five restaurants, one night

I had the best weekend ever and there is no way I can't not document it here in the blogosphere.

Red Robin
I have a fear of all things furry and containing a human (or something else?) inside. Note: I am not in this picture.

iHop

Pizza

Perkins

Apple Bee's







So this is what went down. It was Katie's (the red headed gal) 19th birthday on Friday. It has been my dream birthday idea to hit up every restaurant in a single night that offers free dessert on birthday's and load up on as many as possible. So! We did it for HER birthday. All in all it cost $90 between the five of us to go to five places. We ate: 6 mozzarella sticks, cheese quesadillas, grilled cheese, pizza, pancakes, and five ice cream Sunday's split between us. It was insane and ridiculous and the most fun I've ever had. Our last stop was iHop and we were the only people in the restaurant and acted like complete loons. I repeat: complete loons. We asked for coloring books, crayons and more crayons, pictures to be taken, weird drink concoctions and left a 60% tip half of which was in quarters left on the table. When we left, the waiter told us to go home and sober up and to not get "too wasted" later. HA!!!!!!!!!!! Little did he know, we don't need any extra help to act the way we do ;)

love like woe

It is currently way, way too past my bedtime. Last year (and actually, now that I think about it, my previous twelve years in the public education system) I had this perpetual what I like to call "Late Night Thursday" pattern that, as you can probably assume, resulted in staying up later than usual on Thursday nights. Tonight, I'm not blessed with the excuse of having "a lot" to do either. I'm learning that in college, Thursday nights count essentially as the weekends, class the next day not included. If you're up late, well, does it really matter when at the end of a three hour school day you can nap and sleep for the next two fulll days?

This semester, I have a lot of mental goals to accomplish. Not resolutions, but things I want to work towards to better myself. Now, don't I sound like a Dr. Phil commercial? Ha! The first of which I actually and most surprsingly accomplished this week and that is: no facebook during the school week! That's right! No. Facebook. I never realized this week how toxic it was to my day. It made breakfast turn into an hour long event and my nighttime to-do list particularly unaccomplished. My next goal is to work out three to four times a week. I also have accomplished that this week and I owe all the credit to the blessing-in-disguise that is my yoga class! Seriously. At first, I was all in for the yoga pants that I have never had the blessing of slipping my buttocks into but now that I have, I never want to get out of them! The hardest part of working out is getting out the door. Now that I'm at the gym already for class, I just stay an extra twenty minutes at the end and in my new state of mind proceed to listen to my jams on the elliptical. Oh, second semester, I'm starting to love you. Also on my list that I won't delve too much into: wake up at a decent time (again, curable by yoga in that getting those precious three credits depends on my being at the gym by 8:45am) and keep my room clean and organized (thank the lord that we bunked our beds and what was my "own" half is now "our" whole floor space so I don't live guilt-free when I throw my clothes fro!)

Something I've discovered in my facebook cleanse. I feel so utterly and completely out of tune with the world. And, in my ponderings, I've come to realize how absolutely pathetic this is! How sad is it when you keep up with your friends by reading their facebook statuses? Not knowing what's going on in their life through actual communication, but looking at their pictures and reading about what they are up to??? I mean, seriously! How many of us wonder what our pals are up to and simply look at their profile instead of calling or texting them up? Sad! Tonight, in the revelation fury that was this finding, I texted three of my friends to be sure that they still existed and was genuinely interested to see what they had to say to me, not just to the world! It's a big one, this realization.

Well, I'm a talkaholic tonight so I'll just tell you that in editing and looking at these pictures and then going through my inspiration folder, I realized this is almost precisely Teika's post from a while back. OOPS! I'm so sorry, Tieka! Minus the white tights, pink scarf, and beanie, we basically have the same thing on. I got this dress in the summer and wore it once in the fall, but winterizing felt like such a necessity. Last time, I opted for dark tights, but I didn't like it. Going with white tights made me feel the "feminine" overly-girlie-dressed that I love to feel. White tights are my favorite. Oh, and I'm sad to say, these boots died yesterday. Officially. In walking back from class, I stepped in a puddle and the entire rubber sole came right off drenching my foot entirely. I am on the market for new ones!



