Party in the USA

{feel free to sing that song in your head as you read the remainder of this post}


so the family went out of town for the fourth of july, and sadly, i was left home to fend for myself.  Don't feel too bad for me though, i made a lot of good money at work that weekend, and not to mention i got the house to myself.  


there are defenently benefits to having a whole house to yourself for a weekend.


like getting to: 
                be messy
                play your music so loud your neighbors can hear
                have your choice of any bed or room in the house
                getting to watch way too much netflix 
                and don't forget hanging out in your undies


except my mom knows me all too well.  As soon as she pulled out of the drive way to leave, she called me for some last minute reminder

lauren- "uh hello?"

   

 mom- "lauren, don't run around in your underwear  all weekend. the neighbors are getting a new roof and I don't need all those men looking in our house and seeing you.  and lock the doors.

Regardless of a lame family/friends free weekend alone, fully clothed, i still managed to have a good fourth of july.  

I found some friends and headed to the boonies to celebrate murica the best way we know how: bbq & fireworks

turns out we're pretty good with sparklers and a camera too...

Called to serve

well i just don't know what im going to do without my boys next year, but i couldn't be more happy for them and what they're doing! It was so much fun opening a new mission call every wednesday at school to find out where they would be serving the Lord for the next 2 years of their lives. 

you really have to check this out:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1502518101927

but now im going to be having letters flying in from all over the world!

i just got back from a trip to colorado to meet chrissy, doug, and travis for Scott's farewell, and it was so great to have the group back together!

it was really great there to say goodbye to scott, and travis as well. I can't wait to hear from them

see ya in two boys!

give 'em heaven!

What they're teaching

56 days of summer

its been a while, I've been a serious slacker blogging this summer.
But lets be real, not much has been happening.  . .

just a lot of this

and a little of this

and well thats mostly it. But its all going to be oh so worth it so very soon.

big news: 

as if you didn't already know, 

The DALLAS MAVERICKS won the NBA finals!

Dirk's a Champion finally!!

so happy for my boys!

Arlington was going crazy after the game, and of course we had to be a part of the festivities, running around the streets, honking and cheering.  We even waited in an insane line to get our official t shirts. aka the one dirk is wearing in this pic. We're twinkies!

In other news, i CANNOT wait for

1. going to Colorado tomorrow to see some of my favorite people

&

2. to move in to liberty with my girls

Addiction

I've been in a funk.
a creative sort of funk.  


Ju and I have been on a creative rampage, scouring every thrift store in town.  


Maybe its the large amount of time we spend on pinterest or stalking DIY blogs, but for one reason or another, we're feelin CRAFTY.


which is why my room looks like a craft store exploded in it. and i just love it.

live from new york. . .

ITS SATURDAY NIGHT!

nbd, just my main man, JT is hosting SNL tonight, 

and i couldn't be MORE EXCITED.

justin timberlake + andy samburg= Wonderful

So whats my favorite moment from him?

Motherlover, is unfortunately, my favorite snl digital short with JT. maybe its the great outfits, the justin andy combo, or that it is just completely inappropriate and ridiculous, not sure. But its a freqent play on my ipod.

but i wouldn't exactly recommend it to watch at a family gathering, but it is a great one i have to admit.

But I also love the target lady, the single ladies dancing, the immigrant boat, and oh just anytime he's there.

goodbyes?

i suppose i need to CATCH UP with all the happenings of the last few weeks, which were MUCH . . .

1. hey guess what, I finished Freshman year of College!

2.i had to say goodbye to all my friends that are now leaving for 2 YEARS on their various missions around the world 

i will miss them so much!

stolen from

3. oh nbd, we then just went to Lake Powell!

it is so beautiful and we had the best time out there!

4. then, i had to really say goodbye and drive back with grandma the 2 day death drive back to texas. 
missing these people so much already!


i tell ya, freshman year was the life, going to miss it. . .

Obsessed

  oh how i wish i was in LONDON today

isn't this picture just great?

can you say,gorgeous?

I want, I want, I want this DRESS.

  don't worry, i did wear my british flag boxers for the occasion.




also, speaking of the british and obsessed. . .

Hot like Mexico, Rejoice

hey good news, 

20+long hours in a car and 4 states later &

im home.

good to be back in Texas where the weather is warm. . .

 like it should be in late April

via

Lots of snow, Lots of friendship

So, I went skiing for the first time yesterday with these guys at Canyons up in Park City:

Chrissy, Chris, Scott, Lauren

Good thing we had a good, patient teacher , Scott to teach Chrissy and I because, lets just say I SUCKED at the beginning. But we made some progress!

