a happy list: 43

*Here's a picture from a quick Christmas shoot we did with Mila! It's so nice having a photo buddy who can be my "human tripod" as she calls it haha. I want to edit all of them so badly, but I must resist! Finals need me more!*

Also, I made this Facebook group for blogging people who want to be friends in real life. Feel free to join. I want people who genuinely want new friends and to meet new people, so be assured it's not like a fake-blogger-friend-but-really-attract-followers-scheme. So don't join if you're just wanting followers because I want friends!!

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Glimpsing the sunrise on Wednesday morning after putting Trixie outside / Watching characters on much loved TV shows have their first kiss / Chocolate brownie Clif bars / When I'm doing my makeup and look out the window and Trixie is looking in at me / Going to my last class at BYU Provo for foreverrrrr / Driving to work in the dark and seeing Center Street all cute and festive / Avocado and tomato quesadilla 4 lyfe / Playing White Elephant for the first time / When we were leaving my in-laws house after my and my sister-in-law's birthday celebration and it was snowing a tiny bit and I felt like the world was saying, "Hey Em! Here's your present!" / Also when it snowed on Sunday morning for a little bit and it looked like the snowflakes were really scarce and being blown all around by the wind 

Internet things to make you happy…

This video of festive penguins / I've loved Chris D'Elia's vines for soooo long, and the other day I thought to see if he has a Twitter. Well, he does, and it's the BEST. Here's some personal favorites (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). He basically just makes fun of teenage girls and people who are dressed strange and it's soooo good. / Katherine's blue hair and her being so nice and letting me photograph her

I'm going to be focusing on finals this week, so I'll be back next Monday!

XOXO
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P.S. If you want more happiness check out Laura's happy list, Beverly's happy list, and Riley's happy list!! I'm glad so many of you decided to try it out! If you do one please, please, please leave me a link in the comments/email me a link, because it honestly was SO FUN going through and reading about all of the little things making other people happy!

life snippets

Hello hello! Ok first I just have to say that yesterday marked 4 years of blogging! I forgot until now, so I'll say my little thing about it a day late :)

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It's weird to see how far my blog adventure has come! I started blogging because my friend suggested I start a "fashion blog" but that didn't last long because I realized I didn't care about fashion as much as photography! And I didn't even start reading other blogs until junior year when a friend told me about Rockstar Diaries. (Shoutout to Krista Hemsley for improving my life with that one.) 

I love that I've made so many great friends through blogging like Autumn, Beverly, Mila, Katherine (I'm counting you beause I feel like blogging is what brought us together HA!). So, anyways. Just a small shout out to everyone who has made blogging so fun!

I get embarrassed pretty much all the time when people I know in real life find out about my blog because I just feel stupid about it. I don't know why though, because it's such a nice way to keep track of life! I like it better than a journal because I'm very much a photo person. I look forward to my kids asking about my angsty teenage years, or Jake and my first years as a married couple, and being able to direct them to a url where they can see images and read words and we can all have a good laugh :)

Anyways! This is getting weirdly sentimental, but I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for being so nice with comments/emails/friendships! You have made this blogging experience of mine a good one :)

On to life lately!

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Driving in the rain at night/early morning has got to be one of my very, very, very favorite things in the entire world. Like, ever. Ah, especially with some Phantogram on the stereo. SO PERFECT.

New black sparkle shoes. Also, I'm loving being able to wear my yellow coat. Although, I wouldn't complain if some snow/colder weather came our way soon.

If you don't already follow Barefoot Blonde please do because #1. She is fabulous and #2. Her hair tutorials are fabulous. She recently went to the Victoria's Secret fashion show and posted on her Instagram how they did the Angel's hair! I was at Vickie's anyways buying these Christmas pajamas, and picked up mousse. This is how my hair turned out after using it! I don't usually post stuff like this, but I just had to because I love it so so so much!!

A cute pup lookin' over her shoulder. Aweeeee.

TMI maybe, but I had to go to my first "lady" appointment on Monday and I was FREAKING OUT. Like, so much so that I dressed in gray and didn't wear makeup so I wouldn't be memorable haahahaha. 

Anddddd then after I felt like an idiot for being nervous because it was 100% not a big deal. I was so proud of having passed into womanhood stage 1 (stage 2 is giving birth, cause you've gotta be TOUGH for that) so we celebrated with fries like any true American would. 

I mainly just wanted a cute Christmas picture with Trixie, but she wasn't exactly on my same page.

Is there anything better than hot chocolate in the morning? Yes. Hot chocolate in Spokane mugs. BEST. I love winter so much. Like, every day that I wake up and remember it's December I automatically feel 10 times better about life. December is the best month of the year and it's HAPPENING. 

A cute pup patiently awaiting her bacon dog treat. 