Funny story about this cardigan: it's Niklaas' favorite. Seriously. Shhh! It's my precious sole cashmere item in my closet and I love wearing it because, well, he smiles all goofy-like and likes to (how do I put this without making him sound like a creep?) well, pet it! Sorry, there's just no other way to phrase that. But, it's cute anyways. Cashmere is also another one of those clothing-items-from-God along with yoga pants that I adore. This scarf has to be a favorite. It's so warm and cozy and makes me feel like I'm all wrapped up in a cozy sweater when I wear it!

The Divine Swapping's of a Blogging Sisterhood.

It has been so long since we've had a Divine post! I miss them! Hope and Cheyne are some of the most stylish and amazing gals around so I've missed our little swappings and journaling a lot! These pictures are from forever ago. I believe my roommate Jenny and I took them back in October! Eeek! However, the packages are being sent around again and you will be seeing more of us!

Well, I am back at school and it's been insane! Did you all like Niklaas? Tehe. I was so excited that he wanted to do the commentary. I swear, I wasn't trying to copy Tieka, but having someone else plan an outfit for you is so nice! Plus, what he chose was something I'd totally wear every day. Ha! I really needed that three day break, too. My registration got completely wacked out. On Monday, I got a notice saying I was on "academic probation". What?!?!? After calling the registrar's office, I found out that during the registration craze, they had mis-registered me and put me into three courses during the winter session. Obviously, I didn't attend any of those classes and therefore failed them. Well, I got that sorted out, but it also meant I only had eleven credits for the spring so I'm currently trying desperately to get into already full classes and figure everything out. That's really only the surface of the trouble I've had (yes, there's been more mishaps and misunderstandings) and I never thought I'd say this, but I just want my schedule and to do all my homework!


This dear little dress is the lovely Cheyne's! It's always so exciting to open a swapping package to a surprise inside! At first, I had no idea how I was going to style it. Originally, I put on black tights and a black cardigan, but it felt too unstyled. Ha! I liked the yellow in the dress and hadn't worn this scarf in too long, so I decided to style everything else around the scarf and dress! Patterned tights, khaki top, boots, and done!

So, I know you all read this, but I can't contain myself. Niklaas got into Montanaaa! Weeeeeee! It's so exciting. Also, I just wanted to point out the pure coincidence of the whole thing. I applied and chose Montana before we were even friends. We were talking about this before we left and remembered the day we were both in one of our teacher's classrooms and he overheard a conversation between me and the teacher talking about recommendation letters to Montana. He asked me, "Are you going to Montana? I want to go there!" Everyone, this was before we were together. Or friends! Hahaha. I definitely don't think I'm in the place to choose a place for my "future" based purely on where someone was going to be. It just seems like it's going to work out that I could go where I wanted and he could go where he wanted and it happens to be the same place.

Oh! Also. Your comments on my one hundredth post have absolutely astounded me. I literally had butterflies in my stomach reading them! It makes me happy when you all tell me you like what I'm wearing, but when I'm putting myself out there and telling you all real-life details and get that much feedback? Holy cow. Holy cow!!! It's making me tear up thinking about it. I've said in other posts that I sometimes feel awkward posting "life" posts because they get the least comments/views/feedback, but, everyone, that one is the new record holder. I'm amazed. Maybe I'm in the wrong blog business? ;) Ha! Maybe I just need more lifey-writing posts? I think I might just have a little more bravery in me to do so.

Again, thank you for every kind word. It means more than I can say.

Sincerely, Niklaas

So, I'm not Maggie, it's Niklaas again, and I'm guest posting so that Maggie has a chance to settle back into the whole college life. And since I don't have anything else to do, I figured I would do this one. So, in the outfit that Maggie has on in these photos was picked out from me; everything from the oxfords to the cardigan. You might remember this location from a shoot we did last summer, and we revisited it for good reason: it's an excellent location. Except for the day we shot these, of course. The day we went out to shoot these, Idaho was having another of its bipolar winter days. It went from wind, to rain, to sleet, to sun, to more clouds. And as I'm sure you can tell from these pictures, we were in the middle of cloud-sun-wind weather. To be honest, I'm not totally happy with these pictures. Because of the cloud-sun-wind, Maggie was moving all over the place (so was I), so a lot of these didn't end up the way I'd like them to, but so it goes, eh? 

