a day with my bestie

Can we just pause and take a moment to recognize the beauty of instagram photo effects?

 

Pretty sure we've got selfies down to an art.

 

Love ya, Brooke :)

happy thanksgiving!

power quote:

"What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"

20 things I'm thankful for...
1. my house
2. my mom
3. my dad
4. my brothers
5. my sister
6. my best friends
7. FOOOOOOOOOOD
8. sunrises and sunsets
9. warm beds
10. that I have a piano (four, actually)
11. answering machines
12. fuzzy socks
13. hot chocolate
14. books
15. sweaters
16. long walks
17. clocks (because, really)
18. that I live so near the temple
19. roadtrips
20. inspirational quotes

AAAAAAND here's another video! Enjoy :)

what happens when I'm bored on a saturday

I just really wanted to do something yesterday, so I went outside and made a video.



Enjoy :) Happy fall!

happy november!

 

Kurt, you're adorb.

 

Happy fall, everybody! :)

 

 

yo wassup teeth

Guess who no longer has metal in her face??

 

on perspective

"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

How's your perspective?

 

on loving yourself

 

This letter is to every girl who has ever looked at the mirror and hated her freckles. This letter is to every girl who has ever wished her nose was smaller or flatter or rounder. This letter is to every girl who is afraid to smile because her teeth are crooked. This letter is to every girl who has wished she was blonde, who has wished she had straight hair, or wished she was skinnier, or taller, or prettier.

I'm writing this because there is no reason that anyone shouldn't feel comfortable in their own skin.


Dear you,

You need to hear this.

You. are. beautiful.

You are wonderful just the way you are. Your body is amazing. Just look at you.



You. are. you. And that should be enough for anyone.

If it's not, then you just pay them no mind.

No one has the right to make you feel worthless. Not even you.

You are beautiful inside and out.

Be yourself.
Accept yourself.
Value yourself.
Forgive yourself.
Bless yourself.
Express yourself.
Trust yourself.
Love yourself.
Empower yourself.

Listen to this. God made you. You are his child. You are his masterpiece.

You. can. do. anything.

Love, me

how to be a true oregonian and carpe the heck out of that diem

For those of you who don't know what "carpe diem" means, like I didn't until a week ago, it means to seize the day.

I went out for a little weekend day-seizing outside by myself as it poured down rain today. I mean, it was pouring. I just went out and stood in the driveway, t-shirt, soccer shorts, bare feet, hair down, the whole deal. I guess I was feeling adventurous or something.

Derek and Lauren and Kurt from the upstairs window yelled down to me and asked me what the heck I was doing. I yelled back that I was enjoying the rain, and pretty soon Derek and Lauren were out there with me. We soaked ourselves until we were shivering. Derek and I jumped in puddles, and Lauren and I took turns flipping our sopping wet hair Little Mermaid style.

I got changed into some warm sweatpants and put my hair into my first attempt at a Suzy-Botsford-messy-bun and cuddled up with a blanket.

I can't think of a better way I could've spent the first day of fall.

 

I was thinking the other day, how sad it is that we say we love the sunshine, but when it's sunny, we complain that it's too hot or too bright, or it's been hot and bright for too long. Then when it rains, we complain that it's too dull and how much we wish the sun would come out.

 

How hard is it to just be grateful for what we have?

 

I wonder how many people who have posted this quote on Pinterest have actually stood outside in the pouring rain and loved it.

 

so much loves for autumn

Today just feels like a fall day.

