one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me

i remember when you were twelve years old. you walked up to me with this unconquerable smile. 

it was like...the world was yours 

and you weren't going to let anyone stop you.

you still have that smile. i think that's how you're going to live your life.

-apple-

in which i remember how great people and life are

sometimes there are days like today when everything is great and i remember how great people and life really are. because things like this happen:

• kat saw me dancing in the coffee room while i was doing who-knows-what and i have never heard her laugh so hard (i'm a really good dancer, people. uh...)

• a woman i helped said, "thank you for your smile"

• i was told that i have the "face of an angel"

• isaac said, "dang, you have big blue eyes, they're really pretty"

• another woman called me "darlin" and "adorable" in the same sentence

• another woman and i had a really great conversation about the napa valley and travel

• everyone was in a great mood and when we were closing we g0t to sing loud and dance around

• this makes two, yes TWO, days in a row that i haven't eaten any baked good while working, which is a HUGE accomplishment, let me tell you

• i went running this morning and liked it

• i'm pretty sure tomorrow is pay day

• i got at least 11 hours of sleep last night, which was fantastic, and i had crazy dreams to boot

• tomorrow is wednesday and i'm half way through my work week

• my new ghetto name is "all star syd" which isn't really that ghetto, but i'll take it

• i get to come home every day smelling like coffee, which i secretly really really like

• i am officially going to france because....I HAVE PLANE TICKETS

• which reminds me that i get to spend three months in the greatest city in the world starting in september

• i have a great job and the very best family

so you see? today was just great.

and so, in keeping with the theme of this blog, i'd like to publicly say, "thank you world, for everything happy today."

mama joni

she gives me hugs.

she gives me advice.

she makes me laugh.

she sacrifices for me.

she makes the best cookies that i may or may not eat for breakfast sometimes.

she is the best mama in the whole wide world.

on sunday in the branch, the speaker read the scripture proverbs 31:10.

he said, and i quote: "who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubles."

he then corrected himself and said, "excuse me. rubies. not rubles."

i thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

so mama joni, here's to you. your price is far above both rubies and rubles.

i love you, mama!

chattsworth house gardens after i fell in the mud

roman baths in bath

the lake district. why do we only have photos of the two of us from england??

darlin' me gusta los sparkles en tus ojos tonite

i am exhausted. completely exhausted. it's been a really long week full of weddings, birthday parties, dinners, food network stars, temples, and listening.

last saturday, i got to go to marie cope's wedding. now she is marie call and i couldn't be any happier for her!

last sunday, we had a little birthday party to celebrate my 20 years of life! we had sundaes on sunday. it was super fun! my grandparents were there, as were the morgans, the navas, the ellis', the mutzes, cammie and jake, and my friend cameron from my ward back at byu. (cameron is working in santa rosa for the summer so i invited him over!) it was a BLAST. because really, what is better than family, friends, ice cream, birthday hats, and bladderdash (aka balderdash)? i submit that nothing tops that. it was the best day.

on tuesday evening, i went to dinner with chloe and sasha! sash was home for the week, so we decided that, as per tradition, we would get some awesome food at an awesome restaurant. we went to la condessa in st helena, a nice mexican restaurant with the BEST interiors ever. we were all obsessing over the decor. and we talked and we laughed and we ate until our stomachs told us to stop but we just kept eating anyway. and then we got gelato after that. haha.

on thursday, we saw mark summers at work. you know, that guy from unwrapped on the food network? yep. he came in. that was kinda cool.

i also went to the oakland temple on thursday. i love that place. i love all the temples, but oakland is definitely special. it's my home temple :) AND!! and. i ran into my friend natalie while i was there. we didn't even plan that at all. she and i both happened to be there with our wards on the same night at the same time!! please tell me how often that happens? not very. it was the best. (natalie, if you're reading this: seriously about to cry!)

friday was my day off and i spent it shopping for new work pants (mine got salad dressing stains on them that wouldn't come out no matter what i washed them with).

yesterday i worked and it was a day. a really long day. but then i got to do wedding planning with two of my favorite ladies, cammie and stephanie graham (aka apple...it's a long story)!! it was so fun, and great to actually get planning for the event of the summer :) i still can't believe that cammie is getting married. i haven't quite wrapped my mind around it, but it's such a good thing.

another thing i've done this week is listen. for those of you who know me know that i always have music on in the background. doesn't matter what i'm doing, there is always music on, especially when i'm driving. but this week, i've been driving without music on. sometimes you just need to listen to the silence. it gives you time to think, time to process. that is all.

marie's wedding

me being a unicorn

me and the champ

jake, cammie, me, and cameron

i love this place

natalie and i at the temple!!

good thing i'm so white

tengo hungry por tu lovin' - la condessa

darlin' me gusta los sparkles en tus ojos tonite - la condessa

la condessa lights

new watch for the bakery. i'm loving it.

