Heavy silk...

Words once flowed from me,
dripping off my fingertips one
by one.
They traced circles around my tongue
and left a path of goosebumps
on my skin.

They sunk deeper than anything known.
To a place where things are barely tangible,
like dying wisps of smoke
caught in a still room.

You have that effect on me,
stillness.
My mind wanders
and the things I want to say
slip off your tongue.
Gliding like heavy silk
over my palms.

Our roots tangle together
beneath fallen leaves and warm earth.
Intertwining until we become
one.
Until your beating heart
pounds steadily within my chest.

Keep Smiling

Just a few things that keep me smiling:

♥ Sunday movie dates with the boy.

♥ Waking up to a cupcake and your family singing 'Happy Birthday'.

♥ Crossing off the days left until the move to the new library.

♥ Dancing to the Backstreet Boys at full volume in the car with your bestie.

♥ Yoga pants and cozy sweaters.

♥ Waking up to a foot of fresh snow (and being excited for some reason).

♥ Knowing you're only a week away from going to Disneyland for 24 hours straight.

♥ Snuggling with Brody every morning.

♥ Making german pancakes and watching The Bachelor with the bestie.

♥ 80's dancing with your group of friends.

♥ Getting Monday off.

♥ Watching Moulin Rouge for the 50 billionth time.

♥ Bear hugs.

♥ The look in his eyes.

 ♥ Heated blankets.

♥ Having gorgeous mountains right up the road that are covered in white.

♥ Listening to 'Stay With Me' by Josh Gracin on repeat.

♥ Pinterest.

♥ Finding the BEST cake recipe ever, ever, ever. Seriously.

♥ Shaun White gum.

♥ Holding hands.

♥ Finding your favorite ring that you thought you'd lost.

♥ Knowing you'll be off to Europe in 117 days.

♥ Learning music from Tangled on the piano.

♥ Going to dinner with the family.

♥ "Goodnight beautiful" text messages.

and

♥ Knowing there will be many more reasons to smile tomorrow :)

3. Hands

In loving memory of my sweet baby sister who passed away 18 years ago today. 

I'll always love and miss you, Shelby ❤

Life Lesson #35

Brody is turing 3 years old this Friday! I love my little guy ❤

He has become such an important part of my life and I honestly can't imagine my life without him in it.

I was a senior in high school when he became a part of our family. We were at my Grandma's house for our annual Christmas Eve party when my dad came down the stairs with a crate in his hands. Inside was the best Christmas surprise I could ever hope for! He was so tiny and so cute. I loved him the moment I saw those beady brown eyes.

Happy Birthday Brody!

I ❤ You

the "Hottie Wall"

So there is this wall in my room that has been really bare for, well, many moons. So last week I was online looking for inspiration when I found these über hot pictures of celebs on Pinterest (if you don't have a Pinterest you are waaaay behind the times). I've been printing them out and sticking them to my "Hottie Wall" one by one ever since. You're welcome ;]

Johnny Depp

Alex O'Loughlin 

Orlando Bloom

Gerard Butler

Matt Bomer

Ryan Reynolds

Alex Pettyfer

Jake Gyllenhaal

Anyways... these are just a few of my favorites. What can I say? I'm a nerd who digs brunettes.

If you have any suggestions of hotties I need to add to my "Hottie Wall", please speak up!

Life Lesson #33

And a few more things:

Getting a good grade on something you thought you bombed.

Daydreaming.

Finding old photos, letters and keepsakes you thought you'd lost.

Having a crush on someone and being excited to see them.

Cuddling with a sleepy puppy.

Writing silly notes with your best friend when class becomes too boring to handle.

A warm donut with sprinkles before class.

Those rare mornings when your hair actually does what you want it to.

Getting into your comfy sweats after a long day.

A hug from someone you love when you need it most.

And realizing that the majority of the best things in life aren't actual things.

What are some of the best things in your life?

Disneyland!

Last week I got to go to my favorite place in the whole wide world with my mom and my sister. It was SO much fun! Here's a video I made to prove it :]

Summer '11 in Review...

Words just can't describe what an amazing summer I had, so I made a video! Videos are more fun anyways, enjoy!

