Pure Imagination

Anyone who knows me knows that I live in LaLa Land. In fact, I'm the reigning queen of LaLa Land. Ever since I was a kid I've enjoyed spending the majority of my day contemplating the world, daydreaming and just plain old imagining up a bunch of random things. When I was a small child I would concern myself with subjects that most children don't really think about. I wondered about things like who I was and why I was even on Earth, how old people got white hair, and the specifics of how old people die. I came up with some pretty weird theories for all of these things. My explanation for white hair? I thought old people just had a bunch of lice eggs on their heads and that's what made their hair so white. My theory for death? I thought that when old people...well...nah, I won't tell you guys what my childhood theory for death was. It's pretty creepy. Anyway, I've always just lived on the moon. Head in the clouds. Most of the time I've got a dazed and confused look about me because I'm so caught up in my fantasies. My inability to pay attention to what was going on around me, in addition to getting me into trouble a lot of the time, gave me a good ability. The ability of self teaching. I always tried really hard to pay attention in school as a kid but my mind would always inevitably wander, leaving me without a clue about portions of what had been taught during the school day. As I explained in this post I was obsessive about excelling in school so I'd just go home with my text books and teach myself the portions of the lesson that I had missed.

{H&M: white basic tank; Pacsun: light wash skinny jeans; GoJane: faux suede booties; Van Heusen: sunnies similar; Target: wallet; Cardigan: inherited from my grandma, Owl Earrings: gift from my little sister}

What's the point to all of this rambling about my never paying attention you ask? Well...to be honest I kind of already forgot the point of what I was saying...sorry. Maybe that'll be the point. That I don't ever pay attention to things and I apparently have the memory of a goldfish. Sorry guys, I honestly just can't remember where I was even going with this post. Let's just drop it talk about my outfit instead? I got this cute little cardigan thing from a box of the things my grandma left in the states the last time she visited us before her passing and I love it. I picked it out from among her things because it reminded me of a certain magazine cover that I had always loved.

I don't know why but when I first saw this magazine cover as a teenager I just totally fell in love with the blazer Jessica is wearing and for reasons unbeknownst to me the cover has just always stayed etched into my mind ever since. When I saw my grandma's little sweater it reminded me of Jessica's blazer and I knew that I had to have it not only to have an item that reminded me of my grandma but to finally be able to recreate the Jessica look that I had so loved as a teenager.

Much Love!

Linking up with: What She Wears 

Pink and Dirty Neon

Hey friends! This. Week. Has. Been. Heavenly. So much so that each of those words required their own sentence, AND we're only two days in! I'd say our prospects are lookin' good! Last week was my last week at my 'old' job. Ha! It's a lot more fun saying 'old' job than I thought it would be! Anyway, even though I made some really outstanding friendships there, namely my friendship with my best friend Romina, it was high time to start pushing things forward career wise. I mean, I've only got one more year left in school. ONE! Eek! Anyway, I've got some time off from any sort of work for a little while before things start moving forward and let me tell you, having this coming week off is just about the nicest thing the universe could have sent my way! Yesterday I had the chance to go to the movies with the little brother. Man, that kid is a hoot and a half! Anyway, I don't know about you guys but I consider previews to be the best part of any movie. I mean, sure I go into the theater to see an actual movie...but I'd be lying if I didn't say that the previews are 80% of the reason I go to the theater in the first place. I mean, they basically show you the best scenes of each of the movies in a short few clips, AND they get you all hyped up and excited to see a bazillion more movies that you probably won't remember seeing 50 years from now!! Sigh...so riveting! I love previews, AND movies! I have serious issues here guys. I think I'm addicted to movies. Maybe I should start an addicted to movies anonymous or something. Or I could just keep on watching about a hundred movies a year, that sounds good too! I actually get SO into the previews that by the time they're done I can't even remember what movie I paid to see in the first place, and sometimes I even end up getting disappointed that I'm watching the, lame in comparison to the previews, movie that I paid to see. Anyway, we ended up watching "White House Down" with Channing Tatum and Jamie Fox. It was action filled, funny, and cheesy. In essence it was everything that a proper mind numbing movie ought to be! ;) Whoever put together the preview selection for the movie, though, was dumber than a grain of sand in the middle of butt crack Egypt. Why you ask? Because they put a preview of a Matt Damon movie and a Mark Wahlberg movie BACK to BACK! Who does that? I mean, doesn't everyone know that Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg are basically the same person? I mean, they might as well be fraternal twins. Just look at them! Look!

