my happiest of places.

my favorite thing on earth is sharing the things that i love with people who haven't experienced them yet. for instance, making someone watch ever after when they've never even heard of it. or forcing someone to get lasagna fritta at olive garden when their tastebuds have yet to taste the best dish in the world.
so you can imagine that i was in my happiest of places when i got to share arizona with my favorite humans last weekend, and i was even happier when they fell in love with it almost instantaneously.

and that's why i don't even feel bad about the fact that i'm about to bombard you all with way too many pictures from our trip. i know that a majority of you don't know my friends and my roommates in person, but i like to think that showing moments like this, moments when we're all completely and utterly happy and together, gives you just a taste of how happy they all make me. 

started the morning off right by touring the gilbert temple. walking through that sealing room and knowing that there's a really really good chance that is where i'll be getting married hit me right in the heart. 

we headed downtown to the water tower plaza for the farmer's market. man, did that sun feel good on our limbs. and maybe i cried while there because i was just so dang happy and maybe i didn't. you'll never know.

of course we had to add lolo's on the 'eat'interary after mike threw a tiny little fit about it not making the original cut. and then it was off to tempe town lake to go longboarding. i would also like to point out that i already had tan lines by this point. holla, zona.

club can't even handle this group rn.

or this man who really wanted to be in our pictures.

perfection. (also known as the moment i realized i could ride a longboard and pull off a snapback.)

after the sun set, we gathered with all of my guy friends from high school and a bunch of alyssa's friends from high school, and we headed out to the desert for a giant desert bonfire.

no one's really sure why alyssa got a 2 minute #mikeswindle hug, but she definitely did.

on sunday we had to go back to the temple to get some roommate pictures, of course. and i'm willing to wager that there's not much that is happier than a roommate laughing picture in front of the temple.

apparently picking citrus off backyard trees is an arizona thing? the non-natives were amazed that we have oranges growing just right there!

we had a little paddle boating action after church on the lake in hannah's neighborhood.

after homemade pizza and games on sunday night (my go-to when i have to entertain), we drove out to my mom's school in the desert. brittney had seen videos of the school and fallen in love with it, so on her request, we went out to star gaze and see the desert tortoises.

we were all severely depressed monday morning as we set out to drive back to utah. we weren't even very upset that mike accidentally slept in and made us leave behind schedule, because it meant just that much more time in the sun at hannah's house. #swindlestruggles

(thanks to kells again for some of the pics.)

i think i'm finally getting over the arizona hangover but....take me back?
zona forever.

it gets better.

things that have made the last hellish week bearable

this song:

{i'm like not even exaggerating when i say that i think half of the views for this video are from me.}

this pandora station:
Today's Country Hits

a little retail therapy:

these two:

 

these guys (and other friends):

texting conversations with this girl:

and most of all, this guy, who really does carry you when you're the one lost lamb:

for auld lang syne.

you guys.

YOU GUYS.

our party was perfection in every way. 

i'm now thoroughly convinced that there is no better way to ring in the new year than with a glitter-themed dinner party and photo booth. 

i have a separate post planned for the decorations (and tutorials if anyone wants them), and one entirely about the baked alaska that i created for dessert, but for now, here are some of my favorite pictures from the photo booth:

new year's eve: mormon style

also, of course ashley and jennie wore their moms' prom dresses.

the mayor and his wife wanted to stop by. that's how cool our parties are.

common theme of peplum going on that night.

my two bests.

countdown!

this lady leaves for the mission field in a week!

thug life.

nuff said.

glitter mustaches, almost-midnight clocks, and purple bubble letters were all made by jaimei and i, and there are more crafts to come in my next post!