Favorites Lately - End of December

Pretty sure I'm just obsessed with this album right now...also it's on sale in itunes for 6.99 right now :)

Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials. Get it. Now.

J.Crew Leopard Sweater Dress. If I could buy this whole store right now I probably would. Also on sale right now too.

Love this cute bird print from Anthro...too bad I can't afford it :( Too bad I can't paint one for myself either.

Found this on pinterest so I have no idea where to find something like it, but it would be so cute for a New Years dress.

Very much like this quote:

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself."

- Robert Frost

I need this rug in my life. Anthro.

As you can tell, I'm going through an animal print phase. I also need these Madewell flats in my life.

I found this cute site in a magazine or something. I think these earrings are sooo cute!

Bird on a branch earrings at www.catherinewieztman.com

Playing this song on repeat too. Fun - We Are Young.

Funniest Women Ever

Gratitude

My friend Janell posted this the other day and I thought I would also.

Just take a few minutes to watch this when you have some time. It's very thought provoking and beautiful.

The Most Important 433 Words to Read This Month

I really liked this when I found it in an older edition of Glamour Magazine that I had. I thought I would pass it on to everyone in case they didn't get to read it! Sometimes I struggle with this and I'm sure a lot of other people do.

No matter how sophisticated and grown-up we become, everyone has her insecure days. In this excerpt from her new book, Eve Ensler celebrates the true power of a woman. Read it and send on to a girlfriend you love.

Dear Emotional Creature,

I believe in you. I believe in your authenticity, your uniqueness, your intensity, your wildness. I love the way your dye your hair purple, or hike up your short skirt, or blare your music while you lip-synch every single memorized lyric. I love your restlessness and your hunger. You possess the energy that, in unleashed, could transform, inspire and heal the world.

Everyone seems to have a certain way they want you to be - your mother, father, teachers, religious leaders, politicians, boyfriends, fashion gurus, celebrities, girlfriends. In reporting my new book, I learned a very disturbing statistic: 74 percent of young women say they are under pressure to please everyone.

I have done a lot of thinking about what it means to please; to be the wish or will of somebody other than yourself. To please the fashion setters, we starve ourselves. To please men, we push ourselves when we aren't ready. To please our parents, we become insane overachievers. If you are trying to please, how do you take responsibility for your own needs? How do you even know what your own needs are? The act of pleasing makes everything murky. We lose track of ourselves. we stop uttering declaratory sentences. We stop directing our lives. We forget what we know. We make everything OK rather than real.

I have had the good fortune to travel around the world. Everywhere I meet teenage girls and women giggling, laughing as they walk country roads or hang out on city streets. Electric girls. I see how their lives get highjacked, how their opinions and desires get denied and undone. So many of the women I have met are still struggling late into their lives to know their desires, to find their way.

Instead of trying to please, this is a challenge to provoke, to dare, to satisfy your own imagination and appetite. To take responsibility for who you are, to engage. Listen to the voice inside you that might want something different. It's a call to your original self, to move at your own speed, to walk with your step, to wear your color.

When I was your age, I didn't know how to live as an emotional creature. I felt like an alien. I still do a lot of the time. I am older now. I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be OK with being different, with being this alive, this intense. I just don't want you to have to wait that long.

Love, Eve.

Rachel Zoe does Polka

via whowhatwear

black and white backstage

I kind of want to blow this up and put it in my room.

via lala

glitter tips

I'm gong to have to try this.

Oscar de la Renta Swim

These are some of the suits from this years Spring line.

So cute.

Soccer and more Family Fun

The past two days have been full of soccer, soccer, and soccer...and then some food.

Taylor's high school team has had a big tournament and so far they have had four games over the past two days. It's been really fun to see him play though. He is a Junior at REV and is a captain this year. He is also leading the team in goals right now too.

I may or may not have gotten a little angry and yelled at the refs a couple times. My mom threatened to not let me come back and watch anymore. Also, some of these teams need to get their hair in control. It was like mullet central for some of the teams Taylor played. That may have come out of my mouth a little bit loud (on purpose) as well. Hey, they need to know.

Here is a shot I took of him heading towards the goal. (not a good one because it's from my iphone)

For future reference, he is #18...if you can't already tell :)

Some family photos from the game.

Don't worry that it was so hot I was literally sweating to death. I guess I can't complain, because I will take the sun over freezing and snow ANY DAY! Last year at this tournament it was kind of chilly so I wore a sweater! It is december...

Later that night we got Rubios...my favorite! Adam for some reason decided to take his shirt off and swing it around his head and then do a "jig" (that's what I'm calling it)...so I'm posting it as blackmail because he has been being mean to me ha.

Also we came home and apparently my dad decided to park his car on the lawn...ummm "WT"...wow. A mercedes parked on the front lawn...oxymoron? So yes I am posting this as well. He said that his parking spot was taken, because all of our driveway and garage spots are taken by our other cars, so usually he has to park it at the end of our driveway and someone was blocking it...so really? I guess the lawn was all we had...this is me shaking me head. I think my mom was also dying.

I'm going to miss this little girl. She's been following me around the house for the last 5 days. I need one for myself!

Here are today's soccer pictures. O, by the way, they won their bracket yesterday...so they advanced to the quater-finals...this morning.

This is Taylor and I on the way in the car. As Taylor likes to say, "That's what's up."

Here are a bunch more pictures I took of Taylor today.

This photo would be the goal that Taylor scored going into the net (you can't really see the ball, just the net billowing back), but you can definitely see the goalie missing it :)

They won both the quaters and the semis today and they're going to the Championship game tomorrow! But sadly I have to fly out before the game :(

GO REV!

