{if only}

Check out all the cute stuff over at Pottery Barn.



And I finally received the star ring I ordered a couple of months ago. Very cute.

{four days}

Four days until I leave for Disneyland! So very excited!

{obsessions}

It's been a while since I posted a list of my favorite things or current obsessions, so here we go:

* Veronica Mars- Quite a little gem this show is. I've watched seasons 1 and 2 on DVD and now need to get caught-up on season 3.

* Home decor books- I've checked out at least a dozen from the library in the past two weeks.

* Lemon Zest Luna bars

* This adorable jewelry holder from PB Teen:

* Anna Nalick- Her music isn't a new discovery for me (I bought the CD about a year ago) but I'm really loving it right now.

* Living Out Loud by Keri Smith- again, not a new discovery but a great little book I like to read over and over again. I've bought all the supplies to make my very own Wish Jar. Now I just need to make the time to get it done.

{spring fever}

Spring is in full-force in the beautiful state of Arizona. I love this weather! Last Saturday I spent two hours out by the pool, listening to the waterfall and the sounds of kids playing. After the colder-than-normal winter we had, I'm soooo ready for the sun!

It's spring break on campus and, although I don't get time off, it's nice to not have students parking in my spot and making long lines at Subway. :) And the orange blossoms are, well, blooming. One of my top three most favorite smells ev-ah! Another fun: I'm going horseback riding tomorrow in Cave Creek. Yee haw! Can't wait to be out in the sun, on a horse, soaking up the desert.

{hind sight}

My father has always said that "hind sight is 20/20." Oh, so very true. But today I'm indulging in a little hind sight and thinking of what I would change. If I could go back "knowing then what I know now"...

High School
* I would concentrate more on doing well in my honors and AP classes.
* I wouldn't care so much about what other people thought.

After High School
* I would enjoy Europe more instead of thinking about what was waiting for me back in the States.
* I would be serious about my education and get my degree while I was still living at home.
* I would spend my summers on different experiences: working at a National Park, working on a cruise line, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity (etc.) knowing that, once I got locked into a career, those opportunities would no longer be options.
* I would be much more frugal with my money; save more and spend less.
* I would NEVER let my weight get so out of hand.
* I would embrace every experience instead of letting my insecurity keep me from doing the things I want.

Now, don't get the wrong idea. Despite the laundry list of items above, there are plenty of things I don't regret; plenty of opportunities I seized. I've lived a full life; a blessed life and I realize not everyone can say this. But, there is no sense in looking back. The only thing you can do is change your life going forward.

My conclusion: hind sight may be 20/20, but it's a darn good way to identify what you really want and to go after it. It's never to late to get a life; or change one.

{day 6}

Day 6 of of my caffeine detox. The first couple of days were awful. I had headaches that made self-decapitation an appealing option. Luckily the headaches have settled to a dull ache and the shakiness is wearing off. Just a couple more days to go...

{first grade report card}

The phone rang at 10:30am this morning. It was my mother informing me that they (my parents) had just stumbled across my first grade report card in their lock box. Odd. In their lock box? Of course, I had to know what my teachers had said about me. I was expecting to hear that I was a wonderful child and a joy to have in class. Uh- nope. Apparently, even in the first grade, I had trouble following the rules and getting along with others. My father was in the background yelling, "Some things never change!" Really Dad? I KNOW I get all that rule-breaking from you (see post below).

{daddy's little girl}

I wouldn't necessarily say I have my father wrapped around my finger, but I do think we are very close and have a great relationship. I love to remember the little things he's done for me over the years. Now that we are enjoying this lovely spring weather, it takes me back to my senior year of high school and Spring Training with my dad.

You see, the spring of my junior year, a brand-new spring training complex was built about 2 miles from our house. During the spring of my senior year, my dad and I went to the games. A lot. I missed a bunch of school (not that it mattered- I already had more than enough credits to graduate). Dad would get great seats from work and we'd take it a game- always a Padres game. We even had our favorite player- Archi Cianfrocco. We loved the way the announcer said his name and it became our "thing." My mother went to a game once with us (and only once-I think we were a little too weird for her to watch baseball with) and rolled her eyes at our enthusiasm for Arrrrrrrrrrrrchi.

It was just one of those little things my father did for me that meant so much then- and even more now.

Thanks daddy.

{happiest place on earth}

I am going to be the happiest girl on Earth the last weekend of March when I'm at DISNEYLAND and CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE! Can't wait to spend time with my best friend, act like a kid, eat theme-park food, get my picture taken with Captain Jack Sparrow and go to the beach.

{letting go}

Remember that old adage that we can't control someone else's behavior but we can control our reactions? Well, I had an opportunity to put that thought into action this past weekend. And failed miserably.

I was at a large church meeting when an older woman behind me leaned over to one of her friends and began to talk about me in a very loud voice. The jist of it was I was scratching the back of the person next to me and the action was bothering this woman. Rather than tap me on the shoulder and quietly ask me to stop since I was distracting this woman, she continued to complain to her friend about me.

Needless to say, it took every ounce of self-control and propriety I had not to turn around and let this woman have a piece of my mind. We were, after all, in a CHURCH meeting, a very important one at that, and it would have been inappropriate for me to react the way I desperately wanted to. I continued to hold my tongue for the remainder of the meeting. But I couldn't concentrate on the speaker; that wonderful feeling that envelopes you in a highly spiritual situation had vanished and I was left to stew in my own righteous indignation.

Today, I'm still angry. I know, deep down, not saying anything was the proper thing to do. I can rationalize that I was taking the high ground and not stooping to this woman's level of behavior. But, the rebellious, "take-no-prisoners" side of me regrets not turning to this woman and saying, "Thank you for ruining this very important spiritual experience for me. I hope that, despite your un-Christ like behavior, you still learn a great deal from today's meeting."

And now, I need to let it go.

{looking forward to...}

1. KB coming home tonight. Haven't seen her, other than on video phone, for two whole months. It's party time people!
2. Going horseback riding at Cave Creek Outfitters Mar. 17. I get to wear my ropers again! Yee-haw.
3. Already planning on spending almost two weeks in Wyoming this summer. After the spring I have (and will have) I will need the time off.
4. Disneyland. Soon. Before Apr. 30.
5. Warmer weather so I can start walking at lunch.
6. Stake Conference this weekend with Elder Hales.
7. Possibly going to The Rusty Spur. Maybe.

{things change}

Last night, I sat down to read a book I'd just checked out of the library entitled Cowboy Chic. Imagine my surprise when I saw my old summer camp's lodge featured on the pages. It looks smaller than it did 18 years ago. It's also much fancier than it was back then. I remember learning to rock climb on the stone fireplace; visiting the arts and crafts room under the lodge; the treasure chest that was sunk in the lake for us to swim out to and explore. And I wonder if the girls who go there now have as much fun as I did all those summers ago.