My Christmas Cd.

I have always said that if I were ever to make a CD it would a Christmas CD. Don't let me lead you on by thinking that I can actually sing but IF I did have an amazing voice that would be my one wish. So over the past couple of weeks I have been thinking about so many of my favorite Christmas songs. This is what I have come up with for my personal CD.

1. I Believe by Natalie Grant (By far my favorite Christmas song. It embodies what the real meaning of Christmas is.)

2. Breathe of Heaven by Amy Grant - Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of singing this song. My singing teaching always denied me of fufilling that dream. Don't worry there is no grudge being held still :)

3. Count your Blessings by Bing Crosby - One of my favorite holidays movies is White Christmas. Christmas is not the same without Bing.

4. Sleigh Ride/Marshmellow Christmas by Kristin Chenoweth - Love this song. Sometimes I just put it on repeat.

5. Do you hear what I hear by Me - I learned how to play this song on the piano when I was 8 and it has been my favorite. When no one is around I will plunk away on that piano and belt out those lyrics over and over again.

6. Silver Bells by Martina Mcbride - Reminds me of my 4th grade Christmas Tree program. Just always stuck with me!

7. Pat a Pan by David Archuleta - This takes me pack to my last semester of College when my roomate Katie bounced around our apt dancing to this gon!

8. The Magic of Christmas Day by Celine Dion - It's Celine. Enough said.

9. The First Noel by Josh Groban Ft. Faith Hill - Josh Groban and I of course would be doing a duet!

10. Who would imagine a King by Whitney Houston - I enjoy Whitney in the winter. The song is simple and beautiful.

11. Mis Deseos/Feliz Naviada by Michael Buble ft. Thaila - This is a recent addition that I just LOVE!

12. Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth by Bing Crosby and David Bowey - I love this duet and arrangement of this festive song.

13. A baby changes everything by Faith Hill - Anything on her Christmas CD is amazing but this just happens to be this years favorite.

14. Do they know its Christmas by Glee Cast - I know..its GLEE but I love this version. I think they nailed it and I wouldn't mind be surrounded by Puck and Blaine.

15. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Sugarland - I rarely like Country but I sure do enjoy this song by Sugarland. Her voice is so rich.

16. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland - Oldtime Favorite.

17. Silent Night/It Came Upon a Midnigh Clear by Kathernie Nelson - Discovered this little gem this year and its beautiful!

18. O' Holy Night - This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. I am amazed at anyone who tries to take this song on. Either way it would be a perfect end to my Christmas Cd!

Temples

A month ago I was reading through my news feed on Facebook andIi came across this photo that a friend from High School posted about "his city". I thought it was so funny that while capturing the bay he happened to get the Oakland temple in there. I loved that it stands out above the rest of the buildings. It made me smile to know that this friend who isn't LDS has proved that the Oakland Temple is a part of the Bay Area. So I snagged that photo and am now making it apart of my blog. Enjoy!

My little dinosaur

I have been spending the past couple days with my cute little nephew Christian! Over the course of 48 hours we have gone to Disneyland, carved pumpkins, baked pumpkin seeds, gone trunk or treating, played in the pumpkin patch and watched planet earth! It has been very eventful and I have loved every minute of it. Before trunk or treating he let me take a few pictures of him! I am not a professional by any means but these are some of my favorites!

The last one is my favorite.

Baby Gracie

I am in love with this little girl below. Not only is she beautiful but the little girl is a Clark Baby! She has chubby cheeks and the pointy chin! I love love love her!

Brian Stokes Mitchell

Tonight I saw the amazing Brian Stokes Mitchell perform! Words cannot express how incredible he was. I will say he is the best male performer I have ever seen by far. In preparation for his concert I listened to this song below for an hour straight. I can't get it out of my head and for some reason it makes me feel so happy and at ease about life. Enjoy!

Warning: You may need to watch this more than once!

Where can I get me some of those ruffles?

Today I got an email with a lovely picture of my father. He was in a fantastic suit that I am sure at the time was very trendy. Who would have thought I would ever get my eye for fashion from my dad! But needless to say I am sure he is kicking himself for those pants, ruffles, and bow tie now.

So it made me think. What am I going to regret in 20 years when it comes to fashion? So here is my list:

1. Skinny jeans: Even today I know they are just not very flattering but I am addicted.

2. Straight across bangs: I love love LOVED my bangs. I thought they were just so cute. I look at pictures now and think seriously? Not cute! Too bad there is a giant family picture mounted on the wall to remind me of this mistake.

3. Jean shirts: I totally got into this fad over this past year. I love my long bleached out Jean shirt. It makes me feel like I am a painter or poet. Yep. I am clearly neither...but I still love it!

4. The floral Maxi dress: Here i am thinking that I am pulling a Kate wearing this beauty but I am sure one day I will look back and think-that is a lot of floral going on.

Even now as I go through I think all my pieces of clothing are timeless. False.

5. Florals and Prints: Mixing those two together to make myself feel a little bohemian.

6. Oxfords: Love them especially with those dang skinnys.

7. Long lose tops: I love to wear my skinny's with these long drapey tops to tell myself I am deceiving everyone from what really is underneath..my muffin top!

