Good Luck, Elder Cracroft!

we LOVE you!

December 2008-December 2010

Go get 'em!

happy birthday, bros...

December 29th

(picture taken by Caitlin! I know, can you believe it?)

Happy Birthday, Elder Cracroft!

the BIG 1-9!

December 30th

Happy Birthday, Justin!

the really BIG 3-2!

... love you guys!

christmas vacation...

I sure hope your Holidays have been as enjoyable as ours! The fam took a fun three day venture up to the mountains of Park City this weekend to celebrate the Holidays and one last hurrah before Elder Cracroft takes off to the MTC this Wednesday (tear)... We had some good times while sippin' on cocoa, watching movies, and shredding some serious powski! Second time on skis, Caitlin was a trooper in the 12 degree weather... and she looked so cute in her miniature skis! 

Caitles and Auntie Lou gettin' on our gear...

how cute are those skis!

Daddy-Daughter lift ride...

Ski lessons!

Time for the big stuff!

...nothin' beats a day of fresh powder!

"back to school...

back to school, to prove to myself that I'm not a fool." 

As of January 12th, I'll be a college student... again! This time, getting my Masters degree! And the school of choice...

Masters in Elementary Education

at the good old U of U!

Look out all of you 5 and 6 year olds. Miss Cracroft is about to rock your world! 

sweet treats and sweet dreams...

December is definitely the month of sweets, and this month I have had my fair share of visits from the Sugar Plum Fairy. Daddy Dave has had me dipping his all-time famous pretzels, keeping our little home smelling like the holidays. And I recently took on the adventurous task of decorating my very own gingerbread house. Theme - The Animal House: Bug Addition. Very Christmasy, I know. Not my idea, but completely entertaining.

The task ahead...

Dippin' Away

The Animal House: Bug Addition and

the candy assortment

Pre-construction...

...and post. Notice the worms crawling

in and out of the shingles and the frog walkway.

Yes. I call that true artistry.

Silent Night, Holy Night... Apparently Auntie Lou and Uncle Jonny have the golden thumb when it comes to putting kids to sleep. In the middle of our intense game of Catch Phrase, these cute little kiddos crawled right into our arms and fell asleep to the sound of our inquiring shouts. Caitlin looks dead, but I assure you she was just sleeping. 

I love being an aunt!

Cute Johnny and Will

I heart my family!

it's official...

I bought my ticket!

My life is complete.

merry christmas...

...from The Cracrofts!

Happy Holidays!

getting in the spirit...

December is here, and I finally feel like it's time to start getting into the spirit of the Christmas season. So, the ladies and I took a little break from our busy (or not busy) work schedules, studying for finals, and sleeping in late to deck the halls and paint the town red! And green! 

Wednesday night, we went to Odyssey Dance Theatre's production of It's a Wonderful Life at the good ol' Bury! (It's about time my one benefit came in handy). After watching the show, I was so addicted to the story of George Bailey that I went home and YouTubed the entire two and half hour movie - picture me sitting in bed, wide eyed and in awe at 2 o'clock in the morning - it was awesome. I think I was born in the wrong era. Maybe me and Audrey Hepburn were mistaken for each other... Probably.

Roomies!

My Golden Girls...

Thursday night, Sarah and I ventured out to 90th South to check out decorated goodness at the Festival of Trees. However, we really ended up paying to shop for Christmas gifts. Pretty much 99% of our three hours there was spent in the boutique, googley-eyed over the adorable, homemade crafts. Sarah spent her entire (and stolen) $165 paycheck on gifts for her family. Thoughtful... seeing as I spent my entire $25 paycheck on myself. Nonetheless, we enjoyed ourselves while snacking on caramel apples and cruising past the hundreds and hundreds of trees.

Look at that gingerbread man, trying to sneak into our pic... 

Yes. A Cullen Christmas. Probably one of my most favorite trees of the night. The only other thing I need is my own personal Robert Pattinson.

...And it's not even the weekend yet.

 Tis the season, ya'll.

something to sing about...

It's Amanda's Birthday!

Happy 26th (errr, 27th), Panda!

5 Reasons why I love this girl:

1. She the worlds BEST mother!

2. She can quote any line from any movie ever made...Ever!

3. She'll leave her husband and children at home and party all night for good movie premieres.

4. She can make any dull thing into a crafty masterpiece!

5. She's the most thoughtful and caring person I think I've ever met!

Love you, Lady!

it's lyrical...

