que sera, sera

why hello, february

2012-02-01T11:15:00.003-07:00

Can you believe it's February?! I sure can't. But I'm super happy about it. I love February.

Today, I wanted to share a little project for the month of February. Have you seen those photo-a-day challenges on Twitter and Instagram? Thanks to a post from my lovely friend Leah, I decided to join her in one of these challenges for February! (Go look at her blog to see the full list of themes!)

Thirty days. Thirty photos. Who's wants to join us?!

Photo No. 1 "Your View Today"

I will be uploading these to Twitter and Instagram daily ... follow along if you'd like! You can find me at @seramaines on both services. :)

the melting pot

2012-01-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

For my birthday dinner Danny took me to the Melting Pot! I had never been to one before so I was extremely excited. As it was a super special occasion, he ordered the "Big Night Out" four course meal (!) ... cheese, salad, an entree, and chocolate. I can't even describe how much I loved this meal. Everything was so fresh and full of flavor.

the cheese course

First, I love pumpernickel bread. Favorite. Second, who knew apples and melted cheese went together so well?!

the main course

Here we have a combo of sea food, beef and chicken. I loved getting the chance to cook my own meat. Very fun. And I couldn't believe how quickly it cooked!

the chocolate course

Go ahead, just look at everything on that plate. And then imagine it dipped in chocolate. Amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Thank you, Danny!

twenty-two.

2012-01-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

flowers from my man + birthday cake + little party

2012-01-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

“Those who are not looking for happiness are the most likely to find it, because those who are searching forget that the surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

breakfast, anyone?

2012-01-12T09:41:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to compile a good go-to list for healthier breakfast options. I find that I always eat better when I plan out my meals. So I asked some friends to describe their favorite healthy breakfasts. Don't these all sound amazing?

Leslie: "Omelette stuffed with veggies, bacon and cheese; to drink, fresh juice or peppermint tea. Here's the omelet I had this morning: shaved asparagus, grated parmesan, sliced bacon and red onion. It was delicious! You need to try it. I would suggest going easy on the onion though, cause it's really heavy and will weight down the egg when you try to flip it."

Danny: "Scrambled eggs with ham and spinach and toast with strawberry jam. Or oatmeal and fruit."

Lindsay: "What I have for breakfast at work a lot: greek yogurt w/ berries, toast with almond butter and slices of banana on top." Great for those on the go!

Leah: "Tillamook Vanilla Bean yogurt, sliced strawberries and almond granola. Mmmmm."

Allie: "Smoothies with vanilla soy milk, ice, frozen berries, other fresh fruit, and a very small touch of frozen yogurt or cottage cheese. Obviously certain fruit combos are better than others- strawberries and bananas, blueberries and raspberries, etc. Also if breakfast comes right before exercise: real oatmeal (not packaged instant) with brown sugar and a little bit of maple syrup."

What's your favorite healthy breakfast?! I'd love to add to the list!

links for your saturday

2012-01-07T17:39:00.000-07:00

These food flags are fun and creative.

A painting elephant?! And an explanation.

I love these funny women!

Five ways to display your photos.

I relate to these all too well.

My friend's brother is embarking on a very cool project ... wanna help?

A good reminder.

January seems like the perfect month for this soup.

I'm obsessed. This cover is amazing.

Thanks for dropping by -- have a lovely weekend!

2012-01-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,

Whispering 'it will be happier,' ...

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

2011-12-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Taking engagement pictures today! So excited!

[picture via]

wishing you a happy holiday!

2011-12-27T11:07:00.002-07:00

Hello World!

I hope that each of you had a very merry Christmas, that you were able to spend time with loved ones, and that time stopped just long enough for you to reflect on all the goodness that surrounds you.

As the new year draws closer, I hope that each of us will try to be a little bit better -- more kind to each other, more quick to forgive and forget, more willing to give others the benefit of the doubt, slower to speak (and think!) evil of others -- that we may be a happier people in 2012. :)

Happy holidays and God bless you all!

- SM

[photo via]

instagrams: as of late

2011-12-13T14:00:00.001-07:00

1. HOT COCOA WITH MARSHMALLOWS

2. MY FIRST VISIT TO THE UTAH MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

3. FUTURE LOCATIONS OF ME & ME SISTERS

4. GREEK YOGURT WITH GRANOLA & HONEY

5. ADVENT CALENDAR ACTIVITIES WHILE STUDYING
6. DANNY'S EAGLE SCOUT AWARD PLAQUE (ON A VISIT TO HIS CHURCH)

7. SCULPTURE PROJECT FOR MY STUDIO ART CLASS
8. A MID-EVENING BREAK ON Y MOUNTAIN WITH AHLIN

9. 14 PAGE TERM PAPER - COMPLETED
10. WARM SOUP ON A SNOWY DAY

2011-12-12T09:54:00.001-07:00

just five more days until i'm done with my semester. and then i can focus all my attention on family, friends and wedding details ... :)

the holiday spirit

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

hi world! let me tell you a little something about myself. i love celebrating holidays.

especially christmas. (yes, i start listening to christmas music before thanksgiving. go ahead, judge me.)

so i want to start compiling a list of all the festive things i would like to do this holiday season.

here's my question - what do YOU do to get in the holiday spirit?!

i would love your thoughts!

xo,
sm

p.s. how adorable is this picture?! right?!

*photo from a beautiful mess via organized mess

grateful.

2011-11-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

As I described in my last post, Danny and I (naturally) spent much of the holiday cooking. I decided that it would be fun to document it! So I made this little video for us. Hope you enjoy it!

I've been thinking about last year's Thanksgiving, this Thanksgiving, and next year's Thanksgiving. Each has been and will be so different. Last year I was in Scotland, celebrating Thanksgiving in a pub with some of my dearest friends. This year I am in Utah, celebrating with my lovely family. Next year I will be in San Francisco, celebrating with my darling fiancé. Life is pretty crazy, huh? I'm so grateful for all the craziness.

We had such a wonderful holiday. It was filled with yummy comfort food, tons of movies, and mini dance parties. I am so thankful for this season that reminds me of how truly blessed I am and to be grateful for the big and little things. Like warm socks. And apple butter. That stuff is important too right? :)

So on that note, I think I'll take this quote by John Milton and make it my new motto: "Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."

some photos from the holiday ...

2011-11-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

For my family's Thanksgiving feast Danny and I helped out by making seven different dishes. Are you ready for the list?

+ sausage, apple, walnut stuffing

+ basic stuffing

+ brown sugared sweet potatoes with marshmallows

+ southern cornbread

+ garlic green beans

+ apple butter pumpkin pie

+ apple pie

It was quite the undertaking, so much so that we started the night before! But of course, we had so much fun!

Here are a few pictures from the cooking ...

And a few pictures at dinner ...