8. Ruffled tops: They make me feel elegant and like a lady but the truth is sometimes they probably are too distracting.

9. Boots: I love them..on others. Every time I look in the mirror I think who cares if they make my legs look double the size i love them and need them! Yep I'll regret that later!

10. Thick black eye liner: Who am I trying to be Cleopatra?

The list can go on I am sure forever but the point is I like the way I dress and I know years down the road I will be embarrassed but now I am choosing to love it!

i heart bark

i have an obsession with fall. i love everything about it. so in celebration of this new season (although the calendar may say so the weather obviously isn't proving to be fallish) i made halloween bark. yep. it was fantastic and brought every feeling of magic back into my life. don't get me wrong it would have been 10 times better if katie (<3 shout out) was there with me while watching hocus pocus and brewing up some delicious soup but needless to say i made due with what i had and i fully enjoyed it.

Gluten Free

I have been gluten free since April. It hasn't been too big of a struggle, just random cravings of a slice of sour dough bread from San Francisco or a cookie. BUT yesterday I went to a dinner where there was lasagne, chicken Alfredo and bread. WHICH are all things I love. So when I got home I thought to myself..."make yourself a pan of gluten free brownies. You deserve it." So I did! They were incredible. Today I woke up and ate them for breakfast, snack and lunch. I ate the whole pan of brownies in less than 24 hours. Do I feel guilty? Not one bit! Totally worth it!

Apartment!

A couple weeks ago I moved into a new apartment with Krystal and Bethany! It is by far the nicest place I have lived outside of my own home and because of this we decided to decorate our new place! Here is what we came up with!

If you can't tell the theme is...traveling. All of the cities listed above are places we have traveled to!

A special shout out to James and Megan for helping make our apartment so beautiful!

Baby Grace Maria Clark

So excited to be an Auntie for the third time and welcome this beautiful girl into the world!

I think she looks like a Clark baby...look at those chubby cheeks!

Be my little baby bumblebee!

A couple weeks ago I helped my dad with a Anniversary present that involved pictures from the past. I came across this beauty and shared it with Ashley... I don't think she stopped laughing for a couple minutes. The wonderful thing about this picture is I can still remember the dance perfectly. It was my first year dancing ever and I was so upset because they would not allow us to wear panties under our tights. So of course rebellious me wore them anyway. You can't see them in the picture but I remember them sticking out of my leotard. What a memory! Anyway Enjoy!

Oprah

What better way to start the weekend then some Oprah time...along with packing and cleaning! Partying partying YEAH!

gluten free deliciousness

Today my dear friend Cameron brought me a gluten free cupcake at work! Totally made my day!

Girl's Camp

Words cannot express how amazing my time at camp was.

celine.

so i have decided i am officially the worst blogger ever. i don't enjoy writting or reading my own thoughts. i would much rather spend my time looking at pictures then blogging about my own life...so i am going to make some changes to this little blog of mine. not quite sure how yet. until then i'll leave you with a picture of one of my favorite singers i recently saw. celine.

i heart SF

Since I have moved to Utah there are many things that I miss about California, San Francisco being on my top ten. Here are a list of reasons why:

1. The Skyline

2. The statues

3. The trolley and bus lines

3. The buildings

rugby

A couple weeks ago I went to my first Rugby game. Luckily it was BYU v CAL and whoever won I was on their side! I was suprised at how much I loved the game but lets be honest the picture below was one of the primary reasons.

Reasons why I love Utah

Hello world! It's been a while. I really am not in the mood to update so instead I will leave you with two things I have come to appreciate about utah.

1. Musicals. I have seen a handful of musicals since I have been here and it has made me happy. This list includes Les Miserables, Sunset Boulevard, Titanic, Hairspray, Memphis...

2. Blooming flowers. Springs is starting to hit Provo and with that comes pretty flowers.

Rob Gardner

A week ago I saw the Lamb of God performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I didn't know to much about this musical performance but I had hear great reviews. Words could not express how amazing it was. I began to think who is this Rob Gardner? And why had I never heard of him before? His music is so powerful. I came home that night and found myself becoming obsessed with everything that he has every put out. I bought the Lamb of God and was able to get a hold of Joseph Smith the Prophet. If I could recommend anyone a CD it would be this! You will not be disappointed.

and another one goes

I have been out of commission the past week due to strep throat...figures. Just the icing on the cake for my life over the past month. Lets just say its been a rollercoaster of emotions. My favorite. NOT! Anyways, Andrew went into the MTC this past Wednesday. Luckily I was able to spend the last couple days with him. I drove up Thursday to pick him up from Idaho and get him packed while he finished his hw and completed all his finals. We drove back Friday and hoped on a plane for Carlsbad on Saturday where I FINALLY got to see my new home. It was beautiful! I loved the weather, loved the area, loved the zip line and loved that my family was all together! Matt and Camille drove down with the babies and we spent the weekend eating, laughing, watching conference and zip lining. There was some beach pushed in as well! We all flew back on Monday and spent the next couple days getting Andrew ready for his big farewell. On Wednesday the lucky boy got set apart an hour before he entered the MTC by President Brown. It was a powerful hour filled with lots of crying, testimonies and smiles. Andrew is going to be an incredible missionary to the people of Thai. I could not be luckier to have two amazing brothers out on their missions. I miss them very much but everything is okay knowing that they are in the bset place that they could be!

