Little Love Notes

There are few things I love more than receiving little love notes. Whether they be emails, cards, or on a napkin, I save every single one. Honestly, I do. The fact that someone would take time to write down something meaningful or kind is so sweet to me. So while I might not (ok, I definitely don't) get love notes that often, sometimes I pretend that when I find quotes that I really enjoy or find inspiring, it's like getting a little love note :) Here are some quotes that I found on Valentine's Day, and I meant to post them earlier, but why not just spread the holiday love out a little longer?

"True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well being of ones companion."

Gordon B. Hinckley 

"Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."

Fred Babbel 

"It's never a mistake to care for someone. That's always a good thing..."

"Never underestimate the power of true love, for it knows no barriers."

John H. Groberg - 2004 Oct. Gen. Conf

"You may give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."

Glen Wheeler

"Our joy now and forever is inextricably tied to our capacity to love."

John H. Groberg

"Love is never wasted, for its value does not rest upon reciprocity."

Neal A. Maxwell 

"One word frees us of all weight and pain in this life. That word is love."

Sophocles

Los Padres Pelton! Ayayay

This past weekend was President's Day and a visit from los Padres Pelton! They pretty much come up to Provo and visit for a weekend or so every month, and I love it. There is nothing like a visit from Mom and Dad to lift your spirits, fill your tummy, and ease your stress. (Not to mention, the long weekend was very much appreciated.) On Thursday, I had dinner at Zupas with my mom, Sister Bell, and a bunch of girls from the Southlake Ward! It was so good to catch up with my hometown girls and reconnect. I miss them, and it's so lovely to see their beautiful faces :) Friday night I went to the BYU Singer's concert with Ben, which was spectacular. I am always so impressed by the talent here at BYU... incredible. On Saturday, I had to face the necessary evil of the Testing Center and take an Econ test. No comment on how that went. Luckily, though, I was able to recover with some delicious Mexican food and a family game night! Bacon-wrapped, cheese-smothered shrimp fajitas and a few rounds of Farkle were just what the doctor ordered. Especially the shrimp fajitas. Sunday night we had our family dinner, and my mom made shrimp creole (again, the shrimp!!!). It was amazingly delicious and filled my tummy enough to get me ready the next day for... SKIING. I love to ski, and I love even more to ski with my family. Only my dad, Chelsea, Paul, and I were able to go, but it was still really fun. It was the first real good snow of the season and a beautiful, sunny day. Granted, Sundance was teeming with pre-teens and families alike,  trying to take advantage of the free day of good snow, but it was still fun once you got past the crowds. I  made a goal to go skiing more this semester, and I've gone about 4 times already, which I feel is pretty good! Could be better, but still good. After skiing, we parted ways, and I tried to be productive and do homework (which was silly to think that I'd do that after a day of skiing, but at least I'm optimistic). We then had dinner at Macaroni Grill, one of my favorites. The highlight of my night was probably when Cortney was asked Caitlin where Auntie Cassie was, and Caitlin pointed right at me and smiled! My heart melted, I was so happy. It was so fun to spend time with mis padres and mi familia! Can't wait until next month's visit ;)

Me, Daddy, and Chelsea at Sundance

Happy Heart Day!

Happy Valentine's day, singles awareness day, heart day, love day, Cupid's day, bows and arrows day, yadda yadda yadda. Basically, I hope that today you focused on the things and people that you love :) A lot of people think that Valentine's Day shouldn't be a real holiday, but I heartily disagree. Yes, I fully understand that sense of dread for the day when overly affectionate couples will embrace on campus and girls will be carrying around bouquets of flowers for everyone to see (really guys, really? you couldn't just give them to her later?). But let's try to look past that. I view Valentine's Day as simply a celebration of love, a day to remind us to love a little bit harder. It doesn't have to be romantic love; in fact, I almost think it's better if it's not romantic. I love my family, my cats, my roommates, my friends, my classmates, my ward members, my cookies, my shoes, my dinner group, my blog readers... so many things! So on Valentine's Day, I honor all the things that I love. Cheers to a life full of love, whether it be romantic, platonic, deep, eternal, fleeting, reciprocated, or one-way... it's all peachy!

Me and my Valentine's Day cookies!

Nothing says "love" like a heart-shaped frosted sugar cookie.

In other news, I also cooked for my dinner group tonight. Whitney and I joined a group of 12 other students in our apartment and we take turns cooking for each other Monday-Thursday. So, we only have to cook dinner like once every 3 weeks... it's great. Tonight I cooked my mom's delicious chicken enchiladas! They turned out pretty good, if I say so myself. I'm always a little nervous to cook my mom's food because I feel like it will just never taste the way I know it should. But, I think I may have done it this time! They were cheesy and creamy and yummy. Hopefully everyone in my dinner group enjoyed them and the little Valentine's surprise I made them! (...the sugar cookies... not that exciting.)

Easy as Pie

Nothing better than an apple-raspberry pie on a Sunday night! Many thanks to Ben for letting me help him make it :)

Love is in the air

This past Sunday, Whitney wanted to get all crafty and make Valentine's Day decorations. So, naturally, we did. We both love to be creative and make things, so this was the perfect project for us to do on a quiet Sunday evening. Whit focused on creating cute paper heart bunting, and I taught myself how to make a tissue paper pom-pom garland. It turned out pretty cute if I say so myself. We also have a "Love is..." wall that is covered with hearts that complete the phrase. My personal favorite is "Love is... Zac Efron." Just saying...

Garland and twinkle lights for Valentine's Day

Here is the tutorial I used to make the garland. It was pretty simple, even though it was my first time to make it.