my final month

I don't really have anything to say this week, so I've been putting off blogging in hopes that maybe I would come up with something to say. So yeah, I haven't.

My brain is 100% consumed by attempting to make it through this last month of school. And let me tell you, it's HARD. For real. I graduate exactly a month from yesterday. Like graduate. Like I've been in school since I was about 4, and now I'm going to be done forever. What??

So since I'm strugs on strugs trying to get all my papers/projects/presentations done, you can instead gaze upon this darling picture of my friends and I last night when we got together for some birthday love and Thai food (obviously this combination called for a break from school work).

Wish me luck this next month. I need it. I really really need it.

peace. love. and stressed out.

my birthday!!!

(Insert Taylor Swift lyric about being 22 here.)

So yeah. Woof. I'm 22 now, which could not seem more old to me, but at the same time I know that I am still an infant, so yeah confliction. But, I always love my birthday. It is truly one of the greatest days of the year, cause it is not only a day where I can get away with whatever I want and use the excuse, "It's my birthday today," but also a day that never ceases to remind me that I have the most awesome friends and family ever. EVER.

I mean of course when you wake up to text messages and emails with these pictures, you KNOW you have a good day ahead of you.

My cute nephew Daniel,

my sweet puppy Eddie, 

and my best friend Kari who is on a mission.

I seriously received so much love on my birthday and spent the whole day being absolutely and completely happy. I decided to keep my celebrating small this year (you know now that I'm getting so old....) and went out to a perfect dinner with my two loves Chelsea and Alison.

 So lucky to have made friends like these when I came out to Utah.

And at dinner we even got free dessert. I at first assumed it was because it was my birthday, but then when I said something about that to the chef he just said, oh happy birthday, I had just wanted to make you guys dessert. Being a girl has some perks occasionally...like free dessert.

Birthday's are so great. I'm feeling real good about 22. I'm thinking some really incredible things are going to happen in my life between now and 23.

peace. love. and birthdays.

p.s. so that you at least believe me a little when I tell you that I am old, my application for graduation got accepted this week. 

my salt flat fun

I feel really good about the number of adventures I've been going on recently, and this weeks was particularly good. A group of us were originally going to go to Vegas for the weekend, but plans fell through, people got busy, yada yada yada. But, we figured we still needed to go somewhere, and so we decided on the salt flats at sunset (which just has a magical ring to it if you ask me). I had never been out to the slat flats before and I would have been sad if I had spent all this time in Utah and never went.

I was completely entranced, so I took lots of pictures. Unfortunately, I am a complete fool and instead of bringing my beautiful camera, I forgot (again) and had to resort to iPhone pictures (again). uhg.

The obligatory selfie. (You've missed these the last few posts, admit it.)

Seriously, anytime anyone ever wants to go on an adventure, hit. me. up. Especially when it is October and the world is perfect (really any month will do though).
This earth is so beautiful and I still have so much of it left to explore, and I'm sure you do too. So, ignore your homework/work/obligations for just a couple hours this week and go on your own adventure. You will not regret it.


peace. love. and salt.



p.s. big birthday shout out today to my big sis Rochelle. love you!!!

my nephew number two

Welcome to the family perfect new baby!!! My big sister Rochelle and her husband Matt finally had their little guy last week. Daniel Dean Welker is an adorable 8 lbs 21 1/2 inches, and even though I haven't met him, I am already absolutely obsessed with him. I have been assured that even though Daniel and Danielle are awfully similar names my new nephew was not named after me. Deny it all you want Rochelle and Matt. Dani & Danny forever.

Ahh! Just look at him. I was never baby obsessed until I saw my sisters' kids, but I am dying to hold this little guy and to kiss his tiny nose. 

James came right between my mamma and papa's birthdays. My sister gave them another grand baby for their birthday...I gave them 30 min phone calls. Gosh Rochelle way to one (or one hundred) up me. ;)

I absolutely cannot wait to see my nephew's this summer. I am almost surprised at how incredibly bummed I am to be leaving Provo for the summer at the end of this month, but spending time with  James and Daniel is pulling me home (well, and some trips I am planning on taking to visit my friends interning along the East Coast, you'll hear all about those no worries). 

And just so James doesn't think that I've forgotten about him with the excitement of another nephew here...

I HAVE THE CUTEST NEPHEWS THAT EVER HAPPENED

......but just wait till you see my kids one day

peace. love. and baby Daniel.

my half way

Spring semester is going pretty well I think. But, this blog title is not because I am halfway done with Spring, but because I am halfway done with 21. Yup, on Tuesday I was sitting on my bed doing some homework, looked at my calendar next to my bed, and realized that it was my half birthday. Naturally, I felt the need to celebrate. You may remember that my birthday is one of my favorite days of the year...ok, maybe my favorite (there are some other days that are very close though). Of course the older I get, and the further I get from being 18 (because I think being 18 forever would be absolutely perfect), and the closer I get to being an adult (I might be more already there than I think) the more scary it gets. I think Peter Pan really had it down with that just staying young forever thing.

