why do i smile?

So today I was running errands with a friend and just decided that I would genuinely smile at every person that I made eye contact with. First stop was at a car shop (poor Bruiser is sick). Apparently my dad went to high school with the guy who owned the shop and we had a nice conversation about my dad and what he was like in high school. I was genuinely interested and it was so fun hearing about my dad from people other than our relatives. The second stop was at a car wash. I immediately made eye contact with two of the guys working there and just smiled really big at them. They smiled back and it felt great. Maybe this is the flirty side of me coming out, but I just love the feeling that I get when I smile at someone and they genuinely smile back. Last stop was to Sammy's for a late lunch. There was only one guy working by himself and I was thinking that if I worked alone I would get so lonely! So I decided to just smile and he started talking to us and I'm sure it made him feel a little less lonely. Who knows. Anyway, the point of all this is that I love to smile at people. Sometimes it really surprises them or even yourself.



Because I'm worth it.

realization

i gave up on blogging for a while because i am pretty good about keeping a journal. but my journal is downstairs and i just HAD to get some of my thoughts about my life out of my head.

things i've realized:

- sometimes you have to be selfish and stop doing things to please other people
- always be honest with others; it makes everything so much easier
- be honest with yourself
- making lists is always a great pastime and it helps me to sort things out
- don't take things for granted because pretty soon things will be gone (ie: for two years)
- love unconditionally
- don't be afraid to meet new people and do new things
- BE OUTGOING
- sometimes it's okay to be a tiny bit forward
- summertime is so much more enjoyable than winter
- BUDGET BUDGET BUDGET
- don't give up towards the end, you've put in that much hard work. why not just finish it?
- never forget the Lord
- be 100% faithful in the little things


ayeeeeeeeeeeeee. i don't even know how to explain how this year is coming along. it's been a mixture of so many things. it's definitely quite the adjustment from last year but i'm learning to love every bit of it.
missions are great, but i want all my boys to come back to me already! i can't wait to see what two years from now will bring, but for now, i'm more than happy to live for today.

hawaii 5-0

Here is my trip to Hawaii summed up in a few of the many million pictures that were taken.
I CAN'T WAIT TO LIVE HERE.


Probably one of the most beautiful things I will ever witness. Haleakala sunrise. We were above the clouds. Too gorgeous.

We are babies.

Bishop's Museum. I have always had a love/hate relationship with Science Museums.

Shaking my hips at the PCC. Sister was so embarrassed of me. But hey, our friend got us in for FREE!

Needle Head, or as I like to call it, Pinhead Point.

Hawaii Temple.

This is proof that I can get very tan.

At Matsumoto's getting shaved ice. Honestly you have not eaten shaved ice until you have eaten it in Hawaii. Snow cones ARE NOT the same thing as shaved ice.

Me, Bobo, Cousin Chad, Erika at a national park.

Describes our relationship perfectly. (he's pushing me)

Our mother made us climb this tree, but it turns out that NONE of us know how to climb trees appropriately.

Bobo and I at the Hawaii Temple.

Bobo and I at BYU Hawaii.

in n out

i have arrived safely from my travels to hawaii.
i'm more than obsessed with those islands.
mother is already planning a vacation there next year.
Count me in!
now i'm packing and then headed out to utah.


ROADTRIPPIN.



i'll be back to put up more pictures of hawaii aka my homeland.

harry potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was AMAZING! It was quite the experience. I got chills and I even teared up a little bit, no real crying, but my heart strings got tugged on a couple of times. I was relieved that we didn't have a "Jazz" in our theater. Let me tell you the story about Jazz while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in the movie theater. OH.MY.GOSH. So we're all sitting there enjoying our front row seats the night of the movie, all gussied up in our costumes. And then comes the part where Dobby dies. I love Jazz and all, but this was too much. I was glad I was not sitting next to her because I think I might have punched her. Anyway, Dobby dies and all you hear is Jazz SOBBING; not politely shedding a tear or two. It was as if own of her closest family members had died, one of those weepings. Everyone in the theater kept looking over and every once in a while making shushing sounds. Craziness.

But I do have a few stories from this midnight premiere. Well, first of all, it was only a party of two: my sister and I. I had invited Jennifer to come along with us, but she dislikes Harry Potter and only would go if it was a huge social event. It wasn't, so it was sissy and I for the night. So we got to the theater at around 10 pm; we would have been earlier, but my sister was a little preoccupied. So 10 pm it was and there are NO seats left in the theater besides ones that annoying people were saving and ones in the very very front. So we do the walk of shame to the front of the theater and take our seats, while preparing ourselves for some neck craning. Then one of the managers comes in and says that everyone HAS to scoot in towards the center of the theater to allow for more seats to open up. I immediately stand up and start running towards the top of the theater; not even kidding, I was in a full sprint up the stairs. Of course no one moves so I start giving people the stink eye, waiting for them to feel horrible. It finally paid off, and I secured two prime seats. I'm proud of myself. I know I can be a shy, little one, but I definitely have my shining moments.

All in all, the movie was magical. Literally and figuratively. I loved every moment of it, and I can't wait to have all the movies in my possession. So that I can watch all the magic unfold from beginning to end. And since I have a very long plane flight ahead of me, I might take the seventh book and re-read it. We'll see, maybe I'm just a little ambitious right now.

But for the time being,
Mischief Managed.

summertime is prime

so i just finished my freshman year of college journal. i love to go back through it and read about different times in my life. after reading it, i can't help but look back and laugh and just think: "i am so me." which might be dumb to say because you're probably thinking: DUH, you iddy.

it's crazy to me that just one year ago, i had been at college for a month. and after reading allison's tumblr post about her boy life right now (she's just starting her freshman year), i can't help but laugh and think of how similar our lives are. it's funny to me now, but in the moment i was STRESSED! i say this now only because i have had close to zero interactions with any boy that i care about, but dang is it dumb to stress out about boys. life is so much easier when i can just relax and not have to worry about anything. summertime is prime. think about it, you get your tan on, spend countless hours in water: whether it be a swimming pool, a lake, or the ocean, the sun shines almost everyday. and who doesn't love a good summer storm every once in a while? i just love how relaxed and kind of mindless everything is.

i know i have continually kept thinking about how ready i am to go back to school and be back in provo with my friends, and call me cheesy, but i was listening to some good old tayswift last night and the song "never grow up" came on and that was it for me. i thought about how fast my time at home has gone by and how easy everything used to be. i didn't have to worry about paying rent, or paying for gas, or budgeting. i love my parents and my siblings so much! who would ever want to leave home! haha. i'm sure i'll change my mind about all of this once i get up to utah, but for now those are my thoughts.

i am more than excited for sophomore year and can't wait to see what will happen.

here are just a few things that i have learned after reading through my freshman year journal:
1. Preston Kutney is too indie to date me.
2. I need to learn how to budget. Or i will sink into a black hole called debt.
3. I need a new boy type. As great as bad boys are, they are not good for the soul.
4. Summer is the best time of year.
5. Choose my friends wisely. They effect me.
6. It's way okay if I don't get married anytime soon. My husband will come.
7. Always be myself.
8. Be honest and open with people. But choose what I say very carefully.
9. Be a lady. No one likes trashy.
10. Don't let boys run my life or my emotions.
11. Always take time to think.
12. Be brave!
13. Laugh and breathe. Everything will be okay.
and last but not least,

14. Marry someone that will allow me to have children that look like this:she's a babe.
she's a natural.
she already poses for cameras.
model status.

Excuse me for being just a tad bit obsessed with my niece.

road trippin

so for the past two weeks, i, and some other family members, have been all over the lovely state of texas. san antonio for one week and then a little place called wolfforth for another week. and after many miles and hours of traveling, can i just say that I LOVE TEXAS. i vowed that i would never be one of those people who bragged about texas, but after seeing all that it has to offer, i'm in love. san antonio is kind of like a little mexico. i loved being with my brother and sister-in-law and niece and i loved going to sea world everyday for a week. and after living in a little city north of dallas all my life, i have come to appreciate my hometown and how quaint it is and how i can just drive 30 minutes and be in the heart of a big city. texas is just too perfect. and then there's wolfforth, which is super close to lubbock and texas tech. but i just loved how country it was. you could literally see for miles and not have houses or other buildings blocking your view. and i loved that when it was night time, you could look up and see all the stars. i really do think that i could live out in the country. but at the same time i say that now, but i'm sure that after i lived out there for a good two weeks, i would want to come right back to the city.
but honestly, if my husband turned out to be a cowboy who grew up on a farm and wanted to live on one, i would be more than happy to. i have a soft spot for country music and cowboys and trucks and hick towns. they are so fascinating to me.

now i'm off to hawaii, which is a totally different experience than all the above.