FASHION

Alright don't be judgin. Today has been the most boring day of my life. So I'm gonna do some more blogging. About my clothes. These are a few things I consider must-haves.

HERE WE GO LADIES.

#1: Summer dress! Pacsun ~ $20. Do I even need an explanation for this one?

#2: Acid wash jeans. Pacsun ~ $30. Now before you say "eww", just hear me out; I love these jeans and I feel like they can spice up any outfit. I'm all about the slightly edgy look.

#3: Flower print jacket. Plato's Closet ~ $10. I have yet to see one that isn't completely delicious. Get one.

#4: Casual tank. Zumies ~ $20. I have 5 or 6 tanks like this one. (Most of them are diamond tanks) And they are so much fun to layer with...its insane.

#5: JEAN JACKET. Pacsun ~ $30. Wow. That is what I have to say about this little baby. Its a light blue and Im telling you, it goes with everything.

#6: Printed Maxi. Pacsun ~ $20. Guys just don't understand how comfy maxi skirts are. And they never will! I mean it's like wearing sweats...but actually cute. Anywho, This looks great paired with a stylish loose T, tucked in.

#7: Tan Shawl/Cardigan thingy-majigger. Pacsun ~ $30. This is what I call, casual-cute. Its just so...fun. But not too dressy.

#8: JEAN VEST. Brass Plum ~ $35. Ok if you don't already own one of these...Get. One. Now.



That is all.

Goodnight beautiful people :)

Quirky Stuff

M*U*S*I*C mm mm mm. Yum yum yum. I love music. More than I love to sing, more than I love to play the piano or the guitar.. I love to listen to music. Who doesn't right? Its certainly a universal love. SO. An anonymous human over ask.fm, asked me to post about the music I listen to. So let's just jump right in, shall we?

K. So. Besides my love for country and R&B and reggae and Disney music and all that good stuff...

I have a passion for the quirky stuff.

So I apologize in advance if you don't like the songs and artists I am going to post about because they are definitely on the unique side of things.

Without further ado:

-Each Coming Night by Iron and Wine
-Bring on the Comets by vhs or beta
-Pull My Heart Away by Jack Penate
-ANYTHING BY YOUTH LAGOON but Montana is one of my favorites
-This is the Life by Two Door Cinema Club
-Featherstone by The Paper Kites
-Daughter by Youth
-Come Home by Chappo
-Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood
-Shake Me Down by Cage The Elephant
-California by Rogue Wave
-The Girl by City and Colour





Alright Ive given you 12 beauties to take a look at if you'd like. I absolutely love all of those songs so much its insane. Take a look at the artists in general too! They are all incredible. And there's like...a million more that I love just as much. I seriously will spend an entire afternoon discovering new songs and artists.

BUT. I am also a huge huge fan of John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and James Taylor. I call them the 3 J wonders of the world.


Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this post and perhaps enjoyed the music to at least some degree.

Happy Friday beautiful people :)

My Daddy

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is Sunday cooking in the kitchen with my family. Especially when its Fathers Day. Because we make really really good food for my hungry daddy. This post goes out to Derek Omar. I love this man so much. My dad is an incredible father but more importantly, he is an incredible friend. He is one of the few people in this big world that can actually talk some sense into my head. He is an incredible photographer, actor, grill king, mr. fix it man....you name it. And he has such a ridiculously fun personality that it really doesn't matter what we do. Whether its two tall glasses of orange juice, a bag of sour patch and a scary movie, a hunt for toads and jackrabbits, together, my dad and I seem to make everything an adventure.

Reminiscing on good memories:

The night before my open heart surgery we went to the grocery store and loaded up on good food that we were supposedly gonna eat the rest of the week. (pickles, yogurt) Weird junk that my dad and I have fetish's for. Oh and we acted like complete hooligans because it was late and we were in a grocery store and we were buying food.......you're realizing what an acceptable explanation that is.
The nights following my heart surgery he spent sleeping by my side. And in the morning he spoon-fed me double chocolate brownie ice cream.

Have you gotten a taste of the goodness of this man?

Anyway, the Christmas after my surgery was one to remember. I wrote on the top of my wish list, 'a parrot.' When my dad saw that I had put this on my list he jumped on KSL and immediately started looking. SCORE. I was so sure I was getting one until he came to me about a week before Christmas and said, "Hey nat, Im sorry but the lady who had a few baby senegals actually just sold them. But maybe we can try and get one in a few months." You can imagine the 'darn it' expression on my face. CHRISTMAS WAS RUINED. Just kidding. I was definitely disappointed though.

Skippin to the good stuff ~ Christmas eve we were opening presents (yes we open our presents on the eve of Christmas, get over it) I was tearing open a present only to find....a parrot toy....could it be?? Am I dreaming? I looked at my dad and he said, "Come with me." He brought me outside to a big parrot cage and told me that he'd gotten everything ready ahead of time but he still hadn't been able to get a bird.

