Thursday Wordplay

Today's edition: Variations on "Off like a prom dress" as brought to you by Lacy and Ashley.

Off like a hand on a burner

Off like a bra at Mardi Gras

Off like a light before sex with someone ugly

Off like a Nutella lid

Off like a race car on the green light

Off like sandals on a sandy beach

Off like a wedding ring at a bachelor party


Please share your submissions in the comments.

I'm Sorry I'm Not Married Yet, Kid.

I've been spending a lot of time lately wondering what 12-year-old Ashley would think of me. What spurred this reflection? I have no idea. But it happens every time I listen to Bon Iver. Which makes no sense, because his music really has nothing to do with childhood. But, nonetheless, I find myself constantly wondering what child me would think of adult me.

Firstly, she'd be stoked that I finished college so quickly; "Good work, adult me! Good work. But accounting? Huh..." She'd be ecstatic about the traveling I've been able to do; "We've been to New York? And London? And Paris?! We rock!" Little Ashley would be proud that we own a car now (and would think my car was the coolest thing ever) and that we have a grown-up job. She'd probably be confused and surprised about my Coachella experience, but I think she'd recognize that it will be awesome one day for her. She'd be so happy that we're still friends with the same people.

But... She'd be very disappointed with us that I haven't found someone to share my life with. Which depresses adult me just a bit. I told this to my mom, and she said, nah, young you would recognize the awesome life you've had. But I know a little 12-year-old, my Little Sister, Ariel. And she's constantly asking why I'm not dating or married yet. Kids, right? They just don't get it. I take solace in knowing that adult me is so happy with my life up to now. But I am a bit saddened in what Little Ashley would think of me. She already has confidence issues; I really don't want to add that "you're still single" burden on her.

Cheer up, kid. You'll get it some day. I hope. In the meantime, look through all these awesome travel trinkets I've obtained.

P.S. Don't worry about that shyness. You'll beat it eventually. In the meantime, would you stop being so bookish, and start just talking to people? People are nice. They like you. Man up. Also, one day, we'll be a cheerleader. Haha... I know, right?!

Walls Fall Down

I've been house-sitting (and pet-sitting) for my brother and sister-in-law while they're off in South Africa. Their adorable dog, Scrappy, spent the first three years of his life being abused. Thus, he is very mistrusting of most people. The only humans he's truly comfortable with are his parents, so the past few days have been a bit stressful and difficult.

But we've been making strides. His growling has decreased, and now only occurs when I go into Adam and Sierra's bedroom (where he spends 90% of his time). He's teeth-baring has decreased even more. Yesterday and this morning, he laid his head on my lap (but got a bit snappy when I tried to pet him). I was excited for his trust in me!

And then, minutes ago, this happened:

He let me pet him for about 5 minutes! There's a certain joy that comes from winning over the heart of an animal that has been wronged. I hope this can continue through my next two weeks of house sitting!

Dreamy...

The awesome thing about meringue is...

it's almost impossible for it to not look pretty.

Recipe from right here.

God works in funny ways

We play this game at work called Left Center Right. You have three dice, and on each dice is an L, a C, an R, and three dots. And you start out with three $1 bills. So if you roll an R, you give a bill to the right; an L, and the bill goes to the left; a C, and the bill goes into the center pot. If you get a dot, you keep your bill!

It's an incredibly fun game, particularly when you get down to the end and a few people are rolling to win the center pot. Whilst playing the game (and my likelihood of winning was veeeeery poor), I thought, if I win, I'll keep my original $3 and give the other $57 to the homeless shelter.

Out of sheer luck, I ended up as one of the last three people with a $1 bill. And out of what I can only figure as godly interference, I won the whole game.

So, I guess that homeless shelter is $57 richer. Because there's no way I'll invite the wrath of karma into my life by not donating it!

Good News!

I've finally learned how to do my own hair!

It only took me 25 years...

But hey, some people are slow learners.

I will miss the days we had.

The warm weather has passed,

and winter is in the air.

Know how I know?

Because today, it happened.

I put my chocolate brown cotton/satin sheets in the wash,

and instead of replacing them on the bed,

I pulled out by deep red flannel sheets.

And took out my thick fur-like white blanket.

Summer's gone... Now winter's on its way.

The WorldWideWeb

Today, I found this web page that explains the founding of this beautiful thing called the Internet. And the rest is history. A rather fascinating read, even if a lot of it is definitely over my head. I never really thought much about how little I understand the Internet even though I use it on a daily, even hourly often, basis.

