trust.

So, I'm moving to California in 4 days. 4 days! I'm at that point where I'm freaking out just a little, but in a good way. It's more of an excited freaking out instead of a nervous one. To be honest, I haven't been really nervous about this move, which I take as a good sign. Ever since I made the decision to go, I've felt very peaceful. I'm even pretty proud of my packing skills, I've thrown out everything I don't use anymore, and let me tell you that getting rid of junk is one of the best feelings in the world.

Last year, at the start of 2013, I chose a word that I wanted to focus on. That word was "calm." I wanted to have more of it, be more of it, and recognize more of it. And I'm happy to say that, while I wasn't perfect with it, I think I was pretty successful. Whenever I'd have some sort of freak-out, I tried my darndest to focus and relax. And you know what? It works. 

This year, for 2014, my new word is "trust." I'm going to be completely honest when I say that 2013 gave me quite a bruising in the relationships area, both in dating and friendships. I know everyone goes through things like that, but for some reason in 2013 I lost a lot of confidence in people, and because of that, I lost confidence in myself. I noticed that I became very distrustful of people, because past experiences convinced me that everyone was going to let me down. It was rough. 

But now that it's 2014 {happy New Year, by the way!}, my goal is to really trust others, to lose the pessimism I was holding onto. Not everyone wants me to fail, not everyone wants to hurt me. I just need to find those people. :) And most importantly, I need to trust myself. I'm a little terrified about new jobs and new experiences when I move, and I'm nervous that I'm not going to trust that I can do hard things. But I need to. I need to trust that I'm capable of doing amazing things, just like we all are. I need to trust that other people want to help me, and I need to trust that God is on my side. 

So here's to you, 2014. You good looking year, you! I have a feeling that you're going to rock. While 2013 does hold some special memories, I'm glad that it's over. And I'm excited to see what's in store for all of us this year. What are some of your goals? I'd love to hear them!

Read about my 2013 word here. 

fall goals and such.

Can you believe that September is, like, 30 seconds away? I can't. And as we know, for a little while I was kicking and screaming about it, as one does. But the mountains are just so darn beautiful right now and my sweaters are shouting at me that it's time to bust them out, so I'm getting a little bit more excited about this whole Fall thing.

Because I'm ridiculous, I love when a new season starts, because for me it's a time to start over, you know? To set new goals, to leap out of my comfort zone and all that stuff. And I've got some pretty fun goals in mind for myself, so by putting them here I'm counting on you all to hold me accountable, deal? Deal. So here we go:

1. Go to the temple once a week
2. Go to the gym consistently
3. Read the Book of Mormon by December 31
4. Start training for Ragnar in November
5. Read a book a month
6. Listen to/read a Conference talk every day
7. Save money {I spent a little too much this summer but...it was worth it}
8. Do some sort of act of service whenever I can

How does that all sound? Bring it on, September.

a weekend in the outdoors.

On Saturday morning I woke up to this. Well...I didn't really wake up to it, since I actually never went to bed on Friday night. I was busy checking hiking Mount Timpanogos off of my bucket list. And 10 hours, 13 miles, and legs that still feel like Jell-O later, it was pretty darn worth it. It was a spontaneous trip up the mountain, and at first I debated actually going, because let's face it, as much as I wish I was a hiker...I'm not. And while there were a few times on my way up the mountain that I was convinced that my legs weren't going to carry my weight any further, they did. Way to go, legs! It was tough, but it was the kind of tough that in the end made me say to myself, "Yeah! You owned that mountain!"And those are the best kind of toughs, aren't they?

^^ Really though, you get all sorts of close to people just to stay warm once you reach the top.

The next day, as if hiking wasn't enough to ruin my legs for a while, I went geocaching for the first time. In case you don't know what geocaching is, let me put it this way: treasure hunting for adults who secretly want to feel like they're 7 year old pirates again. Or maybe that's just me? Anyway, who knew so many people do it? Apparently in Provo alone there are hundreds of little treasures hidden for people to find. Kind of cool, right? I was pretty proud of myself when I was put in charge of finding a certain geocache and found it almost instantly. I always knew Jack Sparrow and I were kindred spirits.

 In other news around these parts, Shark Week. And also, I wrote this post about my favorite book for Striving Onward. Happy Wednesday and happy August!

lacking some serious motivation.

First of all, the above cookies have nothing to do with this post, I made them last week and they turned out just perfect if I do say so myself. Why is it that when you make cookies to give away, rather than to eat all by yourself, they taste better than normal? Does anyone else have this problem?

Tomorrow is Monday, and I'm not motivated to get everything done that I have to do. Every Sunday I write out my list of goals for the week, and this week's list covered two pages. Kill me dead. Packing, cleaning, getting ready to move, it's all a nightmare. But I've got a few goals I really want to complete, and I'd love it if you'll be the kick I need to get them all done. Help me please? Here they are:

1. Read the New Testament every day
2. Go to the gym at least 3 times
3. Go to the temple
4. Say more meaningful prayers
5. Listen to/read a General Conference talk each day
6. Eat at home

That's not too bad, right? Today in Sunday School and Relief Society we talked about becoming perfect, and while we know that here on earth that's impossible, we can do small things perfectly each day. I love that. So this week I want to be perfect in my gym attendance, I want to be perfect in reading my Scriptures every day, etc. and etc.

Bring it on, week. And I can already say that Saturday can't come soon enough. I hope your week is shaping up to be a little bit better than mine!

24 things for my 24th year, 17-24.

17. Simplify. At some point this year I want to gather all my crap, and just purge wherever I can. Clothes, papers, everything. I want to be a minimalist.

