best of 2012

I love end-of-the-year lists. I've been thinking about and listening to these songs for the past couple weeks trying to compile a list of my absolute favorites. So here they are, my favorite songs from 2012:

20. Time to Run- Lord Huron

19. Anything Could Happen- Ellie Goulding

18. The Riot's Gone- Santigold

17. Belispeak- Purity Ring 

16. Nuclear Seasons- Charli XCX 

15. Thinking of You- Ke$ha 

14. Some Nights- fun. 

13. Neopolitan Dreams- Lisa Mitchell (Sound Remedy Remix)

12. Hold On When You Get Love- Stars

11. Don't Wake Me Up- Chris Brown (Panic City Remix) 

10. Primadonna- Marina + the Diamonds

9. Got Somebody- Moon Boots

8. Dirty Paws- Of Monsters and Men

7. Hollywood- RAC feat. Penguin Prison

6. Say My Name- Destiny's Child (Cyril Hahn Remix)

5. Losing You- Solange

4. We Got the World- Icona Pop

3. Lost- Frank Ocean 

2. Carried Away- Passion Pit (Viceroy Remix)

1. Die Young- Ke$ha

I know what you're thinking. TWO songs by Ke$ha? But they're so catchy guys. I want to see her in concert. Tried fighting how much I love "Die Young" but I can't. Every time it comes on I want to clap along and dance (I usually do) and I am always on the hunt for new remixes. There weren't very many albums that I got into, but I really fell in love with Purity Ring this year. I would love to see them as well. I define a good album by something I can listen to straight through without skipping. Here are my favorite albums of 2012:

4. Halcyon- Ellie Goulding

3. My Head is an Animal- Of Monsters and Men

2. Shrines- Purity Ring

1. Channel Orange- Frank Ocean

There you go, my favorite music from this year. I'd love to hear yours!

i'd like to hang out with you for my whole life

This has been the best week because I'm home for Christmas break, Preston met my whole family and on Monday proposed to me!!! Above was one of the pictures I took before he asked. Let me tell you how it happened.

My family and Preston went to DC on Monday to look at the monuments and museums. We ate at Shake Shack because I made everyone go because I've heard great things about that place. It was pretty good, but what made my experience was LaWanda. She was a sweet employee who saw me standing next to the outlet by the bathroom charging my phone. She offered to charge it in the kitchen until we left. Little did I know I would be needing all the phone battery I could muster for that evening's events. We ended the day at the National Air and Space Museum. All of the museums were about to close so Preston suggested we go to the National Gallery of Art across the street. We got there and were told it was closed. So then Preston was like, "Hey let's look at the Christmas tree in front of the Capitol." I agreed and we walked to what I have now learned is the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial or what I've been telling people "a platform across from the Capitol." We stood there for a little bit and took pictures of the Christmas tree and Capitol and then Preston told me he had a Christmas present for me. Half of me thought I was about to get an engagement ring and the other half thought I was going to get a Christmas present. Prior to Monday, I was debating whether or not Preston was going to propose while he was in Lancaster. I thought maybe he would try when we went to DC but as the day wore on, I decided that it was not today. Also I should mention it was his birthday. How unselfish right? I got a Christmas present in the form of an engagement ring because Preston told me he loved me and got down on one knee and asked to marry me. It was perfect and I said yes.

This is my favorite picture of us. This is at the World War II Memorial.

After DC we stopped by the DC Temple and it couldn't have been more beautiful to me. My phone was too dead for me to take any pics, but let me describe it to you and maybe put up a picture from Preston's phone later. It was super foggy so you couldn't even see the top of the temple but it was completely surrounded by fog and looked like it was floating. I had never seen a more celestial sight. It was so special to stand in front of it with Preston knowing that someday we would be married there.

Here's the ring pic with the good ol' Capitol and Christmas tree in the background. I am obsessed with my ring and can't wait to wear it every day and stare at it. I couldn't sleep Tuesday morning and woke up at an unreasonable hour just to put it on my finger and look at it.

