Tag: BYU

Plaid flannel Christmas

~ Dianajaen ~ Leave a comment

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When I think about Christmas my mind immediately thinks about plaid patterns. Am I the only one? I don’t think so because there’s nothing more Christmas-y than a warm, soft, and cozy plaid flannel shirt. I realize, of course, that Christmas already happened, but hey, to me the entire month of December is Christmas 🙂 .

Tomorrow we’ll be beginning a new year. After Christmas I have been thinking a lot about all the unexpected things that happened to me this year. I’m the kind of person who likes to plan everything; I religiously abide to my planner and calendar. This year was nothing like my plans, and I’m so grateful for it. I do think that 2015 was the best year yet.

While I’m very grateful for this amazing year, I’m even more excited to start 2016. A clean slate. Most of the time I take for granted the clean slate that I get everyday when I wake up (thus, one of my goal this year is to start everyday without the disappointments of the previous day). Somehow, a new year feels like an official clean slate, do you know what I mean? 🙂 As the control freak that I am, I’ve already written my goals for this year (you can read them here). I think that making them public will make me a little bit more accountable for them. Hopefully, right?

Happy New Year!!
Diana

Winter wonderland

~ Dianajaen ~ Leave a comment

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Can you believe December is here? I can’t. December is my favorite month because there’s a spirit of unity that prevails everywhere. I love the lights and the carols and just all Christmas things. December can also mean another thing… snow (if you live in a place where snow it’s just expected in winter months). Snow is a beautiful thing if you are inside a building with a hot beverage in your hands. It’s not such a wonderful thing when you have to glide walk to class in the slippery sidewalks at 7:30 a.m.

In any case, I’ve decorated my apartment and I just can’t get enough of the Christmas decorations. It has been absolutely the best coming home at night to find the tree lights on <3. The semester is almost over and I’m so happy and so stressed about it. Finals are just one week away and I really need to get my study mode on (but after Thanksgiving break I just can’t find energy to even open my books 🙂 ).

The thought of Christmas break is the only thing that has kept me going. Is it possible to skip the next two weeks and fast forward to Christmas Eve? No? Fine… Then I’m just going to go study with my Christmas music playing in the background. That should make it more jolly and fun, right? (Don’t burst my bubble of h) 🙂

xx,
Diana

Gingham love… and something else.

~ Dianajaen ~ Leave a comment

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November was a hard month. A month that was full of disappointments, doubts, and fears. Strangely, it was also one of the best months I’ve ever had because it was full of joy, love, and gratitude.

This month I realized a lot of things that I had been overlooking for a long time now. I was reminded that my source of strength and joy has been and always will be God. I will not go over the details of the things that I’ve experienced this past month because they are something I’d like to keep close to my heart. However, I do want you to know that, no matter what you believe in, things always happen for a reason. We meet the people we meet and go through the experiences we go through for a reason. This reason might not be obvious to you now but it will be someday.

I know this is not my usual kind of post, but it’s something I’d like to share with you. When you are tempted to focus on the things you lack, try -really try- to see the things you do have. Now that Christmas is here let’s focus on the blessings that we have. Let’s focus on the good. Let’s focus on the people we love. Let’s focus on the things that do matter!

xx,
Diana

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” –Deuteronomy 31:6

 

Fall is here!

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Yes, I know, fall has been here since… what’s it been? A month? I don’t know… The point is that even when fall had officially started the days still were warm and sunny. This week, however, the air turned crisp and chilly. And I’m loving it! I absolutely love fall scenery because… well, how can you not love it? The tree leaves everywhere, the stunning colors, the ideal temperature, and the perfect excuse to wear boots and cozy sweaters 😉 .

So that’s what I did over the weekend… I packed the last summer clothes that were left in my closet and unpacked my sweaters, scarfs, and boots. I also stopped by MAC and well… lipsticks, right? Yes. My sister had told me that the Rebel lipstick was the one to have this fall. I wasn’t sure whether to wear it because it’s such a dark color and it made me very self-conscious. After a long time of going back and forth, I decided to give it a try. To be honest, when I put it on I was still feeling self-conscious, but as time passed by the color grew on me. At the end of the day I was already in love with it. I say, give it a try!

This week is going to be busy. I get some comfort on knowing that I’m done with my midterms and that now I only have finals left (which is not a comforting thought at all!). Anyway, I hope you have a great day today. Let’s smile and keep moving forward! 🙂

Love,
Diana

red red red

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I once heard someone say, “When in doubt, always wear red.” At that time I didn’t understand the significance of this truth, but now I do. I’ve always been the kind of girl who feels comfortable with sober/cold colors. My sisters would tease me all the time because of my grandma’s closet. Things changed when I came across this Sonnet James dress. The moment I saw it I was sold. This Winnie dress is to die for!! The fabric is so soft and yet it’s heavy enough to prevent the dress clinging to you. The color (I’m wearing the Watermelon) is divine and it favors any skin color.

