I left my heart in San Francisco

San Francisco is probably one of my most favorite places that I visit (so far)  There is just something about the hustle and bustle or the new yet familiarity of the city that excites me and makes me want to go back every weekend! This last week I went with my friend, Tom, who's from France and to see him sit in awe and fall in love with the city made me reflect on how lucky I am to live so close to it. Obviously he probably has a similar feel with France and hopefully one day I can go out and visit him and drool over his country's beauty, but for now I will do that over wherever I can get in my little Honda CRV! 

Funny memory of that day: we started out in Union Square, then walked through China town trying to find California socks for Tom. Didn't find any- so we decided to go shopping at Abercrombie over on Market Street! It was a nice walk, we got there, shopped, had lunch. There was a lost credit card and another turn of events... Long story short, we walked a lot. 

But we didn't mind! Around every corner was such a beautiful sight. We most definitely looked like tourists, trying to capture the beauty we were seeing with our eyes. Most of the time, our cameras could not do justice. Then I had the lovely idea to show him Pier 39! If any of you don't know, that is about an hour and twenty minutes walking on foot. Which we decided to do. Haha at least we burned off some calories from the food we had eaten! 

Such a good sport :')

After that I could not even fathom turning around to walk back so we hopped on one of those seats where a guy on a bike drives you around. And to think the day couldn't get better! It was so fun to be able to sit and just look around. George was a very good tour guide and saved us from walking our feet off.

I know I just took forever to tell a short story of my day in the bay, but I just love reminiscing! Especially now that tom went home and I won't be able to ever relive this day! I had such a perfect travel companion, who had a great taste in music and was such a fun, crazy, adventurous companion that went with the flow with me! 

Merci pour la mémoire, San Francisco! ❤️ 

& see you soon my friend!

Going & Doing.

As a kid, I remember the older boys leaving and going on missions. I never gave really any thought to it. But now, I am at the age where I am watching my friends leave and go on missions! It's making me feel super old. In my mind, I still feel like we are all 15 and not responsible enough to make all of these big life decisions! But here we are, doing just that. Last night I had to say a last goodbye to my close friend, mason, before he left for his mission in England. As hard as it was, knowing I wouldn't be able to shoot him a text and get one back instantly (or the next day in his case) or being able to drive around and listen to his music or just hang out- I am so excited for him. The mission is going to be so good for him and I know the people in England need him. So many friends are out there doing good and it's so crazy that I am able to call them my friends. Dallin just left, Tori, Emily, Jessica, Colin, Daniel, Jake, Robbie, the list goes on and on!!! I have also stayed in touch with my two other best friends- Matt and Noah- that are out in Argentina and the Philippines, and it is inspiring to hear all of their stories and to watch them grow. 

A little while back I actually made the decision of serving a mission as well! It had been a thought in my mind for such a long time and I kept ignoring it. But one day, I actually let it be an option and started moving in that direction, and here I am! I have never felt so at peace and excited to go out in the world and serve the Lord and bring happiness to people I know exists in the gospel. And I am the absolute luckiest to have so many friends as an example to me and that I can lean on. And the support. I can't even find the words! EVERY person I know is so supportive and I couldn't imagine going through this experience without it! I know it won't be the easiest thing to do, but with the people in my life and the Lord on my side, I can do it! (Sorry that's totally cheesy but I couldn't resist because it's totally true.) 

Anyway, I will keep you posted! 

Xoxoxo

mace, now in MTC on his way to being a missionary speaking Polish in England. Can already see him now- in his glasses and trench coat roaming the cobblestone streets haha

Matthew, fluent Spanish speaking it up in Argentina. A faithful pen pal that I look forward to hearing from every Monday. Love seeing him grow.

All three of these boys are out serving. Can't wait for these two years to be done so we can exchange our stories!❤️

And Noah. Also very faithful with his emails and very influential to me. He has become such a spiritual giant and always has the best advice to give me. Love his guts and am so proud of the man he's becoming!

Final thought: GOD IS GOOD. The church is true. Once again, love the people in my life and am forever blessed.

blessed with beautiful people & beautiful sights

Cheers to the memories❤️

For the past three days, my best friends and I took a roadtrip down to Santa Cruz! It was exactly what I needed. I continually get caught up such unimportant things and focus on things that stress me out or make me upset. It has become such a habit that I really need to work on changing. But this trip was such a great break from it all! I was with a couple of people that made me laugh 24/7. And we explored and I got to do a lot of what makes me happy- being outside and eating yummy food haha. It was really exciting to be able to have such a successful time without parents too! It definitely made me feel like growing up is an okay thing & really, really made me excited to continue to stay friends with these girls in the future. I also realized (actually I've known it for a while) that I love photography. And I am deciding to pursue it! Still trying to get over the fact that, as pretty as the pictures I can capture are, the earth is something else. Being able to sit back and see the tiny beauties that make the bigger picture, is incredible. This week I was able to see a whole lot of my two favorite colors- blue & green- and I was as happy as can be! I'm finding out more and more how much I love seeing new things and new places and it's addicting! I can't stop, and I won't! Current thoughts: I love my crazy, weird, hilarious, and kind best friends and I am thankful for both them and this beautiful earth.

Finding Happy.

My friend Savanah and I are really good at imagining these extremely exciting adventures. Our most recent one was driving down to Dixon where we heard there were some pretty rad sunflower fields. We would take a blanket, have a picnic, take some pictures, have a bunch of fun! Little did we know the life-span of these flowers (and in retrospect, we probably could have checked the reviews online before...) BUT we packed up some snacks and drove for an hour and a half, stopped by a fruit stand, and pulled up to the field. Those sunflowers were SO not sunny! Very much so wilted and dead. On my own, I probably would have screamed or thrown a tantrum because we had driven so far for nothing. But I had chosen the right companion for this trip! Sav pulled out the blanket and headed for some shade in the dirt and we sat, laughing and joking about the situation we had gotten in. Although the alive, pretty sunflowers would have made for a great view and some good pictures, I am actually content with the way things worked out. Now we have such a funny story to tell and a memory that I will treasure forever. Moral of the story? Find friends that help you to make the best of every situation! and if you can't find any- be one. 

Life.

Life is so crazy! From feeling one way one day to feeling another way the next, I am so exhausted. These years following high school are so critical because you are pretty much figuring out what your life is going to be for the many years to follow. Which classes to take- for the career you decide, where to live and go to school, who to be friends with, which guys to get to know and date... and those are only to name a few! For the past few months, I have let these decisions absolutely take over my mind and it has caused me a lot of stress and anxiety. But recently, I have felt myself growing and realizing that these should be the days full of memories and adventures! Which means that I need to figure what makes me happy and do it. I'm not saying that it is going to be easy, but I am going to try my best to say "Hello to Happy" and turn my life around! 

I'm excited.