(this is hard for me to say because I went to his rival high school, but alas I will cheer for my brother and his team)

We had crab legs and dip and etc tonight for dinner. Usually we do this on New Years Eve or Christmas Eve, but Adam had to work on Christmas Eve and I won't be in town on New Years Eve. It's seriously my favorite dinner ever! I wish that I had a picture to capture the amazingness. YUM!

Blah! I don't want to go home tomorrow! I'm so sad! It's been a whole year since the last time I was here and I'm not ready to go back to the cold, and work, and my real life :(

California you've been good to me. I will miss you.

parts

a best friend...

Little Lotti

This is Kate Moss' 13 year old half sister, Lotti Moss.

How gorgeous is she?

Photographed by Andrea Carter Bowman

kindness

via hepburn

Lace Shorts and Boots

love this outfit

Best Friend Rights and Responsibilities

by Mindy Kaling

I CAN BORROWER ALL YOUR CLOTHES

Anything in your closet, no matter how fancy, is co-owned by me, your best friend. I can borrow it for as long as I want. If I get something on it or lose, I should make all good faith attempts to get it cleaned or buy you a new one, but I don't need to do that, and you still have to love me. If I ruin something of yours and don't replace it, you're allowed to talk shit about me to your other friends for one calender year. That's it. Then you have to get over it. One stipulation to my borrowing your clothes is that you have to have worn the item one before I borrower it. I'm not a monster.

WE SLEEP IN THE SAME BED

If we're on a trip or if our boyfriends are away, and there's a bed bigger than a twin, we're partnering up. It is super weird for us not to share a bed. How else will we talk until we fall asleep?

I MUST BE 1OO PERCENT HONEST ABOUT HOW YOU LOOK, BUT GENTLE

Your boyfriend is never going to tell you that your skirt is too tight and riding up too high on you. In fact, you shouldn't even have asked him, poor guy. He wants to have sex with you no matter how pudgy you are. I am the only person besides your mom who has the right (and responsibility) to tell you that. I should never be overly harsh when something doesn't look that good on you, because I know you are fragile about this, and so am I. I will employ the gentle, vague expression, "I'm not crazy about that on you," which should mean to you "Holy shit, take that off, that looks terrible!" I owe it to you to give you feedback like a cattle prod: painful, but quick.

I CAN DITCH YOU, WITHIN REASON

I can ditch you to hang out with a guy but only if that possibility has been discussed and getting-a-ride-home practicalities have been work out, prior to the event. In return, I need to talk about you a lot with that guy so he knows how much I love you.

I WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR KID IF YOU DIE

I can't even write about this, it's too sad. But yes, I will do that. And you will have one awesome little kid who hears endless stories about how amazing and beautiful and perfect you were. Incidentally, your kid will grow up loving Indian food.

I WILL NURSE YOU BACK TO HEALTH

If you are crippled in pain because of a UTI, I need to haul ass to CVS to get you some medicine fast. I should also try to pick up a fashion magazine and the candy you like, because distracting you from your pain is part of nursing you back to health.

WE WILL TRADE OFF BEING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES CHAIR FOR OUR OUTINGS

On trips together, I promise to man up and be the person who drives the rental car sometimes, or uses my credit card and has people pay me back later. Someone needs to check on Yelp and see what a good brunch place is. Neither of us gets to be the princess all the time. I get that.

I WILL KEEP YOUR FAVORITE FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCT AT MY HOUSE

Even though no one uses maxipads anymore, like you do, weirdo, I will keep a box at my house for when you come over.

SAME WITH YOUR CONTACT LENS SOLUTION

I can't believe you won't get lasik already. You can afford it. I know you read someone went blind from it, but that was like twenty years ago. Not getting lasik at this point is like being that girl in 2006 who didn't have a cell phone.

I WILL TRY TO LIKE YOUR BOYFRIEND FIVE TIMES

This is a fair number of times to hang out with your boyfriend and withhold judgement.

WHEN I TAKE A SHOWER AT YOUR PLACE, I WON'T DROP THE TOWEL ON THE FLOOR

Your home isn't a hotel. I forget sometimes because you make it so comfortable for me.

IF YOU'RE DEPRESSED, I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU

As everyone know, depressed people are some of the most boring people in the world. I know this because when I was depressed, people fled. Except my best friends.

I will be there for you during your horrible break-up, for getting fired from your job, or if you're just having a bad couples of months or year. I will hate it and find you really tedious, but I promise I won't abandon you.

IF YOUR PHONE CONVERSATION GETS DISCONNECTED, THERE IS NO NEED TO CALL BACK

I get you. You get it. We take forever getting off the phone anyway. This was a blessing.

I WILL HATE AND RE-LIKE PEOPLE FOR YOU

But you can't get mad if I can't keep track. Robbie? Don't we hate him? No, we love him? okay okay sorry.

IT IS OK TO TAKE ME FOR GRANTED

I know when you fall in love with someone you will completely forget about me. That hurts my feelings, but it is ok. Please try and remember to text me, if you can, if you know I have something going on in my life, like a work promotion or something.

NO TWO PEOPLE ARE BETTER THAN US.

We f-ing rock. No one can beat us.

*excerpts from her book "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without me?"

so so cal

via vogue loves me

Christmas Day/Evening

After presents and breakfast we went to church. It was really good and nice to see everyone that I haven't in a really long time.

Outside next to the Redlands Temple.

I went home and took a little nap and then helped my mom get dinner ready. My Grandpa Davis came over and I ate so much I wanted to die. So yummy.

Taylor and I with our Santa.

Later that night Taylor and I took Adam some food because he had to work most of the day.

More movies at night! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!