YOU GUYS. I'm getting married.

the errand of angels is given to women

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2012 holiday gift guide

 

1. Hanae Mori No. 7 Perfume This is my current favorite scent. It's flirty
and playful and the right amount of sweet. I put it in my "candy"
perfume category.
2. Fair Isle Sweater There's only a few times a year you can get
away with Fair Isle, and we are right in the midst of it. The weirder the
print, the better. I've had some trouble finding cute girl sweaters, so
hit up the extra smalls and smalls in the guys' section too.
3. Capri Blue Volcano Candle This is my favorite candle I've ever smelled
and if you don't like it, you are wrong.
4. Marc Jacobs iPhone Case iPhone cases are one of those things you don't
actually want to buy, but you should, which is why it makes a great gift.
I not-so-secretly love the outrageousness of this Marc Jacobs one, but
there are more subtle options if you are not as Asian as me. (I've had
the MJ Dreamy Logo Metallic case since I got my 4S and still love it).

5. Coffee Table Book Another thing you don't actually want to buy,
but is so great to have. Coffee table books are pretty to display and
look at and make great conversation starters. I got an awesome one
last year (Savage Beauty) and highly recommend it along with any
fashion ones.
6. J.Crew Camp Socks These socks are warm, cute, functional and
warm. If they were the only socks I owned, I wouldn't be mad.
7. Bangle Bracelet I read in a gift guide that jewelry was a bad gift to
give to a girl, but I disagree. Jewelry is one of my favorite gifts to receive!
A pretty bangle dresses up any outfit and you'll probably see it make an
appearance at a holiday party.
8. (Chic) Snow Boots Recently bought myself a pair of L.L. Bean boots
and they have been my favorite purchase this season. Especially living
in Utah, it's important but difficult to find all-weather shoes that are
both functional and chic. Sperry and L.L. Bean do it for me.

1. Boots These are just cool. You can tell a guy knows what the hell he's
doing by his shoes. If you are sporting these, I bet you know what you're
doing or associate with someone who does.
2. Diptyque Tam Dao Cologne This smells like Christmas and lasts so long.
The Diptyque candles are amazing and I recently learned they have a
fragrance line that is now being sold at Nordstrom.(used to only be
available at Barney's, Saks, Neiman's, etc.) The colognes and perfumes
are delicious and so festive. Tam Dao is a cabin at Christmastime in a
bottle.
3. Timex Field Army Watch I'm really picky about men's accessories.
You shouldn't be more accessorized than me. This Timex is simple and
does the job and the absolute best part is you can change the bands.
This is a great gift to give because you can give watch bands for the rest
of your guy's existence.
4. Fair Isle Knit Tie So down with this tie. It's cool and unique. I think
I've only seen one of these in real life and it looked awesome.
5. Coffee Table Book Specifically this book. You know the blog?
Yeah, well they made a book and apparently it's hilarious. Also girls,
you can look through it and be like, "This is looks sooo good don't you
think??"
6. J.Crew Leather iPhone Case Preston and Alyanna both have leather
cases from J.Crew. They're chic without being loud and are great quality.
7. J.Crew Camp Socks Same goes for guys. Cozy, cool and FAIR ISLE!!

I tried to think of things NOT to buy a guy or girl, but nothing I write
will be as funny as this list. I love giving presents, but I especially love
giving gifts that I know my recipient has mentioned wanting or has
been admiring for a while. Hopefully this gave you some ideas for
this year. Everyone have a bomb Christmas and remember that
giving is way more fun than receiving.

they say you're a freak when we're having fun

I have had some fun times since I last blogged. First Thanksgiving break happened. Preston and I joined the Baker family in Colorado. I think the first picture sums up the week. The Bakers have adopted Preston for Thanksgiving since he's been at school and this year I had the privilege of joining him. I just love this family and loved Thanksgiving break. It was a week of reading, eating, shopping and eating. I finished Charles Bukowski's Women. I have wanted to read that book for a year or so now and I finally bought it. Charles Bukowski is like Chuck Palahniuk to me. You expect every book to be something revolutionary because Tumblr says it will be based on the absurd amount of reblogs these authors get but then you read it and it's the same vulgar prose with a few chosen lines that are excellent. That was what Women was to me. Filthy, but a few notable passages sprinkled throughout the filth. I started 1Q84 and I love it. It might be my favorite Murakami yet. It's a long read...800+ pages I think, but I haven't been able to put it down. Another fun thing that I got to experience over break was Preston's mission. Preston served in Denver and on Sunday we drove around his areas and got to visit some wards he served in. It warmed my heart to see the people that remembered him and how happy they were to see him, especially the ones he taught and baptized. Missionaries are cool.

