Mail it Forward

on wednesday i told you one of my summer goals was to publicly launch mail it forward. that goal is about to get a big check mark next to it!

i'm so excited to be sharing this with all of you. you are probably wondering what mail it forward is. let's start at the beginning:

back in march, i was hit with some pretty amazing inspiration from all kinds of directions and in many different shapes and sizes. since then, i have been working very hard designing websites and blogs, collecting ideas, formulating goals, and sinking my teeth into a whole lotta goodness.

i'm the kind of girl who likes to cheer people up, and i finally found a way to do that with an unlimited capacity! there's a fire inside of me that i hope never goes out! it's been a long time since i was inspired in a way that never let me stop thinking about one thing. and that one thing is mail it forward.

mail it forward is all about spreading happiness through the mail. starting this week, i have mailed two very unsuspecting people (whom i've never met or heard of) a small note of encouragement and cheerfulness. and i'm going to keep sending more. every note encourages the receivers to mail it forward, in the hopes that the cheerfulness won't stop spreading!

i have more than enough ideas to help this thing get rolling, grow, and progress for a long time. but i would really love the support of my dear friends and readers! after today, nothing about mail it forward is going to be publicized on this blog. i want to be completely separate from it because the point is for me as a person to remain anonymous, especially to the recipients! i'm only sharing this with you today because i need your help!

please check out the website and the blog! share your thoughts and suggestions with me, and then share the links with your friends. help me get this going! you can follow the blog on bloglovin, or keep up via twitter, but just share it! and help me spread some happiness!

i'm so grateful for all of your support and your love already. it means so much to me to know people out there care about lil' ol' me. so thank you.

the next phase

well dear friends, it's been too long. do i start every post this way or what? i feel like a lamo mostly because I love blogging and it's one of those things that I just want to do! like all the time! so why don't i just do it?

well i'm going to. school is over for the semester which means i have time to form a habit now. blogging is one of those habits i want to form.

with one semester left of school, its about time i get my butt in gear and start doing what i want to do! right? here's a list of some summer goals i have as a new start to what i'm calling the next phase of my life:

1. blog 2-3 times every week
2. create a series on the blog
3. publicly launch mail it forward
   {did that peak your interest?? more on that very soon!}
4. simplify my life by simplifying my home//belongings
5. be productive
6. tan

ok so that last one may seem silly, but for real, i always come out of summer just as white as I was in the winter. no more, i say! so there. this is just a short list, but these things are really important to me!

what are some summer goals that you have? 
follow on bloglovin here.

Just some things that make me happy

well friends, i'm nearing the end. next friday I will officially be on summer break. with that comes cleaning projects, more blogging {yay}, 2 weddings, and lots of exciting stuff.

until then, i will be a nutcase. but here are some things that have brightened my day.

 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

not to mention, my new iPad is currently making me very happy. and so is the moodboard lite app which i made this mood board with. super fun, totally recommend it if you love creating mood boards or are a pinterest fan, or whatever!

have a happy week friends!

first maxi dress!

well it's the start if another crazy weekend. lots going on, plenty of stress, and it's all going to be ok because my first maxi dress came in the mail!

i have never had a maxi anything because, we'll, i'm a shorty. they were always too long, but now I have a sewing machine! solved that problem! i have also never bought anything online... i've just never been sure it would fit and that scares me.

i don't know what made me change my mind this time. maybe it was forever 21 and i love that store. maybe it was the fact that it was on sale for $15 and i love a good sale. maybe it was because it was a knit fabric dress and i know those are ridiculously comfy. or maybe it was because it the dress was striped and, more importantly, coral! yeah, i think it was the coral.

forgive my iphone quality photos, like i said, it's the start of a crazy busy weekend.
sadly, because it was on sale, they are no longer carrying it. but I would highly recommend checking out the rest of the sale items here. happy weekend!

foliophoto {link-up} bright

i was almost going to skip this week of foliophoto-ing.

i had no inspiration for the prompt: bright.

but this morning while i was eating breakfast i saw this image and i couldn't resist. i know you have probably been bombarded with images, thoughts, and prayers that go to boston and victims and their families, but i'm adding mine anyways. it's such a tragedy, but things like this continue to bring us all closer to one another, appreciate our loved ones, and come out a little stronger.

i have never been to boston. i don't know what it's like there. but this mug came from some friends who were there recently. i know a family who lives near there. and i found out this morning that my mom spent the first few years of her life a mile away from the explosion. it's a small world, and somehow we are all connected.

i add my prayers to so many of yours.

there is hope for boston.

 camera: iphone | filter: amaro via instagram

next week's prompt: smile

a little push + thoughts on multitasking

life is nuts.

i don't really have much more to say about it. you have probably noticed in my recent posts how overwhelmed i am.

and when i am overwhelmed, i tend to shut down and not do any of those things on the ridiculously long list i have. it's a shame, but that's just my natural instinct.

thankfully, i am quite a lucky girl. see, i have this husband. he's probably too good for me. he pushes me to be better. he works hard all the time. he strives for growth and progress. and he treats my like a queen.

i tell him every day i want to quit life. mostly school, but life would be good, too. and he usually says, "me too" {he also hates school}. but monday when i was feeling particularly overwhelmed he gave me hug and told me:

don't multitask. just focus on one thing at time. 

and you know what? it worked! i love to multitask, i don't know why. maybe it helps me feel more productive? but really it just creates a little chaos in my brain. i accomplished quite a lot on monday and have been taking to heart those words. it really does help to just sit down and focus on one thing at a time.

don't move on until you finish.

do the most difficult things first.

prioritize.

and reward yourself after you have accomplished all those daunting tasks {like with blogging or a quick break!}.

thanks, brock!

old picture from our honeymoon | grand canyon, nov 2011

planking fails and senioritis

i have senioritis. i want to drop out. i won't, though. i am one semester short of the pretty, signed document.

there's only four weeks left of school for this semester and  i feel like suddenly the clock has sped up into overdrive. there is so much to do, so many assignments i know will be coming up. not to mention finals. curse finals.

there are plenty of papers to write, online discussions, chapters to read, videos to make, presentations, you name it. oh yes, i must also find one more class to take next fall so that i can... graduate! and i need to apply for graduation, too. oh, bless.

dear people with the prospect of college in your future: college is great. if you are doing what you love. if you are just getting through to get the piece of paper at the end {like me in many ways}. i suggest a trade school. seriously, become a chef, or an artist, or a cosmetologist, or a mechanic. you might be happier.

dear people who have already graduated: do you not feel so relieved? honestly, do you feel like you benefited from the experience or do you feel like it was a waste of time?

ok, now i have ranted about my college experience and all the stress that is building up.

here are the plank fails i promised. hehe. these silly kids crack me up.. mostly max, as you can see. good times! {missing tucson + family}