sneaking up on me.

this christmas has completely snuck up on me!
the fact that i can see my grass outside could be part of it, but it just doesn't feel like christmas!
already, the break from school has gone way too fast. i've enjoyed sleeping in, going to the gym every day, and catching up on some of my favorite TV series' on netflix way too much! 
however, i have realized how much fun it is to be with my family and i'm ready to spend the next week or so all together - extended family and all. there are some things that i'm missing, but i'm working on putting on a happy face :) i'm pretty close to having mastered that, any time, any place.


we enjoyed a yummy dinner at dave's kitchen in salt lake. you like chinese food? go to dave's. 
dave's kitchen is a good kitchen. 

i spent a fun day yesterday shopping with my siblings. i am particularly excited about a gift for big V. i think he will be surprised and completely excited! pictures to come, don't you worry. 


i mostly love sitting in our "present wrapping" room with my brothers, wrapping their gifts for them (i am way too nice) and chatting about life. i have realized that i am not always in a hurry, that there isn't always somewhere to go, and that downtime is completely okay. 
i spent a few hours today with andrew. he is leaving mid-ish january for LA to go to school. LA? take me there! i would love to drop everything, move to a new place, and do something different. i think i have posted that like 3 times, oh well. what an adventure. i am excited for him and he is excited and ready. 


i'm mentally preparing for our LAW family christmas eve festivities to commence in just a couple hours. here's to a bunch of kids, a bunch of family, a bunch of crazies getting together for food, fun, games, and laughs. 
let the party begin! 


p.s. grandbaby #3 will be here any day now. no, she still does NOT have a name. think of some cute names for me. 


p.p.s.
welcome home alli! love this picture.

this is an awful picture, but it made me laugh. 

happy christmas to all.

dashboard.

the dashboard in my car is black. it collects dust like nobody's business. 

my mind is like that dashboard. the ideas are collected like little dust particles. 

too many ideas flow through my mind. 

i want to come up with something that will be brilliant. that will benefit other people. someday.

i am so tempted to move to LA with my brother. start new and do something different. but that won't happen, i am in school. what would i do while i was there? the thought is pleasing, however.

i was given the analogue of somebody with one functioning left arm and a right arm that was cut off lying right on the ground. you think to yourself, "i need that arm! i would be complete with that other arm. if only i could put that right arm on." i need that other arm, but i don't know how to get it. i don't know what to do. it sounds confusing, but it makes perfect sense to me. 

take me back to this day - 

when things weren't hard. when life decisions didn't need a solution. when life wasn't an everyday battle. when life wasn't heartbreaking. 

a break from those things would sure be nice. but, they never go away. 

i just wish i could know. 

that's all.

leave of absence.

i wish i could take a leave of absence from finals. unfortunately, that's not an option. 

i know, everyone blabs about finals - that's all we can talk about! that's all i can focus on, basically. 

but when i think of it, there's so much more to life than finals. 

i have

great friends, 

a wonderful family, 

and the big guy upstairs who loves all of us! 

i have a hard time keeping in mind that my life is something a lot bigger than anything i can imagine. i wish it was something i could grasp and understand, but it just isn't. and i'm okay with that, most of the time. 

there is something amazing in store for all of us - i need to keep that in mind too!

check out the pictures below. they are of my grandpa, vernon law. he was a cy young award winner in 1960 in major league baseball. for all of you non-baseball knowledgeables, that's an award given to the best pitcher in ALL of baseball. that's pretty cool. 

he was a wonderful example for the church. he never swore, never drank, never had tobacco. 

his nickname was "the deacon" - for obvious reasons. 

what a bash in their pittsburgh neighborhood! 

thanks.

i attempted a post from my mobile, eva. but... the picture looked weird and it wasn't up to my blog post "par". 

i've been in a blogging slump i decided. things have gone on and i've thought, "oh! write a post about that!" but then, i never do. sorry. i know all of you are anxiously awaiting my next post! 

my parents and adam were gone in the dominican republic with the byu baseball team so i was here at home on my own for a bit. and i loved it. so, i spent a great thanksgiving with a wonderful family. it was one to remember, i sure love that family! 

the void of dear pugsley is still in my heart. :( 

festival of trees is always a law family christmastime tradition. here's one of my favorite trees:

(and favorite movies!)

my computer knowledge is greatly increasing. if you want to refinance, just ask me. i know all! okay, i'm kidding. i don't know all! i am learning as i go and i definitely don't instruct people in refinancing! what i have learned, is that people in the loan/refinance business work crazy hours! change is good though. i sit a a computer all day, i have about every song memorized on 97.1 ZHT's "i heart radio" app, and my typing words per minute has gone up as well. those are all good things right?

my most favorite week is coming up. NOT. finals are my worst. but it's time to prepare, buckle down, and rock my finals! by next friday - 2 math assignments, 1 five page paper, 5 chapters of reading, and 3 finals later, i will be free! 

wish me luck. 

in the mean time... i'm in a place that i've been in before with my life. it's just one of those things.

if you want to give me a really nice gift for christmas, i am now accepting this:

happy studying and happy holidays! 

the day came.

is that not the cutest thing ever?

that's me, if you couldn't tell, and my sweet pup - pugsley.

monday was his last day with us. man, i didn't think it would be as hard as it was. but just typing about it breaks my heart. i said my goodbyes before i left to school that morning. and that was it. 

our entryway went from this:

to this:

pugsley was 17 years old. that's old for a little guy like him. 

i still keep my eyes peeled to make sure i don't step on him when i enter the kitchen. but, he's not there to step on. 

there is no bark to let him outside, no jingle of his collar, and no food or water bowl in the space by the dryer. 

pugs' first christmas in 1994. 

christmas 2010. 

we could tell he was really starting to get old. 

dogs really are part of your family - no matter what you say. 

and when they are gone, there's a large void in your heart.

in new york.

i just watched this video from my dear friend's blog. it's lovely. and worth your time!!





i have been to new york a couple times.


first, in high school. i went on an amazing trip with a group from my sewing class. (i did win our school's make-it-with-wool contest, that's my claim to fame). it was a trip centered on fashion! we visited some schools there, met with fashion designers, and did sight-seeing. of course. 

next, was with my fam bam. we had such a fun trip! we caught the last game red sox vs. yankees game in old yankee stadium. and got to meet ol' tito (terry francona). he's a good friend of my dad's from their playing days.

i love the city. the busyness. the lights. the streets. the cars. the noise. the shopping!


imagine. a penthouse suite above the diverse people all going their every which way. just think about that. 


i get the privilege of sitting with my parents for byu football games. 44 yard line. splendid! my family has a problem with taking pictures, but we finally snatched one tonight. 


please excuse the 'awesome' phone picture quality. (big v's iphone!) the camera on my dear eva decided to stop working. 

p.s. how do you feel about this blog redesign? i'm not quite sure.

back.

well. remember when i posted and said i will do a "remember when" post every wednesday? 


wednesday came and went this week. 


i guess that's what happens when i don't even have time to make my bed in the morning, let alone sit and think for a few minutes!


my new job is going well. i am working a lot, which is good! great! but there comes a time when emails keep coming into my inbox and i have to have patience that i can go slowly - one at a time. let's just say, when people are signed up for a loan and it is scheduled to close that day, they want to close it THAT day. i am learning a lot though! and my typing skills have improved immensely :)


back to remember when. 


remember when was the cutest? thanks sharon for the boy haircut. i am now scarred for life from the nicknames my brothers called me. i wasn't a thumb-sucker, however. i sucked my 3rd and 4th fingers on my left hand.  

here's me, age 3; adam, age 4. 

we went up to midway for a birthday in the family. i haven't picked up my dear camera in a while so i took a few. 

adam hadn't thrown a snowball in... over 2 years? here's his first. 

boom, got her. 

happy birthday tals!

go stilllers. (that would be steelers. as in pittsburgh.)

my current list of things i want to buy includes:

- all black boston red sox hat. 

- michael kohrs watch.

- photoshop lightroom. 

- tan boots. 

- stinkbug hat. 

