It's Beginning to Look Like Autumn

it started to rain :)

Well, its definitely starting to feel like fall around here! Its been raining quite a bit the past few days and it's been getting cooler too. The leaves on the ground are getting crunchy and turning into lovely shades of yellow and orange. Midterms are in full swing, Homecoming is here, football games are at their peak, and Halloween decorations are covering store shelves like no other holiday has ever existed. Pumpkin flavored things are in almost every restaurant and every girl is pulling out her rainboots and cardigans for the cooler weather. I like it a lot. :) I feel like it's supposed to be fall and it's a time that I really enjoy. For one, my birthday. And then it means that lots of holidays are coming up: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. And holidays mean family, breaks from school, fun, and happiness (and fun shopping too!).

Probably the one thing that makes me sad about fall though is the fact that winter is just around the corner. After Christmas, it's winter semester, snow everywhere, no breaks or holidays, cold, not a lot of fun events like sports or stuff, and more sickness. :( Winter in Utah is what makes me want to live in California. But at least for now, fall is one of the reasons that reminds me why I love Utah too. I just hope it stays for a long long time...we could postpone snow until Christmas and I wouldn't mind it one bit!!

And random movie talk now...I watched Titanic today (don't worry, I skipped that one part, if ya know what I mean--it's a lot easier to do when watching it on the computer) because I haven't seen it in a while and I was kind of wanting to. Now I'm just thinking, "Why did I want to watch it again?" Titanic is one of those movies that I think I really love and is a good movie to watch every once in a while, but then for a few days after watching it, I can't stop thinking about all the sad and scary parts. Man, it was so intense and sad to watch. Another bad reason for not having seen it in a while is that I can remember what happens but not enough to convince myself that it will still happen. Like I still get anxious when I'm waiting to see if Jack will survive not drowning in the little basement room and I still get nervous because I'm wanting Rose to just blow the whistle so she survives. Of course, the movie always follows it's plot the way it has before but it still makes me anxious every time. Titanic really is such a good movie. It's very gripping and very sad and it's definitely a nail-biter. It's also a wonderful love story. I can't help but watch it and think how grateful I am that I was not born in that time and that I was not on that ship. I also can't help but just feel for every person on that ship, because I know what's going to happen the whole time, but they don't know. I like it because it focuses on the story of Rose and Jack, but not the entire time. It also shows the other stuff going on the ship, with the captain, the band, all the people on the lifeboats, the people jumping in the water, the crew, etc. Ahh I think I've convinced myself of the amazing-ness of this movie again! haha.

I think the lesson I learn from the movie and story of it (and I don't mean this in an insulting way at all, it's just my observation) was just that the Titanic was a very worldly thing. It was a huge fancy ship and said by many to have been "unsinkable." When they received the warning for the icebergs at night, they didn't stop like other boats, they just kept on going. They were too prideful to have enough lifeboats for all the passengers because it would have cluttered the deck. There were so many rich people on deck that were actually annoyed when told to put on their life jackets and no one wanted to believe that their magnificent ship was sinking. I guess it kind of makes me think about the Second Coming (okay, I'm getting a little churchy here..) and how like the people on Titanic, we need to be prepared, or else we're not going to make it. There were so many people by the end just jumping off the huge boat or clambering into life boats trying to save themselves. Some people didn't even try because they knew they wouldn't succeed. It's so sad. But it teaches me that I need to be ready for that now so that when it does happen, I don't freak out over it because I'll be ready and know it's coming. Sorry was that too LDS missionary sharing/churchy for you? I don't really talk about that stuff on here very often but maybe it's good to, because it is a part of I am and what I think about. And just to clarify, I'm in no way saying the people on the Titanic were bad or that they deserved to die. Not at all! But I do think they could have been more prepared for the outcome of it or could have done so many things to prevent it, as I'm sure many people know. It was just an analogy in my head. Wow, but really, it's a good movie. If you've never seen it (its PG-13 fyi), I'd recommend watching it because I think it's one of those movies that every person should see.

Anyways, why do I write SO much? So much that probably no one reads. Oh well, sorry for all the words taking up space on your browser. I hope it didn't drive you crazy! Have a great Thursday, it's almost the weekend!!!

