this song is great

I'm dying

This kid is way too cute. And as time goes by he only gets more cute, and even more chunky. You're the best nephew ever Kal Winston. Love you baby boy

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some new quotes to live by.

Newly posted in my room. I've found a ton of way good quotes that I'm in love with right now. And this is one of the big ones. 

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favorite time of year.

My favorite time of year. Spring is finally coming up here in Rexburg and I'm loving every second of it.
I've never experienced seasons until I came to college. And spring is definitely my favorite.

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TWENTY

guess how old I am.
two zero
My birthday was last week, and it was wonderful. Saturday night we got a bunch of friends together and went out and had a massive bonfire. I've been dying to use these paper lanterns all semester, and decided what better time than my birthday? So the night consisted of;

• paper lanterns
• quads
• s'mores &other goodies
• proposals
• fireworks
• roman candles
• &birthday kisses.

Then for my actual birthday {monday}, I woke up to balloons through the hallway and in the kitchen, all my classes got cancelled, ironically, came home to a room full of balloons, bday packages, and samoas. My brother made me and the girls a nice pasta dinner. Then they had a dessert party for me over at our friends apartment. It was an amazing night, just full of friends, exactly what I wanted. Loooveee my friends up here, and my roommates are the sweetest, they made my birthday so great.

i love being twenty.

memories never quit

cannot stop thinking about paris.
never will

I miss walking past this incredible building every single day.

And being here almost every sunday.
Miss these ladies especially.

Three months changed my life forever. I want to go back more than anything. Even just to spend one little day there. If anyone wants to hit me up with a free ticket for the weekend, I'm ready.

p.s. ordered some macarons today. We'll see how they compare..

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college part 2

studybreak.
Here's whats going on.
School is hard, and I'm a pathetic student who would rather stay up all night watching episode after episode of PLL's instead of reading 5424432 pages of worthless junk.
I don't have classes on fridays, so here is what I'm left with. Those millions of pages of reading. Reading from textbooks that I haven't even bought yet.. yikes. whoops!
I dropped my french class because there was a buttload of work that I already had to make up just from adding the class two days after school started. Goodbye learning the french language in a classroom. Which brought me to a humanities class that literally has made me waste 12 hours of life reading and writing about songs I have to analyze, while listening to twinkle, twinkle, little start, .. whhaaattt?
So, I'm sitting here. On the floor. Wanting to die.

Now here's my real post;

I'm finally back up in beautiful Rexburg, Idaho. One year ago I drove up here with my parents and brother to start my very first semester of college. ONE YEAR ago. That is insane.
I have experienced so much since then, and met so so many new faces and made lasting friendships.
2011 was one of the best years of my entire life. I got to do so much and had so many amazing opportunities set out right in front of me.
I lived in freaking Paris for three months.
Still every single day that seems unbelievable to me, and I'll probs never get over that.
I'm taking lots of artsy classes this semester, and one of them is just simple art 101, where were learning art history and its importance. My teacher says, multiple times in the hour and a half, "I wish you guys could see these in real life," while he shows us pieces in the louvre, cathedrals around paris, and chateaux through france.

been there
done that
loved it
want it all back


Not kidding, I almost tear up every time I go to class because so much of our lesson content has to do with Paris and allll of the things I was experiencing the last three months.
When we went to Italy the summer before I started 8th grade my mom took us around to all these boring museums and churches that I had no desire to know about. We all complained so much as she read from her travellers guide book and tried to teach us some history.
We were in one museum and standing in front of the birth of venus, by Botticelli, and I was whining to leave, whyyyy are we hereeee. And she said "One day, you're going to see all these paintings in your textbooks and be able to say, "I saw that in real life.""That has stuck with me forever. I've just been waiting for that day to come. And she was right. It's come so many times throughout my life. And even more especially now, whenever I see anything that has to do with Paris, or France, or anything French, I cry a little bit inside. I know that stuff, I know that painting, I know that man, I know that building, I know that street, I know what that means, I know what a french baguette really tastes like.
I've learned to appreciate soooo much more since I've been home. There is so much around us that we don't even realize exists or has any meaning.
Maybe I'm obsessed. But I will always have a special affection for paris and all things parisian. Love you Paris, tu me manques, toujours.

Anyways.
The semester has been so much fun so far. I've gotten to reconnect with some of my best friends and we've had some great times.
I love my roommates. We have so much fun together.

These are all the pictures I have though. From the whole week and a half I've been here. Sooo unlike me. But here's whats been goin' on.

I shot my first shotgun. Yes, I live in Idaho. Guess I have to start acting like it.
We also drove out to this super sketch ghost-town and walked through a humungous abandoned house.
Almost done with season one of pretty little liars. 'A is always freaking me out when I drive emily home at 2 o'clock in the morning.
Cheap seats, and movies in the northgate theater.
Setting lots of goals for the new year, and a bucket list for the semester together.
Sexy sunday
First snow on tuesday. 0 degree weather following that..
Great deals on food. fastfood/
FINDING SPECULOOS AT THE GROCERY STORE!
beautiful sunsets
And just being a crazy college kid.

p.s. I'll be a teenager for only two more months ! whhhahahhthahthath!

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HAPPYCHRISTMAS

The cutest family on this planet.
My brother, belle-soeur, and niece could not get any more adorable.
While we were in California I got to take some christmas pictures of them.
Harlow is a doll and has so much personality, I love it.
She smiles so good and does so well with all the pictures we take.

[ Eric and Jess are both so tall, I told them it looked kind of awkward with Harlow being so much shorter, so we tried this instead. ]

california

We went to California my very first weekend back. My sister wanted to go get some baby bedding made by a man out there so we made it a family vaca.
We had no plans for saturday so my mom wanted to check out a market at the fair grounds. Everything was homemade and literally from the nineties. So obviously, it was unsuccessful.
But there was a carrousel outside that we put Harlow on for a couple rides. She loved it.

Can barely reach the handles.

Eric had to ride with her the whole time. She rode that thing like three times, he had a blast.

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yes

my thoughts exactly.

remember the one time I went to london? ohwait,IwentTwice.

Seriously am in love with london. Everything about it. And I've been trying to get some photobooks together so I've been going through all the literally over 200 pictures I took while I was in london. 1,500 taken in three days. -not kidding.
I'm dying to go back one day.
As well as paris obviously.
I miss it so so much and cannot wait for the day I get to set foot back overseas. You did me well Europe.

Also, while I've been caught up reminiscing, I made this video of paris.
enjoy
http://vimeo.com/33619743

facewhat?

Is this the scariest thing you've ever seen in your entire life?
It is for me.
I've NEVER done this. I've had facebook since like 8th grade? and have been terribly addicted, + the past three months in Paris, facebook was my only communication with the outside / american world.
I guess it was just time for a break.
we'll see how long that lasts.
freakingoutentirely.

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time

I took my love and I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life

Well, I've been afraid of changing
Cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

Well, I've been afraid of changing
Cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older, too
Well, I'm getting older too

So, take this love and take it down
Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and you turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well maybe
Well maybe
Well maybe the landslide will bring you down

new blog

There's nothing on it yet,
but I made a blog for when I'm away in Paris,France.
http://samanthajoyinparis.blogspot.com/


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my first chapter

Starting college was the beginning of my new life; a brand new chapter in life. As nervous as I was to travel over 1600 miles across the country, NORTH [born&raised in the aRiZona heat], I was really stoked for this new experience.
I thought that I would hate going to BYU-Idaho;freeziNg,weirdpeople,school work,potatoes,new roommates..
But my opinion was completely changed almost instantly. My roommates in 313 were beyond amazing, and we became friends immediately. I loved every single one of my five brand new friends.
I will never forget my first semester at BYU-I, every memory, every friend I made, even every class I passed.

313 from Samantha Herbert on Vimeo.

And then my new story continued for a second semester in what I quickly learned to be beautiful Rexburg, Idaho.
I made even more new friends this time around and had just as much, if not more, fun than my first semester. I loved the spring and every minute of it. I didn't want to leave, and say goodbye to so many people I had become close to.

512 from Samantha Herbert on Vimeo.

I've been home now for a couple weeks, getting ready for my next step; and even bigger,scarier,excitinger new experience- Paris. I leave in just barely over a week to live for the next three months. I cannot wait to go and enjoy.



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oreo filled chocolate chip cookies.

I've been feeling baker-ish lately.

I'm house sitting this weekend for two different houses so I've been driving back and forth feeding and playing with dogs and have not much else to do. And last night I felt like doing something for my parents for their anniversary, so I found this delicious recipe from pinterest* and it turned out aMazing. Usually, things I try to cook don't exactly turn out the way I plan so I rarely have high expectations, but this was so so good and I did it all from scratch. I used peanutbutter oreos [my favorite] and it made them tEn X's better.
The cookie recipe is also very delicious. I snuck in a few tastes pre-baked.

Thesethingsturnouthuge.SoyouHAVEtosharethem,ifyoucan.

happyanniversary.

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