Saturday, March 31

In Which I Speak of My Audition


Numerous times I've sat down to write about my audition, but to no avail. So, instead I decided to film a vlog about my experience. In which I probably rambled way too much. 
Also, sorry for my constant squinting. It looks like I have a grimace on my face, but I don't. I just had a headache. 

March Roundup


Before I get into this may I just say that there are very few songs with the word "March" in them, especially in the correct context. It was easy to find one for February and I already have an idea of one for April, but March. Gosh, dang it. Nothing. Nada. I need to write a song! Maybe no one writes them because March is a dismal month... Annnnywho. Let's get on with it! 


What happened on the blog this month? And some "real life" things? 

  • She had 26 posts, over 1,600 visitors, 72 comments, and at least 6 new followers (I forgot to keep track... You can shoot me now.) 
  • I had three guest bloggers. (123
  • Posted my first ever recipe
  • Made some good ole' Maple Syrup
  • I had a blast posting an Accent Tag
Let's give a good round of applause for another month come and gone! Hopefully next month brings as much happiness... and maybe a little bit less snow. 

Friday, March 30

A Biking Adventure... in the snow.

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I know that  a lot of girls feel as if they were born in the wrong time and place. I am one of them. Maybe it's silly of me to think that, but there are days when I feel the overwhelming knowledge that I'm not where I belong.
Sometimes, and maybe I'm not the only one, I console myself by talking in foreign accents in my head and pretending to be a character from some of my favorite books. Today I could not help but feel that I was in England, and as soon as I stepped out of the door I felt as if I was Mary Lenox. 
As I've before mentioned I love classic literature, and honestly literature in general. One of my favorite parts of reading a book is how the characters always stay with you. I will always cary with me Jo March's feminism, Mary Lenox's stubbornness, Hazel Grace's relaxed views on death, Sara Crewe's imagination, Katniss' leadership, Elizabeth Bennet's sass, and Skeeter's boldness. These books have helped form my mind, made me who I have become. Their stories let me transport myself into their era and homes for a little while. And that's as good as it will get for me. 
In case you were wondering what that random picture of a phone is for, do you remember when I told you about Hunter losing his phone back in January? Well, when I was on my bike ride today I went looking in the ditch just to see if I could find it. Needless to say, I found it. And somehow, miraculously it works. 
Okay, I'll be back tomorrow telling you in video form about my audition! 

Wednesday, March 28

Project Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants














How many of you ladies realize that modern-day sizing is screwed up? That at Forever21 you might be a size two, but then at JCrew you're a six. Sizing is all over the board, and sometimes it leaves us girls & women feeling like something is wrong with out bodies. OUr society is so strung up on size and weight that sometimes it's hard to ignore,even though we may try really really hard. 


As you know I'm on a mission for beauty. I want you to know how beautiful you are, and I want you to know that whatever size is on the waistband of your jeans does not define who you are as a person. I want you to see that even though some of us may wear the "same size", we all have unique bodies. And one size does not fit all. 


So here, I stand, begging on my hands and knees asking for some participation from my lovely readers. I need four of you to give me a helping hand. I want you to do something fun with me. 
I want you to wear my pants... 


How would this work? Or rather what exactly am I getting at here?
There would be 5 of us. All of us who normally wear the same size. We would pass the one pair of jeans around among us and wear them. Chances are, even though we're all the "same size" they're going to fit each one of us differently. I want to show people that this whole sizing thing is bogus! That there is no set size, and we cannot let the number on a tag let us define who we are as girls and women! 
So if you'd be interested in passing around a pair of pants, comment below. The one requirement would be that you need to normally wear anywhere from a size 2-6 and include your email address so that we can chat about it. Or, if you'd rather send me an email with questions feel free to do so at ivorygiraffes@gmail.com ! 
I'm really looking forward to trying this out.

Tuesday, March 27

What I Wore//My Tribute to The Tribute



Chambray Shirt- c/o Noëlle (TJ Maxx); Black Jeans- JC Penney; Oxford Heels- Payless; 

Much to Noëlle's horror, I steal her clothes a lot. Some of my best outfits include something of hers. I swear, if I started posting her outfits instead of mine you would definitely ask me to stop posting mine ever again. 
Also, the only other thing I'll bore you with about my outfit is my shoes. I love them. That is all. 

