You've Got Mail

 I don't know if I have ever mentioned it, but I think that "You've Got Mail" might be my favorite movie. Thinking about it makes me want to jump in bed and fall asleep watching the classic, so I can dream about the romance of the film all night long, but there are still a good 12 hours of productivity left in my day. I guess I will just have to wait.

I feel like both Kathleen and Joe in the above clip. I often blurt inappropriate comments out in a wrong-time wrong-place scenario, but I am so grateful for the times when I hold back a tongue-lashing of what I really feel in order to spare myself the regret later from knowing that I caused someone pain. I have no doubt that most red-headed stereotypes are true. Then there are other times when I look back on a conversation I had days previously and play it over in head multiple times trying to figure out what I should have said in that situation to get the results I wanted. Sometimes I even write letters to people knowing I will never send them just to try and get my thoughts out. Obviously my communication skills are a work in progress.


Moving on...My ward had a "Kickin' it Back" to our childhood 90s party last week. When all other 90s dress up plans fell through, I decided dressing up as TuPac was my only option. The resemblance is uncanny. I only lost my pants a few times, so I would say the night was an overall success.

These Days

My first quilt!

These days I mostly sit on my couch watching 3O Rock with Maren while stuffing my mouth with cookies. It's a good life really. We giggle. We make jokes and we sit in the dark room like vampires. Then around 9 pm after 10 episodes I realize I should do something with my life so I get up and go to the gym. Sometimes though, just sometimes, I am actually productive and do good things with my life. This is a story of my awesome production.

I have been wanting to sew a quilt for some time now, but wasn't exactly sure where to start. I was going to make one for my bed, but didn't want to find myself in a too deep pot of boiling water. My good friend Jasmine in pregnant with her first baby, which rocks, but she is in Missouri and I am in Utah, and I couldn't justify flying out there for her baby shower. I wanted to do something for her though, and my Mom had the wonderful idea that I could sew a quilt for her present from us. Ding Ding Ding!!!!

I chose a really simple but pretty pattern and am so glad I did because it took a lot more time than I thought! I don't have an actual quilting coach lying around so I resorted to trusty ole YouTube which is full of videos made by old ladies with cats and long nails teaching us future old maid cat-owning quilting novices proper quilt technique. Blessed be the name of those ladies that don't have 30 Rock in their lives to distract them from true hobbies. My finished product certainly isn't perfect, but I think it is adorable for a little baby girl.

*If only you could see how ridiculous I looked when taking the photo. Standing on top of my bookshelf , straddling my TV while keeping my balance by holding on to my ceiling fan (side note: ceiling fans do not make good balancing objects) . Must have been a sight.

Week's Wrap-Up

 The Good- After a month of having problems with my car and mechanics not being able to figure out what was wrong they were able to replicate the problem and work on getting it fixed.The Bad - I have been without a car for a week, but my friend Tim has been so kind to give me rides to and from work every day, so it hasn't been that bad.
The Ugly - Did I mention the repair costs about a third of my cars value? The friendly car man did offer to not charge me for the work/diagnostic costs they did before they found the real problem though, so woot woot.

The Good - I finally bought my ticket to go to Hawaii in April.
The Better - In 2 months I will be lying on the beaches of Hawaii.
The Best - Holding a Hawaii/Margaritaville themed party last Friday and sipping on pina coladas while doing the limbo with friends and dancing the night away to Jimmy Buffet and Bob Marley. I can't wait to actually be in Hawaii.

The Good - I am almost done with the quilt I have been sewing for the past month as a baby gift for one of my favorite friends soon-to-be-born daughter. I hopefully will finish tonight.
The Bad - In my hurry to get it finished before the baby shower, I have abandoned my social life...
The Mediocre - ...which is fine because I had no social life to abandon in the first place.


The Good - My work held their annual "Winter Party" last night (instead of a holiday party).
The Bad - In the past, I have brought guy friends as dates. This year I brought my roommate Marina. Which is great, until people start asking "What, you couldn't find a guy to come with you?"
The Awesome - People at work like to know all about my dating life, or lack thereof. Bringing a girl friend is a great way to avoid the, "So Kim, tell me about the man you brought to the Holiday Party. Did you kiss him good night? What's going on there? Are you in love?  When are you getting married? Will you have to move when you get married? How many children are you going to have?" that I inevitably get until next years Holiday Party.

Half of my team at the Holiday Party

Drinking Games

Going to BYU is a little different than going to many other American universities. Instead of one night stands, we have NCMOs (well, some people do. Not this girl). Instead of drugs, we have dance parties, and instead of alcohol we have game nights. This is a fun and swell, but sometimes I feel like I have missed out on an important part of American college fun. Drinking Games. Luckily, Jerika and Maren feel the same way, so when Jerika stumbled upon AC/DC shot glasses on clearance at Target she knew she had hit the jackpot.  We haven't been able to officially use them in games, but we did pull them out to practice taking shots of water, so when we are able to use them for a real drinking game we look like pros.  Also, we have been brushing up on AC/DC songs, so we look like hard core fans when push comes to shove.

