crafty me.

Well, because traveling back to school was delayed because of the snow, tonight I sat down and completed some long-awaited craft projects.

Project one: two frames, bought years ago at Walmart in an after Easter clearance (like $.50). They were the colors shown below. One was yellow with pink, and the other was blue with pink. Both had little bunnies/rabbit figurines attached as well. After years of them sitting in my room, I decided to paint them black. Then, I found some pictures online I liked (a blue vintage owl that matches my room) and a peacock. And voila :)

Project two: A "Welcome" sign found over the summer for a buck. It was just plain wood. I painted a few coats of red on it and sanded it. I think it'll be great in my apartment. I've also found other good deals for my apartment over the break...will post pics of new decorations soon!

besties' birthdays

as a primary song goes, today is such a special day...it's birthday time for TWO. (i changed the words)

19 years ago, two awesome girls entered the world.

one is my dear cousin, mentioned earlier here. Hollie and I used to talk on the phone, on AIM, and via snail mail all the time when we were younger and lived across the country. When I found out I was moving to Utah, getting to know Hollie better and hanging out with her was one of the "pros". After living here 6+ years, I'm SO grateful that we have been able to get to know each other better. Hollie is selfless, genuine, classy, and caring. Happy birthday "poochie".

the other is someone i met less than 5 months ago. any guesses? It's none other than my roommate Sam. I don't even want to think about what would happen if we hadn't ended up in the same apartment! Read about our adventures here, here, or here. Sam is hilarious, beautiful, a superb listener, and a one-of-a-kind storyteller. :) happy birthday "debra".

dear kohl's,

how i love thee.
sometimes i loathe thee when i have to work long hours into the early mornings (twice this week past midnight) and occasionally the insanely early hours (4 a.m.). BUT, when it comes down to it, if I did a fashion inventory, I would find that somewhere around 95% of my attire is from the very same store. No doubt.

I was just cleaning out my purse and found loads of receipts from the last week -- all from the same place. Even though it'd be nice to have a job when I'm at school, it's probably a good thing there isn't a store within walking distance :)

But, the point of this post? I earned "Kohl's Cash" last week and wanted to share how I redeemed it today:
{this dress from Candie's...for those of you who know how I love "Reba", it's what I refer to as a "Cheyenne, season 6 dress") Also wearing my new Candie's shoes (last week) and the awesome necklace Becky gave me for Christmas}
{then I found these adorable dish towels with the Valentine decor...you know me and owls.}
There ya have it! Now I'm off to watch Julie & Julia with my mother!

love. love.
Cheri

and to all a good night!

Lately I've been pretty sleepy! I could barely stay awake on Christmas Eve past 9:30. Once I get my "second wind", I'm fine, but before then...man, it gets pretty tough to stay awake. Anyway, it's been a wonderful Christmas full of laughter, gift-giving (and receiving), video chats with family, great food, movies that never get old (While You Were Sleeping & You've Got Mail), games (Taboo and Mad Gab),and amazing company. I hope you enjoyed your Christmas as well! I took some pictures, but this one is my favorite from the day.



{i love these awesome girls -- my mom and sister. I'm so happy we spent Christmas together!}

Hmm...time for bed?

Merry Christmas (Eve)

"Christmas time is here..."

SO happy.

i LOVE my family!

Even though I had to work today, I tried to remain in the Christmas spirit and remember all of my blessings. I have SO much to be thankful for.

I'll update soon with stories :)

Christmas Eve Eve

I can't believe tomorrow is CHRISTMAS EVE. Where has this month gone? Where has the year gone?! It's been a wonderful break here at home. I'm excited for this next semester, but also sad to be leaving so soon! Here are some things I've noticed in the few weeks I've been home:

