I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.
-Agatha Christie

i like this.


and i like that i might maybe even meet david beckham tonight, too.
(one can dream right?)
maybe he'll at least blow me a kiss from the soccer field.


happy weekend!


[via ridesabike]

red, plaid and polka dots.

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.
-Marcel Proust

I have too many things I want to say about how much I adore these two friends. Whether watching Kylie swallow a goldfish at her sweet sixteen, seeing Sara actually cry real tears for the first time in the Arctic Circle drive-thru (don't worry, this is actually a funny memory now), or having them both accept me even after my leggings and jean skirt phase _________ (judging space) I will always feel like the lucky one who gets to call them both my best friends, my kindred spirits, and more often than not, my sisters.
And needless to say, our traditional springtime picnic turned out to be glorious.


So cheers to sunshine.
Cheers to paper sack lunches and straw hats --
But double cheers to the people who make life just as great without any of those things anyway.


--

(and a big thank you to my second dad (sara's dad) for always being willing to take our pictures... as long as we bake him brownies).

chalk chalk chalk.

I usually opt out of going to the ever-so-popular Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork every spring (pink hair for weeks on end is no bueno) but I was almost tempted to reconsider my stance this year after I saw the video below...


Alyse & Chance from Haugen Creative on Vimeo.


(almost... but in the end, I probably won't risk it).


-- isn't that idea darling?

japan.

After seeing this on a few of the blogs that I follow, I decided although it's a "bloggers day of silence," I had something I wanted to say on the subject of Japan.

One week ago, I woke up to missed phone calls and several text messages asking about one of my best friends* who is currently serving an LDS mission in Japan. Needless to say, I think I said about 17 prayers by the time I jumped out of bed and ran to the television to see what was going on.

Although I have since learned that my friend is safe and is far out of harms way, my heart aches for the many, many victims who are still hurting. Only a few weeks before the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, I remember watching the news after an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, and although my parents (who currently live on the North island in New Zealand) happened to be in Utah visiting at that time, I remember the overwhelming feeling: "What if?"

Years before that, my grandparents had been living in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami, and although I was only 14 at the time, I still remember the phone calls between my mother and her brothers and sisters, anxious to hear about their parents safety.

So much of what I see or hear about on the news is scary and unsettling -- but it is especially so when some of the people I love the most have been involved. And although I am incredibly grateful and blessed for the safety of my friends and family over the years, I was especially moved the other night as I watched an interview with an elderly man riding his bicycle around what was left of his home in Japan; when asked what he was doing, he told the cameras he was still looking for his wife and wasn't going to give up searching.

At times we may feel like there isn't much we can do, but I found this website helpful -- and especially for those of you who are bloggers (and even those who aren't) this particular website deemed helpful as well. Sometimes even the smallest amount can go a long way.


--


*read: love of my life.

photo found here

dear blank, please blank.

Having a bad day? Need something to just make you smile? Well, look no further my friends -- dear blank, please blank just made today 10x better.

Some of my favorites:

Dear Noah,

We could have sworn you said the ark wasn't leaving till 5.

Sincerely, The Unicorns

Dear America,

You produced Miley Cyrus. Bieber is your punishment.

Sincerely, Canada

(haha - so funny even though I am in love with him)

Dear Scissors,

I feel your pain... No one wants to run with me either.

Sincerely, Sarah Palin

Dear 2012,

Please disregard all the rumors. You'll be fine.

Sincerely, 1984.

Dear Nickelback,

That's enough.

Sincerely, The World

(amen and amen)

--

and if this glee song doesn't make you want to dance all weekend, you're not human.

the beatles had it right.

As we sat with our soda pop and picnic baskets yesterday afternoon, the sunshine came to pay a permanent visit. I was a little worried on our drive over with the dark gray clouds still hanging around -- but once we set our picnic baskets down, the clouds seemed to understand that they were no longer needed for the afternoon, and they finally disappeared...

(as did my parking ticket and sticky hair. the secret just forgets to inform you that all you need is love... but then again, i guess the beatles do that too).

So yesterday I loved sunshine, orange soda pop and two friends who will be the main reason why my wrinkles show up at age 25, because somewhere in between the "sparkle" and "nice rice" comments, I laughed from 4 PM until midnight. And this is all a good thing, because that also meant I ended up with 416 pictures on my hard drive by the end of the night -- 97% of which are of somebody laughing. I plan on posting these pictures online too, but first I need to go spend $327 dollars in printing them at Walmart.

And last I checked it's unofficially Spring. Happy day.

the secret.

I had a friend convince me the other day that The Secret changes lives... (well that and the Book Of Mormon) but although I was doubtful at first, I found his experience pretty convincing. And if you read the following, you'll see why:

We first celebrated this "life changing" phenomena by getting ice cream on Thursday because of the 96% he got on his Biology test -- a 37% improvement from his first exam. (And if you ask me, seeing "Good Job!" on the testing center screen merits ice cream and cherries and whip cream and cupcakes). But even though his test score was worth celebrating, I still wasn't convinced.

