Taylor's Half Birthday Adventures

I like half birthdays. I think they're fun. Fun to surprise people too!

Taylor had no idea it was his half birthday. That is, until the waitress at Milagros brought out his meal on two plates. half on one, half on another. :D


I'll just give the quick version of what we did. no need to bore you with the exciting details of the day. :P

First i collaborated with his sweet mom to make part of this work, then we fed the ducks. Got Dr. Peppers, Bought ring tones for his new iphone, went through the car wash, picked up a treasure chest, went to the provo temple, reminisced about lots and lots of memories, more DP, Half a cake, his mom helped me sing happy half birthday, drove around orem a bit, visited his mom at work, FYE, went to temple square and saw the lights, good conversations, JB's restaurant, more lights, free six dollar parking, Denny's milkshake/smoothie, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. etc.

I really enjoyed the whole day! 11 am to 1 am! new record? sadly no, but still a really good day filled with one of my favorite personages ever! here are a few pictures of things throughout the day. I didn't take that many because Taylor doesn't really like getting his picture taken candidly. I know, i don't know how we survive together. Most of the people i'm with a lot probably feel like i'm the paparazzi because i take so many pictures of them. But not Taylor, he's some what camera shy. haha you can probably tell in these few pictures that he doesn't really enjoy it. Thanks Tay for being a good sport... sometimes. ;) And thanks for letting me surprise you and not trying to figure out what was going on before i told you. :D  {and for guessing the color right.... again! I don't get how you do it! so please tell me! :D}

they put a fence up around our ducks!!
and they wouldn't fly over it. :(
it was funny to watch them slide on
the ice of the pond chasing the bread. 

half a cake, for a half birthday. :D
you can't really tell, but the candle in the
middle is only a half. :D

the cake before i cut it in half.  

memory chest.
yes, i did watch 5 youtube videos on how to make
this kind of bow. I feel as if it turned out well....
for having to use super glue instead of wire..... :D

temple square. love the random guy in it with us. 

Well, there's some of the day. It really was a fantastic day. I'd do it over again if i could. :D

Christmas Post

you know, it's hard to keep a blog going when you worked 40 hours in a week. Among other things....


Anyways, Christmas this year was different. Mainly because the weather felt more like fall or spring and there was absolutely no cold, white, fluffy, stuff on the ground. Which was some major disappointment for me. I have no idea how people can feel like it's Christmas every year that live in places where it never snows. It was just a really bizarre experience to wake up to a bright sunny day.

But, I can say that I honestly really really miss Christmas as a kid. When my parents played Santa and the stairs were blocked off to go downstairs to the living room so we couldn't peak, and the elaborate displays of our plates {we have plates instead of stockings. always have. It's a German culture thing that my grandma did in her family and passed it down}, etc. it was so so fun to wake up at 5 am and be so excited to see what i got for Christmas. Now, i pretty much know what I'm getting. I think Christmas is better when there are kids present. I'm excited for Ashleigh's baby to be big enough to know what's going on.

But, I have good news.

You know how I love pearls? And how they've been on my wish list to own a pair of real ones for like 5 years? Well, they're no longer on my wish list because that's what Taylor got me for Christmas! *big smiles* He is such a winner! I love them. :D

aren't they BEAUTIFUL!?
they even came in a pretty box! He did good. :) 

We were at a store looking at jewelry randomly one day and I was making googly eyes at the pearl earrings. Anyways, he bought the EXACT pair that i had fell in love with that day. I had no idea how very much he pays attention to things I say and do until yesterday. It was happy. He also bought me this knitted headband that i liked one day at a different store, and bought me a really cute picture frame! I told him i'd probably put a picture of us in it and he said, "good, i was hoping you would!" Do you people reading this realize how much i love picture frames? i own like 50+. I'd say that Taylor knows me pretty well. haha. Oh, and thank you to Taylor's mom for wrapping them because his least favorite part of Christmas is "wrapping  the sides of presents." haha i laughed really hard when he told me that.


I wrapped one of the things i got for Taylor in a ton of different sized boxes. all of them were wrapped individually.  It was great. Quinton helped me with it. He's good at that sort of thing.

the last part of him opening the many boxed gift.
It was a CTR ring. Because he doesn't own one. But now he does. :D 

This was the first Christmas in a long long long long long time that i didn't get to spend it with my Grandma and Grandpa Cobb. It made me really sad. But I did talk to them on the phone for nearly an hour. :D I love them. I can't wait till they move here! {hopefully this summer!}

and here are a few random pictures from Christmas.

Grandma Cobb gives all her grandsons a
new bathroom reader book for Christmas.
Nathan even got one. I guess he's officially
welcomed to the family now. haha

he loved the book ash got him. re-gifted
from a white elephant trade.

fam picture in front of the tree after church.
{minus ash.} My hair was having a trial.

We're practicing posing for awkward fam photo.com.
I think we finally captured one worthy enough. 

ems opening something. Kandi smelling for Chocolate. 

look at the snazzy socks my dad got from grandma cobb.

In other news, it's one month till my 20th  birthday! Taylor reminded me of this just a few seconds ago. :D sorry it isn't really that much of an update of what i've been doing lately. 

p.s. Taylor says "hello" to all my blogger readers

Since I've been home.

My life is rather ordinary at home.
There is not that much going on round these parts.
well. For me.
you see,
I have worked 8 hours every day this week.
and my feet are hurting me,
but
i'll have a nice pay check.


so here's a bulleted list {because i'm real good at them} of things i've done since i've been home

• Em's band concert
• ear wax candle with taylor {weirdest experience of my life}
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert
• gateway mall
• Church
• Dinner with grandma and grandpa Dickerson
• walmart mouth wash run to Walmart with Taylor
• brought my pregnant sister Huckleberry Icecream
• Dressed Elmo up with Taylor.
• Slept in several days
• Long phone conversations
• lunch with Betsy
• work
• work
• work
• work
• work
• made rice a roni
• laundry
• thought about going on a run
• took my fingernail polish off
• missed my down comforter and electric blanket every night.
• wrapped presents
• snuggled with my puppy, Kandi.
• etc.

ta ta

Ugly Sweater Making Photo Shoot

 i made "ugly sweaters" with Lauren, Allison & Betsy yesterday. :D they took forever. but they are stylish and waay cute. {not ugly at all} we got so many compliment all day from them. :D

well, they were so cool that we decided to go to the studio and take some fun pictures in them real quick.

so here are a few. I didn't edit any of them because I don't have time. But, fun still, none-the-less.

we were attempting some "awkward family photo" style posing in some. FUN! i enjoyed them.

The most Christmas decorated house i've ever been too!

Allison and I went to Brigham City on Sunday to visit her grandparents. And her grandma is crazy when it comes to Christmas decorating! I have never, ever, ever in all my life seen anything like it. Al told me that i should prepare myself for it. yeah, i had no idea. here are the pictures i took. {which does not do it justice in the very very very very least. this MAYBE covers 1/3 of it. MAYBE. but you can't even see the details of any of it.}

looney toones tree.

i swear, every one of the ornaments does something cool. they're not just sit there look pretty stuff.

the Disney tree.

full of Christmas stuffs.

why yes, that is special Christmas toilet paper. 

have you ever seen a bathroom this decorated??

cute lil allison.

 she had her whole bedroom decorated too. but i figured no one wants pictures inside their bedroom taken....

also, she makes these extraordinarily elaborate dollhouses her self. and they all sport Christmas decorations as well. Allison said she changes the decorations in the dollhouses for different holidays. She had an entire bedroom full of this dollhouse village!

this is ONE tiny little room inside ONE of the doll houses. look at how incredibly detailed it is! and ever room is like this! 

here you can see a little of the village.

even has a green house with real dirt!

love the wrap around porch. :D

and a school house.

and a barn. WITH A REALLY COOL SADDLE! :D

i didn't take any more pictures after this because i felt embarrassed to take more.

but you get the idea. I can't imagine how long it would have taken for all the set up! i'm exhausted just thinking about it.


Well, i'm off to bed.

but i finished a present tonight! One that i spent a lot of time on and is really neat. :D

Good Song and Funny yet scary Dream

My apartment watched Anastasia last night. This is the last song in the movie (which is ironic because it's title is "at the beginning"....). I have always liked this song. Super cute. And also I'm a sap.... but you already knew this. So here 'tis.

A few nights ago I had a really bad dream. I can't really remember the last time i had a nightmare. Anyways, i was working in the darkroom and i heard gun shots. So naturally, one would go search for where these sounds were coming from. Okay, a normal person would not. But it was a dream. Nothing is really ever logical in dreams.

So i go out into the work area of the photo lab. And then i saw the gunman. and guess what?? he SHOT me! have you ever died in your dreams before?? I had NOT! and it was so freaky! Well, i woke up and kinda had this weird gasp/ sit straight up in bed thing happen.

So, because as true as my name is Brianna, I analyzed said dream. {i've had a lot of dreams lately that i do this with....} And here are the things i came up with-

1.  I love the photo lab so much i want to die there one day
2. the photo lab will be the death of me
3. I'm searching for death
4. gunmen don't scare me
5. i'm really stressed out because of photo and feel like dying when i'm there.
6. i'd rather die than continue working in the photo lab.

i haven't really figured out which one it is yet... probably #2. 

but, if things were easy, they wouldn't be worth it. This is what i tell myself a lot lately. In lots of areas of life. 

Stats, Fights, Blown-Up Factory, Christmas, Surprises

First things first, STATS. this is the last time i'll do this. because everything will be zero in a few days. I just wanted to show you how much i have accomplished this week! :D


tests- 0 

projects- 0

classes- 0 {2 if you count final critiques as a class}

class days- 0

photo shoots to do- ZERO!

costumes i still need to find for my shoots- 0. more like- costumes i need to give back now.

pictures to edit- ZERO!! 

pictures to print- 20 ish.


Darkroom pictures i need to print-4
final portfolios- 2 {that i'm combining into 1 big one.}

days till i go home- 5


Second. I went to my first ever USU hockey game. here is what i noticed-

• they smell waaaay bad. 
• people cheer when the players smash each other into the glass. 
• when there aren't many fights, the fans get irritated. 
• there's a lot of swearing.
• it smelt bad. 
• we won 4-1
• nearly everyone on our team is from Canada {don't say "Canada" in front of Taylor because he'll break out in the Canadian anthem. All verses. I learned (well... i'm working on learning this) this the hard way. I pretty much have it memorized myself now. I think he loves that country or something. ;) i guess that's what serving a mission in a place for 2 years does to someone. haha}
• it smelt really really bad. 

  

third- 

today i finished shooting for my portfolio!

alright, i'm sick of numbering. so i'll just write the rest.

I went Christmas shopping a little today with Allison! first of the season. Allison and I came out of a store and the whole outside smelt SO bad! We decided that it smelt like a poo factory blew up. Honestly, i have never felt a more foul smell outside. It smelt like this for over an hour too! I really want to know what made it smelt so bad though..... or maybe i don't. who knows what it was. 

I got something really cool today. I can't say what it is, because it's a present for someone. but now i'm excited to finish this present. I love presents that are unique and individual. I'll take a picture of it when i'm done and then post it after Christmas. So, get excited!

click here to see some pictures from my 80's shoot. 

wanna know what i've done in my 3D design class this semester?

this is a camera. i don't have a picture from the other side though where you can see the lens. .
 

Good news of my day- I got to see my roommate, Melissa Q W H III !!!! i haven't seen her since she got married on 11-11-11. So it was a happy day! i love that girl!

So i think i'm going home on Thursday now instead of Friday. :D So this'll be good too. 

I have to decide by January 20, if i am going to FOR SURE go on the study abroad to Germany trip. I want to go sooo bad. But i just need to make sure i'm going to have enough money for it. It's going to be close. If anyone needs pictures taken for anything i'd love to do them! If i booked several photo shoots soon it'd make things easier. haha.

So my friend, Annie, just came by and gave Betsy and I the funniest re-enactments of how she kisses. It might have been the funniest/grossest/ nastiest thing i've ever witnessed. best quote from it- "and that is a sign for "let's have some fun!" " haha. love that girl. p.s. we both got the exact same amount of points in our Family Finance class {hmm... i wonder how that happened} we congratulated ourselves on our grade of an "A" today. You know you have a really easy class when you end up with an "A" in the class and the only thing that you ever did in class was watch movies and T.V shows. I'd recommend this class because of it. 

Here is a little Christmas we have in our apartment. i love our little tree. :D

i put little lights on our stair rail.
 It takes longer than one might think.

Dec. 28. It's going to be a great day. Once again, this is a surprise. But i have some grand plans for this day. I am so so excited. And Taylor had better get it off work. 'Cause if he doesn't, i probably really will cry. He has no idea what's going on either, but i do. :D  But really, you're going to want to come back on December 29th and read about what i did the day before. :-) 18 days. wowzas! not far away. 

well, until we meet again, good luck on your finals! :D