Regarding Periods

I don't know if it's just me but around that special time of the month my whole face likes to breakout like I'm in seventh grade and I've just hit puberty all over again. Yuck. So that's when I know it's time to whip out these bad boys - Biore Strips, baby. Because something is oddly satisfying about ripping blackheads out of your face and staring at all that disgustingness on a little white strip.

Speaking of periods and the seventh grade let's talk about my most embarrassing moment, that, until recently I have been too embarrassed to share. I figure it's been almost ten years since this occurred so I'm probably safe. 

Anyway. 

I was twelve...ish and I woke up to realize that my female body parts were ripping themselves apart, just like the nurse at my fifth grade maturation program had warned me they would. How lovely, I thought. So I obtained a maxi pad and went about my business. Me, being naive and inexperienced felt like one day was probably long enough for my body to purge itself of its bloody masses and got ready for church the next day and assumed that I didn't need to use another pad. How mistaken I was. My mom was in young women's with me at the time and we had to stand up to practice a song we were singing for some youth program. After the song was over my mom suddenly had this really urgent need to leave church. Confused, I went with her. She got me outside and told me I had started my period.

Uhh, I know mom. I like, already had it for one whole day so it's over now, obviously. 

Then I looked down. Yikes. The whole backside of my white skirt was drenched in red. I was absolutely mortified. And I cried and cried, and didn't talk about the experience again for many years. Because not much is worse then having your entire ward witness your first period. 

Although that time I shot a snot rocket on that boy's sleeve in junior high was pretty awful. That's a story for another day though. 

So there ya have it folks, one of the most humiliating moments of my life. Now forever in print on this blog for your viewing pleasure. Please tell me I'm not the only one with a horrifying period experience such as this.

I Love

I LOVE

+ My goofball husband. 

+ The blonde in my hair.

+ Snocones with coconut ice cream in the middle and sweetened condensed milk on top. ADDICTING.

+ Saturdays with no plans whatsoever.

+ Brand new clothes, because hey, the majority of my closet still consists of things that I purchased at the ripe age of 16.

+ Restocking the fridge after it being painfully empty for a couple weeks. #newlywedproblems (are we still even newlyweds? when do we no longer qualify?)

+ Ice cold Diet Dr. Pepper with key lime wedges. Yum. 

+ Seeing a movie at a real live movie theater. We saw Hercules. The Rock is/has always been a terrible actor. It was cheese-tastic.

+ The fact that I am going to Disneyland in 17 Days!!! AH!

Remembering

                  

"Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not."

 - Mark Twain 

 

 

There was one particular moment in high school where I witnessed a simple act of kindness - something so small yet so significant that I have never forgotten it. It was a day just like any other, I was sitting on the bus, waiting to go home for the day, just gazing out the window when I saw a very popular, senior boy walking across the lawn. He was handsome, talented, well-liked. He seemingly had everything. The friends, the girls, whatever. You know the type. In front of this popular dude was another boy, from a completely opposite world. Nerdy, very few friends, kind of an outcast. He was walking with his head down, and it kind of seemed like the burdens of his life had been really weighing upon him. What happened next shocked and amazed me. I watched this popular, handsome boy walk right up to the nerdy boy, and put his arm around his shoulders. He smiled and began talking to him like they were the oldest of friends. I had just seen a complete social taboo broken right in front of my eyes! It was amazing.

 

The popular guy had no obligation whatsoever to show kindness to that other boy. He had an 'image' to uphold after all, right? Most boys of his social status wouldn't be caught dead doing what he did, but he saw someone in need of a friend, someone in need of a little kindness. Despite the fact that they were from two opposite worlds, he went out of his way to make sure that someone had a friend that day.

 

That guy probably didn't think anyone was watching, and I'm pretty sure he never had any clue who I was. But I have never forgotten him, and I have never forgotten the example that he set for me that day. It taught me a valuable lesson - it is important to always be kind, even to those who you might not choose to hang out with on a normal basis, or just to people you like, or even just to likeable people, but to everyone.

 

 

At Last

I have been searching (for an eternity, seriously) for the perfect swimsuit. It has been a painstaking task, and I was at my wits end. I don't care who you are or how rockin' of a body you may have, finding a swimsuit that you actually feel confident and pretty in is hard.

So anyway, I had been looking forevvvuhhh. Until finally I came across this beauty on instagram, and knew I had to immediately go to the store that was advertising it. For those of y'all who are from the Utah Valley area it is Called to Surf in the Riverwoods, and they apparently carry very tasteful swimsuits, which I had no idea, until this week.

This particular number is a Kortni Jeane original and let me just say her swimsuits are all amazing. Her designs have a very vintage feel, with lots of high-waisted bottoms that are so popular right now. Called to Surf is carrying quite a few different of her tops and bottoms now and you can mix and match all sorts of designs which I think is way cool. This combo that I picked out is only one of the limitless possibilities. 

I'm a happy camper right now. With my Cali trip coming up in just a few more weeks I feel like I am finally prepared for the beach... minus the tan because I have been cursed with eternal whiteness.

Summer, Summer, Summer

It has always been hard for me to pick a favorite season because there are great things going for each one of them. Summer however, is filled with adventures and lots of outside-ness (yep, just made that up) and I like that.

My favorite time is at dusk when I put on my running shoes and go for a little jog. By that time the air has cooled off considerably and people are still outside relaxing and the like. Plus the whole earth just seems a lot prettier, as the sun is sinking down lower and lower, putting off it's most flattering light right before it goes to sleep. It's a magical time, truly.

Guess what, peeps.

Yup. I started a countdown. For Disneyland. I mean how could I not? I may just be a little obsessed, but I mean it's Disneyland we're talking about here, only the happiest place on earth, ya know.

I can pin down when my love affair with Disneyland began to my early teenagerhood. It was a dark, difficult time. Filled with pubescent awkwardness and basketball shorts and a lack of makeup or personal hygiene (just ask my family, they like to remind me of my basketball short phase all the time). Anyway, I found myself all emotional and kind of depressed and with all the other strange things that happen when you're 12/13 years old, I found my solace in Disneyland. It was something that I liked to associate myself with. Something that I always looked forward to and could count on to make me happy.

Since I've grown up obviously I have learned to control my emotions and I am also proud to announce that I have established a regular shower routine and you wouldn't even catch me dead in a pair of basketball shorts. I don't make 300 day long paper countdown chains for Disneyland anymore either.... but I do put countdowns on my phone! 

So I guess you could say that I never grew totally out of loving Disneyland. Which is ok, right?

Hopefully y'all have some fun things to look forward to this summer as well! It's only half way over after all, so live it up!

Running Through My Mind

I have known for a while that I need to go back to school. I've just chosen to ignore the notion, but yesterday the feeling was seriously so strong I can no longer put it off. Don't you just hate that?

My whole life I have never wanted to be a nurse. Never. My mom is a nurse, she's a great nurse too, but I never wanted to do that same thing for a living. So I went to college. I was a Horticulture Major. I got married and finished an associates degree and thought maybe I'd be done or something.

Whelp. That was a lovely plan on paper. In reality however, not finishing school is not such a fantastic idea. For months and months the thought has been creeping in my brain that I should be a nurse. Which is way confusing because hey, I want to be a cowgirl/florist. BUT the thought, feeling, prompting, whatever you'd like to call it has not gone away.

I don't know the why's of it all, but God knows best I guess. Soooo, yeah. I'm going to get enrolled in school for this fall and I better hurry because the deadline is like in three weeks.

Yeah.

Dreamin'

I think I would like to take a trip somewhere. I've always wanted to take a drive down the Pacific Coast Highway (me and every other dreamy eyed girl, right.) I'd start in San Francisco and wind my way down into Monterrey. Breathing in the salty air and feeling the sun warm up my face. I'd go through Carmel and LA and finally end in San Diego. I'd stay as long as I pleased, see all the sights and eat at all the best places. No time limit, no worrying if I had enough money to spend. Wouldn't that be oh so lovely? 

Who decided we all had to work 40+ hours a week anyway? Not that I mind working, cuz I don't. I mean I have always valued hard work, I suppose I just wish I could break my routine. Come and go as I please, ya know? Be my own boss for a change.

I have always wanted to be a florist but I feel like I kind of have to give that up to become something more practical. Something that actually makes money. Long past are my teenage days where all I had to do was dream of what I was to become. I kind of miss that. Now that reality has set in all I do is count pennies and look desperately for a way to make more of them. It really is quite a bothersome way of thinking. 

I want to work, but I want to spend my working hours doing something that is truly enjoyable, something I love and have a passion for! Is that really such a rarity in this world, that I should be ashamed for desiring it? 

I don't know what the heck I want to be. I am grateful for my job but I feel like I'm stuck in something that's just a means of getting by. I want something much more, I just have no idea where to go or what to do.