gowns

** THESE ARE THE WEDDING DRESSES STEFI TRIED ON AND DID NOT PICK**

THE REAL DRESS WILL BE REVEALED ON THE BIG DAY ONLY..... blake- no sneaking

i like the shape on this one

this was my second favorite, the ruffles on the skirt were adorable.

i like baby anne in this picture- she really loved looking at stefi dressed as a bride

even a 2 year old girl in the faust family knows wedding dress shopping is fun

pink razor cell phone

here is my life as a 16 year old thanks to my first cell phone ever-

these pictures are all from my bomb-diggity pink razor:

the awkward self-head shot

i remember thinking how much i loved my hair that day and now i have a camera on my phone

(a big deal in those days)

i could document it!

i swear every teenage girl has pictures like this of themselves, the only difference is now they are taken on their macs using photo booth

at least i am not making that duck face with puckered lips

at grandma and grandpa's

torturing maclane in french class

i forgot about my pink pom pom scarf

besties-

weirdly enough both of those girls both got married in that temple this summer

how smooth is your elbow?

shout out to alyssa's old house

super sean at monster mash - the halloween dance

capitol theater

serendiptiy in nyc

my first trip to new york

an awesome poster my cousin riley used to have

olympus football games

riley and i working real hard at the bakery

(that is a tube of bread... such a strange thing we sold)

2006 is coming back hard and fast

i forgot how much fun it was

free dancing

this is just so great. i am watching this over and over.

it is an ad for a designer, how fun!

http://www.alexandragrecco.com/film.html

(sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the address)

no shame

when i wear sunglasses

(like i did today. besty johnson white rimmed ray ban- thank you spring weather)

i feel like i can unabashedly stare / watch people

because they can't tell it is them i am looking at.

makes for excellent people watching

confession

i love walking to school alone.

this may sound weird but rarely do i like bumping into people and then have to walk with them all the way up to campus.

(there are a select few where i like it)

its just so awkward if you are only slightly good friends and you don't have much to say

you have to keep the conversation going and going and going...

then you reach the SOD aka stairs of death.

those things are impossible to climb non-awkwardly with someone.

everyone has their own pace and stride, so you try and match theirs and it never really works out. you also become breathless while climbing and then for a minute afterwards.

ugh.

walking alone gives me a chance to be precisely that-

be alone

it is honestly the only time in the whole day where i get a couple of minutes to myself to listen to music and just get in the right mind set for the day.

for the rest of the time i am always surrounded by people whether in class or at the lib.

then i go home to roomies and friends.

all which i love but i just like having 10 mins to myself everyday.

so don't be offended if i see you while walking and i only wave.

i still like you but just like walking by myself more...hahaha

top knots

i am happy that finally wearing your hair on top of your head can now be considered a fashionable classy move and not just a signal to the world that you didn't a) shower b) sleep c) care, or in most cases d) all of the above.

all those years of ballet hair finally feel validated.

i love top knots as much the next person, but they must be done just right to hit the mark - other wise it just looks sloppy. i am quiet picky when it comes to buns.

lately byu campus seems to be sprouting girls with ugly top knots- which quite frankly leaves a sour note.

things to keep in mind for when doing a top knot:

sure top knots can cover unwashed hair- but only to a certain extend ladies. there just comes a point where you need to take 10 mins and just shower!

don't place the bun too far forward. no unicorn horns please

as to the shape don't pull it too tight- hello british governess! or too loose- there should be some type of structure. also don't wrap your hair around your ponytail so it sticks up straight and tall like a cone. we are pulling for more of a dome/ circular shape.

these fly aways are gross

stick to only one bun. no joke there is a girl in one of my classes that puts two buns in her hair. one on top and the other 4 inches below it on the back of her head. comes across a little cindy-lou-who

please don't show your elastics- especially if they are colored. looks immature. use bobby pins to pin hair over your elastic. like this:

i don't like vanessa but she has a great top knot

here is another good one:

well thanks for listening to me while i was on my soapbox. now go out and rock those top knots!

elko

this weekend our whole apartment went home with miriam to her house in elko, nevada

this road trip was a breeze compared to our cali one

first of all, the drive time was only 4 hours, not 10

we slept in, did laundry, got reminded of how nice it is to live in a HOUSE and be in a family

toured the town, ALMOST DYED MY HAIR BROWN but didn't.....

miriam did get her hair done- cut and colored. it turned out really cute as you can see from the pictures below

i mostly wanted to go brunette just for the reaction i would get from the total surprise

celebrated sister shumway's birthday by making her a bomb breakfast

and got treated to the best mexican food i have had in a looooooong time

as usual, my inclination to take pictures happens when good food is around

consequently the only pictures i have from this weekend is at Dos Amigos

we pretended it was miriam's sister's birthday instead of her mom's.

obviously her mom didn't want to wear that thing but.... we wanted the free desert

SO

we told the waiter it was kate's birthday when kate was in the bathroom

her face was priceless when a bunch of waiters came out singing

and plopped that sombrero on her head

she was so mad hahaha

honestly their white cheese sauce is unreal.

completely addictive - mir calls it 'crack sauce'

that pretty much sums it up

thanks again to miriam and her amazing family for a wonderful weekend!