a freak accident called "tiredness"

Somehow one night when i was busy playing around with html codes, (i'm guessing it was Friday night when i was half asleep) i changed my blog earlier than expected. I backed up the old template, but blogger is having some issues...so farewell airmail template, we had some wonderful times together!

graduation.

last week,

I "graduated."

I'm a college graduate and this is real life.

hello endless spring/summer.

#3 Hike the Y

Seriously, I could not have planned a better way to kick off the start of Spring.

The "Y" is a trail on Y mount that leads to the massive white "Y" painted on the side of a mountain just a couple of blocks from campus.

It's a gorgeous hike & one that I hadn't ventured since the summer before my senior year...

of high school. 

We took a hike to see the sunset and it was g o r g e o us.

top that off with:
1. A walk to Sammy's for $1 Monday grilled cheese sandwiches (I recommend you go with pepper jack)
2. An impromptu CD preview from Provo's very own rap star "B Money"
3. A ride down center street in the back of a truck
4. An attempt at making glow-in-the-dark-bubbles
5. Laying in a hammock under twinkling lights in front of the "TAJ" (one of the houses in our ward)
 & you have the PERFECT start to the beginning of a great spring/summer.

time.

sometimes i like to pull up the blinds from my second story bedroom.

even when it's pitch black and all you see is a starless night.
even when the light is on in my room and all of 700 N can look in.

I just like to remind myself that there's a sky out there, a great beyond, a world that's bigger than myself.

somewhere out there is a universe.

somewhere out there are people.
people who love.
people who laugh.
people who cry.
people who suffer.

people i want to meet.

somewhere out there, there's the continuation of life.
a journey.
a destination.
a purpose.
a destiny.

a place where it all begins.

fin.

six.
seis.

The number of journals I've finished as of hoy in my college years.

happiness is...

Waking up at 6:20ish on a reading day.
Volunteering for BYU's Españolandia (aka a pretend real-life Spanish speaking country).
Unexpectedly working at the Panadería with Azteca Teresa.
Getting to see my Tio David & my first cousins once removed.
i.love.my.family.

Conversando. vol 1

scenario: car ride to FHE at member of the bishopric's home
topic: dating
background: The whole idea of "peeing in the pool" dating within the ward is nonsense. You should be able to date who you want, when you want, wherever you want. Also, this whole business of calling "dibs" on guys/girls. #ridiculous The whole point behind dating is to meet new people and try, try again if something doesn't work out. You can't expect people to make the "correct" choice on the first try.

boy: Lauren you're just like every Mexican girl I know...K I only know two, my mom and this other girl, but you guys are bold. You just tell it like it is. You're full of like fire and...

Me: yeah, I get called feisty a lot.

boy: That's it! That's exactly the word I was looking for. You're definitely feisty.


my cultura, helping me to keep it real since 1990.

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes

About a month ago when I was for some reason or another on a baking spree (and feeling SUPER Mexican) I searched the internet far & wide for the perfect Mexican chocolate cupcake recipe. I felt like every recipe I found claimed to be "Mexican (hot) chocolate" flavored, but when I looked at the ingredients it would often list anything but Mexican chocolate.
Tell me how that makes sense?

Story about these cupcakes: I made them for a big relief society stake birthday party. & during our luncheon someone cut the music and said, "sisters, someone would like to know who made these cupcakes because they would like the recipe." They turned out to be mine! holy!!! So there you have it, verified proof that they are super scrumptious.
I'm actually posting the recipe because I just got an email reminding me about sending the someone from my little story this recipe.

Also, p.s. I changed the recipes I found to meet my taste & combined the best of both worlds

Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 24 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes:
1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix (plus all the ingredients you need for that cake mix)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp New Mexico red chili powder
A pinch of salt and pepper
1 disk of Mexican Chocolate (my favorite is Nestlé's Abuelita brand), cut into small bits the size of chocolate chips

For the frosting:
1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup brown sugar
cayenne pepper
¼ tsp Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips, chopped ♥
1 tsp red chili flakes

cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line your cupcake pan with liners.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, cinnamon and chili powder, plus the salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients the cake required (the mix I used called for 3 Large eggs, 1 cup of water 1/3 cup of vegetable oil). Stir until the mix is just combined then add the chocolate bits and stir until the chips are incorporated and all the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't over mix.

Put the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes rest in the pan for a few minutes and then leave them to cool on a rack.

frosting:
In a large bowl, beat the cream until tiny bubbles appear. Slowly add the brown sugar, mixing until the cream is thick enough to pipe on the cupcakes. Stir in the cayene and top the frosting with flakes of chili and dark chocolate.

recipes adapted from: cupcakes. frosting

on this easter sunday.

Chelsea and I helped Trace with his crossword puzzle in sacrament meeting.
It's become quite the Sunday tradition for us.
(Allie helped us with a fresh set of eyes on the way home)

& I somehow managed to create an Easter egg that slightly resembles a Poké ball.
Feliz Easter everyone!

the end is near...

We had our last on-campus|full show before our final tour to Nauvoo. There were a lot of "lasts" last time Sam and Meha would dance with the group, last time Shelly would be a member of the Native Section, and last time I'd be dancing in front of a home crowd. The Young Ambassadors came to wish us well on our show and there were plenty of Living Legend alumni in the audience.

As a section, we tried to get a picture in every one of our dance outfits...
yeah, that lasted one number.
I also met the sweetest family from New Mexico;
I only wish I had gotten to talk to them longer.

p.s.SO many of us tried to finish the hunger games in time for the midnight premiere! Every moment backstage counts, yeah?

Non-Native Natives

It's always fun to play dress up.
& yes I know Papyrus is a most HIDEOUS font,
BUT it just so happens to kind of be the
Living Legends
#officialfont

April fools?
or are we really taking over?
♥