"Life always knows the right moment to show you what you're made of."

Thank you, Michelle Branch.

weekend madness...

The weekend was a party! Here's a recap of what down at 2149:

Friday

Parkie Poo made it official and received his endowment Friday night, and the whole dang family got to go - minus me. So, I volunteered to watch my two favorite people in the world while their parents joined in the fun. Caitles, Will, and I made pizza and watched Wall-E... twice! And then Caitlin stole my camera and had her own little photo sesh. She took a picture of everything in my house. And then she came up to me and said, "Will you take a picture of me? I want to say cheese." So this is what the finished product was. 

My favorite moment was when we pulled up to my house (which she's never been to) and said "Is this your house? Oh, cuuuuute." Awww, I just love her!

Friday Night

After the kiddos were picked up by their parental units, Me, Sarah, and a couple of our friends took a trip down to see the lights. 

Opening night = Crowded!! Whoa... Not recommended. But it was so pretty. Love that place, and love this girl!

Saturday

Sarah and I got together with a bunch of her high school friends and reenacted our first playdate with each other at Energy Solutions! We partied it up with the Jazz as they sacrificed their winning streak to the Nets... of ALL teams. Seriously. 

Last year, Sarah and I went to the Jazz game and had 5th row seats, right behind the basket... We won a whole bunch of garb, made BFF's with the ushers, got our pic taken on the court, post-game, and were on the jumbotron... twice! And this year...

...yeah, not so much!

Yeah, it was a good weekend. 

22 in review...

(Disclaimer: Sarah, i'm fully aware that I stole this from you. The credit is all yours...)

10 full days at 23 years old and the ticker's still tickin'. 

Halle-frickin'-lujah!

Here's 22 in review!

Funniest memory while 22:

Playing Xtreme Karaoke with the Barkers, Christmas 07!

I'm still laughing! 

Best decision made while 22:

To get my butt in gear and become a runner! 4 races in 1 summer had me high as a kite. Best legal drug out there - Endorphins!

Favorite hobby while 22:

Learning the master and art of floral design...

Worst decision while 22:

Forgetting to laugh, everyday!

Favorite memory while 22:

Staying up all night with J&T on Till's couch, laughing about everything!

The marrieds vs. me - oh my!

Best decision made while 22:

Graduating! and returning to the 801!

Most valuable lesson learned while 22:

There is no set path. Just follow your heart!

What'd ya got, 23? Bring it!!

the return of my obsession...

... with TWILIGHT!

Yes, it's back. Last summer, when the books were getting really popular, I became your typical fanatic, running to the closest Borders and spending $50 on all three books, and I could be found various places around my apartment having a romantic love affair with Edward and Jacob at random times during the day. And with the release of the movie this weekend (saw it twice in 36 hours), that obsession has returned. I have to admit, I never finished Eclipse (the 3rd book - for those of you normal people out there) and I haven't read Breaking Dawn (the 4th). So... I pulled out the books again, and here we go. However, I'm reading it with new eyes this time around because I must admit, I thought that Edward was so freaking inconsistent and Jacob was this dark dream boy. Well, I guess I didn't understand exactly why Edward was the way he was, and now I think that Jacob is annoyingly pushy. So, round 2 has been way more exciting... and doubly oober romantic. Mmmmm, Edward, you melt me.

At the 12:30 am premiere with Amanda. Yes, we had a party, and yes, we made buttons.

Getting pumped... in my soccer mom sweat suit.

And this is what my bed-stand looks like now. 

I no longer read just one book at a time. And yeah, the scriptures are on top for a reason.

(pictures courtesy of Miss Amanda... Mahalo!)

"... You are my life now!" (sigh)

america's back...

This was me at Costco today... 

$17.93 for 9 gallons.

That's worth singing Hallelujah!

the bag tag...

thank heavens for hobos...

...bags, that is.

a wallet, Costco receipt, orbit gum, Chapstick, lip gloss, some writing utensils, my broken keychain, and don't forget the Gold's pass. T-t-t-tag... you're it.

...what's in your hobo?

fourth and fourth...

I never do tags, but this one was tag-worthy.

Rules: post 4th photo from the 4th album and do your best to explain...

Well...

...one night, Keith and I decided we would cook dinner for my parents. We came up with the most delicious recipe for 5 Cheese Ziti Al Forno, and made the trek up to SLC to create this amazing meal. While I was busy cooking away, Keith went a little camera crazy, and as I was pulling a sassy pose, the camera took a little tilt south and here you go. The most provocative shot of my modeling career.

