Truth Tuesday

• I frequently apologize to inanimate objects. For example, I drop my phone and then say, "Sorry, phone." The other night, I ran into the wall and I was all like, "Oops, sorry." Then Brian looked at me in amazement and asked, "Did you seriously just say sorry to the wall?" It's something I'm working on. 

• I often search for pets that need to be adopted and then send BWell their pictures. I just want to have millions of pets . . . even though I know it isn't logical. Brian tells me we can't give more pets a home though because then the animals will outnumber the humans. You never know, the animals could plot against us or something.

• I went to my sister's district track meet today and they ended it early due to bad weather. I didn't even get to see her pole vault and I'm pretty torn up about it. Good thing we at least snapped a photo together or the trip would have been all in vain. 

• Speaking of my obsession-with-animals problem from earlier, I really want to get an albino peacock. They are seriously so majestic.

• I love when words are put together to form beautiful sentences. You know, the sentences that send chills down your spine and make everything in the universe make sense for just a moment? Beautiful sentences are my weakness.    

• One day when I'm a parent, if my kids aren't super hilarious, I'm going to be really disappointed. 

• My husband has never seen the movie "Andre" and he thinks I am making the whole thing up. 

• My sister (the one in the picture above) told a bunch of her friends today that I had kissed over 20 boys. That's not true. It's an utter lie and apparently my sister thinks I'm a hussy (if you've kissed more than 20 people, I promise I don't think you are an actual hussy).  

Sunday Best: Love Will Lead the Way

top: Kohl's, pants: Smith's, shoes: Bella Me, hat: gift, necklace: Full Circle Exchange 

This past week was filled with rainstorms. I love a good rainstorm. I love the smell. I love hearing the rhythm it makes as the drops pound against my metal roof. I love how cleansing it is. The grass and the trees seem to be given new life thanks to the moisture. Rain is rejuvenating. 

Love is kind of like rain. It's rejuvenating. It gives new life. It makes people whole. Love washes away hurt and insecurities. 

I want to love more. I want to do a better job at loving those who are hard to love. I want to be more present and act more fully for those who so openly and willingly love me. I'm learning more and more each day that love is where it's at. Love is what it's all about. 

Speaking of love, that amazing heart necklace I'm wearing was created with lots of it. Melody Ross, a talented artist who uses her art for good, has teamed up with Full Circle Exchange to create an amazing line of gifts. The heart pendant necklace was created by women in Peru and it is made of reclaimed metal. The necklace also came with a bar of  gourmet "Happy Chocolate" . . . with a name like that, you know it must be good. The box that these gifts came in was designed by beautiful Melody. Buy your own gift here or look for it at your nearest Walmart (I hate Walmart but for this I'm making a small exception). There are other pretty products too: mugs, scarves, aprons, cards, and a whole lot more.  

This post isn't even sponsored. I just think it's a rad cause and you'll love the products. Perfect gifts for Mother's Day! 

Read more about Full Circle Exchange here and spread the love.       

Sunday Best: Releasing My Inner Six-Year-Old

floral overalls: Forever 21, button up: Old Navy, boots: K-Mart, necklace: Smith's 

I woke up on Friday to rain and I just knew it was going to be a good day. Then I put on my overalls and knew it would be an even better day. To make my Friday a complete masterpiece, I met a few of my high school chums for dinner.

 When my friend, Brooke, gave me a hug goodbye she said in a cheerful voice, "I just love your overalls."

 You must know, Brooke is a jeans and a t-shirt kind of girl. She's a total bombshell without even having to try. 

So a compliment from her on my overalls made me blush a little and I said, "Oh, thanks. They're kind of crazy." 

And she answered, "No, I love them because they're so you."

And that made me extremely happy. My friends still love me even though I'm a crazy person and dress like I'm in grade school. How great it is to be loved by people who fully accept all parts of me. So thanks family and friends for loving me, even though I might embarrass you. I promise I won't play with my food at the dinner table.  

Bear Lake Extravaganza

Every summer, my mom's side of the family gathers together at Bear Lake where we stay in condos for the weekend. Every summer since I was just a little kid, I look forward to that weekend. It's always a joy to be surrounded by aunts and uncles, cousins and my sweet grandparents. We picked the one weekend of the summer it decided to not be 100 degrees, but we still enjoyed ourselves despite the rainstorms and cloudy skies.

Highlights of the trip: Jace's girl surf shorts, that time I ate it hard on my skim board, painting my little cousins' and my grandma's toenails, hours of volleyball, tandem bike riding with my sister, playing night games, and watching the whole family try out the slack line (even baby Flora gave it a whirl). 

I sure am blessed to have such great family. Can't wait to see you rowdy bunch again soon!  

