{suckered}

i'm a sucker for a good commercial. 

i always seem to get so emotionally attached in those 30+ seconds. 

i'm the girl that tears up when those poor legless dogs show up on my screen 

{i talking about you sarah mclachlan}

and as much as i love the DVR, i can't help but hold off of the fast forward button every now and then to catch a great commercial.

the great ones don't come around as often as they should. but when they do, i celebrate them. because it means something when i'd rather see a commercial than my show. 

so here are two of my recent loves in the ad world.

and

creativity at its best. 

{the whisper song}

not sure why justin bieber decided it was okay for him to whisper rap. he is channeling a little too much ying yang twins circa 2005. it's not working out too well. 

in better music news. here's my recent dance jam. 

and because i'm on an ingrid michaelson kick lately here's an oldie but a goodie that makes spring feel a little bit closer.

once again focusing all attention to music as my homework sits there and taunts my sleepy head. 

{losing color}

i painted at work today.

{long story}

and as i was painting, my coworker urged me to go wash out my hair because i had paint on the top of my head. {no surprise, i am a messy painter} so i go. and i look for that paint. except it wasn't paint after all. just my gray hairs. my new friends, just a couple years old that crave attention and love to stand out in a crowd.

i remember the first time I noticed a gray hair sticking out in the middle of blackness {as a 19 year old}. i plucked that sucker out and taped it to a black piece of paper as proof. well you know how they say when you pluck one three grow back in its place? totally true. 

so now i have about ten little white strands that will no doubt multiply and replenish my head very shortly. {i even have a white eyelash} and for once in my life i am jealous of blondes. they don't really have more fun, but they can sure cover up those grays.

but you know what? people sometimes say that gray hairs are proof that you have lived.

i'll take that. 

{and a root retouch every six weeks}

{three point one four}

i happen to dislike pi(e)

{mathematical and culinary}

so pi day was never really in my radar.

that was until almost five years ago when i met the the girl who loves pi(e)

especially when it is on the calendar.

so here's to the best roommate i've ever had.

an attentive listener with mad accounting skills and big dreams.

a powerful and strong woman full of class and good taste. 

a woman i was lucky to find. a woman unlike anyone i've ever known.

happy birthday ms. smith.

here's to our fourth pi day as besties.

i'll always miss our days in David John 3219 but will always be grateful for that tiny room that brought us together.

love you lyss. happy birthday.

{you are you}

happy birthday to the man with the words.

i'm sure he is still spouting witty poems from heaven.

{leaping}

i'll admit, i wasn't all that thrilled about leap day this year. this is one time in my life where i really don't need an extra day. more like 50 less days. but now that i think about it, leap day is lucky. i mean for a day that only comes every four years, it has to be something special. 

i think leap day is more than just a way to stabilize our calendar. 

it's an extra chance to live.

life is short. 

{i've realized this more in the past two weeks than i ever have}

you never know what life has in store for you. you never know. you might wake up one day and lose one of the people you love the most. every day we are faced with challenges and decisions, you never know when something will change your life forever.

and even with this fact looming over my head, i really don't believe in living life in fear. i do believe in living every moment to its fullest and never taking anything for granted. 

you see like leap day, i am lucky. i have so much to be thankful for and i never want to lose sight of what i have, more importantly who i have. so i am grateful to have one more day this year to enjoy every single blessing in my life.

and even after leap day, the special day, i will live my life as best as i can.

with no fear, just immense amounts of love.

and most importantly

taking advantage of every moment.

{snow day}

as per gagon family tradition we spent President's Day in Bear Lake.

since the few skiffs of snow near the lake couldn't keep us entertained for long we headed up the canyon for skiing/snowboarding at Beaver Mountain.

first time i've been skiing this season (actually first time in two years) and it was great. of course mister jeff is a snowboarder and he was glad to hit the slopes for the first time since his mission.

we spent the rest of the weekend sick (me) and jumping on the ice on the lake (jeff)

but mostly relaxing and playing with the fam.

the boys only suffered from a few injuries, which i see as a miracle

and i am finally feeling better.

going back to work/school after a long weekend is rough.

i need summer

{or another vacation}

{uncovered}

lets talk about how The Civil Wars killed it Sunday at the Grammy's. they were a bright light in a pile of not so great acts... like chris brown lip-syncing and nicki minaj being possessed by the devil. yikes.

but grammys or no grammys, joy and john paul can sing me lullabies anytime they'd like. and for your listening pleasure, here is one of the best covers i have ever experienced. 

you can thank me later.

{dreaming}

as a reward for graduating college, and a much much needed break from the world, jeff and i have planned a week long siesta on a white sandy beach in mexico.

{via}

just over two months from now we will be on a plane headed for paradise and i can't help counting down the hours. 

see you soon sun.

{company}

i have a big family.

huge even

with five siblings, four sibling in laws, and fourteen nieces and nephews... 

{that makes a whopping total of 27 plus two dogs}

things can get pretty crazy 

except things rarely do because everyone lives far away.

San Antonio, Dallas, Idaho, St. George and even Denver..

and it really isn't fair.

most of the year Rondi and I are camped here alone lonely and missing our cute kids.

but not now. because the st. george family is now the springville family and at last i have some kiddos to keep me company!

