the zoo.

my sister kylie [being weird] and her friend alayna.

a leopard. it was eatin *something*...we didn't look into what it was.
gross.

my favorite zoo animals.

luke's cute cute niece kaylee.

my very favorite picture of the afternoon.

watching luke play with his niece is kind of my favorite..

a good cup of joe.

working as a barista, it has become fairly obvious to me over the past year how truly important a morning cup of coffee is to some people. to some, it is the deal maker...the difference between a good day and a bad day. when they enter our store, we know their drink, their name, and what's going on in their daily lives.
i found a blog that very appropriately describes the true art form of coffee and espresso, and have been obsessed with it ever since. the coffee experiment is a beautiful blog about coffees around the world.
check it out!

my favorite book.

"I regret nothing. No woman with any self-respect would have done less. The question of good and evil will always be one of philosophy's most intriguing problems, up there with the problem of existence itself. I'm not quarreling with your choice of issues, only with your intellectually diminished approach. If evil means to be self-motivated, to live on one's own terms, then every artist, every thinker, every original mind, is evil. Because we dare to look through our own eyes rather than mouth cliches lent us from the so-called Fathers. To dare to see is to steal fire from the Gods. This is mankind's destiny, the engine which fuels us as a race. "

-white oleander

DIY.

i've been on the lookout for do-it-yourself projects over the past couple days. the boredness that ensues between 7 and 9 at my internship is getting to be a little too much for me. so i figured i ought to come up with some things to do to occupy my time! these cute bracelets are sure to keep me entertained...i'm off to buy thread tonight after i leave fox 13 studios actually.
other things on the list of stuff to do during slow hour:
-work on my portfolio
-reread the hunger games series
-apply for jobs [starbucks is getting a little old for me]
-offer to write more stories!!

despite the slow times between when the 5 o'clock ends and the 9 o'clock begins...my days consist of being busy busy busy.
today was no exception. i work 17 hours total! today was a great day at the bucks though...we got to make coffee for ty burrell, the actor who plays phil on modern family!!

 

here he is signing autographs for all of us starstruck baristas.

and for those who are curious, he drinks black coffee...a manly man.

and he had a sexy beard. and was one of the nicest guys ever! 

pretty words.

Laid our blessings on the ground,
The softening of sound
Draws us closed again

Stay, stay and watch the coals
Till they cease to glow
Like empty promises

-ray lamontagne 


i cannot get enough of his lovely music lately.
nor can i stop listening to beirut.
it reminds me of last summer, when i saw them at the twilight concert series.

 

life in the newsroom

 

fox 13's ben winslow found my dieting very comical this past week.

he called it the "dinner of champions".

i've learned there is no how-to book on being good at communications.

while you can take 3 and a half years of classes about it, you don't know a damn thing until you put those skills to practice.

but over the next few weeks i will do my best to share what i come across.

all this coming after i received several messages from people wanting to hear more about what i do at fox as a producer :]

for now i'll share a few tips on surviving 17-hour work days, and other tips for working in communications.

[on the weekends i work from 5:30-12:30 at starbucks, and then from 1-10:15ish at fox 13. awful, right?]

1. as you can see from the picture above, you can never have too many snacks. 

  good for munching on to keep you awake, however, beware the scale!!

2. learn to have a backbone. when people swear at you, calling you the b-word and a "dumb byu bimbo," because you won't transfer them to someone already on the phone, don't cry, get even.

3. take initiative. after sitting at the assignment desk for a week i was so bored i wanted to punch something. so instead of doing that [that would be a bad life choice], i simply asked to do something cooler. worked wonders and now i get to write the fox13 quickcast every night!

4. caffeine. caffeine. caffeine. if you don't like coffee, learn to like it because it will be your lifeline when you're crashing at around 4 o'clock.

5. make friends. since i'm here a lot, i might as well enjoy it, right? which by the way, i TOTALLY do.

father's day weekend.

let me start out by saying how amazing papa bear is.

