hello world.

hello i.c.

2012-02-10T16:49:00.004-11:00

hey, guess what?

screening has been booked.

march 29th, 2012.

8-10pm.

byuh ballroom.

see you all there.

hello hazy blessings.

2012-02-08T20:13:00.000-11:00

blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

matthew 5:3-10

hello 1 year ago.

2012-02-08T19:39:00.000-11:00

dear jacob,

it's crazy how it's been a year since you left. it feels like it was just yesterday i was sitting next to you in homeroom. i hope you know that you're not forgotten. we all still think about you. we all still appreciate you and the life you lived. it made me so sad this summer to drive past your house every day and realize that you're not there. every other summer we would see each other and wave as i drove by. it was weird. i think about your family a lot. i pray for them a lot and i hope they are finding peace, strength, and love through all of this. i don't think i'll ever be able to forget about all the funny stories you shared with us. you were quite the character. i hope you know that you're still on everyone's mind and that we miss you. it's just so strange how much changes in a year. we're all so far apart and split up in different states. but in a weird way, it's like you have kept us all united. thanks for that. we miss you jacob. i'm sure you are doing wonderfully up there big guy :)

always,
lauren

hello gandhi.

2012-02-06T23:51:00.002-11:00

always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed.

always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.

mahatma gandhi

hello pupukea.

2012-02-05T15:39:00.001-11:00

saturday evening kenneth and i grabbed some long boards, my camera bag, and hit the road up to pupukea to watch the sunset.

not a bad view if i do say so myself.

there's just something so powerful and amazing about the ocean.

as we watched the sunset, we couldn't help but snap pictures of the waves crashing along the shore.

waiting to see how high the spray would reach.

ocean fireworks.

that's what we called it.

so majestic and beautiful.

the sky amazes me. how it can be so beautiful at one moment, and yet constantly changing to another beautiful form within seconds.

kenneth and i started this tradition last semester of going to see the sunset at different beaches along the north shore. 9/10 times though, we got there too late. so we made sure this time to arrive in plenty of time to get some great shots.

i feel as though hawaii is apart of me. i wouldn't be lauren without it.

the ocean, the sky, the sun, the breeze.

i wish i could describe it, i just feel it. i feel the serenity of this place.

pupukea did not fail us for a lovely shot last night.

we may or may not have renamed this spot to fireworks though.

happy weekend to you all.

all my love,

lauren

hello, love is in the air.

2012-02-05T00:18:00.002-11:00

and by that i somewhat mean literally?

this weekend i had the opportunity to be apart of two of my closest friends engagement.

congrats dave and catherine!

excitement was building all friday.

after a romantic proposal that dave planned, and a yes from catherine,

they came to kawela bay where about 40 of us gathered together to light off lanterns

and wish them a very happy congratulations.

minus the slight malfunction of the wind blowing all the lanterns into the trees,

and almost having to dial the fire department...

it was perfect.

so much happiness in one place, with all of us best friends there to share in it.

congrats you two.

i love you both so much.

you guys are so perfect for each other.

xoxo

hello friday evening.

2012-02-04T09:58:00.002-11:00

there's something just very wonderful about a friday evening in hawaii.

crystal clear blue water.

seals that just come to say hello.

the moon shining when the sun is setting.

i love it all.

i love it here.

hello ONE.

2012-02-01T09:38:00.002-11:00

did you know that by taking this pill it can
reverse the effects of AIDS
and did you know that it only costs 40 cents?

it's really quite crazy how blessed i am.
how i know that i don't have to worry about
having food. yet, there's so many others that do,
and they need help.

it's so awesome to be apart of a generation
that will see the end of AIDS.
how awesome.
i can't wait for the day when it will
be cancer too.

support ONE.

hello lanterns.

2012-01-29T22:49:00.001-11:00

this weekend i checked another thing off of my bucket list.

light lanterns and float them up into the night sky.

it was honestly just as cool as i thought it would be,

and just as cool as it looked in the movie tangled.

as it lifted off, so fast it floated into the sky.

and then just like that, before we knew it, it was a small

glimmer in the distance.

it's crazy how vast and spacious this galaxy is.

and so incredible at the same time.

hello exploration.

2012-01-26T21:40:00.006-11:00

i need to get out of america.

i'm in need of it.

craving.

wanting.

costa rica. peru. ecuador. south africa. greece. thailand. india.

australia. nicaragua. chile. italy. spain. egypt. israel. maldives.

iceland. philippines. new zealand. fiji. germany. tahiti. marshall

islands. uruguay. ireland. china.

i want to go.

i want to see.

i want to learn.

i want to eat.

i want to explore.

i want to serve.

i want to live.

hello free serenity.

2012-01-21T00:37:00.001-11:00

somehow this picture seems to describe how i'm feeling..

and the last few days..

but in a weird way?

does that even make sense?

no... i guess it doesn't quite make sense if you're reading this.

goodness, i am weird.

i think it's time for bed.

xoxo

hello lately.

2012-01-20T00:47:00.002-11:00

i've been terrible at updating, so i figured i'd share with you all

some pictures from my time here lately via instagram.

lazy days at the backyard house

laie point sunsets

lots of puppy lovin'

the waikiki strip

runs on the beach

6am sunrises

crystal clear water

good friends

and a lot of beautiful beach days

all my love,

xoxo

hello facebook.

2012-01-18T22:01:00.003-11:00

or should i say goodbye?
that's right.
a few days ago i took a very brave step and pressed
that little button on facebook that says,
deactivate.
and what a relief it has been ever since.
i needed to do it.
i needed to get away from past drama.
i needed to move forward with my life.
i needed to focus on the present.
i needed to spend some time on myself
& the things in life that are more important than a social network.
maybe i'll be back, maybe i won't.
but as for right now, i am quite content and happy
without that addiction.
i guess that means i should be more on top of my
blogging now that i don't have fb, right?
i'll work on it.
promise.
just trying to get into the swing of
school,
beach,
service,
& life.

xoxo
L

hello help.

2012-01-13T10:34:00.001-11:00

hello blackest of nights.

2012-01-12T23:19:00.002-11:00

life back on the island is oh so swell.
with the first week of classes down, i think
i've finally got a handle on it all. i'm proud
to report to you all that i have been working
on my new years resolutions a lot. one
of which is to meditate daily. i must say, i've found
so much joy in this. my lovely friend natalia and
i have gotten into the routine of working out and
ending the night meditating. we go to her back yard

and sit on the grass that over looks the ocean.
i close my eyes, sit, and allow peace to overcome me.
without fail, every time i open my eyes and i see
the beauty of the stars above, i cannot
help but think i am in a dream. looking out
and seeing nothing but black darkness. the sky and
ocean look to be one. i don't know why, but
it just amazes me. there's so much out there.
i feel so small when i think about the greatness
of this earth. gods creation really is magnificent.
one day i want to set sail in a boat and just keep
going. just see what's out there.

hello twenty.

2012-01-09T22:06:00.003-11:00

i am back on the island and celebrated the first day of school.

along with that celebration came the celebration of me getting old.

tonight i blew out my twenty candles and wanted to cry as i said goodbye to my teen years.

they were so grand. and now i'm feeling ancient.

but i'm looking forward for what this new year and new decade have in store for me.

thank you year 19, you taught me a lot.

20, can't wait :)

hello hawaii 5-0

2012-01-02T21:03:00.005-11:00

so remember that time when i talked about my 15 minutes of fame?

well the time has come and the episode that i was an extra for in Hawaii 5-0 aired tonight!

it was crazy seeing how we spent 8 hours of filming time on the beach party scene and yet it lasted a grand total of like 15 seconds. i could never be an actress.. to tiring haha.

well i took some pictures with my phone. bad quality, sorry. but here is proof that i was actually on tv!

alright, see that big guys head in the front? and then a little of the girls face behind him? well i'm the girl behind her! haha that tiny face that you can't even see bc of the quality of this photo. that speck is me :)

i'm the girl on the right in plaid, hugging my best friend rachel! (we were supposed to be crying and really sad bc our really good friend was murdered)

i know this is so minor... but i'm so excited about it! it was so awesome to see all the behind the scene stuff that goes into these types of productions. plus, i got paid for it, no complaining here.

looks like i can check be on tv off of my bucket list :)

xoxo

hello new year.

2012-01-01T19:21:00.001-11:00

happy new year from the peach drop in downtown atlanta, to wherever you may be :)

xoxo

hello 2012.

2012-01-01T19:17:00.001-11:00

last year i made new year resolutions... let's take a look.

1. stay in touch with best friends (i can sort of check this off?)

2. get in shape (mmm...half way check this off)

3. write in journal every day (epic fail. wrote in it like 5 times)

4. don't go to a funeral or know someone to die (unfortunately can't check this off)

5. learn to surf (fail)

6. figure out what i want to do with my life (YAYY! somewhat check!)