So, I've got news, which directly affects Maggie too! I've been accepted to college (thank Jesus), so it looks like the both of us will be in the same place for next school year. Not only will this contribute to my overall happiness, but that also means that I'll be able to take most (if not all) of the pictures for Maggie next year, which excites me a lot, to be honest. 

I don't have a ton to talk about, so I'll give you my top 10 bands of this moment (these will probably be kinda hip, sorry!) and my favourite song by them:
1. Goldmund (In A Notebook)
2. Imogen Heap (Goodnight and Go)
3. Fuck Buttons (Sweet Love For Planet Earth)
4. Röyksopp (Poor Leno)
5. Sigur Rós (Me∂ su∂ í eyrum)
6. The Weakerthans ((manifest))
7. Josh Ritter (The Curse)
8. Jack's Mannequin (Swim) OR (Hammers and Strings (A lullaby))
9. Benoit Pioulard (Ragged Tint)
10. Fun (The Gambler)


Alright, kids, that's what I've got. I do check the comments, too, so just let me know, eh?

one hundred

This is my one hundredth blog post. Call me crazy, but I think one hundred blog posts is crazy. For those of you who weren't around on my first post (that would be all of you) and are interested, here is my very first post. Reading it now is kind of a nauseating experience. I was sickly and undeniably infatuated with a certain someone (*cough*) and sickly and undeniably pining for them. However, my first blog posts were purely me writing. The writing itself isn't so different. A lot of things have changed, but through the moving-out-learning-to-be-independent and getting-the-guy, I'm still much the same person. I still love love and I'm still a sickly hopeless romantic. So. In honor of my 100th post I am going to do two things. The second of which will be a giveaway I will be announcing within the next week! (eep. I'm excited) The first of which will be one hundred things. Words, pictures, facts, videos. Things I like, things about me, things I'm scared of, things I want to do, and just general life-y things! Enjoy.

One. My biggest insecurity growing up was my smile. I endured braces for three years to fix them, and while I love them to death, I still sometimes feel like I don't look like me minus the gap.

Two. I am deathly scared of ketchup.
Three. I hate commitment, but I love stability. Which is probably why I hate commitment. It took a lot of 'passes' to finally say yes to something that didn't seem to have a definite expiration date.
Four. Joseph Gordin-Levitt is the most perfect person in the universe.
Five. Despite my stability attachment, I love change. I'm Mrs. Adaptable.
Six.  In High School, I hated having nothing to say when people asked me when I had my first kiss blah blah blah and who it was with. I hated those questions. I lied. I avoided it. I mean, who wants to be the girl who no one wanted to kiss?? Now, after the fact, I tell everyone younger than me to wait it out. It's a sweet moment- but it wouldn't be sweet with anyone you didn't care about. I'm not saying you should wait until your soulmate knocks at your door, but I'm saying, the fireworks and explosion is a myth. It doesn't happen like that. What makes the moment is sharing it with someone you like and care about that makes you giddy in and out- whether you're kissing or not! 
Seven. I am computer incompetent.
Eight. I see no reason not to be happy. Ever. It's that simple, really.
Nine. Being average scares me more than anything.
Ten. I broke my right wrist when I was eight and it was the best three months of my life.
Eleven. Except for getting my wisdom teeth removed.
Twelve. I wish every single day that it's October 1, 2009 and that I could be back on that beach in Mexico at 2am overseeing a turtle nursery. Every. Single. Day.
Thirteen. I'm in love with snow, but I hate the cold.
Fourteen. Gilmore Girls is the best television show ever created.
Fifteen. I hate being mad. My angry-spurts last an hour or two at most- it turns into this vicious cycle of being mad at myself for being mad in the first place. And most of the time, it's my own fault. I don't like to tell people when I'm mad at them and it builds up into this giant ball of fury. I get so angry at myself for being angry that the problem itself dissolves and then I realize how silly I'm being and talk the matter through with the subject. It's a weird thing.

