a beautiful sea.

This past Saturday was one of my favorite Saturdays in a while. A few months ago, Drew and I made a day date out of driving up to Salt Lake City to see a double feature at the Broadway, an independent film theater that is part of the Salt Lake Film Society (SLFS). We are big supporters of the SLFS and love that we get the treat to see some great indie flicks that don't always make it down to Provo. We figured we'd have to do it again once all of the Sundance favorites began trickling into select theaters. So on Saturday, we did just that! The day started with Sing Street, then we tried out the new Nordstrom Grill for dinner, finishing off with a late night viewing of Swiss Army Man. I'm still thinking about both movies, so I felt the need to share the goodness over here!

Sing Street is officially my new favorite movie of 2016. It's the kind of movie I could watch over and over again, and I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy it. It's the perfect amount of happy sad. The characters are lovable and hilarious: teenage boys without the teenage angst, who would do anything for their ~art~. And don't even get me started on the music here. When we discussed the movie over dinner, Drew said that it was exactly the kind of movie he wants to make one day. He's always said that if (when!!) he makes a movie, he wants it to be either set in the 80's, or have a score of all 80's music. I've been listening to the soundtrack non-stop since Saturday. The songs that weren't originally written for the movie (all of which are brilliant and incredibly catchy) include the hits of Duran Duran, A-ha, The Cure, and more. What's not to love?? I can't rave about this movie enough! So go watch it now!

"Maybe you're living in my world. I'm not living in yours. You're just material for my songs." 

-Cosmo

 "The problem is, you're not being happy sad. That's what love is, Cosmo. Happy sad." -Raphina

Swiss Army Man was a totally different story. I hesitate to recommend this to everyone because it caused quite the stir at the Sundance premiere, with several people actually walking out of the theater throughout the movie. So yes, it's weird. It's downright disgusting at times. But it's also tender, beautiful, and magical. In summary, Daniel Radcliffe's lifeless body brings Paul Dano's character, a suicidal castaway, back to life. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, and most people agree that it's impossible to categorize. It's a heartwarming story of life and friendship, told in the most imaginative, demented, and visionary way possible. Again, the music is what's really selling it to me! The story dips in tandem with the phenomenal compositions by Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull and Robert McDowell, with Paul and Daniel helping along with the sound effects in the most hilarious ways. It's the kind of movie that you still think about and talk about with those who watched it with you. So please, if you do venture to see this, let's discuss!

Manny: "You want to go home so you can have love, but you ran away because nobody loves you."

Hank: "Shut up! You can't just say everything that comes into your head, that's bad talking!"

"Before the Internet every girl was a lot more special." -Hank

"If my best friend hides his farts from me then what else is he hiding from me, and why does that make me feel so alone?" -Manny

^^the kind of disturbing yet real questions that really make you think !

Both soundtracks are now on Spotify so I recommend that you 1. Go watch both movies and then 2. Proceed to listen to the soundtracks for a good time! 

I love movies and I love the SLFS so much. I owe it to the fact that I married a huge film buff who has given me an even greater appreciation for the art of filmmaking. I'm trying to make this a thing to write more movie reviews on here, so we'll see how it goes!

the graduate.

When I first received my acceptance letter to Brigham Young University a week before my 17th birthday, I was just ready to get out of Amish Country, PA. I chose a school farther west than anyone else in my high school's graduating class. Moving to Utah meant living thousands of miles away from almost everyone I knew, and that I would only see my family on Christmas and summer breaks. Four years later, I can say with utmost certainty that it was the best experience and the smartest decision of my entire life.

 

In four years, I gained a lot of knowledge. I took dozens of science classes among the brilliant minds of pre-professionals, sometimes feeling extremely inadequate in those giant lecture halls as I did so. I confirmed that I hated Chemistry more than any other subject in the world, and that I loved Anatomy as much as I hated Chemistry. I learned how to speak a little bit of Tagalog and Icelandic. I had the privilege to learn from and get to know some very wise professors. I spent a lot of hours in the Harold B. Lee Library, wrote a lot of papers, studied a lot of flashcards, and consumed a lot of gallons of Sodalicious.