I turned 21 last week! It was such a fun birthday. Usually celebrations are pretty low-key for me because my birthday always falls during Thanksgiving break or actually Thanksgiving. I'm lucky enough to have friends that made me feel special from the moment I woke up to the last hours of my day. Above was my birthday dinner with some of my favorite people followed by a surprise party. I've never had a surprise party in my life! So that was a lot of fun. My friends are the sweetest people :) I'm excited to be able to attend 21+ shows now. 

This weekend I saw The Nutcracker in Salt Lake. Did you know I LOVE THE NUTCRACKER?? Ballet was my first love. Honestly. I remember my parents letting me try every single sport. My school district did this thing called summer academy where you could enroll in random classes like karate or jewelry making or chemistry. I took a dance class and fell in love. My mom enrolled my sister and me in ballet and tap that fall and the rest is history. I joined a company when I was 9 and danced until my junior year of high school. Dancing has a special place in my heart, especially ballet. I know ballerinas actually hate performing The Nutcracker, but it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. It was such a joy to see Ballet West perform it. During some of the opening sequences my eyes started watering and I was like what the hell? I guess I just miss it a lot and after watching any dance performances I start considering abandoning my schooling to pursue a career on stage. After, Preston and I attended my ward holiday ball which was actually in the middle of nowhere. But it was a pretty event and we were in charge of the dance playlist.

This is the last week of classes, next week is finals and then I return to Lancaster with Alyanna and Preston. I have never been more excited for a Christmas break. Happy studying!

thx

What is school? I am sitting at work refreshing social media tabs and debating whether or not I will attend my 3:30 class. It is looking doubtful. Going home last week was the best and worst because after I came back I'm like CHRISTMAS. Yeah, not even Thanksgiving. So after I took a test on Thursday, I said byeschool. 

This weekend was funzies. Our friends Zach Kacher and Kelsey Jones-now-Kacher got married. They had the most beautiful reception at the Sundance Resort. These pictures are from that evening. I get a kick out of the pics of us looking confused. I'm wearing a dress from H&M and Calvin Klein shoes. I should do a guest WIWT with Preston cuz he's always looking flyyy. The reception was really lovely and Sundance is so beautiful. I always forget that I live in ski wonderland. Not that I ski or anything. But I'm sure when the time comes to leave Utah, I will miss the mountains. Weddings make me giddy and I'm so happy for Zach and Kelsey. They are both such sweet, righteous people who love each other and the Lord and there's nothing better than when two such individuals come together for time and all eternity :) :)

This evening I'm leaving for Denver to spend Thanksgiving with the Baker family. I'm so looking forward to a week of calories, books and naps. Here is what I am thankful for in no order:

-Mommy, Daddy, Alyanna and Nic Padilla. Duh duh duh. They're everything to me. Everyone says this but why wouldn't you? Families rule and are forever.

-The gospel in my life. A living prophet. The scriptures. The Church gives me direction and purpose in my life and is the source of infinite happiness and joy.

-My health. Not only can I walk, but I can run and exercise and help people. Having poor health really limits the things you can do for yourself and others. I'm thankful that I can run to the gym even though getting myself there is like studying for finals, walk to school, eat (usually) what I want, do yoga and dance when I like the music.

-Modern technology that allows me to keep in touch with everyone I love, especially my family in Pennsylvania. I get so sad and excited at this time of year because I start missing my family and house HARD. I just talked with my mom last night and it was probably the best part of my day. She's crazy like me and I miss her so much when I'm gone. Last night's conversation was particularly hilarious. Shoutout to my iPhone (LUV U BEB. U COMPLETE ME) and my Macbook Pro (MY SOUL IS UR SOUL).

