All Things Lovely

In honor of good ole Valentine's Day creeping up on us just around the corner

I thought it would be nice to share and updated list of a few things I love.

Lets start this shindig off right with some breakfast food! 

I mean who could possibly say no to heart shaped waffles.... sure as heck not me.

Back in the day I would head over to my best friends house before school and her mom would make us the most phenomenal cinnamon waffles shaped just like this, then would make us walk 45 minutes to school....

Hey I never complained about the walk after finishing one of those bad boys.

So this one has two parts

Part 1: Pretty clothes: my mouth not only waters for food, but for gorgeous fabrics and patterns as well. I'm a sucker for anything lace or embellished with fringe or earthy tones.

Part 2: People with style, I had mad respect for people who can rock their own personal style with easy.

hint- Don't worry about what other people think if you like it, then OWN it.... as my mom would say.

Taking pictures during "pretty hour" There is nothing better then snapping that golden shot with the perfect accent lighting

Fresh juice, well more specifically being so darn thirsty and craving some fresh juice so you end up doing everything you can to get ahold of some and then finally your lips press the side of the cold glass and you want to savor it, but the second the first drip hits your tongue you have to refrain yourself from chugging the whole thing.

Well at least that's my constant dilemma. 

I love me a pretty art project, I'm not the best at creating ideas from scratch I can definitely admit that, but I thoroughly enjoy finding something in a funky little store or stumbling on a pin on pinterest and trying to recreate it and make it into my own.

Finding the perfect quote for your situation. Whether it be a inspirational quote about life, that motivational quote you needed about working out, or a sympathy quote for when you find yourself becoming the cliche image of stuffing your face with a bowl full of ice cream and watching How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days......

on repeat.

Come on we've all kinda been there.

Nothing better then the simple action of squishing your little piggies in the sand, nothing.

If you've never done it please add it to your bucket list to come to the beach; catch a plane, take a road trip, hitch hike for goodness sakes just get your bum to the beach asap!

(okay maybe not the latter, lets be safe kids)

Lastly, my camera! It's seriously so therapeutic to sit back and be able to capture the simple and complex beauty that surrounds us. I've just recently started so I'm just in the experimenting phase with my Canon t3's manual setting. Man aperture and shutter speed can be super confusing so if you have any tips let a sista know :)

Photo Credit: Free People Pinterest

Book Worm

Growing up, the people around me would all always find me with my nose in a book.

Once I got a bit older boys, friends, parties and so many other teenage things seemed to distract me from my love of reading. I would occasionally pick up a book and get half way through or quickly finish a trendy book like the hunger games.... but nothing that really stuck with me.

I have probably read close to a thousand books in my lifetime of only 20 years...

yet the other night when my manly friend asked what my favorite book was I felt like I hit a brick wall,

Out of all of the books I've read I couldn't really think of one and that made me feel absolutely horrible.

He inspired me to read again, he helped spark up that intense urge to find a book or shall I say books that have left an impact on my life. 

Thankfully the whole finding a great book was a lot easier then expected....

soon after that conversation with Ryan my good friend Whitnee suggested a couple books to me. One just happened to be the Divergent series, which mind you just two weeks before someone else from church told me to read asap!

Clearly this girl really needed to start the series and let me tell you 

I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. 

Absolutely amazing, it consumed my life for a bit to the point of me totally believing I was the main character, her accomplishes and tragedies were mine. I couldn't seem to escape it even in my dreams and I was totally okay with it!

75 days till the next and LAST installment to the series.... Just a tad obsessed if you can't tell.

The next book I read was called Hopeless... which Whitnee also recommend.

This book, wow, where do I even begin.

Lets just say I was expecting a nice little poolside read and found myself reading the most enticing love story with by far most devastating, but highly unpredictable twist.

It left me laughing to the point of sore abs to crying and feeling so disgusted that I literally couldn't sleep. It was such a shockingly beautiful story.

Let me emphasize again that it was literally nothing that I ever expected.

Whenever I bring it up to people the best way to describe it in the most simplest of terms

would be that the story literally bitch slapped me hard across the face with there twists and turns it had!

Apparently, there is a second book and you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be picking that up real soon.

The next series I'm going to start is the Matched series.

I've seen them around and once I saw them on a blog.... sadly I follow so many and can't find the bloggers review that had me sold on the series.

But don't you worry I will keep you posted once I'm finished with these books too!

Here is a few books I have read in the past that have truly had an impact on my life.

So all you readers out there try and find a good book for you to read soon because let me tell you it is sooooo much more rewarding then the Shark Week

yuuuuuup I just went there.

Nothing Better

I seriously have the best job no questions asked!

I'm a nanny aka mom in training.

This school year even though I worked for just one family of two boys

I still was able to take four to school everyday. 

Those who are close to me know that I refer to them as "my kids"

I always get the silliest looks when I saw that, because clearly that's not physically possible.

Today is extremely bittersweet, because my carpooling days have come to an end.

It's literally blowing my mind how quickly this school year went by.

 I feel like I was just with the whole neighborhood gang taking their annual first day of school pic!

I'm definitely going to miss all of the silly conversations we shared as we made our way to school together.

It has definitely changed my whole perspective on the importance of time, because I feel like in just a year I've seen these boys grow and progress so much!

Nothing more rewarding then that.

I can't take all the credit here though, they have also taught me so much this year as well...

just a few things are

1. Making a perfect airplane

2. How to pack a punch on Call of Duty

3. How to play pickle ball

4. How to make a million things on Minecraft

5. How to make the best breakfast (waffle with peanut butter and jelly)

I'm obsessed

and sooooo much more they are the sweetest little guys ever!

I must add that I will still be watching my two awesome kiddos over summer though

so there will be so many more memories to be made :)

This Summer......

There is so much I want to do this summer so I figured I would share a few with you!

1. Go to the Wild Animal Park or SeaWorld

2. Visit the Del Mar Fair 

3. Read 3 books

4. Make a trip to Palm Springs

5. Go to the US Open since I keep missing it :(

6. Start videography/photography

7. Try to surf again even if it's a foam board!

8. Check out the Newport Temple

9. Santa Monica and Venice day trip

10. Horse Races

11. Successfully make the perfect cookie

12. See a movie at Cinepolis 

13. Successfully finish at least 1 fitness challenge (Insanity, squat, plank)

14. Plan a service project

15. Go camping

16. Try to go 24hrs without my phone

17. Read PMG

18. Go shooting

19. Eat lots and lots of sushi!

20. Go a week without heat on my hair

21. Save enough money for a car 

22. Treat someone to lunch

23. "Pay in forward" at a drive thru

24. Go to an indoor trampoline place

25. Learn to play one song on both a guitar and a piano 

Fingers crossed that I will actually cross off all these off my list :)