GREAT NEWS!

I HAVE A JOB!

Yep, you read that correctly! I am now a working woman! :) No, it's not with Victoria's Secret (although that would have been a really cool job) it's with Armed Forces Bank. It's pretty random, but I'm still so excited! I applied for the position Sunday night, got a call Monday about an interview Wednesday, had my interview at 1:00 and by 4:00 I was hired! Awesome, right? I mean, I've only been applying like crazy for a year, so this is totally fantastic news for me! They're even working around my vacation that's coming up! (15 days to be exact!) Eeeeeep, I can't believe it! Nick is even taking me out to lunch today to celebrate, too! (isn't he just the greatest?!) Well, off to lunch I go! Maybe I'll even wander around the mall for some new work outfits! :)

Things I Love Thursday!

There's nothing I love more than having a good time with people who are close to me!

Surprise Double Dates to Point No Point with the best friend and our boyfriends!

Party at the Pier with our little group of friends + a girls night trip to the casino!

Matching PJ's and some no-longer spikey boy hair!

Mud masks and picking up a friend that's been in New York for the past week at 2 AM!

If you couldn't tell, this past week has seriously been amazing! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that... all of these events have been going on within the last week! We've definitely got some other awesome ideas and plans coming up for this weekend and hopefully the rest of the summer too! We only really have about three weeks left to accomplish so much! Nick and I leave for our Cape Cod adventure around that time (Plus a bonus - NEW YORK! for a few days :) and Alyssa and her family are moving across the country as well around the same time that we leave. It's going to be a sad day when they leave, but that just means that we're going to hang out and have fun like crazy every day until then! And when I say every day, I'm not exaggerating.. I'm babysitting tonight and this is the first time since Sunday that I haven't been with Alyssa. Well, I was actually gone for a few hours yesterday too, but you catch my point.

So, what are y'all (as Alyssa has been saying) loving this week?

Any awesome summer plans?

Graduation Recap!

If any of you have ever gone through a graduation other than your own, you know how stressful things can get! At the end of the day, even when you're exhausted and worn out, you couldn't be happier about how it all went down and even more, the fact that whoever you're supporting has graduated! 

Chelsey had three major days of celebrating and picture taking. The first was her Baccalaureate. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's pretty much a graduation that is faith-based. There are speakers and performers, all preaching about how God is ready to lead you in life. It might sound like church to some, and it sort of is, but it means so much more to those who are participating in the event.

The second big day for her, was actually the biggest day. GRADUATION DAY! I'm pretty sure everyone knows what this is, so no need to explain here..

These are all of the pre-graduation ceremony pictures! Trust me, there were so many more! 

These are her during and after pictures. Boy, oh boy - I took a lot of pictures!

Big day number three was Chelsey's Graduation Party! She had friends and family over to celebrate and it was a very exciting day for everyone!

 
Congratulations again, Chelsey! 

I couldn't be more proud of you, little sister!

Just Letting You All Know..

I'm still alive!
Not that you were worrying or anything, but just in case you were ;)

The past week has been hectic with Chelsey graduating and all,
but things are finally settling down.
And guess what?
She's moving in with us this weekend!
Awesome, right?

Anyways, just stopping by to let you know that's what's holding me back this time..
I promise I'll have a big picture-post soon from her graduation festivities!
Hope you all are doing well!
What's new? :)

One Year Later, and a New Chapter Begins!

One year ago, I graduated from high school. I just finished my first year of college the other day, officially making me a Sophomore. To anyone else, this is all normal stuff. Yeah, it happens, but today is special for me. Today, my younger sister graduates from the very same high school, just one year after her big sister!

Chels and I are only ten months apart, making us not only close in age, but closer as sisters too. Sure, that makes us fight and argue with each other just as much, but I love her nonetheless. I will always be there for her, trying to help and advise her along the way, all while she grows up even more on her own.

I've been there for the dances, to take all of her pictures, to help her with boy drama, and even just as a shoulder to cry on sometimes. I can't believe that she's made it this far, in such a short time, too! It seems like this last year since I've graduated has flown by, bringing this special day upon us so much sooner.

