Photo A Day.

I decided to do a photo a day challenge and honestly it is not very easy... but I love it! It is hard because most of my days are almost exact replicas of every other day (i.e. sleep, school, homework, dinner, sleep) but this project has really helped me to pick out the little things that were great about those normal uneventful days and even those really eventful days. I have seen some other bloggers posting their January photo a day post and their pictures are really creative and beautiful. It seems as if they are doing the challenge to better their photography skills and strengthen their creativity! It is so awesome! but that's not what my photo a day challenge is about. I am doing it because of what I said before. I want to pick out the little things in each day that were great, inspiring, beautiful, relaxing, etc and take a photo of them. It is nice to look back through the pictures and be able to remember that small little thing that made me happy, rather than all those hard and stressful things I had to do that day. 

I don't know how long I am going to be able to keep it up, but if you want to follow along I am putting all my photos on instagram (typically very late in the evening). Follow me @carlifries84

Carli

Insta-life.

The past few months have been nothing less than a whirlwind. While it makes me sad that I cannot commit to regular blogging, I am really happy with where I am in life. There are so many blessings in my life that I cannot even begin to fathom. College life isn't easy, but it is fulfilling. I feel myself growing each and everyday. Don't worry. I have been documenting the past few months with pictures and have lots of stories to tell! Since I am home for Christmas break I finally have time to share whats been going on in my life in my little corner of the internet. It feels good to be back!

 1. It started to get cold in October, but I wasn't willing to admit it until November. November 1st I had my first cup of cocoa.

2. The fall was beautiful. I had never experienced a fall like this. There were so many leaves that there were teams of leaf cleaning machines all over campus.

3. The trees were a lovely golden orange.

4. Jessica and I celebrated with Martinelli's one evening.

 1. On the same night as the Martinelli's Jessica and I initiated ourselves into our newly founded Pie Committee by eating a full strawberry rhubarb pie right out of the pan. I never thought I'd say this... but that was too much pie.

2. Tabby made this beautiful cake to celebrate Perry's mission call.

3. I still dream about this pumpkin curry that Hannah told me about. I am dying to go back. Like now.

4. Movie night.

 1. We had a death in the family. Our little jumping bean bit the dust. We were so intrigued that we sliced him open to see his insides. I would advise never doing this to a loved one.

2. We had a burial service.

3. Then we cried together.

4. This was before I ran out of time to even play my guitar everyday.

 1. Then it snowed! 

2. As much as I had been dreading that day... I found it to be quite awesome.

3. Tabs and I decided to enjoy it.

4. and that we did.

 1. Tabs and I thought it would be super funny to build a snowman right outside our living room window. We live on the bottom floor, which is not quite the basement. It is more like half in the ground half out. I had people asking me if the snow was really that high so I thought I'd make it clear. Haha.

2. Our snowman ended up looking a lot like Lambchop. He also freaked us out quite a bit because we always thought there was a person outside our window.

3. Saturday morning we decided to go play in the snow. We had some pretty epic snowball fights and I was tackled to the ground quite a few times. We started to build an igloo but didn't make it very far.

4. People got very creative with the snow on campus. 

 1. My hair finally got long enough to put it up.

2. I printed out a ton of pictures and hung them all over my walls. I love seeing all these memories everyday.

3. I wear these everyday.

4. It's a little hard to see... but my roommates and I pulled an awesome prank on the guys in apt. 26. We covered their floors in bubble wrap. Placed toast all over the place. and put pictures of ourselves smashed up against the glass on their living room window. Basically it was the best thing ever.

1. The BYU Museum of Art has an Andy Warhol exhibit! We had a great time. Especially the silver cloud exhibit.

1. Finally went to J-Dawgs. Best hot dog in my life. Their special sauce is the bomb.

2. Stephen and Steven are pretty cool.

3. A closeup of my face in the prank.

4. Sewing class final project. The dress was halfway done!

This is only a few of the many pictures that I have from the past few months. I'll be sharing them over the next couple of weeks. If you just can't wait until then and have an Instagram, we should be friends. Follow me @carlifries84. 

