oh hello 2014

Ahhhhh I'm back after a much needed break from school. I have been extremely busy running around town and taking road trips, but I am glad to be back in the craziness of the blogosphere. 

Uhm yeah I live in a beautiful valley...
(photo credit to my amazingly talented and handsome boyfriend)

So here is the deal... I have a Christmas post all written up and ready to post minus pictures to go along with it, and today I'm not feeling like simply just adding photos to a "pre-written" blog post. I am in a writing mood, so I am going to write, thank you very much. I promise I will post that soon, but first thing is first... Happy 2014! 

2014 I welcome you with open arms! I am so excited to see what will happen over the course of the next year. From graduating, to starting college I can already tell it is going to be a year full of new and exciting memories and thoughts and feelings and oh my goodness it is going to be insane. 

I swear, my New Year's Eve was straight from Pinterest. Ali and I decided a while back we were going to throw a black and gold New Year's Eve party, and it turned out better than we could of ever planned for! We were surrounded by good friends, laughter, confetti, sparkling cider, balloons and sparkles {of course} with the best songs of 2013 blasting throughout the house. It was the best way to ring in 2014. 

The very first day of 2014 was spent with two of my favorite people, Evan and his mom. We hiked and enjoyed each other's company. Later that night Evan and I put the convertible top down on Phoebe** and drove around town looking at Christmas lights and blasting some throwback music. It was freezing but totally worth it! 

I also took a last minute trip to the wonderful town of Portland with my mom and Evan's mom this last weekend. We decided we were in need of a good shopping day. As soon as I walked into Nordstroms and took my first breath of the wonderful Nordstroms air, I knew it would be a good day. I scored some amazing deals at H&M, Forever 21, Nordstroms and a few other small boutiques. Sometimes you just need new clothes for a little encouragement to keep chugging through the school year, right? 

Yesterday was the perfect way to end my last Christmas break, ever. After church Evan and I went to lunch at one of our favorite gourmet pizza places with my parents. It was a b-e-a-uuuutiful sunshine-y day outside so we decided to go on a last minute hike. We had a blast watching the sunset and sneaking pictures of each other. We then went to his house and enjoyed some warm soup and played {and won} a few rounds of Catch Phrase against his parents. 

awww how cliché.. 

Then, the time had finally come to whip out some old family videos and introduce Evan to the 3-year-old Sophie. At one point I had to fast forward for about five minutes because it was me singing the song, B-I-B-L-E over and over and over and over again. Never-the-less it was a good time, plus we finished off the night watching the season premiere of Downton Abbey {and HOLY COW I died of excitement}.


2013 was ended surrounded by friends and 2014 was started with my love, I don't think it gets any better than that, does it? Bring it on 2014. 

happy blogging. xo. 

(photo credit yet again to the one and only Evan Ford Tucker) 

**Phoebe is my wonderful mini cooper convertible whom I cherish so dearly... until next time!