Eventually I, the mental case, was forced down a blue. Then we went again, then again, and I didn't fall the last time!


It was a ton of fun, and now, my whole body is sore and I look like rudolph. But it was oh so worth it

ttpsn?

Happy Last Day of Class!
only a week left of my freshman year in college.
so weird, right?

6-0

I just can't wait to get home to this

Texas Ranger 6-0 so far. Looking pretty good boys

only 5 more days of classes!

Oh, and ps: Happy birthday Sweet Baby Jesus!!

so Lost

So sad that its finally over. What do I do with my extra time at night? But since before christmas break, I've been on a LOST fix.  1 month of hulu, 1 free month of netflix, 1 accidental paid month of netflix, and part of another free month of netflix (chrissy's this time),


I have officially finished this 

and this

and these

And FINALLY as of a couple weeks ago, THIS:

Sweet Success!
officially a lost fan now

Weekend Wrap up with Lauren Cochran

not seth meyers, sorry. anyways,


So when you have a sucky Friday, you must have a extra great saturday, right? RIGHT. Well let me rephrase, when you have a sucky friday night.  


My friDAY went really well actually.  Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook graced us with his presence at a forum on friday (oh ya, along with senator hatch) followed up by a delicious Cafe Rio lunch with my grandma.
but back to my friday night. . .


So since I was either in the library or the testing center from 3pm to 11:30 pm, it called for a pretty FABULOUS saturday if you know what im saying.

Recipe for a great Saturday

1. 3 cups of Holi Festival of Colors
   aka, utah valley's version of a Woodstock complete with peace, love, music, lots of colors, crowds and therefore crowd surfing, and of course some substance abuse. best way to celebrate hare krishna for sure

2. 1 tablespoon of girl scout cookies
    Chrissy and I finally found some girl scouts after our long search for them. To make this ingredient work, make sure to get a good mix of samoas and thin mints.


3. A cup of Dinner
    make sure its delicious like the Brick Oven, and with some of your favorite people, of course. A big thanks to the adorable Stutz family!


4. A pinch of stares from everyone because the colors didn't wash    out of your hair.


5. 2 Cups of bowling in the Wilk
   Tastes better if made interesting by dividing into teams and playing for frozen yogurt.  And let me tell you, when you're team wins,you bowled a 155, and you get your yogurt free, it tastes even better.


6. 2 1/2 cups of Comedy Sports

   all star cast last night at comedy sports. I'm still laughing.


make sure to mix well, and it's sure to turn out great.

Texas v. Utah

So I’ve kinda been having a dilemma of sorts recently you could say:  What to do with my life this summer.

Option #1: Get an apartment and stay in Utah to get a job.

Option #2: Go home to Texas, and get a job while living at home.

Option #3: arguably the best from certain perspectives, go live in Washington D.C. all summer working with their Head Start program. But once again, I’d need a job too.

All had their pros and cons. Obvious theme: JOB.

So its looking like it will come down to Utah v. Texas. 

But if i stayed in Utah, I would miss out on

These Guys.

And don't forget these guys.

and of course these things:
Texas, duh
rangers games
mimi and fam
snow cones from none other than the snowflake factory
six flags with ay tay tay
hot hot temperatures
late nights with my favorite people
good mexican food
etc etc etc.

I think I've made up my mind Y'all!

Lets hope I can find a fabulous job.

Just because it is monday

All I have to say is if that didn’t brighten your day, I don’t know what will.

Lucky.

im lucky to be here at BYU.

im lucky i have some really great friends.

im lucky i have the gospel of jesus christ in my life.

im lucky that im surrounded by great influences.

im lucky i have so many opportunities in my life.

im lucky i have a rockin roommate.

im lucky that i have a great,supportive,loving family.

im lucky i live in america.

im lucky that i have an opportunity to laugh everyday.

im lucky. and very,very BLESSED.

Oxymoron

I saw a man walking around campus twice earlier this week with one of those strange t-shirts that's all black except for some supposedly witty saying on the front. Either that or there were two men who happen to have the same shirt on campus, who knows. 

Either way, it caught my attention. it said. . . 

good morning is an oxymoron.
                     and i concur.

My mom is old now.

But still AWESOME.  I may or may not be biased, but really, i dare you to find a mom cooler than mine.

Today my mom is 40 years old. -Im sure she appreciates the announcement but there is nothing wrong with being 40.  

Thats like over the hill right? maybe not. not sure actually.

Since today, March 8th,is her birthday, I shall list my favorite things about my mother, 40 naturally, because I'm undeniably cliche.