Anyways, to celebrate I bought some new shorts, ate pazookie (pretty much a half baked cookie cake with ice cream on top) with my friend Chelsea, and then took a scooter ride with another one of my friends. Seems like  a pretty successful half birthday to me. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty close to feelin' 22. Ahhhhhh.

(I never got to blow out any candles on my actual birthday, 

so I thought I deserved to on my half birthday)

peace. love. and pazookie. 

my twenty one years

I TURNED 21 THIS WEEK!!!! Oh boy!! Being Mormon, turning 21 doesn't really have the same significance as it does for a lot of people, but  that doesn't mean that I wasn't really excited that it was my birthday. November 14th is one of my favorite days of the year and it certainly did not disappoint this time around. Here is the run down of how I celebrated my lovely day of birth...

Ate Einsteins in bed while watching "Scrubs"

Went to my classes (uhg not the fun part)

Found out that my cute roommate/best friend got her mission call to Costa Rica

Rented the cutest puppy in the world (yeah, renting a puppy. it's a real thing)

Had people come over and play with my rented puppy

Went out to dinner with a few close friends

Invited the whole gang to Yogurtland for a little birthday yogs

and finished off the day where I started, curled up in my bed watching "Scrubs" 

I would say that it was a pretty successful day. Wouldn't you??

 Here is the sweet puppy that I rented! He was a lab mix named Bentley and he actually crawled in my lap and fell asleep. I miss him already. And on the right is my roomie Kari with her mission call to Costa Rica. Can't believe she is leaving me next semester. I'm gunna miss her like crazy!!!        

And here is me with a few of my friends at dinner. I am so lucky to have such great friends. 

I unfortunately don't have a pic from Yogurtland, but I am super grateful to everyone of my friends who came to support me and felt so loved by the turn out.

Seriously though, I felt the love in mounds from all my friends an family. You all have no idea how much it meant to me to receive all the well wishes, hugs, cards, facebook posts, tweets, instagrams, snapchats, phone calls, and texts. I am 1000% grateful for all the people in my life that made my birthday so incredible. And can't believe that I am so lucky to have so many great people in my life not only on my 21st birthday, but everyday of the year. Here's to many more birthdays that are just as fantastic as this one. 

peace. love. and birthday.

my parents come to provo

Some weekends are better than others, and this was a real good one.
To start out with, it was 1000 times less stressful than last weekend, since I have a little break between writing papers, taking tests, and writing more papers (#englishmajorprobles).
It was also the weekend of the semiannual massive group blind date. It's kind of like Secret Santa, in that a bunch of girls draw names, but instead of presents we get each other boys. Fun times. I recommend that all girls do this. Perfect way to meet new people.
I also went to some fun parties, but besides all that the absolute best part of this weekend?? My wonderful parents were here. I have the most awesome parents ever. I really do. Thanks to them my fridge is now filled with left overs for the week ahead, and my heart filled with happiness. My mum seems to be under the impression that I don't miss them when I am out at school, but she is a nut for thinking that. But, hey they'll forget they even have a third child when Baby K comes along in December, so please try not to be too worried about my parents and their empty nest.

as a side note...
I actually find it impossible to believe that this semester is halfway over.

Also, my birthday is in less than a month. commence thinking of fabulous ways to spoil me.

peace. love. and parents.

my most wonderful time of the year

Tomorrow is the big day. The one you have all had marked on your calenders all year. Yeah that's right. I'm turning the big 2-0. HOLLA! Seriously though, birthdays aren't quite the same when you are out at school. And having homework really gets in the way of partying. (doesn't BYU know we shouldn't even have school on November 14th?!?!) But, no fear, my birthday joys can be stopped by nothing!
Obviously my November "what I am thankful for this week?" is my parents. Without them I would have nothing to celebrate...in fact I would have a complete inability to celebrate as I wouldn't exist. You guys are seriously so bomb.  Thanks for not only giving me life, but absolutely everything that I have in my life. Y'all are the best. The bees knees. The tippity top. Way to be grrrrrrr-eat!


p.s. I got a twitter. That's right, I have now subscribed to one more thing to be a distraction in my life. Cause clearly facebook, this blog, and whatever other shenanigans I get myself into are not enough. So if you just need a little more Danielle in your life, I understand (geez I come off conceded sometimes don't I?). Follow me and read all my potentially awesome tweets. Cronqie. 

peace. love. and birthday cake.