Truth Tuesday

Oh, just me being all American Girl on July 4th. 

• I suck at blogging nowadays. If you haven't noticed. But I made a new header and other shenanigans and I really like it. So that's nice.  

• For some reason, I always go in a panic after the 4th of July passes. It seems like the summer always whizzes by after Independence Day, so I start going bonkers thinking of all the things I need to accomplish before summer ends. Some things on the list are: float the river, go camping, go on a horse ride, put lights up on our patio, make it to a carnival, and play night games. What's left on your summer list? 

• Our 4th of July was excellent. We were in a parade for BWell's business. Check out our awesome float here. Then we had a barbecue with Brian's family. Both his sister from Baltimore and brother from the Bay Area were here with their families so it was exciting to spend time with them. We also cooled off in the water during the hot afternoon hours. The night was completed by watching the fireworks explode over the lake while we were all on the boat. I captured the grand finale on my phone, so check it out! 

• Speaking of video on Instagram, how does everyone feel about that? I was pretty thrilled because this means now I can delete my Vine. At the same time though, watching short, jumpy, out-of-focus videos kinda makes me nauseous.

• I'm working on a story about student loan rates doubling and how this will impact students in our area. As I was looking up things online, I ran across so many things where Republicans were blaming the Democrats and the Democrats said it was the Republicans fault. And honestly, it all just sort of ticked me off. I don't care whose fault it is, just try to work together for ten freaking seconds and fix the problem. I know, I know, if I think I'm so smart then maybe I should run for office. My point here is basically that I think political parties are a horrible idea. If anything, I feel they just divide our country. I'm not a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. I'm an American, dang it. 

• On Friday night, we were in Idaho at my parents' house and there were tornado warnings. I guess there's a first for everything. Needless to say, we didn't need to bunker down but there were tons of "Wizard of Oz" jokes floating around. The storm did ruin our plans of sleeping on the trampoline though. Instead we took advantage of the storm by staying up late to watch The Ring and we ate tons of popcorn.

• My brother leaves on his mission at the end of this month. I'm going to have an anxiety attack. 

• My boss found this gem of a video today and I about fell over with laughter. Those poor children. Can I get a dinosaur costume like this somewhere? Talk about the best Halloween costume ever.  

That's all I've got. Happy Tuesday, friends!

Sunday Best: Shoulda Coulda Woulda

dress: Modcloth, leggings: JCPenny, heels: Kmart, necklace: Buckle, earrings: Claire's, headband: ?

I shoulda started packing for this Vegas trip days ago because then I would be in bed right now. I'll never learn. 

This lovely mustard item coulda been a bridesmaid dress for my wedding. I had all my bridesmaids mismatched but they all wore mustard yellow. We ordered this dress and when it came in the mail, we realized it would be way too short. And leggings were a no go since BWell and I were married in early August (heat wave). But instead of sending it back, my mom just said, "Keep it. It's cute." And now it's a forever favorite. Mustard yellow just makes my heart go pitter-patter. Swoon. 

I woulda worn boots with this outfit if I had known how blustery of a day it would turn out to be. The whole week was sunny and delightful. So on Friday, I got brave and let my white feet blind the world by wearing these heels. It was still sunny(ish) but a cold wind blew all day. It's not my fault I go into work at 5:30 every morning. It's hard to predict weather conditions when you leave your house to stars and moon still in the sky. Oh well. Life goes on. And by the end of this week, let's hope my ghostly feet shall be a few shades darker. 

Happy Spring Break. See ya'll later this week. 

Sunday Best: The Pajama Skirt

top: Old Navy, skirt: PacSun, necklace: Smith's, gladiators: Ross 

Occasionally there are days when you just don't want to get ready. PJ days, where you stay in your pajamas, watch reruns of old shows and eat bowls of sugary cereal. I had a day like this on Thursday, July 5th. Apparently we partied too hard on Independence Day because we were feeling pretty lethargic the day after. I think the fact that it rained all day added to our laziness. How I love summer rainstorms.  

I would have simply loved to stay in my pajamas for the entirety of the day, but I just couldn't. You see, I had responsibilities calling my name. I had groceries to buy and errands to run. I had dinner to prepare for the celebration of mine and BWell's 11 month anniversary which was that very day! And a girl just can't wander out in public wearing pajamas and looking like a slob. That's why I only wore pajamas and looked like a slob for half of the day. The other half, I put on my skirt that feels as comfy as pajamas. So I guess I sort of cheated on getting ready. But it doesn't matter. 

It also doesn't matter that we didn't end up having a candlelit dinner in honor of our 11 month anniversary. Because instead we ate tacos and drank Mountain Dew while having a "Back to the Future" marathon. Ten times more romantic, right? Just as the pajama skirt is ten times more comfortable than any other item of clothing I own. 

