2014: The Year of Change

The view out my window today. The first snow of the winter season sure has made its presence known. 

Today is the last day of 2014. A year that I will always remember, and will reflect back on for a number of reasons. It's the year where I really started to discover myself and grow up. After a chapter in my life closed early in the year, a new chapter opened, and I've enjoyed writing each sentence. This year I've been blessed with so many things. I made this move up north and haven't regretted the decision once. Life isn't always perfect, and I feel that I've had too much heartache this year but I've learned that if you work hard enough and keep your chin up, good things will happen.

My adventures and wonderful memories this year have included

• Trips to Salt Lake City, Vegas, Denver, the Grand Canyon and several trips to Tempe
• Working at Salon Tru Blu for a few weeks until I got my first post grad job, and eventually becoming full time with benefits and PTO
•  A new apartment that I've been able to decorate however I want. It is girly and I love everything about it. 
• Getting Oskar and Olive back after being away for nearly 6 months
• Visits from my grandparents, Christina, Priscilla and Michelle (thanks for coming up!) 
• Lots of skype dates with April and Grandma
• My first blind date (it was absolutely awful, but a memory. lol) 
• Celebrating Christmas with my mom for the first time in four years
• I gave myself a pretty sweet Thanksgiving/Christmas present of a brand new 2015 Toyota Corolla.

R.I.P My sweet Cody and Oskar

2014 you were a bitch, but you were also one of the best years of my life.

What I'm Watching: Netflix Documentaries

       1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Netflix has been on it's A game lately and I've been loving every minute of it. I recently finished How I Met Your Mother, and haven't started any new shows yet. Because of that I've been enjoying some of the many documentaries that Netflix has to offer. Some are hits and some are misses but these four above were enjoyable and interesting for a number of different reasons.

Alive Inside- This incredible documentary brought tears to my eyes for nearly the entire movie. It's about a man who goes into nursing homes and provides the residents with ipods that have some of their favorite songs put on it. The documentary does profiles of residents so you can see their behaviors on a daily basis, and then shows you what the music does; and boy does it change them. Residents who haven't walked or talked in months start to sing and dance, the music moves them in such a way. I texted my mom when I watched it and told her it was a must see and also plan on watching it with my grandma.

Advanced Style-A fun documentary that focuses on women over 65 or 70 and their eclectic style. I found it inspiring that like young women these senior citizens use the streets of New York as their own private runway.

Schooled: The Price of College Sports- What a stirring and eye opening documentary. I learned a lot of things about the NCAA that I had never known before, and that I would venture to say a lot of people don't know. I always naively assumed that student athletes received a stipend for playing sports at the University, because as a student government President I received a small but extremely helpful stipend each semester. I understand that they are considered 'amateurs' but what is most confusing is the large amount of revenue that they provide for the University (the staggering number are detailed in the documentary) and that they aren't able to make any commission off of that. I could go on and on about my thoughts on this documentary, but would absolutely recommend it to any college student, and alumni who want these players to win championships.  

Burt's Buzz-As a huge fan of the lip balm (I refuse to use anything else) I thought that this documentary would be interesting. It gives  you a look into Burt's lifestyle which is surprisingly just what we would all think it would be. He lives in a small home, not some lavish mansion and he's very private. In this documentary the most surprising thing for me was how his company came to produce it's large numbers and grow like it did. It wasn't the wish for Burt, but his power hungry wife (now ex) who made the company grow like it did. Overall, the documentary ended up being different than I thought it would be, as it focuses on Burt and his current lifestyle with a little bit of how the company came to be; but nonetheless it's still worthy of watching.

Oskar

Rest in Peace my sweet Oskar

04/22/2011-12/10/2014

You were the sweetest cat, always loving and purring. You loved to play fetch with the small mice toys, you absolutely loved tuna/wet food, you were always happiest in my lap while I was on the computer, or curled up with Olive on the blanket near my legs. This year was rough, but you made it back home with me and I'm forever grateful for the time we had together. 

You left us entirely too soon, and you will not be forgotten. We love you.

Gift Guide: For Her

jimmy choo purfume / necklace / ugg slippers / pretzel earrings / kate spade wallet / clarisonic brush / benebalm /i'll give you the sun  / sunglasses /

It's been too long since I've put together a mood board and I always love it when I do. A gift guide for the lady in your life.Who doesn't love a good book, cute accessories, the perfect lip balm, comfy feet, clean skin, and a fresh scent?