sometimes i like country..

zac brown band
i'm usually not a huge fan of country...though i do like some of it..zac brown band is my favorite. i fell in love with them when i first heard their song chicken fried. their new album came out last week and it is fabulous! they play it at my work all the time so i broke down and bought the album. it's great easy listening, and he's wicked awesome at guitar. love it!

happy weekend!
this weekend i'm going camping with my family.. we haven't gone together in years so i'm super excited. it's the perfect time of year to go.

these are what the fall leaves look like!! fantastic.

i love dreamcatchers.

weekend lovin'.

the highlight of the weekend was going to see the lion king at capitol theatre on saturday night. it was my dad's christmas present to all the kids, and it was a lot of fun! our family has always loved musicals growing up, and so far i've been lucky enough to see phantom of the opera in san francisco, les miserables in new york city,  as well as phantom and the lion king in salt lake city. it was a lot of fun to hang out with the family and get to see the epicness! i love musicals.

here's a dark picture of ray and i waiting for the lion king to start.
thanks dad!

i also got to see miss emily beth today!! that is such a rare treat and something i always get excited for. she's such a great person and so much fun!
this picture was taken exactly a year ago, at general conference in salt lake city. i remember the whole day as if it were yesterday, mostly due to the funny but kind of scary car wreck we got in on the freeway on the way down from logan! so crazy. i love this picture nonetheless.

ALSO.. this started up again today...

WIN. i only wish i had recorded it..

more married friends..

yesterday one of my best friends skylar got married. it was a beautiful reception and seeing her and isaac so happy together made me happy. :] this week was busy for her wedding; bridal shower, bachelorette party, reception and all.

this was the setup at sky's bachelorette party..all put together by kendra.
isn't it adorable??
sparkling cider, caramel apples, and my favorite girls were all there to celebrate sky's wedding! it was fabulous. i'm so happy for you skylar and isaac!!

completely off topic...i love this image i found on the daily bookmark. it's time to get back on that bike and back in the pool...i want to train hard all winter and actually be in shape enough to do a legit triathlon next summer. who's down??

happy friday.

he never ceases to amaze.

let me just say how much i am obsessed with this man.
as if it isn't obvious already..brandon boyd is my favorite.
he's the lead singer for incubus, my all time favorite band. his thoughts on life and his positivity always tend to rub off on me. he is very powerful and intense.
his solo stuff came out about a month ago, and it's safe to say i was nervous. i hate when my favorite musicians go solo and just suck. however i'm pissed at myself for doubting him. brandon boyd is genius of music and art..and he more than pulled it off with his first solo album the wild trapeze.
i highly recommend it.

also look into his artwork, which i find absolutely beautiful.. i'd love to buy a print to put up in my room.

finally!

happy first day of fall!!

autumn has slowly but surely become my favorite holiday.

the cooler weather, the changing leaves, the idea of new beginnings...
i absolutely love it.

not only is it the first day of fall,
but today one of my best friend's skylar marries the love of her life!

i love when people fall in love.
*sigh*

crazy weekend!

so this weekend was a lot of fun. stressful and kind of busy, and i'm exhausted. but thank heavens i have a day off tomorrow! despite working all weekend i was still able to go camping with some friends friday night. we woke up early and went fly fishing on saturday [still haven't caught a fish..dangit]. i had to work at 1 15 so i left fairly early. worked a closing shift saturday night til 9 30, went to watch my great friends mountain hymns and the descriptive play in ogden.. that was a lot of fun. first of all, their music is insanely amazing. second of all, i saw so many people i haven't seen in FOREVER. aaron, of course was there, and it was so good to catch up with him. sarah hoer showed up [who spent the summer traveling in thailand and china], dave just got back from kenya, and sean fletcher is back from maine and europe so he was there too! it was great to have the whole crew reunited.
lastly i worked at 5 30 this morning...sunday morning shifts are my LEAST favorite. they drag by since they are so slow! and last but not least.. i got to hang out with my family today, including my adorable niece and nephew. they are the best.

joanna newsom

one of my current obsessions as of lately has been joanna newsom. things i've discovered while being obsessed with her awesomeness:
1. i love the harp..i want to learn to play it.
2. girl singers are far better than boy singers.
3. she reminds me of other favorites, like beirut and damien rice, in a weird way.

favorite songs so far: sprout and the bean and peach plum pear. both are seriously magical, and you should probably give them a listen.

artsy things.

here's some stuff i've been diggin' on lately.

