1, 2, 3, 4

UN



The family just spent the weekend in San Diego. We went to the Zoo and Wild Animal Parks. Lovely. Priceless to watch Kate see these animals. Went to THIS way cool modern art store. Inspiring.

DEUX




This is the sweet masterpiece Brent, Sam and I did the other night. It's going on my wall for sure.

TROIS



We just got these pictures back form our week at Kate's beach house during the summer. It was HEAVEN.

QUATRE



I added this stuff to my closet. I love it. Notice the new Africa Calendar, wolf ornament thing and dreamcatcher. They're my faves.

things that have made me happy this Christmas Break

-Roscoes Chicken and Waffles -Newport Boat Parade. WAY sweet. -SPENCER is home the fam is complete once again

-watching Kate open her presents was possibly the best part about Christmas morning -lovely afternoon helping out at the Christmas lunch -Christmas Eve was lovely thanks to Eliza's family

-LOTS of rain. -Christmas festivities with the family at the Americana -dominated at pounce/nertz at the Facer's house

-the video camera I got from santa. SCORE. -TRON. -ELF classic.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL *<<<= (christmas tree...see it?)

sometimes it rains hard..

sometimes you get bored....
sometimes your brother comes up with what seems like a good idea...
so sometimes you jump in your already freezing pool when its pouring BUCKETS in december....



eh why not right?

breakfast at Conrads
rainy day at the zoo
laughing too hard
deserted
Double-wattled cassowary
puddle of water in my shoes
happy

Life's What you Make it so let's make it Rock

Just got done at the chamber christmas concert. It was excellent. I want to be in chamber sooo badly next year! I talked with the lovely Camille who goes to CV (neighboring high school). She's awesome and we're going to party over the break. THE BREAK! One more day of school. I can hardly stand it! Even though I've been doing a lot of Christmasy things it just hasn't felt like Christmas. I'm hoping it'll be better once school is out. Saturday I'm going to the Zoo with some friends. I'm pretty excited about it.
Lately I've been throwin up the rock on sign a lot. Maybe too much. Whatever I like it.


This post is completely pointless. I'd just like to say I've been really happy lately. There's good friends, some cute boys, good music, lovely family (spencer is home soon!), Christmas, ugly sweaters, advent calendars, candy canes, and Life is good.

P.s. yes the title is a Hannah Montana song. Syd's watching it in the other room and it just fit so don't judge.

where the sun goes

I'm a big journal writer, and have been for a couple of years. I usually do a recap of what happened in the day and talk about mostly everything. In fact, if you really want to get to know me read my journal, it will probably tell you all you want to know and more. But that was stupid of me to suggest because I'm not going to let anyone read my journal. Anyway, lately I've been making lots of lists in my journal of goals and random things that I've learned or that make me happy. Here are a few of the random thoughts of 12-12:

-Modern Family is my favorite TV show
-I still like coloring books, especially during sunday school
-I want to become an expert on photoshop
-Getting CDs from people makes me SO happy
-I love candy canes
-I am happy I live in La Canada, California
-I don't know what I'd do without Spencer
-I wish I were good at the guitar slash could write songs
-I'm excited to go caroling with the YW/YM
-I like hanging out with the older kids (they're quite funny)
-My education system is flawed (Thank you Mr. V my english teacher)
-I love 70-80 degree weather in December
-:)
-I wish I spoke French
-I love choir. 1. I've made so many good friends from being in choir. (Caroline and Katherine to name just a few) 2. I love being in a choir and singing beautiful music AKA Lux Aurumque
-I need to learn stick shift
-I actually like seminary
-I love my new ipod
-I love helping people- Special Olympics was amazing.
-I have a strange obsession with balloons. (In photography and artsy things not just regular balloons)
-I need to get my Personal Progress Award
-I want to learn a classical piano piece
-We live in a beautiful world.

These things obviously mean more to me then they probably do to you, but now you know. (Cause it's Mike's super short show! (Disney Channel Reference)).

