Feliz Navidid con mi familia!

The best part about Christmas is the lasting memories with family.

I won't argue that finding creative gifts to give one another can always be fun - but this year - we scratched the gift giving and voted to spend a week together - cruise style.

Have you been on a cruise before?

It was my first time. I'm going back.

We left from New Orleans and were gone for seven days.

Bags packed? Check.

Monday - at sea all day. We enjoyed hot tubbing, the running track on deck 13, family pictionary, catch phrase, movies, karioke, entertainment shows, and ice cream at every meal.

Tuesday - Mayan Ruins (Costa Maya, Mexico).

Wednesday - Ziplining and beach day (Raton, Honduras). I was throwing up during the night due to food poisoning, but I managed to feel better just in time to enjoy this...

Thursday - Cave Tubing (Belize). (No photo of this event as no one had a waterproof camera!)

Friday - Snorkeling and shopping (Cozumel). Everyone was jealous of my pink flippers. ;)

Saturday - at sea all day. Maybe we all got a little sea sick and went to bed early on Christmas afternoon.

This was definitely a Christmas I'll never forget. Ever.

P. S. This little boy was a champ. And Santa found him!

So much happy on my birthday!

Ask me how old I am now.

27!

What does that mean? I don't know. I've been asking everyone. I'm already excited to be this age and I had quite the birthday weekend celebration.

On Thursday, I saw WICKED for the first time. I loved it. My favorite line and new motto? Dancing through life.

On Friday, I walked into work to this surprise from my co-workers. They decorated my cubical and brought lots of yummy snacks to munch on throughout the day.

On Saturday morning, I enjoyed brunch at the Bongo Room. I had the pretzel pancakes with white chocolate and carmel.

Brunch was followed by a mani and pedi.

I spent the evening with my friends for dinner at Zapatista for Mexican food. Feliz Cumpleanos a mi!

I also heard from so many family members and friends.

I love happy birthdays.

I love sharing my birthday with her....

xo xo xo.

Oh hey, holidays - you're here!

My parents did come to Chicago for Thanksgiving!

And it was beyond memorable!

Since December seemed to come and go way to quickly last year, I've made an early start on the holiday events around the city so I won't miss a thing...

A children's choir sang in front of the bean last night and then we went ice skating in Millennium Park!

Our little Christmas tree is up! His simplicity fills our home with such Christmas cheer!

That reminds me, I need to hang the mistletoe.

Best motivation to clean?

My parents are currently on their way for a visit!!

We're spending Thanksgiving 2010 in lovely Chicago.

I'm excited to play tour guide in my city!

Oh, have I ever showed you the place I've called home for almost 2 years? Take a look...

Having this IN the apartment, makes all the difference...

I've gotta give complete credit to Angelica and Ruth, my old roomies, for finding a cute, VERY AFFORABLE place. :)

Reading, Reading, Reading.

Check out these books I finished reading this week and I highly recommend...(in no particular order):

Because I take the metra to work almost daily, I have about 1 hour a day set aside for reading. :) What should I read next?

And, I'll post later about my love/hate relationship with Facebook, but thanks to Facebook, one of my H.S. besties informed me that she was in Chicago for the evening on company travel. We arranged to meet downtown and it was so great catching up! I may be completely bias, but I have some pretty incredible friends from good ol' McPherson.

Relief Society Presidency

I love serving with these girls!

Piano Recital

Every Wednesday night is piano night!

I'm currently teaching 8 students from 3:45 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. back-to-back.

This is how it started - Angelica, my BF who is now married and living in Houston, was asked if she was interested in teaching the Jensen Family on Wednesday night. When Angelica was getting ready to leave, this family asked her if she could recommend another piano teacher... this is where I came in.

I'd love to teach piano lessons when I have kids of my own, so I figured now was a great time to get some practice.
I started with 3 students.
Then 5.
Then 6.
Now 8.

And, I've had to tell other interested students that I'd, "put your name on a waiting list and get back to you when I have openings."

Tonight we had a mini-recital, and I loved seeing how the kids have progressed in the last 6 months.

I'm grateful for a talented mother who encouraged me to practice, practice, and practice some more.

Before I go... here are a few pics of the beautiful trees on a beautiful fall day.

Happy Fall!

The Lion King!

I received some good news at work this week, so naturally, a celebration was in order. (Side note: usually the word "celebrate" in my vocab translates to "shopping" - not in this case.)

"The Lion King" is leaving Chicago in a couple of weeks, and I decided to see if there was any way possible to score a ticket. I ran to the theater after work, and I was in luck! (Another side note: several of my friends are going in a couple of weeks, but I'm not available. And, I considered asking other friends to come with me tonight, but sometimes it gets complicated balancing schedules.) When I found out there was one ticket available pretty close to the front for a pretty good price, the phrase "carpe diem" popped into my head.



How I envision the jungles of Africa literally came to life on the stage - elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, monkeys, hyenas...



As of right now, this is by far my favorite musical that I've ever seen. (Last side note: I'm not just saying that to say that. I mean it. I LOVED IT!!!!!! hence the 6 explanation marks!)

My favorite line?

"Remember Who You Are."

Out with October, in with November.

Halloween dances are always a blast.

I was a sailor this year. :)

Saturday morning I joined some of my friends for brunch at Yolk. Did you know brunch is my fav? Daily I have a quick breakfast, but it's usually a yogurt, bagel, cereal I've tossed into a zip-lock or oatmeal I warm up in the microwave once I get to the office. Because my breakfasts are rushed during the week, I love brunch because I can sit down, order french toast and sausage, and enjoy the company of my friends.

Now that November is here, we made these little turkey treats at FHE. (They're so easy and only require candy, cookies and frosting.)

A few of my favorite things from today...

Saturdays. I love this day of the week. Pancakes were on the menu for breakfast this morning. But not just regular pancakes, these were from an organic pancake batter that I just squirted out of a can onto a heated skillet. No measuring. No mixing. No mess.

I know. It seems a little ridiculous and maybe a bit on the lazy side. Just so you know, this was a gift courtesy of one of my piano students. I didn't believe her when she said this type of batter existed. Brilliant!

After pancakes, I attended one of my favorite workout classes... Step with Nazha. She always picks great music and never, never, never slows down. Also, as I was filling up my water bottle, I over heard this conversation between two 70 year old men lifting weights and it made me smile.

Old man #1: Don't forget about the Bears game tomorrow.

Old man #2: That's right. What time?

Old man #1: Noon.

Old man #1: Oh, I'll be in church during that time so I'll have to catch the highlights. :)

I had lunch provided by the EQ activity and then stopped by the mall on my way home. Check out these sassy sandals from Old Navy clearance.... 28 cents. Yep. Everything on sale was an additional 40% off today. These will be perfect for my holiday plans.