Top 11 of 2011

With another year behind me, I thought it would be fun to do a best 11 of 2011.
best memories, events, fun times, whatever i feel like. :)

and in no particular order:

1. my sista friend got herself married. what a great and marvelous day that was.
just how she thought it would be, except the lack of ice cream she actually got to eat at her own reception, but i think she will be fine. it seriously was such a beautiful day though. i love having a big brother. jordan is a good fit with our family and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. it definitely has been weird with my sista not home when i come home for the weekends, but it is so much fun to be able to help her decorate her apartment and just pretend to be a grown up like her! Can't believe it has already been over six months since the wedding!! now hopefully they will give me a niece or nephew to play with :)

2. Elder Keaton Flitton got called and is now serving a full time LDS mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. and what an amazing missionary he is. he has been in russia for almost four weeks now and i still cannot believe it!! this summer with him was perfect and i am so blessed to have him in my life! I'm so proud of my cute missionary!

3. I finished my first year of college! I still think it so so so weird that in just a few short months that my second year will be completed. i still feel like i could easily go back to 9th grade and be perfectly fine haha
i love being at utah state and all the fun things i have gotten to do!

4. fun weekend getaways to the cabin with my family, lava hot springs with the flitton's, and yellowstone with my girls!

5. my best friend, courtney, had the sweetest baby boy!! ah i could eat him all up he is so stinking adorable!! i have loved being home so i can go visit them any time, but i am going to miss him like crazy when i go back to school! boo.

6. my other best friend, abby, got engaged!! we all knew she would be the first out of all of our friends :) i am so very excited for her and kurt, i just still can't believe that we are old enough to be grown-ups!! i love helping her plan and cannot wait for this special day in may!!

7. bee's games this summer were splendid! we get season tickets and so i can't even tell you  how many games we went to! if keaton and i didn't know what to do some nights, we would just hop on trax and go to a game. we love baseball and i am excited for next season!

8. one of the funnest weekends ever in heber with my best friends!! we rode horses, took pictures, laughed, ate, slept, watched melanie fall out of her chair, and just had the best time ever. i sure do love my friends.

9. i changed my hair like every other month. if you know me, you know i have hair a.d.d.. this year started with long dark hair, changed to short, and then lightened way light and i chopped it even shorter, got bangs, had a week or so of coloring it a few times because i hated it, and now i am an auburn-ish shoulder length banged chick. fun fun fun.

10. i got really crafty this year. maybe the big rise of pinterest had something to do with it...we will never know. but i have made fun things that i enjoy and can't wait to use my hobby lobby gift card that i received for christmas to make some super cute throw pillows!!

11. i was surrounded by the best people each and every day. i have the best family, friends, co workers, residents, and extended family. i am so lucky to be able to look back on this year with a HUGE smile on my face. i know 2012 has so much in store for me, but 2011 was very great to me, thanks 2011: a year for the record books.


i wish you all a very happy and safe new year. may you all know and understand how marvelous life is and to give everyday your all.


xoxo,
chan

1/8

Yep. 3 months. Dunzo!!
So much has happened in month 3.
My sweet Elder is all settled in to his new surroundings.
Loving it.
Freezing his tush off, but loving it.

I've been missing him lots.
I blame it on all of my free time.
Luckily I have a stressful semester ahead of me.
Did I just say luckily???
We'll see.

He sent his utah blanket home due to lack of space in his luggage.
If only the boy was included in that package...
Kidding.
Kind of.


I have so many stories. Check the other blog for them.
They include: eating liver, packed busses, ladies wanting his autograph, and warm socks.
You will be delighted.

It really has been a great month.
I'm lucky to have such an incredible person as my best friend.

Here's to making the best out of the last few days of the year!!

Xoxo,
Chan

Happy holidays.

I have seriously been such a hermit this past week and a half. I have absolutely LOVED being home. It has definitely been a different holiday season, but it still has been great nonetheless.
I am pleased to mention that I am blogging right this very instant from my new beautiful iPhone. It is nuts all the crazy things this "phone" can do. I was so excited when I opened it up on Christmas! Thanks mom and dad.
I have had the best time with my family, the Flitton's, some of my very best friends and have been having so much fun with my fave little kiddos Addison and Caden.
I got everything I could want -- including a phone call from a boy in Russia :)
I am so blessed to have so many incredible people in my life that I get to share the holidays with.
I am grateful for my knowledge of the Savior and His birth and the true meaning of Christmas.


