WEEKEND TRIP TO ST. GEORGE

kristin, colin, andrew and i fled the freezing cold abyss that is provo and headed south to warm st. george last weekend.

well, we didn't call it st. george when we were there. it was referred to as "st. geezy" as in street geezy. don't call it "saint geezy." if you do, your privileges of using our st. geezy slang will be revoked. st. geezy was described as "straight geezy" and you need to make sure you do not confuse the two. feel free to refer to awesome things as "straight geezy" you now have our permission to do it. maybe we can make it a new thing? you know, like "totes" and "cray cray"? let's make this happen.

 en route to st. geezy!

 we forgot kris and had to go back to get her... oops.

quick ice cream stop at the red barn. sooo good! and no, none of us are engaged/dating. the man taking the picture thought otherwise.

the car. so many rules made in this car that a post needs to be dedicated to it!

it's true. the wendy's tap water was that of celestial.

"hey lets jump in a freezing cold pool! that is a great way to have fun!" said no one. ever.

the watchmen.

proper temple attire, obviously.

on the steps of the famous st. george tabernacle.

she's my favorite.

best friends can be together forever, too!

afternoon sit with brigham young. or uncle george, depedning on who you speak to.

"oh uncle george, you are so funny!"

he's a great cuddler.

the lights went out in target. the zombie apocalypse is slowly coming forth.

drinking too much mexican coke. cafe rio- that's what's up!

 they bully me like the older brothers i never had. gotta love em!

 doesn't colin know he can't touch a girl's bun?!?! come on!

cray cray night up at dixie rock!

 "i'm on top of the world, aye! i'm on top of the world, aye!"

 no, we did not go to the restroom on top of the rock (despite what this looks like) we are preventing major wardrobe malfunctions.

 classic picture. we love wind, can't you tell?

 i spy with my little eye, the st. george temple!

and the picture that sums this weekend up:

who knew breakfast could be so humorous?

st. geezy, you were straight geezy. thanks for the laughs.

For Kimi-

You're 20. You're 20.... Wow, that is so weird to think, let alone type.

Today marks the day in which you have officially reached what I have always known was going to happen, the day in which the inevitable becomes reality- you're a real woman now. We always talked about what we'd be doing at  20 when we were growing up... Thinking we'd be living in New York as magazine editors (we watched The Devil Wears Prada far too much....) or remember when we we set on being  bartenders like the ones in Coyote Ugly? (We both knew we would never make it due to the fact that neither of us drink/can't dance to save our lives...) Man.... Those were the days. 20 seemed so far away back then, but it's here now and I couldn't be more elated for you. Instead of being a magazine editor or a bartender (thankfully) you're an artsy, independent, wise, beautiful English major at Boise State who is going to do great things. I am so proud of the woman that you have grown into.

I am still stuck in our lovely past- growing up on grandpa's ranch, walking around Ojai, pretending we were Elizabeth Swan after watching Pirates of the Caribbean.  Life has brought us down separate paths, but we have never let go of one another's hands. We don't talk as often as we should, but there is something about being connected to someone- the type of connected in which you know that you were best friends long before this earth began- that makes the distance more bearable.

I'm always going to remember you as the 14 year old girl who sat by my side on the edge of the highway the summer before we began high school. We talked about how scared we were to go to high school. How scared we were to grow up and how scared we were to see what parts of the real world were all about. But in that moment, when we were tossing the oranges from Grandpa's ranch across the highway, with the backdrop of the sweet glow of the warm California sun fade into the Ventura skyline, we both knew that despite the challenges that growing up with bring upon us, we'd always have each other.

We're always going to have each other.

In the words of our hero Chris Martin, "you don't know how lovely you are." And it's true. You're never going to fully comprehend how much of a goddess you are. You're never going to wrap your head around the fact that the strength you hold is so powerful. You're never going to know how much I love you and am so thankful for the fact that you are my cousin/twin soul/confidant.

