They're In & I'm Out!

Anyone want to guess what "they're" is? Think no more! It's my mission papers! I know, crazy. Really crazy. Like Reaaaaalllly crazy. So in just (hopefully) 2-3 weeks i'll know where i'm going! So you HAVE TO leave a comment with your guess! If you guess right I will wonder where you got your magic skills and why you didn't clue me in sooner. But whatevs, we're cool.

I'm leaving town for a couple weeks! My family is in the Nauvoo Pageant in Nauvoo, IL. So buckle up and hold on tight for some sweeeeeet pioneer dress/middle part legit pictures coming your way. You may want to save any pictures I post for proper black mail in the future, because 1) pioneer dress down to my ankles? Yes, cute. 2) Middle part- I promise you I can't pull it off like Miley Cyrus. 3) My hair gets purty crazy in the one million percent humidity i'm about to experience. 

That's about it. I have a long road trip ahead of me and you better believe we're stopping at only the coolest roadside locations. Worlds biggest ball of twine, anyone? So don't forget to leave me your educated guess of where I will be serving & stay tuned for some po-dunk pictures ya'll. In the mean time, I feel obligated to post the picture that I submitted with my papers, doesn't everyone do it? Do you think it sends the Europe/NYC vibe? That's what I was going for ;)

Oh, and while you're guessing where i'll be going, add your opinion on whether or not I should get straight-across bangs. I'm not sure why, but i've been feeling like it lately! Imagine about eyebrow length/maybe a little longer on the sides/pretty full. I've just been growing them out for a long time but I have no style! It bugs! So ya, 1) mission guess 2) bangs 3) you're the best for reading this

Ron Weasley Is My Homeboy

I went to my first (yes, i realize that makes me lame) midnight showing of a movie! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2. I fell asleep watching Part 1 at home and I never read the books so i'm pretty lost on  a little bit mostly everything. It's pretty bad. But I had Taryn catch me up on the important facts and we were good to go. I enjoyed it! I'm glad to know things "work out" in the end, if you catch my drift.

Me, Taryn and Mady made t-shirts for the occasion. Mady may or may not have ditched us after she got a date offer, but that's ok...our group of friends were pretty fun too. My shirt? "Ron Weasley is My Homeboy". I only have one regret about writing that:

After I saw this picture-

I wanted something about Neville Longbottom written all over me instead. Oh well, power to the gingers.
What's your favorite HP movie yet? I really liked Oliver Wood/quidditch games in whatever number that was in & also the games against different schools, that was pretty sweet too.

Oh, It Happened!

I didn't take many pictures of Birthday festivities for my 21st. But I had a great birthday! (Thank you everyone!) Facebook sure makes you feel special on your day, people I haven't talked to forever were wishing me a Happy Birthday, it was just grand. That night I went to a very fun singles branch activity. We split up in groups and went on a picture scavenger hunt. We had to find things like a policeman, be in a rock band, a house on a hill, a mortuary and take a picture with it.

Friday night I went into Vegas to celebrate with some friends. We went to Caesars Palace and had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, went shopping, walked the strip (in the rain!) and watched the Bellagio water show. It was a fun night and the only picture we got was with Mr.T. However, before I left I got some wonderful advice from my grandmother. She looked me in the eyes and said, "don't stick any nickels in the slots, austrie. Or dimes, or dollars, I don't even know what you stick in them anymore, but don't do it!"
So, remember everyone, don't gamble!....ever....not even once. Or my gma will come after you.

I just had to tell the world about my birthday, because it was a great one. A great one indeed! I'm legal now!

My 4th

Ohhhhhh the 4th of July. Quite the excellent holiday (if i may say so myself). It may be because it's so close to my birthday, or the fact that it really means that summer freedom is here, or maybe it's because it makes me think of the block party they have in the movie The Sandlot, celebrating the 4th. Whatever it is, I really do like it. 

How do you celebrate? 

My family goes riding in the hills. This year we found a few dead cows (probably the worst smell i've ever inhaled through my nostrils), a turtle (quickly declared the name "Speedster") and a few geocaches. Then we have breakfast at McDonalds and rent a movie.  

Then we have a family BBQ, and I got to blow out some early birthday candles!

We took my younger cousins to the fireworks show at the fairgrounds & ended the night at my house lighting our own. The 4th of July is the ultimate Summer holiday. I love the 4th of July.

My Birthday is tomorrow! Tomorrow! Wooohoooo!

Pine Valley, UT

Family Reunions are awkward...and i'm not entirely sure why, but you would all agree with me that they are, right? There's something about driving up to the camp site and everyone just turning around staring at your car. I think that's when my dad said, "why are family reunions so awkward?" Took the words right out of my mouth, dad. I've found that one thing solves this issue-getting involved. You've got to play the games, "be interested" in the family history albums, volunteer to run the fish pond, whatever it takes. So those of you who know me, know that I was sitting in a camp chair under the tree reading my Marie Claire magazine....thinking the pine trees were enough to cover my so-white-i'm-blue skin. Wrong, again. But those of you who have ever been to Pine Valley, UT know it's a really beautiful place and it brings back a lot of memories. 

When I was in elementary school, my grandparents would gather up us grandkids and take us up there for a few days. Proof:

I hadn't been up there for years, so the day trip turned out to be a great getaway. Especially Pine Valley Reservoir.

