My little stay at the Arizona Grand was short-lived. I forced my dad to take us there because him and my sister are going to Nashville this weekend for my uncle's wedding and me and Ethan aren't going with them. Which I'm kind of sad about because I've never been to Tennessee before. (Which reminds me: should I throw a house party while my parents are gone? Wait, do people even do that? I always thought it was just a myth)

Alright so basically I spent half my time there trying to get a quality picture in front of these cool vine walls. My heart hurts a little when I look at them because it totally has like a Tuscan vibe to it so don't be fooled. These were taken in Phoenix, not northern Italy. 

We had an extra wristband so we invited Ashlyn to come and then after roasting in the sun for a while  at the waterpark, we went to Olive Garden which makes sense because it was our pretend Italian vacation. So we might as well go all out, ya know what I mean?

A WEEK FROM NOW I'LL BE IN AFRICA. THAT IS ALL.

Phoenix-New York City-Dubai-Addis Ababa-Kampala-Dubai-New Delhi-Dubai-Boston-Phoenix

"Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men." 

-John F. Kennedy

Don't forget that the things you are challenged with merely exist because you (and nobody else) are strong enough to handle them. So meet your bad days behind a dumpster and punch them in the face. 

xoxo

Perks of being my friend: some days my spontaneous streak is so bold that I decide what the heck, I'm going to go paint some pottery on this fine Monday afternoon. So that's exactly what I did. One thing about me, is when I set my mind to something, I usually get it done. 

So me, Irene, and Ashlee got our Pablo Picasso on and went to As You Wish. That place is filled with childhood memories. I have about a dozen past finds from there just laying around my room. But I decided to paint a peace sign and a sunflower this time. (not pictured: the peace sign)

My dad calls me a 'flower child' sometimes plus a really close friend of mine calls me a sunflower so it works right? 

Okay so what I'm about to tell you next literally as absolutely nothing to do with any of my previous statements but I thought it was pretty cool so listen up. 

Apparently, pineapples are a symbol for hospitality. 

And like, in the olden days, people would put out a pineapple when friends would come into their house to visit. And when you wanted them to leave, all you had to do was take the pineapple away and then your friends would get the settle hint that it was time for them to go. 

So now you know. 

"I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be. 

I love her and that is the beginning of everything."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

There's a lot of qualities I think people don't value as much these days. The quote lists three very important ones:

courage, sincerity (being genuine), and self respect. 

F. Scott Fitzgerald was a wise gentleman (one of my favorite authors actually) and even though this was written way before our time, I think it still very much applies to today. 

Laters babyyyyyy 

                           

                           

I'm still waiting for Baby Gap to call my brother and sister-in-law and ask for their permission so my nephew Ezra can be the new face of their label. Just looking at that little guy pulls on my heart strings. 

I'm going to go ahead and list just a few of the thousand things that have been racing around in my brain lately and hopefully you'll find them amusing. 

-If summer school were a type of shoes, it would be a pair of Crocs. Because basically, Crocs just kill my vibe. Congratulations, summer school, you have the same effect on me. 

-Where is my mom? Can I hire Brian Mills from Taken to locate her in Pakistan?

-I have seen 176 out of the 187 One Tree Hill episodes and the prologue of this story is that I don't know what I'm going to do with my life after I finish all of them

-Putting other people down for absolutely no reason at all will never be in style sorry 

-If I could have one illegitimate wish granted, it would be to have a soundtrack to my life like whenever something dramatic or sad or exciting happens a song starts playing 

-I need to get out of Gilbert and be halfway across the world already 

-Not sure if I want to be a successful fierce and independent millionaire or bubbly hippie that travels from place to place or both 

-Am I actually going to be a senior because I still have the body of a 13 year old girl before puberty hit

-Excuse me sir, if you always need a girlfriend in order to feel good about yourself, how are you going to survive those two years on a mission? 

-I listen to 'You're So Vain' by Carly Simon way too much considering it was made long before I was even a topic in a conversation. It just reminds me of a stupid boy but what else is new

-I want to go into Witness Protection Program so I don't have to go to summer school anymore

"There is no beauty without some strangeness." -Edgar Allan Poe 

Contrary to popular belief, being different is actually the coolest thing in the world 

Peace out girl scout

Today we drove out to Scottsdale to celebrate Brandy's birthday! We went to RA Sushi and then the Sprinkles Cupcake ATM (which I got to cross off my bucket list). She's actually the best thing since sliced bread. 

Also, today the shirt I ordered from So Worth Loving came in the mail. I know I probably say this a lot, but this time I really mean it when I declare this the best investment of all time. Here it is in all of its' glory:

It came in a golden package. Yes, a GOLDEN package. Willy Wonka would totally approve. And when I opened it, gold confetti practically threw up on me. It also came with these groovy little cards which I appreciate very much:

I'm looking forward to wearing my new shirt in India so stay tuned, folks.

Last night I was thinking about all the little things my mom has told me over the years, and I pulled up 30 of the best life tips from Kimberley Kartchner. So instead of a quote for this post, I decided to spice it up a little. 

