*Correction . .

Okay, sooooo I guess I've had a few more nicknames than I thought. I've received a few emails with additions, rightful additions. Here are the ones I forgot: Scotty Wot, Scotty Enchilady, Scotty K.C. and The Great Gatsby.

Happy now? If you can think of any others, leave a comment.

This picture taken at Tintern Abbey in Wales.

Chills, the good kind . .

Lion King the musical was a creative explosion. Yes, an explosion. I was overwhelmed and moved. The costumes, the singing, the dancing and the feeling created gave me chills song after song.

A few days later I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and found costumes from the show in their theater exhibit. Once again, chills. This time it was the mask, the beads, the fabric and the elegance. Seeing them up close was a whole new experience.

For my art class I have to sketch two pieces of art in every museum we visit in London. I sketched these costumes. As I sketched, I got to know every inch of the costume. And now I can say with more surety than I ever wanted that costume designer Julie Taymor knew exactly what she was doing and she did it well.

Brilliance, pure brilliance.

Nicknames . .

I've had a few nicknames in my day . .

Scotty, Scoot, Scooter, Cristofero, Christy (short for my last name - a missionary thing) but when I arrived in London I got a new nickname.

So, I'm studying abroad in London. I know, I know . . great way to avoid reality after graduation, right? Right! It was now or never, and it's now . . apparently. So let's sum it up. 35 girls. 6 guys (I'll explain later). 3 professors and their families. 2 brazilians (they cook and tidy up).

Back to the nickname thing. One of my professors has the most adorable four year old daughter and she calls me Scotch.

And now, so does everyone else.

Oh and that list of people - 61 in total. Yeah we all live together in the same house, but I'll save that for another post.

My dad is an artist . .

My dad always sketches a little something during commencement and/or convocation. I got one for high school graduation and I got one for college graduation. And I love them both the same.

I'm sure it keeps him awake but I will always cherish the messages, the inside jokes and the thought.

Thanks, Dad.

A jaunt down south . .

Just before winter semester ended my family spent the weekend in St. George to celebrate my graduation, Kade's birthday and just life in general. Not to mention, we like to hang out together - any excuse is a good excuse.

Lou had many moments of event planning genius including the graduation cap desserts. How sweet are those?! I’m still dreaming about the trays of peanut butter bars she made (my personal favorite).

Among eating, golfing and hiking, we even made a little time for a game of speed and dodgeball in the backyard. Dodgeball gets even better after elementary school, especially when you hear adult participants say things like, “let’s take out the little kids first, and then we’ll worry about the adults” or “oh my gosh, I just hit my baby with the ball.”

Even though my siblings have mortgages and kids of their own, we love to play the same old games and laugh about the same old things.

Some things never change. Thank goodness.

Fashionista from the start . .

A few weeks ago The Sartorialist blog made a call for submissions of vintage photos. I submitted this photo of Grandma Lexie. Even if it doesn’t make their blog, it’s going to make it onto mine.

This was Grandma Lexie’s junior prom. She went to show her grandmother her dress just before the dance with my Grandpa Ken.

I'm sure it was the beautiful dress, the bows and the red knit gloves that made them fall in love.