SWAK

Happy Love Day!
I hope you're all getting spoiled rotten!!

As for me, I got some lovely chocolate covered strawberries
 from my momma, lots of sweets and pop from my dad,
 (wrapped in tin foil might I add. I wish I had taken a picture!
best wrapping I have ever recieved. haha), and chocolates from my
wonderful boss! I also gave Valentine's to all my family. :)

I'm celebrating at work, selling the cutest darn outfits for all of the ladies' dates tonight.

So naturally...

But I'm all for an excuse to wear red/pink ONE more time this week.
And, I may or may not have gotten a little crafty with my lips.
Yeah right! In an artsy way, okay?

My lips are indeed stained the wonderful color of redpinkpurple.
But whatevs.

Also, if you're waiting for tonight to give your Valentine's gift(s) out,
check out these adorable (free) tags by Cheyenne Lyons Design!

(This picture does NOT do justice!)

Cheyenne makes some of the cutest and unique designs/prints ever.
So print them out and use 'em up!
While you're at it, check out her Etsy shop here. You won't be disappointed!
She's got some amazing spring ones up!
I also went ahead and ordered this gem a couple days ago...

Told ya. The best.

And what better way to start off Valentines than to watch Valentine's Day, in pink jammies,
eating chocolate covered strawberries, and chocolate milk at 1 in the morning?

And if you feel so inclined, I've been listening to this playlist all day.
Why not, right?

Also, for some reason I feel like Valentines should always be on a Thursday...

but it's Friday and it's weird.

Happy Valentines Day!

xoxo
 SWAK

'Tis the Season

   There is no better way to start the Christmas season than the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  There's something magical about being surrounded by hundreds of people ready to feel the Christmas spirit, in a beautiful building, and in the presence of the Prophet of the Lord. Not to mention the beautiful voices of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the orchestra echoing through the hearts of the people watching. 

   This year, more than ever, I have felt the Spirit of Christmas so strong. I am so grateful for the wonderful holiday season we get to enjoy and emphasize all that we believe in.

If you didn't get to watch the Christmas Devotional, you can watch it here :)

It's More Than A List

The things I am so thankful for this year are more than just a list. Each thing has meaning, emotion, and significant value to my life. Although I take them for granted, they are things that have molded me into the person I am, and have shaped my goal of who I want to become. 

More so this year than any other year in the past, I have been very sensitive to the things I am grateful for. The spirit of thanksgiving has overtaken my heart and has put so many things into perspective. 

My list may be different than yours, but I hope that everyone will take a little time to really think about what they have and why they're grateful for them.

1.  The amazing gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the rock of my life and I can't imagine living without it. My testimony is so strong and I know it's true!

2.  My incredible family (extended included). I have one of the most supportive families in the history of ever. Not to mention the craziest, unusual, hilarious bunch we all make. I'm beyond blessed when it comes to them, and I couldn't ask for a better one. 

3.   My second family, the Godfrey's. My love for these guys is huge. They have welcomed me and loved me as if I were really apart of their family. They are so dear to my heart, and I'm so glad they let me be apart of their lives!

4.  I'm so grateful for Institute. My life has been changed through the church education system. It got turned right side up my junior year of high school, and it's been my support system ever since. My life would be completely different without it, and I'm so grateful for the people who have chosen to teach the principles of the gospel for a living. Words cannot describe my love for them and Institute/Seminary itself.

5.   I'm grateful for the opportunity I have and have had to go to school. Even though I dread it some days, and dislike it at times, I'm so blessed to have an education and the chance to learn and work with people. Not to mention the fact that schools are so close and there are so many of them.

6.  My friends. Heaven knows I'd be lost without them. They are something worth bragging about, and I hope they know how much I love them! I'm also grateful for all the friends I've had in the past, and all the people I've had the opportunity to get to know. I've been affected by every person that's come into my life, and I wouldn't trade those relationships for anything.

7.   I'm grateful for my past. Even though sometimes I wish things had never happened, I wouldn't be the person I am today without the trials I have had in my life.  There have been a lot of rough patches along the way, but I would go through them again knowing how strong they have made me. I have learned lesson after lesson, and I've been pushed to realize who I am. I didn't turn out so bad... ;)

8.   Music is an enormous part of my life! Whether it be playing the piano, dancing to my jam, listening to my siblings play their instruments, or the radio, I would go insane without it all. It's my alternate world I turn to more often than not.

9.   I'm grateful for my warm home, food, water (yes, water), clothes, food, the safe area I live in, my warm bed, my closet, food, movies, pictures, my car, my phone, and for everything else I take for granted everyday. Oh, and chocolate, definitely chocolate.   

10.  Next is my gratitude for everyone who has ever cared about me. I've had the opportunity to work with so many different people, all of whom are incredible in one way or another. I'm so grateful for the people that have ever loved me, cared for me, or liked me. It's a great feeling knowing you're surrounded by people who think positively about you, especially when you aren't feeling that way. 

11.  I'm grateful for memories. I'm always lost in memories. Good and bad, I love that we have the ability to remember so many things.

12. Tennis. My stress reliever at times. It's a great feeling when you can go hit your worries away. I'm also grateful for the people on the team I was on. I have so many things I laugh at that are all associated with the great sport. :)

13. I'm not sure that I really am grateful for this, but my "struggles" as my sister would say, keep me one my toes all the time and add a bit of humor to my days. For those of you who know me, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who are wondering what in the world I'm talking about, just don't worry about it.

14.  Laughing! I love to laugh, and I tend to laugh at everything. Seriously, the best medicine you could ever discover. 

15.  Although my list could go on forever and ever I'm grateful for life in general. It's such an incredible journey.  The greatest adventure with so many interesting detours. Living is a blessing all in itself. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Now let's go eat until we can't move :)

Being Thankful

"Some days, we forget to look around us. Some days, we can't see the joy that surrounds us. So caught up inside ourselves, we take when we should give. So for tonight we pray for what we know can be, and on this day we hope for what we still can't see. It's up to us to be the change, and even though we all can still do more, there's so much to be thankful for. Look beyond ourselves, there's so much sorrow. It's way too late to say I'll cry tomorrow. Each of us must find our truth, it's so long overdue. So for tonight, we pray for what we know can be, and every day we hope for what we still can't see. It's up to us to be the change, and even though we all can still do more, there's so much to be thankful for. Even with our differences there is a place we're all connected. Each of us can find each other's light. So for tonight we pray for what we know can be, and on this day we hope for what we still can't see. It's up to us to be the change, and even though this world needs so much more, there's so much to be thankful for." - Josh Groban

'Tis the season to be thankful! It's mid November, and the holidays are quickly approaching. It's my hope that we can remember that it's not about what we receive or what we have. We have so much to be thankful for, so be a giver of all things good and valuable. Cherish the spirit you feel throughout this wonderful season!

"This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teacher who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways... We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude... My brothers and sisters, to express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven... My beloved friend President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives." We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts and attitude of gratitude." - President Thomas S. Monson