Thursday, December 29, 2011

See Ya Later 2011...Hello 2012!

This year in review was incredible.

January: The insanity of wedding plans are in full swing. It was SO much fun. I started babysitting some cute munchkins once a week, too. It was a lot of fun playing with them, too. 
February: We went on a trip to Utah for a ski trip. Adam's first Hayhurst family vacation. At this point, it was really nice to take a step away from the wedding.

March: We FINALLY got married. After marrying in Newport Beach, having an awesome reception with minimal snags, we snuck away on a Mexican cruise. Let's just say it was awesome. Once we got back, we were able to enjoy a few weeks with the family.
Adam's favorite picture from our wedding day
Please ignore my nasty sunburn and poor placement of headband. ;)


April: Within the first week, I ran the Warrior Dash 5k with my dad (not my best idea, considering that it was less than a week after my honeymoon). We flew away from the nests and moved into our first apartment together in Rexburg. That in itself was an adventure. At the end of the month, I went to Utah for Women's Conference (Our first week away from each other in a long time), and I saw the Carl Bloch art exhibit at BYU. His artwork deeply impacted me.
Yes, I am caked in mud. Yes, it was AWESOME.


May: Spring finally arrived in Rexburg, aka we finally reached 50 degrees again. We enjoyed a month of student life. 
June: Somebody turned 24 and it wasn't me :) Honestly, Adam's birthday was the highlight of this month. We went to Olive Garden and Big Juds with friends to celebrate! We also went to the lake A LOT. I finished my flag football season. Finally, I played in my first piano recital in a very long time.
Adam's birthday get together at Big Jud's aka the night I discovered I was lactose intolerant. 
Birthday Boy is hungry! We went to Olive Garden on an actual date for his birthday :)
July: We had the best Fourth of July weekend. We enjoyed camping and playing at the reservoir. The Harry Potter came out. Of course we went to the midnight showing! We finished the first semester of junior year (aka survived finals) and fell easily into our summer vacation.
Fourth of July Weekend. No regrets.




I dressed up as Bellatrix and Adam dressed up as uhhhh a creeper 80s man?

Showing off our dark marks

August: We went home! It was really nice, considering I was super homesick. We sure missed that California sunshine and the joys of spending time with family. We floated the river and I devoured the Hunger Games series.

Double date with Mom and Dad at the Angel's Game. 
My parents are adorable.
San Diego at Sea World
Oh hey San Clemente :) I missed you!
September: We ended summer with a trip to Yellowstone. I white water rafted the Snake River with my friend Lauren. Oh and we started school again... I visited Rissa (my lil sis) in Utah for her 19th birthday!




October: Halloween was fun, but honestly it was a stressful month.


November: We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as a married couple in Rexburg. I was really worried about it, but having a relaxing Thanksgiving with Adam and the Hofmeisters was a blast.





December: We both survived the semester with straight A's! I turned 21 and we went to Nick's (my favorite restaurant in Laguna Beach) and celebrated with friends for my birthday. Christmas was awesome and we loved being in California with all of our family.


Bring it on 2012!! Even if this year is half as good as the last, it will be awesome.

Love, 
Evi


Friday, December 23, 2011

Songs I'm Loving Right Now

Every now and then I fall madly in love with songs, and I continually love them for at least a few months.
Well my dear friends, I figured I'd share some songs I'm am straight up loving right now:

5. Love Is Dead by the Lovemakers. Okay, this is a fun song. I love this band. While this song is not old, it still is a great one. Warning: it may get stuck in your head.

4. Remain by Tyrone Wells. This is one of those "I need to get pumped" songs for whenever I'm feeling like I cannot accomplish what I need to.

3. We Don't Eat by James Vincent McMorrow. This is my mellow song of the moment. It has a very simple piano line and beautiful vocals. It has been playing on repeat quite a bit lately.

2. Lights by Ellie Goulding. This is one of my favorite "stretching" songs when I'm preparing to work out. Plus, it's one of those you can just listen to and thoroughly enjoy.

