Best Dressed at The Oscars.

I'm just going to tell you/show you my favorites from The Academy Awards. It's funny because I always pick my favorites and then I go look at what "professionals" chose and my "bests" end up being their "worsts." But I don't care. I love these the most and we won't talk about the worst. Except for Angelina...Honey. Sweetheart. If you're going to show off your leg, thigh high, you might want to gain some weight. Also, stop wearing black. You look like an evil person with your pale skin, red lips, black clothing, and chicken legs. 

{Number One} Gywneth Paltrow in Tom Ford. Lot's of people think this is the worst, but she can do no wrong in my book. Also, how can this be the worst? It's beautiful and classic and totally her. The end.

{Number Two} Stacy Keibler in Marchesa. This picture doesn't even do it justice. Incredible. 

{Number Three} Shailene Woodley in Valentino Couture. Simple and elegant. 

{Number Four} Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton. So beautiful. It's coral not red like it looks. 

{Number Five} Rooney Mara in Givenchy. Another worst that I think is best. So unique and simple and her face is amazing.

{Number Six} Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen. She is beautiful.

{Number Seven} Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli. Another one thought of as a "worst" but she can also do no wrong in my book. This picture isn't very good, sorry.

{The rest I am not going to order but I love them all}

                        Ellie Kemper in Armani Prive                       Glenn Close in Zac Posen

                            Kristin Wiig in J. Mendel                         Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab

                     Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji              Rose Byrne in Vivienne Westwood

                        Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera                       Viola Davis in Vera Wang

It Is Better to Look Up.

Such a simple phrase. Such a hard thing to actually do. I am no pessimist. I am an optimist but I'm also an idealist. And sometimes the two of them turn me into a wisher who only thinks of things she wishes she could/would/were doing and forgets to live. The woes of idealism. But I read this talk the other night and I love it.

So many people I know look at the negative things instead of the positive. One of the most heartbreaking things to me is seeing people who are so unhappy that they can't be happy for other people. My friend Brighton and I were talking about this a few nights ago at dinner. How bad does your life have to be for you to not be happy for other people when something great happens to them? Pretty unhappy. And it breaks my heart.

This talk is (obviously) titled It Is Better to Look Up and it's by a member of the Seventy, Carl B. Cook. He starts off with a story about his first week after becoming a General Authority and how he felt incredibly overwhelmed...

"'How can I possibly do this?' I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor. The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, 'What are you looking at down there?' I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson. I quickly looked up and responded, 'Oh, nothing.' (I’m sure that clever response inspired confidence in my abilities!) But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, 'It is better to look up!'"

Cook then quotes one of my absolute favorite scriptures; Mosiah 4:9. "Believe in God; believe that He is, and that He created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that He has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

The prophet spoke to Cook, he looked to him and the prophet redirected his focus to look up to God. "Experience has taught me that if we, like President Monson, exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy. We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance—and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction."

Most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance. Ain't that the truth? For me it is. It is better to look up. Such a simple phrase. Such a hard thing to actually do. But is it that hard? Maybe not. Maybe, as Cook says, we lack the faith that such a simple act can solve our problems. 

"President Monson’s encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ. As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is the means whereby we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens, and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can be forgiven and healed from the pain of our sins. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things."

Cook tells a story of he and his wife in South Africa. The Relief Society had everyone take a helium balloon and explained that the balloon represented a burden, trial, or hardship that is holding you back. They released their balloons along with their burdens. "That simple act of releasing our balloons provided a marvelous reminder of the indescribable joy that comes from looking up and thinking of Christ."

We cannot just release the balloon and then forget to look up. We have to continue to look toward God and look toward Christ always. We have to keep His Spirit with us always. 

"We are Heavenly Father’s children. He wants to be a part of our lives, to bless us, and to help us. He will heal our wounds, dry our tears, and help us along our path to return to His presence. As we look to Him, He will lead us."

