fourth of july trip . travels

Fourth of July 2013 from hailey on Vimeo.

i hope you enjoy my little video of some photographs from our beautiful & HOT trip. it's a little late, i know, but i couldn't go without sharing my trip!!!

xoxo- Cotton Candy

happiness is exquisite on you . photography

exquisite.

xoxo- Cotton Candy

wowimajunior . high school

one special thing about summer ending, the sweet cool breeze that comes along with fall. summer slowly fades away behind the colorful leaves & sweet orange sunset. it makes me remember all the yesterdays & tomorrow's i thought about during summer. all the i can't wait's & the amazing plans we made. it felt so exciting to be back into the freeing air of summer, at it's finest! the thoughts of summer ending are bittersweet to my heart. it makes me sad to think that i can't just wake up late & stay in between the warm sheets & read all day long. then i remember i get to go to school & learn between the lines of my textbooks. 

the reality that summer has ended & the sweet sun will fade into a darling fall cloud. the reality that my afternoons will be filled with studies & homework thrills me! spending most my time with my thoughts racing about what is to come next in my US History class! i can't wait for my education to expand & my mind to be filled up, once again, with knowledge. {i am not even being sarcastic! i am learning that school keeps me happy & keep me going. it takes my mind off the pointless drama, that always seems to be right around the corner everywhere i go. HATE THAT!!}

JUNIOR YEAR. wow, i am still getting used to saying that i am a junior. it is crazy! i am not sure if i am ready for all that is to come, new classes, new friends, new projects, new teachers! i just want to make the best of these challenges that He has placed in my path. i am so blessed to be following Him this year in all my aspects of life. He is my first & foremost responsibility. i can't wait for sundays, i can't wait for junior year & all He has in store for me.

along with my junior year choices & 'adult' decisions, that's what a few friends have called them, religious & personal. i have only spoken with two close close close, CLOSE friends about my decisions. one friend is beyond in love with her faith. i want that, i want to be excited to go to church & listen to the words of Him. another friend is excited & more than supportive of my choice to convert. i am blessed to have such a beautiful support system! :) thank you both, again.
i will give you the FULL story on my experience of finding my calling to the catholic church in another post.

xoxo- Cotton Candy

waiting for the calm . blogging

i will be back soon to post videos, photos, these ^ fun slideshow things! (: things have been slow & crazy around my home. thanks for waiting & being beautiful. 

xoxo -CC

inspiring women . blogging

the things i read make me empowered & inspired to be a better person, sister, friend, daughter, & follower of Christ. i want to share with you some of the wonderful people & beautiful words they have said that touched my heart & soul.

let's start with the best & the one that continues to inspire me with her words that bless me. (:

Jane K. {NAM Miss California Teen 2013-14} 

first let me tell you how i know this amazing person!!! we met at girl scout camp, DDC, we officially met this year, on accident??, then i realized she might not come bac to camp. this wonderful elf was leaving & i had yet to tell her just how much she means to camp & me. so i wrote her a letter, 2 actually, & made her cry {not on purpose, haha}. ever since that day we have been in contact, she has been such a blessing & an amazing role model!

before i go into a lovely message from her, here is a beautiful post from her blog.

{i am going to say "side notes" in {} & write what she said out side of them...} i am ALWAYS here for you. {she hsa said this many times, & i have questioned her about it. i know it is hard to be there for someone but, she is so honest & wonderful about it. i love knowing that a geuniune person is there for me. she is THE best!} i am so proud of you! {first of all, 4 times!!! i am so blessed to have such an incredible person in my life be proud of me. every time she sends it my heart fills up & i cry. i can't lie, she inspires me & i can only pray to be at least half the incredible person she is!!}

Emma {tumblr}

I’m always here if you need anything! {these words can be said/typed so easily but, it is even hard for someone to mean it. she meant it. (:} her words are just beautiful, you should check out her tumblr HERE

Lauren {tumblr}

The life of a woman who possesses true femininity is italicized by true beauty. This beauty is fixed on what is eternal, authentic, & pure. True femininity is committed to displaying this rare version of beauty in every aspect of her life because it calls attention to Christ instead of her.
True femininity deals with insecurity by making much of Christ, whose identity she bears. She trusts that he defines her rather than requiring the fickle affirmation of others, who can only offer futile words & fleeting pity.
True femininity is uninterested in the world’s approval; deaf to their commentary. Her eyes are fixed & her ears are attuned heavenward—interested solely in the guidance & approval of Jesus.
LINK to read the rest....{it's beautiful}

