say sayonara..

and konnichiwa ;)
to my new & improved blog
gunmetal & daisy petals!
check'er out!
xoxo.

so that's why they call them the steelers..

as mentioned in the previous post, 

i happened on a bit of a vacation this week :)

my good friend gavin and i surprised his roomie, aka. my unsuspecting boyfriend, shawn, while he was away for winter break in his hometown..

PITTSBURGH! :)

if i had been smart enough to catch his reaction on a video camera it would most certainly be found in this post.

unfortunately, that adorable moment when he dropped his coffee will only be captured in mine and gavin's memories forever.

wish you could have seen it though ;)

we spent those 4 days exploring every nook and cranny of the city,

and indulging in some of the most delicious food i have ever had the pleasure of tasting.

we spent time with some wonderful people, experienced the "eighth world wonder", and took in what had to be some of the most beautiful views the city has to offer.

it also didn't hurt that after a week and a half of no boyfriend,

i got to spend a few days catching up with my favorite guy <3

gavin was such a trooper and handled the kissing and cuddling with ease,

and i couldn't thank him enough for his way too generous christmas gift of a free trip to pittsburgh. 

sadly, the day had to come when reaching the airport on time was our priority for the day's agenda,

and i must admit that i left a bit of my heart in that beautiful city and with that beautiful family. 

dear pittsburgh, i do that hope we meet again ;)

at the Eat-N-Park :)

Baby G :)

mount washington

pittsbarrrgh :)

our wonderful pittsburgh family :)

fancy night!

don't know how i got so lucky <3

primanti bros!! so damn good.

<3

xoxo :)

the holidays 2011 :)

now that fall semester 2011 has finally come to an end,

i am currently back in draper with the family for the holidays :)

it was so nice to come home to a real christmas tree instead of having to to stare at the dinky and unlit excuse of a tree in my apartment. 

and as much as i hate living in the state which claims the greatest snow on earth,

i'm actually surprising myself by wishing for at least a bit of snowfall come christmas morning.

it would seem that i may never want to leave this quaint draper home.

however,

next week i will be leaving for a few days to a faraway land i've never visited before.
a land vast with evergreens, wannabe mountains, and football crazed fans.

it's a surprise though for a certain someone,

so i can't say much for fear of whispering readers ;)

you'll find out soon enough though!!
 should be exciting :)
xoxo.

you know it's finals week when..

is it really any surprise that i have a comprehensive exam tomorrow morning at 8 am,

and for the past 3-4 hours i have found literally every excuse to not study, like..at all?

negatory.

however, i have been productive in a few other departments over the past couple of long, and grueling hours..

shall we go in order of occurrence?

• spent some needed quality time with myself in the shower, razoring away at already shaved legs and wasting Dove conditioner (which i now am out of and have to buy).
• grocery shop with money i actually do not currently have
  (so long debit account..)
• engorge myself in the fbook as well as the adorable puppy videos that happen to grace the top of my news feed.
• successfully remove all existing nail polish, and proceed to repaint both my fingernails and toenails, complete with a sparkly top coat as well as a rapid dry top coat.
• text the boyfriend for some helpful tips on motivation.

i think it's safe to say i haven't been studying for this final..

so here i sit,

freshly showered and with a stomach gorged on cheap tortilla chips and spinach dip that i really shouldn't have bought,
exhausting my last effort before the last 4-5 hour (tops) crackdown,
followed by a good two hours of useless sleep.

so, if you happen to be one of those sad excuses of a college student,
 who we all know is quietly suffering alone in your apartment, dreading what you know you really can't avoid any longer,

here's a little something to distract you for a good 59 seconds.

omggaaaaawwwwshhhhh so cuuuuute :)))

okay. now get back to work.

wishmeluck! <3

xoxo.

imma be under the mistletoeee ;)

the biebs seems to know what he's talking about these days.

good for him.

now push play and scroll.

feel free to adore this blossoming romance. 

he even lets me dress him in uggo sweaters.

it really is the most wonderful time of the year :)

xoxo <3

jff (aka. just for fun.)

this is what i look like today.

i am so bored.

funny how i have nothing interesting to blog about?

i'm listening to john mayer on repeat.

am i avoiding homework?

it's possible. 

i bet you thought that was interesting enough.

i'll provide a better update soon.

also thanksgiving is coming up.

so in the spirit of thanksgiving,

i present to you my good friends.

i'll be spending turkey day with these little buggers :)

it's gonna be a good time i just know it.

xoxo.

this song, this is for you.

so there's this guy that's increeeedibly talented,

and his name is shawn.

we wrote a song together and webcammed the shit out of it.

i look like a nervous wreck.

but he looks like a cutie hahahah :)
so check him out!

