the weekly

christmas came and went and it already feels like a far passed event. boo.
i have been watching more gilmore girls than necessary this past week, thanks to the complete boxed set of seasons as my christmas gift. believe me, that was a long time comin'
i taught primary on sunday and the cutest 4 year old girl in my class legitimately thought i was THE Elsa. i mean, i am. but she thought i was also the queen and asked why i changed my hair red, because 'she thought it was better white'.
do you ever think that maybe sometimes new year's eve is a little overrated? its not my favorite.
i am a super shopper. really. (i get it all from my mom) and it benefits during the holiday season.
the kardashian's are in park city. and its rumored that kanye's even with them. uh WHAT?
mostly, i just don't want this break to be over.
aren't flowers just the most loveliest of things?
that's me up there. on our trip. everyone keeps making those slideshow collage things of their year in review, and while mine was definitely a fabulous year to review (i mean this summer alone could have been a novel - don't get me started on the months before and after it!), i feel like the one thing that was best this year, was me. that sounds really full of it, but for the first time in a while, i've enjoyed really thriving in being myself and doing what i love. here's to hoping another year is just as grand.

that trip of a lifetime

remember that trip i took this summer? the one that i still fawn over when i think about it (which is almost every day) and tell stories of? my grandma talks about it more than i do, and seeing how much she loved it moved me to make a video of the trip for her and my grandpa to watch and remember it by. after all, the trip was for them. i'm still learning all this video stuff, but its fun to see it all over again. i want to always travel, but this trip will always be one that i remember.



Europe from Elsa Jensen on Vimeo.

just in case you missed it on other social media platforms ;)

gold syndrome

guys, i am so obsessed with gold and glitter lately, its insane. i also can't get enough of that song 'do you want to build a snowman?' and then it always turns into 'let it go' and i sing it alllllllllllllll day. and then i think about how much i love it that her name is elsa and my name is elsa and then i hope that someone else will want to talk about it too. so if i bring it up, thats probably why. anyways, back to gold and glitter. its like i have a radar for it, and all that my eyes can spot is something that is gold or glittery, and it jumps out and says "BUY ME ELSA".  it kind of makes me laugh. i also have this problem that makes me want to watch all of the modern family episodes ever made but its like i have to jump through illegal hoops just to do it (i mean, why netflix doesn't have it, i will never know), and it kind of poops me out, so most times i just don't watch it. i also want to cook and eat all things wonderful and paint all things wonderful. and so is my christmas break life.

a christmas of people

christmas for me, is people. this year had felt different for me and i couldn't quite explain why. the joy of presents or the hustle and bustle of holiday cheer didn't seem the same. and i think that's because i changed a little bit. i have so dearly come to learn of the importance of the people around me in life, and i think thats where it all changed. because there's a certain feel in the air around the holidays that changes the way we are with people. and i think thats when i realized that i'd rather have people for christmas any day. people that i love and wrestle with daily, like brothers, and roommates, that always keep me laughing.  people that i look up to and admire, watching to know how to live, like my parents and grandparents. people that i connect with, that bring me such a feeling of solidarity and understanding that is accompanied with a bond that even i don't understand, but only us best friends truly can. and just those people. those people that we see all the time and that i somehow seem to take for granted that they are always just there. for me, people is what christmas is about. i could live on a christmas of traditions and people and still just be as happy. and i think thats why we are all here together. God gave us people to love us and nurture us. to influence us, teach us, and bless us. and my testimony of that is really the best christmas gift i could have received.