1.  She did birth me, i sure appreciate that.
2.  She is fun, lots of fun.
3.  She loves me.
4.  She is a really good example.
5.  She makes a sweet batch of chicken enchiladas.
6.  She sometimes lets me snuggle her. 
7.  She went back to work, probably cause im expensive. thanks
8.  She's got good style. no mom jeans for my mom.
9.  She's welcoming of my friends, even when they make messes and are loud.
10. She must've done something right: Id like to think i turned out okay.
11. She is always accepting and welcoming of my sweet ideas.
12. She trusts me.
13. She has her own lingo. usually that she overuses or abuses.
14. she lets me follow her around sometimes. 
15. She's great to talk with.
16. Its fun to go shopping with her.
17. Its fun to curl up by the fire and watch a movie with her.
18. She is strong in the gospel.
19. She tells me everything.
20. We're super close.
21. I love her.
22. Every one loves her too.
23. She's supportive.
24. She let my drive her everywhere in her car before I got my DL.
25. She takes me to a lot of concerts.
26. She's got good taste in music and gave me a love for it too.
27. Sometimes she pees herself when she get real excited or jumps.
28. She likes to go have fun.
29. She works really hard. 
30. Sometimes she laughs so hard she just balls her eyes out.
31. She wants the best for her family and keeps us all going.
32. She made me who i am. 
33. Sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks. but its funny.
34. She's a hott mama.
35. She likes to travel. me too.
36. She up on whats going on in the world and cares about people.
37. She married my dad. 
38. She blessed my life in so many ways. more than i can name.
39. She's way more awesome than 40 facts can portray.
40. She's the best mom out there!

Happy Sunday

So I know that this will be my second post for today but I had to catch up. And I had to have a happy Sunday, especially this Sunday. It was a really good Sunday.

Well here at BYU, we’re pretty lucky. We get all the amazing speakers here in person. Take today for instance:

ELDER L. TOM PERRY

a return to our christian faith. 

Our generation needs to step forward. Our enemy will be different, though. He will try to lead us away from our virtues, weaken our faith. The world has moved away from traditional worship. Materialism has replaced God. We must never replace our faith in God with things that will not last. our faith must become more sure. If we build our foundation on Christ, the devil will have no power over us. We cannot fall with such a foundation. We were chosen for this time, and we have more responsibility than ever before. the only JOY in life comes from following christ. 

We need to rise to the challenge and help restore faith in the gospel of jesus christ.

Bucket List

This week's bucket list feature item:


                                 #87. Participate in a flash mob.


I think its safe to say i can check this one of the list. 


check it:

not to mention, Mountain West Conference CHAMPIONS.
next stop vegas. 
then watch out houston, the cougars are comin to town.

Marzo. Mars. مارس. März.

i would just like to wish everyone a Happy first day of march! time to decorate in green

37 days of school left this semester.

2 home basketball games left.

0 more days off from school this semester. : (

2 tests to study for this week

4free pancakes i downed from ihop today

1 job needed. number 3 basketball team in the nation.(!)

47 beautiful sunny degrees outside today. which is why i wore a skirt and a cardigan

1 new pair of shoes that im lovin & 1 new episode of modern family im looking forward to this week

= mostly very happy lauren.except for the tests and such.

Current Location: Newport Beach, CA

So, we really love our little trips to sunny California

So for my birthday, we started off on the 15 south to Newport Beach.  Needless to say, a fabulous trip followed.

We drove from 8 pm to 2 am to stay the night in viva las vegas!

and let me tell ya, the Lord was looking after us because we ran out of gas, right as we pulled up to the house.

so luckily, we only had to push this beast up a small hill. . .

Back on the road to cali in the morning. 

We met mimi and taylor out there and did some shopping and ate a ton for my birthday, which is to be expected.

I had a pretty amazing 19th birthday with some of my favorite people  in a gorgeous place!

We also got to go to the amazing BYU v. SDSU game down in san diego on saturday (a big shout out to mimi for hooking us up) to see our little cougs dominate the aztecs. best game ever!

we'd like to think we contributed to the victory with our loud cheering skills

Don't know if you heard, we won. NBD we're number 3 in the nation now.

Scoreboard aztec fans, scoreboard.

You want jimmer?? You got jimmered.

After the high of the game, we had to stop by the beach, regardless of the weather. Because obviously, that’s what you do when you go to cali.

current roomie

next years roomies.
the 4 blondies.
just love these ladies.


It was so nice seeing my family, sitting in a hot tub with my girls, and getting away, again. 
I could get use to this going to cali every semester thing, just saying.