I can’t help but take a deep breath and roll my eyes when the typical first kiss scene plays out and we all wait to find out if there’s a “spark” (translation: the kiss turned them on enough that they’d like it to happen again.) Okay, let me give you a little TMI… I have had the honor of experiencing a couple knock-your-socks-off, holy-crap-is-this-really-happening, that “can’t-eat, can’t-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff” kisses. But for those who have never been kissed and for those who buy into “the spark,” I have news for you. This climatic moment of blissful chemistry is, in reality, lust that releases endorphins and simultaneously feeds hope into your emotions, leading you to believe that a mere kiss has the power to foreshadow true love. I’d like to call bullshit. How can I be so sure? Because my first kiss with Charles was a disaster (I wish you knew how much I am not exaggerating right now). If the spark does mean something, I’d like your superstitious antics to explain how Charles and I started dating two months later and have successfully loved each other through our sixteen months (and counting) together. Nicholas Sparks (wow, what a coincidence…or is it?) is doing an incredible job of cultivating false hope in the hearts of vulnerable girls, sealed with a kiss and delivered with a lie. Let me take another deep breath before I get ghetto. The life-long socialization of chick-flicks has made me a little angsty.

LINK to read the rest..

truly wonderful people & powerful women! thank you for inspiring & blessing me, no THE WORLD with you words & beautiful soul! (:

xoxo- CC

friday letters . written word

dear aussie{jane},

you are truly an incredible person. your words are truly an inspiration! i am beyond lucky to have you help me & have you in my life. i have always admired you from afar, i just love your presence in a room. it can light up a thousand faces! your campers & fellow elfs love the joy & happiness you bring to our week. thank you to the moon & back for being you! you will always hold a special place in my heart. (:

whenever you say you will ALWAYS be there for me, it honestly makes me cry. i don't deserve anything like that. thank you, i honestly don't know how i would have made it through friday without our talk. oh gosh, i can't even get through writing this letter without crying haha. thank you, a thousand times. you are a everyday inspiration!

xoxo CC

dear gus gus{kateri},

thank you for being an awesome person! your thoughts are truly crazy but that is what i love about you! thank you for the offer to beat up some people, but remeber violence is NEVER the answer. haha! i will never forget you.

xoxo CC

dear carrie,

you did a fabulous job in your musical! you continue to amaze me & i love that about you! you are such a sweet friend. all your wonderful advice goes to good use, trust me. thank you for being a beautiful, incredible, unique friend to me. i know that i can't get through somethings without your loving words. thank you for being there. keep up the wonderful things you do!

xoxo CC

{sorry they are a little late but, i was busy. thanks again aussie. <3}

i'm still here .personal

i'm still alive, i have just been busy. last week was girl scout DDC, & these past few days have been hard. 

i honestly thought i would come back from all my trips with my slideshows & videos all edited & ready to post however, due to recent events i haven't had enough time to edit & such. i am so sorry, i will post them all by friday. this coming weekend will be an emotional one!! my sister, who as been a great goalie, sister, & elf at camp, is heading off to college so we are dropping her off on saturday right after we go to my Godmother's moms birthday party! eventful day. 

i have also been realizing that friendships are hard. communication is key. finding time for each other no matter how hard it is, is so important to keeping in touch with your buddies. i try my hardest to be open & welcoming to hanging out with my friends some days i wake up and i just want to stay home & read, by myself. then there are times when i use every bit of my energy to text, call, email my friends & try to get together & i get the feeling they hate me after that. i bug them too much. it's a hard balance. 

i know that horrible feeling in your stomach, the one you get when you know your friend doesn't like you anymore. i know that feeling all too well. then i start to confide & tell a close friend, and i start feeling like they think they aren't good enough. it is a constant war in my head!! 

friends, i constantly tell them they are beautiful, smart, & amazing. i honor true friendships & it is hard when the other person doesn't care as much. i guess, that's just how it works. :(

sorry i got off topic! and if you followed all that, your awesome!!!

xoxo- CC 

{i will be signing my posts 'CC' for a while. my camp name is Cotton Candy & I am so used to people calling me CC or Cotton Candy!}

camp winton . summer

so Camp winton treated us lovely, we went up there to have a beautiful camping trip before my school year started & before Angie had to go back to school! it was nothing short of amazing. i am so glad we decided to go there & meet up with my God brother, Seth and his buddies.it was a wonderful experience and i love love love the atmosphere there! it was so welcoming & such a beautiful backdrop for a boy's camp. no wonder my God brother stayed all the weeks/sessions of camp! i do hope we go back new summer!!

xoxo-hails