One of many.

As cliche as it may sound, the holidays are my favorite time of year. 

I love the chaos of a million family events, the smell of our Christmas tree, and the glow of the fireplace burning all day long. 

Sandwiched between the typical holiday parties and gatherings, my family holds a couple of traditions that mark some of my favorite days of the year. 

When I was little, my grandma would devote an entire Saturday to gingerbread houses--and not just any gingerbread houses. What began as your typical four-walled creations quickly escalated to castles and train stations and airports and mansions, with dozens of frosting colors and candy types to decorate with. The enormous creations we would make were extravagant and some would say over-the-top. But we loved those gingerbread houses. 

After my grandma passed away my junior year of high school, my mom wanted a way to carry on that tradition, but without the craziness and elaborate architecture. 

So....96 sugar cookies and six bags of royal icing later, you have our cousin Christmas cookie decorating party. 

By the end of the night, it's nearly impossible to tell what is a "decorated" cookie and what is merely a pile of icing that spilled from the frosting bag, but watching the little kids decorate their cookies and then show them off--before eating them of course--is always an adventure. 

[And by the looks of the cookies we had this year, these kiddos are getting pretty darn good at using those icing bags.]

December is one of my favorite months of the year, and the next couple of posts are going to show why that is exactly. From my lucky day, to Christmas Eve traditions and everywhere in between...here's to the happiest month of the year.

Let me tell you about it.

It's November, people! Which means fall, and sweaters, and snow, and lots and lots of food. I love Thanksgiving. And I love November. I know it's the third, but for every day from here on out I'm going to do a gratitude post. Because I have so much to be grateful for. 

[catch-up posts.]

November 1st: The girls of 102. I know I talk about them a lot, but my roommates are seriously the best thing to happen to me up here. I scored, big time with these girls. They make me laugh, listen to my problems, and put up with my craziness day in and day out.  

Kenzie is the most sincere person I've ever met, and she makes me food at least a million times a week. She listens to me complain, and attempts to keep my head screwed on straight.

Emi has been my best friend since 8th grade, so we won't go into that, but we are the same person. On every level. 

Kelsey is our "mom," and makes sure I'm drinking my milk, takes notes for me when I miss class, gives me advice on everything. 

Lauren is basically a nicer version of me, and she keeps me sane when we're both up late. She understands my shopping addiction, and isn't afraid to try new things with me. 

Adrienne makes me feel like less of a failure when I fail biology and she doesn't, and keeps me thoroughly entertained through our many apps and chats, and never fails to give compliments, about anything. 

These five girls really are my best friends on the planet, and they're the best sisters I could ever ask for--except for the four real ones I have of course--and Kels and I are missing them like crazy this weekend. 

November 2nd: I have the world's best parents, ask anyone. Both of them are amazing at anything they do. Bake, BBQ, bike, crochet, you name it. They come to all of my stuff: lacrosse games [even though they still don't understand all the rules. But really, who does.], D-TV meetings, graduations, etc. They host parties for not only my friends, but my Seminary Council kids, my Girls Camp Committee friends, and the entire neighborhood+ on the last day of school. They're the best examples I could ever ask for, and give the best advice in the world. 

My mom drops everything to help me, gives me her hair appointments when she's been waiting for months to get to May, and lets me wear her shoes, even though I usually end up taking them. She makes me my favorite foods when I come home, and sends mounds of treats back up to school with me. And she fields roughly twelve thousand phone calls from me a week.

My dad knows everything. So when I call to ask whether I should do a Bachelor of Arts or Science, or ask how on earth I'm supposed to get pumpkin mold off my carpet, he has an answer. He fills my car up for me, fixes my radiator, and makes sure my car is clean when I leave, and that I have a way to insulate my windows so I don't freeze to death.

  I'm so glad that I get to be with them for forever, and am so grateful for everything they do for me. 

November 3rd: I've got the five best siblings, too. 

How many girls can say that they're 15-year-old sister played lacrosse with them, did youth court with them, and will drop just about anything to follow me around while I shop? Not many. Britt and I are just about as different as it gets; I'm loud and always have to have a million people with me. She's much more reserved, and can function perfectly fine on her own. She's also a lot more motivated and driven than I am, and is already blowing everything I did right out of the water. I'm so glad she'll come with me to anything I want her too, and so grateful that as far as I know, she's not embarrassed to admit I'm her sister to everyone at Davis. 

Poor Ryan handles being the only boy reasonably well. :) He listens to my music suggestions, most of them time, and is always willing to back my car in if I need him too. [Shhh...] He puts up with our endless teasing, and sometimes he even asks me for advice with his clothes. Ry will always come drive around delivering Christmas presents to my friends with me for hours, as long as he gets control of the stereo, and he always makes me laugh. 

Emily got all the genes I wish I did. Tall, tiny, blonde, and blue eyed. [You win some and lose some I guess.] And she's the only one who will actually read the books I like! She'll help me pick out my outfits long after Brittany's given up with my indecisiveness, and isn't afraid to let me do her hair and makeup for dance recitals. 

Aubrey and Mary are basically me in two different bodies, and they're the first people I grab when I get home. They're my Zupa's dates, my nap buddies, and the ones I drag around everywhere with me. They let me experiment with their hair, dress them up like they're dolls, and listen to everything I say and do. They sing the same songs I do, and play 'crosse with me when no one else will. Mary shares everything she has with me, and Aubrey will do anything I ask her to. 

I miss these kiddos every single day, and am so glad that they get to put up with me forever. [Poor things.:)] They really are some of my best friends, and I'm so glad there are so many people waiting for me when I get home. 