I. LOVE. IT.
 

my autumn-y things:

crunchy leaves

warm fireplaces

hot chocolate
cold weather

fuzzy socks
ugg boots
meteor showers

pumpkin bread

umbrellas

foggy sunrises

crisp air

colorful leaves

campfires
making wishes

blustery days
leafy park benches

fresh starts
thanksgiving

potato soup

fleecey blankets
bonfires
movie nights

lots of picture-taking

cuddling up with a book
yummy smelling candles

dandelion wishes

pumpkin patches

sunsets

breathtaking scenery

scarves and hats

beaten pathways

writing stories

long walks
 

 

 

crazy-amazing words of awesome

my collection of cool words I've found over the years...
 

serendipity- (n.) finding something nice while looking for something else

ethereal- (adj.) delicate and light, almost perfect

adamantine- (adj.) unbreakable

soliloquy- (n.) speaking your thoughts out loud

petrichor- (n.) the smell of earth after rain

zephyr- (n.) a gentle breeze

eloquent- (adj.) fluent and persuasive in speaking or writing
inglenook- (n.) a cozy spot by the fireplace

loquacious- (adj.) very talkative

frisson- (n.) a sudden feeling of thrill
eunoia- (n.) beautiful thinking; a well mind
sphallolalia- (n.) flirtatious talk that leads nowhere
logastellus- (n.) a person whose love of words is greater than their knowledge of them
brontide- (n.) the low, distant rumble of thunder
cynosure- (n.) the focal point of admiration
matutine- (adj.) just before the dawn
quaquaversal- (adj.) moving or happening in every direction all at once
hoppípolla- (phr.) jumping into puddles
culcaccino- (n.) the ring left on the table by a cold glass
alexithymia- (n.) difficulty describing feelings to other people
novaturient- (adj.) desiring or seeking a powerful change in your life
phosphenes- (pl. n.) the stars and colors you see when you rub your eyes
eccedentesiast- (n.) a person who fakes a smile
grit- (n.) firmness in mind or spirit

evanescent- (adj.) passing out of sight, memory, or existence

queue- (n.) a line of people waiting

peripeteia- (n.) a sudden turn of events in a book

groak- (v.) to stare longingly at someone who is eating in hopes that they will ask you to join them

vespertine- (adj.) alive in the evening

ameliorate- (v.) to turn something bad into something better

mistpouffer- (n.) the mysterious sound over the ocean in quiet, foggy weather

clinomania- (n.) a strong desire to stay in bed

pareidolia- (n.) the instinct to find pictures in things like stars or clouds

eternitarian- (n.) someone who believes in the eternity of the soul

 

BONUS BONUS BONUS, words in different languages...

meraki- GREEK (adj.) putting your whole soul, creativity, and love into your work

retrouvailles- FRENCH (n.) the happiness of meeting again after along separation

esprit de l'escalier- FRENCH (phr.) when you think of a witty remark right after the perfect opportunity to say it
saudade- PORTUGUESE (n.) the feeling of longing for someone you love that you have lost

carpe diem- LATIN (phr.) sieze the day
yuputka- ULWA (n.) the sensation of something crawling on your skin
iktsuarpok- INUIT (n.) when you're waiting for someone to show up at your house so you keep looking out the window to see if they're there yet

yoko meshi- JAPANESE (phr.) the stress of speaking a foreign language

pana po'o- HAWAIIAN (phr.) scratching your head to remember something you forgot

taarradhin- ARABIC (n.) an "everybody wins" solution to a problem
duende- SPANISH (adj.) describing intense passion and energy in an artistic performance

 

things I will someday day make up my own words for...

 

- telling people you're tired when you're actually just sad or thinking about something

- waking up on Monday morning

- when you accidentally rhyme

- the smell of old books

- the smell of new books

- when you're talking to someone and their spit accidentally lands on your face

- when you start to tell a story and then realize no one is listening

- when you say something funny and then someone else says it louder and gets the credit

- when you awkwardly make eye contact with the same person multiple times in a row
- that amazing feeling after you finish a huge project
- the face someone makes right before they sneeze

- listening to a song that describes your situation exactly

 

Anyone else have favorite words?

 

kid snippets: back to school

Hey, everybody! School just started again! Here's a video.

hold my hand

Today is Michael Jackson's birthday. Those of you who have awesome moms who like Michael Jackson as much as my mom does would already know that. We made a cake today too just because. Half of it's chocolate and half is vanilla. Like Black or White? I told you, my mom's awesome.

This is my new favorite song.



Today felt a lot like fall. Anyone else wanting some fall?

the street of flippin' dreams

Soooooooooooo

yesterday me and the fam went to West Linn to check out the Street of Dreams, which is a neighborhood of ten or so huge, gorgeous, fully-furnished homes for sale, on display for people to walk through.

 

My dream besides travelling the world and then becoming a mom who is also a secret-agent-slash-book-reviewer by night, is to own a huge library where I can do this:

 

So in one of the houses at the Street of Dreams, when I saw this:

 

my little-girl heart kind of went like this:

 

 

And angel choir music started playing in my head, and I almost did what I've always wanted to do...

and then I remembered the signs everywhere telling me to please refrain from touching the furniture.

 

Someday, guys.

adventures in idaho

Efy was in Rexburg, so me, Mom, Lauren, and Kurt visited my Aunt Tess and Uncle Ryan in Boise while we were in Idaho.

 

at the park:

adorable cousin Graham

 

 

Kurt, king of the rock

 

other adorable cousin Penny with Lauren

 

in downtown Boise:

Ryan made this.

So. much. awesome.

 

Freak Alley, where anyone can come and paint on the brick walls.

 

Walking down the street, saw this bike.

Thought it was the cutest thing ever.

Boise is just kind of adorable all around.

 

Surprisingly enough, I didn't quote Sam at all while we were in Idaho.

Guess I was a little off my game.

 

Hope you guys are all having a wonderful summer!!

 

Love you all,

Nicole

efy: put it to work

 

Just got back from the best week of my life, folks.

 

Especially For Youth

in Rexburg Idaho.

 

One week of spiritual edifiation away from home.

 

via Holly Miller on Statigram #efyrexburg2

My roommates, Holly, Jensen, Amanda, Brooke, and Erin




via Jensen Hughs on Statigram #efyrexburg2

The girls in our company

 

via Emma Turner on Statigram #efyrexburg2

The guys in our company

 

via Emma Turner on Statigram #efyrexburg2

Our counselors, Jessica, Travis and Miranda

via Olivia Kaiser on Statigram #efyrexburg2

Gotta say, I've never been around so many Mormons. It was awesome. Everybody I talked to and formed friendships with shared my. same. standards. People came to Rexburg Idaho from all over the country searching for the same. truth. It was like an army of awesome.

This was under the roof of the balcony outside our apartment room. :)
 

Tuesday night's dance


via Madison Bishop on Statigram #efyrexburg2

It was like spiritual boot camp. One week of training to prepare us for the rest of eternity. Every class left me wanting to go out and show the world who I am. A daughter of God. I feel like I could go pick up a mountain and throw it into the ocean or something.


via Mariah Carter on Statigram #efyrexburg2

I want to keep this peace and clarity for the rest of my life.

via Lauren Glenn on Statigram #efyrexburg2

Our session director's wife, Sister Young, said this:
"We're like little lights going out into the darkness after we go home. And as we teach, we will light more lights."

And our session director Brother Young, said this:

I'm going to take what I've learned, and put. it. to. work.
Otherwise efy was nothing more than a fun week.

 

via Kaitlin Kilts on Statgram #efyrexburg2

 

And for the record, this is totally true.

First day of efy:

Last day of efy:

 

An inspiring video:

 

Also also also, the efy medley:

Listening to it is awesome, but there is something about standing up and singing it with 600 other teenagers that makes it the most powerful song I've ever sung in my life. There is something about being in a room with an army of youth all singing the same committement and declaring the same amazing message. It. is. incredible.

I found a new favorite scripture while I was there:

And one more video for fun:

 A guy in our company tried to prank call one of my roommate's grandma, and it didn't really work out.

 

 

• • •


EFY: Thank you.