new and improved

after hitting up a few garage sales, countless consignment stores and the ever-enchanting DI...this is what my creative little head has come up with {so far}...
this lil' rustic night stand was given to me several years ago by my sister. and believe me it will be with me for the long haul. fitting for many different styles of decor. love that. found this gem at a consignment shop in salt lake. just a plain old screen window framed in white. loved the vintage feel of it. i added some wire, paperclips and inspiring pictures just for creativity sake.
now meet "pinky" ... i rescued her from a garage sale and gave her a makeover. when i found her she was a very pale shade of pastel pink {poor thing} with black skid marks all over. so i took her in {for only $3}, gave her a paint job and vvwallla! new found confidence!
and this is what i look at while cuddled up in my comfycozy DI-bought queen size bed {DI meaning cheapnew not cheapused}...a collage of family pics. also notice the makeshift book shelf {right of the dresser}...i searched every consignment store/flea market in the valley to find this old wood crate. so perfect. and a special thanks to cassie for lending me the darling white dresser and wood chair to complete the look.

still looking for the perfect bed frame, but i feel inside my body that i could find something great at IKEA. decorating this space was so much fun! this is why i want to have my own furniture consignment store. i would just shop, buy, refinish, and sell. all the time. what a dream.

one short day

...in the emerald city!
for christmas last december i surprised my sister with tickets for us to go and see WICKED {the broadway musical} in Denver. finally may 26 rolled around and we got use them! so we packed up our stuff and buckled yousef {my nephew} up in the back and we were on our way.
of course we couldn't go to downtown denver without a stop at the cheesecake factory. yumyum.
then over to longmont to see rachel's darling little place. she is such an amazing friend--not only did she and spencer feed us but they also babysat yousef while we went to the show! hopefully sweet ella wasn't too bugged to have a 2-year-old playing with her toys and giving her "hugs" {that were more like choke holds}.

if you haven't seen WICKED then you must make it happen. i heard a rumor that it might be hitting SLC this coming fall. so keep your eyes peeled. and if you need someone to go with, you know who to call...

oh i shouldn't have

who doesn't love online shopping? honestly, its the best thing since the jelly shoe. and considering that fact that i spend the majority of my time sitting at a computer i would say that i do a pretty good job at refraining myself from jumping into a purchasing frenzy...but every once in while i simply must indulge and today is pay day so i say what the heck?
here are a few items i just couldn't resist.

classic: darling 3/4 sleeve cardigan {ivory with polka dots} from delia's
~check out the mini bow-shaped buttons~ ear candy: perfectly vintage rose-bud earrings {in a springy coral hue} from darlybird

okay so i didn't exactly go nuts but the day is only half over...i would love to hear about some of your favorite online spots...i've got a credit card in my wallet and my fingers are ready to click.

watch out world

..here i come!

i have been planning this trip to london.paris.edinburgh with jennifer for the past 2 months and now finally it is feeling for reals.
we have been booking hotels and transportation and wow it feels like a dream. i can't believe i am going to see all "the sights" that i learned about in art history, world history, family history. its all i can do to help from letting out a canine-like yelp of excitement!

lucky for me over the past year i've been schooled in the ol' accent and day to day lingo by working with my own english-born tutor {aka the british boss lady}
she has taught me {indirectly} phrases such as ...

"I'm off to the loo again. I've got my phone."

"It's because he's shtoopid."

"ah lizzy, I've got dellybelly. why did I eat all that candy?"

"how's your mum...I mean your grandmum?"

"you look like you've gained weight...how much?"

"what's for suppa?" {meaning lunch}

"It must be at home in the gare-age."

"I'm off. see you later." {said while still sitting at her desk}

so i think i got london covered. i'll fit right in.

Paris, France on the other hand..ahhh. after taking 3 years of french during my wonder years you'd think i had a good solid base but for some reason all i can remember is...
je m'appelle elisabet. je m'appelle elisabet. je m'appelle elisabet. je m'appelle elisabet.

okay, so maybe a few french lessons on cd will help. hopefully its like riding a bike.

but scotland. umm. the only ties i have to scotland are braveheart and so i married an ax murderer. not much.

anyways can't wait. only 57 more days until i hit european soil.
if you have any travel suggestions please do tell. i'll take all the advice i can get.

check this out

here's yet another great business idea where i say "now-why-didn't-I-think-of-that?"
click here to see the goods.

someday i am going to come up with something brilliant! just you wait Henry Higgins! just you wait!

9 to 5

yay today is friday. halle-stinkin-lu-yah! i have discovered recently that i am simply not programed to work a full time job. i hated working summers at my dad's music store, vacuuming out instrument cases for $3.50 an hour. i felt like it was a rip off then and now i'm pretty sure it would be considered slave labor. working at curves was socially exhausting {talking to women all day long}, and i get restless sitting at desk jobs. basically the only job that i have actually enjoyed was life guarding. but then again that was part-time and seasonal. plus i got payed to eat free food, get a tan, read lots of books, and talk with emily c. pretty sweet.

now that i have a full-fledged real job {real meaning salaried} i feel like running away. especially around summer time {when all my teacher friends are off}. its not really the work part. its more the having to work part. don't get me wrong i do love that sense of accomplishment, when you get alot done "all in a days work" it does feel good. but i just wish i didn't have to go monday - friday week after week. i feel like life is passing me by while i sit here typing, answering phones, filing, scheduling. etc etc etc.

someday i will have my own business. with more freedom and variety. i know that it's no piece of cake to have your own business but i think i am up for the challenge. now i just need to discover a marketable skill or product. in the meantime here's to all you hard working 9-5ers."its no way to make a livin" but somebody's got to do it.

memoirs of summer

as the air turns warmer and the world looks greener i can't help but think about all the past summers i have had. forgotton memories return to my mind as i slide into my flip flops and drive with the windows down, the sun on my arm.

summer is my absolute favorite time of year. i love the feeling of warmth hugging me day and night. i love summer activites {swimming, boating, biking} and i lalalove my birthday!

with the dawn of summer 2007 i wanted to take a walk down memory lane to recall a few standout memories from previous summers...

summer 2006 -- Vashon Island {beautiful Washington} Anderson Family Reunion. so fun to see my mom's side of the family. many of them i hadn't seen since i was 7. i felt like i got to know my mom better just by being around her sisters. quite touching actually. also got to see "the bike in the tree" literally. like it had grown into the tree. so cool.

summer 2004 -- the Philippines. most incredible experience. living there provided the greatest spiritual and personal growth in my life. i am so lucky to have gone there and lived in the culture. i fell in love with the people and their gracious nature. and all those street children just so accepting and teachable. despite their living conditions i could feel how much God loves them and actively plays a role in their lives. i also got to see the amazing rice terraces, caves, islands, beaches, waterfalls, forests and of course the shopping was fabulous! best 3 months of my life.

summer 2003 -- "the accident" breaking my face at jordanelle which was followed by the outpouring of love from family, friends, neighbors, ward members and even strangers. i have never felt so loved and blessed in my entire life. i'll never forget the story of katie calling my aunt from the boat {because my dad wasn't home} and telling her i was in a wake boarding accident...my cute aunt had no idea what "wake-boarding" was so she interpreted {and told my dad} that i had been in a "weight lifting" accident and the weights had fallen on my head. ow. now that woulda really hurt.

summer 2002 -- going mountain biking up millcreek before lifeguarding at the country club. playing tennis alot and going boating at least once a week. and spending pretty much every minute with friends. {mostly emily c. since we both worked at the c. club} easy. breezy. beautiful. summer days.

summer 2000 -- going to Virgina/DC/Baldhead with emily f. and her hilarious cousins. watching the baby turtles scamper along the sandy beach back to the ocean. i'm talking 100s of "tiny" baby turtles. awww.

pretty much every summer before that -- basically "living" at emily f. 's house. spending our days in this order: wake up late, make monsters {german pancakes}, jump on the tramp, record our own "mystery guest celebrity talk show" {on cassette tapes of course}, then listen to the tape over and over again, laughing hysterically {sometimes we still do that part}, scour the house for change, ride our bikes to the pharmacy and get penny candies, eat a yummy dinner {made by none other than emily's amazing mom}, then play a few games of mall madness and head downstairs to sleep on the leather couch {and slide off all night long} and watch seven brides for seven brothers or alice in wonderland. of course if you know emily she wouldn't even make it through the opening credits so actually the movie part i did by myself...sometimes just to change things up we'd switch to my house for a few nights {and record video instead of tapes} but everything else was pretty much the same. ah what a life.

i wonder what's in store for this summer...i promise to keep you posted.
happy days are here again.

I'm movin' up

I moved back to provo. I know what you are all thinking: but she works in Salt Lake...now she's closer to the ex...shouldn't she save her money for europe...yeah yeah yeah. believe me I know it doesn't exactly make a whole lot of sense but sometimes I feel the need to just take a leap and jump regardless.

so now I get to revisit my college days by living with chelsey and cass at marrcrest {tear} I am quite giddy about this move. I hope it will help me reunite with the girl I once was. full of confidence, strength and independence. I seriously can't wait. I get so excited thinking of what life will bring. not to mention how wonderful it feels to already have a handful of girls just pleased as punch that I am back in their midst. It feels like coming home {sigh}.

the next step is to decorate my space. I love the above pic from domino. the whiteness is so clean and fresh. lalalove the inviting feel. a few hints of black add a classic flare. and something about splashes of color {pink} on white gives it a little something that makes me want to dance around in my underwear {sorry the rhyming was accidental}
anyway maybe something like that...what do you think?

come visit soon.
got room for two in my new queen size bed.

going courtin'

the date was fabulous in unexpected ways.

1. It made me excited to be dating again.
2. I found out that some boys think of drive, ambition and devotion as verbs.
3. I have missed flirting...It's good to be back.

the phone call

do any of you remember watching that movie in seminary. ha. funny.

brief update about "the phone call" to the boy last night:
a) it went quite well. in fact 34 minutes well.
b) he resumed his boy {ish} responsibilities (ie. making conversation and asking me out) immediately following "hello" for which I will always be grateful for.
c) he is taking me out tonight.
d) I am so nervous. I think I might puke.