Best. Day. EVER! :)

Sooo..it was my birthday yesterday! And can I just say that it was absolutely wonderful?! I couldn't have chosen a better way to transition into 20. I really had absolutely no plans for my birthday, except to go to work and school, which honestly was totally fine by me, but it turned out even better than planned! I woke up to my roommates surprising me with breakfast (pancakes complete with nutella, strawberries, and bacon on the side..yum!) and a decorated apartment! It made me soooo happy!

After being happily filled with love and friendship and food ;), I went to work. Cara, one of my coworkers brought purple cupcakes and a card, which so nice of her! Also, I got my yearly free fudge that the bookstore always gives to its employees on their birthday. :D (sorry no pictures of the cupcakes, though I should have taken some because they were cute!). After that I went to the Homecoming Week kick off celebration thing and ran into my friends Amy and Kirsi there, which was awesome because I would have ended up sitting alone otherwise. After that, I had class (Human Development) and then was just walking around until my work meeting when I ran into Cara (from work) again! It turned out that they were serving free hamburgers on campus for Homecoming week so we waited in line for that and got a free lunch! I like to say they were doing it in honor of my birthday hehe. Then I went to a work meeting, came home and did some homework.

Haha this is the funny part. My roommate Heidi was going to the grocery store to get some cake stuff because she said her aunt needed it for like a young women activity. So I asked her if I could go too, totally oblivious. We went to the guitar class that we're taking together at 6 and then we got back and SURPRISE! there were a bunch of people in my ward in my apartment for a mini surprise party my roommates planned for me! I had no idea it was coming! The funny part is that Heidi went to the store to get stuff to make cupcakes for me! Yeah, I had no idea, which made it all the funnier that I was actually with her while she was getting it. But I was extremely surprised and so grateful that they did that for me.

After that, Katie, Heidi, and I went to the creamery on a search for their Graham Canyon flavored ice cream. Katie and I had never tried it and every time we went, it was always gone! And according to practically everyone else, it was delicious. So we decided that it was time to find it, especially since it was our birthdays (Katie's birthday is today!). We were going to go to all the creameries on campus, but we didn't have to because it was there! Happy day! Katie and I can now confirm to you that yes, Graham Canyon is indeed delicious. Mmmmm.

So you ask me now, after the long descriptions of my celebrations, did I have a good birthday? And between the weekend celebrations with my family and the day celebrations with my friends and roommates, I can definitely say that yes, I had an AMAZING birthday! Probably the best one ever. I'm sooo grateful for my family and how much they love me and show it to me. I'm sooo soooo very grateful for the best roommates ever. Seriously, if you think you have great roommates, you haven't met mine!

One year ago when I turned 19, I felt really lonely, unloved, and I even cried on my birthday (because I was sad). It was really hard. Well a year later, I'm 20, and I'm so grateful I went through all of that so that I could have the roommates I have now. This year, I'm surrounded by people that love me and truly care about me. And I'm crying. But this time...it's because I'm happy. :)

thank you so much to the best friends and family a girl could ever have!!! I love you!

Random Black and White

Me and my camera :) Also, I'm wearing the best shirt ever! Minnie Mouse designing and "Fashion is my Passion" :)

So I got a new nice camera (well, it used to be my dad's so it's not brand new, but either way, I adore it) for my birthday so I took some random pictures today and yesterday! I edited them and put them in black and white because there's something about black and white that I love. These pictures are mostly just for fun because I'm still trying to figure out the whole photography thing..I'm definitely not a professional. But it is fun! :)

One Girl

Have you heard of the Girl Effect? Watch this video first.



Did you know...

...that today, more than 600 million girls live in the developing world.

...that more than one-quarter of the population in Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa are girls and young women ages 10 to 24.


...that approximately one-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school.
...that one girl in seven in developing countries marries before age 15.
...that one-quarter to one-half of girls in developing countries become mothers before age 18; 14 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth in developing countries each year.
...that a survey in India found that girls who married before age 18 were twice as likely to report being beaten, slapped, or threatened by their husbands as were girls who married later.
...and that 75 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds living with HIV in Africa are female, up from 62 percent in 2001.
 [source here]

Yeah.

