des moines

Des Moines:

It's the place where daddy is stationed, for now. After all this time he has been in Des Moines...we finally met his roommate(apartment-mate)! His family almost directly mirrors ours and he gave mom and dad an awesome vacation idea...so naturally I approved of their cool roomie-friendship. They're both grown men but they are legitimate roomies...THEY BUY THINGS TOGETHER! Like a weird back-stretching contraption that flips you upside-down (because they're old and need their backs stretched daily?), furniture, and this cool thing that lets you bike stationary on your own bike!

It's the place where Jordan Creek is the furthest thing from a trickling body of water...it's a shoppers heaven complete with all of my favorite stores and no shortage of interesting subjects for people watching! Mom and I went pretty "hard in the paint" and ended the day after six hours of spending! I'd say it was a successful day considering the entire mall was tax-free for school shopping and the sales were out of this world. It almost felt like stealing...almost. (Side note: Mama and I ventured into a bridal boutique just for fun...let's just say the price tags scared her and we didn't stay long)

It's the place where tons of little antique shops come together to make up Valley Junction. We came across some interesting people, places and things on this adventure but "Antique No. 35" was my favorite...all the fun of antique-ing and none of the boring! But this little area was full of locally-owed gems where we found an array of "P"s for mamas latest project. I'm so excited to see it when it's finished! It's the place where a (somewhat) quiet and (extremely) creative afternoon can be spent at Glazed Expressions painting pottery...mama and i sat near a mother and her two boys (9ish and 12ish) and laughed silently at how terribly "relaxing" her afternoon was. We had fun and can't wait to see the finished products this weekend when Dad brings them to us!

It's the place where a family spent a much needed weekend watching movies, making jokes, shopping and just enjoying each other's company. Des Moines really isn't too bad...I'm just bitter because it's stolen my daddy for the last part of his service. Lets just say: It's time for him to come home.

just living,
lizzi

getting to know myself...

i read something the other day that said: 

"you've got the rest of your life to love somebody else, focus on loving yourself right now"

it IS incredibly important to be your own person and to make that person into someone you love...finding someone else to love is simply the cherry-on-top! i found my cherry-on-top early on but i promise you, i have time to love myself. 

so here i am taking some time to love myself. here you'll find a list that when read, can only add up to one person. me!

1. i don't enjoy hanging up clothes...but i sure to love a color-coordinated closet

2. i have a serious obsession with stripes. all thicknesses, colors and combinations of the two

3. i appreciate a great hug...sometimes they are all that can make me feel better

4. i almost always eat all of my dinner before touching my drink...and then i down my drink

5. i can sleep through nearly anything: a yelling brother, washing machines, alarm clocks, tornado sirens, you name it and i'm not hearing it

6. i put on shirts the same way my dad does (thanks to mama for pointing this one out to me) and i think that's pretty cool

7. i like to be creative and lose myself in a project...especially when it's a gift for a friend

8. i love my school so incredibly much but can hardly ever find the perfect words to express why...it's simply a fantastic place to call home

9. i love the way my parents chose to spell lizzi. it's nice and neat and i match my mama (traci)

10. i believe lowercase letters are superior to uppercase letters...and i will argue this until the day i die

11. i exaggerate things...who doesn't

12. i know i care too much about what people think but my boy keeps me grounded

13. i visit GAP approximately 3-6 times a month...and almost always make a purchase

14. i am a firm believer in hand-written correspondence. it's a beautiful thing

15. i smile at things, at people, at animals, at walls...i like to smile

16. i am really great at choosing a series on Netflix and committing myself to it...ex: OTH, Grey's, Gossip Girl, OITNB (it's a problem)

17. i think that i was raised into a religion called "love." it's the most beautiful religion of all and more people should convert

18. i am knock-kneed...cue clumsy moment

19. i can't imagine being a daughter to a different daddy...mine is beyond amazing

20. i love to write. i should really do so more often

21. "..." is my most commonly used form of punctuation...i'm sure you've noticed

22. i am so glad i have a little brother because i think he's pretty much the coolest guy ever

23. i know that relationships are the most important thing in life...i cherish the ones i have

24. i love where and how i grew up...i owe my parents so much and don't think i'll ever be able to pay them back fully

25. i keep my radio volume on even numbers...and if it's on an odd, it won't be for long.

26. i have little self-control when it comes to ice-cream...and i don't flavor or brand discriminate

27. i admire so much about my mom and i don't tell her that enough...thanks for being you, mama

28. i am learning to think twice about what i say and do and how other people interpret it and it's really kind of hard

29. i "random dance" pretty much anywhere...i once knocked my brother out with a high kick in the kitchen

30. i am stopping here because it's an even number...and i feel "loved" enough for the moment :)

 hopefully you learned something new... i know i'm learning more about myself each and every day! 

just living,

lizzi

not so sure

sometimes i'm just not sure...about a lot of things.

about my future
about our future
about my friends
about what i want to do with my life
about living the way i'm living
about where i should be investing my time

but i'm pretty sure that not being sure is okay.
i think that's life.

just living,
lizzi

missing you

i'm not one to be dramatic but after four and a half years i just really wish we could really be together...physically with each other, in the same town, at the same school...together. when that day comes it's going make everything that much more worth it. thanks for being my rock, baby. without you i really don't know what i'd do.

just living,

lizzi

attitude is everything

we end up where we do because of the attitude we choose to have....i'm afraid some people just don't understand that. 

- it's not always easy and there will be days you don't want to smile...do it anyways. 
- not everything will be fun, but that's life. that's growing up.
- life will not go as planned. accept that and move on to the bigger and better.
- people will come into your life and then they'll go...it happens.
- inspire someone to do better, to be better.
- take risks! and whether you succeed or not, be proud of yourself for trying.
- smile at a stranger...because it's the shortest distance between two people.
- form genuine relationships...they are what makes a fulfilled life.
- choose to be the person that you are happy with.
- simply be happy because it will get you so much further in life than anything else.

one day it will be our time to go. i'm going to look back, and remember how much i loved, how much i laughed and how much i smiled. 

are you?

just living,

lizzi

my person

it seems like finding "my person," as Grey's would say, isn't easy.
 i've got my boy and he is one of the few you just can't let go of because if you do, nothing and no one will come close to measuring up.

but i need my girl...a go-to best friend, someone who can make me laugh because even i know my sense of humor isn't the best. someone who will listen when i need to cry. someone who wants to talk about more than the superficial. someone who cares. someone who would do anything for me because i would do the same for them...a genuine soul.


well i know who she is...and we became such fast friends it's hard to pinpoint when we really clicked. i like to think she really understands me and i hope she knows how much i care about her. but something out there decided that right as i was getting comfortable and oh so excited for the rest of my college experience with her, she has to leave me. i'm worried she'll leave and being here won't be the same for me...because before we met something wasn't right and as soon as we did, i took a sigh of relief. at this point there's just not enough time to do everything we want to do. they say that you don't know what you've got till it's gone but i know that i have a best friend by my side right now and i'm dreading the day that i come back to the house and she wont be down the hall. five hours is just too damn far and i'm not at all ready to give up my best friend.

just living,lizzi