just a glimpse

pictures to words:

1. christmas tree at home.

2. brothers: corey and crew.

3. midge. just about to open her new iPad.

4. traveling home in red tights and red shoes.

5. midge gave a gift to whomever could promise the first grandchild. 

{we didn't necessarily promise. we are just the most likely to. ha}

6. daddy happy as a clam. 

7. brothers: bret and joel.

8. plane ticket on christmas morning.

9. lots of diet coke this trip. yum.

10. showing off the new ray bans.

11. lovebird being as cute as ever.

12. brown paper packages tied up with string tool.

{christmas tree at our "real" home.}

santa claus

santa was a genius this year.

he was efficient, thoughtful, creative and generous.

his little idea was awfully awesome:

"something you want."

"something you need."

"something to wear."

 "something to read."

want: vintage rayband sunglasses.

{can't go wrong with a pair of sunglasses}

need: new scriptures.

 {bigger size upon request. and with my married name}

wear: a few items i've had my eyes on.

{leggings and colored jeans}

read: to kill a mocking bird. 

{50th anniversary this year}

it has been a lovely christmas here in utah.

we have been busily visiting family and places in our "old" city.

i'm sorry for the hiatus in blog posting.

i guess that's what happens when you are distracted by family and friends. 

we are here for a few more days,

so i'm not making any promises on posting until i get back to california.

i will do my best.

i hope you all had a magical christmas.

xoxo

christmas from head to toe.

my nails are decked out with christmas cheer.

there's nothing quite like a good ol' classic red.

are you all ready for christmas to be here?

i can't wait. 

i'm so eager to be home with family and friends.

that being said, i'm certainly way behind schedule.

i have so much to do, in so little time.

wrapping, writing, packing, shopping, and crafting.

it seems as though my list keeps getting longer. yikes!

i'm off to start checking some "to do" things off that list.

happy christmas eve eve.

xoxo

slightly famous.

never in a million years would i have thought my picture would make it onto pinterest.

i'm humbled and happy.

so a big thanks to those who are pinning! 

xoxo

today, i thought i'd share a little piece of advice:

stay alert while driving out there.

the roads are jammed packed with people in a hurry.

i can't believe how may cars are on the roads.

not to mention the challenge of finding a open parking space.

everyone is last minute shopping, which i am completely guilty of.

although, the shopping has come to an end; 

thanks to a good night's rest of 10 hours, {which never happens}

and a big cold fountain diet coke, to keep me going! 

so i urge you all to stay calm out there and drink a diet coke.

it does wonders.

christmas is around the corner. yippee!

{i'm loving that christmas is on a sunday this year.}

i'm hoping you are all gearing up for the big weekend of festivities. 

i can't wait to see your pictures as well as share mine.

happy shopping, happy thursday, and cheers to diet cokes. 

pretend it has postage.

merry christmas.

from: the lovebirds.

i thought i'd share this year's christmas card with you.

we're wishing you all the peace, love and joy out there. 

playing catchup.

is it weird that i feel guilty when i don't post something for a couple of days?

i wish neglecting the blog wasn't a result of life being so busy.

however, being busy for the holidays is something i truly love.

the hustle and the bustle of it all.

running here and there. wrapping this and that. going from party to party.

this weekend {and now week} has been crazy busy.

we spent a beautiful day in san francisco eating seafood, walking, shopping 

and exploring the crazy city with my family.

last night we hosted a little christmas party for my friends from my ballet company.

we did a little {white elephant} gift exchange.

we ate homemade lasagna and yummy goodies all while playing apples to apples.

and lastly, we visited one of our favorite families who just had baby #4.

we are so happy for them. congrats tui's! 

due to the"big event", we lucked out and got to babysit the three other kiddos.

who we try to steal and call them our own.

{i'll post pictures soon amongst getting approval}

after all the business that the holidays bring in,

lovebird and i find ourself cozying up next to our christmas tree and a fire...

sitting for more than five minutes on the couch. it's a miracle, i tell you. 

happy monday.

happy monday.

today is going to be a lovely day, i can just feel it.

[expect for the part where we'll have to say goodbye to my family.]

we are headed to the city to enjoy our last day together. fun awaits us. 

but, before i go....

check out this cute blog today.

she's so sweet to feature me. i adore her {and her blog}.

xoxo

"say cheese"

life as a ballerina, according to my phone:

{here are lots of pictures from the weekend of performances}

sorry for the lack of posts this weekend.

i've been a tad bit busy with performing, family in town and finals.

so for now, pictures will have to do. 

nutcracker has come and gone already. crazy.  

i hope you had a lovely weekend full of christmas parties and peppermint goodies. 

we {my family and us lovebirds} are headed to san francisco tomorrow.

crewser's first trip there. any suggestions out there? what to show him in one day...?