Sixteen. I want six kids someday.
Seventeen. I hate running.
Eighteen. Someone once asked me if I could do anything in the world and know it would happen, what would I do? It scares me that I'm not trying to do it.
Nineteen. I am clueless and know absolutely nothing except for the things I know. I know my sister is the single most important person on the planet to me. I know I have the best parents in the world. I know every day is a gift. I know that I want to work hard. I know that even if I don't know what it is, I always want to make the "right" choice.
Twenty. I hate thinking about a time in my life when my parents don't exist. It eats me up.

 Idaho. Wheat Fields. Friends.Dresses. Light.

Twenty one. The happiest day of my life was June 11, 2010. Graduating and looking up into the bleachers to see every single person I've ever truly loved in one single place just for me.
Twenty two. Audrey Hepburn. Taylor Swift. Ellen Degeneres. Sandra Bullock. Emma Stone. Zoe Deschanel. Allison Harvard.
Twenty three. My favorite color is purple.
Twenty four. I've recently been converted to a cuddle-er. Big time.
Twenty five. I'm kind of in the process of kind of, maybe, sort of writing something real. Maybe.
Twenty six. The most embarrassing moment of my life involved flatulence. Since then, I've been terrified of ever letting another soul hear me let loose.
Twenty seven. My favorite thing in the world is to be asked questions. And to ask them.
Twenty eight.  Leaving my hometown was the best decision I ever made.

Twenty nine. e.e. cummings
Thirty. I could rewatch anything with Amanda Bynes in it five thousand times and still laugh just as hard as the first.
Thirty one. I have this idea in my head that if I can get to New York, all my dreams will come true.
Thirty two. I hate seeing people who don't try. I hate seeing people who don't care. I hate seeing people who have no passions and no hope. Those are the people I feel the worst for because even if it's due to my sheltered naive opinion, but I truly think that every single person is good and every single person is important. When I see someone that doesn't even have the care or esteem to want something better for themselves, it devastates me.
Thirty three. I love anything that I can sing to.
Thirty four. Spandex and leggings are God's gift to a woman's legs.
Thirty five. Playlists.

Thirty six. I really want to be that cool indie girl that looks like she stepped out of a forties film with red lipstick and polka dots on her skirt that listens to the cutest music and takes the most artsy pictures, but I'm just not that classy and I'll never be that cool.
Thirty seven. I believe in fairytales in the realest sense. Kissing every single morning and night. Falling asleep together. The bad days where nothing sticks but you make it to the next day, to a new day, together. Being best friends.
Thirty eight. Boys clothes are so much more comfortable. But I couldn't survive a day without my dresses and tights.
Thirty nine. It was my goal two years ago to stop living to make other people happy. I have only recently been able to say that I don't care how people see me and I don't care how loud or obnoxious or insane I seem, because it feels unlike anything else for people to see everything out in the open like that. For people to actually know me.

Forty. I don't wear high heels.
Forty one. I tend to exaggerate details of a story. I'm getting better, though. All the time.
Forty two. My favorite place in the world is the place I hated in the years driving the fifteen hours to our family cabin in Wyoming. I want to live, breathe, and die there. See it here!
Forty three. I could live off of pasta every single day of my life and be o-kay.
Forty four. I had Barbie, Spongebob, and Barney bedding growing up.
Forty five. My birthday cakes get progressively younger in theme every single year.
Forty six. I have Bieber-Fever. For the boy, not the music.

