versatile blogger award!

AMY, over at the thoughts & tales of amy k has nominated me for the VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD!
i am so happy she loves to read my blog as much as i love to read hers. check it out if you haven't yet. she's brilliant! i won a marilyn monroe wall jammer from her not too long ago, & it currently resides in my bedroom. i love it! thank you so much for the nomination, amy!
in exchange i must nominate 10-15 blogs i love, according to versatile blogger rules & such. here we go:
1. melissa at "my soul is the sky." she was my roommate my sophomore year of college, & her blog is full of creative hair & makeup ideas, not to mention her lovely life with her awesome husband & puppy doggie.
2. jamie, over at daises & dandelions. her positive views on life are more than invigorating. what a beautiful soul she is!
3. emily, over at LIVING & LOVING, who has been my best friend for several years. not to mention i have been told on more than 1 occasion that we look alike, & who wouldn't want that kind of compliment? her blog is simple, beautiful & brightens my day every time i read it.
4. the pineneedle collective, aka where i get all of my DIY ideas (they are so brilliant!)
5. nicole, over at THIS IS ME. her brother is marrying my sister, & she is just darling. i love how open minded she is, & how she speaks her mind.
6. the gallo's, who have no idea i exist, but are so lovely. they are a beautiful christian couple who just adopted a young girl from uganda. basically my ideas of adoption instead of having my own children came from them.
7. taylor, my adorable cousin, who is headed to USU (AGGIES!!!!!) this fall. i couldn't be more proud of her. her blog is adorable. she reminds me so much of me when i was her age.
8. nikaela, a beautiful photographer, over at rose & crown. her photography will make you think. promise.
9. susan, my amazing sister-in-law, always seeing the positive side of things. plus, she has the cutest baby in the whole world. i love my little nephew preston!
10. vanessa, my other sister-in-law, whose blog i can't get enough of because she documents the wonderful time her family is having in texas. i miss them more than words can say.

Quote of the week

next month...

look what arrived in mine & ally's mailbox the other day.... eep!!

i've been hoping mumford & sons would come to play a show in UT ever since i fell in love with them in 2010. & it's finally happening! ally & i, accompanied by our boyfriends, are in for a night of spectacular folk rock, at a beautiful venue at the edge of the great salt lake.

so excited, so excited!

the fourth.

the fourth of july was, as always, a lovely time. this happens to be my FAVORITE holiday ever. the warm weather, swimming, parades, fireworks, on top of hanging out with my family equals lauren is a pretty happy camper. this year was no exception & i spent the week prior to the fourth telling luke how very excited i was for a day off so i could squeeze the crap out of my nephew, preston. he didn't really get it until he saw what a cute little chunk that baby is turning into. he's so sweet! it was nice to see the rest of my family as well, although preston was my favorite ;)

hope everyone had a safe & happy holiday! i can't believe it's july already, but i'm SO EXCITED because this month is going to be awesome! seattle is in less than two weeks! 

1. a pretty flower in kaysville. 2. my niece, kaylee, chasing my parent's "fancy" chickens. 3. my sisters before the parade..they are so cute together. 4. sir timothy, looking festive. 5. my favorite part of the kaysville parade. 6. my cute chunky nephew. 7. someone's swim shorts were a little too big... 8. holding preston as we watch the parade. 9. swim time at my parent's house.

the weekend = lauren goes to work.

that's right folks. these past 2 days have been my "weekend" of sorts (where i only work 4 hours one day, & only 6 hours the next day!) & now it's back to the daily grind of working doubles, trying to make enough money to be able to go to school 5 days a week in the fall. did i mention how stressful senior year is!? holy freaking cow! 
anyways, sometimes going to work for hours at a time isn't so bad. especially when one of south ogden's favorite regulars takes me for a spin through the drive thru to get my black tea lemonade:

ps did i mention i hate bullet bikes? i wouldn't let him go any faster than 5 mph. he kept chuckling at me for screaming every time he had to turn the wheel.

someday i'll get over my fear of bikes... & get a vespa.