To Twenty Fifteen

2015 sounds like a good enough reason to blog, doesn't it? A nice deep cleaning of the apartment has been done, same with a healthy dosage of orange eating (and a few orange rolls too...), and with that I think I'm just about ready to take on the New Year! Finals were brutal this last go around for whatever reason, but pretty satisfying once all was said and done. That in mind, I'm a bit hesitant for school to rev back up tomorrow. The cold doesn't make it any easier, but boy is it snow beautiful out (ha)! And I have the best person(s) to enjoy it with. Utah will do that.

I guess I just wanted to note how I'm always surprised with how much I feel I've grown year after year. The feeling will never get old.  As a person, as a creative, as a roommate, whatever. That I'm capable of achieving goals, and at pushing through, and at doing hard things. And that I do have successes, no matter how small. And that happiness is ready and available to me if I only make the time for it. And that people are there, and kind, and important. 2014 seemed to be a rough one for the world, and I want to be able to make it better someday (cheese ball). Even if that just means taking care of myself first. I get caught up in wondering what I will contribute and yadda yadda yadda. I'm just gonna start simple. Way simple. Here and now.

To 2015! And an early bed time! And steaming hot baths! And listening to better music! And waking up for 8 am church! And experiences instead of things! And let's throw some strength training in here! What about making time for my favorite people? Learning how to really shoot film? And cooking? Kind of? Maybe? And clearer skin! And budgeting! And opening my ears! And my eyes! And finishing Gilmore Girls! Goals: the real sign of adulthood. Especially if Gilmore Girls is involved.  

(Watercolor type via.)

2013

I know this is old news, but I ask you this - is it really that wrong for a girl to still love these two?

Hip hip happy New Year homies.

In Case You Cared...

new years resolutions, so 2011 amirite?  that's what i thought too...  but...  after finding my parents snuggled on the couch and squishing myself between them {how i do *brushes shoulders off*} i proclaimed a bit prematurely that "i'm going to set some new years resolutions and own the world".  cheers for me followed and we went on to talk about how i'm the favorite child {what's good *still brushes shoulders off*}.

finally i tore away with a "guys, this is resolution stuff is serious business" and set off for the kitchen table with my newly dubbed resolution sheet.  then i wrote "la di da" and "yadda yadda yadda" on said sheet.  you think i'm kidding.  but i honest to goodness did.  and then i doodled and wrote my name in cursive a lot.  okay i'm kidding about that one, i didn't write my real name,  at least not yet, but my future name.  natalie carlino.  okay so that's a lie too.  I NEVER WROTE MY NAME ANYWHERE ON THAT PAPER.  i guess what i'm getting at is that i was in no place to be writing new years resolutions.  i shamefully walked back to my parents and we finished talking about how i'm the favorite child.  okay so that's a lie too.  we really talked about my sisters old boyfriend kenny.  kenny, are you out there??

it's not that i have had any trouble making goals in the past.  in fact, i have a history of making them weekly.  i would write a daily schedule, reminders of things to be doing throughout the week, work out plans, study plans, all sorts of plans.  but then all too often i would be waking up the next day saying "screw it" and call my mom to remind her that i am her favorite child, just in case she decided to choose breck or something pfft.

but last night as i lay in bed thinking of the upcoming events this year has to offer, and then making those plans in my head, and then reasoning with myself, and then thinking "screw it", and then reasoning some more, and then making more to-do lists, this vicious cycle clearly became a projection of my failures in the past!  ding ding ding!  it's all a mind game for me!  without going into further analysis...

that's why, after much deliberation, my new years resolution for twenty-twelve is...

to be POSITIVE!

yippee-ki-yay!  my only other resolution that doesn't happen to fall under that umbrella is to never miss a class this semester.  because let's face it, that's not positive at all {besides that whole learning part}.  unless of course there is an emergency.  and yes, a hankering for frozen yogurt is indeed an emergency {rachel! lindsay!}.  oh and to secure my lead as the favorite child.  i'll be honest though, clark is in a close second...

on another note, i feel super sassy.  sorry that this post sorta reflects that.

positivity!  who's with me?!

