february, in pictures.

playing catch-up.

nesta & i being sad together, on the way to the vet.

my poor little lady has developed severe food allergies, which is ironic since her mother, aka me, has struggled with some sort of food allergy/gluten allergy/crohns disease since i was 18.

so now i get to pay a crap load of money to buy her special food. she can only have food with fish...no poultry or the beef or the iams food i've been feeding her since she was 1. roar kitty, roar!

in other news, here is what i am currently up to:

-writing a piece for the signpost (WSU's paper) as well as indie ogden about the 10 year anniversary of the olympics. i remember it like it was yesterday, but i was so little! half of my professors were reporters for the whole thing. i've gotten some amazing interviews!

-coming up with a few DIY ideas. now just to get the money to buy the supplies... (oh hey tax return!)

-designing my next tattoo... shhh. i can't reveal what i am getting yet.

-studying a LOT.

-working on my internship with OFOAM (Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music). we're putting on a super rad folk concert extravaganza this summer, so i'll keep you posted on that.

-working my real job(s), also a lot.

needless to say this blog might be quiet over the next few weeks. but be sure to read INDIE OGDEN & if you get a moment, vote for them for city weekly's "best of utah" best local blog pretty please!
& while you're at it, vote for ben winslow as best utah reporter. he is fabulous!

Quote of the week:)

PS, this seems appropriate to go along with the quote.
my sister was able to visit THE LENNON WALL in prague yesterday. she dedicated her blog post all about it to me. it is absolutely amazing...go check it out!

i'm sad today.

this week, one of my very good friends is moving away.

his name is adam, & he was one of my best friends up in logan. he dated my best friend emily, & after they broke up i remained close with both of them. throughout all my years in logan, these two are who i love the most!

sadly, though, adam's time in logan is through. he is finally a pilot (yay!) & moving back to pennsylvania, & taking his dog kiara with him. auntie lauren is very sad.

i will miss my many adventures with this kid, including our many inside jokes ("reconvene in four minutes!" or "damnit lauren, when you gonna realize time always proves me right") & all the good times we've had in the past few years.
cheers to him, & all his future adventures!

bathing our rottweiler, zeus. 

at his 23rd birthday party, which was a surprise party we threw for him. i'm such a good friend. ;)

frisbee golf!

playing fetch with the puppies. we have many dog friends :)

beerfest 2010.

congratulations, adam. i hope the next chapter of your life brings lots of adventure & fun for you & the pup. 

pookey.

this is my best friend adam davis christensen!!!

he is 24 today.

almost 5 years ago, when we were 19, he was told he had a very rare form of cancer, & the survival rate was not exactly in his favor.

it was kind of a horrible experience. but it's safe to say it brought us closer than i have ever felt to another human being. that is weird to say, especially since i have a boyfriend, but adam & i have never been "that way." this kid is like my brother; & someone i would gladly die for. 

5 years ago, doctors told him it was kind of unlikely that he would make it to age 25. but here he is, only a year away from being 25, & is still cancer free!!!

\\

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!!!!!! i love you so much!

sunday brunch.

so another one of my new years resolutions was to make some new friends.

i have some of the greatest friends in the world. my best friends adam, emily & ally are the most amazing people i know.

however, some of my friends i've given way too many chances to. & i've damn near had enough of being treated the way they treated me!

that goal was a lot of the reason i joined the Indie Ogden team. I love writing & photography, & I love buying local, which is what this whole blog is really all about. it also turns out the girls who run it are fabulous. it's very rare that you meet a group of women who aren't catty, or who aren't out to get you, it seems.

i'm a very VERY shy person, until you get to know me. i worry so much about first impressions. which is why i was very proud of myself when i went to sunday brunch with a few of the indie ogden team! it was so much fun. we went to slackwater, & i had literally the best breakfast burrito i have ever tasted. ever. the sandwich? it looked divine. i am DEFINITELY going back next sunday for a mimosa & the breakfast sandwich. 

my whole meal was under 10 bucks; not bad for what a big place it seems to be becoming. hooray slackwater! hooray for making new friends! hooray for the adventures ahead of me!

drinking mimosas & chit chatting before our food.

this is kristin, one of the writers. she's adorable!

mikaela's breakfast sandwich! it was HUGE! 

if you're ever in the ogden area, i highly recommend slackwater pub & pizzeria for brunch. you won't regret it!

quote of the week, along with some lovely pictures.

Valentines Day.

I've never really been a fan of Love Day. Mostly I feel like it's a corporate holiday, and plus I've never really had a good V Day.
This year was different.


I have the greatest man in my life. It still hits me sometimes how lucky I am. V Day was one of those days. It started when I awoke to a note on the door from our bedroom to the living room/kitchen that said "DO NOT COME IN UNTIL I GET YOU!" I was like... Oh jeez.
So he finally let me in to find a delicious breakfast (hash browns, a gigantic pancake w/ homemade maple syrup, and my favorite, an overeasy egg) as well as a rustic, red lantern.
I have an obsession with awesome vintage pieces, and this lantern was so so perfect. AND it was filled with candy! Bonus!


Unfortunately I had school ALL DAY. Such a bummer. But I came home to yet another surprise... A beautiful painting for above our bed, along with a new vase filled with beads and a fake sunflower (my fave). He then topped it off with a sock monkey, red and black. I love things like that, esp sock monkeys!! It was so cute, an unique, and creative I almost cried. I made him a wall hanging and got him a sculpture of a Hindu god but it felt totally lame in comparison.
On top of all this, he made me chicken parmesan and bought a bottle of Chardonnay. Thank you, my love.
I am so blessed to have Luke in my life. He is so supportive of me and my craziness. He loves me despite how irritable I can be and supports me 100% in my goals and dreams.
Happy Love Day also to my family an close friends. You all are amazing! Now for some V Day photos:

the lantern he got me, the sunflower/vase, the ADORABLE sock monkey, & my present to him! love.

the presents waiting with the picture hung. luke says my expression was priceless. i was so surprised, & so glad it wasn't just a box of chocolates. this boy thinks outside the box!

this boy also cooks....and he cooks WELL! this was the best chicken parmesan i have ever had. it was so delicious! i'll snag the recipe from him, if he'll share his secret, & post it on here someday.

his cute note.

(not that i would have gone in anyway. he let me sleep in until 9 o-freaking-clock. 

so there was my holiday. i hope everyone had a good one, single or taken. you all are truly loved!

i was in the salt lake tribune today...

how awesome is this!?! the blog i have been writing for (which gets between 8-10 thousand views a month!!) was featured in today's salt lake tribune.

if anyone feels so inclined, please save me a copy! i read the online version and i got these pics from that. check out the article here. 

SO STOKED ABOUT THIS.

my whole entire life i have wanted to see this man perform.

i remember years ago (i had to have been 4 or 5, max), dancing around my living room to mary jane's last dance. i absolutely LOVED that song, as well as free falling, of course.

the other day my friend ally and i were listening to him, & talking about how it was on our bucket lists to see him perform. so just for fun, we looked up tour dates.

turns out he's playing in broomsfield, colorado, only 8 hours away, in april. so naturally, we bought tickets. I AM SO EXCITED!!! it's going to be the most amazing night of my life, i'm pretty sure. the best part is REGINA SPEKTOR is opening for him!! it's going to be a spectacular evening. two months is going to take forever to go by!

now, here's some tunes for your tuesday:

ps, happy valentines day, yo!! luke & i celebrated yesterday so i have school all day. perhaps i will post about it later in the week, when i'm not busy cramming for a french test :/

le weekend.

*sigh*

school is getting stressful. i knew it was just a matter of time until 18 credits would start to cause massive headaches, 7:30 pm bedtimes, & an unhealthy amount of "eating my feelings."

come back tomorrow? i have some SPECTACULAR news. or at least i think so.

WEEKEND IN PICTURES

read through this book. their #1: a day in the life. i guessed let it be, which ended up being #3. so i was close ;)

this little lady has been sick the past couple days. we're giving her medicine three times a day & it's a horrible ordeal. she is so mad at me, but doesn't hesitate to plop down next to luke whenever possible. (it only bugs me a little that she likes him more than me...)

made valentines jars for my nieces & nephew, as you saw here. 

just a random one of my front door. but i kinda love my cottage.

sock monkeys at sock monkey'n around antiques.

inside olive & dahlia. the coolest local shop IN ogden. i kid you not.

quote of the week:)

"all your life...you were only waiting for this moment to arrive."

-the beatles, blackbird