double deuces

another year gone in the blink of an eye

goodbye 21!

best friend pictures are a must

 these girls made my birthday so much fun :)

 2 peas in a pod

my beautiful cake Mrs. Ybarra baked and Gabby decorated

 

 

pretty flowers from Gabby and Karissa

 

i'm definitely blessed with the best of friends

i can't believe i'm another year older! 21 was a great year. for almost exactly half of it i was in Europe and the other half was spent in the good ol U S of A. looking back on all the laughs had and memories made, it is bittersweet. as much as i say this, time really does just fly by. it really just makes me want to experience everything and make everything i do worthwhile. my 12 months spent being 21 was nothing less than great, and i hope the same of my next year spent being 22.

i don't know about you, but i'm feeling 22 (well actually not yet. i still feel 21. but give it a couple days!)

cheers to 22 and a new year of new adventures

xoxo

"when i was 21..."

i can't believe that in 9 days i'll be able to say, "when i was 21...". when did time start moving so fast? i remember my 18th birthday like it was yesterday. it was the first year i started doing things i've always wanted to do - like skydiving. it was also the year i graduated from high school and set my life in motion. now, i'm almost 22. i really can't believe it. i know i sound so naïve, but i really feel old. i feel like 22 is old. i probably will cry on my birthday because i just want to stay young forever. and not for the reasons you're probably thinking of. i don't like doing drugs, i don't like alcohol, i don't like partying every single night and being so tired in the morning i don't want to do anything, and i don't like sleeping around. i want to stay young because i am scared about all the responsibilities that are included with age. bills bills bills. which require a big girl job. and to get a big girl job you have to know what you want to do. that kinda leaves me at square one. i have an idea of what i want to do but the chances of me getting a good enough position to live successfully, well the chances are slim to none.

last night i had dinner and spent some time with some of my grandpa's friends. i was speaking with one of the ladies and we were talking about how it was almost my birthday. and she started by saying, "i can't even remember when i was 22". i know one day i will be that age and my memory will go too, but i want to do something fun and memorable every year of my life so that i can recall each year as a monumental time in my life. at 18 i went skydiving. at 19 i moved to California. at 20 i moved to Holland. at 21 i went bungee jumping. i want to continue this cycle of doing something amazing every year of my life because i want to keep things interesting and i want to, as cliché as this sounds, live life to the fullest. sometimes life gets in the way and, ahem.., responsibilities get in the way, but i don't want to forget that i want to live a life too, not just try and make a living. so much of my time now is getting me ready for the career i want to pursue. going to classes, studying, then applying for a 4 year college, and then going to classes and studying some more. i feel like so many people get caught up in this routine they call life, and i just don't want that to be me. so many people resent their job from taking them away from their families and life, and i don't want that to be me.

i want to tell myself now, and hopefully my future self, that what i want the most is to be happy. more than anything. i want a good job. a good family. a good life. and i know that is a lot to ask for, or hope for, but that is what i'm aspiring for. and you always have to chase after your hopes and dreams right? so from now on, all i want to strive to be is happy, and whatever that includes or doesn't include, i hope i figure that out along the way.

i know this post was kind of all over the place, but so was my mind tonight. i hope you all have a lovely rest of your Tuesday night :)

xoxo

easter memories

having my family come into town this Friday for Easter has been making me reminisce on previous Easters. just last year I was skiing in the Swiss Alps for Easter. it's amazing how time moves so fast. and just stumbling upon these pictures from years and years ago, brings back lots of good memories :)

i love holidays because holidays mean time with the family, and family is my favorite!

 

 

happy almost easter!

xoxo

 

another Sprouts haul

hello again everyone!
so one thing i've come to realize since i've started this whole eating healthier journey is that it's not that tough! there are so many yummy and healthy foods out there so there's no need to think that you won't be getting that delicious flavor when you're cutting down on the bad stuff. just to make one thing clear though - i haven't eliminated everything unhealthy from what i've been eating. about once or twice a week I find myself either having a bowl of lucky charms or eating a cookie or having some shaved ice. and ya know what?! i am totally fine with that. i don't want to tell myself i can't eat something. all i'm trying to do through this process is teach myself that eating healthier isn't so hard and that it actually both makes me feel good on the inside and the outside! and that's all we are looking for in life, really. something that makes us feel good all over. so i definitely allow myself a "treat" every now and then, but my mind is still on the straight and narrow.

one thing though that i really need to start working on is exercising. this is absolutely the toughest thing for me because i shamefully have really never done it! i've been doing my in home regimens every other day or so (squats, jumping jacks, etc) but what i really need is to get outside. so tomorrow i have set my alarm (fingers crossed this will wake me up) and i plan to go for a walk in the morning! let's hope this gets me started on a routine of walking every morning. i hope!

here are a couple things i got from the store the other day

my favorite things out of this bunch have been my new found love of pumpkin seeds! well, i've ALWAYS loved pumpkin seeds ever since i was little and we would carve pumpkins and my dad would roast those babies and they would be so delicious - but i never thought plain pumpkin seeds would be good but i absolutely love them! they're such a great snack and i would definitely take these to a movie - they're yummy, healthy, and won't bother the person next to you! i also love those dang yummy banana chips. i just have to be careful with them because i could easily eat the whole bag!

i promise i'll start writing about things other than what i'm eating soon enough - i'm just trying to somewhat motivate myself through this outlet by letting everyone know what i'm doing (and posting pictures so i can remember what i bought so i can go buy them again - and you all should too because i promise they're scrumptious!)

xoxo

forever a wanderlust-er

for those of you who know me, know that i can't keep off that darn website called pinterest. it's become a habit - and not necessarily a bad one at that. i use it for inspiration and i use it mainly when I'm bored. it's a fun (and i think productive) use of my time and i just love whenever i have a good 10 minutes to scroll through pictures of people, quotes, food ideas, craft ideas, and so much more.

one of my favorite albums of pictures I've "collected" from pinterest is my travel album. being that I've already traveled to 8 countries in Europe, my need for adventure and culture and people gets stronger and stronger everyday. i swear, one day I'm just gonna take off on a random adventure somewhere because there are just so many wonderful places i have yet to explore.

here are just a few places i have yet to check off my list :)


Procida Island, Italy

Natural Rock, Turkey

Andalucía, Spain

 

 

Pulpit Rock, Norway

 

 

India

 

 

now, like i said, these are really just a few places on my bucket list. (you'd be amazed to see how long it is) but for now, these are just a few that are up near the top!

 

and the list keeps growing :)

 







sundays are my favorite

on the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation   - genesis 2:2-3

and boy, his creation of our world is magnificent. i think that's why i love sundays so much. it's the day God declared holy. it's always one of the best days of the week, no matter what the weather, because for me, it's spent going to church, singing worships songs with all of the loveliest people, listening to the spoken word, and relishing in the life around me.

today was just another one of those great sundays. i decided to go to an earlier church service than i usually do so that i could have more day left afterwards to enjoy this lovely weather. the service this morning was amazing as always. i just love the feeling of singing and listening all together with so many other people who all love God. it's just a wonderful feeling. afterwards i spent the afternoon laying poolside with my grandpa and taking in some good rays and good music. then we barbequed some burgers and just enjoyed each other's company.

how can you not love sundays?
"when you put your cares into God's hands, He puts peace into your heart."

p.s. here's a pic of my rad gramps

xoxo

the stress monster

so, if you've been keeping up with my latest posts you've probably heard the news that my brother has been missing. as worried as we have been about him being gone, our worries have been put to rest temporarily. he posted a picture on instagram yesterday so we at least know that he is okay and not in a ditch somewhere. we have determined (by our recent detective skills) that he is somewhere in Alabama. we are trying to find out the exact place soon so we can get the police to go get him. it's been a whirlwind of feelings. frustration, anger, sadness, confusion, wonder,... and the list goes on. it's just more stress than any of us needed at this point. as you may have read, the other day I decided to "turn over a new leaf". well that leaf turning was temporarily put on hold due to the stress eating that went on during the past few days where we haven't known where Zach is. i am very embarrassed to admit that you could've found me cradling a bag of chocolate covered pretzels more than once these past few days. well now that we know he is okay, and now that my worried feelings have turned into feelings of anger and frustration, i can really take this seriously. i'm sorry for letting you (and myself) down these past few days, but i know it won't happen again!

wish me luck