Dad

Yesterday, was my Dad's birthday.

He's the kind of man, that I would love to marry someone just like him.
 
He loves my mom. He is always looking for ways to serve her, tell her he loves her and is a listening ear for her.

He loves his children and tells us that daily.

He loves our Savior and makes sure that as a family, we study the scriptures and pray together.

He is supportive of me in every way.

He honors his Priesthood and is always willing to give me Father's blessings.

He was, and still is there for me for every huge moment in my life. Starting from my baby blessing, my baptism, swim meets, high school graduation, seminary graduation, moving me up to college, and so many others.

He always sets time to talk with me. Anywhere from religious conversations, boy talk, homework questions or any other random conversation.

There are dozens more of things I could say about him, but here are just a few!

I love you so much, Dad! I cannot wait to see you in a few weeks.

Fa fa fa family.

The greatest blessing in my life is my family.

I love them more than words can say.

Not only do I love my immediate family, but my Aaaamaaaazing aunts, uncles and cousins. 

I love them all SO much!

They mean a lot to me.

The past weekend, was spent full of family time and my cousin Logan's homecoming talk.

He did great.

He's an amazing example to me and an all around great guy.

His love for the Savior and his gospel is very strong. I can feel it.

It made me miss Jake a little more than normal, but that's okay.

Jake will be home in 4 months.

That is IT!

I'm stocked.

I think these last few months will start going by fast when I'm back in school.

There is something about being with family that just makes me smile.

Even if we're not doing anything, I love just sitting and talking with everyone.

I'm very grateful that families can be together forever.

What a wonderful blessing.

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend...

Oh...

Could you do me a favor?

Pray for my Grandma, please.

She has suffered 2 strokes the past week and she could really use help from Heaven above.

Drop a line for her if you would.

We all are.

:)

Living in the moment.

Summer is flying past...
Sometimes I catch myself wishing it away but then snap out of it and wonder why I would wish away a time like this? I've been able to earn money for school, live at home & save money!

I am very grateful to be home. It has been great to be with my family, I really missed them at school.
But, I also miss Logan a lot. I am excited to head back there the end of next month.

A bad habit of mine, is always looking what lies ahead.
Now this isn't necessarily 'bad' per say, but I realize I'm not living in the moment.
An example...Friday night I was making sure I had everything done before we went to my cousin Hayley's baptism, early afternoon Saturday. I was so busy cleaning my room, when my little sister Olivia asked if I would paint her nails for her. Snap! This is what I keep skipping out on. Soaking in the little unexpected moments in life. I ended up spending my night with my sister on my big bed..watching movies, painting her nails and talking with her.  This may seem small but I am going to try harder this week to soak in those little moments I have with others and not worry about what is coming the next week, day or even hour. We, especially me should never take the little things for granted. Especially time with your family.

It's true, it's the little things in life that make life what it is.
  

thanks, dad.

here is a smidgen into my day...

so our car was getting fixed at the shop. my dad asked if i wanted to tag along to go pick it up with him. i told him i looked like i had died. here is a visual...(hair is a nun bun, old leggings with a paint stain and a massive hole in the leg, and a baggy hoodie with a stain on it.) he said that i could just wait outside while he grabbed the keys from inside...

sounded good to me. i didn't want anyone to witness this freak of nature.

so one of the guys that work there (we've been to this dealership multiple times--looking at cars & getting stuff all fixed with our cars and i had found him studly every time we had gone. he's probably early 20's and a stud), comes up to me outside as i'm waiting for my dad.

he says, "hey, you can come inside! your dad said you were hiding from the world because you weren't wearing any make up."

THANKS DAD! (first off, super awkward because this kid was an attractive fellow, and i WAS wearing make-up, i was just dressed like i was roadkill.)

i terribly told him my reasoning and he just laughed. and then...he came out of the blue and said, hey i saw you driving last weekend! i recognized our buisness plates on it and i remembered we recently sold your family a car! 