7. meet new friends (most definitely made some new best friends, check!)

8. do what makes me happy (this is always a work in progress)

so looks like i didn't do too hot last year... and to be honest, i completely forgot about all the resolutions that i wrote down until about a week ago. so with the new year, that means...

time for new resolutions.

1. write in a journal regularly
2. work out daily
3. read the entire bible
4. spend 20 mins meditating every day
5. let go of anger
6. volunteer every week
7. be better at calling friends back home
8. read more books
9. get straight A's
10. travel to a new place
11. find happiness again
12. actually accomplish my new years resolutions

12 new resolutions for 2012.

bring in the new year.

i'm hopping for the best & only wish the best to you too!

hello friday.

2011-12-30T21:48:00.002-11:00

in honor of the last friday of 2011.

thank goodness.

hello 2011.

2011-12-29T14:18:00.002-11:00

with 2012 coming up, it brought me back to reflect upon the last year.. let's take a look

January

i blew out my 19 candles in hawaii with my roommates and celebrated turning another year older.

i also met my new roommate, rachel. who has become my best friend.

February

spent my valentines day with 20 of my girl friends, our tv, and the bachelor.

evacuated for a tsunami warning and i about had a heart attack.

partied with neelam for a week when she came out to visit.

March

enjoyed the adventures of hawaii and meeting new friends.

and seeing mike, the situation, from jersey shore.

April

i said goodbye to my first year of college, amazing new friends, and hawaii.

i said hello to summer, amazing old friends, and georgia.

May

spent party hopping around to younger friends graduation parties, job searching, and the start of braves games.

June

enjoyed a matt & kim concert, began my job at a daycare center,
and created an epic tradition of monday night dessert and game night with my friends.
oh.. and more braves games.

July

i got my heart broken in the most awful way any person could.

August

my sister and hayden came to georgia for a few weeks.

i said goodbye to my friends as they headed back for college.

i also said goodbye to my wonderful job at the daycare center, and the wonderful kids that saved my life this summer.

September

said goodbye to georgia and alohaaa to hawaii.

October

filled with halloween festivities and dressing up as a dog, biker chick, and a greek goddess.

November

donated blood for the first time, helped with the hunger banquet and invisible children, and fed the homeless.
rooted for edward in breaking dawn and put my gratitude forward on thanksgiving.

December

spent my time at several surf competitions... when i should have been studying for finals.

said goodbye to hawaii, spent time in idaho, then utah, and finally home to georgia.

it's been quite the year. unfortunately 2011 will not go down as the best year ever for me.
but at least it gives me hope for 2012 to be so much better.
i am praying that this next year is the best one yet.

new year. new chances. new people. new hope.

hello one day.

2011-12-27T18:00:00.001-11:00

tonight i stayed in with my sweet parents.

we snuggled up on the couch and turned on a movie.

drank some hot chocolate and called it a

good time. the movie we watched?

life in a day.

super great and i highly recommend it. it's all about

video submissions from different people around the world,

all filming their daily life on one day. july 24th, 2010.

and so this movie got me thinking. . .
i think everyone is guilty of lacking an understanding for

other cultures. and once we can understand it, there will

be peace. i honestly believe that. but people don't care

to understand and learn. and that's why there is so much

conflict in our world.

i want to understand. i want to learn. i want to travel and

explore. gain the knowledge. i want to live deep.

i want to help. i want to serve. i want to be at peace

with myself. and help others too find peace.

xoxo

hello christmas lights.

2011-12-27T17:49:00.002-11:00

hope everyone had a very merry christmas.
i'm already sad that it's over.
if i had it my way, i would hang christmas lights up year round.
i probably will when i get my own home.
why not, right?

xoxo

hello lilac peace.

2011-12-23T20:07:00.001-11:00

hello tucker baby.

2011-12-22T21:29:00.000-11:00

1 year ago i said goodbye.

and i've missed you every day since.

this last year would have been so much better and easier if you could have been around.

i love you and miss you always.

hello warm winter.

2011-12-21T20:29:00.001-11:00

hello heroes.

2011-12-21T20:18:00.001-11:00

i just want to write a small post about some great people.

as we all know, the last soldiers left iraq earlier this week.

what a relief.

there are many people that i respect, but the men and women of the armed forces definitely make the top of the list. the fact that complete strangers are out, fighting, serving, and protecting me... that's just the greatest act of love and service i can ever imagine. they deserve more credit than they get. i can't imagine leaving my loved ones, knowing very well that i might not come back. when i arrived in the airport it was so wonderful being able to see soldiers reunited with their families.

i had a cousin that passed away fighting this war in iraq. so the concept is real to me. and i think these heroes go unnoticed far too often. so today i just want to say thank you. thank you for sacrificing so much to protect myself, and others in this country.

thank you. thank you. thank you.

i am so grateful for every single one of you.

xoxo

hello auntie lo.

2011-12-20T20:30:00.003-11:00

just needed to take a minute and share with you all some of my adorable nephews. missing my sweet hayden, but here are my brother's kids. :)

can't wait for my first niece to come in february!

xoxo

hello the present.

2011-12-20T20:12:00.004-11:00

so where am i now you ask?

home.

im finally back in the wonderful south, good ol' georgia.

and what does home consist of?

wonderful best friends.

steak n' shake.

and my big comfy bed.

although it's 2am and i am wide awake, i need to try and get some sleep. thank you time change.

xoxo

hello monday fun day.

2011-12-20T19:56:00.003-11:00

monday was spent trying to jam in as much as possible.

began the morning driving to provo where i toured byu-provo. wow. that school is hugeee. i couldn't even get over it. it's definitely a great school, but touring it just confirmed for me that byu-hawaii is where i'm supposed to be. i'm so grateful to attend a school that i really truly love.

yes. i am still in shock over the snow. so grand.

after provo, i headed up to salt lake city and met up with one of my wonderful roommates natalia. she took me up to the mountains to snowbird so i could see more snow. absolutely beautiful. i was in awe. we went to the famous cafe rio. i feel like all my friends in hawaii are obsessed with this place, so i had to check it out.

then... the highlight of my year. we went to east high!! as in the east high in high school musical. for those of you that knew me back in middle school when the first movie came out.. you know how obsessed i was. i still have plans to marry zac efron, he just doesn't know it yet... and luckily, one of the doors was unlocked so we snuck on in and snapped a few pictures. ahhhh so amazing. the day ended with some wonderful in-n-out. another first time eating experience.

happy, happy.

safe to say, i'm a fan of cafe rio, in-n-out, high school musical, and the snow.

but not the cold.

xoxo

hello temple square.

2011-12-20T08:47:00.005-11:00

sunday night, my parents and i drove down to salt lake city where we went to the famous temple square. temple square is beautiful! pictures don't do it justice. there are so many lights and it's just gorgeous. people from all over the world come to look at the pretty lights. i probably walked a little faster around the square though... it was cold!

hello, it's been awhile.

2011-12-20T08:28:00.001-11:00

so sorry i've disappeared for awhile there. finals were crazy. but after loads of energy drinks and all-nighters, i successfully finished! another semester done. saying goodbye to my friends was surprisingly hard. i know i'll see them in a few weeks, but i'm moving houses so it's tough to know i wont live with all of them this next semester.

luckily though, i was fortunate enough to get permission from the dean of my school to take some of my finals early so that i could fly to idaho and surprise my sister for her graduation from byu-idaho! my parents first arrived at her house as i hid in the car. my sister then went to give my dad a tour of the house and my mom ran out and grabbed me. i sat on the couch and waited for my sister to come down the stairs. as she walked into the living room she had her back turned to me and was looking up something on the computer. everyone was sitting and waiting for her to turn around and notice that i was there. finally, after a few minutes she turned around and the rest went something like this... "AHHHHHHHHH! OH MY GOSH!!!" (runs over and gives me a huge hug--screams again--hits me--screams again--hugs me--hits me) we have an abusive relationship... haha. needless to say, she was totally shocked! it was perfect.

while our visit was short it was definitely worth it. my brother was there too which was the first time our whole family has been together in 3 years. it was grand :)

i was somewhat in shock the entire trip because of the weather change. i literally went from lying on the beach thursday, in 80 degree weather. to walking in snow in 20 degree weather. the biggest shock was probably when i woke up sunday morning to 9 degree weather... 9?! crazy. it was so freezy outside. everyone in the airport just gave me the look as if i was an alien as i walked in with my flipflops and capris sweatpants. sorry people, i do not have any winter clothes in hawaii.

i need to take a minute and just boast about my amazing sister. i am seriously so proud of her for graduating college! it took her almost 9 years to do it.. but she did it! my sister is the most amazing person i know. she is so strong and she's my best friend. the person that keeps me going. she gives me strength. i'm so blessed to have her. and to have my little monster hayden as well. i know jacom was smiling down on us this weekend, and i know he is so proud of beka for all her amazing accomplishments :)

there are so many stories i could tell but i'll just leave it at this. it was wonderful. i love my family so much. if there's anything i've realized this last year, it's just how important family is.

i have lots of updating to do, but here are some pictures from my time in idaho. i must say, although the beach in hawaii is beyond beautiful, idaho is gorgeous in it's own way as well. enjoy :)

buhh-byee idaho.

hello christmas bells.