Sunday Best: Raining Cats & Dogs

I heard this story on the radio last week about how some 80 something lady in South America somewhere was walking out her front door one morning when a cat fell from the sky and landed on her head. It must have been a pretty big cat because she ended up in the hospital. Apparently the couple in the apartment above her had been fighting and, out of anger, the husband decided to throw the family cat at his wife. The wife dodged it, but the cat flew out the open window and hit the old lady below. Such a sad story and I hope that sweet lady is alright.

It hasn't actually been raining cats here, but goodness, it's been raining. With dark skies and angry weather, it can sometimes be an easy excuse to stay in sweats all day and not comb my hair. However, I was strong and still got dressed and also busted out the hair pomade. Okay, that's a bit of a lie. I didn't always bust out the hair pomade. On some days, I took the easy way out and just wore a hat. Like on Thursday when I wore a hat with this outfit. . .

dress: thrifted, blazer: maurices, polka-dot tights: Target, earrings: Claire's, hat: gift, ring: family air loom, boots: TJ Maxx

And yes, we took these pictures in a rush. Who wants to stand around in the rain and take pictures? Not I. And not Brian either.

I scored those boots last weekend for $16.00 and I was quite excited. And it's a good thing I decided to get dressed for the day because once I got home from classes, Brian took me out for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. He probably wouldn't have been as anxious to go out for a hot date with a wife dressed in sweats and with messy hair. Lucky me, because that medium rare steak tasted oh so glorious.     

I Still Play Pretend

I, like many others, am growing sick of all this rain and yucky weather.
I, too, want summer. Badly.

I want sun warming my skin, I want tan lines, and I want shorts and sandals.
I want otter pops, I want to roll the windows down, and I want fresh fruit.
I want roasted hot dogs and mallows, I want swimming pools, and I want bare feet in the grass.
I want ice cold drinks, I want sleeping on the tramp, and I want early morning runs.

But wanting all these things and being grouchy because of the grey weather will not make the sun come out any sooner. So for now, I just play pretend.

I turn up the volume to my Mumford and Sons music. It is Irish music. For sure. The music makes you tap your foot and the lyrics are raw and deep. Then as I look around at the very green rolling hills, I don't feel so bad. Wispy clouds are hovering right above land, the mountains are engulfed by them. The air smells like fresh rain. I realize I am in a green, rainy dream and the fiddle keeps playing in the background.

I am in Ireland, folks. I have just changed my gloomy Idaho/Utah surroundings into Ireland. I am on vacation and I didn't even have to purchase a plane ticket. It's funny how my outlook on something can change everything.

It seems even more real when I make Brian talk to me in an Irish accent. Hopefully the rain passes in the next 9 days though. Because my pretend Irish man is leaving for South America for a month. I am so excited for him. You can bet the month of June I'll be spending some time pretending my new destination is South America. With him.

Yes, I still play pretend and I hope that I always will.

Weekend With The Babes

It must be spring. Every day is filled with rain, I want to wear sandals despite the rain and mud, and there are sweet babies every where I turn.

On Saturday I FINALLY got my chance to go to Baby Animal Days. Brian was nice enough to take me. Also, the rain clouds were courteous enough to part for the couple of hours that we went. I am totally obsessed with baby animals. It is almost pathetic. I am fairly sure in the time we were there, Brian and I were the only couple that were not pushing a stroller and taking pictures of our children as they mauled terrified baby chicks. Although Brian and I were childless, it all worked out since I almost felt like I was Brian's small child. Yep, he basically played mom to me for the afternoon. What a great guy. So while parents steered their children clear of mud puddles and took their pictures with the farm animals, Brian took pictures of me with the animals. As seen below. . .

I am sure I had parents that wanted to whack me in the head since I was hogging their childrens' animal cuddling time. I behaved myself though. I only pushed a couple kids out of my way.

Brian and I held bunnies for probably a half hour. I just couldn't part with my fluffy, floppy-eared friend. I tried finding an excuse to buy one, but Brian then reminded me that we are getting a dog after we get married. So I guess I can be patient.

I wanted to take them both home. . . :)

I also enjoyed the company of more baby animals on Sunday. I went home to visit the fam and our mama cat had kittens!

After visiting the fam and the baby kittens, I went to visit my friend Shannon and her newborn baby. No pictures were taken, but he is seriously adorable! Totally has his mom's looks, that's for sure. He also has a good sense of humor since he peed on me while I was holding him. I was just acting all googly-eyed over him and I suddenly felt something in my lap. Something very warm and very wet. Congrats Shannon! I can't believe she's a mommy now.

Oh, I also finally met Grandpa Steve's new baby. . .

Isn't she precious?