If You Ain't Here to Party

 Last night we went to Luke Bryan. 

It was incredible.

It was amazing.

It was awesome.

It was one of the best nights of my life.

I'm so glad that I got to go to that concert with two of my closest friends. We had so much fun screaming for Luke and singing along and acting like fools. I have so much fun with those two, and there is definitely never a dull moment!

We grabbed some dinner at Cowboy (we had to do it...we were going to a country concert so where else would we go to eat beforehand??) and then hustled our butts out to USANA because we really wanted to see Florida-Georgia Line perform.

We had gotten lawn tickets because that's one of the charms of USANA after all and staked out our spot for the evening.

We ran into some friends. Chatted. Took cute (and some not so cute) pictures and just waited until showtime.

And then Florida-Georgia Line hit the stage.

I love them.

So much.

Seriously if you haven't heard their music they are definitely worth a listen.

And they're sexy....haha so bonus ;)

Thompson Square was ok....I mean I definitely wouldn't have put them before Florida-Georgia Line...but I don't get to make that call haha, but they sold me when they sang "Glass" and "If I Didn't Have You" I'm a sucker for a good love song.

And then finally Luke Bryan hit the stage and the screaming and singing along commenced. 

I'm always a little bit afraid that my favorite artists aren't going to be as good live, but Luke was incredible live. He stayed on pitch, he was entertaining and he gave one hell of a show!

The best part however, was about midway through the concert these two guys come up to us and ask if we wanted to go down to the pit right next to the stage. At first we just thought they were hitting on us and then we saw security badges on them and we couldn't handle our excitement.

They put the orange pit bracelets on us and we sprinted towards the stage, running over concert goers like it was our job!

We got literally five feet away from Luke Bryan. And yes I'm the girl that says "HE TOUCHED MY HANDS" because he did. And it was amazing.

Best concert ever!

I'm still expecting to wake up and find out that this whole weekend was a dream.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF THAT HAPPENING??

I love my life.

And every song that Luke played was every song that I wanted to hear live. The universe was definitely on my side that night!

Definitely one of the best nights of my life and I'm so glad that I got to spend it with some of my very best friends in the entire world.

Wolfpack

I sure do love these ladies

SO CLOSE!

That's just Luke Bryan behind us. NBD!

#gorgeous

SOLD OUT!

And since starting this post my Utes beat the Cougars for the fourth straight year in the Holy War.

WAY TO GO UTES!!

Proud of my boys in red tonight.

It was one hell of a game!

I'm loving life this weekend.

Much love my friends.

-L

A little perspective....

     The other day I was blessed to meet an incredible individual. I was sitting in the library, doing homework and wasting time {unfortunately more of the latter} when this girl caught my eye. Now normally I enjoy people watching, but I am very careful about out right staring at them. Usually I can just watch them out of the corner of my eye or from behind my computer screen because I realize that just down right staring is rude. I couldn't take my eyes off of this girl.

     She was absolutely beautiful. One of those girls that I automatically hated her when she sat down at the same table as me because she was so pretty. I was jealous. She was the kind of pretty that when she came into a room girls held onto their men a little tighter. Being a girl, I gave her the perfunctory once over to establish just how much I hated her as she sat down.

     What caught my eye were her arms. When she took off her trendy blazer I saw that her arms were criss-crossed with ugly red scars and pale white scars with one absolutely frightening one straight down the middle of her forearm. I'm embarrassed to say that she caught me staring and while I expected her move her arms so as to hide her scars, she just smiled at me and said, "Don't feel bad for staring, I don't blame you." She wasn't embarrassed by her scars, that's not to say that she was proud of them either. I asked her if it would be totally out of line for me to ask about, especially since I was a total and complete stranger. Luckily she seemed to be pretty open about it and invited me to ask away.

     I couldn't seem to stop myself from asking "Why?". Why did such a beautiful girl feel the need to have ever done that? And that question led into a very interesting conversation with this fascinating individual (for ease of writing the rest of this post I'm going to call her Sara...which isn't her real name of course). Sara explained that her self harm stemmed from low self esteem and an abusive relationship that she had been trapped in. She said that she had a hard time coping with the abuse and with the lack of support that she was finding in her home life that she turned to cutting because it was both a release and because the pain that came from it distracted her. Eventually she reached the point where she felt so trapped and so hopeless that she slit up her arms instead of across in an effort to take her own life. She was lucky that her best friend knew something was up and came just in time to save Sara's life.

