we're busy over here.

jam-packed into the next two weeks:
- rehearsals and a performance! i can't believe it's the end of the season already.
- packing.... yeah, i should probably get started.
- lovebird's birthday to celebrate. yahoo.
- cramming in as much hang out time as we can, with our dear friends.
- saying goodbyes, more like "cya laters",  to my piano students for the summer.
- clean, clean, clean. my little home is begging for it.
- spend a few days by our pool before we go brave the cold weather that still exists in utah.
- one last day trip to san francisco, just to get my fix before i leave for three months.
- possibly a pedicure. after a long season of hours in pointe shoes- i think i'm due for one.
- a quick trip to L.A. who doesn't want to visit best friends and disneyland? no brainer.
- many afternoons (if i dare brave the heat) at the dog park. mowgli's got to say goodbye to his friends too, i suppose.
- car washes and a big stock up on treats. what's a road trip without clean cars and treats galore?
- simply moments in our little home. before we leave it all behind for awhile.

i can't believe the beginning of may is just around the corner already.
slow down life. you are passing all too quickly. 
this time of year is always a busy time. but, i like it that way.
we are anxious to go home for the summer. yet, slightly sad to say goodbye to life here. 
regardless, salt lake city... here we come!

anything fun on your agenda for the end of april?
let's hear it. i'm hoping it's more excited than our to do list before we head out.

long winter's nap

the holidays are for lounging, resting and relaxing right?

that's what mowgli seems to think.

but, we don't mind one bit, because our exhausted school brains

and sore ballet muscles are accepting every ounce of rest they can get. 

mowgli met so many people at lovebird's family's christmas party-

it took the energy right out of him.

he managed to crash right in front of the christmas tree, 

not minding the big red bow we tied on him.

he was in for a long winter's nap.

it's a tuff life, when you are the center of attention-

having everyone awing over your cuteness,

petting you at every chance and playing with you endlessly.

he is certinaly spoiled.

i'm not sure lovebird and i can give him nearly as much love, 

 as all of his adoring fans, friends and family are giving him, 

when we go back home.

a few things are for certain:

we love mowgli, christmastime and long winter naps. 

oh, and mowgli has decided this is his favorite time of year too-

he can't seem to get enough of the snow.

in between his naps, he joyfully pounces in the snow.

it's like pulling teeth to get him to come back inside. 

obviously, we are all completely satisfied with how this christmas break is going.

hope you enjoy your last day of 2012!

see you in the new year!

xoxo

if only i could do this every day...

 i keep pinching myself.

did i really just fly home in a private jet for a day?

{like i said, i keep pinching myself.}

what a fun, unexpected, blessing and experience.

i say blessing, because a trip home was well needed.

quite literally an answer to my prayers.

i was craving a little family time.

i'm forever thankful to my 'new friend' who so graciously extended the offer.

how could i ever say no to something this great?

but more importantly, how can i ever repay him or say thank you enough?

a batch of cookies just doesn't quite compare to a jet ride home.

{any suggestions? start brainstorming!}

what a flight, what a memory and what a day.

the whole 32 hours went by oh, so fast.

i walked onto the jet expecting to be a passenger... 

but instead of being bumped up to "first class", i got bumped up to copilot. 

hello, awesomeness. 

i spent every minute home with family.

complete bliss, i tell you.

i hoped back on that plane and enjoyed a late night ride

{all alone again- this time lounging in the back}

replaying the laugher, memories and love spent in those hours;

trying not to fly away too fast.

it was a perfect weekend, 

thanks to a trusty little jet.

{oh, and the best family in the world.}

being brave.

happy weekend.

i'm off to take my first test of the semester... wish me luck.

then, i'm hoping on a private jet to fly home{salt lake city}.

bucket list item: check. 

i'm headed home for a grand total of 24 hours;

just enough time to say hello to my family, eat at a favorite restaurant,

possibly get my hair done and spend the rest of those minutes with my mom. 

surprisingly, i'm more nervous for the flight than i am for the test.

so please, wish me more luck for the flight.

i hope you have a lovely weekend!

i'll report back with awesome pictures and a quick tale of 

the adventures that happen in the next 24 hours.

until then, i keep telling myself to be brave.

xoxo

a place called home.

yes, home sweet home.

i seemed to have gone m.i.a. without telling anyone.