And I shall forever be grateful to Tim Berners-Lee for creating the WorldWideWeb so that I can discover sites like this for my entertainment. And be constantly connected to family and friends. And live in this day and age of so much knowledge and discovery. Long live the WWW.

Co-Worker Dish Time

Sometimes I wish I worked in a more normal, mainstream, corporate office. But usually only when really crappy techno music is playing in the office, just because one of my co-workers thinks life is a party at all times.

A separate co-worker makes me a person I don't want to be; namely, I consistently want to punch him on an hourly basis, and sometimes for no reason whatsoever. It's the little things that get to me.

Sometimes conversation at work steers toward phone-sex workers, and how one of my female co-workers is considering becoming one. Because it's great money. And her husband disapproves of it, but he works nights, so... she's got some free time! This is real. A real conversation.

One of my co-workers is new. He doesn't get some things yet. This is understandable. What isn't understandable is how I confirmed three times with him that I was charging a customer's card, then later he comes back to me and says, no, the customer wanted a credit. Oh, thanks for making me look like the idiot.

Sometimes my boss is cool, and makes me purchase a new, ridiculously comfortable office chair. And then work is okay again. And sometimes I get a bonus, and work is okay again. And when I leave work each night, I get to walk past the really cute nighttime FedEx guy, and work is okay again.

Happy Halloween, Part Two!

Zombies are neat.

I may have remembered about this picture after Lacy posted her own.
Lace, thanks for letting me copy you (without your permission).
Mine's obviously not as cool as yours anyway,
since I have zero talent at giving clever titles to my posts.

Happy Halloween!

BOO!!! WE'LL GET YOU!

In Which I Consume a McRib

The elusive McRib. It's back at McDonalds.

I've never had one, but I feel as if it's some kind of societal rite I must partake in if I claim to be from the United States (which I do). So, today I decided I must make that great leap of faith and order a McRib. And I made this face:

It's a mix of anticipation, wariness, and confusion. In case you don't get it.

I went to McDonald's. I avoided eye contact as I drove up, because people knew I was ordering the McRib, guys. I don't know how, but I just know they knew. And they were judging me.

At the pickup window, the young worker confirmed my order; "you have the McRib and small fry?" I averted my eyes and said yes, despite the nearly unbearable urge to smirk a pretentious "pfft, no!"

Look, it only cost me $2.49 (and the price of my dignity...):

I made sure to put it next to my book in order to ensure you that I'm still a classy, intelligent gal, despite this most recent of occurrences.

Once home, I opened the box:
How did barbecue sauce get all over the lid? It must be from the assembler's fingers. I did my best to ignore it.

I put on my brave face and got barbecue sauce all over my fingers as I lifted the floppy sandwich out of its soiled container. And here I go!


The following is a series of pictures depicting my reactions as I chewed:


End face=Well, I'm not dead yet. This must be okay.

I continued to eat and pay more attention to the flavors.

The pork patty: Um, maybe pork should never be consumed in patty form? Despite my concerns over the unfamiliar texture of a pork patty, the meat was decently flavored. It tasted different than chicken or beef, so yeah, it has a pork flavor.

The barbecue sauce: Not the best. If I had to change anything on this sandwich, my first change would be a better barbecue sauce. But this is McDonald's and only $2.49 worth of materials, so sure, it's acceptable.

The pickles and onions: Good pairings with the patty and sauce. I guess people build these things with lettuce and tomatoes and cheese and what not? But I think McD's original recipe of pickles and onions sounds most appetizing.

I won't be purchasing one of these in the forseeable future. But it wasn't exactly a waste of my money. So take that for what it's worth.

Now excuse me as I wash down my sandwich with some good old fashioned celery.

P. to the S.
This is my 100th post! In celebration, not only have I given you my first ever animated gif, but I'll also have my first ever giveaway in the form of buying anyone who comments their very own McRib! (You know you wanna try...)


This post has not been sponsored by McDonald's. I wish it had been, because that means my sandwich would have been free. But whatever.

Super Bass

What? Three new posts in one day?

I know. Things are going crazy over here.

I just heard this song for the first time today, and I've maybe listened to it like five times in a row...

P.S.

I love this post by comedian Rob Delaney.

Fair warning--it's political in nature.

I just love the America that's filled with these kinds of smart, level-headed, forward-thinking people.

No party affiliation. No agenda. No bias.
Just someone with an idea of his future, and the hope that our government can pull it off. That is truly what America is made of.

