I LOVE YOU, L.A.

southern california, born and raised. part of the fun of being a "cali girl" please never refer to california as "cali" around me or prepare to die is to go to l.a. on the weekends and get into random, slightly scandalous and glamorous fun. for those of you who aren't lucky enough to be close enough to l.a., i'm sorry... but here are 14 famous quotes that exemplify the city of angels.

my heart and skin will always be golden, thanks to my sweet southern california upbringing.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON CROQUET

here at liberty square we are a sophisticated folk. don't believe me? are you aware of any other apartment building in which croquet is played in the courtyard with preppy dress required? yeah, didn't think so ;)

 no paparazzi, please.

the elitests. 

want to join our prepster party? come on down to liberty when it is a warm sunday. you're sure to see us out and about! 

also, this is the prepster anthem. well mine at least. what's yours?

Young Folks -Peter Bjorn and John

skirt: target

denim shirt: old navy

lace top: target

shoes: famous footwear

WEEKEND TRIP TO ST. GEORGE

kristin, colin, andrew and i fled the freezing cold abyss that is provo and headed south to warm st. george last weekend.

well, we didn't call it st. george when we were there. it was referred to as "st. geezy" as in street geezy. don't call it "saint geezy." if you do, your privileges of using our st. geezy slang will be revoked. st. geezy was described as "straight geezy" and you need to make sure you do not confuse the two. feel free to refer to awesome things as "straight geezy" you now have our permission to do it. maybe we can make it a new thing? you know, like "totes" and "cray cray"? let's make this happen.

 en route to st. geezy!

 we forgot kris and had to go back to get her... oops.

quick ice cream stop at the red barn. sooo good! and no, none of us are engaged/dating. the man taking the picture thought otherwise.

the car. so many rules made in this car that a post needs to be dedicated to it!

it's true. the wendy's tap water was that of celestial.

"hey lets jump in a freezing cold pool! that is a great way to have fun!" said no one. ever.

the watchmen.

proper temple attire, obviously.

on the steps of the famous st. george tabernacle.

she's my favorite.

best friends can be together forever, too!

afternoon sit with brigham young. or uncle george, depedning on who you speak to.

"oh uncle george, you are so funny!"

he's a great cuddler.

the lights went out in target. the zombie apocalypse is slowly coming forth.

drinking too much mexican coke. cafe rio- that's what's up!

 they bully me like the older brothers i never had. gotta love em!

 doesn't colin know he can't touch a girl's bun?!?! come on!

cray cray night up at dixie rock!

 "i'm on top of the world, aye! i'm on top of the world, aye!"

 no, we did not go to the restroom on top of the rock (despite what this looks like) we are preventing major wardrobe malfunctions.

 classic picture. we love wind, can't you tell?

 i spy with my little eye, the st. george temple!

and the picture that sums this weekend up:

who knew breakfast could be so humorous?

st. geezy, you were straight geezy. thanks for the laughs.

For Kimi-

You're 20. You're 20.... Wow, that is so weird to think, let alone type.

Today marks the day in which you have officially reached what I have always known was going to happen, the day in which the inevitable becomes reality- you're a real woman now. We always talked about what we'd be doing at  20 when we were growing up... Thinking we'd be living in New York as magazine editors (we watched The Devil Wears Prada far too much....) or remember when we we set on being  bartenders like the ones in Coyote Ugly? (We both knew we would never make it due to the fact that neither of us drink/can't dance to save our lives...) Man.... Those were the days. 20 seemed so far away back then, but it's here now and I couldn't be more elated for you. Instead of being a magazine editor or a bartender (thankfully) you're an artsy, independent, wise, beautiful English major at Boise State who is going to do great things. I am so proud of the woman that you have grown into.

I am still stuck in our lovely past- growing up on grandpa's ranch, walking around Ojai, pretending we were Elizabeth Swan after watching Pirates of the Caribbean.  Life has brought us down separate paths, but we have never let go of one another's hands. We don't talk as often as we should, but there is something about being connected to someone- the type of connected in which you know that you were best friends long before this earth began- that makes the distance more bearable.

I'm always going to remember you as the 14 year old girl who sat by my side on the edge of the highway the summer before we began high school. We talked about how scared we were to go to high school. How scared we were to grow up and how scared we were to see what parts of the real world were all about. But in that moment, when we were tossing the oranges from Grandpa's ranch across the highway, with the backdrop of the sweet glow of the warm California sun fade into the Ventura skyline, we both knew that despite the challenges that growing up with bring upon us, we'd always have each other.

We're always going to have each other.

In the words of our hero Chris Martin, "you don't know how lovely you are." And it's true. You're never going to fully comprehend how much of a goddess you are. You're never going to wrap your head around the fact that the strength you hold is so powerful. You're never going to know how much I love you and am so thankful for the fact that you are my cousin/twin soul/confidant.

Happy birthday, Kimi. I love you to the moon and back.

ditto.