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...

i will be there.

on may 6th 2008 i received an email from a stranger. 

a stranger from a place in nevada i'd never heard of.

a stranger i wouldn't meet for three and a half months.

a stranger who liked to decorate and coordinate.

a stranger with tastes similar to mine. 

a stranger i would come to share a 10" x 10" space with. 

a stranger who would come to be one of my best friends.

alyssa lee smith.

(the best first roommate i could ever ask for.) 

even though the first day we met, i was a crying mess.

even though my corner of the room was always a mess.

even though i did my homework into the late hours of the evening.

even though my alarm only work her up.

even though we sometimes didn't get along.

even though i hated on her home town.

even though i made her play with my hair at every given moment.

even though i forced her to tell me every detail of her life.

even though she knows every detail of my life.

she's still one of my absolute favorite people.

you see, there is something that happens when you share such a small place. you become like sisters. 

and it is amazing to me that such different people could be put together, grow together and realize just how similar we really are. 

although it has been over a year since we've lived together we're still the closest of friends and she is still saving my life.

on june 8th 2010 i received a package from a friend.

a package with a bowl full of muddy buddies, one of my favorite treats.

a package sent with love and support from 300 miles away. 

you see even from a different state she knows how make my day.

on june 11th 2010 i received a visit from a best friend.

a lucky visit, a short visit, but a much needed visit.

on an errand for her work she was able to come to salt lake and share a little cheesecake factory lunch with me. see no matter if life is sometimes hard or the weather is sometimes dreary, we know how to have a good time.

so glad i got that email two years ago. heaven knows i wouldn't have been able to make it through freshman year without her. i know for sure i wouldn't be able to make it though life period without her.

love you alyss. thanks again.