lately.....

things i love lately......

baseball games

stripes

especially coral and navy ones 

brian andreas quotes. 

i love them so much. 

clean room!

that was sarcastic...

flow. 

i'm truly addicted

9 crimes by damien rice

writers and things

oh how i love the wily brunette. her writing is ever so clear. and always so powerful. i was enjoying this.

"i am a strong, independent woman. and my desire for a man neither makes me more or less of these things. it simply is--and it is mine.

it makes me human. in need of sustenance. in the form of touch and affection and love.

but in wanting to find a partner--in wanting to choose the right partner--i want the man who compels me to be more. more of myself. who demands that i be as honest and as true and as good as i am capable of. and so in that sense yes, i want the man who will make an honest woman out of me. honest, having nothing to do with sin or sex or needing a man to complete me, but everything to do with allowing me to by myself--imperfect and messy and flawed in more ways the i care to share here.


....

i do want to take a moment to say this: if one more person says to me it'll come when you least expect, when you stop looking i'm gonna lose it. i can think of no more insulting cliche to throw at a single person. like saying, it'll be the last place you look for it. really, wow, thank you so much for the insight.

because to think that i haven't gotten to that place where i stopped looking, stopped searching, only to move on past it and circle back again more times than i care to count is a gross misestimation of me as person. i have felt deep affection for a great many men in my life. and i have found them when i was looking, when i wasn't, and at each of the many steps between those two extremes."

and it spoke to me that night

like it never had before.
simply whispered into my ear,
"remember the verse of the song you love"
and rushing into my head,
gushing like a swell of water.
filling my whole body with the all to well known warmth,
causing me to weep simple tears.
i felt at the time what i had read before.
i knew of the truthful written events
and i felt it unfold right at that time.
and it brought me no better feelings
of comfort mixed with awe. 

fear not i am with thee, oh be not dismayed

for i am thy God and will still give thee aid.

my fingers must always move

i wish to keep my fingers constantly moving

from the continuous spouts of ideas the funnel from my mind.

there is no other feeling that equivalents 

to that of knowing you have created.

i delight in utilizing my creative brain.

some may call me an overachieving relief society teacher 

to make every single thing i use and give from scrap.

but i like to call it my sanity. 

it keeps me level headed to have fidgeting fingers calmed in craft.

and it makes me happy to see a finished product. 

and i remember it each time i craft (like tonight).

for your sunday

featured

I was featured on a blog today. a friend asked if i would submit a writing for a blog of an organization that she is part of, called the c.r.o.w.n. project.  it's all about encouraging girls and women to create a positive attitude and drive for understanding personal beauty.  i will say, i struggled for a good week trying to decide what to write. but i'm glad the way it turned out and i hope it leaves an impression the way i was hoping it would.

you can check it out HERE

have a lovely weekend all.

lately....

things i love lately.....

first and foremost, 

hunger games in all its newly released entities. 

tart deco nail polish. 

(definitely a pinterest picture. there was no way around it)

classy james dean

red lipstick. 

big balloons. 

envisioning a shoot soon...

classy girls by the lumineers. 

no classy girls don't kiss in bars you fool.

cycle

its a funny and contradicting life cycle we all seem to go through. its quite apparent to those that have began to go through it, but it still makes me chuckle nonetheless. we spend all of our teen years focusing so much on what it takes to get us noticed and to have instant happiness.  spend the $200 you don't have to get the brand new phone model that turns out to be not so great in the first place.  listening to parents-oh its out of the question. we spend all that time just knowing that we are right and knowing that this is the life.

and then the time of life comes where we start to realize that maybe that lifestyle was not exactly what was best.  with slow lessons on money, school, true friends, and becoming yourself, that trickle into your lifestyle, we slowly realize, that maybe we didn't really have it all together.  maybe we really weren't as smart as we thought. and yes-maybe all along our parents were right.

i can only imagine that this continues and continues with each phase of life. thinking the next will be better. and that the next, we'll finally get it right. only to hopefully learn somewhere along the lines, that right here and right now is where its most important. and to always stay right here and right now.

all in a cab ride to the airport

"i love you."

"so what?"

"so what? so plenty! I love you, you belong to me."