For the record, I love funny family reunion stories. Lay 'em on me. 

Sunday Drives

There's something about Sunday evening drives in the summer time. You all hear me, right? We simply could not resist. We saw a lot of bunny rabbits & if you ask our grandma, she'll probably tell you we went "boy scouting", but we didn't. We just took stupid pictures and talked about funny stuff. Then we played air hockey and facebook stalked our friends with odd looking babies. shhh, don't tell.

This Summer is Fly

Posting has been slow because i've been keeping busy. The good kind of busy. Every night has been full of swimming, kinect, irrigation water, riding out in the desert and checking things off our summer bucket list. So I figured pictures would be the ultimate way to describe the last little while. To all my design friends living all over the country, please come visit...i'll take ya frog giggin'!

Mady was totally oblivious we planned a surprise party for her 17th bday. She even passed me and taryn at a stop sign holding her bday cake in our hands...still oblivious. It worked out perfectly.

Some friends were willing to be the catchers for a game of fugitive for her surprise party so we gathered up in the ranger and headed out, it ended up being A LOT of fun.

We crossed off something on our summer bucket list! Thrift shopping in Otown. Seriously though, go to the senior thrift store...i need to do a whole post on the beautiful things we picked up. "Skurts" anyone?

A new baby was born into the family! Rodney Byron Leavitt was born June 11. Excuse my homeless lookin hair-do!

Baby Arnie-Poo graduated from 5th grade!

Taryn, Mady & I watched Jonas Brothers Concert Experience...it got a little out of hand... (to say the least)

This little beauty was just pulled out of a hidden folder on my mom's camera memory disk. I had been looking for it forever! So you get to enjoy it now. Our family held our 1st Nativity last Christmas. Now that all us kids are all grown up...we just rolled with it. Us 3 lucked out with the 3 wise(wo)men. 

Oh, one more thing...what's the one thing you have to do every summer? This bucket list I mentioned earlier is filled with all sorts of good stuff, but good suggestions are always appreciated! A few other things on the list:

-Walk the strip (my friends and I got to talking about it, pretty much none of us have just walked the strip...living so close by we always just go for shows or whatever)

-Ride the roller coaster at Stateline (I want to do this every time i'm traveling to CA!)

-Night fishing

-Actually gig a frog (we went a a few nights ago and saw a huge bullfrog but we weren't prepared haha)

So you get the picture...and i'm totally looking forward to hearing some more ideas!

Somebody is 17

Happy Birthday Manny!

Her real name is Mady but we call her Manny after her small love for Manny Ramirez. She's my younger (and shorter) sister. However, we do wear the same shoe size and that comes in handy (for her) daily. ;) You may remember my earlier attempt to get her a prom date, but now i'm thinking she could use a date for her 17th birthday too. (oh and for the record, my birthday is in a mere 11 days, just FYI.)

A little bit about Manny

-She will be a senior in HS

-She is on the dance team

-She is also a fan of the wonderful & amazing Jonas Brothers

-She has 102 different colors of nail polish (seriously, i just went and counted)

So if you happen to run into her, don't forget to wish her a very Happy Birthday!
Manny, having you as a sister is better than finding $20 in my pocket. (or focket, as you would call it)

My Papa

Happy Father's Day to the coolest, busiest, best man in my life!

Do your parents keep a book of hilarious stuff you did as a kid? Mine do, this is one of my favorites involving my dad, when I was 4 years old:

"One night we were all laying on the bed. Austrie's feet were by Matt (my dad's) face. Just for the heck of it, she kicked him in the face. Matt leaned away-taken back and a bit hurt, but he held his tongue. Then she repeated the kick! While both of her feet were in the air, he spanked her bottom one time. Now that's the only physical punishment she's ever received because we don't hit her to punish her. Aus started crying and lashed back at Matt "I CAN STILL WALK!". We couldn't help from laughing!" 

There you have it, I guess as a red head I may have a bit of a temper but it's only because I was beaten as a child! However, he does protect his girls from the paparazzi so I guess I can forgive him.

Happy Father's Day!

Bedroom Revamp (numero tres)

Folks, let it be known that i'm a definite procrastinator. That's not a good thing, i don't think. But i've had big plans to dedicate an entire wall to pictures. Pictures are a cool thing, don't you agree? I love to look at a picture & have a rush of awesome memories flood my brain. Brains are a cool thing too. My point is, i've procrastinated this picture collage i've planned on doing but i finally got it done! Well, mostly...i just have to pick out my memories & print them out. I'm very hesitant to post the before picture hahaha but check it out:

(the posters have been removed, rolled up & i think i'm doing alright, thanks for asking)

I only bought 4 of the frames on the wall, the other ones were my Grandma Nelda's or I found them in our storage room. (Even better!) The green mirror I found and re-painted also.

I also painted some old doorknobs that are from my Grandma Nelda's house. My mom grabbed them before it was knocked down in the early 90's and they've just been sitting in our garage covered in spider webs. No spider webs anymore! No siree. Decorated with a few of my fav necklaces, i love how they turned out!

I also got this sweeeeet gold birdcage at a local consignment store. Love at first sight.

The Breakdown

Frames: Total of about $17

Green spray paint for mirror & chair: $3.50

Birdcage: $20

Not too shabby, eh?