-My roommates Blythe Beecroft and Brooke Zollinger. These girls are an example to me every single day and I notice a difference in my life because of their sweet presence. They are both the most kind and patient people I know.

-Preston Kutney. He's my best friend and makes my days brighter. To me, Preston is more perfect than not.

-My friends that I didn't mention specifically by name but make this whole college experience what it is. Social gatherings really exhaust me. I don't like going to parties and I really hate mingling. I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are my favorite people to be around. They're special to me and make me laugh and make me feel loved and listen to my problems and send me weird texts and go out to eat with me. 

-Brigham Young University and the wonderful education I'm receiving. BYU has my heart and always will. The glory of God is intelligence y'all.

-Naps. Nothing better than sleeping after eating and waking up warm and hazy. Sorry that I would rather nap than do anything usually.

-J.Crew for clothing me. Luv u boo.

-Books. Especially the ones that make you feel things and the ones that have so many marks and underlines because they spoke to you and put into words what you've always thought and felt. I finished reading the Bible last night which was one of my 2012 New Year's Resolutions. I'm really proud of myself for it. I will be honest, I could probably have read it more thoroughly, but I did get something out of it besides completion. I know that it's an essential part of my religion and testifies of the existence and life of Christ, who makes all of this make sense.

-Treats. Candy, cookies, ice cream, cake, pie, donuts etc. etc. Here's an absolute blatant hint: The person to buy me a box of assorted macarons for my birthday will receive a kiss and probably a foodgram with their name tagged. 

Thanks for reading my list. Thanks for reading my blog. Hope your holiday is perfect!

lend me your wispy frame

 Guess what I did this week? I had to renew my passport for grad school things and to renew a Philippine passport you need to go to the actual consulate. The closest one to Provo is in LA, but once in LA, I would have no way of getting around, so I flew home. It was a spontaneous, much-needed break. I always start to miss home a lot when Thanksgiving time rolls around and it was such a treat to spend a few days in Lancaster. I had a pretty action-packed few days. Tuesday I flew all day. Wednesday saw my babies and then we took a train to New York that evening. Thursday we went to the consulate and renewed our passports. We did that first thing in the morning which left us a few hours to wander around the city. I didn't get to go to all the places I wanted, but it was fun just walking around and shopping for a little. Our train left at 3:30. We had a 2 hour layover in Philly and then arrived in Lancaster around 8. The 30th Street Station in Philly is a fun place. I don't know if I've said this before, but it is what I imagine King's Cross station to be like. I am probably very wrong, but that's ok. Friday I ran errands and shopped alone, which is one of my favorite activities. Today we woke up very early to go to the temple. It made me so happy to go to my favorite temple. It is a beautiful one. Now I am home, in bed, blogging and watching Gossip Girl. My flight leaves tomorrow morning.

Here's one of the only pictures I took in New York. In front of a giant naked statue. When we arrived in New York it was snowing hard, but by Thursday afternoon before we left, it had warmed up. It was nice in D.C. and in Lancaster. Apparently it's supposed to get warm again on the east coast but Provo had its first snow. And when I left Provo, it was 70 degrees. No warmth 4 Ynna.

This is what I wore to run errands yesterday. Ralph Lauren shirt, Zara jeans, J.Crew belt, Cole Haan loafers, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag, pseudo J.Crew necklace.

Seeing my family has been great. I'm so excited for Christmas break. Preston will be joining me which makes it doubly more exciting.

On the plane and to New York, I read Joshua Foer's Moonwalking With Einstein. It's a book about memory and Foer talks about his journey to the U.S. Memory Championship. It was a really interesting read and made me want to implement some of the skills he used to prepare for the Memory Championship in my own life. I recommend it. And I know I'm 4 months late, but I really love Purity Ring's debut album Shrines. They need to come to Salt Lake.