And don't get me started on their names! Matt, and Mark? They're basically the same name. Potato, potatoe right? Matt, Mark, Martt? Same difference. Or am I the only one that gets them confused? 

{H&M: military vest similar actual one available in stores for $15, shoes similar and available in stores for $15; F21: basic tank, shorts similar;  Accesories: beaded hummingbird necklace from Guatemala borrowed from my sister, watch was a gift to my little brother from my grandma}

Oh, and on an unrelated side note, I got a chance to take my little sister out to the Park Cafe for a pre birthday celebration! The little bugger's turning 19! It seems like it was just two years ago that I was 19...oh wait it was! ;) Happy early birthday Allissa, 19 is a good one!

Much Love! 

Linking up with: A Rambling Fancy, Because Shanna Said So, and The Pleated Poppy

North of Normal

 {Nordstrom Rack: graphic t-shirt, cute ones here; F21: maxi skirt similar here and here, rings similar here and here; Target: earrings similar; Ross: sandals similar}

Lovely readers, this thing we call grieving is a beastie. It's a whole ugly emotional process that right now seems never ending. It's the type of thing that you can't and don't really fully understand until you're going through it. It's a whole beast of emotions: sadness, anger, shock, denial, irritation, and pain both emotional and physical. Sometimes I'll find peace and then the grieving beast will rear it's ugly head yet again and the host of overwhelming emotions will come flooding back. It can sometimes get so irritating that I wish I could just crawl out of my own skin and just take a break from being me, take a break from feeling the barrage of emotions. This past week I have found myself wondering how I ever functioned before in my life before the loss of a loved one. I look back at that "old" me and wonder how she ever found normality and a sense of peaceful contentment in life. When I look back on that "old" me I begin to wonder how I can find my way back to that. Then I think that maybe I won't ever find my way back to that exact sense of normal but maybe, in time, I'll navigate my way to a new sense of normal. A normality in which, sure, I won't get to share monumental life events with my grandma but I will be at peace with that and find happiness and certainty in that "death, though bitter to observe, is not the end, but is, rather, only another graduation from which we go on to a better life”.

Now, enough of that, even I'm getting irritated with all of this grieving talk. It's frustrating enough to have to feel,  so I can imagine its a penny load of annoying to have to read. In an attempt to navigate myself to this "new" sense of normal which I'm starting to feel I'm just north of, I decided to participate in the "What She Wears" link up again. This month is all about maxi's. I went with this maxi I got last year at F21 for the lovely price of nine buckaroos. I paired it with this graphic tee with a love compass on it that I found at Nordstrom the other day. I loved it because as I mentioned above I felt like I had lost my sense of "normal" and peace and this simple little tee reminded me that the love and comfort of my dear family could be my compass back. Together, my family and I could guide each other to a place of tranquility. Until then, I'll remember that to go through this grieving process is perfectly natural because, "thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die”. -D&C42:45

Much love

All My Single Ladies welcome to What She Wears: On a Date

Hello friends! Today I'm doing a link up with one of my personal favorite blogs whose author I consider my personal blogging coach -whether she knows it or not-, Meagan from Because of Jackie and one of my new blogging obsessions A Rambling Fancy! They're doing a monthly link up called "What She Wears" with some other cute bloggers. This months theme is "what she wears on a date". Since most of the lovely ladies linking up are already married I decided I'd focus my "what she wears on a date" link up on us wee little single ladies! I decided that most dates for us singletons fall into one of four categories. There's the classic "dinner and a movie" date, the "fro-yo and chat(in the summer)/coffee -or in my case hot chocolate- and chat(in the winter)" date, the "something active" date planned by the daring and bold fellas, and/or the "going out somewhere fancy" date. I put together four different looks for each of the above mentioned sections.

