3.31.15

I got this post idea from the wonderful and lovely Kayla.  I thought it was such a fun way to get all the things going on in life currently down in one post! So here I am trying it out!

I went to Moab this weekend with Zac and my best friend Emily. Zac had to go down for a week of work, so Em and I decided to tag along for the weekend. It was so nice being someplace so warm, and just spending all day outside. It was a much needed mini adventure, and I already want to go back!

loving: being able to wear shorts! I don't know what is happening with Utah weather right now, but I am all about it. It has seriously been so nice outside, and I spend all the time I can sitting outside on the hammock enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.

working: on getting through this current semester without completely going crazy. I only have 15 credits left until I graduate, and I am just so beyond ready to be done!

obsessed with: the new sheets I convinced Zac in letting me get for his (soon to be our) apartment. We recently made a quick stop at Ikea, and the sheets I have been eyeing for like a year now were on the most perfect bed looking so pretty, and I decided they finally had to be mine! They have yellow flowers on them, so obviously I am all sorts of happy!

cooking: lots of annie's mac and cheese. For some reason Smith's has decided to have like a super sale on them for like a month now, so Zac and I are all sorts of happy about it!

reading: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler. I actually just finished this yesterday. I listened to the audio book in my car, and I have to be completely honest... I wasn't really a fan of it. I didn't hate it and at times actually enjoyed it, but it isn't a book I would recommend to a friend. I was pretty bummed, because I really wanted to like it! Oh well, you can't have everything.

listening to: Hozier's album. Zac bought it a couple of weeks ago, and I just barely downloaded it onto my phone to listen to while exploring Moab. Zac and I have family sharing on iTunes, and it is pretty wonderful. Thank  you family sharing!

a little sad at: Zac being in Moab for the entire week. I swear it is even harder knowing he is only a four hour car ride away! Like anytime I have ANY free time I think about just driving down just because I can. It is terrible you guys!

wasting time: on Instagram as always. I swear, I am always checking it! Mostly looking for new places to add to my list of places to explore. I probably need to stop seeing as the list is getting a little long. Anyone want to help me get cracking on all these hikes I have piled up?!

laughing at: Scrubs, Scrubs, and SCRUBS! Zac has gotten me hooked, and with him out of town (and our watching of Friends being put on hold until he gets home) I have been watching ALL OF THE EPISODES!

looking forward to: spending my REI dividend! New camping stove, and sports bras anyone?!

appreciating: best friends who take a break from homework to go search TJ Maxx for rompers even though all the ones they have are horrible, and instead having wonderful conversations on the car drive home.

excited: that the wedding date continues to get closer, and we are now down to 163 more days!! It finally feels like it is getting close you guys! Save-the-dates are currently being made, and it is like totally real now!

experiencing: horrible stomach shenanigans caused by dairy, and pretending that it isn't caused by dairy because cheesecake.

grateful for: a weekend spent with my best friend hiking around Moab, and Zac being able to sneak over and camp with us the one night we stayed. Also for my family (mostly mama) who took such good care of our plants and kitten while we were gone. I seriously have the most incredible humans in my life you guys.

Cascade Springs/ Alpine Loop

Last weekend Zac and I went on a little mini road trip adventure to check out the Alpine Loop! I had been seeing this scenic drive posted ALL over instagram, and decided I needed to check it out myself. My goodness you guys, it was well worth it!

We started the loop in Provo (where we were led via google maps), and it seriously was like an explosion of color. I swear the only words coming out of my mouth were, "Oh my gosh look how pretty!" and "Oh my gosh, look how PRETTY!" You just couldn't help but smile at the surrounded beauty, being completely enclosed by the mountains.

We continued our little adventure which ended up in an accidental missing of a turn, and ending up in Heber. Oops. But it was fine by us! Zac had seen a road going up through the mountains that he wanted to check out, and I am so happy we did. This road led us to the dirt road of Cascade Springs which was just unreal. It was nice just taking it slow, and really enjoying everything around us. We got out countless times just to look at the stunning views! The best part is it led us right back up to the top of the Alpine Loop, and we found some awesome camping spots we want to try out in the near future along the way!

If you are craving and adventure along with stunning views I would 100% recommend driving the Alpine Loop. There are so many places to stop and enjoy the views, plus there are a bunch of random trails all over the side of the road. We were a little crunched on time, so we didn't stop to hike at all, but it is definitely something we want to do soon.

One thing we noticed is that if you come through the entrance in American Fork you have to pay $6 for a three day pass. We aren't sure if we came through some back way, or never really started on the Alpine Loop, but we somehow ended up accidentally skipping this. But $6 for a three day pass seems well worth it to me! That is just a little heads up for any of you thinking of taking the time to go explore. Especially since most places like that only take cash, and can't break anything higher than a $10 bill.

