1 Year

I'm alive.

I know you were worried.

This year has been a year full of a lot.

heartbreak. growth. education. opportunity. love. worry. faith. discouragement. relationships. close calls. tears. smiles. friendship. learning. trust. happiness. loneliness. hardships. insecurities. struggles. disappointment. let downs. anger. screw ups. questioning. open minding. 

All things that were necessary. 
Necessary for more things than one.
but mostly for my growth. 

Without any of those things I wouldn't be where I am right now. & that is a blessing in itself.

I am so grateful for all of that. 

Have you ever taken a step back and looked at your life?
Look at the progress you've made, and the decisions that you made that have all led you to be where you are today.
I do it everyday. There is a reason for everything. 
Everything.
You may never know that reason when it happens, but one day you will look back on your life and it will be loud and clear.

Today I went to the Temple.
 & when I step foot out of my car and looked up, I bursted in tears. An overwhelming feeling came over me. 
and this is why. 

I was sent here on this earth at this time for a reason. to be here. and really here.

To help people. To be an example. To listen. To care. To love. To honor. To be happy. To learn. To speak up. To try your hardest. To never give up. To be honest. To be Christlike. To grow. 

Grow.

Remember that. 
We are all progressing. 

Modern Grand Tour 2014!

It was an absolute dream come true.

After all, 

This Is What Dreams Are Made Of

Do As The Romans Do: Day 1

Oh my, Rome is a dream!

Today we arrived in Rome, Italy! 

It is the most amazing place I have been to in my entire life!

First thing we did was check into our hotel.

It is in the cutest little area tucked away in the cobblestone streets of Rome.

It's on a street call Moroni. (hehe!)

We were all starving so naturally we went and got pizza right next to our hotel, and man was it amazing.

It's not like American pizza at all.

They make it in large squares and you pay for it by the weight.

It was out favorite place because it was so dang cheap and we got a lot for out money.

And in case you were wondering- yes. 

We got gelato afterwards. and again later today.

Nutella and White Chocolate. 

HOLY. My mouth is watering just thinking about it's yumminess.

Que the party in my mouth.

After lunch we were off to visit our first ancient monumental structure.

The Pantheon.

Holy cow. It was amazing.

You're walking around the streets of Rome and you turn a corner and suddenly you are standing in the middle of the square where the Pantheon sits. It pretty cool if you ask me.

So Rome has this pretty cool quirk. The aqueducts that run through the city are filled with completely clean and safe drinking water. We would see random "drinking fountains" throughout the town where we would go and fill up our water bottles and put our mouth up to to drink out of.

After our visit to the Pantheon, we took about a 10 minute walk to my favorite part of Rome.

Piazza Novana. 

It's basically a square that has 3 fountains in the middle of it and lots and lots of people.

They had an awesome gelato place, GROM.

They say that the best gelato is covered and not exposed and lavishly decorated on display. 

I am obsessed with all of the flower markets around Rome. 

My all time favorite flower is a Roman favorite I think. 

They were everywhere. 

Pink and white flowers on the balcony of the apartments in Piazza Navona.

SWOON!

Love this little treasure.

The red and white check table clothes...

I die.

So. Many. Incredible. Churches.

They take their decor very seriously.

I couldn't help but walk around the Colosseum singing Lizze McGuire's "Hey Now, Hey Now".

It's only appropriate.

#thisiswhatdreamsaremadeof

It was pretty much already destined for us to talk a walk along the river at sunset on our first night.

The bridges are to die for. 

The river, lined with old stone walls and massive trees.

It's out of a dream

*heart eye emoji*

Looks like I wore the right outfit today.

My pink ombre skirt coordinates with this powder blue door and mustard walls perfectly.

This is my cute little italian car.

It comes with a hot italian man inside.

aka Paulo.

Cheers to Rome and an amazing first day! 

One down, 27 to go!

Viva Roma!!!!

The Journey Begins!

I'm off! 

On the adventure of a lifetime! 

Study Abroad 2014. 

The Modern Grand Tour.

Rome. Florence. Venice. Paris. London.

Blondes Have More Fun

Things I Love:

Dolling myself up. Cute clothes. Blonde hair. Logan Canyon. Snowy mountains.

Stripes & Mustard

Ah, the snow has come. 

Logan is getting colder and the clothes are getting cuter.

I am a sucker for pencil skirts and chunky necklaces and this weather calls for both. 

So I like to take advantage of it and wear all the skirts and necklaces I possibly can.

 Top: Forever 21 $4.99 // Skirt: J. Crew $39.99 // Watch: Michael Kors $249.99 // Necklace: J.Crew $89.99 // Boots: Steve Madden $249.99

I also did a little something different to my hair. 

I'm not quite sure if the whole ombre look is really for me or not. 

A little edgy. I'm not used to it yet.

Just Call Me Samantha Cullen

I feel like a vampire.

Thirsty red lips. 

Pale skin.

Black clothes.

But really. 

I look like I just stepped off the set of Twilight. 

Not so sure if thats a good thing or not...

 Top: Forever 21 (old) // Vest: Belk $9.99 // Leather Leggings: Bohme $19.99 // Boots: Steve Madden $249.99 // Watch: Michael Kors: $249.99

A friend and I went out and did a little mini practice photo shoot in the mountains for Logan, UT and man, was it beautiful. 

And I love the way the pictures turned out! 

Nice work, Kenz!