home improvement, part one...

  you may be wondering why any college student would take on the task of painting/renovating their apartment during the summer. well, let me explain to you why, because the reason is simple: my apartment looked like THIS (see pictures above^^).

i'm pretty sure it had basically been ignored since 1970, which is both sad and upsetting. i chose to live here mostly out of desperation (i didn't have time to look for other apartments), so i guess it's my fault. it also gave me a reason to unleash my OCD interior design side.  i had always wanted to go into interior design, but sadly, BYU doesn't have the program. i had tolerated the state of my apartment for about a year, when all of a sudden one day i decided to ask my landlord if he would mind if i painted a little bit.  his response, and i quote, "This sounds perfect!  Please just subtract the supplies from your rent and send the receipts.  Keep it conservative so future tenants don’t hate things, but I trust your judgment." which to me read, "go for it". so i went out and bought all the supplies--paint, rollers, etc. but i couldn't bring myself to paint over disgusting, dirty walls.. 

so, true to my M.O., i got home from work one evening and couldn't stand it anymore. cleaning is my stress relief. it started in the bathroom, which was by far the worst part of the apartment.  i tore it apart--almost literally. i'm talking ripping caulk out of the shower, tearing up tiles, etc.  logan came over after he got off, and upon walking in the bathroom, immediately said, "we should paint today too." he's such a good sport, and a total stud for helping my crazy project ADD. so while i painted, he re-caulked everything.  our bathroom went from this:

to THIS:

after the bathroom came the living room...i cleaned EVERYTHING, rearranged the furniture, and then went to work painting.  i had always wanted to do tan with a red accent wall, and my dream finally came true...stay tuned for the unveiling! :)

soap.box.

since this is my blog, i'm going to go ahead and assume that it's safe for me to vent for a minute..if you don't want to deal with my venting, i suggest you stop readin. like NOW.

if you're still reading, then here we go. i'm so over people telling me that i don't take things seriously.  let's be clear here for a second.  i take just about everything i do seriously--school, my job, myself, life in general, and my relationship.  i get really annoyed when people feel the need to lecture me about how i need to be more grounded, serious, etc--especially when those people don't know me well enough to be hurling such accusations at me. i get lectured on a regular basis at work. AT WORK. and this person, who happens to be a coworker, is telling me that i don't take work seriously enough? maybe it's because i have said person talking my ear off for over an hour and a half. maybe it's because i feel like work should be the one place where i'm not criticized for my life choices. sure, i'm not perfect. but i also don't pretend like i am. yes, i know i have issues, vices, and hangups, but who doesn't? have i made mistakes? of COURSE. but i have a problem when people feel the need to be my parents. i have those already, and they give infinitely better advice than a stranger. i legitimately think the only reason this person has ANY reason to feel validated in giving me any kind of advice is because he is over a decade older than me. that is the only qualification he posses. not being more intelligent, experienced in life/relationships, or anything like that. and seeing as he doesn't know me quite as well as he seems to think, i feel like most of his advice is unfounded.  i think the only piece of advice that wasn't complete quackery was, "work on yourself". that is IT. the other hour and twenty five minutes i plan to ignore. why? because it was COMPLETELY OFF BASE. yes, i'm aware that i'm shouting a lot in this post, but i'm irritated. i feel like in the past 72 hours i've been lectured by far too many people who don't seem to realize that i'm 22 years old, not 15. believe it or not, i CAN make an educated, informed decision for myself, thank you very much. i appreciate suggestions and advice, but only when solicited. if i don't ask you for your opinion, that's a pretty good indication that i don't want to hear it.

i will leave you with one quote, and this will be one rant post i allow myself.
"Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I'm not perfect and I don't live to be, but before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean." ~Bob Marley


ok, so that's my diatribe for the day. dont hate me for it..or do, but don't lecture me about it.

get up and run..

 on saturday, i ran a 5k...against my better judgement AND the advice of my physical therapist...well, let's just say it wasn't exactly my fastest or most comfortable race..but, it was for a good cause, and i got to run at least one mile with my sister (until she totally smoked me). it was a good day for a run though, and it's always great to have two of the cutest cheerleaders on earth at the finish line for you...

to continue on my active streak, logan convinced me to go to the gym with him last night, and THEN go hike the Y after...even though i complained the whole way up, it was definitely worth it:)

 i was rewarded with ice cream, so everything is all right in the world now..

comings and goings..

last week was a pretty busy one...the day after logan's birthday, we left for boulder mountain with his dad, sister, and half sister. admittedly, i was a little bit nervous, because the most "camping" that i've really done has either been in a cabin at girl's camp, or in a tent in my back yard growing up.  and, let's be honest, neither option is exactly roughing it...so we took off, with trailer and dogs in tow, for southern utah...logan's whole family goes down to camp in the same spot every memorial day weekend...it's a beautiful spot up in the mountains in a clearing with pine trees surrounding it...the first night was FREEZING. i'm talking snowflake cold, people..but having a trailer was nice, and we made dinner and went to bed early..the next day was a little windy, but driving down the mountain for about a half hour to the lake brought both warmer weather, and some great places for hiking...