Yesterday the weather forecast indicated a cloudy day. I immediately thought, ‘Diana, what a perfect opportunity to wear this dress!’ I made the decision to go for it and I couldn’t have been more pleased. The color lighted up my day and it made me feel empowered and confident. Like I said… now I get the importance and magic of and behind the color red 🙂 .

Now, I hope this lesson sticks with you too. Trust me on this one. When in doubt… (say it with me) always wear red! ❤

Stay happy,
Diana

Sunday stripes

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Hello everyone! I’ve been MIA for the last couple of weeks. Sorry! The first week I had my first round of accounting tests and let me tell you… it wasn’t pretty. The tests were so freaking hard! I am so happy they are over. The thing is that since I wasn’t getting enough sleep I ended up catching a cold. This past week I’ve been sick and it’s been the absolute worst. Fortunately, I getting better now. So there you have it, the reason I’ve been gone for two weeks. I promise I’ll be posting more this coming week.

For church I decided to go with this flowy skirt. Today was a windy day so the skirt was exactly what the weather called for . The print is gorgeous and perfect for fall and the fabric is sooo light. Also, how simple and chic are the heels? And they are super comfy too! I could wear them all day long! (I’m not even kidding) They would go great with ankle pants and a loose button-up. Actually, they would go great with anything! 🙂 I promise they are the perfect neutral pair for fall.

Happy Sunday!! I hope it’s been a great day for you too!

xx,
Diana

Pretty in pink

~ Dianajaen ~ 3 Comments

S3S9S1SS4S7Today’s outfit for church was bright and pink… very pink 🙂 I’m usually more inclined towards wearing sober colors, but today I felt like pink was the way to go. The weather didn’t fail me so the outfit ended up being perfect for this sunny day (I’m trying to soak up as much sun as possible before the fall arrives and takes away the warmness of the air).

Anyway, I’m actually obsessed with this pink pumps. I’ve received so many compliments and questions about them. Unfortunately, this pair sold out quickly. Don’t loose hope though; there are many other options out there, you just need to keep your eyes wide open.

This week will be crazy for me, so I will not be posting until Saturday. Guys, tests are the worst. Seriously. I hope you had a great Sunday and I wish you the best for this coming week!

xx,
Diana

Day 20: Let the games begin…

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…and may the curve be ever in your favor! Yes… midterms are here.

Today I spent my day at the library. Twelve hours of reading… so much fun! Tomorrow I’ll be taking my first test so wish me luck! 🙂 I wish I could tell you more about my day but nothing interesting happened, unless you find internal control frameworks interesting. Then, by all means, let me know who you are so we can chat. Perhaps you can take this test for me. Do I hear a ‘I’ll take it for you Diana’? No? 😦

Okay fine… then I’m off to do some more reading.

xx,
Diana

Day 19: Chasing perfect

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Last night was a busy night. We had a relatively hard assignment to turn in, on top of the other assignments/projects/and studying we need to get done. Fortunately for me, I have a great team and we figured things out (sort of 🙂 ). Today was one of those days when all you want to do is go back to bed, crawl under the soft blankets, and watch a good chick flick. I was very tempted to exactly that, but then I looked at my agenda. Suddenly, I didn’t feel the need to sleep or take a break… I mean who needs that?

I want to say that I accidentally found this video when I opened my laptop, but I know it wasn’t an accident. The video had the words I needed to hear. Those who know me know that I’m a perfectionist, that’s just who I am. I always feel the need to do things perfectly. Everything I do needs to be perfect, not just okay. I’ve always thought this is one of my biggest strengths because it has always helped me improve and grow. Lately though, this strive-for-perfection mentality has become an unnecessary and ridiculous pressure I’ve put on myself. Now you can understand the relief I felt after watching this video.

It took me a long time to realize this simple, yet powerful, truth: I’m human. We all are. If you’re feeling the same way, please know that it’s okay not to be perfect. It’s okay to not have your hair done all the time, it’s okay to be in the second place, it’s okay to say no (please say no more often!), it’s okay to make mistakes. In fact, embrace your mistakes, learn from them, make them part of who you are and be proud of the person you’ve become!

Let’s worry less about the future and let’s be more present in the moment!

xx,
Diana

Chasing Perfect from Twenty-One Films on Vimeo.