A good and a bad.

A good: I love NYC because of moments like this.

Jude Law was absolutely the most brilliant Hamlet I have ever seen. Emotional. Captivating. He, my friends, is talented.

A bad: Free me from my soul-sucking job. Please.

That is all.

Stuffing & Pie. Oh My.

This past week I have been home for Thanksgiving break, and thank goodness for that. Break means the following things:

1. No work

2. No school

3. Too. much. food.

My recent schedule has gone something like this: Sleep, eat, run. Eat more. Run more. Sleep more. Eat, run. Eat, run. Sleep. Yes...thank goodness for breaks!

Ok, so I actually did some things of worth this week.

I did help cook. Here I am putting the turkey in the oven.

I also helped taste.

I decorated our pumkpin pie, bird style.

We played a lot of basketball. This is sort of a family tradition.

Basketball 101: Keep your eyes open when you shoot.

I also attempted to box out. Not sure it worked.

We played many a game of Spades. Cards are also a family tradition.

Here is a feather headband that I made for my new niece, Penelope.

And the most exciting part of the break...I met Penelope for the first time! We snapped tons of photos...here are some for your entertainment.

I never watched the Simpsons, but even I can see a certain resemblance in this picture...

Love at first sight.

Penelope and I enjoyed some quality tummy time. She was getting lonely down there.

Haha, I couldn't help myself. Young Penelope is a Jedi at heart.

We all love each other

I am several weeks late on this post...you see, a month or so ago, my computer was damaged by a stiletto heel. It will be loads of expensive to fix, so I have been avoiding it. Apparently the warranty doesn't cover stiletto damage :(

Sans computer, I haven't been able to blog nearly as much as I would like. But, hopefully my little comp will be fixed soon!

The following post is so long overdue, and I would like to dedicate it to the girls. There are 9 of us chicas who met my Freshman year of college, and through the years we have become the best of friends. Although we are now scattered across the country, we were finally able to reunite several weeks ago because one of us, the now Mrs. Katie B, got married! It was the first time in years that all 9 of us had been together. I can't really describe the fun that was had, so I won't really try.

But here are some highlights:

Here we are at the Kansas City airport, eagerly awaiting the arrival of each girl.

I had to capture the long anticipated greetings on camera.

Katie D. made everybody a roadtrip snack pack, and Jill made everybody chocolate chip cookies. Just like any good mother would do! It's a good thing we all have moms... ;)

This was the night before K-Rowe's wedding. It involved Chili's Queso. That's really the most important part.

This picture holds a very special place in my heart because it proves 3 things:

1. It is possible for me to spoon.

2. It is more than possible to fit 9 adult women on 1 bed.

3. It is even more possible to take a picture of this while all 9 of us were...on the bed.

Here are some pictures of the wedding at the Nauvoo Temple.

We couldn't get over K Rowe's adorable niece. Her face never stopped showing ultimate pain and sorrow because of the bitter cold. I definitely stalker zoomed for that picture.

After the wedding, we explored Nauvoo. This included walking to the river along the Trail of Hope. We took turns reading the quotes of pioneers that left Nauvoo to find refuge in Salt Lake City. As evidenced by this picture, Jill is a most excellent reader.

As it turned out, we even had a little river crossing ourselves.

And here we are at the wedding reception. Katie looked so beautiful! What a happy day!

And finally, the bouquet toss. I snagged that thing right out the air. asap.

It was such a fun weekend. As we like to say, "We all love each other"

It's true.

Welcome Penelope!

I am an Aunt! Little Penelope Quebe has entered the world. Ah, and she is so adorable!

I think I will call her Penny, or the Penster...and bring her cute gifts, Aunt-style.

She was so tired. Being born is hard work!

And props to Aubs! Way to go through labor. And Philip for being there through it all.

DC Marathon

I promised myself that I would never run another marathon. Ever.

Yeah...I lied.

I quite underestimated how badly I would want to race again. I also quite underestimated my competitive spirit. I read recently on a former teammate's blog that she competed in the St. George Marathon and broke the 3 hour mark. She also has three children, which makes this time even more incredible! In-cred-i-ble.

If she can do it, so can I, right?!

Well, I am going to have to try because I just signed up for the DC Marathon in March.

3:09.50? Done and done.

2 Big Wins

Big Win #1

Our Stake had a Pinewood Derby race on Saturday night, and due to my friend Russell's contagious enthusiasm about the event, my roommate Vanessa and I decided to enter a car. Russell refuses to admit that he had anything to do with our car, but he really did. Here is the breakdown:

Carolyn – Bought the car
Russell – Carved the car
Carolyn – Decorated the car
Russell – Attached the wheels
Vanessa – Named the Car
Vanessa – Placed and secured the weights

Even though Russell built our car...I just can't diminish the power and strength that come from the proper decoration and naming of a car. In fact, these two elements could arguably be the most important factors of any given car's racing abilities.

You see, our little car won.

We won! Stuart (named by V, of course) took home the #1 gold trophy!!

Yep. Our Stuart. He blew the competition out of the water! Ah, and let me not forget the final contributing factor to his glorious win. Stuart was sporting a one-of-a-kind Anthropologie tissue paper decoupage finish.


A sleek, beautiful, Anthro-veneer. What derby wouldn't win with that sort of decoration?!


His only two rivals throughout the night were Sylvia and Huey (Also appropriately named by V). Sylvia took second and Huey placed third. Huey was Russell and Eric's car. Russell made Huey, but he failed to decorate him. Huey never really had a chance without an Anthro tissue paper finish though. Luckily he had V's naming blessing, or he may not have even gotten third. That's what we think anyway.

There is still time for Huey to become a number one car. His design really is flawless. He just lacked self confidence, that's all. I wouldn't want to race completely bare either. :(

Huester, with a little TLC and a trip to the body shop, you'll be a winner in no time!

Big Win #2

Now, on a completely unrelated note, I have to share the following picture. My friend Sandylee made the most amazing cupcakes!

How incredible are these? They look like they came straight from Ace of Cakes. And, please notice the blue "chalk". This too is homemade and delightfully edible.

If I ever have a pool party of the billiard type, I am going to commission Ms. Sandylee to make many more beautiful cupcakes.

Big. win.

We couldn't be happier!

All right, we could be happier. Never put a cap on the possibilities of happiness. However, as of this very moment, I am pretty. darn. happy.

Do you remember that blogpost where I reveled in my new-found haggling skills? Well, I put them to use once again. Except this time, the fruits of said labors saved our apartment...

$450.00 on rent!...a month. $450. per month.

Can you believe that? I just asked. I said, hey, we would love to stay but we can find something much, much cheaper. I gave them a ballpark figure, and that was that. I had no idea it was that easy!

Now is the time, my New York friends, to ask for cheaper rent.

I thought I was happy about getting a discount price for a headband, but this, this is just wonderful.

What a blessing.