Month: July 2013

Loose Ends

July 31, 2013 — Leave a comment

Just a few little things today:) First of all, make sure you check out tomorrow’s post! It’s going to be great:) I’m teaming up with one of my amazing blogging friends to do a whole REDHEAD POST! I KNOW RIGHT! It’s gonna be fun!!

Also, on Friday THE GIVEAWAY WINNER IS ANNOUNCED!!! Click here to see what the giveaway is all about. Abi has also informed me that the winner gets to pick the color, and pattern, of their shirt. Sweet right! So check that out!

Also. I went on the cutest picnic ever on Monday. Let me show you:)

Cream soda and glass goblets, chocolate covered strawberries, lobster dip and sandwiches….AMAZING I TELL YOU.
It was the most adorable picnic and such a fun date! Guys, picnic dates are awesome!
Well now I’m off to clean my car (inside and out) and figure out just how I’m going to pay for all the billions of things I need for school. So that should be fun. 
Happy Wednesday everyone!

Loving life

July 28, 2013 — 1 Comment

So this weekend was crazy fun:) I got to go to lunch with darling Haley and catch up about our lives, which was great. Then on Saturday we went with my sister-in-law and her family to Willard Bay! They have wave runners, so our day consisted of driving the wave runners and going crazy, tubing, knee boarding (I actually got up and wasn’t awful!!!), and playing in the muddy sand on the beach. Basically it was a really great time.

 Sorry my photo taking skills were lacking on Friday. But lunch at the Bun Basket with this girl is always a treat:)

My sisters are the best:)
Such a pretty day:)
My feet got exfoliated from all the sand;)

Sneaky mud fights happened:)
I love my seesters:)

It’s almost August (I’m unsure how I feel about this…) It’s almost time to move back to school. This summer seriously FLEW by. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I have roughly a month left. And I fully intend to make it count:)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Linking up with:

Giveaway anybody??

July 25, 2013 — Leave a comment

Yup. I’m doing a giveaway!! I’m teaming up with the talented Abigail Brock to do a t-shirt giveaway. Just look at how cute these are!

Each thing that you do gets you another entry! 
1. Follow my blog by email 
2. Follow my blog on Bloglovin’
3. Follow with Google Friend Connect (all of those can be found on the sidebar of my blog) 
4. Go like Average Day of a Ginger on Facebook, and share the photo about Abi and her t-shirt business (you can go straight to the page at the Facebook link above!)
5. Comment on this blog about why you want to win!
You have a week to do all these things, so good luck!!!
Also:) It’s Allison Yost’s birthday today. I love you so much Al Pal and I hope today is wonderful! I’m sad I can’t share it with you, but I hope you have a great day with your family. Alli is the most sane one of us, the one who always is kind and sweet. Alli keeps us doing the right things and is just delightful. I love you Al! Hopefully in a few years we’ll get to celebrate your birthday all together:) Love you!!

Pioneer Day

July 24, 2013 — 1 Comment

Happy Pioneer Day! For those of you not from Utah who have zero idea what I’m talking about, the 24th of July is when the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. So in Utah we celebrate that day as the day that Utah was founded. It’s a pretty big deal here. Most everybody gets work off, there’s a huge parade and fireworks, it’s like the 4th of July but instead of celebrating America, we celebrate Utah!

So here’s my thank you to my pioneer ancestors who gave up so much, their homes and their belongings and their families, to come to Utah. They gave me this beautiful place to live, my amazing family, my amazing college, and most importantly, the right to practice my religion. What a wonderful gift! So thank you, to my ancestors and all of those who sacrificed so I can live here, the way that I do.

So my day started with chocolate chip pancakes and sausage.:)

And Orange Julius! YUM:)

I ate WAY too many pancakes…
It wouldn’t be the 24th without sparklers and fireworks!

Happy Wednesday everyone, and happy Pioneer Day, Utah!

Liebster round dos!

July 22, 2013 — Leave a comment

Cute Bre over at All About Bre nominated me for the Liebster Award!! (Go check out her blog. She’s great:))Since I’ve already done all that jazz, I’m not going to go through that whole thing again and bore you all to death, but I do want to answer her questions!

1. What is your favorite time of year and why? Summer. I love the heat, I love no school, I love projects and reading and lazing around. It’s the best.
2. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? I would be more patient.
3. What is one thing that you would love to do but will probably never happen? I would love to be in a movie. And not just be an extra again, and not in some straight to DVD movie. But actually BE in a movie that’s a big deal!
4. What is something that instantly makes you happy? Randy Low!
5. What is a song that describes your life right now? Stuck In the Middle by Boys Like Girls! It’s perfect.
6. If you could be the best at one thing what would it be? I would be the best at ballet. Unfortunately, I’m not:(
7. Worst movie you’ve ever seen? Ooooh this is tough! Probably Spirited Away (I probably offended Randy SO MUCH just then. He loves it. I think it’s ridiculously weird.) 
8. Favorite dessert? Anything with chocolate!
9. Dream vacation? I’ve kinda done my dream vacation, but I would go back to Italy and Paris and London in a heartbeat!
10. What do you think your best attribute is? Hmmmmmmmmm. I like helping people.
11. What is the best lesson you’ve ever learned? That no matter what I’ve done wrong, God still loves me! I can fix my mistakes.
Thanks again for the nomination Bre. And seriously, go check her out!




Where I stand

July 21, 2013 — 1 Comment

So today I stumbled on a little something that made me really feel I had some things to share. I was cruising Facebook when I saw something about my church, the Mormon church. It was the questions of someone who used to be a member, and all the reasons they lost their testimony.

I have to say something, and some of you aren’t going to like it or care. But I need to say it.

I love the church that I belong to more than anything. It is my rock. I would not be here without it. I’m not perfect. Other members of my faith aren’t perfect. But the happiness and light the Gospel brings, is. It’s completely perfect. God is perfect. And that’s all that matters.

Some people say to be a member of my church means getting rid of your independent thinking. I disagree. I feel, and think for myself. There are some things about my religion that I don’t fully understand. But the things that I do know outweigh those. In importance and in number. My faith is bigger than those fears. 
This isn’t meant to be shoved in anybody’s face or to put anybody down. I just had to make sure that it was clear where I stood. 
If you have questions for me about my testimony or my religion, feel free to ask. I’d love to talk to you about it.
I’m a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it.
Happy Sunday everyone!

The little chef

July 19, 2013 — 1 Comment

So yesterday Jonas made me dinner. I have to brag about him a little bit. Basically he’s an amazing cook. Let me show you:)

Everything was so perfect! He was running around making sure of that;)
Martinelli’s and everything:) Just because!

 Seafood pasta and fried zucchini and egg plant. Did I mention he’s a great cook?

And this dessert was to DIE for. Berries and this amazing chocolate sauce. I swear to you I died a little bit.
Happy Thursday everyone!

Lemonade skies

July 17, 2013 — 2 Comments
Last night it rained. A lot. So the fact that I work at a waterpark/campground was fun. But people were mostly nice, so that was good.
Yesterday the sky was the color of a good raspberry lemonade. And there was mist coming off of the asphalt because of the cold rain on the hot road. It was so pretty. I hope you all saw it (well those of you that live in Utah anyway).
Today the skies are very blue with just a few whispy clouds. 
I have to go! I have a million things to do (mail a package, finish a journalism essay, clean the house for my mom’s cute friend to come over, see a friend who just got home from his mission, the list goes on and on!)
One last thing. Happy birthday Ashley. I know we barely talk, but that’s ok. I hope you have a really special day and I am so happy you’re finally 19! Have a wonderful birthday, love you!

Liebster Award!

July 15, 2013 — 6 Comments
So I get on my blog today, and see a few fun comments from some of my favorite bloggers. One of them was telling me that I got nominated for the Liebster Award!! WHAT THE HECKA. Sam over at These Moments nominated me and I am THRILLED. She is so cute, and I am so lucky to be making blogger friends. This blogging community is the best thing ever and I just adore every girl I meet, especially you Sam!

So here’s what the Liebster Award is!




The definition:
Liebster is German for sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. How nice is that?
Blogging is about building a community and it’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers and blogs.

The rules:
1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog and link back to the blogger who presented this award to you.
2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself, and create 11 questions for your nominees.
3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 other blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have been chosen. 
4. Copy/paste the blog award on your blog.


Here are Sam’s questions:
1. Why do you blog? I blog because I love writing, I love making new friends, and I am awful at journal writing! So this is, in a little way, my personal journal!
2. What’s your favorite holiday and why? Christmas! I hate snow, but I adore the snow around Christmas time. There’s something wonderful about that season, when everyone tries to be a little nicer, and we remember Jesus Christ.
3. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Chocolate. Yes it’s a food. Yes I could eat it all the time.
4. What is your favorite quote? UMMM I have WAY too many to pick from! One of my very favorites is “The most important thing is to enjoy your life–to be happy–it’s all that matters” Audrey Hepburn
5. If you could go anywhere in the world (money is no object), where would you go? I would head right on back to Paris and spend LOTS more time there. Less than a week did not do it justice!
7. What is your favorite family tradition? I love every tradition my family has around Christmas, but one of my favorites is the Christmas scripture countdown. We read a scripture that has to do with a theme, and on Christmas Eve we do an activity that ties the theme together! One year all the scriptures were about light, and our activity was lighting candles on a walk around our neighborhood. It was so fun!
8. You get to spend an afternoon with your favorite celebrity. Who would it be? Harrison Ford. I would marry him tomorrow if he asked. But spending an afternoon with him would also do.
9. What is the best book you’ve ever read? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! Seriously. Go read it.
10. Where is your favorite place to shop? I love Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters:)
11. What is your favorite color? Pink or grey!

11 Random Facts about Maddy:

1. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I love my religion more than anything!
2. My best friend is serving a mission for our church in Fukuoka, Japan. He has 18 months left and I am so proud of him!

3. I am majoring in journalism and am hoping to become a news anchor one day!
4. I have this addiction to art and art history. I can’t draw, paint, or anything like that, but I’m fascinated by people who can.
5. I hate spoons.
6. I can bowl a whopping 80 on a really good day.
7. My eyelashes are naturally red. So mascara is a good buddy of mine.
8. I have been a ballerina since age 3. 
9. My family ROCKS. I love them more than anything.
10. I eat pasta for breakfast. Regularly.
11. I love life!
Ok here are my nominees for this illustrious Liebster Award!
1. Haley at The Ink And Anchor. So she has 206 followers…it’s close enough right?
2. Haley at The Life And Times Of Haley. One of my best friends:) Love you!
3. Julie at Different Is Beautiful. One of my favorite blogs and bloggin friends:)
4. Sydney at Sydney Brereton. She’s beautiful right?
5. Maria at Sewn By Maria. A fellow missionary girlfriend, this girl is the bomb.
6. Katie at The Silver Lining. Not sure she knows I exist. But I adore her blog!
7. Kenzie at Makin’ the Most of the Moments. Went to high school with this gem. She’s great:)
8. Ivy at Ivy Lauren. She’s also an MG who I love!
9. Emma at Tightrope to the Sun. I adore this girl. You will too. Promise!
I don’t have any more since all my other blogging friends were been nominated, have more than 200 followers, or have already taken part! But yes. Here are your questions friends:)
1. What is your favorite clothing article?
2. What is your life motto?
3. Paper or plastic?
4. What color is your hair?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. If you could live in any time period, what one would you choose?
7. Is the glass half full or half empty?
8. What is your favorite physical trait about yourself?
9. Who is your hero?
10. What is your favorite holiday and why?
11. What is your biggest goal/dream in life?
Thanks again Sam for the nomination for this award, and here you go friends! Blog away:)
Happy Monday everyone:)

Eva

July 13, 2013 — 4 Comments

First of all, happy 13th to my favorite missionary! So Randy and I write lyrics to our favorite songs on the back of our letters, or quotes from movies, or things like that. So here’s what he wrote on the last letter….”There’s something in your smile that says everything’s gonna be alright.” It’s part of this song. Listen. I promise it’s worth it:)

So yesterday was a super great day:) Jonas and I headed off to Salt Lake City for dinner and a wedding (congrats Bree and Nathan! Ya’ll are wonderful:))

He likes SLC:)

So my mom suggested we try Eva. It looked kinda sketch on the outside so we were a little hesitant…..

It was seriously the CUTEST restaurant EVER. I walked in and was in love.

We decided to sit out back….best choice ever. It reminded both Jonas and I of Italy. It was this small, cozy patio with hanging lights and plants. GAH I LOVE THIS PLACE.
And the food was AMAZING. It’s a small plate restaurant so you order five or six small plates for the same price as a huge meal. Every single thing we ordered was AMAZING. Even the pig stomach. I don’t think Jonas knew that’s what we were eating;) 

Happy campers!
So if you’re in Salt Lake City and want an amazing restaurant for a great price, that’s NOT a chain. Go to Eva. HUGE shout out to my mom for recommending it. 
Happy Saturday everyone!