{so sorry about that.}

lovebird and i left town in a hurry for his best friends destination wedding.

it felt like we were gone for a long time-

and maybe that's because being back home has never felt better.

lovebird and i have been away from our little home this summer

more than we have actually been in it. 

but, i can't really complain because traveling 

and lifetime adventures have been the reason for that.

so for now, i am happy to be home.

there is something so nice and comforting about being in your own home,

especially after being away from it for so long. 

i hope you all had a lovely weekend.

i'm looking forward to catching up on your sweet blogs.

xoxo

{picture source}

officially over.

being home from italy for less than a week,

life already has picked us up in it's whirlwind of business.
you know that saying, "vacation is over"?
that's truer than true.
the minute you step off the plane from your vacation,
no matter how long or short it may have been, it's back to "real" life.
however, our real life has still felt like vacation...
considering we didn't exactly go straight home; we spent a few days in utah.
 also, a big thanks to holidays, family time, baseball games,
eating out, friends, treats and sleepovers
for helping drag out our vacation as long as possible.

{instagram: eleasejane}

1. jet lag requires early morning starbucks runs.

2. & 3. red, white and blue for the fourth of july. 

4. the gorgeous mountains in utah, which we miss dearly.

5. great harvest and einstein's = carb heaven, as well as my heaven.

6. currently in the market for a little putt putt.

7.  cutest little kids on the block.

8. pedicure, for both of us, was mandatory after walking the streets of italy.

9. nothing better than coming home to california's well earned rep for fresh produce.

10. lovebird being our family's 'grill master' on our new grill.

11. finally got around to changing my last name on my license. 

{never too late, right? ... two years later. ops!}

12. spending time catching up and writing my awesome brother. 

that's a wrap: a wrap to the close of our vacation.

vacation is officially over.

we are home safe and sound and surprisingly ready for "real" life again.

xoxo.

goodbye italy. hello america.

home again home again jiggity jog.

{lovebird grew up saying jig, i grew up saying jog. to this day we "argue" over which one's right.}

{the classic airport picture: going to italy, then leaving it all behind.}

hello lovely readers.
 it's been quite awhile- wouldn't you say?

oddly enough, i've slightly missed the blogging world;

mainly catching up with your fun lives, envying your fashion,
trying your diy's and craving your recipes. 

i am back now and have every intention of staying put for a little while. 

where do i even begin?

maybe by sorting though the thousands {literally} of photos i took,

counting the calories i consumed from pasta and bread,

organizing my memories into words to post,

or reflect upon the "important" things to share with you.

all of which seem a little overwhelming at the moment.

you can thank a heavy case of jet lag for that.

i'm anxious to share our adventures amidst the beautiful country of italy.

i now know why roma {rome, in english} spelled backwards is amor. 

not only did i fall in love with everything in sight,

i fell in love with lovebird all over again.

italy has my heart.

i'm convinced i left it there.

thank goodness for throwing a coin in the trevi fountain-

legend has it, i'll return to rome one day and can then reunite with my heart. 

until then, i'll reminisce and share the details with you.

stay tuned. 

i promise to post those details as soon as i can. 

xoxo 

bon voyage!

we've been awfully busy:

attending weddings, catching up with family, playing with friends, 

eating out too much, shopping more than lovebird approves,

and getting ready for our big adventure.

it's been such a delightful vacation already, 

i'm actually in awe we still have another three weeks of vacation ahead of us.

we are counting our blessings, and feel oh-so-lucky.

we leave for italy today!

{or as lovebird calls it, "the country of love"}

we are both so eager to get there, explore the beauty, 

taste the gelato and eat homemade pasta.

but, we are most excited to just be with one another.

just the two of us.

we've been begging for time alone with one another

after such a hectic, crazy and long ballet season and school year.

that time starts in less than 24 hours...

and you better believe that we are both counting down the seconds.

{at this point, even our nine hour layover sounds delightful. i'm slightly joking.}

while we are gone, i thought i would treat you all to a little something.

since, clearly, i can't fit you all in my suitcase and take you with me.

for the next three weeks, i have some lovely bloggers featured on my blog.

i hope they keep you entrained by their beauty, fun ideas, tutorials and so much more.

it's always a treat to discover a new blog....

so enjoy them and send them some love by visiting their blogs!

italy and lovebird will carry my heart for the next little while.

i'm simply elated about that.

i'll miss you dearly while i'm away 

and look forward to catching up on your blogs when i return.

happy summer. 

xoxo

dear mom:

dear mom: i love you.

a lot.

coming home to utah is always a treat.

but, spending time with my mom is an even a bigger treat.

we are best friends.

being away from her is tuff, but it isn't until i'm with her

that i really realize just how much i miss her while i'm away.

we are the same person.

i love that about us.

we have the same taste, love the same things,

buy the same treats, laugh the same way, do the same things.

we have a unique relationship. 

i'm so lucky to have such a close friendship with her.

certainly, she is my mom;

she provides guidance, advice and motherly love.

but, she is my best friend.

i tell her my deepest secrets, and she tells me hers.

we have a whole week of just us.