Hope everyone had a yummy, fun, relaxing and safe holiday spent with their loved ones!

thanksgiving eve

2011-11-23T16:59:00.001-07:00

as you might imagine, danny and i have big plans for thanksgiving. we've spent the last two days planning our dishes and getting the ingredients. of course that meant we had to get some peppermint hot chocolate while we worked.

my mom is making the turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce and we're making the rest of the feast! including a special dish that uses the spiced apple butter. :) we've chosen some really tasty sides. i can't wait to share the recipes with you! and of course some pictures ...

until then, happy cooking!

p-i-z-z-a

2011-11-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

did you ever watch those mary-kate and ashley olsen "you're invited" party videos? i remember one where they made pizza and put everything in their fridge on it. and sang about it.

i've been wanting to make homemade pizza for quite some time now. and last saturday seemed like the perfect time - so danny and i got to it!

it was a pretty good first run - we definitely learned a few tricks! like, put the dough directly onto the pan instead of trying to slide it on while totally ripping it apart. yep, that happened.

not bad, eh? i'm excited to try out different toppings in the future. and to learn how to spin the dough around in the air like a boss.

for sale

2011-11-19T13:55:00.001-07:00

Like many other bloggers, I have decided to open up an eBay account and sell some of my stuff! I'm really excited about my first item - just added today! I bought this beautiful bag at a little boutique in Idaho last summer. If you're interested, here's the link.

2011-11-18T10:32:00.001-07:00

because she is the best friend ever, ahlin brought me & leslie jamba juice smoothies on tuesday when she found out we were writing papers.

i had the new apple cinnamon cheer one. [so good!] it was such a nice surprise and definitely gave me a much-needed boost.

thank you, ahlin!

p.s. a sweet post about lady who gave random acts of kindness in her community to celebrate her birthday. very inspiring. :)

dinner & dessert

2011-11-17T10:13:00.001-07:00

wanna see what danny and i made for dinner and dessert last friday night?

dinner = braised pork chops with cherry sauce + garlic red mashed potatoes + blackberry salad (courtesy of my mom!)

dessert = lemon mousse with raspberry sauce

all of it was SO good. cherries are like my favorite thing ever soo ..... we'll be making this again. :)

treat yo'self!

2011-11-09T12:15:00.002-07:00

the universe decided to love me today.

when i woke up this morning i had an email with the following subject line: "treat yourself [insert other unimportant words here.]"

of course i immediately thought of donna and tom (parks and recreation). in one of the episodes they take a whole day (once a year) to treat themselves -- to whatever they want, just for the heck of it! they call it, "treat yo'self". best thing ever right?

anyway, i figured i'd had an abed (community) moment where my real life collided with television: donna and tom had sent me that e-mail so that i would treat myself today. because, let's be honest -- after completing my last (and hardest) midterm of the semester, that kind of action needed to be taken.

i didn't go crazy like tom and donna, but i did 'treat myself' to a pumpkin smash smoothie from jamba juice. something i'd been craving all season. but, it didn't stop there. jamba decided to treat me too with a free chocolate chip cookie (after taking a 30 second survey)!

so if, like me, you've already had a super stressful week (and it's only wednesday), take it from me -- treat yo'self!

homemade apple pie

2011-11-07T12:51:00.001-07:00

let's get one thing straight: i love pie. like seriously love it. and for a long time now i've wanted to make a pie. so i started small. over the summer i made a blueberry pie using pre-made pie dough -- just to get my feet wet. more recently i've wanted to make a pie all-completely-totally from scratch.

naturally, i recruited danny into this little project of mine. and because he's the bee's knees, he became just as excited as i was, immediately writing his grandma for her famous "perfect pie crust" recipe.

soon the plans of one pie turned into three. we decided we would make an apple pie, a pumpkin pie, and a cherry pie (my absolute favorite), all from scratch by the end of the year.

over the weekend, we made our first one: apple pie.

using danny's grandma's perfectly flakey pie crust, paula deen's apple pie filling, and my grandma's apples, we made quite a delicious pie! so much so that we'll probably make another one (along with pumpkin) for thanksgiving. :)

dressing up

2011-11-06T18:28:00.001-07:00

for halloween this year we had a little family party at my parents' house. it was so much fun - i love celebrating any sort of holiday! all of us (the kids, that is) dressed up, too!

danny and i dressed up like chuck bass and blair waldorf from gossip girl. and just so everyone knows, danny was just as into it as i was. let us not forget how much he loves gossip girl.

allie's family dressed up as cowboys and indians. it was adorable. and hannah and jake were baseball players. do i know which ones? of course not. #iknownothingaboutbaseball

the night included: pizza, halloween candy, sparkling cider, pumpkin pie, and "it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown" ... you could say the night was a major success. :)

the ring

2011-10-25T09:39:00.000-06:00

I went into the whole engagement ring process knowing next to nothing about rings. Seriously. I didn't even know my ring size. So I started doing a little research. After a bit of browsing, I fell in love with the oval cut. It seemed very ... me.

Then it came time to search for the perfect band. Not more than five minutes into our appointment with the jeweler, I'd found it. Of course I tried on a bunch of bands [how often do you get to try on a bunch of fancy rings?!], but I kept coming back to this one. I was totally set. So we paired the two together and voila! -- my perfect ring!

I absolutely adore how it turned out! I think it has sort of a vintage-y feel and I love that.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Danny!

i'm engaged!

2011-10-23T21:25:00.001-06:00

As you may have noticed, there's this boy that I talk about all the time on this blog. His name is Danny. And on Friday night we got engaged! :)

#storytime #storytime #storytime

About a month ago I planned for Danny and I to go on a double date with Leah (one of my closest friends and former roommate of two years) and her husband, Kyle. The Orchestra at Temple Square was putting on "An Autumn Concert" and I thought it would be so fun for us to go to it. #cultured

Fast forward a month later: We're up in SLC on our much anticipated double-date. [I couldn't wait to hang out with Leah and Kyle. They're hilarious. And hip.] We hit up Pei Wei's in Sandy for dinner and then head into the city. The concert is amazing. I find a new classical piece to obsess over [thank you, Gustav Mahler.]

orchestra at temple square

We head outside and Danny asks if we can just walk around for a few minutes. It's a pretty night and we [Kyle and Danny] want to take some pictures.

salt lake city temple + reflection pool

As we're strolling around the square, Danny begins to pull me away from the crowd of people. Do I catch on? No, of course not.

But then, he begins saying all those things that every girl wants to hear when a boy preposes to her. It hits me. My eyes start welling up. He gets down on one knee and pulls out a little velvet box. He asks me to marry him. And I answer with that little word I had imagined saying [at such an occasion] my entire life ... "yes!" Naturally, lots of hugs, kisses follow. :)

It was truly one of the happiest and most surreal moments of my entire life. And it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. [Not to mention, we had Kyle and Leah there snapping pictures for us! Thanks, you two!]

I love how candid the photos are. :)

So there you have it, folks! Danny and I will wed in early March! I can hardly wait to start our life together. :)

Get ready for all-things-wedding-related posts! :)

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

2011-10-21T09:43:00.002-06:00

last friday, danny and i spent a good part of the morning baking chocolate pumpkin cookies for family and friends - here's about 1/2 of them! :)

have i mentioned i love love love autumn?! more fall recipes to come! :)

blondies, anyone?