2011-12-09T22:49:00.001-11:00

xoxo
L

hello the simple things.

2011-12-08T20:48:00.001-11:00

5 things that i've loved about today:

1. i walked home from school with beth and sonny

2. i went to pipe masters

3. i talked to my sister

4. i got an extra hug from rachy

5. i'm currently eating banana bread

hello pipe masters.

2011-12-08T20:27:00.001-11:00

the final competition of the vans triple crown, pipe masters. the waves were huge. they said it was the biggest its been in about 10 years. pipe is the #1 best wave in the entire world. it's also the most dangerous wave in the entire world. more people have died at pipe then any other surf spot. it sure does make for quite the show. love how it's finals time and yet everyone makes time to go to the surf competition. life of a college student in hawaii. i love it.

hello sights and sounds.

2011-12-06T18:25:00.001-11:00

i'm slightly in love with this video. so beautiful. we are surrounded by this type of beauty every day. we are all just so lucky.

hello great questions.

2011-12-06T17:31:00.001-11:00

today some of my roommates and i were pondering the questions of life. these questions quickly transformed from what you would take with you on a stranded island. my response being mcdonalds. and then it quickly changed to wondering if it's possible to fit into a toilet. it's obvious that we're really mature over here. so we decided to type all our random questions into wiki answers. unfortunately, most of our questions weren't answered. we were all quite baffled as to why others don't ponder the questions such as how many body parts can you cut off until you die? these are common right? but we did find some other pretty funny questions and answers that people had asked. one of my favorites was probably this:

Question: How many years is one million years?
Answer: Believe it or not, there are actually One Million Years (1,000,000) in One Million Years, but don't tell anyone, lets keep it our little secret.

oh people, i find so much entertainment out of the simple things of life. happy tuesday friends. enjoy these pictures for the turtle bay sunset i saw yesterday.

xoxo

hello new projects.

2011-12-06T17:26:00.001-11:00

my wonderful friend and fellow blogger mckenzie has ventured off on a new project.

the paper crane project.

go ahead and click on that link.

read. subscribe. love.

she's wonderful and this blog is such a great idea and i can't wait to see how it transforms over the next while.

you can go ahead and thank me, because you'll love her. and if you want more of her, check out her personal blog

xoxo

hello kki.

2011-12-05T19:03:00.001-11:00

today was a hat day for a few reasons.

1. i woke up too late and could not locate my brush.

2. i woke up too late and could not manage this mess of hair.

3. i woke up too late and could not shower with enough time.

i feel like i have a habit of starting monday's on time...

but despite my late start to school, i was more than happy to wear my hat today. this is not just a typical hat you buy at forever 21. let me introduce you to one of my most favoritest companies, ever.

krochet kids international.

kki is awesome. it started off with three guys in high school growing up snowboarding. they learned to krochet hats to wear when they went and it quickly became a trend at their school. soon they were making hats for all their friends. long story short, after making a trip to uganda, they formed a brilliant idea and a company was made.

they have taught a large group of women in uganda how to make these hats. by doing this they have given them a sustainable job that keeps them living. they make the hats and then ship them back to the states where we can buy them. each hat is individually signed by the lady that made it. and then you can go online, and read the profile about who made it and even write her a thank you letter! awesome.

i am so in love with this entire company. this idea is so simple. but doing so much good around the world. i love people that are inspired to help others. everything this company stands for is so amazing and i completely support them. you guys should definitely look at their site and get something. i've already got 2 hats to my collection and i love them. plus the holiday season is arriving, such a great gift to give. the gift of love :)

xoxo

hello saturday sun.

2011-12-04T12:46:00.001-11:00

yesterday morning i woke up bright and early and headed to a beach clean up. this clean up was hosted by the kokua foundation and method. the kokua foundation is a foundation that jack johnson actually set up. it's a foundation that works in hawaii to educate kids about the environment. they are all about cleaning, recycling, and reusing. method is a way cool company as well. they are a soap company, making laundry detergents, hand soaps, sanitizers, etc. however, they collect plastics from the the beach, recycle them, and that's how they make their bottles. a few weeks ago a few of us met with the method team so they could train us on what types of plastics they can use to recycle so that we could help show others at the event yesterday. their entire process is awesome!

needless to say, it was a great way to spend saturday morning. i love both of these companies and completely support what they stand for. not going to lie though, i was really hoping that jack johnson would show up because he has in the past. but no jack this time. maybe i'll luck out and see him at the beach like my friend did last week? :)

xoxo

hello 15 minutes of fame.

2011-12-03T16:36:00.001-11:00

so i told you all i was up to something fun these last few days and now i'm here to share :)

let's bring it back almost a year ago when some friends and i decided it would be fun to go down to the hawaii 5-0 tv station and apply to be extras. we headed down there, filled out some paper work, got our pictures taken, and they said they would call us. many of my friends began to receive phone calls asking to be extras. not me. i also want to point out that i was the one out of all my friends that wanted to do this more than anything. i would ramble on about how badly i wanted to be an extra, over and over again. finally... that glorious day, i receive a phone call from hawaii 5-0 asking if i want to be a waitress for their next episode. AND I'M IN GEORGIA, COMING TO HAWAII IN 3 WEEKS. FAIL. i seriously wanted to cry i was so bummed. let's also take a minute to rewind back to my younger years as a child where i wanted to be britney spears and marry lance bass from nsync. (yes.. i know what you're thinking...) my only dream in life was to be a famous actress and singer. fast forward back to last week. i'm in the middle of taking a shower and i hear my phone ring, i slowly open the shower curtain to look out at my phone on the counter to see who's calling and i see the words Hawaii 5-0. please use your imagination to picture the next 10 seconds of me frantically throwing the shower curtain open, slipping, and struggling to slide the arrow across on my iphone. keep in mind, wet fingers and iphone screens do not work together. low and behold, i missed the call.

devastated.

but with a promising voicemail and a number to call back, my luck turned around and i was asked to be an extra for 2 days of filming hawaii 5-0.

dreams came true.

my roommates can attest to the hours upon hours followed by days of dancing around my house, singing, "i'm gonna be famousssss" over and over again. so glad they put up with me.

i worked wednesday night. i spent a good 6 hours filming at the beach. my role was to act completely wasted at a beach party. for those of you that know me, know that that is totally my scene... haha. it was so fun though! there was a band and a huge bon fire and we had to dance around and talk and party like teenagers do.

thursday night they told us we would be filming a pep rally. ummm yeah... we get there and come to find out it's not a pep rally, rather an assembly where they tell us that our classmate is dead. so we exchanged our peppy for sadness and the cameras went rolling. dano was there in our scene which was pretty cool to see. my roommate rachel and i got asked by the director to be extremely sad and try and pull out some fake crying because the girl is our best friend. both nights i lucked out and i'm pretty sure i got some good shots on the camera because the director placed me there. but i guess i will just have to wait and see once the episode airs.

overall it was such a cool experience. i could ramble on and on about every detail of the experience but i dont want to bore anyone. it was so cool though. getting to see all the work that goes into a tv show is crazy. i can't wait to see how the episode comes together. i think it's supposed to air on january 2nd? it's episode 13 of hawaii 5-0. i'll be sure to keep you guys updated. i'm really hoping i'm on the screen because then i can check something else off my bucket list :)

hello finals.

2011-12-02T21:32:00.001-11:00

hello ominous winds.

2011-12-01T11:55:00.001-11:00

yesterday and for the rest of today i will be slightly MIA. can't wait to blog about it later though. i'll give you a hint as to what i'm doing though... fulfilling something off of my bucket list :)

till then i'll just post some more pictures from the last little while.

aren't we all just so blessed to be alive?

happy thursday & happy december 1st :)

xoxo

hello thoreau.

2011-11-29T17:09:00.001-11:00

"i wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life,
and see if i could not learn what it had to teach,
and not,
when i came to die,
discover that i had not lived.
i did not wish to live what was not life,
living is so dear;
nor did i wish to practise resignation,
unless it was quite necessary.
i wanted to live deep
and suck out all the marrow of life."

hello whispering snow.