Summer 2011 Obsessions

1. Instagram

If you haven't tried the Instagram app, you should. 

It has 16 different settings to make your photos look vintage. So fun!

2. iwastesomuchtime.com

A lifesaver when you're in class, bored, or wish to avoid responsibilities. 

(Warning: After clicking the images below, you will NOT be able to unglue your eyes from the screen for at least 2+ hours.)

I laughed so hard I cried when I found this... the real fun starts at 4:02.

3. Caramel Swirled Marshmallows

Hard to believe, but smore's just became a bigilloin times better. 

They also have chocolate, cinnamon, toasted coconut, strawberry and mint!

4. Big Band

I am addicted to the sounds of swing. And I feel like I was born in the wrong time period. I listen to it in the car, while cleaning, while working, while sleeping... Try out the Swing station on Pandora and tell me you agree. My favorites are Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey (my great-uncle Dale played the trumpet in his band!) and Frank Sinatra of course. 

5. Bali Mango

I've probably spent half my life savings at Bath and Body Works, but it is all totally worth it! Bali Mango is my current favorite, and to make matters even more amazing, it's half off online right now! It's a sister fragrance to the Fiji Passionfruit flavor that I blogged about back in February. They smell AMAZING mixed! So if you would like to take an "exotic getaway of juicy mango, sugar cane, pink passionflower and luscious nectarine", give Bali Mango a try!

Never gunna grow up...

Theme song for this summer? I think yes. 

Jake Owen is SO hot! Who agrees?

life opens up when you do

The reason I've been a bit off the radar lately is because I've really been trying to make this summer amazing. And so far so good! I've spent the past couple of months doing all things summery and I've loved every second of it. Hence the reason I've spent more time outside than on my computer.

I guess sometimes when things are going really well you have time to stop and take a good long look at life. So far I've learned that:

A. I have no idea what I want to do with major I'm currently majoring in. No idea.

B. Hence the reason why I'll only be taking Spanish and math the next couple of semesters until I figure it out.

C. And also because I need to save up for my month long excursion to Europe that I'll be taking next summer. Win, win.

D. After going to Europe I plan on re-applying for the Disney College Program and moving my butt to sunny California. I guess the one thing I really know I want to be someday is a Disney Imagineer. 

E. After the DCP (that is, if I get in), I'll hopefully know exactly which direction I want to go in at Disney, so I can go back to school confident in my decision.

So now when people ask me what I want to do with my life, although lengthy, I'll finally have an answer. 

Change is good, right?

Summer Lovin'

Summer is my all-time favorite time of year. No snow, no ice, no freezing wind. Just sunshine, heat, bare feet and the smell of freshly mown grass and gasoline. 

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to this summer...

flip-flops s'mores swimming African Ice tanning oil the lake

camping driving with the windows down cold watermelon Lagoon 

4th of July lemonade hiking picnics hotdogs campfires shorts

 roasted starbursts  pineapple cool nights under the stars kool-aid

bike rides swimsuits slurpies running through sprinklers sand between your toes

sandals the pool sunsets roadtrips movies at the capitol 

the smell of wet cement night games seashells popsicles the state fair

farmers markets flowers concerts country music warm rain

fireworks baseball games the beach days of '47

 no school sundresses thunderstorms the smell of sunscreen

the sound of crickets shooting stars tubing rootbeer floats barbecues

What are some things you love most about SUMMER?

In terms of forever...

"The Great Commandment" 

by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

"... There once was an elderly man and woman who had been married for many decades. Because the wife was slowly losing her sight, she could no longer take care of herself the way she had done for so many years. Without being asked, the husband began to paint her fingernails for her.

'He knew that she could see her fingernails when she held them close to her eyes, at just the right angle, and they made her smile. He liked to see her happy, so he kept painting her nails for more than five years before she passed away.' 

That is an example of the pure love of Christ. Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life.

True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us.

We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.

Oh, it is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.

We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.

The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy..."

---------------------------------------------------------

The pictures I included in this post are of my Grandparents Jack and Nell. They loved each other more than anything in the world. When my Grandpa died several years ago, one of the main things that was said at his funeral was how beautiful their love for each other was. They were together for nearly 60 years and never had a single fight! 
One of my favorite stories was of their first date. My handsome Grandpa had just arrived home from fighting in WWII and all the girls were after him. My Grandma happened to be in his ward and out of all the swooning girls fawning over him, he asked my Grandma on a date. On their date he drove her up to a spot overlooking the Salt Lake Valley that us young kids now call "The Ocean". Even back then it was the prime make-out location. My poor Grandma was uneasy about being there, and her fears grew even more when he casually put his arm around her in the front seat. But instead of going in for a kiss, he reached into the backseat and grabbed his guitar to serenade her! How cute is that? He was the perfect gentleman.

Their story is what I dream for myself to someday have. Even though I was young, I knew just by watching how they would look at each other that their love was pure and unwavering. Sometimes it's hard not knowing if I'll ever find someone who will treat and love me as much as my Grandpa loved my Grandma, but after reading this talk by Elder Wirthlin I know that if I never give up hope, someday I'll be able to start my own love story with someone just as loving and dear as he was.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

I hope you all have a fantastic Saint Patrick's Day!

Maybe it's just the Irish in me, but I have always loved St. Patrick's Day. I love seeing everyone in green and pinching people who aren't, I love tiny little ginger men, and I love putting green food coloring in everything I eat.

Update of a lifetime!

Since my birthday, I have started 3 blog posts and ended up getting bored half way through writing them and didn't post them, one of those being a review of my 19th year and my 20 before 20 challenge (don't worry, I'll post everything once the craziness dies down). The past couple of weeks have been insane-in-the-membrane for some strange reason, but I have fabulous news that I just couldn't hold in!.....

I'm going to EUROPE!!

I won't be leaving until June 2012, but hopefully the long wait will make it even more worth while! I'll be heading abroad for a month in a place I have ALWAYS wanted to go with a college tour group and my bestie RayCray! Words can't even describe how excited I am! 

Here are some of the places I'll be going...

London, UK

Paris, France

Amsterdam, Holland

Heidelberg, Germany

Lucerne, Switzerland

Verona, Italy

Venice, Italy

Rome, Italy

Florence, Italy

The French Riviera

Barcelona, Spain

Madrid, Spain

AHHH SO EXCITED!!

Have you ever been to any of these places? What do I need to see, eat, do and buy while there? Any tips or advice? THANKS!

Growing is Forever

If you are as stressed and emotional as I was today, than watch this amazing video and feel all the negativity just melt away. 

It's also something I like to listen to while falling asleep at night because it calms all my thoughts and gives me peaceful dreams. 

I hope you get as much out of this as I have.

JayMay's favorite 2011 Super Bowl commercials

The best thing about Super Bowl Sunday is, let's all be honest here... the commercials. Last year was very disappointing, so this year I was a little apprehensive about the whole operation. To my delight, the commercials this year were AMAZING! Here are a few of my favorites starting with my favorite out of all of them... so adorable.

Darth Vader Kid

What? Tommy Fell Down a Well?

Doritos Healing Grandpa

Pepsi Can Thrower

Detriot: Eminem

To see all of this year's Super Bowl commercials, click through to this website.

And it wouldn't be the Super Bowl without this special moment... I've always wanted a reason to say this.

PS- Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! You have until February 12th to enter and I will announce the winner on the 13th! Good luck!

Febuary '11 Obsessions & GiVeAWaY!!

For those of us located on the Northern Hemisphere, February can be quite possibly one of the most dreary and depressing months of the year. I know it can sometimes be that way for me because I tend to catch Spring Fever the day after Christmas. But alas, February is here to stay for a while, so finding things that make you happy is a great way to beat the February Blues. Here are some things I love right now.

1. Bath and Body Works' Fiji Passionfruit Body Lotion

I like to call this "Summer Candy in a Lime Green Bottle" and all I can say is YUM! Seriously, you want a break from the cold and snow? Just take a whiff of this stuff and you'll practically transport yourself to a picture perfect beach in Fiji. According to the people at B&BW, Fiji Passionfruit is a "tropical escape of passionfruit, mandarin orange, apricot nectar and lime zest." And it honestly smells just like you'd imagine. 

But wait! There's more! All Signature B&BW Body Care products are buy 2 get 1 free, or buy 3 get 2 free right now, online and in-store! So just take my word for it and buy some of this stuff! You won't regret it.

