from lp with love

Not having cell service for a weekend can really do a person good. Especially when there is wake-boarding, tubing, jet-skiing, kayaking, and hiking to get done. This past weekend was spent at beautiful Lake Powell in Page, AZ with Drew's family and friends on their houseboat. This was my second annual visit to LP with the Tekulve's, but sadly our stay was much shorter this time around. Due to dumb school and dumb work we couldn't stay for the full week, but packed every activity we possibly could in 48 hours, resulting in having to live in our incredibly sore, tan/burnt, tired bodies at work the following Monday. Highlights of the weekend included the glow stick dance party on the top deck the first night we arrived, sleeping under the many many stars that can only be witnessed at Powell, and hiking up to Rainbow Bridge which made Delicate Arch look like a joke.

Truthfully, these are pretty much the only pictures from the whole weekend. In fact, I didn't even take them. I asked Drew to take a few for me and the rest of the time our phones were tucked away. This was partially due to the fact that the entire lake looked like this (beautiful, blue water, red rocks, sky for miles...YAWN) so there wasn't much else to document. Unless you wanted to see my siiiiiick wake-boarding skills...in which case I apologize because they are non-existent. Also, I'm trying this thing where I am not constantly taking pictures of my whereabouts. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in 'pics or it didn't happen', but sometimes when you witness something so beautiful in nature, a picture just doesn't do it justice. It's best to just keep the snapshot of it in your mind and save it in its truest form in your memory bank. Furthermore, Snapchatting or Tweeting pictures of every tidbit of your day loses the intimacy of whatever moment you shared with those people in the present. Enjoy the time you have at the place you're at, with the people you're with and just take the necessary pictures. You're only going to Instagram the best one anyway.

Until next year LP!

all the feels.

I am a very nostalgic person. I keep every note, letter, postcard, and invite I receive in a toolbox I found at a vintage market. I keep a numbered list of every concert I've ever attended with the date, location, and opening acts featured ( PS- I reached #50 last week at Chromeo ft. ODESZA and it rocked). Speaking of vintage markets, I also love visiting those things more than life itself. Something about old artifacts/clothes/straight up junk make my heart sing. I look back at old photos and watch old videos on my phone more often than I care to admit. Recently, everything has been making me nostalgic and I just want time to stop. Please?

Desiree's 21st birthday soiree // Cori's backyard bridal shower

Freshman year in David John Hall feels like forever ago, and yet recent e-mails back and forth to my freshman roommate Lindsay (who is currently serving in Cebu, Philippines and will be home in one month--yes, I am the worst for just now e-mailing her) and updating her on my life makes three years seem very short at the same time. This summer, everything really is changing. Girls are getting married (like me?!? LOLWUT?!) Best friends are leaving on missions, people are graduating and moving away and getting real-life jobs and I don't understand how any of us are old enough for this! I know this happens all the time to everyone because life, but this is the first time it has been so applicable and personal to me. This morning I saw my dear Abby for the last time for at least 18 months, who is now at the Provo Missionary Training Center as we speak. She will be the coolest and classiest sister missionary that ever graced Kansas. She is my most glam friend and will be my "A" date forever. I know she will change the lives of so many people and everyone she comes in contact with will feel of her sweet spirit.

Remember when she quoted Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" in her farewell talk? We all do.

Everything about this summer and beyond makes me nervous, but excited (#namethatquote). My thoughts are mostly consumed by my own wedding, but all of my friends are embarking on new, scary, and amazing adventures and I don't know when we'll all be together again, especially my little Wyview Crew that I have grown so close to after meeting at the beginning of our freshman year. Hearing about their stories via e-mails/Instagram posts and not being together to chat until 3 AM is just not the same! BRB crying. Not to mention life AFTER the wedding?? Ha ha ha yeah that is uncharted territory. I am thrilled beyond belief/on the brink of tears whenever I think about all the things that go with it. Just a lot of feelings right now. Mostly I just want time to stop so I can sit back, breathe, and then probably cry some more. So if that could happen, I would greatly appreciate it. THX BAIII.