GNI: Girls' Night In

This past weekend I was able to have a little reunion with my favorite roommates from North 5 of Chatsworth. We did so many fun girly things including nails and facials. We also maybe ate some yummy snacks. I have a strange obsession with this yummy stuff right now:

 We used to have nail parties on a regular basis and it was nice to be together like old times. If Cassie were writing this blog right now, she would tell you the names of every color we are sporting, but I am not quite up to par on my nail polish names. However, I know that I am sporting a blue from the Shrek collection on my toes and a Splash of Grenadine on my fingers. 

 We bought some cheap facials from Walgreens and let them dry while we painted nails. Girl friends are good things to have on a Saturday night. 

And in celebration of spring, I decided to do some spring cleaning. For some reason when I get in those moods I like to re-arrange. Therefore, I re-arranged my bedroom. There aren't too many options for  re-arranging with a dorm sized room, but I managed to take my mattress and box spring off of the frame and move all of it to the other wall, cinderblocks and all. It made for a relaxing Sunday evening in a clean room.

The Christmas Season

has come and gone. I feel like I've been so busy, or at least I just haven't made any time to blog. So before I forget more details than I already have, let's have a small recap of the last little while.

Jonathan and I drove to South Pasadena for Thanksgiving. It was way too short. Mom made way too much food and I ate too much of it. She had a ridiculous list of food items and insisted on making everything herself. So, it was a long day in the kitchen, but I love bonding with mom over food. She is the greatest cook and I hope to be able to cook delicious feasts like her one day.

One thing I loved doing this December was eating chocolates from my advent calendar with Blake. I can proudly say we never missed a day.

It brought back great memories of my childhood when Jonathan and I couldn't stop ourselves from eating them. Sometimes we would say to each other, "We can eat two today, and we'll just skip tomorrow..." I think we ended up finishing all our chocolates way before Christmas Eve. But we did get some good sibling memories from it. 

Finals began and ended. It's good to have those over with. It's crazy to think that I only have to go through that two more times and then I'll be graduated. 

Blake and I took a little road trip to St. George after finals to visit with Ie Mei and Brad and the rest of the Taylor clan. We ate a delicious dinner on Sunday evening and then played some games. We also brought Vern with us. Vern is Blake's tortoise and the kids were in heaven. They all took turns trying to shove lettuce into his shell and it was an adorable sight to behold. 

This little lady put my heels on and strutted her stuff.

She also twirled around in her princess night gown and told everyone, "I'm the princess!"

Mylee gladly sat on my lap and posed for a picture with us before bedtime.

The next day we woke up bright and early to go over to the Greg and Kristi Taylor's home to help them with their amazing play room. It turns out you don't have to be a kid to enjoy it...or maybe I still am a kid? I don't know, but it is so cool. We helped paint it and as a thank you, we got taken to lunch at Cafe Rio. One of my favorites.

With little time left, Blake and I got started on our journey back to Provo. We stopped to get gas and Blake picked up some treats for us. He came back with some banana creme flavored Reese's because they were on sale. When we opened the package the chocolate was all grainy and old looking. I couldn't get myself to try it, but Blake did! It's no wonder they were only 30 cents. 

We hit a huge storm on our way back and Blake was late for work, but it was a fabulous weekend with family and friends.

Christmas was absolutely wonderful. It is a little bit difficult to fit 26 people into our humble South Pasadena home, but it is definitely worth it if it means I get to be with all my siblings and their little ones. This was the first Christmas we've all been together since Ie Li's wedding, I think, when she obviously had no kids. Now she has three! My oh my how time flies. 

Highlights included having our own nativity scene with the cast comprising of West grandkids and Hippie Hippo,

going to the beach

and running around outdoors and playing baseball.

 Eating is both a blessing and a curse. It's great to have a lot of delicious food to choose from for every meal, except when you decide that it's better to just eat everything.



Mom and Ailee at it again in the kitchen.