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

on tuesday night danny and i made white chocolate peanut butter cup blondies.

they were pretty amazing. i love white chocolate. :)

homecoming saturday

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-06:00

on saturday, i had two breakfasts.

first: birthday celebration for jen at magleby's. it was so much fun to catch up with jen, leslie and ahlin over french toast, omelets, and pancakes. i seriously need more roommate breakfasts in my life. happy birthday, jen! thanks for being a darling roomie, fantastic friend, and an amazing relief society president! xo

second: byu homecoming breakfast. rachel put together this awesome pancake stand so of course we had to stop by! (and see mr. adam ruri too!)

lots of pictures of blue pancakes. i was a little skeptical at first, but boy were they good!

reunited!

we also got to watch the homecoming parade, so i can check that off my byu bucketlist!

the afternoon was left to relaxing, watching "jane eyre" (i'm obsessed!), and getting noodles & co. with ahlin and danny.

and then it was time for the homecoming football game!

supporting our cougars!

a destination date night

2011-10-10T12:26:00.000-06:00

for our date on friday, danny and i took a little trip up to the snake creek grill in heber. the place was warm and cozy - perfect for the cold weather we've been having. :) and the food? absolutely delicious.

of course we took pictures of everything we ate (#bloggers4lyfe):

late night q & a: special guest danny

2011-10-06T00:42:00.001-06:00

q: why are you not studying for your test?
a: because i have seven hours till my test.

q: what would you rather be doing than studying for your test?
a: cooking food and watching hell's kitchen. and puzzles.

q: what is your favorite color of band aid?
a: i don't need them.

q: if you could be any animal, what would you be?
a: i don't like animals. but thanks for asking.

q: if you changed your twitter handle, what would it be?
a: dannythetaxman. just kidding that's really dumb.

and on that note folks, good night.

2011-10-05T00:55:00.000-06:00

it's getting chilly. and i couldn't be happier about it. :)

bring on the boots!

meet danny: my awesome boyfriend

2011-10-02T21:36:00.000-06:00

so i look over at danny, wearing his hood, and i start cracking up. i reach for my phone and then the following conversation happens:

him: are you gonna take a picture of me?
me: how did you know that?!
him: cause i'm awesome. want me to turn on the light so you have better lighting?

he is awesome.

p.s. he just informed me that he needed to watch last week's season premiere of gossip girl. and then said, "aren't i awesome for saying that?"

yes, danny, yes you are.

conference treats*

2011-10-02T20:49:00.000-06:00

a few weeks ago rachel posted on codi's wall about making pumpkin cinnamon rolls with maple cream cheese frosting for conference weekend. immediately, danny and i were all over that. so thank you, rachel for inspiring this week's treat!

"they were fantastic." - danny

but seriously. they were. and a total hit with danny's family!

*an explanation of the post title: i asked danny what i should call this post and this is what he said: "conference treats ... uhh. no. don't call it that. don't ask me. i'm an accountant."

autumn time = college football time

2011-10-01T12:32:00.000-06:00

now in my senior year at BYU, i figured that it was about time that i went to a football game or two. so the past two friday nights danny and i have done just that. it's been so fun to see our cougars pull through two close games, making my all-time fan appearance record: 2-0. :)

and now to fellow students, BYU alumni, and provo locals: what else do i need to do here at the Y/in provo before i graduate?

yeah, i'm going there.

2011-09-29T00:35:00.000-06:00

the night before i get to see danny after a few days of separation feels like christmas eve. and i get way too excited. #nosleep

cooking with danny

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

last saturday danny and i spent the evening in the kitchen making curried sweet potato soup, goat cheese biscuits, a strawberry & pear salad, and ginger ale. all from scratch. yes, even the ginger ale was homemade. my taste buds were in heaven.

time with grandma and grandpa

2011-09-27T13:22:00.001-06:00

a week ago allie, mark, and i had the chance to visit my grandparents. it was so good to spend time with them. at one point mark climbed onto my grandpa's lap -- a very sweet moment that i was so happy to capture. i love my grandparents so much!

2011-09-23T09:36:00.002-06:00

is it weird if my life feels more complete now that fall tv is back?

cue:
sunday - pan am
monday - how i met your mother
tuesday - new girl
wednesday - up all night
thursday - community, parks and recreation, the office, 30 rock
saturday - saturday night live

life. is. good.

what shows will you be watching? any shows i should add?!

a september wedding

2011-09-16T13:06:00.000-06:00

Last week was a very happy and exciting time for Danny's family -- his older sister, Jessie, got married! The ceremony was so beautiful, Jessie was glowing, and the location was picture-perfect. Just take a look ...

The Bridal Party

Log Haven

Maddie & Danny

The Siblings (minus Matt)

Jamie & Danny

Jamie, Danny & Maddie

Danny & me

I had so much fun spending quality time Danny's family. Some of my favorite moments of the night included: Asian tourist poses, Maddie's dancing at the reception, and of course, the after-party with Jamie on the car ride home. #adventures

2011-09-13T12:37:00.000-06:00

the temperature is 70 degrees outside and i couldn't be happier about it. autumn is in the air ... :)

cue:

cool & crisp air

all things apple, pumpkin, and spice

crunchy colorful leaves

sweaters, socks, and scarves

remembering.

2011-09-11T21:52:00.003-06:00

I wasn't planning on writing a post regarding the events surrounding 9/11, but as the day went on, I felt the need to write all my thoughts and feelings down. More for my own sake, I guess. And maybe even for future generations. I want to share my personal account of September 11, 2001.

I was 11 years old. I was sitting in my sixth grade classroom in Oak Hill, Virginia. As we worked at our desks, teachers kept coming into our classroom to speak with my teacher, Mrs. Swanson. Not thinking much of it, I kept working. Then they turned on the news. The World Trade Center was under attack. I had no idea what the World Trade Center was, but then I heard the three words that would clarify everything for me. "The Twin Towers." The Twin Towers?! I knew what those were. I couldn't believe it. Two planes had flown into the Twin Towers?! The next thing I knew, parents began checking their kids out of school. It wasn't long before all of us were home, sitting in front of our TVs, watching the news on repeat.

Upon learning of the plane that hit the Pentagon, it suddenly became so terribly close to home - quite literally. The Pentagon was not more than ten miles from my childhood home. The plane that hit the Pentagon flew out of an airport located not more than five miles from my home. The hijacked plane flew right over our high school. A family friend of ours, reserved a ticket for this flight, but changed it at the last minute the night before. Truly all so very, very close to home. I remember sitting in front of the TV for the next few days, watching the footage over and over and over again. The images of both Manhattan and D.C., forever burned in my mind, are just as surreal to me today as they were back then.

Ten years later, I remember this day with great sobriety. My prayers go out to all those that lost their loved ones in these horrific events ten years ago. In the theme of remembering 9/11 Danny and I watched "United 93". I remember not being able to get past the first few minutes of the film when it aired on TV. It was all too real. But today I toughened up and watched it. And tough to watch it, it was. I shuddered at the thought of being on that flight, in the place of one of those valiant passengers. My heart broke over and over as I watched the phone calls to loved ones being made. As I looked over at Danny snoozing by my side, I thought about having to make that call to him. I thought about having to make that call to my mom, my dad, or my sisters. I couldn't even begin to imagine it. The thought terrifies me.