So this is the girl effect. The first time I watched that video, I was first kind of shocked to realize what goes on in other countries and these places and how bad it is. And then I was even more shocked to realize that the solution really could be so simple. Just a 12 year-old girl.

I feel like I, as an American girl, as a student, as blogger, as a girl who is living a productive and healthy life, and as a girl with so many resources, need to make a difference. When I watch videos like these, I don't want to just sit around deciding my outfit for tomorrow. I don't want to look at magazines or runway shows or design clothes. Because as much as I love doing those things, I have a responsibility to make a difference and spread the word.

So I'm sharing this with you and I hope you'll blog about it too. We need the world to know about this because it's important! We can make a difference!

And how can we make a difference? You might be wondering. Well first, you can blog about this. You can share one of the videos from here on facebook or twitter. You can donate money, because even a little bit helps. Girls get less than 2 cents of every dollar! How much do you get paid at your job? You can talk about this with other people or give presentations as well. There is so much you can do!

I think the thing that really gets to me the most with this is the fact that the twelve year-old girl in the video could have been me. She is just like me, she was just born in a different situation. I'm so blessed to be where I am and I want to bless a twelve year-old girl's life as well. Who's with me? Let the Girl Effect run wild!!

Go to girleffect.org for more information. I'm linking up here, so if you want to join the Girl Effect blogging campaign, please write a blog post about it, link up, share, and read others' posts! :)

P.S. I Love My Coral Blazer

I love this outfit! The blazer just makes it and I especially love the touch that the ballerina necklace (above) gives it. Plus I love the oxfords, the bag, the color scheme. And the blazer. Did you know I really love my coral blazer? Just so you know..I love my blazer :)

Wow, I look so happy in these pictures! I love it! I just love how happy I am these days because it's wonderful and it shows. A year ago was a different story...but I'm happy now!! Soooo happy!

One thing that makes me happy is that my birthday is tomorrow! What?! I'm gonna be 20 and it's still freaking me out. At least I have a year to get used to it, right? I got to go home for the weekend to watch General Conference and celebrate my birthday with my family! It was so fun. Saturday we watched conference and I also played with chalk with my sibs, Gracie and Cee Ryle. Oh and during conference they announced that they were going to rebuild Provo Tabernacle into another Provo temple! It was awesome news! Then in between conference sessions we went to the Cheesecake Factory, which was super delish. We'd never been there before but were definitely satisfied! And yes, they sang to me. ;) That night while my dad and brother were at priesthood session, all of us girls went thrifting with my aunt, grandma, and cousins, which was pretty fun. I got some good stuff including a purple blazer, a men's shirt in a pretty mustard yellow color (I'm gonna refashion it into something like this, this, or this), a skinny gray belt, some white Keds, and the book Deception Point by Dan Brown.

On Sunday we watched General Conference again and celebrated my birthday! My relatives came over and we had cake and ice cream and opened presents. Gracie and I picked raspberries from our raspberry bush too. :) Man I love that little girl soooo much! Oooh, but guess what I got? A new camera! EEEE! It's actually my dad's old one (not that it's old) that I use every time I go home and my parents gave it to me, so I'm pretty ecstatic! Its a Fujifilm Finepix S7000 and I can't wait to take lots of fun pictures with it! 

Gracie got me a Dorothy barbie! :)

Happy as can be with my new camera!

The Minnie Mouse cake my mom made! She always makes ammaaazing cakes :D

best friends :)

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and I wouldn't have wanted it spent any other way! My family made me feel so loved for my birthday, and honestly, that's all that I really want for my birthday--to be loved! (although I'm definitely not complaining about the camera..haha) As for my real birthday tomorrow, I truly have no idea what I'm doing besides the usual school stuff! Hopefully something lots of fun. Of course I do have two papers due and a test to take this week so who knows. ;)

Oh and this is random but does anyone have any ideas of what 5 girls can be for Halloween? We're trying to figure out a costume for our department at work and I would gladly take any ideas! Thanks!

P.S. I love my blazer!! haha, I had to ;)