I Will Be Back

I know that I have been absent for a little while, and I just wanted you all to know why.

This past week my puppy passed away, and saying it is one of the hardest things I have ever been through would be an understatement. My puppy was my partner in crime, so I just ask you all to be patient with me until I am ready to get back into the swing of things.

Again, I am sorry for no posts for a little while, but I will be back soon! I love you all, and hope you understand that I need to take a little break for a while.

xoxo

5/24/13

So it has happened my friends. Come September 11 I start a whole new adventure. One that I know will bless my lives and those of others in more ways than I can possibly think of. Do you all remember this little post here? Well it's time to talk about it then.

 

For those of you who do not know, I am LDS (find out more about that here), and on September 11 I will be leaving to serve an 18 mission in.... JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI!!! I am so excited and grateful that I have this opportunity to serve a mission, and September couldn't come fast enough!

 

I know some of you may be thinking, "Mississippi? Well that kind of sucks. Too bad you couldn't have gone somewhere cool and foreign." Believe me, I have seen this question cross many faces as I have spread the good news. I am hear to tell you all that I couldn't be more thrilled and excited to have the opportunity to serve in Mississippi. I won't lie though, it kind of gets to you. People aren't as excited for you, especially since my brother (who is also serving a mission) got called to Australia, but I am here to tell all of you that getting called to a "cool" place isn't the purpose of a mission. Strangely enough, it took a conversation with my grandpa, who is not a member of the same church, to realize this.

 

My grandpa came over to fix my families ice machine, because it has been broken for the past week. I was the only one home, and he began to ask me how I felt about going to Mississippi. I told him that I was thrilled! I told him that I love the south, and that I think it will be awesome. He just went on to tell me how some people had been saying things like, "Man, that's too bad. I wish she could have gotten called somewhere different." That is when my awesome grandpa piped in and said something along the lines of, "The purpose of this mission thing is for service, not for getting to go someplace cool. Think about it.. they couldn't have sent someone better. Someone who is in no way whatsoever racist or judgemental. I think it is a perfect fit."

 

Hearing this really helped me realize the purpose of why I decided to serve a mission in the first place, and why I had to put all my trust in the Lord to send me somewhere that I was most needed. I decided to serve a mission because I love the gospel and the love and happiness it brings into my life. I decided to serve because I want to have the opportunity to teach people about this amazing gospel so they can also have a life filled with love and happiness. I know that Mississippi is where I am supposed to be, and as soon as I read where I was serving a mission out loud I was filled with an overbearing amount of joy and comfort. So yes, I cannot wait to get to Mississippi and to do the Lord's work.

 

Plus, people can't be that shocked. I was crossing my fingers for Kansas ;) Close enough!

 

 

Also, if any of you have any questions feel free to ask me in the comments or send me and email. I will do my best to answer them!

*via Tumblr

5/16/13

Isn't this brilliant?

*via Pinterest

Things That Caught My Eye

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1. Amen. (via Tumblr)
2. Watermelon! I feel like summer doesn't officially start until you have something watermelon. (via Pinterest)
3. Rope swings. Another summer favorite.  (via Many Random Musings)
4. This light! (via Flickr)
5. Just reminds me of summer.. do you see a pattern developing? (via Tumblr)
6. I want to be cool enough to dress like this! (via Pinterest)
7. Some words to think about.. I still want one of these. (via Tumblr)
8. I still want one of these. Like more than anything.  (via Tumblr)
9. Because I love here.. duh!  (via Pinterest)
10. Free..  (via we heart it)

Also..

Emma's PERFECT post on Gatsby. Like literally, these might be the best most passionate post I have ever read. If you are a Gatsby fan check it out here. If you are not a Gatsby fan.. read it anyway. I am serious. This lady has a way with words.

The cutest engagement story EVER! You guys, it involves a puppy..

Enjoy!

Guest Post: Emma

Hello lovelies. My name is Emma and I live over at Tightrope to the Sun. I also have another blog where I review the books I read and talk about little book things called Emma Jane Reads Books. I'm 21, I like words, and I love blogs, especially blogs about inspiration and things. I love things.

Image via Tumblr

This is my face.

SO! Five facts about me. Let's do this.

1. I was an Irish dancer for six years. And dang it I was good. And adorable. So.

Date me.

2. I basically live in my bath tub. I take a bath at least once a day, full on bubbles and candles and the works. It's how I calm down and refocus myself after every day. Give me a book and a tub and I'm set for at least 2 hours.

3. One time when I was 18 I dislocated my elbow and now my left arm can't straighten the whole way. 

4. My dream is to be a professor of literature/writing at a University as well as write novels. I love words more than anything in the world. 

5. My favorite book is The Great Gatsby and I read it about 6-7 times a year, if not more. I just wrote what I consider to be the most important post I could ever write about my feelings for Gatsby here. 

My favorite cover of Gatsby. Image via Tumblr

I loved the way Shelby worded what she wanted talked about in these guest posts. She said "I think with the transition of seasons, everyone gets in a bit of a rut with inspiration." She's exactly right. Seasons are such fickle things and transitions can always be hard. Transitioning into summer is always so exciting though. 

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." - Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby

I love to see what different people are inspired by. Talking about being inspired always makes me feel electric with inspiration. It makes me want to contribute more to the pool of creative energy in the world. 

I try to see inspiration in everything. But nothing I feel can compare to the inspiration in the inexhaustible fight of the human soul. I love the passion that humans can show. Passion of all kind. Passion is so rare and so pure. And being unafraid to live and breathe and bleed what you are passionate about is breathtaking to see in another human being. I see inspiration in the will to survive, the will to carry on. The will to fight and endure. When you get someone talking about what they believe in and fight for, their spirit comes to life. Their soul becomes electric. How can humanity not inspire you?

Romance inspires me. I love love. There is so much beauty in the passion that blooms between two people. Passion between two people changes everything. Destiny, time, everything. You store that love as a sort of creative reservoir forever in your heart. For good or for bad, love changes everything and takes over everything. I mean, there is clearly a reason for all of the poems and books and everything centered on love and that sort of connection. It's a connection that lives on, no matter what changes in your life. I've had my fair share of horrid break ups, but knowing that the capacity to love as deeply as I have lives within me supplies me with infinite hope and infinite inspiration. 

"No around of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart." - The Great Gatsby

Image via Tumblr

My biggest source of inspiration and the thing I find to have the most meaning in my life are words. Words, words, words. (Hamlet anyone?... no...?) I love books, I love poems, I love songs, I love words. Words supply me with a power to express everything. In moments of struggle or doubt, I have always turned to words. They blow me away. The cadence and magic that can be created just by placing the same 26 letters together in different ways will never cease to amaze me. Language is everything. I adore art, and music is sensational, but words, my lovelies, words are the world.

I want to dedicate myself to words and sharing my passion for words with the world. I love seeing how others use their words, how they express themselves with turns of phrase in speech and in text. I will never get over words. You need inspiration? Read. Talk. Explore the world with letters and words. Breathe life into the page and live forever. 

Image via Tumblr

Thanks so much to Shelby for having me on her beautiful blog. This was a wonderful post to write. I hope to see some of you over on my blog too :) Stay lovely, world.

5/10/13

Alright all you lovely ladies (and possibly some gents) I need your help!! Now that school is out I don't have constant photography assignments, and it is driving me INSANE! So I am coming to you guys. I want you guys to leave a word or phrase in the comments that I could use for inspiration. It could seriously be anything!

I love finding inpsiration and creating ideas based of something as simple as a single word. So let me have it ladies!! I don't know the kind of response I will get to this, but I will choose the words or phrases that speak out to me. I know you all have something lovely to share, so share it!! Because for goodness sake I need some inspiration, and for some reason right now words are what speak to me. So yeah...

HELP!

5/9/13

I can't explain to you why I love this photo so much.. I think it is because it can be interpreted in so many different ways. I think it is one of those photos that means something different to everyone. I'm still trying to decide what it means to me. All I know is that I can't stop looking at it.



*image via Pinterest

You Are An Explorer

YOU ARE AN EXPLORER
Your mission is to document
and observe the world 
around you like you've 
never seen it before.
Take notes. Collect things
you find on your travels. 
Document your findings.
Notice patterns. Copy. Trace.
Focus on one thing at a 
time. Record what you are
drawn to..

I found this quote on Pinterest and instantly fell in love with it. My heart is always full of dreams to travel. I know that a lot of people love to travel, but I can't explain to you what traveling does to my brain. I crave it every second of every day. The chance to go someplace new, or to discover something new in a place that has become familiar. There is nothing in this world that inspires me more than traveling. I am mesmerized by the different cultures and people throughout the world. All I want is to learn as much as I can from those around me, and to become lost in others beliefs and traditions. Isn't the world just so fascinating?? Traveling is a never ending learning experience.

This past weekend I went on a little road trip with my brothers, dad, and grandpa. I have been really stressed lately, and needed to clear my head. Although it was only for a day, being someplace new helped me feel better about everything that is going on in my life. It was a little breath of fresh air to leave all my troubles behind just for a day, and to lose myself in a place where no one knew me. Sometimes that is all you need. A fresh field of faces, and a fresh start. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have to travel, and that I am healthy and have a body that allows me to do just that. I am grateful for a heart and mind that is so inspired by learning about different cultures, places, and people. I know that for the rest of my life it will continue to be a thing that pushes me forward, and inspires my day-to-day life.

Guest Post: Anna

Today I have the lovely Anna guest posting for me! All I have to say is get ready to laugh, and check out her blog! Check out all my guest blogger's blogs!! Because they are all fantastic, I promise. 

Hi! I am Anna and I blog over at Anna Apricot. I blog about basically any and everything. Things can get a little crazy over there. I am so excited to be on Shelby's lovely blog today.

(thats me on the left)

Five Facts about Me!

-I am a student at the University of Utah I graduate next May and I am already counting down the days!!!

- I have an unhealthy addiction to watching sports. Football, soccer, tennis, basketball, you name it and I watch it. 

- In a period of 3 weeks I saw three different actors from the Harry Potter series. Including Harry himself!

- I am OBSESSED with traveling! I have been to 4 continents and can't wait to get to the rest of them.

- I love socks and I wear them at all times, even to bed. Weird, I know.

Now, my inspiration. I get inspired from all sorts of things.

But, I would have have to say my biggest inspiration comes from fashion. In a dream world I would be Rachel Zoe. I could look at clothes all day and never get bored. There is just something about a beautiful dress that really moves me.

Like this one for example,

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Doesn't it just melt your heart?

(If you want to see more dresses that move me look at my pintrest board.)

I also get so much inspiration from quotes. A good quote can change my outlook on almost anything.

These are some of my favorites.

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Now if those are not enough inspiration I just look at some baby goats. It will work wonders.

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 Thanks for having me Shelby!