lots of name-dropping: famous mormons edition

I tend to skip Christmas recaps on the ol' blog. Not this year! Even if it is February 1st.

Christmas morning. We kind of grumbled about 9:00 church.

My brother sent this to my dad as kind of a joke but my dad loves it and wears it even though I don't think he is voting for Romney. The joke is that my mother has an eternal flame of love for Mitt and he was in her bishopric in college. And we ran into his son at Last Chance the day after Christmas! Oh Mitt...

A visit to the Haslips always involves some awesome dress-ups.

 

And a Godfrey gathering often involves a talent show. Jamie calls it a "jamboree."

Christmas was great. And just FYI, we are not moving to Las Vegas after all. We were 99.9% sure we were. Now we're 92% sure we're not. We're 78% sure this is the right decision. Please proceed to roll your eyes at us. Meanwhile, I am mourning that I don't get to live by my two favorite people in this world: Jill Baugh and Brandon Flowers. Let's not talk about it.

in which I profess my love to Amanda Jane and Colleen

In November I won the mother of all blog giveaways- a custom year-in-review Christmas card by Amanda Jane Jones, which was also then letterpressed by Colleen of Cleanwash Letterpress! Amazing! I couldn't believe it. I swiped some pictures from Amanda's blog of the finished product.

Isn't it beautiful? I'm so appreciative to those two girls. What talent! I was thrilled to be able to send these out. It's all downhill from here in the Christmas card department. Ha!

Amanda's blog is a favorite of mine (she contributes to Oh Happy day! and Kinfolk magazine) and Colleen has a darling Etsy shop. (She does everything on a solar-powered letterpress!)

(Family photo by Elise Capener. Above photos by Amanda Jane Jones.)

everyone on the count of three!

 

We spent christmas in Arizona. It was so warm! I think the 10-11 hour drive between Salt Lake and Phoenix is so fun. The kids watch some Redbox movies, Jamie listens to a book on his ipod (Crossed - we both hated it but Ky Markham is still a babe), and I listen to music and take the occasional picture of the desert. Somewhere between Beaver and Page, i decided my favorite songs of the year. (Beirut's The Rip Tide was my favorite album.)

1. Shell Games - Bright Eyes (The People's Key)

2. Sante Fe - Beirut (The Rip Tide)

3. The Wolves - Ben Howard (Every Kingdom)

4. Calgary - Bon Iver (Bon Iver)

5. Sparrow and the Wolf - James V McMorrow (Early in the Morning)

6. Lost in My Mind - The Head and the Heart (The Head...Heart)

7. Someone Like You - Adele (21)*

8. Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes (Helplessness Blues)

9. Me and Lazarus - Iron & Wine (Kiss Each Other Clean)

10. 20 Years - The Civil Wars (Barton Hollow)

I have yet to even check out the new Feist, Decemberists, Black Keys, or Ryan Adams. Where are my priorities? I'm sure they'd make the list too!

Does anyone else love that Bright Eyes song as much as me? Did anyone even like the new Iron & Wine besides me? Does anyone else listen to the Bon Iver album and think Phil Collins? (Kate brought that to my attention.) It would make me so happy if we could discuss music on my blog. Please and thanks.