surprise

We woke up to a winter wonderland Sunday morning full of big, wet, fatty flakes that didn't stop falling till the sun went down.

I guess it is February so it's about time we had some snow on the ground but winter and I still have a love/hate relationship.

Pros:
We're going skiing for President's day this weekend with my family, so snow in the mountains is greatly appreciated.

Cons:
Scraping the snow of the car windshield.
And wet feet.

Dear winter,
Even though you showed up three months late I still expect you to be outta here by March/April.
Thanks in advance.
Carly

wintertime

The clouds are trying so hard to snow around here.  It's going to be in the low 20's every morning this week - we're talking the kind of cold that makes you feel like your nose it going to fall off by the time you get to class (thank goodness I get to cut through two buildings on my way to school)

However (I really can't believe I'm saying this) I'm almost rooting for there to be a good dumping of Christmas snow in our near future.

Perhaps it's because I know I get to go home to sunny, lovely southern California in 11 days (who's counting?  not me.)
Or perhaps it's because classes are over in two days (two days!) and then I won't have to walk to school in the wee hours of the morning anymore this semester.

But mostly I think I'm just in the mood for a good snowstorm - we're talking the kind of snow that makes you want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and just watch it fall all afternoon...which could give me another excuse to procrastinate studying for my finals...

Picture source

cruel & unusual

 via

the facts:

I've been going to this class at 

8:00 in the AM

every Monday/Wednesday this winter.

I came to terms with this fact when I signed up for the class last fall.

 I knew it would mean little make-up,

my hair in a bun more likely than not

and morning walks to the tanner building when it's 10 degrees outside.

I signed up for all of this.

I, however, did not sign up for the

final schedule for this class:

Saturday at

7:00 in the AM

i'd like to know who okayed this 

and why do they take such great pleasure in making me wake up when it's still dark outside??

I guess it doesn't matter now because it's now done and turned in, but I would just like to state that an 11 page written final that early in the morning was not the brightest idea...

Saturday morning

I'll give you 3 guesses how I'm spending 4 lovely hours this Saturday morning/afternoon:

Ok, you'll never guess.

I'll tell you.

I'll be sitting in the JSB auditorium at an Accounting Review.

Again you're asking:  

"Why on earth is she taking this class??"

Sometimes I ask myself that question too...

But quite honestly when you're boyfriend is an Accounting 200 TA/ MACC student it's not so bad,

and how great is my professor for giving up his Saturday to help us study?

Pretty great.

But let's be honest,

all I really want is for this review to hurry up and be over so I can go snow tubing on this beautiful 52 degree Saturday.

:)

Too bad I can't just fast-forward Norm 1.7 times like I do when I watch his CD's...

umm...

 The weather here is starting to weird me out.

 8:00 am

I woke up to a snow storm.

Three inches were piled on the ground and it was still dumping.

I opened my blinds and watched the snow fall for the next hour strait.

I thought today would consist of thick socks and multiple layers.

 12:00 pm

It stopped snowing.

Walking under any tree was treacherous due to the fear of becoming a walking target for large chunks of melting snow.

Puddles the size of small lakes formed around my apartment complex and were so deep they soaked all the way through my high quality Walmart moccasins.

 11:50 pm

There's nothing left.

Oh, there's a patch of white left on every other lawn, but for the most part you'd never knew it snowed today.

It's even 40 degrees (at midnight) and I didn't shiver a bit walking from the car to my apartment.

This is unheard of.

I don't understand you, Utah, but I'd like to keep up this 

'warm enough not to wear a jacket in February' trend 

if it's alright with you?

a few days later

happy belated president's day!

long weekends are the best, don't you agree?

I adored waking up on Monday morning and not running off to an 8:00 AM class...

instead I woke up at the same time, bundled up and hopped on a ski lift.

tell me how that works?

and yes, that is our car,

on the left

after 3 days of strait snow

it was a glorious 4 days away from real life

my favorite things #1

Well it seems I enjoyed my 7 days of love so much I've decided to start a trend.

A few of  

my favorite things 

Fridays:

today is dedicated to

long weekends

Mine will be spent here with the family:

Bundling up,
boarding all day Saturday and Monday,
building snowmen,
eating chili bread bowls and Milky Ways in the lodge,
playing Dominoes after dinner at the condo,
being really, really sore

and hopefully coming back in one piece...

Have a lovely extra long weekend all!
See you on the other side!

winter epiphanies

Today as I strolled onto campus on this cold and completely predictably gray January-esqe day I realized something:

I need to take Floral Design before I graduate.

To answer your question:

Yes, you may laugh.

And your other question:

Yes, I'm serious.

Walking between the Wilkinson Center and the library I spotted at least 5 people carrying the most colorful arrangements of Gerber daisies, roses and babies breath all swaddled in crisp spring colors of lime green and hot pink tissue paper.

Who doesn't need Gerber daisies on their window sill in the middle of January?

I don't know if I'm the only California girl who gets the mid-Winter-Utah-blues, but flowers sure wouldn't be a bad way to curb my sunshine cravings...I'm just saying.

I've planned it out, and with the time frame I've set up it's got to fit somewhere between April 2011 and April 2012, because 

(crossing all fingers and toes) 

I should hypothetically and probably be done with all things undergraduate related by then.

{ Gasp! }

However the best laid plans of mice and men and me are more than apt to go awry, 

so don't go holding you're breath just yet.

But this also means something else dear blogging friends...

something I didn't quite realize until I looked more closely at my transcripts just the other day:

I am a

senior in college!!

{ Double Gasp! }

It's only because of the exorbitant amount of credit hours I've gleaned over the last 3 years taking classes like Intro to Beginners Bowling and not officially declaring a major until the first semester of my junior year (aka: last semester), 

but the term senior just isn't rolling  smoothly off the tongue quite yet.

Yet being the operative word in that sentence.

I'm more than certain I'll get all too used to my new found seniority status by the time Fall rolls around again.

2011

Cheers  to 365 more wonderful days

the to-do list:

1. the ward Christmas party

(check)

2. Ugly Christmas sweaters

(check)

and 3. Christmas lights

 (check)

Now I just need to 4. fly home,

5. watch A Christmas Carol

and 6. go bowling and then it will officially feel like Christmas.

gingerbread wars

{ Girls vs. Boys addition }

 the results:

vs.

Kudos to the first person who can name what this 

{ the crumbling graham cracker creation with 

black frosting smothered all over it }

is supposed to be...

lights on the square:

a Christmas tradition

 

and also to the excessive amounts of newly engaged couples whose pictures we accidentally walked into, 

tripped over 

and generally couldn't avoid,

Merry Christmas to you too.

post script

I would like to retract my previous statement.

It was an unnatural 9 degrees this morning when I walked to school.

Curse you winter.

I can't feel my ears.

lets talk about...

 It's cold.

It's white.

And I've been slipping and sliding through the slush all morning.

cons:

I miss the sun.

My lips are chapped.

My hands are never warm.

And falling on my face at least once is a winter tradition.

pros:

Snow makes the holidays a bit more festive.

The mountains are beautiful.

Cold weather is cuddle weather with a thick blanket and a cup of cocoa.

Winter means snowman building and snowball fights.

And of course the snow means snowboarding.

I'm not going to weigh the pros and cons,

and this doesn't mean I love the snow,

but

lets agree,
it's not that bad.

And it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas... 

black friday

 

Mitch Miller

Mannheim Steamroller

Bing Crosby

The Carpenters

Pull out the Christmas music.

It's that time again.

the purchase

So, let me tell you about my apartment:

It has 2 stories.

First floor is kitchen, 

living room

and dining room.

Basement is bathrooms 

and bedrooms.

(3 points for alliteration?)

The door opens right at the top of the stairs...

Conclusion:

Every time someone opens the door even a tiny crack a diabolical draft (2 more points?) of chilled November air rushes, 

not onto our warm and toasty main level, 

but down the stairs into our bedrooms...

And then it just sits there.

All.

Day.

Long.

It laughs at us as it chills all tile floors and metal appliances so that we dread getting into bed at night because we know even our sheets will be infiltrated with that dreaded 30 degree little demon.

(lots of points)

Well I found a solution.

(For my sheets at least)

I bought an 

electric blanket.

Take that November draft!

My sheets are now toasty and chill-proof and I've stopped wearing socks to bed because my feet are always warm now.

You really might as well just give up and get warm again because I've basically already won the war.

Please tell December that snow will not be necessary this year.

what not to wear

No, not with Stacy and Clinton.

{ With my winter wardrobe. }

I feel like every year when the temperature starts to drop and the days start getting shorter I need to take a crash course in how to wear my winter accouterments again.

All my coats 

and my sweaters 

and my boots 

and my hats 

and my wool socks

and my flannels

and my gloves 

and my scarves.

I have to re-remember it all.

So far I'm still in denial.  I'm wearing my summer shirts underneath a layer or two of jackets.  I haven't gotten the courage to really break out the coats yet...

Because getting out the coats is the beginning of the end.  Once the coats come out the flip flops are gone for good until April, possibly May, and heaven forbid till June (I wouldn't put it past Utah to be that unforgiving).  Once the coats come out it's an acceptance of snow and cold and slush.

No, I can't get the coats out yet.

It really is this in-between time, right after fall and before winter and then perhaps the whole month of spring, that are the coldest times of the year.

Because this is when we won't accept the truth.

Even if the weather-man says it's supposed to be 60 degrees outside that day we rationalize with the fact that that's almost 70 degrees, and therefore my quarter-length sleeve cardigan will do just fine.  Besides the suns out anyway, so it really can't be that cold.

WRONG.

It is my acceptance of my denial that seems to be the first step to my recovery.

I'll start bundling up tomorrow.

The first day of November.

Darn.