currently

I love these types of blog posts. They are easy to write and just plain fun because you get to share all those little details about yourself that probably no one cares about but you want to do it anyway. That's what blogging is all about, right? Talking about things that people really love or talking about things that are totally pointless and that only you care about. This is one of those posts.

So I'm currently...

Listening // Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and ABBA's Gold. For Valentine's day Tyler got me a record player and the vinyls of both. He did a marvelous job. I'm obsessed.

Reading // Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari. It's taking me awhile but it's so interesting and not what I expected. Oh, and it's funny. I love funny books written by funny people.

Working // at Wallaroo Media. Full time. It's so different and I can't believe I've started this phase of my life. However, I enjoy it despite the feelings of stress and self-doubt I feel on a day to day basis. Any tips on how to be a mentally healthier human are always appreciated on this part of the internet.

Watching // West Wing and The Bachelor. West Wing is strictly for dinner time because it's easy to watch and it makes me feel smart. The Bachelor for when I want to be like every other girl in America and watch women who are so much more capable of doing other things make fools of themselves on national television. But I shouldn't judge because they are all there for the right reasons.

Wearing // Brown lipstick straight from the '90s. Black boots. High-waisted jeans. Oversized tunic shirt that looks more expensive that it really was.

Craving // Pizza. But when am I not craving pizza? But for real. For a long time, I didn't crave chocolate in fact thinking about eating it made me sick, but today we got chocolate from my mother-in-law in the mail and I realized how long it had been. I almost ate the whole bar.

Wanting // This sweater. This shirt. These boots. This plant. This planter. This print. This vinyl.

Feeling //  Ready for a long weekend. Aren't long weekends just a blessing sent from the Lord above?

Doing // Not necessarily doing these things but I want to. I want to grow my own plants and learn to cross stitch. I said I would in 2016 and I haven't yet.

marbles

Just two months ago, I discovered the magical place that is Hobby Lobby. Remember when people were trying to boycott Hobby Lobby? Well without getting into opinions and fighting words, I just have to say I'm glad that fell through because Hobby Lobby is the shit. 50% off frames and wall decor? YES, please! Ceramic faux taxidermy? Give it all to me! Lots of stress because you want everything and you only have ONE 40% off coupon? #Accurate. Let's just say that Hobby Lobby has become as toxic to a woman's wallet and her personal relationships as Target.

So I was at Hobby Lobby yesterday and I was waiting in line. They are having a huge home accents sale, so people were crowding the place. I was waiting in line and in front of me was this really put together mom. She reminded me of my favorite mom, and that is my mom so I was really admiring her, and at her feet was her EXTREMELY well-behaved son. (This is the highest compliment I could give someone because there are A LOT of wannabe-famous mormons at Hobby Lobby and a lot of their sons and daughters are tiny little terrors dressed in baby moccasins.) But not this little guy. He had on a nerdy little polo shirt with brown, scuffed laced shoes. His pants were those cute cargo ones that your dad might wear, only they were little kid size. He was adorable, and I really loved that his mom didn't care about him being dressed in baby moccasins, because baby clothes are pricy and that baby was going to learn to love hand-me-downs. Did I just ramble about baby mocs? Yes, yes I did. Anyway,  so I was really into watching this kid because he was not only cute, but he had a great vocabulary and he was very obedient to his mom with her pretty hair and put together aura. And it was really helping me not turn around and tell the two moms behind me to stop railing on their eyelash extension girl for not being able to fit them in.

And I was able to witness the sweetest thing. It was a "faith in humanity restored" moment. The little boy, who didn't wander to far from his mom, but was very eager to stay close to help her and ask questions about different items in the store and in her cart, he wandered over to those things I like to call "last minute temptations." You know, those cash register line stands filled with sour candy, chocolate, yarn, buttons, magnets, pokemon cards, mini toys that are a choking hazard, 3M hooks, twine and washi tape, and for some reason you find yourself needing a pack of pokemon cards because maybe, just maybe there will be a holographic charzard in there.