But lucky for me, I'm running for my life this semester with Blake!

There is a program through the intramural office that is called "Run for your Life." If you run 150 miles over the semester, you get a t-shirt! So that equates to roughly 10 miles a week. So, as of today, January 15, we have completed 14 miles. We got off to a slow start coming from break, but we'll get there! 

I have lots more to write about, but we'll save it for a different post, since this is technically supposed to be about Christmas. Yay for blogging again!

The Best Halloween Ever

When I was a senior in high school I decided to run cross country to stay in shape for soccer. I've never LOVED running, but I do LOVE the feeling that I get after I do run. My sister, Ie Li, was never a runner, but has recently taken it up in the last few years. And my sister, Ie Mei, trained for and completed her first triathlon. How cool are my sisters?! So, I would say that they've been a great inspiration to me and because of their examples, I decided that I wanted to set a similar goal and accomplish it. So, this summer when I was in Virginia, I researched some half-marathons in Utah and found one that gave me sufficient time for training. 

I remember I was supposed to start training on August 9. Why do I remember that? Because that was the day I got my wisdom teeth pulled. I wasn't feeling that bad and even attempted to go, but then my mom scolded me and said that if my body was trying to heal from running that my mouth wouldn't heal. So, because I decided to take my mom's advice and rest that week, I was already a week behind. 

I started training in September in Provo, but hesitated to sign up for the race because I wasn't sure I could really do it. I decided that if I made it through my 8-mile run, I'd sign up. So one Saturday, I woke up and ran 8 miles. When I got home, I signed up for the Halloween Half-Marathon. 

Well, this past weekend, I completed my first half-marathon. I'm not sure I have the words to really express how amazing it was. Friday night I filled up on pasta and was in bed by 10:30. Saturday morning I was up at 5:50 and put on all my running gear and made my way to University Mall to catch the bus up to Aspen Grove. I talked with a girl my age and her two twin cousins that were running. The two cousins were 13. I was so impressed with them. I can't even imagine running 4 miles at that age. 

It was pretty chilly up at the start, but they had a heated tent to keep us warm. We all lined up at the start and then the gun shot went off. I thought to myself, "this is it, i'm really doing this." I put my headphones in and started my run with my awesome "run, girl" playlist and clutched my hand warmers tight as I started my way down the hill. 

It was perfect weather for running and the scenery was beautiful. Most of the time we ran along the Provo River with beautiful autumn trees covering us. I was grateful for the water stations along the way. I think most of all I was grateful for people along the route cheering everyone on. Even though we didn't know each other, it gave me the happiest feeling and kept my legs moving. I am grateful for the little kids who gave me high-fives. It's amazing what the slap of the hand can do when you're running. 

I remember when I passed the Mile 7 sign. I wasn't sure if that meant that I was beginning my seventh mile or I had just finished the seventh mile, so somehow I just decided that it meant that I was starting my seventh mile. I got to Mile 12 thinking I had two more miles to go and was then pleasantly surprised when I got to Mile 13 and realized that I could easily sprint to the end. 

So, with the finish line in sight, I kicked up my legs and crossed the finish line. It was the most amazing feeling. But even greater than the feeling of completing the race, was that of seeing my wonderful friends at the finish line. I'm not sure why, but as soon as I saw them, I started crying. Happy tears, of course. I'm so grateful for wonderful friends who support me in what I do. Thank you, Kylie, Cassie, Jordan, Ben, and Britton. You're the best!

(I was interviewed for and quoted in the Monday, November 1, 2010, edition of the Daily Universe)

My final time was around 2:04 and it was a great day. I was prepared for the race, but definitely not prepared for the soreness after. I'm pretty sure I walked like a grandma for the two days following, but it was all worth it. And a little shoutout to my mom. Thank you for all the lessons you've taught me my whole life, especially:

If there's a will, there's a way.

You can do anything you set your mind to. 

They're true. 

OH CANADA

I was doing so well for a while there, but it's now been almost 3 weeks since my last post. I know I have lots of disappointed readers. Ha. Anyway, reasons why I've been busy: school, church, work (yeah! I have a job! That is not the reason for this post, so I'll write about that later), and wedding festivities!

So, a little more than a year ago I was about to start my sophomore year and knew zero Canadians. A year later and I have Canadians as best friends. So, this post is for my dear friend, Cassie (MacLennan) Tremblay. She got engaged in July and I couldn't wait to be a part of planning and shopping. She threw the most lovely bridal shower for our friend, Jennica, so I wanted to do the same for her.

Two weeks ago, Jennica, Kylie, and I threw a bridal shower for Cassie. The food consisted of cake balls, spinach artichoke dip, fruit and dip, and a beautiful punch.

The rest of the evening consisted of games, prizes, presents, and laughs and smiles with friends. 

It was so much fun to put together and I hope Cassie enjoyed it =). 

The next week, Kylie, Payton, and I started our drive to Alberta, Canada at 4 PM on a Thursday. We arrived at 3 AM and boy, was it good to be out of the car. The next day, Kylie and I spent the morning hunting with our friend Ben.

 I must say I'm extremely bad at hunting because 

1. I can't hit anything and

2. it breaks my heart to see lifeless animals. 

After hunting, I ran some errands with Cassie and Ben and then we went over to Kylie's house for family dinner. 

Then it was time for the girls to spend some time together and do some girly things. I painted a total of 82 nails that night, but it was the least I could do for Cassie. 

I also did her makeup for her big day. I think it turned out well. She is stunning, isn't she?

We made our way to the Cardston temple and waited for Mr. and Mrs. Ben Tremblay to exit. 

We took lots of pictures. 

This is the bridal party.

We went to the family dinner and reception. 

I caught the boquet. 

We danced. 

We said goodbye to the happy couple as they ran through our tunnel of sparklers.  

The festivities were fun and beautiful, but seeing them walk out of the temple was the best part. I can't wait to find that special someone who will take me to the temple so we can be married for time and all eternity. 

Chocolate Cake

Tonight I went to Magleby's Fresh for dessert to celebrate Miss Cara Kylie MacLennan's birthday. We did this same thing almost exactly one year ago. It's crazy how fast time flies. 

So, the reason Kylie likes to go to Magleby's is because they have a delicious chocolate cake:

For those of you who don't know me that well, I LOVE CHOCOLATE. It's a weakness of mine. So, obviously I'm not going to eat a piece of delicious, decadent chocolate cake every evening, but today was a special occasion and I decided earlier today that I was going to eat chocolate cake tonight and love every bit of it. 

There were 11 girls that showed up for this dessert outing. After exchanging hellos Kylie said, "Hey, so does everyone want to get some cake and then we can all sit down and catch up?" I thought to myself, "yes, that sounds great, I've been waiting for cake all day." Guess how many girls ate cake tonight. Four. It was just a little bit ridiculous. For some reason I felt like I should feel guilty about eating this cake. Maybe it was because the girls sitting next to me were glaring at me as I ate every bite, just wishing that they were eating some too.

They kept saying things like, "Oh that looks sooo good, but I can't," or "I can't, I had a doughnut this morning." It was like they needed everyone to know that they were watching their figures. Pretty much, I felt like I was watching this video (skip to 1:21 if you're short on time, but the whole thing is quite hilarious):

My thoughts at the end of the night: Magleby's chocolate cake is still delicious and girls can be ridiculous sometimes. 

My home away from home.

So, like I said I'm back in Provo. There's always a first for everything. I drove all the way back to Provo, by myself, for the first time. That's a long drive, but I will say that it can be quite lovely at times.

I may or may not have taken this while driving...

I'm finally all moved into my new apartment. It took a few days because as soon as I moved in everything I had, I had to find places for all the stuff that I stored at various places. I will post pictures soon.