Carli

These are the things that are happening.

• Stayed up until 4:30am the other night working on an assignment for Economics and then woke up at 8am to turn it in. Longest night of my life.
• Went on a sugar fast. Then all of a sudden I found myself at a wedding reception double fisting mocktails. Thats when I realized I was no longer on my sugar fast.
• Made a pact with myself to do at least one prank a week. The other night a couple friends and I walked around Provo putting sticky notes on peoples cars that say stuff such as; "Siphoned your gas, bro. Owe ya one." "Sorry about your bumper. My bad." "I accidentally vomited on your hood... no time to clean it up. Sorry man." This may be the moment that you realize that I am a really cool person, or... you realize that I am the worst ever. I am assuming the latter, but let me just say that it was the funnest night. Last night my roommate and I put up all the windshield wipers on all the cars in my apartments parking lot. The best part happened today when I was riding with this guy to a social activity and he says "Did you notice how all the windshield wipers on all the cars were up? Some idiot must have been really bored last night..." I couldn't control my laughter. Best thing ever.
• I have 30 billion exams this week.
• My roommate taught me how to make a peanut butter and banana smoothie that is the bomb. Plus it's healthy.
• I wake up every morning thinking it is cold and put on sweaters and boots only to find out that by 10:30am it is not cold at all.
• I stay up way too late.
• Did some nighttiming. It had been to long.

I know that I haven't been posting a lot lately... and I feel bad. I want to keep up with my blog! I want to share all the things that are going on in my life plus all the cool craft ideas I have and all the other cool stuff I was sharing over the summer. To be honest, I don't have the time to dedicate to this little corner of the internet as much as I want to. I don't know how you college students, moms, employed, etc people do it! I have been trying to come up with posts that won't take a ton of time, but will be really fun to make and really fun for you guys to read but I am at a loss. So if you have any ideas... Basically what I am saying is that my posts may be few and far in between. Hopefully soon I can find a good balance!

Good news is that I am going on vacation soon and will be taking a ton of pictures which I will definitely turn into some blog posts!

Carli

Record Tuesday: Camera Obscura

French Navy by Camera Obscura

Just so you know, I am completely aware that it is Wednesday and not Tuesday and that this post should have gone up yesterday... my only excuse is that I forgot! The next couple of weeks are going to be very... uh... stressful and full. I am going on vacation in two weeks and have to get all my school work done before then! On Monday I was in the library studying and I was reminded of this song. "Spent a week in a dusty library. Waiting for some words to jump at me." That is basically my life right now. So I thought I'd share it. This has to be one of my favorite Camera Obscura songs. It's just too good.

Carli

The Yellow Party

 On Tuesday my roommates and I threw a "yellow party" for our roommate Tabby. It was a very special day for her and yellow is her favorite color. It was really awesome to run into friends on campus who were being festive by wearing yellow to celebrate. The party was also awesome. 

My roommates are the best there is.

Carli

Double Rainbow.

Sometimes life just throws you these curveballs that seem impossible to hit. Like this week for instance... You know how the first few weeks of a new semester are so easy because the professors are only just setting up the course, and starting to teach you the material? and you love it because you don't have very much homework and you can spend all your time doing fun stuff? Then that one week that every single one of your professors decides to burry you under a billion pounds of homework and you say to yourself "What the?" You have become so used to hanging out with friends instead of studying that it is almost like a culture shock. Well that was this week for me.

To add a pinch more ridiculous to our soup of stress, I got sick on Sunday. So I started off the week under the weather, but I pushed through it and did all the things I needed to until yesterday. Then yesterday (Wednesday) rolled around... I woke up feeling like death itself. Actually I don't even know if I was even alive. All I remember about that morning is that my alarm went off at 8am and I turned it off. A little while later I sat up and thought to myself "Crap! I have to get the kids to school!" Then I thought "Wait! I don't have any kids..." Then I laid back down and stated "I am NOT going to class today." Apparently my roommate Tabby took that statement to heart and made the same decision. Tisk tisk.

