2013

I am not usually the "New Year's Resolution" type gal! They usually go from "I am going to work out 3 times a week" to only working out once in a 3 month span! So this year I have decided to try the whole resolution thing out again, but with things that can be done in all aspects of my life!

I think a new year is a great opportunity to start fresh and to strive to make yourself a better person! There are so many areas in my life that need improving and I think in one way or another these

 5 resolutions encompass them all!

I want to become Stronger. Stronger Physically, Spiritually, and Mentally! I definitely need to work on being braver! Being able to speak my mind more often and pushing my own limits! Staying Organized is a no brainer...have you seen my bedroom? DISASTER! Being Frugal may be the hardest one for me...shopping is bad...saving is good! And of course being more kind, I think it is something I need to work on each and every day! Life gets stressful, but I can still be kind to those around me!

So here's to you 2013! You and I are going to become Best Friends! ♥

perilous times

I can't help but be grateful for everything that I have and for every wonderful person in my life! It is days like this that really put everything into perspective! My heart literally aches for all of those affected by the horrible tragedy in Newtown CT today! How someone can go into a class full of kindergartners and shoot them is way beyond any comprehension that I have! Sweet innocent lives were taken so brutally and all I can do is pray for their families! 

The world just seems to get scarier and scarier. Evil seems to be lurking in every corner and not even sweet innocent children are safe. It terrifies me to have children someday! If this is what the world is like right now, I can't even imagine how it is going to be when I have a family of my own! This all comes at a very ironic time because I have been preparing for my Relief Society lesson this Sunday that just so happens to be on Righteous Living in Perilous Times! I don't think anyone can prepare or be immune to something as horrific as happened today, but having the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life brings me great comfort and hope for the future! President George Albert Smith quotes this in my lesson "Though the world may be filled with distress, and the heavens gather blackness, and the vivid lightnings flash, and the earth quake from center to circumference, if we know that God lives, and our lives are righteous, we will be happy, there will be peace unspeakable because we know our Father approves [of] our lives."

What more can we ask for in this life than to be happy and to have peace?

I have never been more grateful to know that even in a world full of evil I can create for myself a place where the Spirit can come and where those around me can also feel of it's love and support! I am so grateful for the amazing family and friends that I get to surround myself with every single day and for their wonderful examples and love, I honestly do not know what I would do without any of them!

Remember to keep your loved ones close and tell them

how much you love them! ♥

security cameras can make your day!

So I haven't blogged in like forever!

My life has been super crazy busy, but one thing I must say is...

Life is Good!

Something else that is good is this video!

I found it here and it totally made my entire day!

take a picture...it lasts longer!

Sick roommates, fancy leather protectant, Jazz games, football games, hurt puppies, sushi, sister weekend, crafts, snow, Lunch with Louis, going bankrupt on new tires, Thriller, and of course Halloween! 

Happy Fall everyone! ♥

27...it came!

Yes the dreaded day of turning 27 has come and gone!

It only seemed fitting for such an occasion that I be sick the entire weekend...why not be 27 and miserable!

But thankfully to some awesome friends & family (and antibiotics) I was able to ditch the pity party and celebrate in style! I mean literal style...

Can someone say MICHAEL KORS?! Yes that is right, I have the BEST parents in the entire world! They gave me the prettiest Michael Kors wallet, and I gave them the Michael Kors dance! You know the dance that happens in the living room while holding the beloved bag...WHAT? You don't do that?!

Well just when I thought my day couldn't get any better, I found these babies on my front porch...

If you know me, I am a sucker for flowers! And I never get them, so needless to say I was pretty excited! There were so many other things that made my birthday fabulous, and spread the festivities throughout the entire weekend! There was Ice Cream, Homemade breakfast, Conference, Patriots Football Game, Pedicure, and Columbus Day (love my bank holidays!).

So here is a GIANT thank you to all of you who made my birthday amazing! I hardly thought about the fact that I am now officially closer to 30 than I am to 25! Gotta love those little facts...

