Um, Hi....(3 months later)

Let's just say one of my New Year's Resolutions (even though I think they're really cheesy and cliche since most people don't even follow through with the m) is to be better at blogging! I envy people who blog consistently and have exciting moments in life documented because it's so easy to look back on! I really want to get my little blogging act together!

SO. Basically the whole semester went by since I last posted. Haha, oops. I intend to go back and insert posts. We'll see. 

But first and foremost, MERRY CHRISTMAS (yesterday), and HAPPY HOLIDAYS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! So much to celebrate! For this reason, we used a less traditional saying on our Christmas card this year (I stole the saying from one of Costco's cards!):

Our Christmas card 2013!

{DISCLAIMER: All photos on this post were taken on my phone, which apparently was having problems. Sorry for the horrible clarity :)}

We've had a really fun week with a really nice Christmas day yesterday! On Monday Taylor was so sweet and took me up to to SLC for a fun little Christmas getaway/celebration that I graduated (yes, I finished! More on that later). We took the UTA FrontRunner up, thinking it would be nice to give our car a break, and it would be convenient. Normally, that would be true. However, we failed to realize that it was the last Monday before Christmas (hello, Family Home Evening activity!). The train was PACKED. We still had fun though. We stayed at the Marriott in Downtown SLC so we got to just walk around and look at the lights, eat dinner, then walk around Temple Square some more! The whole week before I was going to bed at the earliest 2AM (thank you finals, Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, and sewing projects) so it was really nice to just relax. Our room overlooked the Salt Lake Temple. Gorgeous!

 On Christmas Eve we had a traditional Danish meal with the Nielsen side of my family (a tradition I grew up with), got some pictures with "Santa" (my uncle and aunt have the coolest holiday job!), and my sisters and I did our annual Christmas performance for my grandpa. It was so nice to be with family since next year we'll be living who knows where for Tay's grad school.

One of our traditions is to eat a Danish rice pudding and try to find the whole almond that's hidden in it. Taylor got it this year! 

At Dinner! 

We found this photo of my dad around the same age as my brother. Crazy how genes work! 

Christmas was just so fun. My mom got all the girls matching leggings (normally we get somewhat ill-fitting flannel pants--every manufacturer sizes them different!), so these were a hit! We all slept at my mom's house on Christmas Eve, which started out as a tradition where all of the kids would sleep in the same bedroom (we're all too big now!). Following tradition, we all watched the Living Scriptures movie of Christ's birth before opening presents. As I get older I realize how funny that movie is because they try to make it so that kids know what is happening, so the dialog at parts is really funny. But it was a good reminder of the true meaning of Christmas and our Savior.

The only boys...lounging in the guest room while all the girls took their time to get up on Christmas morning 

Our whole lives our parents made us line up in age order as we walked in to see our presents. (sorry for the blurriness..) 

               

                  

We all gave and received lots of fun gifts! 

Oh yeah. I GRADUATED!!!! I just finished my last semester ever at Brigham Young University. It feels exciting/weird/awkward/awesome, etc. I will walk in April with Taylor when he graduates! I got my bachelor's degree in English language, and my minor in contemporary dance. I am very excited to be graduated! However, then comes the inevitable question: what's next?? Well, you can read my next post. And no, I'm not pregnant :).