thirty days of 30 - day 16

Brittany, age 16.

Finally, clothes that fit!

Day 16 Festivities: Mani Pedi!

A fun evening with my pal, Jen, chit-chatting and getting our nails beautified.  It was awesome!

Don't my SWS's look even cuter with my painted nails?

Something about me: I LOVE to laugh!  I think it's my favorite thing to do.  My family, the Nichols Family, is really good at laughing.  My brother Harold and sister Burgandy are better at laughing then me but I'm still good at it.  Family get-togethers are always fun because its guaranteed there'll be laughing.  

thirty days of 30 - day 15

Brittany, age 15.

My school photo was copied straight from my yearbook since the original was no where to be found.  We're in the midst of my "blonde phase."  What was I thinking?!  I know mom, you told me so...

Day 15 Festivities:  Costco cheese pizza

Before any of you naysayers chime in, just know that I was once ignorant like you.  I scoffed at the idea of ordering plain cheese pizza - "boring!" I would say.  However, I have since seen the light.  There is something about Costco's cheese pizza that makes choirs of angels sing!  Perhaps the thick layer of cheese baked to a perfect crispness?  Or the low, low price of $2 a slice!  Regardless, it is GOOD.  And a well-appreciated day 15 festivity!  (PS - Don't forget the Parmesan cheese!)

Something about me:  I love cold showers on hot days!  (I could count on one hand - with missing fingers - how many times the occasion to take a cold shower on a hot day in Oregon has presented itself.  It was a regular occurrence during the hot summer days in Chicago.)

thirty days of 30 - day 14

Brittany, age 14.  

I'm slowly starting to look normal.  I'm not quite sure what is going on with my hair and why I didn't bother doing something to it.  Or maybe I did?  Which makes me even more concerned...

Day 14 Festivities:  Eat a sugar cookie

I taught in Young Womens today so I took the opportunity to make sugar cookies to share.  Otherwise, I would've been left with an entire batch (64 cookies) to eat all by myself.

Something about me:  I have strong opinions about cookies.  Especially the overrated chocolate chip (you can reference my previous blog post for more details).  I also have strong opinions about the sugar cookie and feel that they should be soft and only be frosted with buttercream frosting.  The nasty shortening frosting (which makes pretty cookies) is terrible (except for the pink Lofthouse cookies)!

thirty days of 30 - day 13

Brittany, age 13.

Day 13 Festivities: Portland Timbers game

Even though the Timbers game has been on the docket since I organized my thirty-days of celebration, the day proved to be fruitful with activities.  After our morning at the river we raced home for a family friendly softball game organized by some friends.  It did not disappoint!  I love, LOVE "playing" softball/baseball on a nice summer day.  Next we gave into our bodies' demand for a nap (remember, the beaver kept us awake with all its slapping).  We then attended a pioneer party with some friends at the local park (great food and company!).  And finally the Timbers game.  It was an ideal summer day!

As far as I'm concerned, the Timbers game was a bit uneventful.  Sorta meh.  (Which as a side note, I think Wyatt and I are bad luck because we've attended three Timbers games since they went to MLS and they lost all three games.)  The best part of the evening, in my opinion, was the bicycle riding through the city.  Wyatt had the great idea to park our truck at the institute building (about 1.5-miles from the field) and ride our bikes to the game.  If I haven't mentioned it before, I LOVE riding my bike - especially my beach cruiser.

Something about me: My favorite sports to watch: hockey and baseball.  My favorite teams: Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox.  Truthfully, since I got married my sports-watching has diminished exponentially.  Wyatt's not that into sports, which means I'm the "sports fan" in the family.  And since I pale in comparison to all the fanatics out there, sports really don't get watched at our house.

thirty days of 30 - day 12

Brittany, age 12.

This was the year I begged my dad for contacts.  I was so happy he obliged! 

Day 12 Festivities: Camping at the river (yay!)

Wyatt's parents live on the Clackamas River, so growing up Wyatt's version of backyard camping was camping at the river.  Since living in Oregon, I had never relived this aspect of Wyatt's childhood.  That is until this past Friday night...

 pre-beaver

post-beaver

It really was backyard camping because we showed up at Wyatt's parents house ready for bed with sleeping bags and pillows in hand.  Finally when it was nearly dark we made the trek down to the river with a wagon full of our gear in tow.  We setup our cots with sleeping bags and tucked in for the night - sleeping under the stars clouds. 

Yeah, it was pretty low key until the wee hours of the morning when I awoke to a loud "SLAP" on the water.  That's right, it was a BEAVER!  Every few minutes I'd hear the same slap on the water over and over.  I know as I type in broad daylight how ridiculous this sounds but I was actually a bit spooked by the beaver.  To the point that I ducked under my covers until I drifted off to sleep.  I have no idea what I was expecting, perhaps for the beaver to attack us?  I think mostly it was because it was dark and I didn't have my glasses on, so I felt vulnerable.  Like I said, even I am laughing at myself now.

Something about me: I am the youngest of six kids.  Which is a position I have indulged in and milked over the years.  It is something that I love so much that even today, at nearly thirty-years-old, I still have nightmares that my mom announces that she is pregnant with number seven.

thirty days of 30 - day 11

Brittany, age 11.

My sister, Burgandy, is the most photogenic person I know.  You can take a picture of her just as she rolls out of bed and she will still look like a million dollars.  I, on the other hand, can spend hours prepping and preening and look like I just rolled out of bed every time my picture is taken. 

Day 11 Festivities: Makeup counter makeover Chipotle

I wasn't feeling up to the mall, nor the pressure of buying something.  Chipotle on the patio with Wyatt in the warm weather hit the spot.  I also cleaned both my bathrooms, which is something that always makes me happy.  (The result, not the actual process.)

Something about me: I love driving fast!  By the time I left for college I had received so many speeding tickets that my license was about to be revoked.  I beat the system by moving to Utah and getting a Utah drivers license.  At one point, when I was 17, I had a warrant for my arrest in the state of Utah because I hadn't paid a speeding ticket.  (I don't remember why it took so long for me to pay the ticket that it turned into a warrant.  Despite the fact that I liked to speed, I was diligent about paying my fines. There must've been some fluke/miscommunication on why this particular ticket didn't get paid as quickly.)  

When I was living in Chicago I begged my way out of a ticket by offering the officer a plate of homemade cookies.  I think he let me go ticketless because he felt sorry for my pathetic plea and not because he wanted the cookies.  

Oregon drivers are SLOW drivers, it drives me crazy sometimes always.  Though it must be doing me some good because since I've lived in Oregon I've received one ticket (in my car).  (The other ticket was while on my bicycle.)  

thirty days of 30 - day 10

 Brittany, age 9

Oh, the dreaded glasses...

Brittany, age 10

I realized that since I started out with my baby picture, I'm now a day behind on my photos.  I thought my glasses era would be a great phase to rush through. 

Day 10 Festivities: Girls Camp

I took half the day off from work to spend ward day at Girls Camp.  Let me just say how much I LOVE the girls in my ward!  I had a wonderful time hanging out with them - we have some crazy, fun, clever girls!  Oh, and I successfully stuffed my face with food: large plate of pasta with breadstick, cinnamon roll, red vines, peanutbutter M&Ms, pizza, and strawberry shortcake.  Not to mention the two pieces of zucchini bread and bagel I ate at work.  (Carbs much?)  It got to the point where I thought I'd throw-up every time I was sitting and leaned toward my knees.  Nice...  I can't imagine what state I'd be in if I had attended the entire week!

Sister Dibb from the YW General Presidency visited our region last month and relayed a story about a t-shirt she saw a Mormon girl wearing in the grocery store.  She then wondered what her t-shirt would say if she had one, and she came up with the saying, "I Know It, I Live It, I Like It."  Our Young Womens president, Lisa, had the great idea to make t-shirts for all the girls with the saying.  Lisa designed the logo and I made the silk screen and printed the shirts.  They all turned out great except for one... I accidentally printed the screen upside down.  Oops!

Something about me: Some peculiar smells I enjoy: fresh cigarette smoke and jet fuel.  As my mom says about the jet fuel, "it's like perfume."  It reminds me that I'm going somewhere.

Early birthday present:  My very own pair of Salt Water Sandles

Let me give the disclaimer that I didn't even know what Salt Water Sandles were until I was married to Wyatt.  He recognized them on one of the little girls in our primary class.  Apparently his sisters wore them growing up.  Where was I when I was a kid?!

My friend Pam was sporting a red pair that I couldn't get out of my head.  (She's a fashionable lady.)  So I did my own little online shopping trip and found the pair in yellow that I LOVED!  So happy I bought them!