{lovebird is still home working and taking his finals.}

we can finally go to lunch together, run errands together,

shop until we drop {which we already have done}, sit on the couch and chitchat,

read our books together, and drink our diet cokes.

all without having miles between wishing we were closer.

it will be a week free of texting and phone calls because we'll be face to face. 

it's going to be a good week. 

however, any week is a good week when your with your mom.

fly me home.

i felt like i was shot out of a cannon this weekend.

i jumped on a plane {way too early in the morning},

finally landed in the beautiful city of salt. {aka: salt lake city},

raced to special events, such as ballet performances and baby blessings.

then finished the weekend off with my lovely parents on the couch.

sundays are the best, especially at home. 

i hope you had a lovely weekend,

minus the feeling of being shot out of a cannon. 

xoxo

airport post.

what a weekend.

it started off with performances of rat pack. 

 i then hopped on a plane to fly home, 

"hosted"a party, 

made a drastic change,

{you'll see after i show lovebird tonight.}

said a big goodbye to my best friend in life,

and am now waiting patiently to get back home to my lover.

i can't wait to get home.

but, i'm certainly sad to leave my family and home.

i have lots of pictures and events to catch you up on.

please be patient with me

because i also have lots of homework and studying to catch up on.

{which, unfortunately has to take priority.}

until then, enjoy the little tidbits of my trip from the pictures above.

i promise to be a "good" little blogger and post the details soon.

i hope you are having a happy wednesday!

it's snowing {more like 'dumping'} here. 

i'm so happy i got to experience a little snow storm 

before i head back to sunny california. 

xoxo

scoop of love and laughter.

last night when the words of my textbook started blurring together into one big word, i decided it was time for a break. a break from school and life.

i was in desperate need of a break full of nothing but giggles, love and time with lovebird. 

so, i yelled into the office where he so obediently was doing his homework....

"hey, i need you to come here". 

"no you don't."

{he obviously knows me way too well. crap.}

"no, i seriously do. i need your help on my homework".

{all lies, i tell you.}

"lease, i'll kill you if you're lying."

.....

he killed me alright; killed me with tickles and kisses. 

we laid on the ground for a good two hours. 

we stayed up way past our bed time doing nothing but chitchatting. 

and listening to spotify. the new best thing since sliced bread.

{it's a real treat to find all the oldies you listed to back in the day... all for free.}

my head was propped over his as we sang "we are young". glee version, duh.

i can't describe how funny it was to lip-sync and do actions face to face. noses touching.

lovebird told me i looked like a muppet when i sang. that was nice of him. 

we were laughing so hard we were both crying and my abs felt like a million bucks. 

after we were sick to our stomachs from laughter, we decided we needed to feed them with our new favorite addiction: pistachio for him, caramel for me. 

it was a good night at home. 

nothing beats time with lovebird doing absolutely nothing- 

because it's these moments that make up our everything. 

i'll hit the books later, right?

this was well worth my time. anthropology can always wait.

after all- love and gelato will always come first. 

"boo! did i scare you?"

happy halloween.

i love this holiday. period.

the mounds of candy, the flavor pumpkin, little kids in costumes,

trick-or-treating and jack-o-lanterns.

big fat pumpkins, fall weather, witches, the color black.

a bowl of chili {family tradition}

hot chocolate, skeletons, pumpkin patches, spooky-ness, candy corns,

the eeriness in the air, pumpkin baked goods and my memories of this holiday. 

hope you have a spooky halloween.

be safe, eat lots of candy, and stay warm.

oh, you're welcome to come over for a yummy bowl of chili if you'd like.

thank you october 31st for being one of the best holidays. 

a little halloween pet peeve of mine:

please don't use this holiday as an excuse to dress like a slut. 

i've always wondered why girls do that.

believe me, you're not cute with a skirt too short and 

a top that shows too much.

cover yourself, and dress up properly.

save us all and let us enjoy the holiday too. 

dracula

what a joy it is to be with family.

i went on a lovely date last night;

with my parents of course.

we hit up one of our favorite restaurants... vinto's.

as always, the pizza was delicious.

we ordered the sampler of gelato for dessert...and yum!

after dinner we headed to the ballet,

dracula.

it was spooky, the music was beautiful {liszt} and

i was in good company.

the weekend has been lovely.

i can't wait for my hair appointment today and visiting with friends tonight.

life in utah is beautiful:

because of the people, the adventures and the fall scenery.

{you should see the colors of the trees right now- they take my breath away}

bottom line: i'm so grateful to be home. 

black & white

guess what was delivered to our little home today?

drum roll please.......

 our very own piano.  yipee!!

i'm overly excited and thrilled that i have a piano

in my own little home. 

growing up with two in my house, i was quite spoiled.

and not having one in my home made it feel like something was missing.

not anymore. thank goodness. 

as lovebird says, i'll certainly be "tickling the ivory"

quite often. 

you are welcome to come over and play it anytime.

also, pass on the word....

i'll be starting to teach piano lessons this summer!

if you are interested, let me know!

{more on this to come later}