{Thoughtful Thursday} Giving Thanks

While I boundlessly admire those who took the time to come up with a brand new item to be grateful for each day of the month leading up to this divine occasion, I admit to being less than pleased with my lack of the focus required to defeat such a task. However, my young life is positively replete with thank-worthy blessings that feign a desire for expression. So, since I've missed the past three weeks' worth of gratitude, I'll sum it all up for you in one pretty little package:

{one}

Oscar the Oreo Wilson; a.k.a. Oscar de la Renta/Baby Dog/Otis

{two}

moisturizing lip gloss

{three}

really, really big hugs

{four}

adorable great-grandparents

{five}

chance encounters with attractive strangers

{six}

the freedoms afforded me by the great nation in which I live

{seven}

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

{eight} & {nine}

my beautiful mother and handsome father for passing on the genes...?

{ten}

Brittnie Felix

{eleven}

a roof above my head and a pillow beneath it

{twelve}

the miracles of modern technology

{thirteen}

giant hair bows

{fourteen}

the ocean

{fifteen}

my hard-earned sense of humor

{sixteen}

obscure excuses to do weird things

{seventeen}

the ecstatic month of sparkling anticipation between Thanksgiving and Christmas

{eighteen}

legs to run, hands to hold, a mind to think, lips to kiss

{nineteen}

my darling cousins

{twenty}
my 4 grandmas, 4 grandpas, 2 mamas, 2 papas, 7 brothers, 5 sisters, 2 nephews, 2 nieces, and countless extended relatives (yes, we're a blended family)

{twenty-one}
b e a u t y

{twenty-two}
the good young men in dorm 304, for sharing their home and their friendship with me 5 out of 7 evenings a week

Remember, it's never a bad time to say thank you. This joyous holiday gives us a reason to do so without really going out of our own way, but make a conscious effort this approaching year to give thanks at all times. I've been told it takes seven occurrences of thanking someone to really get your point across, and so often we don't even do it once! This will undoubtedly be a challenge for me; I look forward to reporting the assuredly astounding results. Keep checking back in for updates as I work on my thanksgiving skills.

Happy Black Friday (and good luck)!

{Random Fashion} Hot Days and Cool Kids

       I had a plan for Fashion Friday, I really did! I even took a photograph quickly before my family and I headed off for the land of Lagoon, because I knew I'd need it. And I planned on being home in time to write my post last night, but after our amusement park adventures we had to drop Billy off at his pal's house and Andrew off at Dad's, go back and pick up Mook and Teeya from the park, swing by and pack up all my things my aunt so graciously retrieved for me from California, visit our puppy Oscar (he comes home on the 16th!), go to Red Robin for dinner (Yummmmm! but ouch for tummy), drive home, drop off Teeya, and then arrive at our destination at nearly midnight. Then a bath was in order, and by the time I had finished writing in my journal it was around one and past my bedtime. So, that said, you can deal with it. I still apologize!

Maggy, Lexi, and Sarah

       Last Thursday, I visited the beach with my dearest cousins. Naturally, being the fairest one there, I entirely forgot sunscreen on my legs and arms and fell asleep in the sweltering sun. This action led to painful, blistery second-degree burns and, more recently, a peeling episode for the ages. Moisturize as I will, my skin is a darn mess that I refuse to show in public. Am I the only one who becomes hopelessly distracted by peeling skin? I simply cannot engage in coherent conversation with someone in such a condition. Therefore, I devised a simple plan for how to cover up and avoid heat stroke even when you're walking around a sweaty amusement park all afternoon.

Step One: Don't Be Stupid.

       You don't have to wear a sweater and snow pants to be covered. Yes, it works, but it doesn't work for a boiling summer day unless you live in Murmansk, Russia, where the record high is 91.2 degrees Fahrenheit but the average high in July is rarely above 60. Those of you near Murmansk, wear what you like and God bless you.

Step Two: Sometimes It's Okay to be Holier-Than-Thou.

       If you must wear long pants, go for loose destroyed jeans (bahaha. Get it?). They'll let you breathe a little bit and won't suction to your limbs if your temperature does start to rise. Otherwise, capris or longer shorts will do the trick. Please, girls, do not wear a miniskirt to a theme park. You're basically just asking for your next embarrassing moment.

Step Three: Lighten Up.

       While you may be tempted to wear a long-sleeve shirt, it really isn't recommended. Forearms are rarely noticed by passersby, unless they've got some creepy fetish for such things, in which case you would be lucky to have unattractive forearms. People will mostly see your face, shoulders, and upper arms at a moment's glance. In order to remedy insecurities about arms, wear a 3/4-sleeve or longer-short-sleeved shirt in a lightweight material. That's important! Even a tank top can be suffocating if it's in a silky, tightly-woven, or heavily knit fabric. Thin or sheer cotton is usually your best bet on top. And you don't need to layer like crazy, but try and be modest, for goodness' sake.

Step Four: Take a Chill Pill.

        I realized yesterday that people were not staring at my skin. They took a quick look at my face, possibly a second look at my dorky sunglasses, and then moved on. If you're a bona fide stunner who's catching eyes and whipping his or her hair back and forth, congratulations. But seriously, people don't actually care as much as you think they do. 

       Now, today is Saturday. Which means I get to show you something that's been itching at me to share with the world. I got to go grocery shopping with this guy the other night and it was a blast. Trust me, the videos are worth watching. P.S. The little old lady was cheering him on as he lifted that 700lb watermelon. And then we helped her reach her favorite pomegranate juice. Best part of the night. P.P.S. I learned that he's more Polish than Russian...but that's okay. We're still friends.

Happy chillin'!

{Literary Thursday} Jules Feiffer

       Good evening! And what a good evening it is. I moved back home on Monday and have been job hunting - let me know if you find any offers! - and today's search felt successful. Wish this little working girl luck!

       After a weeklong hiatus from my beloved blog, I have found a lovely poem to share with you all. Upon rifling through mountains of old notebooks and papers that were stuffed high up in my closet, I came across a rumpled sheet of white paper with no more than a third of the page filled with small type. Where this little treasure originated from, I haven't the faintest idea. But it's inspiring! And I couldn't agree with it more! Pay attention.

"Be Yourself" by Jules Feiffer

Ever since I was a little kid I didn't want to be me. I wanted to be Billie Widdledon and Billie Widdledon didn't even like me. I walked like "he" walked...I talked like "he" talked...I signed up for the high school "he" signed up for.

Which was when Widdledon changed. He began to hang around Herby Vandeman...he mixed me up! I began to walk and talk like Billie Widdledon walking and talking like Herby Vandeman. And then it dawned on me that Herby Vandeman walked and talked like Joey Haverlin and Joey Haverlin walked and talked like Corky Sabison...

So here I am walking and talking like Billie Widdledon's imitation of Herby Vandeman's version of Joey Haverlin trying to walk and talk like Corky Sabison.

And who do you think Corky Sabison is always walking and talking like? Of all people - Dopey Wellington...THAT little pest who walks and talks like ME!

       The moral of the story is, it's okay to have a hero. But if you're constantly aiming to mold yourself after that person, you lose yourself. You're bound to discover that your ideal is simply a copy of somebody else's ideal. It's a dumb old chicken-or-egg scenario, and without individuality the cycle is inescapable. We're all different for so many reasons! If we were all the same, we'd be darn useless. And abhorrently drab. Find a reason that you're different than someone you look up to. Why does it make you outstanding? To get you started, here's one of mine.

       I admire my dear mother for thousands of things. It's not a fact I hide, and I could go on and on about her. A gift that I have is the ability to see situations from a clear, unbiased perspective and subsequently offer diplomatic advice on how to set things straight. Mama, while undeniably wise and unwaveringly faithful, can get so focused on details that she can't see the whole picture. The beauty of the scheme is that I get her out of her own head and she catches vital specks of information that I miss. We work together to solve problems because we balance each other out. See how nice?

       Today, find your gift. Be grateful for it and hold on to it tight. You're an excellent person all on your very lonesome, and there is not one being save for God who you ought to strive to exemplify in entirety. Start trends! Make waves! Just remember to be humble. I believe in you!



Try some statement sunglasses. Wink. Wink.

Happy trendsetting!