So, my first week back included a birthday picnic for my dear friend, Liz. It was fun enjoying the beautiful weather and old friends.

I was also able to have dinner with my newly married friends, Jared and Mindy. I offered to make a dessert and I think it turned out well. I made a skor bar cake. It tastes as good as it looks.

Another first: I made my own whipped cream. 

I am LOVING my classes and am so excited to be back in school. School is a wonderful thing and I hope I never forget that. 

Virginia is for Lovers: Take Two

Well, remember how I just raved about Virginia? Well, I missed it so much that I just had to go back. I didn't record my experience nearly as well the second time around, but, I'll try and make up for some lost time and write a good summary of my trip.

I arrived in Baltimore, MD on Wednesday night. Steve was nice enough to stay at his office late and pick me up in Maryland. As we drove, we passed the Washington D.C. temple and it is indeed a beautiful sight to behold. 

Thursday we woke up and got the kids ready to go on some errands. After going to the flooring store, Mei Li had a little tantrum. Ie Li documented it and it's quite funny. You should take a look. 

That night I got a call from my friend Preston Redd informing me that he had returned to Virginia from his adventures in New York. He picked me up and showed me some of his old stomping grounds in Ashburn from his younger years. We then headed to his lovely home in Great Falls and played with his family. We were able to squeeze in a game of pool and a movie. We watched The Ghost Writer with everyone which was somewhat entertaining, but overall, not my favorite movie. 

On Friday we spent some time at the pool with the kiddos. It's sad to think that summer is coming to an end and that I don't have many more pool days left. After a little while Barrett came to pick me up so we could head out to Purcellville for a fun get together. All the Redd boys came over and we enjoyed some burgers, hot dogs, pound cake with strawberries, s'mores and togetherness. 

On Saturday we spent the day in the city. Our first stop was the temple. I watched the three little ones while Ie Li and Steve went inside. We entertained ourselves at the wonderful visitors' center and with snacks.

Ie Li and Steve were out before long and then it was time for lunch. We headed to We, The Pizza and Good Stuff Eatery which are two restaurants owned by a guy named Spike Mendelsohn. He was a contestant on Top Chef at one point in time. I never saw him on that show, but this is what I've read using one of my favorite tools, Google. Anyway, I ate this:

And it was delicious. It could've used a little more BBQ sauce though. If you're ever in D.C., I'd check it out. 

We attempted to get some cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake, but 

decided against it. 

Sunday was beautiful and we spent the morning at church. After church I took a little nap while everyone else went on a walk. When they got back, Stephen and I had a little webcam photo shoot. 

 

Monday was my last full day in Virginia, but we made it a good one. 

 

IKEA was an adventure. After we bought the stuff we came for, we realized that there wasn't quite enough room inside the car. So, we managed to tie some string around this box in every way possible and just hoped that it would stay on the car. I never did learn much about knots, but the box made it home in one piece, and that's all that matters. 

So, after our failed attempt at Georgetwon Cupcake on Saturday, I looked it up on Google and found out that there was a store in Bethesda, MD which isn't too far from IKEA. So, we headed over there and were delighted to find a very calm Georgetown Cupcake. We decided to take our cupcakes to go and ended up at Wolf Trap National Park. It really is lovely there.

 

 I'm a sucker for wide, open fields of grass. 

 

It was the perfect ending to my second Virginia adventure.

I said goodbye to Barrett one more time. This really is this last time I'll see him before he's a missionary. I don't think I have time for another trip to Virginia before school starts. So, after this second trip to Virginia, I still love it and hope to visit many more times, if I don't end up permanently. Virginia, I will miss you.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twenty-two

I started off the morning with a lovely run around the Ashburn neighborhood. I don't think I've ever sweat that much in my life, but it was still refreshing. Mei Li helped me get ready and kept me company as I started packing up my suitcase. She is always very helpful. She especially likes to pick out my earrings and keep me company while I do my makeup. Mostly she just likes it when I share my makeup with her. This is quite shameful, but sometimes I try and get out of playing hello animals by offering to put some makeup on her. It usually works too.