ENJOY.

xoxoxo.

fall break as the vibrant sees it.

fall break calls for exciting and silly times.

allow yourself to be consumed for a moment by a few as-of-late pictures if your noggin is yearning for a bit of a mariss-update.

just a few things i did this week :)

spent some quality time with these guys :)

i drove through and around all sorts of rainbows on a little road trip to Logan :)

homemade caramel apples with the best friend. 

maggie moo's ice cream with the chummet.
just as good i remember it being the day i quit 3 years ago :)

wasting away days with the booboo <3

& attending "classy" parties :)

but the best part had to be visiting with very much missed and loved friends :))

looking forward to the next few days and more good times.

dedications:
to the danish boys i've missed so very much:
i just know i will revert back to as sad as i was when you left last time.
it won't be pretty.
so just stay :)

xoxoxo.

if you're a bird, i'm a bird.

everything about this past week has been

bat shit crazy.

the nice thing about college is that each and every direction you turn,

another life lesson awaits your nervous arrival.

however, this week i learned a few not-so-nice life lessons.

shit always seems to hit the fan.

...

and in case you were wondering, 

i've spent the last few hours weeping over the notebook,

and throughout the next few days i think i'll soak myself in some nickel creek.

they somehow always seem to cheer me up when i'm lost in the pitiful depths.

on a lighter note:

the new season of ghost adventures premiered this week :)

holla!

xoxo.

a new chapter.

literally,

a new chapter.

i pledged a sorority this week,

and by new chapter, i mean,

the newest sorority at the university of utah,

which actually is called a chapter.
a new one.

you may be wondering which sorority it is that i'm speaking of?

well.

it's alpha phi :)

pretty stoked.

also weirded out.

never thought i'd be the girl to get into that.

but take a look for yourself.

that's me on the right. 

by the alpha phi letters.

in an alpha phi v-neck.

with my new "sisters".

(a.k.a. roomies.)

...

i'll always be a kappa sig girl at heart,

and i will always be their dickless pledge..

but this could be kind of cool too.

;)

xoxoxo.

part of me hopes my mother doesn't read this.

i'm pretty darn sure of what i'm getting for my next tattoo.

it's gonna be beautiful.

i may have ripped off one of my long-time friends by stealing the inspiration she used for her first tattoo,

but i have a feeling she won't mind. 

i refuse to disclose any further details,

however,

if you happen to follow me on pinterest you might get a little teaser.

in the meantime, i'll give you a hint.

(a.k.a. the inspiration.)

-Psalm 118:5-

"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free."

xoxo.

just thought you should know,

that my favorite holiday is just around the corner.

the first day of september is when the decorating begins. 

and costume shopping?

get excited.

xoxo.

because i'm egotistical like that.

you will notice some pretty sassy photos of myself in the heading.

yeah.. i know i look good.

and just for your liking,

i have one or two more photos i'd like to share:

this here is my dear friend cade.
i don't believe i've ever mentioned cade on the bloggity,
but we have recently become quite close.
this is us at the Bright Eyes concert :)
i do love him!

this is katie :)
she was my baking assistant at one point in time on the bloggity.
it was her birthday yesterday :)
holla!

and i know your ears are longing to hear something truly lovely,
so don't worry.
i've provided that little something that will surely vibrate your tympanic membrane.
(part of your inner ear.. get your mind out of the gutter.)

i'm currently working my way through learning this by ear on le piano,
because as it turns out,
you can't purchase the sheet music in this country..

it's a bitch,

but ain't it a beauty?

xoxoxo.

the power went out tonight.

so now i live in an apartment. 

it's a good time.

except for the fact that you could say my room,
which really isn't a room,
is actually a sauna.

lucky for me they make fans for that sort of thing.