It was a bittersweet situation, folks. After hugging and thanking him, I returned to my designated 'present opening spot' and my dad, for some odd reason, walked out of the room.

My dad eventually returned.

With a Senegal parrot on his shoulder.

I bawled my eyes out.

Oh and its on tape if anyone wants to see it.

As you can see, my dad is such a special man. Future husband: you've got some big shoes to fill, buddy.

But he recently did something for me that I will also never forget.

 About 50 years ago, an Elm Street could be found in almost every town in the Eastern United States. Big, beautiful, American Elm trees used grow all over the place, strong and hardy and could withstand temperatures as low as -42 degrees Celsius.

But during the 60's and 70's 'the Dutch Elm disease' came in and nearly wiped the beautiful species out. My dad and I wanted to take part in the 'Return of the Elm'. So, together, we planted one in our backyard.

He dedicated the tree to me. Symbolic of many things.

I can stand on our deck and watch the sun set behind that beautiful Elm tree and it really does give me a whole lot of strength and hope.

But more importantly it reminds me how much my dad truly loves me with all of his big, big heart.

Love you daddy.

 

 

Nights like these

Mmm. Thats what tonight was like. Just mmm.

It started out with a trip to Ridleys for some junk food. My sister, my little brother and I sat on the floor in the candy isle with a lifetime supply of junk spread out all over the place. (So we could carefully make our decisions) We left the store with 5 different kinds of sour gummy deliciousness, warheads, licorice, Charleston chews, pringles (those are a must) a few Sobe's, the whole shabang. Such a sinfully satisfying, rewarding trip to the grocery store. I AM A FAN OF JUNK FOOD.

We came home, sorted out the candy (yes we opened each bag and made sure everyone received the same amount of each color etc.) Candy is serious business to my siblings and I. After that, we enjoyed our yummies and went our separate ways.

Just so I dont bore anyone, Ill skip all the useless details and get right to the good stuff;

I sat in a big, beautiful tree in a field with someone I care very much about. It was peaceful. A warm wind blew. And fireflies could be seen in the distance. We talked in the most vulnerable yet freeing way. About our lives. Our hopes and dreams, fears, mistakes, regrets. Everything. We laughed a lot. And sometimes we would drift into silence. The comfortable silence that ironically seems to shout the goodness of the moment.

Man. Nights like these are just...mmm.

I think life truly begins when you start to appreciate and savor the moments and the memories. Instead of just existing, try to live the truly good life you've been given.

Two worlds

I live in two worlds. And before you go assuming that Im flat-out crazy, just hear me out. When I wake up in the morning and the sunshine spills through my window and my heart literally beats with excitement because a new day awaits to be spent...that is what I call, "my first world".

The second world comes around when 11:00 pm hits. My night owl habits keep me awake until at least 3. And that world is the one that I get all soul searchy in. When the house is quiet and Im left to battle with my thoughts. My reality hits me hard. I think about all my problems and the trials that I am going through and past mistakes that I have made. 

But when I put my two worlds side by side, I am simply grateful. Grateful for the my morning world that blesses me with excitement and the will to live. And grateful for my night world that allows me to really think about where I am and who I want to be.

 Just as I am grateful for sorrow and joy. Sorrow; that allows us to grow and be strengthened. And joy; that allows us to just feel the truly wonderful lives we live.

Look at how excited this turtle is to live its life?

My sister loves turtles and I love my sister so I had to post this.

Cheers to good people

Cheers to good people who made me want to start blogging.
Good people are generally hard to find. And it's because few will take the time to find the good in people. There is good in everyone. It is easy to spot the bad in people but it is just as easy to find the good! I seriously challenge you to take someone that you already have sour feelings towards and find the good in them. I promise, you will find it. And you will feel a sense of freedom. Hate is easy but to love someone actually takes courage.

There are two people in specific that I would like to mention in this post because they are the ones who really gave me the confidence to start a blog. (Hopefully they wont be too embarrassed) Neisha Johnson. Holy heck, first of all...this chick has some mad photography skills. Check out her instagram, please. Her work is incredible. Secondly, she is, hands down, one of the kindest most down to earth people you will ever meet. Anyway, yesterday over twitter she told me I should start a blog on love and life. And that is what I'm doing folks :) But I was touched by what she said because I think it means a whole lot to anyone to have someone be genuinely interested in your life and what you have to say. I am a fan of Neisha Johnson.

The second person is Adam Mayne. Anyone who knows him, knows that he has one of the sweetest dispositions you will ever come across. We recently started talking more and oh my goodness gracious, he is, right off the bat, one trustworthy dude. Really though. I think everyone knows a few gems that you can just tell anything to. Even if you haven't known each other for very long! Anyway, I was touched as well by the way he, so beautifully, lightened my load by allowing me to open up to him.

Both of these people have big, big hearts. I advise befriending them. Now.

That's me. I had dandelion hair.