With my birthday quickly approaching I have been reflecting how incredibly grateful I am for my life. Here are 26 things I have been blessed with this 26th year.
In no particular order... well a bit chronological, but not exactly.
I moved from my home San Diego, to Provo, Ut.
Why you ask? Well you can read about that here.
24 days before my 26th birthday
I started school at Taylor Andrews Academy to finish up
400 hours of cosmetology school (for the 3rd time).
This brings me to my first thing I am grateful for:
#26 Dani Smith
I met this girl the 2nd day into school and I can honestly say she saved my life at that place.
She has been, and continues to be one of my closest friends & she never ceases to amaze me with her beauty (inside and out), her whit, and her ability to make the best of every situation. and she is a major babe. duh. love love love her.
Another human I had the pleasure of meeting at TA is the subject of my next thing to be grateful for.
#25 Louisa Matthews
This girl has saved my sanity more times than she knows.
I am so grateful for her mothering ways and always having my back
with amazing advice and support no matter what. She also makes perfect babies.
Toward the end of the summer I took a trip to San Francisco.
This trip is gratitude item #24
Some of you know the details to this trip, and some of you don't. I don't want to divulge much into it. But I am BEYOND grateful for the opportunity I had to visit there for a weekend. It opened up a world of friendships that I will forever be grateful for.
These friendships bring us to #23,22,21,20&19
James x 2 & Girlfriends x 2 & ConCon
I just love these adorable couples. You know the couples you can spend hours with and not feel like an imposing third wheel? Well these 4 humans are THOSE couples.
I am blessed that I am able to have personal relationships with each and every one of these great people. & they each brought a different dynamic to my life & I love the people who they are.
Conner is the most adorable dude I know. Seriously, kindest guy you could find... Ladies.. he is single.
get on that. #yourewelcome
Grateful Reason #18 Season Salon and Day spa in Orem
I was so grateful for the opportunity to have a job doing what I love most. The exposure to other color lines and the education I got there was very helpful in me growing as a stylist. I was also able to meet some awesome girls... bringing me to...
#17 Emily Richardson
(this is the only almost normal picture we have together)
This little peach is like a sister I never had.
She is the funniest little human & I just cant get enough of her.
Nug runs & bevs on the daily working with this babe. Cant beat it.
In October I was able to go home to San Diego & spend Halloween with my best friends.
#16 Trip home & my favorite holiday with my favorite people.
#15
Garrett Devon Jensen
This dude came into my life soooooo unexpectedly. & he taught me so many things in the 6 months that we got to spend together. I am more grateful for what I learned from this guy than he will ever know.
In November I moved up to Salt Lake after being offered a job
and commuting from Provo for a few weeks.
This move gave me #14
My adorable Sugarhouse Roommates! These girls kept me alive and laughing through the coldest winter I had endured in years.
Junk food and One Tree Hill for days.
So grateful for the fun times I had with these lovely ladies.
Missing them on the regs.
During my time in SLC I was able to meet some awesome peeps at the former Studio Nine.
These humans are collectively #12. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to work with such amazing people. And I am going to dearly miss them when I move.
While at Studio Nine, I met an incredible lady who decided to open up her own salon & she offered to let me come work in her space with her.
My Job at Salon Destiny is #11
Being able to booth rent at this ADORABLE salon has
been a huge blessing for me.
There is no better feeling than being self employed &
doing exactly what you love doing in your own space.
Being an independent contractor takes a lot of work at first,
and you can become a bit discouraged on slow days,
but my #10 made it a much easier transition
#10 SDBSB
BRey is my San Diego Beauty School Bestie & I have gotten through this year with soooo much encouragement from her! I love talking formulas & marketing strategies with this girl. And obviously she is the funniest, most adorable human. I love my darker half.
#9 Emily Ann Collins - Bean
**WARNING**
things are about to get sappy.. so pull our your tissues,
or just skip to the next if you cant handle it...
This girl... I have been friends with this incredible human for 9 years. We have both grown so much in the past almost decade & I am so incredibly proud of the woman this girl is. She has endured listening to all of my dating stories, danced with me for endless hours to forget about real life problems, and shown me the greatest example of how to be loved. If this girl has taught me anything in the past year, it is to follow my heart and not be afraid to love & that you never know who is going to come into your world, so be ready for them. Shout out to Richard (her new husband, who photo bombed us): Thank you for loving my cousin the way she always deserved to be, and I will be lucky if I find a man half as amazing as you.
#8
Amby Baby
My little bebe. Where do I begin? This girl changed my life. From the moment she stepped into my SD world I just couldn't get enough. She helped inspire my move to Ut & she has also been the biggest advocate for my AZ move (now all you haters know who to blame). This girl has always been here for me even though in the past year we have lived in different states, coast & countries! I am so grateful for the loyalty and stability this girl has given me. And I am glad to call her mine.