In non-outfit talk I finally figured out the whole resizing pictures! A few of them are off... but I'm too lazy to fix it. But, also on a picture-related not, I think the second to last picture is one of my favorite pictures on the blog to date. 

One. Last. Thing. And it's blog related.
This year I set a goal for my blog, to have 50 followers before the end of the year. And, surprisingly enough, I'm getting fairly close to my goal. So, I've decided once I hit 50 I will do a giveaway. Okay. I'm done now. Have a wonderful day! 

Monday, March 26

MMH #21




Because I am a lazy bum I decided to do more of a link Monday Must Haves rather than the normal. Call me lazy, I don't care. (But I still feel the need to put some sort of picture here... so just go with it.)
  • I am so excited to try and make this Dotting Tool! Perfect polka dots, here I come!
  • I love this great Leopard Nail Tutorial. I've been wanting to know how to do this, and I'm awfully glad I found a good tutorial for it. 
  • Apparently I'm sticking with nails for right now, because this Bow Nailpolish is to die for... you know me and bows!
  • I've been eyeing this Skirt Tutorial for a good week now, and I really need to give it a go. It's just so darn cute. 
  • As the time gets nearer and nearer to my graduation I've been looking for some great stuff for my Open House, and this Picket Fence idea is adorable!
  • Speaking of my Open House, how about these Mustache for straws! I'm pretty positive I'm going to attempt to make these with foam. If they turn out well I'll make a tutorial. 
  • I'm really loving all these Hair Tutorials from The Paper Mama. They're simple, clear, and generally turn out really well. 
  • I'm currently very obsessed with this song by Britt Nicole. Hopefully I shall learn it. 
  • I love this simple, messy Hair Style. And but of course there is a braid involved. 

Thursday, March 22

The Thursday Before...

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{random picture of ice cream, because i swear it can brighten anyones day!}
It is early here in Michigan. Okay, so it's nearly seven o'clock but that's pretty darn early for me. I'm sitting here being anxious. Anxious to leave. Anxious to stay. Although my audition isn't until tomorrow at three o'clock, because we live six hours away we're leaving this morning at nine thirty. Hopefully we can get some shopping in tonight at the mall (hint, hint, Forever21) and maybe some swimming at a pool. 
Some interesting things happened on Tuesday morning concerning my audition... if by interesting I mean completely horrid. 
I received a call confirming my audition Tuesday morning, which I was expecting. To be honest I was still in bed, because, well I can be. Long story short, I was told Tuesday that I needed to have two pieces prepared when previously I had been told one. Which is a pretty big deal. I've been working on a Sonantina by Clementi for a few months, perfecting it. Memorizing it. And come to find out 1) Now they say it doesn't need to be memorized and 2) I need to prepare another piece... in two days. 
So I pulled an older song out of my repertoire. One I haven't really played faithfully in roughly two years, but still has early advanced techniques. I practiced non-stop Tuesday until I went to my teacher's house for an impromptu lesson (by the way, have I ever mentioned that she is the sweetest person I know?) when she told me I've got a good handle on the song and I need to just give it a break. Can I just break down and be honest here? Well, hello, it's my blog and I can do whatever I please! The song I'm playing is the one that two weeks prior to my Daddy's death (and my sixteenth birthday) he asked me to play at his funeral. Which I did. So in a weird, twisted, not-in-the-way-I-want-at-all way I feel like my Daddy's gonna be there with me. Like, this is a song he listened to. And loved when I played. And because I believe music holds many powers within itself, it will almost be like he is there. Sorta. 
Somehow this whole horrible happening (which, mind you, is still horrible because I haven't practiced nearly enough) turned into not a so bad thing. Isn't that the way it always seems to go when one has an optimistic attitude? 

May you seize this day, and seize it to the full. For what is the point in seizing it all if it is only halfway? Smile a genuine smile, even if your alarm clock didn't go off until five minutes before you had to leave. Do a little skip out to the school bus. Be joyous of the fact that you can feel sorrow, for it means you're alive. 


