Here's to summer.

Here's to new adventures, new jobs, and new apartments.

Here's to tiki masks, dance parties, midnight movies on LoveSacs, and trading hoodies. 

Here's to hours of night games, hiding under bunk beds, inside showers, and behind closet doors. 

Here's to riding on a mattress in the back of the Suburban, jumping off cliffs, and swinging on ropes.
Here's to best friend alerts, the Twerk Team, and a summer fling. 

Here's to a thousand McDonald's runs, sushi nights, and a dozen trips to PacSun. 

Here's to too many people in a car, being Beyonce's staff in Ikea, and dysfunctional family dinners.
Here's to paint twister, lunch dates, and campus golf.
Here's to freshmen stalkers, staff sanities, and finding a thousand and one ways to wear grey t-shirts. 

Here's to road trips, Dirty Dr. Peppers, sugar cookies, and Friends marathons. 

Here's to fountain swimming, statue climbing, hallway dancing, and firework mishaps.
Here's to 7 am meetings, 21 hour work days, and double jobs.
Here's to midnight drives, the Fourth of July in Huntsville, and JT jam sessions.
Here's to this summer, the memories made to tide us over until next year, and the friends that came with the summer.
Here's to summer, and here's to us. 

Weekend Wonders: Three.

SOAR is over. No more small groups, sub sandwiches, or shuttle duty...at least until next summer. Up next? Connections. But first: bridal showers, hair appointments, weddings, job interviews, and vacations. Summer is winding down...but I'm so ready for school to start I can barely handle it. 

A few other things I'm excited about? This weekend's wonders. 

 I want every single one of these pillows.  My bedroom this fall is going to be grey and white...and blasts of color like this. 

I'm making this salad soon. Avocados are easily my favorite food on the planet, and this just looks divine. 

 You'd think having a mom that owns a cake business would make me hate cake...but you'd be surprised how much I absolutely love frosting. Combine cookie dough and frosting, and you have the ultimate girl comfort food. 

 This wall art craft looks like a blast and a half.  I love quotes, and I could easily make a thousand of these for my new room. 

Anyone who knows me even remotely well, knows that I love hairdye. That said, I haven't dyed my hair for almost three months. I have a hair appointment on Tuesday, and I'm STOKED. My cousins have raved about this girl for forever, and I finally caved and scheduled an appointment. I'm loving this hair color; perfectly faded, blonde enough for summer, but keeps the dark I love. Does anybody have any other suggestions for this girl's crazy mane? 

With SOAR over, I only have one job to worry about this week..and maybe even a Bear Lake trip this weekend to plan. Also, a job interview on Tuesday! We'll see how that goes...and then I get to recover from that with hours of pampering my hair. Life is looking real good this week. 

We're in the class A-Team.

When I saw my name on the list of members of the 2013 A-Team, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Of the 42 people, I knew a grand total of one person. I was one of three freshmen, and was so intimidated by some of the people I didn't even know what to do with myself. 

As a freshman, I was sure I was in over my head and was going to suck at advising and helping all the incoming students. I had no idea 

what I was doing....or how awesome this job would be. A-Team isn't a normal summer job. It takes a special kind of passion--or insanity--to work with stressed and frustrated parents for 10 hours a day, eat the same sub sandwiches for a portion of your summer, and let a bunch of incoming students know your most embarrassing moments of college so far. Very few jobs require you to prepare a two hour presentation on dating for 200 students, wear a Walmart-esque uniform day in and day out, or scoop gallons of ice cream every afternoon. Nowhere else could you get some of these people to dance to Sara Bareilles on stage, find so many professional Candy Crush players, or hear the variety of ice breakers we've come up with. No one else understands the true meaning of stub rub, how good it feels to come back to a residence hall where all the students are asleep hours before you thought they would be, or realize how serious we are when we say we never want to eat a chicken caesar salad wrap again. While the early mornings, long days, and angry parents made me question my sanity at points...the  ridiculously late nights, burrito runs, and dance parties made up for the craziness. We're all very different people; we have different likes and dislikes, different passions and fears. We're from different backgrounds, cities, and states. We all want to do different things with our lives, and go in different directions. Despite our differences, we work. We love Logan, we love that we can call ourselves Aggies, and we love Utah State. I don't know how many of you can honestly say you love your job, but I can. It's as rewarding as it is exhausting, and as tiring as it is exciting. We've finished our semester of training, and SOAR wrapped up today. In the last seven months, these 42 coworkers of mine have changed how I feel about school, broken me out of my comfort zone more times than I can count, made me love USU more than I already did, and become some of my very best friends--and I'm so glad I get to work with this bunch of crazies every day. 

