Gotta Get Down on Friday

Something kind of nice is that Fridays occur weekly. They're not like Christmas, which disappointingly only comes once a year and is so fun that every time it is Christmas I feel a lot of pressure to enjoy it to the fullest and get super depressed around 3:00 because it's almost over, and I have to wait for a whole year again. Same with my birthday, which sadly comes around two weeks before Christmas, so all of my fun has to be spent in one month, but people are usually into Christmas and not my birthday so sometimes it gets overlooked which is sad because it is the best day of the year (for me). (Any other whiny Decembers out there?)

But Fridays, they never disappoint. The promise of a shiny weekend, where I can sleep in, and exercise and lounge around playing cards and watching Parks and Rec with Kev until 6:00, wherein we shower and go out on a date, or sometimes just opt for a drive through and more shows and snuggles. I get to see my family, eat my mom's terrific cooking, go shopping, and take long runs down the canyon. (Weather permitting.)

There are a lot of hard things in life and I feel down more than I should, but Fridays remind me that the hard things fill in the gaps of the good things. Fridays and I love each other.

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WWBW?

We all have fashion icons. Alexa Chung, Kate Moss, Jenna Lyons. Mine is fictional, but very real. Blair Waldorf. As bad as it is, when I have gone shopping lately I tend to ask myself before a purchase, "Would Blair wear this?" Somehow if the answer is no, it ends up back on the rack.

WWBW. What Would Blair Wear is taking over my life. Someone help.

Lonny

Most of you have probably already heard of Lonny, but if not, let me just say that it is easily the best design magazine available. I was a little too young to get on the Domino train (RIP Domino), but Lonny has got to be a good replacement. It is free, original, and if you aren't into home design yet, you will be after reading Lonny. Every issue is like Christmas to me.

Do you Lonny too?

Celebrity Look alike

A friend asked me which celebrity I am told I look like recently, and it made me laugh. I have been told I look like everyone under the sun from Mischa Barton to Kate Beckinsale to a white Beyonce (yeah, what?). Since I have been told so many different people, I feel like none of them really count.

Last night I saw Something Borrowed however, and laughed every time John Krasinski did pretty much anything. Most people who know Kevin thinks he is strikingly similar to John both in looks and mannerisms and I have to agree. So glad he doesn't resemble Edward. (Sorry Twilight fans).

Which celebrity are you told you look like?

Sammy's

The main thing that gets me through a tough week is the promise of a date with Kevin. I dragged him to Sammy's, a local burger joint that I love and he hates. He thinks it is overpriced and comparable to Wendy's, but I totally disagree. Their battered fries and pie shakes are just what I need after a long week. In a trashy/classy kind of way.

And - if you are interested in some entertainment while there, check out the sign outside the restaurant. We laughed so hard the people around us kept turning around and staring, but after we left we saw them crowd around the sign as well. Gotta love Provo Center Street.

Love Haiku

Wedding Weekend

We had two weddings back to back this weekend. The first was for my cousin Stefan and his new wife Jamie. The second was for my friend Maddi and her new husband Rick. Both weddings were beautiful. It is the best thing in life to get together as family and friends and celebrate the new additions to your lives. I really believe that.

p.s. I accidentally matched both weddings. Yellow for Stefan's and Tiffany Blue for Maddi's.

p.p.s Aren't my little brother and sister the cutest people on the earth? They really are.

Water for Elephants (the book)

"Life is the most spectacular show on earth "

My best motivation for reading books I meant to read a long time ago is a movie release of the book. I see the trailer and then the book seems so good and I can't wait to read it before the movie comes out. That was definitely the case with Water for Elephants, and will probably be the case with The Help. I wish I had been able to imagine Jacob as someone other than Edward from Twilight though (pretty ironic his name is Jacob in this movie...) but otherwise I loved the book.

I loved the book in the way that I couldn't put it down, even though at times it was gruesome or risque, I could always count on it to come around, and it always did. (Similar to The Time Traveler's Wife.) The circus life was so wild, and extreme and colossally dramatic that it was interesting to realize that people really did (and I suppose really do,) live their lives on trains, traveling with the circus.

It has been a long time since I felt afraid for the characters in the way I was afraid in this book. So many threats and mysteries and so much danger in a way that I was pleasantly surprised at how the book took a turn, but not so surprised that it was extreme or fake. Just a good old-fashioned web of romance and danger and compassion. You also really come to love Jacob and Marlena, as well as Rosie and Walter. It is important to me when I read anything to come to love certain characters, and despise others. It is a sign that I am invested in the story.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. (Just a warning - there are some pretty explicit sex scenes.) I can't wait for the movie now. Did you see it? Or read the book? How does it compare?