Though I will always feel the scars from the events that transpired on 9/11, I am so grateful that my loved ones were kept safe. Today's reminders have, in turn, reminded me that any day could be my last, that I should not take that fact, or the lives of those around me for granted.

I am also grateful for my country. I am so grateful for the heroes that came out of these events; the citizens that rerouted United 93, the citizens that went back up the stairs of the towers, truly anyone and everyone that fought to protect America and her people. The stories I've heard of such citizens have truly touched my heart. Though America is so often under criticism, we must not go so far as to overlook the good deeds performed by her citizens - citizens that fight to protect our right to live, a freedom that America is founded upon, a freedom that the terrorists took from the victims of that day. The right to live.

I love my New York. I love my Washington, D.C. I love my America. God bless all those that fought for her that day. May we not let the brave acts of those we lost be in vain. May we continue to keep America true. May we never forget.

reminiscing

2011-08-29T11:28:00.000-06:00

one year ago today i packed up my life in provo and moved to london, england.

the past few days or so i've been reminiscing the moments that led up to my four month hiatus: all the jitters that came with moving to a foreign country with people i didn't know, trying to imagine sharing a room with 12-14 girls, leaving my friends and family behind, and putting my life (somewhat) on hold for a few months. i was scared, but terribly excited.

i'd only dreamed of living in london. and then it happened. i was living in my favorite city in the world. i've lost count how many times i pinched myself just to make sure it was all real. i'm still so grateful to have had the opportunity to live in such a city, even if just for a few months. i'd like to think that i truly grew into myself in london, england. for that reason (and a million others) i will always consider london a piece of home.

on loyalty

2011-08-19T13:39:00.002-06:00

today i received this text from danny:

"I almost forgot about Arsenal vs Liverpool tomorrow!!! Come on you Reds!!! :)"

i know what most of you are probably thinking - sarah, why is this such a big deal? i will tell you. danny is a DIEHARD (could i emphasize that any more?) manchester united fan. and liverpool and united are kinda sorta semi-rivals. but danny kinda sorta semi-likes me. so he roots for my team. and i kinda sorta semi-like him for it. :)

elephant shortcut

2011-08-12T11:43:00.003-06:00

let me start off by saying how much i love music groups that have both male and female voices. the contrast makes for such a rich sound.

okay, now let me tell you a story.

in april of last year ahlin and i were sitting in her basement, chilling on her couch, and - per usual - gina had her guitar. at first she was just strumming, but then she started singing brandi carlisle's "that year". instantly, i fell in love with her voice. it was raw and real and gorgeous. seriously. i was like, can i just record her? would that be weird?

well friends, i didn't have to. because she joined up with her friend mitchell and now they have a band. they call themselves elephant shortcut. and they own that rich male/female sound that i love so very much. so if you love/crave/obsess over music as much as i do, or even if you kinda like music, you should probably check them out.

p.s. i really like this song. being from VA and all. :)

i can't be the only person that reads this

2011-08-07T22:56:00.000-06:00

me: what will you do if a shark eats me?
danny: i'd cry forever, but then i'd go punch the shark and rip you out of his body, and hopefully you'll still be alive #jonahandthewhale

that is true love, my friends.

california in july: part two

2011-07-31T13:55:00.004-06:00

sunday was saved for disneyland. it was awesome. and happy. and magical. take a look ...

storytime: so of the 15 or so rides that danny and i went on, three of them broke down right after we went on them. two of them broke down at the very end of our turn. example in the photo on the left: a man fixing our ship that, coincidentally, broke the peter pan ride. so how does disneyland respond to us jinxing all their rides? by giving us a pass to hop the line of any ride of our choice. thanks, walt. youda youda best.

a photographic gem -- splash mountain: danny making the "call of duty" sign and colby pointing him saying, "this guy!" and me hysterically laughing.

storytime: so danny and i asked this lady to take this classic picture of us by the mickey mouse face. apparently some other people had the same idea and stepped into our frame. the lady quickly looked over at the them and flat out said, "wow." embarrassed, they moved over a few feet. it was awesome. thanks, lady.

while colby was still out on the disneyland town, danny and i ended the day with ahlin, t-bell and a little how i met your mother. i should have taken a picture of all three of us cuddled up under the covers. perfect way to wind down? i think so.

thank you, danny, for taking pictures! and thank you (again!) to ahlin and her family for putting me up a few more days! you're too kind. :)

a random thought

2011-07-30T00:41:00.001-06:00

today on phineas and ferb, candace busted her brothers. yes, she actually busted them. my world was shattered. what is supposed to happen now? that was like half the premise of the show. and now i feel like a confused and lost puppy.

p.s. for some reason, whenever i start a disney channel original movie, i have to watch it. like, have to. that walt sure knows how to hook me.

2011-07-29T12:35:00.000-06:00

"what a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't happened yet."

- little reminders of love

california in july: part one

2011-07-28T14:14:00.001-06:00

over the pioneer day weekend holiday danny, colby, and i took a roadtrip to california! i was so excited, not only for the fun itinerary we had planned, but to (once again) see ahlin! especially over the anniversary of our friendship. yes, we have an anniversary. two years baby!

we got in thursday evening and had a BBQ with ahlin's family. i love her family. they are hilarious. i'm sad i didn't get any pictures for the blog -- but know that we had a blast eating steak, playing bananagrams, and listening to colby tell jokes to aunt amy. after dinner we hit up yogurtland for some fro-yo. overall, a great first night!

saturday morning we drove down to huntington beach! (i can finally check that off my list ... ) it was beautiful. got in some much needed sunbathing & wave riding time.

quick story: colby picked up aunt amy's rollerblades, strapped them on, and went flying down the drive way. i'm still laughing about it.

that evening we drove up to LA for the dodgers/nationals game!

quick story: so, bill nye the science guy happened to be sitting a few seats down from us. this (quite plastered) guy, pictured waving on the left, told us if we wanted a picture of bill nye, he would go over and tell bill to look over at us. bill looked over and bill waved. it was a watershed moment for me. thanks to ahlin, we got an up close picture of bill with his family. he, like me, was representing the nats among a sea of dodgers fans. thanks for shaping my childhood, bill nye. p.s. science rules.

GO NATS!

thanks to ahlin & danny for the photos!

i love this.