He was poking around in those last minute temptations and he reached for a bag of marbles. It was the prettiest bag of marbles you could ever see. Marbles of every color. Marbles of every size. Marbles straight out of those old movies that your mom taught you to love. The most beautiful bag of marbles your eyes could behold. His eyes became wide with wonder and awe. He clutched the bag and looked side to side. He looked up at me and then quickly looked away (little kid embarassment is the cutest thing ever). He looked down at the floor. Back at the marbles. I could tell his mind was whirling around and he was trying to find the words to say.

Would he gather the courage to ask his mom? Or would he place the bag back down? Would he hold the bag close and slowly inch his way back over, maybe just maybe catching his mother's eye and gaining her seal of approval? Would he loudly play with them to get his mom's attention? How would he react if his mom said no? Would he throw a fit like the other kids around him? Would he smile and say, that's okay mom, I don't need them? Or would he shed tears over that beautiful bag and would those tears create a revolution inside of me and make me buy that bag for him?

I saw all of this run through this child's mind. I even saw him make a decision.

He stood straight up, the marbles grasped firmly in his hand and he marched over to his mom. But not a cocky march, like a "I know what i'm going to do" march. He stopped right in front of his mom, held the marbles up and looked her straight in the eye.

She smiled a lovely and warm smile, "Marbles!" she exclaimed. His face lit up, "Marbles!" he replied.

And without asking, his mom said, "Are there big marbles in there? If you promise me there are big marbles and you'll share with me then you can get them." (For some reason, big marbles are the creme de la creme of marble bags.)

At this point, I was wheezing, I had so many feelings. My heart was a puddle of love juice.

The little boy smiled the biggest smile and hugged his mom's leg saying "thank you thank you mom, I promise I'll share and I promise you can have the big marbles and I promise I won't lose them and I promise I'll always be good. I promise mom, thank you thank you."

That little boy held that bag of marbles so close to him that his mom nearly had to rip them out of this hand to pay for them and it was the most tender thing I saw all week.

Now, I don't know how everything went from there. For all I know, the kid could have dropped all of them in the parking lot or he could have turned into a little twerp as he got in the car, but that little kid was a big example to me of how grateful and excited I should be about my life.

I got home from hobby lobby excited to use my frames and repot my plant with the cool new concrete planter I got from my outing. I started unwrapping my frames and inserting the pictures and everything was going smoothly until the back of one frame wouldn't snap back in. To make a long and necessary story short, I exerted so much force trying to get the back to snap back in that I broke the frame in two. I was furious. I nearly threw the frame across the room. Thinking I was a genius, I ran to my trusty hot glue gun. I managed to piece the frame back together and I started gluing. Finished and smug with success, I went to pick up the frame, except it wouldn't budge from the counter. I had glued the frame to the countertop and that frame refused to budge. Somehow, I managed to unbind it from the counter without breaking it. Except, the paint of the frame came off and stuck to my counter. After going at it with a spatula, it came off and I was ready to stick that damn frame to the wall.

Except my 3M hooks weren't sticking, in fact, they peeled off the frame almost instantly. Completely frustrated and upset I set the frame aside, I needed to cool down. I'll just go repot my plant I thought.

To make another long story short, I killed my plant in the process of repotting. Killed is probably exaggerating but it might as well have happened. I ended up on my kitchen floor angry and surrounded my a hundreds of little leaves and a completely dismembered plant and a pot filled partially with soil. That feeling of joy and faith in humanity and myself that I felt earlier had vanished and I was a loser.

A very ungrateful loser. The plant has been set aside (in the trash). It was beyond saving, I'm telling you. The frame, I set it against my bookshelf. It looked nice. And my pride and ingratitude sat in my throat. I sat myself on the couch and remembered the marbles. How excited that boy was for marbles. How excited I should have been to even go outside that day. To be able to buy frames to decorate my walls. To have a gorgeous plant that I got to take care of for a little while.