Style Crush {Poppy Delevigne}

Oh hey. Poppy Delevigne? Yeah. She's a freaking babe. Also, she has impeccable style. I'm kind of in love with her right now. Here are some of here looks from New York Fashion Week. 

{Images and links below found on Le Fashion}

· Helter Skelter Sunglasses from Karen Walker
· Caballero Hand Woven Boots from ONE by Free Bird
· French Connection Maxi Skirt from ASOS
· Flock Spot Pencil Skirt from Topshop
· Fanny Lace Top from Joie
· Kookai Belted Trench Coat from ASOS
· Burgundy boots from Belle by Sigerson Morrison

Key Player.

Hey. Remember my brother? I'm sure you ALL forgot about him. I get it, alright? I talk about him a lot. But I'm sick of people giving me crap for it. I'm sorry that I love my little brother. I'm sorry that he's my favorite person in the world. I'm sorry that he happens to be an incredible athlete. But I'm not going to stop talking about him so if you don't want to hear it don't continue reading. If you had a brother as amazing as him you wouldn't shut up about him either.

So it's basketball season and I haven't really said much about his season. Probably because I love football a whole lot more. But he's just as amazing at basketball as he is football. (He is sending out his recruiting letters right now! So exciting I can't wait to see what offers he gets for football). Ty has been named player of the game several times this season. 


But anyway. His team, Desert Hills Thunder, is ranked #1 in their "A" (I never know what to call that? They are 3A). And they have been ranked #6 in the state. Pretty amazing. But being ranked so high, they have had a huge target on their backs because obviously everyone wants to beat the #1 team. They have done so well this season. They lost twice in region; once to Cedar in an overtime setback and once to Hurricane by one point. (Hurricane is their biggest competition at this point but Desert Hills killed them the second time they played them). (They also lost once in preseason by one point to Timpview).


Desert Hills won region and is definitely the favorite going into the state tournament this weekend. It's being held in St. George and it's almost guaranteed that a Region 9 team will win. Four of the eight teams are from Region 9 (St. George). Desert Hills plays Ben Lomond (I won't lie, I had never heard of this school til last weekend) on Thursday morning. They seems like a tough team but we have a really good chance at beating them. Then we play the winner of the Dixie vs. Delta game (which Dixie will most likely win). 


Want to hear my prediction? Well, remember how Desert Hills played Hurricane in the state football championship this year? Yeah. Well I can almost guarantee that Desert Hills will, once again, be playing Hurricane in the state championship. But for basketball this time. (When I was a Junior, state basketball was in St. George and Pine View (my school) played (and beat) Dixie (our biggest rival) in the championship and it was insane. My favorite memory from high school). But I could be wrong...Hurricane has three really good teams to beat before they get there. Morgan, Payson, and Cedar are three very tough teams and we could end up playing on of them as well. 


Ty isn't a starting player (he's started a couple times this season but he's not regular) which no one is really sure why. He is a Junior and there are a lot of Seniors so we get that. But (not to step on any toes) he is a better player than some of the kids that start over him. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. We have had countless people (including players parents) come to us and Ty and tell us that he should be playing 90% of the game all the time. We even had someone drop off a note at our door telling Ty the same things. But we won't complain. He's been playing a TON the last few games and I think the coaches are finally realizing that they need him in there all the time if they want to win this state tournament. We'll see.


Today I woke up to a text from my mom with a picture of Ty in The Spectrum. They just put this article up about him today. Everyone loves him, not just me. You know what my favorite part about it is? People, especially news writers and radio broadcasters, love him. And not just because he's a good athlete, but because he is a great kid. He's got everything going for him. And you all wonder why he's my favorite?

