you were good to us, cali.

     I’d like you all to know that if I had the choice. I’d be a beach bum for my whole life. Being barefoot is my way of life – but being barefoot on the beach is Heaven on Earth. Reading, laying out, having the ocean waves fill my heart. Life truly can’t get much better than that. Except for when you’re lucky like me and you have six of the best people to enjoy it all with. I don’t remember the last time I’ve laughed that much before in my life. Staying where we stayed made me feel like I was home again. It was a beautiful trip; a trip that my heart has been waiting for far too long.

     At work each morning we make goals for the day and then we say a value that we want to work on. For the past few weeks my value has been Happiness. I keep searching for it and sometimes I feel like I have my fingers so close to grasping it, but then I lose it. What I took from this trip is that what I need to be happy is to fill my life with more of the people that make me laugh. People that are full of the light of Christ and that are so willing to give and to love.

                                               Stay happy, friends. 

sunday funday

Attack-by-roommates as a mode of alarm clock might seem like a bad idea – and will seem that way until ones heart calms down from the unnecessary startle so early in the AM – but how grateful I am for those ladies. After that initial shock, I took a little road trip to the great city that is Salt Lake to drop off our dear Kasface. Italia needs her more than we do. Or maybe not. Maybe that’s a lie I tell myself because I’m fully aware that this apartment can’t be as witty and hilariously commented without that beautiful girl. Our trip back was full of Disney songs that my heart has missed more than I knew to be possible.

Sundays are just my most favorite day. Church makes my week of craziness feel worth it. Naps are guaranteed to wash away my worries. Hours are spent with beautiful and interesting people that I’ve come to know and love.

I hope your Sunday has been all of that and much more, friends.

Happy Sunday!

“Remember

the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.”

D & C 18:10

Let’s all do well to be aware of our individual worth and the worth of those around us this week. It’s the least we can do.

Happy Sunday, Y’all. 

someone once said,

 “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have.”

And that’s what most of us are trying to do, right? Find happiness in this crazy little thing called life. What makes one happy? Truly and completely happy. I’m still trying to figure that out for myself, honestly. Everyday feels as if I’m starting from the beginning again. Maybe I don’t know what makes me happy. And maybe it’ll be awhile before I know for sure. There might be too many obstacles on the way to figuring things out. I might mess up. Plans will be changed. Things never work out the way our minds think they should, do they? I think we get so caught up in ourselves – and the plan that WE want or that we think we NEED. When really, Heavenly Father is all too knowing of us; of who we are and, most importantly, of who we are to become. He also knows what makes us happy. So maybe I need to just be. Just be more trusting in all that He is.
Lucky I have the most gorgeous ladies to be with me on this journey of mine. Especially when said gorgeous ladies take me places for free chocolate milkshakes. 

Be happy, friends. Whatever that might mean for you.

Happy Thursday.

here's to ...

Here’s to summer and barefoot afternoons.

To friends who pep talk your soul to better days.

For a lovely Father in Heaven who sees more than we understand.

For hard choices that will prepare us for only Heaven knows what.

Keep your light shining bright, friends.

Happy Sunday.

you did it once again, ingrid.

I don't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand
I don't tell anyone about the things that we have planned
I won't tell anybody, Won't tell anybody
They wanna push me down, they wanna see you fall down

I won't tell anybody that you turn the world around
I won't tell anybody that your voice is my favorite sound
I won't tell anybody, Won't tell anybody
They wanna see us fall, they wanna see us fall down

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me, You're gonna catch if I fall (Down, down, down)

Don't believe the things you tell yourself so late at night
And, you are your own worst enemy, you'll never win the fight
Just hold onto me, I'll hold onto you
It's you and me up against the world, it's you and me

I don't believe anything, don't trust anyone but me
But I believe you when you say were never gonna fall
Hand behind my neck, arm around my waist
Never let me hit the ground, you'll never let me crash

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me, You're gonna catch if I fall (Down, down, down)

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me, You're gonna catch if I fall (Down, down, down)

I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of
I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of
I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of
I won't fall out of love, I fall into you

I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of
I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of
I won't fall out of love, I won't fall out of
I won't fall out of love, I fall into you

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me, You're gonna catch if I fall (Down, down, down)

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me, You're gonna catch if I fall (Down, down, down)

I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you
Baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute
You're gonna catch me, You're gonna catch if I fall (Down, down, down)

Parahchute

perfectly, imperfect.

Sometimes I think about how lucky I am to have the jobs that I do. New Haven is a constant learning experience for me. Every day I see something that wasn’t there before. Most days I leave with a new perspective on life. And I always, always leave with more love for these ladies.

My mind has been pondering on the idea of how one strives for perfection. Not only that, but how one sets such high limits on themselves, only to crash and burn when those limits aren't met. I think sometimes we set these unreachable standards for ourselves; we try so hard and put our whole hearts into whatever it is that we’re working towards. And then we fail. And maybe we fail once more.

But maybe we’re never meant to reach those crazy high standards all at once. I think sometimes we forget that it’s all a process. I think that we forget that we’re meant to fall every once in a while. It’s in the struggle of standing back up that we find ourselves. We find out what makes us who we are and who we are not.

I think we’re meant to slowly become the person that we’re meant to be. I think every day we’re meant to strive to be our very best.

Happy Monday, Y’all.