Happy birthday, Kimi. I love you to the moon and back.

ditto. 

Dear Sister Cutillo:

"You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Nicaragua Managua North Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

"You should report to the Guatemala Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Spanish language. Your assignment may be modified according to the needs of the mission president."

and the part that I loved the most...

"The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children. We place our confidence in you and pray that the Lord will help you become an effective missionary."

I have never been more besotted, anxious, astonished or enamored all at once until that very moment.

P.S. Can you ignore the ugly faces that are made, as well? Being on camera has never been my strong suit....

pleaseandthankyou. :)

Since I've Been Home...

I have:

Reunited with my best friends :)

Got the trips hooked on unsafe games. Prime example: running around the house whilst sliding on a blanket. (I'm the cool older sister, btw)

Experienced rejection from my own blood. It stings...

Accepted a fault of mine.

OFFICIALLY SUBMITTED MY MISSION PAPERS!!!!!!!!!!

Met JB at the local Barnes & Noble.

..........kind of......

Actively began to live this motto.

Became a model with my Ken Doll. Just humor us, please.

Rocked the hair clip like nobodies' business  (If you know me, you know I rock this clip when I am home to keep my hair out of my face. #shorthairproblems)

And danced to this song too many times to count. The triplets love dancing to this tune, I oblige because I am a sucker for anything 90's and am super cool. AM I RIGHT?! OR AM I RIGHT?! Hello? Anyone?

Go on, dance all light to that DJ with me!!!!!!

Happy Christian Kyle Sagers Day!

Today is the birthday of one of my greatest friends, Christian! How awesome is it that he turns 20 on 12-12-12?! I really shouldn't be surprised though, because he is quite possibly one of the most amazing men I've ever encountered, so OF COURSE his birthday marking one score of his life accomplished would fall on the last repetitive day we'll ever see in our lifetime!

In honor of dearest Christian, here are twenty reasons why he is one of the greatest fellas around:

1. He is the most humble person I know.
2. He understands my humor and actually finds it entertaining (who would have thought....)
3. He is my dancing twin. No one else flails along with me until he came around.
4. His love for music that touches your soul is intriguing.
5. He has this superhuman capacity to love and accept everyone he encounters.
6. His laugh is one of my favorite sounds on this earth.
7. He plays Spanish cassette tapes in his car... 'nough said.
8. He is a living testament that chivalry is not dead (his momma raised him right ;))
9. By the way, his mom is one of my favorite ladies and by association that counts for him as well. You're great, Miss Deon :)
10. He is an amazing listener and even better at giving advice.
11. Ladies, he's a looker. Well-dressed and always presentable. I always loved walking on campus with him because girls shot me the "evil eye" ;)
12. He's always up for a good time. (Need a reminder? Remember this? And this?)
13. He knows how to cook and has a great appreciation for good food.
14. He is quite the ice-skating instructor and an even better catcher of human-bodies when one almost hits the ice. Believe me.... I'd know.
15. He is so consistent. I know that despite the fact he is in Sweden serving his LDS mission and we are continents apart he will always be there if I need his wise words. He is so constant and so strong.
16. Until him, I didn't know anyone else enjoyed silence as much as I did. It is such a gift to share comfortable silence with someone.
17. He is the reason why I made a blog and he is it's biggest fan! Let's hope he still enjoys it when he gets home....
18. His ability to transcend his spoken voice into his letters is such a miraculous, admirable gift.
19. He is so empathetic and mindful of the others. It truly stupefies me to see how intuitive he is.
20. He is a man of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He walks by faith and is always aware of the mantle that has been placed upon him. He is such an inspiration to me and I am so thankful for his meek, humble, powerful and loving presence in my life.

See you soon,  Äldste Sagers! 

a royally amazing day

In order know me better, you should know these two things:
1) Babies are my favorite things in this world.
2) Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge is my idol. Yeah that's right, I use her official name in such cases.. TAKE THAT FAKE LOVERS OF THE DUCHESS! 

So when I found out that two of my favorite things are combining I fell out of bed. I.KID.YOU.NOT. Fell out of it, and believe me, falling out of those tall Liberty Square beds is painful. But for my dearest **Waity Katie, I'd do it again!
Ask my roommate, Amanda. The moment I read the text from my mother informing me of her impending pregnancy I gave fifteen minute speech of my undying love for the couple and how happy I am... I also may or may not have said the following line:

"Giving birth is awesome as it is... I mean life comes from between your legs. BUT THIS?!!?! She has the future King or Queen in her uterus right now. MY MIND IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE."

I also may or may not have thought that I actually was The Duchess when I was a senior in high school... And also may or may not be thinking that I need to be like her now....

...........I know what you're thinking, "she needs to sort out her priorities!" (said from another famous Brit. Can you guess who?!?! Ten points to the winner!) but you know what, I'm not going to. In my mind, I am her. SO TAKE THAT.

**Her and Prince William dated for 8 years before they were married. She was patient and knew that if she stuck it out she would end up with her Prince Charming literally. See, waiting really does pays off ;)

the first of december

i've been patiently waiting to share my all-time favorite christmas song by my all-time favorite band with you. now that it's finally december i no longer fear having my life taken when i play christmas music by the non-christmas-music-before-christmas haters! enjoy :)

monday surprises

as you know, a couple of my dearest friends are serving their missions right now.

i've learned to deal with the fact that they are no longer a phone call away (more like oceans apart now...) to do something when i am bored or there to talk to when no one else quite understands. and as of late, i  have come to the realization that my friday nights just aren't quite the same without these blokes.

thankfully, letters and emails make the distance more bearable.

it's odd to think that there are tiny pieces of my heart scattered in different continents right now.

"it is a long way off, sir"

"from what jane?"

"from england and from thornfield: and ___"

"well?"

"from you, sir."

-charlottle brontë, jane eyre

i left my heart in colorado

this past weekend i had the opportunity to go up to colorado springs to campaign for mitt romney! instead of writing a novel about how amazing it was, (because i totally could...) i decided to post all of the random pictures i took! beware, there are a lot! but if you want to see some embarrassing photos in the name of all that is political, keep scrolling down!

the victory office headquarters. i felt so official sitting in there, you don't even know.

the hallowed call board! many try, few get there names on there! i'm one of them....

we had the privilege of meeting david dewhurst, the lieutenant governor of texas! such an honor.

coloradan's car stickers are my favorite. that's all.

this is rachel. only meeting her this weekend, it feels like we've known each other for a long time! she's my favorite :)

i became quite the door-knocker. this might be in my near future? who knows!

this is brutus. aka the the biggest dog ever! we should have brought him around to defend us from some lovely citizens... cough cough.

i don't think i can explain this picture to you all.. just admire it, as rachel and i did. you're welcome.

a beautiful view coming home.

california sunsets have always been my favorite, but colorado is a close second.

this is jeff and lee. they were the older brothers for us during the trip! they are **so funny and were always there for a good talk whether it be about the titanic, chinese history or ronald reagan, we talked about it all!

this is daniel van oaks the III. he was a hoot. i feel like this picture is self-explanatory of him during the trip....

danny boy had a thing for my girl rachel, so he put on a ring on it.....

not without some hesitation though...

getting denied can be an embarrassing thing. it's okay, danny. it happens to the best of us.

after the failed engagement i danced the pain away with danny. i'm such a good friend, i know.

all giggles! he must have forgotten him getting denied a couple of minutes earlier....

i wanted a thhhuuper (said with a lisp) cute piggy back picture too......

but i should have known that placing my precious life in danny's hands was a bad idea... you live and you learn right?

**i have a two minute video of jeff talking about a "smiley piece of meat" that makes me laugh every time i watch it. you might not get it, but just imagine the funniest thing in the world and that's what the video is. maybe if you're good little boys and girls i'll share it with you. mayyybeeeee.....