I tag all ya'll.

midnight nuggs...

Have you ever noticed that making the midnight nugget run to Wendy's is always a gamble? A gamble on the crispiness and/or temperature of your nuggs and fries? I came to this realization tonight as I made my way out of the Wendy's drive-thru. Eager to satiate my craving, I reached my hand into that little white bag and fished around for that tiny yellow carton holding my much anticipated fries. As I clenched two of them between my fingers and whipped them into my mouth, I immediately spit them out simultaneously with an exasperated, "Eeeeewwwwwww!" Instead of those nice, crisp "fresh from greasy fryer" fries, I got the cold, soggy "fresh from the garbage" batch. So, I decided to cut my losses and searched next for that old high school favorite of mine... the chicken nuggets! As my fingers came upon the first nugget in the batch, it felt warm and crisp. This got me excited! Finally, the "Always Fresh" part of Wendy's that I was expecting. But with the same results, I pouted in submission a depressing and disappointed "Ooohhhhhhhh," as the nugg hit my lips no more crisp than its fry counterpart. 

If it weren't for the ALWAYS faithful frosty, the night could easily have been a total waste. Thank you, Wendys, for reminding me why it's only on those cold, starving mid-nights that I consider gambling my hard-earned $3.59 on your $.99 Value Menu...

"Never Fresh. Always Frozen."

happy birfday...

Sarah Beth Dewey!!

Happy 22nd!!

Top 5 Reasons I Love This Girlie...

1. She'll drink RedBull with you and never leave your side at those awkward parties nobody likes to go to.

2. She'll sit through countless hours of your graduation and not complain once.

3. She'll tell you when those jeans really do make your butt look big.

4. She'll drop everything just to listen to you complain about your bad day.

5. Girls Night Out is never the same without her.

...Love you, Darling!

girls just wanna have fun...

Nothing beats little girls and curlers...

Love you, Bug!

my dears...

Dear Fall...

It was nice having you. Please come back... please! But if you don't, then:

                                                                                                                                

Dear Winter... 

Make sure you snow lots in the mountains and only little in the valley. 

Dear Barack...

Congratulations on your win. Please keep your promise and save the middle class... I'm starving.

Dear Barbacoa Burrito Bowl...

oooh, mylanta! My stomach!

Dear Kingsbury...

Thank you for supplementing my November's income. I couldn't have paid the Honda off without you.

Deer Valley...

Why are you letting Snowbird open first? If you don't hurry, I'm going to take my services elsewhere.

Dear Brain...

Please shut off. Thank you.

more Cracroft news...

Congrats, Elder Cracroft!

Washington, Tacoma Mission

December 31, 2008

baby news...

Is it a boy or is it a girl?? There's going to be a new addition to the Cracroft Clan in May...

... Amanda is PREGNANT!!!

Congrats J&A!!

domesticated...

Yeah, so maybe majoring in Home and Family Living didn't set me up for a real "prestigious career," but check out how domesticated I've become...

Ahhhh yeah! 

And that's what four years as a Coug will do for ya! Thank you, Brigham.

the joys of GNO's...

Nothing fulfills me more than a sappy, romantic comedy and a tub of Ben and Jerry's all while wrapped up in blankets and snuggled on the couch. Grazi, roomies, for a stellar evening.

"Destino - It's Destiny.... I was born to kiss you!"

how to carve an old school pump-skie...

The ladies of 2149 St. Mary's decided to put our carving skills to the test for the ultimate GNO. On a random Shop 'N Go run to pick-up our fat-free yogurt (naturally!), Jane and I ran into the most beautiful pumpkin of the season. Weighing in at a whoppin' 32 lbs at $0.19/lb, this sucker cost us only $6.84. Our activity for the night was an instant no-brainer! If you want to learn how to carve the most perfect Halloween pumpkin, I suggest you follow our fool-proof guidelines...

1. Insert sketchy knife into 3-inch thick pumpkin... carefully!!

2. Cut a "round" hole around stem, creating a very crooked opening...

3. Reveal guts.

4. Artistically carve out your favorite 4 numbers... 2149.

5. Present carving for roommates approval...

6. Light her up and display her outside for everyone to see... (how 'bout them apples, Jackie?)

7. Lightly season seeds and bake!

We heart the fall!!