Sorry, everyone (Mom). I was doing SUPER fab at posting frequently and then I guess I got busy? Life hit? Hard. Dumb.
Look, Mom: I'm still kicking.
Anyways, WHAT did I do this month?
How have I spent my time?
GREAT QUESTION.
Let's see:
1. I said "goodbye(temporarily)" to my bestie. She's coming back (for a couple days) on Monday before she reports to her Rio de Janeiro mission. What a rockstar. Anyways, it was sad and I've been a bit bored without having Lessers with me 24/7.
2. I remembered that I LOVE singing, so much. Church hymns, The Killers, even rap. I LOVE it, and I'm really happy that I remembered this so I can belt out all my fave songs before I can't anymore (June 26th. 32 days. NBD)
3. I learned how to do my hair a million different ways. Pinterest rocks. I am trying out new styles and it's really fun and great. Check out my photo below. BTW: That is done by just making a pony tail, and flipping it inside itself (Come on, we ALL remember doing this when we were kids trying to look "fancy")
Super easy. Super Sass
4. I learned that I am an even WORSE student that we all originally anticipated. Basically, I just have been having a lot of trouble in my classes. Reading is hard. Drawing is hard. Who knew I did not have the skills of a basic ten year old. Oh well, opposition is AWESOME.
5. I can really stuff my face. No joke, Cate and I have gone to Sonic EVERY. SINGLE. SATURDAY this month. No judgment. It's roommate bonding time, and it's SUPER understandable. Also, I love sushi so much. I ate it before Leslee left, and I want it now. (Hopefully it's a go-to for when she gets bak to p-town. Also, if someone ever wants me to love them, here is a disclaimer: buy me sushi and I will kiss you forever.
Anyways, Love y'all. Thanks for reading and keeping track on me while I spend my last month of freedom out in P-town!
And for this momentus occasion, I am here tonight to go through my ups and downs of the week WITH some good commentary and pictures. Have a fun journey through the life and times of Katers, during her first week back in real life.
No questions? Let's begin:
1. Saw Iron Man Three
...with good seats and good company.
Nothing could possible be wrong with that right? Seriously: the face below is how I felt the ENTIRE movie. It was AWESOME. Go see it RIGHT now (okay, don't break the Sabbath, but still...)
Also, James Badge Dale as the bad guy henchman? Sign me up for THAT military mission. I was so into it.
So what'd I think?
Yes! Yes! Yes!
2.Mo' classes Mo' Problems
Classes are back. Grr. That equals TWO HUNDRED PLUS pages of reading a night, and out of the Odyssey. Don't get me wrong, I'm an incredible Odysseus junkie. But really, I can not finish that entire journey in less than a week! TOO MUCH!
I'm also in an art class. Which I already love so much. I feel like Andy Warhol with my charcoal in hand. I know, he did NAWT do that. But I just want to be famous and stylin' like he was. Aight? No judgement.
Bad news though? Three hours of drawing out of class. Not okay. Also, my hands aren't used to this, and they hurt.
...Oh and I'm not stylish at all. I get charcoal covering my arms and face. AND I'm a bad drawer. Totes TONS of room for improvement.
In conclusion...
What? No. This isn't what I want. Good Classes, tone down the work. It's my SUMMER!
3. Successful Shopping Day
Okay, if you follow this blog AT ALL you know that I LOVE shopping, and that I do it. Quite frequently. It is NO surprise that I spent my week shopping. I got the best mission dress from Downeast Basics. It was $40, and the PERFECT mission length. Anyone wanting a perfect, lightweight dress (that photographs well, I am wearing it in ALL of these pictures), you need to get it!
I also went to The Rack with Cate. I FINALLY bought a wallet, and an awesome lip stain from Smashbox (BEST LIPSTAINS EVER). So fun.
...And I did this all in my new Anthro dress and PERFECT flats summer from asos. I felt like a summer goddess.
So, survey says?
Two freaking thumbs up, baby!!
3. Early Bird Gets the Worm
In my case, the worm is my moolah. The moolah I gain from my working. But, my shift has changed, to an earlier time. I now start work at 8:30. I know what you are thinking, poor privileged white girl who thinks everyone should feel sorry for her and her getting-paid-for-watching-Netflix job.
....first off, I'm Portuguese (that's not even white, bro). I understand how this sounds. But seriously, I am a college kid. I go to bed late. I have class to study for (See above for all my homework drama) Also, it's a thirty minute walk to work. So when you factor this all in, it's intense!
And, my roommates stay up SO late, and I love them SO much, and I'm leaving SO soon, that I really can not bear skipping out early just for some extra Z's. This is a temporary annoyance, but difficult during the initial week.
Soooo...
I'm uneasy.
5. Call me the Master Chef
I grill now. It's whatever.
Seriously, I grilled my own burger. For the first time ever. It was on an ACTUAL grill. One that you had to turn on, and flip the burger over on. It was crazy. Oh, and it tasted like HEAVEN. I feel so accomplished I might die.
And although this seems like a tiny, insignficant event, I like to see it as a measure of me growing into an adult. I am totally independent. This is me going onto my second part of this. I am financially independent (apart from tuition) now. I pay for my rent, my groceries, my shopping addiction, etc. It is an AWEOME feeling.
I feel so free. I am young and free. This is amazing. I do not have to ask permission to go somewhere, to see someone, to do something. I just do. It's all about myself and MY better (or sometimes worse) judgement.
How's that making me feel?
Like titanium.
Okay, so what does that mean for my week overall?
Honestly, the little sad parts were JUST little. Sure, I have a bunch of homework. And sure, I am sleep deprived person. But what HAPPY young adult isn't. It's what we yearn for. It's all about the excitement of life. Right now, I'm trying to live out my last couple months BEFORE my mission by just having so much fun and living up to my potential.
How'd this week go for me? Who am I because of it?
One happy girl.
Also, in conclusion I just want to BRIEFLY go on a tangent about living up to our potential. The following is an AWESOME clip from a talk given by Elder Uchtdorf. He's seriously one of the twelve best guys on this planet! I am so happy that I get the chance to listen to these awesome guys twice a year, as well as every month through different medians such as the Ensign or LDS.org (Check it out if you haven't already!)
Anyways, I'd try to say something awesome about this, but really I am nothing at communication when it comes to these guys. So great!
Yes, after finals I celebrated my freedom by heading down to Swindle's house in Irvine.
Let me tell you, it freaking ROCKED. I spent my days going to fun theme parks, hanging out at the beach, watching a RIDICULOUS amount of NBA finals, and overall just showing my home state some mega love.
I basically documented NONE of it. I am the worst at taking pictures. Mostly because I never seem to have my camera. The following images have been stolen from Eric's insta. He weirdly GETS it on the old gram. Oh how I love insta...
Monopoly. Eric killed. Ugh. I hate him.
But I got second place #almostwinning.
Eric's mom is a CRAZY good singer.
We all got to head down to a performance. It was amazing. Also, she is a crazy good rock band singer, which is probably my dream in life. PS: after this trip I am officially a MEDIUM on Rock Band. Seriously? Killin' it.
Slice of heaven.
This pizza was so good I wanted to squirrel it, and just stuff it in my cheeks and save it for later, even after I was TOTALLY full. Also, they had good mozzarella sticks. I freaking LOVE those. That's really how you get me to like something; throw some fried cheese in with it.
BONUS: and NOT from Eric's insta:
Doesn't he look SOOOO happy.
Sometimes I make Eric model "future missionary" shirts for Leslee, so I can send her texts about NEEDING a targ shirt. Also, target is underrated. That is all.
As you can see, I ATE my way through California. No joke, from a period of Wednesday to today (Monday) I ate at: Stripburger (in Vegas with Cate!!), Panda Express, Gina's Pizza, a place that was EXACTLY like Panera Bread (I ain't complaining... I LOVE Panera), and Chipotle. That's just the places we ate out at. No joke, I've eaten like fifty cookies at Eric's house. Seriously so good, and so bad, all at once.
Anyway, what does this title mean? The entire trip Rich, James, Eric (yes, I DO realize I went road tripping with all males, and yes I DO realize what kind of girl that makes me...) and I have spent it going, "Wait, guys, are we REALLY doing this?" It's even become our go-to insta hashtag. It basically is asking (jokingly) if we are really going to go through with this road trip. We even do it while already in CA for dayz. Funny and weird. So us.
In closing, check out this mid-ride pic Eric snapped of us. Thank you insta for capturing this gem from Knotts.
PS: ridiculously good looking photobomber? Check.
I love California. I miss California.
Listen to this, it melts your heart.
If it didn't, I am sorry to tell you that you are soulless. Hey, ginger.
That's right. Finals are this week! Grrrrr. The worst.
Leslie knows me.
BUT, there are some GOOD things about finals, such as:
1. Lots of blogging time (Sorry Mom, this is so much better.)
2. I like to cook extravagant meals when I am stressed, you are welcome, roomies.
3. Finals=no class. That's fun.
4. It'll all be over soon.
5. Chuck Bass
Oh, I feel better. I really do.
But really, I only have two finals now.
And one group project.
Don't get me started on THAT.
I hate groups. I hate projects. I would rather write a twenty page paper than waste my time during group work. Call me the devil, I do not even care.
And I've been having a lot of face time with this gem:
Oh PR, how I love you.
And hate you, all at once.
Anyways, I've been bored. BUT I just have to look forward to Sunny California on Wednesday!!! Whoop Whoop. I can take tests for THAT. I'm real excited. Also, I went shopping mid finals week (again, Mom, don't fret.)
Here's a new shirt:
Never underestimate the power of a good stripe.
Also, eight bucks? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I feel lucky.
That's a nice feeling for finals week.
In closing, check out this funny video. The redhead, Lauren, is the most hilarious little tiny girl I know. I'm hoping, my experience in the testing center won't be like this, unless
My best friend has been through A LOT with me. More precisely, everything. Birth to death. Forsure.
Wait, what? How is that possible?
Well, duh, it's because I am my own best friend.
I mean, don't get me wrong, I have many, many best friends. Leslee, Kimba, Heath and all the girls, Eric, my roommates, my seesters, and even my mom! But sometimes, you need someone who's seriously going to be there ALWAYS and FOREVER. Who is that? Why, it's yourself, silly.
You see, I think it's important to sometimes be your own best friend. More than important, it's an absolute NECESSITY. You need to learn how to not only be your own best friend, but learn to appreciate yourself. If there's one thing I've learned throughout my college experience is that sometimes you are your own best friend. Sometimes, you are the person you can count on. Luckily, I've totally embraced this.
It's fun having a BFF that gets ALL my jokes.
Well, what does this all mean then? Talking to yourself? Making an embarrassing blog post on a Saturday night? No way. (Although, yes I did that... whatever) I think being your own best friend is really about being comfortable in your own skin.
When I first started school in Utah, I was so out of my element. I had zero friends. (besides Les, who was out exploring the college dating scene. I was not that cool).I don't think I had ever felt MORE alone than I did in a sea of 35,000 students. However, that's when my friendship really blossomed. I learned that sometimes it's okay to be alone. I learned that I'm a strong person. I learned that I don't have to lean on others. I can stand on my own, with my own forever friend right there, going through all this with me.
My best friend has very similar taste too! #twinning
So when I say I'm my own best friend what I really mean is that I have learned to love myself. Which is important, I mean haven't you heard the saying "you can't love someone until you learn to love yourself" (oh crap. that MAY be Ne-yo lyrics)
But seriously, I think it's important to be able to embrace yourself. It's important to appreciate yourself. It's important to be able to say, "hey, I rock!" every once in a while. And if that means making a corny blog post about loving your BFF (yourself) than I totally support you one million percent. I mean, I did it so it MUST be cool.
I wouldn't even mind having a date with myself.
So, if you are ever feeling down on yourself, let that inner best friend have a say! Let them yell at you a bit and tell you that you are great and perfect and everything that you are intended to be! And if it feels weird, who cares? Try it out again. It's my secret to happiness. Sometimes I have to be the one that is pumping myself up for another day. And, I swear, once your best friend does all of this, you will feel better, and you will actually BE better. Follow me, and the great philosopher that is Ne-yo, and learn to love yourself.
I hate April Fools day. Seriously, it's JUST rude.
There's something totally annoying about an entire day where people try their hardest to LIE to you. And not only lie, like and then LAUGH that you are so stupid. Those are like my least favorite things all rolled into one day. The worst part is it's all JUSTIFIED. If you lie, everyone LOVES it. Not okay.
Oh, and it's Monday.
My sister sent me a snapchat this morning of her left hand.
and a HUGE diamond.
I sent her back something like this:
Then she sent me "Aprils Fools, dummie"
I responded with this:
I'm not kidding. I do.
So, if you get the feeling you should play a prank on me. Don't. Save yourself. Man up (or woman up, don't think I'm not including you just because you are female) and do not fall into the pitfalls of social norms. Don't play a prank. Go buy someone an ice cream cone and try NOT lacing it with laxatives. That's KIND. That's IDEAL. No one would see THAT coming. If you do prank, just remember that makes you somewhat of a roach warehouse. No one wants that.