2011-07-27T12:58:00.000-06:00

california in june: part three

2011-07-25T23:30:00.001-06:00

location: carlsbad & long beach

on friday we drove down to carlsbad to have lunch with ahlin's dad and hang out at the beach.

excited.

lunch. please note that her dad (the health nut) and i ordered the same thing. #veggieburgersftw

i love the ocean.

on our way to ahlin's dad's house we passed this strange little car. check out the guy looking right at my camera. priceless.

mr. griffith cooked us a delicious meal and we watched "much ado about nothing". a classic (that i finally got around to seeing) and i loved it. i love shakespeare and i love kenneth branagh. (yes ben & nikki. i said it.)

we flew back home on saturday morning ...

i had to get a picture of this tiny airport. every airline can be seen in this photo. and all the gates are in one room. crazy.

hannah and i had a blast. and as always, three days was not enough time! thank you so much to ahlin and her so-very-generous family for making us feel at home!

the kooks: LA edition

2011-07-25T21:59:00.000-06:00

after a day in long beach, we drove up to L.A. to see the kooks play at the troubadour - a little intimate venue in the city. it was perfect. :)

oh how i love my kooks. :)

california in june: part two

2011-07-20T14:26:00.003-06:00

locations: long beach + L.A.

hannah and i woke up thursday morning to breakfast all set up for us - seriously, we were treated like royalty by ahlin and her aunt and uncle.

fruit loops + grapefruit juice = breakfast of champions.

after taking our leisurely time to get ready ahlin took us to downtown long beach, showed us around a bit and then dropped us off to explore the city.

the queen mary. docked in long beach since 1937. (google it.) note of interest: the ship is home to a ghost named sarah. true story.

i love boats. especially when they're named "desperado".

pretty cool architecture.

seal beach & the coastline. i love lifeguard stands. i don't know what it is about them, but i think they're super cool.

lunchtime. how cool are those colorful shops? lunch included: crab cakes and clam chowder. i love clam chowder.

structures that have to do with light (i.e. lighthouses and lamp posts) mesmerize me. and they make for pretty cool polaroids. :)

yes. it is exactly what you think it is. children rolling around a pool in plastic bubbles. it was kind of hilarious.

the rest of the day was devoted to driving to L.A. and seeing the kooks! but that, my friends, deserves it's own post. :)

more to come!

on my mind

2011-07-17T00:20:00.002-06:00

+ these ten little letters.
+ this message of comfort.
+ these words of wisdom.
+ this adorable image.

california in june: part one

2011-07-12T17:02:00.003-06:00

Location: Long Beach

A few weeks ago Hannah and I flew out to California to visit my best friend and see The Kooks play a show in L.A.!

The trip over was pretty smooth minus the hour long delay - cue: Starbucks & Pandora Radio.

Thank you Vanilla Bean frap & banana bread for making the hour go by much faster.

Ahlin picked us up at (the tiniest) airport in Long Beach - I ran to hug her, NBD, and then she took us to 2nd Street to get some dinner. How about some Southern Californian Mexican food?! Cue: Super Mex.

It was delicious and authentic. But then again, what do I know about authentic Mexican food? I take that back - I'm 1/8 Mexican. Detecting authenticity is my blood.

More to come!

2011-07-04T12:12:00.000-06:00

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

- Langston Hughes, an excerpt from Let America Be America Again

to the sea!

2011-07-01T16:59:00.004-06:00

my friends and i love planning parties. especially themed parties. (remember my hipster party?) so in planning ahlin's 21st birthday/going away party, we had to go all out. we decided on a "nautical" theme. (i.e. boats, sperrys, stripes ... you get the idea.) i don't have pictures of everything, but know that it was kind of a big deal.

yes, there just happened to be a boat parked in our party location. thank you to matt and gabe for making it look pretty!

party-goers.

lifesaver cake. :)

leah's husband, kyle, breakdancing. no big deal.

me + leslie + jen + katie + leah + ahlin

obligatory titanic shot.

obligatory hipster shot.

my other half.

me and danny.

the after party.

ahlin, you are the abed to my troy, the monica to my rachel, the barney to my ted, the buster to my arthur, the sails to my boat. thanks for making my wolf pack, not just one wolf, but two. bahahaha :) luhyou&happybirthday!

2011-06-21T13:43:00.002-06:00

i'm kind of obsessed with this song and video right now. makes me want to go to japan.

noah & the whale.

2011-06-14T15:40:00.002-06:00

A few years ago Hannah introduced me to this little band called Noah & the Whale. Between the English accents, quirky music videos and fiddling, I fell in love. Needless to say I was thrilled when I found out they'd be coming to SLC.

The show opened with The Bahamas. Check out a video clip here. I love the old school sound with the addition of female backup singers!

And then the boys came out ...

Love love love these guys. They were wonderful. And just the little bit of English happiness I needed.

And of course, here are some videos: Blue Skies, My Door is Always Open, Rocks and Daggers, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., 5 Years Time, and The First Days of Spring.

cause i'll be laughing at all your silly little jokes.

2011-06-08T13:29:00.000-06:00

so after seeing these guys live last week, i'm kind of obsessed with this song again. and don't worry i'll post pictures and videos from the concert soon. :)

2011-06-07T14:45:00.003-06:00

so in the past few days not one, but two of my friends have sent me this video. i think that's a sign that i'm [officially] obsessed with bradley cooper.

bavarian sugar cookies.

2011-06-01T15:50:00.002-06:00

"sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank god for bavarian sugar cookies and, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten danish, soft-spoken secrets, and fender stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. they are here to save our lives."

- stranger than fiction

ernest.

2011-05-30T14:19:00.006-06:00

Okay, story time. Let's go back to my eighth grade English class. We have just been assigned to read a biography. I begin to shuffle through the pile of books my teacher set out for us. One catches my eye - it has a ship on the cover. It's about Ernest Shackleton. My thoughts go something like this: I have no idea who in the world that man is, but that ship is awesome. (For those of you that don't know, I love "the sea" and anything to do with it.)

Fast forward seven years or so. I'm sitting here writing this post. Knowing and loving the story those pages held, I wish I could say I picked the book for more than just the cool ship on its cover. Ernest Shackleton, an Irish arctic explorer from the early 20th century, has become a real hero of mine. As I read of his struggles, his bravery, his will power and his yearn for exploration, I came to love this man.

(As a little side note, while living in London I learned that Shackleton lived in my flat at one point. I was kind of beside myself when I saw the plaque in our library.)

And now I come to the reason for posting this story. Among the stories of courage this biography told was an excerpt from one of Shackleton's favorite poems. These words have come to be some of my favorite in the world of poetry. And I've been inspired to live, as Shackleton did, by these words.

Cue: Alfred Lord Tennyson's Ulysess

That which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate,

But strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

2011-05-25T21:40:00.000-06:00

"courage is the power to let go of the familiar." - raymond lindquist

#willfitz

2011-05-20T23:15:00.001-06:00

hello world! you've probably figured out by now how much i love music. especially live music. this past week i had the chance to see mr. william fitzsimmons live in SLC at urban lounge (a cool place voted "best hipster hang" and "best hipster spotting" - i.e. my heaven). i took nikki and ben with me. #indiemusicnoobs

ben never does anything i say. like, "oh hey can you smile for this picture? normally?" nope. he can't.

she's not leaving me. she's not leaving me. she's not leaving me. #denial

and mr. fitzwilliams himself! does it look like i was standing right in front of him? because i totally was. did i hyperventilate for a second? maybe. did i have to constrain myself not to reach out and give him a fist bump? no, because fist bumps are lame. that was a trick question. a high-five though? most definitely.

the drummer from "slow runner" was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. awesome. (as were the other members of the band.)

did i mention that i love him?

out in the crowds ...

on CLOUD NINE. slash the stage. before they kicked me off.

the concert was off the chain. and by that i mean it was cool. and super chill. and he sounded just as (if not more) amazing live. seriously, take a listen to a few clips from the concert: if you would come back home, from the water, the winter from her leaving, goodmorning. you will probably [also] fall in love with him. because he sounds like an angel. word.