2011-11-28T22:19:00.001-11:00

oh monday.. starting the week off right by skipping 2 out of my 3 classes... haha

hopefully tomorrow i can get back into the swing of school.

exciting news to report today, i donated blood for the first time!

i have been helping out the last few weeks with the blood drive and signing people up for it at our booth. i realized i couldn't convince others to sign up and donate blood if i wasn't going to do it myself haha. so i gained the courage, signed up, and today was the day.

as my doctor has informed me, i am "low hemoglobin" aka low iron. hence why i'm a weaky, constantly cold, and tired often. so i take vitamins to boost it. and the day before and of i made sure to eat iron enriched foods like broccoli (ew. take note this is the 2nd time i've eaten vegetables since i've been in college... woops. don't tell my mom). i was expecting the worst because i have bad luck with these things. overall i think it went well? minus the fact that they could not find my veins. took 2 different people to try. and i had to pump my hand majorly to get blood. felt like it took forever. but i survived! and i surprisingly did not pass out! i blacked out once.. haha and i've been a little weakling today, but i'm pretty sure that's normal. i don't think i would have been able to do it without my sweet friend nichel encouraging me. we signed up together because i knew i would need a friend to help me. she's a champ at doing this. i'm so happy i did it. my 1 pint of blood will help save 3 peoples lives. and that makes it all worth it.

after i rested for awhile and felt okay again i went and volunteered the rest of the time. i made bows to put on peoples bandages and walked around and talked to people donating to help distract them. if they needed a hand to hold i would sit with them. i just tried to help put them at ease. i made lots of friends today haha. some people donating were way funny. and the nurses too. i think it's such a cool thing that they spend their days getting blood to help save lives. how awesome.

in order to help out with the blood drive i had to get trained and informed of all these details about blood drives. during our meeting we learned that in the state of hawaii alone they need 200 pints of blood a day to help saves lives. today alone we had so many people donating all day long and they estimated that we will collect about 70 pints of blood? after all the hype of this blood drive, that's it? not even enough to save lives for one day. i never realized how much good donating blood did. why don't more people donate? i was always just scared. but when i think about that person in the hospital who is scared for their life, i realized i can get over a day of being scared. if you've never donated before, i definitely encourage you to donate. your blood will go to use within that week. so i know for a fact that i will have saved 3 lives this week. so rewarding to know.

i guess i can cross save someones life off of my bucket list :)

xoxo

hello triple crown.

2011-11-27T17:31:00.001-11:00

this weekend was so wonderful not having school. i was definitely in need of some beach time. today some friends and i went to the vans triple crown surf competition. it was grand. got some free stuff which is always lovely. i'm kind of loving this place called hawaii.

if you're reading this, i hope your holiday break was just as lovely. (probably not as warm as mine though)

xoxo

hello kahuku.

2011-11-27T16:59:00.001-11:00

friday night some friends and i headed to town at the aloha stadium to watch the kahuku high school state championship football game. crazy. growing up in the south, i know football. but i have never in my life seen a community so passionate about a high school football game.. ever. kahuku won and the north shore of oahu was going crazy. towns upon towns had huge signs cheering on the football team posted outside of their homes. kahuku is the town next to laie (where i live). it's literally less than a minute drive. as we drove back that night, the traffic was ridiculous. in stop and go traffic everyone was honking and cheering like crazy. after parking and entering kahuku high school, it was a sight i'll never forget. everyone, ages 3-83 was there till the late hours of the night dancing in the streets. literally. speakers blaring. everyone cheering. even the cops directing traffic were dancing! i've never seen so many happy people in one place. this town knows football. yesterday night i began to hear honking again. i look outside and see yet again, a train of cars, miles long, with screaming fans cheering out their windows and honking their horns as they drove all around laie. 2 nights in a row? these people have so much spirit. it was such a cool sight to see. i am definitely a kahuku fan now if i wasn't before. i wonder if the celebration will continue again tonight?

hello service.

2011-11-27T16:31:00.001-11:00

the day before thanksgiving i had the opportunity to go down to honolulu and help feed the homeless. it was such a wonderful experience. i must admit though, the entire time we were there i was filled with so many emotions. at times i was in happy spirits talking and laughing with the people i was helping. yet other times my eyes were filled with tears at the sight of witnessing hundreds of peoples' trials. i left the day feeling extremely selfish. when we arrived we started unpacking donated clothes onto a table for anyone to take. after unpacking the first bag of clothes and neatly folding them onto the table, i was immediately surrounded by people reaching and grabbing to get anything they could. we had only unpacked 1 bag and yet people were so needy for clothes. and here i am, a full closet, and still wanting to go shopping... we live in such a materialistic society. and we're all guilty of complying with it.

along with many others, we helped feed over 500 people, 1 meal. 1 simple meal. only once a year. and although we make jokes about the starving college student, i don't really find it funny anymore because i have never come close to understanding the feeling of poverty. to see this small glimpse of one day, in one city. it hurts. it hurts knowing that there is an entire world filled with billions of other people just like those 500 people i served on wednesday. and here i left knowing that i had many thanksgiving plans the next day and would definitely have a full belly by the end of the day. it's a tough concept to swallow.

there are so many things that i'm thankful for, but i look past them every day. warm showers. clothes to wear. shoes to walk in. a blanket to keep me warm. a house to shield me. a bed to sleep in. friends and family to love me. a gracious god to look over me. i am so beyond blessed. my goal this year is to remember these things and give thanks daily. not just around thanksgiving time.

hello thanksgiving.

2011-11-24T18:06:00.001-11:00

i am so blessed.

i am so grateful.

i am so thankful.

happy thanksgiving to everyone.

xoxo

hello simply living.

2011-11-23T20:13:00.001-11:00

live simply so others can simply live.

a good reminder.

hello advice.

2011-11-22T22:56:00.001-11:00

hello sacredness.

2011-11-22T22:31:00.001-11:00

today was just another simple reminder of how thankful i am for life. after classes were over some friends and i ventured off on a hike to a breathtaking waterfall. sacred falls. technically... this hike is illegal... but the beauty of it is unreal. the nature that surrounds me, it just leaves me consistently grateful for life.

today i am so thankful.

i am thankful for...

friends that can make me laugh.

the breeze felt from the back of a truck.

running through a field of flowers.

friends that held my hand to stop me from falling, multiple times.

the beauty and secrets the jungle holds.

safety.

the ice cold water i swam in.

the fresh feeling felt underneath the waterfall.

good conversation.

rope swings that make me feel like a little kid again.

beautiful sunsets.

calmness and serenity bestowed in nature.

repeat episodes of rob dyrdek's fantasy factory.

texting friends 5000 miles away.

a cozy and warm bed.

thanksgiving is getting closer and closer. after 12pm tomorrow, the break begins. it's so close. i can't even wait.

xoxo

hello music monday.

2011-11-21T14:46:00.001-11:00

today i am thankful for...

beautiful music.

loving friends.

kisses from 3 puppies.

the relief of finishing a paper.

pretzels.

the cozy couch i am sitting on and about to fall asleep on after i finish typing this.

friends that drive me to school so i don't have to walk.

the sound of the waves crashing.

good health.

clouds that soar above and let me imagine their different shapes.

a full belly.

life.

hello beautiful weekend.

2011-11-21T14:21:00.001-11:00

this weekend was grand as always.

thursday night i joined the rest of the woman around the world and saw breaking dawn at midnight. obviously i loved it. go ahead, judge all you want. i'm okay with it. my roommates are so great. i came home thursday afternoon to find that our entire house was decorated with twilight pictures, candles, red and gold chocolate, vampire cupcakes, and sparkling cranberry juice (get it, it was red, like we were drinking blood?). we had a lovely twilight party before we left. we had a toast and everything. a little much? i think not. it was so fun. team edward forever and always.

(don't mind me, i know i'm weird..)

friday night i was asked by my friend kenneth to go to the fall ball with him at turtle bay. it was a lot of fun with all our friends.

saturday i had a date night with my lovely roommate rach. we went to cheesecake factory in waikiki and just walked the strip. i love waikiki at night.

successful weekend i'd say.

hawaii, you're too good to me :)

hello hunger banquet.