I have failed miserably at taking photos of things that really matter this season...but I have taken a ton of absolutely random photos.
Hopefully some will catch your fancy.

Xoxo,
Chan

all about us.

thanks to my bff mtag

i fell in love all over again listening to this song.

enjoy.

i know, right??

xoxo,

chan

i'm a photographer.

so, my boss is great.

and she is great at taking pictures.

remember these gems from last spring of my very best girlfriends?

they have made special appearances multiple times.

yeah, they were taken by the one and only megan murray. 

as well as these fab ones of my incredible staff:

well, i get to assist her on a photo shoot tomorrow and i am so so so excited.

i have always had this desire to learn how to be a good, creative, and knowledgeable photographer...

but the lack of an actual nice camera is what is holding me back.

if only these photography classes at USU didn't fill up so stinking fast, i might actually learn some cool things.

but that is what megan is for!

and i even have a resident who is SWEET ENOUGH to lend me her beautiful Canon Rebel XSi. 

i am not 100% sure what that means, but it is very pretty and i am very very excited to play around with it tomorrow!!

Thanks so much for the invite, boss :)

here are some fun little photos i took tonight while annoying my residents and practicing my skills :)

my new painting that is hanging by my mirror.

i actually really like this one...haha.

wouldn't be complete without a mirror pic.

picture of a picture. classy.

she's hot.

my chevron canvases above my bed.

played a mean game a mario party on the n64 tonight.

i know. i know. 

very amateur.

but i sure did have fun snapping these photos.

 

if only i had my very own camera...

christmas?

mom?

dad?

haha.

be expecting some more works of art soon. 

love, 

chan.

ps. who just received a surprise letter in the mail that had been sitting in her mailbox ALL DAY because she had no idea her cute missionary boyfriend was sending one??

THIS GIRL.

shocker.

but really. best letter ever.

i wonder how russia is...

 

a lot more joy.

what were you doing at approximately 7 this morning?

wanna know what i was doing?
answering a phone call from an unknown number.
with MY BOY ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONEEEE.

i cannot put into words the joy that surged through my soul.
i was instantly full of so much emotion.
but in the end, peace and comfort.
to hear his voice was the best. better than i could have imagined.
now, i understand it has only been two and a half months, but when i am used to an everyday conversation, it gets a little rough to not hear his voice.
ah.
i promised him i wouldn't cry.
yeah right. like Chandler Hanna Daniels could hold back tears.
thats a joke.
i did stay strong through the first 17 minutes. the last 3 were the ones that got me.
"i have to go board the plane now. i love you."
tears. more than expected.
happy, of course.

i tell myself this every single day, but i didn't think it was possible to love this boy more that i already do.
it is possible.

man, oh man.
relive those 20 minutes? i would give anything.
good thing christmas is only 12 days away!!

one the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me...
the best phone call of my life.

haha.
love you all.

xoxo,
chan

the joys.

sheesh.

life is a bit nuts.

but i love it.

so much is going on.

school, work, finals, the whole shebang.

and lets throw in my best friend's wedding plans, my other best friend's new baby boy, the Christmas season sneaking up on me, AND the fact that my sweet missionary leaves for Russia TOMORROW!

ooh the joy this all brings to me. 

i seriously am in love with everything going on right now.

i am just very very ready to be back in my home sweet home surrounded by my two families and snuggling baby b! AH. cannot wait!!

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of the year. you can't help but be cheery and happy the whole month of December. 

I had to speak in sacrament yesterday on the Savior and the Faith i have in Him.

I love preparing talks. The actual talking part is def not my fave, but when it is spoken through the Spirit, it is the best feeling ever. I am so grateful for My Savior and this time that allows everyone to have Him be the focus. 

sorry i am not going into detail.

but lets just say, this week can go as fast as it pleases.

i am so ready to see this little stud.

Blayden is just as excited to meet his Aunty Channy. I just know it.

Congrats Court and Marcus!! Love you guys SO much!!!!

obsession is allowed.

this song will be a favorite of mine forever, for multiple reasons.

and my new found love of these fine men just add fuel to that burning fire of love.

enjoy.