- fix my cd drive. (200 bones, yuck.)

do i need these things? no...

i'm ready to freeze at the byu football game tomorrow. wish me luck! 

it's one of those things.

this is one of those posts that i'm not quite sure what to write about! 

you know that roller coaster ride at lagoon, mouse trap? it's a herky, jerky ride that yanks you side to side around short lengths of coaster and sharp turns. like a small mousey being chased by a cat. i think that life is just like this ride. side to side, up and down, chased by something that never really ends. 

the relentless homework, assignments, and tests. unexpected events, changes, surprises. life is a game, a gamble. most times, you don't know what will be thrown at you! thank goodness we have some awesome resources and guidance in our lives. are you with me on that? 

well. who has two thumbs and a new job? ME. 

i am now working at flagship financial group near thanksgiving point. i am doing my fair share of loan confirmations, registers, locks, and computer work. and... i love it! i completely thrive off organization, routines, and a set schedule. 

i spent approximately 10.5 hours studying for my accounting test last weekend. i will say, i nearly doubled my score on test #2 from test #1. i almost cried when i looked up at the mini, score-projecting screen! 

life is just one of those things. like the mouse trap ride. i feel like my thinking is contrary to the normal quote - 

i don't think you can expect the unexpected. 

but yes! i will conquer the unexpected whenever, whomever, and whichever form i receive it! 

i love 'remember when' pictures. every wednesday, i will post a new one. 

remember when my cute, precious two-year-old self had chicken pox, like THESE??

i look real happy, i know. 

on a happier note, i am grateful my skin has cleared up ;)

accounting homework + sockbun a month ago = 

listen to this song. if you love me, you will!

one day, i will be as this mouse...

...scared to death, but loving it!

currently.

a long two months has passed. in a short amount of time, does that even make sense?

right now, my life consists of:

- 1.75 hours of accounting 200 homework four days a week (respectively). i'm not planning on being an accountant and this class WILL be the death of me. it's pretty rough. 

- absolutely LOVING these two shoes

and socks

courtesy of h&m dublin, ireland :)

- too much math homework. 

- attending PiYo (Pilates/Yoga), pilates, and zumba classes while mixing in some lifting with lean-machine trainer, my brother andrew. while still not losing 10 pounds. how does that work? 

- needing to refashion these shirts using this tutorial. check out her whole blog! so creative. 

- needing to finish the sign-up below!

a lot has happened in the past two months. i feel like i wrote blog posts about my amazing summer adventures and now i don't have anything nearly as exciting as traveling the world. but, what i post will have to do!

i took these family pictures for our friends visiting from illinois. don't judge me!

i was a guest speaker for my former photography teacher at the good ole' provo high. i had no idea what to expect but i was told to bring some of my favorite pictures from the summer to talk about and explain to the class. forty minutes later and a printed poster of my favorite sunset picture up in the hallway, i was out of there a legend!

i enjoyed a fun date night last weekend. happy sumo - go eat there past 9 o'clock, if you are a vip member or something, everything is half off! killer deal, seriously. 

yummy sweet and sour chicken.

school dominates my life. this has been my hardest semester, by far! i switched majors (again) from food science to exercise and wellness. this one will stick, i'm pretty sure. i'm expect to graduate in april of 2014. graduate from college, yeah. that's two years, but still. who does that?

fall makes me miss this girl and her cutesy attitude:

does she not melt your heart? she melts mine. 

fall makes me miss my sun kissed skin and being with these girls.

and lastly, fall makes me want to buy cute sweaters, boots, and most of all, that beautiful gold watch! 

is that not the cutest? 

in retrospect, time flies but i am still loving life. 

i am getting excited for the holidays - thanksgiving, christmas, new years - so i can spend time with the ones i love.

and welcoming grandbaby #3 into the law family! 

as marilyn monroe says...

"i believe that everything happens for a reason. people change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

lovely.

back to real life.

my poor adventurous (i'm not adventuring anymore, blog name change coming up..) blog has been put on hold for the time being. 

but... i'm back! 

i am back to real life, full swing. when i have a spare moment, i think to myself, was i really in africa? the uk? out of the US? some days, i can't believe i was really there. experiencing life on my own. 

too much time has passed since those weeks. 

to sum it up, i had a completely fantastic summer. the time of my life. i am so grateful and lucky i was able to travel and experience the things i did. great britain was cultural, historical, and informational. africa was humbling, extraordinary, and a place full of people i will never forget. 

many things have happened since i last posted. here's a small recap from august to now.

families we met and love:

welcome home, elder law! (his talk was so great.)

love these girls (alli is studying abroad in italy, wahoo!):

katelin, taylor, alli, me.

fam bam here for 2 weeks:

love this girl.

africa shirts! 

first day of school, water buffalo backpack!

change of major #2 happened last week, food science to exercise and wellness, accounting 200 is taking over my life, i got 90% on my math test, and i couldn't be happier with life right now. 

amazing.