entries of an insomniac...

You know when you're plagued with insomnia three, maybe four nights out of the year? Last night was one of those nights. I'll be running on about 3.5 hours of sleep today...should be fun, right? Or, as my friend Sarah would say, "Beast the day, Lauren!"...Still not entirely sure what that means, but it always encouraged me. Thus, it will be today's mantra.
The wonderful thing about insomnia is that your body's exhausted, but your mind is as spry as an elderly person with fresh prune juice (lack of sleep people, work with me). In other words, you're constantly thinking about something which is what's keeping you from sleeping.
For example, have you heard today's youth (high school - college) talk today? They've conveniently began using the F-bomb as the most commonly used adjective in the English language. I say conveniently because if they didn't have that word as part of their vocabulary, the number of words they spoke would significantly decrease from about 15K to about 1,500. Let me give you a few examples I have heard in the last week:

Girl talking to girlfriends: "And I like put the f*** book back onto the f*** shelf and, like, made him f*** read the f*** book so that I, like, could see his f*** face when he read the f*** book and I was, like, 'f*** man! See what I was f*** talking about?!'"

Dude talking to dude friends: "Aww!! F*** man!! F***! F***!!! Did you f*** see that?? I totally just f*** you!! HA! F*** (X3)!!!

Now, I've been hearing this everyday, and every time I want to go up to the person (we'll call them f-bomber) and ask them to give me, $20: $1 for every time they dropped the f-bomb in the previous sentence they just spoke. I know they would just give me death glares, but I'm still tempted to try it one day.
I also pity these people. Five years from now, when they're at an important job interview, they'll have no words to say except "yes," "no," and "f***." Thus, their interview will end up sounding like:

"How did you hear about this position?"
"Yes."
"...OK, what is your background?"
"No."
"...What could you bring to this company?"
"F***."
"...Thank you for your time, Mr. Smith."

Ahh, wonderful -- and we wonder why this generation can't hold a job higher than a Mc. Donald's cashier.
The thought of when these people have children has also crossed my mind. What will they say when they're teaching their children how to speak/how to survive?
"You take the f*** cherrio in your f*** hand, put it up to your f*** mouth, and f*** chew!"

I weep for this generation and the next. Read a book people. Learn some words.

smac art competition...

My boyfriend Garrett entered a local art competition this past weekend -- and he won!! We were all very proud and very excited for him. :)
Congratulations babe! Love you so much - so proud of you!!

[If you want to check out his work (and I know you do!), go here!]

can't hold us {sotw}...

It's always interesting how certain songs take a while to catch on. This is one of those songs. Originally released in 2011, it has just now gained popularity. Always interesting how that happens. :)
I'm not the biggest fan of hip hop, but this song is just too catchy I can't get it out of my head! So, naturally, it's my song of the week (more like song of the month, but to each his own).

My SOTW: Can't Hold Us, by Macklemore.

easter in red bluff...

Wow, has it really been a month? A whole month?? Unacceptable. I guess life's been a little busy since March. Well, busy with uninteresting stuff that I can't take photos of and post on a blog (like school). But, have no fear, your patience shall be rewarded.
Since my last post, my life's consisted of mostly school, work, and family celebrations. I had spring break ( which was taken up by a research paper), my sister's bridal shower (it was lovely seeing family and friends!), and most recently I spent a week up in Red Bluff with my boyfriend and his family visiting his relatives (whom I adore). I have a few photos for you from recent Easter busyness...Shall we begin?

The trip began with preparations for Easter, then suddenly it was Easter! We began the day with an Easter basket hunt in acres of walnut groves (so fun!!)...

We then colored Easter eggs (the right way)! So many colors!

He's one handsome man, I must say. :)

We then partook in glorious feasting and verbal banter at the oh-so-well-decorated tables, then later sacrificing peeps to the Easter banshee...

The next few days were my favorite: relaxing in beautiful weather and spending quality time with wonderful friends and loved ones. Oh, and being the undefeated champion of slap-jack. That was nice too.

On our way home we stopped in Los Gatos to visit family friends. They suggested we go on a couples date that consisted of a tandem bike ride, yummy sushi dinner, and mini Haagen Dazs ice cream (coffee flavor...mmm)...

Such a fun trip, I can't wait to go back!

Everyday, I'm reminded of how much God has blessed me. I feel so loved by friends, family, and especially this man. Thank you for being my best friend and incredible mentor, Garrett. Love you! :)

sunset at shell beach...

A lovely late afternoon helping My Man grade sketchbooks, looking at tide pools, and watching the sunset. Most definitely lovely. :)

morro bay {roy g biv}...

Garrett and I went to Morro Bay last week to take photos for my ROY G BIV assignment for my digital photo class (you can see the finished photos on my photo blog). It was a little chilly, but very fun. :)

my valentine...

Well, it finally happened: I had a date on Valentine's Day -- and it was absolutely lovely!
The day started off with a scavenger hunt to find my dozen roses...it didn't take me too long...well, maybe a little while (20min). :)

 

 Each rose had a very creative clue to help find the next rose...I think Alfonzo was my favorite.

 After the hunt, we had a delicious brunch of eggs and heart-shaped biscuits.

 Then after a relaxing afternoon of show-watching and grocery shopping, my handsome date taught me how to make sushi!

 I think we did a fabulous job. :)

Thank you for being the best valentine a girl could ever ask for. Love you Handsome -- Happy Valentine's Day!