In four years, I learned a lot about people and even more about myself. I've met some of the smartest, coolest, funniest, and most spiritually minded individuals in the world and I am now lucky to call them my best friends. I learned to only make time for the people who make time for you. I learned that Halloween is a huge deal once you get to college, and that an iPod dance party is the best form of therapy. I discovered 15 different concert venues in Utah where I attended 30+ shows. I realized how much I enjoyed grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking for myself. I learned how to be outdoorsy, because this state is too pretty not to take advantage of it. I learned that sometimes you just have to cry or laugh it off when school/work/dating/life sucks. I cried over boys and I laughed over boys too (read: shared countless bad date stories with girlfriends). I got asked out a grand total of zero times throughout my entire freshman year and somehow started off my senior year with a husband.

In four years, I gained a true testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know for a fact that there is no other school in the world where I would've had the same spiritual experience as I did in this tiny bubble that is Provo, Utah. I went from living in a town where I was one out of ten Mormons in my high school to attending church in campus classrooms because there are thousands of us within a two mile radius. We started most classes with a prayer and professors tied in the Gospel to almost every secular topic. I had the privilege of attending General Conference multiple times. I have the ability to visit nine different temples within an hour from my house. I learned how to really pray, and how to trust in God's time-table instead of my own.

This turned into a sappy, wordy, love-fest real fast, but I'll close with this. I love Brigham Young University so very much. I will bleed blue until my dying day. I pray that one day my future children will get the chance to have a similar college experience here at the Y. I think I now know what it means to be an adult and I definitely know I would not be the person I am today if I spent these past four years anywhere else. 

COUGAR 4 LYFE.

((So what does a young, poor, married couple do right after finishing their undergraduate career?!? Travel to Europe, of course!! Fun fact, it's past midnight here in Reykjavík as I finish writing this post because the jetlag struggle is real. To follow along on our European adventures these next two weeks, you can check out my Instagram. I will be obnoxiously posting on there until I lose 50% of my followers. Cool! Bye!))

twenty-two.

I turned 22 this weekend and I didn't even post a single v-day-b-day picture to commemorate it. Who am I ?! 24601?? Maybe this means I've finally outgrown my indulgent social media ways...HA doubtful. Guess I was too busy ~*makin' memories*~ to take any pictures. SORRY MOM (and everyone else who scolded me for it). 

On Friday my sweet hubs threw me a party at our apartment with all of our friends! I promise people came, but as mentioned before, I didn't take any pictures during the party and only remembered to do so once everyone was gone. But it really was such a fun time.

 I had to at least document the cute decorations my homegirl Dez helped with (aka did all the work for while I sat and we chatted)

The party theme was 1994. Naturally this meant a playlist of 1994's best hits, as well as print outs of 1994's pop culture highlights.

 Hello, it's me.

After the party, Treat Yo Self weekend ensued! Drew booked reservations at the Zermatt Resort & Spa for Saturday night and it was the best and most relaxing time. I truly felt like a queen all weekend. We ate our way through Park City Main Street with dinner at Yuki Yama Sushi, and then brunch the following morning at the Riverhorse on Main. Both very delicious. Once we got back to Provo, we headed to the movies for a special 30th anniversary screening of Pretty in Pink! This was such a happy birthday coincidence because it was only in theaters that day, AND it is one of my favorite movies! Molly Ringwald is my original Queen Bee. After the movie, Drew cooked me a a fancy steak dinner. He is the best husband and Valentine.

Literally the only picture to document anything that day, and it turned out terribly.

Shout-out to our presidents for giving us a three-day-weekend so the birthday fun could continue even longer! I know most people in Utah think that the Midway Ice Castles are overrated, but I have never been so that was another birthday request of mine. Honestly I was over it in about 20 minutes, but it was still quite a marvel to behold. Utah is really cool sometimes!!