Forty seven. Oversize cardigans make the world go round.
Forty eight. I'm the single pickiest eater in the whole world. I...just don't like food. Plain and simple.
Forty nine. I'm 18 and six months old.
Fifty. Ice cream dates are the best.
Fifty one. I like to think that everything happens for a reason and if everything is supposed to come together or fall apart, it will.
Fifty two. I had my first kiss when I was 17.
Fifty three. I've been obsessed with the name 'Faye' for as long as I can remember.
Fifty four. I want my name to be spelled with an -ey and I want my middle name to be conjoined with the first. Maggey-Grace.

Fifty five. I've never cried in front of anyone.
Fifty six. I'm fascinated by funerals and cemeteries.
Fifty seven. Someday, I want to go to church every single Sunday and on Christmas and Easter regardless of my beliefs in God.
Fifty eight. My favorite holiday is Halloween followed by Easter.
Fifty nine. I like drinking hot chocolate in July and eating ice cream in December.
Sixty. I hate copy-cats.
Sixty one. I am afraid of dogs I don't know and all cats.
Sixty two. My dream is to revive snail mail.
Sixty three. My dad is the coolest person I know.
Sixty four. My grandma is my best friend.
Sixty five. I could not feasibly commit suicide. Ever. I'm afraid of needles and knives (and all things pointy). I'm also afraid of heights and guns. I also can't swallow pills. It physically could. Not. Happen. ;)
Sixty six. I am feeling so narcissistic talking about myself like this.

Sixty seven. But secretly, I think everyone should have a little narcissism to themselves. I think everyone should be in love with themselves and who they are. I don't think anyone should look at themselves and only see what isn't perfect. I think everyone should see themselves as perfect just the way they are and say what they want, dress how they want, do what they want, and feel how they want to feel. I don't think it should be wrong to think you are gorgeous, cool, amazing, and smart. I don't think anyone shoAniuld be afraid to say, "I love myself."
Sixty eight. I've been in love with the piano since I was in first grade and have since dreamed of being able to play.
Sixty nine. Every time a family member calls our house, I instinctively always expect the worst news. I'm always expecting the next tragedy or horrible event.

Seventy. There is nothing worse than seeing someone you love endure loss.
Seventy one.  Loss has been the one thing that has shaped me, more than anything else. I live for the boy who can't and work hard for the person who thought I could do anything.
Seventy two. I'm not a night owl or a morning person.
Seventy three. I think my biological clock is in tune to a cat's sleeping cycle.
Seventy four. Adobe photoshop is my newest addiction.
Seventy five. I love long hair. And curls.

Seventy six. Period pieces are my favorite.
Seventy seven. I think my life is supposed to be a re-make of 500 Days Of Summer and I'm supposed to be the heart-breaking flighty Summer that she was until she finds an exception.
Seventy eight. Animated films are the bees knees. When I'm forty with kids of my own, I'm going to drag them to every single one.
Seventy nine. I love bring-your-daughter-to-work-day. Still.
Eighty. I went on my first roller-coaster last summer. And now I'm addicted to them.
Eighty one. I want my wedding cake to be a multi-layer cheesecake.
Eighty two. I honestly fill some sort of void when I shop. It makes me feel better. It's really, really bad.

Eighty three. I went to the "Speak Now" midnight release. But someday, I want to go to a midnight release of a future Taylor album in Nashville.
Eighty four. I want to road-trip to the tip of South America someday.
Eighty five. I am so, so, so excited to be a mom. I want to make forts every single day, dance around the living room with them, and make PB&J's with faces for them.
Eighty six. I'm horrible at driving. Even though I got a 100 on my written and driving test.
Eighty seven. I love hanging out with my sister and my best friend Jenni and her sister. We're a foursome that is inseparable. We're best friends and I love it.
Eighty eight. I love being organized. I love cleaning. But I'm the messiest person in the world.
Eighty nine. My mom and Taylor Swift's mom bonded over talking about parenting Taylor and I.

