on friendship

Disclaimer: My thoughts in this post are far from cohesive. It's just stuff I've been thinking about for a while, and today's the day I'm discussing it. So if I seem like a crazy rambling lady, well..... it's because I am! ;)

photo cred

Does anyone feel like maintaining solid friendships in your 20's is like.... really hard? 
I recently experienced a falling out with a friend who I've known for about 2 1/2 years. Granted it was a strained friendship to begin with for a lot of reasons, but she said some things to me a while ago that really made me think. And now I've got questions that I'm just sort of having a hard time grappling with.

I feel like I've tried really hard to balance my friendships over the years, but man it's really tough sometimes. I've moved around a lot my whole life, and that hasn't changed even in college. And after Christian and I got married, we've moved around even more. In the almost 2 years we've been married, we've lived in 5 different cities, in 4 different states.

Like..... AH. 

Being transient makes things hard.
Admittedly, I can and do go a long time without talking to or seeing a lot of my close friends. I feel like that's okay, because in reality that's the same boat that a lot of them are in.... with the moving a lot, or getting a new job, or being married, or graduating, or having babies or all of the above... you get the idea.
I guess I'm just wondering what the rest of my 20 something friends are doing.
And how you guys feel about this subject.

How are you supposed to maintain close friendships during your ever-changing 20's?
And once you get married? Not to sound like "oh I'm married so I can't have any friends because I'm so obsessed with my husband", because that's not how I feel in the slightest. However, I DO feel like Christian and I are so pressed for time these days that my priority needs to be our relationship. Does this get easier when you are done with school? What about when you have a baby? I feel like life will just keep getting busier and busier and how do you balance friendships with all of it? I desperately want that, but I feel like it's so hard, especially because on top of everything, you/we/people our age, are always faced with moving at least once a year or something like that. I'm a making a mountain out of a molehill here?

Also on a related but sort of unrelated note.... what is the line between loving someone, and being a compassionate caring friend, and giving too much of yourself? This is really hard for me because I feel like I automatically try to give too much, and end up sacrificing and exhausting my mental/emotional capabilities, and taking important energy away from my family and so on. I just don't know where to draw the line between giving, and giving too much I guess.

And then I'm struck with the thought that I deserve good friends who uplift and inspire me (don't we all deserve that?!). So shouldn't I be spending the time to carefully sift through friends during these transient years and pick the ones that I love and want to have around forever?
And I also don't have to make everyone happy, and not everyone has to like me (a hard pill to swallow for this people-pleaser!). 
So why do I spend so much time fretting over things like this?

I have a lot more I could say about this all.
(And a lot more that I've typed out and then deleted ha) 
But I'm worried this could turn into a word vomity, overly saturated post.... if it isn't already there ha! I guess I'm just interested to know everyone's take on friendships at this point in life.
I love you all and I'd love to hear what you think.

summer in p-town

I present to you:

Plastic Head, aka Dan Cox.

Basically we just thought he looked way over manicured, and, well.....

Plastic.

Also he never talked, until he randomly ordered Des a pizza, which we also thought was very plastic of him.

So now you know!

Anyways.....

 As the weekend is upon us, I've been thinking a lot about going out on dates with my husband.
As much as I love spending time with JUST Christian,

sometimes we struggle finding cool things to do as a couple. 

And although we love browsing Target, eating out, watching netflix, and going to the gym, you can only have so many of those date nights, you know?!

#marriedpeopleproblems

Thankfully, we made some wonderful friends while we lived in DC, and we reunited last weekend!

First stop, the rooftop concert series in downtown Provo. 

One of the valley's best kept summertime secrets. 

If you currently live in Utah, or plan to anytime in the future... GO!

The next day we trekked through Spanish Fork canyon to the hot springs. 

Let me tell you something:

It was super awesome, but I don't recommend wearing converse with no socks for the almost 5 mile hike. 

Not that I did that or anything.....

I also recommend showering right after you get home.
I didn't (don't ask me why)
and I smelled very strongly of egg salad the next morning.
SO SEXY!

Utah sure is a nasty B during the winter time, but I have to admit....

I am quite enjoying this summer so far!

central perk

Remember that coffee shop in FRIENDS, the name-sake of this post?

Yeah well a few years ago, I found out it DOESN'T EXIST.

