Monday, November 29, 2010

Thanksgiving in Jersey

Here are a few select pictures from the super fun Thanksgiving in
New Jersey with my mom's side of the family :)
making the big dinner :) i stuck with pies, as usual.

after waiting in line for an hour and a half, we finally made it into Carlo's Bakery. 
It was crazy packed, but so worth it.
   

spending a night in new york city. 
(being on the subway really made me miss europe...)

a personal fave. opening christmas presents while unaware of pictures being taken.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

birthday cake

I turned the big 2-3 on Monday...but, I think I've been telling people I'm 23 for at least a month now. I normally don't approve of broadcasting an age that you are not, but I legitimately thought I was 23. And then my birthday came and I thought, oh yeah, I've been 22 this whole time. hmm. And funnily enough (yes funnily is a word), now that I'm actually 23, I keep forgetting. So, there you go.

Sunday I went out to my dad's. He cooked a huge pizza in his new smoker. I didn't even know that was possible. but it was delicious. We had turtle pie (seriously good) for dessert and i barely blew out the candles - every year my dad gets me trick candles (probably thinking i will have forgotten the past years, which, oddly enough, i usually do), and this time only a couple worked, but instead of lighting back up, they sparked, which caused for some good family laughs. then I got some cute cards from my sister and parents. It was a totally unexpected thing, but it made my birthday that much sweeter.

Then, after saying goodnight to Jantz around 11, I got a call at midnight wishing me my first happy birthday :) I'm still impressed he woke himself up to call me (that boy loves his sleep). he must like me or something...

Monday was one of the most stressful days of the semester (remember my hour-long presentation?). I got up early and prepared all morning (my 9:00 class was canceled) for class at 11. Then I went first (yes, very very first out of everyone) so it was nervous times 10. But of course I played it off totally cool and breezed through the hour (and actually went over a few minutes. yeah, how did that happen??).

After 2 1/2 hours of class, I met with a student who was in desperate need of help with her research paper, which happened to be due that day by 5pm (did I mention my morning was also full of answering frantic emails from what felt like the whole class about said research paper?). After an hour with such a sweet girl who was trying her hardest, I had to rush to work for a meeting. After a few meetings, I was finally able to leave campus.

I took the bus (oh the bus, that's a whole post in itself) to the mall, where I briskly walked to Texas Roadhouse (their opening day was on my birthday! Pretty sure they knew my love for them), where my awesome friends and my mom were waiting. I got to sit and breathe for a few minutes before we were seated and the feasting began. Dinner was soo good. I'm so glad I got to spend some time with all of them, just us, eating and talking and laughing, it was just what i needed after such a long day. And yes, I did have to sit on the saddle thing (in a skirt no less) while everyone made lots of noise. Pictures were taken (of the whole night actually), but i don't have any of them, probably for the best ;)

The party continued at my apartment where a bunch of friends were waiting (thank you everyone for coming!). We played games, ate candy and cake, and hung around and had lots of fun. The cake was soo good (Maria did a wonderful job). There was quite a bit cake-smearing-on-faces (I was so caught of guard, and maria got it all over my face, and in my eye. but i made sure to get her (and bethany) back. birthday tradition, check). which was made extra evident today when i found chocolate cake frosting on my cardigan....guess i failed on the "pretending i'm not wearing the same thing twice" gig, but a cardigan is totally allowed to be worn more than once. just maybe not this time. ha.

I was so exhausted by the end of the day, but I'm so grateful for all of my many friends and family who have been so loving and caring. I don't know if I deserved all the festivities, but thank you all so very much :)

Oh AND, my amazing dad helped me get a new laptop which came in the mail yesterday. I hope it can fill the shoes of my old lappy. I'll be getting used to it over my Thanksgiving in New Jersey (woot!), and hopefully making some changes on this old blog of mine (which I've been trying to do for ages, but never get around to).

ok bye!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

updating my blog is totally the same as studying...

Homework has taken over this weekend. I have to give an hour-long presentation on Monday, which is both frightening and exciting. I just want to get it over with, but I think it will be fun to talk about all that I've researched. I'm tracking the scholarship done on Guido Reni, and if you guys don't think that's fascinating, I don't know what will convince you. haha.

Oh and my laptop died on Tuesday. It was pretty devastating. Thankfully (seriously thankfully) all my information survived. But being without a laptop (or moneys) in the midst of grad school is not so good. Good thing my birthday is on Monday...pretty sure I know what my present is going to be.

Last weekend with Jantz was so much fun. We didn't do anything too extravagant, except for a birthday dinner at Cheesecake Factory :) we mostly hung out, watched movies, played random games like War (i've always been really fast at this game, but that boy beats me 90% of the time), chess (my first official game. yeah, he creamed me), and checkers (which I also lost) - my ability to strategize has greatly decreased since high school. And for probably the first time, I didn't take any pictures. for shame.

So I have nothing to spice up this post with......except maybe for one of my many baby pictures that my mom posted on facebook....i think this is a pretty precious one of my dad and i


Hope you're all having a good weekend!

PS. if anyone knows of any job openings in the Utah county area, please let me know! :)

PPS. in the Jewish Bride painting (from my last post), i know it looks like that man is groping the woman, but it was actually a gesture of love and respect. So, it's really a precious couple :)

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

paintings i'd like to own someday...part 1?

I'm constantly seeing paintings that I fall in love with. But most of them aren't necessarily "hang in your house someday" paintings, they're more like, "stay in the church and come visit often" paintings. So leaving out some that I really love, here's a few that I would pretty much die to see in my house someday. You know, if the museums just decided to let me have them...


Rembrandt's The Jewish Bride
the impasto on this painting is incredible. 
it's what makes it a painting in every sense of the word. 
nothing can compare to seeing this painting in person. seriously. nothing.


Rembrandt's Supper at Emmaus 1629


Caravaggio's Fruit Basket



Vermeer's View of Delft
i also have to say that nothing can compare to seeing this in person. 
it has a luminosity that no one can describe.
it's literally like the painting is lighting up the whole room.

What do all of you decorate your houses with? Art? Pictures? Paint? If my house could be like a 19th century Salon, that would be really cool.