holiday goodies

Brooke got me the cutest, most thoughtful gifts this year for Christmas.

I didn't expect it from her but she definitely surprised me :)

To make the gifts even better, each wrapped package had a little hint.

I didn't get any of the hints right,

but it definitely made the unwrapping process even more fun.

hint #1:

"for your left hand, but not a ring"

I guessed a bracelet, but it was a beautiful gold watch.

hint #2:

"comfy hipster"

I had no idea, but it was a grey hoodie from American Apparel!

I've been wanting one of my own ever since she got one,

so my wish came true :)

modeling gifts #1 and #2
hint #3:
"clothing and curls icon"
Again, I had no idea, but it was Lauren Conrad'snew book on style!
I am so excited to read it because I LOVE all of her clothes :)
hint #4:
"more useful than lols cats"
Brooke and I love looking at LOLcats.com
or this funnier website....it's dumb, but so funny.
We were both looking for LOLcat-a-day calendars for each other,
but Brookie got me a French phrase-a-day calendar,
which is definitely much more useful since I want to live in France someday.
I loved all of my gifts from Brookie so much.
I definitely need to up my game next year.
I hope everyone else had a great Christmas!!
Now it's almost the new year!
❤

merry christmas

I've been so M.I.A. from the blog world,

it's ridiculous.

I'm definitely going to try and dedicate more time to it.

Christmas was fun & a little different this year,

but it was great to spend it 

with the family we don't get to see much down south.

Brooke and I did our first annual Christmas cards this year!

We only sent out 10 this year,

but hopefully next year our lovely little cards

will send even more Christmas cheer!

I was busy this week with shopping,

and I got back from Minnesota a couple days ago!

It totally wasn't as cold as I thought it was going to be,

and I had a ton of fun.

We played in the snow, went sledding, went to the Mall of America,

and spent quality time.

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked,

but I got a couple:

downtown Minneapolis

at the mall of america with Nick :)

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

from Brooke and me!

[day four] fwends forever

Day Four. Write about your closest friend(s).

I love all of my friends so much.

The weirdest thing is, besides my sister,

I've only known my best friends for three years.

Most people have best friends that have seen them through their diaper days,

but even in three years, mine have seen me through everything.

Brooke and I have been friends for longer than we can even remember.
We were friends in the womb.
I love her so much, and I always will.
We know each other so well, it's ridiculous, and I wouldn't trade her for anything.
We've gone on so many adventures together,
and we will continue to go on many more as the years go on and on.
xoxo

I met Paige during my freshman year of college.
I thought she was mean, and she thought I was weird.
Once we actually met and started talking,
we realized that, one day, we would be inseparable.
We've been roommates and best friends ever since, and we've seen
each other through our best and worst times.
We will always be friends--no matter what.

Olivia and I met freshman year, but we really became close last year,
and especially this year.
She is so motivated and driven with her life.
We love fantasizing about our futures together, and she's a great listener.
I'm very fortunate to have a best friend like her,
and we plan on being roommates next year and even after college.
:)

I have a lot of other friends that I care so much about, 

but these girls will always be there for me.  

Each one of us is a little bit different, but together we make a great team.  

We like to think of ourselves as the Sex & The City girls--

we may lead different lives in the future, 

but we can always come together to experience the good life.
✈
I leave for Minnesota tomorrow with Nick!!
It'll be crazy going from 75 degrees and sunny to the snowy tundra!
I'm super excited....wish me luck!

time flies

Time is flying by so quickly.  

I can't believe it's one week until Christmas.

Break has begun.

I leave for cold country on Monday :)

And we leave for Hawaii in about two weeks.

I'm so excited!!

❤

In other news,

Brookie and I were driving to our last final last Wednesday,

and a lovely little Christmas surprise showed up.

A group of runners dressed in Santa hats 

were going up to stopped cars,

people at bus stops, and people walking around,

and handing them candy canes! 

They were spreading lovely Christmas cheer

& hopefully they gave us good luck on our final!

Happy Holidays everyone :)

we can stay young forever

I just saw Love & Other Drugs last night with the girls,

and it was absolutely amazing.

One of the things that I loved about Anne Hathaway's character

was that she photographed everything.

Why is it that I love using a camera at parties & on vacation,

but I rarely take pictures of my every day life.

So, it's my new goal to take at least a picture a day.