L.A., Venice, and HitRECord

I got back from my quick trip to California on Tuesday. It was my first every trip by myself, and it was absolutely lovely. I got to see the Dog Bowl (which I know from the movie Lords of Dogtown. Love). And I got to be within yards of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, and Gary Oldman at the hitRECord Fall Formal! I chatted with lots of new people, saw indie films in process, went to the Griffith Observatory, saw the Walk of Fame, finally went to Trader Joe's... Just a great trip.

Discoveries about me:
~I have a hard time just sitting back and doing nothing, even on vacation. Actually, probably especially on vacation.

~The Little Prince speaks to my heart. "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important." "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."

~My love for the ocean (and silhouette pictures) is much greater than I ever knew.
~Eating, driving, shopping, sight-seeing by myself; it's not a problem. In fact I kinda love it.

~Seeing a beautiful, funny, and creative show while dressed in a gorgeous formal dress; now that, I was sad to do by myself. "Happiness only real when shared"-Christopher McCandless (I don't entirely believe this, but it can absolutely be true. And painful, sometimes)

~Overly-priced clothing boutiques and brand names make me angry. Actually and truly angry. Not because I can't afford it, but because of the audacity it takes to believe your product is worth that much.

~The pleasure I get in using maps has no bounds. I doubt a GPS system will exist in my near future.

~I feel much more comfortable on the slightly sketchy, bum- and skater-laden, vendor-covered, colorful Venice beachfront than I do on Robertson Blvd or Hollywood Blvd or Rodeo Dr.

New Recipe--Roasted Corn and Beet Salad

Hey friends. So, I kinda made up a salad recipe tonight, and it turned out way better than it had any right to be. I know I'll forget the entire recipe if I don't write it down somewhere, so here it shall be written.

I give you full right to ignore this post.

So, I had lunch at Cannella's. I got a pastrami sandwich that came with a side salad. And in that side salad was a slice of beet. I've never cooked with a beet, so on my drive home, I grabbed myself some from Harmons.

Once home, I threw some corn, husks on, in the oven for about 15 minutes to roast. In the meantime, I chopped off both ends of the beet, and put them in a roasting pan, with just a little bit of water, covered it with foil, and slid them into the oven for about 35 minutes. They came out a beautifully deep red, and still just a bit firm.

Next, corn was cut off the cob, a half a beet was chopped up, and those went into a bowl along with some chopped swiss chard and green leaf lettuce. In the meantime, I quick boiled the beet greens (putting the stalks in for a few minutes longer than the greens) just until they wilted. Those got drained and squeezed dry, then thrown in the bowl as well.

Lastly, the dressing. I had arugula to use, so I grabbed a handful of that and put it into a food processor with a few leaves of basil, some pine nuts, salt, pepper, a splash of orange juice, and enough olive oil til the consistency looked dressing-y.

Guess what? It was a lovely, hearty, tasty and bright, dinner salad. So, so happy! And healthy!

Happy eating and kitchen-creating, friends!

Update: a made the salad again, and it was even better with a few changes. This time, I finely shredded the arugula and basil and added that to the bowl. Then, I made a dressing out of spicy mustard, orange juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, which got tossed well with all the veggies. Lastly, I homemade some croutons out of wheat bread, that was buttered and sprinkled with garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper. Yum!

Community

Guys. I've told you I love Community, right? Right.

Well, maybe not. Although, I did reference two of the men on the show as my future husbands on this very blog.

Anyway, my point. Community is hands-down my favorite TV show on right now. And I'm actually watching a lot more TV than I sometimes like to admit. So this is saying something.
Unfortunately, the viewership for Community is down. Which means I may lose all reason for living at this end of this television season if Community doesn't get granted another year. For realsies.
See, Jeff and Abed are quite distraught over my current predicament. (But probably moreso for the possible end of their television lives).

I mean, currently, every Thursday night, at 6:55 p.m. I'm doing a celebration krump dance for five straight minutes right along with Troy and Abed. I look just like this:
And it's awesome. Then, I settle in at 7 p.m. sharp for the most glorious half-hour of the week. I know you all love me. You don't want to take this away from me!

That's right, Chang and Annie are looking at you!
It's your responsibility to get on this. Start watching this show!! Here's a hilarious article from THE HULK telling you all the reasons you should watch Community. Said in a much more humorous way than I ever could articulate.

