TED Talks that inspire me

FAVE TED TALKS WHOO HOOOOO!

One of my favorite things to do while I commute to school is listen to TED talks. I love the radio but Justin's "sorry" gets old after the 2049583409 time. I just listened to a playlist on my TED app that was titled, "How to Revive a city" and man it was great. My fave talks from it were this one and this one. Oh and Jess Speck's one about the walkable city! These talks inspired me to get out into our own city, Salt Lake, to serve, walk around, explore and contribute to keeping the public spaces open! The lack of sun and clear skies has taken its toll on me this winter--without the sun I shrink and isolate myself in my warm home. But in this in between time of winter/spring I am determined to get out and connect with nature, myself, and our city!

some more fave TED talks:

•  Less stuff More Happiness
• Bad Feminist
• Teach girls bravery not perfection
• Teach kids to code
• Shut up and Listen!

Spring inspiration collection

It's almost officially springtime! My favorite season has always been Spring because of the fresh feeling of rain, the beauty of bright greens and the atmosphere of rebirth in everything; humans, animals and nature.

I'm feeling fresh flowers, lots of pinks, greens and whites.



I'm feeling some spring cleaning and the need to fill up my frames with some fun artwork!



I'm feeling energized and motivated to keep working out and getting stronger. I'm trying real hard to get the beginner trophy on the Nike Fit app and it's way awesome! Also, my new jump rope is about to be my best friend.





I'm feeling sooooooooo ready for a road trip. Mike and I are planning lots of Utah trips because we realized that we haven't really explored this gorgeous state together besides Moab (where we met).





I'm feeling like wearing flowy dresses, pretty colors and soft textures.









I'm also feeling like painting a million abstract pieces and springtime bouquets but like when am I not feeling that? haha





photos via Pinterest

why write?.....

why am I writing?

well...

it's been a week since my 22 year old sister Sarah Kay was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer. over the weekend our family had a little chat.

with our family being on the other side of the continent, it makes sense to have a space dedicated to sharing tidbits of our lives with them.
so during our chat my mom announced she is going to start to write, sarah kay announced she is going to start to write.....and I agreed to maybe think about writing....

I was hesitant.
more than hesitant actually.

I don't feel as though I have ever classified myself as a writer. I've always been the dancer, the artist, the family clown. never the 'writer'. also, blogs are so personal in my opinion. it is literally the recording of your very own feelings for the entire internet to read, analyze and judge.

but once I began transforming my feelings into words, I instantly would feel better. this really is therapeutic. when aaaall my feeling are suddenly are right there in font size 12-- I feel like a small heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders and placed onto the page. 

I didn't realize how much I had to say either.
I have all of this anger, heartbreak, frustration, sadness, gratitude and scary unknown thoughts stuck inside of me. writing helps me to let them go one by one.

When Sarah was diagnosed last monday, I felt strongly that I needed to document this struggle while it's happening. I need to chronicle these events and fill a space full of photos, videos, Beyoncé gifs, grumpy cat memes, emotional stories and what gets us through the hard times. I'm someday going to share all of this with my children and grandchildren so where better to keep this information than the internet?

so in a nutshell, that's what this blog is all about.

a collection of my thoughts and experiences pertaining to my life at the current moment. and currently I'm struggling with this cancer thing. seeing my sister have to go through this emotional roller-coaster is rough.

I don't want Sarah Kay to go through this. I really don't, I want to take care of her and protect her and make her life as easy as possible. and if writing about the ups and downs makes this cancer thing a little easier for us to wrap our heads around, then let's start!

punching cancer in the face

this summer was unforgettable to say the least.

lots of smiles, good loud laughs, memories, tears, heartbreak, fresh starts and new beginnings.

my little bigger brother JJ is now Elder Brimhall, serving his LDS mission in the Philippines for 2 whole years. he is such an example of selflessness and unconditional love. we are so excited to skype him in december and catch up on his mission life!

my family helped me coordinate and teach a week long art camp for kids in our area. basically combining my two favorite things: art and kids=BEST WEEK EVER!

those kiddos created such wonderful pieces of art it made my soul sing.

NYC was rad too. JJ and i just ran around the city doing whatever we wanted. like eating street hot dogs and playing in FAO Schwartz.

so summer was grand.

now were back to school and life and work and responsibilities!

on a different note, there are lots of changes happening right now.

sarah's got cancer now. so there's that. my sister. my 22 year old health fanatic sister has Hodgkin's lymphoma.

my whole life seems to be spinning, speeding up and slowing down at the same time.

we're coping with it, whatever that means. for me that means lots of crying, hugging, laughing and writing. 

so here we go, let's punch cancer in the FACE!