monday

somehow, its much easier to blog when i'm at home. somehow its also much easier to take self portraits at home.
i finished another semester at school and i couldn't be more happy with how that one turned out.
i'm in a disney movie, and its pretty darn cute. yes, you can ask me if i want to build a snowman. my mother also suggested i stay away from red-headed men after that. ironic.
i don't know what it is, but certain people seem to have a radar to when i'm in the area and it is not what i prefer.
we've watched so many christmas movies at my house, we could be called the holiday cheer-meisters
for some reason, i've been pondering a lot about myself and the things i want to do differently, and it makes me excited for fresh beginnings.
the more i think about creativity, the more i realize that its a gift and talent from God, on lend to us all.
i've booked two weddings within the next three months. TWO! i feel so legit.
sometimes i dream that my roommate and her fiance didn't move out over the break and i wake up super bummed out.
hey, best friend, i had a coffee oreo shake the other night but i added BROWNIE BATTER. it was phenomenal. then i watched new girl and wished you were there.
then i promptly went to the gym. #holidaysmakemefat
my other best friend spent the night last week, because we are never too old for that. and her husband was out of town.

monday

i have two days left people. TWO. DAYS.

the fact that i'm not at home right now, but i was at the same time last year is really upsetting to me. 

on a happier note, it was my birthday this last weekend! i am now 22. you may now begin asking and saying silly lines that involve my age and are from taylor swift. everyone else did. 

i now have a professional working website! it was so hard to make, i literally can't explina to you in words how hard coding a website is and how much time it takes (but I'm thinking i locked in about 40+ hours), but i am so stinking proud of that simple website. so proud, that i can't get my fingers off of it and once my teacher grades it, i'm adding more. 

i was slightly regretting watching a ton of SVU last week because i had a crazy dream that i was a detective, so i moved onto revenge. and OH MY GOSH. 

i officially booked my ticket to my best friend's wedding and i am so excited! but looking for a light pink bridesmaid dress right now is about impossible.

i also booked a wedding today and i feel so professional! its all in your website ;)

i want to be emily thorne. 

december looks like

whats new with me?
i'm sitting in my living room watching probably my 10th or 11th episode of SVU. its always on usa today, and its sooooooo addicting to this apartment lately.
i spent all weekend, (literally all weekend) working on the hugest and hardest project i've had in my college experience yet.
but the best feeling is when you actually nail what you're doing and it works out.
i love december. have i mentioned that?
i'm definitely over the whole "i'll just talk to you on mondays" thing.
my birthday is definitely only 3 days away. 3 days people.
me and my roommates discovered the taco bus, which is down the street in small college town, and it was probably the best discovery we made in a while.
i've turned into a lazy blogger. i promise to do better once these finals are over.

blessed day

my small college town gets so cold it, the power can't even handle it. its the best thing in the world to wake up all groggy and confused and find four mass texts from your college that say classes have been postponed until 12:45, which is precisely when I am done for the day. thank you retched -12 degree weather for gracing us with your presence and giving me the entire day off. i truly appreciate it, and all of the 54 snowflakes i made for a ward party. what else is there to do when the power is out?

tuesday. because monday is oh so busy.

this is my face, because the cold snow makes me happy, and cold.
i know, i know. i haven't blogged in a while.
if you couldn't tell from everyone that resides in the states surrounding me, it snowed today. like, a lot.
thanksgiving break was wonderful in every aspect of a break.
but now that is december, i can start talking about how much i love december. because hello, it has my birthday. and the world turns into a gorgeous snow globe of goodness. oh, and the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.
i also sang "snow" from white christmas all last night and today because it snowed.
and the apartment is decorated like a winter wonderland. its fabulously fabulous and i find myself wanting to be in my living room next to my little pink tree always.
i also hung mistletoe above our front door ;)
oxblood and gold are officially my two new favorite colors.
i love this season and i want it to stay a while.

engagements

i got to take my roommate and her fiance's engagement pictures last week.

it felt good to have a project again and get really into it. 

the sun was absolutely gorgeous and i want it to always be like that. 

monday

thanksgiving is thursday. my break starts tomorrow. and i mentally checked out on saturday. why am i still here?

in good news, i get to leave and go home tomorrow. 

in better news, one direction's new cd, midnight memories is on sale today and i TOTES BOUGHT IT!

i also watched all 7 hours of 1D Day. it was not planned, but it definitely happened. 