And if I still haven't convinced you, then know that this guy makes an appearance at the end of season 2:

You're out of reasons to NOT watch. Right? Right. And I just purchased the DVD's for seasons one and two. I will sacrifice my time and/or resources to get you up to date. Also, Hulu can update you on the first two episodes of season three. The end. Amen.

Apple Pie

One more item checked off my 25 while 25 list.

I made a pie crust. And it didn't completely suck! (Though my mom's is still SO much better... maybe one day.)

I started off with a bag full of apples from the Farmer's Market...

I used my Mom's recipe, straight from the Betty Crocker cookbook.

And in the end, I ended with this beauty:

Very rustic looking, no? (Rustic is just code for I-can't-make-a-pretty-crust-to-save-my-life)

And the taste ended up quite decent as well!
I shall be making apple pie again!

3-Day Juice Cleanse!

So, I did it. I completed the first task on my 25 While 25 list.

Do a Juice Cleanse!

It was an interesting experience,

with a few low points, where the only thing I wanted to do was cry at the thought of more juice.

Day 1 was probably the most difficult because I was hungry and sick of juice with no end in sight.

I nearly quit.

But with Lacy's encouragement (she wasn't aware what she was in for yet...)

and with the hope of delicious juices in my future,

I pressed on.

This is our counter covered in all the produce that was about to be juiced.

In one day, I'd eat 6 stalks of kale,

3 handfuls of chard and lettuce,

4 golden delicious apples,

1 cucumber,

3 lemons,

a handful of parsley,

half a pineapple,

15 leaves of mint,

1 pint of blueberries,

2 granny smith apples,

3 cups of grapes,

and 1/2 cup of cashews.

All in liquid form.

Heidi's trusty juicer. We became great friends.

Green juice! I hated it in the beginning, and loved it by the end of Day 3.

Isn't juicing beautiful?

Pineapple/Mint smoothies! By far my favorite drink.

My juices lined up to bring to work in the morning.

Lacy and me stoked to be almost-finished, and finished, respectively.

She was my fellow-lamenter, and cheerleader.

Trust me, don't do this thing without a partner-in-crime.

You'll think you're all alone in the world

and fall into a great hole of despair

when you're at your worst moments.

But at your best moments during the juice cleanse,

you may just end up looking like this...

Would I ever do it again?

Perhaps. Give me til next week to answer that question.

When I've had time to reflect.

(And have probably gained back all 5 pounds that were lost.)

Update: I've eaten less than 500 calories for the last 10 hours, and I'm barely hungry. What is happening to me?!

New Compy

And she shall be christened Greta. And Greta shall be her name.

Look how good of a photographer Greta is:

Much brighter, and much less grainy than my Mac. So it looks like Greta is starting out well. I guess I'll keep her around.

25 While 25

I'm turning 25 today. A quarter of a century. When I look back at the years past... it's been SO long! Suddenly, dying at 75 doesn't seem all bad. That allows for a nice long life, doesn't it?

And I've already accomplished so much. I'm so grateful for the life that I've been blessed with so far. I've been to Europe. Twice! I've been to New York! I've been skydiving and ran a marathon. I bought a brand new car (stupid...) and paid it off! I graduated from high school and university. I was a cheerleader...(what?) I've been a bridesmaid 8 times! I've gained 8 new incredible family members. I won the excellency plaque for French (merci beaucoup), won 2nd place in the 5th grade Spelling Bee (or was it 4th grade?), graduated from seminary and institute, and won a dictionary for the leadership award in 6th grade (again, what?). I've been to countless concerts and movies, seen operas and broadway shows, and have watched long TV series' from beginning to end.

I've been such a lucky girl! How can I even top the last 25 years?! I guess finally starting my own family will be a pretty big deal, huh...? So I have that to look forward to. In the meantime, here's a list of my 25 While 25. I'll check in with you next year in hopes of having this list all checked off!

1. Crochet a full-size scarf
2. Make homemade popsicles
3. Do a juice cleanse
4. Run the Ragnar or a triathlon
5. Receive my endowment
6. Make a pie crust that doesn't suck
7. Visit four new destinations
8. Be the asker for a date
9. Make a successful lasagna
10. Get muhamara at Mazza again
11. Celebrate the Winter Solstice
12. Get a New Year's kiss
13. Make origami out of map paper
14. Learn calligraphy
15. Go karaoking
16. Paint five pictures
17. Get in the 140's
18. Buy a new record player
19. Make a Tolman family cookbook
20. Climb Mt. Olympus again
21. Replace laptop time with reading time more often
22. Make my own vanilla extract
23. Wear red lipstick outside of a costume situation and don't feel silly
24. Play piano for one hour per week
25. Go on a dishcrawl

(P.S. I'm not superstitious at all, but when I was typing this list, I originally completely forgot to type the number 13. Weird?)