Hopes and dreams of visiting this great american sitcom relic = dashed.

Don't worry though, we went to the REAL Central Park yesterday and it was absolutely amazing, which obviously makes up for everything!

Seriously though, it was far more beautiful than I ever would have imagined.

And let's be real, the people watching is probably the best there ever is!

I mean, we saw a kid there.... and his name was JAGGER. Prime example.

I don't know how Kimber eluded this picture, but props to her because she was definitely standing there

The view from Belvedere Castle. Just when you thought Central Park couldn't get any cooler, they had to go and put a castle in the middle of it!

My beyond adorable husband. What a lil' cutie!

Thankfully the afternoon was uneventful, except for being briefly interrupted by 5 minutes of rain

(refreshing!)

almost passing out due to an assault from the humidity and not drinking enough water

(that's slightly ironic......)

and being attacked by a snake on our walk back to the car.

(actually it was just a branch, but you know. Snakes and branches look A LOT alike these days.

At least judging by my reaction they do...)

And that's how we spent Sunday afternoon, in the company of our dear friends Casey, Kimber and Kelly in the beautiful city of New York.

Stay tuned for some interesting updates from the Carter family later this week.

Until then, I'm taking a page out of Tigger's book....

 TTFN. 

Ta ta for now!!!!

this is ironic because my friend Kimber posted the exact same thing today

So I'm sure all 12 of you are wondering what the day-to-day life is like in the Carter household.

Well never fear. 

I am about to tell you.

7:30-8:00am  Press snooze on each of our phones about 12 times

8:00-8:16ish  make Christian snuggle for a little longer.

8:16  say goodbye as Christian gets out of  bed to go be productive. 

(Maybe always sometimes I go back to sleep.)

9:00am  finally haul lazy bum out of bed.

Yes it takes me an hour and a half to wake up each day, thanksforasking.

9:00-9:17ish  make Christian snuggle some more!

(It's a reeeaaal good morning routine)

9:20-10ish Eat breakfast and stuff. Sometimes we even make pancakes!

(This is what happens when I attempt to make said pancakes.
Hence the reason why Christian is the designated breakfast master!)

10-11ish read scriptures, write in journals, talk, snuggle more, etc. etc.

11ish Shower time!

11:40 bid farewell as Christian leaves for work.....

.....after which I contemplate my fate for the day.

If I'm lucky, one of the following will happen:

- Shower. haha I kid, I kid..... mostly.......

-Job interview (few and far between)

-Grocery shopping, in which I will only buy canned and frozen food because I don't have any of my seasonings yet, and therefore cannot make delicious meals yet, BOOO,
and I'm too cheap  smart to buy more.

- Library. This hasn't necessarily happened, but I will work it in somehow, someday...

-Run. This has only happened once. Again, I will work it in somehow, someday.....

- Clean. I'm getting really good at this! Except I only have windex and clorox wipes at my disposal, which makes scrubbing the bathroom floor awkward and difficult, to say the least.

- Read. I'm also getting really good at this!

- Fill out job applications, and call lots. of. businesses. to see. if. they're. hiring.

I'm definitely getting good at this.

-And finally, eat ice cream, stalk blogs, get on facebook 500 times, fall asleep after 5pm, and any other degrading and time-wasting activity you can probably think of.

The rest of a typical day is actually pretty boring,

(as if all that other stuff was SUPER EXCITING, right!?) 

and usually involves eating dinner around 9 oclock, playing a game, watching a movie and..... other stuff.

The end.

Oh and here is one more cool thing I want to tell you.

The other night, I had a mini melt down on my sweet husband.

Tears included.

In a moment of pure inspiration and complete sweetness on his part, he says

"Babe, would you like to watch Little Women tonight?"

And then any tiny, slight doubt I could ever possibly have about marrying Christian Durrant Carter promptly flew out the window. And here's the best part....

Not only does he watch Little Women with me, but he actually enjoys it!

I KNOW, RIGHT?!
He's a keeper.

Ok. I'm done.

things that make me happy today

- This picture I took at Lagoon last month

Unreal, right?

Summer at her finest.

-Yesterday.

It was just one of those days, you know? It started out and I was tired.

Everything was irritating me.

I was depressed that I had to go home to an empty apartment.