2011-05-19T13:48:00.000-06:00

the kooks just announced shows in new york, los angeles and san francisco. freaking out may be a bit of understatement. they are only my favorite band ever.

that's all. :)

mr. will fitzsimmons

2011-05-19T11:42:00.001-06:00

last night i got to stand front row (literally an arm's length) underneath william fitzsimmons as he serenaded the audience. and i may have grabbed the setlist he was using ...

lots more pictures and videos to come. :)

experimenting.

2011-05-17T12:59:00.002-06:00

image via

i've been experimenting with my french toast recipes lately. last week i made my mom's classic recipe: thick honey wheat bread, eggs and milk. i decided to change things up a bit by adding some brown sugar and a little vanilla. it was super yummy. today i started off with the classic recipe again, but was out of milk (#collegestudent), so i used some vanilla yogurt and just for fun, i added a little cream cheese. also very delicious.

how do you make your french toast?

p.s. who watched HIMYM season finale?! i am freaking out. oh how i LOVE that show.

boy's got rhythm.

2011-05-14T17:28:00.000-06:00

a few months ago i was showing allie my latest find - the infamous "friday" video. all of the sudden mark started jamming out to it! luckily i had my trusty i-phone to get some of it on tape. check it out here.

2011-05-10T11:43:00.001-06:00

"i have found that if you love life, life will love you back." - arthur rubinstein

to my mother

2011-05-08T10:28:00.002-06:00

Because I feel that, in the Heavens above,

The angels, whispering to one another,

Can find, among their burning terms of love,

None so devotional as that of 'Mother' ...

- Edgar Allen Poe, An excerpt from To My Mother

Sweet mother of mine, please never forget how much you are adored by all who are privileged to meet you, and how lucky I feel to call you mine. Alles Gute zum Muttertag!

All my love,

Sarah-Kate

photos from dad's birthday

2011-05-07T11:12:00.000-06:00

to my father

2011-05-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

It matters not that Time has shed
His thawless snow upon your head,
For he maintains, with wondrous art,
Perpetual summer in your heart.
- William Hamilton Hayne, To My Father

Happy birthday sweet father of mine!

All my love,

Sarah

wishful thinking.

2011-04-26T00:28:00.002-06:00

wishing i could hop on a train and head to the sea ...

more than any other remedy, i've always found the sea and her salts

to be the most healing.

images via tumblr

2011-04-25T15:10:00.000-06:00

“for what it’s worth; it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. there’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. you can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. we can make the best or the worst of it. i hope you make the best of it. and i hope you see things that startle you. i hope you feel things you never felt before. i hope you meet people with a different point of view. i hope you live a life you’re proud of. if you find that you’re not, i hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

- benjamin button, the curious case of benjamin button

easter sunday

2011-04-24T22:07:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter! (And for my German friends, Frohe Ostern!) I hope each of you were able to enjoy a lovely day munching on chocolate eggs and spending time with loved ones! I spent the beautiful spring day in Midway with my family!

Reflecting upon the meaning of Easter, I feel so grateful for my Savior, He who promises us life anew. Because He committed the ultimate act of selflessness, because He so willingly allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross and because He rose again on that third day, we are not left without hope. May we always remember the One who made it possible for us to live again. God be thanked for His beloved Son!

xoxo,

2011-04-23T17:35:00.000-06:00

"to love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. and may very well be the greatest secret in this universe." - l. ron hubbard

2011-04-16T12:08:00.002-06:00

whisk me away, i'll be yours for a day

in heavenly fields we can roam.

clean white love, lisa mitchell

jessica's bridal shower

2011-04-11T17:22:00.001-06:00

this past weekend all of us london girls [yes, sans the two boys. even though i know they were dying to come. no, but seriously. they love us.] got together to celebrate jessica's engagement! i love all of our excuses to have reunions.

nikki and i wrapping jess's present at bed bath and beyond!

two camping chairs and a kite!

victoria's secret. duh.

nutella cake. yum!

getting advice from, olivia, the married one. this scene was classic. :)

nicole, the host + me + jessica, the bride

words cannot describe how much i love these girls and spending time with them!

thank you to nicole for hosting!

#ldsconf

2011-04-03T16:57:00.001-06:00

this weekend, my church held it's semi-annual general conference. "what is this 'general conference' you mormon bloggers speak of" you ask? let me tell you!

twice a year, the leadership of our church gets together to speak to its members and anyone else who is interested in hearing the messages of the restored gospel. they share basic principles, inspired teachings and most importantly, their testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ. it's always an enlightening and uplifting experience. i love my church leaders and always look forward to this time of year! each conference consists of four sessions held in salt lake city and broadcasted to the world.

yesterday morning, jen, leslie, katie, ahlin and i (as well as katie's brother's apartment) kicked off conference weekend by having a yummy breakfast (courtesy of the boys) and watching the first session.

afterwards, ahlin and i decided to take advantage of the beautiful 75 degree weather and hike to the y! it was tough, but i love pushing myself to do hard things. after 11 turns of (somewhat breathless) steep hiking, we reached the top! there, ahlin pulled out her iphone, and we listening to the second session of conference! the choir opened with the hymn, "high on a mountain top" - you can imagine how excited this made us.

we came back, invited some girl friends over, and had a girl's night! we had boxes of pizza, quarts of golden spoon frozen yogurt, soda, chips and candy. it was fun meeting new people, catching up with old friends, playing with leah's bunny and ending the night with "sabrina".

today i watched the second two sessions curled up on my couch in my pjs! they were just as wonderful as the two held yesterday. it never ceases to amaze me how inspired the talks are. i can't count how many times i listened to a speaker and thought, wow! (insert speaker's name here) knows what's up! i'm pretty sure they wrote this talk for me. my questions were answered and i got the loving encouragement that i needed. i'm so grateful for conference!

p.s. in reference to the title of this post, i couldn't believe #ldsconf was one of the top trends on twitter! how cool!

spots of time

2011-03-31T20:00:00.000-06:00

friends, there are two important things you should know about me:

1) i love romantic poetry.

2) i love william wordsworth.

while in the lake district, visiting dove cottage (a home of wordsworth), i picked up this little anthology of his works. it has become one of my favorite purchases from the uk.

i was flipping through it today and came across this excerpt from the prelude, "spots of time". it is absolutely beautiful. the first eleven lines (all of which you can read in the photo) are my favorite.

i love what melanie of bookish nature writes about wordsworth and his poetry: "there’s something about wordsworth’s poetry that stirs up your inner world – swirls through the heart of your thoughts and self – and settles everything back down in its rightful place, refreshed and restored."

doughnuts in brighton.