2012 Ow Ow! {it's not what you think}

i've just rang in my new year with some sweet home alabama and saltine crackers to keep my nausea at bay.  and while i might continue to have not too hot of a start of the year, what with moving back to utah with a bum arm, i'm excited for things to come.

...a couple of minutes later...

the fireworks just made me jump out of my brains so i ran up the stairs to the balcony to see about fifteen shows around me, and one very close one from cooley park across the street.  i'll admit i began to tear up.  it really has been a hard year, hasn't it?  but such a great year too. and i'm so excited for this new one to begin.

while i was up there my brother in law steve came out thinking i was my sister breck...  good thing i stopped him as he walked up.  now THAT would've been an awkward start.  especially because breck and i had just finished a conversation about all of the boys we've kissed...

speaking of steve, i've never known a man who likes gossip girl and chocolate with such a passion as he.  breck is constantly updating me when she catches him watching gg during his study breaks, conversations occasionally revolve around chuck, and christmas eve i walked in on him mid haircut with my sister in law-hairdresser chantel, a picture of nate {season 4} in his hand for hairspiration.  and we won't even start with his sees candy obsession.  just thought i'd write up a little tribute that breck will hopefully pass along as an apology for the earlier incident.

and speaking of awkward, i also rang in the new year by falling through a chair.  now i wasn't going to share this due to my pretty bruised ego {and bum}, but for some reason i just started dying laughing at the thought of it.  Yes, even despite knowing how much i will regret pushing "publish".  so again, on the balcony watching fireworks, pre-tearing-up-moment, post-steve-walking-up-quietly-thinking-i-was-his-wife-moment.  we have this old old old pool chair that has been on that balcony in the triple digit arizona blistering summers for approximately six years, and fifteen years before then poolside at my old house.  essentially, it was fried through and through {is what i keep telling myself}.  i was standing on the ledge of the balcony, pulled/kicked the chair around with my foot, and instead of stepping down and then sitting in the chair like a rational person would, i fell back, arms spread... just kidding.  i fell back and then kept falling until i fell right through.  and those plastic straps that had previously held up girls of all weights and ages, had broken off clean from the frame.  what a sick, "set your new years fitness resolution natalie" joke!  am i right?  am i right?

man alive.

and with that, 2012!

Last Moments

This morning da girls and I had a besties/going away photoshoot with my super talented friend Kenzie.  I couldn't have become friends with these girls at a better time then when I did.  They all mean so much to me and I'm gonna miss 'em terribly.  Thank goodness for Skype dates!  Can't wait to see the pictures.  Except I literally just woke up, and weigh a million pounds.  Oh well, that's what New Years resolutions are for!

The fam has been hanging around these parts as of late:

Letti-Bear! {little paws and ears}

Uncle Steve & Aunt Breck with Vi

Clark & Violet

  Doug & Chantel met her for the first time

Violet was Moranda's Christmas gift!

Ellie is as sweet as can be

She is so tiny and fits just perfectly in my arms

 Playing with Lettie is sooo much fun

 <3 momma

 Little cousin picture fest

And they were missing their third musketeer Kiersten in Breck's tummy!

Got some colejh advice tonight as well-- thanks fam.

Resolutions start tomorrow!

It's a New Year!

 Sparklers with Erin's family {and Tyler}, bonfire at Tyler's {todd was there and awkward to me, oh need to fill ya in-- so he wanted to see tron last week, and i couldn't so he took a different girl and now they're together? still love him though, no biggie}

 The pig roast party, yes, that is hayles with a real pig head.  They meant serious business.

This is joey.  And that's me in the red blanket waving behind him!

As the clock struck 12, we lit more sparklers and fireworks.  It was so pretty!  The coolest sight to see.  Imagine the ginormous orange fire glowing and all these crazy lights sparking off with people dancing up and down in a circle around the fire.

May the highs of 2010 be the lows of 2011!

Happy New Year!