     Because her friend knew her so well, Sara is alive today and was able to get the help that she needed. She explained to me that the hospital put her into contact with a support group that helped her to come to the place that she is at today. She said that she isn't proud of her scars but now when she looks at them she sees where she has been and where she will never go again. Sara then showed me a small tattoo on her left wrist, it was a semi-colon. Now I have heard of the semi-colon movement in passing when one of my psych classes went over the psychology of self harm. Their main message was that your story didn't end where you thought it would/or tried to end it. It goes on.

     Sara fascinated me. On the outside and at a glance she seemed pulled together (which in a way I know that she is), in her trendy outfit and designer label sunglasses. Had I just walked past her on the street I never would have guessed that she had been through something like that. It struck me that you don't really know anyone...we've all heard that old cliche that you can't judge a book by it's cover; but today I was struck by how true that can be.
   
     What will it hurt me to be a little more pleasant in my dealings with people around me? Not everyone has scars that we can see and we don't know what kind of battle they are fighting every day. So here's to a kinder world and thank you Sara for opening my eyes. I feel incredibly blessed to have met her.

We'll Fight for Dear Old Crimson

     First week of school is in the books and it's safe to say that I'm pretty sure I am going to love my new major! I have relatively enjoyed my classes so far (only a week in...fingers crossed I still feel this way in 15 weeks) and if not the class then I have liked my professors. Best part of being a communication major? We aren't afraid to talk to each other, it makes class so much more enjoyable when you can talk to people and get to know them. And I have a couple of classes with my best friend so that doesn't hurt either. I'm hoping that I continue to love my classes...

     First week of school also brings the first week of football. (Who's shocked that this post ended up discussing football?? No one? Ok....). I love the feeling of college football game day; there's no better high in the world (other than my Ravens winning the Super Bowl; that was a pretty awesome high, still is). Tailgating, heading into the stadium, watching my favorite boys in red stretch and run through warm ups, taking pictures, the Muss; it all adds up to my most favorite time of the year. Even better is when we play another in state school. Now granted, we don't view Utah State as a huge rival...if I can even use the word rival seriously, they are the little brother after all, but there is still a different energy in the stadium when the opposing team is from the same state.

     Personally I hate Utah State, but that stems from many, many. many run ins with less than classy people that are sad enough to believe that that school is superior, so I had a lot riding on this game. However, I do not, nor will I ever trash talk a team before the game because I absolutely hate having to eat my words just in case the unthinkable happens and my boys lose. Happily my Utes won, and I really enjoyed that win. It was adorable that USU fans really thought they were going to win. Nice try little brother.

    I was proud of those boys during that game. They never once gave up, even when it looked like they were going to lose. It wasn't a pretty win, but a win is a win and this one was important because of what happened last year. I was also proud of the Muss. Sometimes we don't always act the way that we should as football fans but when the USU quarterback got hurt we didn't cheer, we didn't whoop, we were as quiet as a student section gets and we clapped politely when he walked off the field under his own power. Take notes guys. You do not cheer when a quarterback (or any player for that matter) doesn't get right back up and you sure as hell do not cheer when they cannot get off the field under their own power. There is nothing more disgusting to me than when a crowd cheers when a player gets hurt; I do not care how much you hate that player or even if the player is a bad person on or off the field, if they are hurt and can't get back up you stay silent. It's a respect thing. Give respect to get respect.

     That's a rant that I have every season...professional, collegiate, high school...everyone should understand how to act as a fan. I was repulsed when the USU student section cheered when Wynn was injured last year. If a player is writhing in obvious pain on the field you DO NOT CHEER. I'm done ranting now...I promise; it's just my number one pet peeve when it comes to football. Overall I am proud of how our fans and our players acted in this game, I am proud that just about every fan kept their butts in their seats until the final whistle blew, and I am proud to be a Ute.

     And to make things a little more light-hearted I'm going to share a few of my favorite shots from Thursday night's win.

Stripe the Stadium was sick

Throw up that U

Who am I sir? Utah man am I!
Missed these boys

30-26 Utah.

     I am so looking forward to this season and this semester.

Love Always and Go Utes!

-L

The Ceiling Can't Hold Us

Well, looks like summer '13 is officially out the door. 