mother's day dinner! shishkabobs, citrus salad, and cookies with ice cream for dessert.

i'm getting new glasses this week...thinking about getting these? yay? nay?

some songs

they've all been stuck in my head for the past week. here they are. 

hideaway - the weepies

antarctica - the weepies

awake my soul - mumford & sons

call me maybe - carly rae jepsen

hahaha ohhhhh i need to get this last one out of my head!!

no wonder kitties have such complexes

took a small hiatus from the blogging world. i have never been so tired in my life. i could easily sleep for two days straight, at this point.

wednesday was my birthday! twenty years old? crazy. it was a nice day, very quiet. i got myself up, went to the gym, took a shower, and went to work.

at work, everyone was great! they all wished me a happy birthday and michelle even made me cupcakes. vanilla kumquat cupcakes with browned butter frosting, to be exact. it was true love.

that night when i drove home, i saw a shooting star from my car. my very own little birthday miracle. it's an omen, people. 20 is going to be the best year ever, i can just feel it!

and pretty much that's all i've been doing...just working working working working working.

last night grandma and grandpa hughes came into town! i love having them here! i feel bad that i'm so exhausted and not much fun, but i'm happy they're here :)

this morning chloe and i ran down to the bakery (ok, we drove...) for some donuts! today we had chocolate donuts and banana caramel donuts. both delish. i brought them home for the fam bam. and we talked and we laughed and we told stories and we sang "call me maybe" at the top of our lungs because really, that's the only way to sing that song.

also, i would like to report a miracle. i have tan lines. sort of. a little bit. like you can tell where my rings go on my fingers and where i wear my watch. and i sort of have a tan line on my knees from last saturday when i helped out at my aunt janet's garage sale (which i never blogged about, but i did that last saturday and it was fun to see my cousins and help!). so this morning, i decided i would see what would happen if i laid out in the sun for a little while. i'm not sure if it did anything...but we'll see. hopefully i get a tan this summer for the first time in the history of ever. like i said, 20 is going to be a good year! ha.

tonight is marie cope's wedding. now she's going to be marie call. i'm so so happy for her and i can't wait to see her!

also, here is the overheard quote of the week:

"everywhere you go, there are dog treats. there are never things for kitties! no wonder kitties have such complexes!"

and here is my favorite cat photo of the week:

my aunt maryn posted this on my wall for my birthday. it combines my love of both cats and unicorns. she knows me so well.

and here are the rest of the photos:

janessa and i on the 4 wheeler

this was my day last saturday. i'm a big fan of the cows and janae dancing with the garage sale signs.

where i'm from! unreal.

someday...someday.

hahahahahahaha our relationship...he just likes me for my mom's cookies.

ohnoyoudidn't - chocolate dipped macaron

my vanilla kumquat cupcake from michelle :)

the birthday setup on the piano. dad says the letters mean "a 2 year noodle"

the birthday goods

sometimes i have a really really long day at work and then chloe shows up and brings me flowers and my day is wonderful :)

tan line. can you see it?!

at the bakery this morning

i lived the teenage dream today. or something like it.

like i said yesterday, today was my first day back at the bakery.

my day started at 4:50. AM. morning time. that is early people. really really early. the sun wasn't even up yet.

but i got myself up and out the door by 5:25. and then i got to the bakery at 5:50.

and it was great. it was almost like i had never even left (except for that whole "we just did a little remodeling and changed where absolutely everything is just so we could confuse you hahahaha" thing). and it was fantastic. except for the confusion part.

i was even coherent. it was a miracle. i'm not a morning person. at all.

i was doing great. it was fun to see andrea and karla and michelle and all the chefs. but then when the clock struck 11 am, i hit a wall. it happens. so karla and i decided to try something new.

we call it, "the chocolate shot."

when we make hot chocolate or mochas, we use this awesome melted chocolate sauce. so instead of having an espresso shot, karla decided to try a shot of chocolate. and i joined her.

she said that it woke her up just as much as a shot of espresso. i'll have to take her word on that one, since i've never had espresso, but it definitely woke me up.

i also had some trouble with english today. like when i asked michelle, "can you check if i cutted that sandwich?"

yeah. i actually said that.

or when andrea told me she needed to buy a "fruit platter," and i heard her say, "free bladder." that was weird.

but despite my struggles with confusion and english, it was a great day. and i'm so happy to be back.

also i ate an "ohnoyoudidn't" which is a chocolate-dipped macaron. i was wary of trying it because how dare anyone change the already perfected macaron, but...i've been converted. it was actually fantastic.

and i bought some black and brown socks at target. they were a necessary purchase. that was good, too.

and that's how i spent my last day of...teenager-hood? teenager-dom? teenage years? we'll just go with "being a teenager."

today i lived the teenage dream. or something like it.

tomorrow i will be twenty. cheers to another decade!