I felt so busy throughout this week, but when I stopped to think about everything I did, I realized the list mostly consisted of entertainment....

I watched "The Great Gatsby" with Mike, Chrissy, and Jacque on Monday night after a pool party at the home of one of our church leaders. To be honest, I LOVE the book, but cannot, in good conscience, recommend the movie. It was so looooooooooooooooooooooong and drawn out. Not only is the book 3,000,000 times better, you could probably read it just as fast. Consider yourself warned.

I finished "Year of Wonders," which is a novel about a small town in rural England that is afflicted with the plague. The residents decide to quarantine themselves from the neighboring towns, and several folks turn a little bit kooky in their hopeless and desperate isolation (a la "Lord of the Flies").

I went to Welfare Square and helped bag bread in the bakery, which I guarantee was more fun than it sounds, thanks to fun folks who were there.

I watched "Australia" with my cousin Caprice. Hell-o Hugh Jackman! Everyone kept saying the movie was really long (which it was), but it was interesting. It made me wonder how I would fare in the Australian outback. If you haven't seen it, you might want to add it to your list.

I read an amazing book called "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." It was a real page-turner, so it only took me a day to read it. The style of the writer was definitely fascinating. Also, the subject matter was emotionally intense. I'm not kidding when I say I couldn't put it down.

I watched "Gone With the Wind" in preparation for my upcoming trip to Atlanta. I thought it would be great to brush up on my history of the Old South so that I can appreciate the things I see when I'm there. The Margaret Mitchell House is definitely on the list.

Well, that's all for now. Until next time.... ciao.

OUT OF WORDS...

I cannot figure out how to post a youtube video into my blog, but I know it can be done... tips on this for future reference, anyone?

Anyway, I cannot hear enough of this song lately, so I thought I would share a link for your enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY4tBjIwDJ8

And let it be written that I WILL marry a man who can serenade me with a guitar. And if he can dance like Jason, then that's not shabby, either....

THAT'S AMORE

Yesterday was Pi Day, for those of you who were not already aware. To celebrate, I drove down to Pizzeria 712 with K8, where we met up with our friend, Kristan, for some big pizza pie. I fell in love with the margherita pizza, mostly because the crust was PERFECT. In my opinion, crust makes or breaks a pizza. I also appreciated the atmosphere... some Brian Kershisnik pieces adorned the walls, the furniture/size/lighting were fitting for a pizza place, etc.


*As I side note, I wanted to post a picture of this event, but when I pulled out my camera, one of the chefs promptly began making fun of us for "making memories," at which point I put my camera away.

HAPPY PI DAY!

CACTUS TREE

Last weekend I went to sunny Arizona to spend time with some of my all-time favorite friends, whom I know from the glory days otherwise known as college. Let's review the tapes, shall we?

1) FINALLY found a good definition of a cactus... such a relief! I've spent years wondering about these fascinating organisms, but thanks to this highly informative plaque at the Desert Botanical Garden, it seems there is no need for me to wonder any longer...

2) Relaxed/beautified our footsies. Thanks, Paige, for capturing the moment with this awesome photograph (which maybe should be my new facebook profile picture???).

3) Kristan inflated her air mattress in the middle of the night; Kate was convinced Krissy was shredding some documents. I have no photos of this incident because Kristan shredded them all.

4) Saw the beautiful Chihuly glass exhibit at the DBG.

5) Listened to Jimmy T. and Johnny M. whilst in the car. Belted out "ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-OOH-ooh" at the top of our lungs. Reminisced about the John Mayer concert in LV and the sketchy (to put it mildly) hotel we stayed at in 2004 because of our lack of moola.

6) Ate these delightful treats from Sprinkles:

7) Sat by the pool at 4 p.m. in FEBRUARY!!!!!!

8) Completed this crossword on the plane and accidentally knocked over Kate's apple juice in my glee (which if funny in hindsight):

9) Retained my title as "Take Two Queen." Clearly, the tiles below do not belong to me, as most of them are not being properly utilized in the formation of words.

10) Left wanting more. Can't wait until WHR 2010!!

LOVING LOVE

I was conversing with one of my friends awhile back, when I randomly burst out with the thought: "Kahele, I just want you to love!!" He thought that was the funniest thing he ever heard, but it was true. He had a recent history of shyness in the dating department, but I could not understand why, and I told him so.... he is a wonderful fellow with all sorts of great traits. I basically told him to buck up and take on the challenge/risk of truly loving someone, even though it was going to require valiant effort on his part.

Well, it happened!! After dating for awhile, Kahele and Elisa tied the knot yesterday!! It was so much fun to go to their reception last night and see them looking SOOOO happy and in love with each other. I felt like I was watching a chick-flick, except that it was real and I knew the couple involved. I am proud of Kahele that he took steps in his life to make this relationship happen. It wasn't easy for him, but it certainly paid off in the end. And oh, yeah... they're going to Paris & Rome on their honeymoon. How romantic is that??? I am a lover of loving love.

FRESH

Oh, how I love New Year's Day, and all the self-reflection related thereto... Life is so busy that sometimes it's not easy to take the time to contemplate the bigger picture and correct your life's course... but it is so important! 2008 was, indeed, an eventful year.

I traveled...