See, there's so much to be grateful for. I am so incredibly blessed, in every aspect of my life and couldn't ask for anything more. 

Six contentious women.

IT SNOWED. In OCTOBER. And I'm not okay with it. Because everything is cold. And wet. And not warm. Or dry. And my hair is frizzy. And layers of clothes make me feel claustrophobic....but really, I'm kind of okay with it. Because the mountains looks awesome. And this means lots of movies and hot chocolate, and blankets, and not leaving the house for extended periods of time, and soup, and okay. Maybe I'm a little okay with it. 

Last weekend was fall break--us Aggies got a a whole 24 extra hours of the weekend! My family and I went to Scheel's, a massive sporting goods store that they just built in Sandy. Inside? A full size ferris wheel. I had the twisted belief that I loved ferris wheels until I was stuck at the top with my little sister...hyperventilating. It was not okay. 

Before fall break though, our home teachers came over for the first time. Homemade chicken enchiladas and a spiritual message for our little 102 family? Perfect. We're lucky to live where we do, with the people we do. Because we're surrounded--and I mean completely--by excellent people. Life is good, folks. 

Saturday night, we had a heart-to-heart at our favorite park, and Emi declared her love for the stray cat that roams the cemetery. We named him George, and took a picture of the first time they met. She's destined to be a cat lady for life. [JUST KIDDING. She's getting married first. Or I'm out $50.]

Then last night, we scripted a music video, made crafts with our friend Teresa, and got a surprise visit from Kaylene. AND, we skyped my best friend Emily. She's going to BYU-Idon'tlikeithere, and I haven't seen her since August. It's a problem, but one we're trying to solve. 

After our adventures, we decided we needed to fight. Like, we sicced Kenz on Adrienne, and filmed it. If you're really interested in seeing it, check my Facebook page. Because it ends with Kenzie punching Adrienne in the face. And with that? We've had our first "fight." 

I'm officially going to keep my scholarship (Thank heavens for pass/fail when it comes to biology) and as of Wednesday, I'm officially an English Literature major. Logan is wonderful....and now it's time for dinner with Jon and Bronson and Jackson. Sweet pork and spaghetti squash. Yay for roommates who cook! 

Say that to my face.

Really, nothing too exciting happened today. We had an interview with our bishopric as an apartment, and Kevin is currently making our dinner. [Don't worry, we helped. We provided the ranch.] So rather than bore you with more details of my life, I figured I'd post some lovely pictures. 

Seriously. Do I not have the cutest sister on the planet? She got a pillow pet today, and was so stinking excited. There's nothing better than phone calls with a two-year-old. Except maybe lunch with one. She's a keeper. 

It's a wonder we don't have boyfriends. Really. 

 JUSTIN BIEBER'S EYES GOT TRANSFORMED. 

 And this is Snow Hall 102 signing off for the day. Happy Wednesday tomorrow, kids! 

It's all so very true.

Labor Day really is a truly beautiful holiday. Slept in til 9:30, had a job interview at 11, and then explored the depths of Logan with Emi and Lauren. We went a little crazy, and decided to actually cook some real food for a change. Placemats, table settings, and side dishes included. Emi made the main dish, so naturally, we had to pose her in all our kitchen glory. [guys. Our apartment is adorable. Lacking in family room decor, but cute nonetheless.]

"Bodily" chicken [it's a last name, not the kind of fluid. Nasty, but necessary, clarification.] Homemade rolls [thanks Lauren's sister!] with homemade peach jam [thanks Lauren's mom!] and spanish rice. We like our meals...eclectic. It was delectable. And tomorrow? Kevin's cooking dinner for all of us. We like Kevin. He fixes our DVD player, and our fridge, and apparently cooks for us as well. Winner.

We got all fancied up for dinner too. Just kidding, we actually went on a roomie+Kyle+Braden+Mitch adventure to the Brigham City Temple open house. More on that later. 

We're adorable. Even though I look like I'm praying, I have a photogenic bunch of roommates. And they can cook. [Even though Kelsey is always gone, she's a winner too.] And I quite like spending all day everyday with these ladies. 

Back to the temple open house. Folks, the church is true. I've known it since I was little, but things like the temple make me so sure I could cry--which I frequently do. The Brigham City temple isn't the biggest one out there, but it's absolutely beautiful. And I for one have no idea why anyone would want to get married anywhere other than the temple. Even with hundreds of people swarming the building, and incessant whispering, it is still so absolutely peaceful and calm while you're in the temple. We walked into the sealing room, and the Spirit hits you like a ton of bricks. Definitely one of my favorite places in the world. I don't know when the next time will be that I'll get to go that far in the temple, and there's a good chance it won't be until I'm getting married. But I know, without a doubt, that the temple is my ultimate goal, and I want to be sealed there for time and all eternity more than anything else on earth. I know that the temple is a house of God, and that it is a holy place. I love to see the temple. And I will go inside someday. 

Sidenote: It's my mama's birthday today. And I just want whoever reads this to know how much I love her. She's taught me everything I know--and I'm grateful for her every single day even if I don't show it all the time. Because really, who else sends up a chocolate chip cinnamon roll to their daughter an hour away because she's missing the first day of school at home? My mom, that's who. She's instilled a love of music and a knack [I HOPE] for cooking in this little brain of mine, and gives me a first rate example of the kind of parent I want to be when I grow up. Plus, she makes killer cake. It's a win win situation for everybody involved. Love you, Mom. :)