Ie Li and I ran some errands with the girls while Stephen was asleep. My first week here I bought a new quilt for my bed and we happened to find the matching sham today. It was a nice find. I'm excited to do some decorating in my new apartment this fall. We headed home and found an awake Stephen. The first thing he said to me was, "I cracked some eggs." And I just thought, "OH NO..." Fortunately it wasn't as bad as I had pictured it in my head. We did find one cracked egg in the sink and one at the foot of the refrigerator, but there was no permanent damage.

The plan for tonight's dinner was to go out to eat because it's our last night here, but we ended up eating in and it was perfect. Ie Li whipped up some delicious waffles and buttermilk syrup and it was delcious. When Steve came home we piled in the car...(these kiddos love their Uncle Jonathan)



and headed to a little ice cream shop called:

.

Since today was my last real day in Virginia, we invited Barrett to join us for ice cream. Immediately when he walked in the door Mei Li and Stephen were jumping for joy. They love him. We ate our delcious ice cream and then headed back home. Barrett and I were able to chat for a bit while Steve and Ie Li put the kids to bed.

It's been so nice having a friend here in Virginia and being able to go to so many cool places: downtown for the fireworks, Purcellville, Field of Flowers, Gruto's, etc. I'm pretty sure today was the last time I'll see Barrett before he leaves for his mission. It was a bittersweet goodbye. I'm going to miss him, but I'm so happy that he's chosen to serve the Lord for the next two years. Barrett, thanks for everything. You're the best.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Twenty-One

What? I've been here for 21 days?! Crazy, I know. I feel like I can't even remember what I've been doing every day. Good thing I've been blogging everyday. I am quite proud of that. As I've mentioned so many times before, I've become friends with lots of kids from Virginia. One of them is Preston Redd. He has a wonderful mother named Cindy who I have become well acquainted with. We first met in California when I saw the BYU vs. Chapman lacrosse game. We met again in the spring when she came out to Provo to see her son, Taylor, play one of his final lacrosse games.

 

Well, long story short, Cindy and I are good friends now. She lives just a little ways away from Ie Li and was kind enough to invite us over to her lovely home today. Barrett picked Jonathan and me up and we headed over to the Redd's home. Barrett is such good friends with them that we just walked in through the back door. It reminds me of being back at BYU when people would just open our door and say hello. I miss those days. Anyway, back to Virginia.

 

When I walked into the kitchen I saw Cindy, Dillon, Becca, and Becca's friend, Frank. After meeting Becca I can say that I have officially met the entire Redd clan. They are indeed a wonderful family. We spent the afternoon lounging in the pool and playing pool volleyball. Jonathan and I joined up with Cindy and made a wonderful team. In terms of points, Barrett, Dillon, and JD won, but our team had a winning attitude, and that's all that really matters, right? Later on, Frank joined our team and Becca joined the other team and once again, we had winning attitudes =).

We talked and laughed as we dried off and then it was time to go. It was a beautiful afternoon. The weather was perfect, the pool was perfect, and the company was perfect. Thank you, Cindy, for a delightful afternoon.

Barrett dropped us off around dinner time and we decided that Five Guys was a good idea. So, Jonathan and I headed out to Five Guys and returned home with burgers for Ie Li and ourselves. I don't like to argue, so I'm not going to play the, "oh, In-N-Out is so overrated game." All I'm going to say is that I respect your right to enjoy Five Guys more than In-N-Out, and in return you can respect my views on In-N-Out as the greatest burger ever. 

After dinner, Ie Li and continued working on a project that we recently started: painting the kids' table. I love bonding with my sisters over crafts. There is something just so relaxing and enjoyable about it. This is close to what the final product looks like.

Next item on the to-do-list: chairs.