oh! St. Patrick was a gentlemen....

i love holidays! a past roommate of mine made me appreciate them a whole lot more than i ever could imagine. but today this is holidays reminded me of an amazing time in my life when i was able to meet some incredible people and see by far the most beautiful place i have ever encountered. so not to rub in but let me just take a step back into memory lane.
the majority of these pictures are with people but thats what made it so amazing!

Welcome to California

Minutes after I was picked up at the Oakland airport this lovely vehicle came rolling up right in front of the car. I loved the classic tires and rims but what made this picture worth capturing was the little sign hanging on the back window. "Baby on board" Enough said. Oh how I miss this great state.

what could be more perfect?

another stamp in that passport of mine

About a week ago I headed south to warmer climates and can I just say, it was fabulous. Words could not express how excited I was for some natural vitamin d. Once I arrived in Mexico I striped off my jacket threw on some shorts and flip flops and hit the beach. The water was warm and my vacation was perfect. I drank my way through pina coladas, zip lined through the wild jungle of mexico (13 zip lines 1,000 ft long 700 ft high), and went sailing for thefirst time (which then led to getting kicked out of the pacific for lack of experience). Sadly I did a terrible job of documenting the trip and only took these pictures.
I have a little bit of an obsession with taking pictures from planes.

sytycd addiction

for those of you who know me would agree that when i say that i am addicted to sytycd that is an understatement. even when i was traveling abroad i watched it everyweek through youtube. so one night i was showing krystal some of the dances and she said:

K: Is this interpretive dancing?
R: hmmm...or hip hop!

maybe it was just funny to the two of us. but she is just so dang precious i could not stop laughing.

on another note. my dear friend ashley (shout out) showed me this video today. i had heard the song several times but i loved this. if you get a chance watch the original sytycd performance and her music video.

lack of vitamin d

Fact: I can't handle the cold. I know it seems like every other post is revolving around the snow or cold but i am OVER IT!

SO on an upside I am peacing out to Mexico for 4 days! Hello Vitamin D I can hardly wait.

Fact: Last year this time I was heading to south america. i had zero direction in my life.

Now I for sure feel like I have a grip on life and I kind of like it!

Fact: Right now i wish i was in the amazon sweating my booty off rather than living in 9 degree weather.
Honestly I am happy to be in good ole' p-town!

Kentucky

my little hermano jordan has been gone for a total of 5 months. CRAZY! where has the time gone? but at the same time he still has a year and a half left. either way i am so proud of that little guy! he is doing such an incredible job and i have never heard him so happy! he is loving every minute and although i miss him i am grateful for the opportunity he has to share the gospel and grow!!! so a couple weeks ago he sent me a few pictures of kentucky. i did some editing (because i am addicted and he asked me to) and sent them back to him. here are a few shots of his current casa!

welcome to the motherland

so for a couple days i have felt the need to update my blog. i just wanted to find a worthy topic that would best describe my move and how i was feeling. so what it boils down to is that i am freezing. constantly. i have come to terms with the fact that my toes and fingers will not be the same for probably 3 more months (if i am lucky. even now as i glance at my hands i notice how purply (yes, that is a word that is used most frequently in any state east of california) and dry they have become. not something i am too pleased with. note.to.self. buy some heavy duty lotion. anyways today i decided to forget to look cute strapped on some jeans, REI socks, Ugg boots, sweatshirt (over 3 layers of t-shirts), a jacket and of course a scarf. yep still freezing. tomorrow i will dry spandex under my jeans with gloves and see if that makes a difference.

overall i like provo. shocked? i know. but i am pleasantly suprised.

good bye kathlean st.

warning. this post may be a little dramatic.

today i leave my home behind. i am one of those lucky people have had the same home my whole life. sure i moved away for a couple years but at the end of the day it has always been here waiting for me. lots of memories were shared here with my family and friends over the years. i have lived in the same room, second door on the left. and while it has been my home for the past 24 years of my life it has always been my place of refuge. regardless of what was going on in my life i could always escape to my fremont home and jump into my bed and know that i could find comfort there. one of the hardest parts about all of this is not leaving my home behind but leaving the people. i know people have come and gone over the years but i am different here. i feel like i am my complete self. i love the people here and they love me. no one passes judgement and i feel that i can be myself. what excites me the most about moving is also a fear of mine. i get to be whoever i want in utah. i can be my best self. and so while i am closing this chapter of my life here in fremont i know that a whole other one awaits me. there will be some big decisions and changes made in the next year of my life that i feel will change the direction of my life. and so farewell 41121 kathlean st. thank you for preparing me for this step out into reality. be nice to me world, i am a little vulnerable right now.