18 things

so something super weird happened today. my bestie turned 18. whaaa? 

these were taken on our road trip last month, the night we all dressed up and went out for Thai. Oh, and I didn't get permission to post these. But they were on my camera. :)

18 things I like about Hannah, (And reasons I love having her for a best friend.)
1. She is just as weird as me. So I can be my strange, "normal" self and she totally gets it.
2. She has wonderful tastes in books and literature, (and movies!)
3. Her fashion sense is pretty awesome. it's a mix of business, preppy and classy.
4. She talks in funny voices sometimes. it's highly amusing.
5. Hannah wrote a book. AN ENTIRE BOOK! It's still in the editing stages currently, but it's gonna be stunning.
6. She is most amusing. That's why i keep her around, of course. :)
7. Hannah is incredibly encouraging and a wonderful listener.
8. Her voice, guys. She sings really, really, really pretty!!
9. She is SUPER organized. you should see her closet. (and please don't look at mine!)
10. She can back-in-park like a pro. i learned, passed the test and promptly forgot...
11. I can send her a ton of wedding planning stuff, dress links and color schemes and she doesn't freak out. I don't have to explain that no, there isn't a guy. I just got in a wedding mood. :)
12. She's kind of brilliant.
13. Um guys, she is the VERY SWEETEST person on the planet.
14. She has curly hair. (every girls dream, right?) 
15. She sings disney songs too.
16. She is incredibly hard working and dedicated, from working on the irrigation on their farm, to homework for her AA degree.
17. She calls me Bex. :)
18. She puts up with me calling her, chatting on the internet, and emailing ALL the time when I'm lonely.

So all this is to say, i love you, girlie, and i LOVE having you as a best friend.
HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY!!!!!

 just for the record, i don't always smile like that, but I think I was laughing...  :) :) :)

Caleb Moody // our court jester

Caleb is the one of the many jokesters in the house, and this afternoon while I was outside attempting to take some pictures of various clouds/leafs/artsy things, he was trying to tell me jokes, so I asked him to tell me one while I filmed him, and these were the result. I may be slightly biased, but I happen to think he's insanely adorable!

:), xx,

lost lake 2014

Mt. Hood. my second favoritest mountain. 

this weekend we went camping at our annual camping spot: Lost Lake Oregon. I'm not sure how we "found" Lost Lake to begin with, but we've been going there every year for a LONG time. it didn't rain this year, which was a really really really really good thing, because I don't like camping, and all that jazz, and having it rain whilst out in the middle of nowhere is NO FUN. And it usually rains while we camp. But this time the weather was super nice, and we got to hike a bit, and basically just hang out. my little siblings had a blast canoeing and swimming, and hanging out around the fire. and let me tell you, morning's come a whole lot earlier when the littles are sitting around a fire fifteen feet from your tent. :)

i noticed john standing like this several days ago, and forced asked him to model for a couple pictures. i'm sort of fond of the effect.

xx,

fallish layers // it's a girl thing

#imreallyadork #shocker

details:

skirt- thrifted, {8.99}

purple cami/tank- Fred Myers {12.99}

cardigan- Walmart {12-96}

flats- Walmart {11.95}

scarf - thrifted {4.99}

i was slightly excited to wake up this morning and find out that it was chilly and foggy outside, so I could throw on a warmer shirt and a scarf to wear to my chiropractor appointment, to add layers and extra cuteness. while i'm not looking forward to the wet this fall, I am looking forward to being able to wear scarves and boots. :)

okay, to add a whole new layer of fun to this post, these are several outfits that I've been drooling over on Pinterest.

source

That SKIRT!! seriously... so it's like $95 but it's so pretty!! :)

source 

Simple, but the skirt is so fun, and the scarf pulls the look together. 

this just screams classy. 

so, what is your number one fashion tip for dressing for fall, or what is the one thing you are most excited about when it comes to fall clothing this year? 

p.s. GUYS IT"S SEPTEMBER 8TH!! Can somebody please explain? :)

p.p.s. my outfit posts are going to be titled "it's a girl thing" from now on. in case you were wondering. ;)

autumn is a second spring // where every leaf is a flower - albert camus

this summer went by so fast, despite that it has been the "quietest" summer I can remember. we didn't have much going on, so I read. 42 books exactly since June 1st. I decided at the beginning of the year that this would be a year of much reading, because I have the time. I don't have a job currently, or college classes claiming all my time, so I set a relatively high goal for myself of 150 books. I just finished my 104th book late last night, and am 70% done with my challenge. 

I went on a road trip with some of my favoritest people on earth, (including this AMAZING person, she's in the gorgeous blue dress. ;)) and we got to play on the beach a little, and spend a lot of time being girls. :)

my brother trapped his second American Kestrel Falcon, (he is currently an apprentice falconer.) This is Odin, and his is gorgeous, fun to watch, and also insanely adorable when he puffs all his feathers out so that he looks like a super fat little robin. Kestrels are the smallest falcons in the US, and Odin is pretty tiny. Don't let that fool you, he is still perfectly capable of hunting and holding his own. 


I'm looking forward to fall, with the beautiful colors, {hopefully} the crisp, gorgeous days, dressing in boots, sweaters and scarves, and drinking many cozy warm drinks. This fall will bring lots and lots of school, (this is my senior year,) and maybe a job, and lots more changes. I think this is the year of change for me. 

this is a super rambly post, but ya know, i'm kind of a super rambly person, so it works. :) so let's talk.. how was your summer? Any special memories or experiences? :)

xx,

the Shadow of the Bear// Book review

The Shadow of the Bear
by Regina Doman

     Once upon a time in New York City... there lived two sisters who loved books, poetry, music and fairy tales... They lived with their widowed mother in a brownstone with two rose bushes in front of it. One winter night a bear came to their door,and they let him in, even though he could not tell them his real name or his real mission. He became their friend, protector and constant companion. They never dreamed that his friendship might cost them their lives

     Everyone loves fairy tales. And I'm no exception. Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty? Yes please! So when a friend told me about the Shadow of the Bear, a fairy-tale retelling based on Snow White and Rose Read set in Modern New York City, I was extremely excited to read it. She did warn me however, before reading it, that Regina Doman's writing is terrible, but the story is so interesting it makes up for it. She was right. (!!!!!)

     At times the writing was so bad it was irritating... run-on sentences, horribly constructed paragraphs, etc., making it painful at times. But I kept reading because the story was amazing. There were so many clever twists and surprises, that it kept you on your toes, quite willing to wade through the actual writing to follow the story.

     So would I recommend this book to fellow fairy-tale enthusiasts? Absolutely. It's fun, (in a little dark way...) quirky, and different, making it worth the read. 

     My suggestion to Ms. Doman, were we ever to converse? Find a really good editor and revise it, and release another edition, (With a different cover!). That would totally turn this book into a fairy-tale retelling masterpiece. :)

My rating? *** {Three of five stars for storytelling}

adventure is out there!

Distance means so little, when someone means so much.

unknown

1. I spent last week traveling along the OR coast with friends, including my amazing bestie, making memories and enjoying the beauty. It was a little hectic, traveling from point to point and not really settling for long in any place, but it was fun and quite an adventure. One night we dressed up in dresses and make-up, and went out to eat at a Thai place in Coos Bay, and we came home, took super silly pictures and then had a bonfire and sang silly songs and were utterly ridiculous. I didn't take a lot of pictures on the trip, but I'll post a few soon. right now i'm too lazy to run upstairs and get my SD card and upload them. :)

2. On the first day of our trip we got rear-ended at an intersection, (It was my dad's car, but I wasn't driving.) It was a horrible experience, and the car is super smashed, probably totaled. So we all got to deal with the police and accident reports and all that for the first time. My neck and back are pretty messed up from the whiplash. I've had a horrible headache since the accident, but hopefully I shall feel much better after seeing the chiropractor tomorrow.

3. I'm taking a CPR/First aid class with my mom on Saturday, so that will be interesting and hopefully fun. I've been reading like crazy, but right not feeling like writing. I guess that's why my little blog has been so quiet. 

4. How are you? :)

xx,

in which I get a cast... and also a car

Some weeks are REALLY good.

Some weeks are REALLY bad. 

And some weeks have REALLY good days and REALLY bad days. 

This week has been one of the REALLY good and REALLy bad days week. 

~ `~ ~

Monday started way too early, with me at a orthopedics office, getting a cast on my right wrist, finally dealing with the problem in my thumb from a year and a half ago. It wasn't what I expected at all, and quite frankly, I was extremely unhappy about it. 

I'm gonna whine for a minute. I'm a pianist, I'm also the oldest of 9 living at home, I'm right handed, and I have a weeklong road-trip to the beach coming up in two weeks. I need my right hand!!! 

Wednesday on the other hand was fabulous. We drove back home to Goldendale to pick up my car. I wasn't expecting to get a car until next summer at the earliest, and even then it was iffy. (Depending on when I can get a job, and how much I could save.) But about a month ago, I found out that some sweet friends from back home were giving me a car. It was so unexpected, but an amazing blessing. It's a VW Golf GTI, and runs beautifully. The only "hitch," and it's not much of a problem, because I can learn, is that it is stick-shift, and I don't have a clue how to drive it. So I shall be back to driving lessons. Hopefully I proceed faster this time than the last time I learned to drive. :)

Last week I spent down in Southern OR with some friends, working at a fair in their concession stand. Let me just say that I have a whole new respect for food vendors at Fairs and Festivals. It's long, HOT and your feet hurt like crazy by the end of the day, and mornings come way too soon. It was great fun to people watch, however, and I saw so many adorable babies and little kids it was wonderful. And an amazing amount of twins of all ages. People-watching is one of my top ten favorite things. :)

