note to self.

whoever thought being a grown up was cool was seriously mistaken. oh wait, that was me once upon a time. oops.

don't get me wrong, there are definitely perks of still being in my early 20's and graduated. 

and the whole not-going-to-school thing, well.... i'm kinda digging. i enjoy not having to take tests, write pointless papers till the wee hours of the morning, and study my brains out for hours on end in Harold B. The bright side of working is when I get off a stressful dayk, I'm done for the day and don't have to think about it till I get back the next morning or have a WHOLE weekend without stress. Now, that is nice.  

Upside of still being in school? You don't have to face the real world quite yet and find a full time job (and with this economy, good luck to ya). I am grateful to have found a job though so i can make the dough and stay busy (cause let's get real, i went insane those first 3 weeks back to provo without a job). 

i miss walking around a campus, seeing my friends randomly, and kindof living the easy life. And yes, I even miss Harold sometimes. We had quite the relationship during my college career. Starting with the oh-so-wonderful periodicals and escalating my way to the cool kids club on floor 5. yes, those were some fun days. staying with friends till the music came on and kicked us out, only to go outside and be so happy and full of life after a successful library sesh.

confession:about 90% of my time in the library was spent doing something more appealing than homework....distracting other friends, sharing earplugs to listen to some good tunes (john mayer of course), play games (geocache in the library was always an adventure), facebook it up (which included messaging the people you are sitting at the same table with, pathetic i know), but anyways you get the idea. anything seems a whole lot more appealing than doing homework no matter what. but i enjoyed going to Harold for the most part, and not meaning to mislead you, I was productive. But I always had a good time.

my brain is scattered and flustered. can't you tell? 

i feel like this is a lose-lose situation. regardless of where you are, you want to be elsewhere. where you currently are, is not enough. does that make sense? it does in my head.

but ALL of that being said, life is good. it really is. 

it will always be full of ups and downs so buckle down and enjoy the ride, right?

thanks for listening whoever does. 

the latest and greatest.

Well, it's now been a month since I have returned back to the land of Provo and I am STILL trying to catch up...kinda pathetic, huh? Even though I was sad to leave the South, I was excited to get back. 

And I think maybe these 2 gems were as well who wanted to come pick me up at the PROVO airport, compliments of Frontier airlines. It was SO nice to get off the plane and not have to drive the 45 minutes back to Provo. But I was SO happy to see my two friends who I had been separated from for such a long time! Seriously, it was one of the happiest reunions ever! And, Daddy-o was still in town after driving cross country with Taylor so he showed up as well and took us to get some ice cream. It was a grand time. I was so, so happy to be with them again. 

So here's what else has been occupying my time this last month:

Dad, Nicole, and I went glow in the dark miniature golfing and ate some delicious Texas Roadhouse (yum,yum,yum). It was fun to spend a day with my Dad before he went back to Atlanta.

We also drove up to squaw peak to look at the view and even went on this path for a mini hike to work off all that delicious texas food we partook of. I love the summer time in Provo because the weather is perfect. It's so nice, sunny, warm, and will cool off in the evenings a little bit but still be just as enjoyable. Too bad it's almost over and the snow will be coming. Yuck.

 

I stayed at Nicole's that whole week (bless her and her family for being so kind). In the mornings I'd wake up, apply for jobs for a few hours and then we'd hit up the local pool at Glenwood for some sun and swim time. We wanted to soak up summer as much as possible, and of course slurpees after a good pool sesh were a must.

We have also taken a couple trips to the Mt. Timpanogas temple to do some baptisms, which was great! I have never been in that temple till then and it is gorgeous!! Not many people go there so we get in and out pretty quick and the workers there are just so sweet. 

That weekend we FINALLY go to move into our house and I FINALLY was reunited with Miss Katelyn Stone! It had been a few months and I only saw her for about an hour during that time so I was more than excited that I would see her longer than a few hours and we were going to be roommates again this year! Of course I had to go back to comedy sportz my first weekend back in town to laugh a little and support my good friend, Shaun. 

 Sadly, I missed out on one of the greatest things about the summer- movies at Rock Canyon Park on Monday nights. But don't worry, I was able to go to their last one before they ended for the year. We just invited a big group of people to come along so it was fun to be reunited with some friends I hadn't seen yet since I'd been back. 

We had a ladies night and went to see Shaun perform in an impromptu musical at some piano place in Pleasant Grove. It was hilarious! I loved it and loved spending time with my friends, they are gorgeous huh?

Later that night I went to an EFY bonfire for the east coast, aka my Palmyra friends! I was so,so excited to be reunited with these friends! I was sad I was with them only for a week this summer, but I'm glad we are all in Provo and can hang out!

Nicole and I just had to white trash it up one Saturday morning because we had been without internet in our home for a few days and I needed to apply for some jobs. We just went up to BYU campus in our jammies and sat there glued to our computers. we're dorks. 

I went to the Latin Festival in downtown Provo with these fun friends of mine one night. 

And we had our first roommate picture after church! Seriously, these girls are so great and such fun people to be around. I got lucky another year in a row in having some awesome roomies! 

Labor Day I went down to Park City with some girls and Shaun (what a champ) to walk around, do a little shopping, and go to have some pizza. I love Park City! It's such a cool town to spend the day in. 

A hummingbird sadly hit our door and was left dead on our porch one day. RIP little birdy. Thanks to Nicole for taking care of that. 

I love the random nights where we decide to walk to the sev with some friends to get some slurpees. They are some of my favorite nights. 

My 2 dear HC's and friends from EFY this summer got engaged and I couldn't be more excited for these two! 

I got to babysit this cute thing for the day. Seriously, she is adorable and has grown up so much! 

There was a free concert outside of Sammy's and I got to hang out with some cute babes there. 

We finally had an EFY reunion one night! We all went up the Provo Canyon, had a bonfire, and just had a great time catching up with each other. 

Although some of our family is missing, it was so fun to be reunited with all of them!  I miss EFY, lots. 

While nights still aren't too cold, I love staying outside. Kate, Nicole, and I went to the park across the street from our house one night and just laid on a blanket. I don't know why I haven't done that every night!

After I had some yummy dinner with these two favorites, we went to the fireside where Elder Oaks spoke. I love being able to go up the street to see an Apostle of the Lord speak to us. Seriously, so lucky. 

The roomies went out one night to the Olive Garden for some bonding time. Seriously, such a fun group of girls that make me laugh and smile. Love them.

And there you have it.

Yes, it seems pretty scatter brained, but I just wanted to get it all out in one post. 

But I really have enjoyed being back in Provo, getting back into the swing of things, and being with friends again.  

let me tell you about this girl i know.

Today is my gorgeous, fun, exciting, energetic, hard working, spiritual, caring, thoughtful, insightful, smart, happy, loving best friend and cousins 23rd birthday! (really?! 23?! we are getting old)

and this past year, I was extra lucky to see her on many different occasions! 

She came to visit conference weekend, i saw her briefly the weekend after in San Fran, saw her again a few weeks later in Colorado for her brothers mission farewell, and then got to see her for my sisters wedding in California this summer! So maybe it isn't as much as I wish I could see her, but it was better than the previous years so it was better. 

But I love this woman for so many reasons, which some can be found here. So please take the time to read there just why I think this woman is SO great, amazing, and such an example to me. 

But since I think she is so wonderful, I'll just repost a few things-

 First off, these are my 2 best friends in life. I'm so grateful to have a cousin and sister so close in age. We've had a fun time growing up together, with lots of fun memories that I will always cherish. Callie would agree when I say Aubrey is the definition of a good friend. Not only that, but a best friend. She has been by my side through EVERYTHING. Whenever there is something going on in my life, she wants to know about it. I can turn to her for anything at any time of the day. I know she will always be there. 

 Aubrey likes to have fun. Call her up and you will pretty much be guaranteed a great time.

 She loves to have cooking sessions in the kitchen with us at Grandma's house. Sometimes we may not fully understand what it is we need to be doing, but we'll laugh and have smiles on our faces. I love cooking in the kitchen with these fabulous ladies [even if we are clueless half the time]

 She LOVES her family. And we all love each other too if you can't tell. I love us because we are all so close to one another and are always there to support each other. Even though all of our lives are going separate ways and being extremely busy, we remain just as close when we are apart. but it's always fun getting back together again. i love her and love the love she has for family. They always remain the first and most important thing in her life. 

 You are guaranteed a good time with this lady. She has quite the sense of humor and personality. Every time I'm with her or talk to her on the phone, she will almost always make me laugh. Most of the time, they are the most random things I have ever heard, but that's exactly why I love her. I love her for who she is. I love her "Aubrey-isms"

 She is always my support system. Especially on a day when your other best friend gets married. But if you need her, she'll stay by your side. That's something I admire so much about her. 

 And, again, she is a hard worker! One of the most dedicated women I know! She just finished up Fashion Design School in San Fran and is now working at the corporate Nordstrom in Seattle. I'm so proud of this girl and pushing her limits to fulfill her dreams and desires in life.

 She is a gorgeous girl, inside and out! The man who snatches her up will be one lucky guy because she is amazing. 

 I am so grateful to have this wonderful girl in my life and a part of my family forever. I know that no matter where we are and what may be going on in our crazy and different lives, we are always there for each other and have remained close. 

Happy birthday to my favorite model.

I hope it's a fantastic day because you deserve the best, remember that.

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you.

I love you Aubrey Lynn!

Foster Wedding.

 The time had finally come for the two love birds to get married! Do you know what that meant? A party in Hilton Head Island, SC was about to begin. 

We started off the fun wedding weekend getting some manicures at a salon and then Miss Kate Wessman (who I just miss dearly) was doing glitter toes! Well, since Kayc and I already had our nails done and we didn't want to mess them up, Alex was a champ & took off our old toe nail polish! What a gem he is. 

That night the wedding group went on a sunset/dolphin watch cruise.

Sadly, we didn't get to go on a ride on the crabber j this time around, but a picture for memory sake was a must. 

It was such a fun night surrounded by some of my favorite former roommates,

spotting a few dolphins (and being quick enough to capture that moment),

loving life as I look at the gorgeous view,

and having a grand time with these ladies all week! 

Our bachelorette party consisted of going with this sweet bride-to-be to Rita's frozen custard and shaved ice place. It was a delicious treat.

Friday came. We prepped things in the morning and then made the 2 1/2 hour journey to the Columbia temple. We got to babysit these two cute babies while waiting outside. We were just loving on them the entire time!  

Kayc did a  good job picking out some cute bridesmaids dresses and shoes for her wedding. I have no complaints here... I will definitely wear it all again! Not to mention, these 2 ladies are pretty great and fun to be around. 

Then Kayc and Alex came out! And they were GLOWING and sooooo happy and in love. I couldn't be happier for my sweet Kaycie. 

This girl and I go wayyyyy back so I was super happy I got to share this important day of her life by her side. She was STUNNING!

And the wedding partay! Such a good lookin' group...but the boys were a little outnumbered, huh? lucky them. 

There were so many great people who came to show love and support for these two. 

Including this young man who came all the way from Arizona! So great to see Mr. Swindlehurst for a little bit that weekend!

The reception was a great time. 

The cake was delicious,

and I got to spend some quality time with only some of my favorites from EFY just chatting and dancing away like we normally do. 

The Foster wedding was a success! It was a fun time with some great people, in a beautiful location, celebrating the beginning for two people that I love very much.

Congrats Kayc and Alex! Can't wait to hear about your exciting adventures ahead :)