Have any of you found some fun places to explore this fall? I am making a list of all the places I want to check out this coming year so SHARE SHARE SHARE!

Breakdowns

I swear one day I am feeling on top of the world, and that I have my life all figured out, and then the next day I am on the verge of a mental breakdown. This was my day yesterday. Does this happen to anyone else but me?

Yesterday was just a bad day for me, and when I sat back and thought about it I realized that it was all on me. I was the one stressing myself out, and for not reason at all. Do you ever have those days where you are either of sick of your job, or school, or anything really, and it is just for that day, but it is like all the sudden your head explodes, and you can't stop your thoughts from running wild? You put so much stress on finding that perfect job, or being this perfect person, and before you know it you are doing all you can not to break into a million tiny pieces? Why do we do this to ourselves?

It is ridiculous you guys. The need for being perfect, and comparing ourselves to everyone. Just days before you were thinking how lucky you are, and what a blessed life you have, and the next thing you know you have completely turned your back on that wonderful life, and instead are wasting your time trying to become someone you are not. I think we sometimes we just need to take a deep breathe, step back, and realize most of us have it pretty good, and there is just no need at all to do all this comparing and perfecting.

I guess the main point I am trying to get across is life is just too hard if your are constantly comparing yourself to others, and my goal from here on out is to change my attitude about that. Instead of being jealous of those who might be more successful than me, to instead be excited and proud for them! We should all be rooting for each other. Life isn't a competition! We should all get to CHOOSE the way we want to live without fear of not being good or glamorous enough.

Well this is the end of my rambling ladies and gentlemen. Here is to a new attitude, and to less breakdowns.

P.s- Pictures are from a Saturday adventure with my love to Bridal Veil Falls. We were driving through the Alpine Loop when we stumbled upon this beauty. It was too gorgeous not to stop and pull over to take pictures. I want to go back some day soon, and explore it a little more!

4.17.14

You know what I have realized? Having a blog is hard sometimes. I feel like I never really know what I want this blog to be, so I guess it just has to be a little bit of everything. Sometimes it is hard to be 100% you when you are in a world where everything is evolving into something new and better. Sometimes you just want to give in, just so it's easier. At least you think it will be easier. I have found it is actually a whole lot harder. It is hard to try and be someone you are not. So this blog of mine is just a little bit of everything. Sure, it is never going to be some huge and crazy thing, but I guess it just really doesn't matter. That stuff just isn't important to me anymore. It's just to hard trying to keep up with things you don't believe in. So that is why I am going to tell you about my day. 

Today was an incredibly good day! I did have to get up early for class which is basically hell in a nutshell, but I somehow made it onto the bus at 8:20am. How I have managed to do that every day this semester is beyond me! Oh wait... that hasn't happened. Like for real you guys, I am happy if I make it to school twice a week. Spring semester just end already! 

After I basically ran out of class to avoid the campus wide earthquake drill, I ended up catching an earlier bus than usual, so that was nice to get home early. I basically just sat around and relaxed until noon instead of studying for finals, because you know, priorities. Than I hopped in the car and headed over to Emma's lovely home. 

I'm sure most of you know the lovely Emma from Tightrope to the Sun. If you don't, you best be making your way over to that pretty little blog of hers right this second. Like seriously, her writing will make you feel ALL THE FEELINGS! No joke. 

Basically, Emma is one of my favorite humans in the universe, so we decided to have lunch today. We walked down to the coolest little cafe on her street, BECAUSE IT WAS ALL SORTS OF GORGEOUS OUTSIDE, and ate delicious food. Like seriously, I will rave on about this bagel that I had! Cream cheese, avocado, and tomatoes. It was unreal you guys. Not even a joke. 

Of course every time I get together with Emma it has been about a billion years since we have last seen each other, so we always have so many stories to catch up on. Emma is seriously the greatest human to talk to. We can have the most serious conversations, but then somehow we both end up cracking up at whatever is going on. Her life is pretty hilarious. Sometimes I just can't even handle it. She is one stellar human being. But seriously, Emma is one of my best friends, and I literally tell her everything. We both tend to be a tiny bit anti-social, so that is why we don't see each other that often. That and we are both crazy busy, but we are working on it!! But seriously, everyone needs a friend like Emma. Someone who you know you can tell ANYTHING to, and there will not be a single bit of judgement. She has been a major support in a big transition in my life, and I will never be able to thank her enough for that. She really is the absolute greatest. 

Alright, that is basically the end of my good day, because you obviously can't beat hanging out with Emma! Especially when Zachary is in Moab for a week. She is always a highlight to my week, so yeah... GO READ HER BLOG OR SOMETHING!

P.s- I finally got to see her Gatsby tattoo in person, and I all sorts of died inside.

*image via pinterest