lately....

things i love lately........

my izze bottles

happiness by the fray

adorable letters

leggings. 

bowling teams. 

just being me. 

once there was a guy that called me a moneyball girl. and for a short time i was his moneyball girl. it was as simple as things not working out. timing, spacing, where we were at in our lives. it just didn't work, but i still dove into it head first. because thats what i wanted to do. because you don't give up on someone that calls you a moneyball.
have you ever seen moneyball? its about a baseball team that decided to look at the game a new way and realized that home runs and batting average weren't what got you wins. it was walks and punts - things that don't look as good as the rest, so certain players were left overlooked. and those players were called moneyballs.
he told me that they were the kinds of girls that didn't really get asked on dates as much. they were overlooked for their prettier and more catchy friends. but they were the ones that were passionate about things. they goals and they worked on them. they were spiritual. they had a good family and cared about others.
"you're a moneyball girl. i don't want you to take that the wrong way either. you might not go on dates, but i think that's a shame. because if guys really took a minute to look, they'd realize it all. you're the kind of girl they want to marry. you're the kind of girl they all want to have. and its incredibly unfortunate that none of them have realized that about you yet."

and that was all i needed to ever hear to go forward. it made all the difference. he brain was full of science and practicality that opposed my emotion run creativity, but he understood my mind and that was what i needed.

the story of the terrible awful

WARNING: Images may seem disgusting and disturbing. 

And that could very well be completely true.

Last weekend I went home for the short break, and what followed could only be described as "the terrible awful".  While the whole family was occupied in the basement watching American Idol, Jenna and I threw away a batch of homemade oreo's that were much too runny for cookies.  And sitting there in the garbage can, we laughed at the pile that resembled something only little boys should laugh at.  Wanting to create something with this pure genius look alike that couldn't be passed up, we cleverly devised a plan that would surely satisfy all of our laughter. So we craftily molded a piece of dough into a little loaf that could only be mistaken for a half hazardly attempt at pinching it clean and laid it in the wrong spots.  Worried that the twins would possibly foil my plans, I very explicitly explained the instructions to not tell my parents with G responded with a serious, "Whatever it is, I'm in". A few hours went by and we still had not had an incident. As bed time came, I pushed G to lead Dad or Mom to the bathroom to find the little bomb. I thought that he had, but I only found Dad and Brig scolding him for not cleaning up rat poop. He walked out of the room and in his grumpy G way, adamantly threw his hands in the air and said, "I know! I'm getting the toilet paper!!!" and then walked past me and winked and shot me a gun gesture.  Confused and out my main man, I made Brig reveal the secret. 

"I need Gus and Leo here, RIGHT NOW!"

"What? Why?"
"Huge poop. On the seat. POOP. On the SEAT!"

And that was all I could have asked for. 

But I'm not sure which is more satisfying - the reactions from my parents, my dad laughing for hours the rest of the night, or the pure genius that stemmed from G (side note: he took a piece of the fake poop from the toilet, rolled it into a small rat poop, and placed it next to my dad to trick him into walking into the bathroom to get toilet paper and find the big behemoth). I don't know whether I should be proud of him or scared. Both ways, I still can't stop laughing about it.  

monday, oh monday

i am so tired. i could sleep for days.
i'm thinking of transitioning over to WordPress for my blog...thoughts?
chicken salad is the best thing ever. so is coming home from a grocery trip with enough food for a whole month.
doing laundry for only myself is still a really weird thing for me. i guess i'm destined to do lots of laundry for lots of kids.
lately i dream of downton abbey and myself as a crawley sister.
i made lots of pizza on saturday and it was so good.
that bachelor wedding though....not as eventful as it seemed it would be. bring on the juan pablo tonight!
i am on the verge of a creative outbreak in my life right now. i can feel it in my bones. the possibilities are perfect.
also, i spent an hour looking at past oscar winners and nominees and i feel like a movie buff failure because i haven't seen HALF of them. so, here starts my new resolution to start watching all of the movies that have won and were nominated. ever.