You might think this sounds dramatic and corny, but those things are significant. The little things, the little bag of marbles in our lives are significant. We all have bad days and it's sometimes necessary to pout and cry and throw a fit, but after you're done throwing a fit, be like the little kid who got his marbles. Is that a cheesy, mormon analogy or what?

Be as happy as the kid in hobby lobby with his bag of marbles because they are significant and being grateful for those little things in life, despite crappy misfortunes happening around you, is good for the soul. Gratitude is good for the soul.

And that is all I have to say about marbles.

Enough

Me in an absolutely posed selfie that I legitmately thought would be something an insta-famous person would do. Sincerely was about to post this, until I realized how stupid I looked and how dumb my thought process for the whole thing actually was. This now lives on this blog and the selfies folder on my phone. May we never speak of it again.

Our home teachers invited us to dinner the other night, and I really like my home teachers, so of course I accepted the invitation with grace and hustled on over to their place to stuff my face with the most delicious baked and breaded pork chops with mashed potatoes and caesar salad on the side. During dinner, we started having a conversation about the pressures of social gatherings and social things in general. And with all conversations about social things, I feel like it all goes back to social media. So we talked about how much all of us hate social media. I work in social media, friends, I am social media. Well my job is social media anyway, but not the kind where you share those stupid and really fake articles or those "You won't believe what happened after this girl started singing" videos or even those "please feel sorry for me" or " my hubby/wifey is the sweetest most perfect person in the entire world" posts. We do the business and analytical side, and maybe every once in a while we get to create something totally cool and send it out for the world to see. I mean, we do share cool articles, and create awesome content so I should give myself some credit here.  Nevertheless, social media is more foe than friend to me sometimes.

Now, we all came to the conclusion that social media really is what you make it. I mean, you technically choose to feel bad when you see someone with their completely bleach white photos with perfect potted plants, perfect hair, teeth, husband, food and children that haven't even been born yet, but you just know they are going to be perfect because their instagram theme is on-effing-point. Yeah, you choose to feel bad about that stuff, but let's hashtag REAL talk for a second here.

We. Have. All. Felt. Bad. Or. Inadequate. Looking. At. Someone's. Social Media. Feed. (Periods added for emphasis and attention and annoyance.) We all have. And if you deny it, I promise you from the bottom of my cold, black heart that you are lying. I know you are. Because as much as we love social media and we love keeping in touch with those high school friends that we never talk to ever, we also secretly/not so secretly hate it. And might I add that we all secretly want a million likes and a million comments saying, "goals." So when we don't get them and we see all those insta-famous moms and singles on mountains and wavy-haired girls with those comments and likes, we all feel bad and feel a little bit of bitterness. Even if social media is what you make it, we all still feel bad.

My home teacher's wife is absolutely beautiful. She's totally adorable. She's one of those girls who just looks the best pregnant (she is pregnant) and she has pretty manicured nails and pretty hair and the best personality. And I want to be her friend and tell her funny jokes because she is one of those people that laughs at all jokes even if they are not funny because she wants you to know that you are funny. She really is the nicest human and it seems like she has nothing to feel self-conscious about, but she said to me during that dinner that every time she looks at pinterest or instagram she feels really overwhelmed. She feels like she doesn't and will probably never ever measure up. She gets overwhelmed because she feels like she needs to have the perfect house (with that on-point gallery wall), the perfect closet (with those valentino rockstuds), the perfect husband (with that man bun) and the perfect everything else (you know, kids dressed in outrageously overpriced clothing from companies with names like Finn&Olive, for example). And I am sad to say that I couldn't say that I didn't know how she felt. Oh how I wish we could all say that we didn't feel that way. She and I don't feel that way all the time. I mean, that would get really exhausting, but more than once a week we feel that way.

We feel like we don't measure up and we never will. But I know that's not true. And you should know that too. It's not true.