1. Bad Kids by Black Lips. Adam really likes this one; therefore, we hear it a lot. It's a happy song and the lyrics are pretty funny.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Twenty-One-Year-Old

I meant to post this on my birthday, but of course it was a usual blogger fail on my behalf when I realized two days later that I never posted it. I really need to learn to utilize my ability to schedule posts in advance.
So, here it is: 21 goals for this next year. These aren't in order except for the last one :)

21. Laugh everyday.
20. Learn to control my anxiety a bit better. (No more panic attacks!)
19. Learn to hem my own jeans.
18. Read 50 books (including Catcher in the Rye, Devil in the White City, and 1984).
17. Talk Adam into swing dancing with me or going to the school's masquerade again.
16. Go into the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.
15. Go on a mini-vacation with Adam. Just the two of us.
14. Successfully make a batch of cookies. Puffy, not flat. Sweet, not salty. AND definitely not burnt.
13. Go to Baby Charlotte's temple sealing.
12. Keep my side of the room spotless for minimum two weeks (don't judge haha).
11. Up-cycle a piece of clothing.
10. Get a pet!
9. Graduate from BYU-I with my degree in English Education Composite Degree.
8. Stop chipping at my nail polish.
7. Write our "love story."
6. Sing karaoke and record it
5. Go camping and this time actually cook (last time we just ate junk for two days)
4. Get rid of 3 trash bags of clothes before we move away from Idaho.
3. Successfully grow a plant and keep it alive for at least a month.
2. Learn to play and memorize Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."
1. Do something nice for Adam everyday.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

9 Month Anniversary

Today we will be spending our nine month anniversary on a plane to Los Angeles, California to see our families. Do I mind? Not one bit. :)
I know nine months isn't significant. The only thing that I can think of is babies when I think of nine months, which is scary because that leads to the realization that had we gotten pregnant right away we'd be preparing for a baby. Uh, thank gosh for birth control.
Anyways, I'm sure sitting next to this super handsome man for a few hours on an airplane without having to do homework will be a breeze. I mean look at him...

So cute.

Honestly, how could anyone not love that. But, really... I am so grateful to have made it through the first nine months of marriage and be able to say I'm still in love with my very greatest friend. I love him now more than ever.

Here is to you, you zombie loving, laughter inducing, kind man. Thank you for a great nine months.

Love,
Evi

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Quiz: A Lil Bit of Christmas Spirit.


1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Holy heck. What a dilemma! I'm going with egg nog, even though I'm lactose intolerant. That stuff is better than anything I can think of right now. Too bad it wrecks me!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa puts them under the tree. Too many elves were getting paper cuts from the wrapping paper.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colors!! Especially the retro glass ones on the house. I also love color themed trees :)
4. Do you hang mistletoe? I bought some this year. I wonder where it went. haha. 
5. When do you put your decorations up? Right after Thanksgiving. You need at least a month of Christmas decor enjoyment.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I REALLY love baked brie, as I discovered last year. But, our family does Christmas tamales and I totally am in love with those, too.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Every year we do a giant Christmas Eve party. All of my favorite childhood memories are centered around the laughter floating through our house. Moments that include karaoke, joke-telling, dancing, playing the piano, etc. I am so excited.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Santa is totally real. Don't even pretend like he's not or I'll make sure I tell him to give you coal.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Nope. But, sometimes the three of us girls get matching Christmas pajamas :)
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? We love colors, the more the better. Adam likes putting random things on the tree for me to find. Like a rubber band, or a random candy cane, or sword toothpicks. I love that guy.
11. Snow! Love it or dread it? It is a love/hate relationship with snow. I hate that the first snow of the year, I inevitably fall while on campus. This year it happened while walking down stairs. It hurt. However, I love it because that means it is ski season!!!
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, I can. I LOVE IT.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? The first gift I remember was probably when I was five because I was kindergarten age. My grandparents bought me a pink bike. I still remember walking down the stairs and seeing it. It is probably my favorite. 
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Honestly, it is spending time with family. Now that I have grown up and moved away, nothing means more to me than seeing my family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Egg nog and pumpkin pie. 
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We have SO many. But my favorite is the Christmas poppers. It is British. You pull the tabs and out pops a paper crown, and a joke, and a treat--then we wear the crown the whole Christmas Eve dinner and tell each other our jokes. 
17. What tops your tree? A green star-shaped ornament.
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving. I love seeing faces light up!!
19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? Yuck. They get gross so quickly.
20. Favorite Christmas show? I love the original Grinch cartoon, Elf, and White Christmas.
21. Saddest Christmas song? I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Darn you Longfellow!!
22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night. I can sing it in English and German. Plus, I know an awesome descant. Yes, I'm a choir nerd.