It feels like these last couple of days have just flown right by me, I can't believe that school starts up again on Monday!

Is it sick to admit that I am a little bit excited for classes to start up again?

Not that I haven't loved this summer but I am just ready for class and fall and everything that comes with fall:

Like cardigans and boots and scarves.

Pumpkin spiced everything.

Halloween and Thanksgiving.

And of course football!

It's been too long since my last collegiate game (luckily this is the last Saturday without college football in a very, very long time and I couldn't be more excited).

But I thought that I would do a little bit of a recap of my favorite summer memories; mostly because I have a few favorite pictures that I feel like I haven't shared on enough social media websites yet.

Officially changed my major to one that I love! Maybe now I will graduate....haha.

Spent a lot of time with these two dimes. Wouldn't have it any other way!

Said goodbye to my Grub best friend. She's chasing Disney dreams!

Occasionally matched my best friend

Ran into some old coworkers at a friend's wedding.

Weddings, upon weddings, upon weddings. Gotta love wedding season. (This was at Missy's wedding at Red Butte, such a fun night)

Went to a best friend from high school's wedding reception. She's a Mrs. now!!

Enjoyed the brilliance of The Great Gatsby! "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful"

Movie nights with the bestie. 

Went on many many many froyo dates with this chick.

Spent a few nights in this stadium. I am definitely on the RSL bandwagon! "If you believe then just stand up on your feet...."

Missy had a photo booth at her wedding, definitely had some fun there.

Picked up the new Luke Bryan album....because I love him.

Took in a ball game or two.

Spent some time with good friends in this heaven on Earth. 

Of course picked up my MUSS tickets! And took my best friend on her very first Park Cafe experience.

Enjoyed the summer sunsets that Utah is famous for. I love this state sometimes.

     Good luck to all my friends that are returning to school within this next week. Let's kill it shall we?

 Fall Semester 2013...come at me bro.

Much love,

-L

Failure is not the end...Only the beginning

     For whatever reason I've been thinking about failure a lot lately. There are few things that I fear more in life than failure. It's the reason that I have driven myself so relentlessly in my academic career. I fear failure in school, failure in my relationships, failure in work and most of all failure in life. It's the big F word that scares the crap out of me.

     My paradigm on failure, as you can see, saw it as the end all be all. I stumbled across a couple of quotes the other day that drastically changed my view on that big F word that gave me anxiety. The first is supposedly from Marilyn Monroe (I say supposedly because how reliable is the internet really?)

"Just because you fail once, it doesn't mean you're going to fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself; because if you don't then who will? So keep your head high, keep your chin up and most importantly keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about."

     I love that quote because essentially it says keep on keeping on and just keep swimming. If you live in this world you're going to encounter failure, it's just a truth that we all have to get comfortable with even if we really don't want to. But just because we fail once does not mean that we are failures. 

     The second is a quote from a female CEO named Sara Blakely, that unfortunately I had never heard of but I do love this quote.

"My dad encouraged us to fail growing up. He would ask us what we failed at that week, if we didn't have something he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome. Failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail." 

    I would do well to remember that failure isn't the outcome, it's just a nasty side effect to the outcome. The only time that anyone ever truly fails is when they stop growing, stop trying and stop bettering themselves because they are afraid of failure. So here I go with my new view on failure....

Much love,

-L

My Advice to Incoming Freshmen....

Well folks, it's that time of year again.

The time of year when all the back to school sales start happening and moms get out their paper chain count downs to September.

School is right around the corner.

And this year I couldn't be more excited.

I've heard that that is a really good sign, I'm excited about my classes and excited to get further in my major.

And more importantly.......I'm excited for FOOTBALL!

However I remember three years ago when I was an incoming freshman to the U and I had mixed feelings about school starting. The last two weeks of summer were filled with anxiety and excitement and a little more anxiety. 

Now I'm not saying that I know everything but I thought that I would list a few things that I feel are important in the college experience.

1. Get involved.
I can't tell you how many committees I've served on and how many clubs that I joined and even study groups that I've joined. If you don't get involved on campus the only thing that you are really doing is going to class and then coming home...and that's enough to make anyone want to shoot themselves. 

2. Take chances.

It's human nature to want to fit in and be accepted by the majority so it would make sense that that is an individuals first instinct. But where's the fun in that? What's the point of being an individual if you are just like everyone else? Even better, in college no one cares if you aren't exactly like everyone else. In fact most people (that are worth your time anyways) prefer you to be your unique self!

3. Go to class.

But really though. It's so much easier to just not go to class because you are an adult and answer to yourself but missing class more than a few times can seriously hurt your grades. Lectures, no matter how boring, are important. And no matter what you tell yourself you will forget it, write it down. Because if you don't it will be on the test, and you will be screwed. 

4. Join the MUSS.

Ok...so maybe you aren't a football fan (freak...just kidding...mostly) but there is absolutely nothing like the feeling of a college football game day. And the MUSS is one of, if not the greatest student sections in the nation. There is nothing like it. Trust me you won't regret it. Besides, season tickets for $30? I'd say that's a steal. 

5. Enjoy going to school!

The college years are the best years of your life! Enjoy them. I absolutely love walking around campus and just enjoying being in college. Find a favorite spot to just hang out and study or just people watch. Get your nose out of social media for an hour and talk to the people around you. Some of the best friends that I have today I found in my first class as a freshman. 

I love going to school {even if I whine about it from time to time and complain that I am never going to graduate}. School gives me a purpose in life, and I have fallen in love with the University of Utah. 

I cannot wait for football season to kick off, and for Fall semester to get back into full swing.

I love crisp fall days going up to campus for a football game. There is no greater high in the world.

Much love and Go Utes!!

-L

You've Always Had the Power My Dear, You Just Had to Believe It For Yourself

I'm sure that by now we are all familiar with the awesome waste of time that we call Pinterest.

Truly the amount of time that I spend on it everyday is appalling, but I love it.

Especially when I come across pins that make my life a little easier, or introduce me to a yummy new recipe or even better when they brighten my day.

I stumbled upon a pin tonight that made my inner feminist go "Oh heck yes"

It's entitled "20 Things a Woman Should Live By" and I feel like sharing it with y'all tonight because I love it so much.

So here goes:

1. Men are an amazing part of life, but they are in no way the be all and end all of life.
2. It's ok to admit that you're young, fab and NOT broke. Celebrate your success
3. Don't waste time crying over little boys who talk too much. Some day you will find the one and then all that happens in between will just seem like bullshit. Some will be hot and unforgettable bullshit, but nonetheless bullshit.
4. It's okay to be 22 or even 32 or 42 and not know what you wanna be when you grow up
5. Many people will try to judge you for your spending and life style habits, don't let it get to you. It's your life, you money and no one else's business
6. If you like being single, it's okay to admit that. Maybe you like being alone. Maybe you like just dating and hooking up. Guys like these things and the world has no problem with it.
7. In business, it's likely that men twice your age with half your brain capacity will be making triple the money that you do. Work hard anyway, never give up, you are the brain and voice of tomorrow
8. Your parents already lived a bulk of their life. It's time to start living yours. It is possible to both respect them and be happy. Sometimes they may get made at your choices, make those choices anyway, they love you and will eventually come around
9. It's okay to order extra cheese on your fries and not go to the gym after
10. No matter how old you are by number, never forget what it feels like to be young and alive
11. People are always going to talk, so just do your thing. You may as well give them something to talk about.
12. You work hard all week and deserve time to get your party on during the weekends. Don't feel guilty about it. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just jealous.
13. Don't keep company with those who constantly compare themselves to you. Keep company with those who love you for you and enhance your life.
14. If you can'y find your prince, there is nothing wrong with enjoying kissing all the wrong frogs
15. Live your life for you: not your parents, not a man, not your friends. It is the only way you will ever truly by happy
16. You're never too old to learn something new.
17. In your life you will wind up with a select few friends who are more like your soul mates. Cherish them, they'll be the ones around when the party's over.
18. You're going to make mistakes: the wrong career, the wrong major, the wrong boyfriend. Everything happens for a reason. You'll learn something, recover and come back better than ever.
19. Live each day with no regrets. Don't fret over the past, even the bad parts shape us for the future.
20. Don't be afraid to be a strong woman. You have nothing to apologize for.

I absolutely love everything on this list and I hope you did too. I'll close this post with a favorite quote of mine from and interview with Joss Wheaton. The interviewer asked him why he wrote such strong female characters and his answer was "Because you are still asking me that question"

Much love.

-L