Vacation Music Memories

I love The A.V. Club's AVQ&A series. This week's question really got old vacation memories flowing.

My parents were incredible at making sure we got at least one road-trip vacation a year, always somewhere warm. Trips were made to Lake Powell, St. George, Mesquite, Anaheim, San Jose... As long as we were heading South, my parents were happy. And music was a key element to those trips. My dad is a fond listener to Arrow 103.5 or any classic rock station. That love transferred to his kids, particularly me. And Mom listens to nearly everything, but especially FM 100, and Top 40's stations. However, once we reached the edge of Nephi or thereabouts, the radio stations would be gone, and the huge book of CD's would be pulled out.
One of the favorites was Bob Seger's Greatest Hits album. I remember one night of off-road driving in the old Suburban, Like a Rock tuned on the CD player, and Dad driving over unpaved and rocky ground.
Mom is a big Sarah Brightman fan, and Phantom of the Opera was often played. I grew a love for that musical from a very young age because of my Mom's love for it.
The family could all agree to Disney soundtracks as well. There were many trips singing along to The Little Mermaid (my brother now impresses women by knowing the entirety of Part of Your World), and The Lion King (Dad once said that his children should plan on singing The Circle of Life at his funeral).

Road trips with friends carried a very different sound track. I joined Kristin on a family trip to the Preston Rodeo, where we listened to Destiny's Child and the Dixie Chicks over headphones and sang along in two-part harmony (her poor parents...)
Trips with Jami, Katie, and Lynsie would always include a little Kelly Clarkson, some Disney hits, and a I Want to Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston.
Driving with my sisters, our favorites included 'Nsync and Backstreet Boys throwbacks, Cyndi Lauper, and 80's pop hits; whereas, drives with my brother are a bit more enlightening with music by whatever new and incredible band he has to show me at the time.

It truly is inspiring to hear any of those songs play, whether from my ipod, the radio, grocery story, etc., and immediately be taken back into the seat of a car, scenery rushing past the windows and spending time with people I love with every part of my heart.

Pad Thai Noodles-Two ways

On my drive home a couple days ago, I stopped by the Southeast Market to get some pad thai noodles and cilantro. (side note: the Southeast Market's cilantro was the same price as Smith's and about triple the amount! Awesome.) I had a serious craving for comfort food and a little spice, and what better way than noodles and chili-garlic sauce?! I found this recipe for Vietnamese Noodle Salad a week or so prior and was dying to try it. Perfect.

I changed mine up a bit, using pad thai noodles instead of the rice noodles. I also julienned some zucchini and orange bell pepper instead of the cucumber, used LOTS of cilantro instead of mint, and topped it with chopped peanuts. And it was the perfect summer comfort salad! Yum!

For today's dinner, I had half the pad thai noodles (undressed) that needed to be used, plus some leftover barbecued beef from Sunday's dinner. So I thought, beef pad thai!

I sliced up a red bell pepper, some onion, and garlic and sauteed it for a bit. Then I added a little water, chili-garlic sauce, peanut butter (in lieu of chopped peanuts on top), and soy sauce to the pan, as well as my barbecued beef. The noodles were throw in next and mixed all together. Then a little lime juice and cilantro topped it off.

Result: so delicious! I was worried the barbecue sauce in the beef would throw off the pad thai flavor, but it gave the noodles a lot of depth. I'm rather proud of my new recipe.

It doesn't look very pretty, but promise, it tastes good.

Moral of the story: next time you want comfort food, think pad thai noodles!

My Burning House

I'm endlessly fascinated and in love with The Burning House. Ever since I saw the website, I've been pondering and wondering what I'd truly want in those moments of fear and panic. To be really honest, I'd probably run out of the house without a single thing in my arms.

But if I had just those precious seconds to think, this is what I'd grab:

My purse, which has all the essentials: chapstick, money and ID, camera, and, most importantly, my iPod!

My phone (this is an emergency and I'll be needing that list of contacts),

glasses (particularly if this fire is at night. I need to see!),

travel journal (endlessly more valuable to me than my daily journal),

scriptures that I've had since age 8.

My computer, which holds 5 years of pictures and lots of music.

