11.25.2010

fill in the blank.

{image from here.}
1. black friday is  a day that i avoid going shopping. you won't catch me dead chasing down deals at four in the morning. it's just not my style.  

2. christmas shopping this year will include  all things low-key. there aren't many people on my list, so it will be pretty easy. we'll see, though.  

3. holiday shopping makes me  sometimes a little stressed out. sometimes i feel judged when i buy things for certain people. some people are very difficult to buy gifts for. some people maybe don't deserve gifts.  

4. this year my christmas list will include  family and a couple of friends. and myself. although, i already "bought" my own gift. thanks to a cousin, i'm getting the gift of a lifetime.  

5. bargain shopper or full price shopper?  i'm a bargain shopper, for sure, but i have been known to pay full price, too. mostly it depends on what it actually is. if i had to choose between paying full price and getting it very easily or getting a bargain, but it's gonna be a pain in the bum, i would much rather pay full price.  

6. the best things about shopping are  getting new things.  and the worst things about shopping are  actually have to shop. the looking and searching and dealing with people annoy me. i'm more of a know-what-i-want-get-in-get-out kind of shopper.  

7. online shopping or in-person shopping?  on-line shopping for dang sure. hands down, no questions asked. although, there are somethings that you just can't shop for on-line. sometimes you have to actually go to the store. but i'm okay with that.  

happy thanksgiving.

"we need to be more grateful. it's one of the marks of strong character, to have a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude for blessings that are ours. we need more of that spirit in our homes, in our daily associations, in church, everywhere. it's so easy to cultivate the spirit of appreciation."

~president ezra taft benson.

celebrating thanksgiving.

{1} how do you celebrate thanksgiving? i spend the day with family, unless i'm working. this year i am going to my parent's house in las vegas with my sister and her family. we have been known to hit up a movie in the evening (or maybe we only do that on christmas...but i know i have been to a movie on thanksgiving, so maybe we do it on both). we watch football and hang out. the usual stuff, really.

{2} what is your favorite part of thanksgiving? being with my family, of course. and celebrating gratitude. thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. i think it has to do with family. just love it.

{3} turkey or ham? oh, definitely turkey. i am not sure i have ever had anything different.

{4} sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes? both. please. they are both so different, it's almost a must to have both.

{5} pumpkin pie or apple pie? depends on who made the pies. generally apple, but my aunt makes an awesome pumpkin pie. let's be honest, though...i generally end up having a sliver of both. it's almost not american to limit yourself to just one.

{6} what are your thoughts about black friday? blah. more power to the people who love to fight a crowd. definitely not my cup of tea. i've actually never attempted to go shopping on black friday, but maybe i would if there was something that i desired and/or needed that badly. but it would take a lot of motivation. i hate crowds.

{7} your favorite thanksgiving memory. just spending time with my family. i don't have a favorite memory. any holiday with my family is a favorite, though.

{8} what are you thankful for this year? everything. it's as simple as that. i'm thankful for absolutely everything.

11.24.2010

wee bit wednesdays.



{one} what kind of camera do you have? i've got myself a fantastic little point-and-shoot...a canon powershot. i have dreams of owning a canon digital slr. one day it will come to fruition. someday.

{two} you just won $1000 and you have to spend it on yourself on one item. what do you buy? oh. probably that canon digital slr. convenient how that worked out for me, huh? man, i wish i had a grand to blow on something like that. i have such simple dreams.

{three} if you had to choose, would you rather live with your parents in the same house forever or 5000 miles away? i have some qualifying questions to ask...like, can i live with my parents in our old house, or does it have to be the new house? and do i live there with my spouse and children? or is it just me...single. things as they are now, i could maybe probably live with them...but if i were married with my own family, i would have to live 5000 miles away, unless we lived in the old house together...i'm glad i don't have to figure this out today. hahaha.

{four} is your christmas tree up yet? nope. i haven't even found the one i want yet. here's to hoping i can track it down. i'm pretty excited about it, though. next week. for sure.

{five} do you bring reusable bags to the grocery store? if i remember, i have a couple that i take. i sometimes think it would be convenient to have more. most of the time, i forget. but i do totally reuse the bags that they do give me when i forget.