2011-11-21T13:41:00.001-11:00

sorry i've been slacking on blogging. i've been busy, busy.

last wednesday i had the chance to help out with the hunger banquet. for those of you that don't know what it is, i'll explain...

when you arrived at the event you would receive a piece of paper that gives you a profile of a person. in that description it classifies you in one of the 3 world classes (low, middle, and high income). based off of what income class you are in, you sit in that seating area. if you were low class you sat on the floor in trash. middle class, you sat in chairs. high class, you sat at a nice table arrangement, candles, violin players, and butlers included. we had some musical performances and speakers. the statistics i learned through all of this is really quite sad. as the night went on everyone was served dinner. low class, a serving of rice in their hands. middle class, rice and hot dogs on a plate. high class, salad, spaghetti, bread, drinks, etc.

overall, i think the event went really well and we had a great turn up. my sweet friend mackenzie put on the majority of the event and if you're reading this, you did such an amazing job!! so happy i could volunteer with you :) ONE also helped out at the event. love that orginization. did you know that BYU-Hawaii is ranked #3 in the US for leading colleges involved with ONE? and the two schools above us are the university or michigan and the university of florida. and our school has like 2,500 students. waddupp.

one final thought on the whole hunger banquet..it's interesting how in the US we think of middle class in a specific way. however, compared to the rest of the world it's completely different. there is so much poverty out there. it's so saddening. and it's saddening too because we can end poverty. we have the means to do it. but there are too many people that can't help themselves, and too many people that don't have the kindness to help others. and that my friends, is why the world is the way it is. sad.

"if you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one."

-mother theresa

hello daylight harmony.

2011-11-17T12:17:00.001-11:00

yesterday my roommate alexis was babysitting this sweet little girl maya. we decided to go for a walk on the cloudy day to say hi to some near by friends. in the words of maya we saw, "sweet doggies!!"

needless to say, it was a fun walk.

i love the innocence of kids. how the little things in life give them the most joy. spending time with maya reminded me to take pleasure in the simple aspects of our everyday lives. to lift your arms up and take a minute to really feel the warmth of the hawaiian breeze as it flows through your fingers. to take a minute to really listen to the whimsical noises of the palm tree leaves as they waver in the wind. to take a minute to really enjoy the time we have here and the life we are fulfilling. it's so important to take those minutes out of your day to ponder and think. to feel something. otherwise, before we know it, life will have passed us by without us ever taking advantage of those precious minutes of appreciation for what we have.

hello invisible children.

2011-11-15T22:38:00.001-11:00

last week i had the opportunity to help plan an event at our school.

pretty much it was amazing.

let me introduce you to a wonderful organization called invisible children.

for those of you that have never heard about this organization, i highly suggest that you look into it.

long story short, it's an organization that helps spread awareness about this 20 year war going on in africa right now. in this war, the leaders are abducting children and forcing them to fight for them. the statistics and abuse that is going on is unreal. and most of us have no idea about it. people are comparing this to the next holocaust and here we sit, caught up in our own worlds, not a care about helping those in need.

the craziest part of it all to me, is the fact that 3 college kids discovered this entire tragedy going on in africa and created the invisible children organization only a few short years ago.

wow.

i feel so productive with my life...

honestly, this whole thing has really gotten me to think about what i'm doing with my life.

how much good am i doing for others?

planning events for non profit organizations is my dream job. helping out with these organizations that do so much good for others is what i want to do with my life. i can't think of anything better.

warning: ranting of thoughts about to start.

sometimes i get somewhat frustrated with our society. maybe this is me just being selfish though. but really... there are so many people in this world dedicated to so many things. sports, partying, drugs, art, music, facebook. the list goes on and on. but if just 1 out of every 5 of us could put half of the dedication we do into those things, into helping others... can you imagine how much better of a place this world would be? it just seems so simple to me. i don't get it. there's a solution for peace. so just do it.

be nice.

help others.

do good.

yet you turn on the news and we listen to endless stories about tragedies going on around the world.

alright, i'll chill out with my little rant of thoughts.

but really, this organization is great. it has such a special spot in my heart and i really respect everything they stand for. spend a few minutes and look into it. it's amazing.

well anywho, the event went amazing. we had a great turn up and i was so happy with the way everything went. great music. great people. great organization. great night.

hello daily bliss.

2011-11-10T19:20:00.001-11:00

hello lovely.

2011-11-08T18:35:00.002-11:00

saturday morning i had the opportunity to go to a retirement community and help do some yard work and clean up the elderly's homes. it was seriously so much fun. i'm so lame i know. but i loved it. those old people were so sweet and funny. i find people so interesting. everyone's story. their history. their trials. i talked to this one lady who is 92 years old. 92... i'm turning 20 soon and i feel old? it's honestly such a beautiful thought to know that there are so many more lovely events to come in my life.

while we were there i had the chance to make a new friend. his name is ford. ford has down syndrome and honestly is one of the funniest & nicest guys. talking to him i couldn't help but smile. he is so kind and friendly. i saw him yesterday and sat and talked with him for awhile in the aloha center.

me: "ford, what's been the best part of your day so far?"

ford: (leans back in his chair, takes a deep breath, and throws his hands behind his head) "ahhh this, reeeee-laxing!!"

i love the pleasure he takes out of the simple moments in life. whenever i see him around he just gives me the biggest smile and wave and it makes my day. i'm sure he has no idea how wonderful it is to chat with him, but it is indeed quite lovely.

lovely. that's how things are feeling out here in hawaii. quite lovely. i'm learning to appreciate the smaller things in life. i'm learning to put others before myself. i'm learning to be happy. i'm learning to find joy in everything i do. i'm learning to love life.

hello choices.

2011-11-04T22:50:00.000-11:00

faith not fear.

trying to live by this.

those 3 words are tougher to do than to say.

hello halloween.

2011-11-01T15:31:00.001-11:00

a day late, but it still counts. halloween this year was probably the most exhausting weekend ever. it consisted of multiple house parties all weekend and waikiki on actual halloween night. ridiculous. i've gotten a totaly of 3-4 hours of sleep each night. which has resulted in many naps during the day. which has resulted in bad grades... whoops. but it was a success nonetheless. i achieved my life dream of being a dog one night. dogs are the best. rach and i were catdog. hehe we think we're clever. enjoy the pictures. hope everyone had a wonderful halloween :)

hello valley on high.

2011-10-31T15:35:00.000-11:00

hello deepest depths.

2011-10-27T22:42:00.001-11:00

i'm breaking free.

breaking free from the horror of the past.

breaking free from the pain of you.

breaking free from self doubt.

breaking free from self hurt.

i'm breaking free.

and emerging myself into the beauty of a better future.

hello beauty.

2011-10-26T22:32:00.002-11:00

i read a sad statistic today.

based off a study spread across 10 countries, surveying 3,200 women between the ages of 18-64, only 2% consider themselves beautiful. wow. 2%. it's really saddening to see what society has classified beauty as.

the definition of beauty according to the merriam-webster dictionary is: the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. the definition itself refers to beauty within, not necessarily someones physical appearance. how sad that society has made an unwritten definition of what beauty is. and the majority of us go along with it.

so next time you're quick to judge how beautiful a person is, remember to think first. because only 2% of us believe that we're beautiful. the world doesn't need more critics.

to find out more information about this survey click here. its called the real truth about beauty: a global report. i found it really interesting to read.

hello blue.

2011-10-25T19:51:00.002-11:00

i'm falling back into one of my moods again. i'm getting a need to do some good. get involved again. there are days where i really miss not being involved with relay for life. i feel so unproductive not putting my efforts into helping a cause. so i'm excited because i'm getting involved again. i've made it a goal of mine to volunteer my time at least once a week with something. and every day i've been doing my good deed. and ooh la la, i am lovin it.

every tuesday and thursday i enjoy my car rides to school with lindsay and beth. we make our goals for the day. "beth, what are your goals today?" "hmmm i'm going to try to day dream only for half of my class instead of the entire class."

we're getting real productive around here.

hello beka.

2011-10-23T22:19:00.000-11:00

while looking through old photos the other day, i stumbled upon this lovely gem. this was taken about 3-4 years ago. story behind it all: my mom was taking a picture of my sister and i. sister leaned forward. i gripped tighter to stay on. the rest should make sense. and my mom doesn't know how to work a camera so she got it on film. ohhh happy day. i miss my sister and mom so much.

hello rainy sunday.

2011-10-23T22:10:00.003-11:00

today it rained all day. which is my absolute favorite. rainy sunday's are the best.

so i figured i would go take pictures with my roommates and write about them on my blog so everyone knew who they were. let's begin...

this is beth. also known as bubby. she calls me cacoon. we have a very interesting relationship that i love more than anything. i think beth is the funniest person i've ever met. she always makes me smile. she thinks i need to go to fat camp but it's okay, i still love her. we write quotes on our fridge of funny things that are said, litterally i kid you not, 90% of the fridge is beth referring to me. too funny.

lauren: "oh look, How To Stay Out Of Trouble Fair, you should go to that beth!"

beth: "me?! you should. you're the one that has a crush on a married man!"

i love her.

this is lindsay. she was napping when i went around taking pictures with everyone. i love her more than anything. we give each other butterfly kisses on the daily and she's one of my bestest friends.

destiny. what a grand name right? my friend sonny says it would be awesome to marry her for 2 reasons: 1. you can say that you have a date with destiny 2. when you have kids you can say it's destiny's child. oh sonny... he's a funny one. she is probably top 5, one of the nicest girls i've ever met in my entire life. love her.

caroline. caroline is the mom of our house. which is good because without her i would not cook actual meals and only live off of mcdonalds... i personally don't see anything wrong with that but caroline tells me otherwise. she makes sure we keep our house clean and that we never run out of toilet paper. i love my mom. i would be a mess without her. we all would.

rachel. also known as racka racka. this is my baby boo. best friend. we snuggle on the reg. i love her dearly. she is quite the clumsy one and i constantly worry for her safety. i am not exaggerating when i say this. last year she got hit by a car. literally got hit by a car while she was riding her bike. i worry for this one. she is definitely blonde for a reason. but i can't help but love her for it. love her so much.

my other two roommate natalia and alexis weren't home when this picture taking was going on so i will have to write about them later. but these are the girls of the bridge house in laie, hawaii. we are currently in the works of writing a house song. should be on the radio soon.

today i am thankful for friends. friends that have become my family. friends that i can trust. friends that love me so much. new friends. i have a really tough time trusting people these days, but i know God has blessed me with these wonderful people right now for a reason.

i am also so thankful for old friends back home. i miss those crazy people more than anything.

happy rainy sunday to you all. it was quite cozy and lovely if i do say so myself.

xoxo

hello jacom.

2011-10-21T12:15:00.000-11:00

3 years ago today my family and i said goodbye to an amazing person. jacom larson. but rather than being sad all day about missing him, i'm trying to take my sister's advice and celebrate the day. celebrate the life jacom lived. celebrate life.

i wish you were still here.

i wish my sister had her true love here, her husband.

i wish hayden had a dad.

i wish i had my brother.

i wish our family was complete.

i wish you could pin me down to the floor and tickle me again.

but you're gone and 3 years later i still have a really tough time understanding why you had to leave. it seems so unfair. i've questioned it a lot.. why do bad things happen to good people? i don't think i'll ever get any peace of mind knowing why you had to leave this earth. but i have faith that one day it will all make sense. obviously our heavenly father needed you more than we did. i know you look over all of us every day. it doesn't take away the fact that i miss you always though. i admired you so much. i admired you and beka together. i admired what you two had. i hate the past tense. i admire what you guys have.

it all still breaks my heart.

i hate how whenever i hear the word cancer i immediately think of you. i don't want to connect you to your death. i want to connect you to the amazing life you lived and the wonderful and fun times we all shared with you. so i'm going to try harder to celebrate life. celebrate your life. in the words of my sister,

"I will use October 21st as a day to remember how lucky I am to have time. I ask that y’all join me. Do something today that shows how blessed you are to be living. Eat cake for dinner (and don’t feel guilty about it), stop doing work and get on the floor and play with your kids, hug and kiss your special one just a little bit more, call someone you haven’t talked to in a while, go skinny dipping, do a Chinese fire drill, take a walk outside and look at the world, turn your phone off, just do something."

i could sit here and write on and on about the things i wish could happen. but at the end of the day, i know i can't change things. it was a blessing just to have you in my life. thank you. thank you so much for loving my sister and hayden so much. thank you for loving me. i love you. forever and always. and i can't wait for that day when i get to see your smiling face again.

hello paradise.

2011-10-20T13:32:00.001-11:00

i'm truly living in a paradise right now.
so sorry i've been mia from the blogging world lately. i've gotten kind of annoyed of the internet. i know, who would have thought, me of all people? but honestly it's been so nice to not be on facebook or twitter 24/7. i seriously was addicted. i'd much rather spend my time living in the moment here. living in this paradise. i am so grateful for the people God has blessed me with in my life at this time. i know 100% that i need these people in my life right now. and i am oh so thankful.
happy thursday kids.
L

hello flying high.

2011-10-06T12:19:00.002-11:00

sunday morning.

the beauty here is breathtaking.

that afternoon i had the chance to check off something from my bucket list :)

i flew a kite on the beach!

simple, yes.

fantastic, yes.

i was one happy camper.

such a beautiful day, spent with some beautiful people.

hello awe and wonder.

2011-10-06T12:07:00.000-11:00

my weekend was so wonderful. but seeing how i am behind on blogging, i'll just let the pictures do the talking.

nichel and mckenzie :)

double rainbow

my big brother

foodland extravaganza's with rachy

sunday morning sunrise

sunday morning breakfast that rach and i made for the boys

happy birthday slex!!

turtle bay fun

walking home from campus yesterday

every day here is filled with smiles and laughter. i love it. i wish i could scribble down every wonderful moment and grand ole time here. i'm blessed.

this is my family. missing linds and sonny of course. but these people are the greatest. i might add that i'm happy we finally got on camera, kenneth always admiring me ;) hahaha.

thank you hawaii for showing me happiness again.

thank you friends for being here for me. being there when i need to cry and when i need a laugh. i am infinitely grateful that you people are in my life at this given moment in time.

hello contentment.

2011-10-02T23:12:00.002-11:00

this weekend was oh so wonderful.

i'll blog about it tomorrow.

but as for right now i'm just feeling very blessed.

very happy.

and very content with life.

these are the greatest of friends i could ask for.

hello the carlton.

2011-09-28T13:37:00.000-11:00

so far today has been a good day.

i somehow managed to finish all my big school projects.

found out that my one class for tomorrow got canceled.

just ate pizza bagel bites (my fav).

going to a partyyy tonight.

all around, i'm just in a good mood.

and nothing incredible has happened to cause it.

and when i'm in a good mood, i can't help but want to bust out the carlton dance.

(watch video below)

you know after watching that, you just want to bust it out as well... don't lie.

you're welcome.

happy day to you all.

hello studious lauren.

2011-09-27T18:45:00.000-11:00

boredom while trying to do my homework.

because today has been hectic.

and school is not fun.

but the 10 minutes of studying time i wasted doing this, was totally worth it.

hello monday.

2011-09-26T22:55:00.000-11:00

ever roll out of bed and wake up on the right side? as in not the wrong side? well today i definitely woke up on the right side of the bed and just began my day in such a wonderful mood. maybe it's because of this beautiful weather. because normally monday mornings are not my finest hour.

tonight we had a bonfire at the red house and made smores. it's so nice to just always be surrounded by your friends. i've made such great friendships in the short time i've been here. i won't lie though, i'm having a really tough time learning to trust people and let people in. but i'm trying to go back to the way i used to be and give people the benefit of the doubt, and trust that there are good people out here. i know there are. i just need to get rid of the doubt and fear that everyone sucks. haha. so nice right?

"love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."

william shakespeare

hello reality.

2011-09-25T23:44:00.000-11:00

bring on the week.

this week,

i will smile more.

i will stress less.

i will be more studious.

i will make new friends.

i will do something kind for someone else every day.

i will be less scared.

i will do something spontaneous.

i will laugh more.

and if instead everything goes downhill, i'll get a helmet.

hello weekend.

2011-09-25T23:13:00.002-11:00

thank goodness for the weekend. lots of time at the beach. surprisingly i didn't get burnt this weekend. success. my parents would be so proud to know that i am using sunscreen.

saturday night i went to waikiki with some of the girls. shopping and cheesecake factory was in the plans of course. i wish i could explain why it was just so much fun, but it wouldn't make any sense. all i know is that we were pretty much cracked out. (say crack again.. crack)

lots of dancing and lots of fun. i love these kids.

we also spent a good 10 minutes laughing at that picture of linds and i below (far left). she is a funny one. i love her. and i'm so grateful for her.

oh and lets also add a thank goodness for not getting into a car crash almost 3 times.

*warning, the driver should not dance*

this evening we had brinner. (breakfast for dinner) which is pretty much my absolute favoritest thing, ever. breakfast foods are the best. pancakes, waffles, french toast, hash browns, scrambled eggs, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts. the list goes on and on. all amazing. wow, i feel like all i ever write about is food on this blog, it's cool. fat kidz 4 lyfee. we went ova to the gator house and had a wonderful brinner. good eats with good friends.

also had a mini gecko den reunion (middle picture below). i loved those roommates more than anything. i wish savanna was out here still. i miss her.

also, i'm just gonna throw it out there that someone (i will not name) threw me into the ocean this fine evening. while i was wearing that 100% silk dress pictured above. rude. but fun.

rachy got home yesterday as well. she's been gone for the whole last week so it is so nice to have my roommate back. oh, and just on a side note.. bridge house gets otter pops! whoo hoo. figure 8's going everywhere. pimp house. love it. love life. love friends.
hawaii, you are too good to me.

xoxo

hello e.e.

2011-09-23T16:37:00.002-11:00

couldn't have said it better.

hello friday.