I saved the best for last...the most exciting part of the whole weekend was that Drew and I booked a much anticipated trip we are leaving for right after graduation!! We have been talking about it for months now, but finally made it official on Monday! We spent hours planning and mapping things out after booking our tickets. It is the craziest and I cannot WAIT. Also, Monday was February 15th which just so happened to be the day Drew proposed to me last year in Central Park. We kind of forgot about it amidst all the excitement, but looking back on it, I couldn't have picked a better way to celebrate!!!

 Cutest lil birthday presents from my dude!

<3

Shout-outs to Drew for treating me like a valentine birthday queen all weekend long, my friends who partied with me and showered me with cards, gifts, and treats, and anyone else who wished me happy birthday in some form or another. I'm feelin' 22 and it's feelin' pretty great so far! 

happy guac/awk/october

October is almost over guys! If I'm being honest, my feelings about fall are pretty indifferent. Sorry to my white girls everywhere. Out of the four seasons, it is my second to least favorite after winter (the devil's hour). Pumpkins are just OK, I prefer sundresses and sandals over sweaters and boots, and I haven't had a PSL in over a year but I think I'll live. I am just a warm weather kind of gal, and when you live in an area that rarely reaches temperatures over 50 for five months in the year and you're hardly seen without your sleeping bag coat, you really cherish those bright sunshine-y days. 

Fall does have a few redeeming qualities though. I love guacamole and ever since my favorite twitter account Awkward Girl deemed this month Guactober, the month when you celebrate by eating copious amounts of guacamole, I figured I should follow suit. Also, Halloween is just around the corner and I am very very excited about my costume this year :) I typically never put much thought or effort into a costume, but this year I thought it would be fun and I cannot wait to debut it so stay tuned! Another great thing about fall is apples. Apples are delicious and I have found so many easy, yummy recipes to utilize the abundance of apples this season. My favorites so far can be found here and here. I tried the second recipe over waffles on General Conference weekend (another wonderful aspect of the season. If you missed it, watch/read/listen here!) at Drew's apartment, and it was well received by those boys. Both are so simple but so delicious!

The best part about fall in Utah is fall in the mountains. Everyone and their mother--minus me-- drove up Alpine Loop last weekend, because that was when the trees were in their prime. Fall in the mountains is akin to an avocado. Stay with me guys: you anticipate the moment for a while and get really antsy, and then BOOM for one glorious hour (or one to two weeks) it's perfect and then just as suddenly everything turns brown and dies. #dark but true. I was determined to catch the end of the golden hour so after church on Sunday, Drew and I did just that. Many of the  leaves had already fallen, but if you drove farther up the Loop, the aspen trees still had gloriously yellow and orange hues and it was a beaut. Plus the mountains are majestic any time of year. So if you haven't already, take a drive up the canyon before everything is dead, get crafting on those Halloween costumes, and eat as much guacamole as possible because October is quickly coming to an end!

"October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came-

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, 

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band."

-George Cooper

life elevated

"Everything the light touches is our kingdom" -Mufasa

After living in Utah for almost two years, I've realized just how little I have really seen of this great state. "Trust me, I"m not a big nature girl" (name that movie!), but I made it a goal this summer to be more outdoorsy and visit some of Utah's finest destinations. I started by tackling the second highest summit of the Wasatch Moutains: Mt. Timpanogos, elevation: 11,749 ft. Me, Yuki, and two new friends Daniel and Kayleigh began the 15 mile hike at 1 A.M. in order to reach the peak by sunrise. I don't think I would have been able to hike this at any other time of day, tbh. Hiking in the dark removes the psychological effect of seeing just how steep and tough the rest of the trail is ahead of you. Walking blindly gives you no indication of how much longer you have to go, so you just keep going. The last hour of the hike to the peak was the coldest and toughest since the trail turned into mostly loose rock and required legitimate rock climbing, but we made it to with two minutes to spare before the 6:07 A.M. sunrise. Those first five hours were definitely worth the absolutely incredible view.

sun at sunrise

moon at sunrise

After taking a quick nap on some rocks, we ventured back down the mountain, which was about a thousand times tougher for me than on the way up. It was hella treacherous on the rocks and occasional snow, not to mention significantly hotter in the daytime. However, it was amazing hiking down the same trail and actually looking around you this time at all of the #neature. UTAH IS RAD, GUYS. No really, there is an entire instagram account to prove it. It was crazy to look at my surroundings and back up to the peak thinking, "how in the world did I just hike that?!" Once the parking lot was in site I nearly collapsed from relief. We were all exhausted and yet exhilarated, so a trip to In-N-Out was definitely in order :) Alhough I will probably not hike Timp again for a LONG time, it was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done and made me even more grateful for my opportunity to attend school in this incredible place. For the beauty of the Earth, y'all. 

blinded/oranged by the sunrise

leaving our mark in the little hut at the summit

WE DID IT!

running through fields of wildflowers was easily my favorite part of the hike

dem colors doe

OKAY UTAH, I SEE YOU.

goodness gracious i can't seem to stop

I think the title of this post encapsulates my attitude toward concerts perfectly (also they're lyrics to one of my favorite Ellie songs so like, duh). Anyone who knows me knows that I prefer to spend my time/money at a concert over most things in life. This past week was one of the happiest I've had in a while because I was lucky enough to attend three concerts by three of my favorites artists of all time. Spring and summer are the most wonderful times of the year not only because they mean no school and warmer weather, but also because summer tours kick off. It just so happened that these three particular tours all stopped in Utah within a week of each other. I'm not even mad. So here's a recap/review!

CHVRCHES- The Depot, Salt Lake City 4/22/14

When I first heard that CHVRCHES were coming to Utah on April 22nd, I had a minor heart attack because it was during finals week so I didn't think I'd be able to go. JOKES of course I still went. It was the last night of finals week so I justified this by making it a goal to finish all finals before the last day so I could party with CHVRCHES! ...That didn't happen either and I still ended up taking a final on that last day, but I did fine and it was still the best way to end the semester. I went with Drew, Desireé, and Andy and we all had a svper fvn time. This was the first show I've been to at The Depot and I loved it! It's small and intimate and the crowd was pretty chill. Lauren Mayberry, the lead singer, is so adorable and actually looks like a 12-year-old girl but she sounded just as good live. Dancing to the sweet synth-pop beats of CHVRCHES was the perfect way to say goodbye to winter semester. PS school's out, scream and shout! I love spring so far because I'm not taking classes and working at my receptionist job for BYU's Evening Classes office full-time. This means reading, snacking, scrolling tumblr, taking trips to the creamery, and occassionally answering phones and filling out excel spreadsheets for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It rulez and CHVRCHES rulez and everyone should go see them. 

Ingrid Michaelson- In The Venue, Salt Lake City 4/29/14

This was the fourth time I've seen Ingrid in concert because she is one of my all-time favorite artists and I love love love seeing her live. She is so cute, funny and witty and has the voice of an angel. The second time I saw her was in Philly two years ago with Desireé. Desireé's mom drove us both and just waited for us until the concert was done. Sis. Miller is like a second mother to me out here at school and I was so excited that she bought herself a ticket too so she could enjoy the concert with us! She even brought us bags of Cool Ranch Doritos again. (But that's another story you should ask me about if I haven't told you already).We all love Ingrid and she never disappoints. I first fell in love with her when I heard 'Keep Breathing' on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, so that song was definitely one of the highlights of the evening. Her band is all so talented as well and I was a big fan of one of her openers, Storyman. Although Ingrid's sound has changed quite a bit over the years from her first albums, I love her just the same and will continue to see her when she tours again.