Luckily my flight gets into Salt Lake early evening, so I have time to lie around the house and not have to go straight to bed and back to reality in the morning.

i never walked the party line

 Happy Halloween from Pikachu and Ash!

Pikachu was one of the coziest costumes I've ever worn. Maybe I will use it for pajamas. Last night was fun because Yogurtland was giving 5 free oz. if you came in costume and then we danced with our friends. Dressing up with Preston is one of my favorite things because it is never a half-hearted process.

Halloween is a funny holiday to me because when it's done it's IMMEDIATELY November. Like Christmas you have a few days before New Year's which is like, duh, it's January. And Thanksgiving you have a few days before December starts. Same with Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. I'm so excited for these next two months because they are my favorite times of the year. It always feels like after Christmas is over it will be an ETERNITY before next Christmas and nothing in between could ever be that good, but I've been having the best year!

 This past weekend I had a trophy-wife Saturday. I mean I woke up, went to the gym, then brunch, then got my nails done, then saw a movie, then went home to make dinner. All that was missing was playdate for my babies while gossiping with other mommies. So a few things. I love brunch. Do you want to win my heart? Take me to brunch. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was very, very sweet. That book was one of my absolute favorites in middle school and I was totally like, "Omgzzz Stephen Chbosky YOU GET ME. I JUST WANT 2 FEEL ~*iNFiNiTE*~" But it was honestly a big part of my growing up and I thought the movie was well-made and well-cast.

 All I want for my birthday is a trenchcoat and black patent loafers. I want Alexa's Valentino flats in slingback style for my wedding day. I've always loved the Valentino Rockstuds, but lately I cannot get them out of my mind as wedding shoes. AM I CRAZY? The answer is absolutely.

Important. Is Clemence Poesy pretty??? Yesterday I was on Tumblr and I liked 10 pictures of her in a row. But I would look at her and be like wait. Are you pretty? Or do you just have the best wardrobe? Alyanna and I came to the conclusion that she is very charming and has excellent style but is not actually pretty. Except in this picture. In this picture she is so pretty.

53 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS

break me like a promise

Last Friday night was Goth Prom y'all. How #dark are we??? Goth Prom was great. It was fun to use copious amounts of black eyeliner and lipstick. The DJ there was excellent; one of the best dance parties I've attended in Provo. It's funny because last year after GP pics started surfacing on Facebook was when Preston and I were supposed to go on our first date. I remember getting a text from him (first one!) asking me not to judge him based on his most recently tagged pics, but obviously I was into it. GP got me really excited for Halloween. I can't wait for my costume this year hehehe.
Here are some clothes I wore recently. I call this montage "50 Shades of Blue." From left to right: J.Crew chambray shirt, Crewcuts chambray skirt, J.Crew belt, Cole Haan loafers. Soel polka dot chambray shirt, Zara khakis, J.Crew belt, Cole Haan loafers. Land's End striped shirt, Zara jeans, Cole Haan loafers. J.Crew cardigan, Crewcuts shirt, Crewcuts chambray skirt, J.Crew belt, Cole Haan loafers, Francesca necklace. I swear I spaced out the chambray skirt outfits.

Lately I just want polka dot everything. I got an Anthropologie gift card for Christmas and I still haven't spent it completely because I really haven't found anything that I've been obsessed with, which is odd. Yesterday I was browsing and came across this blazer and I must have it.

I've been getting a cold which sucks. School is the same. There are a lot of things that are stressing me out that are out of my control at this point. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving break and even more so to Christmas break. I miss my family a lot lately, but it's nice to hang out with Alyanna occasionally.

Oh guysss. How bout the new T.Swifty? I think it's fun. There are the obligatory dumb songs that I wonder how on earth she conjured, but I like it obviously. To me, nothing will be as good as Fearless. I really really really want to see her in concert and will pay A LOT of money to see her. She's in my top 5. I read a Thought Catalog recently that was criticizing her artificial naivete (idk how to get the accents/umlauts) but here's my take on it. Girl is SMART. People love how sweet and innocent she is. And yeah, it gets old after the 450th time to see her gasp whenever she wins an award like a little kid finding out Santa isn't real, but it sells records, and to me, that is genius. Why not play up the deer-in-the-headlights act? You're making millions, girls look up to you, parents will let their kids go see you and... you're making millions. Despite how annoying and stupid she looks/is, she's doing it right.

seeing stars watch me fall apart

This weekend was fun and then it sucked and then it was fun. But I will just talk about how fun it was.

