So long, 2011!

Dear Reader,

2011 is over! Sometimes it's hard to believe. And then other times I feel like it's already about October 2012, since that's where my brain is at Highlights. (We work 10 months ahead.)

This year has been exciting. Let's relive it!

January:
I began my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE. This was both exciting and terrifying, partly because I'd missed school during my eight-months-of-internships break and partly because I would be graduating soon, and mostly because I had no idea what I was doing with the rest of my life after graduating happened.

February:
February was slow. Like Februarys usually are. But I did make lasagna with Natalie.

March:
I participated in the Divine Comedy music video "Firebolt" which proves that wizards are real. If wizards are college students running around with sparklers and stuffed owls.

April:
I GRADUATED!!! And then left Provo for Michigan. And then had an interview with Highlights for an internship, which I guess went well because they gave me the job!

May:
I moved to Honesdale and began my internship at Highlights! I also took a trip to DC to visit Natalie on my birthday weekend when I turned 23. And I found the apartment I was going to live at in Honesdale which meant I didn't need to live in the Highlights cabins anymore:

June:
I went to NYC with Natalie and Amber! And I adopted Bailey.

July:
I hit up DC for the fourth. Nothing like Independence day in the capitol! Especially when it rains really, really, really hard. I went to Chautauqua Writer's Conference for work where I spent 8 days on staff working really, really hard while mingling with awesome people.

August:
I went to Philly to a Death Cab Concert and then visited Natalie and the temple in DC.

September:
Natalie came to visit me in Honesdale!! And I went to pick her up in Philly.

October:
It was finally fall! My favorite season. And I went to a pumpkin patch, ate cider donuts and drank cider. It was the perfect fall experience!

November: 

I went to Portland to go with Natalie through the temple! This trip was long-awaited and sooo worth it! Yay Powell's!!

December:
I helped plan and throw the ward Christmas party, oversaw the craft room at Highlight's Holiday Open House, and then drove home to spend Christmas and New Years with my family!

So I got a college degree, landed the most awesome internship, and traveled to some of the country's most awesome cities all in one year! I think it was an excellently productive year. Here's to 2012! May it be just as exciting--and even better (if that's even possible!).

Portland--aaaat last!!!

Dear Reader,

Natalie went through the temple this last weekend (because she's going on a MISSION! Sapporo Japan watch out!). Because I'm something of a temple junkie, and because Natalie is like the most amazing person ever, I flew out to Portland to go through with her.

I'd never been to Portland before, which Natalie constantly reminded me of these past few years. But no more! Now I've been! And I love it.

We'll do this trip in installments.

I left last Friday and had two layovers. One was for like 3 1/2 hours in Detroit--so I got to stop by home for a bit! When I saw Mittens I realized how different she looks compared to Bailey. As in--her tail is tiny and she's fat, and he has the poof of a raccoon. See for yourself:

(She wasn't really cooperating for pictures.)

Anyway. It was awesome to see the family. I also had a layover in Salt Lake...so pretty much I stopped off at every spot in the country that I've lived. Whatevs.

Once I got to Portland--the magic began!!!!

On Saturday Sister Crofts made us waffles before we headed off to the temple! And the temple was fantastic. It's seriously the best place ever and I'm so glad that Natalie's endowed now!

Afterward, Natalie, her friend Melissa, and I went to dinner at this really good restaurant on the waterfront. 

And then Natalie and I went to 23rd street to get gelato and stop by Lush (which I will forever associate with London, where I was when I discovered it). 

I was very tired by the end of that day, thanks to the jet lag. I got better, though. No worries. 

Stay tuned for Portland: Day 2!

Oh what a year.

Dear Reader,

Well, it looks like 2010 is just about over. Yeah, you know what's coming. It's flashback time:

1. At the beginning of the year, in February, I hit up Vegas with some friends. It was my first time.

I loved it.

2. I went to Park City during Sundance season. Also a first. Didn't see a movie, but we did have a great photo shoot with Natalie's amazing camera.

3. The Festival of Colors. A lovely, chalky mess.

4. I interned at Deseret Book over the summer. I worked on 55 books, including President Monson's biography!

5. In May I turned 22! And I got to go home to Michigan for a few days.

6. Over the summer I went to Arches with some friends. And yes . . . it was another first.

7. I was called to be the Relief Society secretary. Best. Calling. Ever!

8. Cousin Cami got married. Cousin Laura and I took pictures of ourselves while we waited outside the Salt Lake Temple for the wedding to be over.

9. I hit up Michigan again at the end of summer (thank you frequent flier miles). Seriously, I haven't been to Michigan this many times in a year in like forever.

While I was there we saw Lake Michigan.