2011-03-30T15:39:00.000-06:00

i saw this picture on my tumblr dashboard and i was instantly taken back to brighton. on the pier they have doughnut shops that sell the doughnuts pictured above. while we were on the pier, we picked up a bag of them and - i'll be honest - they tasted like they had been cooked in the same oil used for fish and chips. so not the most delicious donuts ever, but still added to the experience!

anyway, this post was definitely just an excuse for me to talk about brighton.

sugar cookie-ing with j.

2011-03-29T00:47:00.001-06:00

this my little friend, j. he's the grandson of my resident director from london. is he not the cutest?! it was more normal to see him in superhero uniforms (or jammies) than in real clothes. this darling little boy never failed to crack me up every time i got to play with him.

tonight while i was baking sugar cookies i couldn't help but remember the last time i made sugar cookies - halloween morning with j. :) sure do miss him!

p.s. i went out in those sweats to get my halloween costume later that day - sweats out in the city? #whatwasithinking #neveragain #bigmistake #suchattireisnotokay

snowy friday afternoons are for ...

2011-03-25T23:46:00.002-06:00

+ clean laundry
+ black and white trail-mix
+ hearing of old an friends' engagement
+ green wellies
+ two pairs of leggings
+ "p.s. i love you" pandora radio station
+ freaking out about last night's office episode
+ "a little princess"
+ this song
+ a bridal shower

picture via weheartit

portraits.

2011-03-19T15:25:00.001-06:00

he's perfect.

2011-03-13T13:58:00.000-06:00

loving this song. so much. and the acoustic version. and i love that steve is always eating a banana. bottom line? i love steve moakler.

ahhh-ah. ahhh-ah.

2011-03-12T16:10:00.001-07:00

when i discovered ben folds ten years ago at tender age of 11, i was totally enamored with him. well today i stumbled upon this live version of "you don't know me" and i became completely enamored with him (and of course, regina spektor as well) all over again. seriously, i love them together. this song is collaborative genius. and it's even better live. also. love the close-ups. their expressions are so great. love love love. ok go watch it!

p.s. the picture quality is awful, i'm sorry, but the sound quality is still good!

movie night with myself.

2011-03-11T23:55:00.001-07:00

tonight was one of those take-some-time-for-yourself-and-relax nights. and i loved it. i took an english lavender bubble bath (yes, i bought it at the store today. did i need it? yes. yes i did.), threw on my favorite extremely soft pink shirt (if i could wear it everyday i would), pulled out my blanket and pillow and put on "stranger than fiction".

i love this movie.

no really. love. it was exactly what i needed tonight. don't you love when you can match movies and things to your mood?

i love will ferrell in this movie. his character as harold crick is so endearing to me. i love movies with comedians taking on serious roles. like this one with will playing the simple, and at times awkward, harold crick. or "dan and real life" with steve carell playing the overprotective and unlucky-in-love father. it's cool to see how versatile they can be.

and i love emma thompson in this movie. her character as the author experiencing writer's block is genius. and maggie gyllenhaal is a rockstar.

"i brought you flowers"

anyway, i loved tonight. i think it's good for everyone to take some time to themselves every once in a while. i think it's good for the soul.

goodnight, world. :)

[stuck in second gear]

2011-03-10T14:58:00.006-07:00

hello world. can i tell you about my ~~bad~~ awesome start to a day?

i overslept by six hours. yeah, i don't know. what makes this worse is that i felt like i hadn't slept at all due to some pesky nightmares. (note to self: pouring blue drinks on people that you don't like is not okay and does not make you feel better. even if it was kind of funny. ok really funny.) i had just under an hour to wash my ~~gross~~ beautiful hair, cook a bowl of oatmeal and scramble to finish a take-home test.

i made it to class. 15 minutes late. as i sat there, trying to pay attention, my professor turns to me and says, "are you ready for your presentation, sarah?" you're kidding. this is not happening. "i thought that was tomorrow?" "no it's today." i look around at everyone who is checking their schedules and nodding in agreement. it was one of those classic freak-out moments where i wanted to pinch myself to see if i was actually awake. i was most definitely awake.

but i as i sit here typing this, almost laughing at how this all happened, i begin to remember all the saving graces in between these moments of frustration:

+ it's been beautiful and warm outside today. walking to class, my body was praising the sun for all the vitamin d it was receiving.
+ in class, on the verge of tears, i looked over at the girl sitting to my left who quickly smiled and whispered, "don't worry, everything will work out." thank you, angel-in-disguise. i needed that.
+ despite my lack of awareness (although, in my defense, my [outdated] schedule said my presentation was tomorrow), my professor is letting me present tomorrow. this is even more awesome if you know the number of times he's given me second chances. #waytoomany #ithinkimhisfavorite
+ i got a call from ahlin after class. it was so good to vent to someone about everything under the sun, who understands where i'm coming from, and get some good advice.

i'll admit, it hasn't been my day, my week, or hell, even year thus far. but i've got some pretty awesome people by my side and lots of good surrounding me. so it's my suggestion to anyone else who's having a bad day, week, or year: stop. take a deep breath. look around. notice the small and simple things that make life so wonderful. notice the good people around you who love you. and know that eventually, everything will work out.

all of this reminded me of this classic. enjoy. :)

- sm

2011-03-09T22:38:00.002-07:00

just hand me down, give me a place to be.

besties.

2011-03-08T11:59:00.001-07:00

so tonight, ahlin got her facebook back for like .2 seconds. so i decided to grab some of her pictures while i had the chance. and now i'm going to share some of my favorites with you that i feel best represent our friendship.

7/24/09. the day we became besties. yes, we can pin point the exact day. we're cool like that. we were celebrating our self-declared "asia" day.

january 2010. at the ice rink. not iceskating.

february 2010. this picture is classic for several reasons: 1) ahlin and i taking a picture of ourselves. 2) jeff is in the background in the lovesack. [where you could usually find him.] we basically relived this image every day for the next 6 months.

february 2010. bonding over good music and beautiful people.

july 2010. this is one of my favorite pictures. ever. our boys had left us. and so this is how we began to spend our time. in their house. wearing their clothes. pretending to have adventures in the clouds. don't worry, they knew. we are not [totally] creepy.

july 2010. infra self portraits are always a must.

july 2010. the original caption for this snapshot was, "we be B.A. espesh wit mah new fringe." i think that tells you a lot about us.

august 2010. post ahlin's half-marathon. a great candid shot showing we support each other in our goals.

august 2010. lastly, another favorite. i love this picture for the following reasons: 1) i have my arm around nick. who i had known for [a total of] 24 hours. 2) will looks tiny and feminine in the background. he's not tiny. or feminine. 3) jeff and will are wearing the same shirt. 4) jeff's beard. 5) this would be the first [and last time] we would all be together at one event. 6) i think this picture sums up summer 2010.

thank you ahlin for taking me on a trip down memory lane. i thoroughly enjoyed it. and was pretty much laughing hysterically the whole time.

james.

2011-03-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

while we were in england, nikki introduced me to the beautiful, brilliant and british james morrison. this is one of my favorite songs by him and totally my jam right now. love him. :)

carl bloch.

