fame & fortune

When all the Jardine kids got together, I downloaded this music video app. It changed our lives for at least one weekend.

Little Sahara Sand Dunes

>>>>>05.09 -05.10.14<<<<<

JC finally got a weekend off of work! His favorite thing in the world is riding dirt bikes, so he planned a dune trip with his friends, and Brian & Kenny were able to come too. 

Brian, Kenny, JC & I camped out on Friday night. It was so much fun camping at the base of the dunes, plus we had the first campfire of the season! Campfires turn things regular meals & conversations into experiences... You know what I mean! 

I love this picture Kenny took! Now that I think of it, he took all of these pics. Thanks brotha! 

It's fun to pretend like I am going to keep up with the buds.

Adrenaline pinching.

JC woke up at about 6 AM Saturday, he was so juiced to ride his new bike! JUICED. He is a 12 year old at heart, that might be one of my favorite things about him. 

After everyone showed up & got all their gear put together, we went on a bunch of rides. I discovered I hate riding in sand. It's a lot more difficult than dirt. I'm so squirrel-y, I feel like like I would go right off a cliff if there was one near by. JC made me practice on a flatter trail, back and forth. I felt bad for him when he was stuck with me because I go about 3 MPH. And I have to stop every 50 ft, just to gather my wits.

 It was good though, I think I'm progressing! 

I have fun just knowing other people are enjoying themselves- is that weird? It was such a fun weekend getting to hang out with JC all day & watch him in his element. I can't wait for another trip!

05.03.14
>>>> Saturday <<<<

Today I abandoned all the laundry at home & played in Brigham instead. I love going to my hometown, this place just does it for me.

In the afternoon I did some shopping with my mom & sister. The term shopping is used loosely here, there are about three places to shop on Main Street in Brigham. Charming just the same. Anyway I saw a couple taking photos in their wedding garb up at the temple, about a block away. It's always fun to see a bride & I wanted to see the Temple in all of it's spring glory. When we got a little closer I realized the groom was actually Kyle Robertson, the boy I was "in love" with from 1st-4th grade. Like I would spy on him, send him "anonymous" love letters & bake him cakes on his birthdays. And here I was watching him get his pictures taken with his bride. AND we were going to their reception that night. The spying came full circle.
My mom had a pretty good laugh about that.

My mom & I were talking to Valerie (Kyle's mom), we were reminiscing a little bit about the good old days when we lived next door to each other, how we missed it, & all the sudden all three of us had tears in our eyes?! I've tried to sum up this paragraph 100 times, but the only thing to say is we had it good, & we knew it too. Cherish the mems.

05.02.14

>>>>Friday<<<<

JC & I went to dinner with friends Liz & Adam. We tried out R&R BBQ, as you can see. If you love some good meats, go! I think the pulled pork is my favorite. I tried out this new side braid from a youtube tutorial. It is surprisingly really easy, & I am down with easy... Anyway, while we were eating, this mom walked up to me with her little 3-4 year old daughter & said, "Sorry to bug you, but my daughter thinks you look just like Elsa, so I told her we could come say hi." I was supremely flattered, as Elsa is a really pretty cartoon. I talked to the little lady for a minute & said "These are my day clothes, I left my gown at home! But you look so pretty in that dress." I was really getting her to warm up to me & then I sang "Let it Go". Just those three words, not the whole song. And it was not really singing, it sounded like a joke & I am a terrible singer anyway.. After that she knew I was a phony, I'm sure. But it was still fun for a minute & I'm thinking about trying out for Disneyland.

Pinned

>>>>five favorite pins from last week<<<<

The first & fourth pictures are from the same house. I can't stop looking at all the photos, because this is so my style, it's pretty much my dream house! Check out the post here if you're interested.

 

 

all images via my pinterest

05.01.14

>>>> Thursday <<<<

Today I picked JC up from work (we are a one car family right now while we're on the hunt for a new car) (RIP Galant) with a Hot 'n' Ready pizza from Little Caesars (minus two slices - I was hungry) & a blanket. We stopped by the 7-11 to pick up our bevy's & drove to a park by our house. It was not a fancy picnic, we didn't even have napkins for our greasy pizza. But I declared to Instagram " A picnic's a picnic, no matter how trashy." It was so awesome to be outside under sunshine, with bare feet, just hanging with my bestie w/ testes (hehe).  Ahhh I love you summer I will bawl my eyes out from happiness when this weather starts lasting longer than a day at a time.

some thoughts on comparison

When I went to the General Women's Broadcast a couple weeks ago, this line of Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson's talk smacked me in the face. "When we compare ourselves to one another, we will always feel inadequate or resentful of others." Always. 

I have to admit that I compare myself to someone... pretty much every single day. It's a serious battle I have with myself! This person has that, someone else has my dream job (or is just living their dream), how does that girl get to go on 500 vacations a year & not me? Without fail I either feel a. inadequate, or b. resentful. I swear I don't even mean to feel like this.  Either way, comparison can spin me into a sour mood of jealousy real quick.