Ninety. I love Shea-Butter scent-infused socks.
Ninety one. I'm psycho about the paranormal.
Ninety two. I'm totally a sucker for consumer targeting. If I see something that sparkles on tv, I'm going to go find it.
Ninety three. I only want a giant closet and a hot-tub someday. I don't care about the size of my bed, living room, tv, or kitchen. I just want the biggest closest in the entire world.
Ninety four. I love dressing people. And imagining what would look cute on them.
Ninety five. I'm over-analytical and I over-think everything and I freak about everything, but I'm simple. At the end of the day, having my family is enough for me. Crocheting myself to sleep makes me happy. I like walking. I can read all day and be perfectly happy. I'm easy to make happy.
Ninety six. I love buying presents. I love loving people.
Ninety seven. I like taking pictures and I like photography, but I'm no photographer.

Ninety eight. I'm addicted to coffee and ice cream and dresses and shower gel and writing and vitamin water and Taylor Swift and squealing.
Ninety nine. I am obsessed with buying greeting cards. OBSESSED.
One hundred. Blogging has been the most fun and greatest experience because of all of you. I sincerely love all of the support you have given me. I love knowing that when I have a bad day, I can write about it and someone will undoubtedly listen. I love that you all have let me dress how I want to and I love that that has translated into real life. I love that you all inspire me through your blogs- I love hearing your stories and learning about your lives. I think each and every single one of you are completely fascinating and beautiful. Thank you for these eight months and being more than just readers. I love you.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Growing up in the quaint, liberal Northern Idaho town that I did, I was blessed with a childhood filled with corny but adorably awe-spiring breakfasts, fundraisers, fairs, and various events surrounding human rights, Renaissance culture, discrimination, and political liberation. This year, my sister won the art contest as part of the City Council Human Rights Institute MLK Breakfast (say that five times fast). My sister's artwork has dumbfounded my family since the day she made a cow in preschool look like, well, a legitimate cow roaming the rolling hills instead of the usual lump that four year olds tend to create but recently, we aren't the only ones who have been struck by her genius. I am so proud of her and the true thought she put into representing MLK and what he stood for. Being home for these six weeks has shown me more than ever before the young-woman she is becoming and I'm absolutely in awe of her every single day (even when she's kicking my butt and showing my old High-School self up the wazoo). 

For two weeks, my family and I literally watched my sister for hours on end every single day in the living room draw this one piece. She used charcoal to fill in the "white" space on black paper. The entire drawing is composed of black paper and a white piece of charcoal. Just two tools to create this. That's it! I am so, so blown away.

Anyways, the great thing about the annual breakfast is how it brings so many of our town's most dedicated and brilliant people in one place, and honors the best. For example, this year's annual Community Service winner was a bad-butt (ha!) woman who was one of my chaperone's in Mexico when I, along with about ten other students of the Environmental Club, saved sea turtles. I guess that's what I do love about my little town so much. I love that a single person inspired enough to change lives has both the opportunity and will to create a club in the High School that is more than just a club. I love that she along with two other committed community members wanted to take fifteen High School students to Mexico to save Sea Turtles and give them a truly life changing experience. It's amazing. I love that people here take initiative and because of their effort, have made my and so many of my peers' life what it is. I can honestly say without them and without their efforts, I wouldn't have gotten the academic scholarships I did. I might not have left the little town for something a little bit bigger. 

This clearly isn't an outfit post. However, as much as I write this blog for the 272 of you, I still feel like I have to write it for myself, too, the way I did before anyone had interest in what I had to say. I started out just wanting to document my life for me and I never want to lose that. I know there are those that skip the blobs of words between my pictures, and that's perfectly okay! Skip every tid bit of "life" pictures and words, if you want! We're all here for different reasons and we all have different things we're looking for. But even as my "life" posts may get the fewest comments and fewest page views, they are the foundation of what started this thing that my blog has turned into and I'm always going to blab. I want to write about things worth remembering and this weekend, this Saturday, was something I want to remember: my sister standing on a stage in the Junior High School cafeteria with a cheesy award in her hands, sitting between my parents giggling over silly presenters with golden hearts, making eye contact across the room like a Taylor Swift music video with that one child of mine, and, mostly, being surrounded by people I've known forever that inspire me and people I've never met that inspire me.

You can definitely tell when you've truly grown up as a small-Idahoan native when you start writing in the most cheesy way possible.