2014 Resolutions

I decided I wanted to list here what my New Years Resolutions are. Perhaps it will hold me more accountable to actually keep them? Highly unlikely, but may as well give it ago anyway. :)

1. Become a better friend.

I have come to realize over the last few months just how selfish of a person I am. I tend to put my needs before others and that absolutely needs to change. I have some completely wonderful people in my life that I definitely don't deserve, so I need to start showing my gratitude and giving back.

2. Lose weight and be healthy.

I love 12 lbs in November and December, but then with the holidays, I completely derailed from my "diet" and I have been having a hard time getting back on track. I started clean eating which is how I lost all that weight, and I have resolved to get back to it so I can not only be comfortable with my body, but to also live a healthy lifestyle.

3. Move out of my parents' house.

I absolutely love my parents. They have sacrificed so much on my behalf and have been so kind as to let me stay in their home when I moved back from Utah. This needs to be the year I ease their burden and move out on my own once again.

There are a few other resolutions, but those are the three that are most important. Happy 2014 everyone! Let's make sure we make this the best year yet! :)

Rock Climbing

Once upon a time I was living in Utah and met a bunch of boys who rock climbed and fell in love with all of them, and so sparked my interest for rock climbing. I did try it once while I lived in Utah. It was wonderful, but alas, I was poor and so could not afford a climbing pass.

Then about a year later, a few months after I had moved home, I got reacquainted with an old, old friend. His name is Ethan. He said he went rock climbing all the time and was all too willing to take me with him. I fell in love once again with the sport and soon thereafter got a pass of my own (MUCH cheaper this time). We went 4-5 times a week for months and months and months. Even Becca started going with us. Climbing is one of my favorite things in this whole world. It is so relaxing for the mind and just so good for your body and soul.

I'm happy that I've been climbing for just over a year now. Unfortunately, due to job and school constraints, I am only able to go once every few weeks now. And that's okay. I'll take what I can get. :)

Frederick

This is my new puppy. His name is Frederick and he is the best thing ever. I love him too much.

Red hair don't care?

Okay, let's be honest here. I hate that phrase "long hair don't care", but I thought it was pretty fitting for this blog post!

I had a lovely vacation in Utah with one of my best friends and twin Michelle! But that deserves its own blog post, so I'll wait until I have more time to write it.

In the mean time, I went all "crazy lady" yesterday and felt like I needed to dye my hair again. The purple had faded so fast and my hair was becoming quite dull, so I wanted to switch it up. I bought a magenta and red dye, mixed them together, and voila! This is my hair and I'm quite thrilled with it.

The Walt Disney Studios

Luckily for me, Ethan's uncle works for the animation department for Disney! He works on Club Penguin, which is really cool. One day we all got to talking, and his uncle Craig offered to take us on a tour of where he works as well as the actual studios! Of course we said yes, and of course I was way too excited! We got to walk around the building he works in and the surrounding areas including Imagineering. They have their own garden complete with a pool house. Yes, a pool house! It was so beautiful and so neat. We got to eat lunch near the actual studios, and we walked around the original Walt Disney studios, saw where Walt's old office was, and also saw where Bob Iger's office is now. There is so much history there, and it made me feel so nostalgic in the best way possible. We had the most perfect day!

In front of the Animation Building.

Cool "directions". :)

This is the Imagineering garden.

Just the three best friends hanging out.

My favorite picture.

Oh, you know. Just hanging out.

Stopped by a farmer's market on the way home!

Witty blog title here.

Well, I figured since I completely revamped my blog, I should probably update any readers I probably don't have on what's the latest with my life.

We will begin with my hair. For a while I have been wanting to dye my hair purple. Not a super vibrant purple, but a nice plum color. So, I set out to buy the supplies since I wanted to do this on my own and not drop $80 to have someone do it for me. I bought stuff to strip my current color so it would be lighter, and then I bought the only purple dye I could find that Sally's had to offer. It was a dark purple/brown color, but I had high hopes it would just come out purple (although I knew deep in the back of my mind it wouldn't really work). I had my wonderful sister Heidi help me with this and her awesome boyfriend changed my oil and cleaned my headlights in the meantime. He really is spectacular! After all was said and done (and minimal damage done to John's bathroom) my hair came out to a really dark purple-y/red-ish color. I wasn't mad about it. The color looks good, it just wasn't what I had envisioned for myself. Maybe next time I'll get it professionally done. Better start saving up my monies!


The next adventure is when Ethan and I decided we would put his new crash pad to some use and find somewhere to boulder outdoors for the first time. We got some advice from some people we climb with, and headed up to Mt. Baldy. It was an overcast evening, but it wasn't cold. We got up there and just so happened to run into some people from the climbing gym who were going to be bouldering! We tagged along with them and had a great time. We even saw a mama bear with her cubs, and a scorpion! Quite the adventure.








Fast forward to yesterday when Heidi and John invited me to get sushi with them! It was delicious and delightful. They are like celebrities at this restaurant. The servers and cooks all know them. We basically got VIP treatment, but most importantly, we ate the most amazing sushi. I love it so much.







Yesterday I also got my car windows tinted!! I don't know if you can really tell in the picture, but I'm super excited and now I can really call my car the Batmobile ;) Her name is Blanche though, so I don't know how that really fits in.

Four Years.

I almost can't even fathom how fast time flies. It has been almost 5 years since I moved to Utah, and almost a whole year since I finally moved back. It has been just under 2 years since I went through the hardest time of my life, and just a matter of months in comparison since I finally moved on from it. And on this very date in history, it has been 4 years since one of the most pivotal times in my life, changing the course of everything I had planned for myself.

Do you ever think back on certain moments in your life wondering how different things would be had they not happened? Even being slightly angry that they had?

This particular moment eventually caused me severe anxiety, depression, grief, and I am still dealing with some of the repercussions as I'm trying to get my life in order. But I can't be all mad. There were times of immense joy, happiness, love, and I met some of the greatest people I will ever know through this particular moment.

I grew exponentially as a person. I made the best friends I will ever have. I laughed. I cried. And had some unforgettable experiences.

I'd like to believe that everything happens for a reason. Each person enters your life to teach you something, or to allow you to teach them something. And while I sometimes feel pangs of regret for some of my decisions relating to this, when it all comes down to it... I'm glad it happened. I would not be where I am if those things had not happened, and perhaps not be involved with the greatest man that I know.

And I am the happiest I have been in a long, long time.