Love, 
Evi

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

seven thirty in the am on tuesdsay. concerned.

Check out my red eyes. Cute, right? 
Diet Coke should start paying me for all of these Diet Coke pictures.


So I'm worried about my well-being here. Not joking my left forearm is KILLING me, especially as I type this. I probably should be typing a paper, but honestly it hurts so bad that I need to blog it. Anyways, my eyes are also bloodshot. Maybe it's because collectively I have only gotten 6.5 hours of sleep over the past two and a half days. I cannot look at the computer screen without having my eyes water and worse my classmates are beginning to file into the classroom and look at me like "WHOA stay away from that girl." Let's just say, as of now, there is complete perimeter of empty desks around me. But, hey this might be my hardest day. I can sleep tomorrow (kind of) or tonight if I'm lucky. The way I see it is that this is my last finals week of junior year. Two more semesters. I wish I could chant it out loud right now. TWO MORE. Oh, and five days till I get to see my family in California!!!
Hooray for home. No hooray for finals.
Love,
Evi

Monday, December 12, 2011

Week One: Book Review of Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson

Like I told you guys on Saturday(?), I am starting to post a book review each using the 32 books I read this semester. So first up is Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
If you could accurately judge a book by its cover, this book is not it. I saw the cover with a raptor on it and immediately dreaded reading. For those kids that have an imagination, it might make them very excited. For me, it didn't. Anyways...

Cover found here 

Here is the info:

Published Oct. 1, 2007
320 Pages
Genre: Epic Fantasy, Young Adult

Summary:
Alcatraz Smedry is always breaking things, in reality it’s a talent… according to Alcatraz and the rest of the "Free Kingdomers." It all begins when he turns 13. For his birthday he receives a bag of sand. The librarians are the enemy. The same librarians steal his bag of sand, which is not a normal bag of sand. Alcatraz is not an average foster child. He has been passed around because he always ends up ruining something precious to his foster families. In the book, Alcatraz is reunited with family—his grandfather, who teaches him that breaking things is a talent. It is from his grandpa that he learns that the librarians are trying to conquer the “Free Kingdomers.” It is in this book that Alcatraz fights to keep this from happening.
The Smedrys all have different “talents.” Grandpa has the power to arrive late to appointments. Sing has the talent of falling. Quentin has the talent of speaking nonsense. All Smedry’s have special unexplained talents. This idea is great for getting kids to see that even their “downfalls” are part of what makes them special.
This book was hilarious. I strongly recommend it for young adult boys. There will be a total of five books in the series. Sanderson has released three so far, and has announced a fourth to be released in 2012.
Recommended Age: 10-14
Rating: **** If you are interested you can buy it here

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Twenty-Five Weeks of Books and then some!

Okay so this semester I read a grand total... ready for it?... Thirty-two books!
So since I had to write 25 reviews for a class for 25 of the books, I figured why not publish AT LEAST the reviews/summaries of those twenty-five. Twenty-five out of the thirty books are considered young adult literature. Three are psychology-related. The other four are postmodern lit. I thought it'd fun to post it for all of my readers and partially for myself. I will be posting a new book every monday for the next five or six months. I know I've been awful about posting this semester, but trust me if you knew my grades you'd understand why. So here is the list of what I will be posting:

Young Adult List
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Maus by Art Spieglman
3. Graphic novel: Beowulf by Gareth Hinds
4. Audio Book: Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
6. I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
7. Monster by Walter Dean Meyers
8. Peter Pan by James M. Barrie
9. Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
10. The 9/11 Report adapted by Ernie Colon and Sid Jacobson
11. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
12. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
13. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
14. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
15. Contemporary Realistic Fiction: Holes by Louis Sachar
16. The Giver by Lois Lowry
17. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
18. Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig
19. Beauty by Robin McKinley
20. Charles and Emma by Deborah Heligman
21. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
22. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul
23. Beloved by Toni Morrison
24. Kissed By An Angel by Elizabeth Chandler
25. Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

Psychology List
1. The Hurried Child by David Elkind
2. Why Gender Matters by Leonard Sax
3. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Postmodern Lit List
1. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
2. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
3. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
4. Interpreter of the Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

So excited for this lil project of mine you guys! Hope you are too!!
Love,
Evi

Flippin' Finals

Finals are super hard this semester. Things are getting done and my grades are holding strong, but studying this much is getting boring. Up side, I get to have as much Diet Coke as I want and have an excuse to not cook for us. This semester has easily been the hardest semester of my academic career and I have an inking that next two will be even harder, since I will be a senior at that point. Scary! I've noticed that due to the boredom over the last few years I tend to take pictures on my computer's Photo Booth. Lucky for you I'm willing to embarrass myself and show you. Enjoy!

Winter 2010

Spring 2010

Spring 2010

Fall 2010

Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Fall 2011 Midterms

Fall 2011

It's not that I'm self-absored; it is just that I'm extremely bored.
Love,
Evi

Monday, November 28, 2011

Well, I think it's time.

I've had a lot of concern lately over meeting my birthmother. I guess the last few posts have voiced my anxiety. With all the stress from school, part of me forgot what turning 21 means for me this coming month. I read a post about another girl meeting her birthmom. She had a good experience; even though I'm scared, I know that thousands of other people like me have had the courage to meet their birth parents and thank them for the courage to give their children a better life. So I took the first step today. I went online and got a phone number that I'm going to call later. From my understanding, in order to open my files and access my birthmother's information, both of us have to do paperwork. I think I'm going to start that paperwork soon. Part of me wonders if my birthmother already knows my name. Is she looking for me, too? Is she planning on doing her side of the paperwork? There are too many what if's to think about. So I'm going for it. In my mind it is a risk. For many people, maybe it isn't. The way I see it is that I'm finding out a bit more about my identity. My life is wonderful as it is now, part of me worries this could mess up my perfectly constructed reality; however, after a lot of consideration, I've decided I'm going to give it a try. It can't hurt. Right?
Love,
Evi

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Introducing My Beautiful Niece!

(Photographed by Danny Nicolas. Check out his photography here.)

So I've been dying to write this blog post. I actually wrote it the day she was born. But homework ate my life. On November 1, Charlotte was born into this world. So this is what I've gathered from an aunt's perspective:
-Her hands are tiny and wrinkly.
-Her eyes are beautiful. The few times I've seen them open they have been bright and curious.
-She can rock the color pink better than anyone.
-Adam and I love her and haven't even met her, yet. [It makes me excited to have kids someday. I'm excited to feel that for our FUTURE (as in five years) kids.]

So here is what I wrote in my notebook the day she was born:
Well, today I became an aunt!! I have had to keep my mouth shut, because I wanted to let my brother and sister-in-law have the opportunity to announce it loud and proud, before I go and plaster it all over the blogosphere. I am so excited for Chris and Chelsea! In addition, I'm excited for the whole family. Ever since Adam and I started dating, I remember Chris and Chelsea wanting a baby. Also, Ever since Adam and I started praying together, he have prayed every night that a sweet baby would be brought to their family. Prayers were answered. Charlotte is the answer. When we heard the news that a baby was to be born, we were beyond excited. Today she was born and titles are changing. Chris and Chelsea are now Mom and Dad; my in-laws, Grandma and Grandpa; and the rest of us... proud aunts and uncles. How cool is that?! Now, I just have to meet this little girl. I am so excited to hold and love her. Sweet Charlotte, welcome to the world. I am so excited to watch you grow!