2. OPI Nail Polish

Before I found OPI, I hated painting my nails. Every time I did I felt like I couldn't do anything with them because I was afraid they would chip prematurely and then I'd have to either fix them, or just take it off. What's so amazing about this brand is that it lasts FOREVER. I have a job that demands a lot out of my hands, so I bet they would last even longer if I didn't abuse them so much. 

I've been obsessed with this stuff for a few months now, I honestly can't get enough. Every time I'm near a salon or at the mall I always stop to buy a new color. They have every color you could ever imagine, all sorts of sparkles, mattes and suede's. 

I use Chip Skip (which dries your nail and gets rid of any oils or lotions hiding in the creases around your nail so that your polish doesn't chip for a long while), then the base coat, 2 coats of color, and then a top coat. 

Right now I am wearing 'Ate Berries in the Canneries' and I'm loving it.

3. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil

I'm just loving beauty products lately I suppose, but this stuff is really great. 

My lips are very temperamental, and before I found this lip balm I could only use Carmex because it was the only product that kept my lips from getting dry! Carmex is great, but to be completely honest, it stinks and doesn't taste too good. I had used Burt's Bees regular peppermint lip balm before, but I felt like it kind of just sat on top of my lips and didn't do any good. One day, during my pomegranate obsession last winter, I was at the grocery store and I stumbled upon this kind and thought I'd give it a try. It's all I've been using ever since. It tastes really yummy and has a light... the only word coming to mind is "comfy"... scent. 

4. 'TRON Legacy', 'The King's Speech' and 'Beauty and the Beast'

If you haven't seen this movie yet, please do. It will change your life. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic, but it definitely gets your mind going! I would highly recommend seeing it in IMAX 3D. 

If you can't do that, then try seeing it in just regular 3D. The soundtrack to TRON is also amazing. Try listening to it while doing homework, exercising, or driving and you will feel like a machine. 

I saw 'The King's Speech' tonight with RayCray and I now know why it is nominated for the Academy Awards Best Motion Picture of the year. Who ever knew a movie revolving around someone with a stutter could be so completely captivating and intense. I'd dare to say it was more intense than the majority of action movies out there. Now I just need to figure out why 'The Fighter' would even be considered to be in the same category as 'The King's Speech'. That movie was dreadful, please don't go see it. 

Oh dear, I became a little teary eyed while watching that. 

As all of you know, I love Disney. Love love love love love love love!!!! And I own nearly every Disney animated movie ever made because I'm a nerd like that. The only problem is that the only VCR in the house broke a couple of months ago, and all my Disney movies are on VHS :'[ I was actually watching 'Aladdin' when it broke and it ate my tape :[ But I suppose this is not a bad thing, because I need to buy them all on DVD/BluRay to keep up with the times. 'Beauty and the Beast' (my second favorite right behind 'Aladdin') came out in the DVD/BluRay combo pack a few months ago so I decided it would be a good start to my new DVD/BluRay collection. Now I just have to wait for the next movie to be released from the Disney Vault... which might take a while, but I'll just keep watching 'Beauty and the Beast' in the meantime. I've already gotten quite a bit of use out of it already.

5. Paper Beads

I had to go to a "Staff Development Day" this past week and in one of the classes I took, I learned how to make paper beads! It was taught by refugees who fled from some pretty scary situations in their homeland's and are now living here in Utah for a fresh start on life. The woman who taught me was a very sweet lady from Iraq who came to the US about two years ago. 

Making paper beads is very relaxing and a lot of fun. I love using paper from magazines or newsprint because you never know what the bead will end up looking like! For instructions, go here.

*GiVeAWaY!*

In honor of my turning 20 in a few days, I am giving away a few of my favorite things from this month to give to one of my readers! This month's prize will include Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm, a bottle of OPI nail lacquer, and a paper bead bracelet made by yours truly! 

* The only requirement is that you must be a follower of my blog to win. *

* To enter, leave me a comment on this post telling me what your favorite color is, something you are really loving this month, and your email address (if I don't know you in person) so that I can let you know you've won! *

The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on 

February 13th.

GOOD LUCK!!