But then -- I got a text on Friday morning, inviting me to a celebratory luncheon because he had finally found the girl of his dreams (and even though he had to pass her a note in the library to actually ask her out) he did it. And she said yes.

And then! Late Saturday night I got a text telling me he had won $500 dollars earlier that day. And that his life is close to perfect. And that all I need to do is: read and believe in "The Secret" -- because as the book states: 1. Believe (and then 2. you shall receive).

Needless to say, his random streak of luck over the past few days made me think twice about "The Secret." So I watched the documentary yesterday afternoon, took notes throughout all 90 minutes, (and although some of their methods were...well, pretty obvious to me...) I thought that it made sense: If I put out positive forces into the universe, the law of attraction would inevitably have to respond by bringing me positive results. So that's what I did: positive positive positive thoughts, and within the past 24 hours I have:

Had a parking ticket.
Learned that the cute delivery book boy I've had a crush on for months already has a girlfriend.
Guessed on about 50% of my English exam this morning (even though I studied 29 hours yesterday).
I was told that rain is forecasted for this afternoon - and my springtime picnic might have to be rain checked (actually...not really, because I will go sit on a blanket, in the park, in my straw hat, come rain, snow or shine. I've been looking forward to this one waaaay too long).
And finally - I don't know how this one happened, but I thought the can of shaving cream under my sink was hairspray for a moment -- and I screamed when I realized I had pink foam covering the top of my head.

The Secret may work for others - but apparently it doesn't for me.

--

Life is still good, but as Forrest Gump would say: That is all I have to say about that.

all i want out of life.

the
little brown pen probably has the most beautiful pictures i've ever seen.

and after spending a sunday afternoon browsing through the entire website, i have decided that all i really want out of life is a picket fence and twinkle lights,

and maybe fresh flowers on my kitchen table.

--

we scheduled our "celebrate springtime picnic" this tuesday because daylight savings means we get an extra hour of sunshine (and that makes daylight savings okay even though i dread losing an hour of sleep)

blacking out.

I saw this post earlier today on Cup of Jo,
and was reminded of something I saw a few weeks ago on Tyler Knott's website.

I think this idea is so neat,
and the message so sweet.


(almost makes me want to add on my male checklist:

-must be able to write poetry

but I'll settle for at least being willing to read together for now)

the caramel apple on my doorstep.

To whoever left a caramel apple on my doorstep:

I normally don't cry (...okay, that's actually a lie...) but today I cried a lot. Anyone I spoke to between 4 and 5:30 PM can testify of that.

But when I opened the door this evening seconds after I heard the doorbell ring, no one was there -- but I saw the caramel apple. Which most notably came with a pink bow.

I don't know who you are, but consider yourself one of my best friends. Because whoever you are (whether you knew it or not) you just made my day. And provided my dinner. And made me so, so, so happy, because I knew my math class (and other such things) were no longer worth being sad about. So I am thankful. And grateful. And happy.

And feel very blessed.

Confession Session. Trois.

I don't know why - but it's sort of become a tradition (as in this is only the third time I've done this). But nevertheless, a confession session must still be had, because today is March the first of Two-Thousand-Eleven.

1. I hate washing my hair. If I could magically decide to either 1. Never have to wash my hair again or 2. Never have to shave again - I'd pick 1.

2. Andrew Garfield? This fellow from The Social Network? Seriously would have given a right arm and/or leg to have been his date to the Oscars on Sunday night. Really.

No, really.

3. Speaking of missing arms -- (worst transition in the world, I know) -- this Disney Movie preview almost made me cry. And I want to see the Disney movie Prom. But if I really got to choose - I'd go see a silent movie over anything any night of the week because they melt my heart.
(and if you live somewhere near Salt Lake City you can see them here!)

4. I think we all saw this one coming...but seriously: Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber, Justin Bieber. You know something is wrong with you when you're sitting in the Justin Bieber movie and your 10 year old cousin asks if you're really crying. Because I did. As did my sister. For a good ten minutes (this movie is inspiration at it's best my friends). And as Kylie said: Justin Bieber is a prodigy.

5. I hate video games. Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Halo, Wii anything - I am not a fan. And I am now every boy and future child's worst nightmare.

6. 90% of my diet truly consists of cheese, turkey and bread.

7. The first picture I had on my dashboard when I got my first car was of President Bush. And I still think he's cute.

8. I bought 10 flying paper lanterns after I saw the movie Tangled. I plan on making a wish on every single one of them one of these days.

9. I have a marriage book. And I know I sound a little BYU-esque when I say that, but I do. I started a marriage book of all my favorite quotes, poems, ideas for kids names and married date night ideas... I even have a section: "to read when we get in future disagreements."
Honestly? It's one of my most favorite books in the world.

10. Last but not least...
Reading this quote the other day changed my life:
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."
-President Thomas S. Monson

Okay, maybe it didn't change my life, but reading it made me want to.


And with all ten confessions out there,
my March can officially begin.