Memorial Day Weekend 2014

This past weekend was perfect. (and now it's another weekend and let's just say I'm pretty bad at blogging). I flew home to Tahoe to be with my family and it was the perfect
ending to a semester and the welcoming of a Tucson summer.  There is nothing like the sun
shining off that lake with the snow capped mountains in the background. I will 
forever feel completely at peace when I am there (cue the cheesy photo).


We all became fairly obsessed with the paddleboard my mom recently purchased.
(sorry for the crazy amount of instagrams anyone who follows any or all of us)
The house was right on one of the channels into the lake and we spent hours
paddling each other and by ourselves. 

Spending time back up in Northern California always makes my heart ache a little bit
but I know my time in the desert is coming to an end startlingly soon and 
I plan on enjoying every bit of the goshdarn dry heat that it gives me. 

Every time I am with my family now for little gatherings, I am reminded that those are
exactly what they are, little. But how fun is growing up and becoming best friends with
your sisters who no longer bug you but always make you laugh and will definitely break out
those embarrassing stories at the drop of a hat? (and ok, we definitely still bicker sometimes) 
Also, the relationship with my parents now that I'm older is something really special. 

Growing up is hard work but it definitely has its fun moments that squeeze through. 

Aaaaaaand real blogging for the week, done!

In Remembrance

{via}

Embarrassingly, I do not know much about Maya Angelou's beautiful life and 
journey to write about here but what I do know is how much I love the quote above. 
Of all the quotes I have read today that Ms. Angelou said, 
this was the one that made me stop. 

My new summer goal is to not only live out that quote, but to read more on her 
incredible life. 

Over the Weekend

This past weekend I walked in my school's general commencement ceremony 
because there won't be a school-wide ceremony in December when I'll actually
be graduating. 

Here are some photos from the day:



(the middle area says 'Future SLP' in Scrabble letters)


My mom flew in for the event and the whole day leading up to the ceremony was perfect. We shopped, drank wine and then we both got ready with a bunch of my close friends and headed to the stadium.
I have to be honest though, the actual ceremony was one of the worst experiences because
it was poorly planned and took over 1.5 hours to seat all of the graduates while we
waited outside the stadium, in the heat, to be escorted inside. It's a shame because many people
 look forward to that moment all their life and to have it ruined by poor planning is disappointing.

Fortunately for me, it wasn't the end and I still have one more semester and a smaller
ceremony to attend in December. Also, we actually ended up leaving early because
we were hungry and I was feeling slightly dehydrated so we went to dinner and 
had a blast after that. 

Sometimes you need to take what's presented to you and turn it into something better like a yummy
meal with your mom and close friends. 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend :)


Spring in Italy

{via}

"Little yellow wildflowers are blooming throughout the countryside
and they are stunning like a ray of light falling across a field.
And I thought, this is truly Spring."

I stumbled upon this photo on Pinterest recently and it reminded me of what I jotted
down last Spring while driving back from a field trip to Tuscany. 
There were millions of yellow flowers all throughout a field and it absolutely took
my breath away. 

What has taken your breath away lately?



Lately...

This semester has ended (only three more finals to go!) and I am sad
to say this will be my last Spring semester of my undergraduate career. I adore
Spring semesters and the cooler weather that they bring but as with every semester,
I am glad it is finished (and with a bang if I may say so myself). 

Here are just a couple photos of what I've been up to lately according to Instagram::

 I caved and bought Birkenstocks. I saw this ad online at J.Crew and knew a white pair was the pair
for me. I absolutely love them and can already tell these will completely pay themselves
off this summer. Also, how amazing is the southwestern rug in the photo? What a dream
to own a rug that beautiful. 

This photo was taken at one of my favorite boutiques and hidden gems here in Tucson. 
Bon is located next to Sushi Garden in the Broadway plaza (in case any Tucsonians are 
reading this) and it is a magical little place. Whenever I need a perfect little card or
a small gift for someone, this is where I go. They never disappoint and the owners are
the sweetest. 

My three finals are next week and then my mom flies into town to see me walk in the 
school-wide graduation on Friday, because there will not be a big graduation in December.
It's my school's 150th commencement so needless to say, I expect great things. :)

Audrey

"I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles."
-Audrey Hepburn

I have always felt a strange connection to Audrey Hepburn. We have the same initials, 
we both adore the color pink, and we both believe in a classy lifestyle. Audrey 
Hepburn actually passed away six days after i was born and I always said I like to think
she made room for me on Earth. 

Her willingness to give of herself to the less fortunate, her love of children and 
all living things, her smile and her positivity in the media have always inspired
me and left me striving to improve myself. 

I can still vividly remember watching Breakfast at Tiffany's at a young age and
being completely blown away by the entire film. Every scene had me transfixed.
Her use of "darling," having a cat named Cat, her eye mask, and that perfect
rain scene all made me watch the movie again and again, until I 
watched Roman Holiday and fell in love again. 

Audrey Hepburn is timeless and the world is a better place because
she lived.

(oh, and I fully plan on naming my first daughter Audrey)

W.R.W.D.

{1, 2, 3, 4}

It's another installment of my favorite series! It's all about what I'm Wishing for,
Reading, Watching and Doing! 

Wishing: I am really wishing for that eyelet top to be in my closet! How perfect would that top be for                    the hot desert summer? Oh, and it's only $20. 

Reading: The Opposite of Loneliness is a book filled with short essays written by the Yale grad                             who passed away a few days after her college graduation and wrote the essay heard around                   the world.

Watching: The Mindy Project because it's perfect. This show always makes me laugh.

Doing: I've been pinning a lot so you should follow me on Pinterest! Plus, I love finding new people to               follow! 

What have you been wishing, reading, watching and doing??
Oh, and happy Friday!!