Day 10

Day Ten: A Photo Of Your Favorite Place to Eat

I'm not going to go to the trouble of goggling restaurant establishments, so I'll just list them

top favorite dining places

1). IHOP... yeah that's right... you know you live in American when you can have pancakes at 3 in the afternoon

2). Magiano's: Italian cuisine at it's finest. 

3). Benihian... fried rice... need I say more!?

4). Cafe Rio. Their pork salads with black beans, and no cilantro will change your life!

5). Malawi's Pizza. I've eaten there half a dozen times since it opened in September and it does not disappoint! 

Two Weeks Apart... SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?

Being a 20 year old LDS girl, the word "missionary" often evokes an array of emotions. Missionaries are my most favorite people in the world. Well after I thought I was on the downhill of writing and sending off missionaries and only going to homecomings, two of my most favorite people in the world decided to serve. The first is Sister Hannah Davis and the second is Sister Kati Van Dusen.

Aren't they the CUTEST!?!

Sister Hananh Jane Davis has been assigned to labor in the Brazil, Salvador Mission, speaking Portuguese and reporting to the Provo MTC on January 26th.
Hannah was my roommate for 4 months and we enjoyed many late nights laughing, crying, yelling at the sumo wrestlers who lived above us, watching Gossip Girl, talking about the men in our lives, consuming  pork salads, trail mix and fresca, Football games, pillowtalks and just loving every second we got to spend with each other.  I joke that I know how people meet and get married four months later because if a guy and girl got to know each other as well as Hanns and I did over 4 months then I would not be opposed to the cliche BYU meet and marry.

 I remember when she got her call almost 5 months ago and thinking that January 26th would be forever away and we would avoid talking about it to avoid emotional breakdowns, but now that it is VERY close I am only sad because she will not be in life for 18 months but I am happy because I know that those will be the ONLY 18 months that I cannot talk to her, call her, or laugh with her. Hanns is the person I want at my wedding, my child's first birthday party, at the mailbox when I get my first social security check and since she plans on living till she at least 100 years old, I want her at my funeral.  Hanns is just sensational in every way possible.

I cannot even describe how much I have learned from living with her and how forever thankful I am that we had five months to become the best of friends. Hanns honestly completes me and I love being around her. Sometimes you meet people and  become good friends and then a few years later they are just people who write on your facebook wall for your birthday. Well with Hanns I know that no matter where we are or what we are doing in life, we will be friends, and I take great comfort in that. I am SOOO proud of Hanns and she is going to be the best missionary I just know it!

 If I decide to serve a mission I want to prepare just like her. I loved seeing her  crawl into bed at 1:30 in the morning and study and prepare for her mission even though she was way busy with business school stuff and all the other stuff she had going on in her life. She made preparing a top priority in her life and I know that it will make all the difference as she baptizes by the bus load in Brazil.  I could not be happier for her and her decision to serve a mission but I just feel a little empty without her. Let it be know that Hannah Jane Davis WILL change the world! 

THEN if Hannah leaving wasn't enough of an emotional void

the person who is more then a best friend and a little less than a sister leaves on the 9th of February to serve an 18 month mission in the Paraguay Asuncion North mission to speak spanish.

This is the person who I have known since I was five and who is one of the reasons I am the person I am today. Her role in my life is more important than I can ever convey. I love everything about her and I am cannot believe that I wont be able to text her something funny that happened in my life, go to TGI Fridays and eat dessert platers like fatties, and have meaningful chats in my driveway when she drops me off. One cannot accurately describe who I am without throwing in Kati Van Dusen's name. She is a part of me and not in some lesbian way. She is that person that you meet who changes everything other then that guy you marry. Kati is one of the great blessings in my life and I am SOO proud of her!

Kati is one of the best people I have ever known. She is perfect in every way to me and my life would suck without her is not just a Kelly Clarkson song title but is how i'd really feel if I had never met her. As lame as it sounds, Kati completes me. She is my best friend and is the person I call first when something happens in my life. She is the person who I run to when my heart gets broken, when I met a cute boy, when I get a good grade, when I get a bad grade, when life is not going my way, when I need to vent, and when I feel no one else understands.

Kati is simply my person. To me, Kati was the person that was put on the earth to help me go through life. Kati has talked about serving ever since we graduated high school and I loved that not matter what, she was waiting and preparing to serve when it came her time. It will be a long 18 months without my best friend, but it will be 18 months that will change her life and she will come back the Kati Van Dusen we all know and love, but just better, if that is even comprehendible. 

So just when I thought I was done having a missionary or writing letters to foreign lands, I have ended up with two missionaries who I love and am more proud of then I will ever be able to describe! If what these two are preaching and teaching people for the next 18 months was not something I knew without a doubt to be 110 % true then there is NO WAY I could have parted with two of my lifelines, and favorite people for a year and half. 

I LOVE MY IRMA

I LOVE MY HERMANA

In in the words of my other favorite missionary, Elder Glade, "The only that is changing between us, is the email address!" I could not have said better myself DCG
Oh and
Brazil and Paraguay consider yourself un-third worlded because you are getting two of the best people I know!
Oh and the
 "I'm an ugly, not wanted by any male, pathetic, spinster" sister missionary stigma has officially been shattered because TWO of the best looking girls in the world are wearing the name tag!

(ignore my annoying voice while recording this)
P.S. the Boys are SOOO much easier to send off then the girls.

Day 9

Day Nine: A Picture of the Town You Are From

My entire life I have not liked telling people where I am from. When people ask I say California, then they ask where in California, and I say Southern California. Most don't find that specific enough and ask where in Southern California. I try at all costs to avoid saying, Orange County so I say Newport Beach, because that was where I am born and the major city close to where I live.

 I actually don't live in a city. I live in a gated community composed of over 4,000 homes and over 13,000 people. It;s become quite a well known place because of the TV show "The Real Housewives of Orange County".  I have such a love hate relationship with where I live. I love the ocean, I love South Coast Plaza, I love the 75 degree weather in February, but the stigma of rich, spoiled, self consumed people is what turns me off. It's a beautiful place and I love visiting my parents BUT Coto is the LAST place I'd ever choose to live in. 

On the other hand... the place where I lived three years of my life, where I wish I could claim I am from and the place I could live the rest of my days  is... Highland, UT

Day 8

Day Eight: A Song To Match Your Mood

Enchanted: Taylor Swift

Honestly I've never been so obsessed with a song. It captures every emotion possible. It's a love song, it's a sad song, it's a happy song, it's a slow song, it's an anthem, it's a GREAT song! It's 5:53 seconds of pure goodness. We've all met someone at one point and time that cause our lives to never be quite the same. 

Taylor Swift you speak to me! 

Day 7

Day Seven: A Pet You've Always Wanted
I use to consider myself an animal person but I have just recently realized that I am not at all an animal person because of the animals of my past.

When I was three I got a bunny and I named it Thunder. I loved Thunder so much and I remember chopping up carrots for him and playing with him in the yard and alway refilling his water bottle so he wouldn't be thirsty. One day I came outside to play with Thunder and it was shaking violently. I ran inside crying to my Mother and we decided to take Thunder to the Vet. Thunder died on the table and I never quite got over that. To this day I hate rabbits A.) because all who live in Coto know how annoying their droppings and presence either in your yard or dead on the side of the road are. B.) because Thunder gave up on me all because it got hot one day and died on me and left me as a bitter rodent hating 3 year old.

So after my bunny phase I became obsessed with dogs. I wanted a dog so bad and begged for half a decade for one and then on Christmas when I was 10 Santa left me a note telling me that I could go pick out any kind of dog I wanted. On New Years 2000 I went to the pet store and immediately fell in love with a very cute chocolate lab. I knew the second I saw her that she would be my dog. We bought her and I named her Snickers. I LOVED my dog more then anything in the world. I would wake up every morning at 5:30 am and walk Snickers two miles. My parents made her sleep in the garage and there were nights were my parents would find me asleep in the garage next to Snickers. Every cent I earned went to buying Snickers new toys and pig ears. Some have accused Snickers of being the "devil" dog and although she was not an angel, she was not evil. But when I was 12 my Parents had enough of Snickers and decided we had to give her away. I cried for three months straight when we gave away Snickers and other then my two beta fish and my three frogs that I won at the Highland Fling who I named George, W, and Bush, I have not been a big fan of animals because they either die on you and take a piece of your heart or you parents make you give them away because they liked to chew on window seals, and patio furniture.

So I guess if I had to have an animal I would get a Walrus. Walruses, Walri (yeah I don't know the plural) are my favorite animal and they are just so CUTE!!! I would name it W.H. Taft after President William H. Taft who was the fattest American President. 

Day Six: Your Dream Wedding

Okay when I first saw this post on the list, I was dreading day six because I have no idea what I want my wedding to look like. I felt a little embarrassed as I googled wedding dresses, knowing that I am not engaged. One thing I know is that I want my wedding to be elegant and timeless. I want to look at pictures in 50 years and not regret being so trendy or what not. I have always wanted my wedding to be focused on one thing and that is the temple. So that is where I will start.

Ever since my Brother and Siter-in-law got married here, I realized that this is the place ( haha get it?) where I want to be sealed for time and all eternity to my best friend and husband. I know that I am from California and my parents do live very close to the beautiful Newport Beach temple, but I just really want Salt Lake. I use to think that getting married anytime other then June would be terrible but I think it looks so pretty with snow. So I guess I'm flexible about when, just not where.
THE DRESS
I don't have a picture of a dress because I spent 10 minutes looking and couldn't find one. This will be the most stressful part about getting married, I am sure! I know what  I do want though. I want it to be cream or just not super white. I want it to have sleeves that hit about 2 inches above my elbow. I want it to be lace and have no train. I plan on dancing at my reception so I better be able to bust a move in it.

