Go ahead, make that list.

I hate to break it to ya, but none of us will probably ever have the luxury of experiencing that perfect, smart, beautiful man in your econ lab come up to you after class and say, "hey, you wanna get married?"


Psh. That would be the day. 


I see too many awesome girls break up with their awesome boyfriends because their "hair is too blonde" or "they don't have the six pack," or my favorite, "he's just not my type." (Yes that actually happens.) I will admit I'm guilty of having a "type." But if those girls even decided to even date them, aren't they already their type...ish? 


With all that being said...girls: it's okay to know what you want. Didn't I just say I have a type? Of course I do. Go ahead, and make that list. The danger comes when "the list" becomes more of "the requirements," and I'm sorry, but Tim Tebow isn't Mormon. (I have a strong feeling he will be baptized when he sees me.) So when I say "type," I don't mean tall, dark, and handsome. Although I tease my girlfriends that is my type, my type is really the guy that has the "importants" on my list. "Importants" as in--happiness, confidence, a strong testimony...and the "not-so-importants" --6'4", dark hair, and a big family. Yes, those are still included in my not-so-important column. That's beside the point. Don't settle for someone that doesn't have your "importants," but only if you're willing to make yourself that spectacular too.


Boys: When she finally falls in love with you, don't you dare change. Don't relax thinking she loves you for who you are. Because she loves you...for who you've shown her you are. Your job is to keep striving to the person she thinks you are, and who thinks can protect her. Nothing will disappoint her more than thinking she's not worth it enough to you to keep trying.


The only way you can actually have a list and feel good about keeping it, is if (again) you are the one striving to be that person who is on your list. Why would any guy want to be with a girl who only had an expectation of him, and wasn't doing anything herself? So please. Take that cooking class. Watch a little bit of SportsCenter. It won't kill you. If he sees you trying, he's going to try even harder. If he's the right one. 


...The "right one," that's a whole 'nother story. I have no experience in that category yet, so I'm going to delay that blog post until further notice. I love posting things that I notice in people, and especially the things I notice in myself. Being 20 is a time for learning, not a time to dwell on my past...in any category. Now, if you have dating troubles and you're 90 years old, I have no advice for you. You probably don't even know how to text--which is 99% of all boy troubles--so you've got no reason to worry.


I don't have anything against dating, or even men in general. Dating is simply the time in your life when you figure out what you really want. It's different for everyone, but for two people, it's the exact same. That's the beauty of it. Just please...don't be too picky, because then you'll never get that tall, dark, handsome man...with the PhD. 


I can keep dreaming.

It all starts with you.

I see too many people blaming God for everything that goes wrong in their lives. To me, that is a sure sign of weakness. Your happiness starts with you, it's not anyone else's problem. Your happiness starts with you. If you feel cheated, deflated or devastated, you need to take a step back and see if you've done everything you can to make yourself happy. Surround yourself with people you love, and with those who love you. Do things you're good at. Go to places where you feel like you belong.

I'm not saying it's bad to feel hurt, everybody has. You'd be surprised to know the people who you think are the strongest, are the people that have felt the most pain...I can actually guarantee that. They do their very best, and give everything they have to give. They embrace the love in their lives, and let go of the things they can't change. They know what they are capable of and accept themselves with the knowledge that they've got a remarkable, unique mission on Earth.

Moral of the story: If you ever come to me feeling bad for yourself, I'm going to ask you if you tried to make yourself happy. (Hint: usually to make yourself happy, you go straight to making someone else happy. That's a quick-fix.)

If you've done your best, you can be sure of yourself. It's whether you actually believe it or not.

Quotes via Pinterest...I love Pinterest.

My iTunes top 5.

Well this is going to be harder than I thought. I want to narrow my top five favorite songs as of February 7, 2012. Like most people, they change weekly, but these songs have been what have been playing constantly on my iPod. We'll start with the bottom and move to the top. Even though they all are basically tied in my book--but you get the idea.


5. Someone Like You-Charlie Puth. Yes, Adele sings this song. But this cover is simply too fantastic to not obsess over. I'm absolutely in love with the fact that there's both a man and a woman singing--because this song I believe ultimately describes not just one person, but both people in a relationship that ends as well as this one did.


4. Science & Faith-The Script. I heard this song on the plane to Boston this summer, and it's been on my most-listened to playlist ever since. It accurately describes everything that no one can explain. That is all.


3. I'm About to Come Alive-Train. I've always been a huge fan of Train. They write these lyrics that just pierce your heart and nearly everyone can relate to them. It reminds everyone that it's okay to be vulnerable.


2. Dancing Shoes-Gavin DeGraw. I love that anyone really relating to this song is so true to themselves. They know what they want, but they're not going to get into any relationship just to be in one. The singer wants to make sure both parties are happy--and he's going to make sure they do it right.


1. Penguin-Christina Perri. I heard this on Pandora yesterday morning...just one of those immediate downloads. I love that there are still songs like this that, again, let vulnerability out. 


Wow, I just realized these all these are cute songs. I'm a girl, okay? But seriously, download these on iTunes. The best >$5 you'll ever spend, I promise. 


Who came up with all of the good songs being worth $1.29 now? I remember when we could get a gallon of gas for that price...I must be getting old. 

Be grateful for you.

There's no one like you. I've been thinking a lot about this lately. It's really hard to not get caught up on a campus... with 10,000 kids all within 5 years of your age...and not feel small. I understand that, believe me I've been there. But there is no one that is exactly like you. You will always be able to find something you're better at than anyone on that campus. That's the beauty of it--we each have our own strengths. Happiness doesn't depend upon what other people think of you, it's what you think of yourself. 

via: http://pinterest.com/pin/167477679862655983/

A week in photos.

Wow. I have failed this week at blogging. But what I can do is give a "week in pictures/videos" if you will. It has possibly been the busiest week of the school year so far, working almost thirty hours and having everything (and more) planned. With that being said, it was SO MUCH FUN. Every single night I went to bed feeling wonderful.


Monday, my story aired. I was so pleased! I'll be honest though, it was a little nuts. The story got completely cut from the show an hour into editing, then it was back on again, then back off, then finally back on because of rights issues. So it was eventually back on air...with no logos. Apparently we didn't have the rights to use the Kings or the Jazz logos, which was a huge bummer, but I still managed to do a two and a half minute package using footage I could find. I would have loved to have more time on the script, but it will do for now. I was ecstatic with the final product, knowing how many loopholes I had to jump through, and that it was my first story for BYUtv. 

Click to go to byutv.org to see the 1/30/12 episode of True Blue!

Then, halfway through the week, Katie got her favorite pie from a boy. :) I don't mind at all being "the roommate" if I get to reap the benefits! 

Check out this heck of a sandwich I made for lunch. I'm pretty proud of my domestic skills. (Don't worry, I couldn't even eat a quarter of it.)

Last night, I went on a awesome date with one of my best friends. We went to see the World Aerial Championships at Deer Valley Resort! Man, those guys are crazy athletic. And...it was FREEZING. But still fun. My abs still hurt from laughing so hard all night.

Last but not least, I purchased this beautiful find. $30 I might add--it literally was screaming from the rack for me to buy it. So, naturally, I had to. It will look fantastic with my camel pumps and navy blue top tomorrow.

Again...really great week. But now I kinda like just sitting here on a lazy Saturday. I do think I'll go for a run outside though--it looks like springtime!