Rutledge key to potential 3A title
Basketball is unlike any other team sport where superstars are customary rulers of their field. Players that can produce big stats generally earn most of the credit for a team's success. Nevertheless, it's still a team game and any big-time playmaker will usually acknowledge role players are a factor that will launch their team to a championship level.
Region 9 champ Desert Hills is no exception as it prepares for Thursday's quarterfinal round of the 3A state boys basketball tournament at Burns Arena. The Thunder have a stellar one-two punch in guard Brandon Simister (12.2 ppg) and forward Tyler Ott (13.6 ppg), but even they know it'll take a team together to secure the program's first 3A state title. "It's like I've been saying this whole year, me and Brandon have so many great players around us that it makes the game easier for everyone," Ott said. "I've enjoyed being a part of this team so much and I know they will do their part this weekend, I just hope I can do mine."
Desert Hills has seen plenty of players step up at different times this season, such as forwards Josh Anderson, Jaden Beckstrand and Mike Needham. Any one of them could step up at any given moment, but the biggest difference maker for the Thunder in this tournament could be junior guard Ty Rutledge (5.7 ppg).
Since the opposition has been focusing heavily on Ott and Simister this season, it's opened up opportunities for players like Rutledge, who has more than taken advantage in recent weeks. "If I get the opportunities to step up and make a play, I'm not going to shy away from it," said Rutledge, who has reached double figures in three of the last five games. "I just try to play hard and execute my on offense or defense. I trust that the other four players on the floor are doing their job also. We know our roles and we need to play as a team and win three more (tournament games)."
Rutledge surely garnered attention with a solid game in last week's first-round matchup vs. Juan Diego, going for 11 points, four rebounds and one assist. Prior to that, the junior tallied 43 points during a four-game span to conclude the regular season.
"Ty is a great shooter that spreads the floor tremendously for us," Ott said. "He attacks the boards well and is a very solid defensive player. He is the kind of player that if you aren't paying attention he can really hurt you. He has been big for us all season and we will look to him to play big for us this last weekend."
Rutledge is known for being a fun guy off the court, but as fierce of a competitor as anyone on it. Desert Hills will need that same demeanor Thursday morning when they face the toughest defense in 3A, Ben Lomond (just over 44 ppg allowed), in the opening game of the day at 9:30 a.m.

Matte About You.

{Top} Billabong; {Shorts} Gap; {Shoes} Nordstrom; {Wallet} Urban Outfitters; {Necklace} Francesca's; {Watch} ASOS

Hey. Here are some random things about me. If you wanted to know :) Also. I'm in love with my nail polish. It's just grey but I just got Essie's 'Matte About You' top coat and I'm obsessed. You should all get it.

--I can't count when music is on because I still count in eights. #dancerproblems
--I had the worst possible sense of style in middle/high school. But we can blame that on the fact that the only place to shop in Southern Utah was Buckle and also I had dance after school so I pretty much wore sweats to school every day. 
--I was convinced by a boy in high school that once you were 18 you could call in to excuse yourself from class. So one day I did. Turns out you canNOT do that. They thought I was trying to impersonate my mother and gave me a full day of in-school suspension. Except it only lasted one class period because the Vice Principal was on my side. The attendance lady had it out for me. She about had a heart attack when I was excused early.
--I dislocated both of my knee caps in 6th grade one month apart from each other. Main reasons being my flat feet and the fact that I looked like an Ethiopian child. #nojoke
--I overplay songs like nobody's business. Spotify revealed this in me to all of my FB friends. I was super frustrated with Spotify until I found out there is a way to NOT share you listening habits with the world. So relieved. 
--I was super awkward in middle school. And most, if not all, of high school. #lerp
--I totally wanted to be a punk chick in high school. And I pretended I hated rap. I love you Jay-Z, I'm sorry I ever denied that. I made it up to him by hanging the record 'Black Album' on my wall.
--I get attached very easily and letting go of people is near impossible. I had to stop watching dramatic television shows because I got too attached to the characters and felt like they were real. (I do this with books too. Which explains why Harry Potter is super important to me).
--My feet move back an forth when I am trying to fall asleep, or just when I'm tired. My mom always says it's like I'm rocking myself to sleep.
--I make faces at myself in the mirror.
--If you get me to laugh when I'm tired I'll never stop. In fact, I'll probably start hyperventilating. And crying. Sometimes my friends try to do it on purpose. It is pretty funny to watch I suppose...(they filmed it once).
--My fingernails are always completely gone by half time of my brother's games. I'm a nervous/anxious nail biter.
--My body violently shakes when I get nervous or cold. (Violently is not an overstatement). 
--I bite the inside of my cheek when I'm concentrating on something. 
--I touch my face a lot. A lot. Which is one of the many reasons I don't wear a ton of make up. I just end up rubbing it off anyway.  
--I very much dislike roses. Especially red roses. Calla Lilies all the way.  