Ellie Goulding- The Great Saltair, Magna 5/1/14

This concert and this day will forever be one of my fondest concert memories because it was awesome and insane and perfect. I've said this before but Ellie is my #1 girl crush and I have been looking forward to the next time I would see her since I first saw her last February. I don't think I've been this anxious for a concert since the glory days of my Jonas Brothers obsession. Desireé and I planned on camping out all day long at the venue because we were determined to be front row center for this chick. And we did just that. We were the very first ones in line and I know we're crazy but IT WAS WORTH IT. In fact, the wait wasn't even that bad because it was a beautiful day outside and we made friends with some awesome individuals. Me, Desireé, and four other Ellie-obsessed fans were in line first so we figured we should get to know each other since we would be hanging out for the next seven hours. All of them were concert junkies much like ourselves. Not to mention they were all in high school. Listening to them swap concert stories about all the times they've roadtripped to shows and met bands made me realize how much cooler they were than I ever was in high school. They were all so sweet and I was glad we all made it to the front row for the show together. We even swapped contact info with all of them so I'm sure I'll be seeing them again soon at the Utah concert scene! OH and shortly before doors opened, Desireé and I carried our stuff back to the car and when we did a white van drove right by us and ELLIE GOULDING WAS IN THE BACKSEAT. She's so sneaky and had everyone thinking she arrived in one of the tour buses earlier but NOPE there was no mistaking her. She smiled at us and I'm pretty sure my mouth was agape and I almost dropped everything in my hands. So THAT was amazing and just made me even more excited to watch her perform in a few short hours.

OK SO ABOUT THE CONCERT. Easily in my top five favorites of all time. I was actually terrified once I was at the railing and had flashbacks of how terrible the Saltair was in the past and how rough the crowds got. I imagined myself getting trampled and thought I would probably have a more enjoyable time in the back. OH HOW WRONG I WAS. For future reference, if you are directly against the barrier in the front row, it's not even that bad. If you're toward the front but not quite front row...good luck and godspeed because the people directly behind me were getting the worst of it. Of course there were still moments when I thought my organs were permanently rearranged as I was smushed against the railing, but I've been in worse situations (like the time I had to be lifted up and out of the crowd at Passion Pit because I was scared for my life). So the concert was perfect and I had the best seat in the house. She is so fabulous and FUN. Below I added a video that I took during the concert so you can all witness what an amazing performer she is. Not only her, but her backup singers were flawless and I loved watching them. She had such a long setlist too and I didn't want it to end. When it sadly did, Desiree and I took our exhausted but exhilarated selves to In-n-Out, our post-concert tradition. If you did the math correctly that means YES we went to In-n-Out a total of three times in a matter of nine days. You can judge me because I hate myself too. Our diet starts tomorrow. I can't express how blessed I am to have a friend who is crazy enough to go to all the same concerts, and go to such lengths to make it the best experience for both of us. If it wasn't for her, who even knows if we would have attended the majority of the concerts we've been to together. Love ya Dezmillz. 

Anything Could Happen:

Congratulations if you've made it through this entire post as I gave you the play-by-play of my past week. It was certainly one for the books and I am so grateful I was able to attend these shows with my friends (and made some new friends in the process!) I've had the best time and I cannot wait for what the rest of the spring and summer concert scene has in store for me!

films, fangirling, & furs

DAY 1-Park City: 

     Sundance Film Festival 2014 is winding down in Utah this year as it approaches the end of its 10 days of movie premieres, concerts, celebrity panels and parties. I was lucky enough to go three different days, at three of the four locations of the festival (Park City, SLC, and Ogden). Last Saturday me, my roommates and our good friend Ethan ventured to Sundance in Park City. After seeing just how many celebs flew in on Friday and would be there opening weekend, we decided to go up and make a day out of stalking celebrities and roaming all of the fun shops and restaurants that Park City Main Street has to offer.