Friday was fun because Kev threw a party and the theme was W.A.S.P. so that wasn't hard to dress up for. Rique came into town this weekend for a wedding, so it was a real treat to see her. Saturday I went on a homecoming date with Preston. By homecoming I mean the homecoming game was on Saturday and we listened to it in the car while driving to see the fall leaves. Guys. Utah is pritt-ay. Look at that picture! We had a little picnic and stared at the colors and took some Myspace pics.

After enjoying nature we bought clothes in Park City. Great news- not only can I wear Crewcuts shoes, but the boys' size 12 oxford cloth button downs are the perfect fit. Sometimes I hate having a 12 year old body, but most of the time I don't mind at all. Crewcuts til I die.

Speaking of clothes and dying, the above shirt has been the bane of my existence since J.Crew debuted it for their fall line. It sold out the first week everywhere. I am literally on the waiting list at City Creek and Fashion Place. I call about it. I check the website at least 5x a day. I bought it in navy. (Wearing it below with Kylie). It taunts me on Tumblr and Instagram. I hate it.

Above is at Kev's W.A.S.P party and Kylie's fall party. I love my pretty friends :)

October is halfway over. November means Thanksgiving and 21. December means kill myself then happiest days of the year. It'll be fine. Have a nice Tuesday and listen to the new Ellie Goulding.

i love it

Last weekend was the 182nd General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. General Conference is one of my favorite weekends of the year, and I've said it before, but it always seems to fall during the perfect time of year when my life seems so busy/hectic/chaotic. It's like a giant sigh of relief and the reassurance that everything will be ok.

I was able to attend the Saturday morning session of conference and watched the afternoon session in the tabernacle and Sunday morning and afternoon at home. I think I attended the most historical session, because it was Saturday morning that President Monson announced the lowering of missionary age from 19 to 18 for young men and 21 to 19 for young women. 19 FOR YOUNG WOMEN! That's monumental. It gave me chills when he made the announcement and you could hear the gasps and excited whispers throughout the conference center. I have a firm testimony of the power of missionary work and its ability to bring eternal happiness. My own parents are converts to the church and heard about the gospel when sister missionaries knocked on our door. I know that the lowering of missionary age for men and women will only increase the number who choose to serve and further the work that needs to be done.

These were my favorite quotes/talks from the weekend:

-"The spiritual immune system of an entire civilization has been wounded-" Quentin L. Cook quoting a Baptist minister. Elder Cook focused on the moral decay of society and the ever-increasing importance of standing up for what we know to be true. 

-The title of my post comes from Sister Ann M. Dibbs' talk about the girl who wore the shirt that read: I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it. 

-President Uchtdorf's entire talk. He closed the Saturday morning session on such an uplifting, encouraging note. President Uchtdorf emphasized the importance of enjoying life and taking account of the things that truly matter. He explained that we have turned into a society that esteems business (are business (biz-ness) and business (biz-ee-ness) spelled the same?) but is business really something to be proud of? In the end, we're going to look most fondly on the times we spent with the people we love, not the amount of time we put in the office. "Life is not meant to only be enjoyed in retrospect." 

-I enjoyed the analogy that Elder Scott D. Whiting made about the temples and our bodies. He told a story about how a temple was being built and there were a few minor changes that had to be made, but without them the temple would not be complete. It was a very precise process and most people would look at the corrections and think they really didn't matter, but because the temple is the Lord's house it needs to be perfect and only the best materials and craftsmanship can be used to build it. In comparison, we are each made of the finest materials and craftsmanship, but sometimes there are parts of us that need improvement. We are not required to be perfect, but it is our ultimate goal and thus we should always constantly work towards perfection.

