Adult Rules

On my summer reading list was the book The Happiness Project, which I borrowed from a friend. I loved it so much, that I bought my own copy so I could highlight and annotate the death out of it. (If you haven't read it, you should!!) In the beginning of the book, the author, Gretchen Rubin, outlines a few of her "Rules of Adulthood" which I found highly entertaining and practical. These rules were influenced by her own experiences and lessons that she's learned in life. After reading her list, and being a list lover myself, I started to think of my own adulthood rules.

• Add 10 minutes to traveling time; 30 if you have kids 
• Burt's Bees is always needed 
• Sleep on it 
• Things work out the way they're supposed to work out 
• A clean sink makes the kitchen clean too 
• Don't hesitate to give out a compliment 
• No one pays attention to yourself more than you do 
• Pack a snack 
• A little makeup goes a long way 
• If you think you might regret not doing something ... then do it 
• Avoid going grocery shopping while you're hungry 
• Quality over quantity wins (except when considering q-tips - they're all basically the same) 
• Just because it's on sale, doesn't mean you can afford it 
• Not everyone will get your humor 
• Check your motives 
• Facebook official does NOT make it officially official 
• Somethings are better left unsaid 
• Doing things sooner somehow gets the task done in less time 

I'm sure I'll add more to this list as I get older, but I think it's a pretty good start!
Do you guys have any adult rules?

at home

{While I wish I could say I took all these photos... I've gotta be honest: Pinterest has done me well}

There's a crispness in the air today that I can hardly describe. The scent of wet grass, cool air, and leaves; a hum of energy and life... I feel at home.

I have an obsession...

This time of year is my FAVORITE. Not because it's Autumn, although I do love that too. But because it's HALLOWEEN!!! Seriously in love with this holiday.

So much so that I've been decorating for the last hour. Target and Martha Stewart? I love you.

Look:

Nightmares: The Final Frontier

I have noticed some disturbing trends in my dreams: they always end up in nightmares. Somewhere between 5-6 am my brain decides to focus on the terrible. In these nightmares, whatever it's about, Kyle is always the first to go. Disappear, divorce, death by electrocution, execution, suffocation, hanging, gun shot, car accident, falling off the San Francisco bridge... I've seen it all. After that, mom usually follow suit, then dad, my sisters, (usually at the same time) and my brother.

Last night's dream consisted of Kyle divorcing me because I failed a chemistry test, mom deciding to come down and help me find a new apartment... and then deciding to move in with me. She was shortly killed in a freak car accident involving a hallucination created by a Botha. Dad came with my siblings for the funeral that took place in some big, white mansion and then some Klingons took over, slit dad's throat and started throwing saw blades everywhere. I escaped with my siblings by hijacking a space shuttle and throwing it into warp speed.

Moral of the story? Stop watching Star Trek.

Autumn

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Amid the dying and drying leaves, my soul finds inexplicable peace

in knowing that it's ok to rest, to sleep; even my world must relax at some point.

Relax and revive - no season is more alive than fall

Gardens to harvest

Odors to inhale

Books to read

Our senses seem more engaged during this time of year.

I am thankful for this.

mighty fine 129 - junior edition

These girls:

kept me sane my freshman year, while driving me insane at times too :)
have carried me on their backs through hard times and through hallways
laughed at me when I was being ridiculous
cried with me through my struggles
ate 6 dozen rolls in one sitting with me (don't judge. they were amazing)
taught me how to see the best in people
and have loved me more than I deserved.

I love you all my mighty fine ladies.

happiness is:

- getting thousands of different perspectives and definitions on a single word (ie: What is 'development'?)
- returning to the cliches of college life
- overhearing a conversation of two friends that went like: "Dude! How are you? When did you get back [from the mission]?" "Oh, this morning.... I just got back from the airport; the time change is killing me!" Apparently he served in India
- reading an article that listed my major in the list of Top 10 worst majors and realizing I just don't care, I love it too much
- playing volleyball again - even if that means having to put up with freshman boy flirting and know-it-all players
- making dinner every single night and figuring out how much we save doing that
- the nice lady I ran into who told me that I look like I work out
- being exposed to thousands of journal articles I never would've thought to look into
- finally figuring out my own political opinion
- my basil plants!
- wearing a polka dot sweater
- burning fall scented candles
- being caught up and even ahead of all my reading assignments
- making new friends because I want to, not out of necessity
- listening to people's dreams and goals. It's motivating and eye-opening
- an extra wad of cash that came into our account
- thunderstorms answering unspoken prayers
- having my family come down last weekend for a brief visit
- grandma helping me figure out what to do with all the plants growing in my front berm
- mom giving me decorative fall gourds for the porch
- parking illegally twice this week... and not getting a ticket from the BYU police
- hubby installing our sliding curtains for our closet
- subtle changes in the weather
- pink lady apples for sale! The Washingtonian in me is happy
- watching the trees change colors on the mountain
- finally mailing off some thank you note cards/pictures to some very deserving people

This week was just so good, I couldn't help but share it. I've found that happiness is so much more dependent on the choices you make daily, rather than the situations you're in. When I take the responsibility of my happiness on myself rather than expect the world to make me happy, I find it easier to appreciate and even find joy in the mundane.