SEE YA NEVER, HIGH SCHOOL

I'M GRADUATED!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, sorry. That was obnoxious. But something this exciting deserves extra exclamation points!!! (!!!) (!!!)

Plot twist: I actually really loved my high school experience (for the most part...). But you know what? I REALLY love the fact that I never, ever have to set foot in that building ever again. ;)

Shout out to the family, friends, leaders, and teachers that came out to celebrate with me. I am so blessed to be surrounded with such great people.

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2014!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHANGE

 

 

"Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now. Live it, feel it, cling to it. I want to become acutely aware of all I've taken for granted." -Sylvia Plath

 

Today I was asked if there was any part of me that was sad to be leaving high school, and to my surprise, I said yes. I never, ever, in a million years, thought I would be sad to leave high school. But I sort of am, just a little bit. It's bittersweet, you know?

The other night I sat next to Trevor and Tristin and across from Whitney and Mackay at our usual table at the local dairy queen. We all ordered mini cookie jar blizzards, per usual, and sat around the booth laughing and talking about life. With only 6 days of our high school career left, there was a feeling in the air that this might just be the last time we do this.

It's weird. We're moving on and growing up and it's wonderful ands scary and...weird. Did I already say weird? Boy oh boy, is it weird.

Trevor has been called on a mission to Bolivia and is leaving in July, Garrett is going to El Salvador, and Ty is going to Canada. Tristin is getting his call in a matter of weeks. Josh is playing BYU Football and Whitney is moving 2,635 miles away from me to BYU-Hawaii, her dream school. Cerena and Mackay and Cassidy and Laura all still have a year left, those poor things. ;)

Bittersweet is a word I've been using a lot lately.

HERE ARE SOME BOOKS THAT I LIKE.

It's my senior year of high school and I'm taking two English classes. Can we talk about how absolutely crazy that is? Some days I really regret switching into AP Lit and wish I would have just stayed in sculpture 1 with the rest of the freshmen, but most days I actually really love it.

I've read more books this year than I have in my whole entire life, I think; which is really saying something because I've always been a reader. I'm no literary critic by any means, but I do what I can.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 books I've been really enjoying as of late:

1: The Social Animal- David Brooks // I have literally been reading this book since the beginning of the school year and I am still only half way done with it because it is just so mind blowing and WOW. I can't even get over how cool this book is.

2: Eat Pray Love- Elizabeth Gilbert // Okay, okay. You can go ahead and laugh but I'm pretty sure this book changed my life. I finished reading it and didn't know what to do with my life, except for like, fly to India and meditate or something.

3: The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald // I read this book last year in Advanced Junior English and absolutely loved it. Then I read it two more times. Then I wrote an essay on it and the symbolism found within it and (bragging moment) my teacher said it was the best she'd ever seen. Then I went and saw the movie and couldn't believe my eyes because of how beautiful and perfect it was. Then Whitney and I went and saw a play version of it downtown and it was absolutely terrible and we laughed and laughed and laughed and basically, I just really love this book.

4: Their Eyes Were Watching God- Zora Neale Hurston // I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a feminist but I loved every single part of this book in all of its feminist glory. Zora is some kind of beautiful genius, I tell ya.

5: Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom // This is another one of those cheesy memoirs that gets a lot of flack but I don't even care because I thought it was beautiful. Super easy read with a lot of heart and depth and a lot of really great one-liners to live your life by/pin on pinterest.

6: Slammed- Colleen Hoover // A little YA every now and then is a good thing, right? This book is all about a girl who moves to a new town and dates her super hot neighbor only to later find out that her super hot neighbor is her POETRY TEACHER. You guys, this is my favorite plot line ever. Give me a book/movie/tv show with a student-teacher relationship and I will EAT IT UP. Seriously so good. Also, this book includes my two favorite things: Slam poetry and the Avett Brothers. What's not to love?

7: Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury // It's a classic. Burning books and stuff like that. I read the whole thing while sitting in Starbucks the other day (sidenote: this is my favorite thing to get at Starbucks and the cute barista laughs at me every time I order it and says, "ah, you and your funky drinks") and I was completely enthralled by it.

8: 1984- George Orwell // I'm currently about half way through with this book and I can't put it down. I'm writing my end of the year final essay for AP Lit comparing/contrasting this, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave New World and it's some CRAZY SHIZ I tell you.

9: The Joy Luck Club- Amy Tan // I hated this book at first but then I sparknoted it (lol oops) and thought about it for a while and then wrote an essay on it and realized that I actually loved it. And those are some of the best books, you know?

10: The Fault in our Stars- John Green // Yes, yes. I know that every single member of the female species is currently fangirling over this book right now but just believe me when I say it's totally worth the hype. John Green is a literal genius and this book has so many layers. Read it, cry your eyes out, go read The Great Gatsby, then read it again. It will have a whole new meaning and you'll freak.

Now it's your turn. What are some of your favorite books? I'm going on day 7 of being absolutely, completely sick as a dog and bored out of my mind, so I'd love to pick up something new.

YAY FOR READING.

"NO, I AM NOT PLANING ON GETTING MARRIED ANY TIME SOON." & OTHER THINGS I'VE HAD TO SAY A LOT LATELY.

 

There's this weird thing where you turn 18 & all the sudden people want to know what your marriage plans are/who you're currently dating/if you plan on getting married in college/if you think you'll really make it till your mission/if they can set you up with their cute friend, son, neighbor, etc.

It's kind of ridiculous.

Like, I'm all for dating. Bring on the boys, is my motto. But marriage? I've been 18 for a month. Let's just hold our horses, shall we?

 

In other news, I've spent the last two weekends in Utah. Last minute plane tickets hurt my pocket but sooth my soul. Am I poetic or what? More on all that soon, I promise.

 

Also spring break was the best. I spent most of my time hunting for ghosts at the local haunted hotel, telling scary stories in my car, and watching horror movies with da homies. And now that I'm thinking about it, that was kind of the theme for the week? Scary stuff? I don't know what has gotten into me.

18 CANDLES

On Friday I turned 18.
Which is really freaking weird because, woah, adulthood.
I've got three months left of my senior year, I've decided on a college (more on this coming soon), I have a job, I even had to pay taxes this year.
Life is kinda weird sometimes. But it's a good weird, ya feel me?
Shoutout to everyone that helped make my 18th birthday such a great one.
I know everyone says this, but I've seriously got the best friends & family in the whole wide world.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

 

 

 

 

Hey guys, it's me.

Yep. I'm still alive. Can you believe it?

Just stopping by real fast to say hi, and that senior year is crazy but also really exciting. (and also scary).

In other news: football games are fun, country music is all I can listen to lately, and all of the sudden I'm obsessed with reading about brain studies and weird stuff like that.

 

 

PS:

 

Waddup senior class of twenty-fourteeeeennn?! None of us are looking at the camera, but it's cool.

PRETEND SENIOR PICTURES

 

 

 {shirt:forever 21, pants:hollister, blazer:found in the little boys section of a thrift shop, scarf:gift from my momma; bought in china, shoes: cole haan}.

The other day I dragged (literally) my friend Laura out to a field in the middle of nowhere to help me take some fake senior pictures. I'm getting my real senior pictures taken by matt clayton in just one week and I wanted to test out some outfits. And OH MY GOSH I'M GETTING MY SENIOR PICTURES TAKE BY MATT CLAYTON. I've only been dreaming of this day since, what? 7th grade? Holy cow am I excited.

Also, can we talk about this camera for a second? I found it at an antique shop the other day and instantly fell in love. I've been in this big "I love America/the American flag is so cool/go boy scouts/go anything that has to do with America" mood lately, so finding that was awesome. All I want to do lately is rock overalls and anything America flag inspired (even though I'm wearing a union jack scarf in these pictures...) and take pictures of cute little boy scouts and join a baseball team...is anyone else feeling this way...?

THIS IS A LONG & OBNOXIOUS STORY. MY APOLOGIES.

Once upon a time, I got home from a long day at work and thought, "Hey. I feel like doing something." So do something I did.
An hour later Cassidy, Laura, & I grabbed a couple big blankets and drove to our local pub/outdoor restaurant/indoor restaurant/concert hall/park/haunted hotel.
I parked my car next to this really nice motorcycle. (Quick side note about me: I love motorcycles. Looove them. Every time I see a nice motorcycle I have to stop and take a good look at it and go, "Woah! Nice motorcycle!" My parents get really annoyed every time I do so. "You're not getting a motorcycle!" They say. "We'll see about that." I say.)
So as I was getting out of my car this guy walks up to the motorcycle and starts getting on it. So I figured I would tell him how much I love his bike, right? This is how our conversation went:
Me: Hey man! Nice bike! It's gorgeous.
Then the guy turns around and smiles at me and HOLY COW WAS HE GOOD LOOKING. I was so distracted by how hot the bike was that I didn't even notice how hot the guy riding the bike was.
Bike guy: Wow, thank you!
And then I got awkward. Another side note about me: every time I talk to someone I find even the slightest bit attractive I get verbal diarrhea. It's bad, you guys.
Me: Uhhhhh, yeah. It's ummmm...really nice. Nice bike...? Uhhhhhh yeah......
Bike guy: Well, thank you. Are you going in?
Me: Yeah!
Bike guy: Cool! I'll see you in there?
Me: Yeah, okay! Of course!
Then he hopped onto his bike and rode away. And my friends laughed and explained the whole thing to me. Apparently when he said "going in" he didn't mean "going into the park to watch The Goonies on the ground with every other family in this part of Oregon." like I figured. In fact he meant "going into the bar that we were parked right in front of." My bad.
Then as we were setting up our blankets Laura said that she saw the motorcycle guy parked at the bike rack, holding his helmet in his hands, staring at me like he was waiting for us to walk into the bar with him. And I just walked right past him. Man, am I oblivious!

So here's to you, attractive motorcycle man-
I'm sorry I stood you up. Next time join us on the lawn as we watch family friendly movies. Or maybe not, that might be weird.
Yours truly, girl in the beat-up gold corolla.   

Long story short(ish): a few more friends showed up and we watched The Goonies, which is one of my very favorite movies ever and fun fact! it was filmed here in Oregon. And then afterwords we took some instax pictures.
  

THE END.

LIFE IS GOOD

I have so much to blog about, you guys.
Like how wicked awesome my life is right now. Junior year has treated me soooooo well.
I want to blog about how so many of my friends graduated today & woah, since when did I get so old? & how much I am going to miss my exchange student friends, especially that boy up there. I mean, who am I going to carpool with senior year?
Also, I got a job. A job! I work with lots of attractive college aged boys & I'm pretty sure everyone thinks I'm just this weird little girl but whatever, it's an adventure.
I also want to blog about the vampire weekend concert and the blind pilot concert and my trip to seattle and that time I skipped school and went to the zoo with some of my favorite people ever. (pictured on the left).
& then there was that seminary testimony meeting two days ago that I don't even know if I could possibly put it into words, it was that amazing.
& also I want to blog about Jack Johnson & yearbook signings & parties & the crazy amount of awkward encounters I've had with boys lately & making it onto the teen advisory board for my future, my choice & summer plans & how one of my very best friends got baptized the other day & my goodness, there is a lot to blog about.
Life is good.
There are post about these things, and so many more, coming soon. I promise!

EXTREMISTS

"But as I continued to think about the matter, I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist. Was not Jesus an extremist in love? -- "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice? -- "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ? -- "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist? "Here I stand; I can do no other so help me God." Was not John Bunyan an extremist? -- "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a mockery of my conscience." Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist? -- "This nation cannot survive half lave and half free." Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created qual." So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?"

-Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail

PROM 2013

 

I wore a tutu skirt and sweater to prom. Breaking every fashion rule ever holllllaaaa'!

No but really, I loved how my outfit ended up. Loved loved loved it. I originally wanted to buy this skirt, but when I went to go order it they were sold out! So with a little help from this tutorial, and a LOT of help from a good friend of mine (I am not a seamstress in the slightest), I made my own! 

 

 

Shout out to my momma for doing my makeup and my favorite hair dresser Melody Bell for doing my hair. Also to Kate Spade, for creating this gorgeous necklace/earring set and Nordstrom's Rack for carrying it for a smoking good deal.

 

 

The whole group! Jeremiah & Cerena, Josh & Cassidy, Whitney & Gerrick, and my date Josh & I.
Yes, you read that right. Josh & Cassidy and Josh & CasiDee. Pretty sure they planned that one? ;)  

 

The left picture showcases our true feelings towards prom and the amount of pictures our moms were making us take...

Love these girls!

 



 

Thanks for the great night, Josh!

 

 

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

I recently joined my school's unified soccer team. Unified soccer is a soccer league for athletes with and without intellectual disabilities. It's done through the Special Olympics and this year is the first time Oregon has been able to have an official unified soccer league. Saturday we had our kick off; we spent the day listening to motivational speakers, designing shirts, pledging to eliminate the use of the r-word, and playing our first two games! Unfortunatly, I couldn't play due to a back injury, so I was put on towel-girl/picture taking duty for the day!

 

The whole team!

 

 We have the best (and most attractive) coaches!

Find out more about special olympics, & how to volunteer/join a team here!