Now, if I had a good full minute, rather than seconds, to grab something, here's what would be added:

Various personal journals; a gifted scarf from Italy; Floopy, the dog/bear my mom bought me before I moved away for college; and a box of travel memorabilia and maps that cannot be replaced.

There you have it. The absolute essentials.

But now in the category of Things-I'd-Be-Devastated-About-Losing, But-Will-Have-Lost-Nonetheless:

My record collection and tiny child's record player; my globe.

My lovely Stevie-Nicks-like skirt mentioned in a previous post; two vintage dresses and a vintage coat that are irreplaceable and fit me perfectly.

My first (recent) painting of which I'm rather fond.

Pearl earrings and necklace from my parents.

And in the category of I-Hope-I'll-See-It-and-Grab-It-As-I-Flee-My-Room:

My ratty, holey childhood blankie. So many memories.

Lastly, in category of Probably-Most-Expensive-Item-I-Own-and-Would-Be-Pissed-to-Have-to-Replace:

My mouth guard I wear at night to aid in reducing my bruxism, racking in at $200.

And the things I've seen just while writing this post that I realized I'd also be completely sad to lose: my Sistine Chapel print from Rome, my travel bag with pins and buttons from various vacations, sweet cards and thank you notes from friends and family, my dad's old Book of Mormon, my This is Paris book and best of Europe book...

Man, this list could just go on and on!

After all, you're my Wonderwall

I hope I'm not alone on this.

But I have That One Guy. The guy I've crushed on for years. The one that I'd marry in an instant if he'd only ask. The one who gives me reason to wonder if he likes me back, but never actually acts in enough way to confirm it.

"That One Guy" has changed over the years. It will be "this" guy, then a while later, it will be "that" guy, but it's been this guy for a while now.

I'm thinking about him today. I don't particularly enjoy the days I'm thinking about him. Because it makes me do things like listen to "All Out of Love," by Air Supply and "I Can Dream About You," by Dan Hartman because they're comforting and harmless songs (by the way, these songs are easy to access because I have them on my iPod... go figure). And I mope. I hate moping... It's so, just, miserable.

Anyway. I'll be fine by tomorrow. Cause I won't be thinking of him then.
And I guess I can appreciate that feeling this way means that I have access to a love that makes me miserable. Which also means that I have access to love that makes me incandescently happy. So... you win some, you lose some!

Updates!

It's been both a great and poor weekend. But more great, and I'm in a fabulous mood, so we're going to focus on that.

Highlights:
~Going to Yellowstone!!
Seeing bison, elk, a bald eagle, mama bear and cubs, a fox, a stork... Awesome!
Getting lucky and seeing so many large geysers. Particularly Grand Geyser. The following video pretty much sums up my glee:

Camping for the first time this summer (not counting Coachella camping. But who am I kidding... Coachella camping rocked.)

~Watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. I kinda forgot how in love I am with that series until I watched this movie. Growing up reading Harry Potter truly changed my life, and those characters will live with me til the day I die. So much goodness.

~Making a homemade pizza (well, almost all homemade. I did buy a pillsbury crust to cook it on)

~Going to the Bountiful Temple and seeing two beautiful deer cross the street in North Salt Lake. I absolutely love the drive on UT-89 from Salt Lake to the Bountiful Temple, and I highly recommend it early in the morning when the sun is still rising.

~Finding this lovely skirt at Forever21. I'm in love with the fit and the style. AND, while I wore it today, I was told I resemble Stevie Nicks. Swoon... That comment made my day. Stevie Nicks is a bit of a hero of mine. (I was going to link to the skirt, but I can't find it on Forever21's site, so you'll just have to trust me that it's lovely!)

~Listening to both Arcade Fire and Def Leppard at full blast in my car. Is there anything better than shouting along to music that just speaks to your soul? Nope. There's not. It's true magic.

~Lastly, I leave you with a quote, from good friend Kristin:

"I love looking at nature! It's like visual music!"

P.S. and oh, duh!! AND!! I get a new nephew tomorrow!!! So excited!!!

Charlie

I have lately been admiring the photography work of Jessica Peterson. She's a friend from my old church ward, and she recently moved to New York to pursue her serious talent. Such a sweet and funny girl!

I've been absolutely loving her Charlie Horsey series. Normally, I'm not much of a fan of the animal-head-on-human-body trend, but something about her photos is just so beautiful. Add Charlie Horsey as a friend on facebook to see the series progress! Here are some of my favy's: