so long sweet summer.

dear summer,

i'll miss you. i'll miss late sunsets, walking barefoot to the mailbox, family dinners on the picnic table outback, birds singing me songs outside my window, crickets chirping me to sleep, star gazing on the grass, summer dresses, reading on my parent's deck, natural highlights, & sun kissed skin.  

thank you for the many sweet memories.

you seem to never let me down.

love always, lulu.

.    .     .     .     .    .     .     .     .    .     .     .     .    .     .

*savannah & i at the cabin, fall 2008.

although i will miss summer. it'll always come around again.

and i can't help but loVE the pretty colors on the mountains. i think its about time for a sunday drive up the canyon to gaze at the wonders of fall. don't you think?

i also can't deny my excitement for fall clothes. tights, boots, & comfy sweaters sound just lovely right now.

not to mention the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet (yes, i'll admit i am part of the fb group called "i go out of my way just to step on a crunchy looking leaf"). who can resist?

carolyn & i at the cabin, fall 2009.

what are you all looking forward to this fall?

dreamland.

i don't think i go there enough lately.

every day this week as i dragged myself out of bed after hitting the snooze button at least 3 times; i told myself i'd come right home from school and give myself some much needed sleep.

a simple power nap would do the trick.

but then i end up doing one thing after another and before i know it the day is over and i'm going to bed late again. 

where does time keep going? 

well all i can say today is t.g.i.f. 

i don't think i could have gone another day this week of classes, homework, tests, quizzes, projects, errands, etc.

this is one weekend i am more than ready for.

so now, here goes the power nap i have been longing for. hopefully it won't turn into an all-day nap with how tired i am.

happy weekend everyone!

in with the new.

as you may know, i am no longer stranded. 

i finaaaaally got a new car! 

the search was endless. my dad and i looked at endless cars online and in endless car lots. 

just when i was losing all hope & about to cry over my poor volvo;

i found just what i wanted. there it was...... in kanab.

soooo... off we went on a last minute, five-hour drive to gosh dang kanab. 

worth it? yess. 

my dad sure loves me. (& i love him to the moon and back). 

so here is my new baby....

*volkswagen passat (don't look too closely, it needs a bath)

ta-da! i luff it. 

i love driving with the windows down, listening to good tunes, and just enjoying the scenery.

i love when the turbo kicks in & off i go....

i love driving home at night especially. when i take my time getting home. i take back roads & actually drive 

the speed limit just so i can have a little extra time to myself to think & clear my head.

although i have been a much more paranoid driver since the accident (my recent passengers can tell you that)

hopefully that'll change with time. 

anyway. thats my new ride(:

*i thought this looked cool even though it makes me look demented.

what my past few days have consisted of.

ilovetheselittlegirls.

babies have to be at the top of the list of things that make me happy.

*yes my hair is different in half of these photos... i had a hair appointment in between my babysitting shifts

on my mind for days.

"none of us see the world as it is, but rather only as we are." 
-unknown


back in my freshman year of college i was in a student success class and we were learning about filters. these consist of things that contribute to how we personally see the world. the professor had us each right down our personal filters & i wrote the following:


girl
mormon
18 years old
oldest in my family
red personality
republican
single
american
college student
living on my own


each of these things had a huge impact in how i viewed other people, made choices, & interpreted the world around me. my professor then told us that a lot of people don't even realize they have these filters & its important to realize that we do so that we can try to better understand other people. 


sometimes i think i have been so closed in my own filters that i haven't taken enough time to look outside them and see how others see the world. not that i necessarily need to change but that i need to expand them. that just maybe i could take a step back from my filters sometimes & consider the world through someone else's. i would gain a new understanding of that person. and add to my own understanding of the differences of people around me. because: 


"There are as many ways to live in this world as there are people in this world, and each one deserves a closer look." -golly


sometimes i am sitting in class zoned out of the lecture just thinking about how big the world really is. it overwhelms me. (but, in a good way). i just feel that there is so much out there to learn, understand, & experience and i have only touched the surface. maybe this doesn't bother other people as much as it bothers me but for some reason i have found this huge desire to expand my knowledge. to consider all ways. i almost think i'll never feel fully satisfied until i do.


"we don't see things as they are, we see things how we are." -also unknown

belated birthday girl.

savannah marie.

this dear girl always has her birthday overlooked since all us girls usually go our separate ways in the summer but luckily we still celebrated this year (just over two months later.....) and hopefully it made up for it!
savannah and i always had tons of fun growing up as cousins so close in age and when we finally were both going to the same high school (we anticipated this for years) we also became best friends. we always got asked if we were sisters at school and my best high school memories were spent while cruising around in her bronco (a.k.a. the beast). then we became roommates after I graduated. it was a blast and i know my freshman year of college wouldn't have been nearly as fun without her.
now we are continuing to grow up (she is now twenty-one!) but we are still just as close. especially after the scary day when we got hit by a semi-truck since we have had to go to physical therapy like every day together. sometimes we fight like sisters and joke around by saying "it sucks we are cousins and not just friends because now we're stuck together for the rest of our lives!" but really i'm so happy that we are! life is getting busier and although we can't spend every weekend just cruising state street & pulling all-nighers; we still have plenty of memories to make.

i looove you savy-annah!

to. do. lists.

i love them.
i love being organized. 
however i'm not at least half of the time but i like trying to be.
do you know what i love even more than to-do lists?
checking things off of my to-do list!
its actually one of my favorite things... 
pulling my list out when i have a free minute & putting a nice clean line right through what i just completed.
right now i have a very looong to do list and i'm quite overwhelmed
but i'll just try and check things off one by one & then i'll be all done--
until the next to-do list comes along.... 
ohhh where would i be without to-do lists?