#1 Quantity over quality, always

#2 The world seems different when you're tired

#3 You can't possibly not be happy at Disneyland

#4 Anyone who hurts animals or children deserves to go to hell

#5 Don't settle for people 

#6 Always get French tip nails 

#7 Don't  buy it unless you really love it 

#8 Steve Madden produces the best line of shoes 

#9 It's important to travel 

#10 Don't gossip because it always comes back to you 

#11 Always stay close to Heavenly Father

#12 You feel better when your house is clean 

#13 Don't trade clothes with friends

#14 Scottsdale Fashion square is the best mall 

#15 Shopping is therapeutic  

#16 If you have anxiety, listen to classical music 

#17 No matter what, get up and keep trying 

#18 You're only pretty when you smile 

#19 Everything happens for a reason

#20 Exercising releases endorphins 

#21 Don't ever get married young 

#22 Put salt on everything 

#23 Everybody needs a little TLC (tender love & care)

#24 Be thick skinned 

#25 Happiness comes from within, not from another person

#26 Just take it as a backhanded compliment 

#27 Never even do it just once because you'll become addicted 

#28 Hold your head up and face your fears 

#29 Be wise with boys 

#30 Be true to yourself 

I'd like to thank my dedicated fans for reminding me that I've been slacking on my posts. I mean, can you really blame me though? May is the most stressful month, with the end of school and all. But I don't really have an excuse anymore because it's been out for a week now. Except that I am extremely  flustered with Blogger because every single dang time I try to upload a picture, it turns out pixelated or fuzzy. I've spent countless hours searching the internet trying to fix the problem but alas, I came out empty-handed. 

My mom left for her 3-week journey in Pakistan last night. To say that I'm worried for her would be an understatement. It's not that I don't trust her, it's just that it's a corrupt country. I feel like I'm playing the mother role here, I mean I'm stuck in Arizona posting on my blog while she's halfway across the world like a vagabond. Well whatever, because in three weeks I'm meeting her in Dubai and that's when my adventure starts. But I have to complete summer school first (I can't type that word without mentally throwing up)

Please enjoy my Summer Bucket List:

1. Go to the drive in movies

2. Go on a road trip

3. Propose to a stranger with a Ring Pop

4. Have a color powder fight

5. Go stargazing in the middle of nowhere

6. Have a dance party

7. Go to the lake 

8. Have a movie marathon

9. Set off sparklers

10. Hide and Seek in IKEA

11. Swim with goldfish

(note: I'm bound to add more to the list)

I've actually already completed #1 and #10, the first one last night and the tenth one on Tuesday. Yesterday some pals and I attempted to buy goldfish and put them in someone's pool but conflicts kept getting in the way so I'll save that for another time. 

"Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo." -John Sinclair 

How to recover from failure: get out there and keep trying. Even when the road seems lonely and a thousand miles long. 

Catch ya on the flip side, my friends

Have you ever had just a bad day? 

My definition of a bad day is:

the universe throws absolutely every possible scenario at you so suddenly everything starts to irritate you; no matter how small or irrelevant 

Well that was the first half of today.

 But I'm going to let you in on a little secret on how to cure a second-class day: buy a succulent.

It's actually that simple. There's no better quick pick me up than a cute little miniature cactus. 

So drive yourself to Home Depot and invest in a therapeutic succulent. That is all. Over and out.

I definitely had a photo shoot with my two new little homies, but it's not like it was the first time.

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

-Galileo Galilei 

Sometimes, you just have to look past the thorns of the rose bush to be able to enjoy the delicacy of a flower. Don't be afraid of the small things. 

Guess who got asked to Mormon Prom last week? 

This girl.

I'm in a little bit of a dilemma right now because the painter got paint on the dress I'm supposed to wear. So please pray for me. 

On Friday I went to Golfland with my fave girl Brooke and four other couples. So basically, she was my date. Who needs boys when you've got Brooke, am I right?

I'm going to have a permanent grin on my face for the next couple months because my cousin Ashlyn came home from Utah for the summer. It absolutely blows my mind because I feel like just yesterday I was attending her high school graduation. Anyway, she came back yesterday and she came with Lauren Peterson and I to answer our dates back. Funny thing is, we actually hung out at Lauren's dates' house, Connor. I'm pretty convinced that his did is a billionaire because his house is the size of Canada. 

Back in January when I taped a list of things I needed to let go off onto a balloon and released it, I actually attached this quote/poem to it as well. Since then, it's made a profound impact on my every day life:

"If there's empty spaces in your heart, 

They'll make you think it's wrong.

Like having empty spaces,

Means you can never be strong.

But I've learnt that all these spaces, 

Means there's room enough to grow,

And the people that once filled them,

Were always meant to be let go.

And all these empty spaces,

Create a strange sort of pull,

That attract so many people, 

You wouldn't meet if they were full.

So if you're made of empty spaces, 

Don't ever think it's wrong,

Because maybe they're just empty,

Until the right person comes along."

