Mariah Carey's version is cool and fun and peppy.
But...there is something about Michael Buble's version.
He kinda slows it down and brings out the romance of it.
We all love Christmas for the reindeer and the trees and the stockings.
We love Christmas for how it reminds us of the birth of Jesus Christ and the true meaning of the season.
But it also is wonderful for how it lets us be close to the ones we love.
Family, friends, that special someone.
Its a time when the best gift is time, memories and perfect moments.
My sissies and I have a tradition.....one country music concert a summer.
Last year we hit up Rascal Flatts.
This year?
Blake Shelton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such a cool guy!
Plus lets be real-country concerts rock!
We got TEN TIMES CRAZIER FO SHO!!!!
He pulled out the old school cowboy hat....complete with wig for his older stuff!
SOOOOO PERFECT!
He sang a little Usher...YEAH YEAH!!!
But of course followed it with HILL BILLY BONE
YEEHAW!!!!
(video not loading...sad face! sorry guys!)
But honestly the best moment was the end.
The rain had held off for most of the night....but as he was doing the encore....it started up. We had packed up our blanket and bags and had everything in our arms ready to head out after his encore song.
And then he played this extra song.
And me and the two coolest girls in the world linked arms and sang.
We had a little moment there...and a few tears were shed.....
I'm the luckiest big sister ever!
(PS...I've always been slightly irritated that Blake gets the credit for this one...check out Dave Barnes version.........)
Why didn't you put out this song SIX years ago???????
I have needed this song soooo many times since then!!!
I know I'm all about memories and enjoying the moment and remembering all the fun times.
And yes there were many AMAHZING and AWESOME moments that happened when I was "supposed" to be in bed.
Pranks...Rock Canyon park...Smiths...Stargazing...Movies...Dance parties...Skype...phone..and in person convos and confessions
BUT....
Full disclosure...there were also a few...eh hmmmm...moments when I should have just gone to bed!
So as I alluded to on Wednesday in my dear boys....this week had the potential to be really rough for me.
Busy work schedule combined with some "cray cray" life happenings combined with a rotten anniversary.
BUT
This has been a REALLY stellar week.
I have spent a lot of time with friends. A lot of wonderful times.
I am so blessed with amazing friends. Like truly!
I already know that I have an amazing set of friends outside of my immediate visiting circle.
My years at college gifted me with the best friends a girl could ask for.
And I always cry a little about how those times are over. (Another inspiration for this blog!)
BUT
As I have been trying to look for the good and find things in my life to smile about...
I have found them in abundance.
(sweet gushy stuff ahead...beware!)
When life has been hard, when things have felt like they were crashing down around me, they have picked me up.
When I have been the DEFINITION of a hot mess, they haven't judged-only comforted me, and then told me I had to get it together!
They have made me smile and laugh.
And oh the memories.
(only a small portion of the cool cats I have been hanging out with lately....but I LOVE this shot!!)
(more pics will be taken in the future for sure!!!)
I think my favorite Dr Suess quote could be amended slightly....or perhaps given a variation.
"Don't cry cause its happening"
Life happens. It rains...sometimes a lot.
Usually you are just standing there minding your own business and the clouds roll in.
But sometimes...you see the rain clouds off in the distance and run right towards them.
And then suddenly you are soaking wet and shivering...and wondering how you got into this mess.
But does it really matter?
You are wet now....can't undo it.
So make the most of it. Let it make you better
Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk. I needed some perspective on some CRAY CRAY stuff that has been happening lately.
And parks/walks are STELLAR for perspective. (Like seriously...try it sometime!)
But problem was..the minute I left my house...the skies opened up and dropped an ocean of rain.
But all joking aside....it eventually let up a bit and so I went out....sloshed through puddles and got my perspective.
The grass doesn't grow as green without the rain...
This has probably been the rainiest June on record in good ol' StL.
And the grass and trees have never looked greener.
(PS...is there anything better than that rich forest green of trees??)
And the flowers. The flowers are loving it.
Wildflowers have a rough hand dealt to them.
They grow where ever they can manage to find an open spot of dirt.
No one takes care of them. They have to take care of themselves.
But they are strong because of it. They survive the harsh sun...and relish every gust of wind and downpour of rain.
