The Holiday Whirlwind

Wait. What? I have a blog? I completely forgot.

Who has time to blog during the holidays anyhow? But then so many good things happen during the holidays that are begging to be documented. So now, here I am, playing catch up.

There's so much to talk about. Christmas happened. My birthday happened. It's 2015. But let's just stick with Christmas right now, before I start hyperventilating.

This year was weird for me. The holidays went especially fast. Thanksgiving happened and then in the blink of an eye, it was Christmas. We spent Thanksgiving with my family. The weekend after Thanksgiving, we ran a Santa 5k. All runners dressed as Santa Claus for the race. Brian signed up to do it with me mostly so I'd be happy. This is something I've anxiously been looking forward to for the past year and it didn't disappoint.

I mean, just imagine it. Hundreds of Santas were running together through the streets of Ogden, Utah. It was a great sea of Santas. I felt like I had an instant bond with my fellow Santa runners. I'm sure they didn't feel any bond, because I'm a wacko person, but that's fine. I felt it. I was beyond excited. That's all that matters. To add to this awesome experience, there was also an aid station where kids dressed as elves passed out milk and cookies. There was water too, but whatever. I know I'm making this all sound very glamorous, however, running several miles in a Santa suit is very hot. And those beards were itchy. Gotta take some bad with the good I suppose.

I mentioned the holidays were strange for me. For some reason, I had a super hard time getting in the Christmas spirit this year, which doesn't really make sense because on the surface it seems I did everything right. I tend to be the type of person who goes overboard on holidays. I think everyday leading up to the big day needs to be a major celebration. I understand that can be exhausting for people around me. I think it was exhausting for me as well this year. But I kept making Christmas goodies, putting up decorations, and forcing myself to watch any holiday movie I could get my hands on all hoping this void would be filled. I went to White Elephant parties (where my gift was literally a white elephant), I sang Christmas carols. Heck, Brian and I even organized the Christmas program for our church's party. 

And let's not even talk about how much money we spent on Christmas lights this year. The sad part is, we didn't have some out-of-this-world light display. Munch the pooch kept being naughty and chewing through extension cords. Let's just say Brian and our dog didn't have the most cheery relationship through the month of December. 

Anyway, I kept getting frustrated that I had this empty feeling during the holidays. Who was I? Scrooge?! The Grinch?!

I kept blaming it on the fact that we had no snow. Christmas just isn't Christmas for me if it's not a White Christmas. It's easy to blame things on the weather. But I think the void was actually there because I needed an attitude adjustment. 

While the presents, and the lights and the snow are fun bonuses to Christmas, I think I kept forgetting the simple truth behind this special time of year. When you take all the chaos, food, parties, and glitter away, Christmas is really about a baby. He was sent here for us because God loves us. That baby, born in the most humble of circumstances, grew up to be a very brave man. He's the man who suffered and died for me so that I might overcome my faults and insecurities. He lived a life where He was often lonely, and He made that sacrifice so that I never have to feel alone. For that, I am very grateful. I know I said this post is just about Christmas, but let's delve into the new year a little bit. In 2015, I'm looking forward to strengthening my relationship with Christ and being able to understand my eldest brother a little better. I'm so very grateful for His life and example.

Now I know I really just needed to adjust my focus during the holidays, but I also knew a little snow would help my attitude. Christmas morning, I woke up to find my wild dreams came true. We fell asleep on Christmas Eve to dead, brown grass. We woke up Christmas morning to a thick and pure blanket of snow. That experience will make this Christmas one I will never forget. I didn't really want any presents this year . . . just some magical snow. God delivered!   

And I know I'm late to the party . . . . but here's the Weller Christmas card if you missed it: 

Are we hip or what? 

XO

Sunday Best: Welcoming Winter

sweater: AdornIt, jeans: Kohl's, boots: Kohl's, necklace: Maurice's, leather cuff: Millie Made

Earlier in the week when I sported this sweater, I was uncomfortably warm. It shouldn't be uncomfortably warm to wear a sweater in December but that's been the case as of late. All last week, I went on my jogs with Munch (our pooch) outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Winter, say what?? 

I can't complain. I've loved spending the extra time outdoors basking in this odd December sunlight. However, I'm ready for some snow. And this weekend, some snowflakes finally started twirling from the sky. Perhaps we will have a white Christmas after all!  

XOXO - Have a super fab week! 

P.S. If you need any last minute stocking stuffers, check out my mom's Millie Made shop. She creates amazing leather cuffs and other jewelry. The one I'm wearing in these photos says, "BE BRAVE", a constant reminder for me to break out of my comfort zone and take some risks. I'm so grateful for that message I can wear on my arm.

Sunday Best: Better Shape Up

dress: DownEast, sweater: Buckle, tights: vintage, boots: Old Navy, hat: Bella Me, necklace: Old Navy

You know you better shape up, because tomorrow is the first day of December. That means Santa Claus is coming to town. You don't want to be on the naughty list, do you?