Only You.

Valentine's Day has never been my thing. Probably because I've never had a Valentine. I don't think I'll ever enjoy Valentine's Day as much as I did in elementary school when I gave that 'special' valentine to that 'special' boy who I had a crush on. But, in honor of the widely celebrated holiday, I thought I'd talk a little bit about love. If you know me at all you know that I love love. Ironically, I've never been in love. Well, that's not true. I've been in love with lots of people but I've never been in love with a boy. Make sense? Sure. Moving on.

Love, to me, is the most important thing in this life. And the next life. Think about it for a minute...we are commanded by our Heavenly Father to love one another. Now, remember all of those other commandments? Well, if you always follow the commandment to love one another, you will never break any of the other commandments. It makes total sense I promise. If you love one another you won't judge others, you won't envy others, you won't do anything to hurt another person or yourself. Because loving one another also includes loving yourself.

I love people. So much. I mean, yeah, there are a few people who rub me the wrong way. And I'm not perfect when it comes to loving other people. But I am pretty good at loving people. Or so I'm told. I can't wait for the day when I get to love a man with everything that I am. I'm a complete hopeless romantic. I want the fairy tale romance. And I guess I'm just waiting for a feeling I've never felt before. A feeling only one man can give me. Someday, if I'm lucky, I'll find that man. :)

Anyyyyyway. Here are some cute movie/love quotes for you. And some pictures. They will either make you insanely jealous/sad because you don't have that love yet. OR. They will make you insanely happy/grateful because you do have that love. Either way...Happy Valentine's Day!

"Four years ago, I was just a guy who had a crush on a girl who had a boyfriend. And I had to do the hardest thing that I've ever had to do, which was just to wait. And, a lot of people told me I was crazy to wait this long for a date with a girl I work with, but I think, even then, I knew that I was waiting for my wife." -Jim Halpert, The Office 

"But most of all, I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life, the way I feel when I'm with you." -Baby, Dirty Dancing

"In my opinion the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you. The right person will still think the sun shines out of your ass." -Mac MacGuff, Juno

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." -1 John 4:18

"With any luck by next year I'll be going out with one of these girls..but for now let me say, without hope or agenda, just because it's Christmas (and at Christmas you tell the truth). To me, you are perfect. And my wasted heart will love you, until you look like this..." -Mark, Love Actually

'Rules of Fashion'

Pet Peeve :: People who follow fashion rules. Why? Because I believe there are no rules. Well. Okay, there are a few. But rules are made to be broken, right? Right. Just agree with me so we can move on. Thanks.

If you haven't guessed already, today we are going to talk about the supposed 'Rules of Fashion;' which ones can and should be broken, and which ones should remain intact. Because we need balance. We need to live on the edge and break rules and be unique. We also need structure in our lives. (I sound like a school teacher, I'm aware).