I didn't want to do anything basically.

(How awesome do I sound right now?!)

Thankfully though, after some good reading and a little time spent up at the Provo temple, I felt a bajillion times better. 

I hauled my lazy behind out on a 26 mile bike ride (SAY WHAA?) with Abbers, 

talked to a few of my favorite people on the phone, laughed a lot, cleaned my room, 

and had a much better night than I was anticipating. 

I'm so thankful for things like that. 

- BOGO at Yogurtland tonight. I am obsessed with that place.

Also, a trip to the coolest park in Orem.

Epic evening ahead, lemme tell ya.

- The fact that in 14-ish days, my loves will all be back in Provo!

These two weeks cannot go by fast enough....

Basically it's just another great Friday at the beginning of another great weekend. 

Booyah.

lucky moments

You know the kind I'm talking about. 

The kind that make you step back and go

"WOAH, I am so blessed"

I had about 50 of those last week while I was home.
At Nicole's reception, watching so many people I know and love celebrate the beautiful event.
Laying in bed talking to Kaylie, about everything under the sun.
At dinner with my family on Saturday night, crying because we were laughing so hard.
On the beautiful drive home listening to awesome soundtrack music.

I feel like I say this a lot, but I am so thankful for those moments.
They always seem to come right when I need them, and have a perfect way of reminding me that life is so sweet.
And really, when do we NOT need to be reminded of that?

And on a completely unrelated note, listen to how sad this is:
Josh Groban will be here in concert in a few weeks. And for the first time since I was 13,
I will not be going.
My heart is breaking. The legacy is over!
Ok maybe it's not that sad.
But kind of. A little bit.

And finally, just because this is sweet:

Noah and the Whale at Lollapalooza.
Love.

weekend (give or take a day) highlights

(Please forgive the ensuing picture assassination. I'm feeling very ambitious today)

Here are some awesome things that have happened over the last week. 

- Road trippin. I have really learned to love southern Utah over the last 6 months. 

Aka I have driven this 11 hour stretch back and forth three times now. NBD.

 

Obviously Abby and I were very in-touch with our childhoods during the drive.

- Pool and shopping time with friends and brothers. 

 

yeah, that just happened. Also, his hat has cookie monster on it. I was dying.

- Wedding festivities!!!!

And there you have it. 

Some of the hottest, busiest, and funnest days of Summer 2011.

Viva.

boom! there's the flavor!

I watched Hot Rod for the umpteenth time this weekend. 

Here are a few things I learned. 

First, I forgot how absurd and random the whole movie is. 

Which is why it's so stinking hilarious, obvi.

Also, the part where Denise, Jonathan and Rod are all in the diner and they order flaming Dr. Peppers, and then Jonathan takes a drink and says:

"BOOM, there's the flavor!"

(a la the title of this post. har har har)

Yeah, that's probably the funniest part of the whole movie to me. Don't ask why.

When you watch something that many times, the word "hello" becomes hilarious. 

C'est la vie, no?

Also, this weekend was full of shinanigans that I'm sure you are dying to hear about.

 Went to Rubios.

(Fish taco, will you date me??)

Saw "Source Code"

(Jake Gyllenhaal made the confusing movie worth it)

Proof

OD'd on sugar, via shave ice. 

(Mega gross. I won't be doing that again any time soon.)

BBQ'd with aunt, uncle, cousins, and company (aka all the crazy neighbors you can imagine. Fireworks included).

Had the laaaazzziiieesstttt Sunday afternoon in memory. 

It was awesome.

Had the day off work yesterday

(HOOOORAH for Utah holidays!)

Spent time at the pool with partner in crime Jburk,

I used to get mad when my parents would tease me for having boat feet. Was I that blind that I couldn't see they were telling the truth? Hello, giant flippers!

and hung out with my favorite Modern Family. 

Get it?

So yeah, basically it was a really chill, summery, fun, and MUCH needed weekend. 

And finally, just to throw this out there, I bought 3 things online today.

I think I do that (online shop, that is) for 2 reasons.

First, because who's NOT trying to browse page after page of cool things?

Second, I like

.... no.... 

LOVE..... 

getting things in the mail. 

And if someone isn't going to take care of that, well then gosh darn it, I will do it myself!