 So, these pictures are weird, but it's kind of hard to take pictures outside in the rain, whilst giving your little brother directions the whole time on how to get the right shot, and how to zoom the camera. :) Thanks, bro!
This is one of my lazy, stay-at-home-all-day outfits. It's cold and rainy here, and I really didn't feel like dressing up even a little. I'll probably throw on some strange colorful socks and a sweater this afternoon, and curl up on the couch and watch a couple of my nutrition class lectures. I was planning on focusing on my current Algebra book this summer, finishing it by September 1st, but now that I have a cast on, I can't use a pencil, so I've decided to focus on finishing my nutrition course, the writing/essay class and hopefully finish Biology, so that this fall/winter and next spring I can focus on finishing all my math, and graduate in June, (or maybe even before! :)

outfit details:

Skirt: Thrifted {7.99?}

Brown Shirt: Goodwill {5.99}

Burgundy Cami: Fred Myers {9.99}

Hot Pink Nail Polish: Walgreens {4.99}

And I'm not wearing shoes again...

how's your week going? Is it good, bad or both? Tell me what's going on. :)

l i s t s

*loving right now*

-cold brewed coffee

-wearing my maxi as a dress

-moby dick

-chocolate milkshakes

-sleep (it's not overrated)

-sense and sensibility

- rainymood.com and my yiruma pandora station playing at the same time.

~ ~ ~

Don't you know? Haven't you heard? Don't you understand the foundations of the earth?

God is enthroned above the earth, and those who live on it are like grasshoppers. 

He stretches out the sky like a canopy

and spreads it out like a tent to live in.

He makes rulers unimportant,

and makes earthly judges worth nothing.

Have have hardly been planted,

They have hardly been sown.

They have hardly taken root in the ground

Then he blows on them and they wither 

and a windstorm sweeps them away like straw.

"To whom, then, can you compare me? Who is my qual?" asks the Holy One

Look at the sky and see.

Who created these things?

Who brings out the stars one by one?

He calls them all by name.

Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, 

not one of them is missing...

Don't you know? Haven't you heard? 

The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth,

does not grow tired or become weary.

His understanding is beyond reach.

He gives strength to those who are weak.

Even young people grow tired and become weary,

and young men will stumble and fall.

Yet the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed.

They will soar on wings like eagles

they will run and won't become weary

they will walk and won't grow tired.

Isaiah 40:21-26, 28-31

~ ~ ~

favorite quotes right now:

if the shoe fits... buy it in every color.

Unknown

If you live to be one hundred, I hope I live to be a hundred minus one day so I don't have to live without you.

Winne the Pooh

Adventure is OUT THERE!

Up.

Distance means so little when someone means so much.

Unknown

~ ~ ~

to do:
* finish the laundry
* 3 lessons of algebra
* clean my room... again.
* clean the girls bathroom
* get this post finished and up
* straighten my hair and apply make-up so I look presentable when my brother arrives later tonight. :)
*  finish the email that's been sitting in my drafts for days.
* SMILE MORE!!

/ / / \ \ \

     i.my brother is coming to visit tonight, and I'm excited. I haven't seen him in three months, and although this trip will be super short, it will be wonderful!! :)

ii. I've started making bouquets out of the various flowers and weeds around our yard. Some of them turn out better than others, but they are all colorful and brighten up our dining room table.

iii. it's been hot. i'm a cool weather girl, so it's been interesting trying to survive. lots of iced tea and iced coffee! and ice-cubes and ice-cubes in lemonade. and ice. :)

iv. this girl is one of my favorite peoples. so go check her out. she's pretty amazing.

xx,

In SUMMMMMMMER!!!

1.      i hadn't intended to take an almost 2 week break from blogging. in fact, i planned to get several posts up, but stuff happened, and i got busy and it never happened. it seems like the neverending excuse, but there it is anyway.

2.     I spent three days last weekend with my best-friend, Hannah, back home in Goldendale. It was restful, beautiful, and simply amazing. We were able to just sit back and relax, talk and be absolutely weird and silly. It was wonderful; Especially considering that I got home around dinner time on Sunday, barely had time to pack and then was up at 3:30 Monday morning and out the door for a week-long, super busy trip to CA. 

3.     We attended a homeschool conference in Sacramento this last week, and were able to visit family and see friends. I got to spend one night with my sister-in-laws sisters, and we had a lovely time. :) I had a little too much caffeine that night, but it didn't affect my sleep at ALL. Hannah K. and I tried to watch Sense and Sensibility but we were both too exhausted and she fell asleep and all I wanted was to climb into bed, so we didn't finish it. I plan to in the near future though. 

4.     it's summertime, and it's starting to get super busy. It's good though, because sitting at home doing nothing isn't the most wonderful thing in the world. :) I set some HUGE goals for myself today for the summer, (school goals.  Yes, I am planning to do a ton of school over the summer. I already know I'm weird. :) and it's good, it'll push me to my limit, and help me feel super productive. ;)

                             how's your summer been so far? what kind of wonderful plans do you have for the next month or two?