Rules to be broken ::
--'Do not wear brown and black together.'
      I don't know who decided this and when it was decided but I'm guessing it was at some point in the
      80's. Please forget this. Please, please, please. I wear brown and black together literally every single day  
      of my life. Brown boots, black leggings. It's beautiful and it works. Stop living in the 80's.
--'Do no wear gold and silver together.'
       I am surprised every time I hear someone say this. Again, I literally wear gold and silver together every
       single day of my life. This might be bold, but I might even say that gold and silver go together better than
       brown and black. In my opinion. I am even more surprised by girls who get white gold (aka: silver)
       engagement rings because, 'I wear silver way more than gold and I can't wear gold and silver together.'
       Yes. You. Can. Stop thinking that right now. Gold and silver were meant to be together. (Except in  
       'two-toned' engagement rings. Yuck).
--'Your belt must match your shoes.'
       This is only true for men in suits. Sorry men, but yes you still have to match your belt to your shoes  
       when you wear that beautifully tailored suit of yours. (Please wear beautifully tailored suits. Nothing is
       sexier). But ladies, This couldn't be farther from the truth for you. Mix and match. Wear a black belt
       and brown shoes. AH! Scary I know. It's fine, promise.
--'Your purse must match your outfit.'
       This is gross and ladies, you all need to stop doing it. It was cute in the 80's and 90's, sure. It's cute for
       a 5 year old. It's not cute for you. The less you match the better. Pull in a bright colored (or neon)
       purse with a neutral outfit. Pull in a neutral colored purse with a bright colored outfit. It all works. Just
       don't go back to the middle school days where you wore white pants a green shirt and a green polka
       dot purse. Please.
--'Don't wear white after labor day.'
       I blogged about this on Lime Ricki awhile back. I don't know who made up this rule but I hate it. And I
       have never followed it. Maybe because I grew up in place where it rarely gets cold? I think the only
       reason they made this rule is because it gets cold after labor day. Bleh. It's alright I promise. One of my
       favorite things to do is wear all white. It's so beautiful and classy. Do it. Whatever time of year it may
       be.
 --'Never wear tights with open-toed shoes.'
       What? This is one of my favorite looks ever. Please wear tights with open-toed shoes as much as
       possible! I also encourage you to wear socks with your open toed shoes. Nothing wrong with that in
       any way. Super cute look.

Rules to stay intact ::
--'Do not wear socks with sandals.'
       I shouldn't even have to address this. It breaks my heart a little that I have to. But it's amazing how
       often I see it here in the Valley of Happy. Do. Not. Wear. Socks. With. Sandals. Ever. Ever. 'Oh, I'm
       just going to run to the store and get something so I'll just slip on these sandals even though I have
       socks on..' Don't. How much harder is it to put on a pair of sneakers? It's not. Men, I'm mainly
       speaking to you right now. Please don't do it. (This does not apply to shoes like the picture below
       labeled 'open-toed shoes.')
(Yep. That's the only rule of fashion I can think of that needs to be kept. There are probably more but, to prove my point even more I'm not going to go out looking for them. Don't follow the 'Rules of Fashion.')

Rules I'm making up ::
--'Stop wearing giant flowers in your hair.' 
       But seriously. They were never cute and I hardly even like them on babies. So just don't wear them.
--'Uggs.'
       Just don't wear Uggs.
--'Do not wear short skirts/dresses with boots.'
       Hey. We've talked about this already. A few times actually. Please don't wear this outfit ladies. It
       seriously makes you look trashy. So. Trashy. It also makes you look like you're in middle school. And it
       makes you look like a cowgirl. Which might be what you're going for but just remember that it still
       makes you look trashy. The only way to fix this outfit is to add tights. (Not opaque tights. Opaque tights
       are yuck). And, depending on the shortness of the skirt, sometimes that doesn't even work.
       SOLUTION! Don't wear super short skirts. Ta da! Now you don't look trashy and guys don't think
       dirty thoughts in their mind about you and your mother won't tell you to change and you won't have to
       continuously pull your skirt down so your ass (sorry) doesn't show and you won't have to worry if your
       who-ha is showing when your uncross your legs and I won't have to write ridiculous run on's like this
       anymore.