We can't stop those insta-famous or blog famous people from posting or being who they are. I'm sure a lot of them are great people and I'm sure they have a lot of crap that goes down in their lives. They just have extra validation from the internet. We don't need that validation. We really don't. And they don't need it either. (Don't get me wrong, those people we see all the time all over the internet aren't bad people, I promise I don't think they are bad people. I know a few positively lovely and wonderful internet famous girls that I am glad to call my friends. Please don't think I hate them. I don't.)

So we all came to a conclusion that night. We first decided that we are enough. We are more than our social media accounts.

I told her that she is beautiful and wonderful and enough. She doesn't need to be anything more for the internet. And we exchanged words of encouragement, but then she said that she wished there were people on the internet that were "real." Real is so relative sometimes. Like what defines real? I could say I'm real, but I also sometimes whiten my instagram photos and I sometimes take 50 selfies to get the right one and I even sometimes stage my photos and think long and hard about captions. DON'T TELL ME YOU'VE NEVER DONE THAT!

But I get what she's saying. We need people who are willing to admit that they feel the way I just described above some days more than others. We need people who are size 10's and 12's and above and still try to work out because they want to be healthy not necessarily because they NEED to lose weight. We need girls who are size 00 through 9 to talk about about how no one thinks their bodies are "real or normal" when they are. We need to start a healthy discussion about women building each other up. We need people who are completely open and unapologetic (but not Donald Trump unapologetic, in fact stay away you all trumpians). We need people who sometimes have a bad day and want to write about it. We need all kinds of people. We even need the insta/internet/blog-famous ones. We need each other.

And most importantly we need to remember that despite what is trending, or what is popular. or what boots you SHOULD be wearing from H&M because they are #goals...despite ALL of that...

We are enough.

We are.

So maybe I'll try to be one of those "real" people. That's what this blog was intended for anyway. Let's see how we do.

And even if I fail, I am enough. And so are you.

Style Profile // Jessica

AND WE'RE BACK! Yes, a Style Profile. A beautiful one at that. The lovely Jessica is bringing this awesome series back after a long absence of me crying over Accounting homework. Ain't she the prettiest?

Ok. Warning. I'm about to fangirl and gush and say things that are probably really embarrassing (for me) but I don't even care.

So here's the low down on Jessica. The low down on how she has always been this shining light of goodness and beauty to me. You see, Jessica and I went to high school together and she was the star. Like she is the prettier, nicer, WAY more wholesome Rachel Berry of Weber High. Ok so maybe Rachel Berry is totally not a good comparison because Jessica's so much better.  A good person through and through. She has the voice of an angel and a heart of pure stardust (and I'm not saying that because she played Wendy in the school musical) (Okay, maybe I am). No really though, ask anyone who went to Weber High (heck ask anyone now) and they will tell you that Jessica is the sweetest person alive. She really is. I've always looked up to her and I don't know if she knows that but I really have.

In other news, she made me bawl like a baby when she played Aida, so you know. Mad ups to this chick. This gem is also a BYU grad, a personal assistant and if you haven't guessed by now, she's a musical theatre lover. Oh and she's LDS! Represent!

Today she tells us about a signature jewelry piece that pulls a look together, a fashion philosophy for this day and time and how quantity doesn't always equal quality. Thanks, Jessica!

P.S. Her husband took some of the photos and the pink dress photo is by her sister. Follow her sister on Instagram at  @tiffpackphoto. 

Q. How would you describe your personal style?

A. I would probably classify myself under the stereotype of “Girl Next Door” - but with a little modern vintage twist.

Q. How did you “find” your personal style?

A. I used to have this philosophy of quantity over quality when it comes to clothes. But I was SO wrong.  I think that if you invest in pieces that you love, are comfortable & that reflect the inner you - that they can/should last a long time in your wardrobe rotation, regardless of the passing fads.  If you are buying something just because it’s on trend & affordable - you will find three months later that you are sending it off to Goodwill.