18. Visit Colorado. Fun fact: half my friends are from Colorado, all by coincidence. So this has taught me that Colorado must be pretty rad. Therefore, I need to visit. My friend Rachel wants to see a concert at Red Rocks, which I'm dying to do, maybe this summer.

19. Minimize the social media. Guys, I love Instagram. I do. I love Twitter and Facebook and all those other things, but sometimes I wonder if I let them get in the way of my life. So I'm going to cut back a little bit and focus on having real, meaningful conversations with people, face-to-face.

20. Reread my mom's old journals. Before I went to college my mom let me read a few of her journals that she kept while she was at BYU, and I'd love to read them again and see how alike we really are. Because sometimes I feel like I'm mini-her.

21. Apply for a job in London, just for kicks. And if I get it? Then maybe I'll move to London. :)

22. Throw a big, bad, golden birthday party. I turn 24 on the 24th, which means this birthday is extra special. I'd also like to wear a tiara. I imagine I'd react something like this:

23. Find a place where I can have a "regular." You know in TV shows and movies where the characters are so well-known at the place they eat at that the waiters know exactly what they want already? Like that.

24. Be a better photographer. I haven't been the best at taking pictures of different events in my life, and someday I know I'll regret that. So here's to saving up for a newer, better camera, and making sure important memories get documented. 

So there it is. This is a big ol' list, and who knows if I'll be able to do all of it, but a girl can dream, right? Here's to 24, and the bangin' year it's shaping up to be.

To read 1-16, click here and here. And thanks for hanging in there with me!

24 things for my 24th year, 9-16.

9. Go on a roadtrip by myself. For some reason I've always thought it would be fun to drive back to California or somewhere else alone, with just myself, some peace and quiet, and a few books on CD.

10. Finish journal #8. I've been consistently keeping a journal since I was 11, and I've been writing in my current one for over two years. It's time to finish it.

11. Start having my journals made into books. Cool right? I figure my progeny would appreciate it {what a cool word, progeny}.

12. Buy a sewing machine. My mom made things all the time for me when I was little, including dress up clothes, Halloween costumes, and oh-so-fashionable church dresses, and that's a talent I'd like to master.

13. Master a difficult recipe. I've always loved cooking and I've collected some pretty impressive cookbooks over the years. There are a couple recipes in these books that I'm a little too terrified to try out because of the level of difficulty, but I'm going to do it.

14. Be more artsy-craftsy. This kind of goes with idea #12, but I've never been into crafting. I can appreciate a good craft, but the patience and talent to make something, I don't have. But how neat would it be to have some bangin' curtains or a bedspread or something and say, "Yeah, I made that."?

15. Watch "Star Wars" and "LOTR" all the way through. I've never been a science fiction/fantasy person {other than Harry Potter, of course}. Indiana Jones? You bet. Han Solo? Not so much. I've been told countless times I need to watch these trilogies all the way through without falling asleep. So at some point this year, I'm going to pick a Saturday, plant my flag on a couch, maybe wear a Snuggie, and watch. Want to join?

16. Get regular dental/medical/skin check-ups. Maybe this is TMI, but there are a few illnesses floating around in my extended family that I don't want. So this is going to be a priority.

The final list, 17-24, tomorrow! To see 1-8, click here.

24 things for my 24th year, 1-8.

This year I turn the big ol' 2-4. I'll be honest, I'm excited for it, but a little terrified. My mid-twenties, y'all. That's exciting and scary and amazing and incredible all at the same time. While I like where I'm at with my life, I'm not where I thought I'd be at 24. Which is okay. If I've learned anything in the last 4 or 5 years, it's that I have to trust Heavenly Father and believe that He's got a bigger plan for me. Because He does.

I'm an avid reader of C.Jane's blog, and she's doing a series of posts about the 36 things she wants to do the year she turns 36. Something about that really inspired me, so I'm jumping on that bandwagon. This took a lot of thought, because I've got so many things I want to do and it's a little overwhelming to narrow them down. But I'm going to try my darndest.

1. Read a book a month. In high school I was the girl who picked a good book over a lot of other things, and once I got to college I lost that drive because reading for fun made me feel guilty when I had homework to do. But as a post-grad, we know I've got time. On my list for this year: "Les Miserables" again, all of Malcom Gladwell's books, and most of the books on this list that I haven't read yet.

2. Spend a week in a big city. New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Seattle are a few cities on my list that I'd like to explore.

3. Learn to play the ukulele. This one is a little silly, but I have a friend who plays it when she sings to her little kids, and I love that. Plus there's something about listening to it that throws me onto a beach in Hawaii, and you can't beat that.

4. Watch more foreign films and documentaries. I want to come away from movies feeling more educated and cultured. The International Cinema was one of my favorite things about BYU, and I miss it a little bit. And Netflix is full of some interesting documentaries that I'm dying to see.

5. Get my French back. Studying that language was one of my favorite things in high school and college, and I want to be fluent. And maybe for my 25th year I'll take a trip to Paris or Nice and use it. ;)

6. Run a half marathon. I'm not a runner. I wish I was, but I've just never latched onto it. I've made the goal to do a half-marathon almost every year for a long time, but I've always given up. Not this time!

7. Go to more concerts. Seeing Coldplay last year was one of the most amazing experiences EVER {sounds cliché, I know}, but there's something about seeing and hearing the music you love up close and personal.

8. Mentor someone. I have a list of people in my life who I would consider mentors, whether they know it or not. I know how much their examples have helped me, and I'd give anything to do that for someone else.

9-16 coming tomorrow!