galentine's day.

I promise I've got some actual posts with some actual substance coming soon {this weekend! I promise!}, but since I've been binge-watching "Parks and Rec" over the last week, I think it's appropriate to wish all my female friends a happy Galentine's Day today. What is Galentine's Day?

I've got some amazing women in my life. Whether they're friends, family, or mentors, I'm grateful to all of them for being incredible influences on me. I think it's important to surround yourself with bright, happy, and successful women, and somehow I've gotten lucky and have been able to surround myself with the best of the best. 

So have a great day, and I hope you take some time to...

Also, I just discovered that you can put gifs on a blog, so I'm apologizing in advance.

in review: 2013.

Oh man. When it comes to New Years I'm the sappiest of the saps. I might as well have the word "nostalgic" written across my forehead because, during the week between Christmas and New Years, I tend to do a lot of reminiscing. I reflect on the good stuff, the hard stuff, the things I did well, the things I can improve on in the next year, etc. But a whole post about that is coming tomorrow. Today is all about happy memories!

So without further ado, and before I burst into tears about another year ending, here are my top ten moments of 2013:

10. Visiting Denver and Breckenridge, Colorado. What a beautiful state! Denver pretty much captured my heart in a way only a few cities have. And I spent the trip with the best people, so, bonus.

9. My birthday weekend was superb. You only have one golden birthday in your life, so I decided to go all out on mine. Even if that meant sending my roommate to the hospital. 

8. General Conference weekend with my family. In April we all got together to take Devin mission shopping and attend General Conference. It was one of the last times we'd all be together for two years, and it was just a good, good weekend. 

7. John FA-REAKING Mayer. This had been my dreamiest dream, to see him in concert, in my favorite place in the world {who knew that 5 months from then I'd be moving there?}.

6. Going cabining. I love cabins, and I love the Hansens' cabin. S'mores, footie pajamas, and gorgeous nature walks. It was a good weekend.

5. Giving Robin Sparkles a run for her money. This was probably the most serious I'd ever been about having an epic Halloween costume, and I think it paid off. 

4. San Francisco. Guys, two weeks and I'll be living there!!!!! I can never get enough of this city. 

3. A weekend outside. Hiking Timp was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done, but the payoff was so worth it. Will I hike it again? No. 

2. Christmas with my family. Maybe I'm still feeling the post-Christmas blues, but last week was a good one. 

1. Saying "sayonara" to Elder Justesen. That was a hard day! But to see how he's changed and grown up have been worth it. 

Thanks for the memories, 2013.

See 2012 in review here. 

christmas is over.

It's amazing how fast it came and went, isn't it? But now it's the 27th, the radio stations have stopped playing "Jingle Bells" and "Silent Night," and life is just back to normal. There are still a few trees up, a few lights still twinkling on some houses, some leftover snow. Today I took the decorations off of my baby white Christmas tree, feeling a little bit sad. There's this sort of magic that only comes with Christmas, and once it's over, that magic dies, too. At least until next year.

I had a beautiful Christmas, did you? On Christmas Eve we were able to Skype with Devin in Tokyo. It was so much fun to hear his voice and see his face! We Skyped using an Xbox, so we could watch on a big screen TV. Isn't technology great? I'm grateful for big brothers who know how to do that kind of thing, because I'm clueless. Look how happy Elder J. looks! He spoke some Japanese for us and man. What a crazy language.

My parents came to Utah this Christmas, so on Christmas Eve we stayed with them at a hotel. I don't know if I've ever woken up and opened gifts in a hotel room on Christmas morning before. It was a little different! The gifts were great {I got a red KitchenAid and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life and thanks Mom and Dad!}, but it was just fun to be with my family.

We ate a Christmas lunch at the Grand America hotel, and holy smokes. Ham and turkey and roast and 7 kinds of potatoes and 20 desserts and the best lemonade I've ever had. If you ever find yourself in Salt Lake City on Christmas, head over there. Seriously, one of the best meals I've ever had. I wish I had pictures of the little desserts, they were so pretty! 

Then we saw the requisite Christmas movie. I picked "Saving Mr. Banks," and it was so good. I could sit and talk about it for hours, but go see it and then we'll chat. You'll come out the theater with some serious feels. "Mary Poppins" has always been my favorite Disney movie, so to see how it came to be was wonderful. And after this movie I'll watch it with a completely different perspective. To Mr. Disney!

That was our Christmas in a nutshell. Quiet, delicious, with plenty of family time. I hope yours was just as wonderful.

Let's have a great 2014, shall we? While 2013 was a good year, I went through some tough things. I'll be honest, about 75% of this year was HARD. But I've been determined to make 2014 something amazing. I hope you're with me on that! I've got some fun things planned. Now go listen to that Carpenter's Christmas album one last time before you put it away, okay?

my views at christmastime.

How is it less than two weeks until Christmas? You know that scene in "The Grinch" where all the Whos are shopping in Whoville, and a voice comes on the loudspeaker letting them know there are only 14 hours until Christmas, and all the little Whos start freaking out? That's how I feel. Not because I haven't gotten shopping done, but because I love Christmas, and with each day we get one day closer to it being here, and one day closer to the whole season being over. It's a little bittersweet.

So I've been doing all that I can to take advantage of this Christmas season. Seeing the lights, watching the movies, trimming the tree, the whole shebang. I don't want December 26 to leave me feeling any regrets. So here are a few of the ways I've been celebrating. What have you been doing?

If Christmas lights could stay up all year, I'd be one happy camper. They just make everything look so much prettier! And those icicles outside my window are about as tall as me. They're beautifully terrifying. Also, how do you like my first Christmas tree? Next year's will be real, I promise. The last photo is just for kicks, my coworker knows how much I dislike Miley.

I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season, wherever you are! And I'm hoping you don't have to deal with snow.

Stay tuned, next week I've got some REALLY exciting news!

Phew. I feel like this post was all one giant sentence, but I got caught up typing and knew I just needed to say something on this blog.

parade > turkey.

In my humble opinion, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the greatest part of Thanksgiving. Every year, without fail, I park myself in front of the TV, sleepy-eyed and still in PJs, and watch as Snoopy, Kermit, Mickey, and many other characters make their way down Central Park West. There's something nostalgic about it, something sort of magical. It's like the holidays are officially being ushered in. And then ohmygosh when Santa Claus closes out the whole thing. When I was a little girl I wouldn't allow anyone to turn off the TV or change the channel to football until I saw Santa. And when I say "little girl" I mean that I still do this every year.

I heard on the news that, with this huge storm on the East Coast, the balloons might not happen tomorrow. Please bless that this isn't true.

The parade has been around for almost 90 years, and I found some vintage photos of the balloons from the 1920s-1940s. Amazing how much they've changed, right? and yet the excitement is still just as strong.

And then the big moment...when Christmas officially begins:

My reaction tends to be something along the lines of this:

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season. There's quite a bit to be thankful for, huh?

this is what happens when i spend too much time on the internet.

Okay Target, you and I have a problem. Because I want ALL the Christmas decorations. If I had my way, my Christmas would be plaid, furry, and full of critters. I love love love Christmas decorations, especially trees. In fact, I think I'm going to do a fun little Christmas tree-related thing on this here blog in December. I can't wait to share it! Here's hoping your Monday is great.

november.

Hello from my 64 ounce Coke, which is where my day is at right now. How are you? You can't see it, but there was a big ol' sugar cookie on my lap that I ate in about 2 and a half bites.

It's only Tuesday and I'm just about ready to get into bed and take a nap straight until Saturday. You know those days where you're going, going, going, and have to stop to remember to breathe? That's how my last three days have been. Being busy suits me, but it's always nice to have a break. And in just a few days I'll be on my way back home to California for the week. Just me, my mom, my dad {lovingly referred to as "The Captain," for those of you who watch HIMYM}, and the cat. A week of San Francisco, Apple Hill, the Galleria Mall, and 70 degrees. My impatient nerves can't wait.

Until then, here are a few things that are getting me through that awkward, sad transition from Fall to Winter:

1. Saturday was THE PERFECT DAY. 65 degrees, yellow, and crunchy. The kind of day that you know is so perfect that you have to hang on for as long as you possibly can because it'll be over all too fast. It felt like the last day of Fall here, I just knew it. So we spent the day at a park, with a pizza and our short sleeves. And I soaked in every last bit.

And on Sunday we woke up to snow, because well, that's how my life works.

2.  Plaid. I'm not quite sure how, but this and this found their way into my closet. What is it about plaid that just says Christmas/hunter/hot chocolate/Brawny man/Fall/Winter/snow/90s grunge all in one? Those are my favorite things.

3. Essie's After School Boy Blazer nail polish. Sometimes when you wear nail polish that looks black but is secretly navy blue, you just feel a little bit BA. And as a girl, I reserve the right to be happy because of a nail polish color.

4. This personality quiz. I'm a sucker for these suckers.  Once you get your results, check this out. I'm an ISFJ and a Neville Longbottom, what are you? At first I didn't know how I felt about being a Neville, but he's still a Gryffindor and he grows up to be a total hottie and a hero, so...that sure sounds good to me!

5. Scandal. My Netflix binge watching has taken a turn from comedies to dramas, and I'm very happy with this one. Once you get past the fact that the President is also the voice of Tarzan, it's fantastic. And makes me realize that I never want to work in politics. The fast-paced dialogue will hook you, I promise. And if you need a laugh from Olivia Pope, here's one.

6. And lastly, Christmas music. I'll be honest with you, I am not a Christmas purist. Christmas doesn't start the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas starts the second you find frost on your car window, or in the case of those of us from warmer climates, the minute it drops below 70 degrees. So for me, last Sunday was the official opening of the Christmas season. I will be happy to recommend some great songs from my playlist, and check out Dave Barnes' new Christmas album while you're at it.

And with that, my rambling is done. The problem with being busy is that there is no time to say the things that are rattling inside your head. So that's what this blog is for.

let's go to the mall and happy halloween.

Happy Halloween from Robin Sparkles and this amazing sunset! I'm off to go eat candy corn.

checking in and stuff.

Well hey there. Just checking in, ya know?

I know I've got to set aside time to actually write something that matters, but today isn't that day. I've been busy living the summer dream — drinking Slurpees, watching "How I met Your Mother," eating watermelons and strawberries and cherries, and working on my pathetic excuse for a tan. Summer is when my Scandinavian genes take over and I get all freckly. But! My mom informed me that she discovered some Jewish ancestry in our family this week. So. The Anderson side of my family really comes from just about everywhere. I don't know why that's important, but it is.

So much for checking in, now I'm rambling. I'm a pretty good rambler. Such is the nature of me having so much to say and not knowing how to say it.

I know I've said this before, but I'm claiming Summer as mine. It was made for me. Slow moving, unscheduled, stress-free, that's my thing. No shoes, no problem. Staying up until way too late? I'll claim it. Reading anything and everything because hey, I can. Random road trip to San Francisco next week to see and maybe plant a kiss upon the sweet, sweet face of John Mayer? Um...twist my arm.

Summer is mine. But I'll share bits and pieces with you and you and you, because we all deserve to wake up to sunshine or the occasional thunderstorm, to sit by the pool, and to eat unlimited numbers of snowcones. And because tans. And watermelons. And John Mayer.

a letter to the captain.

Dear Dad,

First off, happy {late} Father's Day! I just want to let you know that I know that I'm the luckiest. Not many can say that. I'm the luckiest because I have a dad who loves me so much, so much more than I deserve. I have a dad who taught me everything I know, and who still teaches me every day. I have a dad who works so hard to provide for me and the rest of my family, who taught me the value of hard work, of saving, and of knowing when to put aside work for fun.