(late) mother's day

My mom tells the story of my birth every time I have a birthday. My dad was thousands of miles away in Japan, and I was supposed to come on Christmas. Two weeks early, she delivered me by herself, and - because she was alone, she asked the nurse to bring me in to her room so she could hold me all night. She didn't want to be alone.

I love to think about that time. I think those hours set a precedence of love and friendship and understanding that have followed me throughout my life with my mom. She loved me in my early years - with memories of teaching me to read, each letter shaping who I would become, what I would love - allowing me to wear my favorite chicken dress everyday and staying up late to wash it at night so it would be clean for me in the morning - shaping my imagination with trips to the library, and prompts for new stories and poems.

And my later years - where she put up with my teenage attitude, my complaining about clothes and boys, the times where she would tell me she loved me at random, which is exactly what I needed to hear then. She always knew when I felt unloved. She always reminded me that even if no one else loved me, she did.

That's the thing about mom's. They love you most, and in turn - teach you to love yourself. Which I believe, is the most important thing you can do.

Happy Mother's day to all of those mom's out there.

Weeks Pass By

I look forward to payday all two weeks, and then when it comes I feel massively disappointed, because I have to start waiting again from the beginning. ?

I have two weddings to attend this weekend. I have never been to two back to back but I think I will feel so much love after them both. I can't wait.

I told Kevin he needs to give me a Mother's day gift. I know I'm not a mother yet, but I have put up with a lot throughout the years so I could potentially be one. That's worth a new pair of shoes and chocolate, right?

I got pulled over yesterday for my first time ever. It should have been a $1,000.00 ticket. I got off with $40.00 because I cried. I wasn't even trying to get out of it, I legitimately cried over it. Maybe I'll never grow up.

I look pretty in black and yellow.

Dear Elizabeth sent me a letter today. I wanted to reach through the letter and hug her so much my eyes well with tears when I think about hugging her. She gives the best hugs.

I fell asleep last night so scared. When I woke up I was holding hands with Kevin. Being married is so beautiful. You always have someone, even subconsciously.

This week, despite its ups and downs was so good to me. Everyday is. I struggle with negative thoughts, but at heart I desperately want to be an optimist.

Life is so good.

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Cinco

Something about this day just gets me. I don't know much about Mexico, but I really love celebrating Cinco de Mayo. The bright colors, the mariachi music, and the chips and guacamole. Such a happy holiday. I used to get annoyed when people recognized holidays like Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick's Day, but now I think any reason to celebrate is worthwhile. If it makes you happy, and gives you something to look forward to - there is no harm in that at all.

(p.s. In the spirit of Cinco, I went to Zumba last night. So sore I can barely type. Do you Zumba?)

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and fiesta for jesta

Lost and Found

I don't want to be fake. I don't want to like macarons because they are cool, or polaroids because everyone else does, or shop anthropologie because it is what you wear when you are a white 20 something female.

I want to like macarons because of the way they crunch, and polaroids because they are fast and fuzzy around the edges, and anthropologie because their skirts make my legs look longer and their tops make my hair bounce.

I want to blog because it is a way to share what I feel, not because it makes me look better than I am. I want to be a part of this culture, while still keeping myself and my life the way I want it, and the way I want it to look and the way I want it to be. Not how I want it to be perceived.

I think a lot of people could get lost in this world wide web if they let themselves.

And I really don't want to get lost.

When I was younger I always thought that life was about finding myself. (I blame Sharon Creech for that.) But now, I really just want to create myself, and my life.

I think I found myself a long time ago.

Shop

Here is just a little sneak peek of the items I added to my shop. I changed it around a little, and I think it will be a lot easier to work with. Spring cleaning hit our house pretty hard, since we know we may be moving a lot in the future. I will be adding new items pretty often, and all of them are in good condition and very cheap.

You guys are great. Oh - and thanks to some of you for helping me to figure out twitter. It's actually a lot of fun.

White and Twitter

I was holding out for the white one. Which means I just barely got the iPhone 4 this weekend. Apparently it is .02 millimeters thicker than the black one, which has made for some interesting reading this weekend while looking for a case. I bought the white one because I loved the color, but since I am going to cover it up with a case anyway, and since the cases are more difficult to find, I will probably have to pay more to cover up my phone, so it won't matter if it is white or black inside the case... Awesome. Do you have an iPhone? If so, what case do you use?

Also, because when I got the white iPhone I wanted to tell everyone I know about it, but my contacts weren't loaded in my phone yet, so I decided to join Twitter again. Bad idea? Do you guys twitter? Do you want to be my friend? Maybe we could tweet together. (And maybe someone could show me what I am doing.)

Follow me (or is it friend me?) on twitter here.

Oh, and Kevin took the MCAT on Friday. Sad that it is secondary news almost to my new phone.