just another moment..

Let me start this out with a little warning:

     I promise you that I'm really not dumb.. 

  Ok. I'll admit I have my struggles, 

some of which are worse than others..

 This particular one though, wasn't really a bad one.

I think it was more of an everyday happening that makes me who I am. ha! Alright. Now that you've been warned, I'll share with you my story.

So this evening as I was taking out my contacts and putting them to bed in their home of white and teal, I noticed something that made me a little bit upset. The caps of my case {like most cases} are two different colors: white and teal. 

Simple, right? 

It helps you differentiate which contact goes into which little pod of wonderful solution that helps your eyeballs not turn into the Sahara. Now don't get ahead of yourself. This wasn't what had upset me. Nor was it the little 'R' that also helps me to see.. "ah! r = right. Right contact goes in here." Perfect! Honestly, the makers of this contact case couldn't have been any more considerate to all of the users of their product.

But here's the kicker:

     I was worried that they hadn't put brail onto the caps. How in the world were blind people supposed to know which eye went with which contact?

And then I realized why this was such a problem.

If somebody is blind..

   Why would they need contacts?

            To see.

Yep. Just another little Alex Moment.

   *sigh* someday, maybe. someday.

he says it best

"Just promise me you'll think of me every
 time you look up in the sky and see a star..
   'cause I'm a space bound rocket ship, 
   and your hearts the moon..
     and I'm aiming right at you, 
           right at you.
 250 thousand miles on a clear night in June.
And I'm so lost
 without you,
         without you."


                 -eminem

a little bit of {EIGHTEEN} and a whole lot of California

So, I haven't had the chance to blog the last few
days. But, yesterday, June 25, my dear 
Melissa Lynn Willard turned eighteen!! 
woot! The day before she had a little family get
together and I was able to join, along with Cody,
Robby, and Scott, to celebrate the occasion. We 
had cake, cupcakes, and icecream. Along with salad 
and biscuits. She opened presents. And then we 
played some phase 10. And then we went home to 
sleep/attempt to pack for California.

So yesterday, we hopped in the car around 11:00 and left!

The drive was longish. But it went by quite 

quickly. A lot of sticklies were partaken of.. 

not very comfortable. We went to a carnival that 

night after dinner and whatnot. It was expensive, 

but overall pretty cool. We rode a ridevcalled 

xtreme. Trust me, extreme it was.

Really fun though. 

Today we woke up late.. but then we headed over to

Randon's apartment, where Cody and Scott are 

staying, and we made french toast! Oh baby. 

It was enough to kill us.

It wasn't thoroughly cooked.. And not

very good. The attempt of making it was given a

full effort, but it just didn't turn out..

So then we headed to the beach. And I can tell

you that none of us expected the cool weather

that we have received.. We all packed shorts and

short sleeve shirts. Not jackets. Those weren't

even considered a packing option. Nope. The beach

was overcast.. and quite chilly. There were giant

seagulls attacking Cody's backpack. And squirrels 

eating our cookies. Overall a pretty solid day.

Now we're back at Randon's apartment. Melissa,

Cody and Scott are in the other room watching a

movie. So I supposed I should go join them so they

don't think I'm ignoring them. ha! But I had to 

come into the living room for an internet connection.

Anywho. Cali is treating us well. Two more days! 

Wish us luck of returning with tan bodies!

Also, I'm sorry I didn't include pictures of all

these magnificent events. The internet is too slow

for me to take the time of doing that.. so. Bare 

with me. They'll be on facebook sometime next week.

And I'll possibly post a few on her. (: woot!

So. Here's to Melissa's eighteenth, California,

and the longest blog post I've ever created! {I think} (:

Book

About a year ago, I decided I was going to write a book. Obviously it was a random thought, since I only wrote one paragraph and then quit. It was odd, though. The few people I had showed it to asked if it was a "personal story." No, it wasn't. I wasn't heartbroken, and it wasn't a silent plea for help. I honestly don't know why I had written what I did. But I just came across it today, and after reading over it, I kind of feel like my subconscious was predicting the future. Ha! Ok, not really. Just lately I've been feeling what I had written about. I'm not meaning to come off as desperate or anything. And I'm not calling out for help. So, here's the to-have-been book that I had so desired to write. 

And then easily quit. (:

How do you fix a broken heart?

You can stitch the pieces back together and mend the torn edges, but in all reality, it will never be the same. There will always be the one piece that never fully healed, the tear in the seam, and the times where it somehow forgets to beat. The dull, aching pain that remains will always serve as a constant reminder of the one you lost. The fire that once raced through your veins is now replaced with sorrow and grief. You tell yourself you won't survive, but every morning you drag yourself from bed, put one foot in front of the other, and continue through your life.

And so, the question remains:

                 How do you fix a broken heart?

You can't.

Grapes, Fedoras, and Feet

Today {well. I guess technically it was yesterday..} Melarska and I decided to go take some pictures. It was fun. Even though we both struggle with posing, instructing, and picture taking. But we got a few that were pretty good! 

{Farrah Fawcett Bangs}

Ha! Ok. I couldn't resist.

Ok, I know what you're thinking. And I promise that I don't have a 

foot fetish.

I swear. 

I just like taking pictures of feet.. ha!

This is Cody, and his magnificent beard:

We took a grand total of 437 pictures today. I'd say we got a few good ones! It was fun. And we shall do it again soon.

Georgetown Cupcakes.

This new place is, both fortunately and unfortunately, my new love.

Yep. I've said it. Confessed. So sue me. Really though.. check these babies out:

*sigh* Yes. I love 25 Main cupcakes, but these have definitely topped them. And Great Harvest cupcakes. Man. Plus, they ship worldwide. Which could be a major problem. I'm telling you. This bakery is good enough, that they are now going to have a show on TLC starting July 16th. Look at how delicious they were:

They were very delicious. And I shall be ordering some for my birthday in July. So. Watch out world. I will be having delicious cupcakes on my birthday. (:

Today on our way home from being in the city {which, by the way, was amazing. We spent most of our time at the Smithsonian museums.} we decided to take a little pit stop at 

Arlington Cemetery.

Wow. Seriously, it was beautiful.

It's incredible to think of all the men and women who have fought for this country. The peace and reverence you feel there is incredible. It's so calming. And beautiful. Everything here is green. Which was even more amazing at the cemetery. You can see all of the graves, and how they stretch on forever.

And when you think they've ended, you are able to see even more white through the leaves. 

And as you walk up the path to the top of the next hill the white just continues. It's like a sea. And it's so amazing how perfectly lined up they all are. If you're looking down the side, or on an angle, they all line up. It was amazing how quiet it was at John F. Kennedy's grave. There's such a respect. It's amazing, really. There were a bunch of school groups there, and the kids were young, and it was crazy to see how they were able to tell that respect was needed, and they were so quiet.

We were also able to watch the changing of the guard. I got a bit teary eyed during that.

*sigh* I'm going to miss this place. Maybe someday I'll move here. Just for a year or two. I think I'd like that. There's no mountains here.. but I think that all of the trees make up for it. If you ever get the chance to come here, snag it. And go to Arlington for sure. You will love it.

we made it.

Alas, we have arrived.
Well. We did earlier.
But, we're all just barely waking up from our naps. And we look quite lovely.. but not really.
I'm still sick from the plane ride. Super nauseous. And not feeling so well.. but it's ok!


It's gorgeous here. 
So stinking green.
Man. It's nice.
Hopefully I'll stop looking less hobo-ish. 
And we can shower.
And Berk and Rach will be able to get their baggage..
I hope they enjoyed their 5 extra minutes of sitting in the airport. ha! ok. well. I shall update later. 

a little bit of practice

So this last week, my brother Kyle was having his court of honor for his Eagle. There were three other boys that were getting theirs as well. And I had the opportunity to take their pictures. Which was good, because I needed the practice. Because as you can see, these aren't all that great. So, give me some feedback. Let me know what you think. (:

These two are super funny.

And I love them.

I really liked this one:

fedoras. and friends. well. one friend.

I am happy.
yay. (:
My dear best friend is back. And it is good.
I cried when I saw her.
And then proceeded to feel like a tool. ha!
Anyway. she's back from Europe. And she bought an adorable fedora. I'm crazy jealous.


Anywho. That's not the point of this post. ha! I just needed something to start it out with. Although, Melissa is incredibly worthy of being blogged about. I was planning on blogging about her return to good ol' America. So I decided to just combine the two.


So, the other day I was talking to a good friend. And this is what she told me:
"When you like someone, you have to fight the whole world off. But when they're dating someone and you like them, then you have to fight that one person, and that just sucks."


Indeed my friend. That does suck. And quite honestly, I don't know if I have the energy to fight for it. I want to, don't get me wrong. But, if it's just going to be wasted time, then I'm going to lay low, and hope things work out soon. (:

curveball

sometimes life throws us a challenge.
A curveball.
It's unexpected, yet somehow, you learn to make the best of it.
This week has been an interesting one.
Having had my uncle pass away Friday, and my grandpa yesterday, it's kind of odd.
It's weird how it has happened all at once.
Our family is doing fine, and we're happy.
Sometimes it takes these types of situations to pull a family together.
To show your love for one another.
And to know that everything will be ok.
I sure can feel the love in this family.
And it makes me smile.

sneak peek.

This last week and half has given me a sneak peek preview of what my life is going to be like in a few months.

And I'm not so sure if I like it.

This girl I am missing:

She is currently in Europe. 

Yes, we've been emailing, so I'm not completely cut off from her. But. I miss her. I can't drive to her house when I need somebody's shoulder to cry on. {Cody put up with me. He was the next best thing.. ha!} I've been thinking while she's been gone.

What am I going to do when she leaves for college?

Who's going to listen to Lady GaGa with me?

Or accept my dino hair with no questions asked?

Or hold my hand when we go star gazing? 

{since I'm going to be single for life. and live with cats on my head.}

Or dress up like dinosaurs with me?

Who will I wear our classy mustaches with?

Who will tell me when I have stinky feet?

Or when my bronzer needs to be rubbed in?

Who will share their delicious left over 

white chocolate steamed beverage

with me?

Who will truly appreciate the meaning of a BAMF?

Or let me kiss their forehead whenever I want?

Who am I going to make headbands with? And burn my fingers with? Who will know what I'm talking about when I say the smell of a hot glue gun is comforting? {surprisingly, I didn't have a picture for this one}

*sigh*

If you can't tell, I'm going to miss her. A lot. I could go on with a million more things. Thankfully she's going to be home this Wednesday. 

I can't wait.

simplicity.

Sometimes, it's the simple things in life that make us the happiest.


For me, it's reconnecting with a long lost friend.
One who I thought was gone for good, but has now returned.
And the feeling I get from it is sweet.
I am most happy, and probably will be for quite a while.
This summer looks promising.
So, life. Throw it at me.
I can take it.

lesson learned

So the other day, while with my good friends Mary and Rachel, I learned something.
We were driving around to find somewhere to take Mary's pictures. We were chit chatting away, when I realized I looked very similar to a homeless person. So, I simply said 
       "I'm sorry I look like a      homeless person."
Now, what I got from what Rachel said might not have been what she meant for it to be, maybe it was. But it has stuck with me ever since. She said,
  "Never apologize for             how you look."
I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Never should we be ashamed of who we are. You are unique, and nobody compares to you. Every single person has their own quirks. Every person is amazing in their own way.


So, since that conversation, I have been striving to love myself. To love my flaws, and to learn to make them better. I'm learning to find the beautiful things in people, instead of seeing the bad.


Thanks, Rach. I'm sure I took it quite a bit deeper than you had meant for it to be, but thank you. It has opened my eyes to a whole new way of life. And so far, I'm liking it. (: