gratitude.

i received an unexpected package in the mail this week.
if you know me, you know how excited i get when i get mail! especially when it is unexpected. it seriously can turn my worst days into the best.

this particular package was from my stake young women's president from home. i received my YW medallion last year, and recently the stake had a little ceremony dinner to recognize everyone who completed the personal progress program.
with me not living at home anymore, i was unable to attend.
each girl was given a gratitude journal.
i love it.
it is pink and leather bound with a fantastic quote on the front.
"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character"
-Joseph B. Wirthlin

i have always written a little section of gratitude in my regular journal that i keep, but have been wanting to get one specifically for that.

i have carried it around with me all week and whenever i realize my gratefulness for something, big or little, i write it down in my journal.

i am excited to keep it going and if i am ever feelin blue, just take a glance at the things i have written down in it and recognize how blessed my life truly is and remember to always find joy in anything that i encounter.

so thanks, YW presidency! it was a very happy surprise :)

it continues.

yay for boring office shifts that let me continue birthday wish list.
thanks to Forever21

you can never have enough of these $1.50 totes!


just a compilation of my new fav nail polishes. so fun and springy!


then thanks to bed bath and beyond for these great finds:

zebra dessert stand. i like. i LOVE.


just imagine these on the stand.
zebra overload?
NEVER.


thennn we have big buddha bags.
i have wanted a new bag for a while, and i found one a while ago at Dillard's, i believe, in mustard. it was great. butttt no money = no bag.
maybe good thing because i found this gunmetal one. love.


and why not a clutch to go along with it?
for the days i don't want to carry around the oversized tote.


and there we have it.

when i get bored...

..i do the following:

1- search wedding details
2- blog
3- think about doing my homework
4- do RA stuff
5- and then search for things i want for my birthday :)

here is a result of numero 5.






and if there is nothing that screams "CHANDLER, BUY ME" more than these cuties, i don't know what else does:

yay for the weekend.

sooo this little getaway to st george was the best.

so relaxing.
spending time with grandma and grandpa was great.
hoping, but not getting good weather, was fine.
and witnessing the proposal of my sista and future bro!!

can i get and WOOHOO to that?!

it was so fun to know everything and have kacey be in utter surprise :)

congrats kace and jord.
love you both!!


the gorgeous ring!

i know of 5, i repeat FIVE, people getting married within the next 5 months!
my dream come true to have wedding overload?
you better believe it.

and i may or may not be planning on attempting to make my M.O.H dress?
let the planning begin!!

shout outs!

i have a few shout outs that are necessary.

first off:

Congrats to my fave cousin ashley aka smash.
She is engaged and i could not be more excited for her! i am so lucky that we have classes together and get to see each other everyday this semester. it brings back all the fun we had when we were little and i love it!

congrats ash and jon!
and best of luck to you two and your happy future together!

2nd:

mel duff's birthday was on valentines day!

we all took her out to Olive Garden for dinner! best part was when her best friend Will showed up and surprised her at the table!! cutest thing i have ever seen.
it was so fun to spend the day with her and celebrate her birthday!
LOVE YOU MELBEL!!
_{me and mel at dindin}

after dinner, celebrating with her cupcakes

the red velvet cupcakes i made

one of the best parts about this day was reading all of the signs that jordan, lexi, and allie wrote and hung around their apartment.
two of my favorites:





last but most def not least:


my parents celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on the 15th. i never have even thought that they were old enough to have been married that long! they dated for 6 years before they got hitched, which makes it really 31 years that they have been together. now THAT makes them sound old...and believe me it is fun to tease them about it, all in good fun of course.
i love my parents so much. they are always there for me and always willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that kacey and i have every opportunity to succeed in our lives. i am grateful to call them my parents. i always hope to make them proud. they give their all to each other and their family. i am so lucky to have such a great example of love in my life. i know that they have MANY years of love and happiness ahead of them.
even though they are abandoning me in logan and heading to hawaii for a week, i will somehow find it in my soul to forgive them. at least they return the day before my bday!(maybe i will get a cool present from the islands?)
LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!!!

weekend fun

although it was only for a couple days, i loved going home and spending time with this stud.


luckily, he is great enough to share me with this guy.


kacey, keat's sister Anna, and i went and saw the much anticipated Never Say Never.
and i thoroughly enjoyed it.
JUDGE ALL YOU WANT.

but i really do think it was a great movie. i was bored for the first 20 minutes because of the documentary type interviews...i was there for the songs!
and soon thats what i got!
and not gonna lie, it brought a tear to my eye multiple times.
i am not sure if i should admit that?

at least kacey was there, so i wasn't the oldest person in the theater.
i am glad Anna enjoyed it, it was funny to see her reaction to the whole "slow motion hair flip". she's in love.

after that, we went to dinner and bowling with the fam.
that was also SO much fun.