I get it from my Father...

I have an absurd love for football.

I love it so much that I often find myself watching sports center all alone late at night...who does that?

Last night was no different.

It consisted with Me, Costa Vida takeout, a giant pile of accounting books that I should have been studying, and my tv on ESPN to watch the BYU football game. After about 2 minutes it quickly consisted of Me SCREAMING at the tv, my accounting books pushed aside, oh yeah...and more of me screaming at the tv!! You see, not only do I have an absurd love for football, I also take the game very personally. I basically feel like my football teams like to get together and say "Let's make a TON of lame, inexcusable mistakes and lose this game so we can make Alex pissed off!" And after the last week of football games there must have been a lot of these meetings going on. Seriously...

As I was watching the game last night I found myself screaming things like "Are you freaking kidding me?!" followed by "Unbelievable" followed by a few choice swear words and loud clapping. All at once it hit me, and I had to slowly take a seat back on the couch...I was acting EXACTLY like my father! If you know my father, and you know how he acts during football games, you know this is scary!

I am definitely my Father's daughter in many ways, and I guess it was only a matter of time! I am known for talking some good smack talk, pushing people's buttons, and being pretty knowledgeable about the game. Let's just hope that others can see past my obnoxious football watching behavior!

You have been warned...

Fat Club

Recently while at dinner with some friends from my Singles Ward they informed us that our Stake is starting up a new initiative to help combat "excessive singleness" that is going on in all of the wards. I was very intrigued by this wondering how they could possibly make the guys be

less weird...

The answer they came up with...(drum roll please)...

FAT CLUB for the girls

Of course that is not what they are really calling it, but basically that is what it is. Apparently a group of middle aged, married men got together one night and thought to themselves "Gee...I think the reason why all of these girls are still single is because they need to take better care of themselves!" What my friends were told is that girls have greasy hair, wear their sweats to everything and don't take care of themselves...hence the new Stake initiative. Apparently there will be classes taught to us each month on how to keep up our physical appearance, exercise classes, classes on how to dress,

along with classes to help us spiritually and mentally.

I just have one question for ya!

WHO IS GOING TO TEACH THESE CLASSES?

No, but seriously?! I can see how some girls were never taught this and how some girls would love to take classes like these. But honestly? Are we going to have the middle aged, frumpy wives of those who came up with this initiative teach us how to dress? That will for sure get me a date!

Also, why don't the guys have a new "initiative" going on? Classes on how to not be creepy, classes on why you can wait until AFTER church to drink your Protein Shake, classes on how to actually talk to a female...you know the really important stuff!

(guys...before your ego is hurt, I am only speaking from experience in my current singles ward! Most of you aren't creepy...most of you! ha)

So thanks, but no thanks on the Fat Club initiative! I think my greasy hair, sweat rockin' friends are pretty awesome!

Life, Love & Instagram

My life has been pretty busy lately. Mostly busy with fun stuff, so I can't really complain! Luckily I have Instagram that helps me keep

track of everything!

There have been Sporting Events, Concerts, a trip to Lake Powell, lots of boating & babysitting a dumb dog that likes to run away! (TWICE in one day...it is a good thing he is cute!) Trips to the State Fair, SL Farmer's Market and CRAZY bird watchers outside of my office building!

Happy Summer! ♥

Fall Wishlist

 Fall is just around the corner! I can feel it in my bones! It is either that, or the desperate desire I have to buy every coat, pair of tights, boots & sweater in sight! Yes it may still be 90 degrees outside, so if I am going to sweat it might as well be in some awesome fall attire, right?!

I am LOVING all of the trends I am seeing for fall! Here are just a few that I have on my wishlist!

1. Boots with SPIKES! ouch! 2. Emerald Green nail polish 3. Faux leather skirts 4. a gold Michael Kors watch (I think this is the year I finally break down and buy it!) 5. Dark Purple skinnies 6. Leopard loafers! 7. Chambray...OH so much chambray! Love all the different takes on this simple shirt! 8. Big comfy sweaters! And in a tribal print...YES please! 9. Dark red lips (maybe this will be the color that will get me a boyfriend?)

So if you see me walking around in a giant sweater, a leather skirt and boots all while it is 95 degrees...don't say anything! Just keep walking, but feel free to do a double take because I will be looking that good! ♥

why not try?

This has been on my mind a lot lately! I have so many big dreams and aspirations that when I think about putting them into play it scares the crap out of me! Why am I so content on being a wallflower, on being a home body? There is this huge world out there waiting for people to explore it, to experience it, to live it! What is holding me back from being one of those people? Just because it is scary doesn't mean that it is bad or the wrong decision! I just need to remember that and realize that maybe my life could use some SCARY in it!

obsessed

That is the best word to describe how I feel about this song!

I seriously can't get enough of it!

Also I am pretty obsessed with Taylor Swifts new song!

I know I am like a 12 year old girl, but sometimes I feel like she speaks to my soul...LIKE EVER! haha But seriously it is good! 

Other things that the word obsessed would currently describe are:

The New England Patriots

Mike and Ike's

People Water

My new polka dot jeans

anything that is mint green

Arm candy...as in layering my watch with lots of bracelets! (don't worry when I have ACTUAL arm candy you will be the first to know!)

Neutral rooms with POPS of color

Instagramming pictures of food (because I am sure everyone cares what I am eating for lunch!)

Golfing...who would have thunk?

Football...oh wait did I already say that one? ♥

Twenty Seven?! #$%*

In 53 short days I will be turning 27. HOW did this happen?

27 was the age that I couldn't even comprehend a couple of years ago, now it is knocking on my backdoor! Really it is still like 7 weeks away...but I can't help thinking about it, and I can't help think about what I have done during year 26! Everything kind of becomes a blur, but a lot has happened! Here are my highlights...(in no particular order! And I know I am missing tons!)

1. Took a road trip with my dad and watched my Patriots play against his Broncos! First NFL game, and hopefully NOT my last!

2. Survived the NBA lockout, followed by 4 months of endless basketball games!

3. Paul Millsap said hi to me in the tunnels of the ESA! ♥

4. I had a Valentine! (first one since like 9th grade!)

5. I learned how to golf & bought my own set of golf clubs!

6. My family bought a boat and we have been learning all the ropes!

7. I got up wake boarding on my very first try!

8. Took a road trip to Vegas

9. In September I will go to Lake Powell for my very first time ever!

10. I bought a new car!

There are soo many things that I still want to go do, see and learn! But the good thing about birthdays...there isn't a timeline to get things done! I can still travel, save money, exercise more WHATEVER even after I turn 27! But in the mean time I am going to relish in the last 53 days of being 26!

Ohhh...And did I tell you that my bishop wants to have a "meeting" with all of the girls in our ward who are 25 and older?! Yeah, so glad to be clumped into that group...I can only imagine what this so called meeting will be about! Help us all!!

finally friday ♥

It is finally Friday! Hooray!

Today is a good day! I have fun plans tonight, no one is at work, and I am wearing ORANGE pants! Yes Orange! My favorite color! How could you not have a good day with these babies on?!

Let's just hope that whatever pants I decide to wear tomorrow can live up to the expectations I have for Saturday!

back to reality...



Back from Vegas and back to reality! It was so nice to get away for the weekend and just relax by the pool! As you can see, we kept ourselves hydrated with our favorite water & of course Diet Coke, we ate some amazing food and...
♥ Max Brenner you and your chocolateness are pure evil!

Pretty sure Jared thought he was the luckiest man alive...but little did he know the kind of car games that girls play while on a road trip! We definitely brought out the nervous cough in him! Oh and he now knows to NEVER say the word "Payless" in the Christian Louboutin store! That is like swearing in church, you just don't do it!