This just needs to stop! I honestly drive myself crazy sometimes.

 Lately, in the last six months or so, I've developed a little thought process every time I catch myself comparing/being jealous.

I ask myself these questions:

Why does this photo/blog post/person make me have jerk/"less than" feelings?

Why do I feel jealous?

Nine times out of ten (or ten out of ten), it's my own problem! Usually when I feel jealous of someone, it's not because I want to do what they're doing, but because I truly feel I should be doing something more creative with my time. I love that world, but with my job schedule right now it's exhausting to even think about by the time I get home. I want to chase my own dreams! But I haven't done a lot of that. I project my own feelings onto some picture on Instagram (just an example). Which is not the poster's problem! I am not one of those mean commenters FYI. Sometimes I'm just scrolling & I see a photo of something/someone & I feel a pang of jealousy/envy & I have to stop. "NO! What that person is doing has nothing to do with you. You're feeling that way because you know you could/should be doing something different!" I don't want to give the implication that I hate everyone on Instagram that's having a good time, or being successful. I truly am so happy for all of my friends that are having success in their passions & dreams. It's about my own feelings about MY own life that can bring the happiness level down.

It's completely okay, & I think healthy, to consider the feelings you're having. Not just brushing them off like "I know I shouldn't be mad or jealous or compare myself to others, so I won't". That only solves the problem in that instance. You have to realize why you're having the feelings. What's going on with you that is making you feel this way? And what can you do to change that? 

Once I've identified my own issues I can figure out what I need to change in my life in order to be happier. Obviously it's a work in progress. But it's better & the feelings are mostly fleeting. If anything it's a good reminder of what I want to accomplish with my time.


My goals on the subject could probably be summed up in the quote above. I just need to stop thinking about myself all the time :).



>>>image via (this quote is from the same talk I mentioned. A good read!)

04.26.14

>>>>Saturday<<<<

 (what is ironing?)

Today was the quintessential Saturday for me. I woke up without an alarm, did all my house chores(including laundry), watched Call the Midwife & finally started & finished a sewing project. I bought this fabric about a year ago from Hobby Lobby... It's super bright & I super love it. I want to find some navy velvet pillows to balance them out. Or maybe some fluffy gray ones like this? The options are limitless!

In the afternoon I went out on the town to find my sweet Mother-in-law Voneene a birthday present. I went to four stores, back and forth once or twice, but I think she was happy with her gift, so I'll put it on the board as a W. While there I got myself a little present, the sweetest pair of gold loafers you've ever seen. So make that a very large W.

JC & I went to Brigham City that night to celebrate his mom's birthday. I taught my 11 year old niece how to play the card game Speed & now that's all she wants to do with me. I don't mind one bit because when I learned how to play it, I was the exact same way. I love having nieces, they really make the family world go round! I want my brothers to have kids! Almost as much as my mom wants me to have kids!

building relationships: writing letters

via

When I was in 4th grade, my second cousin & I decided to become pen pals. We lived less than an hour away from each other, and it wouldn't have been hard to pick up the phone & just chat. But there was something about getting out my Lisa Frank stationary & writing a letter to Jessica telling her all about my life - which consisted of being in love with Kyle R.(I always wrote the R.), playing in the backyard, & listening to Kenny Rogers. Jessica taught me about "real" music, AKA Mariah Carey. She told me about all the drama at her school; she was in 5th grade, so obviously there was a lot to tell. I can't remember much about what was said in the letters, honestly. But I do remember how ecstatic I would be when a hand written letter came to my mailbox, just for me! We were able to just write, no parents telling us to say "thank you" for the gift, no teacher grading us on our grammar. We had a special bond, my pen pal cousin & me!

I miss writing like that. I've been thinking about sending letters to my grandma, just asking about her life stories & experiences. I'm the type of person that thinks ahead, imagining how amazing it will be to have my grandma's handwritten letters with all of her stories to cherish & pass down. Right? That would be so cool!  Maybe she'd be down with being my new pen pal?

Officially Lame (?)

Sorry I don't want to go to Coachella, guys.
I mean, some of my favorite bands are there, it's sunny & concerts are awesome.

But I do not want to stand outside for three days getting swass & swoobs and I just imagine being all dusty, the air smelling like B.O. & beer, & being smashed & pushed around by thousands of people clamoring to get to the next stage. Sweaty people rubbing up against other sweaty people trying to see their favorite artist. I'm sorry! It just doesn't sound fun to me.

haha this post makes me sound like a twerp.


**all images via google**

04.21.14

Tonight JC & I went to Park City. I really wanted to eat at El Chubasco (their Mexican food is G-O-O-D) & JC needed to drop his bike off in Heber for some cool suspension thing. I don't even know. He texted me earlier and our conversation was like:

"Hey huyyun can I get the suspension done on my bike? I have a hook up."
"I don't even know what that means."
"I can get suspension like the pros but at cost!"
"Oh, that sounds sick bro! Do it."
"ha ha you're funny."