_{kace and keat didn't want to take the 3D glasses off}

the parents were super competitive during bowling...parents meaning mom.
it was pretty funny.
no wonder a nice game of catch phrase turns into a full out brawl with me. that must be where i get it.

it was fun spending time with them, and kacey and jordan, and their cute friends.

being home always gives me the boost i need to make it through the crazy week ahead of me back in L ville.

can't wait for next weekend and our road trip to St George!!! :)

wish list continued...

due to the fact that the bday is now less than 1 month away the wish list is being continued..

Kacey, if you are reading this, please put in a good word with the parents.
thanks.


try not to get too obsessed with how much you love it. i know the feeling.


or simply the hand mixer?


caaa-ute!!

oooor


i am sure there will be more to come :)

babyyy!

my dear dear friend Taylor has a brand new baby sister.

Meet Isabel


she is the most precious little girl i have ever set my eyes on. she is teeny tiny. i am so glad that she is home with her family after all she's gone through.
holding this little baby in your arms really reminds you how much of a gift life is.
Izzy is loved by so many people and will be her whole life.
i have had the pleasure of visiting twice.
tay and her kind mother let me use izzy for my homework. i know that sounds kind of weird, but it's true. for a human development class, one of my assignments is to hold a baby for 10 minutes while it is awake then write a paper on my experience. i thought it was a great excuse to go visit this great family again!

i am so glad to have such a great friend like Taylor.
we have only known each other for a short time, but i know that we will keep in touch forever. she is leaving us in Logan to go get married!! but i could not be more excited and happy for her and judd.
_{and plus it's a wedding...you know me and weddings.}
here are some pics of me, mary, and tay with Isabel.


<sub>Izzy already loves me so much, she can't take her eyes off of me...


mary is not much of a baby holder, but being around Izzy has changed her mind. sooo proud of you mar :)</sub>



gorgeous Tay and her baby sis!

blogging > sleep

i really should be going to bed or something like that, but i would rather blog :)


i just had the best sunday of my life.
i love being surrounded by so many people to love the gospel.
loving to go to church has been something i have always needed to work on a bit more.
but being with my friends has made me LOVE it.

it was fast and testimony meeting today and it was OUTSTANDING how fast the front row was full of people waiting to go and bear their testimonies. luckily i was number 2 so i did not have to sit there and have my nerves kill me slowly.
i have met the most spiritual and compassionate people while living in logan.
i love that i have two great guy friends who take being a worthy priesthood holder seriously.
i learn so much from everyone every single day. it is a rare day when we don't have a discussion about something gospel related and my knowledge has just soared through the roof the past few months.

i am grateful to have so many great friends that love going to visit the assisted living center and singing hymns for the residents.
we have done it for about two months now and i feel a bond with some of the great women who we have met.

tonight, we sang Families Can Be Together Forever, to a great woman named Louise.
after the song, we could tell she was really emotional and touched by the words.
she then tells us all "You know, it is so true" she told us how her husband was baptized 3 days before he passed away and how blessed she is to be able to return to him soon. Looking at the group of my friends with tear filled eyes and hearts full of love i knew that that moment was a moment i will never forget.

the blessings i receive from my service are worth more to me than any worldly thing.

i know i am where im supposed to be because of my friends.

these girls are SOO great.
we have all gotten really close lately and i could not be more happy.

i attempted the cookie cutters and tips!!

too bad they didn't turn out as well as i had hoped.
_{icing was too runny...}

but i made these for my cute friend Allie Jeppson's birthday!

_{they would be a ton cuter if i had food coloring..}

oh well..practice makes perfect.


next.
sorry for the cupcake overload
i am fascinated with these cupcakes designs.








aren't they the best lookin things?!
i want to learn.
we'll see how that goes.

just thought i would share some delightful finds :)