when we got back, there was a huge bonfire going, so freezing cold was no problem...we spent a lot of time hiking, logan took me shooting (probably against his better judgement)...let's just say i'm no annie oakley..i did somehow manage to shoot down a baby tree...

he's definitely a lot better than i am....even with a scope, i struggle to hit the broad side of ANYTHING. this was the tree that we were shooting at...we both had 10 bullets, and i'm guessing there's probably only 11 bullet holes..

we also went on a few dirtbike rides..logan's either a very brave soul, or completely insane, because he let me actually drive his dirtbike...it's been about five years since i drove one, so let's just say popping a wheelie in the first 30 seconds after giving it too much gas didn't exactly inspire confidence in my driving abilities...i pulled it together though and did better...

and now i'm bent on owning one of these...i've always wanted a bullet bike, but i think this is slightly more realistic...

and, of course, the best part of camping is the campfire dinners/smore's...and logan's family does campfires in STYLE.

we had just enough time before we left for one more hike, and...fishing, of course...i managed to catch a fish, even though all i did was reel it in (logan's dad cast and set up the pole for me)..i'm a hopeless outdoors person, despite my love of it..

and, of course, before we left, we HAD to carve our names in a tree (bucket list, check!)..he did this more to humor me, i'm sure...he's such a good sport.

felicitaciones

a quick post-happy-birthday shoutout to logan..he turned 23 on may 24, and we had a party (QUITE a party, might i add). the night before, i surprised him and took him to tucanos. and when i say surprise, i mean surprise...he even was blindfolded driving there so i could easily confuse him directionally...it worked like a charm :)

 it may or may not have been a slightly self-serving dinner, because i LOVE that place..but since i knew he would enjoy it, it happened regardless...then we went up to salt lake for a drive in movie..pretty fun night. is it weird that i planned two separate nights for his birthday, all because i wanted one night to be just me and him? maybe. but i'm fine with it..

 the next day, we went to breakfast, then i surprised him with his presents..his friends pitched in, and it was great. i did a preeeetty good job picking out some legit presents..not to toot my own horn *toot*. but he seemed to like them, and that's all that's really important..

i'm pretty sure his favorite present were the tickets to the lmfao concert that i had kept hidden from him for over a month..he had gotten hints, but i intentionally confused him when he accidentally guessed the concert. i'm so rude.

later that night, his family and friends all met us as La Casita (which is his favorite restaurant), then we went hot tubbing after..i like to think it was a successful birthday. since logan happens to be one of those fortunate lunatics who is blessed with not liking anything chocolate, sugar, or sweet, i made him a fruitcake...no, not like a fruitcake that hangs around years after christmas because nobody wants to eat it...a legitimate, made-of-fruit-but-not-cake fruitcake..observe.

   happy birthday to an amazing guy who i'm lucky enough to be with :)

happy mom's day..

since it's mother's day, i feel that a shout-out to all the moms in my life is necessary...first off, there's my mom. most amazing person i know..honestly, she's supermom in every category. then there's my gorgeous sister with two adorable little girls, and my beautiful sister-in-law and her little boy (and future baby!)..and second sister-in-law with one on the way..these women inspire me (and intimidate me slightly--there's no way to be as amazing of a mom as they are..they do it flawlessly.) and i love them so much!
to kick off the mother's day celebration, logan and i went and visited his mom, karen...who is hands down the nicest woman i've ever met. she's a total sweetheart, and is so much fun.

from springville, i took off for my parents'.  i got a call when i was somewhere around north salt lake informing me that drew was already on skype.  so, risking a ticket (90+ mph) or getting my car impounded (expired plates), i booked it home.  luckily, i made it in time and got to skype with my younger brother in chile..i'm so glad technology has advanced us this far...i've missed this amazing kid, and he's doing awesome work!

 we then had the traditional family dinner at my parents', complete with ribs and steak, which nobody was complaining about. my parents are amazing cooks, which make my mediocre skills look pathetic in comparison..one day i swear i'll learn their secrets. it was good to see all my siblings and catch up.  addie is currently in love with horses and dinosaurs. fortunately, i had a mild to moderate obsession with horses myself when i was a child, and was able to satiate her need for "horsies". (no, seriously...in retrospect, it probably wasn't a healthy obession...i had cowgirl boots that looked pretty similar to these:)

 this would be my coveted collection of horse models...i remember begging my parents for a new one every christmas/birthday...and i usually got one (it was more practical than the real one i asked for.) after collecting dust for 10+ years, i'm glad someone will get some joy out of their use :) 

 addie and uncle jon..we have to bribe her to "say cheese".

 seriously, is she not the cutest?

 middle kids...is it just me, or do we look nothing alike? (they DID used to joke that i was adopted...)

my favorite girls in the world...i can't wait for matt and maria's little girl to join that group! (and braden is in a category all by himself right now--biggest little stud muffin..we'll see if that changes!)

i workout?

http://whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com/post/20456763928/when-i-get-home-from-the-gym

 ..thought i would just bring a smile to your sunday...sadly, this is usually me when i get home from the gym/a run. one day i'm going to be one of those super fit girls that gets home from the gym with excess energy and is ready for anything..but in the meantime, hopefully i don't faceplant on the couch QUITE that bad...