Wednesday, March 21

Guest Blogger: Noey

My sister wrote up a little post for me, and before I say anything else let me just say that there is a possibility I cried. I'm becoming a big, ole' baby.
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Okay, let's see. I feel like I'm standing in this big tall building on a stage, with a million people watching my every move. To see if I wipe my sweaty hands on my jeans or if I cough enough times to be deemed nervous. I guess it's pretty ridiculous to be nervous, especially when you can't even see my face or anything. It's been a while since I actually wrote anything to anybody. So, I'll try and make this good, right?
Well, hey, I'm Noelle. I'm Hannah's younger sister, by about 18 months. I don't really have a blog anymore, just a tumblr, so here's that if you want it. I guess I can just tell a few stories about when me and Hannah were little. I don't really have anything else up my sleeve, and maybe it'll give you a chance to see more of the person you follow, so let's see where this takes us.

I don't remember a time without Hannah. I mean, obviously. Honestly, I can't even do one of those "the first memory I have of her" things, because she's always been there. So far into my memory that I can't remember a time without her. When we were kids we  had the biggest imaginations ever. And we had each other, best friends, to boot. We were troublemakers, in a way. Were always confused for twins. We never stopped going, going, going. I remember when we were little we always had the same clothes, usually the same toys too. But they were always different colors. Usually she had blue or pink, and I had green or purple. We had these teddy bears that were fuzzy all over and had ribbons around their necks tied into bows. See, when I was little, I absolutely loved stuffed animals. I carried them everywhere with me. So my teddy bear, which was purple, would get dragged around so much that the ribbon would come undone and there would just be this knot at his throat. I sucked at tying bows, as a matter of fact I still do. But Hannah would always retie the bow for me.
I was always so jealous when it was her birthday. She always thought it was because of the presents, or the cake that had her name decorated beautifully on top with blue icing. No, oh no. It was because she had just turned a year older. I always wanted to be like her. It always made me mad when I was little that I couldn't be, I mean there was no way, when she was always literally one step (or year, whatever) ahead of me. We were best friends, but it was so obvious to me that she was my older sister. She was what I was looking at when I thought of how I wished to be someday.

But, looking back, I was totally doomed to not be her. We started out so the same, but now we're almost completely different. I remember when we were little, our height was a big deal. It was mostly because sometimes we'd be the same, sometimes I'd be taller, sometimes she'd be taller. It was like a race. (I won, by the way.) Okay, so the above picture? We always went to these photographers who took our pictures. It was probably yearly, but when I was little it seemed like weekly. I hated going there. In this picture, we're both wearing leotards. Or, I might be wearing a swim suit I'm not sure. One or the other. Hannah started gymnastics when she was like, four. Or something. And me, once again, wanting to be like her, tried gymnastics once when I was little. I wanted so badly to love it like she did, to be as good as she was, but I walked out after a few weeks and said the teachers were too bossy for me to like it.
When we were little, (I feel like I'm saying that a lot?) we would play in our grandma's garden. It was a pretty huge garden, and she used to grow these huge sunflowers right in the middle of it. I remember we would play hide and seek in it with our blue heeler dog. We both loved that dog so much. FYI, her name was Girl. How original, right? We would also walk the whole length of the horse field just to go to the same grandma's house, where we would promptly play dress up (Indians and cowgirl style) or put on our grandma's slips as dresses and sit on her overly large bed and play "band." Hannah was always the singer, I was always the drummer. My drums consisted of two huge pots and wooden spoons. Her microphone was an egg beater. I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of a strange kid. I was always off in my own little world, which always made me look grumpy. (Some things never change, huh?) Hannah was kind of a shy person, but could be downright weird when she was with people she was comfortable with. (And again.)

Some more things that never change, the fact that she always has my back and is ready to kick butt on anyone that is picking on her little sister over here. Or the fact that once she starts something, she always finishes it. Her passion is still there too, her determinedness. We both still drink too much Mountain Dew (what am I kidding? There's never too much.), are suckers for Disney classics, and bond over a good story. She still is afraid of anything that has a mask on or is in costume, and I still hate the dark. She's still a clean freak OCD master, I'm as messy as ever. She's going to college soon, I'll miss her. Probably more than she understands. I have no idea where any of this is leading to, or if it even makes any sense. I've probably failed her as a sister because I couldn't make up a good blog post. But basically all I'm saying is, this chick here that you follow. Is the Dean to my Sam. (If you understand this, be my best friend.) The Bonnie to my Clyde. The Simon to my Alvin.
I'll miss you when you're at college, dear sister. You're going to do absolutely great at your music scholarship/audition/thingy.

Tuesday, March 20

Guest Blogger: Locked Out

Let's all welcome the wonderful Michelle of Locked Out! I'm really grateful to have her guest blogging for me today, I really don't think I can fully tell you all how much it means to me. I'll be plunking away at my piano keys today, but I hope you enjoy these guest posts the next couple days.
10 Things I wish I’d known when I was 16


I’m 23. I’m basically ancient. 

I started writing short stories when I was 12. And when I was in middle school and high school, when I wanted a character to be really mature, I made him or her 23. All older siblings were 23. And at 23, I definitely don’t feel mature. Sometimes I just feel old. Like when a Justin Bieber song comes on the radio and I think it’s a girl singing. (Seriously, I thought “One Less Lonely Girl” was sung by a girl named Justine but her name was spelled funny. I am actually not being sarcastic.) 

When I look back at my high school years, I wish I could tell myself a few things. I can’t unfortunately and sometimes I’m glad I can’t. If I hadn’t lived through some really ridiculous stuff, I probably wouldn’t be quite as awesome as I am. Just saying. However, here are 10 things I wish I had known. 
10. Everything you’re into right now will seem really stupid when you’re older.
Like that obsession with giraffes. And Everclear*. Calm down, child. 

*However, a message Everclear sends you on Myspace will be the inspiration for your photography business. So maybe keep bugging them…

9. Everything your mother told you is at once a lie and completely true. She’s actually wrong, but the point is, she’s your mother. Just leave it there. Maybe going to a concert with a beer garden won’t turn you into an alcoholic overnight, but that’s not the point. Stop arguing. 

8. When your friend breaks up with her high school boyfriend for someone who is abusive, stay her friend. But don’t enable her, like some people might, just to stay her friend. She’ll push you away and say some really terrible things. When she leaves him, celebrate with her. 

7. Don’t wish you were older. Nothing is quite as shocking as having to pay a $203 power bill. You’ll wish for you’re independence and ability to do whatever you want. And then you’ll realize all that free heat for 18 years is the greatest thing ever.

6. Don’t start rumors. When I was in high school, I purposefully and maliciously started a rumor about a girl I personally didn’t like, but who was very ill and totally didn’t need any more drama in her life. I can’t tell you why I did it. She never knew it was me, but she ended up dropping out of school because things got so bad. I don’t remember her last name. But everyday, I wish I could call her and apologize. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done. 

5. You’ll thank yourself for not drinking. All of my friends drank in high school. I didn’t. And you know what? I’m glad I didn’t. In college, I had my share of really terrible nights (toga night my sophomore year is a particular memory--- and by that I mean, no memory). But I’m glad I saved it. High school is so easy and fun when you’re not risking your future on the weekends. 

4. Waiting six months to get your license doesn’t make you're a baby. You will end up engaged to a man who didn’t get a driver’s license until he was 21. And you won’t care. At all. Funny how these things that seem so traumatic end up being the stupidest things ever, right? 

3. Your best friend won’t be your best friend forever. Appreciate the times you have together. But people grow apart. And sometimes, people reveal how weird they are after graduation. There will be one girl in particular you’ll be kind of thankful you great apart from. 

2. Don’t worry so much about having a boyfriend. Or finding one. Not that you did. Remember when that supposed best friend called you a freak because you weren’t interested in having a boyfriend? And you were more concerned with having a career and being successful? Also, remember that time when she said her main goal in life was to make her man dinner and then get him a beer and give him a foot rub while he watched TV? 

Go ahead and read 3 again. I’ll wait. 

1. Bad things are going to happen. Sometimes, it seems like terrible things just happen everyday. To you and your group of friends. To your family. To the people you love. But things get better. Things change. Stay proud of yourself. There is power in believing the world owes you something, still, if you work hard enough for it. Never stop working, even when you’re so hurt, you don’t think you can go on. 
Michelle blogs over at Locked Out about life, fashion, and photography. She comes to you live from the wilds of Oregon, where she grew up. She is 23, a writer, photographer, and receptionist. She spends most of her time wondering if people will judge her for having another snack. 

Monday, March 19

Guest Interview: Cinnamon & Sunshine

I'm so grateful that Miss Emily from Cinnamon & Sunshine is here to give you all a treat today. She really is the sweetest little thing, so please give her some love and pop on over to her blog and say hello! I'm so thankful for sweet girls like Emily in the blogging community who are willing to help me out. Okay, I'll give her the reigns now. (Also, can we all agree that we covet Emily's hair?) 
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cinnamon

Q: What are five words to describe your personality?
A: Hmm. I guess I would consider myself to be a very caring, thoughtful, optimistic, talkative and grounded girl who acts like a complete little kid sometimes:) Like literally, I've gotten in so much trouble for talking its crazy. And I used to be so shy! I've really come out of my shell high school year.

Q: What got you interested in blogging?
A: My friend Mila (The Other Girl) had been blogging for a while and I know she really loved it and I thought it was so cool so I just gave it a shot! And I have fallen in love with the whole blogging community, everyone feels like family to me even though I've never met most of them!

Q: What do you do when you're not blogging?
A: I run track for my high school which takes up a lot of time in itself but I also love to hang out with my friends and my boyfriend in my free time. But sadly I don't get a lot of that anymore, homework always seems to find a way into my weekend!

Q: How would you describe your style?
A: It's a combination of stuff really. I would say very classic yet girly and comfort is very important to me! I don't even know how Lady Gaga and other celebrities can breathe in some of those outfits!

Q: What song do you blast when no one else is home?
A: Lots actually! I love playing Titanium by Sia and David Guetta on full volume even when I'm not alone! But when I'm by myself (and I don't have to worry about my little brothers and sister hearing explicit lyrics) I love The Motto by Drake, Dance by Nicki Minaj and Big Sean, Paradise and Princess of China by Coldplay, Wild Ones by Sia and Flo Rida and a bunch of others, haha.

Q: If you were stranded on an island who would you want to be with you, and why?
A: Wow, this is a toughie! Probably a close friend because we could talk for ages about so many things that I would probably forget that we're alone, or Logan. I feel like I talk about him so much, but he means a lot to me and whenever I'm with him I feel so protected (I dunno, is this normal? Haha...) Edit: Totally normal, Emily! 

Q: What's one thing most people don't know about you?
A: I always sprint up the stairs when I'm alone or it's dark in the hallway because I feel like someone is gonna come from behind me and grab me! And then I turn on the lights as fast as I can to "shrivel up the monsters" haha.

Q: What's your favorite quote?
A: I have a few actually! Quotes are like my favorite thing in the world:)
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin at all"- Thumper
"Every finish line is a beginning of a new race"- Lil' Wayne and J. Lo
And I absolutely LOVE fitness quotes! Things like you find on tumblr are my favorites:)

Q: If you could live on one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
A: Most likely stir fry. It's not the best for you but it's got some veggies!

Q: Any parting words of advice? Or anything you'd like to add?
A: Whenever anybody tells you that you can't do something, don't listen to them. So many people have proven someone or even themselves wrong, and it's so inspiring. Also don't ever give up on anything, and always be kind to others. You never know if that person may only  be alive because of you. And just do what you love! Say I love you often to those who matter to you, because you also don't know when the last time you'll be able to see them is. This is do depressing but what if you didn't say "I love you" to your mom when she left for work and then she died on her commute in this awful car crash? I would feel so bad.  And always know that your loved and your absolutely beautiful. <3

Sunday, March 18

The Week Of Guest Bloggers

As you all know I have my piano audition this Friday. I'm extremely nervous about it, but also really looking forward to it. It should be a great (and terrifying) experience. 
This week I'm going to be really trying to focus on my music, and completely perfecting my piece. As much as I love you guys I know I'm not going to be able to put my all into this ole' blog, so I asked some lovely ladies to help me out. You'll be hearing from some wonderful gals, and I'm extremely excited to have them as guests. So little lovelies, clean your rooms, take out the garbage and getting ready for some guests to move in for the week. Treat them with the utmost love. 


P.S. If you think of me say a little prayer, I know I could all of them I can get. 

Friday, March 16

Nose Piercing 101

When I got my nose pierced I had a lot of questions, and as much as I searched I couldn't find the answers to most of them. Most of my questions now seem silly to me, but I have to wonder that if I had these question chances are someone else does too. So let's get started. 
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What happens, how much does it cost, and how much does it hurt?
From all of my experience (meaning getting mine done, and when my sister got hers done) you don't need an appointment. Now, this could depend on the shop, and how busy it is. I paid $35 to get mine done, but once again it depends on the shop, and this includes jewelry. My best advice for you would be to get it done on a Friday the 13th (the next one is in April) because usually shops pierce for $13 on that day. 
Now, everyone pierces a little bit differently. Some shove something up your nose (like a tube or cork) some places don't. I didn't. They clean your nose of with some rubbing alcohol. Now one thing I cannot stress enough is get it done with a needle. Some people say you can use a gun. Don't do it. It can break the cartilage in your nose and there are just way too many risks. Your piercer will have you take a big breath in and when you breathe out he'll stick the needle in. I experienced no pain. You could feel a piece of metal in your nose, but it was nothing more than slightly uncomfortable. My eyes didn't water, but a lot of people's do. Once the needle is in they do their magic and twist it around and BAM your jewelry is in. Getting the jewelry in was a bit more painful, but on a scale from 1-10 it was about a 2. If you're going to bleed this is when it'll happen. I didn't very much, but my sister did. It depends on your body. But chances are you won't bleed a lot. If you really want to get your nose pierced (or any piercing for that matter.) you've just got to forget about the potential pain and do it. 
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How do I clean it, and my face in general during the first few weeks?
Cleaning your new piercing is a breeze. I used H2Ocean and I highly recommend it. You simply spray it on your nose at least twice a day and you're done. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 
Now, silly as it may seem, my biggest question was how to wash my face with a new piercing. Clean it as normal. It's not going to hurt if you get a little bit of your face wash by it. You will want to be careful with a washcloth, as you don't want the jewelry to get caught in the material cause that will hurt like none other. I'd also recommend not wearing too much makeup for the first couple of months. Give it some time to heal. 
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Can I go swimming with a fresh piercing?
A lot of people say no. But, I got mine done in June and nothing was going to keep me out of good ole' Lake Michigan. Now, you do run risk of infection and all that other bologna. Here's what I did, though: As soon as I got out of that water and dried off I used my handy dandy H2Ocean. Done. Didn't worry about it, and I've had zero complications. 
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How does the jewelry work?
There are three different main kinds of noise jewelry. The "Corkscrew" the "L" and the "Bone". I have tried all three. You will get pierced with the corkscrew. Its the perfect thing to get pierced with because it's hard to get out. You have to do a lot of maneuvering. As good as the corkscrew is because it doesn't come out easily, it's also a bugger to get in. Now after your six or so weeks with that in you may decide to change it (or if you're like me you'll be playing with it and it somehow comes out and you can't get it back in so you have to drive to your cousin's like a mad-man for some help.). The first time a changed mine I used a bone. I liked them... for awhile. The bone jewelry is basically just a straight piece of metal with a little tiny ball at the end. The great thing about them is that they're super easy to put in. Straight through and you're done. The not so great thing about them is the feeling of your flesh being ripped when taking it out. Especially if it's been in for a couple weeks. It hurts ten times worse than getting it pierced. So, then, if you decide to go to a smaller gauge so it doesn't hurt it will just fall out. Which is no good either. Now, onto the last type of jewelry (and my favorite!) is the L. It is shaped like an L, and though it's not quite as easy to put in as the bone it's much less painful. It's actually sort of hard to explain how to put it in/take it out. So here's a video. 