"Music doesn't lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music." JIMI HENDRIX

‎"If you want to succeed, don't let any single incident color your view of yourself" - John C. Maxwell

Never wanted time for looking back,
For a moment I look down and wander
And of what's to come today,
Girl, I wonder where you are.

my best friend's wedding.

tonight one of my good friends from high school got married.
cute kole and his wife airyn now join the list of my married friends..that list keeps getting longer and longer.

haha.

kole and i at the reception this evening.

which was actually a lot of fun!! usually i'm a naysayer on the whole wedding thing, but kole's reception was a blast. it was good to see old friends, not to mention he had a good ol' streetlight manifesto song played so that his high school friends could show everyone what skanking is. brought back good memories of years ago (which seems like yesterday) when we were in high school and had no idea what was ahead of us.
here are some of my favorite memories of my good friend kole:

hanging out after football games.

sluffing school...shh :]

going to lagoon.

kole's farewell.

watching the dumb boys wrestle in my basement.

bandanas. a high school kole classic.

life goes by way too fast.

i needed this.

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

music picks of the week.

we were promised jetpacks thunder and lightning.

i became obsessed with this band a few months ago, but lately i'm going through yet another phase of their epicness.
give this whole album a listen...you won't regret it.

gary go
his cover of lady gaga's "just dance" is pretty much perfection.

his original work is also pretty awesome. i love it.

jonsi, the frontman for sigur ros, has his solo stuff out...finally.
go do and animal arithmetic are my favorites thus far.
it's definitely nothing like sigur ros' "hopipolla" or saegloper but i love it nonetheless.
he amazes me.

the amazing arcade fire
their new song the suburbs and the whole new album are just as amazing as their other albums.
while neon bible will always be my favorite...this album probably takes a close second. 

fall is here.

fall is here. something i couldn't be more pleased about. this summer was hard... really hard. life changing events, moving home, dropping out of utah state, getting a new job, meeting new people, forcing a smile on days when that was the last thing i wanted to do, laying in bed all day, wallowing in my self-pity...it was definitely not a summer for the books.

and now fall is here and i feel hope.  i love the feeling of knowing that i am a survivor, that i have broken free from the walls that previously defined me. every day i wake up telling myself, "i was lauren before i knew him. he may have greatly affected my life..in good ways and in bad.. but i was someone before he came along, and i will continue to be someone after."
fall just reiterates that theory. it's a time for fresh starts, new beginnings.. the end is in sight. and i am so grateful that i survived this summer so that i could see that.
i learned a lot of things about myself this summer. despite how truly awful it was, i don't necessarily regret anything because i learned a few rules to live by:

1. keep your friends close. this summer the main thing i learned is who my real friends are, and who my real friends aren't. it is truly surprising. the people i thought i was so close to, and thought i could go to for anything, turned out to be the worst for me in my situation. they were there for me at the initial crisis, when it was "cool" to be there. but after a few weeks, they turned into ugly, unfortunate people i hardly call friends. at the same time, those who were just good friends before became best friends. i am so glad i had people like aaron, kyle, emily, and mike with me this summer. they [and others] proved to be the best kind of people out there...people i am very lucky to have. 2. don't waste your time on people who aren't worth your time. this was hard for me. i am usually a people pleaser, and i give so many people second and third chances even when they have hurt me beyond belief. i have come to a point where i can't do it anymore...and i am so glad i don't put up with it. it is emotionally exhausting being there for people who turn around and talk crap behind your back. i have gotten to the point where when i realize someone i love is being two-faced, it's incredibly easy to just X THEM. move on. i don't need people like them in my life. 3. family is awesome. i've always known this but this summer i realized that family really is awesome. my brothers are fantastic, funny, great guys and my sisters are my biggest examples. my dad, while we have our moments, is a great man who i trust with my life. not to mention my mother... who will always be my best friend. she is the greatest. 4. enjoy the little moments. like sunsets, laughing until your stomach hurts, sitting on the porch with friends, going on walks, sunflowers, walking barefoot, dancing in the street, the sounds of a thunderstorm, hiking, sleeping in, finding new friends, enjoying old memories.

just how it goes.

every story has an end but in life every end is just a new beginning.

zoo with the kiddies.

last weekend i went to the zoo with my niece and nephew, brother and sister-in-law.
i have really loved living at home because of how much i get to see them now.
logan isn't very far away, but it's far enough away that matthew grew up way too fast.
i'm glad i'm around a bit more to see grace. she is getting to be too cute for her own good.

pretty blue eyes.

matthew on the tiger statue.
he loved the snakes the best i think.

in the car going home. at first he was sad..

but then he cheered up.

love them.

a better place, a better time

it's safe to say that i miss
-emily
-fun winter days in logan
-my rotty zeus
-my long hair
-when life was way, way easier.

perhaps it will get that way again...soon.

fingers crossed that this will all blow over,

and i can go back to happy, carefree, optimistic lauren.