10.30.2011

Halloween fun

Meet my spicy roommates.
 First, we have Kathryn the old cat lady:
to think that everything she is wearing is mine is quite the frightening thought.
 Kathryn loves the funny costumes... she's been a bat, a loofa, and attempted a rubix cube.
The old cat lady costume fit right in to all of that.
 After the initial pictures, we had to get a little bit more creative,
so naturally, Kathryn grabbed a bag of toilet paper rolls.
Fitting? Let's go with it.
 Lauren was wonderwoman so she just looked sassy, mostly.
Her normal and theme picture were combined into one:
What can we say? She is wonderwoman.
 I was a ladybug.
I know you can't see my wings....but, trust me here.
When it comes to Halloween, I have a whole box of outfits.
I outfit myself and plenty of others.
So my costumes never really have rhyme or reason,
they just happen to be whatever I'm feeling at the moment.
Moral of the story: I was feeling ladybug-esque last night.
[interpret as you will]



We love each other a whole heck of a lot.
We loved our fourth roommate too, but she was off and getting engaged last night.
Suuuupper exciting!
Forgive the horrible lighting,
but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Happy Halloween :)
Love Always, 
Taylor Ann

10.27.2011

Sweater weather and forgotten assignments

Here is about the most exciting picture I can muster for the day.
I, currently, am sitting on the floor in a hallway.
Just, you know.... doing homework.
You see, last night I about had a panic attack.
I looked at a schedule to see some details on an assignment that's coming up.
Well, what I HADN'T seen was that listed below said assignment were 2 pre-assignments.
Yeah... they were due two weeks ago.
But lucky me! I have some awesome TAs that get real-life and helped me out.
Hallelujah.
But alas, that is why I'm sitting alone in a hallway, doing homework.

And have class until 9. NINE?! yes, until 9.
Maybe they'll have some mercy and let us out at 8:30 ;)
Aside from school (aka life) the fall leaves are coming off the trees.
They rain on me as I walk home.

Welcome back, sweater weather :)

10.26.2011

video for your tuesday-because i have class ALL DAY.

This is so good. 
I already loved this song. 
But I love this maybe more.
I have listened to it maybe 50 times.

This is gonna be a good life.

10.24.2011

Do nice things!

 Ok, so last week was wild...
in a happy way of course.
 And I just wanted to say what a lucky girl I am. 
I am convinced that I am surrounded by some of the most caring, loving souls this world has to offer. 
I have two examples.
(A.) I got these sweet treats and an even sweeter note from a girl I absolutely adore
(B.) Our friend Mike dropped off a homemade cakeball for each of us over here at 105
Both were unsolicited, but 100% appreciated.
Love these cute, kind people :)

Oh, and I love you too,
Taylor Ann

10.23.2011

Where were you headed off to?

 The question arose in the bathroom this morning at church..
"where were you off to when I saw you Wednesday night?"
At the point I saw her, little did I know it
but I was headed to Vegas.
You see, we got a call from daddy, who was at a business conference there.
and an hour later we were in the car and away we went!
A long phone conversation kept me busy for much of the six hour car ride,
so it flew by and before we knew it we were:
shopping, 
girl-talking,
eating breakfast in bed, 
getting pedicures, 
and laying out by the pool catching some MUCH needed rays of sunshine.





I'll pay for it this week, but I'm so glad I went!
Daddy, thanks for loving your little girls way more than we deserve,
and always treating us like princesses.
It was one of the best daddy-daughter dates thus far.
We love you!
I love you!

It's a beautiful life around these parts ;)
Taylor Ann

[also, I haven't been blogging. sin. someday maybe I'll tell you why]

10.18.2011

Blissful Brides

So my sister is quite the party thrower. 
I mean, I love to throw parties, but she is really a pro.
[of course I have a couple years to reach her expertise... maybe I'll get there]
And this weekend she threw a party!
a bridal shower to be exact. 
I just thought I'd show off and exhibit what a wonderful job she did.
You see she really wants to throw me a bridal shower. 
And, well... she would like to do it right now....
sometimes she even texts me about her dreams about my bridal shower.
But, seeing I'm gonna make her wait awhile [unless I have the sudden urge to follow my parents and be engaged in ten days]
...she can just appreciate the blissful love of Miss Ellen and her fiancee.











Look at that beautiful bride- darling, right? :)
[and by right I mean she's on the left...]

Love Always,
Taylor Ann

10.16.2011

Perfectly Fall

 Today was a fun day,
and it ended with a fun adventure!
There were 
four-wheelers
fall colors
dirt roads
smores
a tree house
and a pond
 Oh and we made  friends with a massive caterpillar who we subsequently named Tyson.
[due to the fact he was oh-so fierce]
It reminded me of home, you know-the four wheelers and all.
And if you weren't aware, having the wind in my face is one of my favorite feelings of all time.
I laugh and giggle and smile the whole time. every time.
Swings
Four-wheelers
Windows down
Twirling
These are a few of my favorite things.
And, if all of that wasn't wonderful enough...
the weather was divine
--the kind where you could be comfortable wearing anything--
short sleeves, long sleeves, whatever.
Bliss.

Love you Always,
Taylor Ann

10.15.2011

a little glimpse of my walk home.

The last three days held in them four exams
and lots more than that.
 I thought midterms were over-- I was wrong.
But that's ok, because when you walk home Friday night at 6:30 the sun shines just right.
& if you have your camera with you from your advertising meeting at 12, you can take pictures!
Of course, if you're on the phone with your mom then you may struggle at getting the leaves in focus.
But it was beautiful all the same.


Hi, I'm Taylor Ann 
I go to school in a beautiful place.
I have a beautiful life.

Love you always.

10.14.2011

on avoiding reality

So, lately there just happen to be a lot of life decisions coming at me......very rapidly.
Sometimes I deal with them like a real person and do things like homework,
thinking, praying, and actually making decisions and such.....
...but then sometimes all this makes me lose my mind and I do things like
leave a candle lit and set the fire alarm off
or sleep through my alarm four times this week.
And thus, sometimes I pretend like they aren't coming at all.
So I do things like:
(1) make an army of gummy bears during board meetings
(2) go shopping with my sister
or (3) chop my bangs and wear a cute new trenchcoat [bought in picture #2]



I highly encourage at least a little bit of the avoidance option.
Too much of the facing reality option can make you go insane.

Upcoming and exciting?
My best friend's birthday was yesterday.
I will probably blog about my love for her soon.
And fun fact, I had an article about me in the paper this week!
So that's all exciting and blogworthy, right?

Love you forever and always, 
Taylor Ann

10.13.2011

because it happened

So, remember my rose-burning-fun a few months ago?
Well, around that time I also found my old box of notes.
And, you know, reading them helped me remember how much I loved them. 
And when you remember those times, you wonder how it ever came to be that you aren't close now.
In some cases, it was my fault. 
I was immature and did things that put a wall between us.
In some cases, time and distance placed us far apart.
And that was that.
Sometimes I get sad that they're over.
But then I remember to smile because they happened....those friendships that I needed so much.
I am so grateful for those memories that I shared with them, and I will forever look back fondly
on writing secret notes and sticking them under the church couch,
making waffles and peanut butter and dressing up late at night,
decorating envelopes and sending handwritten letters,
taking friends on family vacations to the beach and the mountains,
taking pictures and writing notes during class,
and giggling about silly crushes [these notes were chalk-full of those]








I will always love these girls.
No matter what comes between or where we are.
Their friendships got me through hard times.
And helped me appreciate the good times.

So in the words of Dr. Seuss...
smile because it happened.
Love Always, 
Taylor Ann

10.10.2011

Adding another Taylor to our evening

Last night Taylor Lautner showed up outside of ward prayer.
So, naturally, we couldn't keep away.
We proceeded to kidnap him and take him home with us,
and he spent the night in my room where he belongs.
[bahahahaha]
He has become a coveted object, and two sets of thieves have tried to take him away already.
Kinda like Where's Waldo... but where's Taylor? :)
I fought them off real good,
don't you worry.

Have a smashing evening, folks.
Love Always,
Taylor Ann

10.09.2011

Magic.

You know those happiness moments?
The ones where the weather is perfect,
the sky is the right shade of blue,
when nothing seems to be the matter,
and you curl up with a blanket and a book,
or take a hot bath.
Those moments when you feel so content,
where everyone around you is smiling,
and you just can't seem to wipe the smile off your face.
When you sing loud in the car,
or catch a glimpse of something breathtaking,
when the snow is falling so magically,
or you feel loved perfectly despite your imperfections.

I love those moments. 
I live for them.
Magic is real,
I just know it is. 

I remember walking home from class my freshman year on my birthday.
It was in the end of February, and weather is never very good then.
But the sun was shining and it felt so good on my face.
I can remember exactly where I was at that moment, and I remember how it felt.
Magic.

I remember seeing my kids waiting for me at the front of the orphanage when our bus pulled in.
I remember dancing with them all night to the sounds of Peruvian voices and guitars.
I remember Jerry holding my hands and walking on my feet and smiling up with that toothless grin.
Magic.

I remember coming home for a weekend in the summer of 2009 and sleeping under the stars with my family.
Magic.

I remember driving down dirt roads this summer with the music up loud...singing at the top of our lungs,  and catching frogs in the muddy banks of the pond.
Magic.

Life is never perfect. 
But I think He gives us moments in which we glimpse for a moment what pure joy feels like.
It's that peaceful, calm, happy moment when nothing else seems to matter. 
Where even if all other things are wrong, you just know it will be ok.
I think that might be what eternity feels like.
I suppose I'll have to wait to find out.


These are some of my favorite "magic" pictures on my pinterest account.
I think the older I get, and the more I make the distinction between what matters and what doesn't,
I have more and more "magic" moments.
It's more of the feeling than the circumstance or action.
That swelling in your heart. 
Magic.

In those moments, and always....

10.08.2011

Homecoming Happiness

This week was homecoming, and it was so great.
I love feeling that energy that accompanies school spirit in all its forms.
Where ever you may be, take pride in where you are- own it!
I certainly have tried my best to embrace BYU and all it has to offer me. 
I truly would not want to be anywhere else in the world.
This week aside from being wonderful, was also very hard.
You see, I'm pretty heavily involved with student Alumni [due to my aforementioned love for BYU]
and we put on events and help host luncheons during the entire week of Homecoming.
In particular, Hike and Light the Y falls under my list of responsibilities-and it's a large event.
When I say large, I mean like 900 people type of large, so... pretty large.
Mostly, for a while there I was in uber-stress mode.
Jess brought me a cupcake and a diet coke the night of the event- she knows how to take care of me.
It made for the perfect "Happiness Package".
Needless to say, the event went well, and I got a picture with Cosmo too!



And the week ended with a date that let me use a vintage clutch and patten leather shoes.
Love that.

10.07.2011

Livin the dream... from a great angle.

Last weekend we got to sit in the president's box... 
well, let's call it a "Loge" since that's what the ticket says.
Plus, it sounds way cooler.
Although we girls may have complained at having to wear matching polos with the boys-
[I mean come on, on our first dates with these boys?] it was way worth it.
1. Look at that view
2. WE WON
4. We got to watch the rushing of the field happen from that angle.
[Seriously, watch the progression of the field in these pictures...]





 I mean, in all honesty, the last 4 minutes were the most exciting part. 
But all you need to remember is the strong finish anyways, right?
And if great food and company happen to be a part of it all- yeah, that's alright with me.

Hanging out with President Samuelson and Sister Beck on my Friday night. 
You know, living the dream.

10.06.2011

what a weekend.

Last weekend started out with beautiful blue skies and puffy white clouds.
Not bad for the beginning of October, huh?
Friday, I rushed as fast as my little brain could to finish my midterms and get to Salt Lake.
[come on, church University... midterms during General Conference?]
Grandma and Grandpa, along with my aunt and uncle's family, were in town.
So, naturally, I had a sleepover with my two cousins Saturday night...
and spent all day Sunday with my grandparents.
The company and conversation couldn't have been a more welcome reprieve from my crazy week.

Even if they're short, much-needed breaks seem to come right when you need them.
We spent the day watching conference, walking around temple square, 
and visiting the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 
Grandma told me about staying in the building when she was a flight attendant-
at that time it was still known as hotel Utah.
We looked at the beautiful architecture and the little blurbs about the building's history.
We found out that my dad gets his love for history from my grandpa.
They both stop to read every sign.
It made me feel right at home, being with my family last weekend,
even though I'm still far from it. 
I think grandparents are one of those really special gifts He gives us.
They aren't parents, but they love you almost as much.
And you just can't help but love them back even more.












Here's to adventure
and learning
and miniature retreats from college life.