these are a few of my favorite things..

raindrops on roses
and whiskers on kittens...

I love Christmas. Especially Christmas vacation. I have been busy this vacation. Good busy. Family, best friends, and hot cocoa busy. But I have decided to compile a list of my current favorite things. This list may seem slightly ridiculous to most of the general public, but I guess that is why it is mine. (:
Enjoy.


1. Laughter. All kinds.
2. Babies & little children.
3. My strange, strange family.
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
5. My best friends, they amaze me.
6. Tory Burch.
7. Real Italian food.
8. Football games. 
9. Music, especially live music.
10. Puppies, all kinds.
11. Nordstrom.
12. Sunset beach.
13. Sunshine.
14. Disneyland.
15. Performing.
16. Organizational tools (i.e. planners, folders, etc.)
17. Peanut butter M&M's.
18. Chocolate chip cookies.
19. Anthropologie.
20. Service.
21. Cheesecake.
22. Late night bites downtown with my favorites.
23. Quiet moments.
24. Love.


one more week in this beautiful town

home is whenever i'm with you

it feels so good to be home

at least for a little while.

I came home as soon as I possibly could so I could have a few days to spend with Alayna, Connor and Braydon, my niece and nephews. They leave tomorrow and I don't know when I will see them next! Makes me sad to think about it. 

I honestly can't even imagine how much I am going to love my own children, because I absolutely adore my nieces and nephews and I know they say you love your own kids more so that should be interesting. I went to visit Gianni and Siena yesterday (Britnae & Domenic's kids-- they were at home getting over a cold), and Gianni got really upset when my Dad and I were leaving, it made me so sad to the point of tears. Embarrassing, yes. And I am not a cryer, but I can't stand to leave that child. It literally breaks my heart. 

However, I will focus on the present. And in the present, I have plans to take them all bowling this evening! So exciting. 


Did I mention it is FREEZING here? A brisk 43 degrees, but it feels much colder than that. I have been bundled all day long.

 merry christmas (:

 sparkles

 alayna-loo with her sushi

 connor-man with his hot cocoa

 kitchen under construction

 will be finished by christmas (:

new finish on the wood floors!

***

Hold on, to me as we go.
As we roll down this unfamiliar road.
And although this wave is stringing us along.
Just know you’re not alone,
Cause I’m going to make this place your home.

one day i'm going to grow wings

You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart

I go home in 3 days. It still has not hit me. I should probably start packing. I have so many things to be excited about right now I don't know how to handle myself! Seattle couldn't be here soon enough but I almost wish that I had a little more time here before I went home. Crazy, I know. It is only going to be 2 1/2 weeks, but I am going to miss this place. 

Today was such a good day. (:

 

I could honestly stay here forever.

and she counted the stars

my mom is a rock star.

how many people can say that, really?

But I am serious. My Mother and Father both were in a rock band together, precious, I know.

My point: My Mom is amazing. Not only does she cook delicious food, she is my doctor, my seamstress, my friend, my appointment setter (on occasion), my shoulder to cry on, my shopping buddy, my cheerleader, my psychologist, my pharmacist, my teacher, my vocal instructor (even when it is not wanted haha), my craft creator, my artist, my coach, you get the idea. She does everything. I aspire to be as talented as her one day. If at all possible.

One thing I miss about being back at home is being able to hang out with my Mom. We would go out to lunch, usually at Mongolian Grill, and just talk. I can talk about absolutely everything with her and I love her for that. I think back to how sassy I was growing up (and still can be on occasion...) and I am so grateful she put up with me! 

I love you Mama! 

Happy Birthday.

See you Sunday (:

 Monaco

 Art museum in southern France

 Crepe cafe in Nice, France

 Our favorite Italian French restaurant, Nice, France

 Beautiful Monaco

 Monaco

 Monaco

 My beautiful Mama!

 

Spending some quality time at Alki

I have the greatest parents!! I love them!

5 days and counting Seattle

can't help falling in love with you

I have found the paradox,

that if you love until it hurts,

there can be no more hurt,

only more love.

-Mother Teresa

One of my best friends is falling in real love,
she deserves it so much and I am so excited for her!
  Love is a beautiful thing.

Enjoyed ourselves at the Pipe Masters today. Huge waves. Great people. Free merchandise.


girls, don't waste the pretty.

she's just a girl but she's on fire

“This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything - they're your true best friends. Don't let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world. As for lovers, well, they'll come and go too. And babe, I hate to say it, most of them - actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can't give up because if you give up, you'll never find your soul mate. You'll never find that half who makes you whole and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.” 

-Marilyn Monroe

I am loving my new job.