Have you been wondering about the book on the table? It's a gem. "Gangsta: Merchandising the Rhymes of Violence". I bought it at the used book sale at the Provo library for one bone. Jerika and I recently formed the Hip Hop duo "Suga and Snow," so it is helping us get started. Unfortunately the first line in the book goes like this, "Where does Satan have his biggest grasp on American Society? LA's hip hop scene." The author lives in New York and has exactly zero credibility in our minds, but it does make for a good coffee table book.

Cheers to the freakin' weekend.

Empire State of Mind

Just got back from a whirlwind weekend trip in New York City. I honestly do not think I have ever been so exhausted, but I had a wonderful time with my sister and two of my roommates. We didn't take many pictures because I would have looked the same in every single one of them - wind-swept, tan coat, bundled in a purple scarf, hat and gloves, with the rosiest of all cheeks. I walked further and faster than I ever have, but we had to hit everything in four short days. If there is one thing I want to bring to Provo from New York, it's the fur. Fur coats, Fur gloves, Fur boots, Fur leggings, Fur Purses. If it can be fashioned out of fur, it was!

A quick recap: 

Laughing at people falling over on the boat to the Statue of Liberty

No, Marina is not using a urinal. Just our way to warm up before heading out into the cold

$23,795 fur coat? Chump Change.

My new $3,300 boot that happened to be flung on the floor amid the Louboutins.

Napping on the subway

Sunday night cupcake cooking with my sister Allison

New York's finest pizzaria. Kidding, we have better taste.

Best doughnuts I have ever eaten. Hands down.

Getting a picture of Patrick Stewart on the Subway is no easy task

We Kept Up with the Kardashians - our souvenir for Jerika. Don't mind Maren not looking at the camera, she is just watching Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Blue Ivy walk by.

The End of the Line. On our way to the airport. Completely happy, but utterly exhausted.

Good Girls Gotta Get Down with the Gangstas

Every once in a while I decide that I need a little fun in my life and it leads me to doing embarrassing things like this. Merry late Christmas.

                                 I do not condone the actions sung about in the video.

Post-Thanksgiving Post

These past few weeks I have felt like an emotional zombie. While I do lead a happy and fulfilling life, I believe I have recently forgotten how much I really do have in my life - how much good  surrounds me, so I made a list of things I am truly grateful for to stop focusing on the bad.

1. My Roommates  - I have wonderful caring and amazing roommates. They are some of my favorite people. We get along so well and have such a fun time together. They even put up with my craziness.
2. My Job - While I don't hate my job, it's no secret that I don't love it, but I am grateful for the stability it provides. They try hard to make it a good place to work, and most often succeed.
3. Kindness - Simple enough. I am grateful for kind people in my life.
4. Honesty - I am grateful when people are open, honest, and sincere with me. When you realize someone has lied to you the pain that it causes is 10 times worse than the honest truth. I am a grown woman, it may hurt at first, but I can handle the truth. I've learned this lesson over the past several months. If you say it, mean it.
5. Family - I have an amazing supportive family. A family that truly loves me and frequently tell me they love me. 
6. Grey's Anatomy - in the past couple weeks I have become completely addicted to this show. It has the drama, the handsome men, is completely trashy and next time I am eating dinner at a restaurant and somebody yells, "Is anyone in here a doctor?" I might be tempted to yell back, "No, but I watch Grey's Anatomy and that is kind of the same thing!" Plus, they have some amazing monologues. They are emotional, funny and often close to life.

7. Looking back on life with no regrets. I have made plenty of mistakes in my life but instead of regretting the poor choices I made, I have chosen to take those experiences and learn and grow from them. This requires changing myself and humility, but through this process I realize my weaknesses and try to turn them into strengths. I am grateful for the opportunity to change.
8. Vulnerability - I am grateful that in the past few months I have learned a valuable lesson in the power of vulnerability. There are few guarantees in life, but when we learn to make ourselves vulnerable, we can experience true emotion. Watch this TEDtalk. It's too good to pass up.

9. Seeing someone for who they really are. I am grateful for those moments when you finally see who someone is under their skin, whether good or bad, it's always refreshing to finally really know someone.
10. Christmas - I love the Christmas season. It gives me an opportunity to remember and focus on the birth and life of Christ and that through Him, I have the opportunity to repent and change my life. I love the decorations (our family room is so magical right now). I love the songs and hymns, the gift giving (and the receiving), and the time I get to spend with my family. Everything about the season is romantic and wonderful.
11. Exercise -I've mentioned how grateful I am that I found exercise a few years ago. When I am frequently exercising, I find that I am happier, and feel emotionally and physically stronger.