furry friends...

I might have a slight obsession with Build-a-Bear teddies. I mean, it's not like I have a billion of them. This morning, though, I did notice that I have more than two.

At my parents' house, I have Cowboy (a black lab), Charlene (a cream teddy), and Sonya (a cheetah). They now live in the box in the corner with my other stuffed animals. Yes, I did cry when I put them all away.

Captain Abearica, Princess, Adi Bear, Buddy (from Ikea), April, and Desear all sleep on my bed with me. Desear is the newest member of the family. Her name means 'to wish' in Spanish. Basically, she's the my-boyfriend-broke-up-with-me bear. That and she's adorable. I mean, look.

She's pink, purple, and light blue. Like cotton candy colors. Plus her fur is so incredibly soft. And she has a fairy dress. How could I say no?

Oh, I could have easily said no. I'm totally rationalizing in the dumbest ways possible to cover up for my 'I HAVE TO HAVE IT' moment when I saw her. Kind of like with my other bears (or bunnies).

Bad, bad.

Moving back to my parents' home might be a good thing, because I won't get pushed out of the full bed like I do the twin here at my house.

I's beary happy to have my new friend.

back...

Hey, y'all.

After a good 9 days of clearing my head and re-evaluating what I'm going to do with my life, I feel like it's a good time to start sharing my adventures again.

So far, I've done these things:

1. Moved up my graduation date from December 2014 to April 2014 -- Spring/Summer term scholarships create great incentive to get the heck out of here.
2. Decided NOT to serve a full-time mission for sure.
3. Made plans to reapply to UVU after graduating to complete the photography certificate, a year long program that I've had my eye on for awhile (because BYU has been sending me emails telling me that I have a lot of credits and should think about graduating).
4. Also decided to do MATC's culinary arts program, just for kicks.
5. Started checking out grad schools and have narrowed it down to three or four, none of which require me to leave the state -- holla for accredited satellite programs.
6. Gotten myself in debt to the bank for the first time in my life -- yay for emotional spending sprees. But it is pretty worth it -- got my first pedicure (the polish matches my eyes) and my first pairs of American Eagle jeans (because my favorite pair died). And a Build-a-Bear. Because I needed something to hug.
7. Rented a puppy.

What? Rented a puppy, you ask? 

Why, yes. I actually scheduled that before Adam broke up with me (hence the blog break for a little while), and when little Toby showed up two days after things fell apart, he was a welcome distraction.

 This is Toby. Adorbs, isn't he?

this bone is Toby-size for his convenience

Kinda wish I could keep him, because he is such a little love. Puppies (and dogs in general) just make everything better.

Anyway. I'm back. I've got what I want figured out, and I'm feeling pretty good. There are hard moments, obviously. My life is pretty great, though. I'm a lucky girl.

I've been lucky for a long time.

spoils of war...

I turned 21 on Wednesday. What a wild year it was -- 20-year-old nobody had quite the ride. And we're starting 21-year-old somebody with some pretty awesome accessories.

What did I get with my birthday money?

A little black dress (lace, mind you) and a teddy bear.

Turning 21 was worth it for both of those things. Thank you, grandma and grandpaw! Thank you, nana and grandpa!

PS I will post about birthday fun eventually. It doesn't end until Monday morning -- we like to draw things out around here. Mostly because of schedules.