I have serious problems because I had more fun looking at suits on j.crew for guys then I did looking for a wedding dress. So I want my future man to wear a nice tailored, preferable j.crew or some other preppy institution so that he can look as good as he did on our wedding day any time he likes. Also if my future man looks like the model above.. OH I can defiantly handle that!

The colors.  I like champagne and black.  They are simple, elegant, and timeless. 

So this is probably my stupidest idea of all but I have scene Father of the Bride about 7,000 times and I have always loved the idea of having a reception at your house. This is my parents house in Highland, UT. They don't live there and probably by the time I get married my parents will have sold the house, but it has a beautiful backyard for a summer wedding and 11,000 square feet inside for a winter wedding. I just love this house! 

FLOWERS

I seriously know the names of three flowers; roses, hydrangeas, and birds of paradise. So since I hate the birds of paradise flower with my entire soul, I think that would do roses and hydrangeas. 

Bouquets to this effect 

with these everywhere insight

?BRIDES MAIDS?

I have always wondered whether or not having Bride's Maid's is wise or not. Do you only do your sisters and your boys sisters? Do you do just single friends? Do you make them buy their outfit our do you buy it? So I am not sure if I want to do them or not. If I did them they would preferably wear

a black dress of their choosing

Pearls are a MUST!

 Black or champagne colored Stuart Wietzman heels

First Songs

OR 

and for the most important song... The Daddy Daughter One

I am named after this song after all

HONEYMOON! 

The future Mr. Aubrey Brennan might disagree but all I want is to stay in a nice resort in Park City, get room service, massages, maybe hit the slopes once and sing 'Baby Its Cold Outside' to my man. 

So basically I wasted 30 minute doing this and I'm not even engaged and I already feel stressed about planning a wedding. Good thing this won't happen in the near future so I still have a while to not think about it. 

Day 5

Day Five: A Photograph of You Two Years Ago

Two years ago I was a freshmen at BYU-Idaho, partying it up in negative temperatures, watching disney channel orginal movies with my roommates and the "cavewomen", spending large amounts of time with the David O. McKay Library and just loving every second of my life. WOW I cannot believe that was only two years ago. It seems like a thousand years ago. 

So here I am at a Chapman Hall PJ Party my roommate Catherine Bird and I organized and I have to be honest it was quite a hit! Catherine and I fashioned our footie pj's, ate lots of food that has the potential to clog our arteries, danced crazily, and watched chick flicks with about 30 other of our friends. Honestly when it's -13 outside and you live in a dorm with about 100 girls, what else do you do on a Friday night? 

Day 4

Day Four: A Photograph of Your Best Friend

Well this is a hard one... So I am breaking the rules and making this "Photographs of Your Best Friends".

Kati Kristen Van Dusen.  Laguna Hills, CA. August 2008.
This pic explains our friendship...she wears the pants... as she should.

Trevor Todd Brown. Yellowstone, WY. November 2009.
This picture screams indie couple in the snow... Trevor Brown is a great hand holder.

Rachel Soto. Rexburg, ID. October 2009.

Umm isn't this the cutest thing in the world?

Stephanie Potter Tarnasky with Husband Bryce. Salt Lake City, UT. April 2010.

I LOVE Bryce's face in this picture. He looks so happy be married! 

Catherine Bird and Erin Lynn Kuboshige. Rexburg, ID. September 2008.

I love that we are laying on the gross ground with our feet up in the air.

Ariel MacKenzie Walus. Rexburg, ID. December 2009.

Creepiest birthday present ever given!  

Kari Ann Bitter. Provo, UT. January 2010.

Kari looks cute and I scare children with my facial expressions... that is just about how all of our photos together are.

Elder Daniel Christopher Glade. Mexico City, Mexico. September 2009.

When he sent me this picture I fell off the couch laughing. This is SO him. He would take a sharpie to a picture and draw facial hair and a uno-brow.

Meredith Lynn Chapman. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. November 2006.

 A picture says a thousands words, except for this one... it says a million!

Scottland Hill. Balboa Island, CA. August 2009.

Scott and his tan bod and the fact that he is holding my handle bar just make this picture tender.

Brooke Hart Charity Eliason. Provo, UT. October 2010.

Brooke looks like a model and I look mentally challenged.

Hannah Jane Davis, Sarah Morgan Ayer, & Brittany Thompson (almost!) Howell. Provo, UT. December 2010.

For starters this most PERFECTLY describes my 2010 Fall semester. I'd say something stupid that would make Hanns and Britt laugh and then Sarah would do something funny that would make us all laugh even harder!