savior, redeemer of my soul

please listen to this song.

performed by dallyn vail bayles, with jenny oaks baker on violin

if you've seen the movie 17 miracles, you might recognize this arrangement by rob gardner. i remember loving it when i watched that film, and then one of my home teachers sang this same arrangement in our sacrament meeting recently, with the violin and piano accompaniment, and it gave me goosebumps. the other day i heard someone playing it on the piano in the wilk, and i looked it up as soon as i got home. i was having a really hard day, and i just played this video on youtube and i honestly started crying. it's really beautiful and just what i needed. i hope it resonates with you too.

gratitude (and gratuitous photos of myself)

november through december is my favorite time of the year. and while i love having the holidays as an excuse to eat more food than i even knew was possible, i'm more grateful for them as a reminder to me of how blessed i am. sometimes it's hard to look past the commercialization and superficiality that have become so mainstream in this season, but i love that the very nature of thanksgiving and christmas points us to the lord and helps us to recognize our many blessings, especially the gift of our savior.

i was blessed to spend last week in the most delightful and lazy way: sleeping in, spending time with my sister and cousins, hanging out with a couple of my roommates who were still in town, and watching these delightful movies. my sister and i went to her friend's house for thanksgiving and spending the day with her family was so nice. and delicious. (we had nine different types of pie.)

i was literally going to explode.

liz and i made two pecan pies... who knew that pecans cost $12 for a little bag?! highway robbery, macey's, but they were delicious and totally worth it.

i am grateful for my family, my friends, the opportunity to go to BYU, and the gospel of jesus christ. i am also grateful for the tender mercies of the lord—he is constantly blessing me more than i ever deserve. also thanks, liz, for the photos.

i am also grateful for free $10 gift cards to sammy's, and their burgers and shakes which are nothing less than heavenly! i went there today and i had an amazing burger and this red velvet cupcake shake. ohhhhhhh and it was free, too. best. day. ever.

i can't believe this semester has gone by so quickly! just a week and a half more of classes, five final exams, and i'll be on a plane to philadelphia. i can't wait to be home with my family! i miss them lots, especially this girl. and i'm excited, as always, for our little family tradition of a trip to new york city during christmas break. i've missed that place.

15 days.

wanderlust

monte carlo, cairo, paris, santorini, and london via pinterest

aren't these pictures beautiful?

between my art history classes and my french class, i don't think i've gone a day this semester without thinking about how badly i want to travel. the most exotic place i've ever been is canada, and while canada is lovely, i can't wait to really go abroad. my sister spent this past summer in siena, italy through an internship program with BYU, and she got to travel all over italy and to paris and london. (if you want to get super jealous/see some really beautiful photographs, check out her blog archives here and here and here.) after hearing all about her experience and seeing her pictures, i'm really dying to go. hopefully i can save enough money to be able to apply for this art history study abroad next year. it's my dream program—i would spend the majority of time in france (hourra!) and also visit england, austria, belgium, and the netherlands! i think i would die of happiness. for now though, i'll keep swooning over my travel pinboard on pinterest and this pretty little video i'm obsessed with. happy friday!

miscellany

it's rainy and freezing this week in provo. i was so excited yesterday when i got a package from my mom and opened it to find a pair of yellow rain boots! perfect timing and i love them. also i think rainy days call for rainy day music and i've been listening to these two songs over and over. i'm so obsessed with adele right now. really though, i love her. this cover of hers gives me chills.

monday was my dearest cousin/roomie catherine's birthday! she's officially 20 now,

and of course she had to have a harry potter cake. ugly but delicious.

happy thursday!
i'm sipping hot chocolate while i watch modern family on hulu. #bliss

the end of an era

i still can't stop thinking about harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2.

it made me laugh especially the part when voldemort hugged draco. and when voldemort and harry hugged each other and jumped off a cliff... voldy was just all about the hugs this movie, huh. sharin' the love... typical voldemort.

