Favorites in 2011.

I like finding new books and music and, because of that, I like sharing the books and music I like. I was lucky to do a lot of reading this year. My favorite books that I read in 2011 are the following:

If I had to pick a favorite from these five, it would be a tie between A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Life of Pi. If you have not read either of these, I highly HIGHLY recommend them. I actually also just finished The Hunger Games (Book 1) this last week which I really enjoyed.

Favorite albums this year are: (not all of these came out this year, this was just the year I started listening to them)

I think we all know what my favorite is from this group. I have talked about Eisley so much this year. I'm sure it's annoying but I cannot deny how much I love them. Their album, shown above, came out last March and I have not stopped listening it to it since. Just ask Jordan. I'm sure he has a few choice words about the matter. MUTEMATH also came out with a new album this year which is good, but I like Armistice better.

There you have it, folks. Bring on 2012 and new art and literature! What were your favorites? Like I said, I'm always looking for new stuff.

Charmed.

The night before our wedding, my grandfather and great uncle gave me a beautiful gift that I will cherish forever. Remember when I told you about my Great Grandmother? Well the gift was the charm bracelet she kept during her life. It is beautiful and tells such amazing stories. I feel so privileged to have it. It means so much to me. I have been wanting to share pictures of it for awhile but I didn't have the right lens for it.

All of the pieces are super tiny. The average size is that of a dime. That last one is the biggest and is about the same size as a quarter. This bracelet is a real treasure to me. (I used a lens attachment to take these pictures. They were super inexpensive and can get super close up, obviously. You can find them on Amazon.com.)

Today we are styling the yellow skirt. These were obviously taken last month, but oh well.

How was everyone's Christmas? My weekend was wonderful with the exception of being sick. I've felt pretty lousy the last few days which would be why it has been kinda quiet over here. It hasn't stopped me from hanging out with family though and being apart of all the Christmas stuff. I was spoiled this year in the gift department. I am also going to have to show you one of the gifts I got Jordan. It is my favorite gift that I gave him mostly because he had absolutely no idea I had it. But in the mean time, head over to An Eclectic Heap and see how she styled this skirt.

It's Practically Here.

Today I was planning on teaching you how to make this delicious cheese fondue that we always have around Christmas with my mom's family. It's really amazing and is a happy tradition that I look forward to but I made it yesterday with the wrong recipe... Don't even get me started (Christmas is ruined). So instead I want to talk about how I am out of wrapping paper with gifts still left to wrap. Also, all the peppermint bark is gone and it looks like fall outside. That last part I am not really complaining about. Mostly I am mourning the peppermint bark.

All things aside, Christmas is in 3 days! I think this is the most excited I have been for Christmas since I was ten and wanted an Easy Bake Oven. Which I got, by the way. I have had so much fun getting people gifts this year and I am ready for them to be opened. This is my first Christmas away from home, ever. I am bummed but I am also excited to spend it with Jordan's family. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

What are you looking forward to the most this week?

Guest Posting.

Wanna learn how to make these babies? (Trust me, you do.) I am guest posting over at Awkward Girls today and I am showing you how to make them. They are perfect for any Holiday gathering you may be attending. Or, if you're like me, they are perfect for eating by yourself while you watch Home Alone 2 and slip away into a chocolate induced coma. They're delicious, but did I even need to say that?

Christmas Must Haves: Family Pictures.

Everyone either loves or hates taking family pictures. I am in the love category, obviously. Thanks to tripods and remote controllers, we will probably never pay for anyone to take our photos again. Personally, I prefer to take our pictures anyways. Not only because I can get it to look the way I want it to, but also because I know my family and I know how to capture who we are in our photos. If you are someone that hates family pictures but would like to love them more, here are some tips and tricks for having successful photo shoots.




Try not to make the clothing all uniform. I have found, the best looking family pictures are ones that do not have everyone wearing a white shirt, jeans, and no shoes. Raise your hand if you have ever worn that, or something like it, in family photos. We want our photos to capture who we are, so why not dress everyone in stuff that they would wear normally? You can pick a general color scheme, and go from there. I would even suggest having a couple colors that go well together and letting everyone pick from there. Layers in clothing are also great. Believe it or not, when everyone is dressed the same the picture becomes about the clothes and not about the people.




Make it fun. I know this is a very broad idea but here me out. As a photographer, I know that the first 30 or so shots are not going to be very great because it takes a little while for everyone to "warm up". The best thing to do to make the warm up process go faster is get everyone laughing. I am serious about this, it works like magic. It gets rid of the awkward "I forgot how to act in front of a camera" feeling and everyone looks good when they're smiling. Props work really well for this step too.



Get everyone's input. When everyone is involved they start to care more about the photos. We all have those people in our family, either husbands or brothers, that are not afraid to vocalize their hatred for family pictures. Well, include them in some of the pose ideas! Sometimes they come up with really cool shots. Other times they can't come up with anything because they realize it's difficult. Then they stop complaining and everyone wins.



Take candid shots. Sometimes the best pictures aren't even the ones when everyone is looking at the camera. Be yourselves and all will go well.

Christmas Must Haves: Movies.

In my family, we watch movies. That is an understatement. We love movies more than some people, sometimes. Our house has been known as movie rental central for family and friends for years. My parents first met working at a movie theater for heaven's sake. It's in our family roots. Christmas movies are no different. I am one of those people that will watch Christmas movies year round. Yeah, okay. Here is a little list of some of the Christmas films that will be played 2 to 10 times a day during the holiday.

What are your favorites?

A New Year.

Today I turn 22. A lot has happened in my 21st year. I think this is the year I learned the most about patience. And boy, did I need it. I want to set goals for this new age of 22. Katherine from Thrifted Things just had a birthday last week and talked about what she hoped to accomplish this next year. I think I will do the same.

1. Take more pictures. 2. Spend less money. 3. Be kinder. 4. Serve more. 5. Read more. 6. Love Jordan more. 7. Try new recipes. 8. Call my family more often. 9. Pray more. 10. WORKOUT. 11. Go to the temple once a month. 12. Try to keep things clutter free. 13. Be a better friend. 14. Work on forgiving faster. 15. Smile more.

Here's to another year of becoming!

Today's trade comes from the closet of yours truly. I got this blazer from a friend. I love it.

Make sure you check out Rae's styling of the blazer over at An Eclectic Heap. Next time we're going to be styling this skirt:

In other news, I am being featured over at 5280indesign.com as artist of the week. Check it out! Also, it's not too late to get one of my prints for a special someone this year. It can be the perfect addition to the wall of your weird aunt or maybe your misunderstood brother. Think about it.

What do you think?

I need some advice. This is serious stuff, guys. I hope you can be there for me at this crucial hour. I need to decide what to do with my hair. Keep it growing or cut it shorter? Help a brother out. I really want to know what you think.

While you're thinking, I thought I would treat you with some funny things the kids in our class said today. We were talking about birthdays. One girl said, "My birthday is in Janaferry." A boy said, "My birthday is in eight minutes." And then he said, "My mom is going to make me a fort cake which means it's gonna be all green and have fings on it."

Now. Grow out or cut?

This year I'm dreaming big.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Today.

Today was just a splendid surprise of a day. Jordan came home from work after having only been there an hour. He was given the day off which is very good cause homeboy worked every day last week instead of his normal five days. Not only did he come home early, he also brought me breakfast in bed! Kolaches. He knows me so well. If you do not live in Texas you might not know what kolaches are. I sure didn't know what they were when I first got here. But I quickly learned and they are simply the best breakfast ever. Then I decided to have our Christmas card photo shoot because I know taking pictures is Jordan's favorite thing. ;) I don't want to show all of them because I want it to be a surprise for the people we are going to send cards to but here is a sneak peek.

I forgot to mention that it was a cloudy, rainy day today. Those are my favorite. I went to work: I nanny two kids, a boy and a girl, after they're out of school. After they had finished their homework, the little girl and I stayed warm under the only blanket we could find and proceeded to sing all the Christmas carols we knew.

A few other random things happened in between to equal a pretty lovely day. Oh, here is a picture where we can see what Jordan thought I meant when I said I wanted to hold mugs in a shot... Not quite but nice try, Mister.

(If anyone is in the Houston area and looking to have their end of the year photos taken, email me.)

This is a post where I let my thoughts run wild.

Husbands are good because you can wear their clothes. Guy clothes are so much more comfortable than girl clothes. To Jordan's dismay, wearing his clothes is one of my favorite things.

So yesterday I felt a change in the air: it is officially the holiday season. I always forget how much I love this time of year. The grocery store has all their trees out and it smells wonderful. We can start watching Christmas movies! I am a major lover of Christmas movies (My favorite one is Scrooged with Bill Murray). My birthday is this month. The big 22, woo! There is also hot chocolate and other yummy food. Time with family and friends and the best of all...gift exchanges.

That is another thing husbands are good for: gift exchanges. Christmas has been infinitely more fun since getting married to my best friend. Yesterday I picked up a piece of paper to find that it was a shopping list made by Jordan. It had two things on it. 1. Bread and 2. Secret stuff for Bri. This guy, seriously. He makes my heart smile. It has been super fun planning gifts for one another this year. I have been scheming different ideas for the passed few months and it's finally time to start buying and wrapping and anxiously awaiting to see what he thinks.

***

As this year comes to a close and I review everything that Jordan and I have been through, I can see the blessing of trials. I don't talk much about personal issues on here mostly because I like to keep them that way: personal. But I think a lot of you know bits and pieces of this year. Some of you know more than others.

This year in a nutshell...

We finished school and moved to a new and unfamiliar place (at least for me). We lived with Jordan's parents while working crappy jobs and waiting for Jordan's officer training. The summer came and brought Jordan's training. I was unable to go with him so I went back home to my parent's house in Colorado and he went to Georgia. We were separated for three and a half months or 114 days. He was able to visit for a few days in July and I can count on one hand how many times we got to talk on the phone. Jordan's training brought with it a lot of financial issues and frustrations with the government that have, to this day, not been resolved. In September we moved back to Texas and are again living with his parents. We have found better jobs and are slowly getting on our feet to hopefully be on our own within the next few months.

I am going to start calling this year "The Year of Instability." One of the biggest things I have learned through all of this is everyone's story is different. It has been hard to watch my other married friends and wish that we could live their story instead. People like to ask us when we are going to have babies or the favorite question, are you pregnant yet? Well, it is just not in the cards for us right now. Looking back on this year it is almost laughable to try and add a baby to the mix. We have a lot of other things that need to get taken care of before it is time for children and I feel like our Heavenly Father knows this, too. I am finally ready to live out our story, not anyone else's story.

My number one favorite blessing right now is this...I am so in love with my husband. Being separated was difficult, but being reunited has been so worth it. I feel like I did when Jordan and I first started dating. I am falling in love with him all over again and it has been so much fun! Although it has been a tough year, it has made us better and we have also been immensely blessed.

Thanks to all of you that have given kind words either on here or somewhere else. It means a lot to have encouragement and support (especially this summer), even from those that I may not know personally.