     Our celebrity sightings this year were significantly more impressive than last year. But aside from going in the hopes of meeting celebrities, Sundance is easily one of the best events to go to people-watch. So. Many. Fur. Coats. I will admit that I do eventually want to own a fur vest, and Sundance is one of the few places it is socially acceptable to wear one. So now I just want one even more. But seriously, the get-ups at Sundance are like none other. You see some of the most stylish and hip-looking people, but then you also see half-naked girls sitting on top of cars with massive wigs resembling ice cream on top of their heads. I spotted the following A-D list celebrities along Main Street, and I even shook hands with Mark Ruffalo as he walked by! 

Zoe Saldana

Mark Ruffalo

Zach Braff

Matthew Gray Gubler

Joe Maginello

Naveen Andrews

Alex Ebert

Richard Ayoade

Melissa Benoist

Rhett & Link

I may or may not have crept on Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana through
a glass door until they were done with an interview outside on the balcony.
 they had to come inside at some point, right? hehe

one big, happy, polyg family (it's okay, we can joke about it because we're mormon. what?)

AirBNB Haus. this fun little lodge/cafe looked pretty cool from the outside, so I ventured inside to
a). use the bathroom
b). get a closer look at the vintage/country/cabin-inspired décor

Olive & Tweed. suuuper cute clothing store along Main Street.
it's like an anthropologie/francesca's mash-up of wonder.

oh yeah, and then we stumbled upon some of Banksy's artwork too.

DAY 2-Salt Lake City: 

     When the announcement of the Sundance line-up and schedule came out, I was prepared to do whatever it took to buy tickets for at least one movie. After many stressful minutes on my work computer and panicking with Abby on the phone while the site repeatedly crashed on us, I bought four tickets for "Happy Christmas," a movie directed by Joe Swanberg starring two of my favorite female celebs: Lena Dunham and Anna Kendrick. Let me tell you, it certainly did not disappoint! Joe's movies typically do not have much of a script, so a lot of what you see is totally improv, which makes it that much funnier. All of the actors were so hilarious and candid and I loved every second of it. Best part of the evening? After the movie, Joe Swanberg himself came onstage to answer questions from the audience and afterwards, we bolted out of the theater in the hopes of meeting him. AND WE DID. He was so friendly and humbled that we even knew who he was, much less asked for pictures with him. Cori was brave enough to ask him a question and she did so quite eloquently. You could totally tell he was impressed because she actually knew what she was talking about. Go Cori! Also, shout-out to Abby for introducing us to Joe Swanberg in the first place. She has been trying to get us to watch another one of his movies, "Drinking Buddies" and has been raving about his work and the mumblecore genre as a whole for months now. We continued fangirling on the ride home and it was totally worth having to wake up four hours later for work the next morning. It was the perfect ending to my MLK weekend.

necessary 

illegal spy pics in the theater

Q&A with Joe 

OMG [JOE SWANBERG] I LOVE YOUR WORK.
(10 points to gryffindor if you can name that quote with the correct celeb)

roommates that obsess over indie films together, stay together

DAY 3-Ogden:
Sadly, tomorrow is the last day of the festival, but last night me, John, Desireé, and Garrett were able to go for one last screening and saw "Mitt," a documentary about Mitt Romney. After watching the trailer (five times), I was so excited that I snagged tickets to watch it at Sundance. But don't fret, it's now streaming on Netflix and I advise everyone to go watch it. It was such an intimate look at his life during the 2008 and 2012 elections, and shows how brutal a presidential campaign (much less TWO) is on the candidate as well as his family. At certain parts I felt as though I was re-living the election, so I became sad all over again. I loved the scenes that showed the Romney family talking and joking with each other, and there are several scenes of them praying together. The documentary has been said to have a 'humanizing' effect on Mitt Romney, and one friend of mine even said "if I watched this movie before the election, I might have voted for him." I loved it and I wouldn't be surprised if future candidates release their own documentaries before election night.

Sorry for the novel, but I had such a wonderful week at Sundance and I feel so lucky that I attend BYU and I can go every winter. My goal for next year is to meet Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I am determined to do so before I graduate/leave Utah. I had such a fun time with friends and I loved having the opportunity to watch these amazing films and see the talent of everyone involved in them. I just love movies a lot. Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend!