the fact that she is actually going on a mission.  When they made the announcement in general conference in October that girls could leave at the age of 19, Shayna felt inspired that this was an answer about what she should do next with her life.  She will turn 19 on January 16, 2013.  The Tuesday after conference, she met with her bishop and started filling out her papers!  She turned in her papers and got her call a week later - on Wednesday, November 14th.  She had to wait until Thursday night to open it, and...


she's going to the Kiev, Ukraine mission!  She will be speaking Russian, and leaves March 27th, 2013!


Haha no one guessed Ukraine!  I am so happy, excited, and proud of her!  She is thrilled as you can imagine. Congrats Shayna!

The call.  It sat there a whole day before being opened since Shayna was still up in Logan.

The Kyiv, Ukraine temple - built 2010

the power of kindness

On Sunday, we talked about the power of kindness in a church lesson.
Sometimes I get so caught up in the busyness of everything that I'm doing that I forget to be kind.
I am going to try harder to be kind to my coworkers, customers, strangers, friends, and especially family and husband.  I want to be proactive about it, and go out of my way a little bit each day to be kind to someone.  I believe there is power in being kind.  I know because I have been on the receiving end numberless times.  Whether it's a smile, a compliment, a note, an act of service, a phone call, a text, a prayer, a conversation, a surprise, a treat, or a hug, it can make someone's day a little better.
If we were all a little kinder, the world would be a little better.

maggie

This past weekend, my family said goodbye to our Old English Sheepdog, Maggie.

I remember the first time we saw her at the pet store - she was a little fluff ball with one brown eye and one blue eye.  I cried when we didn't take her home right away.  I drew a picture of her and wrote a letter to my dad, saying I would love her and pick up her poo.

Maggie wasn't the smartest dog - we took her to obedience school when she was a puppy and she failed. She was too interested in all the other dogs to sit still.  She was kind of a spaz, always full of energy and happy.  One of my favorite memories is how she would run around the yard, and then scratch her back on the grass and kick her legs up in the air.

She was a part of our family for almost 15 years (which is realllllly old for a big dog).  I know she is having the time of her life in doggie heaven.  We miss you and love you Maggie!

diy: a leafy lamp

Are you enjoying this beautiful autumn as much as I am?? I love all the gorgeous leafy trees outside!  Here is a simple way to bring that magic into your home.  

 Gather a handful of leaves in a variety of shapes and colors.

Grab some clear scotch tape and tape away! (to the inside of the shade)

Voila!  An easy and free craft to add a little fall into your home.  :)

halloween recap

Last year - our first Halloween - we didn't do much.  We had only been home from our honeymoon cruise a few days and were getting settled into our new married life.  We were so high on being newlyweds, we didn't really care - we didn't even think about costumes!  We hung out at Dustin's parents' house and carved some pumpkins, and then watched "The Ring".  (That was my first time ever seeing it!)

This year we went over to my parents' house.  We had tons of fun Halloween food, and the witch's brew of course.  My mom was excited because this year she bought full-size candy bars for the trick-or-treaters.  She said she wanted our house to be the "cool house" to come to!  Haha.  My aunt and uncle brought their three little boys over and we took them trick-or-treating!  The husb and I dressed up as Hawaiian people and Dustin had fun playing his ukulele when we were walking.  It made me excited for when we have little Harpers of our own to take trick-or-treating!  Also - a comment about the weather - it was perfect.

Bubba wasn't too fond of his witch hat.  He would take it off and then try to attack it.

Aloha!  I want to go to there!

Hulk Hogan & Thor

The Rocker

halloween party

I think that the older I get, the more I love fall and Halloween.  I love decorating my home, baking fall goodies, enjoying the beautiful changing leaves, and partyin it up gangnam Halloween style! Here are a few fun pics from the party last weekend:

little red & the big bad wolf