Thank you for never missing a dance recital, a soccer game, or an event that was important to me. Thank you for always making yourself available whenever I need you, and for knowing when to put aside things that were probably more important at the time just to listen to me.

Thank you for teaching me the value of knowing how to throw a baseball and a football, of knowing how to ask questions, of how fun a motorcycle can be. It was always fun to be your little tomboy. And thank you most importantly for teaching me how to diffuse a tough situation with humor. I see your sense of humor come out in me more and more each day and for that I couldn't be happier.

Thank you for teaching me that I can't feel sorry for myself, but to rub some dirt in it and move on. :) It'll eventually get better. Although at the time I always hated when you'd ask something along the lines of, "Well, what are you going to do about it?", I appreciate that that question pushed me.

You're the best of the best, Dad. I love you.

And now, at your request, some of my favorite Alexa/Dad memories:

1. Hundreds of motorcycle rides followed by Slurpees from 7-11

2. When you coached my t-ball and basketball teams

3. Getting the motorcycle stuck in a ditch in Price when I was 7. I thought we were going to die but you knew we wouldn't

4. The Sunday we spent at the SLC cemetery finding as many former presidents of the Church that we could

5. Learning how to drive the truck in a church parking lot and your patience when I was convinced that I wouldn't be able to do it

6. That time you hit me in the head with a baseball and I didn't speak to you for a few hours

7. Practicing our "dip" for weeks before my baptism because I wanted it to be perfect

8. Hours and hours of "The Cosby Show" and "Home Improvement." You will forever be the perfect hybrid of Tim Taylor and Cliff Huxtable

9. The time you read me my BYU acceptance letter over the phone and cried because you knew how hard I worked to be a Cougar

10. Rocking out to Chicago, the Eagles, and Boston. My appreciation for classic rock was influenced directly by you

Love you, Captain.

he is risen.

This is one of my favorite paintings of Christ. It's an image of him with the woman at the well, as depicted in John 4. I love this story for so many reasons. First, I found out this week that the conversation between him and this woman is the longest recorded conversation between the Savior and anyone in the New Testament. Isn't that incredible? What makes it more special is that this woman was a Samaritan, Jesus was a Jew. And Jews "had no dealings with Samaritans." Also, this woman had past sins, which back then meant that she most likely spent her life as a social outcast. But the Savior took the time to speak with her and teach her about "living water."

I love this story because it's such an example to me of personal relationships with the Savior. I'm planning a Relief Society lesson for two weeks from now about just that, and I want to focus on relationships people, specifically women, had with Jesus Christ in the Scriptures. In doing my research, I've found that not only are there so many women mentioned in the New Testament, but this research has helped me develop my relationship with him.

I wanted to make this Easter special, rather than just about bunnies and Reeses Peanut Butter eggs. As I've really tried to focus on the Savior and what he's done for me through the atonement, crucifixion and resurrection, this holiday has been incredible. I've felt my relationship with him grow so much stronger.

This morning I watched a Bible video created by the LDS church about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, and at first I just felt sad. Recounting the pain he went through, the humiliation, and his complete willingness to do it brought me to tears. But once I got to Sacrament meeting, we sang "He is Risen" and I realized that, while it is important to recognize the pain and suffering, it is so much more important to recognize that "he has burst his three days' prison, let the whole wide earth rejoice!"

I guess I just want to share my testimony on this little blog that I KNOW that our Savior loves us. Our relationships with him are all so deep and personal, but so very, very real. I promise, he loves you more than you know.

I'll finish with a quote that my friend shared with us at church today by Neal A. Maxwell:

"The gift of immortality to all mankind through the reality of the resurrection is so powerful a promise that our rejoicing in these great and generous gift should drown out any sorrows, destroy any grief, conquer any mood, dissolve any despair, and tame any tragedy. Christ's victory over death ended the human predicament... 

We say humbly but firmly that it is the garden tomb—not life—that is empty."

Happy Easter, friends.

a little birthday weekend.

