It's almost halloween

Life has been crazy. School, life, work, relationships. I read a couple chapters from a non-school-related book the other day for the first time in a month. It was magical! But the thing I love most about the people I live with is that we make time for stress-reducing activities! I force ourselves to work hard all day/week/month to get everything done for some special event. And we just do it. And we don't feel guilty. AND... we take a lot of pictures. So that when we crawl back to our desks or our classes we can at least scroll through the memories on our phones.

Sometimes you have to crack down and work hard and miss a fun experience because you know it will be worth it in the end. But sometimes you have to take a minute and have a moment of complete, carefree fun. Despite the pile of homework you have. I feel like the relationships we create are just as important as the grades we make...IF NOT MORE! (I said it)

I love my roommates! I seriously feel like I got the best of the best when it comes to the girls I live with. I feel like we complement each other so well: we all have similar things in common with at least one of the other girls and so all together we make this incredible presence of lady-ness and femininity and all things good about being a girl.

I know that, so far, this has nothing to do with my post of "it's almost halloween." But I wanted to express why I don't feel guilty for not having my genetics homework finished yet, even though I obviously could have used the two or three hours the other night that I spent with these people doing it instead. Plus, I wanted to run an insanity check and make sure that school and work and internship developing is not actually erasing the rest of my life.

And, I loved this night so much! So there.

First, we took head shots for Jesi so that she could start trying out for plays again. She is AMAZING and I cannot wait to see her up on a stage! These have not been edited yet...but I still think we did a pretty good job!

We definitely had some fun getting Jesi to smile and got a little creative with how to get the right lighting and shadow on her face. Here is Courtney blocking the sun. 

Travis decided he also wanted to be a model. 

We always have a good time together. (sorry about the creepy faces in that second picture)

Next, we went to Wilkerson Farm and picked out pumpkins. This cute little farm is off Geneva Road in Orem and it the most adorable corner of the universe! Especially right now with all the cute pumpkins. But the city of Orem is trying to annex the farm and develop the land. People, we need local farms, so that people like me and my roommates can continue buying fruits and vegetables the way they were meant to be bought. (There is a petition you can sign, either at the store or by following THIS LINK). Please sign it if you get a chance. I promise you will not want to lose this farm! 

If anything, the picture possibilities are endless here! And we should never let the city destroy a perfectly good photo-op! 

We ended the day with Taylor Swift #1989 and our favorite taco shop that we eat at way too often. We love 180 with 100% of our hearts! We don't usually get this much food. But sometimes we are really good friends with the peeps that work there and they can tell that we need the extra love! Besides, we can run it off tomorrow, right?!?

 These last two pictures were not of the same day. I just like them. I printed off a bunch of pictures the other day from Costco and they give you the sheets with the tiny versions of all the pictures so I decided to cut them up and use them to make cards and things. Or maybe stick one or two in a locket? I don't know, but the possibilities are endless. I just think they are kind of cute

And this last one I just love because it is Travis getting mad at me for being on Instagram... oops. 

Anyway, I cannot wait for tonight and tomorrow. More halloween activities to come!
Hope your days are as spooky and freaky as ours are!

california weekend

Here's a couple [late] pictures 

from what I believe must have been 

a perfect weekend in Southern California. 

(and one from the way out of town)

We went down for Travis's sister's farewell.

And spent the weekend exploring tide pools

(we saw a baby shark!!!)

and taking pictures

and looking at old yearbooks 

and watching old videos. 

Because getting to know this kid's past

is one of my very most favorite things to do. 

Sure do love these California weekends 

with this California boyfriend.

Here's to many more? 

#ihatebeinginschoolrightnow

Recently...again

Just drowning in school stuff this semester. But the few times my friends pull me away for a moment of fun, we take lots of pictures!

These are a four of the five girls in our beautiful house:

Plus Trav, who is practically a roommate as well.... ;)

Sometimes we light floating laterns on the lake until the police tell us to stop.

And we go to Temple dedications on rainy days

 And go to see plays, dressed up as if we were in the plays...this was the Addams Family at the Scera. It was a really well done production. I LOVED the music. It is so fun. Now I go around singing "I'm crazier than YOU!" at everyone who cares to listen.

 Sometime we support our favorite football team (even when they are all hurt and in the hospital):

Sometimes NuSkin lets us go to lagoon where we only end up taking one pictures because we are having so much fun! (or being so sick)

Sometimes we take pictures after Stake Conference. (sometimes I don't blog in a reeeeally long time and my roommate breaks up with her boyfriend so these are the only pictures taken after stake conference that I feel ok posting):

Sometimes we go to Chalk the Block and it is always amazing!

Sometimes, we try to take cool pictures up the canyon with all the changing colors, but then we go too late and it gets dark too quick. We still took pictures though.

 

I tried again later with my sister and it turned out a little better:

 And I have been crafting a little.

And seeing my cousin play hockey for Utah State. 

 And enjoying decorating for fall! I loved this bouquet of pumpkins I found!

Here were two hard goodbyes: 

And that is enough random pictures/words for one day.