{happy holidays}

can you believe christmas is in one week from today?

i can't. however, i'm greatly anticipating being home for the holidays. 

watch this:

thought this was quite funny.

i also thought i would share a little clip of our company performing the nutcracker.

{click here}

the whole clip is magical. 

{but if you are my mother or my husband, start watching the clip at minute 1:35}

happy hump day to you all.

one more day of studying and one more final and then it's time to party!

good luck to all those out there finishing up the semester. 

xoxo

a few little things:

things from this week include:

1. wearing cozy sweaters to study for finals in.

why not be comfy when you are stressing out? 

2. mailing out our christmas cards.

yes, we did send one to the president of the united states.

why not? everyone can use some holiday cheer.

3. a day off {monday} included a lunch date to greens with lovebird.

greens: an organic market with delicious food and treats, of course.

4. flowers from my nutcracker performances.

my house smells delicious and they make me smile as i'm reminded of how much i love to dance.

those are just a few of my favorite things right now.

hope you are all having lovely weeks.

i'd love to hear your favorites from the week.

xoxo

it's show time!

nutcracker has begun. wahoo! 

nothing brings in the holidays like performing the nutcracker.

this past week was consumed by hours at the theater. 

other than my body feeling like it's been hit by a train, 

it feels so good to be done performing the first week of shows.

now... unto the next week!

{sometimes i can't believe we do it all over again. it's almost like hitting a repeat button.}

however, i'm excited to get the chance to perform again.

my lovely parents are coming into town this week. i can't wait to see them.

i am extremely nervous for whats ahead of me. 

but, anxious and happy to share it with those i love most.

this weekend was snow queen and next weekend is sugar plum.

hard, challenging, nerve-wracking yet exhilarating, fun and rewarding.  

another week of rehearsals, time with the parents, performing, and finals....

here i go! wish me luck. 

xoxo

a proud sister

yesterday was quite eventful.

it started bright and early with two performances of the nutcracker.

onto work, studying for finals and cooking dinner.

then we decided to be festive, and decorate our christmas tree. 

{despite how exhausted we both were.}

on a typical day of the lovebirds, decorating the christmas tree would normally seem 

like the grand event. the big bang. 

but yesterday, something super special and exiting happened.

my little brother

[aka: crewser, my best friend, c-cup and crewber]

received his mission call to.....

mexico city!

awesome, right?

{if you have no clue what i am talking about, click here.}

he is going foriegn, which he wanted desperately.

 he is also learning spanish. which, in my opinion, is such a useful language to learn.

lovebird and i being beyond excited for him quickly did some research to find out

where exactly our brother, who is growing up way too fast, 

would be spending the next two years of his life. 

he is going to an incredible place full of culture, history and people.

fun little fact: the population of just the metropolitan area is a little over 21 million people.

that is a ton of people. holy cow.

 anyway, we couldn't be happier for him.

i'm already trying to imagine life "without" him for two years. it's going to be ruff.

good thing for handwritten letters, and two phone calls home a year.

looks like i'll have another nickname to add to the list... elder carlson.

i promise to post some photos and a video of him opening his call very soon.

we are beyond elated for you, crew. 

xoxo

wrap me up in a scarf, please.

the other night while i was being productive,

lovebird was being a little rascal.

he's new to the whole instagram scene. 

{that being said, he probably will always be "new" to it.}

but, while frantically doing my homework and crafting,

i finally decided to call it a night and go to bed.

i walk into the bedroom and lovebird has a little smirk on his face.

i know he has done something.

he breaks into a little laughter as he says,

"have you checked instagram lately?"

 i instantly said, "oh no... what did you post?"

{thinking he posted a picture of our dirty laundry, or the dust on our shelf, or an awkward picture of me from 5th grade, or something that would completely embarrass me...}

already preparing for a huge pillow fight, i grab a pillow in one hand
and my phone in the other.

i check instagram to find a picture posted of .... my scarves.

instantly feeling relieved and just slightly embarrassed at the number of scarves i own.

i look at him and just shake my head as i release my tight grip on the pillow.

i guess the world knows my obsession to scarves now.

lovebird thinks i have far too many.

i don't think i have enough.

he thinks i have enough to have a boutique.

i think i may ask for another one for christmas.

is this obsession sickening? possibly.

do i fall into that category of "americans owning more than necessary"? yes, i do.

can you borrow a scarf? yes, come on over to my boutique. 

i'd love to share my obsession and collection with you.

happy tuesday friends.

life is better wrapped up in a scarf. 

fun fact: if your neck is warm, the overall temperature of your body is warmer. 

keep this in mind as the cold weather comes our way this winter! 

p.s. it's a good thing he only posted a picture of some of my scarves.

 you'd really be in shock if you saw them all.

tech week:

{tutu's and holy berries. it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.}

well... it's begun.

theater week, that is. 

this week is also known as one of the

 busiest, most stressful, happiest, most fun, and craziest weeks of the year.

it's a joy to be in the theater all week.

the hours are hard and long.

being in a dressing room with your friends for hours on end is a blast.

the performances are nerve wracking but exciting.

nutcracker music 24-7 is overwhelming, yet makes it feel like christmas every day.

trying to be a wife, a student a 'personal shopper', and a piano teacher 

while spending 70 hours in the theater this week...
might be a little crazy to say the least. 

that being said... performing is one of the best parts about being a ballerina. 

the stage, the audience, the lights and the expectations are thrilling.

theater week is all worth it in the end.

oh but wait, then we turn around and do it all again next week.

the life of a ballerina is a busy one.

life is lovely right now.

how can it not be when visions of sugar plums dance in your head?

music warms the heart.

what's christmas time without music?

could you even begin to imagine that?

we couldn't prance around the tree in our pi's singing "deck the halls."

we wouldn't have "baby it's cold outside" stuck in our heads all day after watching elf.

christmas carolers wouldn't even exist.

i wouldn't think someone is singing my name every time i heard "Feliz Navidad".

{which actually might be a good thing.}

and an odd silence would fill the air as we shopped, celebrated, and partied. 

which is exactly why you need to spruce up 

your holiday collection of cd's with this little gem....

{the lovely cd. or rather it's cover.}

hum: is my best friend's brother and a rockstar.

hue: is his adorable, crafty and artistic wife.

both are extremely talented people. 

they were feeling the christmas spirit this holiday season and 

wanted to spread their love through music.

listen and watch one of their songs here.

and then return the favor and spread your love by visiting hue's easy shop.

you could also spread the word by letting others know. {yes, the pun was intended}

thanks for doing me this kind favor. hue will be very happy. 

xoxo

disney

i had to post this. why? 

because i am always wanting to cuddle and 

watch disney movies with lovebird.

is that childish? perhaps. 

do i care? not one bit.

dare i say, disney movies are better than half the movies out in theaters right now.

just the other day we watched "up" for the umpteenth time.

{such and incredible, inspiring, tear jerking and hilarious movie.}

no too long ago, we jumped on the bandwagon and watched "tangled."

another great one.

however, i'm talking way old school when it comes to disney movies;

bambi, lion king, jungle book, snow white, aladdin, cinderella, toy story...

and the list goes on. they never get old.

i'm secretly looking forward to spending the day with my future-little-ones 

on the couch watching the classics. 

until then, lovebird and i will continue to have disney date nights.

join in on the fun. you're missing out. 

{don't forget to sing along! that way you won't feel so "old".} 

happy weekend friends. 

greetings in december.

goodbye november. hello december. 

goodbye autumn. hello winter.

goodbye turkeys. hello santas.

goodbye leaves. hello mistle toe.

goodbye pumpkin spice. hello peppermint.

goodbye rehearsals. hello nutcracker performances.

goodbye thanksgiving. hello christmas.
goodbye "gobble, gobble." hello "ho, ho, ho!"

goodbye california. hello utah.

goodbye orange and brown. hello red and green.

goodbye junk food. hello cravings for salad. 

{with blue cheese dressing. naughty, i know.}

goodbye stuffing my face. hello arabian costume.

goodbye school feeling calm. hello finals.

goodbye studio. hello tech week in the theater.

goodbye cracked hands. hello lots of lotion and aquifer. 

goodbye milk. hello almond and coconut milk. yummy.

goodbye fall breeze. hello heavy winds.

goodbye never seeing lovebird. hello winter break.

goodbye anticipation for thanksgiving. hello all sorts of christmas advents.

goodbye pumpkin chocolate chippers. hello gingerbread cookies.

goodbye the thought of christmas away from family. hello last minute choice to fly home.

goodbye little brother. hello growing up way too fast. 

{can't believe you are going through the temple already!}

goodbye having to give up diet coke. hello a sip of you in the very near future.

goodbye busy. hello even busier.

goodbye nude nails. hello holiday cheer on the tips of my fingers.

goodbye empty bottles of perfume. hello to hopes santa has me on his nice list.

goodbye november. hello december. 

i'm happy if you want to join in on the fun and do this on your blog.

all i ask, is that you pretty please site it back to my blog! thank you!

remember: it's not nice to steal. santa is watching!