Nearing New Year

New Years Eve was always a tricky holiday for me. I only remember going to one party ever and the other times I spent it at home with my parents, which wasn't bad, but it's hard to get the "midnight kiss" when you're watching the ball drop with your mom and dad.

However, since Sean and I have been married, we've created a tradition for ourselves where we go to a little town in the mountains and stay in a hotel where we watch movies, build legos, and eat food. Last year, Sean learned what gelato was (NOT coffee) and we narrowly missed a t-bone accident when an SUV ran a clearly red light. We also accidentally booked our hotel in Cedar City and had to change it last-minute and the hotel guy was super nice. 

This year, we've got a nice jacuzzi in our hotel room that is booked at the correct hotel, we've picked out our legos, and we're going to pick up our salt-water taffy, bottled sodas, reese's peanut butter cups, pickles... and whatever else we're going to want for our fun evening out. 

I'm excited! 

love, Ellen

just another new year blog.

This was the craziest year, let's be honest. It flew by and i'm all the better for it.
I think i'll go by month.

New Years last year i spent watching crappy music videos with old friends. Then, in January, I met the Donner boys (Brady and Sean) at a party I held for myself for my half birthday. We also hung out at a game of broom ball that same month (at which I met Jeremiah, their younger brother) and, because I liked them so much, i invited our entire ward to an after-party at Village Inn. Later that month, Sean and I started hanging out. Also, my second year of college started.

On February 7th, Sean sent out the ghost of Paul Revere to tell the world we were dating. The next week was Valentines. The best Valentines I've ever had because I spent it with Sean. That month, we continued dating. I gained a best friend and trusted accomplice.

March is a funny story. the beginning wasn't that much of interest... but Sean's birthday was on the 20th and we celebrated. The week after that, though, we went to Phoenix. It really was a terrible trip, his family will attest to it, but it's a great story now. Here's a rundown of it . So that i don't have to type it all out.

April. Sean and I exchanged mixes, went to the zoo and to our favorite place, the Dinosaur Museum. And Sean and I continued to fall in love (combined awwwww. and... go.)

May. We visited a meat parade, took a fun day-trip to Moab, and Abby had a birthday (shout hooray)

June. We saw Jay Mohr at Wiseguys and busted a gut, bought a record player, and I got some gnarly bruises from a children's playground toy, and went to a super rad Motion City Soundtrack concert with Brady and The Front Bottoms and The Henry Clay People opened for them.

July. the best month. We saw Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and saw some fireworks. On my birthday we saw Foster the People in concert. Sean bought a car (for realz). The next day, we drove it to the Dinosaur museum. We went in and Sean proposed to me in the starry tunnel after the kids stopped running around in it. Adorable. That day, we drove up to bountiful and to logan and all around to show off our new engagement. SO great. We set the date for October 5th. Also that month, i packed up to move, and picked out my dress.

In August, I moved out of my old apartment and into our cozy new apartment, picked out our invites, and school restarted. I was waving my ring finger about like it was nobody's business. Also, we had out engagement pictures done. And Sean started his new job at Adobe.

September. I had some bridal showers and got some awesome stuff. Sean and I took our first of 2 trips to Minnesota for his friends Marcus and Whitney's wedding. 2 entire days were spent just driving. It was fun and cute! We got our marriage licence while there, also. When we got home from our journey, we got a kitten. so cute and fun back then... less fight-y.

October was the biggest month. We drove so much back to Minnesota and got ready for the wedding. Our families met and we set up. We got married in the St. Paul, MN temple on the 5th, had our reception in the Mankato ward building and then we had our honey moon in Mankato and Keystone, South Dakota where we visited Mt. Rushmore and had fun. When we got back, we had a couple days to catch up on things and then we had another reception in Bountiful which was gorgeous and fun. It was a month to remember. Also, Halloween where we carved pumpkins and had candy and it was great.

November. I went to school, Sean went to work. Thanksgiving was tons of fun and delicious. it was really a relaxing month, just what we needed after october.

December flew by. We saw The Hobbit 3 times (our 4th was last night... so it doesn't count for December). I finished the semester of School and hung out at home for most of the break. We had some Christmas parties and stuff and i wrote an adorable blog about our wedding. For New Years, we went to Heber City and just enjoyed each others company instead of going to a party. boring.

I'm excited for 2013. It's gonna be fun. Sean's and my first entire year of being married. Yay! This year, we're hoping to move up to Davis County, start saving for a real house, and maybe visiting Phoenix again or somewhere. I'm excited.

Thanks for another year of listening to me ramble or whatnot.
love, ellen

musikz and other recent likes.

This is a really great song by a really great band that i kinda know some of the people in kind of. They're super hip and their music is really good.

http://childrenofthenorth.bandcamp.com/track/im-a-pilgrim-im-a-stranger

go to that link. just do it.
Also listen to the song Dirt. both very good.