Chelsey, I love you. I could not be more proud of who you are growing up to be, and that you have come this far. You have so much strength and determination for someone your age. I cannot wait for you to move in with us next week so that we are able to have our sisterly relationship how it used to be again. I love you, little sis, with all the love a big sister can have. You're an amazing person, and although today is the end of your high school career, it is really only the beginning of the rest of your life. 

CONGRATULATIONS, CHELSEY!

One of those perfect summer days... Minus the weather!

I love days when I get to hang out with my best friend, don't you? Well even if you don't, yesterday was one of those days for me! This is Alyssa, and I've mentioned her once on this little bloggity blog before. She's up from Texas for the summer! At least until she and her family move to Tennessee.. (it's kind of a bummer, but I know it'll be nice for her to be closer to her family when she goes back to school.) Anyways. I was finally able to hang out with her yesterday and it was perfect. We literally sat on her bedroom floor for hours and just talked. About everything. Just going and going from one topic to the next. I love catching up with this girl. But then we decided that we should go out on an adventure, or just out in general, it just sounds cooler calling it an adventure, and we went to Target and the mall, finding awesome ideas for crafts, surprises, and double dates that we're planning on doing before she moves! So excited! Since it wasn't too cold or anything either yesterday, we went down to the waterfront and walked along the dock taking pictures (see above) and played on the toys a little bit. By the way, monkey bars are way harder when you're 19. Just sayin. It was one of those perfect summer days (besides the weather) where you're with your best friend and just go out and do whatever you can come up with.

How has your weekend been going? It's a nice three-day one!

What do you consider a perfect summer day?

 Happy Memorial Day!

Anxiously Waiting + a quick Things I Love Thursday

So as I promised, I'd tell you all how my interview went. There were three other girls besides myself, and Victoria's Secret's hiring manager, Alicia. (She's such a doll, by the way) Anyways. We were all asked the basic "Why do you want to work for Victoria's Secret?" question, and then we were each asked one additional question each, with each girl getting a different question. We were then informed that only two would be hired, and that references would be checked, then the decision would be made. Overall, it only lasted like 15-20 minutes, which was really surprising to me. So now all I can do is wait... fingers crossed!

And for something new...
                              partially because I just went shopping with Nick...
                                                                                                here are some things I've been loving lately!

THINGS I LOVE THURSDAY!

1. These navy colored sneakers. Totally look like Vans, but only $9! And so comfy. **

2. This Merona floppy summer hat! Thinking of trying this for Cape Cod this summer!

3. This bikini top. I've had VS bottoms for a while, and this top matches perfectly! So fun w/ the color! **

4. These ballet flats. I've been liking them more and more lately. The ruffle is so fun!

5. These sandals! Again, something new that I'm trying out, but I'm totally in love!

6. These floral sandals! (Yes, same ones as before) love the floral and frill together though!
** If you follow me on Twitter, these are the ones that Nick bought me today!

Oh, and I've been reading like crazy lately too!

I'm pretty sure these books speak for themselves, and they're all great reads. I'm on Something Blue as of tonight, and I totally skipped around in order (mostly because I wanted to read Water for Elephants before seeing the movie, then I didn't have money to buy Something Blue yet so I started Skinny!)

There are all kinds of other things I'm obsessed over lately, like some cool color combos, and just Spring and Summer-y things, especially those summer tunes! (The Ataris - In This Diary .. thanks Kaelah Bee for the tweet about it!) If you're actually interested in what I'm loving this week, head over to my Pinterest and check out my boards!

What are you loving this week?

Butterflies and Excitement

So here I am, sitting at Nick's house while he's at the gym. I'm working on an English paper that is due in a few hours, contemplating outfits for tonight in my head, and trying to tame these wild butterflies that are currently growing inside of my stomach. Why, you ask, am I anxious? Well that's easy. I have a job interview tonight with Victoria's Secret! Awesome, right? (even though I'm super nervous, I promise I'm even more excited!) I've applied everywhere and always get a call (or those annoying emails) saying that I don't qualify for some reason, but they appreciate me taking the time to apply. Well, I've always dreamed of being able to work in VS out of anywhere in my mall, just because I love the store and atmosphere so much. With that being said, I mustered up enough courage the other week to apply, checked on my application, and now I have an interview! I've known for almost a week now, so it's making it a little harder to be so calm, but I'm feeling confident! I also haven't told very many people about the interview, just to sort of keep it to myself and only think about it when I feel like it. It's helping too! Thanks to all of you who wished me luck! I'll be sure to post later how it went!