it made me cry okay more like sob uncontrollably for half of the movie. snape's memory had me bawling like a baby, and that was before we even got to fred and tonks and lupin.

it made me cheer yeahhh mrs. weasley and neville. also can i just ask, when did neville get so attractive?

basically i loved every second of it.

for the midnight showing, lauren and i dressed up as bellatrix lestrange and professor trelawney. barely anyone else in our theater dressed up though! lame.

i want to go see it again and again. also if you love hp, you should watch this.

and this.

everyone talking about the end of harry potter makes me so sad! the end? pshhh it's just time to read the sorcerer's stone again. i love those books so much and it's been amazing to watch how they've changed a generation. i'll be reading them forever and as nerdy as this sounds i'm really excited to read harry potter with my own kids someday.

 source

mischief managed.

just a little youtube

you should watch this. it will make you feel great about life.

and you should watch this. it will make you feel great about nick jonas.

be cool.

via weheartit

manual labor in 100 degree heat + humidity is not my favorite. so naturally, this week wasn't my favorite because that's what i spent 40 hours doing. but it's all good, and you know why?

popsicles.

i'm pretty sure popsicles may be the only reason i survived this week. the heat really was brutal, but we had the bright idea to stock the freezer at work with lots and lots of popsicles and, let me tell you, a freezer full of popsicles does wonders for morale. and heat stroke.

another reason i survived this week?

paychecks.

after more than a month of working full-time without seeing a dime, i finally got some of my paychecks. and i'm pretty sure that's one of the best feelings. money, sweet money. not to sound greedy or materialistic or anything.

some other things that made this week bearable:

-this movie trailer. i won't tell you how many times i've watched it because you would definitely judge me.

-discovering this website. keep calm and carry on has become sort of cliché, but this is by far the best version i've ever seen. hp foreveeeeer

-yeah, yeah, call me a dork, but i can't stop thinking about the hunger games. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT 285 DAYS FOR THE MOVIE? okay don't hate i might have just started a countdown...

-tie-dye friday. or if you say it like my co-workers so it rhymes, "tie-dye fri-die." now that i actually work with some girls, unlike in past years where i've always been way outnumbered by middle-aged men, [no offense, guys] we actually have some fun at work. and we decided wearing tie-dye on fridays is a must. so we made it official.

that's it. hope you have a wonderful saturday.

my huckleberry friend

although audrey's version of this song will always be my favorite,

i really love this one too.

that's all.

massive catch-up post numba 2.

remember that time i was doing a 30 day challenge? cool.

day 17 - someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

kristen wiig. she is so so so fantastic and being on snl is something i have always thought would be THE COOLEST THING EVER.

day 18 - plans/dreams/goals you have

summer bucket list:

it's still in the works...

-wawa and cream valley asap when i get home

-super special secret photoshoot in new york city

lauren, i'll tell you when i get home! be excited.

-go to the met and find pieces i've studied in art history

-reread the entire harry potter series

-chaperone youth conference in my stake

-see harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 at midnight or on opening day

-philly cheesesteaks and the art museum

-beach trips as much as possible

-may day with becca and the wanlass fam

-lauren, wanna camp in the backyard one night like old times??

-make one new recipe per week

-tie-dye sesh with lauren

-get back in shape....ahhh the good old days before the cannon center

day 19 - nicknames you have and why you have them

i never used to have very many nicknames, but since there are five girls in my ward here named emily/ee, i got quite a few of them this year.

everyone in my fam has always called me em, and cat calls me emmy a lot. the girls in my hall always call me vandy or sometimes vans or vander. caro occassionally calls me more ridiculous things...like darth vander or baby v. [which always makes me think of the intro tothis song. ahaha.] and sometimes she sings the aaron carter song "i want candy" but changes the words so it's "i want vandy." it's pretty great.

day 20 - someone you love

my little sister, lauren.