"no, people don't belong to people"

and that was where you were wrong for the first time audrey. 

friends

i took some pictures of three cute friends last week and the lighting was

to.die.for.

truly it was.

i didn't even edit the first two pictures

because the light was so perfect, i didn't want to touch it

(and you can tell the ones i did edit because i can't even try to imitate that light).

anyways, they were adorable and loads of fun to shoot.

all that laughing made for some cute candids.

to give you a small light

there is always an upswing. 

and there is always hope. 

the l light at the end of the tunnel always appears when you least expect it

(for me, as soon as i stop caring so much). 

and it is the most marvelous of all feelings. 

always remember that wonderful feeling. 

at first, i thought it was a typo

the liebster award. yep. i thought the same thing too- 'what the heck is that?'. and the fact that i've been liebstered sounds even funnier in my mind.  but it turns out to be a german term that means the nicest and loveliest of terms. in short, it means you're all sorts of sweetness that is welcome to the crowd, in german. and the loveliest rachel (or rayo. i never know if you still go by that or not) awarded me with this blogging award that is making its rounds through the blogosphere world. and, do i feel honored to be given this! and as what comes with most blogging trends, a list of questions follows as well (feels a little like 5th grade e-mail chains ;) haha).  so, here it is. the liebster award!

Rules. Follow them children.

-Each person must post 11 things about themselves.

-Answer the questions that the tagger set for you PLUS create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer

-Choose 11 people and link them to your post

-Go to their page and tell them

11 things that you may or may not need to know about me

1. there are few things more important to me in this world than harry potter and hunger games. and thats the truth. (i'm also a tad obsessive. can you tell?)

2. i'm a bit narcoleptic. in more of a joking way though. i fall asleep quickly and then have complete conversations with people and not know it. 

3. there are several moments throughout my day that i find myself saying and doing things exactly the same as my mother and then i know why southern women have often mistaken us for twins.

4. i'm one of those creative people that likes to make, create, and design a whole array of things. so it probably wouldn't shock you that i'm a graphic design major and photography minor ;)

5. i'm sarcastic and a major teaser. *oldest child to a T*

6. i normally claim introversion, but put me in my favorite setting of a completely foreign country, and i break out of my shell. its irony shows how much i truly love traveling. 

7. i am a coordinationally challenged klutz. 

8. birds absolutely terrify me. they are my single worst nightmare next to natural disasters. 

9. walmart's $5 movie bin section is my weakness.

10.  my belief in fortune cookies is almost laughable. but if you had as many fortunes come true as mine have, we would be on the same page. 

11. i usually hate writing these types of lists because i can never never choose what i want to write. hence the random nature of these things. 

Rachel's 11 Questions

1. What is your favorite song and why?

That would be a tie between Blood by the Middle East and The Girl by City and Colour. Blood is just such a beautiful song and I feel swept away every time I listen to it.  I like The Girl because I would wish that one day a boy would sing it to me. Just because I like it a lot. 

2. How did you choose your name for your blog?

My friend told me that I should use a line from a song that I liked and I love Mindy Gledhill's song Whole Wide World and I felt A Little Girl With Great Big Plans was appropriate because I love traveling and I have so many big adventures and plans that are just barely beginning. 

3. What's your favorite item in your makeup bag?

Definitely my eyeliner. Its the one part of my makeup I can honestly say that I can fully master. 

4. If you could travel anywhere where would you go and why?

Where wouldn't I go is the right question haha my top three right now are India, Germany, and Harry Potter World. 

5. Cake or ice cream?

Definitely cake. Lactose intolerant right here. 

6. Who's your best friend and why?

My camera Lucy. Oh and that one friend I have named Jace. And that other friend I have named Jenna.  ;) haha they are the most committed and kind friends that know me better than I know myself. 

7. What's your favorite childhood memory?

I would have to say having mock Purina dog shows on my driveway with the neighbor friends. That was always a treat. 

8. Dog or cats?

Definitely dogs. But occasionally I like cats. 

9. What's your "go-to" funny you tube video?

All of the Kid Histories. Hands down. 

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? (we're always growing up right? right)

Really, I just want to be a mom. There are careers that I'm constantly aspiring to, like photography and graphic design, and I would be a happy girl doing those things. But truly, I just want to be a mom and I always have. 

11. Why do you blog?

Writing has always been a release for me. I used to be to afraid to express myself out loud (and sometimes still am), so writing was always a great way to try and say exactly was I was thinking while still processing the exact right way I wanted to say it. 

My 11 Questions

1. Tell us about your blogging life. Why do you blog? What do you prefer to blog about? Those kinds of things. 

2. If you had to choose only one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

3. Guilty pleasure? What is yours? ;)

4. What's your current favorite color of nail polish?

5. Favorite place to eat at? 

6. Who is you role model and why?

7. Whats your favorite Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor?

8. Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years?

9. If you could go to any concert, what would it be?

10. Biggest celebrity crush. Go. 

11. What are your upcoming expectations for this fall? 

I 'award' and tag the following:

-Miss Jacelyn Bunney @ The Loveliness of Living

-The Lovely Court @ In the Garden

-Amanda in Germany @ Love, Amanda
-Lovely Lily @ All You Need is Love
-Annie Fannie @ A Fresh Start to a New Life
-Pretty Arielle @ The Diary of A Joshua Tree
-Cute Shelby Anne @ Walkin On Sunshine

Seeing as I have so few followers, I really only have this many to tag. So I break the rules and would not feel bad if you didn't feel the need to participate. Especially those that have been tagged in another one ;)

those dang blasted dreams of mine

they get me every time. 

can i not sleep peacefully without being surrounded by lovely scenes

of the boy with the brown hair and the nice smile?

why does my brain have to be so wonderfully reminded 

that what was once gone has now slowly crept back into my thoughts, 

playing with my feelings in that wonderful world of sleep 

where all things are either a picturesque movie moment

or a terrifying and horrid endeavor. 

dang those dreams for making me weak. 

dang those dreams for making my resolve drop, 

my common sense abandon, and my dramatic day return.

fridayitis

It is literally the worst. I may say that about a lot of things, but now that I’ve named this monster that seems to take over my work day, I can label all the annoyances that come along with it.  I cannot work. I cannot play. I cannot go to school  today. I am stuck in this hazy in between feeling of the duty of working and the yearning for play.  I want to do everything I possibly can to burst out of this drab prison bubble of work and do every single creative and fun thing that is racing through my mind at the moment. And it feels like the circumstantial trapped feelings I’m having generate more ideas to give me every excuse to want to be out of this freezing office.  I don’t dare leave for lunch for the fear of not coming back. I’m itching like a high school senior in the last weeks of the year. so I distract myself as I once managed to in high school (though just barely) and avoid looking at the clock on my computer (lets just say I had to cover it with a sticky note) until my wonderfully busy and fun filled weekend will begin. Please go by fast covered up clock on my computer. Let’s get this waiting over with.

lately.....

things i love lately...

bacon avocado grilled cheese

fishtail braids

this book, 

steal like an artist.

red velvet bundt cakes from the cutest ladies ever

anything from city and colour. 

i definitely can't get enough of it.

friend photoshoots. 

more to come soon :)

and best for last....

countdown until my twin gets here and school finally starts

zzzz

i am falling asleep.

but i realize that i have no blogged. 

so just know that today was progress

yesterday was thoughtful 

and tomorrow will always be coming with new adventures.

until then i must sleep.

good night moon

good night room.

and good night to the little old lady whispering 'hush'.

to remember on those times

my best friend got married

and when one of your best friend's gets married, 

it is necessary to write a blog post about it. 

with lots of pictures. 

its a weird thing to think that jen is married. 

and its not weird for the typical reasons of feeling different. 

its weird because it doesn't feel different. 

there's not a feeling of a big monumental change in the earth

because my friend of 15 years has tied the knot with the perfect man for her.

because when its right, its right. 

and when they love each other as much as they do, it just feels natural.

for the few days before her wedding that we spent together, 

that seemed to be the reoccurring theme at the end of our conversations.

and when its right, everything works in the end-

the reception, the weather, the photographer, the ceremonies.

and it all did for jen, and i couldn't be happier for her. 

there will be other days with my best friends glorious weddings

and one day, it will be my turn, 

and i will be as happy as i could ever be.

i cannot wait for that day.

and now, you get a ton of pictures.

i'm totally mad at the quality of half of these pictures-

i only took my dinky point and shoot and my cell phone, 

so thats the quality you get. 

just enjoy anyways :)

lately...

things i love lately....a day early.

healthy hair

this book.

yep. i'm definitely reading a self help book.

and it is fascinating

maxi skirts

packing to go to jen's wedding

photo studying

this lovely single