Also, whilst i'm here: check out my friend Emily. She's this Super amazing photographer that i want to photograph my future wedding in the future.

her blog is this:

http://undecidedlybeautiful.blogspot.com/

check it out. do it.

Uhm.. and i'm not 100% sure why i'm thinking this.. it could be due to the fact that i'm really tired and don't know it or the fact that i bonked my head pretty hard on my car door frame earlier today or that i'm just prompted by something beyond my immediate comprehension.. or maybe i've just been really homesick lately..

anyway. I love my family. And i want them to know that. And i'm grateful for them every single day and think about them often. I know i don't ask about your lives enough when i'm home because i'm so excited to tell you about my adventures.. but it might just be because i like to think everything is the same as it always has been back there and that nothing ever changes. Thanks for all that you do for me and everything always. I love you!!
and i can't wait to be back on the 27th. at least for a visit.
{wow.. that turned around fast...}
anyway, Here's to a fabulous [rest of the] new year and all that. It's had an extremely rocky start.. but i guess in like a lion, out like a lamb. hopefully.


Love, Ellen.

Well hello, 2012.

To start the year to end all years (2012 joke, anyone), i decided to make some resolutions. Here's the thing, i'm not too good at resolutions. i'm real crap at remembering and also coming up with goals to push myself. and all that. but this year will be different. Last year was the year of changes with the whole growing up and moving out bit but this year will be the year of progression from that change.

here's me getting to the point. and these are my resolutions (cuz you know i like bulleted lists):

• learn how to study like a college student. 
• here's the thing to this, i know i study better when something else is going on. so i might end up like at someone else's house all too often in an attempt to study more. does that sound logical? no? well it does to me. so there.

• learn how to exercise.
• how do you learn how to do that? i have no idea. maybe if i actually used the gym equipment at my apartment's clubhouse. i'm skinny enough that people won't stare at me like i'm this chub trying to lose weight but they'll probably think that i'm just doing it because i do that. i might lost a couple weight in the process but i will also be able to not feel like a laze also.
• cook for myself.
• i can cook. i can cook well (at least i think. the thing is, i just don't do it. plus i hate buying food for myself because i'm afraid that i probably won't use it fast enough and it'll spoil and it'll just not be good. i have the money to buy myself food besides easy mac and pringles, i just only buy those things. one of the things i want to cook is these lemon poppy seed pancakes with strawberries. y.u.m.

• date more and don't worry about it.
• i'm 18, i have time to date and have fun. i'm not looking to get married. i mean, if i find the right man... but i have time. this is the time of my life when i need to have fun and not worry about it. so i won't. that's why it's on my resolution list.
• smell nicer.
• is that weird? i don't feel it is. my plan for this is to just wear perfume or body spray and deodorant  (not that i haven't, just that i'll continue to) and clean clothes (again with the continuing).
• be nicer.
• no, seriously. i'm not a mean person necessarily, but near every time i leave the house my mom says "be. nice." like that. so that gets me thinking "am i a mean person?" and i don't think so, but if my mom says it then it's doctrine. and i guess i can tie this to be more giving and less selfish. like when i'm driving. (here's a picture of a kitty. for no particular reason but to have a hipster kitty on my blog.)

• quit procrastinating. 
• (sidenote: i had a hard time deciding which word to capitalize.) especially in the morning. i get caught on the internet so often just staring at pinterest or facebook or twitter or memebase or iwastesomuchtime or dearblankpleaseblank... i just need to get ready earlier and quit getting stuck online. so i will. and there.

Here's to you and your resolutions for 2012. May you be successful and safe the whole year round.

~Ellen

2011 10

Yay! here's that blog post I promised. my top 10 happenstances of my 2011. I wrote this list a while ago. and i still like it. there are some dumb sounding things, but i'm just going to keep them and go with it. you know. like things.

1. Graduated High School
2. Graduated Seminary
3. Moved out 
4. Got a job as a barista at a cafe in the library at my college
5. Started college.
6. Became “legal”. aka turned 18.
7. Became an artist. well... kinda. i drew some pictures.
8. Made approx. 100 new friends through random events and college and new ward. 
9. Rode scary roller coasters at Lagoon. woo
10. Fell in love...  with Doctor Who. hah

well.. that was less eventful than i had hoped.. 

anyway. I wanna wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your entire year be full of life-changing events that only make you better. (cliche? or genuine. i choose genuine.

love, Ellen

watch out.

I've got a really great blog coming. eventually. it's gonna be great. and after christmas.. but i'll probably post before then.

here's a sneak peek:

10 Events of 2011

i'm thinkin o' changing it to 11. because of it being twenty ELEVEN and all.

but who knows.

something else:

MERRY CHRISTMAS IN (approximately) 3 DAYS!

here's a picture of Marlon Brando with a cat to put you in the holiday spirit:

and if that doesn't do the trick, here's a christmas-y-er version:

Love, Ellen