[here we are, circa 1992, with my brother alex.]

my dad is one of the smartest people i know. i'm an idiot for not taking his advice more often..apparently i like to learn things the hard way. my dad always supports me and even though i am the "black sheep" of the family he still loves me, and that is more than some people can say about their fathers.

lately my dad and i have been a lot closer than we used to be. we used to fight all the time [mostly due to my awful teenage years when i thought i was always right.]

now he loves to joke with me, we talk a lot more than we used to, and he helps me out as best he can.

he's a great provider for our entire family and we love him to bits for it.

he's also a "class clown" type, as you can see here. when he made us wear hats for the royal wedding. such a nerd, and it's the best!

here's some highlights from father's day weekend:

seeing my nephew all jazzed up in a tie..he cleans up very nicely.

watched the sunset with aaron, jimmy and mike on top of a roof.

played with my niece, who is so silly. she loves giving kisses and twirling in her pretty dress.

xoxo.

quote of the week.

 

Life is like a multiple choice question, sometimes, the choices confuses you. Not the question itself.

beautiful.

one of my favorite blogs, mocking bird posted reasons i love record stores earlier this month. i loved her beautiful photos and thoughts about record stores and must say i completely agree. it's a whole different experience when you're shopping for vinyl!

hope everyone is having a lovely friday. i'm spending mine, once again, at my internship. it's been so stressful the past couple weeks! but still a lot of fun, and i'm hoping all my work will pay off at the end of the summer. as i always say [ok, i've never said this until now] work hard, play harder.

who am i?

 Who I Am...

I am...a lover, not a fighter.

I want...to be successful & make a difference in life.

I have...all i need. 

I wish...world peace was possible.

I hate...tomatoes.

I fear...failure, & losing someone i love.

I hear...jose gonzalez & the waterfall in my backyard.

I search...for something bigger.

I wonder...what my future holds.

I regret...hurtful words spoken.

I love..many people. 

I ache...when i think about the past.

I always...sing when i'm alone in my car.

I usually...shower daily [usually].

I am not...a 90's kid. i was born in the wroooong generation.

I dance...every single day!

I sing...very off key.

I never...was good at sports.

I sometimes...sleep in very late.

I cry...a lot. i'm too sensitive for my own good!

I am not always...right.

I lose...my car keys on a daily basis.

I am confused...also on a daily basis.

I need...people around me. 

I should...get better grades.

Who Are You?

ahh!

i can hardly contain my excitement at this moment.

because my brother gave me this lovely little number:

why yes, that IS dark side of the moon on vinyl.

and yes, i've been looking for this record since i got a record player last summer [from my aunt dana, who is awesome. and gave it to me for free.]

the best part is that i got this album for free. i plan on going to listen to it right now. it probably will not leave my player for the next few months!

love pink floyd!

weekend highlights.

-pushing my niece in the swing for over an hour. she LOVED it.

-watched out cold for the first time in years.

-scored a ton of new movies...for freeee!

-luke cooked dinner for me on sunday night..we had shrimp fajitas and they were amazing.

-laying out by the pool.

-sleeping in yesterday for the first time in over a week!

it was such a lovely weekend spent with good people. i wish every weekend was like this!!

all by my lonesome.

my parents and little sisters have been out of town since thursday, leaving me with no one to keep me company except my three drooly dogs and this little lady:

 

i'm not opposed to this, though. the other night i had all three dogs and my cat keep me company in my bed... it was a party and a half. now if only my parent's cat wasn't too cool for our sleepover party..it would have been complete! [and crowded.]

on a completely unrelated note, i went to saver's the other day and found some EPIC record finds...all for only 99 cents!

 

a 2-disc gordon lightfoot album, america's greatest hits [i've been wanting that record for forever] and what i thought was styx's "the grand illusion" album. however i got home and realized it was actually santana's greatest hits inside the cover.

kind of disappointing...but still. santana is cool too. :]

hope everyone's weekend is going fabulous. i am at my internship currently...and just so everyone knows, i still love it! i'm so glad i'm majoring in something i actually like doing. 