my weekend didn't go as planned, but i saw catching fire, so at least that happened. 

i also can't stop thinking about said movie. seriously. have. to. watch. again. 

why do i always want gator jacks when i'm blogging on mondays?

sometimes i really love to pretend i'm online shopping. i'll fill up a whole cart and then just not buy any of it.

there's this game called skunk and we all can't stop playing it.
this weekend holds so much exciting potential, i can barely handle it.
i want to watch anastasia. odd? maybe. 

messages

I love this message and this story. 

happy sunday. 

how many more days until i see them?

remember when you were this little?

you probably don't. but i do. 

oh how i miss you, little cute boys. 

african stories.

i had never been somewhere that was far worse than i had imagined. but here i was, and it was staring me in the face. i had been to a third world country before, and for some reason i had thought that this gave me an advantage, but i was not off to a good start. it may have been the 27 hours of straight travel or it may have been the bed i had slept on that looked like it was covered in diseases, but either way, starting off my first full day in africa was not as easy as i had thought it might be. we were told several times that today we would be in the poorest of the poor, and all that experience i had mentioned before left me to think that it would not be much harder than what i had experienced. but the barren dirt land that was inhabited by far too many shelters, that could hardly be considered homes because they were made of garbage bags with sticks for framing, left me with a feeling i still can't describe. i could not process what was in front of me.  i did not know how i would face the day. i didn't know how i would make it and let alone smile, and i instantly wanted to go home. but i was the first seat on the bus. the one they were all waiting for to get off first, to lead the way through what was just as terrifying to them. i pulled my sunglasses down, and walked out into the sun with the most sincere prayer in my heart. and the biggest blessing i could have ever asked for followed. the instant my foot hit that ground, i was fine. i was more than fine. i was the most kind and outreaching i had ever been in my life. and that was when i knew i wanted to always do this. i wanted to always travel, no matter where in the world it may be. because it was a gift to be there and i left more blessed than those that i was intending to bless.

i know i always post this picture, but it was my moment and i love that it was captured. 

MONDAY

i am counting down the days until thanksgiving break.
my best friend got engaged on saturday!! i am so happy for them both!
there are exactly three things i can't stop thinking about: 1. a gator jack's sandwich 2. my weekend and how much i like it and 3. my birthday. its getting close!
after years of wanting a tulle skirt, i bought one yesterday and its stinking adorable.
it finally snowed in small college town, but it barely stuck to the ground, which is so uncharacteristic.
i definitely bowled a 111 and i am proud of that.
when is it ok to want to ask your roommate's boyfriend to leave the house? is it when he makes himself at home while she naps in her room? because i feel like thats an appropriate time. fiance's and college apartment life don't mix well.
for the first time in weeks, i finally had time to do whatever i wanted on a sunday, and it was bliss.
the fact that i don't have midnight tickets to catching fire doesn't disappoint me. its the fact that i don't care as much about not having tickets as i should care.
i have realized that happiness is subjective and dependent on ourselves - and that makes it that much more satisfying. i have earned my happiness.

the divine power

i am grateful for friends that are worthy. and i am grateful for friends that are good and whole. there is something so powerful in seeing a friend in a new, sacred, and spiritual light that brings such a respect that i can't even begin to describe. a new bond that lets me see just who they really choose to be, and how little i let them be that in my eyes. i think it so special that they live that way and they choose to be the most righteous they can be, so they can bless others. and now i should live my life that way, so that i might be able and willing to help, if only a small amount compared to them.

the priesthood is a gift and power that i have such respect for.  and for those that use theirs willingly and respectfully.

looking through old shoots

and i found this gem.

things my brothers tell me, part 3:

G (looking at an old and very 90s family picture): Elsa, are you wearing trousers in that picture??
L: Dude, those are overalls.

Noah (after I told him about the new release of the trailer for the movie Noah): Russell Crowe is playing me? Couldn't they have gotten Liam Neeson at least?