Well, I hit it. The milestone 24. I'm not quite sure that it's sunk in yet. I'm not in my early 20s anymore, I'm in my mid 20s. And somehow that age seems to come with responsibility. I'm excited for it — it's mature, experienced, but still young enough to not know anything. I'm not quite sure how to define it just yet.

But it was a great weekend. I spent it with the two boys above, friends, more family, and lots of sweets. My close friends threw me a birthday dinner on Saturday night {I'm a firm believer that if your birthday falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you must celebrate the whole weekend}, and we enjoyed free appetizers from Patrick our waiter and some March madness upsets. Somehow sickness seems to find me whenever it's the least convenient, so I spent the weekend with a not-so-attractive cough and the voice of a prepubescent 12 year old boy.

On Sunday I sent my poor roommate to the ER after she injured herself cutting up onions for salsa for my birthday party. I'm the worst, right? And after she made me breakfast and decorated the apartment with love notes and everything. While she was getting stitched up, I had a gold-themed party and caught up with friends. The infamous Zack Oates gifted me with a 20 second birthday kiss {and of course there were no cameras around so I can't prove that it actually happened}, and we snacked on cake and brownie bites.

A few memories from the weekend:

Thank you to everyone who made that day so special. Thank you for the gifts and notes and calls and hugs. It really was a great weekend, and I can't wait to put a definition on what this year is going to be. But so far, 24 is lookin' mighty fine.

P.S. Congratulations to my roommate Brooke and her fiancé Quinn for getting engaged over the weekend!!

an epic green weekend.

How was your weekend? I spent most of mine feeling like this:

Happy and green and silly. Scott and I were awfully proud of our green pants and an attempt at some sort of jig?

I spent most of the day on Friday outside when I got a call from work saying they didn't need me to go in {!!!!!} so I celebrated by walking to a gas station and getting myself a Slurpee. It's the little things, you know.

Saturday was devoted to being outside again, playing catch, eating sandwiches, and all of that. Guys, Spring is SO my season. It's in my blood or something.

On to Saturday night. My friends and I went to the most legitimate, fun St. Patrick's Day party I've ever been to. The music, the food {corned beef!}, the dancing, all of it was amazing. The hosts are apparently Irish, so I figured they knew how it was done. Next to Christmas, of course, St. Patrick's Day is my favorite holiday. And I am all about making holidays a huge deal. Just come to my future house at Christmas and you'll see what I mean. So this party was right up my alley.

Some of what went down:

and then there was the knife fighting {with plastic spoons}. I guess it's big in Ireland? All I know is, there were shirtless men. So sign me up. I'll let you enjoy the next few pictures. 

I saved the best for last. Did you notice this little man in the pictures above? Because if not...here. He wins the night.

Soak that in for a second.

Here's us not looking very festive but sure feeling it.

And here's what we would look like if we were drunk. 

All in all, a fun, festive weekend. I got to celebrate my almost non-existent Irish roots {I've got one or two ancestors in there somewhere}, enjoy the sun, and get a few more freckles on my nose.

And with that, onto birthday week!

love letters.

Happy Valentine's Day. This year I'm celebrating without a "valentine," but I don't think you need one to make the day meaningful. Sometimes it catches my breath a little thinking of all the people who I love, who love me right back, even when sometimes it's undeserved.

I have a lot of thoughts on love. I think I've been in it before, and it's beautiful and messy and motivating and scary. I think love makes you want to be the best possible version of you, makes you care more about the well-being of another person than of yourself.

There's so much I could say about love, but today I'm excited about who I'm going to let speak instead. I found a few love letters from some musicians, actors, former presidents, etc., and I think they should be shared.

Johnny Cash to June:

Hey June,

That's really nice, June. You've got a way with words and a way with me as well.

The fire and excitement may be gone now that we don't go out there and sing them anymore, but the ring of fire still burns around you and is keeping our love hotter than a pepper sprout. 

Love, 

John

Happy birthday Princess,

We get old and get used to each other. We think alike. We read each other's minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes take each other for granted.

