I'm the best babysitter I know.

Today, while I was babysitting my super cute 1 year old niece, Quinn... I looked over to see her crawling towards me. I stopped and smiled at her and made some pointless comment in a cute baby voice. It must have pissed her off to exhaustion because the next thing I know I heard one tiny little whimper and then she just laid down and went to sleep right on the floor.

All of this, of course, is after she cried in her crib for about 10 minutes straight until I was thoroughly convinced she wasn't tired. 

Cute babies make me smile. :) 

Hope you smiled too. 

new year, same old (awesome) Mallory

Happy 2012, all! It's going to be a great year. just like all 22 years prior to it! (it was hard to be a great year without me...)
With the new year, I feel it's appropriate to reflect and resolve.

Without further ado, let's reflect:
My friend Heidi and I have been marveling over where we were a year ago. Without discussing any nitty gritty details, it's safe to say we've both had quite the journey this year. When I think about the last twelve months and everything that happened, I'm literally filled with joy. Although it's been a long, HARD, sad journey, I'm so relieved to be able to look back and smile.

Resolutions are overrated. (For me at least.) I NEVER keep them. I never even bother to think about them again past the first week of the new year. I always end up sinking back into old habits and forgetting I even wanted to be better. So this year my resolution is to be exactly who I was last year.
Don't get me wrong here: I have PLENTY of terrible habits that I would LOVE to resolve to change. But given my previous history with resolutions I'm going at this from a different angle this year.
I spent the last year of my life being stronger than I ever thought I would have to be. I came out of it with grace, dignity, and (as surprising as it may be) more confidence than ever. So I figure: If I resolve to be the same girl I found myself being lately, then 2012 is bound to be spectacular. So even if 2012 brings more pain and trials than 2011 did, I just hope that in one year when 2013 rolls around, I can look back at whatever this year brought me and smile. :)

And for the record, I intend on having copious amounts of wholesome fun this year. ;)

So I've reflected, I've resolved...
Have a great year everyone! :)

we're killing three birds with one stone here

*No animals were harmed in the making of this blog post.*

 Since I'm such a terrible blogger, we're going to wrap up November, December, and January into one big blog post. This way, if you get anything else out of me in December and January it will be a giant bonus.

November: 

No Shave November.

Muh Birthday.

Thanksgiving.

I love men with scruffy faces. Full-on beards... they're gross. (Explicit language to follow) They look like you're growing pubic hair out of your face. Gross.

Woop! I'm 22! (I intended on writing a big long "22 things you didn't know about Mallory" post, but let's face it. I'm not that interesting.)

This year for Thanksgiving, I found myself being thankful for so much in so few words. I'm grateful for all of the basics: Friends, Family, Jobs, Houses...etc. Mostly, I am just SO thankful for all of the trials we go through in our lives. I've had the opportunity to learn so much about myself this year and I can't imagine trying to go back to who I was before. I am a strong, beautiful, talented, driven person and I wouldn't trade that knowledge for anything.

December:

Christmas.

I love Christmas. Music, lights, treats, hot chocolate, friends, family, church, cold weather... nothing in the world could beat this time of year. :)

January:

Bucket List.

I started compiling a bucket list this month. I've decided that resolutions are pointless and I never do them/stick to them so I'm making a list. But I think rather than it being a bucket list I've decided these are all things I want to do with a future spouse before we get married/have kids. Which isn't to say I don't want those things... I just know how crazy and hectic and stressful life can get after marriage/kids and it would be great to enjoy these things before all of that calamity.  

Here's just a few:

-Go ice skating in central park.

-Spend Christmas in NYC

-Sleep on the beach

-Watch a sunset/Stay up to watch the sunrise

-Run a marathon

Well there you have it, folks. One post: Three months.

Lessons Learned

Here's a few lessons I've learned recently about life, love, and being single again.
1: In dating, there is no rejection that a few good country music songs, a little apple cobbler, and a good chick flick won't fix. (Now it's time to get back on my diet! Swimsuit season will be here before I know it)
My go to country music: Zac Brown Band. All day every day. Loves of my life.
Cherry Apple Cobbler might be the best thing I've ever tasted. (Ask me for the recipe if you'd like it!)
No matter how many times I date someone who is less than deserving, I'll always believe in love and finding someone great because of chick flicks. :) "Getchyoself some ribs and some ice cream, because you have been dumped."
2: A good hair day should never be wasted on a bad day. So when your hair is good... Nothing else should matter.
I just went dark with my hair again, and I LOVE it.