Me: Hey, do you like orange juice? Maybe we'll buy you some for your throat.
L: Yes, and I also love polynesian sauce.

G's commentary on a lady's musical number in church:
-Whoa, that was loud. I'm just saying what you were thinking.
-Did she just say enjoy your cake? (It was "in joy or pain")

L: Oh whoa mom, I can feel the comb on my head.
Mom: Yeah, that normally happens.
L: No, like I can feel it through my hair on my head.

G: (talking about One Direction) Harry is the British one
Me: They're all British
G: Well he's the most British. So he's the most cool.

G: (upon farting) Sorry, I can't help it when I'm nervous.

Me: I know that you love sports so much, but they aren't meant for inside, right?
G: Yeah, except maybe pool.

L: Nial's hair looks like Sky's.
G: Sky who?
L: Elsa's friend Sky. Sky Geren.
G: You're just saying that because they both are blonde and have good hair.

G: Its easier for me to remember Harry's last name because its like hair style.
L: Yeah and he has the most hair style.

Can you tell they are a One Direction fandom right now?

it's wednesday and i'm much happier now

i gave a presentation on pizza the other day, and replicated my dad's thai chicken pizza to bring to class. i've never been so popular on campus before.

i had a dream the other night that i was best buddies with the Kris Jenner and i traveled to Spain with the entire Kardashian clan for Kimye's wedding. 

i think i might have made progress. and that is a good thing. i mean he always opens the door for me. and only me. so that's good, right?

so we definitely had a cake party this last sunday, and it wasn't as big as the others. it was still fun, but i think we hit the quota when we went three weeks ago. 

anyone want to do my laundry for me?

i think getting mail from my best friend is one of the best things ever. she's a cutie that i miss. 

sometimes i just want to stop all of my school work and dive head first into photography again and do only that. 

and then i also want to keep doing video. i need to practice that. 

i've started to count down to thanksgiving break. anyone know how many days there are? i actually don't know, i just know its closer than it was yesterday. 

having friends on sports teams at school has actually made me that much more aware of how all sports work. i never thought i would learn. 

it's gotten so cold outside that i can pretend i'm smoking with my steamy breath. 

again, does anyone want to do my laundry for me?

"watch out, extremely sassy"

let's just start by saying the red devil came to visit in the most inopportune time, which was today.
my motivation has literally flown out the window. like, i watched it peace out on me right as soon as my sweats went on.  and the fact that i don't really care to get it back is probably the worst part. not that i care about it right now. all i cared about was an order of cinnamon twists, a crunchwrap supreme, and an extra large soda. and grumpy elsa gets what she wants. it also doesn't help that i have three tv shows that i want to catch up on right now, and a pile of laundry that should probably be done.  but to be real, my sarcasm is off the charts hysterical right now, and i think if there is anything that should be seen as good from this mood, maybe it should be that. i should walk around with a sign hanging around my neck that says "watch out, extremely sassy" so no one crosses me and i further embarrass myself. so let's just say that's my excuse for no post about my life. i'll promise that for another day, when the red devil isn't so keen on consuming my attitude and body both.

"you do not want to hike annapurna!"

it is one of my favorite movies

hola monday

[insert current picture here]

i have a knot the size of texas on my left shoulder blade and trying to get rid of it probably is a feeling similar to giving birth. too much?
i tried mcdonald's breakfast for the first time ever last week.
i successfully made it through midterms. high five for me!
have you ever wanted to just nap all day long? i felt like that on saturday and didn't even care.
speaking of saturday, we went bowling at this ghetto place and oddly, i came in third place.
i've come to the conclusion that i'm the ultimate soccer (or insert any of sport) mom there is.
when is thanksgiving break again?
has it snowed yet here? nope.
i was shocked at myself for actually wanting to keep watching the kardashians after it was turned off.
class sign ups are on thursday. what?
twitter is becoming a thing again. at least for me.
i've decided naps are always a good idea.
also, we've started a bowling league and i'm somewhat serious about practicing.

can we just talk about how stressed I am right now, because maybe that would help.

but really. never did i imagine that i would be so busy that i wouldn't have time for revenge. #priorities. also, never did i think that i would have so many good friends that i would have to balance my time between them all and it would distract me from homework. its a good thing, but i also hate it. its like i'm still that toddler that won't go to sleep in her room because i'm afraid that i'm missing out. yep mom, i guess i'll always be like that. and then there's this thing called work. don't get me wrong, making money is the biggest blessing i've ever had at school, but having to balance a professional work life on top of everything else is an ongoing adjustment that i'm still trying to make. speaking of adjustments, i guess i kind of date now.  i don't know how it happened, and it probably will stop soon (because it seems to be something that comes and goes in spurts), but that also has been added to my plate. and how i'll ever become good at letting down those boys that are so nice but just not my type, is a mystery to me. because sometimes i would rather be let down by the guys that i like than have to tell one more softie that i just want to be friends. actually, i take that back. but i guess that regardless of what i want to have happen, my life is just always going to stay this busy and probably only get busier. i promise that the complaining won't get worse. at least not publicly. oh an let me admit that today i skipped class to do homework.  shouldn't that not be how it goes? SLOW DOWN ON THE HOMEWORK TEACHERS!

another letter to my best friend,

dear best friend,

when i wait for the elevator, i still say "in case of fire, use stars". and i still feel like i'm funnier than i really am when i say it. and sometimes when i leave the library to walk home, i still get worried that the alarm will go off.  do you remember that time that i absolutely nailed an irish accent? it was probably like 3 in the morning and we were living in carriage, and for a whole hour i spoke nothing but perfect irish. i'm still disappointed that i've never been able to ever again. also, i look back and realize that we watched ten tv shows last fall and i honestly don't know how we did it. do you? speaking of, are you watching smallville? i really hope you are. yesterday i wanted hot chocolate so bad i almost drove to IF for a good cup of it. you would have done that with me, wouldn't you? sometimes i want to snapchat you and ask what i should wear tomorrow-especially on sundays. you know that tights throw me off. i also always want to snap you funny lines, but you don't have sound, so you should get a heytell and i will too. sometimes i miss that we would argue about if peeta or gale is better and i wish that we were going to the midnight premiere together. i'm not even going at midnight and i feel like a failure. i also miss when i wanted to go get something out to eat and i could just look at you and you'd know what i was thinking. its called telepathy. have i told you that i'm planning on going to paris before my grandma gets too old?  she wants me to take a picture in front of the eiffel tower just like her mother did, and i decided i want to do it. and that made me want to tell you, because you love paris so much. i'm also working on something for you. its a surprise for a certain thing and that's all i'll say about that. lastly, i miss when we would have "days". like bon days or audrey days or gossip girl days. again, its telepathy at its finest and i miss that and that we were so much the same. please give me an excuse to come visit soon....*cough* *cough*

el

hello monday. and hello fall.

guys, one direction released one of their singles and it is so good. seriously, its on repeat.
i went to the haunted straw maze again over the weekend and i wasn't even scared. turns out using the 'keep your left hand on the wall' trick actually works.
i watched the walking dead for the first time ever last night and i wasn't even scared. who am i??
today is monday and it hit me in the face. but oddly, now that its 9 o'clock at night, it feels like tuesday.
its midterms week and there's a lot to do. so this will be fun.
i met brooks forester last weekend and he told me, "elsa, you have the best hair i've seen all night!" #marryme
halloween is on thursday and i don't have a costume. or a reason to wear one. i need to fix that.
i took a look at how many weeks are left in the semester and panicked a bit. i have no idea why i did.
yesterday we talked about opposition in things, and it made me grateful for all the bad things.
i love that my hair matches the trees in the fall time.
i also love that my hair matches a certain other person's hair.
it might snow this week and i'm ok with that as long as its past october 31st. welcome to small college town. weather expectations=low.
remember what i said about choosing to be happy? well, i am. and i love it.

i love the merrills

Last weekend while i was at home, my good friend carrie asked if I could take their family pictures and I was so excited! I love this family - there are all so great and I'm glad that I could call them each my friends.  The leaves were beautiful and so was the day.  Aren't they just so cute?