And so its official. I love wildflowers...and parks..and walks in the rain with polka dot umbrellas :)
(probably should NOT share this photo since the lighting has me looking PRETTY ghostly! Paste-y much?)
Also...totally in love with this song. Its like the perfect soundtrack to my walk
also super obsessed with THIS and THIS right now...more on that later. But read them while you listen to this song. It will blow your mind!!!!
(Congrats for finishing this mammoth long post!!!)
Ever had a night that you felt like was really close to perfect?
I've had a few times in my life when I have felt TRULY 100% content and happy.
and last night was one of those times.
I was hesitant to go out-just kinda in a blah. An "I've worked all week and now I am cranky, tired, and pathetic" mood. But my friends convinced me....so I went over and we chatted for a while, nothing fancy, nothing big. And then suddenly....we were in the truck...windows down, music at full blast...heading south.
Now we all know how much I love my town. The city of St Louis is STELLAR and my little corner of suburbia....AMAHZING.
But drive 45 or so minutes south-and BAM-yo South County...or SoCO as the locals call it....and if you know where to go-some of the best spots in town.
There is still an old railroad that runs right along the Mississippi river and if you go at the right time-you can walk along the track, in total still silence with nothing but the quiet rustle of the trees in the wind and the water lapping against the shore.
If its a clear night, the stars are tremendous and if you are really lucky- you might see one or two shooting across the sky. The smell of honeysuckle (aka the official smell of summer around here!) is almost intoxicating while the fireflies dance in the woods looking like a professional fireworks show.
It truly was an incredible night.
And though it is cheesy-this will forever be the song that will remind me of the night we left the crazy and just WERE...
Sometimes life can be lonely. Sometimes it gets you down and there are hard times.
But also there are somedays when it seems like nothing can go wrong.
And those days recharge you and make you remember.
If I ever leave this place-I will certainly miss it-but I will always smile at the memories.
Little Sister reminded me of this song the other day.
And I promise to post the whole song at the end......but first you MUST watch this dance....its like MANDATORY!!!!!!!!
(no seriously)
awesome right??? Gosh they are talented!!!!!
Plus who doesn't love the "I never noticed how much I adored my friend" story!
So what does this all mean you ask???? Well....today's memory is more than that.
Right now I have a friend who needs some help. We have kind of a new friendship-but I really want to pull him aside and have an adult mature conversation (we all know how much I LOVE those!) about how much I want to help him-if he will let me.
Cause I've been both characters before. I've been pulled up from out of the pit....and other times I've been the puller. (ps...only once did it turn out like the dance...just sayin hahaha)
Its nice when the guy you text on a bad day shows up 2 minutes later to give you a desperately needed hug.
Or when a guy takes you on a walk to check on you after helping your best friend get out of a tough spot.
Its not bad when you wake up after a ROUGH night to your door heart attacked.
And I will never say no to a much needed chat with a best friend that grounds you again
But let me just say-I love being the friend even more than being helped by the wonderful people in my life. I like being the who picks you up off the ground when you think its all gonna be terrible.
There are few things that are better than knowing that you were there for a friend when they really needed you.
So hopefully I will be allowed to say one more time "I got you!"
(ps....so don't really follow the story of this video...but minute 3:10 is just too memory-ridden to not share the weird video!)
Alright-so this is probably my fave Katy Perry song (don't judge....I really only like 3.5 of her songs)
A couple of moons ago there was this boy
(of course there was you say----be honest you would find this blog very boring if I didn't!)
It had been a while since I liked someone. So when I met him, my young girl side came rushing out-and major crushing happened.
And I thought he might like me back. There were a few dates. Several hard core flirting moments.
And then suddenly--"the mystery of the disappearing man"
Not truly disappearing since I saw him from a far. But it was always from afar.
And it made NO sense. Of course I tried to solve the mystery...which ended SOOOO well!
I was flying high on cloud nine-excited and as one of my best friends would say "twitter-pated"
But I read the stars wrong
And then I came crashing down. On the concrete
And let me tell you-gravity hurts.
But it became clear to me. And I had to let go.
Did you see that?? I should I try to shove more lyrics into this post??? tehehehe
Point is-whenever this song comes on the radio-I turn it up and sing really loud.