(plus a brother and a great sister in law)

i'm very pleased to welcome Trevor, Heather, Emma, Austin and Bella(the dog) back to the Valley. 

Can't wait to actually spend time with them!

{take a minute}

you know when life seems so crazy, so busy, that no matter how many hours of sleep you lose every night or how hard you work you will never be able to get everything done? 

i feel like that a lot lately. 

but because i hate being stressed i tend to avoid it at all costs (and sometimes the costs are high).

and i think the best way to avoid it is just take a minute and do my own thing. 

like making jeff neglect his homework and play just dance with me

or looking on pinterest for just ten minutes. 

or reading a few of the 5,843,098 bachelor blogs out there.

or dancing around the house like a maniac.

or watching a quick episode of new girl (the only time i appreciate the measly 30 minutes)

or find a new favorite song on itunes.

or blog. 

i like those things. 

and i like this song that sometimes helps me through it.

{watching you}

i'm just going to go ahead and out myself as a tv addict. i don't mean i'm a couch potato who flips through channels all day. mostly i am just an avid follower of a few (or more) certain shows. and it might be pathetic that i {sometimes} put off my homework for an hour of trashy television but really this is what gets me through life.  Here is my weekly round up:

Gossip Girl

Hart of Dixie

The Bachelor

Pretty Little Liars

One Tree Hill

90210

New Girl

Glee

Happy Endings

Revenge

Bones

Grey's Anatomy

and you could throw a few irregulars in there like private practice and desperate housewives just to make the list all that much longer. thats what like half a day's worth of time spent on tv? 

i know, i'm pathetic.

{keeping calm}

you guys. i hate these things. like despise. you know, i first became acquainted with "keep calm and carry on" when i was living in london. because you know thats where it came from. and where it was actually used as a war poster to up the morale of the country. pretty cool. now it's mostly over used and completely annoying. 

but whatever. because everyone deserves to be a little hypocritical every now and then.

 and this is my life right now

every morning when i wake up and feel like crying because of the 20 credits {and two jobs} on my plate this semester i just have to focus on April 19th. 

and of course this overused mantra

{i give alyssa credit for finding this picture. i met her the first day of my college career and now we are suffering through senioritis together. i swear we will make it.}

just counting down

{blackout}

i believe in freedom

{just doing my part}

{alternatives}

you know when it is supposed to be winter except it hasn't snowed yet and christmas felt like september and the mountains look like june? thats when you really need to find things to keep you occupied in the 30 degree weather and smog.

like these things that are making me pretty happy right about now. 

like this article i hope to remember one day when i have kids. because heaven knows we all have body issues. 

and this song. i think that who ever decided t-swift and the civil wars should collaborate was definitely on the right track. 

this website has saved me half a million dollars (practically) and about 50 pounds off my shoulders (literally). thank heavens for e-books. 

i've recently been obsessed with this cover from my favorite warbler. thank you real-life prince eric. 

plus i am trying my hardest to become a good wife and actually cook dinner. made this excellent dish the other day and we loved it. 

but if those don't work, here is a picture to remind us of the way life used to be. 

found here

maybe someday.

{glory}

i'll admit.

i have a minor obsession with jay-z and beyonce.

{but i'm not ashamed}

because really what isn't there to love about the pair?

they are both musical geniuses, beautiful and besties with chris and gwyneth.

And even though they are celebrities and I don't really know them at all, I couldn't be more thrilled for their new addition. 

all I know is baby blue is pretty lucky to have jay-z write a song about her.

not a bad way to start your life

listen here. even blue has an appearance. 

i can't get enough

{resolutions}

in the spirit of the new year. here area few things i resolve to do

cook dinner. and not just from a box

stay on top of school

go to bed before midnight

decorate my apt

remember birthdays

spend more time with my lady friends

travel

graduate

make jeff run a marathon or two

make my self like running

be efficient

blog

and 5 million other things that will inevitably never happen. 

and so it goes

{has been}

i think it is time to play a little catch up.

since my last post on june 22, 2011 we have...

become mr. and mrs.

painted our house (after removing some mad awful wallpaper...thanks dad)

renovated my grandpa's old scooter

watched two of my best friends get married 

played at bear lake

visited idaho falls for yet another wedding

got a new nephew. and yet another temptation to get a dog.

ran a 5K with the flu

 carved our hearts out

played dress up

 dyed my hair a million times (thanks sis)

watched 134 episodes of bones in a month and a half

 watched jeff's lil bro get a chest tube for his collapsed lung (he is totally okay now, so no worries)

 commemorated two years since our first (real) date

 celebrated

 played loads of lego harry potter

and in other news:

i was cleared for April 2012 graduation. {yay me}

and now we are both working our butts of a trying to stay caught up in school. and mostly just looking forward to summer!

life is better than ever. 

{say everything}

after a six-month hiatus from the world of blogging, i have returned.

{just in time to procrastinate the work in my last semester of college}

and although i loved read all over i am now one half of a whole and owe my best guy some credit.

so here's to new beginnings

i promised myself to make a solid effort towards this beauty since it is the only way i document my life.

and i never want to forget the way things are

and further, i promise you (whoever you are) that this blog will be full of grammatical errors, random thoughts, interesting findings, rambles and whatever else i happen come up with. no apologies. 

i'm back