Ghosts that We Knew

Mumford and Sons. I loved them the moment I heard them sing, "The Cave." That song has a special place in my heart and always will. It may sound lame, but that song got me through some pretty tough times. They are a one of a kind band, with meaningful lyrics, and I just feel so much when I hear them sing. (wow I feel like Peyton from OTH) I could listen to Sigh No More for hours on end and never grow tired. I'm excited for a new album to come out! Love rockin' out to that banjo ;)

Enjoy! Here's two for you: 

"Ghosts that We Knew"

"Home"

Happy Christmas, Harry!

Welp, I completely spaced and forgot to blog about my ugly Christmas sweater dessert party! It was a success. So glad that my friends could come, hang out, eat lots of yummy desserts and play games like smurfing and signs! Sadly, I didn't take a whole lot of pictures. oops!

dessert table pre-party...there was lots more!

 our awkward family photo ;)

Chris! best sweater.

 I really love Christmas decorations. Lights, a little tree, the smell of burning candles. Oh and I made my own wreath and pomanders! Here's some of the decor:

the wreath.

pomanders.

coffee table.

kitchen counter.

and my favorite new addition to my apartment...

this nativity painting.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas! And all remember the true meaning, as the painting shows, our Savior being born into the world, atoning for our sins, being crucified, yet overcoming death with the Resurrection. I'm so grateful for Him. 

Can it be Thursday yet?

School over. Finals done. Home sweet home? I have three more days of work, buut come Thursday and I will be on my way to the Bay! And I couldn't be more excited for:

my daddy.

me mum.

the yaaayyy.

Sandoval's in Benicia.


all the Sharks game I'll see.

and so much more like...like seeing old friends and meeting baby Hazel!

So, can it be Thursday yet?

PLEASE??!

Happy

Happy. I've just been feeling this way a lot lately. And it's a good thing. Things have happened lately, sad things. But those things have made me realize what truly matters in this life. God, Family and Friends. It's also made me realize who I am and what I want in life. I guess in the midst of everything I've realized that I am happy being me. 

Greatness

Glorious

"He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious".

Friendship

Yes, it might sound cliche, but I am extremely grateful for my friends. For the friends I have stayed close with since I was little to the friends I have made in college. I know that we will keep in touch and share memories together wherever our paths lead us in this life. So thanks to all of you who've been there for me through thick and thin. I love our good times together and will always cherish them. I hope I've been at least half as good a friend as you have all been to me.

Oh, and Happy Anniversary to my lovely parents! 34 years and going strong :) 

Love you all

The Picketts

So my amazing friend Sadey (<--- check out her blog) has inspired me to take the next week until Thanksgiving to blog about what I am grateful for. So today I wanted to talk about 'The Picketts' 

I am forever grateful for my family.They saved my life more times than one and I don't know where I would be or who I would be without them. I am so blessed to have both of my parents. They are great examples to me of love, kindness, selflessness, devotion, and faith. I know that I can always go to them for support, advice and comfort. I love the times they come to Utah to visit. I love my daddy-daughter dates. I love that I have my moms decorating sense. I love our daily texts. I love that I have qualities from both of them, I feel like I have the best of them and I am so thankful for that.

Siblings. Even through the fights and hard times I still love them all. They are like immediate and forever friends. My brothers, even though they can be punks sometimes, will always look out for their baby sister. They are always there to make fun of me and just have the best time laughing. We share a love for sports and movies and teasing our parents. My sister. I only have one and she is the best sister I know. I love our shopping trips, eating our favorite treats and laughing until we cry.  I have always looked up to her and even to this day I want to be like her. 

I loved that wherever I went, people knew I was a Pickett. I have a good family. We have our hard times, but we also have our good times and all these experiences have made us closer, stronger and more loving. I am grateful for them. There is so much more to say, but I just know that I will always be with them, on this earth and after I die and I am eternally thankful for that. 

Here we are! The Picketts. 

Just say NO

I don't like seeing it. Not when I'm: working, studying, eating, watching movies, gyming (yes I said it), sitting, standing, running, jumping, squatting, etc. I think you get the point. Don't get me wrong, I love the hand holding, the little pecks on the cheek and being silly. I think that's sweet and adorable. But the hold me tight, making out, I wanna get it on with you kinda PDA because we're never going to see each other again needs to stop. THANKS.

LEAVE IT TO THE MOVIES.

Relief (for a little while)

I DID IT! I finished my Senior Thesis! (well almost) I turned in the actual paper...a total of 22 pages! 

Here it is:

 

I still have to prepare my presentation to give Friday, December 2nd in front of everyone: Art History Professors and staff, students, family, and friends. This is going to be the most nerve wracking part of it all! Anyway, once I turned this sucker in I knew my weekend was going to be full of relaxation meaning no more homework! It was nice to have some time to myself and some time to hang with my friends! On Friday, Chloe and I celebrated Leonardo DiCaprio's Birthday with a cupcake and one of his movies. :) 

The Aviator. I sure do love him. 

One more week until Thanksgiving break! I am going to Virginia to see my sister and her family! What are you going to do to celebrate?

Impression

Berthe Morisot is one of my favorite Impressionist Artists. I just discovered her this year on my Study Abroad and I think she is so talented. Just wanted to share one of my favorite works:

The Balcony

I think this is just sweet.

Its not Luck

I am one blessed girl. And sometimes I do not feel like I should be. This semester I have been working on my Senior Thesis. It is kiiiiinda a big deal. Anyway, my other classes may have struggled a little bit, or should I say I may have struggled to make it to class. haha Well one class in particular that is: Greek Art. Don't get me wrong, I love Greek Art, but I HATE this class. I feel justified in missing it: no participation points, no attendance taken, and there's a group study guide online. So I have been stressing over my Thesis to get it DONE, and done well. So I have not had time to study for my other midterms. Well I was suppose to have one this Tuesday, but it was changed to Thursday instead! Wooh! I could not help but thank Heavenly Father for blessing me, especially when I felt like I didn't deserve it!

 Always remember that we aren't lucky, (I wrote about how lucky I was in a previous post) but that we are blessed, especially in times where we feel like we don't deserve, but we need it the most.

Tweet?

I swore I would never do it....welp, I did. 

here it is: https://twitter.com/#!/jamespick

I am now officially on twitter. Help me.

p.s. what do I even "tweet" about?

Integrity

Brigham Young once said, "Honest hearts produce honest actions."

As I have grown older, I have realized that integrity is one of the most important characteristics a person can have. I haven't been perfect with this, and I have made mistakes, but I want to be better. I want to be known as a person who is honest and has integrity. And...that I am true to myself and to other people. 

Library Shenanigans

Most of you know that I work as a security guard in the BYU library. I love my job. One because I work with awesome people. and Two because I get to watch people all day. Who doesn't love people watching?

Some days we see some pretty funny people and things. Maybe they are just funny to me and fellow guards? Library humor I know. Anyway...so I am working today (Saturday is the day might I add) from 730-130. Yeah, why I chose a Saturday morning shift is beyond me. Welp, it all got better when I saw an Asian kid (I promise I am not racist, it just adds details so you can imagine this scenario better) walking in with swords. He had THREE of them. So he isn't allowed to bring them into the library of course, so Jared, my coworker, takes them to the back. Also, might I add, this guy is carrying a pumpkin. So Jared asks what he was doing with that pumpkin. The guy answers, "To kill it."

This is how Jared imagines it (and I quote): 

"I can just imagine him, holding the sword high above his head, screaming, 'Death to you, evil pumpkin!' and just going at it. Then finishing with, 'That is for justice.'"

poor pumpkin. soon to meet his end.

Faith>Fear

We all have fears. Change is scary. Sometimes all we can do is go for it, take that HUGE leap of Faith and know that things will be okay. It for sure is easier said than done, but I guess if life was easy, it would be boring right? Let the adventure begin.

Quote

hahaha this made me laugh. 

Girls Empowered

Every Monday I have the opportunity of going to a middle school here in Provo and being a mentor to this middle school girl. We talk about issues that every girl faces or will face sometime in her life. We help encourage them to have the desire to gain a higher education and to be happy with who they are and know their potential as girls. 

It is an awesome program. I think it is in fact helping me more than my girl. haha She is awesome and already knows all these things. I am so impressed at a young age how much determination and confidence she has. She has definitely taught me a lot and I am so grateful for that. 

I became extremely grateful this week when I went. At first, I honestly did not want to go. It had been a rough couple of days, but I decided to still go and keep the commitment I had made. And I was sure glad I did. It helped me remember that the best thing I can do is stop worrying about myself, my problems, my heartaches and help someone else. Whether she really needs it or not, I felt like I was doing some good. It helped me remember the important things in life. I am ever so grateful! 

we really are.

Road Rage

Okay, so most of you know me pretty well, and know that sometimes I can have bad road rage. I know, it must be a redhead thing or the fact that I am living in Provo, Utah. Anyway. The other day, whilst I was driving with my roomie Steph, we had two run-ins with some angry female drivers! And this time I can say, it was NOT my fault! This lady literally followed me from University Mall to Target with her teenage daughters, might I add, just to yell profanities at me. I just laughed. It was pretty hilarious to see how angry they got. and how stupid they really looked.

So the point of this is to help me realize that I need to work on that road rage thing a little better. I don't want to look stupid! Just laugh at others when they get so mad. Maybe they'll realize they look stupid too :)

Happy Weekend! and Happy Birthday (yesterday) to my life long friend, Sadey Payne! Love you Sade!

Fall

Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but I thought this would be a better time than ever because it is FALL TIME! I love Fall.

Leaves changing

scarves and boots

pumpkins

hot chocolate

HOCKEY

and so much more! :) What's your favorite thing about Fall?!

Can't Believe it's Over

I can't believe it's over.Yes, I am about to blog about Harry Potter. SO what! I love Harry Potter. I always have, ever since I was an awkward 5th grader. Maybe because I could relate in some way to all three of the main characters.  I've read every book at least twice, seen all the movies, and already have seen the last one two times this past weekend. I feel like a part of me is gone. Seriously though. I love everything about it...the story, the characters, the magic and the message of friendship, love and courage. I am so sad its over...its been over a decade of books and movies...I am glad I was able to be a part of it!

GOODBYE HARRY! You'll live on in our hearts! <3

What was your favorite book and movie of the series?

B: (its hard to choose!) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tied with Half-Blood Prince

M: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

Paris!

Paris: the city of love and lights. It took me longer to warm up to this place, but by the end of the 2 1/2 weeks I fell in love. It is a beautiful city, full of beautiful sites and beautiful people. Not everyone is really all that nice to us Americans, but I really did meet some sweet people along the way, and I tried my best to speak some French, and let me tell you it is not easy. :)

I saw so many things...the churches of Notre Dame, Chartres, St. Denis and Sacre Coeur. I went to the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Rodin Museum and so many more to enjoy the masterpieces of so many great artists.I walked below the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine and up to Montmartre. I walked the places and saw the houses where many great artists, such as Van Gogh lived. I ate delicious food...and yes I had at least one crepe a day, if not two :)

It was wonderful! I hope to go back to France one day and see Normandy and Southern France. I hear its beautiful. Ah I miss it already. I promise I'll stop talking about this trip soon. Just one more post about Madrid. ;)

Sometimes a photograph can't capture Beauty.

So I just have to complain. Just a little bit. And I might feel a little better.

One day, well, make that four days in a row, I went to the Louvre in Paris, France. It is one of the best and well-known art museums in the world. There are hundreds upon hundreds of great masterpieces. Some of my favorites were in the great hall of the grand works by artists such as David, Gericault and Delacroix. For many years I have studied and looked at these paintings on a computer or projector screen, only wishing to be able to see them in person. 

It happened. I finally did. I noticed things I had never noticed before. The works were lighter. The colors were more brilliant in person. But to my dismay, there were groups of people, who did not, or better yet, WOULD not take the precious time to stop, look, observe and admire the works. Rather they wouldn't even take a glance as they snapped a photograph of the work, not even looking to see if they captured it at the right angle. I seriously could not believe what I saw! The sad thing is they will never realize what they missed, and I will. 

It's just not the same.

Cheers!

Hello lovely people!

So sorry I suck at keeping up with this blog but seriously it's been
non stop go all the time! Anyway!

I just spent 6 days in London!! And can I tell you I loved it so much!
English is spoken and people are pretty nice. So basically we went to
an eight museums. Yeah eight and let me tell you awesome but tiring
haha. Oh and I went to two shows: phantom and les miserables.
AMAZING!!!!! I went to Stonehenge, Salisbury, Bath and Stourhead
(which is in the raining scene of pride and prejudice when mr. Darcy
proposes) that place was beautiful...I'm going back!

The best part of the trip...seeing JOHNNY DEPP. :)

Cheers darlings!