The point of this story is that this week was crap. But I will say this...
Sometimes you will be sitting in your apartment feeling all miserable and stuff and someone comes and knocks on your door and says "Have you seen the double rainbow?" Then you run outside with your camera and witness this:

Let me tell you that this image does not even come close to doing it justice. Not at all. Mostly because the double rainbow was so big that I couldn't even capture the whole thing in my frame and then double part of the rainbow is hard to see. But in real life it was spectacular.

Carli

P.S. I am feeling much better today, have caught up on most of my school work, and am going to hangout with a friend because I think I deserve it.

Room Tour

 Welcome to my humble abode... The fact is that my room doesn't look much like this anymore. Thats partly due to the fact that it's now a disaster (at least my side of the room is), these photos were stuck on my camera for weeks because I didn't have a cord to connect it to my computer until the other day, and because my roommate and I rearranged it last weekend; and thats a story all in itself. Ill tell it anyways. Tabby, my roommate, and I were at JoAnn's buying fabric for my sewing class where we found these little bedside table things that were 75% off. They looked like they would fit that small space in between my bed and dresser, so we purchased them. I must add that along with the 75% off, I have this handy little app on my phone that gives me all sorts of Joann's coupons. I got an extra 15% off! We got them 90% off! Great deal. So we take them home and assemble them. Then we soon realize that they don't fit where we thought they would. Of course the only logical thing to do would be to rearrange the entire room, in which we did. After a couple hours we were finally satisfied. Our room has much more space! I forgot to mention that we did this on Labor Day.... I should have done something cooler.

I think that my favorite thing about my room is my clothesline of friends. I jokingly say "Look! I clotheslined my friends!" I am so clever.... I bought a clothesline and clothespins from the dollar store and hung it up! Cute and easy!

 My closet is a lot smaller than I'd like... but I am making due. All my winter stuff is packed up to conserve space, but I am awfully worried about what to do come fall. I'll manage. 

I do love the shelves! All of my jewelry and perfume is in perfect reach!

 Just a shot of my ugly carpet. It is basically a collector of hair balls. The worst.

Tabby and I originally planned on hanging a really cute curtain in front of our closet for privacy and then hanging our Texas flag in the window, but we are in the basement and our window basically overlooks... well... dirt. So we hung it up in front of the closet instead.

Last but not least, I have to give a shout out to my dearest mother. All summer I searched high and low for the perfect comforter/duvet. I scoured the internet and wandered down endless aisles of bedding. Apparently I am way too picky. Once I saw THIS duvet cover at IKEA I fell in love. There was just one thing I didn't like about it, and that was that it is white. I was worried that because I am a college student and stuff that it would get all grungy and dirty looking. Then I found the same fabric but with a black background but they only sold it as fabric not as a duvet cover. I cried (not really). Then my mother (who is literally the best) bought the fabric and made me my very own, one of a kind, duvet cover. I love it. It's so warm and comfy. So thanks mom!

 Thanks for stopping by!
Carli

These are the things that are happening.

Since I have made "the move"I have encountered many really weird and random things. Things that I never want to forget, but probably would forget if I didn't record them. Thank you blog for serving as my medium of recording.

