i think you called it wonderland

So... on Friday, Megan, Jess, and I hosted a dinner party for the new release of Alice in Wonderland. It is probably one of my most favorite Disney movies. We planned every little detail to make this party spectacular, and indeed it was. I loved every second of it. Although it was a little stressful we made it fun! That's what you get when you put 3 perfectionist together. Megan was an awesome cook and the food was delicious. Jess was an awesome helper in decorating and making pink lemonade cupcakes. I think it turned out well. After our party we all went and saw the midnight premiere of the movie. I may have dozed off for ten or so minutes but it was incredible! I loved the animation and the costumes.... okay, mostly just the costumes. You should all go see it! Such a good time. Thanks girls for pulling it off and everyone for coming.

caterpillar pasta

cheshire cat pasta

two-one in the two-oh-one-oh

21. This may not seem that old to many of you, but to me it came as quite a shock. 21. wow. I have lived that long. I have changed that much and I now have that much responsibility. I want to go back, my childhood was perfect. Although I hated the fact of my newly acquired age, and it took some reassuring myself that it would all be ok, I had one of the best birthdays ever. I got to go to Disneyland right before. I had a nice cake and friends who shared it with me, I went to an awesome dance at the school, and I had warm wishes all day. I am truly a lucky girl. But that is where the real luck starts.

My cutest friends Meg and Jess decided to plan a trip to Vegas for my birthday weekend. Mindy came along and we had an enjoyable drive down, arriving in St. George close to 11pm. We dropped our stuff off and immediately headed to eat and then hot tub. It might have been a little too cold for such but we were determined to make it a party.

After that we headed to bed. Next morning we woke up and I headed over to my brothers really early to spend some time with him and Koen. He made me a delicious breakfast and we played and laughed for a long time. He is the best brother and such a good dad. I went back to the condo, girls were barely waking up. Megan made us another delicious breakfast of apple pancakes. 2 die 4. We proceeded to get ready... four hours later, we headed over to see Grandma Dine for a short time. Sure do love her. Then we headed to grab lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, 25 main, and we were off to Vegas.

This would be the longest indecisive day of my life. We got there around 3 in the afternoon and decided to do some shopping... for about 5 hours. My legs were real tired and I had not found anything worthwhile to buy. I eventually made my way to Urban Outfitters, and struck gold. I got myself a cute little party dress. After this we were tired and starving so we headed over to Caesar's Palace to hit up my favorite restaurant, Cheesecake Factory. My friends are adorable and got me a birthday cheesecake which we shared. We were then revitalized and ready to hit Vegas. Due to the season, all rides were closed. All shows were on break. And all casinos were not paying out. We hit some slots and changed for the night. We had many offers on clubs, with special passes and whatever, but decided to try this club TAO.

My brother, the great one, got us the hook ups. He told me to drop this name at Tao, which happens to be THEE hottest club in Vegas and ridiculously packed and hard to get in to. I made Mindy walk up to this bouncer and ask how to get in with our names on a list. He pulls one out. We drop the name. He begins to radio to another guy. He tells us to wait. I start freaking out. What happened? Who is this guy? Bigger and even more bouncer-esque he walks over and starts asking us detaild questions about how we know this guy, where we met him, etc. I drop answers in the best way I can think of and he hands us tickets and escorts us personally to the front of the 3 hour line. I could not believe it! Thank you brother! Once we were inside we started dancing hard core. It was funny because everyone was drinking but us. We had such a fun time, laughing at crazies, and ourselves. The club was really designed well and had an interesting Asian theme, which we all know I love. Everyone got hit on, minus me, and we called it a night. It was now 3 am and we still had to drive back to St. George. Needless to say it was a long night and I had a hard time staying awake. We made it back safely and hit our beds hard.

Next came the long drive back to SLC. We woke up packed and headed out. It was a great weekend with great friends and many experiences I will never forget. 21 is not that bad I guess.

happiest place on earth

I would say I am the luckiest girl on earth. I got to spend my pre-birthday at the happiest place on earth...DISNEYLAND! Not only did I get to go, but my entire family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and my nephew. We stayed at a family suite hotel with multiple rooms to accomodate us. I love being a kid again, and seeing the excitement on others faces as they loop through roller coasters, relive childhood movies, and see their kids having fun. I know it was like that for me. We tried to ride on every ride, but I don't think we managed. It took a lot of organizing to keep everyone together and scheduling where to be when. At times it was extremely hectic, and I question if we will do it again, especially my dad. :) There were times when I had to ride in the trunk to fit us in one car. There were times when I had to sit with screaming babies. But there were also those times when I laughed like a little kid. Held hands with my adorable cousins. Shared memories with my parents. and relived childhood with my brothers. I want to go back every day. We had the best time and enjoyed every long minute of it. I am so blessed to be able to have opportunities like this in my life. Not every person in the world gets to go to Disneyland, let alone six times. I am grateful to my dad and mom for letting us go and laughing our heads off at the dumbest things. They are my best friends and I LOVE being able to spend time with my family. I think that's what makes it the happiest place on earth.

the most wonderful time of the year

YAY! Christmas finally came. To prepare for the joyous day, I had parties all over the place. Some with FHE

Some with my roommates
and my favorite, being with my family. We got to have Koen for Christmas and it could not have been any better. I always feel like the season has lost its meaning either because I am too old or too busy. This year I really tried to keep in mind the real meaning of the season and spend time focusing on others. I think it made all the difference. This was the first year in my life that we had shared Christmas morning with just my family. It was a lot more quiet. A lot more casual. and a lot more intimate.
My parents gave us a trip to Disneyland and I could hardly wait for another 2 weeks to go. I also got a really cool antique game from my mom.
It was a beautiful Christmas and I have never felt closer to my family.

(pictures of family and such are posted on facebook. too many to load on here.)

s abroad

After all of my study abroad time spent in Europe, here is what I have to show for it. Or rather.... just an exhibit of everyone's work.

givin thanks

This year for Thanksgiving we hosted all of our Jardine side of the family. It was incredible because every person was there. What was even more bittersweet was the fact that this would be the last time we would all be together in about 4 years. I love spending time with my family and the food was, as always, delicious. I am so grateful for my family and all they do for me. I am extremely blessed to have a great family, good friends, a healthy body, sound mind, and spiritual guidance.

all in all, i love fall

It seems like years since I have been on this splendid little thing I call a blog, and literally it has been a year. It is now 2010 and I have vowed to be a different person, full of change and longing for happiness.

Going back to last fall.... rewind... I had the opportunity to perform at the Howl. Which is this awesome Halloween party, biggest west of the Mississippi, and hosted at my very own USU. The theme was Alice in Wonderland and I was a little bunny rabbit. Ironically, previous to this my mother had dressed me as a pink bunny rabbit for my first Halloween. 20 years later, I chose to do it myself. The event was fun and my mom got to come up and see me. I sure do love her and all she does for me.I also went to Thriller with my friend Megan. This is a tradition and I go every year. Every year I get so inspired to dance. I have been blessed to be able to continue that passion through college.
I went to many football games, Tommy Jack is getting bigger and better all the time. I hate that he is growing up so fast.

All in all, I love me some fall. Favorite time of the year.