Friday, December 31, 2010

Heather Dunnigan


Heather turned 20 on December 23rd. She and I met waaaay back at Philmont Scout Ranch, where we were in the same group for a week long backpacking trip. We met again when we happened to end up on the same floor in Helaman Halls my Freshman year at BYU. It must have been meant to be! Heather is now my roommate at Liberty Square and it is so much fun! She is such a great example to me! She is a gourmet cook, an amazing dancer, a very good listener and a great friend. She is very patient with me :) 

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!

{ christmas break }

Here are some highlights of Christmas break:
 
- David Archuleta/MoTab Choir Concert with my dad, Jordan and Logan. AMAZING!


- Laura, Josh and Brynlee arrived safely after a long drive from Huntington Beach, CA.
- Jae and his long wavy hair arrived safely after a LATE flight from San Francisco.
- Clarke family Christmas party. Love love LOVED playing some intense volleyball and lightning with the extended family. Bryn loved doing somersaults all over the hard gym floor. And we all know that a Clarke gathering wouldn't be complete without a game of missionary tag with the cousins.

- The pigeons decided to add some MAJOR drama to the holidays by allowing a hawk to get into the pigeon coop. NOT GOOD. After devouring one of the pigeons, the hawk realized he was stuck and panicked. After taking the proper precautions (safety goggles, two layers of gloves, and a sturdy net) my dad went inside to trap it. My uncle is a falconer and said that he wanted to keep the hawk if we could catch it. After some very close calls with its sharp talons and piercing beak, my dad managed to get it into a box to take to my uncle. We are still mourning the loss of one of our beloved feathered friends, but I think we'll all recover soon.

 
   

- Jordan has perfected the art of exaggerated falling. Just a slight brush against his leg will send him soaring into elaborate spins and flips before crashing to the ground. It makes me laugh SO HARD! 
   
- Jae's hair has taken a turn for the worst...or so I thought when he first arrived. Little by little though, it's been growing on me. Not literally. Thank goodness. He just got it trimmed yesterday and it looks amazing!



- We got to visit both sets of grandparents which was so great!



 

- Christmas was FABULOUS! I loved sleeping in, eating delicious homemade scones (thanks Mom!), watching Bryn get so excited about each present, and celebrating my Dad's birthday. It was a great day with the family!






Monday, December 27, 2010

Logan David Clarke




My younger brother Logan turned 13 on December 1st.  We’re both teenagers now and he has not let me forget that :) Logan is one of the most disciplined people I know. If he is given an assignment he follows through 100%. He sets so many goals for himself and is always working to achieve them. He is BRILLIANT! He is like a walking encyclopedia. He plays just about every sport you can think of and is good at all of them. His football team won the championship and went undefeated this season...i wasn't lying when I said he was good! He makes me laugh so hard with his jokes, pranks, and super cool dance moves. He is the best little brother I could have ever asked for. LOVE YOU LOG!!!

HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY LOGAN!!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Tiffany Knab





I am WAY behind on my birthday posts :( Tiffany's birthday was on November 8th and she turned 20. The first time we met, officially, was actually at her 10th birthday party. My family had just moved onto her street a few days before her birthday and she was nice enough to invite me to her party. I will always be grateful to her for including me that day, especially since I was very nervous about moving and having to make new friends. We quickly became good friends and had so much fun together! Tiff makes me laugh harder than just about anyone else on earth. She is always up for any sort of spontaneous adventure and drives a really cool car. I learned and still learn so much from her wonderful example. She is one SHARP girl!!  I hope she knows how many lives she has changed for good. Tiffany will always be my hero. 


HAPPY (late) BIRTHDAY TIFFY!!!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Oh, to be a kid again!

Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again. I would love to go back to the days of pigtails and coloring books. Children are so carefree and confident. I went with my ward down to Temple Square and we got to hear a children's choir perform in the Assembly Hall. I LOVED watching the kids in between songs. They would touch each others' hair, stare up at the ceiling, jump up and down, etc. Each one of them was doing their own thing and loving every minute of it. It also made me remember how much I LOVE little kid clothes. I can't wait to have children one day so I can shop in the kid's section without getting strange glances. I love all the bright colors and crazy patterns! These outfits make me smile :) 

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thanks Lar


Sisters always have the best advice.
Especially my sister Laura.
She is such a perfect example of the kind of person 
I want to be someday.
Thanks for always being there for me Lar!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Carl Bloch

Today I had the opportunity to see the Carl Bloch exhibit at the BYU Museum of Art. It was phenomenal!! I am in an Art History class this semester where we have been learning about altarpieces and depictions of Christ's life and so it was cool to actually get to see them in person. The Museum of Art really is amazing. For $3 you could rent an iPad and earphones, which would allow you to access videos of art curators, general authorities and religion professors who gave commentary on some of the artwork. It also allowed you view panoramic pictures of where each altarpiece originally stood. Really, the whole experience was so great! They have chairs set up in front of the three largest altarpieces so you can sit and think. It was such a neat experience to sit in front of Christ in Gethsemane (above) and listen to Elder Maxwell talk about the Atonement. The other piece I loved was Christus Consolator (below). It shows that Christ's Atonement has the power to heal any kind of sorrow, infirmity, or sin. I would HIGHLY recommend going to this exhibit if you can!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

{good music}























LUCY ROSE: night bus
LISSIE:  everywhere i go
OVERTONE: colorblind
EMILIE WELMAN: 9,000 days
ELLIE GOULDING: the writer
SARA BAREILLES: breathe again

There can never be too many gentlemen in the world

Earlier today, my roommate Heather and I needed to make a quick run to Macey's. We got outside and realized that not only was the car covered with five inches of snow, but because it had been sitting outside all during Thanksgiving break, there was also a thick layer of ice covering all the windows. While Heather was looking for the scraper, I started to try to get some of the snow off with my hands. This turned out to be almost completely ineffective as most of the snow ended up in my shoes or up my sleeves. Needless to say, we looked pretty desperate. After a few minutes, I heard someone ask if we needed some help. I turned around and saw a guy standing there with a smile on his face. He asked again if he could do something to help us. By that time Heather had found the brush so we thanked him for his kindness and let him continue on his way. I was so impressed! Now I have to admit, the fact that he just HAPPENED to be good looking might have helped :) It really made me happy though, to realize that I am surrounded by so many genuinely kind people. It's people like the guy mentioned above that make me motivated to try harder to find opportunities to serve. It's something I pray for everyday. I know that that there have been many times in my life where people have been there to serve me when I needed them, whether it be friends, family or complete strangers. I hope that I can always keep myself worthy of the spirit so that I can be an instrument in God's hands when one of His children needs help.