30 Day Detox + all things Ashley!

I get that I've been super MIA lately (I guess I have a problem with that!) but here I am again, to catch you up on all things Ashley.

don't worry, I know you're excited ;) (kidding. sort of ;)

First off, the last few weeks have been filled with my participation in Kaelah Bee's 30 Day Detox! I was super pumped about joining in on this, especially since I felt like I've been especially negative towards myself in the past few weeks. A bunch of people joined in over blogs and twitter (hashtag #30DayDetox) to vow to stay more positive and healthy, with both the mind and body! Awesome, right? I vowed to eat healthier, have a more positive mindset, and not let the little things get me down and stressed like they usually tend to. Oh, and also to be a little more outgoing with life. I used to always be up for trying new things, and never really scared of rejection or being wrong, and I miss that. So there you have it: my 30 Day Detox goals! I'm about a week in so far, and I've decided that I'm slowly cutting back on things, instead of giving up cold-turkey. Seems to be working well so far! Anyone else in on this? Think it's something you'd like to try? It's super inspiring to read the twitter feed, that's for sure, so I'd love to hear feedback from you all as well :)

Secondly, the weather around the Seattle area is finally warming up! I don't really have any pictures to share so far, but that's kind of because I've been out and about doing things! But tomorrow promises some more sunshine and warm weather, so maybe I'll break the camera out for a while :) Speaking of going out and doing things, I've been keeping up quite well on my part of a 30 Day Detox vow, to be a little more outgoing with life. I took myself out on a date last night to see Water for Elephants (awesome, I might add! Especially if you've read the book!) yes, you read that correctly, I took myself out on a date. It was honestly pretty cool, too. Not awkward or anything like I would have thought. I've also been taking time out of each day to do something for me, whatever it is, but just because I wanted to. I went shopping the other day with my mom, am currently looking for my next book (I'm thinking Something Blue), or I even just lay in my room and listen to music or watch One Tree Hill - I'm just a tad obsessed with the show. Oh, and don't forget my most recent obsession, Pinterest! Haha.

Anyways, I guess that was sort of a third in there too, but you all get the point! I know that I was sort of rambling for the most part in there, but I guess that's sort of how I've been lately! Happy and all over the place, doing as many things as I can! That's not too bad of a life to live, eh?

How have you all been?

Any new goals like with the 30 Day Detox? What do you do just for you?

I'd love to hear back about well, just about anything!

Mother's Day!

First off,  

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOMMA'S OUT THERE! <3

My mom and I on the Ring of Fire together!

A mom is obviously a very important person in every human being's life. Whether you know your real one or not, have an adoptive mother, a woman you're so close with you consider her to be your mother-figure, anything.. there's always something. My mom and I have had our share of ups and downs between our parent-child relationship, but who hasn't? We're closer than most families I've been around, and that is something I am extremely proud of. We can be real with each other, even when it's not something either of us want to hear. We can make each other laugh when we're sad, and cry even more when it's needed. We fight and yell, but love so much more. People never believe that she's my mom, mostly because she's only fifteen years older than me; but I think that's where most of this comes from. She's understanding because it hasn't been that long since she went through some of these things. She's compassionate for the same reasons too. But on the same hand, as I'm sure you could have guessed by now, that's why we get frustrated with each other. Regardless, she is my best friend and has always been there for me, even when we're not physically together. I love you, momma! Thank you for teaching me that kindness is better than anger. Your family is who you make them. No matter what, the truth will always come out in the end, even if it ends up taking a little while. There's so much I could say about you mom, and all that you've done for me over these last nineteen years, but I'd take too much time. So I'll stick with this - thank you for being the best mom in the world, to all of your ladybugs. You've always been there for us, and I know all of us appreciate that and love you dearly for it. Happy Mother's Day Mommy Ladybug, I love you! <3

Cinco de Mayo, the start of graduation & a Sounders game!