she is always so happy and positive. she makes me laugh every day. she's such a great friend to everyone she knows. plus she's adorable and super stylin.

day 21 - a picture of something that makes you happy

hey cat and liz...remember how all the greatest drawings and games of MASH happen on plane rides? we're def playing MASH on our flight on thursday. just you wait.

day 22 - what makes you different from everyone else

okay this is random because i feel like there are actually lots of things that make me different from others, but one thing i never realized about myself until i came to college is my memory for movie quotes. that's so random, but it's what i'm best known for in my hall. i can quote almost any movie or youtube video i've ever seen and i remember the quotes and i'm pretty good at the impressions or accents and the girls in my hall never get over it. they think it's so impressive and their reactions are what i think is so funny. they force me to quote movies all the time and they make me act out all the quotes on the quote wall in our hall. i don't mind though. i love quoting movies. liz and i basically speak in movie quotes.

day 23 - something you crave for a lot

ice cream. curse you, byu creamery/taylor hall vending machines. it's a love/hate relationship.

day 24 - your last five facebook statuses

[looking back at them, i realized about 50% of my facebook statuses from the past several months are byu basketball-related. this makes me proud.]

finals schminals.

being done with classes would be exciting if it didn't mean now i get to study for my six final exams.

jimmer, i love you forever.

florida's about to get jimmered. ELITE EIGHT, BABY.

[if only...]

is in the library. the closing music tonight is none other than friday by rebecca black. ahahahahaha

day 25 - what one would find in your bag

cell phone, keys, money, id card, lip gloss and chapstick, sunglasses, pink ipod nano, and sunscreen.

day 26 - what you think about your friends

i love and miss my friends from back home. as for my friends from freshman year here at byu, i'm so happy and grateful i got to know them. i'm going to miss them so much and i can't wait for our movie nights and reunions all the time in the fall. i feel like i've adopted everyone's different catchphrases, i'm going to miss all their quotes on our quote wall, and i love different things about each of them. i know that they have each really helped my testimony grow and i can definitely see their influences in my life. i love them all a whole lot.

day 27 - why you are doing this 30 day challenge

some friends of mine did it, and i thought it would be fun.

day 28 - a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?

i feel like i've changed a lot since i came to college. i'm much more independent, i think i've gained a greater desire to be positive in my attitude and thinking, i definitely have a stronger testimony, and i think i've learned a lot about being a friend.

day 29 - what you have learned in this past month

i'm really great at 30 day challenges...

day 30 - your favorite song

i can never pick one favorite, but these are two of my faves.

mood music.

these are just some songs i've been listening to and loving a lot lately.

i love this song and i love that whoever made this video filmed it in philadelphia and at the jersey shore. i'm going back home to the east coast.

lenka's adorable and i love her music so much. i can't wait for her new album to come out this month!

enjoy.

i'm obsessed...

...with nick jonas in les misérables.

i had heard all about his role in the les mis 25th anniversary concert in london last year, and i'd seen lots of pictures, etc. but i had yet to see any videos of him playing marius.

until yesterday.

i can't get enough.

lady gaga + newsies

...who knew?

"i love checklists!"

the title of this blog post is a reference to the hilarious movie meet the robinsons. although mine usually don't include items like "ruin science fair" or "get that @*#$% boy" i, like bowler hat guy/mike yagoobian, also love checklists. and i wish that i had a unicorn binder like his to keep my checklists in.

i just had a super productive day. i love when at the end of the day i actually get to cross off everything from my to do list!

this is what i did today:

✓ went to class

✓ fixed my internet router AND printer [yay!]

✓ returned some books i didn't need and bought my new art history textbook

✓ bought notebooks for all my classes

✓ got my ecclesiastical endorsement interview done for next year

✓ cleaned my bedroom

✓ did two loads of laundry

✓ called my family

✓ did my homework

good night!

p.s. for some enjoyment during your breaks from productivity...