Q. How do you plan your outfits or put them together?

A. Typically, at least one of my clothing items is a solid neutral.  I consider myself a fairly simple & open-minded person in my views of the world - so I like my clothing to reflect that. I don’t want my outfit so exaggerated  that people miss the person inside of the clothing.

Q. Do you have any style “splurges”?
A. Shoes. All the shoes. I am definitely a believer in investing in what you put on your feet. Oh! & a solid pair of denim.  Splurge to have at least one pair of Joe’s Jeans in your closet - and by splurge, i mean: buy at a discount at Nordstrom Rack.

Q. How does wearing your uniform/favorite outfit make you feel?

A. Confident. When I’m putting a hearty effort into my appearance I feel like that echoes the state of my soul & that is usually when I’m most confident and happy with the world

Q. What do you like about your sense of style?
A. I like that the way I dress echoes the kind of lifestyle I live. It’s nothing too fancy, it is pretty simple - but it’s classy. And I like that.

Q. Any style secrets we should know about?
A. Own it. Whatever you are wearing - own it like it’s your first Polly Pocket. I have a hard time when people say “I love it, but I couldn’t pull it off.” Cuz I’m over here like “SAYS WHO?!” If you love the socks with sandals look - Go for it! If you love it - EMBRACE  IT - throw those haters out the window. Figuratively, of course.

Q. What is your signature piece?

A. A pair of simple CZ or pearl studs - they pull everything together for me.

Q. What's a trend you tried and regretted?

A. Basically everything in Junior High & High School. haha Jokes. But not really. I didn’t really know who I was then, so my clothes were just clothes - they didn’t really reflect anything. I mean, I always respected my body and dressed in a way that I felt comfortable - but there isn’t anything from my HS wardrobe that I have kept… so… that’s saying something.

Q. Anything you absolutely won’t wear?

A. Dr. Marten’s - I feel like I would look like I was walking around with bricks on my feet.

Q. What is your overall fashion philosophy?

A. You gotta love you. I think it is important to have people who inspire you in fashion - but at the end of the day, you should love who you are and the way you present yourself.

Terrific Tuesday // This is Tyler

This is Tyler. 

He is my very best friend. 

We've been best friends for a year and a few months now. 

He loves basketball, In-N-Out burger, video games, pretzels, the Lakers, fantasy football, volleyball, sour candy (kids, ropes, and rips preferred), books, Lord of the Rings, movies, Vampire weekend, writing and family. 

As for things he doesn't like, well there aren't very many things he doesn't like. 

He doesn't like it when I look at Instagram (or any social media for that matter. Social media is not his thing.) And he doesn't like shopping, but I can handle that. 

Oh and one more thing...he doesn't like it when people take gushy pictures. So no kissing pictures from us. 

Thankfully enough, he loves me. He probably should because we're married. 

We've been married for a year now. On December 28th to be exact. 

I'm really happy to be married to this guy for eternity. For anyone that doesn't know much about Mormons, we believe in marriage for ETERNITY. That's a really long time for some people. For me, that sounds just right. 

I want to be married to him for eternity. 

Don't you want your best friend for eternity? 

I sure do. 

I also sure did want to post pictures of my wedding on this blog post, but I can't find the CDs with all of our pictures on them. Please say a prayer in your heart that I find them or I'll be very upset about it. 

Please bless that I didn't throw them away in some weird clean-up fest. Amen.

Side note that's not really important: My computer crashed three, yes THREE times in 2014 without me having a substantial backup. So no Ty photos on this computer anymore. What you get is what you get. 

Anyway. So yeah. We're married. For over a year. A year and two days. So I thought maybe I would share a thing or two about Tyler that makes me love him so darn much. 

Or I don't know...maybe I'll just blubber about him. Either way, this post is about my best friend named Tyler who I'm married to for eternity. Because who wouldn't want that? 

First things first, everyone needs a Tyler. And pizza. Everyone needs a Tyler and a slice of pizza. That's the key to a beautiful and effervescently happy life, right there. 

Tyler's are kind, patient, and funny. They make you laugh at least five billion times a day. 

My Tyler does anyway. 

My Tyler will praise your cooking. Every single thing you make will be "RQ" or Restaurant Quality. After he's finished eating, he'll clean up all the dishes too. 

My Tyler needs to go on walk and talks. So you'll always be able to tell him your feelings and get exercise while you do it. 

He tells you you're beautiful every day and he so means it. 

My Tyler doesn't care that I have a particular interest towards grey sweaters. He supports that fetish. 

He will sing you songs and play games with you and most importantly eat treats with you. 

When he sings those songs he'll sing the songs wrong and then make excuses for it. 

Sometimes he'll get really close to your face and rest his forehead on yours and say, "I'm resting here. You're giving me strength." All while rubbing your really tired neck. 

He'll tell you when you finally get to bed and snuggle up in the covers that "This is my favorite time of day, the time where I get to be with you, in bed, all cozy, playing games on my phone and hearing you snore a little. I love this time of day the most because I get to watch you sleep so peacefully. 

Trust me not creepy. Totally dreamy. 

I could name a hundred things about my Tyler, but I'll just end with this.

My Tyler is a loving person. His love is as deep as the sea and as lovely as the sea breeze that makes the waves. He is cheerful in times of trouble. He does not raise his voice or get filled with anger. He teaches me so many things about love and life and God. He brings me closer to Him. He is a good person through and through. He is joyful and wonderful and perfect in every way...even when he is human. I love my Tyler and I wouldn't have him any other way.

So here's to eternity my sweet best friend. As cliche as that sounds. Here's to eternity. 

Never change. H.A.G.S. U.R. a QT. Kewl. Call me. (just kidding change when you need to, but make sure i'm on board with the change first) 

Glad we had this talk. 

NOW here's another picture. (double chins and all) 

WA-BLAM! 

+ s t a y // g o l d 

Dream Killer

Well isn't it though? You wouldn't believe what I put my mind through sometimes.

This weekend I made a decision.

Growing up I struggled with perfectionism. Oh, who am I kidding, I still do! But also, growing up, I decided that I wanted to not try so hard. I wanted to be effortless. I wanted to be gold, because it's a good way to be. I decided that I didn't want to care about what people thought of me.

In a world full of girls, we care so much about what others thinks about us. We care about having Pinterest-perfect lives, weddings, wardrobes, kitchens, hair styles, finger nails...you name it. And it's not right.

How could we ever do this to ourselves?

How could I ever do it to myself? How could I ever compare? How could I be so ungrateful?

Yes, I am human. I struggle. I learn too!

I learn a lot about myself every day.

So this weekend I decided to keep to my commitment that I made to be effortless. To be gold. To not look at others on social media and compare myself to their pictures. To silly little pictures. I can't do that, because I like my life, and I really want to lift others. Oh I do. I want to inspire.

I want to help people feel light and joy.

How can I do that if I am so busy trying so desperately hard to write the best blog posts, have the best tumblr, pin the best pins, get the most likes on instagram, have the best wedding dress, upload the best wedding photos, have the best statuses, get the best grades, be a picture-perfect wife?

I don't think I can fulfill that dream if I am trying so hard to be perfect in the eyes of the world.

If I'm trying so hard to pretend to not be afraid of what they think.

God knows me. He loves me. He knows where I am..and really that's what matters the most.

Light and joy and dreams and inspiring and being perfectly content with how my life has turned out.

It's a wonderful life, really.

Why would I ever want anything else?

+ s t a y // g o l d 

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Some snapshots of our wedding day. Unedited. Not posed...well sort of. Still perfect.

When in Newport Beach, visit Newport Beach. 

It was the sunniest day. 

You know, I have NEVER been fan of posed wedding photos, but our photographer and family friend Kathy was so wonderful, we had to do it. Plus she has known the Abbott Family since they were mere babes so it had to happen.  

One of my favorites. 

Stay gold. 

Moments before this...my mouth was wide open with happiness. 

The Family. 

The new family.

Krystal's arm is the greatest thing on this earth. Gosh, I love that dress. 

Yes, so the wedding has been on my mind. It's all I muse about basically. Stay gold, lovelies.

Monday Musing: A Love Letter

Dear You,

I know you'll read this because you have my blog bookmarked on your bookmarks toolbar on that clunky Dell that you have had too long and should probably replace soon because you're going to be admitted to a program that requires a better computer, just saying. Even before we were planning on getting married and stuff and even before we were dating, you always acted interested in my silly writings and countless posts about clothes and stuff. That is what is so great about you Tyeski...you care about what I care about and so this love letter is for you. For many reasons.

I just wanted you to know that I am ready for this new step and adventure in my life that I get to take with you. My heart is very full. Sometimes in daydreams I look back at the life I lived before you...I was a free spirit, a wild bird, a wolf in the wild (You'll later tell me that this is probably the most hipster sentence I have ever written.) No one was going to tie my down and no one could enter my heart. But you did. And for that, I am so grateful. People say you can never be ready for marriage and taking that next big step, and I think that's probably the truth, but even if I'm not completely ready here are some things that I feel ready for:

I'm ready to go on walks with you, play frisbee with you, go on hikes with you, and fun runs with you when you get restless and tired and when you feel like you haven't fulfilled yourself in a day because you haven't done something active.

I'm ready to build a home with you. To decorate it. To make it our own. A place of peace and happiness love and the spirit.

I'm ready to eat dinners with you and talk about our days and laugh about silly things and to cry when we are sad and even when we are happy.

I'm ready to go watch movies with you and talk about books and ideas and themes and stories.

I'm ready for adventures, spontaneous drives to California, Vegas, Ogden, Yellowstone.

I'm ready to plan our Disneyland trips and to save up every penny.

I'm ready for moments of peace with you and moments of craziness where we are so busy and we are trying so hard to find moments to spend time together and so we do and it's perfect and wonderful.

I'm ready to learn and grown with you Tyler.

I'm ready to love deeper than I ever have before.

Thank you for coming into my life.

I truly thank God every day.

We can do this. Who cares if people think we aren't ready or we are too immature or that we are moving to fast or we aren't doing it the right way. Who cares? Those things don't matter. God matters. His love matters. The temple matters. Our eternal marriage matters. And so yes...I'm not ready for everything and I don't think I ever will be but I am ready for some.

I love you, Ty. You're gold. And I know you'll stay that way.

My capacity to give profound advice is limited..

But, I keep getting asked to make a list of "Things I wish I had known before I started my first year of college" kind of thing. So here goes, take it as you will, in all seriousness, or with a little bit of wit and winsome in there. Who knows, maybe you'll learn something.

1. Be prepared to eat one meal by yourself every single day. And don't be embarrassed about it. I mean, sure you will feel a little awkward and lame because you are sitting on a bench or in the student center and you have no friends and you are stuffing your face full of bagels and pizza or a subway sandwich dripping in honey mustard, but that's okay. That's life. You get to spend some time with yourself. You get to write a blog post without interruption and sometimes you're lucky enough to listen in on some great dating conversations.

*GASP* "She's not Mormon? No wonder she asked YOU out."

"Maybe she just wants to watch a movie and cuddle."

"Yeah I don't want to get into any trouble, you know making out and stuff."

"What IS the difference between snuggling and cuddling?" 

So what if you're eating by yourself, you've got 99 problems but eating that dribbling sandwich ain't one.

2. You don't have to have your major decided on your first day. Or your first week. OR your first year. Unless you are trying to get into the Marriott School of Business at BYU...or anything in the Communications program...then you should probably have an idea. Unless you're me, but still you don't have to have it all figured out right away. Take some classes, explore a little bit, and DON'T YOU EVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOUR MAJOR IS WORTHLESS OR USELESS OR THAT IT WILL LEAD YOU TO A LIFE OF POVERTY AND ENDLESS WOE. It's not true and you should study what makes you happy, because heck, you are putting in the money and hard work. You might as well be doing something you love. And that's all.

3. It takes two to tango. If you're going to BYU maybe it's a different story because boys and girls will tango with whoever they please and they will try and try again even if the other person can't dance or is tangoed out. Really though, if you want to get to know someone or hang out with them...put in the effort. It works. I promise. Sorta.

4. You are not a loser if you are alone on a Friday night.

5. The dollar theatre is always a go-to.

6. Find the best pizza place in town.

7. Don't take yourself so seriously (laughing at yourself is very theraputic) and stop comparing yourself to others. There will always be someone who is better than you at something. There will always be a valedictorian, a student body president, a champion athlete, a blonde/brunette/ginger bombshell that has better hair, there is always something. It's fine though because girl, you're amazing. Just the way you are.

8. College is NOT high school, and high school does not prepare you for college. It takes hard work, a lack of sleep, talking with professors, a few tears, and a lot of stressed out days but it is completely and totally worth it. Believe me, high school was the easy part and it definitely wasn't the best part of your life.

9. Road trips.

10. Finally, but probably not my last bit of advice or things you should know but something that I'll end on. Go on a journey to find yourself. Find who you are. Discover what you love to do. Develop a sense of style, watch sports with your friends, paint your nails, buy that blouse you have always wanted, get a job, go looking for your dreams, talk about intelligent things, don't let people tell you who to like and who not to like you can like whoever you want even if someone else likes you you really don't have to like them just because of that, don't worry so much about what others think of you, because their opinion isn't all that matters in life. Find those that do matter. Those who are helping you become better because those people will really help you on your endless journey of self-discovery and it really is a beautiful thing.

What would you add to this list? 
What advice would you give the little graduates?
How is your journey going?
Comment below.
Stay gold.


"NO, guys we are done NCMOing!"

Life Lately...

I just wanted to remind every body that the 1 year anniversary of this blog is on May 16th. Should I celebrate? Is there reason to? Do you guys even read this anymore? Truth is, I don't know what I'm going to do but I'm still glad I have had this blog around for so long and I can't wait to have it around for much longer.

In other important news, yesterday I completed all of my final exams and today Spring/Summer break started. It won't really be much of a break seeing as I'm training to be a Peer Mentor and then I will be taking one class for a couple of months, but STILL a new adventure begins! Even though it comes every year, it still is my favorite adventure most of all. Bring on the shorts, t-shirts, bare foot days, ice cream consumption, late late LATE nights, concerts, shopping, road trips, family vacation, more shopping, more laughs, and more SUN! Yes I can't wait.

Also, bring on the instagram pictures...

So in the life of Dani lately I've...

Taken loads of pictures of trees with really dark bark and lovely white blossoms. It's really too bad, because they start to smell awful after a week of looking just lovely and smelling like the Garden of Eden. 

LOOK AT THOSE THINGS! AND THE SKY!

This is my most favorite of them all. No filter pretty ladies, no filter at all.

I had a finals week all wrapped up in Karly Jade, fancy pants, and a selfie of me missing my Daddy-O. (Plus the obligatory picture of notes that EVERY ONE takes...honey badger don't give a ----)

Karly. Miss Karly.

She made it into the Illustration BFA here at BYU. You go girl! You go, Glen Coco!

Oh notes. Notes. Notes.

This one time unknowingly, I took out a bowl from the cabinet and filled it with water. And used it as a cup.

My glasses in this picture. Top notch. I love my Miklis. 

These pants. LOVE!

And that's all folks! 

 

Did you just finish your college semester adventure? Let me know how it was. Also, what you are most excited for this Spring/Summer? Comment below and stay gold! 

P.S. The formatting on this is SO lame. Sorry about the gajillion spaces.

This.

Photo courtesy // While I thought it was a young man fist bumping L. Tom Perry, it was actually Elder Bednar. This is cool, people, this is cool. And it makes me happy. SO HAPPY TUESDAY KIDDOS!