July 27, 2012

If you really knew me

Jumping on the bandwagon. I got the idea from a few of my favorite blogs 
(Em, RavenMegan, Jenni)




If you really knew me...

...you'd know that I would rather do almost anything besides going bowling. 

...you'd know that I love anything small, fluffy and cuddly. Like Golden Retriever puppies, little duckies and cute kitties. 

... you'd know that I am extremely claustrophobic. I avoid elevators, underground parking garages and Disneyland rides at all cost. It's completely sad and it makes me very frustrated at times. I think the hardest thing is I've never met anyone that shares this fear, who is at the same level as me. 

...you'd know that I hate the sound of dry skin rubbed against fabric. Whenever I hear this sound a spasm runs up my spine causing me to cringe and do a weird seizure like head roll. 

  ...you'd know that I am very emotional. If I'm talking about anything serious, spiritual or family related (especially anything relating to my mom) I get that air restricting lump in the back of my throat. A warning sign letting me know that tears are fast approaching. 

...you'd know that I have the strangest looking feet. I'd say they are turtle cute... so ugly they're somehow cute. 

...you'd know that I love to golf.. but just a few holes. Mostly I like to drive the cart and watch my dad or brothers play.

...you'd know that I love the four seasons. I don't think I'd be happy living anywhere where Summer Fall Winter Spring don't occur.

...you'd know that I am the only girl in my family and that I'm extremely close with my older brothers. I'm the most 'me' when I'm with them, I would tell them anything.


...you'd know that I have a definite personal bubble... I don't like to hug people I don't know very well and if you stand too close to me while talking I'll usually step back, as slyly as possible so as to not hurt your feelings. I'm not heartless.

...you'd know that in the Summer time I absolutely love lying on the grass on a warm night, watching the stars.

...you'd know that if it were socially acceptable I would always be barefoot.

...you'd know that I love my 5 nieces and 5 nephews and I'm always vying for the best aunt ever award.

...you'd know I'm very spontaneous and easy going. I love trips on a whim and a good adventure.

and lastly

... you'd know that I love TV.. I think I get this from my Grandma Averett. When I was little I would visit my Grandma's house and go strait to the satellite TV. There were hundreds of channels. .. it was the coolest! Nickelodeon, Are You Afraid of The Dark, and as many Hey Arnold episodes as my heart desired.














July 25, 2012

Face It: Part II

What seems like ages ago I posted about my acne troubles. Looking back I still feel very vulnerable.. that photo was atrocious haha. I really want to thank all who contributed advice. It's been 9 months and I'm finally seeing a difference. It was a long process and in the end I kind of made a full circle.

After two months of using an Aveda treatment I decided it was not working for my skin so I switched to a less expensive and more convenient approach. I tried Clean&Clear which you can purchase at any grocery store. I used this product for about 5 months. I saw some but very little improvement. 

 I still wasn't happy and after about 7 months of awful acne I made the decision to go back to Proactive. I saw a definite improvement within the first month but my face was never completely clear. So I decided to change makeups. My best friend Shannon has been using bareMinerals makeup for as long as I can remember and she had only good things to say about the line. I decided to give it a try. A small investment later and I had my starter kit. 

With bareMinerals you have three powders. First being your all over coverage, second your warmth and third is your mineral veil. No liquid pore clogging concealers, just mineral powder. 

I absolutely love this makeup! It's so natural looking  and very light on the skin, yet I still feel like I have all over coverage. It really covers those red splotchy spots on my face and any pimple that I might have. 

I've seen vast improvements to my skin tone and clarity. 

In the end I'm not saving money like if I were to buy Clean&Clear or a drug store type treatment but I guess you get what you pay for. 

For convenience purposes and to save money on both bareMinerals and Proactive I'll be ordering online. Great deals can be found on sights like Amazon and Ebay. 

If there are others out there who are battling with acne I strongly recommend bareMinerals makeup as well as Proactive. 

July 25
 October 24

Both photos are sans makeup. 
Please excuse my bushy eyebrows in the latest one.

July 24, 2012

Summer through Instagram


I think the most exciting thing about this summer is WICKED. 
I've never seen it before and I'm so excited.


Family Lagoon Trips are a summer must.


 Poor Utah has been on fire this summer.


hikes and waterfalls with this cutie.


One of my favorite things about summer 
is the lavender that blooms ever June/July.


Road trips


Summer baseball games and Diet Coke.


Trips to Bear Lake. Lightning and rain could not keep us away.

Find me on Instagram. username: Arika89

July 22, 2012

Not Quite Sleeping Beauty


My wonderful older brother sent this photo to me the other day. Yes that is me zonked out in the backseat of his car. Yes I believe 5 double chins are visible.  He was so kind to capture this moment in time. We were returning from a trip to the lake and I was sunburnt and clearly very tired. 

(retaliation ideas welcomed)