-President Eyring's talk about our timetable vs. the Lord's timetable. He focused on God's awareness for all of his children and how sometimes things don't happen when we want them to or how we want them to, but we need to remember the Lord works in his own time and knows what's best for us more than anyone else in the world. He talked about how sometimes we create pavilions that hide us from the Lord, but he never creates pavilions hiding Himself from us. 

-Elder Holland. Duh. This man knows how to get every single person in an audience to hang onto his every word. This talk was interesting because he retold the story of Jesus asking Peter to be his one of his disciples but in a way that it would sound in 2012. The Lord is looking for disciples that will devote their lives to him. He can get fish- he needs us to feed his sheep! "The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ was the beginning of Christianity, not the end of it" and "We will not be finished with the work until love of God and neighbor rule the world." Absolutely. My favorite quote of the weekend.

-Elder Bednar. He is probably one of my favorite apostles. His analogies are always so memorable. Remember the pickle talk?? This talk was no exception. He talked about the difference between conversion and testimony and how the two are directly connected. He compared the parable of the ten virgins and the types of oil they had to testimony and conversion. The 5 who fell asleep and didn't have enough oil had filled their lamps with oil of testimony. When they asked to borrow from the 5 who were prepared, they were denied, because they had filled their lamps with oil of conversion. One can have a testimony of the gospel, and this can be shared and even borrowed for a bit, but ultimately, we must be converted and conversion cannot be shared.

Hey, did you know that Preston and I met a year ago after the Sunday morning session? I just love Conference :) (Also please put us in the Ensign. We are young hip Mormons!)

Thanks for reading this. My Conference entry is one of the few that I put up for everyone to see, and I think it is the most important. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and hearing from the inspired men that have been chosen to lead our Church is one of the greatest blessings we have in this day and age. I want to share the happiness and peace I get from hearing and reading these messages. Here you can enjoy the talks that I wrote about and the entirety of this October's General Conference. I know the Church is true and I love it with all my heart.

she like to keep her nose runny and her waist skinny

Left to right: J.Crew t-shirt, Zara jeans, Sperrys, Michael Kors watch, Herschel backpack. Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, Zara khakis, Sperrys, MK watch, Herschel. Lost boy and girl. Dolce Vita metal cap loafers, Banana Republic jeans.

It's starting to get cold in Provo. I'm not ready. But I do like not sweating on the walk to campus. That is nice.

Last weekend was a blur. I had to work Friday night until 2 AM. Then I took a practice GRE at 9 AM, didn't take a nap, did homework and ran errands and put together my lost girl costume and partied in Sundance. My roommates threw a bomb birthday party at our friend Kate's cabin on Saturday night. The theme was Peter Pan, The Great Gatsby, Star Wars or The Wizard of Oz. People sure know how to dress up for these things. I was excited because I got to wear my fur vest (J.Crew).

I've officially quit The Awful Waffle and just in time. Midterms are approaching and the real GRE is in October. I really did like working there, but quitting has been such a relief.

I went on a mini-online shopping spree recently and am excited about my new purchases. They will be making appearances soon! (Ugh). The metal cap loafers were an impulse buy, but I'm pleased with them. I was deciding between tasseled velvet loafers and sparkly studded ones and feel like the metal caps were a good compromise. I will be content when I have a trench coat and a Peter Pan collar blouse.

Have you guys listened to the new Mumford & Sons album? It's great. My favorite song is "Ghosts That We Knew." On a less indie and more embarrassing note, I am so into G-Eazy. Lolfest. I know. He's like. Not that new. And he's a white rapper. OK I GET IT. But I listen to "Waspy" and "Mad" 10+ times a day. I just love the songs he samples and I'm a sucker for stupid raps.

Looking forward to my more chic fall wardrobe (Summer turned me into this super casual boring chick so I'm excited to remind everyone that I like clothes), cute fall dates (I don't know what this means but pumpkin spice makes anything cute) and General Conference next week!