It's decided

No matter how much I complained about playing the clarinet and being in band I've decided something. I really miss playing it. There, I said it.

A troubled child

She's so easily entertained



Just putting her two best friends down for a nap, elmo and the baby that she can barely carry.

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Kate comes stumbling down the hall with her drink in one hand, baby in the other. nice.

So SOCAL

Living here in SoCal it's funny to see some of the little differences between what I grew up with in Utah and the norm in SoCal. So i'm starting a new

segment called "So SOCAL":

CLOTHES:

Ali and I have decided something. Girls in Utah focus way more on applying their makeup and having the perfect hair while girls in California focus way more on their clothes.

EXHIBIT A:

One thing I think is funny is that when girls claim they are going to wear sweats to school and show up in their tight black yoga pants. When my friends in Utah claim their wearing sweats to school they show up in their X-large baggy sweats and sweatshirts. Not claiming one is better it's just funny.

EXHIBIT B:

Like I said they focus more on their clothes and the

y are definitely more trendy. I can't put my finger on anyone in Utah who would wear tights under their shorts, but it's very common here.

SLANG:

Granted most of the time everyone talks the same. These are few things Ali and I laugh at:

*Ding Dong ditching instead of Doorbell ditching

*It's PE not gym...

*Bungalow instead of Portables

*We definitely get laughed at when we use "mormon slang" like "Oh my heck."

OTHER:

I come to English class on the first day of school and we were supposed to write an essay. All the girls pull out their pencil cases and their whiteout. What??? Since when have people actually used white out. Teachers rarely had white out in

Utah and tons of kids use it here.

This one may just be more focused on the cheerleaders at the school but they all write like that. With the dots connecting every line and joint of each letter. Tons of the school sweatshirts are done with this letter and with the old school stick figures.

If the weather is below 50 it's COLD here. It's funny that girls come in their UGG boots, pea coats, scarves with their coffee in hand to battle this freezing temperature. To give them a little bit of credit our school is outdoor....but still.

Birthdays are a big deal at school. If your birthday is on a school day it's celebrated. Friends give you huge balloons that you carry with you all day, sometimes there are posters, tiaras, but there is almost always desserts involved. You'll see birthday girls walking through the hall carrying cakes and tons of cupcakes.

There ya go. I love it both places. I'll continue to add some of these gems when I come across them.

Homework Helper

I'm aware it's not a good picture of either of us but I had to document the moment. I've been very stressed because I have a HUGE paper due in my english class and I just can't figure out what to write. I'll sit in front of the computer for an hour and not write anything. LAME. Anyway baby came and snuggled up next to me in my parent's bed for 30 minutes and just ate Wheat Thins while I wrote my paper. It made me happy. Love her even though she's being a stinker lately. Well I've really got to get back to writing 7 pages about why man needs society. boooorrrinnngg.

imagine that.

Urban Outfitters has a wonderful collection of vintage cameras. I want one of these cameras REALLY bad. I'm aware that the quality is probably not that great, but look at them! They are beautiful.

The Holy War

Tomorrow's the big game. BYU Cougars vs. Utah Utes. I love the rivalry, always have. You can't quite understand it unless you've lived in Utah.

Growing up in the Blake family there is one lesson that is engraved into every child's mind: We love BYU, and "hate the stinkin Utes". We bleed blue. Spencer and I could sing the BYU fight song when were were about 2 and usually one of the first things any of my cousins can say is "GOOOO Cougars!" Sydney used to fake cry whenever we'd drive past the U, and until recently my Dad refused to wear red. Most of my childhood we've had Football season tickets so naturally I've grown to love Byu football. I really do love it.

Like I was saying, the rivalry is a BIG deal, especially in Bountiful. The Junior High always had the Byu-Utah day and everyone would deck themselves out in either ute or cougar apparel. Then of course there were the few Utah State fans who are just to pansy to pick a side. All season long there is smack talk going on and I love it. Fosters, Mayfields, Fowers, Lakes, Troy, Brit and Alec were the ones I remember getting it from the most. It's always so funny to me that no matter how good or bad the teams are that year it doesn't matter, it's always a close game. The last handful of years I've gone to the game with my Dad, Ali, Spence and usually my Blake uncles. I can't explain the excitement of cheering on the cougars whether at Lavell Edwards or Rice Eccles Stadiums. Here's one of the best moments. Or this one. Yep that's the best.