 

 

sisters.

i have the cutest little sisters on the planet.

they make my day...every day.

they left to go camping with my parents yesterday, and i already miss them.

a bit of venting.

let me apologize in advance for this post, as i'm usually not one to use the blog for complaining purposes. but this is especially annoying to me.

yesterday i was in the hot tub with luke, my little sister kylie and her friend camryn. we were talking about our families/extended families. camryn said, "i have a cousin who is THIRTY and she's not married!" kylie's jaw dropped. i said, "what's wrong with that? i have a cousin who is 42 and not married." and camryn said, "i just wonder what's wrong with her, why she isn't married yet."

of course once they got out of the hot tub i proceeded to vent to luke [who was very good about it but i could tell he didn't especially care...he kind of thought it was funny how worked up i got] about how people create this stigma in little girls especially that they must get married, and that if they don't there is something wrong with them. here i am 22 years old, and constantly getting asked when i'm getting married. and when i say i have no plans to do so, people look at me like i'm crazy. what is this?! i'm only 22!!

now don't get me wrong. if you think the right person has come along, that's wonderful. but all this pressure created by people to get married young is ridiculous! i absolutely hate that people see women in their late twenties and older and think, "why aren't they married? there must be something wrong with them."

maybe they just never found someone good enough for them? that might be a better way to think about it. or, in my case, maybe they have no intention of getting married? i personally don't think it will ever happen for me... i'm far too much of an independent "i don't need anyone" type. it's not a bad thing...i plan on having a career and cats. and i don't see how that decision is wrong in any way. if i ever get married, i know for a fact i won't do it until every citizen in our nation is allowed to marry whomever they please.

ok. that's all i have for now...just a spot of venting for your thursday! 

covers.

1. ben harper - strawberry fields forever [originally by the beatles]

2. death cab for cutie - love song [originally by the cure]

3. the flaming lips - great gig in the sky [originally by pink floyd]

4. florence and the machine - postcards from italy [originally by beirut]

4. jimi hendrix - all along the watchtower [originally by bob dylan]

5. joe cocker - come together [originally by the beatles]

6. passion pit - tonight, tonight [originally by smashing pumpkins] 

7. damien rice - creep [originally by radiohead]

8. rufus wainwright - hallelujah [originally by leonard cohen]

9. bangles - hazy shade of winter [originally by simon & garfunkel]

10. eric clapton - i shot the sheriff [originally by bob marley]

11. florence and the machine - oh darling [originally by the beatles]

12. creedence clearwater revival - i put a spell on you [originally by screamin' jay hawkins]

13. allred - damnit [originally by blink 182]

14. a perfect circle - imagine [originally by john lennon]

15. bat for lashes - use somebody [originally by kings of leon]

16. sparklehorse - wish you were here [originally by pink floyd]

17. incubus - let's go crazy [originally by prince]

18. augustana - dreams [originally by fleetwood mac]

19. johnny cash - i won't back down [originally by tom petty]

20. ray lamontagne - crazy [originally by gnarls barkley]

ah...quite the compliation. and don't worry, it took me days to narrow down my favorite covers. these are pretty epic though, if i say so myself!

i want i want i want!

i feel like this lovely coffee mug was made just for me.

and my birthday isn't until november but...this is going on the wish list, for sure.

beautiful!

quotelovin'.

"For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there’s nothing else. It’s here, and you’d better decide to enjoy it or you’re going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever."
-Lev Grossman (The Magicians)

a one year mix.

1. pinback - good to sea
2. yeasayer - one
3. arcade fire - ocean of noise
4. stars - your ex lover is dead
5. radiohead - there there
6. elliot smith - everything means nothing to me
7. bright eyes - lua
8. damien rice - 9 crimes
9. the beatles - here comes the sun
10. tom petty - time to move on


a year ago i thought i'd never see the sun again. i thought i'd never be able to bounce back. i thought life would never get any better. i didn't care if it did or if it didn't. i just wanted to go back in time and fix things, fix my life before it shattered. i was stuck.
there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. things always get better. and even when it seems impossible, you will always move on.
if i had known this time a year ago where i would be today, i would have gladly welcomed the trials i have endured. how can so much good come from something so bad? the past year has proven that no matter what happens, it is what it is.
everything happens for a reason, they say. i never believed it until today.


"Don't waste your time looking back on what you've lost. Move on, because life is not meant to be traveled backwards."