Friday Confessions: The highest of highs.

You know those days where everything is so good that your cheeks hurt from smiling so much? 

I had seven of those this week. 

Saturday I spent at Mardi Gras dancing my heart out, and eating too much fast food with Taylor, Abby, Abigail, and Trent. 

Sunday I finally got to sleep in--and it was Sunday, which just makes it wonderful. 

Monday I had a chance to share my love for Utah State with some incoming freshmen--and it just reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to be attending a school I love and studying a subject I'm passionate about. Becoming an Aggie was truly the best decision I have ever made. 

Tuesday I spent in Salt Lake shopping with some friends, cheering on my favorite intramural basketball team for a full 40 seconds, and eating the best raspberry confetti cake I've ever tasted. 

Wednesday one of my professors told me he enjoyed my writing style more than any student he'd ever taught, and he looked forward to my comments in class every MW&F and my favorite men named me their fraternity sweetheart. The sun was shining all day, and my room has smelled like roses ever since.

Thursday I got my butt kicked in Pilates, signed a contract for an apartment with Judy for the forseeable future, and celebrated USU-SA election victories at Chili's with some wonderful people. 

And tonight was full of Frozen sing-a-longs, decorating cupcakes, and listening to the rain. 

It's been one of those weeks where everything is happy--and even the worst day is so good it's not fair. 

So now it's time for some happy confessions: 

1. I've always gotten along better with boys than girls--the number of boy best friends I have is at least triple that of girl best friends. So it should come as no surprise that I adore each and every one of the Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers more than I can describe. I'd do just about anything for all of them, and I'm content knowing that whenever I walk into their house there's somebody waiting with a hug, somebody willing to go on a Dr. Pepper run with me, and somebody to talk to. I'm beyond ready to rock the purple and red for them. 

2. I may or may not use Jimmy Fallon as an excuse to stop whatever I'm doing for an hour. If he and JT could work together every night, I'd never stop laughing. 

3. I have a weird fascination with Anastasia--and not just the Disney movie. I love books about her, websites about her, and am kind of sketched out by the fact that she died on my birthday, even if it was 76 years earlier. Real history aside, I love the animated movie too and think she got gypped out of being a Disney princess. 

4. This sums up my life more completely than I'd like to admit. 

5. Avril Lavigne + Fall Out Boy make up my workout playlist lately, and I'm not ashamed--not even a little bit. 

Tomorrow is Kappa Delta's Shamrock Bake-Off--so if any of you lovelies are in Logan and are craving some delicious baked goods, head to the Taggart Student Center between 1-4. It's $3, and the money goes to Prevent Child Abuse America. It's a good cause, and it will be worth your while. 

Friday Confessions: Third time's the charm.

1. Not only do I have a wedding board on Pinterest with over 500 pins [I get teased about it sometimes. It's a "board with a purpose" as I was once told] but I also have all sorts of lists for my wedding, particularly songs I want played at some point. This one just came out, and I'm obsessed with it to say the least. 

2. I may or may not have told some of my tables at work on Wednesday that we were out of the specialty pie because I didn't want to have to cut 17 pieces of it. 

3. I went more than 24 hours without Dr. Pepper [or any kind of caffeine, actually], and I survived. 

4. I'm more upset about the fact that I don't have a way to watch the hockey game at 5:00 am than I am about the fact that I have to close at work tomorrow night. 

5. It's been one of those weeks I'd give anything to have my missionaries home. Driving home tonight, some Rascal Flatts song came on the radio and just about knocked the wind out of me because it made me miss them so much. I know people say that the time flies by and they come home before you know it, but some days, it physically hurts that I'm not able to talk to my best friends. 

6. I think vanilla ice cream is pointless, I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter, and I'd rather stick pins in my eyeballs than drink a glass of milk. There. I said it. 

7. I'm convinced I need a puppy. Preferably one that looks just like this little ball of adorable-ness. 

8. I have more pairs of tights than I do pairs of pants. #sorrynotsorry

9. Finally, I am sick and tired of people reading so much into the meaning behind Frozen. I'm an English major--analyzing and interpreting story lines is basically all I do with my life, and we get pretty "out there" with some of our ideas. But the things I'm seeing about Frozen take the cake for some of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever seen. Can't Disney make a movie and have people just enjoy it for what it is?? Sheesh. Ranting aside, I loved what this post had to say about the movie. She's talking about what is actually happening in the movie; which was quite refreshing for someone who is enveloped in subplots and subliminal messaging 24/7. 

Friday Confessions: Valentine's Edition.

1. Listening to this song makes me feel like what it must feel like to be in love. 

2. A large part of my heart will always belong to Justin Timberlake [just in general], Zac Efron [HSM and 17 Again], and Matthew Mcconaughey [How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days].

3. I wore real pants for the first time in days yesterday--yoga pants, work pants and dresses don't count for me--and I hated every second of it. Getting ready is hard. So is wearing real clothes. 

4. When I get engaged, I don't care how he proposes....as long as it isn't at Temple Square, on Valentine's day, or Christmas/New Year's Eve. I'm not about that cliche life--as cute as they are. 

5. I'm a hopeless romantic. I love getting flowers. I cry in just about every love story. I want a whirlwind romance, a fairytale wedding, and a happily ever after. I'm in love with the idea of love. 

6. I giggled like a little girl while I opened packages this afternoon. A Twinkie dressed like a minion? Bubbles? Loads and loads of candy? A pillow-pet? I got spoiled today--and today isn't even over yet. I'm so incredibly lucky to have some pretty amazing people love me. 

6. I'm obsessed with proposal videos/wedding videos/love story videos. Hailey & Brad Devine's videos win the "Cutest Videos in the History of the World" award, every. single. time. 

Valentine's Day is wonderful--and I don't know how you could not be happy today. Love is a wonderful thing. 

In the air.

I love love--in every form.
Whether it's bf+gf love, the love I have for my Monsters in Literature class, family love, or the somewhat unhealthy love I have for shopping and Dr. Pepper...I love it.
Which is why I love Valentine's Day.
[I'm hopelessly single, folks. But that doesn't mean I have to call it Single's Awareness Day. Like they say....you don't need a Ferrari to be grateful on Thanksgiving, and you don't need a relationship to love on Valentine's. Preach it.]
I'm pretty vocal about my feelings [let's be real, I'm pretty vocal about everything] and I make a point to tell the people I care about "I love you" as often as possible. Because as cliche as it sounds, you never know when somebody needs to hear it, or when you're going to see them next...all that stuff.
As much as I say it, I've learned that love isn't only said in three words.
It's in the things you do for other people, the way you treat them, the things you say.

I hear it in every "how was work?" "I have a Dr. Pepper for you!" and "text me when you get home."
I see it in the faces of my little sisters when I walk in the door, the number of texts in my group messages, and the envelopes letters from my best friend come in.
I hear it in every "I need you in my life," "come hang out with me," and "I miss you."
I see it in goodnight texts from my dad, sleepovers with my best friends, and random pins on Pinterest.
I hear it in every "can you help me with this," "don't go home yet," and "see you tomorrow!"

Hemingway was right, love is a many splendored thing--and we'd be lost without it.

Some people's children.

A little while ago, an old friend acquaintance said some things that really upset me. 

It was one of those comments that's usually said in the heat of the moment, or behind a back...and the fact that it was so outright stung. 

The kind of comment that catches you off guard and makes you regret telling a person anything of importance in your life, for the sole reason that they now had ammunition that would hurt. 

In that moment, I started questioning different aspects of my life--wondering if everybody saw them the way that person did. 

If they thought it, everyone could be thinking it.....right? 

And then I realized that ^^^^ was wrong. 

It didn't matter what they thought, all that mattered was what I thought. 

It was my decisions, my life, my choices in question; and their opinion was just that: an opinion. 

I let one person upset me for a hot minute, and I forgot to look around at the people who weren't upsetting me. 

I was so caught up in being offended that I forgot to appreciate the nice people in my life: 

Like Wolfie bringing me a Dr. Pepper randomly. 

Or Hillary showing up with a mini migraine survival kit. 

Or Adrienne's celebratory cookie. 

Or lunch with Ashley.

Or Judy making sure I knew she had my back. 

Or my dad worrying about my headlight and taxes. 

Or my little sister going on a run with me. 

People aren't always nice--and sometimes they're really good at making you feel awful. 

But ultimately, people are really, really, really good. You just have to surround yourself with the right ones.