On a final note, one of my best friends Jadyn Cherry got engaged to another dear friend, Sean McGrath last week. I'm super excited for them, especially because I feel like I played a part in Jadyn and Sean finally admitting to each other that they like each other. And by that I mean, I literally texted both of them and said, "Um can you both admit to each other that you like each other and start dating? Cool bye!" I'm so thrilled to have these special two engaged to each other and can't wait for their wedding :) :)

catch my eye i'll register a smile

DO U H8 ME NOW THAT I'M POSTING WIWT PICS??? CHECK YES OR NO.

This is what I wore to stake conference on Sunday. The dress is my sister's and Modcloth. The shoes are Calvin Klein. The bag is Marc by Marc Jacobs. (<--Was that annoying??? I just wanna be a fashion blogger y'all.) I love that dress because it's an unexpected color with a traditional dress. Plus dem pleats! (Get this, you don't even have to iron out the pleats. It just looks that good out of the wash. Magic right?)

This is me skateboarding after church on Sunday. This picture is deceiving because it looks like I actually moved. False. I would say I skidded around a foot. I'm not sure if I tell you what I'm wearing in this picture or not. Lying in the park that Sunday afternoon I made the firm decision that I don't want it to get cold. Yeah yeah yeah I know you're like, "BUT TIGHTS N BOOTS?!?" OVER IT. I mean my fall wardrobe is bomb and I love tights n boots too, but I'm over it in a week. Like gimme 7 days of crisp fall weather in which I am required to wear layers including a coat and then I'm done. I want summer all year long. I think I'll probably move somewhere warm.

School is fine. Classes are ok. I'm still weirded out by the fact that I'm graduating college in April. I'm taking a practice GRE this weekend. I'm quitting my job at Awful Waffle because I can't handle the hours + school + other job + fake social life. But honestly, it's a fun place to work. Oh you GUYYYS. Go try the Pumpkin Pie waffle/crepe. It's divine. That is one thing I love about fall. PUMPKIN SPICE EVERYTHING. 

On Monday I partook in 2 of my favorite things. 1) Free yoga class at 3B Yoga with Preston. I sure do miss going to yoga class. I think because I'm surrounded by impressive yogi (hehe) I put forth more effort than if I was just doing it on my own. The only reason it was free is because we have a bunch of these passes that we haven't used. The 3B yoga studio is pritt-ay. And smells like Anthropologie. And makes me want to spend $500 at Lululemon. 2) Boba smoothie after!! There's this place. Green Panda Cafe on the way to Riverwoods. I've never tried the food but I've had 3 bobas from there and just love them. This time the man informed me you can MIX flavors. So coconut milk + mango. I want a boba smoothie all the time. Preston said I should add it to my sidebar under the "I like..." I'm definitely not going to tell you what I'm wearing in the above picture except for I did tie-dye the shirt myself.

Oh last weekend was so fun. Friday night Preston and I went to Cubby's. I could eat their tri-tip steak salad every day and be ok with it. It is better than the pork salad at Cafe Rio. THERE I SAID IT. Everyone go to Cubby's. (Also they are expanding it. Isn't that exciting?) Then Preston and I volunteered at the MTC where the missionaries practice teaching lessons. I think it's called the TRC but I have no idea what that stands for. Let me tell you. I have no connection to the MTC except for I date someone who works there. Never really had a yearning to go except for I've always been curious about where Preston works and what it looks like inside. Now I know y'all. Let me tell you it warmed my heart to walk through the halls and see all the little missionaries. These men and women are taking 1.5-2 years of their life to serve the Lord. Some of them are going to obscure countries and learning even more obscure languages. They're far from home and are just constantly learning and teaching all day long. My parents are converts and joined the church when sister missionaries knocked on my door, so missionary work is very near and dear to me. I was so touched by the pair of sisters and elders that taught us lessons. If you ever get a chance, go volunteer. It's fun and rewarding.  Then there was a great IDP that night. Then on Saturday Preston and I hung out with Alyanna and that football game happened. (BO-RING.) Then Sunday we got to hear from Elder Oaks at stake conference and play in the park and I had dinner with Jadyn and watched Freaks and Geeks at night. The end.