And remember the time I tried to solve the mystery of the disappearing man
I never realized this..but you are wildly inappropriate!!!
Ok so maybe wildly is too strong of a word. How about "dramatically not quite right" hahahaha
Let me explain what led me to this conclusion.
I was driving around doing errands today. My car radio is currently not working so my car is very quiet....leading to lots of random thought moments....and a few too many talking to myself moments (I should prolly be concerned about that!)
So today I started thinking about baseball. Which made me think about the Cubs...who I have realized I am pretty apathetic about.
This is a "terrible" thing because I totally bleed Cardinal red. And I am suppose to have very strong feelings of dislike for the Cubs. And I guess I do when they play us...or are beating us in the division (if its like Sept...earlier than that its just too early in the season!)
But I feel that way about lots of teams we play.
Anyway-it makes sense that I would have this apathy. I was reared by a mom who was born and raised on Cubs baseball. She is a Cards fan now, but still has lots of Cub memories.
This led me to thinking about how I am surprised I am not a Cubs fan. I used to be a Bears fan. (Prolly still would be since I have heard the Rams SUCK..but I'm not a huge NFL fan. This past NFL season I played a game with my family where they would quiz me on the location of the teams..I knew NONE at the beginning. But by the end..I wasn't half bad!)
But really...I was a Bears fan. I had blue and orange pompoms. I had a Bears cheerleader outfit. From the tender age of 3 (at least) I knew every word to the Bears fight song.
(Remember all this was the out-loud thought process that was happening during my errand driving.)
As I was remembering all these things...I decided I needed to see if I still remembered the song. I've got some of it. Missing quite a few parts. (Don't worry...I'm gonna practice..maybe even for a Movie Monday tehehehe)
BUT....
I realized the song tells the Bears to...Bear down.
Maybe no one else gets this...but one time in nursing school (uh oh thats the beginning of a bad joke!)
But really...in the nursing world that is what we tell patients to do when they are backed up...if you catch my meaning.
Interesting advice Chicago Bears fans....interesting advice.
Apparently the whole team has a constipation problem ;)
(PS...I remember a TOTALLY different melody...that is much better than this one but...)
PPS...yes I know...I have a gross train of thought. I'm a nurse! What do you expect!!!???
And goodbye to these awesome fun kids from my major
I was scared about going to a brand new school...moving to a brand new place.
I was bittersweet about leaving a guy I was falling for.
I was stepping out on my own to follow my dream.
And now I'm here....98 days from getting that dream
Still have no idea where I will go.
I have learned so much. I have grown so much.
I have learned a lot about myself...both what I am good at and what I am not so good at.
I've gotten really good at relying on the Lord...and learning to deal with things myself too.
I have learned to be a little extroverted..weird news to everyone I'm sure
I still have lots to learn. There is so much about being a nurse that I don't know.
So much about myself that I have NO CLUE about!
I still want to do lots of learning and growing in the Gospel.
I still have tons to learn about people...and how to treat and act around them.
But I'm learning. And I have time
This time last year...this was not the "place" I expected to be.
Wonder where we will be this time NEXT year!
Can't wait to see :)
PS.... CONGRATS TO ALL THE COUGARS OF 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to the real world! hahaha
And take it from me...if you can go back for more school...DO IT!!!
Avoid being a grownup as long as you can hahaha (within reason...don go craazy hehe)
I hid it and a bunch of pictures months ago.
Cause I didn't want to see it.
Then I found it.
And I started listening to it.
Its a good cd...but here is the thing..its kind of a downer.
Every song has meaning. Every song has a story.
Each song makes me think of why he put it on the CD
Its a lot of memories. All of them good.
But kinda depressing....pathetic I know
Even though now looking back, I'm glad there wasn't an
"Our Story Chapter 2"
I'm kinda bummed I can never get past chapter 1.
(actually rewind..and revise...
usually I can hardly get past the foreword/preface/opening the dang book!)
I just hope I can get to chapter 2 someday.
I really enjoyed our time together and I miss that.
Not with him (good grief NO!)...just with anyone.
(and by anyone I mean anyone great and awesome haha)
Who knows what is in store for me...but hopefully it will be great. And I will find greatness again.