2011-09-23T13:19:00.002-11:00

time for the weekend. thank goodness. beach here i come.

and this weekend my roommates and i are making this...

umm can you say, ahh-may-ZING.

can't wait.

happy friday friends :)

hello awesome.

2011-09-22T16:42:00.001-11:00

so i'm currently reading an awesome book.

wait, like it really is awesome.

and by that i mean the book is called, the book of awesome by neil pasricha.

and i think it has become my all time, favorite book, ever.

it's a book of 1000 awesome things in life. they are all simple things, that just make your day so much better. it's just awesome. and every time i read this book i can't help but just smile or laugh because it is all so true.

if you're a little confused on what's in it, i'll elaborate. awesome things that when they happen, make your day a little better:

eating a free sample of something you have no intention of buying

perfectly toasted toast

peeling that thin plastic film off of new electronics

finding your keys after looking forever

hitting a bunch of green lights in a row

finding out your birthday is on a friday or saturday next year

when you're awkwardly standing by yourself with a full cafeteria tray of food and suddenly spot your friend waving at you

when you get the milk-to-cereal ratio just right

squeezing through a door as it's shutting without touching it

waking up and realizing it's saturday

remembering what movie that guy is from

perfectly popped microwave popcorn

returning to your warm and comfy bed after getting up to pee in the middle of the night

seeing a cop on the side of the road and realizing you're going the speed limit anyway

stress level goes up.

stress level goes down.

AWESOME!

don't tell me you just read that list and didn't smile?

awesome.

hello seth cohen.

2011-09-22T16:24:00.003-11:00

hello comfort food.

2011-09-22T16:22:00.000-11:00

college brings out the best and worst eating habits for me. this week, my diet has consisted of cookie dough. i halfway blame my wonderful friend samantha brooks for this problem. she got me hooked at a young age and ever since it's only gotten worse. and for whatever reason, this week it has just gotten out of hand. i'm talking about a batch a day of cookie dough. me and my roommates have all gathered around the kitchen table, chatted about our lives, and ended the day so happy bc our belly's are full from all this cookie dough. it just seems to make everything better. and i honestly believe that some foods can make everything better. cookie dough definitely makes that list.

monday was a baking day. one of my friends was having a rough day, so i decided to put my baking skills to work and made her a heart shaped brownie. and i think her day got a little better after that. as did mine after licking the bowl clean of the batter. om nom nom.

then i made cookies for my friend sean's birthday. and finally the day ended with making a batch of cookie dough for my roommates. i guess i'm the one to blame for this daily routine now since i started it on monday. woops.. sorry i'm not sorry.

the main reason i made cookie dough for one of my roommates was bc she had found out some sad news that day. her friend died from a diabetes accident. completely unexpected. he was supposed to get married next week. my heart just broke when i heard that. it is so scary to know that everything can change within minutes and your life can be flipped upside down. that's why you've got to learn to cherish the moments you have now. i hate leaving things unsettled with people or in a bad spot because there is always that chance that something could happen and you would never get to make things right again. so my 2 cents for the day, if you're in a bad spot with someone right now, go out of your way to try and settle things. always end the day telling the people you care about that you love them. life is simply too short. but at least along the way we can celebrate that life over a bowl of cookie dough with some wonderful friends :)

hello knowledge.

2011-09-18T12:54:00.000-11:00

may today there be peace within. may you trust god that you are exactly where you are meant to be. may you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. may you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given you. may you be content knowing you are a child of god. let his presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. it is there for each and every one of us.

this quote is hanging in a frame at our house. love it.

xoxo

hello hawaii.

2011-09-18T12:46:00.000-11:00

mmm, mm life is good.

right now i'm lying down on the couch with my sweet linds. our belly's are full from the delicious banana pancakes our roommate just made us. om nom nom. we're all just hanging out, and listening to some relaxing jack johnson. lazy sunday. my favorite.

so much has gone on this week. classes started up, and i'm happy to report that this should be a good semester school wise.

i forgot how much i love the college aspect of hanging out with my friends 24/7. our house is always buzzing with friends. that's one thing that i love here. everyone lives in houses. i live in the bridge house. my best guy friends live in the gator house. and i'm always hopping around the other houses as well. i love living in such a small community sometimes. other times it's frustrating because everyone knows about your life. but it's a fair trade i guess.

this last week i've enjoyed so many walks and runs on the beach. the beach is my favorite place in the entire world. when i'm stressed, i can just escape there. it's such a wonderful place to just sit and think and be at peace.

my skin is definitely not used to this hawaiian sun. aloe you are the best. and sunscreen, you are going to become my new best friend.

i'm just feeling very blessed right now. i'll be better at updating about all the adventures out here. i'm just being lazy right now and not going into detail about what i've been up to. i'll tell ya though, it's been filled with lots of laughing :)

happy sunday.

hello happyness.

2011-09-13T18:50:00.000-11:00

have i mentioned how happy i am lately?

or how much i've smiled lately?

or how much i've laughed lately?

hawaii, you are grand :)

hello relaxation.

2011-09-13T16:22:00.004-11:00

last night i spent a fun night at the gator house. my friends steven, dave, kenneth, jordan, and sonny all live there. they made a documentary/movie about their house and some of the things they did this summer. i was dying laughing the entire time. those boys are too funny. i'm so grateful for them all.

when i first came out to hawaii last year i was really nervous about having alone time. but i've got the beach. so it's nice to sneak off and just walk along the beach and think. it's the most peaceful thing in the entire world. i can't even explain it.

but as for today, i am currently enjoying my last day before school starts up. boo classes.

but i must say, it has been quite enjoyable. whenever i get to hawaii, i always have the want to eat healthy. i dunno why. but we'll see how long this lasts. i'm just thankful that i don't live across from the mcdonalds this year. too tempting.

this morning i woke up, made a delicious bowl of raspberry yogurt, granola, and sliced bananas and ate it out on my porch. i love that porch. we are developing a great love for each other. it's so fun living close to all my friends bc i constantly see someone. lindsay came out and joined me and we just sat, looked out on the ocean, and talked. i love her. great way to start the day.

i'm so happy to be back with rach too. the whole day we have just taken turns playing and singing the guitar. as i'm writing this i am currently listening to rachel sing and play. such a beautiful thing.

there's a million other things i could write currently. and a million other things i've done today. but i'm just in such a relaxed mood i don't really have more to say other than,

life is good.

xoxo

hello better life.

2011-09-12T22:58:00.000-11:00

i made myself a promise when i got on that last airplane to hawaii. i told myself that i was getting on and never looking back. and ever since i've gotten off that airplane and stepped out onto this beautiful state i've had a huge smile on my face that i can't seem to get rid of :)

as i headed to baggage claim i waited for my two suitcases to come down the carousel. i got my first bag without any problem. then the second one comes around and of course, it is completely surrounded by other suitcases and high up. i make an attempt to grab it but there was no way it was happening. embarrassing. yes i was that girl that couldn't get her bag. the girl i normally laugh at at the airport. i then thought out a strategic plan of how i was going to get it when it came around the second time, bc i knew if i missed it this time i might as well just give up. it comes around, and after walking almost halfway around following it and trying to grab it i was finally successful! i then turn around to see that my other luggage was gone. after a quick few panicking moments i then saw steven and rachel around the corner laughing. relieved, i ran up to them and gave them the biggest hugs. i was so unbelievably happy to see them.

the rest of the day consisted of me getting moved in to my amazing new house. and seeing tons of friends that i haven't seen in 5 months. overjoyed. i honestly have not felt so great in months. my cheeks hurt from all this smiling, but i'm not complaining :)

went for a walk on the beach last night with rachel. even though i've already lived here for a year yet i am still so amazed by the beauty of this place. today has been filled with some quality beach time. i have turned a quality shade of red. success. i also went to walmart and costco to stock up on lots of stuff. driving around this amazing island is just breathtaking. i have the greatest friends here :) i love just sitting out on our porch with rachel playing guitar and singing. that's something that i have missed so much.

well i'll update more later, but there's a quick version of everything.

i'm happy.

hello hawaii.

2011-09-11T23:31:00.000-11:00

i am back in hawaii. and i want to rant on and on about how absolutely amazing it is but i am absolutely dead tired. i needed this though. i haven't felt so great in one day in so long. thank you hawaii.

xoxo

hello that time.