-> I've been experimenting with double exposure apps. (see above)
-> Some people really say "What's up brah!" while doing the "hang ten" hand sign in real life.
-> Having roommates is like a constant sleepover. You know those nights when you stay up really super late and you hit that point where just about everything (the literal term) is funny? Well I do.
-> I ride my bike to school everyday and there is one really steep hill at the end of the ride. It's against the law to ride your bike on that hill due to the amount of pedestrians, but I'm not going to lie... I couldn't ride my bike up that hill if I tried. I always wish that I can ride it back down instead of getting off my bike and walking though. So the other day I chose to try a new way back home from school, and I encountered an even steeper and significantly longer hill. I was at the top and my apartment was at the bottom, and the best part was that I won't get a $50 dollar fine if I ride my bike down it. So as I rode my bike down that hill at a what seemed like a significant speed of 30mph (super fast for a bike in my opinion) I realized that if for some reason my bike failed me, I'd be dead. Let me just say that my bike is super old. Like older than me. And the breaks aren't the greatest. I almost hit an old lady, but the feeling going down that hill was amazing enough for me to plan to ride down it everyday from now on no matter what the risk. So exhilarating.
-> On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a pretty large break between classes. Every day I come back home and lay in my bed for the duration of that break and it's awesome.
-> Theres a girl in my sewing class that I literally want to punch in the face.
-> I have been eating a lot of little mini pizzas. Basically just thin bagel haves with pizza stuff on them. So good. So easy.
-> My apartment got pranked. (see bellow)

-> My apartment complex had a "Cowboys v. Aliens" party yesterday. I showed up for the food (because I am paying for it) and then left.
-> I spent labor day rearranging my room because my roommate and I bought little bedside tables and they didn't fit beside our beds.... so naturally, the solution was to spend several hours moving stuff around. They fit now.
-> I have also been doing a ton of homework... homework that I should be doing now.

Carli

Hikes and such.

Today was my first day of school! Unfortunately, I came to the realization that this semester is going to be pretty tough. This semester is a huge turning point for me in my career path! I am taking prerequisite courses for the application to my major. Basically, I have to do extremely well in these classes to follow my dreams. Honestly, I don't have a plan B. If I don't get into the business school... I don't even want to think about it. BYU's business program is one of the best, which means it is also very competitive. I am just so nervous! With that being said... I have a little bad news. As much as I love blogging and sharing my life with you every day, it just isn't my biggest priority. Don't worry! I am not giving up blogging entirely! But I am going to slow it down a bit. I don't want to be worrying about creating blog posts when I should be focusing on school work. For at least a little while this blog will focus more on my daily life rather than creativity. It makes me sad that I won't be able to share very many (if any at all) DIY posts. I just don't have the time (or funds) to work on them. I might not get to post as often or as consistently. I would rather focus on quality rather than quantity. I hope you understand!
In other news... I hiked a mountain today. There is a mountain behind BYU, that is beautiful. On that mountain there is a large "Y" that you can see for miles. It is a really big thing here to "Hike the Y". So today I did it. Let me tell you... it was not easy. The hike was a little over a mile I think, but it was very steep. When I say very steep, I mean to say, incredibly steep. Steep mountains combined with the thinning air made it seem impossible. It took me a long time to make it, but with a lot of encouragement from new friends, I finally made it! Let me tell you, the view was incredible. The picture above, taken on my iPhone, does not do it justice. We sat up there for a few minutes and I couldn't help but think about how this relates to life. Sometimes life seems impossible. Sometimes you stand at the bottom of a very steep mountain. Sometimes you can't see how far you are from the top. Sometimes you fall. Sometimes you think it might be better to just turn around and go back down. But, sometimes you get this little burst of energy, a little encouragement from a friend, a little push, and you make it. Then you look back down that mountain and see how far you have come. All that work you did to get where you are seems like nothing, because from the bottom there wasn't anything but a mountain in front of you, but from the top you can see everything, and it's worth it. As hard as that hike was, I now am more focused than ever. I know that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. I just hiked a mountain! I can definitely make it into business school!!!

Carli

P.S. I still can't find the cord that connects my camera to my laptop... I have so many awesome pictures to share! :( I guess it will be Instagram photos for a while.

These are the things that are happening.