10. Drama, drama, drama, and . . . at the beginning of September I moved! I like my new bed a lot. But I didn't spend nearly enough time sleeping in it last semester as I wanted/needed to.

11. During the fall I interned at the Friend! And I loved it.

12. I also became a baking fiend. You may have picked up on that.

13. Halloween rolled around and Natalie and I carved pumpkins. And I dressed up as Lois Lane.

14. Concerts, concerts, and more concerts. The favorite being: Ingrid Michaelson.

15. Diwali, festival of lights, happened too. Of course, Natalie and I were there.

16. Last week I got endowed in the Detroit Temple! It was a good day. :)

17. So now I am home again in Michigan, ringing the new year in with this lovable fur ball.

It's been a . . . productive year. Very stressful. Very educational. But in the end it turned out wonderful!

So here's to 2011. My last semester of college. Graduation. Getting a real job.

Yeah . . .

Please don't be as scary as I think you're going to be.

The forecast calls for sugar cookies.

Dear Reader,

Yes, another picture of the amazing sugar cookies. I taught my mom and sister how to make them today.

I apologize that I'm not doing more blog-worthy things in my life. I mean, I could take pictures of my trip to the mall, or me watching Psych on Netflix, but let's be honest: if you find that interesting, we need to sit down and discuss the direction your life is taking.

Oh, and btw. If you want sugar cookies, please come to Michigan and eat some. We have way too many cookies in our house right now.

And I can pretty confidently say that they are worth the trip.

Merry Christmas!

God Jul

Dear Reader,

Happy Christmas Eve! This is my favorite day of the year. You see, we are part Swedish (note the goat):

God Jul means Merry Christmas in Swedish. Anyway, since my Mom's dad was Swedish, we let our Swedish selves go free at Christmas. On Christmas Eve we have a smorgasbord. Comme ca:

Please note the Japanese plates and Santa Claus place mats (you can sort of make them out?...no, not really. I apologize). We are an eclectic, worldly family. But not the bad worldly. The good kind. (That's a thing, right?...)

Pickled herring also made an appearance at dinner.

Also, my Dad served his mission in Germany so we've got some German influence in our Christmas, too. Naturlich.

So go to bed soon, and sleep tight! Santa Claus is coming to town tonight!

Decking the halls . . . with way too much sugar.

Dear Reader,

Ho hum. The internship is over. And what was my greatest accomplishment there?

Keeping this plant alive.

But since Saturday I've been home. Yay!

And what have we done pretty much since Saturday? Christmas preparations, naturally.

Monday we spent all day baking Christmas treats.

I started with the caramels . . .

. . . and ended with everything else.

I was covered in chocolate by the end.

After baking (and inevitably eating what I was baking) I ate a Clementine. That cancels out whatever unhealthy things I've eaten throughout the day, right?

Things I Miss In the Mitten State

Dear Reader,

This last segment of my adventures in Michigan is basically just a bunch of random awesome things I miss. Like Molly, for instance.

She was so sad that we put her in the cage. She couldn't figure out why we would do that to her.

The most delicious Japanese bakery in the Detroit area. It reminds me of my childhood.

Delicious pastry filled with custard.

And delicious bread filled with bits of cheese. O man. That takes me back 18 years.

The Irish pub in downtown Plymouth, Sean O'Callahan's. This made me miss London. A lot.

Downtown Plymouth. I love it!

Every school year my mom makes a school bus cake, and she's done this since my oldest brother started school. The number on the side of the bus is how many cakes she's made (this year is the big 23!).

Anyway, that's finally all I have from Michigan. And it's about time. I've only been back in Utah for like 2 1/2 weeks already. . . . But what can I say? I've been busy.

Changing Seasons

Dear Reader,

One of my favorite seasons in Michigan is the fall. The best part is picking apples, pumpkins and eating donuts and apple cider. Last year I tried my hardest to find a pumpkin patch in Utah where I could fulfill any or all of those requirements. And what I found was a huge disappointment. Luckily, I was home in Michigan for labor day weekend when the orchards open for the fall! It was wonderful.

We had to ride a tractor to get to the place where we picked the apples.

Our loot.

What a pumpkin patch should look like, Utah. Don't advertise picking a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch if you plan on just putting a bunch of pumpkins together in a pile. It's really not that exciting.

A corn maze.

There was a part of the cider mill that was for children. I'm going to say it was at least ten times more exciting than the children's attractions at the place I went to in Utah. I mean, seriously, Utah. A box filled with corn kernels? That doesn't exactly scream fun to me. Michigan's cider mill had a bounce house. I'm just saying.

This was the most delicious donut I've ever eaten. I am now ready for fall to begin.