to be honest, today felt like a monday

{insert current cute picture}

long weekends are the best. and coming home made me not want to go back to cold college town.
sometimes i dream that me and my bff were bffs with shailene woodly. and she had to switch schools, and she cried because she was going to miss me so much.
i don't even know what the date has been for the last week.
my brother had a huge party last weekend and you would not believe how glad i am to be out of high school.
i slowly feel my life unfolding more and more the more i do what i want to become.
do you ever feel like maybe january can be the hardest month ever?
i have two best friends that always say the exact right things.
making my mom laugh so hard she wheezes out air before an audible laugh comes out is probably my favorite thing to do.
i played a pretty funny prank on my parents over the weekend too, and i promise you'll want to hear more on that later.

dear best friend,

dear best friend,

Remember that time on Valentines Day when I said I had only been on 3 dates the 6 semesters I had been there and then that teacher walking near us turned around and said, "That's so sad. You should hang out in different buildings."? Well I'd like him to know that I've successfully had plenty of more dates since then and you're about to get married. And that is something I seriously can't believe sometimes, it just makes me so freakin' happy! Every time I see a picture of Summer Bellessa and Brooke White, I love it so much more because Summer's hair is red now, so we really are just like the GWG. Do you remember that time I would use IcyHot cream for my monster of a knot in my shoulders and I accidentally touched my eye and you said it drooped like I was having a stroke? That's me for ya.  I miss watching award shows with you because you're the only person that enjoys it and knows everything thats going on.  When I watched the Golden Globes, everyone made fun of Diane Keaton, which is kind of ok, because she's an easy target, but the fact that they didn't know that she was in Annie Hall with Woody Allen or even who Woody Allen is, means you don't exactly have license to make fun.  And then when I explain everything, they still don't really care. So lets just plan on watching all of the awards shows together, ok? I heard someone play P.S. I Love You and I was surprised I knew all the words and didn't know why it made me feel sad. But I realized it was because you had played it so many times before. i think that we should take a minute to commemorate all of the songs that have gone through the infinite playlist of our college experience. like this. Remember this one too? Have you caught up on Revenge yet? Or had any slurpees lately? I hope we get one when I come see you. Sometimes I really hope that it comes a lot sooner than it is going to, because it's one of those monumental marks that you go through in a friendship, and who doesn't love to get a chance to see that? It's just like when we wrote our names on the top of the door to our room in the 411 or the time we switched you into my room from yours.  I think that sometimes when those things happen, we see the significance and know that things are changing, but what I think we don't know is that there's something else about it that is much small and simple, and we don't really remember that until later. but when we do, it makes all the big things seem that much bigger and the good things seem just that much better.

like, really, how did we turn into such women? 

inspiration

it hits me and goes through me in a way that nothing else does. it runs like something i've never really experienced otherwise.  almost like a slow fog at first - i can't quite make sense of anything, no matter what it is I'm working on.  i have pieces, vague ideas, scattered thoughts.  But nothing really goes the way I want it.  And then suddenly, with no real rhyme, reason, or time, i feel it creeping in. and i can't quite grasp it yet, but i know its coming. it's seeping through the ceiling and like an egg being cracked, it seeps over the top of my head and flows down through me. and if i don't grab something and start writing it down, i'll lose it. if i don't speak immediately, i'll forget it. if i don't move and do it runs past me. it is the most odd and somewhat spiritual experience i have. there are times where i sit and labor and work tirelessly towards just a glimmer of inspiration. and then there are the blessed times that i can literally feel a surge and charge run through me. and i don't know why i work that way, but i do. my life works like this. and i live like this because it is my creative brain and it satisfies me and i sometimes think of it and look at it in awe.  its the most beautiful thing that i can think of - a tangible connection with a higher and more ultimate power that can be seen through the product of what i create. and that's a gift

things my brothers tell me, part 4

L: I found a new girlfriend actually. She's older and won't leave me for my twin like my old girlfriend did.

G (when I call home): Mario's Pizza, what can I get you?
Me: I'd like a large pepperoni and anchovy pizza delivered to me at school please. Can you do that?
G: No. Sorry, nobody likes anchovies.

L: My friend - she likes sharks as much as she likes bracelets.

G: But I'm a unicorn! Unicorns are never late!

L: Get your mind out of the gutter!
Me: Do you even know what that means?
L: Yes. It means don't think dirty things. Like poop.

G: Did you know that when elves die, they bury them in ornaments?
Me: How do you know that?
G: Because its Christmas.
L: Oh yeah, and if elves die, you can bring them back to life. You just sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them.
Me: And how do you know that?
L: It's just easy.

Mom (to L, as he is upset that his twin is beating him at bowling): G is never better than you at anything. Let him have his fun.
G: Nuh uh, I am good at art AND origami

G: Come on, I'm the tan one in the family

M (reading a headline on the newspaper): "Best way to start 2014 - Babies"
G: Well, lets buy a baby then.

L: Jenna, this is gonna be easy for you, Does the sun go around the earth or the earth go around the sun? That's too easy. The sun goes around the earth.

monday

i love teapots and the way they slowly collect on my shelves and remind me of other things.
there's a red devil inside of me and it wanted desperately to crash my monday morning.
i forgot how the winter weeks feel painfully longer and much more boring than they should.
craving brownie batter is a very real thing and i experience it.
i missed all of the good parts of the golden globes and now i'm just waiting for it to be put on on youtube, because amy poehler and tina fey is something i have missed both years now.
the more time i spend thinking of my future in a visual media world, the more i really love it.
i've been thinking about january, and i think i've concluded that it can be a very hard month for most people. its full of resolutions and things to keep us moving forward to a better person, but i think people forget to mention that its also a really hard time. the days can be gloomy with no sun, and the stress of a new year and becoming a new person weighs on us and makes us rethink ourselves at every step. i notice people comparing to others, and analyzing themselves as if they're testing their own self-love and image. maybe its just me and a few others, but for those that feel the same, hang in there. we always over analyze ourselves much more than we should.

TYRA

Once upon a time, when Jace and were roommates, 

and Tyra the art figure model was our friend, 

we did a project of tyra and her poses. 

i found these the other day and they still make me laugh.
i only wish i still had the pictures of tyra with a wig on.
but thats another story for another time.

things i wish i knew about college before i came

-leaving home for a new semester never gets easy.

-fun filler classes are great. but stop taking them after your first year. because now you have to wait another semester to graduate.

-you actually do want to save your money up now. and take AP classes.

-the next semester always comes too quick

-start being social sooner.

-soda addiction is real. cut yourself off now!

-the six girls you live with most likely all had sisters, and most definitely will all want to share your clothes. come up with your excuses and rules....now!

-no matter how much you hate school sometimes, you will always love it

monday

first day of another semester.
i think i've finally gotten to the point where it doesn't feel like a big ordeal every time this happens.
um, the bachelor is starting tonight. HELLO!
i'm really working on my posture, because its supposed to help prevent the usual land mine of knots on my back. its more of a conscious effort than i thought it would be.
i miss being with my family every day. i had such a wonderful break with them.
on that same note, my dad makes the best pizza out there.
keeping to my resolutions proves to be more of a conscious effort as well, but i really like it all so far.

things i'm looking forward to:

- a new semester with my wonderful friends and new possibilities
- juan-uary 5th ;)
- my best friend's wedding
- taking pictures at best friend's said wedding with my other best friend
- packages (i'm expecting 3)
- the annual birthday bash
- change. resolutions. everything.
- the almost unbelievable idea of warmer weather

resolve

simplicity at its finest. 

i'm on track to trying to become a softer, 

more kind and loving girl

that would emulate her testimony and Christ-like love.

cheers to the year!

january looks like