3: Sometimes, even when you fight with your best friend, she is still right when she tells you how great you are. Thanks, Heidi!!!!
Everyone always sees it better than you. So listen to your friends and family when they say how great and beautiful you are. Even if you don't believe it.
I don't always want to believe it, but no matter what happens, I'm healthy, beautiful, and happy. :)


Some other minor lessons:
-There's no better weather than pea coat, boots, and scarves weather.
-Nude nail polish colors are the best.
-It's always fun to plan a wedding on pinterest even if your not dating anyone.
-Dark hair is so great. My wardrobe has been seriously diversified.

All of these are great lessons. I hope that my niece will look at this blog three years from now and learn from these lessons because her life will be so much easier! Haha. You're welcome, Jorden!

Alright, last but not least, one final lesson.
Everyone comes into your life for a reason but a lot of them will leave your life for a reason too. So rather than dwell on the sadness of a lost friendship; remember the good times, dwell on the happy parts, and most importantly: Be grateful for the lesson learned.

Speaking of...

I know I just quoted this in my last post, but ironically enough it really hit home today.
"If we could see ourselves the way the Lord sees us, we would rise up and never look back."
For a while this has been one of my favorite conference quotes. I don't remember who said it, but when I heard it it just stuck with me. I always thought I entirely understood it.

As I sat in church today, I really felt the spirit and I instantly knew that I wasn't living up to my potential.

I had no clue what that quote really meant until today. It isn't that we would be able to resist tempation, the real meaning is that when we see what the Lord sees in us, we'll be able to see our full potential. We will understand exactly what is stopping us from knowing true happiness and we will not only be able to resist temptation, but we won't WANT to sin anymore.

SO! Here's my resolve for today. It's simple, but powerful.
I have seen my potential and I know that through the atonement and the principles of the Gospel I can find true happiness and I can reach my potential. I can be what the Lord expects me to be. And I'm going to.

The best part? I don't need a man to get there.

what's a girl gotta do around here to get a stinkin' mani/pedi?!?!

Oh, Rexburg. How thee hast failed me.

Rules to Owning a Nail Salon:
1: Be open on Saturdays. [I've got nothing... except, DUH!!!!!]
2: If the name of your salon in fact includes the words, "nail salon" in it in any place, I suggest you provide that service. [Mystique Hair and Nail Salon apparently only does hair... imagine that.]

Maybe we're spoiled in Phoenix, but I THINK those are pretty basic rules, right?

In addition to Nail Salons not in violation, here's a list of things I miss about Arizona.

-Family. My little nephew is going to be born and I won't be there to see him! :( I'm a little heartbroken over that  one.
-Pizza. Kayla makes me actually diet here... lean meats, steamed vegetables, no carbs... Heidi and I would start a diet on Monday and by Friday, we were making plans to order a pizza and watch He's Just Not That Into You.Which brings me to...
-Heidi. Enough said.
-Sephora. Sephora. Sephora. Make-Up For Ever.
-Target. Who wants to drive 35 minutes just to get to a Target?!?!? SO UNCALLED FOR!

That's it for now. As time goes on, I'm sure that list is going to grow exponentially.

Things that make me REALLLLY happy:
~Pinterest.
~An additional 40% off at the register you weren't expecting. Like my new earrings??

~Moving forward, meeting new people, trying new things, finding new friends.Tomorrow's my first day at a singles ward up here and I'm staying positive!
~Waking up one day and realizing that you never thought you'd make it here, but you did.
~Seeing your worth in the Lord's eyes and deciding to never let your lack of self-confidence hinder your life anymore.

"If we could see ourselves the way the Lord sees us, we would rise up and never look back."

second time's a charm

Guess what?!?!?!
The best part about a divorce is getting to plan a second wedding. My parent's bank account probably disagrees, but that's a whole other battle.

To this day, I still only have two (three if you count the groom) regrets about my wedding reception.