2011-09-10T16:49:00.002-11:00

it's that time of the year again. time to pack my life up into two very seemingly small suitcases and travel 5000 miles across the country to the lovely state of hawaii. and honestly, i couldn't be more ready. i'm obviously going to miss my parents and my friends. but i know i need a change desperately. i need sunshine. i need the sand between my toes. i need uplifting, happy people. i need hawaii.

this summer will definitely go down in the record books as the worst summer ever. and no, i'm not being dramatic about that statement. but what can i say, ya win some ya lose some right? i just hope my luck turns around once i get on that airplane because i can't handle any more losses. i know this next semester is going to be a tough one. just this time in my life, it's filled with so many choices that really do affect my future. but i'm anxious to move on to bigger and better things. i'm done dealing with people that aren't kind. i'm sick of investing my heart and friendship into others when they don't care as much in return. so it's time to make some changes for myself. i'm only surrounding myself with kind and loving people. the rest, buhh byee. this summer was quite the whirl wind. i wish i could sit here and say that i've learned a lot from it all. but honestly, i haven't. what have i learned? that the world is harsh? that people suck? that you should trust no one? no. i don't think that was the lesson for me to learn this summer. i would like to still believe that there is a common good in the people of today.

but time heals all. and one day there will be an answer for it all. at least it's comforting to know that there's this little thing called karma :)

tomorrow morning, i am getting on that airplane and never looking back.

xoxo

hello stranger.

2011-09-09T17:17:00.001-11:00

today i met this lady with my dad. i've never met her before. she's never met me. and all she knows about me is that i'm my father's daughter. as my dad was finishing up talking to her husband, she started to talk to me. she looked at me and told me how i look like i'm emotionally drained. ummm... how exactly do i respond to that? is it that obvious? do i have bags under my eyes or something? i stood there so confused and somewhat taken back that this stranger said this to me. she then continued to say how she could tell that i was a loving person. a type of person that gives and gives to others. the type of person that loves unconditionally. she told me that the world needed more people like me. and finally she asked if she could give me a piece of advice. i said she could go ahead and she said, "only let people who are worthy of you and deserve you in your life."

i was so taken back and i stood there almost in shock that this stranger is acting as a psychic right now. i thanked her as my eyes filled up with tears. she embraced me with a huge hug and told me that i was too young and pretty to be unhappy.

writing this down i'm still amazed that after talking to this lady for one minute i felt as if she knew my whole life story. she knew me. i'm thankful though that she reached out to me. that she said what she did. and i'm definitely going to take her advice to heart.

hello alyssa.

2011-09-08T18:20:00.001-11:00

please meet my friend alyssa.

have you ever had that friend that you absolutely love. and you guys act like the best of friends when you're together. yet you guys have never actually hung out a ton and aren't technically best friends? but it's almost like they're the best friend you never had? and you know you can trust them. you respect them. you love them. well i'm not sure if that description makes any sense. but i think that's how i would best describe alyssa and myself.

well this lovely doll is currently living it up in new york and fulfilling her dreams in the fashion industry. and i'm just so unbelievably proud of everything she's done already. i just had to blog about it and share her with all my friends that don't know her. she's quite the gem. here's her spectacular blog if you want to read up about the fabulous adventures of her fast-paced city life. she's going to be famous. and believe me when i say it'll be sooner rather than later. besides her amazing fashion (and i might add music) tastes, she's also got one amazing heart. she is hands down one of the kindest girls i've ever met and she deserves only the best. she's always been such a wonderful friend to me and i couldn't be more grateful to have her in my life. i admire her drive to work hard for what she wants. and the joy she gets out of it all.

it's so awesome to see friends doing such amazing things with their lives. i can't wait to see what's in store for this next year alone.

love you alyssa. can't wait to see what unfolds for you next.

xoxo

p.s. i know i probably could have picked a more fashionable picture of us, but i just couldn't help myself hehe :)

hello ideas.

2011-09-08T12:53:00.000-11:00

remember that there are always cupcakes.

xoxo

hello inspiration.

2011-09-07T18:04:00.000-11:00

rock bottom became the solid foundation on which i rebuilt my life.

j.k. rowling

hello wise words.

2011-09-06T20:05:00.001-11:00

i received an unexpected message from an old friend today. randomly they sent me,

You are making a difference. And you are changing the world. Don't let anybody ever make you feel or tell you differently.

to hear someone take the time to send that to me was quite possibly one of the most encouraging things i could ever hear. i sure hope i am making a difference. i hope i am influencing someone for the better. i hope i am making changes to help make the world a better place.

thank you friend. hearing that was such an unexpected and sweet note to read.

hello dance moves.

2011-09-06T17:35:00.004-11:00

now presenting, the one & only, drew and shay just dance experience.

coming soon to a theater near you.

hello fall.

2011-09-06T16:29:00.001-11:00

i love fall. there's something about walking outside and seeing the leaves change color and the temperature drop that makes me so happy. fall and i have always had a good relationship. i know i absolutely hate the cold. but fall treats me so well that i can't deny how much i love it. i don't know when it happens specifically, but there comes a day when you walk outside and you can just feel it. fall is here. i feel it.

i love the changing of the leaves. it's as if the past months are fading and then as winter comes the leaves drop and there's a chance for something new. something different. and even though i'm not a tree and i don't have leaves. fall still brings me the same feeling that there's a chance for change. and i am so beyond ready for that change.

hello quotes for the day.

2011-09-05T18:22:00.000-11:00

i believe in christ like i believe in the sun.

not because i can see it, but by it i can see everything else.

c.s. lewis

do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you'll be criticized anyway.

eleanor roosevelt

for i know the plans i have for you, declares the lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

jeremiah 29:11

you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

winnie the pooh

remember to breathe.

rereading these over and over.

breathe.

tomorrow will be a better day.

breathe.

the pain will go away one day.

breathe.

hello rainy sunday.

2011-09-04T18:09:00.002-11:00

ya know those simple things in life that make you happy?

a random person giving you a complement.

realizing something's on sale upon checkout.

getting a funny text from a friend.

well one of the little things that i love are rainy sundays. i just find something so satisfying about waking up on a sunday morning to see the room filled with that gloomish lighting and hear the sound of raindrops falling off the trees. monday mornings, it doesn't have the same affect. saturday's, nope. only on sundays. maybe that's because sunday has been classified as my lazy day.

well today i woke up to that wonderful feeling. i then went to atlanta with brittany and neelam to visit grace at ga state. going to atlanta is always quite the experience. it's only about 20 minutes away, which is nice. there are some things in life that i think will always stay the same. one of those being brittany freaking out in atl. she loves the homeless people ;) i always laugh when i see that we enter a sketch area and i immediately hear the car door lock. and it's funny too because neelam is probably the complete opposite and will carry on long conversations with the homeless people.

the highlight of the trip though had to be when we entered greek village. there's a gate and visitors have to show their visitor pass to the security guard. neelam holds her visitor pass and puts her arm through the gate so that the security guard could see it. she then pulls her hand out of the gate and backs up, then immediately she reaches to show the guard her pass again because she thought he didn't see it. just as she moves forward to show him again, he hits the button to open the automatic gate. the metal gate swings straight towards neelam's head and BANG. contact made. and i don't mean this gate lightly hit her. i'm talking about a full on collision almost knocking neelam off her feet. the guard ran out of his office to make sure neelam was okay. brittany and i were on the ground laughing so hard. and neelam just stood in shock about what had just happened. once we finally got through the gate and regained our composure, we looked at neelam's head. yup, she indeed had a huge welt on her head. probably the size of an egg! we got her an ice pack and all was well. she took it like a champ. but just thinking about it all again i can't stop laughing. like i said, atlanta is always quite the experience.

that was the last time the four of us will be together until the end of december :( goodbye's are never fun. wish i could just pack them all in my suitcase.

hello outlets.

2011-09-03T19:44:00.001-11:00

went to the outlets today with my mom. had to take advantage of those labor day sales.

i think we did a good amount of damage to our bank accounts... whoops.

however, the perks of back to school shopping for me = all summer clothing on sale.

it's crazy to think how soon i'm leaving. hanging out with my mom all day made me realize how not ready to leave i am. saying goodbye for such long periods of time just sucks. plain and simple.

hello game day.

2011-09-03T19:31:00.001-11:00

college football has officially begun and i couldn't be more excited! i really wish that my school had a football team and that i got to get the whole game day experience. but at the same time... i live in hawaii. so i guess that's a fair trade. i've never really had a team to root for growing up. yeah i've always had byu but to be honest, i've never really cared much haha. then a couple of years ago i discovered the university of south carolina and all the amazingness of that school. we fell in love ;) so even though i don't go to that school, that's my team. i love the gamecocks. i've never felt like uga is my team even though i've grown up in georgia. sorry about it. and ever since i've been living in hawaii i've kind of adopted the warriors to be one of my teams as well. i guess i never realized how huge football is in the south, until i left. and after being away from it all for a year, i really miss it. yup, i know.. it's just a game. but no matter what i'll still be their number one fan from behind the bench. tonight the season started off great with a win for all my teams, so let the excitement begin.

oh and i'm just saying... the gamecocks are going to kill it this year.