P.S. Thank you, Martha Stewart, for this lovely color.

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Nineteen

Mei Li and Ie Li went to a birthday party yesterday and Steve went golfing, so that meant that Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Ie Ling got Stephen all to ourselves. We soaked up the sun at the pool for an hour and forty-five minutes and finally headed home. Stephen was an angel at the pool. All he needs is some sort of pool toy and the baby pool and he's golden.

Later in the afternoon I ran some errands for Ie Li. This was the highlight of the day. Why? Because I bought a t-shirt! And not just any ordinary t-shirt. THE t-shirt. The t-shirt whose words have been the title of my blog posts for the last 19 days. THIS t-shirt:



I couldn't possibly leave Virginia without getting one. I also picked up one for Ie Li and Jonathan. I was thinking that maybe we could wear them all on the same day and go matching to the mall. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened. For those of you who'd like to hear the story, read on.

One summer back in 2003 or 2004, I stayed with Jeremy and Michiko in their San Francisco apartment. I woke up and got dressed in a navy blue shirt and some khakis. When I looked at baby Kai, I noticed that he was wearing a navy blue shirt also. And then I had a brilliant idea! We should all wear navy blue shirts and be matching and we can see if Jeremy notices when he gets home from school.

Naturally when he got home, Michiko and I just looked at him until he noticed and he probably said something like, "you goobers" and laughed at us. We were going to head over to the mall and we thought it'd be funny if he joined the matching party. For some reason, he agreed, and all 5 of us hopped in the car in matching outfits.

We walked through the mall for about 15 minutes. We got lots of stares and laughs and finally we couldn't handle the ridicule. Jokes. It really wasn't that bad, but we did leave quite soon after we arrived, it really was a little embarrassing. Any time we match I say, "Well maybe we can all go to the mall now." And Jeremy, Michiko, and I can't help but chuckle at our funny experience in good old San Francisco.

And how could I forget! Congratulations to my beautiful friend, Cassie MacLennan. She is now engaged to Benjamin Tremblay and I am so excited for them!

Virginia is for Lovers: Day Seventeen

This morning started off with a trip to the pool, right when it opened. We stayed for quite some time and got the kids tired and hungry so they'd be ready to eat and sleep when we got home. During Stephen's nap, the four gals headed off to Tyson's to order Ie Li's chairs from Crate & Barrel for the kitchen table. The trip was a success and we hurried home so that we could head off to Purcellville.

Why the need to go to Purcellville, you might ask, because I was just there two days ago. Well, on my first tour of Purcellville, Barrett told me about the most magical place called Fields of Flowers. It's a pick your own flower farm. He told me that you go there and you get to pick your own flowers to take home. They just give you a jar with water to fill with flowers and some cutters and you're good to go! It's only open Thursdays-Saturdays, and since it's my last Thursday-Saturday here in Virginia, we thought today was the perfect day.

So, we all piled in the car and headed out to Purcellville. Barrett even got off work a little early to join us. Let me tell you. It is the most quaint flower farm I've ever seen. It's also the only one I've ever seen, but I'm sure there aren't many more picturesque flower farms than this one. It has a cute house on the property, a big red barn, and of course, beautiful flowers.

Pardon all the pictures, but I just couldn't put my camera away, and I think everyone needs to see how wonderful this place is.

Mei Li and Stephen LOVE Barrett



The Youngest West Kids

Isn't it Wonderful?

We were about to head home when Barrett called to say that we should come over if anyone need to use the facilities or grab a snack or drink. So we headed down the road a couple miles and arrived at his lovely home. Sister Johnson was nice enough to invite us to stay for dinner and we accepted. The kids had a really fun time playing in the back yard and with their dog, Chase. Brother Johnson even took the kids on some tractor rides and let them steer. Jonathan and I were also able to partake in the tractor fun.

My first time driving a tractor.

I don't think I'll ever leave Purcellville unhappy. It's a beautiful place. I can't say it enough.