I am learning so much and it has only been a week! This will be a fantastic year. It will be wonderful to become better at coding and graphic design. On top of all of the fun web marketing tasks that I am responsible for, I also get to meet Elder David A. Bednar (Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) next week when I work graduation. So exciting!! 

Everything is happening at the right time. Things that used to be so foggy to me in the past are so much clearer. I know this is so cheesy, but when one door has closed, another door has opened. I feel so inadequate to be receiving so much good, and if it were possible to convey the amount of gratitude I feel then I would. 

Sometimes life leaves you speechless, and it is a good type of speechless.

I love the Lord. 

xx

it's the best time of the year

I believe in pink. 

I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. 

I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. 

I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. 

I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. 

I believe that tomorrow is another day, 

and I believe in miracles.

- Audrey Hepburn 

I am feeling very breakfast at tiffany's-esque tonight. 
I love me some audrey.

 ***

Every time the seasons change I want to say, "this is my favorite season". Oddly enough, in all of my 24 years I have never realized that until this very moment. It seems that I love every season, albeit in different ways. The Spring brings the cherry blossoms and the peonies (in Seattle). In Summer I can expect to spend many an afternoon on the beach, in the boat, or on a dock enjoying happy hour food (again, in Seattle). In the Fall I LOVE to go to the pumpkin patch, buy a brand new wool coat (JCrew, you kill me), attend the football games, and gain about 5 pounds from cooking and eating all of the delicious Thanksgiving food (yea, yea, in Seattle). In the Winter, my absolute, ABSOLUTE favorite thing is Christmas cheer, I just love how jolly everyone is during the month of December. Yes, I enjoy the corniness of the holiday season! My house is a child's DREAM on Christmas, the entire place is decorated and could be straight out of the North Pole (thank heavens for my parent's childlike approach to the holidays). Winter time also brings us Valentine's Day. So much love for one season!!!

My point in the previous paragraph, is that I adore all of the seasons. And I realize that now. But, as mentioned above, I love holiday cheer! And at this very moment I am filled with so much! 

So I know this is silly, and I am way too old for this, but I have a Christmas list. I don't truly need any of these things and I would not buy them for myself because of the prices, but I just thought it might be a fun little activity.

 Dear, Dearest, Sweet, Sweet Santa,

This year I would like a few things, in no particular order.

1. A new life planner from Erin Condren. 

2. A new pair of Tory's (they need to be replaced).

3. A trip to Disneyland.

4. A cute boy who can treat me right!

Please & Thank you!

Not too much to ask right? ;-) 

*merry christmas, happy holidays*
(-NSYNC)

 

what if all that is left are the weird eggs?

today, my world was rocked.

Okay, not really. But I did get a pretty big reality check from an 8 year old. (: Kids say the silliest things.

Little girl: Nicia, how old are you?

Me: I am 24!

LG: Wow! That's old.

Me: Haha, yes.

LG: Are you married?

Me: Nope, not yet!

LG: Do you have a boyfriend?

Me: Nope, not at the moment.

LG: Are you SERIOUS?

Hahaha. Oh man. That got a pretty good laugh.

What I should have said (advice that every girl should have):

Many men will come your way, but you don't want to be with just any man. You want to wait for that special guy who puts you first, lets you know that you are appreciated and shows you how much he loves you through his actions instead of his words. You want to be with a man who treats you like you are the only girl in the universe, a man who has eyes only for you, a man who doesn't hesitate to say 'i love you', and genuinely means every word. Sometimes he may take longer to come around, but he will be worth the wait.

I have not figured out who my prince charming is yet. But I know he will be at least three things (and more): my sweetheart, lover, and best friend.

[ Eternity should be fun ;-) ]

I just thought this clip from New Girl was too appropriate. Love Zooey.

we will put the lonesome on the shelf

Don't you worry there my honey
We might not have any money
But we've got our love to pay the bills

It's been a few days. Life in paradise has been quite busy, soon to be much busier as I start my new job in the morning. I am so excited to feel productive again. It is LOVELY to have so much beach/surf/fun time, don't get me wrong, but I can't wait to have my own life again. 


That seems like an odd concept, but I feel that when I don't have my own things to consistently work on and focus on (i.e. school, work, etc.), I put too much thought and time into things that are not nearly as important. This has been the longest time I haven't had a job since I was 16. I will say that I picked the most excellent place to take a break. (:


I must go to sleep. Don't want to make a bad impression on my first day! Pictures of the weekend will make an appearance shortly.

and a new chapter begins...

 (also-- 2 weeks from today I will be in Seattle!!!! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU!)