So I get that Cinco de Mayo was actually two days ago, but I'm just getting around to posting about it now :P it was a very eventful day though, which means lots of pictures! :) Whooop. Ready for it? Good.

Nick and I went to celebrate at Azteca! What better way to celebrate than stuffing your face with Mexican food?! We even splurged for dessert (Nick's idea :P) and virgin margaritas! They sure were tasty! (and I get that the pictures aren't fantastic.. Azteca doesn't have the best picture-taking light. haha)


It alsooo happened to be my little sister Chelsey's graduation from a class/program we attend! There was an awesome speaker there, and she even got a bunch of useful gifts to help her get started with life on her own!

And a few days before that, Nick and I went to another Sounders game with his dad and sister, Erin! It's always fun getting to spend time with her, especially since she's so laid-back and messes around with Nick and I! Oh, and the 11's? A Sounders player, Steve Zakuani, broke his leg a few weeks ago in a game so we had the 11th minute dedicated to him! Awesome, right? I thought so too.

Hello May!

I can't wait for am so excited that it's May! For all of the beautiful spring flowers to start popping up like crazy, and most of all, for the sunshine that starts to become more regular with this month! I'm so ready for some nice weather, and this past week has been an awesome preview so far! But seriously, where has the time gone lately? It's hard to believe that I'm already in my sixth week of the last quarter of my Freshman year! (there are ten weeks!) Crazy, right? My first year of college flew by! (and I know, I know.. we're already a few days into May, but I've been a little time-crunched when it comes to blogging, and wasn't able to finish this post the other day! oops..) but anyways, it's crazy to think that I'm only one year away from moving to another city for the remainder of my college career -- living on my own with Nick! Shoot, we'll only be dating for three and a half years by then, so why not?! Right? Then two more years after that, I'll be out in the real world, hopefully starting my counseling career!

What are some dreams and goals that you all have?

I love hearing about what others are aspiring to be and do with their lives! 

Ps. Thanks for being patient and sticking with me when I don't get around to posting for a while! 

You guys are awesome :)

Happiness

True happiness. I don't know what it is lately, but I'm getting better. I know some people will say that nothing was ever wrong with me in the first place, but I just get in these funks sometimes. If you don't believe me, or like it, or think I'm being melodramatic.. I don't care. Sorry if that's a little blunt and a tad rude, but I'm tired of feeling like I have to change who I am around certain people. I am me. Sure, that's as cliche as it gets, but it's true.

I've been doing things on my own terms lately. Eating healthy and being more positive is helping to put me in a better mood most days (and I'm feeling like I have more energy too!) I've even gotten to hang out with friends more :) I met up with a friend the other day between classes, and another mutual friend of mine and Nick's rode with us to his indoor game, which led to a whole other good time! (ahem, singing ridiculous songs as loud as we can ;) Loved. It! I've even been able to stay focused on school and be productive every day.

It's also helping a lot to see other people post about the rough times they are having. Alyson over at The Average Girl's Guide along with Lindsay over at From the Aisle to Aloha are the most recent posts I've read, and it's super inspiring to see how they are dealing with it (especially since I'm sure they have more complicated problems). I think it's awesome that the girls I look up to on blogger are so honest, even when it's not the happiest post you'll ever read.

Anyways, I just felt like writing about this. It's nice to realize that you haven't been as stressed lately, and even more organized, without really realizing that it's happening! But hey, I'm definitely not complaining!

Lifestyle Changes + Some Massive Goals!

