5/30/14

A LITTLE MUSICAL SNACK

If you know what the title of this post is referencing I will kiss you right on the face and love you forever.

But seriously guys, I have never been more obsessed with another human than this guy right here. Like how unreal is he?? And this song is no joke the best thing I've ever heard (I'm way dramatic about everything in life, sorry, it's what I do). K, that's all. Enjoy peeps. Happy weekend!

5/28/14

A NOTE ON PERFECTION - ALSO THE LONGEST POST EVER

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So guys. I'm the biggest perfectionist you will ever meet. I've always had this mindset that if I'm going to do anything I might as well do it perfectly or what's the point of doing it at all? And I mean when it comes to school, art projects, etc. this way of thinking is pretty dang helpful. But when it comes to the rest of life, it definitely is not.

I feel like we live in a world that expects perfection in every aspect of life. You've gotta have the perfect body, perfect hair, perfect house, the perfect boyfriend/husband/significant other, and you must be perfectly happy and well-mannered through it all! We're surrounded by media that convinces us that this perfection exists and that there are people who've obtained this. Even closer to home, with people that surround us everyday that we follow through blogs, Instagram, etc. it seems that everyone is living a perfect life: they are having the funnest adventures with the cutest of friends. They're dressed in perfectly styled outfits and have perfect love life's with perfect people.

And the thing is, it's so easy to buy into the idea that other people have reached this state of perfection. Which makes us feel like we're expected to achieve that too. But you know as well as I that when we post on the internet we censor out the not so great things in our lives. We post the picture of us laughing with our friends on the weekend but never mention us grueling through the workweek. We don't talk about the fights we have, the times when we let someone down. We don't talk about the heartbreak or the insecurities. We bury away the times when we lost our cool or made a mistake. We don't post pictures of the way we look when we've just woken up and we edit out the blemishes in Photoshop so no one would ever think we've had a zit. Cause ya know, these things aren't pretty or attractive or even close to perfect.

But these things are real. Life isn't meant to be perfect (it's hard for me to accept guys, honestly). We were never meant to achieve perfection, because if we were, then it would be possible. We aren't meant to always look amazing, we aren't meant to have perfect friendships. We aren't meant to be perfectly nice every second of the day, couples aren't supposed to be perfectly in love all the time, nobody always looks perfectly cute either... And no one, no matter how much they make it appear so, has a perfect life. 

I'm guilty of it people. I try to convince others that I have this amazingly perfect life, when in reality it is far from it. It is a happy and wonderful life, but no, it is not perfect. And feeling like we have to achieve perfection will only leave us feeling discouraged and frustrated. Trust me, it is a feeling I've felt so many times when things don't go the way I think they should.

So, ya know what? I've decided that I'm going to let go of this feeling of needing things to be perfect. And to start off, I'm going to let you know three things about me that are not in the least bit perfect. Because they make me real, and that's better, right?

1. I get mad over the stupidest things. Lame huh? Yeah, it is. But hey, I'm working on it guys!
2. My car is super dirty. Like crumbs everywhere. Also there's a crack in the windshield, a dent in the back bumper, and the right mirror is broken...it's not a pretty sight people.
3. I'm a bit of a control freak. I have a hard time when things don't go my way and have an even harder time letting things go when they don't go as planned. It's been my goal this year to be a bit more spontaneous in life, but honestly it's a struggle haha.

And what do ya know, even with these imperfect things, I'm still awesome! Imagine that! So here's to letting go of this expectation of perfection and beginning to appreciate the "realness" of life.

5/27/14

DREAM LIFE

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I saw this on Pinterest today and I was like, holy crap, this is me. This is ME people! I tell you, what I would do to be able to pick up and go out on a grand adventure right now. Seriously and truly all I want to do is travel this world and take pictures and make videos of all of it. I mean, really, what's the point of living in this big, awesome, beautiful, world and only staying in one little corner of it? I want to see it all, I want to experience it all, and I want to document it all for my posterity. So, here's the deal: I'm starting a fund right about nowish to begin this Dream Life of mine. I will be taking applications for a travel buddy, all interested parties please inquire within. Any takers??

5/26/14

MEMORIAL DAY

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Isn't my Grandma the prettiest lady? I brag about her all the time.memday (17 of 17) memday (16 of 17) memday (7 of 17) memday (12 of 17) memday (8 of 17) memday (4 of 17) memday (3 of 17) memday (6 of 17) memday (11 of 17) memday (10 of 17) memday (13 of 17) memday (15 of 17) memday (14 of 17)
This Memorial Day, my family and I went up the canyon for lunch. The sun was out, the weather was perfect, and it was just the absolute best day! Well, minus the fact that my poor little sister Tessa was at home sick with strep throat... poor thing. We were all very sad to be having fun without her.

We spent the day eating sandwiches and delicious brownies, playing games, and running around in the water. Well, my brother-in-law Camden and I were the only ones brave enough to stick our feet in the freezing cold river. I had to get in really, after wearing shoes for too long my feet get all claustrophobic and so I'll take any excuse to take them off. Lol I'm such a hippy child.

I made a little video to document our fun day. It was my New Years Resolution to learn videography and after being insanely busy, I'm finally getting around to it. I've got a long way to go before I'm even close to good, but I don't plan on taking it anywhere professionally. I just think it's such a fun way to document life! I'll let you guys be the judges of my first attempt ;).

How was your Memorial Day??

5/24/14

HAPPY HAPPY

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Can I just tell you how much I'm loving this new t-shirt dress trend?? I mean I love t-shirts, I love dresses, so the fact that they had a baby is basically the best thing that's happened to this world. And seriously, this thing is like the most comfortable item of clothing I've ever put on my body. I'm probably gonna buy 10 more and it's most likely going to be all I wear this summer, so whatever, sue me.

It's been super sunny and warm over in my neck of the woods. And I have to tell you it's making me pretty dang happy about life. Summer is my most favorite time of the year. I love the heat, I love the pool, I love the long nights. I love being outside all day, oh and I love not wearing shoes. I've decided to make this summer the happiest summer yet, cause ya know what? Happiness is a choice and what's the point in being sad about anything really? Life is too gosh darn awesome.

The end.

5/17/14

GOOD MUSIC IS MEANT TO BE SHARED

My dad showed me this Bon Iver cover a few weeks back and I've been obsessed ever since. SONOS is an a cappella group that does covers of a bunch of different songs, and they are unreal! But out of their whole album this is by far my very fav. It's just one of those jams you have to turn up real loud and just let the musical genius wash over you, ya feel? So that's exactly what I recommend you do now! Enjoy friends :)

5/14/14

BEST COOKIES IN THE WORLD

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So this Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is courtesy of my very dear friend Hannah, and they are no joke, the most delicious cookies you'll ever eat. Don't believe me? Make them and see for yourself.

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 Tb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats (don't use quick oats)
milk or dark chocolate chips (as many as desired)

Whisk flour, soda, powder, salt, and oats in medium bowl--set aside. Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla then slowly add the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate chips at the very end. Bake at 350° for about 8 minutes. 

I added both milk and dark chocolate chips because I like a little bit of a mix, but use whatever type of chocolate tastes best to you! Also, the cookies will still look pretty doughy when you take them out of the oven but don't worry they'll set up as they cool.

Enjoy!!  

5/11/14

TREAT YO SELF

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So you know, we all have those days or weeks or months when you are just feeling completely blah about life and all that it entails. These blah times just happen, what can ya do. So you can let the blahness take control of you (which is never a good idea, trust me), or you can treat yo self. When life gets me down and it feels like my life is basically a sucky play that people are throwing rotten tomatoes at, instead of being all sad about it, I buy myself something new, I put on my cutest outfit, I get my nails done with lovely friends, and I gorge myself in Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream. Cause "Today was a bad day" and "I ate Ben & Jerry's today" are just two sentences that just don't go together. So friends, when life gets ya down, treat yo self.

5/1/14

GOOD READS

fios (4 of 5) fios (1 of 5) fios (3 of 5) fios (2 of 5) fios (5 of 5) The Fault in our Stars by John Green. This book changed my life. I read it last summer and since then I've been dying to read it again. The second it was over I wanted to start from the beginning all over again, it was just that good! Have you ever read a book like that? Where you just put it down and are like, "Holy crap life is never going to be the same!" Yup. This book seriously has it all. It's equal parts hilariousness and sadness and holds such a dark humor that I absolutely love.

The story is about two teenagers, who have cancer, who meet at their cancer support group. And you know, of course they fall in love. But it's more than just a love story. For me it taught me how to look at life. Not all of us are going to have cancer but we all are going to have those things that weigh us down in life and make us scared to love other people...and to let other people love us. It's about taking chances and living life and accomplishing things you've always wanted to do. 

Those quotes above are just three out of my millions of favorite quotes from this book. Seriously, this book is just FULL of inspiration it's almost too much to handle. I think that's why I love reading so much. Because you see your own life in the words on a page. Reading makes you feel a little less alone, because hey look! Someone wrote down exactly the thoughts and feelings inside you! Someone else feels that too! It allows you to see your own story pan out before you in a way that you hadn't been able to before. After reading this book, although it's a story that is so unlike my own, I felt like my life made a little more sense.

They're making this book into a movie that comes out in June, and I'm equal parts excited and scared. 'Cause if they ruin this book I will be pretty peeved...just saying. No pressure or anything guys... I just hope they can compute the feelings and humor and sadness of this book in the way I felt it when I read it.

If you haven't read this book, do yourself a favor and read it now!