We're only young once, so why not document it?

In addition to this, I want to start developing my favorite pictures.

Not necessarily for an album, but I want to have 

stacks and stacks of pictures in boxes 

so that I'll always remember the most exciting times of my life.

images via weheartit

study break

I've been super busy with finals lately.  I never stress out about finals, 

but it is a hassle to have to plan for them.  

So, I'm taking a little study break.  I have my final in exactly 4 hours.  

Last night was a little part of my break too.

Nick & I went to The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale,

which we've been wanting to try for awhile. 

It was so pretty.

We got tableside guacamole, which was amazing.

She asked if we wanted it mild, medium, or spicy,

so I of course said spicy.

I was awe-struck...I seriously watched her the entire time.

It was probably the best guacamole I've ever had.

that's not it...but it's close.
I was too nervous to take pictures inside the restaurant.
It was fancy :)

When we were eating, we were talking about the place where Nick works 

because it's kinda fancy too.  

I think it's super weird that they usually give guests white napkins, 

but if a lady is wearing black in her outfit, 

you have to give her a black napkin.  

I guess these women get really upset if they don't get their 

"black napkin" in a timely fashion.  

Isn't that crazy??  

I don't know...I just find that to be the weirdest thing in the world.

My night was really great though, and it ended with a movie marathon, 

but of course I fell asleep.

After that break from studying, I'm back to it!! 

Only two more finals to go & one paper!

<3

one.two.three.four

The lovely Jessica at Memoirs of a Melodramatic

picked me to do a list of fours.

I'm super excited about this :)

Go check out Jessica's blog!  And she has an adorable puggle too :)

four shows i watch: 
1. Gossip Girl. My all time favorite show.  It gets me through my Mondays, and I'm so so so excited to watch it with the girls tomorrow after my Special Event Management final!
2. Entourage. This past season was kind of iffy, but the finale was definitely intense.  :)  I just love how guys are such good friends to each other...my brothers are still friends with people they went to elementary school with, and I think that's why I like "guy" shows haha.
3. Pretty Little Liars. Brooke and I totally started watching it as a joke to see what it was like, but we fell for it pretty hard.  It's on break until January, but we love the mystery and the drama.
4. Make It Or Break It. It's super dramatic and cheesy, but it's great.  I used to do gymnastics when I was little, and so I think watching it lets me see how life would have been if I stuck with it :) Only way more dramatic & intense.

four things I am passionate about:
1. My family. They mean the world to me, and they've given me the world. I love my mom & dad more than anything, and of course my brothers and Brookie.  I can only hope that I can be as good of a parent in the future as my parents were to me.
2. My future. I know that I should live every day in the present, but I'm constantly thinking about the future.  I'm so excited to graduate, go out into the real world, move to different places, and meet new people.  First step: find an internship in LA this summer. So excited!!
3. Eating. I love eating. It makes me happy. If I'm in a bad mood, I must be hungry.  Mexican food is my favorite, indian food is a close second, and yup pretty much anything that is delicious loves going in my tummy.  Oh, and I'm a vegetarian. Always have been, always will be :)
4. Being Genuine. I'm not perfect at it, but it's my goal to always be kind and genuine to people.  No one deserves to be insulted, ignored, or talked down to.  "Kill them with kindness" is my new motto.

mommy & me with spidey in NYC

four phrases I say a lot:
1. Whatevs. I didn't realize that I said this all the time until work today.  Whenever there was a lull in conversation or I went to another area of the restaurant, I just mumbled "whatevs." Kinda weird, I want to try and stop my subconscious from loving this word.
2. Cool. I'm not very creative when it comes to new words to describe something.  When I listen to stories or talk on the phone, I'm probably going to say cool after every two sentences.  
3. Thank you. I say thank you all the time. Mostly at work when people help me out, but also at home too.  Thank you for dinner, thank you for doing the dishes, thank you for folding my laundry.  People stop doing nice things for you if you don't acknowledge them, so I'm trying to do more of that.
4. Yay. Anytime I hear good news. :)

four things I've learned from the past:
1. Don't be too dramatic. It just creates problems.  Nick always tells me that I'm melodramatic, and I always disagree, but he's right.  I'm a pretty lucky girl, all around, and there's no need to worry or dramatize little situations. 
2. Think before you speak. It's easy to say mean things to people when you're upset with them, but sometimes words are hard to take back.  It's better to bite your tongue, and think before you speak.  It'll save a lot of relationships.
3. Don't wear anything but waterproof mascara/eye-liner anywhere around water. It burns. I just got out of the shower, and even though I removed my eye make-up prior, there must have been residue because I felt like I was going blind.
4. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach before noon. If it's your first meal of the day and you're starving, chances are...you're not going to be able to eat everything on your plate.  Brooke & I call it "First Meal Syndrome." :)
four places I'd like to go:
1. The Maldives. Gorgeous islands below India. So expensive, but I'll make it there someday.
2. The Caribbean. I got so close to getting there...my parent's won a trip, but it was hurricane season, so we didn't go.  Someday though!
3. Paris, France. I went there with my family when I was ten.  It was gorgeous then, but imagine how much better it would be as a twenty-something.  We were going to go for spring break this year, but we might just have to save it for another year.  That's coming up pretty fast.
4. Morocco. I almost made it there my senior year of high school when we went to Spain, but we thought it was too dangerous. I just watched What A Girl Wants, and seeing her parents meet in Morroco made me really want to go there and explore the desert.

the beautiful Maldives

four things I did yesterday:

1. Studied with Olivia.

2. Lunch with mommy.

3. Called Nick.

4. Got some much-needed sleep.

four things I love about winter:

1. Hawaii. We went to Hawaii with my mom and dad last winter, and we're doing it again this winter.  I love the idea that we're getting tan while everyone else is freezing their little butts off. We're pretty lucky :)

2. Hot Chocolate. Any hot beverage. Starbucks' Christmas drinks, hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee with ice cream inside. Any hot beverage instantly makes you feel like its the holidays.

3. Fireplaces/firepits. I missed out on this for the past two years, but living at home was the best because of the fireplace. Now that Nick bought us one for El Casa Trio, it'll be a lovely Arizona winter.

4. Ice Skating. Most people get to go ice skating on real ice, but here in Arizona, we got ot ice skating rinks...indoors.  Brooke and I just found an outdoor skating rink in Old Town Scottsdale that's open for this month! I can't wait to go :)

the Hawaii crew :)
Brooke, mommy, daddy, Paige, & Me

four things I am looking forward to:

1. Finals being over.

2. Visiting/meeting Nick's family in Minnesota.

3. Hawaii.

4. LA this summer.

Now to pass on the lists to four lovely bloggers!

1. Brandi & Kelly at BuenoBueno

2. Michelle at Stories at my Fingertips

3. Rachel at Adore More

4. Rachael at Its Simple Love

sparkle time

The word "sparkle" totally reminds me of 13 Going on 30

since that was the name of Jennifer Garner's magazine.

But sparkle also reminds me of the holidays & new years!!

Even though Brooke and I already figured out that our

New Year's Eve is going to be pretty sucky,

we'll still probably celebrate in something that sparkles :)

thank you weheartit <3

chip to the otle

Brooke is the best sister ever. That's the moral of this story.

So I got called into work this morning,

so I was pretty bummed.

I had planned on going to the pool, or shopping, or really

doing anything but delivering pizzas and pasta

to hungry people on a beautiful 70 degrees Thursday morning.

Luckily, I got cut early because my manager knows I have school later today,

and guess what?? Brooke & Olivia are at home waiting for me!

And...guess what Brookie had for me in the fridge??

A Chipotle bowl for me to eat before my class :)

So sweet.

Best sister ever award goes to Brookie <3

yummy :)
chipotle = love

I reached 50 followers today!!

Thank you so much.

You all are amazing :)

happy december

December's already here.

This semester and year has just flown by.

So much has changed since last December, it's ridiculous.

Changed in a good way, of course :)

Now it's the time for giving.

Today, Brooke and I were roaming around Old Town Scottsdale,

and a homeless man stopped us.

He didn't ask for money, he simply just asked

if there was a church in Scottsdale with a homeless shelter nearby.

If I had cash on me, I definitely would have given him some money

just because he didn't expect anything from us. 

He just wanted a warm place to sleep.

I love Christmas time, 

and I can't wait to make the most of it this year.

I'm also excited to share the holiday season with a boyfriend.

It'll be my first one & I can't wait.

There are so many holiday things I want to do,

I just don't want December to go by too quickly!

Give me some ideas :)

...and keep in mind Tempe, Arizona doesn't see any snow haha

<3

thank youuu

A lovely thank you goes out to Lindsay of Scenic Glory 

for giving me a Stylish Blogger Award!  

If you're not already a follower, please go check out her lovely blog.  

She loves retro and vintage things,

and her blog is super fun to read :)

I did my 7 Stylish things blog a week ago, thanks to Kai!

So if you haven't checked it out yet:

click here!

Thanks again Lindsay :) 

[day three] xoxo, gossip girl

Day Three. Your favorite television program.

My roommates and I chose not to pay for cable 

or for any channels at all, really.

So, my television watching is pretty limited.

When I went to New York City with my high school senior class in 2008,

we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw that a 

show was filming there on the steps.

That show was Gossip Girl, and they were filming the famous steps where Little J was exiled from in the first season of the show.  

Ever since then, I've been hooked.

I absolutely love Gossip Girl.

I started watching it with my mom, and since I'm in college now,

Brooke and I always make the drive over to Olivia's house to watch the latest episode on Monday nights.

This season just keeps getting better and better.   

Who else likes Gossip Girl?? 

I'm so excited for tomorrow night just for this reason:

knowing that I'll be watching it gets me through my 3-hour night class on Monday nights.

pilgrims and indians

Probably my favorite quote from this Thanksgiving had to do with the holiday itself.

Me: What's Thanksgiving again? 

I know it's when the pilgrims and indians ate together.

Brooke: It's when the indians said, "yeah, we'll teach you how to fish."

My favorite part about Thanksgiving was the night before.

My dad left Thanksgiving morning for South America with my brother, 

so we had a good-bye dinner at Flavors of India.

I absolutely LOVE indian food...it's right up there next to mexican food.

Check it out:

I wish Thanksgiving was with India Indians so that instead of turkey, we would have rice, aloo mutter, and aloo gobi :)

[day two] tats & needle guns

Day Two. Talk about your piercings or tattoos, if you have any.

I have my ears pierced.  I got them done when I was five.  Then I got lazy, and I've had to get them re-pierced twice since I let the holes close up.

I need to get a better collection of earrings.  

I love them, but I'm pretty limited.

My favorites are just pearl earrings.

So classy.

I've always pondered about getting a tattoo,

but the idea of permanence is very scary.

My dad would be so mad if I ever got one!!

But...Brooke's leaving me for study abroad next Fall, 

which will be the longest we've ever been apart (right now it's a week).

We might get our birthday in roman numerals on our wrists to signify our twinnie-ness.

I'm not sure though!

It would still work with jobs because a watch could easily cover it.

What do you think??

getting ready for sota

Yesterday was an exciting day.  

After work, Nick came over and we started planning our shopping list.  

I'm going to go meet his family in Minnesota right before Christmas!!  

So, it's a little bit colder there than it is in Arizona--

which means shopping time!!  

We went to Buffalo Exchange, and I got a couple jackets, some long sleeve shirts, and sweaters.  

Then we picked up Brooke from school, got Starbucks Christmas drinks, and we all went to Fashion Square for more shopping.  

I found an amazing fuzzy hat to keep my ears warm in the snow.  

I'll probably get made fun of, but I'm really excited to wear it.  

I wore it all night.  

While Brookie did homework, Nick and I went on a search for s'mores, but no one had marshmellows (since we didn't want to drive all the way to the grocery store haha).  

We came back with wine instead, which was totally fine with me :) 

Little exciting tidbit I learned about myself last night: 

I like pinot noir, so now I like certain kinds of red wines even though I'm a white wine girl.  

Then we went outside to the firepit that Nick bought for El Casa Trio & listened to music and roasted veggie dogs!! So delicious.  

Yesterday was the beginning of the holiday season for me.  

It was chilly, I listened to Christmas music, I roasted things by the fireplace, and made my reservations to spend a few days in the snow!

bored in class

Today when I was bored in class, I found some nice images on the lovely weheartit,

and I thought I'd share them with you all :)

dreaming of cali

I really wish Paris for spring break was still happening.
And...love the dress too!

Okay, and I didn't watch the AMA's last night, but I've been looking at pictures of all of the outfits all day.  I absolutely LOVE Taylor Swift's new hair. 

So sleek & chic.