Anyway we had a grand old time. On the way home we were listening to a sweet playlist on Spotify, & just holding hands like the old married couple that we are. These are the moments I really want to remember, when I'm so happy to be doing the simplest things with JC. It's cheesy but I'm grateful for it every day!

Ps. we spell hun like huyyun-it's kind of a joke & it probably is not funny to anybody else.

If you want to work out in your living room in your underwear...

... Then might I suggest this video? 

 You guys, I did this work out the other night & I was screaming I hated/loved it so much. I made JC try the ab move & he's like "this feels like a natural crunch to me". First of all, get out of this room. Second of all, who says "natural crunch"? 

This gal sure is CHIPPER, but she does good work! And her positive affirmations affected me, I have to say. I love her YouTube channel. But I've only done 3 workouts of hers so far... also I've only done 5 workouts this year. So me being fit at 28 is going well. 

Autobiography

I sent this autobiography to a friend for a school project she was working on. I kind of liked it so I want to save it here. 


It’s hard to sum up who you are in a half a page. But at the same time I know who we all are. We are made up of what I like to call little bits. Little bits of happiness, sadness, heartache & joy. These little bits get stuck to us as we move through our path in life, experiencing things we never knew we would experience. I grew up in a small town in Utah, with the mountain as my backyard. I was the most carefree child, and also was probably kind of weird. But I didn’t mind. I was in the mountains playing with my brothers & neighbors every single day, turning the mountain into our own community complete with the Cactus Hotel (a cluster of cacti) & Work Rock (a huge rock). Creative, right? During the summers when I’d get hungry, I’d venture down to the family garden and eat peas & strawberries for snacks. My childhood is a large bit of joy. I carry it with me everywhere.

            When I was 23 I divorced a man who was extremely verbally abusive. The previous two and a half years were the most lonely I’d ever been. I didn’t even know I was in an abusive relationship until about a year and half in to my marriage. That’s the thing about abuse, it steals little bits of you, hides them away somewhere until you’re gone, & you have no idea where you went. When I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror, when I was numb to any sort of feelings, that’s when I knew I had to leave.  I packed up this bit of sadness & loneliness & left. And yes, I carry it with me everywhere. But not in the same way as my happiness. This bit is tucked up small somewhere, a string of memories. It reminds me of how good I have it now, how I found my bits of happiness & self again on my own. These sad bits of me are there to help others going through similar situations; I can lend a shoulder to lean on.

I carry these experiences and countless more with me at all times. The good, the bad, the ugly. I look back and appreciate every single bit. I look forward, ready to gather little bits of beauty and pain that life is offering me.

27

>>>NYE 2013 with the best buds <<<

27 was the year I let myself go. I was a real b-hole to 27.



Don't get me wrong, I'm also happier than I've ever been. JC & I have just been re-LAX-ing since our wedding in July. We eat whatever. We go to bed whenever. We work out... whenever. Which is basically never. I think I might have gone to the gym three times in the last six months. I also went 5 months in between getting my hair colored. And what is shaving your legs? Bikini wax? FORGET about it. It's hard to wake up every day when I'm staying up so late, so my morning routine has been cut to "Does this look passable for my job?" Instead of liking how I look or feel in the AM.   (Don't even think about the "shut up, you're awesome!" chat you have with your friends when they complain about themselves. This is the AJ truth.)


Basically what I'm saying is, I am going through a BLAH time.
Well I'm sick of it, I tell you! I'm kicking that crap to the curb.
28, I'm taking you back.


I love getting ready(when I make the time for it), the whole process. The hair, the make up, the nails. What is better than finding a new product that you can't live without? Obviously a lot of things are, but in the beauty world, nothing. When I find new things I love I'll share them on here. Because this is a fun blog, gosh damnit dang it (another resolution of mine).

>>>I've posted a couple of new things I love so far on Instagram, I'll post them here too so they're all in one spot.
>>>> If anyone reads this, share some of your faves with me!

2014

Recovering from NYE- I am too old for 3 am anymore

I like how my aunt does a word for the year and then implements it into daily life. I'm trying that out this year with the word ACT. I have been a procrastinator since I came to this earth (I was two weeks late). I put off, and put off and keep putting off tasks until it's too uncomfortable to put off anymore... then I usually put them off for another week or two. It is my biggest flaw & I really dislike it about myself, but I keep putting off changing... see how that works? So. In 2014, every time I want to push something to the back burner, I will remember my word ACT & just get the shiz done.

Ironically, with me being a procrastinator & all, I am huge into goals & list making. Some things I'm ready to act on this year:

>> start piano lessons
>> get fit - be more active
>> get sealed to JC
>> wake up earlier
>> travel abroad
>> get a marketing plan for Hive

I'm ready for you 2014!