It's also great to walk into church the next day to see all the humble Utah fans, some of them wearing BYU ties because of lost bets. It's always fun to see Stephen, Jacob, and Troy who always have an excuse for why the game was unfair, or how even though we won Utah is still better. On the flipside we are sometimes the ones humbled, whether by getting our lawn spray painted red in the shape of U, or have our BYU flag stolen and getting a U sewn over it.

It's been interesting living in California so far because all but one family in the ward are BYU fans. Although I like that for the most part I'm missing the Ute fans just for this week. I'm excited for the game and I'm excited for the facebook statuses and text messages that always follow. All I've got left to say is GO COUGARS!!

king of africa

Can I get a HALLELUJAH for a week long Thanksgiving break?? SO happy. It's going to be a great weak. Vegas till Sunday for the above pictured Lion King, Birthday and Spencer on Tuesday, homework, and just good times I can feel it. Ohh and Thanksgiving on Thursday! :)

I'm in the lion king mood so check this.

model behavior

I just found this website. I like everything abo

ut it. Check it.

So far this week has been really good. School's been fun. I'm feeling more myself than I usually do here. I like it. One thing I do not like is that I'm always cold. It's the weirdest thing. It's not even cold here in California but I'm constantly shiver

ing. weird.

In art we get to do a painting on WOOD. YAY. I've wanted

to do that for a long time! I'm very excited. I bet you can never guess what I want to paint. I'll help you out: a chief with a bomb headdress. I hope it turns

out really cool, I'll keep you updated.

This was a random piece of art I did recently. It's kinda different but here ya go..

I really like this song. You've got to listen to the whole thing though. Lately I'm seeing some of my mother's influence on me. When I come home from running errands I pull in the driveway, put the car in park, turn on the warm air, and turn up the music really loud. And I just sit there. For a long time. It's SUCH an erin thing to do.

Finally, a few countdowns for your entertainment.

29 hours

5 days

7 days

38 days

thank you sam blasucci

empty

Sometimes you are in shock, then reality slaps you in the face and it stings. Sometimes you turn on Colbie Caillat and Joshua Radin, jump in your bead, hide under the covers, and cry. You cry hard and it hurts. Sometimes you cry yourself to sleep. Sometimes you sleep until you're ready to be stronger. Well at least pretend you're stronger.

Sometimes you remember what a blessing he's been in your life. The trips up to the ranch, learning how to ride a horse, shoot a gun, drive the go-kart. Being tucked in to bed and being told Mr Creeps stories about two little girls and they're older brother, who were surprisingly similar to Spencer, Ali and me. Laughing so hard that we we

re crying, and just as we were finally calming ourselves down he would give his huge wheezy sigh and it would make us laugh all over again. Walking or driving through his little town of Red Lodge Montana and watching him wave hello to everyone. His lovely little home which always smelled like coffee. Being in a shop and seeing a snail beenie baby, sparkly and pink. Mentioning that I loved it quite loudly to my mom, and watching him quietly buy it for me and pass me the bag. Spending Christmas at the ranch and walking in to find the presents were stacked half way up the Christmas tree. To my delight, he insisted that I had to be Mary because I was the only granddaughter with brown hair. Seeing Santa's sleigh from his porch and getting very worried that he was so close and I w

as still awake. Reading his funny comments of facebook. Wearing the yellow LiveStrong bracelet in his honor. Many memories and more. I will miss him dearly. I love you Papa.

31 de octubre

HALLOWEEN = my least favorite holiday

The one good thing about halloween is that it means my birthday is the next holiday followed closely by Thanksgiving and then my favorite time of year: Christmas. YAY

Sweet and Sour

Being in Bountiful was a fresh of breath air. It was so nice to take a break from school and see all of my friends. The football game was SO much fun. The dance was jammin. The temple and visits with LaLa were much needed. BYU game was so intense and fun. Seeing Spencer was so fun. I wanna be like him one day. Seeing friends and Kate was so great.

It was very interesting though because as much as I love Bountiful, and how familiar and natural it feels to be there, it doesn't feel like home anymore. In some ways I feel like I don't belong anymore. I got really nervous going to the football game, school and the dance. I felt like people thought I was just a wannabe brave now. It was so good to see everyone. My good friends, and even the friends from class. It was sad because all though I've only been gone a handful of months, a barrier is starting to form between my bountiful friends and me. There's not much to talk about anymore. I've grown to dislike two questions "What are you doing here?" and "How's California?" I don't like them because most people don't reallly want the answer. In the end I was actually really happy to be back. It's really fun getting to know new people. It's really nice to sleep in your own bed.

just do it

I often have times where I find myself having to make a decision. Last night I was up late with homework, exhausted and still hadn't finished most of my homework. As I was going to bed I was very worried about how the following day (today) would unfold. I wanted so badly to just not go to school today. Just skip it, study more for my history test, get caught up in stats, take more time to write my english paper, and have more time to study chemistry. Instead I found myself waking up at 5:15 ready to face another day. I went to school unprepared for my history test, with only half of my stats assignment done, a poor job studying for a chemistry quiz and with a not so great paper for english, but at least I was at school. Today was a really good day actually despite of all those things. I was happy and that outweighed my stress. In the end it's always better to face reality. It's surprising how when you do what you know is right things just work out. One time last year I really really didn't want to go to seminary. I wasn't feeling well, and I was really sad about the move that day. I forced myself to go to class and I'm so happy I did because that lesson was just what I needed that day. Be where you're suppose to be, do what you're suppose to do. Sounds simple because most of the time it is.

Do share

We're going to take it back first grade style and practice some sharing. I will share some of my favorite music as of now and you can comment and share your favorite music.

Click, click, click, click by Bishop Allen

Last Leaf by Ok Go

any song by Seabear

You're a Wolf by Sea Wolf

Shoreline by Deas Vail

Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World

Pretty much this list isn't very good. I could think of a lot more if I really tried. Mostly I would just love it if you would enlighten me with good music. Much appre

ciated.

oh also here are some lovely pictures from Universal Studios Horror Nights. LOVED It. oh and two other pictures from the choir concert.

It's like christmas

Sorry this may be a little long. I haven't felt like I have anything to blog about until BAM all of the sudden there's too much. Bear with me, at least there are some good pictures for once.

I got these two books at school on tuesday and they make me really happy.

#1

Picked this one up in choir. Seriously all I can think about is going to Italy. aHHH. the new Cake Boss (my favorite show) was a special about Buddy, and family, in Italy and it just got me even moreee excited. Mambo Italian baby.

#2

LOVE this one. It goes through a bunch of different art professions, things you can do in high school to better your chances of getting into an art school, an

d a personal test to see if you are truly an artist. Haven't taken it yet but I'm excited. I basically take this thing with me to every class I love it. It's so rad.

Una Volce La Canada High School Fall Choir Concert 2010

me-concert choir, megan-chamber, tyler-concert, ali-women's ensemble

Last night was the first choir concert of the year! It was really good!! Choir here is way different then it was in Bountiful. The Chamber here was phenome

nal. We sing more classical pieces but I'm starting to like that! We had one Native American song that was really cool, animal noises, drums, rainsticks, we had it all.

7 days ladies and gents! Then I will be back in Bountiful Utah 84010. I'm going to the Halloween Dance with my Bff Jeff Derricott, aka Peff. This is how I asked him:

Too bad he won't get it until Saturday. It's ok we've already established that we're going together I just wanted to send this for fun! CAN'T WAIT.

HOMECOMING GAME AND ASSEMBLY TOMORROW :)