The End.
PS. We should all wear more sequins, more neon, more gold, and more fur. Just sayin.
PSS. All of this is opinion. But I really like my opinion so you should probably follow it :)

Gold & Silver

White on White

Brown & Black

Belt & Shoes

Purse Doesn't Match

Open-Toed Shoes

Awkward and Awesome

Before I start in on my Awkward/Awesome moments of the past week let's talk for a sec. You see, I have a problem. I decided to start doing an Awkward/Awesome post every week (please don't hold me to that) because I have really enjoyed reading them from The Daybook Blog. I'm almost positive she is the one who started it and everyone is just following her lead. Which is amazing because it's a great thing to do. Because we all want to hear the Awk/Awes of someone else so we can laugh at them and be happy for them.

But I hate more than anything when people make fun of others for doing something "trendy." Or when they don't do something or wear something or listen to something because it's "sooo trendy." So what? You're teling me you're not going to wear something you secretly LOVE because it's "trendy?" You're telling me you're going to stop listening to your favorite band because they are getting "too trendy?" Get over it. You can start trends, yeah. Good for you for starting one if you have. But there would be no such thing as a "trend" if people didn't follow others. I'm all for being a leader. I love leading but I also enjoy following others sometimes. There is absolutely no shame in following trends and people who think there is need to check themselves. Because chances are, that "trend" they think they started had been going on wayyy before they came along. And chances are, they secretly love and do/use/wear/listen to all the "trends" they pretend to hate.

That being said. I'm following the trend and doing the Awk/Awes post starting now. I hope you enjoy laughing at me :) I have more Awkwards than Awesomes this week which I'll blame on the fact that I'm super sick. But I also consider a lot of my Awkwards to be Awesomes as well.

Awkward ::
--Stopping at green light in a very busy intersection and wondering why people are honking at me.
--Ordering a Frosty from McDonald's {when I know full well they are only sold at Wendy's} and not realizing I went to McDonald's, not Wendy's, until about twenty minutes later.
--Spilling an entire {and I mean entire} glass of water fully on my lap at the restaurant.
--Mimicking The Sartorialist and snapping pics of Lexie in the middle of the street then turning around and running straight into a pole while the cars stopped at the crosswalk had a good laugh. {Mind you, the pole was waist height so when I ran into it I tipped right over it. Had I been going any faster I would have flipped over it completely.}
--The ex-boyfriend got engaged after a veryyyyy short dating life. {But I'm happy for him, really. Go him.}
--Answering the phone at work with "sick voice." Me: "Robinson Construction." Caller: "Tim?" Uhh. Fail. {If you don't know what "sick voice" is get out of my house. JK. It's just the voice you get when you're sick. Go figure.}
--Passing out in Harmon's and waking up sobbing.
--Calling my office to tell them I passed out and can't come in, "Bre? Oh my I thought you were one of the machines that call from Toll Free numbers." Nope. That's just my sick voice that apparently sounds like a man and a robot.

Awesome ::
--Going to Brian Regan with my girls.
--Park City/Sundance Film Festival trip with friends. {But really just freezing our who-haas off.}
--Blake Griffin's dunk. Enough said. {I adore him.}
--Meeting with the style crew and laughing until we literally cried.
--Temple Run parties in the living room.
--Having the best friends who come get me when I faint and make me dinner and buy me ice cream and tuck me in. (Thanks Jessie, Lexie, and Erika).
--The Doc gave me cough syrup infused with lortab and it makes me feel dandy. {You can judge me for taking drugs but if you felt as sick as I am right now you'd check yourself.}
--Heading to St. George tonight. {But I'm pissed cause I can't be around Aspen :( } But my BFF from high school, Jonny, just got home from his mission yesterday and I can't wait to see him!

ANNOUNCEMENT.
Oh hey. So I'm going to be adding a little something to my blog. Yep, you guessed it. I'm going to be taking pictures of my outfits and putting them up with my posts. Super original, right? Yeah I know. But I have to announce it here or I'll never actually do it. So in the near future, look forward to it!