Rewind

{photo by me in Venice}

back to this weekend. Friday night, me and Miranda went to Venice by ourselves. two girls. not a good idea. we bought a few cute bracelets. we were planning on taking pictures for photo, but we didn't want to look strange taking pictures. but actually, we were the most normal looking people there. so we left pretty fast. we went to Tito's Tacos. it was fantastic. then we enjoyed the new Menchie's in MP. we both want to work there. we drove around TO with the windows down and music blasting. it was a fun night. (after getting out of Valencia)
then Saturday, Robert came up from San Diego. we watched a little football, went to Lotus, the mall, just cruised around to kill the time. i saw a bunch of my friends at the mall! and people kept calling/texting me, so Robert thought i was so popular hahahha.
we got ready then went to CFY at the stake center. it was nice and i felt the spirit pretty strongly. i have always loved CFY (best of EFY). we finally found Justin and Hunter (friends from EFY). Justin brought his friends Paul and Mckenna. they were really nice.
Everybody had to write a commitment on a piece of paper and tie it to a balloon. then all of us let go of our balloons and watched them drift away into the clear sky. it was pretty cool :)

we had El Pollo Loco for dinner. yum. then we all (my friends) went to the Dollar Store and had a pretty crazy time in there hahah. we showed up to the dance with plastic blue patriotic hats decorated with stickers saying "STOP GIRL", "CAUTION", "KEEP OUT" hahahh so funny. and of course, glowsticks!! but the leaders eventually told us we weren't allowed to have glowsticks, so we decorated Hunter's car with them. we partied outside until the live band was done playing stupid songs. Paul and Justin tried to get as many girls' numbers as possible (including mine). then i had to say goodbye to everyone. i hope i see them all soon.
it was a lame dance, but i think we had a ton of fun. all of our after party plans didn't happen and cassie couldn't sleep over, so the night wasn't as fun as it potentially could have been, but I'm so happy i was able to re-unite with these friends and meet some new ones!!
another fantastic weekend. now i need to think of something fun to do for the long weekend in three days!

{pictures by Sister Bowers}

17

On the eve of Autumn, i turned 17. (a.k.a. yesterday)
It was a great day.
it wasn't as hot as today and the Santa Ana's hadn't struck yet.
i woke to homemade signs made by kayla on my bedroom door.
i made rainbow cupcakes the night before and brought them to my seminary class.
me and jaime celebrated our birthdays together.
apparently i'm older than him. by about 16 hours. haha
everybody wished me a happy birthday. even Vaughn, Carly, Ben, and Lesley remembered :)
it made me very happy. i love feeling noticed and loved.
Cassie and her mom took me to 3 Amigos for lunch. it was Cassie's mom's birthday on Sunday.
i had no homework and spent the day laying on the couch reading The Lovely Bones.
Later we went to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. then we rented the Hannah Montana Movie!
so much fun.
and i ended my birthday with watching One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl.
then falling asleep on the couch

p.s. no presents??? nope, but my mom said it'll be here by friday. my dad will give me the ones from him over the weekend and brianna got me something too! won't know till i see her again

{photos by me, click to enlarge}

Right Now

I just want to get away. far away. i want to breathe. i want to feel San Diego sand on my feet. i want to dance for hours. i want to see my best friends in person. i want to hug them. tell them i love them in person. i want to run without getting tired. i want to climb up a tree and sit there for hours. reading, looking at people below and birds above. sitting with a close friend. i want my skin to soak in the sun again. i want my own space. i want my sister to lighten up. i want to stay in LA for a week. i want my dreams to come true.

i want my dreams to come true.

I Can Smell Autumn

As i walked home today, i listened to my Ipod. it felt so peaceful. Safetysuit has the most beautiful music and lyrics. my school bag was light. i had no homework or assignments on my mind. it was a cloudy and cold day. but coming straight from dance, the cold air was welcomed as i walked the mile home. the leaves were still green, but there were more on the ground than usual. the streets were empty and there were no cars in front of the Taylor home. my favorite part of my daily walk were the smells. i could smell vanilla, fresh damp grass, the bark of trees, spices. it was amazing. it was a delicious mix of scents. it smelled like Halloween. autumn. maybe my favorite time of year. but then again, i say that about every time of year...