Happy December!

{This Year's Tree}

December 1st calls for a Christmas Season To Do List!

The Rundown:

Festival of Trees at South Towne Expo Center

Temple Square lights

Riverwoods date night w/ hot chocolate

Ice skating

Make gingerbread houses

See a Live Nativity

Christmas lights drives around town (w/ hot chocolate... again)

Spanish Fork Festival of Lights

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Nutcracker Ballet while in Chicago

Midnight Mass in Vegas

Movies to Watch:

Elf

The Santa Clause 1 & 2 (we can't stand 3)

Miracle on 34th Street

A Christmas Story

It's A Wonderful Life

Home Alone

Polar Express

The Grinch

Music to Listen To:

Michael Buble's new Christmas Album (!!!)

Nat King Cole's Chestnuts Roastin'

Alan Jackson's Let it be Christmas

Bing Crosby

Taylor Swift Holiday Collection

Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas

...and my Pandora Christmas station

Any other good idas? Do share!

Now it's time to go watch Elf.

On Loafers:

So apparently loafers are cool again.

A special thanks to my sweet grandma today who gave me this old pair of hers a while back.

Love you Grandma and hope you get yourself better soon so we can come visit and eat your fabulous cupcakes.

Just Going With It...

So the past few weeks I started a new little gig. I wouldn't call it a "job" maybe something more like an "internship." I am working as an assistant for interior designer/blogger Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School.

Around the end of August, Kirsten posted on her blog about needing another intern/assistant. I had been following her blog for a while and seriously fallen in love with her fun and bright design style. So when she posted about needing more help, I thought maybe I would just email her about it and see what happens. I had been applying for jobs and interviewing, but a) wasn't having too much luck and b) wasn't exactly excited about all of the options on the job market for a girl with a bachelor's in political science living in Utah County (that's code for there really are none). So I emailed Kirsten back and forth a bit, went out and interviewed with her, and just kinda waited. I knew that I should probably doing some full-time retail job at GAP or Banana Republic or working the front desk of a law office. The thought of doing most of these jobs honestly just depressed me, though. I had done well in college. Was a great student and super involved in research and the student political society. So why were my only options $10/hour jobs that would only be something to fill my time while Chase finished school. I really was wanting to do something that interested me and where I could learn new skills and develop new talents.

Well, I ended up getting the position with Kirsten. I was beyond excited! Definitely a little bit scared though! I basically would be working for free. I would help Kirsten with all of her projects and hope that it could lead into something bigger and better. Well, I'm still a little bit scared. And still helping out Kirsten as an "intern." But, this last week she passed two clients along to me who weren't quite able to pay her $100/hour rate. So here I am, starting at the bottom in this fun and creative world as a design intern, but I am able to charge $40/hour for my services. I'm hoping (and praying!) that the knowledge and experience I'm getting by working with Kirsten could open more doors and lead to bigger and better things. Really, I'm just kinda going with the flow right now. I might find a part-time job to do while I continue to work with Kirsten... who knows.

What I DO know, however, is how much I am LOVING every day these past few weeks. I have gone and met with clients, picked out wallpaper samples, rug ideas, looked for bedding, and curtain fabrics. Some of it has been just running errands, but the chances I do have to channel all of the creative energy that had been building up the past few years makes it all worth it. I still love political science and wouldn't have traded my degree for any other, and hopefully down the road one day I'll be able to further my education in that field and teach at a community college, or even run for a local government postion. But as for right now, it has been fun having a bit of a flip flop in my life- instead of studying politics, watching the news, and reading the NY Times during the day and then going home at night to look at blogs, come up with design ideas for homes, parties, etc, and play on pinterest... now I spend my days channeling my creative side and spend my evenings catching up on news and politics. It really has been a breath of fresh air and I am currently loving life, even though I am sort of just going with it at the moment.

I am going to try and start blogging about some of the fun projects that we work on and the work I am doing with my own clients. There might be a little bit of a blog switch-a-roo. If I start a new separate design blog, I will for sure post on here where to follow me over to. Thanks for all of the moral support to everyone who I have already told my story to! It makes this leap of faith a little less scary :)

via Pinterest

PS, this article by the NY Times about recent college graduates doing something that they love (that might not have anything to do with their degrees) while they wait for the current job market to pick up helped give me the courage to just go with the flow of things and do what I currently am loving.

Hello Baby Morgan!

So my best freind Megan is currently in labor... I think at least. When we were texting late last night she was hooked up to the monitor and said she would probably be induced by the morning. I haven't heard any news yet... so I take it that she's probably having baby Morgan right now! Well... I had to channel my excitement for baby somehow last night and this morning, so I made an inspiration board for his nursery.

A while back, Megan showed me these sheets that she was thinking they would get.