-Ernest Hemingway

Just like that old saying... When one door closes, two more open. 

When one person leaves, two more enter. I encourage you to think about all the wonderful things that have transpired because the ending of something. Maybe there's somewhere you were supposed to go, someone you were supposed to meet instead, or something you were supposed to do. 

XOXO

Caution: get ready for a picture overload. I had quite the eventful weekend. But what else is new? First, I'm going to start off by saying that I was literally blessed with the most thoughtful and caring friends to ever walk the face of the planet.

On Friday I went down to the Riparian Reserve and took pictures with my homegirls Reagan & Hannah. 

^^ I look super fierce in this one. Like I just killed a man or something

^^ The highlight of my day was running into Shaelyn Hatch!!! She was there taking pictures because she was going to Queen Creek prom. I am very convinced that she's a goddess. 

Yesterday I went with Lauren to get her makeup done and waited while she got her hair done for prom. About a month ago, we went to the MAC store because she needed new foundation and we met this employee named Britney who kinda fell in love with us so Lauren promised she would let her do her makeup for prom. She did a stellar job on her, like honestly I don't think anyone could of done better! It was something to see though, because I'm pretty sure Britney is a feminist so she's all about girl power and stuff so she kept telling me that I should go to Mountain View prom all by myself. I'm like, that's a wonderful thought, but I don't even go there and there's no way in heck I would ever go dateless.

Anyway, before Lauren got her hair done, we went to Jamba Juice. I was casually just sitting there looking out the window when I saw her date totally walk by. I mean like, what are the odds? So I ran out there and was like Jacob! And then he came inside. It was golden. I was laughing so hard.

So here she is in all her glory. I'm a little bit biased but she had to be the prettiest one there! I absolutely adored her dress. It just popped. Jacob was one lucky man last night! They looked like a model couple, though. I'm so glad I got to send her off to prom!

Last night my brother totally proposed to his girlfriend in Las Vegas. Yesterday marked their one year since they started dating so I thought that was the cutest thing ever. But it was so out of the blue because I honestly know it was coming. Guess how I found out? Without a picture or going on Instagram or anything, she texts me and says "I said yes :)" 

I was so confused at first. I'm like said yes to what??? But then later I found out that he popped the question. 

I'm pretty sure I love his girlfriend Brandy (technically his fiancee now ) even more than he does. She's a real life Disney princess, like I'm not even kidding. She has a stable job and she's super mature and everything, but she's also like a innocent little girl in some ways. That's not even a bad thing, either. She is so crafty and organized and she monograms EVERYTHING. She's also the most festive person I've ever met. You should see her on holidays. Like wow, that girl does a great job of dressing up. And she's also so soft and thoughtful. I just love her and can't wait to have a new family. We literally adore her. It's also kind of weird to think that another one of my brothers is getting married. Like, where does the time go? I swear just yesterday I was three and he broke my arm by pushing me off my parents bed. Yes. That really happened. 

I can't stress enough about how eternally grateful I am for such awesome friends, like my wardies! ^^

"Softness is not weakness. It takes courage to stay delicate in a world this cruel." 

-Beau Taplin 

So to sum this up, something kind of rough happened to me today. Let's just say someone sent me a very unnecessary text but I think I did a good job of just brushing it off. But people have been texting me and tweeting me the nicest things ever. I am the most blessed person alive. Some girls even took the time to make me cookies and drop them off at my doorstep with a little note. I am so thankful that I have such loving and loyal friends. And in all honesty, I have tried my hardest to just forgive the person who sent it because I think it just goes to show how they are just feeling bad about themselves, so there's no point in just making life worse for them. So as hard as it was to just stay calm about it, I actually have compassion for them now. 

XOXO

My house is literally the epitome of a disaster right now. Like, not even kidding. I currently don't even have a bedroom because we're getting new carpet. So everything is stashed in random places around my house. There's furniture everywhere so there's not really a walkway in our family room. Plus I've been sleeping on the couch for about a week now. Originally, my room was a soft baby blue color. I wanted to try something different so I decided to choose pink for my next color. To sum it all up; it was literally not what I thought it was going to be whatsoever. I felt like the paint was designed for five year old girls. Not to say that I don't love pink, but it didn't really scream me. So the poor painter has to come back and re-do it: in purple. It's this super pretty pastel lavender and I'm confident about it. I'm also getting a brand new bed which I'm literally so stoked about because it's queen sized and that's a real upgrade from the twin sized bed I've been sleeping in for the past 16 years and 9 months. 

"Close your eyes and imagine the best version of you possible. That's who you really are, let go of any part of you that doesn't believe it." 

-C. Assand

I've watched people go through little self-challenges that cause them to form very low opinions about themselves. And I've got to say, it's a really hard thing for me to witness. So if you're feeling super down about yourself, I suggest getting out a notebook and a pen and writing a list of things that you really love about yourself. And every morning, look in the mirror and repeat these things. I promise that if you follow through, you will begin to see a change in how you view yourself. The good things will always outweigh the bad ones.

XOXO