2011-03-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

yesterday i took some time and went to the carl bloch exhibit, "the master's hand", at the byu museum of art. i had heard such wonderful things about it from my german teacher and this girl. and let me tell you, it definitely lived up to my expectations. i'm an art history major, so naturally, i love this kind of stuff. but i think carl bloch's work is something that everyone could come to love and find meaning in.

carl bloch was a nineteenth century danish painter and is known for his beautiful depictions of events from the life of the savior. over his lifetime he was commissioned to do several hundred paintings for various chapels and altar pieces. there's something so powerful about the way he depicts these scenes - even though some of them are heart wrenching, there is a feeling of comfort and hope.

bloch also painted the overlooked, the lonely and the oppressed. i loved the way sigmund müller put it, "to him nothing was foreign because nothing was unimportant to him ... he grasps all of it in sympathetic understanding."

needless to say, bloch's artwork is inspiring. if you live near the area, or are in town (before may 7th, 2011) i highly recommend that you go see it.

while i absolutely loved the paintings, i think my favorite part might have been the words from bloch at the start of the exhibit:

"god helps me - that's what i think, and then i am calm."

so beautifully and simply put. :)

for george.

2011-02-26T14:02:00.001-07:00

last night our friend, george, treated me and ahlin to dinner at a fun little indian place! the food was so delicious and it was so good to get together and rant about life, love and everything in between. like many of us, george talked about it's hard trying to find the silver lining all the time when we feel like nothing seems to be turning out right. in times like those, i do what i do most of the time - turn to music. so george, here's my playlist for you. [and anyone else who's feeling uninspired.]

01: details in the fabric - jason mraz ft. james morrison
02: closer to love - mat kearney
03: the good life - onerepublic
04: down to earth - justin bieber
05: hey jude - the beatles
06: we will walk - matisyahu
07: look for the light - benton paul
08: fly - nick drake
09: twenty-four - switchfoot
10: innocent - taylor swift
11: i won't back down - tom petty & the heartbreakers

i hope these songs help, george!

presidents' day happiness.

2011-02-21T22:27:00.004-07:00

i have two major art history tests tomorrow. [i.e.] today has been a day filled with studying. i'm not gonna lie, my brain is about to burst. but today has actually been quite pleasant.

reasons why:
+ sleeping in [i love when i sleep in and still have enough time to have a productive morning.]
+ having clean sheets & towels [clean laundry is an instant mood booster for me.]
+ studying to JB [i could rock out to him all day. for real.]
+ utilizing google docs [seriously, best thing ever.]
+ this video. [i didn't think it was possible to love him anymore than i already do. and then i saw this video. danke, ben.]
+ rocking a low side ponytail [for like the fifth time in the past week.]
+ sporting a sweater and leggings [so comfortable.]
+ watching himym [omg. fans, can we talk about this? also. i love the captain.]
+ having a mini yoga/breathing/stretching/relaxation session with myself and pete yorn. [best decision all day.]

now i'm going to cuddle up with my pillow, rest my sleepy eyes and pray that i retain all these names, dates and facts. hope you all had a wonderful day too!

- sm

NSN

2011-02-18T16:04:00.005-07:00

can i be a fourteen year old girl for a second? let's go back one year. me and ahlin are in our upstairs bathroom blasting justin bieber's "baby". i'm pretty sure it was our theme song for like two months straight. this [fifteen year old] boy totally understood us with his lyrics like:

... quit playin'. we just friends? what are you sayin'?

yes, jb got us.

fast forward one year. justin comes out with a documentary about the awesomeness that is him. i plan to go like five times but it never works out. finally we decide to go thursday night. ahlin had decided she probably wouldn't go till it hit the dollar theatres. not on my watch.

we get to the theatre and i've got extremely high expectations (especially after nikki and ben had basically declared him a demi-god). i'm telling everyone how our lives are about to change. they look at me like i'm crazy. the movie starts. i'm on the edge of my seat freaking out and they're laughing at me.

but sure enough, jb steals all their hearts. he wins everyone over with his sweeping hair, purple hoodie and incredible talent. not only did he meet my high expectations, he flew past with flying colors. at the end of the movie the whole theatre was up dancing to "baby". it was unreal.

so what's so great about the movie? or jb? 1) he's adorable. he has been his whole life. 2) he can sing. you think you knew this before, but no, you didn't. he can really sing. 3) his story is totally unique. what other international superstar has made it as fast as he has? 4) his family and crew are amazing. how cute were his grandparents?! 5) he's so dedicated to what he does and he loves his fans. 6) how about all the guest appearances? usher, drake, snoop dog, jaden smith and ludacris. 7) his music makes me feel so good. like, i can't not jam out to it. 8) you leave the movie on such a high with the feeling that you can do anything. why? because justin said so.

so yes, "never say never" was life-changing. and just the pick-me-up i needed this week. thanks, jb. :)

p.s. favorite. i love jb and jaden together.

jazzy jazz.

2011-02-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

last night kim took us (me, nikki, ben) to the jazz game!

highlight: ben & i caught some "swag!" lowlight: the swag said cartoon network on it. yeah, what? highlight: i got dippin' dots. lowlight: they were so cold that they burned my tongue. highlight: i got on the jumbo-tron! lowlight: neither ben, nikki nor kim saw me on it. highlight: d-will. lowlight: d-will.

favorite ben quotes:
"hayward? he's a fan favorite. a fan favorite.", "what are my thoughts on ke$ha? considering she is irrelevant in my head, i have no thoughts on ke$ha."

key terms: fan favorite [more effective 2x], irrelevant

new goal: learn how to talk like ben.

we listened to justin bieber all the way there and back. which made me SO excited to see never say never: 3D! after the game we went to applebee's and scored [pun intended] some awesome $4 off appetizer deals! great night out? most definitely. thanks, kim!

new strategy

2011-02-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

via obliteratedheart

because i want to be hip.

2011-02-15T20:07:00.001-07:00

i also recently joined the twittering world. (@seramaines) mostly because i love hashtags. who else has a twitter?! let's be friends!

the next train

2011-02-15T18:27:00.001-07:00

hello world! can i tell you about my latest project that i am beside myself about? my tumblr. it's called: "the next train". i paired the title with this quote:

"though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - ralph waldo emerson

while i'm traveling and discovering the world, i want document all the beautiful things i find. [places, people, language, music, etc.] plus a musing here and there. enjoy!

xo,
sm

love day is for everyone.

2011-02-15T18:26:00.001-07:00

valentine's day 2011 highlights:

- singing love songs in german class

- receiving a gigantic bowl of m&m's from hans

- valentines from loves

- dinner with best friends

- trip to the magical land of blickenstaff's

a gigantic tree made out of candy + me at the british candy telephone booth

1. i felt like i was in candyland. the awesome factor is self-explanatory.

2. i was beside myself when i saw the telephone booth. like, i was speechless.

harry potter chocolate frog + mealworm lollipop

1. pretty much anything related to harry potter makes my day.

2. jen's face may or may not be a subtle reference to how we feel about our pet mealworms.

more about our night, here.