a warm day in march.

The other day we took advantage of the beautiful weather (that has since decided to be snowy again) and went to a little nearby park. Mochi came along for her second outing since we got her last fall. This time she got to experience snow and enjoyed munching on the grass. It was such a tease, that weather. We're so beyond ready for some warm weather around these parts.

it seems that the weather has finally realized that spring is approaching and we did not have enough winter. i think good ole mother nature is making up for it by dumping loads of snow on us. it's cold (duh). But our heater still doesn't work, and our windows are still single-paned, and our walls are still thin. cold + snow + broken heater + california-natives = misery.

but we're making the most of it thanks to a frequent furry visitor and our little bun. 

Where'd bunny go? She was juz here.

hai. may i has some chocolate?

Tonight I realized that my camera is full of many many pictures of my little critter and the neighbor's kitty. And a bit of what I see outside the window by my desk. 

Mochi loooves giving kisses to her mama and papa.

And even though the recent weather has made Matt and I more home-bodied than normal, I'm so happy with the little things we get to enjoy every day. 

The other day...

I realized that the countdown can officially begin to the much anticipated day that we will become dog owners. In six months our lease will be up and we will be moving! Honestly, we can hardly contain our excitement. We've been digging through the interwebs at local breeders and shelters. We already have a name picked out, much like that time we had picked out Mochi's name months before we finally got her.

Speaking of the Moch, she has recently developed a gnarly double chin.

glorious. 

Stop.

I keep telling myself,

"when I graduate I'll have time to do ___________...

and this _______,

and this____________,

and definitely this ________!"

I think I need to put a stop to that. I need to stop letting myself be tired and lazying around the house after work, or lazying around all day on my day off. I need to get up and do all of those little things that I know will make me happy and keep me busy doing something fun. So cookbooks, crafts, photography, drawing, and painting, I'm bringing my A-game! We're going to have a fun year, and we're never going to let the things I love to do remain in my head. That creativity needs to be let out!

The truth is...

Life has been really though lately, and even though no one reads this blog yet, I have a hard time opening up about what has been going on. I guess that's always been a hard thing for me. I hope one day for that to change.

Fairly recently, I found this blog, and when I find a new blog I love, I love it up and down and read as many posts as possible. And I don't get bored. That's when I know I've found a good one. This one inspired me. Casey, writer of The Wiegands, is like an open book with her life struggles and her happy moments. I love that.

I also found this blog. She's basically the type of mom I want to be. She has six children - one of which was just adopted from Africa. I love how raw and inspiring bloggers can be. I love that they share their lives and add such positive insights and stories to the blogging community.

One day. For now, I am trying to take things one step at a time, really focusing on myself. I figured out that I need to take some time to myself every once and a while to figure myself out, and figure out how to be the best possible me I can be.

oh! I've been doing a decent job at my little resolutions!

Proof:

[The dresser and almost everything on it was thrifted! oh, how I love good finds.]

[Note: the love seat is not butted up against the heater (although it appears to be), although that heater doesn't work anyhow.]

Love seat, coffee table, curtain rod, grey rug: IKEA 

Curtains & bookshelf: Target

[My procrastination/work station]

Desk: hand-me-down from Matt's Grandma Weea

Shelf, bulletin board, basket: IKEA

Chandelier: gift

Sentsy: gift from momma

"I heart Christmas" LED lights: Target's seasonal clearance section ($.70 - originally $7)

"C": JoAnns - painted and decorated by Mi

Slowly but surely, this place is beginning to look more and more like the home I imagined it to be. 

It's time.

It's time that I start my goals of self improvement. My resolutions, if you will. I don't normally make resolutions as I typically forget what they were a week into the year. This year I'm desperately going to try for mine and the hub's sake.

1. Clean the apartment daily. Including making the bed. :|
2. Fix my hair as often as possible. As trendy as buns have become, I have hair that should serve a purpose more than being a bird's nest on the top of my head. If I don't stick to this one, I'm chopping off my hair and donating it. 
3. Blog more! Including finding things worth blogging about. And maybe I'll come out of the blogging closet. Matt's the only one who knows about this and is constantly telling me to "take it live".  Coming up with his own blogging terms now - that man. 
4. Start meal planning and eating more fresh fruits and veggies.
5. Accompany Matt to the gym more often. 
6. Change out of my work clothes as soon as I get home rather than spending the entire day in them/ make an effort to look nice. Red and khaki should never be worn together unless you're working at Target.
7. Get crafty! Pinterest is a wonderful tool and should actually begin to be applied in my life.
8. Get organized and motivated - find an internship and volunteer for organizations I love and admire. 
9. Graduate.
10. Get ready to make babies. I may or may not buy onesies when they go on clearance at work. At least I'll be prepared?
11. Make sure Matt knows and feels loved every single day.

Get ready for a new better me, 2012!

Lights.

They city seems to change around Christmas time.
And then you blink, and it's like nothing ever happened.

Temple Square:

The Hogle Zoo:

The end.