quote of the week!

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.
- Mary Engelbreit

hooray for birthdays!!

 

today a very good friend of mine turns 23 (aka, old).

her name is ALLY and i love her very much!! we've had some crazy times, her & i. adventures in logan that i wouldn't change for anything! she is such a blast to hang out with & always lends an ear when i need to whine about something.

basically, i love her to death.

happy birthday ally!! i hope your day is spectacular!

feeding the chickens.

so my parents chickens are HUGE. i find them rather disgusting, actually...no longer cute fluffy chicks = lauren does not want to hold them. or touch them.

my niece, nephew and little sister, however, don't feel the same.

i went home on sunday to pick up some things and eat dessert with the family, and we spent quite a bit of time outside in the yard feeding the chickens leaves.

and lucky for me, my parents ordered 4 more baby chicks! soon enough i'll be able to hold them and call them "cute" again. :)

on a side note, my nephew and niece are the cutest. i am obsessed with them. especially when they do cute things like:

matthew is the funniest. "we're matthew & grace, if you like us send a message!" i don't know what goes through his head half the time, but it sure makes for a good laugh.

lately.

luke playing with his friend's daughter anniha. she has the hugest crush on him. he introduced me as his girlfriend and she stopped smiling, threw her arms around luke and started running her fingers through his hair. cutest ever.

sunsets from ogden = my favorite.

harvest moon festival on 25th street.

spending mornings on the patio with kitten smitten.

finally getting to visit my grandparent's grave and my dad's first wife's grave. their buried like 5 minutes away from me, so i've felt guilty about not going.

happy tuesday!

bed hog.

an evening in park city.

last week i went to the centerville starbucks store party. even though i transferred to a store in ogden, i was lucky enough to still get the invite to red rock brewery for dinner and drinks, and jupiter bowl for some awesome bowling and music!
it was a really good time, and it made me miss all the awesome people i worked with for the past year. here are some pictures from the evening:

guess we weren't ready for this one...ha.

all of us outside red rock.

bowling!

on our way home we saw a MASSIVE fire from the freeway. i called fox to ask what was going on and they said it was a human caused fire...so of course a few of us went as close as we could to see the fire for ourselves. it actually ended up getting within several hundred yards of people's homes...so glad the firefighters got it put out!

quote of the week.

"If you live in a past dream, you don't enjoy what is happening right now because you will always wish it to be different than it is. There is no time to miss anyone or anything because you are alive. Not enjoying what is happening right now is living in the past and being only half alive. This leads to self pity, suffering and tears." 
-Miguel Ruiz

thrift shopping downtown.

so the other day luke and i decided to go on an adventure. i had to go get my paycheck from fox studios anyway, which is a ridiculous commute (the other day i realized i drive on every major highway/freeway to get to my work. so ridiculous). so we decided to make a day trip out of it! it's been so long since both of us have had a day off and some spare time to just hang out. 
we went shopping for records at randy's record shop, where luke's dad used to go shopping for his vinyl. we also went to slowtrain where i found several records for a dollar. bonus!!!!! after that, we grabbed some sandwiches from a small shop and went to look around at thrift stores. there are so many random boutiques on broadway. it was so much fun!
here's a couple photos from our adventures:

a random boutique next door to slowtrain. the cheapest item for sale was about 150 dollars.

our amazing record finds! of montreal, lionel richie (yes, don't judge me), michael jackson, sufjan stevens, portugal the man, belle & sebastian and last but not least: THE BEATLES sgt pepper's album! so excited.

another random boutique with an assortment of random things.

we also went to a couple art galleries, beans & brews (i'm a traitor to my own place of employment), etc.

it was a lovely tuesday.

i can't help it!

it's official. i am a crazy cat lady.

seriously!!!! i don't know what is wrong with me. so the new house that i live in has 3 stray cats that have apparently made our area home.
luke told me that it was a bad idea to get attached to them...i think he had a feeling that there was nothing he could do, but he tried anyway. sure enough, he caught me feeding them tuna fish the other day. and much to his distaste (and his poor face, since he's incredibly allergic) i had named the little buggers.

i can't help it. i fell in love! so on top of ally's cat, who i am "cat sitting" for the semester, i now am the proud mama of three cute outdoor kitty cats.

lily, who i named after lily allen :)

here's ally/my cat dolce. she doesn't fit my theme of naming my pets after musicians. and plus, she bullies nesta ALL DAY. therefore she's my least favorite kitty cat ;)

this is SIMON! the boy kitty, named after the beautiful, talented amazing paul simon.

meet belle! i named her after one of my favorite musical groups, belle and sebastian. she can't sit still to save her life, hence why i can't seem to ever get a good picture of her.

they're cute, right?! it's not just me?

and how can i forget this adorable lady? she's so mad at me for talking to the other kitties... but i think she knows deep down that she is my favorite. 

my favorites.

 

today i'm really missing my adorable niece and nephew.

they're getting so big :( matthew just started kindergarten and grace will be 2 in november! time flies, especially when you have nieces/nephews that you don't want to grow up!
here we are last month at the second annual family traithlon! i need to start training for next year's already, so i don't get my butt kicked.... 

perdy things.

 

all taken from one of my very favorite websites.

ten years.

everyone says they'll never forget that day. you remember where you were, who you were with, even what you ate that somber morning. the little details mean so much more in retrospect. the way your stomach swooped when you heard the news; the horror on your mother's face as she told you something was wrong. the thought of what other americans were going through at that moment in time. the tears i saw my dad shed, one of very few times i've seen him cry. the way you felt uncomfortable and afraid for the future.
i was only 12 this morning. i remember it seemed especially cold; too cold for september. on the way to school the lady i carpooled with was cranking the AM radio. "this is a big deal," she kept saying. "this is something you'll never forget." i had no idea what she was talking about and all i remember was feeling afraid.
i got to my first period junior high class with a whirl of questions. i wasn't the only one either. everyone was shooting their hands up into the air, with various degrees of panic. "what happened?" "what's going on?" "something is very wrong, isn't it?" i sat numbly waiting for answers. my seventh grade math teacher, bless his soul, turned on the television as the second plane hit the tower.
when the principal came on over the intercom and demanded teachers turn off their TV's, mr. leo was furious. "i know you are afraid," i remember him saying. "this is something you'll remember for the rest of your life. i want you to see this." we sat in horror and watched the towers collapse.
it was the next class period that i first heard the word "terrorism". my other teachers refused to talk to the students about what was happening, which made us more afraid. "terrorism," i remember thinking. "whatever it is, that's an accurate word to describe it. i am terrified."
by the time lunch rolled around i was so scared, but didn't want to tell anyone. my cousin gardner, who i ate lunch with every day, and i decided we wanted to know more. our friend lived near the school and offered his house to go to, even though it was a closed campus.
we walked across the soccer field and into niall's house, where we found his older brother camped out in front of the TV.
his brother proceeded to explain to us everything that was going on. we sat in awe and reverence and listened to things that were so over our heads; and yet we knew they were things we would always remember.
"you guys are young, but i want you to embed this into your brains," he said. "you're going to want to tell your children. we are the generation that will never forget."

ten years later, i understand more. i feel more. i know more. the wars are still being fought; americans are still dying for the fight against terrorism. no matter what political party, religion, age or ethnicity, it's something that has scarred every single one of us.
let us remember those who were lost; those who fought; those who lost someone they loved.
i always hear people say, "let us never forget." as if that is easy to do...these images, feelings and thoughts are things i will never be able to erase from my memory.

la citation de la semaine

One thing you have to give up is attaching importance to what people see in you.
Jeanne Moreau

it's official.

i've known for a little over a week now...but fox 13 has asked me to freelance for them! 
i work as an associate producer part-time, and i love it!
it pays DOUBLE what i make at starbucks too, so that's a bonus ;)
i'm super excited for this great opportunity. it will lead to an awesome full-time job when i finally graduate!

i will miss..

all my awesome coworkers at the centerville starbucks.

this week i start my new adventure at the south ogden starbucks...and i'm so nervous.
i loved the people i worked with here, and the memories we made:
-playing practical jokes on franny, our manager.
-meeting ty burrell, the actor who plays phil on modern family :)
-laughing at laura when customers walk in on her in the bathroom. ha!
-fly killing contests
-the competitions of who could sell the most via
-sitting outside with the amazing regulars who became my friends
-dance parties to lionel richie, olivia newton john, and europe!!
-i'll even miss being made fun of for being the accident-prone barista!

the centerville store will always hold a special place in my heart. it was where i learned some great things. and also where i got reacquainted with my boyfriend...so thanks centerville. i owe you a LOT.  :)

the climb.

There’s something so beautiful about the sharp rocks jutting up towards the sky. I always stop to marvel at its beauty before I attempt to face the rock in a battle of strength.
It smiles at me menacingly and I know that I am up to the challenge. I squeeze my bare feet into shoes; shoes that have molded to fit me. I adjust the belts, hear thewhooosh of the ropes and turn to face the mountain.
“On belay,” Soren says with a smile, and I grip the rock with clammy hands.
Rock climbing has always spoken to me in a way no other outdoor sport has. It requires the upmost dedication, perseverance, and is not to be taken lightly. One false move by you or your partner…it’s over. Or at least the ground will break your fall.
It’s a very focused sport, requiring an energy and state of mind unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
Soren taught me; he holds the ropes with firm hands and smiles up at me, coaching me on where to go next.
It’s terrifying, invigorating, satisfying, and beautiful. All at once.
My arms ache and my legs shake with each effort to hoist myself higher and higher.
I want to be at the top.
Very rarely do I actually make it. In truth I am a novice at the art of rock climbing, yet I always strive to make it.
Occasionally I will stretch my hand out to the top of the jutted rock. My fingers may be numb and my knees may be bleeding, but I do it. I reach the top.
To turn and see the whole world smiling back.