hello lanterns.

this weekend i checked another thing off of my bucket list.
light lanterns and float them up into the night sky.
it was honestly just as cool as i thought it would be,
and just as cool as it looked in the movie tangled.
as it lifted off, so fast it floated into the sky.
and then just like that, before we knew it, it was a small
glimmer in the distance. 
it's crazy how vast and spacious this galaxy is.
and so incredible at the same time.

hello exploration.

i need to get out of america. 
i'm in need of it.
craving.
wanting.
costa rica. peru. ecuador. south africa. greece. thailand. india
australia. nicaragua. chile. italy. spain. egypt. israel. maldives
iceland. philippines. new zealand. fiji. germany. tahiti. marshall 
islands. uruguay. ireland. china.

i want to go. 
i want to see.
i want to learn.
i want to eat.
i want to explore. 
i want to serve.
i want to live.

hello free serenity.

somehow this picture seems to describe how i'm feeling.. 
and the last few days..
but in a weird way?
does that even make sense?
no... i guess it doesn't quite make sense if you're reading this.
goodness, i am weird.
i think it's time for bed.
xoxo
L

hello lately.

i've been terrible at updating, so i figured i'd share with you all
some pictures from my time here lately via instagram. 





 lazy days at the backyard house
laie point sunsets
lots of puppy lovin'
the waikiki strip
runs on the beach
6am sunrises 
crystal clear water
good friends 
and a lot of beautiful beach days

all my love,
xoxo
L

hello facebook.

or should i say goodbye?
that's right.
a few days ago i took a very brave step and pressed
that little button on facebook that says,
deactivate.
and what a relief it has been ever since.
i needed to do it.
i needed to get away from past drama.
i needed to move forward with my life.
i needed to focus on the present.
i needed to spend some time on myself
& the things in life that are more important than a social network.
maybe i'll be back, maybe i won't.
but as for right now, i am quite content and happy
without that addiction.
i guess that means i should be more on top of my
blogging now that i don't have fb, right?
i'll work on it.
promise.
just trying to get into the swing of
school,
beach,
service,
& life.

xoxo
L

hello blackest of nights.

life back on the island is oh so swell.
with the first week of classes down, i think
i've finally got a handle on it all. i'm proud
to report to you all that i have been working
on my new years resolutions a lot. one
of which is to meditate daily. i must say, i've found
so much joy in this. my lovely friend natalia and
i have gotten into the routine of working out and
ending the night meditating. we go to her back yard


























and sit on the grass that over looks the ocean.
i close my eyes, sit, and allow peace to overcome me.
without fail, every time i open my eyes and i see
the beauty of the stars above, i cannot
help but think i am in a dream. looking out
and seeing nothing but black darkness. the sky and
ocean look to be one. i don't know why, but
it just amazes me. there's so much out there.
i feel so small when i think about the greatness
of this earth. gods creation really is magnificent.
one day i want to set sail in a boat and just keep
going. just see what's out there.

hello twenty.

i am back on the island and celebrated the first day of school. 
along with that celebration came the celebration of me getting old.
tonight i blew out my twenty candles and wanted to cry as i said goodbye to my teen years. 
they were so grand. and now i'm feeling ancient. 
but i'm looking forward for what this new year and new decade have in store for me. 
thank you year 19, you taught me a lot. 
20, can't wait :)

hello hawaii 5-0

so remember that time when i talked about my 15 minutes of fame?
well the time has come and the episode that i was an extra for in Hawaii 5-0 aired tonight! 
it was crazy seeing how we spent 8 hours of filming time on the beach party scene and yet it lasted a grand total of like 15 seconds. i could never be an actress.. to tiring haha. 
well i took some pictures with my phone. bad quality, sorry. but here is proof that i was actually on tv! 

alright, see that big guys head in the front? and then a little of the girls face behind him? well i'm the girl behind her! haha that tiny face that you can't even see bc of the quality of this photo. that speck is me :)
 i'm the girl on the right in plaid, hugging my best friend rachel! (we were supposed to be crying and really sad bc our really good friend was murdered)


i know this is so minor... but i'm so excited about it! it was so awesome to see all the behind the scene stuff that goes into these types of productions. plus, i got paid for it, no complaining here.
looks like i can check be on tv off of my bucket list :)
xoxo 
L

hello new year.


happy new year from the peach drop in downtown atlanta, to wherever you may be :)
xoxo
L


hello 2012.

last year i made new year resolutions... let's take a look.
1. stay in touch with best friends (i can sort of check this off?)
2. get in shape (mmm...half way check this off)
3. write in journal every day (epic fail. wrote in it like 5 times)
4. don't go to a funeral or know someone to die (unfortunately can't check this off)
5. learn to surf (fail)
6. figure out what i want to do with my life (YAYY! somewhat check!)
7. meet new friends (most definitely made some new best friends, check!)
8. do what makes me happy (this is always a work in progress) 

so looks like i didn't do too hot last year... and to be honest, i completely forgot about all the resolutions that i wrote down until about a week ago. so with the new year, that means...

time for new resolutions.
1. write in a journal regularly
2. work out daily
3. read the entire bible
4. spend 20 mins meditating every day
5. let go of anger
6. volunteer every week
7. be better at calling friends back home
8. read more books
9. get straight A's
10. travel to a new place
11. find happiness again
12. actually accomplish my new years resolutions

12 new resolutions for 2012
bring in the new year. 
i'm hopping for the best & only wish the best to you too!