looking back.

Friday marked the one year anniversary of my arrival to America after an amazing semester in my favorite city.  

That means, almost exactly one year ago I traded this:

for this:

but in exchange i got this:

so i guess i'll take it.

[but that doesn't mean i don't miss it every day.]

apologies.

attention blogging world:


please excuse me for being the most absentee blogger... you see, recently my life has taken a turn for the busy and my poor blog has been neglected.


this is my life...


four days of the week I spend most of my waking hours working at the best job ever. with some of the sweetest girls I know and the greatest customers around. compromising about 30 hours of my week.


on top of all that goodness. i spend roughly 20 hours a week on campus studying my heart out. (keep in mind that this is only two days of the week)


i spend about 56 hours of my week sleeping. yet my left eye continues to twitch all day long. 


i reserve one day of my week, a whole 24 hours, to relax and focus on the most important things.


my kitchen cupboards are full of on the go snacks, because i rarely, if ever, eat in my actual apartment. luckily, my parents (and jeff's parents for that matter) still let me depend on them for proper nutrition. all in all I spend about 14 hours eating a week.


plus i have to manage to make time for the people i like to be around. needless to say, they don't get much of my attention. probably only about 24 hours a week.


so you see, my blog just simply hasn't been worked into any of the 168 hours in my week.


and I could promise that this leave of absence will end. but even though my week of five miserable midterms has just come to a close, i don't have any more time on my hands than before.


but life is good and i am happy.
and for those of you who have been asking....i do promise this: one day, eventually, i will devote more time to this lovely blog and reassure you that i am not in fact dead, or miserable. 


but until then....


enjoy the snow.

change your mind.

i've never been a cat person. since i was a baby, i've been a true believer that dogs are absolutely mans best friend. my whole life i've been raised with the best dogs, and i've always hated cats.

that was until this cutie showed up in my backyard.

the other night my mom heard some small cries outside of her bedroom window. after a little bit of searching she found this baby kitty, lost and abandoned by its mother, almost starving to death in the cold. 

see, i live right by a field that is the home to various stray cats. these felines often find refuge in my backyard...much to our dismay. but this time, they left something behind, the most adorable little kitten i have ever seen.

i promise you, my hatred of cats disappeared the minute i looked into her bright blue eyes. 

unfortunately, since my mother is allergic to cats, we had to give the kitty to the animal shelter where hopefully it finds a good home. 

i miss you baby kitty.

if only cats stayed this cute and tiny forever.

crossroads

since summer is depressingly coming to a close, jeff and i decided to bring a great season to a close with a little celebration. 

john mayer and owl city and usana amphitheater.  

i saw john two years ago at the same place, and he may have been a little more wasted this year, but he was still as great.

here's to the end of a pretty great summer.

too far gone.

have i ever told you about how i hate china? 

no, i'm not a racist.

and no i'm not ungrateful for all the things i own that are made there.

really and truly honestly, the only reason i hate china is because that country has stolen my two best friends for four whole months and i can't seem to forgive it. 

but i guess i am happy for cami and michelle who will be teaching little chinese kids english and having the time of their lives. i had my adventure, they can have theirs.

however, that doesn't mean i miss them any less.

lucky for me, i was able to spend lots of time with them before they left and stock up on all my favorite memories.

their last couple of days were filled with fun, friends, parties, lots of american food, a little bit of stress, goodbyes, saddness but also lots of excitement. 

i'm counting down the days till they are back in the safety of america and right back where i like them. 

life of clocks.

i'm a big fan of birthdays. i love my friend's birthdays, family member's birthdays, stranger's birthdays and my own birthday. i believe that birthdays are special and are an important day. birthdays come every year, like clock work. but i think that makes them even more amazing. i believe in tradition, celebration and never ending fun. so every year, i try to live birthdays up for those other people and when the time comes, myself.

 this year was a good birthday, i was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday with most of my favorite people.

it began with a little jaunt up to salt lake with my family. we had the traditional birthday dinner at cheesecake factory for my absolute favorite meal and birthday dessert.

afterwards, we shopped in salt lake for a while then spent the night at the Little America for a birthday getaway. the next morning as my sister Rondi and I were eating breakfast, two rockstars sat right next to us. literally. the band steel train was in town for the candlelight serenade festival and we were lucky enough to be graced by the presence of two of the band members. made rondi's morning...

after a nice day at the pool and time with the fam, i came back to provo to hang out with my friends. there was a bike ride in the blazing sun, pot painting at color me mine, lots of yummy food and finally a little bit of breakfast with my closest friends. 

much much thanks to cami for arranging all the fun,

all my other friends who contributed, 

jeff for keeping me occupied all day,

and my family for making sure it was a good time.

teenage love song.

well, i have officially said goodbye to my childhood... i have passed up that oh so crucial and fun part of my life, onto real life now. a life full of decisions, change, and new experiences...

who am i kidding? i'm still a baby. and still just as reckless, fun and bad at making decisions as i've always been.

but i have grown one year older and said goodbye to those six amazing teenage years. last year i said after i turned 20 it was time to say goodbye to joe jonas and the disney channel. and sure maybe, i don't watch hannah montana anymore, and i don't lust after joe jonas like i used to, but i'm still a kid at heart. 

i don't think that will ever change. 

however, i'd like to think i have changed this past year, and maybe just maybe i am a little more of an adult than i was in 2009...

i've learned how to navigate my way through various foreign cities.

i've learned how to completely arrange and book a vacation by myself.

i've learned how to depend on myself.

i've learned more and more about how important family is.

i've grown in the gospel.

i've been changed by the good examples of others.

i've learned how to pay taxes.

i've almost applied to my major and started my real education.

i've learned how to take care of my body better.

i've figured out what i want to do with my life.

i've changed my perspective.

i've learned to make friends in the least expected people.

every year on my birthday, i like to look back at where i was the year before. i hope that each time i do this i see positive change and progress. this year i have. 

you know what they say... "one year older and wiser too..."

i get around.

when i was ten years old i sold candy to strangers on a corner near my house. it began when i stole the candy my brother was asked to morp with, and it slowly turned into an honest business, much thanks to the various bulk options offered at sam's club. 

after a couple weeks of fairly successful amateur entrepreneurship, i had earned enough money to buy almost a whole bike. thankfully, my parents covered the remaining costs and I did in fact become the proud owner of an entire, fully functional, purple, sparkly, bicycle. needless to say it was my greatest treasure and i couldn't have been more proud. 

the purple beauty, with matching purple helmet, lasted me a good long time. we had some nice rides together. whether it was down the street or on the river trail, the purple bicycle never failed to please me.

that is... until I outgrew it. then began the age of the scooter. oh how i loved my little blue JD BUG. i thought i was so classy and mobile. 

however, soon i forgot about two wheeled objects all together and my desire for a car was born. 

when i was sixteen, i became the proud driver of a purple honda accord. this four-wheeled dream boat has brought me many a joys and countless memories. overall, it has treated me pretty well and i love it with all my heart even through all the bumps and bruises.

despite all this, for a few years now, i have found my desires reverting back to the candy stand days. i've been dying for a new mode of transportation... a sleek, shiny, adorable, classic and comfortable beach cruiser. as you may recall from this post.

much to my delight, my dreams have finally been realized. i am now the thrilled possessor of a gorgeous, turquoise, seven speed, classic, beach cruiser. and i honestly couldn't be more satisfied.

many many thanks to my parents who decided to treat me to my birthday present a month early so i could enjoy a little summertime with the cutie. i think i've taken it for a ride every day since we first met. neglect is not a concern in this relationship.

throw together my number one most desired object, my favorite color, a darling basket, a lustrous bell, the warm summer weather, and an open road, and you find me one hundred percent happy. 

i have to say, hands down, this is my absolute most favorite mode of transportation.

if you want to go for a bike ride. you know who to call. 

thanks again mum and dad.

act naturally.

there are some things you learn to expect come summer time. for example, you know the weather will be warm (most of the time at least). and you know that the rising temperature calls for various outside activities such as swimming, boating, walks, bike rides, outdoor movies, fires etc. you also can guarantee all sorts of carnivals, parades, and rodeos. and finally, with even more time on your hands, extended hours of daylight and an eagerness for adventure, you can be sure to always be searching for new and interesting activities. 

as for my summer, i've had all the above.

i've had my share of bon fires and smores. 

i've seen a plethora of great films.

i've listened to some live music.

i've celebrated birthdays.

i've ventured to a rodeo.

i've goofed around.

and i've loved every second of it.

just taking the expected and unexpected as they come. 

charmer.

my sister is obsessed with kings of leon. and i mean OBsessed. like she even knows more songs than just use somebody. she loved them way before you realized your sex was on fire. she knows their names, birthdays and social security numbers (practically). she knows their cousins, kids, aunts and brothers. she's seen them in two states, three times. basically she lives and breathes KOL and isn't afraid to admit it.

needless to say, I was extremely lucky when she decided she wanted me to accompany her on one of her various love affairs... the Kings of Leon concert at USANA amphitheater. 

it was a good show and a good time.

lucky for me jared followill wasn't pigeon bombed while I was standing mere inches away from him.

**all photos belong to the fore mentioned sister.

hundred.

one hundred can be a lot. or it can it a little.


for example, one hundred dollars vs. one hundred pennies. big difference. or how about one hundred days vs. one hundred seconds.... see what i mean?


but for me today, one hundred is a lot. one hundred is the number of blogs I have posted on this blog. 


now i will be honest with you, i never though i could really get into blogging. my sister and i started a blog years ago and i think i posted twice. but i think i kind of like it by now. not only is it a way for my friends and family to figure out what is going on in my life (especially the ones that live far away) but it is a nice and easy way for my to remember my own happenings. 


so here's to one hundred. maybe someday i'll get to one thousand. then it really will be a miracle. 

freedom.

july is probably my favorite month in the whole year.

the sun is out.

the mountains are green.

we celebrate our country's independence.

and my whole entire family comes to town.

yep, all twenty-five of us in one household for a week. 

insane? yes.

loads of fun? absolutely.

this year my little niece Lindsey was baptized to make the annual family vacation even better.

there was a little camping.

a lot of rock band.

some ticket to ride.

some pool time, some shopping time.

lots of eating, parties and more. 

and plenty of activities to keep the kids entertained.

lucky for us the fourth was on a sunday so we got to celebrate it for three days!

saturday we camped out on the grass and watched the fireworks from stadium of fire. 

then sunday we celebrated officially with the traditional hamburgers, lemon jello cake, and fireworks. 

and monday we finished it off with the parade, a family party and games. 

now basically everyone is gone and we're back to a silent house.

it was fun while it lasted...

further to fall.

well... rafael took the wimbledon championship like the hero i know he is. 

plus his country killed the fifa world cup and took home a victory.

all i can say is spain is loving july.

i wish i were there. [i did love barcelona] 

in other news... who ever said eminem could make a comeback? i can't turn on the radio without hearing him anymore. if only rihanna's chorus in love the way you lie wasn't so catchy. 

confession... after a year of my sister in law trying to convince me to read The Hunger Games series, i finally gave in... and read both books in a day and a half. if you haven't read them, do. i promise you won't be disappointed. the third and final installation of the series comes out the end of august and i can barely wait. but mostly i really can't stand that there are only three books. i want it to last forever. 

i don't know how i feel about the rumors that chuck bass' new beau is fleur delacour-weasley...aka clemence poesy. i guess i will just have to be relieved that the beloved charles is in fact alive and well despite awful the attack in prague.

you wouldn't hear me wishing for fall to begin...but i have to say, august and september will no doubt be very interesting.

diamonds and coal.

as per tradition, us girls all headed up to the district in south jordan to see the midnight premiere of eclipse.

alisen and i made shirts, mostly last minute, even more so than usual and tried something totally different. but we felt pretty fine about it.

sure... the movie was cheesy, awkward at times, and lacking in make-up/hair design but you have to love it. i know i do. 

taylor lautner aside, i've always been team jacob. but i have to say...

paul continues to please me.

and emmett is still sexy.

plus...the harry potter preview was more than i anticipated.

i will be anxiously waiting for that cold november night when the best saga of my life begins it's final chapter. 

till then...

spanish eyes.

i love this guy.

two years later, despite a knee injury, he is back and ready for another wimbledon championship.

let's go rafa.

wordplay.

alright  or all right?


that is the question. 


see the dictionary on my dashboard says it's all right, and not alright.
merriam webster online says all right is most frequently used, however; alright is common in journalism, business and fictional writing.
someone on yahoo says alright is a contraction. similar to don't, can't, and won't. 
dictionary.com says alright is becoming more accepted in British English, but still not accepted in American English.
some grammar police say alright is becoming more present in the english language. however, alright should be avoided and only all right should be used.
others believe alright is only becoming acceptable because people don't realize it isn't actually a word.


i don't know who to believe.

starts with one.

one year.

one year is a long time. especially for a blog.

in the past year this blog has seen a lot of changes. and not just in design. 

in the past year this blog read all over has been written all over. 

in the past year this blog has seen me...

living in two countries.

visiting five european countries.

residing in three homes, three separate zip codes.

being a member of four completely different wards.

taking over 2,000 pictures.

adding 1030 songs to my music library. 2.6 days and 8.63 GB of listening pleasure.

watching over 160 new television episodes and over 275 old television episodes.

sending 463 emails.

traveling to three of the united states. 

stepping foot in seven of the united states.

meeting hundreds of new people.

making many best friends. 

learning new words from five languages.

gaining one new family member.

attending at least ten musical performances.

more importantly:

spending time with people i love.

being taught loads of useful information.

learning so much more about myself.

and having more fun than ever. 

so here's to the past year. a good one. full of great times and the best people.

i know my blog can't wait to see what happens next...

then...

now...