All under control.

I'm just warning you, there's a very good chance you won't really hear from me again until the end of June. SOAR starts on Monday (USU's new student orientation program that A-Team runs), Ragnar is in less than 20 days, I'm still working my serving job, and trying to balance a "thriving" social life and being a good daughter and sister on top of that. My calendar is jam-packed--but I love it. Time is flying by, I'm satisfied, and life is good. 

That said, there's a couple of things I need to get through my crazy busy life. Copying my 20x20 list, here's a list of: 

20 [inanimate] objects I can't function without [in no particular order]. 

1. Dr. Pepper. 

I have a problem with this stuff. Like a Marley+Diet Coke kind of problem. I don't like Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Mt. Dew...any of that. But Dr. Pepper and I get along splendidly. 

2. Extra Polar Ice Gum. 

I rarely go a day without this gum in my purse, backpack, and car. I love peppermint, and this stuff is cold enough to make your eyes water. Perfect. 

3. Maybelline's Baby Lips chapstick [but only the "Quenched" flavor].

I hate lipgloss and lipstick; HATE them. But I always have chapstick with me. At the moment, this Baby Lips stuff is stealing my heart. I think I have every flavor...but Quenched takes the cake. 

4. My cell phone. 

It may just be the generation I'm a part of, but I don't go anywhere without it. They might be cliche reasons, but my calendar is all on there. I make my to-do lists, reminders, and random ideas on there. I can get ahold of anyone, and I'm not denying the fact that I'm an Instagram addict and a tweetoholic. 

5. Mascara, and lots of it [and by lots, I mean the four tubes I have in my makeup bag right now].

Eye makeup is the best, and mascara is my favorite part of that. I honestly have probably six different kinds in my possession, but I only use four on a regular basis. They all do different things, okay?? 

6. My planner/calendar. 

My planner is one of those super dorky ones that lets you plan your day hour by hour. I love it. And my calendars--yes, plural--keep my life in color-coded order. 

7. Rocky road ice cream.

Just ask Jon, and my roommates, how much I love ice cream. It's seriously my favorite food. 

8. John Frieda's Heat Defeat straightening spray. 

My hair is naturally curly...and by curly, I mean it gets ridiculously frizzy and thinks it's curling. This spray makes it straighten like a charm, smells good, and makes my hair soft. It's my favorite. 

9...and on that same note, my BaByliss blowdryer. 

Sometimes, my dad finds the best blowdryer my mom and I have ever owned...so we order two within a day of each other. Merry Christmas to us! 

10. The blanket my aunt Maddy and Grandma Jo made me for graduation. 

Don't laugh at me for this one [but even I think it's a tiny bit ridiculous]. For graduation, my aunt and Grandma Jo made this minky blanket for me to take up to school. It's a giant purple blanket made of pure heaven. I may or may not take it to and from home and my apartment with me, and I just might have trouble sleeping without it. My poor future husband. 

11. BIC fine point ballpoint pens. 

I hate inky, wet pens. I hate gel pens. Honestly, the best pens are the ones you get in hotel rooms or from banks...but fine point BIC pens are the next best thing. I have probably a dozen in my purse for work, and even more in my desk jars. It's an addiction. 

12. Avocados.

Lauren may be the only person on the planet that eats more avocados than I do. I could honestly eat them with just about anything. My favorite combination? Wheat toast, swiss cheese, and fresh avocados; all sprinkled with salt and pepper.  

13. My toothbrush+toothpaste+floss. 

I brush my teeth probably a million times a day. When I wake up, after I eat anything [I hate the taste food leaves in your mouth after a meal or a snack], before I leave the house, as soon as I get home, and before bed--and sometimes more than that. 

14. My usual jewelry. 

I cannot leave the house without my CTR ring, the ring I wear on my right middle finger, and some form of sparkly stud earrings in my ears. I'm also developing a ridiculous attachment to my collection of gold bracelets. 

15. Light.
Probaby the dumbest thing on this whole list, but it makes sense to me. Not just light in general, but natural light. Sun light. There's nothing that irritates me more than closed blinds and a light turned on. I love windows and sunshine...and I'm not afraid to admit that the dark still stresses me out.

16. Ice. 

I hate drinking anything without ice in it. Milk is the only thing I won't put ice in, and even then, I don't like milk, so...

17. Maxi skirts. 

I think I legitimately own 15. 

18. Crackers. 

Ask my roommates, I love crackers. Especially Goldfish. And Triscuits. And Saltines. As Kenzie says, "You can take Ashley's clothes and she wouldn't care. But mess with her crackers...." Judge me. 

19. Hair elastics. 

My hair is ridiculously babied. But as much as I pamper it, I still don't know how to focus with it down. If I'm doing homework, at work, or trying to be productive in basically any aspect of my life, I can almost guarantee my hair will be up in a knot on top of my head. I have yet to figure out how to do that with a pencil or something...so I keep a lifetime supply of black hair elastics in my possesion. 

20. My car.
If I need to calm down, I drive. If I'm bored, I drive. If I need to talk, I say, "let's go on a drive!" If I need to think, I drive. Ironically enough, I hate being the driver [this whole driving thing was a lot easier when Bronson was home. We both love car rides. And he loves driving. It worked out well]. I've learned that my car is the perfect place to think, cry, talk to myself [don't judge, you all do it too], and blast whatever music I want.

Basically, I know what I like. :)

It's officially Sunday, which means that SOAR starts tomorrow. I'm mostly excited, but a little bit freaked out. Let's hope USU's newest batch of students doesn't eat me alive the first day.

Can I say something?

Hi friends. This post is a little bit angry, a little bit frustrated, but mostly a little bit for your information. Consider it tips and tricks to being a fantastic customer, wonderful guest, and just an all around good person. 

I work as a waitress in Logan, and while I get my fair share of bad days and bad customers, I also have some rather incredible people come in and genuinely kind customers that give me reason to stay with this job. I love being able to work and interact with tons of new people on a daily basis, and the fast paced environment is perfect for my attention span. 

Today, though, was incredibly frustrating. 

Let's say, hypothetically speaking of course, that you and your family go out for a nice holiday brunch on Memorial Day. 

You all order specialty drinks, place large meal orders, and add dessert, appetizers, and some minor requests throughout the course of the meal. 

When you are finished eating, as your waitress clears your plates [which have very little, if any, food left on them] and asks how everything was, you respond with a not-so-courteous "Would you be offended if we complained?" 

When she asks what's wrong, you say, "The portions were way off, the food was bland and awful, and it took nearly 15 minutes to get to us. The service was alright, though." 

She responds, "I'm sorry! Would you like another order of pancakes? The times have been a little off all morning, we've been a lot busier than we expected! Is there anything I can do better?" 

You say, "No, we're fine thanks. Can we see a manager?"

So she gets the manager. Who you proceed to argue with about the "changed portion sizes" and "cold food." 

Then you go to pay your bill, and complain to the host while doing so, all while mocking your server's comments and their manager's attempt to fix the problem. [and you're not wearing shoes, in a public place, the whole time this is happening. HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING, of course.]

And then maybe, just maybe, you don't tip your waitress on your $100+ bill. 

And that, my friends, is the problem. 

We servers are trained to answer questions, solve customer's problems, and involve our managers whenever needed. We are in charge of getting drinks, serving the food, and keeping customers full and satisfied. 

However, we are not responsible for the portion sizes or the time it takes to get the food from the kitchen to the table. We do everything in our power to have food out in under 15 minutes, 20 at the very most. We have cooks remake the food if it's been sitting too long, is too cold, or doesn't look right. 

Our job is to keep the customers happy, because they control what we're paid. 

As a server in Utah, the hourly wage is $2.13. After taxes, our checks are minimal, even after working 20-35 hours a week. [Over the last pay period, I clocked nearly 64 hours. My paycheck was less than $80.] Our income is based solely on tips, and if those don't come through...we don't make money at all. 

My point is: 

Always tip your server. 

Unless the service itself is what was bad, of course. It's not their fault if the cooks took twenty minutes to make your food correctly, and they have no control over the amount of food you are given. 

AND please, please, please tip on the pre-coupon/discount amount if you use a coupon. Just because you got free/cheaper food doesn't mean your server did any less work--the food is discounted, not the service. [For example, Free Pie Wednesday at the VI. Drinks are two dollars and something cents. Pie is taken off. Tip on the total amount INCLUDING the pie. Gift cards too. If you're not actually paying for your food, leaving a tip should be easy!]

If you have a problem, complaint, or concern about something, please tell your waitress. It's our job to take care of you. If it's a big enough deal, we will always get our managers involved, and the problem will be solved to the best of our ability. 

Ask to talk to a manager, or leave a note for the owner if there is a problem. 

But please, for the sake of all of us servers out there, don't take it out on your server's tip. 

That's all. I'm done ranting now. 

Happy Monday, folks!

You learn something new.

From work:

There are three reasons Americans are overweight: ranch dressing, french fries, and syrup.
We have a different favorite pie depending on the night...if a pie isn't cut and ready to serve, we won't recommend it. Easy as that. 

You can be the cutest boy I've seen in Logan, but if you don't tip well? There's no hope. 

If you come in with a party bigger than 10 people, there is a good chance I hate you. 

There are very few words that make me happier than "You're cut," and few words that make me angrier than "We're just getting pie."
We remember how well you tip, and will serve you accordingly. [We're shallow like that, sometimes.]
If you come in 20 minutes before we close and order a full meal, chances are that we definitely hate you.
The customer is always right. Even when they're wrong...they're right.

From my roommates: 

Ethnic hair products should never be used on a white girl's hair. 

Don't overfeed your fish. 

Mason jars are terrifying. 

There's no problem in life that Pringles or Ben & Jerry's [or both] can't solve. 

Toaster Strudels are a nutritious part of this complete breakfast.
No one loves their mailbox more than Snow 102.
There is absolutely nothing irrational about making a cake at 3 am, eating multiple paninis in one day, doing laundry at one o'clock in the morning,  or watching Phantom of the Opera three times in 24 hours.
"It's finals week" is the perfect rationale for any food purchase.
We will go to great lengths to get to Taco Tuesday.
Missionary letters are better than 42 Dr. Peppers.

From being in college:
Creative Arts is the most pointless class in the history of college classes.
High school journalism classes are VERY different from college journalism classes.
The 12:00 Aggie Shuttle can explode your personal bubble in .3 seconds.
BlueZone is never reliable.
The words "FREE FOOD" will get most college students to do just about anything. [Actually, free anything makes us pretty happy campers.]
It's easier to wait a week to do laundry when you go home than to pay $2.25 at the Lundstrom.
I thought I was a decent cook. College has taught me otherwise.
Finals Week is nothing like AP Week, regardless of what your teachers tell you. Unless AP week suddenly involves 3 am McDonald's runs for yet another caffeinated drink, 12 hour days in the library, and enough popcorn to fill a small house, then no. They're nothing alike.
My parents know a lot more than I thought, and I need them a lot more than I thought I would. On the same note, my siblings aren't quite as obnoxious as I thought they were.
PDA is much more prominent on a college campus.
Being an adult isn't as much fun as we thought it would be when we were little.
College social life usually starts about the time I had to be home to make curfew in high school.
And last, but definitely not least, Utah State is the best place on the freaking planet. 

Keep looking up.

I GOT A LETTER. 

[And yes, that is just how I announced it to the entire Lundstrom Student Center Friday morning.] It's funny how much better someone can make you feel even when you haven't talked to them in a week and a half. 

Then, I had a conference with one of my English professors to have my first college essay critiqued and reviewed. We had to do a five page analysis of a work of poetry, and I was not exactly excited about the assignment. BUT. I got in there, and he handed me my essay and said, "My only suggestion? Work on your title. It sucks. You're an excellent writer." 

Day made. 

Laundry is free in the LSC all week, and we took advantage of that...at one a.m. 

And obviously, the hour got to our heads. But good news, we have clean dish rags now. 

Even though Friday was wonderful, Saturday was...less than great. I had to work at five, after spending three hours on the phone with some of the incoming freshmen. I was planning on being home by midnight at the very latest...and then we remembered that the Mardi Gras dance on campus wouldn't be over until 1:00. I left work at 4 a.m. I love my job, but not that much.

Now it's time for Sunday dinner, the Grammy's, and a Joseph Smith fireside in the Spectrum. I'm a happy girl. 

Back to normal.

My brother and I have an ice cream addiction. So every time I come home, we inevitably end up making a midnight In-n-Out run for shakes. [Chocolate for me, neopolitan for him.] And then, he steals my phone while we take the "long way" home, really just the frontage road, and snap chats and texts my best friend. And they take the opportunity to abuse me to the best of their ability. It's great...and by great, I mean it's not. Good thing I love 'em.

We're back in Logan! And we're better than ever. I can't even begin to explain how much I missed these girls, even if we do stay up way too late talking and act like we're three. But, you have to admit, we rock the footie pajamas and bathrobes like nobody's business. I'm glad we're back...but I miss everyone back home. Braden and Luke. Bronson and Jackson. Emily and Hailee and Sadie. Sad day. But I'm proud of them, and know that they'll be the best missionaries in the whole world.

I really don't know what to say about this picture, other than the fact that Emi draws on her food. She's a keeper.

Sometimes I bring free pie home, and we inhale it faster than I can get everybody out of bed to eat. Triple berry definitely wins the award for our favorite, and the peanut butter is one we can pass on.

In other news, my family is going to Vegas right now. Without me. So while they're having a party in the 63 degree weather, I'll be going to school and working in the freezing cold. College kid problems? 

BUT. I get to meet the rest of the A-Team tonight! And I'm super excited. 

And then it's time for the welcome back social, complete with a showing of Pitch Perfect and food. College is still wonderful, my friends. 

See you soon.

With No-Shave November officially over, we've been able to watch some of our friends remove their facial hair in stages....these would Max's "star-burns." I didn't get the handle-bar mustache that accompanied them the next day, but this should just serve as a pleasant reminder to all of you that not all facial hair is creepy...some of it's just plain weird. [But Max, I still adore you. :)]

I got a text on Tuesday from my mom just as I was getting out of yoga and all it said was, "Mary says this is her crying because she misses you." I called her later that day and this is about how our conversation went. 

"Hi Mar! I saw your picture."
"Ohhhh, yeah."

"Were you just so sad?" 

"You're just always gone, Ash! And I miss you. Can we have a sleepover?" 

I admire the innocence and pure love this little girl has...and I miss her more than anything else. I can't wait for Christmas Break. 

Kelsey is a winner, and she wore this lovely ensemble to the Ambassador [or Ambadassador, depending on who you ask] Christmas party. Opaque red tights, pleather red boots, a Christmas t-shirt, and a Christmas sweater, complete with jingle bells, all tied together with a tacky red bow in her hair. I absolutely adore this girl, and wouldn't ever wake up on Tuesday and Thursday mornings if it wasn't for her. Thanks, Kels. :) 

For our Relief Society activity this month, we had a steak dinner and made ornaments. We wanted to get a picture taken with all of us roommates and our ornaments, so we asked Morgan to do so...and this is what we got out of it. Four pictures of Morgan's face, and one decent picture of us snitches. We'll keep Burns around, I guess. 

Cute, aren't we? And Kelsey and I even made an ornament, and we're the least crafty of the six of us. [Yes, it may just be a clear ornament with a Wendy's coupon in it that we're going to smash like they do in a Jewish wedding ceremony as soon as we both finish our JCOM final, but don't judge us. We tried.]

And now, it's time to crackdown for finals week. So the six of us migrate to the library, and don't move for six hours. [Except for mental health breaks, where we run stairs and people watch until we have to study some more.] Which is exactly what we're about to do for the second time of many, as soon as we get our study food and pack our bags for nightly hibernation. The moral of the story is, I'm signing off until next week. [Except for the A-Team announcement tomorrow, which is giving me an ulcer the size of a small country.] Time to put the Dr. Pepper in an IV line, and stock up on Polar Ice gum, since that's the only thing that keeps me focused on the fact that I can't be snacking constantly. Yay finals week, and good luck to you kids doing the same. See ya never. :) 

We're just different.

Friday night, I had to work until close, which is at 2 a.m. I got home around 2:45, and all of the lights in my apartment were still on, so I knew my roommates were awake...but I couldn't hear them or find them anywhere. So I walked into my room to change, and they started singing. From my bed. Wrapped in Christmas lights. I guess I'll keep them around. 

My interview for A-Team went really well, apparently, because I have an individual interview today at 4:45. Laur, A-Ludd, and Em helped me pick out an outfit for today so they'd all feel partially responsible if I make it...we'll see how it goes. 

After I untangled the snitches from the lights, we moved our mattresses out into our family room and had a giant sleepover Friday and Saturday night. We slept until noon...and even though I've never done that before, it was so nice. First time I've had more than 8 hours of sleep in who knows how long. Even though I woke up in the crack between mine and Kenzie's bed at least three times and probably spent a majority of the night on Kenzie's mattress, it was great. And made for an even more entertaining Sunday nap session. 

When the restaurant you work at doesn't need anymore one dollar bills, you get stuck with way too many of them. So Paige decided it would be fun to throw them all over my bed and then roll in them. The ultimate waitress problem, right here. The bank is going to love me today. 

Kenzie and Adrienne did a dress rehearsal of our Christmas surprise, and decided that rather than both being elves, Kenzie was going to be a pregnant polygamist. I'm telling you, my life would be much less entertaining if these two weren't such a huge part of it. 

Jon and Bronson spent a large part of the last 48 hours in our apartment and we kept them up way too late every night, watching Warrior, making cupcakes, and last night....we painted Jon's nails. He'd make a great hand model, wouldn't he? 

We wanted to see what Jon would look like with long hair...so Emi volunteered her mane...and really, we just wanted you all to appreciate Jon's shirt. DisneyWorld sells some quality looking clothing, my friends. 

It's been quite the weekend, and this week is going to be an adventure. A-Team interview today, work tomorrow, and the Aggies play the Cougars on Wednesday in Provo [you better believe we're making the drive down there.] Then more work, more work, and finals next week. Living on the edge of crazy makes life that much more entertaining. 

I can do it too.

This whole moving out thing has done wonders for my creativity. [Just kidding, it's really just motivated me to get a start on the projects on my "Someday When I'm Creative" board.] I have a rather large collection of earrings, and there was no way I was going to have room for a jewelry box in my dorm room. So using a post I found, (you can read it here) I made my own earring-display-holder-thing-a-ma-jig. It was super easy, and only cost me around $10--which could have been way less, I was just OCD about having colored wire, and that ended up being more expensive.

I bought a frame, mine's 9 by 13, and removed the glass, backing stuff, and everything that was around the wood. Then I took these little eye screws and spaced them down the sides of the frame. 

(The other tutorials had staples or nails, this is just what I had on hand.) 

Then came m multicolored wire. I cut a length of wire that was double the width of the frame, plus a little bit so that I could twist and knot the wire. I twisted the wire in between hooks to allow "slots" for the earring posts to go in, but you can always do a single wire and just hook them over it.

Finally, I just had to narrow down my collection to the "bare essentials" of my earrings. Ummm, yes, I may have a problem. It's alright. Really. Super easy to make, and it coordinates with my jewelry tree that will be holding my bracelets and necklaces. (No, that collection isn't any smaller. Yes, I'm aware it's a lot of stuff.) 

So basically, contrary to popular belief, I can be crafty! Also, the fact that I'm moving in a week is weirding me out. My "college corner" is rapidly growing, and the amount of stuff in my room is shrinking, drastically. I still have to write my essay for my intro class, and finding a job would be nice. Any suggestions for awesome places that are hiring, let me know. Because I need a job. 

My parents are leaving on Trek on Monday, along with Britt and Ry. Which leaves me home with the babies, and we've got adventures aplenty to go on. Stay tuned. 

You could be my favorite.

Since it's only been approximately twelve years since I posted, I'm running low on pictures and stories. Oh wait. Fourth of July, Girls Camp, and all the random adventures that come with being the only child in a world full of adults have been happening. What of it. 

On the Fourth, my family went on a hike up Waterfall Canyon with the Smith's. We found a little cave--that I wouldn't go into...SPIDERS--and Mary stuck her head through the little opening and...posed. Of course. What else would we expect. 

After our hike, we went to breakfast at a little diner called Moore's Cafe, and ate enough food to sell them out of their special. Our bad. But seriously, this was the best pancake I had ever eaten. So thick and fluffy and full of whole, fresh blueberries. Mmmm. 

I'm the world's best babysitter (maybe, not really, okay.) And so I get to spend everyday from 8-5 with Monroe, who's 5 and Elly, who's 2. They're adorable, and they let me do whatever I want. Which usually involves whatever will keep them laughing and happy. Today? That was a fort that stretched across their whole living room and up the stairs. They played for hours, and gave me a chance to finish my book. WINNING. 

I saw the Katy Perry movie last night...and it was incredible. Like, Hailee-and-I-were-giggling-the-whole-time-and-squealing-like-four-year-olds incredible. Poor Kyle was so sick of us. Oh well. So tonight while we waited for Emi, we baked a cake. Which was supposed to be turquoise and coral...but ended up looking like a fantastic mix of Katy's greatest hair colors. It's probably fine. 

In other news, my mama is starting a cake business. And she's good. If any of you are interested in buying a pretty--and yummmmmy--cake, she'd be happy to do it. Check her website out here. 

Four days left in the 18 TIL 18 COUNTDOWN. Yay for the last few hours of being a child.