So my grandma saw this lip color on a waitress and wanted me to try it. I bought some and I'm 90% sure some sneaky person opened it at the store, but I'm gross so I just put it on anyways. I'm not sure what I think. Thoughts? I like it, but it doesn't last as long as Mac, but maybe it's a good color just to switch it up? Idk. I'm not used to purple lipsticks!

Does anyone remember Flour Girls and Dough Boys in American Fork? It closed but they had this AMAZING SANDWICH. Ready? Brie cheese + chopped walnuts + sliced apple + panini maker + dip in Litehouse poppyseed dressing. It weirdly HAS to be Litehouse dressing, which is the refridgerated section by like, the other salad dressing and fruit and stuff. Like, where they have lettuce. Anyways, it's like a grilled cheese from heaven and YOU MUST TRY IT.

My in-laws have this pillow at their house and I am so pleased.

A PICTURE OF ME ATTENDING MY VERY LAST CLASS AT BYU PROVO FOREVERRRRRR. I can not tell you how good it feels. Also this picture was taken on December 11th…. WHERE IS THE SNOW YOU GUYS. WHERE IS THE COLD AIR. It's like a never ending fall season :'(

Jake the baker picked up our plate we made at Color Me Mine! I love it! 

Ah, and last but not least is this picture. This picture of me in the same shirt I wore yesterday and with hair that hasn't been washed for 5 days. This is pretty much how I look during finals, which officially starts now.  So… basically I'll be a small homeless person for the next week. 

Good luck to all you student bbs who have finals this week, and congratulations to those who have finished! And to everyone who isn't in school right now and can enjoy the holiday season finals-stress free, cherish it!

XOXO

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E

on the second date of christmas...

We tried the Waffle Monster at Brugee's Waffles and Frites after I finished my very first final! I left my camera at home :( so failing in that department once again haha. I do feel like I am making improvements with bringing it with me though!

We liked it, but decided that we like our vanilla waffle, with nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream (Jake) and torpedo waffle, with strawberries and whipped cream (me) a litttttttle bit better. Anyways, if you still haven't been to Brugee's, there is one in Provo AND Salt Lake, so go like now. I cry thinking about their waffles, because they are SO DELICIOUS I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND IT SOMETIMES.

XOXO

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on the first date of christmas...

I saw this idea for the 12 dates of Christmas on Love Taza's blog back when I was a wee child and obviously fell in love with it because hello? It's Christmas and Love Taza. What's not to love? Anyways, now that I'm married to the bae of all baes and we're about to get hit in the face with finals, birthdays and holiday celebrations, I figured it would be a pretty good time to implement our own "12 dates of Christmas" so we can squeeze in some one-on-one time. (Introvert, ftw.) 

Shout out to all girls who wear heels to school/public places on a daily basis. I'm making myself wear them more just so I remember how to walk in heels (there was a very real time 2 years ago where I 100% forgot and looked INCREDIBLY awkward). 

I was super starving after getting out of my review, and decided to finally try the "beach babe" at Ivie Juice bar while I waited for Jake to get off work. Can I just take a small second and say how peaceful it was to eat at the bar while looking out the window at Christmas lights? PERFECT.

Interior on point. Atmosphere matters soooo much to me, and their atmosphere is perfect.

My camera battery awesomely died, so sorry these are all iPhone pictures (I know, I promised!) but OMG YOU GUYS THIS ACAI BOWL WAS LITERALLY SO GOOD I CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND IT. Like, I don't know if I've ever had anything so good in the past 6 months. NOT KIDDING. If you haven't gone, do yourself a favor already!

Color Me Mine, because for some reason it reminds me of Christmas and also PERSONALIZED CERAMICS. Jake picked out this cute tree.

LOOK HOW CUTE JAKE IS. Also, I'm super excited to see our little plate when it's all done being fired. Throw some cookies on there… settle down with Elf... and a glass of milk… ah. Perfection.

We grabbed some Little Caesar's on the way home, because what else do college students eat for dinner? Please note how cute Trixie is as she patiently waits for some pizza.

All in all, I'd say the first date of Christmas was a success!!! Now, to squeeze in 11 more LOL.

XOXO

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E

happy birthday to my mother!

Saturday night we did a little birthday celebration for my cute mother! I actually remembered to take my camera (progress) and thought I'd share a few pics! 

My brother-in-law has a car lot and bought this limo hahahahaha.

We ate at PF Changs and if you haven't already had the great wall of chocolate for dessert, GET IT. So obsessed with that slice of wall. Also, coconut is good in all Chinese and Indian food I decided. I can't not get a dish that says, "coconut" in the title.

Post shopping at the mall! I finally gave up on the idea of me and Jake having matching pajamas. I spied some onesie pajamas at Pink and snagged them up so fast. YAY CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE.

We got drinks from Slurp and drove through the Holiday Lights at Thanksgiving Point. Sunroof pic ftw. It actually wasn't that cold out there!

Happy birthday to my wonderful mother who is kind enough to let us live in her basement while we try to survive being college students. She's a good one!

XOXO

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a happy list: 42

I've noticed it's been a while since I explained why I do these happy lists every Monday! I've taken a whole class on positive psychology this semester and could go into so so so much more detail about how it's helpful to your general affect to note the positive things, but probably not many people are up for that so here's a quick bulleted list!

- People who made a weekly list of things they were happy about/grateful were shown to be happier and more satisfied with their life than controls.

- It increases mindfulness and makes you more observant and aware of the small beautiful things in day to day life that are normally overlooked.

So, basically it really does make you happier to keep track of good things that you liked about your week! It's a fun little experiment to try in your journal (or blog if you're into that). Try it out and see if you notice anything different in your moods! I personally like to do little things, instead of big events, just so I make sure I'm actually keeping track throughout the week of things that make me happy. Now, without further ado…

Taking my first final / Coconut curry vegetables and the great wall of chocolate from PF Changs / Finally getting cute Christmas pajamas / Trying Ivie Juice Bar in Provo (got the beach babe acai bowl) and LOVING IT / Taking Jake to Color Me Mine for the first time / When Jake taught my lesson for me / Finding out during the last hour of church that I didn't have to go to work after all / Nailing some much sought after "bombshell" hair after many trials and errors / My mom's face when my brother-in-law picked her up in his limo for her birthday party / Discovering the Vampire Diaries and wasting wayyyyyyy too much time watching it

Here's some internet things to make you happy!
This apartment… So gorgeous! / This girl's adventures in India. I miss India so so so much every day and need to be in Jaipur like, now.

It's been a good week! Wish us luck as we prepare for finals! I can't wait until the day we are done with this whole "student" thing haha.

XOXO
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in tha kitchen + faq

I am considering putting together a FAQ/commonly asked questions about my camera, editing software, coconut oil, getting married at 19, braids, etc.... If you have any questions you think I should add to it please let me know! Thanks!

Back to the original post… I don't what it is lately, but I have been going through a MEGA baking/cooking phase. I have all these pins on Pinterest and they are just so tempting, especially when there isn't a whole ton of food at the house and I don't want to spend half our income eating out (jokes, but you poor college kids know what I'm talking about). SO BAKING IT IS. Also the cold weather makes me want to bake 100% more for some reason. 

Do you want to know the only good thing about working at Starbuck's during the holiday season? Getting a red apron!!!!! I'm obsessed. It *almost* made having a constant line of at least 10 people worth it :)

Me and the bae went to Slab and split a pizza for lunch the other day. We then came home for dinner and Jake decided out of all the things I wanted to try making, he would like pizza LOL.

I used this recipe for the crust (because I'm still on the hunt for the perfect pizza dough). Also, when making a pizza for your bb, you must make a heart pizza… right?! Jake liked this crust best out of all we've tried so far, but I'm still searchin' cause it wasn't my cup of tea.

Want to know something that did work? THESE AVOCADO AND TOMATO QUESADILLAS. So good. Soooo good. Sprinkle some cumin and smoked paprika on there and you're in good shape.

Thursday I skipped school to watch The Vampire Diaries for 12 hours and do computer things. I decided to make this cake, and it wasn't the best. Idk… maybe my mom, Jake, and I just don't have the palette needed for it, but ya. Kind of a bummer too, because it took a decent chunk of time to make. But it looks good, right?

Anyways!! I'm 100% obsessed with baking and cooking right now. Even if the majority of recipes I try are a fail lol. If anyone out there has vegetarian dishes, or cute treats that they've tried from Pinterest that have actually worked, definitely send me a link!! I'm starting to get a little peeved with all these weirdo recipes that just look good because the photography is the most beautiful LOL.

XOXO

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E

new. glasses.

Ok, so this post is mainly to talk about the cutest, secret glasses store that I wish I would have known about forever ago. POLETTE. So Warby Parker and Bonlook have cute galsses, right? But they are so gosh darn expensive! I kind of just assumed I would have my "first pair free" glasses for the rest of my life. But then I discovered Polette's "$9.99" and realized I was browsing a small heaven. I got these red glasses, because hello. They are RED GLASSES.

Also, taking like, serious pictures was so hard haha. Props to all the fashion bloggers out there who can just like, whip out twenty amazing photos. I pretty much feel like… soooo awkward unless I am with someone. So, dumb faces usually happen.

But anyways! If you've been in the market, but don't have like $100 to spare, definitely check out Polette! When I start going full time at my job, I'm definitely going to be getting Violetta, Amor, and Maya. And then I will be so happy with all my colorful glasses.

Anyways! That is all!

XOXO
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E

P.S. Here's their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and website!

things lately

Are you tired of these iPhone collages yet? Ugh. I am. I hate them so passionately, but I hate grainy photos more haha. I'm making a promise to myself that once I finish with this semester and don't have to lug around heavy books, I will take my ACTUAL camera places.

The problem I run into is that my 35mm lens is too zoomed to take like, quick pictures. I'm not the biggest fan of asking strangers to take photos or of setting up tripods in public places. So, I usally just take a picture on my phone or not at all. BUT I can't physically hang up iPhone pictures (because I cring too much) so I really need to like, snap out of it.

Ugh! So, here's what will hopefully be a lesser-occuring "lately" post with iPhone pictures!

/ I gave Jake some cardigans for Christmas last year and he never wore them. I was telling him how I want to learn what his style is so I can buy him clothes (because he will never buy himself new clothes haha) that he will like, and it got us talking about the cardigans I got him. He claimed he doesn't know how to style them so he never wears them. I styled them really quick, but was secretly thinking he just didn't like cardigans. He showed up the next day in a cute little cardigan! I'm obsessed with how they look on him! He has like, the perfect body shape for them. Anyways, just a quick shout out to Jake for rockin' a cardigan like no one else. 

/ Put a Santa hat on Trixie and she didn't care. Are you surprised? 

/ My mom sometimes makes Trixie wear diapers so she doesn't pee in the house when we are gone. I love watching Jake put them on her so. much. It's literally the cutest thing.

/ First day of official work! Wearing whatever I want (other than all black) has got to be just about the nicest thing in the world.

/ I switched my face wash and wipes to this "Yes to tomatoes" brand at Target! I love it soooo much so far! Apparently tomatoes are supposed to stop acne? Who knew?

/ Date night at Noodle's and Company. Unfortunately I was sick and didn't get to enjoy hardly any of my noodles. But what's good there? I could have sworn they used to have a bunch of yummy noodles, but I wasn't seeng anything! Any personal favorites for next time?

/ Started Freaks and Geeks expecting to be in love. I was not in love. Sadly enough.

/ My mom set out Christmas fancy glasses for all of us at Sunday dinner. She even set out baby fancy glasses for the babies hahahahahahahahaha.

/ My sister got a pregnancy pillow for her birthday and it's literally like 8 feet long. How do you use those things?! Jake got it figured out, can you tell? LOL.

/ Jake made a bacon burger! I took this picture because he usually won't cook something for himself unless it takes under 10 minutes to make. So, I am going to show this to him so he can remember the fruits (meat?) of his labor.

In other news, I only have SIX DAYS LEFT of having to step on BYU Provo campus. I am soooo happy to be close to being done! Next semester I just have two online classes, and one in Salt Lake on Thursday mornings. So, where my Salt Lake people at? I want to try a new food place every Thursday when I'm done with my class! My Utah section of my travel journal is getting too overflowed. Gotta start crossing some stuff out!

XOXO

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coconut oil hair mask diy

Hello hello! Ever since I first mentioned coconut oil as a hair mask, I've gotten tons of questions/emails about it, so here's a quick how-to!

To start, I usually do this to my hair on its 5th day, before I wash it in the shower. I always throw on a bathrobe, just so I don't get my clothes icky. 

1/ Run your coconut oil underneath hot water in the sink to melt it down.

2/ I mix the coconut oil with about 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

3/ Brush your hair while your coconut oil is melting.

4/ Pull it onto the top of your head.

5/ Start by dipping your ends in the oils. Wring it out, and dip the ends in again. I repeat this all the way up my hair in sections, until the oils are gone and I feel like every area of my hair is soaked. I run a comb through the ends, just because that's where I care about being conditioned the most and to make sure they are soaked. You can wipe off the extra oil on your hands on the underneath part of your hair that didn't get it if you want.

6/ Pull into a baby bun. Make it secure! 

Then you can just go about your day! I leave mine in for at least an hour. When you're ready, hop in the shower and rinse out the oils. I then shampoo, face wash, rinse shampoo, condition, sugar scrub, shave, coconut oil on body, and rinse conditioner. 

Anyways, it's amazing. I can't say it's made my hair healthy for sure, because I've also been not using heat on my hair (except my bangs) for a while. So, I don't know which one of those things has been doing it, but honestly my hair is AMAZINGLY soft. I always make Jake feel how soft it is hahahaha. I thought my hair texture before was just how hair felt, but after trying some things it definitely can be improved! If you have any hair tips, please let me know! It took me too long to discover how amazing coconut oil is as a hair mask!

XOXO

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E

**The coconut oil pictured is Dr. Bronner's Fresh-pressed Virgin Coconut OIl, but I usually use BetterBody Foods & Nutrition Organic Coconut OIl and just buy it from Macey's. I use the same coconut oil on my hair as I do on the rest of my body.