At the end of every year, I like to research 2010 in review. I like to find top phrases used, top headlines, top photos, etc. This year instead of printing them all out, I thought I would post my favorites on my blog to share with all of my favorite readers! So here is what I found (from Yahoo News):

2010 Year in Review "Survivor Stories"
1. Deepwater Horizon Crew 
2. Chilean Miners
3. Iraq War Soldiers
4. Jaycee Dugard
5. Abby Sunderland

2010 Year in Review "Natural Disasters"
1. Haiti Earthquake 
2. Iceland Volcano
3. Chile Earthquake
4. Pakistan Flooding
5. Guatemala Sinkhole

2010 Year in Review "Obsessions"
1. iPhone 
2. iPad
3. TV show Glee
4. Facebook
5. Bedbugs
6. Silly Bandz

2010 Year in Review "Inspiring Acts of Kindness"
1. Abby's Lemonade
2. Daily Ocean
3. KidSwing
4. Operation Beautiful
5. Wonder Capes

According to execdigital.com some of the most used words of 2010 were:
1. Spillcam
2. Vuvuzela
3. Deficit
4. 3-D
5. Simplexity

What hit your list of tops for 2010? Here are some of my top moments of 2010 (in no particular order)!

1. Passing OB Nursing Class
2. Going to California and walking on Malibu Beach
3. Thanksgiving Family Pics
4. Getting my first apartment
5. Attempting to watch fireworks on the 4th of July in Colorado
6. Starting my final year of college
7. Traveling all over during the summer
8. Running my first 5-K
9. Living with best friend
10. Sitting by the fireplace at home with my family & Tucker

2011 is going to be a great year! It will be a year full of changes, excitement, tears, laughter, and lots of joy. Hang on to the beautiful moments that bring joy to your life. Not everyday will be perfect, but how you choose to handle each day will be what matters!


Today's Thursdays This n That is in honor of the wonderful Christmas blessings that were given this past week. For Christmas, my mom made me the most wonderful gift. She printed out each of my blogs from the past year and made them into one complete book. She printed my personal words on linen paper and finished it off with a beautiful ribbon. It truly was the best gift! Seriously! The handmade gifts are always the best... especially when much thought goes into every part of it!

Along with my beautiful blog journal, I received lovely Nelle's Notes notebook and notepad, a wonderful wonderful 50mm Nikon lens, lovely little surprises that I gently pulled out of my long red knitted stocking, and a few other extreme blessings.

Thank you Mom & Dad for a wonderful Christmas! Thank you Colb for the fleece and Vera purse! Thank you Ben for letting me take lots of pics of your 1lb Reeses peanut butter cup! Thank you Tuck for chasing after your little stuffless fox! Thank you Jena for a beautiful wallet, ribbon, and socks!

My family seriously rocks! I love them.






Guess whose birthday it is today?!
This day has been marked in history as the day my MOM was born!
I call her Madre.
I call her Momingo.
and best of all... I call her MY mom.
Love her so much and I am so thankful each and every day that she is my mom and one of my BESTEST friends.
Love you Madre!
You. Are. The. Best!

Mom's Advice:
1. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understandings. In all your way acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6
2. Men always change the subject when they don't want to talk about it anymore
3. Laughter is good medicine
4. Be a joy giver
5. Live life with no regrets


Today, is a very special day.
It is someone's birthday.
Someone very very special.
His name is Jesus.
Merry CHRISTmas 2010 to all.
May you continue to believe in the true meaning of CHRISTmas and enjoy every good and perfect gift.
May the Lord bless you over abundantly and show love to all around you.
Today, has been a great day and will continue to be great.

I have a great family and was blessed richly! Thank you Jesus for all You have done in my life.

to be continued...


Hello friends!
Merry CHRISTmas eve! I hope you all have a beautiful time with family and friends and that you enjoy every moment. May it be full of the richness of togetherness while being mindful of the reason we celebrate this beautiful season of life... Jesus Christ.

So happy birthday Jesus! May you always be remembered and never forgotten.

Enjoy the moments shared together.
May they be everlasting and always remembered.


The mountains were definitely missed! I am so glad that my family was able to enjoy a cozy few days up north where the mountain air was crisp! It sure was an adventure from the beginning. From driving up steep slopes where my brothers could barely handle the drive up... to the friendly creature we found in the bathroom of our cabin (no animals were harmed during the duration of this trip).
 The cabin we stayed out (kindly provided by church friends) had the most adorable vintage items. This was definitely my favorite item. You wrote little notes or grocery lists on it. If anyone finds one out there, let me know! I would love to put one in my kitchen someday!
We found a great little restaurant that our friends told us about that have pancakes that take up the entire grill in the kitchen to cook. My older brother was going to "attempt" one, but they were too busy that morning to cook any (due to the fact that it takes the whole grill to cook).  
Overall, it was a great trip! We got Christmas shopping complete (or at least almost complete), ate good food, enjoy each others presence, and laughed lots. I always love my time in those Colorado mountains, and I look forward to the next time we meet again!


I'm headed to the mountains today with my family, and I am so pumped!
It's been 6 whole months since I have seen the beauty of those magnificent rocks!
I can not wait!
So pumped.
We are evening staying in a cozy cabin up in the mountains.
It will be a blast.
See you wonderful people on the other side!


This weeks This N That is featuring a lovely shop that I just adore from etsy.com. Here are a few of my favorites...

One day I will have an inspiration space and I have been trying to build my inspiration with a few pieces I already have, but these would be lovely with my wooden color pencils from Colorado.
I love the thought of classic snail mail. It truly is one of the best gifts a person can receive!
Wouldn't it be fun to write little love notes on these?
After Christmas, I am ordering this bag so that I can travel with it back to school.
Soft leather has such a great texture to it. This would be a great durable travel bag.
Finally, I saw this on a blog today, and just fell in love with this idea. Maybe someday I can have one of these bouquets and use it for a rehearsal or something. :)
Check out her blog!


Tonight my roommate and I got to explore the wonderful world of Hockey. We went and watched the local hockey team compete against their rivals. While at the game, we ran into some of our friends. It was fun running into familiar faces and getting to chat with them. I was able to share my good news about getting my externship with them.

...and if you were wondering, the home team won! 5-1 Go Oilers!

Later that evening... we went to this great coffee shop (I have only been twice, but still...). The coffee shop is called Shades of Brown. We walked in and there was a musician playing his guitar and strumming a few tunes. It was the perfect atmosphere to wrap up a great evening!

Along with enjoying a warm white mocha and a few tunes, we were able to enjoy the art that surrounded us. I love the coffee mugs they use. They are all hand made with the Shades of Brown logo embedded into each mug. The coffee mugs may be purchased at the coffee shop as well as a little treasure to take home to a friend or for you to enjoy by a nice warm fireplace.

Overall, it was a great night! We drove through the streets of old town and enjoyed beautiful CHRISTmas lights strung so perfectly on each of the houses. We even saw some lights that were set to perfection (of course these yards were professionally decorated!).

What did you all do on your Friday evening?! Hope you were able to enjoy some time with family or a night out with a someone special. Know that you are each prayed for and appreciated. Blessings! Have a great weekend!


Guess what!?
I GOT THE JOB! Next semester, I have the blessed opportunity to be an extern on a CV ICU (CardioVascular Intensive Care Unit) and my brother got ALL-STATE in football for his senior year of high school!
I am so proud of my lil "big" bro and am looking forward to my externship. I know the externship is going to be really intense but I know that I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me... Phil. 4:13
I mean look where the Lord has taken me so far. He has gotten me through every battle and blessed beyond measures! Thank you Jesus!

Remember... if you have a dream... if you have a goal... go for it! Don't let negativity, the "I can'ts" pull you down and defeat you. You can do this! Live those moments and passions and let nothing stop you!


This week's "This n That" is coming one day early this week.
Here are a few items from around the web...

I recently purchased my weekly planner for 2011. I really tried to find an updated version of my old planner, but I found out they no longer make them. So, I decided to go with a lovely MOLESKINE planner. I love it. You should check them out.
All you ever need to know about Guerilla Gardening you can find in this book. If you do not know what Guerilla Gardening is check out this book or you could always google it.                


Great Christmas Card Selections Here
We get them every year.
They usually come in the mail anywhere from Thanksgiving time to New Years and beyond.
They come in personalized letters, photo cards, and generic Christmas greetings.
Christmas cards have always been something that I have enjoyed every year. Personally, I love written cards that are sent by good ole snail mail. What makes Christmas cards so fun is that they give you a summary of what exactly has been going on in the lives of your great great aunt second removed. :)

Shutterfly has a really great offer this year! You can order photos right from their website! Along with cards, you can make calendars, memory books, apparel, and so much more! This year, my best friend and I decided we wanted to send out fun Christmas cards to our family and friends! We decided that we are going to use Shutterfly!

If you haven't made your Christmas card yet, you still have time. You can order them through Shutterfly and have beautiful cards! If you check out this link, you can also have the opportunity to get 50 free Christmas cards. That's a pretty sweet deal! And you do not want to miss out!!!


Praise the Lord! I passed both of my ATIs for nursing for this semester (Pharmacology & Community Health). I am so thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and perseverance.

It is hard to believe that I only have one more semester of college left, but I am very thankful and ready to see where the Lord takes me next!