"i was trying to wave at you, and you looked at me in disgust! you completely ignored me." haha. -stud

"ooh??? that was you?? (honestly, i don't remember seeing him)! i should've said hi!" -me

:"it's all good! i was just trying to be all friendly and all! i was in a jeep?" -stud

 "oh! if i recognized you i would've said, hi!" -me

*conversation ended and i walked into meet up with my dad.*

he stuck around and made small talk with my dad. so there is the story of my life.

moral of the story....always look like a human when you leave the house, you'll never know who you'll run into.

mother's day

hello orem!

we meet again.

happy mother's day mom!
you mean the world to me.
you lead by example.
you were able to financially help me, so i could go to usu this past year.
you are getting your masters degree, which shows your smarts and determination.
you sacrifice anything and everything for your children.
you're beautiful.
i am very blessed. :)

oh...and for the first time...today i was not asked by any ward member if...

i was engaged

had a boyfriend

if i was enjoying company of a certain someone

or had a special someone.

i swear...haha. every time i go to my homeward those are some of the questions i am asked.

which....true, living in utah does give you the idea that being barely 19, it isn't foreign to be engaged. ha ha.

also,
we got to skype this cute boy about an hour ago.

the feeling telling him bye was a different feeling than before.
i didn't feel upset or sad.
it was a feeling of proudness and love that was overwhelming. :)
missionaries are amazing.
to put it simply.

i am SO proud of him. he'll be home in 6 months & then we had a great mother's day dinner. :)

interior design---major?

interior design.

there is just something about it that makes my heart race.

its always been something that i've been interested in, but not until recently i've thought about it as a major.

but, as of now.....i planned out my schedule (haven't registered yet...but my schedule is as follows..)

interior design professional seminar.
computer applications in interior design
rapid visualization in interior design
history of interior furnishings and architecture II
interior design theory

& a rock climbing class. haha.

the thing is...right now i am a pre-interior design major, i have to turn in a portfolio the end of my fresh year, to see if i can be admitted into the program my soph year. there is on average 40-50 students that apply for the program and only 23 get in.

will i be one of the 23?
will i be wasting ALL the money, for  a major i won't go into?

but then...

 what if even if i don't get in, my classes were so fun, it was worth it?

 oh decisions decisions.....

anyways, not only do i love interior design, but there is something special about architecture.

whenever my family and i go on family trips, almost always, my favorite part is when we go past an old historical neighborhood. my brain just freaks out of excitement. i can't tell you how many times i make my dad slow down the car, or pull over just so i can capture that beautiful home. not only do i love the beauty of the outside of the home. but there is a part of me that is just craving to know the history behind the home. who lived there. how old it is. and most importantly, what it looks like on the inside. it's just something that makes me want to just scream of joy. i don't know, i think i'm psycho half the time. old houses just have this sense of  splendor.  i love the old creaky staircases, the detailed door knobs, the hand painted wallpaper, and oh i can't even explain it.

examples: (pardon the poor quality, it was getting dark)

i'm a crazy blog follower and 3/4 of my blogs have to do with interior designers, sharing their talents and makeover abilities. it gets me so excited.

oh i also love to walk around USU campus, there are so many buildings, especially the geology building. and this other building near it..which i totally blanked out on. but aww...i really just gotta photograph them one day before the snow comes pouring down USU campus.

sometimes i like to pretend i'm an interior designer. yeah...did that with my side of my dorm. i don't really know if i can call it pro, but heck it's a work in progress.

i would love to travel around the globe just dragging my camera around being mesmorized by the buildings, the sites, the interiors.....the beauty of the world.

Day 5- Picture of somewhere you've been to

 

Lava Hot Springs, ID. One of my favorite places.

 The Seattle Gum Wall in Downtown Seatlle, WA

 Alki Beach!

 At the Space Needle (Seattle, WA)

Oregon!!

Happy.

I just had to write a post.
because...
I'm just HAPPY! :)

happy.

happy.
happy.

I am just loving life. I am loving who I am, my friends, my roommates, and just college in general.

There isn't an exact reason why I am.But here are a few:

Who I am: I'm grateful for me. Is that weird to say? I'm just grateful for who I have become. I feel like I truly know who I am now. I don't care about what people think about me and I dress, act and look the way I want. In High school, I always felt like I had to live up to some kind of social standard and that I couldn't be myself. But when I got to college, I decided to not care anymore. And I love that. I love who I am and I know God' plan. I know I just busted out a primary song. But really, I have never felt so good about myself ever. I'm eating well, working out, and doing the things I need to do. :)

My Family: Oh how I miss them. Dad-I love when you write me emails when you get a minute at work. I love that. It's very special to me and it makes me feel very important. You always give me wonderful advice and have taught me to give my all in all that I do. Mom-I LOVE our conversations we have on a normal basis, even if it's not very long. I miss you more than words can say. You always bring peace to my soul. Jaker-I LOVE getting your letters every week. You have NO IDEA how proud of you I am. You are doing such a great thing and your letters are so powerful. I miss you all the time. Kate-Oh, those texts you send me throughout the day are so great. Even if they are random stuff like what you're doing in class, what you're eating, what your workout was that morning or other stuff like that. I love that you tell me you love me every day. Livvy Lou-You are sure growing up hun. I can't tell you how much I wish I could be there as you go through your first year of junior high. You really are growing up and are continually turning into a beautiful girl. I love when I get you to answer the phone. :) Haha.