Two trips to The Happiest Place on Earth, two trips to Beantown, one trip to Kiwi Land, one trip to the Adirondacks, one trip to the City of Brotherly Love, one trip to St. George... and I feel like I'm even forgetting one more trip I took. Maybe it will come to me...

I read...

The Many Lives & Secret Sorrow of Josephine B. (and the rest of the trilogy) by Sandra Gulland, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, 1/2 of Stiff by Mary Roach (which I will finish soon, I'm sure), Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker. I'm sure I read more books than that, but those were the most noteworthy.

I ate...

Lots of popcorn, hot chocolate, 730 pieces of toast, and thousands of Peanut M&M's.

I welcomed...

Another nephew into the world, the opportunity to go to various plays and concerts, darker hair, rekindled friendships, the summer, the opportunity to meet one of my idols, tulip blooms, growth in my position at work, the opportunity to work in a brand new office building that smells divine, the chance to spend time with my family and friends, the end of an extremely negative relationship, the potential to love someone better, the time I was able to spend at the temple, Friday afternoons, new earrings from Tiffany & Co. that I've wanted for ages, my sister's recently discovered sense of humor and the corresponding laughter, and on and on and on.

Yes, 2008 was a good year, but I'm pretty darn sure 2009 is going to be even better. Bring on the good times!!

P.S. I apologize about the formatting issues in this blog; I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what is causing the problems...

GOLD STANDARD

On Friday night I enjoyed the most delicious hot chocolate of my life. Picture a cup full of amazing dark melted chocolate and cream. Now imagine it gliding sweetly across your taste buds and falling gently down your throat. Are you blissfully happy? Multiply that experience by a million, and you might have an idea of what I felt. If you want to know the secret destination, just ask...

Yes, on Friday I experienced a gold standard. I can never go back to the ordinary.

P.S. The chocolate-covered cinnamon bears are also a dream.

LIFE IS SWEET

We're heading on two sappy posts in a row, but tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so making a list of things I appreciate seems like the right thing to do. Following is a hodgepodge of 50 things I am thankful for (in no particular order of merit):

• family
• opportunities to travel
• comfortable bed
• books
• temple
• friendship
• car
• job
• emails
• sunshine
• walks
• prayer
• mountains
• computer
• shoes
• cereal
• telephone
• lip gloss
• hope
• chocolate
• white Christmas lights
• warmth
• mascara
• love
• joy
• listeners
• plans
• good advice
• bubble mint gum
• laughter
• pen & paper
• photographs
• ice cream
• journal
• gospel
• games
• homemade raspberry jam
• light
• vision
• decisions
• tulips
• support
• nieces & nephews
• winter hats
• music
• piano
• solitude (sometimes)
• safety
• guidance
• dreams

This list certainly isn't all-inclusive, but when I look at it, I can't help but think that life is pretty darn sweet...

BEAUTIFUL MESS

The past week of my life has been one big beautiful mess.

1) Visited Philly for the first time... beautiful.

Highlights: quality time with my sisters, Betsy Ross' home, the tour guide at Independence Hall, meeting Will Shortz (my idol), wearing matching t-shirts to a sudoku competition, having our photo with WS in the Philadelphia Inquirer, running up the "Rocky" steps, spending a lovely autumnal Sunday outside the city with our friend, Brian.

2) Learning that I have a minor case of shingles... mess.

Thought I was the victim of some crazy spider or allergy, but nope... the real deal shingles. It will be a dream when they go away, eh?

3) Jason Mraz concert... beautiful.

I wasn't incredibly familiar with Jason prior to the concert, but was invited by my friend, Kristan. We all fell in love with the man. Let's face it... he plays the guitar, has curly hair, and has some pretty sweet dance moves. The concert exceeded my expectations, to say the least!

4) Joshua Radin/Missy Higgins concert... beautiful.

I loved (and still DO love) Joshua even more than Jason. My friend, Kristan, encouraged me to throw all caution to the wind and attend this concert... a) having never once heard any of the songs prior & b) having just been to Jason Mraz the night before. I was SOOOOO glad I opted in, as I now have a new favorite musician. Check out Joshua's song "Closer" if all you want to do is cry.... SO good! "I'd Rather Be With You" and "Brand New Day" also became fast favorites. Thanks, K!

5) Car accident... mess.

A sweet middle-aged lady forgot to check her blind-spot before changing lanes and ran into my car, thus denting/scraping the entire driver's side. I am grateful no one was injured, but obviously wish she had taken the brief moment to survey the scene before maneuvering her car my direction. I hope the repairs don't take long.

6) Halloween... beautiful.

I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the entire world!!!

7) Various conversations/correspondence with good friends... beautiful.

Need I say more? I feel fortunate to know so many stellar individuals!

8) Official expansion of my cereal repertoire... beautiful.

Move over, Grape-Nut Flakes. I still love you, but you've got a rival now....

9) Blogging twice in one day... mess.

Who does that?!? Please don't neglect the post below, though.... those pumpkin waffles would be on the beautiful list if they were from this past week.

10) Looking forward to a good night's sleep (which has been messily lacking this week)... beautiful.

Can't wait for my head to hit the pillow. I think I'm going to sleep tight tonight.

I HEART WHEEL SHORTS

I do, okay?!?

I LOVE NOT CAMPING

I have a feeling I'm not the only gal who relates to the clever Miss Anne Taintor... (http://www.annetaintor.com/)

And my personal favorite....