So... I have pretty much a billion pictures to share from my road trip/new apartment/crafting but... in the move I lost the cord that attaches my laptop and camera. The truth is that I think it might be in the bottom of a very full box of stuff, and lets face it... I am too lazy to dig it out at the moment.
In other news, I am starting to love the college life! I have been going to college for several years now, but this will be the first semester that I will be actually living the "college life". I have always been in a really weird college situation, but now I am living in student housing, walking everywhere, eating Ramen every night, and meeting tons of new people. It's awesome.
So as I have mentioned before, I am Mormon. I know that your going to roll your eyes when you read this because it is probably the most cliche Mormon thing ever... I go to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Yeah, I know. BYU is unlike most colleges. Lets talk about this awhile...
#1. The day that I moved into my apartment, one of my roommates Tabby and I went to Lowes to buy some cinder blocks. If your wondering why we would be buying cinder blocks, well, apparently everyone uses them to elevate their beds in order to fit more stuff underneath them, and it works mighty fine. So we are at Lowes buying cinder blocks and we walk up to the checkout and are greeted by some strange dude. "Some strange dude" is an understatement. This guy was super weird. We told him that we were there to purchase cinder blocks, he asked why, we told him, he asked where we went to school, we told him. He then whispers "Are you Mormon?" We replied with "Yes." He then whispered "How Mormon are you?" I replied "We are pretty Mormon..." He then told us how beautiful we are, something about Georgia, something about tattoos, and then wrote his number down on my receipt and told me to give him a call. Lets just say that I did not call him. Not even once.
#2. The following is a joke among Mormons (and non-Mormons alike) that is actually not really a joke... like at all. Mormons marry young. In fact, there are at least five wedding invitations on my refrigerator as we speak. BYU is probably the only school with a billion wedding related businesses within a 2 mile radius from campus. BYU students have this terrible, but useful, habit of checking every possible suitor for a wedding band. Even I have fallen into this trap, and it's sad. Very very sad.
#3. There are literally signs that say "Thank you for being clean shaven so that we may serve you." I honestly don't know why this is in the Honor Code, but apparently men are to remain without facial hair, but they can get a "Beard Card" if they need a beard for some reason or another...
#4. People are really friendly here. I had to go to financial aid the other day, and the whole walk there I was so worried that some rude FA lady was going to stress me out even more. Isn't that the worst? Am I right? Or am I right? Good news is that that was not even the case. The lady was super nice and helpful.
#5. Since school hasn't started yet, I have been really bored. I don't know very many people yet, and haven't really had the opportunity to. So I decided to go on a little walk after the sun went down. As I stepped outside, I took one look at the mountains and I knew that I should be listening to Fleetfoxes. So I put on Helplessness Blues and started walking. The weather was perfect. I walked with no inclination of where I was going. I just went where my feet took me. I explored, and found many beautiful sights. There was an enormous amount of couples taking romantic strolls through campus, but I was happy to be alone. It was nice to think about the goals I want to accomplish this semester, and to be grateful for the blessings in my life. I happened upon some fireworks and sat there for a few minutes wide eyed and grinning. I love fireworks. Then I went home, and now I am here writing this blog post. I now have this overwhelming feeling that I am where I am supposed to be.
#6. I talked to an advisor yesterday about switching my major to business. Apparently I was taking all the wrong classes this semester. He told me to go home and see if I could get into the right ones, or I would be pushing back graduation for a year! I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to get into the classes I needed since school starts on Monday, but somehow it worked out! All the classes I needed had an opening in the exact time slot I needed. Thats what we call divine intervention.
#7. There's a Texas flag hanging in my room.
#8. Campus is super big. If I don't loose 30 pound this semester from all the walking I have to do, I'll be pretty surprised.

I thought it would be pretty funny to share these weird little experiences that I am having here at BYU. I am sure there are plenty more to come, and I am sure they will get even better. So  hope you don't mind if I share them... Also, I need to take a picture of that no facial hair sign for you guys. It's literally the funniest.

Carli