and just in case you were wondering,

i've noticed that this kitchen hasn't experienced the baking sensation yet.

i'll be getting on that shortly.

xoxo.

already?

hello fall semester!

i start school again tomorrow.

college round two.

this is how i feel about it.

on a brighter note, 

this is my new backpack!

no more insults from random college-goers.

i have a feeling this backpack might improve my self-esteem,

not destroy it.

one more thing.

the other day, this girl took some pictures of me.

my oh my.

she's a lovely lady and boy, is she talented.

follow miss alex saxton's photography blog here and set up an appointment.

i know she would just love to take your picture.

xoxo.

just thought i'd show off.

my latest baking experiments were a complete success.

this is what i like to call show and tell time.

creamy caprese pasta.
you could say this was a hit.

and these babies?

peach cupcakes with brown sugar-cream cheese frosting.
hellz yeah.

i wish i could say i can completely take credit for both of these insanely delicious recipes,

but alas,

i cannot.

however, if interested, you can find them

here & here.

i seriously recommend giving these suckers a shot.

i found them well worth the long hours in la cocina.

(aka. the kitchen.)

-brushing up on espanol via blog post is never a bad idea in my opinion-

now for the juicy bid-ness.

as mentioned a few previous posts ago,

i made a comment about a certain thing involving something along the lines of a man.

and i realize i promised updates.

so as promised,

update #1: ?

...

i think that about covers it.

xoxo.

fixed.

FINALLY.

this will have to do :)

xoxoxoxoxox.

dedications:

to Jesus: thank you for patience. <3

oh that's weird.

so i decided i'm tired of gagging myself every time i look at my incredibly boring/ugly/permanently screwed up blog,

and that i should just get on with my life.
don't get me wrong, i still hate it.

& i am doing everything i can to possibly figure out where i went wrong and what the hell button i pushed.

however,

there are more important things to be discussed.

for example,

boys.

and by boys, i mean men.

obviously.

i must be discreet,

because a smart blogger is discreet about such things.

but can i just say dayum?

like really.

hello sir.

and that's about all i can say about that.

but do not fear that unfulfilled suspense is in your future,

(if you give a damn about what i talk about)

but i will give updates.

discreet ones obviously.

but seriously,

i have to stop talking about this now.

in other news:

i am having a blasty blast this summer in case you were wondering.

work is work.

but the funny thing about work is that after the work is done,

magic money suddenly appears in your checking account.

so that's pretty awesome.

just got paid tonight.

probably spend it on some furniture because i am

MOVING!

into a condo on foothill with my buds in about dos semanas :)

(two weeks for you non-espanol speakers.)

 you could say i'm stoked.

anyhow,

i had a lovely evening at one of the many twilight series concerts this evening.

(not the book/movie. get your head on straight.)

but these concerts are the bomb.

not only because they're free,

but because they feature bands i have never even heard of in my life.

and then i fall in love with them.

so i guess you could say this summer truly has been a romantic one thus far.

i'll post some pics soon :)

but not now.
xoxo.

umm ew.

so today i destroyed my blog.

my bad.

i'm working on it..

sorry for the ugly.

xoxo.

that one place i love.

as mentioned previously,

i recently returned from nearly two weeks in the lovely cabo san lucas.

you could say it was a good time.

i swam with dolphins, went snorkeling & jet-skiing, and went on a fun little dinner cruise.

and for all those times in between,

i was treated with ocean playing, pool lounging, swedish massages (ikea, holla!)

and the hot, mexican sun tanning my pasty, winter body.

also, my cute little ex-roomie kenzie came, 

so that was really just awesome of her to do that :)

it was a really grand time. 

also, if you're ever looking for a confidence boost, 

mexico is the place to be.

i had so many boyfriends.

it's really unfortunate that none of them spoke english,

and even though i weirdly gave them my email

(they asked for it, i'm really not that self-centered i swear)

they never ended up adding me on the fbook..

so now here i sit back in my cozy draper home,

with flaky, once-bronzed skin that now suffers from the lack of humidity.

and i have returned to my fun little ikea job,

with more hours than i had when i left.

but my puppies were stoked to see me.

so that was neat :)

anyhowz, here are some pictorals from the beachy vaca.

i will be returning soon.

my boyfs must miss me terribly..