Its probably no surprise to any of my readers that I LOVE the musical Wicked. I love every bit of it...particularly the lessons it teaches. But today I discovered one I hadn't really thought about before.
Elphaba and Glinda love each other...the best of friends.
But they hit a crossroads.
They have to decide which direction to go...
and if this choice will split them apart.
They don't want to be separated.
And they do all they can to prevent the parting.
But its not meant to be.
Sometimes life simply pulls us in opposite directions.
But they are understanding.
They wish each other complete happiness.
No matter what happens.
A few months ago, life pulled me in the opposite direction of the people I loved. The people who loved me.
I didn't want to leave.... and they didn't want me to go.
But I had to.
So they wrapped me up in a cloak and told me they wished me total happiness.
They knew I had to close my eyes and leap.
And ever since, they have continued to wish me bliss and success.
As I go through the ups and downs of nursing school, it is not the people I have recently surrounded myself with who are buoying me up. The people who watch my day to day struggles aren't the ones being supportive. They mean well. But they just aren't my Glindas. They haven't walked with me through the streets of the Emerald City and the halls of Shiz University. Its the old friends....
I am defying gravity that is for sure...Flying high defying gravity.
But its only because I have the best most supportive friends lifting me up.
So thank you guys....you are the BEST!
And if someday I am able to be half as good a friend as you...I will consider my time in this life worthwhile.
FAVORITE MEMORIES OF THE BEST BASKETBALL SEASON EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Chanting YOU GOT JIMMERED!!!!!
-Spending hours in line...in the snow...and the cold.....and in a tent
-WHOOSH...CECIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Starting a new tradtion..2 thumbs up after successful free throws!
-FOREVER we will remember the DANCE
-WWJD----What Would Jimmer Do??
-Jimmer worship!! HAHA Michelle!!!!!
-Thumbs up from Jimmer at the gym meet
-Winning the MWC!!!!
-Teach Me How To Jimmer...Teach Me Teach Me How to Jimmer!
-Raps from TJ Fredette
-AIRBALL! YOU GOT SWATTED!!! LEFT RIGHT LEFT RIGHT!!!!
-TAKE HIS WHISTLE!!!!!!
-I'm Blind, I'm Deaf.....I wanna be a REF!
-Cosmo crowd surfing all the way to the top!
-FACE PAINT
-Jimmer will you marry me...or me......or my sister!-
-Seniors LOGAN, JIMMER and JACKSON
-Supporting Davies through a rough time
-SAN DIEGO STATE..enough said
-Cosmo dancing with the Cougarettes
-Polka dot headbands
-SHIMMYING OLD LADIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Season long WHITE OUT!!!!
-Skipping LOTS of class
-Being THIRD in the nation!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Seeing a whole new side of Andrea ;)
-Getting Pappy to a game!
-Blue Gatorade
-Someday it will say Fredette on my ID card.....
-When I look into your eyes, they seem to shimmer..I love you Jimmer
-Rally Towels and White Pom-poms
-Singing along with the Pep Band
-Jump on It... OH OH OH OH.....Ahah Eheh Ahah..I put my hands up in the air sometimes
-DUNKS!!!!!! Davies, Abouo, Emery, Collinsworth
-The loudest pink shoes i've ever seen
-Adam in all white....with neon green shoes
-Hartsock and Abouo on FIRE!!!!!!!!!!
-20, 30, 40 foot shots from Jimmer!
-Spending time with all my friends from the 92nd WARD
-Almost crying at least 10 times at the final home game of the season
What a great season!!! I am so grateful to have been able to be here for this season. What a great way to end my time at BYU!!!!!!! I will miss watching my boys rip up the court!!!!
I absolutely adore fall.....I am thinking it might be my favorite season. I love the warm sunny days and the crisp nights. I love leaving my window open all night and then not wanting to get out of bed in the morning because it is too cold! I love the fall leaves and the smell of the air. There is always a hint of fire smell in fall air. I love that I can wear my trench coat and scarves and hats....but not have to wear so many layers that I look and feel like a marshmallow.
These are some shots I took conference weekend when a bunch of my ward (church congregation) went up the Alpine Loop (Provo Canyon...past Sundance for those who don't know), to Cascade Springs. GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! Plus I was there with awesome people so.... :)