But once in a while, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met. You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You're the object of my desire, the #1 earthly reason for my existence. I love you very much.

Happy birthday Princess.

John

Ronald Reagan to Nancy:

My Darling Wife,

This note is to warn you of a diabolical plot entered into by some of our so-called friends {ha!}, calendar makers and even our own children. These and others would have you believe we've been married 20 years. 

20 minutes maybe — but never 20 years. In the first place it is a known fact that a human cannot sustain the high level of happiness I feel for more than a few minutes — and my happiness keeps increasing. 

I will confess to one puzzlement but I'm sure it is just some trick perpetrated by our friends {ha again!}. I can't remember ever being without you and I know I was born more than 20 minutes ago.

Oh well — that isn't important. The important thing is I don't want to be without you for the next 20 years, or 40, or however many there are. I've gotten very used to being happy and I love you very much indeed. 

Your husband of 20 something or other. 

Marlon Brando to a stewardess:

Dear Lady,

There is something not quite definable in your face — something lovely, not pretty in a conventionally thought of way. You have something graceful and tender and feminine. You seem to be a woman who has been loved in her childhood, or else, somehow by the mystery of genetic phenomena you have been visited by the gifts of refinement, dignity and poise. Perhaps you cannot be accredited with all that.

Irrespective of your gothic aspects, you have passed something on in terms of your expression, mien and general comportment that is unusual and rewarding. 

It's been a pleasant if brief encounter and I wish you well and I hope we shall have occasion to cross eyes again sometime. 

Best wishes,

Marlon Brando

Jimi Hendrix to a girlfriend:

little girl...

happiness is within you...so unlock the chains from your heart and let yourself grow — 

like the sweet flower you are...

I know the answer —

just spread your wings and set yourself FREE

love to you forever

Jimi Hendrix

Rockwell Kent to his wife Frances:

Frances! I am so lonely I can hardly bear it. As one needs happiness so have I needed love; that is the deepest need of the human spirit. And as I love you utterly, so have you now become the whole world of my spirit. It is beside and beyond anything that you can ever do for me; it lies in what you are, dear love — to me so infinitely lovely that to be near you, to see you, hear you, is now the only happiness, the only life, I know. How long these hours are alone!

Yet is good for me to know the measure of my love and need, that I may at least be brought to so govern myself as never to lose the love and trust that you have given me.

Dear Frances, let us make and keep our love more beautiful than any love has ever been before. 

Forever, dearest one.

Thy 

Rockwell.

Michael Jordan to a high-school girlfriend:

My Dearest Laquette

How are you and your family doing, fine I hope. I am in my Adv. Chemistry class writing you a letter, so that tells you how much I care for you. I decide to write you because I felt that I made you look pretty rotten after the last night. I want to tell you that I am sorry, and hope that you except my apologie. I know that you feelings was hurt whenever I loss my necklace or had it stolen.

I was really happy when you gave me my honest earn money that I won off the bet. I want to thank you for letting me hold your annual. I show it to everyone at school. Everyone think you are a very pretty young lady and I had to agree because it is very true. Please don't let this go to your head {smile}. I sorry to say that I can't go to the game on my birthday because my father is taking the whole basketball team out to eat on my birthday. Please don't be mad because I am trying get down there a week from Feb. 14. If I do get the chance to come please have some activity for us to do together.

I want you to know that my feelings for you has not changed yet {joke}. I am finally getting used to going with a girl much smaller than I. I hope you like my hint. Well I have spent my time very wisely by write to you. I hope you write back soon. Well I must go, the period is almost over. See you next time around, which I hope comes soon. 

With my best love,

Michael J. Jordan

Aren't these the greatest? I love how different people portray love. Ronald Reagan used humor, Jimi Hendrix and his poetry, Johnny Cash and his honesty. I love how sincere each letter is, how much you can tell each writer meant what they said. Even Michael Jordan as a high school student. :)

I hope you all have a great V-Day, and take some time to write a note to someone you care about, will you?