1. I'm so grateful that my pre-college job lets me work on breaks! I've worked everyday this week and even though I'm not necessarily excited for my next shift (my feet hurt SO bad cause I'm not used to standing so long!), I know I'll be grateful when I get my paycheck :)
2. Making spontaneous snow angels (even when you have somewhere to go and you might be wet) is still worth it.
3. I love, love, love Christmas lights!
4. I can't wait to see all my family in a few weeks at my brother's wedding.
5. I miss watching Gilmore Girls with Sam at 12 and/or 6 p.m. on ABC Family. Luckily we've still talked on the phone and told LOTS of stories!
6. My mom is a funny lady. :) I love her.
7. I love my mom's Christmas decorations. They make me v. v. happy!
8. Can't wait for the "Allen Family Party" on Sunday!!!! Holy cow.
9. Natalie is an amazing friend and mother. I'm so lucky to know her! Last night I helped her with some Christmas shopping for less-fortunate families and then we got back and wrapped some together. She's funny, thoughtful, and awesome!
10. I kinda really love listening to this song(it's very catchy! I heard it for the first time yesterday), this song (which is a funny music video cause the singer is 15, was discovered on Youtube, and is talking about love..), and this song(also LOVE the show!). Also, listen to songs and buy them cheaper than iTunes here, which I found on my gorgeous sister, Jen's blog. Thanks Jen!

Have a fabulous Christmas eve eve!!

Cheri

meet hollie.

Hollie is one of my best friends. She is an amazing listener (I wonder how many hours we rack up on the phone a week...or a day). There are times when I talk to her 3-4 times a day. Sometimes last semester we'd call each other as we walked...to EVERY class. She knows everything about me, and is one of the kindest people I know. Hollie always makes me want to be a better person. She is a great cook, sister, cousin (to me), friend, daughter, roommate, etc...I'm just guessing! Anyway, Hollie came up this weekend to visit and it's been so fun having her up! We are so close and have an awesome relationship. I can't wait one day to hang out with her when we both have spouses and families....ANYWAY, here is a rockin' picture taken after church today. I love those Sundays when you just feel SO cute...haha, so naturally, I had to take a pic (p.s. I'm wearing my new skirt, which was $4 from DI, and my new shoes, which are purple but you can't tell). LOVE YOU HOLLIE :)

worrying..

I once heard this saying, "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It passes the time away, but won't get you anywhere."

This last semester I took Geology of Southern Utah. I figured it'd be interesting while living there to know about the rocks. But, I didn't like the class. The teacher irritated me, the 1.5 hour long classes were killers compared to MWF 50-minute classes, I did bad on the tests after I felt prepared, etc. So, when it came time for the final, I was ready to take it and be done.

I was so worried about my grade in the class though! In high school I was the 4.0 student who was top-of-the-class, smart, you know? Then it seemed I got to college and couldn't understand basics of...Geology. It seemed harder to me than my AP Calculus class had been junior year (or at least that's what my test scores were telling me).

Well, I checked final grades today and somehow I got an A- in the class. The point? I worried. For nothing! I need to remember that if I do my best, it's enough. I don't have to "measure up" to anyone's expectations.

My first college semester went better than I thought! 5 A's and 3 A-'s. Yay! :)

apostrophe abuse.

I always notice when people misuse apostrophes (or almost always). Well, I was browsing through the newspaper today and caught this (first of all, it's creepy and secondly, bad grammar):
So, folks. "Santa's is back!". Oh boy. I submitted it to the apostrophe abuse website. We'll see if it shows up.

home for the holidays

After a long week of finals, new job training, and crazy twists & turns (related to boys), I'm finally home for the holidays. I left Friday to come home, but didn't arrive until today (due to weather, staying the night at a friend's house, and unforeseen circumstances). Needless to say, I was very excited to be home. It's a great feeling not to have to worry about homework (for a little bit) and just enjoy being back.

As soon as I got home this morning, I headed off to 2 missionary farewells. Both were friends from high school, but one was a dear friend of mine. It was hard to say goodbye to him after everything we've been through together (and trust me, it's an interesting story), but I felt the Spirit so strong during his testimony, and have no doubt he will be a great missionary.

After catching up with friends from high school (mission farewells/homecomings are like reunions here), reminiscing on days gone by, getting stuck in the snow, feeling very colorful in my purple tights, and indulging in one too many treats at the typical farewell feast, I headed back home.

I love seeing the Christmas tree gleaming from where I sat on the couch, listening to The Forgotten Carols, and the smells of peppermint or cinnamon candles. I simply love this time of year. The decorations...oh, the decorations. That was something that excited me the most -- seeing all the old, and new decorations that adorn every free space in our home :) My mom does get into the Christmas spirit.

Anyway, it's good to be home. I'm going to try and enjoy every minute of it!

Argus C2

Today, I received an early Christmas present. It was a camera. An OLD camera. I love them. The look, the style, everything. I want to get a shelf so it can sit next to my polaroid camera, but for now, it just sits atop my dresser. Anyway, tonight I wanted to do some research so I decided to try and find out what kind it was....it was very easy. I found the EXACT one.

The ARGUS C2....made in 1938!!! Holy cow. i'm so happy. See for yourself -- isn't it beautiful?


For camera nerds like me, this talks about what all the buttons do.

Man, oh man. I'm in love. I know some of you (aka BECKY) might not understand my love for things in the past, but I LOVE old things. Woo!

Oh, tomorrow is my LAST final. Then it's time for some holiday R&R. See ya soon.

it's late.

12:26 a.m.

I should be sleeping. But instead I'm studying for my communications final. It's tomorrow (today) at 9 a.m. It's only 25 questions. I'll be DONE in pretty much 9 hours. Then I have the rest of the day to: get some Christmas shopping done with the help of Blake, help out with a service project, eat, watch Gilmore Girls (hopefully, cause I missed it today), and study (lots) for my LAST final (Nutrition). Oh, and pack. And start working on getting story ideas for the newspaper....ah. A busy week indeed!

I think I'll do well on this final. It's frustrating because a lot of my friends have gotten 99-100% on some finals and I want that to happen to me!! But, I will just do the best I can :)

It's snowed here lately...it looked gorgeous yesterday when I woke up and saw all the freshly fallen snow. See what I mean?

Today I learned LOTS about inDesign (what I will come to know very well over the next few months with the paper...I'm excited to learn, but it will be stressful at first and a little overwhelming!). Thanks Kelly for teaching me today. Here we are, after hours of layout! And me, with my first "practice" page. Hoorah!

Ok, it's bed time. Actually, it's time for more studying. Then bedtime. Gooooodnight! (now 12:35)

Taking a quick break

...from studying. Then, I'll return!

I was reading the Ensign today and since I couldn't find my conference edition, I pulled out the Oct. 2009 one instead. It had some blogging tips. I saw this one: "Blogs should not be a "forum to complain or criticize people behind their backs." Instead keep your comments positive."

I immediately felt bad as I remembered my posts last week about my roommates' habits. So, while I do NOT promise to keep a positive blog always (because sometimes you just HAVE something to say), I want to say sorry for the negative posts last week. I'm not sure if my roommate read my blog, but the next day, the room was SO clean! I felt bad because if I had a problem, I should have told her first before writing about it on my blog. Anyway, even though I don't always get along with my roommates, they have great qualities that I should focus more on...I'll definitely try that this week.

Anyway, FINALS week!! Crazy. I can't wait for this semester to be O-V-E-R. I had some good classes, but I'm definitely excited for the ones I'm taking next semester. :)

Alright, time to study! First final? Geology! Blech.

What if..

I cut my hair like this??

Remember how I always have debates over cutting my hair? I did cut my bangs today, and this haircut is....quite sassy. AH why can't I just be spontaneous?!

can't wait...

SO excited for a date tonight :)

Let's just say....this guy seems VERY nice. A couple weeks ago in Institute I thought, "I wish I knew him better...he seems nice." Then somehow, it happened :) We talked, exchanged numbers, and now I'm going on a DATE with him!

Anyway, even the new addition of a bowl with dried peanut butter in my room can't mask THIS happy face!

{C}

pet peeve #2

bugged by:

--plates of food, cups, and utensils in MY room because of my roommate
--salt & pepper shaker (for the aforementioned plates of food which have long seen their best days)
--an empty carton of icecream by the roomie's bed (going on day 2 for that one)
--the funny smell that ensues in our room because of roomie's habits.
--the fact that I have never seen my roommate take out the trash in our room nor vacuum it.

LUCKILY,

--my side is clean
--I care that the room smells and do what I can to make it better (ex. Have a Scentsy candle to mask the smell)
--Trash bugs so I take it out.

PS. Sorry these last posts haven't been too happy! It's nice to get out my frustrations though on my blog :)

What bugs YOU?! Come on, fess up!