23rd Birthday: Fabulous End To A Fabulous Night

We came back from dinner at the cafe where the girls surprised me with visits from my best friends from high school, Dane and Breinne. I loved seeing them, and isn't it cute to see all of us pairing off (but not with each other like all of our parents did).

They slaved away in the kitchen to make me delicious cupcakes.

I like to tell myself that these were trick candles, which would be the reason behind the 7 breaths it took me to blow them out.
I walked away with a haul! The cutest wedding folder/organizer ever. A pendant with the words "Queen of Every Bloomin' Thing", a new journal (they are so perceptive and noticed that mine was almost full!), and a popcorn maker with flavoring salts. I am obsessed with every single one of these things!

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday absolutely fantastic. I have a hard time imagining that it could get any better after this :)

I Voti

I have been obsessively checking my grades to see if they are up today and they finally posted. An overall GPA of 2.93, which I am not thrilled about, but I think I was a little burnt out due to taking 18 credits two semester in a row.

Italian- C
American Authors- B-
British Literature 2- C+
Shakespeare- A
LDS History- B-
Myths, Legends, and Folktales- A

Lows include the ridiculous final in my LDS History class, the fact that I think I should have a C+ in Italian(my points equal out to a 76%. Who doesn't give +'s for 76 points?), and my failing grade on my second midterm in Brit Lit which resulted in a C+ where I should have easily had a B+.

Highs include the B- in American Authors (a class where I truly had no idea what I would be getting), my LDS History professor letting me take an exam late (denial would have resulted in a failing grade int he class), and the A my Shakespeare professor gave me (even though it is mathematically impossible for me to have an A, I think this A resulted from a plea I wrote to him the last day of class saying I thought I deserved an A for effort).

Overall I feel mediocre about this past semester, but it is over and I am happy to have another 18 credits behind me. And my overall GPA is so low, that even this semester's results will end up raising it by a few points. I am going to have to step it up a little bit if I want to be graduating with anything above a 3.0.

23rd Birthday: Il Mio Ristorante Preferito, Citta

Awhile ago I discovered this awesome Utah blog called Your Heart Out (If you are in Utah, it's a must-read!) The writers raved about this restaurant called Citta, and they weren't exaggerating, the food is amazing! It was, hands down, my first choice for a place to eat for my birthday. Girls, thanks so much for being willing to drive all the way out to this little cafe (when I wasn't even sure if it was open!).

Megan and I had a visit to Italia while we were there. It was just like being there.

Then an individual shot was required of everyone.

Shaylene is so shy after years of modeling for my Mom.

Amber already looks like a blushing bride.

We got pretty excited about the ice. It was just so cool!

Megan modeled all of the rings in the room. Some engagement rings, some not. As long as it's a diamond, she likes having it on her finger.

Now on to the food. This salad, is just so amazing.

I had a panini and salad. The panini is SOOO crispy on the outside. I can't say enough about how good this is. I didn't even get a picture of the soup, we were so busy devouring it.

Next we moved on to the gelato. I plan to eat gelato every single day in Italy if it is as good as this.

Shay looking a little guilty for breaking the rules and eating this. I think it was worth it though.

I was pretty bummed that they were out of Sour Cherry (on my birthday!) but the blood orange with peach made up for it in the end.

All of my fabulous friends. The infamous "Isn't he taking a picture of our chests" shot.

Probably one of the last pictures we will all take together. I love you girls!

It was a little chilly outside when we got out.

Thanks again girls! I loved every second!

Snap up some Snapea's

I bought all kinds of fun treats at Whole Foods and this is the first one I have let myself open. I had to say out loud to myself "Jenna stop eating these." It is likely I will finish off the bag tomorrow. They are like cheetos, without the greasy, sick to your stomach feeling. So crunchy and crispy and salty.

They are apparently available in Utah at Cost Plus, Wild Oats, and Whole Foods.

If you live somewhere else and you want to give them a try, here are the stores that carry them.

23rd Birthday: Party in the Living Room and Photos in the Automobile

I arrived home from shoe shopping to find out that the living room had been decorated in my favorite colors. Can you guess what they are? I jumped right up on the coffee table to do a few poses.

Nice artistic shot Heather. That downward angle is very flattering.

I was so excited to get in the car and start driving to my favorite Salt Lake City restaurant, Citta. You'll be able to see in my next post how yummy the food is! You should really visit it is in person so you can taste it.

Shay and I had a mini photo shoot, attempting to take a picture that both of us liked. I have a tendency to look high in a lot of my pictures. It's all in the eyes, just like Tyra says. You would think that 10 cycles of America's Next Top Model would have taught me a little something about using my eyes to their full advantage in photos.

I may have forced a few people to take pictures with me, when they weren't really feeling it, but I think there is never a time when a picture should not be taken. Heather aren't you glad you can have photographic evidence of this time together?

23rd Birthday: Italian Test and Shoe Shopping

My Italian teacher refused my request to take my oral exam a day early to avoid doing so on MY day, so I walked over to the JKB and only took 5 minutes. I made sure to get a picture with Amy, who sat right in front of me for a whole semester, and made a hilarious (well we think it was) Italian film with me.











I then tried to use the massage gift certificate that the roomies gave me last year, but apparently they can only be used on Friday and Saturday's, so to console myself I went and got a pedicure instead.




After a little bit of pampering I called Kelli and she met me at the mall to do a little shoe shopping.




















As you can see because of all the boxes, I know my way around the Nordstrom shoe section. I never want to leave any pairs untried. All of those boxes (plus a few more) are mine. What if I accidentally pass up "the one" because I didn't try it on?










I ended up buying these cuties for Europe, but I wore them that night and they made my feet fall asleep, and I wore them up to campus a few days later and had nasty blisters afterwards. Guess I will have to hit up the Cole Haan outlet that I learned about today.

I think I could wear these all over Europe.

FWD: MUST READ OR BAD LUCK WILL KILL YOUR DOG AND YOUR CAR WILL EXPLODE.

Do you have friends who feel that they must send you warnings about men lying underneath your car waiting to slash your ankles, or "funny" photos of President Bush holding a phone upside down to his head, or a forward that will apparently grant you $1 million dollars from Bill Gates if you forward it to 227 people within 60 seconds of opening it?

StopForwarding.Us knows your pain, and they are here to help. Read:

Hi Steve,

One of your friends has sent you this message from StopForwarding.Us, a website that allows individuals to anonymously email their friends and politely ask that they stop the habit of sending forwarded emails or FWDs.

Please do not forward chain letters, urban myths presented as truth, potentially offensive jokes, videos or photos without being asked or first receiving permission. If you find something that is funny and it is clean and you genuinely think the recipient will enjoy it then foward it to that person only (not in an email blast to all your friends and family) and include a personal note about why you enjoyed it and why you think they will too. Avoid sending forwards to friends or relatives that you've grown distant with. It can be frustrating for the recpient when the only correspondance you have with someone is via impersonal, unwanted email.

For more tips on email etiquette, visit StopForwarding.Us/etiq.html

Thank you,
A Friend (via stopforwarding.us)

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks to Daily Candy for this fantastic find!

Can it really be over?

After 1 hour of sleep last night I am done.

I will NOT be angry with my idiot professor whom I continue to despise. Even though my test ended one hour ago and I am still so angry I can't think of anything else. And I am going to eat ice cream to make myself feel better. It is in the past, and you can't be mad about the past. I'm not still mad about the Louisiana purchase, you know?

I WILL play Donkey Kong until I feel relaxed enough to fall asleep.


And I WILL look forward to a nice dinner with the roomies tonight. Where I dress up and look pretty and feel happy about the future.

And I WILL look forward to seeing Mr. That Boy in 1 short day.

The Finals Home Stretch

My last final is in 24 hours. I haven't studied for it at all. Or for the other 2 I have today. I can do this.

23rd Brithday: Magleby's Breafast

The first birthday event was breakfast with Shaylene at Magleby's (I used to work there). The syrup was as good as I remebered it to be, and it was fun to see crazy Doc and the manager Carrie. Those pancakes are so good I didn't even remember to take a picture until it was almost gone.

We both enjoyed our yummy food.
Notice she is enjoying a healthy orange while I am chowing down on some bacon.

Thanks for waking up early for breakfast with me Shay!