If you have any questions feel free to ask below in the comment section! 

Thursday, March 15

what i wore// on my way

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Dress- Forever21; Headband- Claire's 
Hannah's Top Five Reasons to Wear Dresses:
5) Dresses keep you cool on hot days. Which is awesome. 
4) Dresses are always in style. Like, always. 
3) They're also really easy to style. You throw it on, put on a few accessories and you're ready to go. 
2) Dresses just make you feel pretty. They're like an instant pick-me-up. Seriously, whenever you're sad throw on a dress. It will brighten your day.
1) The best part: No pants needed. Seriously, what is better than walking around in public without pants on? Not a single thing, I tell you! I am a believer in not wearing pants. 

Wednesday, March 14

BISD #3

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Beauty is so much more than putting cremes and powders on your face. Beauty is knowing that you're not flawless, but loving yourself anyways. Beauty is being silly, and not caring about what you look like. Beauty is about being strong and empowered, and being the best you there can be. 
Even if it's while wearing shorts and a tee. Even when you don't wear makeup. Even when you have sudden spots on your face. Even when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. 
If you learn nothing else from my blog, if you find no inspiration but this I will consider it a job well done: That you are beautiful. And nothing is wrong with you. 
May you embrace your beauty. May you love yourself just the way you are. My prayer for you is that you realize how beautiful, wonderful, and perfect you are by simply being you. May you face your fears with a smile on your face, and a spring in your step. May you finally start realizing who you are, and that you are beautiful. 


How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful.
Song of Solomon 1:15

Tuesday, March 13

what i wore// i dare you to let me be your one and only

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Purple Floral Dress- Modcloth; Black Scoop Neck Tee- JC Penney; Black Ballet Flats- Payless; Black & Grey Coat- Kohls; Hello Kitty Sunglasses- Hot Topic
I got this dress from ModCloth in the Fall of 2010, and have probably worn it three times (not including for these pictures). I had purchased it for my cousin's wedding in September and then wore it again in October for a Homecoming. It's a lovely dress, and every time I look at it I wonder why I don't wear it more often. Probably the biggest reason for it being locked away in my closet is that it's strapless... and this girl has a lack of a rack to keep it up. So I got this brilliant idea: Where a shirt under it. Bam. I'm genius. 


You can hold the applesauce (yes. i meant to write applesauce, not applause.). 


P.S. Sometimes I like dancing (read: shaking my booty) in the middle of the road.
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Monday, March 12

What I Did || Country Livin'

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May I just say right off the bat that I loved this past weekend? It was warm. (In the 50's!) It was beautiful, and I got to spend a lot of it with my boy. Wonderful. 
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Sunday after church I saw my cousin at the one and only Bliss Store and he told me about his Uncle Phil going out to tap trees for Maple Syrup. Well, I obviously had to run home, put on my Hello Kitty Rainboots, turn on Ugly Truck 3 and get over to Uncle Phil's house! 
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The only bummer was that I had to leave after about an hour to head off to Bible Study. It was actually a really good study from a Nooma video, called Bullhorn. Rob Bell spoke about how there are always going to be people putting a bad spin on the Christian faith, like the Bullhorn guy who was standing in the middle of a crowd telling people they were all going to hell. Sure, he may of had good intentions, but wrong is wrong regardless of the intentions. But because the youth group was going to do the evening service at church, all of us Bible study kids stayed to watch practice and then go to the service. Half way through the practice, though, Hunter, Michelli, and I decided to take a little walk. Have I ever mentioned that Hunter can take really amazing photographs? Cause he can. 
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After the evening service I went to take the lovely Michelli home, but... my dear old truck got stuck in calf deep mud. Eventually after calling my Uncle to come help me we got 'er out. 


All in all, it was a wonderful Sunday (and weekend!) full of happiness and fun.