A cute little sailboat print... which possibly might lead to a sailor/nautical themed room for the little guy. Just for fun I made a little board of a nautical room, that didn't over-do the theme too much. Megan abhors anything tacky and overly-themed. She also is a fan of modern, clean design style, as indicated by her contemporary crib choice. So hopefully I didn't disappoint Meggers!

{Clarification: The blue and white striped thing under the crib is supposed to be the crib skirt although it doesn't look much like it. And the white thing on top of the square brown wall unit is a diaper changing pad.}

Hurry up and have that baby boy and get out here to Utah so I can help with the nursery set up for real! Love ya!

Farewell 1135 SWKT.

Today was my last day working at my Research job I've had for about two years.

I was lucky to keep it all throughout the summer, but BYU has specific rules about how long you can hold positions like mine after graduating.

Alas, I could only stay working on the 11th floor of the Spencer W. Kimball Tower until August 31st.

I'm gonna miss 1135. Here's a little tour of the office I've spent many hours working (and playing) in.

Research Assistants at the Center for the Study of Election and Democracy (CSED) have amassed quite the collection of political memorabilia throughout the years. Here's just a few of my favorites.

While at CSED I've been researching for political science professor Dr. David Magleby.

It was a great job to have and also an awesome resume builder, especially if I go on to apply for political science masters programs in the future.

Basically, a research assistant just does whatever it takes to keep a professor's research moving along. That includes A LOT of editing, spell-checking, fact-checking, fact-finding, some data analysis and even some original writing.

I have helped with quite a few articles and conference papers over the last two years and a handful of books.

My name even made it into a few... looksy!

I tell Chase all the time how someday I will brain-wash our children into thinking that their mama was famous.

"Look kids! Mom's name is in this book! She's so important and awesome!"

hah.

While today certainly was bittersweet leaving the CSED office and my job in 1135, I'm excited to be moving on to bigger and better things soon.. hopefully! Will keep y'all posted.

Birthday

Last week, I celebrated a wonderful 22nd birthday.

I started off the day by bringing in yummy lemon cupcakes (w/ cream cheese frosting of course!) into work.

In the afternoon, Chasen went shopping with me... and didn't even complain!

{New heels I picked out... thanks Kent & Sandge!}

We also took a little trip to the Sandy Aquarium, which was on our Summer List.

{If you are in Utah and haven't been... GO! Such a great price for something so fun}

{Chase petting the sting ray... freaked us both out a bit!}

{Bad picture... but the penguin exhibit was the BEST part! They were zooming all over the place showing off to us! Made the whole Aquarium trip worth it.}

Finally, the husband surprised me with a fabulous dinner at The Roof in SLC.

It's on top of the Joseph Smith Building right across from the Temple.

{Gorgeous view & delicious food}

The next afternoon my husband ran off to Scout Camp for a couple of days (yes... he indeed had the time of his life) so I went up to Logan to hang with my little sis D and celebrate our birthdays.

{Old Main... original campus building}

{PS, if you kiss someone on that "A" pedestal during a full moon at midnight, you can become a True Aggie. Needless to say, Daryn is one already.}

{Breakfast at Angie's... the perfect little diner}

Sister Love!

It was a fun couple of days!

This weekend we are hoping to cross SLC Farmer's Market and the Dinosaur Exhibit off of our Summer List... keep your fingers crossed that it all goes according to plan!

Obsession of the Day

I think I just died and went to heaven.

I'm in love... with this pair of snakeskin heels.

But at the completely unforgivable price of $185... I'll just have to dream about how perfect they would be with a white button up tucked into a belted pair of dark skinny jeans from my web browser.

Shucks.

Three Day Weekend - In Pictures

Saturday:

{Nutritional breakfast of doughnuts and gas station drinks}

{Savers visit: Chase rockin' a sports coat and chair that will be my next project}

{Walk in the canyon}

{Pork chops, grilled veggies, homemade J-Dawgs sauce}

Sunday:

{Morning walk to Church. Back porch reading.}

{Mac & Cheese lunch in bed; Country Strong redbox}

Monday:

{Lunch with D and her cutie friend Sam at the Dodo in Sugarhouse}

{Decades: sweet vintage store in SLC; D and newest find for Logan's brutal winters}

Loved a relaxing long weekend.

Thank you pioneers for making the brave journey out West in the 1840's... and thanks Utah for celebrating it and giving us a three-day weekend to play.

Backyard Cherry Pickin'

Who needs a ladder...

when you've got this guy for a husband?

{Me + all 6 ft. 5 in. of Chasen = efficient cherry picking tonight}

Southern Utah Bride Magazine

So... in an effort to be more cool and interesting and do something exciting with my life since graduation... I recently wrote an article for the latest issue of Southern Utah Bride magazine.

Okay, okay, the editor of the magazine was our wedding photographer, Jimmy Bishop of Gideon Photography...

...so I sort of had an in, which therefore doesn't make me THAT cool - But it still was a fun little project to undertake! I am no pro and some of the wording and style was changed a bit in the final stages before publication... which means just blame the editor if it sounds a little too cheesy or cliche ;)

Take a little looksy of the new issue here or go straight to my article on engagement shoot fashion here.

Mischief Managed.

I very easily could write a sappy blog post about how I cannot believe the end of the Potter Era has come. How I can't believe that it is ending after years of midnight book releases at Barnes and Noble and midnight movie premieres. After the Potter marathons on ABC Family and all of the times I have re-read the series before a movie or new book came out. I could reminisce on how Harry, Ron, and Hermione pretty much grew up while I was growing up after first reading the Sorcerer's Stone when I was in 5th grade. I could talk about how much I cherish the memory of my Dad taking me to pick up the Goblet of Fire at midnight in the summer of 2000. Or how Chase and I used to quiz each other all things Harry Potter via text message the first few weeks of dating... and how a year later as newlyweds we would love to just cuddle in bed on Sunday afternoons while listening to Jim Dale narrate the books on the iPod.

Nope. I would NEVER do such a thing.

Instead, I will only say how very excited I am to see the final installment of the Potter movies tonight. And how I am happy that even though the books and movies have run their course, the story of a young boy learning about his special place in the wizarding world will still continue to capture the hearts of both children and adults all over the world.

The next thing I have to look forward to? Reading the stories out loud with our own kiddies and watch them experience the thrill of it all for the very first time.

And, if I do say so myself, that's not a terrible thing to be excited for.

HP over the Years:

Midnight release of The Order of Phoenix book - June 2003

June 2003 with Elise Kelly Call and Chandler Tidwell.

I was Hermione, as you can tell.

The Half-Blood Prince midnight book release in July 2005 with cousin Amy and sister Daryn

Daryn in her youth haha

The Half-Blood Prince movie premiere with friends, sister, and Chasen in July 2009

We had been dating for approximately 12 days

Fun shirts that year

Midnight premiere of The Deathly Hallows pt. 1 November 2010 with now husband Chasen

Fellow HP-lover friends Amy and Dillon Holm

And now, the most appropriate thing to say...

Mischief Managed.

Summer-Listing

Well.. our Utah Summer List is becoming shorter--slowly but surely. In the past week or so, Chase and I have been able to knock three things off of it, but we've gotta really get a move on if we wanna complete it sometime this year.

First, we headed up to Salt Lake City for a temple session. Last summer, we had tried to do this, only to learn after driving the 40 minutes and finding parking that the temple was closed for cleaning and maintenance. This time, we made sure we were good.

Such a beautiful building. The inside is even BETTER!

A few days later, we spent an afternoon at the Lindon community pool that's about 10 minutes north of where we live. You ain't never seen a community pool like the Lindon pool. They've got a flow-rider (those surf machine thingys with the fake waves), a lazy river, and a bunch of fun other stuff. It was pretty packed since it was the Friday before a holiday weekend, but we still enjoyed a bit of sun and the Jack Johnson tunes they had playing over the sound system. I only managed to take a few pictures and no cool ones of the lazy river or flow rider. Bad Haley.

{Sorry random folk who will now be forever pictured on my blog... consider yourself famous?}

{Why do I look like my nose is suffering a 3rd degree burn? lol I promise I wasn't seriously in pain after this pool trip}

And finally we visited the restaurant "Porter's Place" in Lehi with my aunt, uncle, and cousin.

It was way cool. It totally has the rustic western frontier vibe going on. The place kinda seems like a hole in the wall, but it was fun, the food was pretty good, and the scones + honey butter were even better.

{These pics from my Vignette Camera phone app... not quite as fabulous as Instagram, but one currently doesn't exist for Androids. Boo.}

So here's where things now stand:

Eat at Porter's Place in Lehi

This is the Place Monument

Lindon Pool

Salt Lake Temple Session

Camping

Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant

Hogle Zoo

Silver Lake Hike

Mt. Timpanogas Caves

Zion National Park

Outdoor Play at Tuacahn

Black Rock at Great Salt Lake

Sandy Aquarium

Cowabunga Bay

(Fly?) Fishing (and then watch A River Runs Through It.. of course)

Visit Daryn in Logan

The Frontrunner Train & Museums

Real Salt Lake Game

Ride the Paiute Trail

Lake Powell

Dinosaur Exhibit at Thanksgiving Point

Day in Park City (Alpine Slides!)

Ummm... excuse me. Now I need to go plan when we will do the rest of these things.

Hope you all are enjoying your summers too!