So as I was browsing some new blogs today, I came across a post on Miss Indie's blog! It definitely inspired me to write about the new plan Nick and I are going on. A good friend of ours recently went on a health food kick, so we're trying it out too! Here's sort of a quick run down of what I came up with (I even borrowed some ideas from Miss Indie too!) --

- We're cutting out all processed foods (minus cheese!) Everything will be as fresh and healthy as possible.
- Fruits and vegetables will become a HUGE part of our diet. Protein is important still too, though.
- I've definitely cut down on my soda intake lately, but now I'm going to attempt to cut it out entirely! I need to get better about drinking more water, so hopefully this will help!
- Nick takes his vitamins religiously, so now I'm going to try too! Fish Oil, Vitamin C + whatever else I need!
- I need to start working out or getting exercise daily; I think I'm going to try some yoga DVD's!
- Bedtime will be by 12:00 every night, and up by 8:00 every morning (earlier for school!)
- I am going to take more time to hang out with friends and have fun. Try new things and not hold back!
- I am going to stop putting things off. I procrastinate like no other and then nothing gets done.
- I'm going to have a better outlook on life. Be more positive, and have that I-can-do-anything attitude! I too often think that I can't do things simply because I'm not good enough at them, or I might mess up.
- Relaxing time is going to become a must. I get too stressed too much, and it's not healthy. I'm determined to find a me-time activity!

This is just a quick list that I came up with/edited! As more ideas come to me, I'll definitely put them up but I thought it would help me get started on things if I made it possible for everyone else to read my current goals!

Hoppy Easter!

I didn't spend much time looking for one of these pictures, but I saw this one and thought it was precious! As you know from a previous post, I celebrated Easter early this year. Lucky for me though, my boyfriend's family didn't. Meaning -- I got to have two Easters! Lucky, right? :) well anways. We woke up early this morning and found a trail of jelly beans from the Easter Bunny! They lead from everyone's room all the way down to the living room where there were Easter baskets galore! I sadly didn't get any pictures, but it was fun to just enjoy everyone's company this morning. We had a lazy day and lounged in pajamas all day, and around lunch time enjoyed a nice hearty brunch. All of this was a lot of fun, but I sometimes don't pay as much attention as I should to why we are truly celebrating today. We are celebrating Jesus and what he did for us, making it possible for us to be here today. I am truly thankful for that, and really appreciate everyone who helped remind me that this is what today is all about!

I hope you all had a fantanstic Easter!

What do you do to celebrate? :)

Little sister's prom!

Last night, my younger sister Chelsey had her Senior Prom! It's so crazy to see her do all of the things that I just did last year, yet it all seems so different and far away! She looked gorgeous though, and told me that she had a wonderful time :) (she even called me last night after the dance was over to see if she could stop by and tell me all about it!)

Gorgeous, right? :) I'm so glad I was able to take as many pictures as I did! (trust me, this is only the highlights of it all!) It's so crazy to see how fast she is growing up, even though I just went through all of this last year! I can't wait until graduation, it's such a big deal! To say the least, I'm very proud of my little sis <3

Calling all Star Wars fans!

So I'm not a huge Star Wars fan or anything, but my boyfriend's little brothers absolutely love it! And guess what? There just happened to be an exhibit in town featuring everything used in all of the movies! Awesome, right? So we all played hookie from school (the boys were thrilled!) and spent the day in Seattle!

This was just the start of our trip! We took some silly and cute pictures on the ferry, and once we were off, Nick took over and started playing "tour guide" for the boyos, since it was their first real trip to Seattle! (at least wandering around during the day!)

But then the boys (including Nick!) started to get anxious, and bored with the wandering. They wanted to go to the exhibit already! So we trekked our way up to the Pacific Science Center, and wa-lah! The Star Wars Exhibit!
















 These are just some of the pictures I took in the 
exhibit!

Annnd, of course some pictures in front of the sign! We just couldn't resist ;)

There are tonns more pictures on my laptop from that day, but it would just bombard you ;) haha. I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek though! It was really such a fun day, and an awesome experience for the little ones!

Happy Easter!

If anyone knows my mom, they know that she has a thing about celebrating holidays on the wrong days. Not because she gets the dates mixed up, but because she likes to avoid the pressure of making sure she gets everything on time. But the funny thing is, we usually celebrate a week early. Like with Easter. This was partially because we won't have Isabelle this weekend, but that's besides the point.

Oh, and my mom and I are trying to eat a lot better lately too, so instead of the traditional candy filled Easter baskets, she filled it with different things we've been looking at lately, and will be more useful! Clever, right? :)

Yellow -- Mine | Pink -- Chelsey's | Green -- Isabelle's

I was so beyond excited! The past few times we've gone to Target, I've seen these awesome box-y wall shelf things (the big boxes next to my basket) but I've been trying to save money so I've resisted buying them (much harder done than said!) but my mom surprised me with them! Same with the cardigans too :) Probably one of my favorite things though? The Something Borrowed book! I saw a trailer for the movie the other day, and it turns out she has like four other books! So my mom got me those saying I can finish this one soon, but still have the rest of Emily Giffin's books for this summer when I go to Cape Cod!

Anyways, enough about what I got.. We went out to Chad's (my mom's boyfriend) parents place on Saturday for a little Easter egg hunt for Isabelle! It was so much fun to watch her search all around for the eggs!

These are just a few of the million pictures I took that day -- but as you can see, I tried to capture as much of the day as possible! It was really a lot of fun to watch her get so excited over the little plastic eggs and the cool things inside of them. It reminded me of when I was little and would go out with my sister and cousins on a huge Easter egg hunt!

What do you usually do for Easter?

Do you celebrate early like my mom does?

I've been Wiggled!

I've been meaning to post about this for the past few days, but I've been WIGGLED! I was browsing Twitter the other day, and I realized that there was a mention (which is odd for me, since I didn't really realize that I had followers who actually read my blog, or tweets for that matter. ha!) Seriously though, go check out this girl's blog! Blair, from Wild and Precious, is awesome! She's got some suhh-weet pictures, too!

Oh, and the Wiggle page (where there's a list of others who have been wiggled!) has this amazing playlist going on! She adds to it all the time, and it's fabulous!

Go check it out! You won't be disappointed :)

Welcome Home!

As you've kind of been hearing (I guess reading is more appropriate :p) that I moved into a new place! I'm still living with my mom and her boyfriend for now, and my sister is moving in with us after graduation! I'm excited, but honestly a tad bummed that I won't have my own room anymore ;\ but oh well, it'll be good bonding!

I've been meaning to take pictures and post them here, but by the time I'm done unpacking and organizing, and reorganizing, I'm pooped! I'll be sure to get on that soon though :)

Something else is different lately too! I'm not really sure what it is, or even why it's changing now.. But there's definitely another change going on other than with the weather! I know that probably doesn't make much sense, but I just feel better. Happier. Confident. Maybe it's the new place, or maybe something great is coming up. Who knows. I just know I'm going with it, it's too good to fight.

Holy Tollito!

I'm not even sure if I spelled that right :P anywho..

I've been SUPER busy since Nick and I came back from Arizona! It seems like I'm never going to be able to get caught up either. Until tonight, that is.

Once I was back in Home Sweet Washington, Nick and I got to play grown-ups-living-on-our-own for a whole week :) we went grocery shopping and bought a whole bunch of healthy food, cleaned the entire house, made sure to keep up with daily chores, went to school for a brand new quarter, and Nick of course, went to work! And we even squeezed in some time for a trip to Seattle <3 it's never really a big deal to go to Seattle, but I absolutely love it there, and it's nice to walk around a city every now and again!

While Nick was away at work, I had the pleasure of moving. I hate moving. Sometimes. Ah, what am I saying. The whole packing everything up and actually moving it part sucks, but I enjoy getting to buy new room furniture and figure out how I'm going to decorate everything! Let me tell you, this is taking forever!

That's all kinda why I haven't been posting as much (like I promised, ahem!) eep. Plus I got a really nasty flu this past weekend, but it was thankfully only one of those 24-hour flubugs. But now that it's a brand new week, everyone is home again and I'm getting back into the swing of school after my wonderfully amazing spring break trip to AZ!

Donald Braun

I was only able to meet him twice, but he was a great man. He is Nick's grandpa, and so many more things to others as well. The sad part is, he passed away just this past Saturday morning. Nick was planning on going to visit him anyways for Spring Break, but ended up leaving a day early due to his passing. It was really hard for him to not be able to say goodbye to his grandfather, but the ceremony earlier today was beautiful. Nick was even asked to read Psalm 23, being their eldest grandson. He did a wonderful job, and I know it would have made his grandpa proud, especially since his grandma was so happy from it.

The ceremony was full of wonderful music, and stories of love and support from the family members. Even those who barely knew him were able to grasp an understanding of how wonderful of a person he was. I am truly grateful to be able to say that I met him, and was even able to spend a little time talking to him just last year. He was truly a fighter in life, and overcame so much. He will be missed dearly, but loved by everyone even more.

"Dad, I have an idea"......

                   "Let's talk about that"

(a quote that Peter, Nick's dad, put into the ceremony program.
it really defined the relationship he had with his kids.)

Catching Up .. Spring Break!

So, as you can tell from the huge gap in dates from my last post until now, I got lazy with blogging again. I don't know if it's because it's Spring Break, or what, but I'm going to try and get better about it and back on track!

And with that.. here's how I've spent my Spring Break so far!
:) enjoy all of the pictures! There will be plenty more to come!

Our morning sky we got to look at while the sun was rising! (Nick took the picture too!)

Viva Las Vegas!

 

 

 

 

Hoover Dam!

Nick and I at the Hoover Dam!

The road on our way to Phoenix, AZ!

After 28.5 hours of straight driving with a stop in Vegas, at the Hoover Dam, and maybe 5 other bathroom/food stops .. we FINALLY arrived in Phoenix, AZ!

Hanging out at the hotel!

In-N-Out Burger! Pure Deliciousness!

My very first In-N-Out burger!

Before our 4ish mile hike!

After our hike! Yes, I did it all in flip flops!

The infamous pool ball!

Nick and his Uncle Chuck! Duke v. Arizona March Madness game!

Me and Nick's cousin Zoey! (Chuck's daughter)

Nick and I watching the game!

Me and Chuck! "Under any other circumstance, this picture would never happen!" - Chuck

So there you have it, folks! Just the first part of my Arizona vacation over Spring Break! I leave Monday night, and I'm hoping and praying that when I come home the weather is somewhat decent, because I've been rockin' shorts and sandals my whole trip!

Help Support the Courage Classic!

 

Help support Nick and his family with their three-day bike ride this summer! All of the money raised by each team goes to support the Child Abuse Intervention Department (CAID) at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma! It's all for a really good cause and anything helps, so please, go check it out and see what you can do to help and spread the word!

The given description of the event is as follows: Join us for the 20th Annual Alaska Airlines Courage Classic where you will be part of a unique three-day bicycling adventure as you pedal to help stop the cycle of child abuse and neglect in our communities by supporting Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and the statewide Children’s Trust Foundation. 100% of the revenues generated by Courage Classic goes back to the CAID, accounting for approximately 30% of the annual operating budget.

The Courage Classic begins on a Saturday in August and continues through Monday. Teams ride all day, over three mountains in that time! Can you imagine? Each member of each team rides over one mountain a day! Please consider helping support their team, it really is for a great cause. Anything helps too! And if you're not able to help support financially, I hope that you'll pray for their team and keep them in your thoughts. Passing the word along would also be very helpful! Again, whatever you're comfortable with :)

Thank you very much for your support!

Nick's Courage Classic Donation Page!

Battle: Los Angeles

Nick and I were able to go out on a little date last night like I had mentioned earlier, and the movie did not disappoint! It's surprising too, because most of the reviews said it was terrible, but I guess that's because it's not a movie for people who don't like combat all the time? Who knows. It's kind of like watching a video game too, because it's shot while they're running, which I guess could turn-off a certain crowd. I was definitely interested the whole time though, and Nick is officially obsessed ;) It was fun to go out again like we used to :) even when it's just for a movie! (one he's been waiting foreverrr to go see though! :p)

Now it's Saturday though, and I'm not sure what we have planned for the day. Sleeping in was amazing, although the sleeping part was a little rough, but we will definitely be doing something else!

What do you have planned for your weekend? :)

Any fun date-nights with friends or loved ones?

Sometimes it takes a storm.. Or just a best friend.

I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately, and I guess you could say that sometimes it takes a storm to realize what you really have and even want. Maybe it wasn't really the storm though, it could have just been spending time with a good friend and realizing how nice it is to be so close with a person, even when they're gone.