Love, Evi

Update: I'm NOT dead. :)

So this lil' blog has been struggling. Why?
I'm in the second semester of my junior year.
Forgive me?
I do have straight A's (real ones, no A- on this semester).
I'm working really hard, and in all honesty I've been struggling with my health.
Being the neurotic slightly stressed out perfectionist that I can be, I have officially beaten myself into oblivion.
I'm trying hard to calm myself and not let my stress take over. But doesn't it always?
Life is hard, but here I am loving it every minutes... Almost too much.
I'm quickly learning that I can't be the perfect wife, daughter, sister, friend.
In a lot of ways, I've always known that. Yet, here I am admitting that I'm not perfect and need to learn to let go and maybe cut back on the Diet Coke.
Wish me luck.
I'm trying to get healthy because right now I am diminishing into the body comparable to a fifty-year-old.
One more month till this semester is over.
Oh and remember, this is my blog and I can admit, talk, whine, or pine about whatever I want!
Love, Evi

Monday, October 24, 2011

Kiss Me I'm So Not Irish

[Image: 1000recordings.com]

So basically every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Monday morning I am graced with Irish drinking songs.
There is a certain individual who genuinely enjoys singing them loudly, almost as if he is performing then.
I can hear him literally making his waking up from the bottom to the top floor of the Hinckley.
At first it was annoying, sometimes it still is; however, I'm learning to appreciate it and learn to laugh at his interesting songs.
It seems like he adds a new song to his lil Irish repetoire weekly.
The first song he sang sounded like he was saying, "a lively live ho, and toe and a pushel. A lively live ho."
He is totally American. He didn't have an Irish accent at the beginning of the semester. Now, the man has an Irish accent. What a character!
So here's to you Mr. Non-Drunken-Mormon-American-Irish-Man, thanks for laugh and the morning entertainment. Keep working on that accent!
Love,
Evi

Saturday, October 22, 2011

One Year Ago Today

Adam Figgat got down on one knee and proposed to me.
He asked me the question that I had so badly wanted to hear.
Thinking back it was the most perfect proposal.
13 months after we began dating he took me out on a super nice date.
We went to Olive Garden then to the Cocoa Bean Cafe, the place where we had our first date.
As we entered, I already knew that I wanted the pumpkin cupcake. No questions asked.
Adam continually kept requesting that I look in the display case and "see if there are any others that I'd like." Being the stubborn woman that I am, I said, "No. I want pumpkin." I guess some things never change. After physically pushing me towards the display case, I peered into the shiny glass case. What I saw in that case changed my life forever.
This is what I saw:


My stomach lept into my throat, quickly my heart followed. After several oh-my-gosh-like phrases, I turned around to my then sweet boyfriend who was down one knee with a shiny object in his hands. He looked into my eyes, shaking--I could hardly say it due to the nerves, but I said the phrase that would take him from boyfriend to fiancee, "Yes! Now get up." The poor kid was shaking like crazy. :)
I do not regret saying yes. I haven't for 365 days. One year later, I am even more sure that saying yes to an eternity with Adam was the best decision I have ever made. Since October 23, 2010, I have been blessed with a husband.
He asked me on our first date-- I was smitten. He asked to hold my hand while looking at fireworks, the temple, and moonlight-- he had my affection. He asked to kiss me-- I was floored. He asked me to be his wife-- he had my whole heart. And on March 18, 2011 a man asked if I'd have Adam forever-- he has my eternity.
Looking back of these last two years makes me realize how much life has changed for the better. So to my partner in crime and very best friend, I love you forever.
Thanks for making saying the big yes so easy.
Here are some more pictures from the big yes.