The Weekly Photo

Harry, Swedish Short Snout Dragon, and Fleur

It was Harry's birthday of course! More pictures tomorrow!

The Weekly Photo

 I know everyone already saw this picture, but I want it as my Weekly Photo. However, here is another picture as well:

Easter Sunday!

More Easter pictures and videos coming tomorrow!

Weekly Photo(s)

I have been out of town in Oregon for the past two weeks! I went back to do the choreography for my mom's play, The Sound of Music. It was a lot of fun and I went to rehearsals almost everyday I was there. I love doing choreography and I miss being involved in theatre, so I loved being at rehearsals! It was a very busy trip and I got some photos, but not many.

So for the week before Monday, March 10th, here is that Weekly Photo:

 This is the big reveal! I made this Union Jack quilt for my mom's birthday. I spent a lot of February sewing and choreographing. It was a busy month. I could not show a picture on here, however, until after my mom opened it. She loved it, since she (and our whole family) loves all things British. There will be more pictures of this quilt later in the week!

The week before Monday, March 17th:

 I rarely get pictures of Elanor and I (that are not taken at an arm's length by me), so it was nice to get one! We went on a hike up to these beautiful falls one day after rehearsal. 

More Oregon pictures coming!

The Weekly Photo/My Birthday!

This is really a rather accurate description of the last few days. We have had a lot of cake. Two birthday parties, free cupcake from the  Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcake shop on Saturday, my aunt made me a delicious birthday cake yesterday and we had even more cake today. I am not complaining. I love good, delicious, homemade cake.

Oh, and it happens to be my birthday today. I am 25. My youngest brother had his birthday yesterday and turned 18. I feel like we both turned important numbers. Twenty-five feels like a proper adult. I am not in my early twenties anymore, which is weird. I have been thinking about being twenty-five and looking back on my quarter century and thinking about what I have learned. So, here are a few things:

1. Life never goes how you expect it to. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just different and sometimes hard. I fully expected to have another baby by now and I have always hoped to have four or five kids. This idea and plan of mine might not ever happen and I have learned so much from this trial. I am grateful, which leads me to number two.

2. I am so blessed (I understand that I really am, and no matter what someone has a much more difficult life than my relatively easy one). I have the best, kindest, hardest working husband. I have a miraculous little girl, who is smart, funny, and beautiful. I have the best parents and siblings. I have wonderful in-laws. Plus, I have so many temporal blessings as well.

3. Just chill. There is no point getting offended. You can always choose how to react and getting offended is always the worst choice.

4. I am needy and I can stand on my own two feet. Does that make sense? I need my Heavenly Father. I need Tyler. I need my Mom and my Dad. I need people to talk to and to understand. But--I am also rather self reliant spiritually and emotionally. This is makes it possible for someone to need me.

5. Being an adult is great. I was often sort of scared sometimes to grow up as a kid, but at the same time really wanted to as well. Everyone feels that way, right? However, let me rephrase, being an adult and a parent is great. Yeah, it was fun being single (wait, have I ever been single in my adulthood?), and it was fun being young and married, but being young, married and a parent is the best thing ever. You get to have the adult stuff and the kid stuff. Magic comes back into your life and home with kids. I just started reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to Elanor and she loves it! She keeps bringing me the book to read more. We read it for an hour and a half this morning!

So, maybe I am still super young and not all that wise (though I have taken those character tests and have gotten Dumbledore, Yoda,  Gandalf and Uncle Iroh--from Avatar--so I am presumably a wise old man), but I have learned things in my twenty-five years and I am grateful for that.

Facts/Questions

My friend, Casey, tagged me to do this Leibster Award thing, so I thought, why not? I don't even know if many people read this blog or if anyone reads it who does not actually know me, but if you don't know me this can be a little get to know Elizabeth post.

So, I am supposed to write 11 random facts about myself and then answer Casey's 11 questions. Hopefully, I can think of 11 things... Here goes:

1. I love traveling. If we had the money and the time, I would travel the world. I have been to Europe twice, would love to go back to Scotland, would love to backpack in Peru, and I really, really want to go to New Zealand. Pretty much anywhere would be nice. I have found that most places I have lived or been to are beautiful and interesting.

2. I am in to nerdy things, but am not really a nerd. I always say other people are just less informed because everyone should like Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Merlin (TV show), Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Avatar: The  Last Airbender (the TV show).

3. I love dresses. They are my favorite article of clothing to wear. If I had enough dresses, I would wear them everyday.

4. Shakespeare is my favorite playwright, of course.

5. I love Bollywood movies. Kuch Naa Kaho, I Hate Luv Storys, and Dil Bole Hadippa! are some of my favorites. I have pretty much enjoyed every single one I have seen. There are a ton on Netflix.

6. I love Jane Austen. I watched all of the 6 hour Pride and Predjudice movie when I was 7. From then on, I have read every one of her books multiple times and watched every movie.

7. Keira Knightly is my least favorite actor. She annoys me in everything I have seen her in. I feel a little guilty about being annoyed with someone I don't even know, but I she just bugs me.

8. I kind of would really like to go to Comic Con in San Diego. Peter Jackson will be there, along with Matt Smith, Robert Downey Jr. and anyone in some sort of fantasy or super hero movie or TV show. Again, I promise I am not a nerd.

9. I like fancy cheese and fancy chocolate.

10. I love flowers and growing things. I love watching my little garden grow and I love having flowers (in vases) in my house.

11. I love color. I am not really into white walls (maybe one room of the house). Right now in our little basement apartment, we have light purple walls (our room), pale green walls (Elanor's room), a yellowish cream (living room), and bright yellow (kitchen). Some of the rooms were already these colors, some we painted. I can't wait to have my own house (someday) and decorate however I like!

All done! Here are my answers to Casey's questions:

1.  If you could be given ANY gift, what would it be? 

Airplane tickets to New Zealand.

2. When was the last time you cried laughing, and why? 

I don't cry/laugh all that often. Maybe watching She's the Man with my friends Caitlin and Mallory in high school or watching an episode of The IT Crowd. 

3.  What are you really afraid of?

Someone taking/hurting Elanor or Tyler

4.  Would you ever Bungee Jump?

Sure.

5.  What smell do you hate the most?

Those nasty dairy farms where hundreds of cows are shoved into a little space and up to there stomachs in their own feces. You can smell one of those farms for miles before and after while driving in a car.

6.  What book are you reading right now?

Middlemarch

7.  Which restaurant serves your favorite dessert, and what is it?

Not sure. Hmm. Perry's on Fremont in Portland, OR has some tasty desserts. My mom also makes some delicious desserts. I like anything chocolate, but also love things like creme brûlée and cheesecake.

8.  What would you say is your most special talent?

Er. Huh. I am not really into writing things like this about myself. I guess I am not very judgmental and like to make friends with all sorts of people.

9.  Paper or plastic?

Paper.

10.  Have you ever been caught farting in public? (Jayson wrote this one)

Excuse me, I am a lady. :) 

11.  If you could fill a supporting role (meaning, not the main character) in any book or movie, which would it be and why?

Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter book series. She is so brave, intelligent and kind (most of the time). I would not mind being a bit like her.

That's it! 

Anyone want to do it? You can if you want and I can give you 11 questions to answer.