Meet Alyssa. She and I have been best friends since junior year in high school when our boyfriends were best friends. We wouldn't have known each other without them, and the four of us used to do everything together. We hit a few rough patches along the way, especially closer to graduation, which made going off to college a little sad (she goes to Baylor in Texas). We were able to talk it all out though, and now we're as good as ever! It's always nice to hang out and talk when she's home from school too. It makes me miss how things used to be sometimes.

Either way, I love when she comes home from Baylor for her breaks. We usually get together at least once and do something for a whole day. Yesterday, I went over to her house and we just hung out and talked. We got Wendy's for dinner, then eventually made it back to her house for a game night! It was awesome, and I'm so happy I was able to enjoy myself like that with someone other than Nick (not that I don't love enjoying myself with him!) since it doesn't happen very often.

Oh, and since yesterday's weather was crazy stormy - I stopped by the waterfront to take some pictures. I've been getting better about keeping my camera with me all the time lately, and it's really paid off! Nick even surprises me sometimes and will pull over when he knows I'll get a good shot ;)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Nick and I are going to see Battle: LA tonight after he gets off work :) 

He's been so excited for it to come out, and I promised him I would go with opening night!

Rain, rain...

It's been pouring like no other all day long. I can't believe it! Well, I mean I can, I live in Washington for crying out loud, but still. I'm ready for all of the rain to go away and the sunshine to come out and play! (see that little rhyme I did there ;p) anyways.

Stay on track.

Today was one of those "I'm feeling sorry for myself" kind of days. It really sucked too. It all started last night when I got frustrated/irritated with something that happened and I probably really didn't need to. It was stupid. I still don't even know why it got to me. But that's not the point. The point is that I didn't really feel better until I went and did something for me. I just let loose. I didn't do anything big, but it was just what I needed. I drove around and applied for a coaching job (fingers crossed!) and I blasted my music and sang at the top of my lungs. Like I said, nothing big at all. But it made me happy, and that's what I was going for. I even went to a church service tonight with two girls from my class. Yes, it was for an assignment; but it was nice to spend time with them. Church was nice as well, especially with how my day was going.

But to make it even better, I made plans to hang out with my home-on-spring-break-from-college best friend :) it's always nice when she comes home because we just get to talking about anything and everything, and next thing you know, it's a few hours later! We're definitely really similar, which led to us butting heads for a while, but we got over it! And now I get excited every time she comes home for a break!

How was your Wednesday? Hopefully better than mine!

Is the weather crazy for you too?

A toast to the end of my hiatus

I don't really know why I decided to take a break, but I did. Not from blogger entirely either, just from posting. It was a bit strange after I realized it, and now that I've realized it, I keep wanting to post while still trying to not ramble about pointless things. Anyways..

I had a really eventful weekend too. I wanted to post all about that, but I keep leaving my camera at home with all of my cool pictures, or only have five or ten minutes to post. Maybe it's just me, but I take a while to write these bad boys up. So anyways, now that I'm home, and I have my camera. Here it is..

There was a double date with mine and Nick's best friends, Alex and Alexa :P

This consisted of going to Applebee's for half-priced appetizers, and then a park nearby and walking along the beach. It's always fun when Nick and I have some alone time with a camera too, because it's just us and we don't have to worry about anyone waiting on us or getting impatient (since Alex and Alexa were talking and getting to know each other). It helps that he's into photography like me too .. he is after all, the one who bought me my camera ;)

I also got to have some sisterly craft time with Isabelle too! <3

We made a big poster together (mostly done by her). It was a giant heart that I painted and wrote Family in, and she drew little baby hearts around it with all of our names by each one! Even one for little Chewy :) She sure does love him!

 

That's a good chunk of my weekend right there! I haven't been up to much else except school and cleaning my room. By the way, that second part is intense! Spring fever definitely caught up with me and my room is spotless now! But hey, it was necessary! And to top it all off? This week is my last week of school (minus my two finals next week, yuck) but then it's SPRING BREAK! Yippppie! <3

I hope you all are having a fabulous start to your week!

Any big plans for Spring Break? Or is OC the only place having theirs next week? :P