#7 Michel Knowles
This is my best friend. Okay, okay, I know I call every decent looking man in my posts my "best friend". But this dude has made the cut & I can definitely call him my Mestie (Male Bestie, get it?). If you read my last blog post you will see videos of this guy jamming out at a house show. This immense musical ability isn't the only thing he is good for (although, I don't mind him breaking into song, literally, all the time), he also has decent dance moves. Though he just recently entered my world, he came in guns-a-blazzin & he has been a great support through some trying times. He is an amazing example of following your dreams and working hard everyday to accomplish those dreams. I am so excited for the incredible things he is going to accomplish in his life & I cant wait to slow clap him to success.
#6, #5 & #4
These girls are my life.
Who gets to go first??
I will start with the one who entered my heart first.
Wesley. Bug. Buggy. Bugtown. Girlfriend.
It is so hard to put into words the way this babe has enriched my life, not only in the past year but since the moment we met. She never ceases to amaze me with her incredible talent and ability to go after what she wants. I am so envious of her ability to be such an incredibly independent woman. Her creativity is astounding & I see it not only in her art work but the way she speaks. Her way with words in unreal (Whatevenever will forever be a Wesley classic). She has me crying from laughter every time we speak (her laugh is infections). The support she shows by speaking the realest talk to me has gotten me through so many tough decisions. And I would be incomplete without her.
Kristin. Vlastie. Preshers. Princess. Twintown.
I have never met a human so incredibly similar to me, and yet so far beyond the potential I could ever see in myself. This princess is the kindest, most caring, thoughtful friend I have ever had. She has shown me how to accept love with her ability to take care of me even when I am too prideful to accept help. She is always an amazing listening ear and a voice of reason and sympathy. Her ability to make people feel like they have known her for years in something I have always envied & I hope to cultivate more with her example. She is a true sister to me & I will always love her as such. Near or far.
Ashley. Ash. Smashley. Birdie Babe.
Holy hell. To put it simply, this girl saved my sanity this year!! I am so insanely grateful that my Bug was willing to share her sissy pants with me & that she and I have been able to build on a friendship that moved from San Diego to Provo. Living with Ashley 2 different times this year has been a huge blessing. She is the funniest human I know, even when she doesn't even mean to be (especially then). This girl is beautiful inside and out and is so smart I can't keep up with her most days. We survived some serious trials together, and separately, and am so grateful we made it out closer than ever. If you don't know who I am talking about, check out the blue eyed blonde with my in the majority of my insta's . She is a babe, and she is all mine.
I am so excited to see where the next year takes these friendships! I would be a crazy person without these girl & I feel like they are each a part of the person I am. They help me grow and learn and I don't tell them enough how much I love and care for each of them.
#3 & #2
These are just the greatest parents to walk the planet (maybe a bit bias). I cant stop & I wont stop. These humans. Man, O, Man. I have been blessed to have the greatest supporters and cheerleaders with these two. I can, more often than not, be stubborn, needy, and moody (don't, act so surprised) and these two have put up with me for 27 YEARS. They deserve an award. But seriously, if someone can point me in the direction of the nearest trophy store that would be great!
My mother is the greatest example of how a mother should be. Kind, considerate, caring, stern (when needed) and the most loving human on the planet. If you don't believe me I have a long list of references that can attest to the validity of that statement. I hope that someday I can be half of the mother she was to me & I am so excited for her to be the grandmother to my babies (not a pregnancy announcement, gotta find a hubs first). Someday.
Daddy. This guy. Man, I don't give him enough credit. This guy is the hardest worker and has always provided for our family and I couldn't be more grateful for the life I have been able to live because of his dedication. And for those of you who don't know, he is also an awesome joke teller & a legit dancer (one of those if slightly sarcastic, I'll let you choose for yourselves what to believe).
There is no doubt that my ability to nurture and love comes from my Momma, & my whit and charm comes from my Pop. Thank you for putting up with me for yet another year. I love you more than you will ever know.
And last but not least
#1
I will not say much about this subject as it is very near and dear to my heart.
What I will say is, through the challenges I have faced in my 26th year I know that there was definite divine intervention taking care of me every step of the way. I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who knows me well enough to know the trials I needed to face this year and when times got tough he gave me the strength to get through them. I was never on my own. I know that he placed each and every one of the people and opportunities listed above to help me through this year. I am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for always being mindful of me and for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that helps me to become better daily through His sacrifice.
For those of you in my life who may have not been given a number, know that you have impacted my life in some way and although I am not the best at sharing my love and adoration, I do care deeply for each and every one of you.
Here is to an amazing 27th year!
xo
Tara Brooke
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