In all reality, I chose my title because I've been on this kick of adding basic geometric shapes to my outfits (although, I'm stoked out of my mind for Saint Nick). So I was super excited when I snagged this necklace along with triangle earrings at the Old Navy Black Friday Sale. That's about all the shopping I could handle on Black Friday . . . and that was at 6 pm. Yep, not much of a Black Friday shopper here because: 

A) I hate big crowds of people crammed in small areas. 

B) I'm basically useless after midnight. A girl needs her beauty sleep. 

C) I shop deals all year long. Why go on the day that everyone else does?

Well, it's time to go decorate our Christmas tree and deck our halls. It's tradition the Sunday after Thanksgiving . . . at least around these parts. I know some of you have had your tree up since Halloween ;). I won't judge you. I'll probably leave mine up past Valentine's Day. I constantly live in denial.   

Truth Tuesday

• I realized I never shared our Christmas card on this here blog. So behold, rest your eyes on this beauty, with miniature donkeys included:

• I try to be a nice person. However, sometimes fashion bloggers make my skin crawl. There are a couple that I faithfully read. My favorite is probably Kendi Everyday. Not only does she wear cute clothes, but she seems like she'd be a cool person to hang out with. I also have a girl crush on The Awkward Girls. 

• We have a fake Christmas tree, mostly out of convenience. However, after watching some videos of how quickly real trees burn down I think I'll stick to my fake one. Watch for yourself.

• Sorry half of this post is about Christmas. I'm in denial that it's over. 

• If you like murder mysteries, you probably need to read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I finished it so quickly and I still can't stop thinking about it. Just don't read it at night when you're all alone. I made that mistake and I was all jumpy the rest of the night until Brian got home. Luna tried her best to protect me. 

Sunday Best: Golden

sweater: Head Over Heels, jeans: Kohl's, booties: Kmart, watch: Head Over Heels, Idaho necklace: gift 

I realize it is totally not Sunday, but yesterday was my birthday and I didn't feel like spending time online. So as a late birthday present to me, you can just pretend it is Sunday as you read this so this post will make sense. Deal?

I wore this outfit on Christmas Day. BWell gave me the beautiful golden sweater and my parents gave me a gold-colored watch as well. It was the perfect laid-back outfit for lots of eating and card-playing.

The favorite part of my Christmas Day was when my family gathered around our computer to Skype with my brother. He is currently serving an LDS mission in California. As much as I love my new sweater and watch, the best present was by far hearing my little bro's voice.

Happy Sunday ;)

The Gift of Experience

BWell and I decided to keep things simple this Christmas. Where we bought a house a few months ago, we came to the conclusion that it would be better to save instead of spend. After having a talk about it, we came to the conclusion that we would do stockings for one another and one or two small gifts for under the tree. Then we thought that instead of spending time and money shopping for one another, we would use that time to do extra holiday festivities together. There is nothing as wonderful as the gift of experience. Honestly, Christmas Day for me is never the best part. It's the weeks leading up to Christmas that I dwell on. It's the parties, the decorating, the good deeds, the planning, the celebrating. Presents are nice to open, but they are never as memorable as actual experiences.

Now for a random list of things we either have already done or plan on doing before the start of the new year:

• Go to a Christmas performance of some kind (we went to The Nutcracker)

• Make and decorate sugar cookies (check) 

• Build a snowman

• Decorate our Christmas tree while listening to Christmas tunes (been there, done that)

• Watch our favorite Christmas movies while wrapping gifts (did this but I'm sure there is more to come)

• Create a gingerbread house (we did this with a couple extra creative friends and it was a blast) 

• Clean out our closets and donate old clothes to those in need

• Make a treat and deliver it to neighbors (we did this on National Cookie Day) 

• Go caroling 

• Wear ugly Christmas sweaters (we got to do this for my work Christmas party)

• Create a funny Christmas card together (I'll share the card soon. It's fantastic and involves miniature donkeys) 

• Go to Temple Square and see the lights

• Go sledding

• Drink hot cocoa and drive around town to look at lights (we accomplished this last night with my mom and sisters)

• Pay for someone behind us at a drive-through

• Go on a snowshoeing expedition 

I sure do love this time of year. While I love parties, wrapping paper and Santa, it's refreshing to center my thoughts on what really matters: God and people. Merry Christmas! I hope you fill yours with experiences spent with the people you love.

Truth Cards

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, my mom, sisters and I hosted a Truth Card Party. I first learned about truth cards through Brave Girls' Club.

Truth cards are super easy to make and the supplies are simple. You take face cards or flash cards and then make them beautiful with paint, paper, ribbon, and mod podge. The most important part is to add a "truth" to the card. We get told a lot of nasty lies all the time. Whether those lies come from others or ourselves, they can be hurtful and make us feel like we don't measure up. Truth cards are a way to remind us of what is true and what is good.

My mom came up with the idea of making as many truth cards as possible before Christmas and sending them out to women who are in need encouragement this holiday season. We planned on distributing them to the women's shelter, food pantry and Angel Trees in our community (because even though the Angel Trees are about getting gifts for children in need, their mommies have needs too). It's funny how something as simple as making truth cards puts my mind in the right place for Christmas. I find myself putting a lot of thought and care into each card, and I always hope with all my heart that the right message will get to the right person.

Our Truth Card Party was a success. It was neat to see females of all ages, from little girls to their own mothers, gathered around the table making their cards. We also had sandwiches and soup for lunch which was just perfect.

I encourage you to try making your own truth cards. Even though the holidays will be over soon, you can really make these cards and distribute them for any and every occasion. I also know how difficult it can be to want so badly to be generous at Christmastime and buy presents for everyone in need, but realize that your own bank account won't allow that. This is a way to help out without sacrificing your whole paycheck. And I really feel like the messages these cards carry have much more importance than anything you can purchase at a store.

Truth Tuesday

• Because it's true^^^.

• On Saturday, Brian and I were out shopping. It was snowing really hard and I was, of course, wearing boots with zero traction. As we were driving out of the parking lot, BWell pulled to the curb so I could throw some trash in a nearby garbage can. I felt the need to run to the garbage can and then run back to the car. That was a terrible idea. As I ran in front of our car, I slid, fell on the hood, then plopped on the ground. Then I couldn't get back up. When I finally managed to pull myself off the ground of the Target parking lot, I was cold, wet and a man with a beard was laughing at me. When I finally got inside the safety of the car, Brian was laughing at me too. 

• I'm attracted to older men. Like, men who are in their 50s/60s. Brian is aware of this bizarre fact and I always remind him he has so much to look forward to. 

• I realized today that people who do not know me, but listen to me on the radio while I'm deejaying probably imagine me as an obese person. The reason being, I often go off on tangents about food. I like what I like. And that's chocolate and pizza. 

• A guy who helped me through the drive-thru at Chick-fil-A discovered I was "Kelsey from VFX" and he was all starstruck. This made me feel really weird. He also managed to utter out, "I always wonder what you guys look like," so perhaps he was just surprised that I was decent looking and not 500 pounds (since I always talk about food).

• Remember "The Famous Jett Jackson" on Disney Channel? I just found out the main actor died last summer. I'm depressed about it.  

• This song is one of the saddest songs ever written. In my opinion. 

• I adore cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. 

Truth Tuesday

• I'm posting this after midnight. So it's actually Wednesday. So this whole post is a lie (which is quite ironic).

• I hate water on my face. I avoid swimming underwater at all costs. Also, every time I wash my face, I am legitimately afraid that I'm going to drown myself.

• This year, I set up two Christmas trees in our house (as pictured above). I feel like a stuck up Christmas snob. Honestly though, the house looks so cheery right now and it makes me happy. 

• I bought a bag of peppermint taffies. Brian and I can't stop eating them. If we suddenly get diabetes, you'll know why. 

• I have the loudest laugh in the world. Sometimes BWell starts mimicking it, which makes me laugh harder. These embarrassing laugh attacks sometimes last for over 10 minutes. 

• Speaking of embarrassing, I looked out the window this evening to see the snow falling and in my excitement, I whacked my forehead against the glass. I figured I better announce that happened myself since tomorrow Brian will probably start telling people. He thought it was funny. 

• I am obsessed with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. We watch a couple episodes every night. It's interfering with washing dishes at night, but I think I can live with my decision.  

• My favorite Disney Princesses are Belle and Pocahontas. When I was little, I actually thought I was Pocahontas. I may have been one of those kids who wore my Halloween costume on other days besides Halloween. But come on, that Pocahontas necklace made out of cheap plastic was so pretty. 

Sunday Best: Back in Black

top: Kohl's, skirt: Maurices, tights: TJ Maxx, heels: Kmart 

I have been MIA from the blogging world and it's felt so good.

It's been all future planning, celebrating, turkey eating, Black Friday shopping, and Christmas decorating over here.

Oh, and you may have noticed from these photos that I totally cut my hair off. It's liberating and terrifying at the same time. Every girl should chop all their hair off at least once in their life.

I wore this black ensemble for a day at church. I had to teach the lesson in Relief Society (I was a sub). I, for some reason, got so ridiculously nervous. Not to mention, I forgot to take my wool coat off so I wore it during the whole lesson. Wool coat + nerves + pleather sleeves = really sweaty armpits. TMI?

Have a fab week. Whether you choose to wear real leather or fake leather, you're still awesome.