McKenna Drew: Bay Bay Mck! Oh heavens. Where do I begin with you? I feel like we have a very interesting but strong friendship. I feel like we spend a lot of our time laughing together about the dumbest things, but then we have our long talks about life. The thing I love about you most is you are a listener. I feel like I can talk to you about anything and you will put in your two cents. And I really like that. I love being around you and I feel so happy when I am.



Hope Braithwaite: Oh Hope, there are so many reasons why I love you. But by far the biggest trait I love about you is how kind you are. I love that you aren't fake about it either. I love being with you because I never feel judged or feel bad about myself. You always seem to bring out the best in me. I feel like you love me just how I am. You are always bursting compliments at me, and I know they are genuine. Thank you for teaching me a wonderful lesson of kindness. Also, thank you for always being willing to drive us around town. :) Love you.



Dacy Pulsipher: Oh roomie, thank you for being you. Thank you for letting me be my crazy self too. You are a great girl. I love our inside jokes and our strange hilarious object hanging above our mirror. Thanks for being a great listener and being understanding. I really appreciate that. Love you.


Brianna Dickerson: My photographer, my friend, my pal. I love you so much. I wish you knew how much I love being your friend. I wish I could describe it. You have been so dear to my heart for a few years. I love going to your apartment and just seeing you. Being around you gives me flashbacks of high school and all the fun memories we have had together. I love that you call me Laurenita too. :) I LOVE it. You have always been a great example to me and I love laughing with you. Love you.



Betsy Reeves: OHH! BETHANY! Okay, I couldn't help it. Haha. You are one of my most down to earth..chillest (is that even a word? haha) girls I know. I love being around you because you don't have any of those fisty personalities and you don't bring drama wherever you go. It's so nice to be around you because you're not one of those, Me! Me! Me! kind of people either. You are very humble and wonderful. Love you.



Sundays: I LOVE them. Even though they seem to drag on for a long time, between our normal block, planning meetings and ward prayer...I still love them. I have started to jot down notes and impressions at church and I have really seen how the Holy Ghost has helped me in my every day life.



Meal Plans: it's nice to get in one good meal a day right? :) Especially when the food is edible. haha.

Snow: Yes, tis wet. Yes, tis cold. But it is beautiful and it reminds me of Christmas. It just makes me jump for joy.

I feel like I'm rambling. Haha. Probably because I am. Okay, I'm going to call it a night. Adieu.

Kate

Last weekend I went home for Conference.
It was my first time being home in about 6 weeks. The longest time I had ever been away from my family.
I have soon realized my biggest "cheerleader" is my little sister Kate. and this tis why....

Kate absolutely loved having me home.
The second she saw me her mouth dropped (my sisters didn't know I was coming home a day early.) She just stood there stunned, she looked like she almost had never seen me in her life. Haha.
I'm pretty sure she secretley had an agenda of what we would be doing every hour I was home.
It was so awesome.
A little overwhelming at times, but she meant well.
We took more pictures of us two, than I thought was possible.
We had some of the most great conversations I've ever had with her.
She slept on my big bed (which I miss like crrraazzzy) with me almost every night I was home.
We talked about boys, college life, junior high life, family and so much more.
I just wanted to thank my dear sister for making me feel special and for her telling me how much she loves me and misses me on a day to day basis.

In general, I am so grateful for each of my family members and for the great chance it was to spend Conference weekend with them.

XOXO,
L

Home Sweet Home

I love being home.
I just love everything about it....
This was my first time home in 6 weeks.

Things I miss about Home:

-Sunday morning walks in the canyon with Dad.
-Having a car to drive.
-Going to church with my family.
-Watching MONK with my Mom and sisters.
-My best friend Katie.
-Having an unlimited amount of food. (college..you are the opposite, haha)
-Talking late nights with Kate.
-My huge big comfy bed.
-Jumping on the tramp.
-Having a Priesthood holder in my home.
-My dog.
-Doing my sisters' hair.
-Going on walks with my sisters and mom.
-Late nights of studying AP history with mom.
-Special time with Mom and Dad.
-Fighting with Jake. haha.
......There is so much more. this is just off the top of my head.