1- The length of my dress. I think that my wedding was the only occasion I was going to be allowed even expected to wear a floor length dress, and I still went short. Although, I think I'm starting to think I might go short on the next one too...  Maybe because I think about this dress like it's my junior high crush:

Don't worry, I'm starting my pre-wedding diet now, and I haven't even found a groom. PLENTY of time.

2- The length of my reception. I really didn't feel like I had a chance to make my rounds! I had people tell me that I looked pretty or that the reception was awesome and I'm thinking, "Wait... you were there? I didn't see you..."

Other than that, I'm certain that my wedding was as perfect as I could have imagined it to be.

I know what you're all thinking... "Why is she planning a wedding that she isn't going to have for a while?"

Here's the answer: Because it makes me happy. :) Weddings, marriages, families, LOVE is just everything that we have to live for in this psycho world, so why not cling to it for dear life.

Marriage... Marriage is a funny thing. It's like an awesome mistake. I think everyone goes into marriage 100% unprepared for what it's really like. You can read all the books, date as long as you want, practice living together, and think you've covered all your bases... but until you say those silly little words, "I do," there's just no telling what you're up for!
For instance, you can remember to talk about kids; how many, names, how you want to raise them, what religion(if any) you'll raise them with, what to do when the first one comes to you at 10 years old wanting to know where babies come from... but you'll forget to talk about what you're going to do when your 16 year old wants to go to a party and you want to trust her, but you're terrified of the reality that she's only human and will suffer the same temptation that we all do.
You can remember to talk about money; budgets, where to put your savings, who's going to pay the bills... but you'll forget to talk about what you're going to do with the extra $600 dollars you have when you want to save it, and he really wants a new set of rims for his car.
All the while you'll be thinking to yourself, "What in blazes did I get myself into?"
Now to the awesome part of the mistake: Even though it's absolutely and totally insane, it's wonderfully beautiful. There is nothing more precious and sacred in this world than seeing a man and woman wholly and undyingly professing their love for each other... and meaning it.


I've learned SO MANY lessons, warranted or not, over the last year. Life lessons, love lessons, gospel lessons. Here's a few that stick out:

God is crazy. You may think you have him alllll figured out, but you don't. I remember receiving a pretty clear answer on the subject of my first marriage, and to this day I don't entirely understand it. I never looked back because I knew that Ben and I were going to create a loving, happy, LDS family. I stand by my decision to marry him and I always will. There are lesson's to be learned from this experience for both myself and Ben. I can only hope that we learn them the first time around so that we don't have to cause ourselves or other's any more pain than is necessary.

Free agency still applies. My wise, beautiful, and talented best friend Heidi taught me this lesson this week. Ben and I held each other's hands and promised to love each other no matter what and to take care of one another and to hold true to our promises. He chose not to. As much as a marriage is a sacred thing and divorce should be an absolute last resort, the great and unfortunate thing is that we still have free agency. And he exercised his right to make the choice to leave the marriage. It's not my fault, I couldn't have been better, I couldn't have made him stay if I did the dishes more often or ironed his shirts everyday for work. It was his choice, but also his right to make that choice. (Freaking hard to come to terms with that one.)

Never take love for granted. I don't just mean spousal love, although that's great too. I'm talking about all kinds of love.
I LOVE my steve madden shoes.
I LOVE how skinny my pencil skirt makes me feel.
I LOVE my mom.
I LOVE my best friends.
I LOVE the smell of coffee.
I LOVE babies.
I LOVE harry potter.
I LOVE to sing and dance when i'm alone.
In the face of great trials, don't forget the things that make you smile. And definitely don't take them for granted. Appreciate the heck out of them, because when scary things happen and there isn't anything in the world that could make you get out of bed... maybe your shoes will because they just make your feet look so sexy! :) And maybe, the only reason you get out of bed is because that stupid Yellow Card song you used to sing in high school came on your iPod and you literally couldn't stop yourself from dancing along while singing at the top of your lungs. Those are the things that will get you through those seriously tough days.

Love is painful, but if you're brave enough to fight for it even when it's let you down, I think that's when you see what a remarkable thing it is.


Welp, now that you've all got your Oprah in for the day, Go join Pinterest!!! and then find me and follow me so I can follow you back. :) I'm seriously obsessed and I stay up until like midnight ravaging through awesome pins. (i heart DIY's.)