Also, I don't know if you all knew, but this little girl is four and she is my best friend. Isn't she so stinkin' adorable?

it might be 1:00 am, but its still monday until i go to bed

do you remember how we had a cake party last winter? and do you remember that it was a big night for us all?  last night, we had another cake party and it was probably one of the best things thats happened in a while. like, i'm ready to have another cake party next weekend, because STUFF HAPPENED!
i went home over the weekend and watched my brothers while my parents were out of town. i love being with my brothers.
i started going to the gym again. wahoo for me!
i am now two episodes behind on revenge and i don't even know when i have time to catch up. ugh.
there are some days that i go to sleep and think that i was probably the most myself i ever could have been, and i smile because it was just so darn good. that was yesterday.
i can't get one way or another (teenage kicks) out of my head lately.
i waited three whole weeks for a letter from someone, and once I got it, I realized I didn't really need it. that's how i know i've moved on.
i saw that movie, the way way back, and it was probably one of the funniest and best things i've seen lately.
so there's this thing with neon lately...
i got a new nail polish and its makes my nails look like pennies. its awesome.
i took family pictures for my family friends and they are so adorable.
i love the crisp fall idaho weather.

for those that deal with creativity

when i am feeling plain, dull, and like nothing good can come form my fingers again, 

i remember this. 

it may be 20 minutes long, but it is so very brilliant. 

today is tuesday

i have so much to tell you.
my life has hit this stage where it is running and i am hastily trying to keep up with it.
i've been practicing my video skills by working on a little project from summer trips and i am in love.
it also makes me want to go back to europe very very badly.
i went on a date last weekend to the haunted straw maze and it was probably the funnest thing of my life, even though i don't think i'd go with him again. did i mention that it was the guy that i put my number on his car? 
sometimes i really want it to be thanksgiving already. i just love good pie.
there's a new trailer for this movie called monuments men and it looks fantastically awesome.
downton abbey is absolutely killing me right now.
i met the greatest person i've probably ever met to only never see them again. #timingsucks
i'm making my roommates watch all of the harry potters with me for the next month and its probably the greatest thing ever.
i've made a habit of falling asleep on my textbook when i study in the library in the afternoons.
some days, i go to sleep and i honestly don't know i did it that day.
i have decided to be happy. because it is good for my health.

oh, um, hey. long time no see.

so, yes, its true. i have neglected this blog, because hey-i'm at school and i'll be darned if i don't do my homework and have a productive social life. and to be honest, both of those things have kept me mighty busy. so my guilt for not having blogged coupled with my complete lack of motivation (i blame the red devil) has made me decide to catch you up on my life via snapchats that have been saved to my phone, and the promise of a real blog post tomorrow. enjoy.

its an intense thing to do in the dark at 1 in the morning

that was a rough day.

i send funny snapchats in the morning

we like friends

yep. i went the whole month without soda. boo ya!

a little shoot

last week we found a field that was green

and seeing as those don't stay that green for that long around these parts, 

we decided to take the opportunity of it. 

and p.s.-

i looooove those first two pictures.

guatemala

i find myself forgetting this trip and these experiences from time to time and it makes me panic.

because when i was 17 and went on this kind of a trip for the first time, i never really turned back.

in more ways than one, i had tasted the world and with it, came the unquenchable need to keep experiencing it. and also, with it, came the desire to always explore those that i could learn from. because that is the truth of these kinds of trips-the benefit always returns to you greater than you gave. of all the things, i remembered this today. when we had first interacted with the people of the cloud forest region in the mountains of guatemala, i was drenched with sweat and then caked in dust. while we had a short hour with a small branch for church, we had to leave and continue our way up the mountains to our mayan like destination. one little girl followed me. and all she could say was my name. the barrier of languages didn't keep the message of her want for friendship. it was the sweetest and simplest thing that opened up my possibilities for the entire trip.

she is my friend that knew my name and thats all i really needed. 

monday, oh monday

well, small college town has officially decided to begin the short fall and then transition to winter. yikes.

i've been expecting a certain letter for over a week now. it is frustrating beyond belief. 

my name is elsa and i am two weeks sober. off soda, that is. 

i'm just barely finding that balance between work, homework, and a social life. 

now that i have to add my tv shows starting back up, i don't know how that will balance. #firstworldproblems

sometimes my roomies and i hang out with the freshman across the hall. actually, we do it all the time.

i'm in a class that is strictly nerdy things. for real. we code websites and talk about html.

where have all the good wholesome movies gone? all the imdb trailers i keep seeing are either disgusting, or rated r. it's a really pity. 

sundays are now for naps. because 9 am church is just a crime. 

but really, i just want the fall leaves to come in already. 

i've thought a lot about change lately, 

and how it is always evident in our lives, 

yet most of the time we still fight it off. 

but i've learned that my life is a life of change, 

and the gospel is a church of change.

we should always be changing. 

why wouldn't we want it to? 

it seems like something so simple 

and it struck me across the face today with its profoundness. 

embrace change and let it rule life.

mondays turn into tuesdays sometimes

I successfully survived the first week of school. hooray!

expecting three packages and a letter in one week is probably the greatest thing to happen to a college student and their mail life. 

I love making new friends. 

I go hard at dances and sometimes I don't even know who I am when it happens. 

I had a dream the other day that I went to London and never wanted to leave.  That's probably why I haven't gone yet. 

This whole One Direction thing is starting to get a little out of hand. 

Back at home, every Monday is taco night. I miss taco night. 

When I have to concentrate on my homework, I blast the score to Downton Abbey into my stolen iPhone5 headphones. 

Its kind of dumb that people can't seem to hand out without their wingman. Like, did you think that I would date them too? Did you think we would all get married?

I threw a rockin' ward party yesterday. 

Also, sometimes I want to kiss Liam Payne. Actually all the time I want to. 

a letter to my best friend

dear best friend,

i miss that we would both stay up on our computers before we go to bed and say things like "did you read courtney's blog?" or "go look at what i just pinned".  i think i took for granted and forgot just how alike we were. i didn't realize how much the same we were until i started living with people that don't do the same things as us, and that makes me sad. sometimes i listen to your starred playlist in the morning because that's what would be playing if you were here. the mirror is in a new spot and its finally hung up on the wall like it was supposed to always be. did i tell you that jason lucas said hi to me in the hall in the spori? i think he recognized me from all my insta's that he keeps liking.  making egg salad sandwiches isn't that great anymore, because one egg isn't enough food, but two eggs is too much, and i find myself at this awkward stage because i don't know what to do with it all. i told you it would be a hard transition to learn how to cook for only one person. wasn't the new score for downton abbey so good? poor poor mary makes me so sad that i want to cry and only downton can do that do a person, don't you think? last night, i just wanted you to be here so we could eat cookie dough and watch something sad like we do when things just aren't the way we wished with boys. but I really just missing staying up really late. I'm so proud of you for getting so good at painting your nails on your own too. the other day a really big semi honked its horn by my room and I yelled "Brody's here!" nobody got it. will you come visit me soon? then we can make no bakes and you can buy me ice cream because you owe me BIG for that. and i guess i'll buy you some too.

Called to Serve

my friend was so kind to let me take her pictures before she left on her mission. 

it was raining the whole day before the shoot and i was so worried that it wouldn't work out. 

but the sun came out and gave us the most gorgeous lighting just in time. 

as my mother always says, "you're true!" Brikelle! 

You will be a fabulous missionary!