"Going out Somewhere Fancy"

 {F21: dress; H&M: trench coat; Charlotte Russe: heels}

I would wear this to go to the Utah Symphony, being the classical music lover that I am...but honestly I know of absolutely no 21 year old boys that would actually enjoy that. I mean, do you ladies know of any 21 year old guys that would willingly subject themselves to sitting still with little to no talking for FOUR hours while the beautiful sounds of an orchestra tickled their ears? I sure don't. Heck, I don't think anyone under the age of 55 would enjoy that...but then again half of the time I have the personality of an 80 year old. But a girl can dream can't she? Picture it now: a tall, fit, blond, and light eyed hunk (that's my fantasy man feel free to replace him with your own) coming to your door step all crisp and clean shaven in a heart achingly sexy tuxedo and cravat with a pair of symphony tickets in his hand. Yummm. Oh, and when he gets there he leans in close and whispers in your ear that he got "tickets in the front row right up close to the cello section", because he of course knows that you were a former orch dork and passionately played the cello for four years! ;)

"Dinner and a Movie"

{F21: skirt; H&M: booties; Aldos: cross body purse; Hollister: ruffle tank; Earings: gift}

Oh the classic dinner and a movie! We've all probably been on a million and one of these! There's a reason it's a classic, though. Dinner for chatting and discovering whether or not you're into the other person and a movie because EVERYONE loves a good movie, and it's a good time to sit and not have to talk if the date is going south. Just sayin'. I personally try not to look too dressed up for these but I still want to have a look that's not too relaxed. I mean, I'm going to be oggled by a fellow for potentially 3+ hours. Girl's gotta have a look that impresses. 

"Fro-Yo and Hang"

{H&M: graphic tee; Abercrombie: skirt; Nine West: flats; Aldos: cross body purse; F21: belt}

The fro-yo and chat. The quick and completely relaxed date. Totally non-committal and is as quick as your tolerance for awkward silence lasts or as long as your non-stop chemistry wants to keep it going. I always try to go for a flirty and fun look, and what's more flirty and fun than a frilly skirt and artsy t-shirt? Nothing. These are always hit and miss kinds of dates for me, mostly because I can be the queen of AWKWARD silence or as you've all learned the queen of non-stop talking. Just depends on who I'm with.

"Something Active"

{F21: basic tee, denim shorts, pink watch; Puma: shoes; Rue21: scarf}

Oh, the "something active" date. I love these. They're usually planned by the hunky fit, spunky, and fun types. Which is basically my kind of man. Duh. ;) They can range anywhere from a simple walk in the park to an adventurous trip rock climbing somewhere in the gorgeous Utah mountains. For these I like to wear clothes that I can move around in easily, shoes that I could run one of my half marathons in, and cute girly accessories to jazz it up. My latest "something active" date was an evening of frisbee golf. I basically suck at it, but it's fun nonetheless. Some of my dream "something active" dates would probably involve spelunking with a Christian Bale type babe (I blame Batman Begins for this fantasy), a helicopter ride through somewhere scenic, or my personal favorite a "drive, stop, and explore". This last one requires some explanation. I usually have no idea where the heck I am when I'm in a car. Mostly because I pay far too much attention to the scenery than to where I actually am and end up focusing more on cool looking spots that I notice when I'm on the freeway and wonder how the heck I could possibly get to them. I think it'd be super fun to just fill up the tank, hop in my dates car, and play "drive, stop, and explore". We'd just hop on the freeway and I'd point out all of the cool locations that I always notice but never stop at, we'd figure out how to get to them and once we got to them we'd stop, explore, and move onto the next location. Oh, and when I envision this date we're totally blasting music from one of my many awesome playlists on Spotify because we have the same taste in totally awesome music! You know, just some good old Dashboard, Jimmy Eat World, and GooGoo Dolls. The good old teenage years classics. ;)

Much Love!