{six} which would be worse: listening to the same song on replay for the rest of your life or having to eat the same meal everyday for the rest of your life? hands down, no questions asked, having to eat the same thing for the rest of my life would be the worst thing ever. i sometimes can listen to the same song over and over and over and i make myself stop because i don't want other people to think i'm weird. but chances are, if i didn't make myself stop, i could probably listen to the same song over and over and over again for months. truth.

{seven} name 3 things you are thankful for this season. i'm thankful for my family, as always, of course. i'm thankful for my job, a job i absolutely love, regardless of the b.s. and for the music that makes me happy...and for friends who love to enjoy music with me.

{eight} do you dye/highlight your hair? if so, do you do it yourself or have it done at the salon? i would probably be shot on sight if i tried to do my own hair. bestie would not be happy...not happy at all. besides, i don't have the patience to try and do my own hair. and i wouldn't know where to begin anyway.

{nine} would you rather watch a movie at home or at the theater? in all actuality, it depends on my mood, the movie and the company. i really like going to the theater, but sometimes it is nice to be able to relax and lay down on your couch to watch a flick. i could go either way on this.

{ten} would you rather win $1000 per week for life or $5 million all at once? i might say $1000 per week. but i think you get more money if you take the one time payment. it depends on taxes, though. and how long you live. and how good you are at budgeting and how much self control you have. chances are, if i took the one time payment, i would blow it on really useless stuff. but if i had the weekly payment, i would save and plan and budget and not be a tool with all that money. yeah, i might have to say that i'd take a weekly payment of $1000. how awesome would it be if i really was trying to make this decision in real life. real life is sometimes so boring.

11.21.2010

and then it snowed.

it's sunday and i'm at work and i'm bored. welcome to my life. usually i work with someone else, so then i am entertained...but not today. don't get me wrong, i still really, really love my job, but i can only tell these kids to not do stuff so many times before they stop listening...and we've maxed out for today. and sometimes it isn't even the kids that are dumb...sometimes they have dumb parents and guardians, but i can't tell them that...i don't undermine anyone, or at least i try not to. anyway, so now we are just staring at each other. not really. i'm typing this and they are watching tv and coloring princess pages cause i'm making them. luckily they have stopped watching spongebob, though. have i ever mentioned that i hate spongebob. well, i do. and sometimes i think that hate isn't strong enough. that's beside the point. i decided to take this time to write about some things that i've been thinking about. bear with me.
  • it snowed yesterday and today. i woke up a little later than normal today because the skies were so gray and my room didn't light up like it normally does. my bedroom window is south facing so i get a good share of sunlight during the day, which means all day. i kinda like it. but today was so gray...no sunlight. i do realize that it is nearly december, but i really wasn't ready for snow. it didn't snow much, but it stuck to the ground. welcome winter, i guess. if i have to.
  • there are so many things that i wanted to blog about this year but i was just so unmotivated for the majority of the year so i didn't get to it. specifically, i didn't blog at all about my trip to oregon to visit my cutest sister and her family. i'm kinda sad about that. i really want to blog about that visit, but i'm not sure if i should since it was over six months ago.
  • i used to take way more pictures than i do now. way, way more. i don't know why. my old camera broke and i got a new one and i fell a little out of love with taking pictures. i am still pretty mad at my old camera. we had a good run there for awhile and then it went and died. i could try and get it fixed, but i figured it wasn't worth it so i bought a new one instead. besides, i figured having the same camera repaired three times probably wasn't economical. but now i don't love my new camera as much as i loved my old one. i should work on that. i'll think about it.
  • one of my co-workers/friends is moving to cali. i hate her. i tell her all the time. i told her that she has to start a blog when she leaves. i will harass her until it happens. it's a blog that i'm pretty sure all of you would read and love. she's pretty funny. her blog would be hysterical. i will hunt her down if she doesn't start this blog when she leaves. (i know you are reading this, jw, and i'm serious...bad things will happen if you don't start a blog.) pea.ess. i don't really hate her, i only hate her for moving.
  • speaking of blogs, i have another friend that really, really needs to start a blog. we had a pretty lengthy convo about this the last time we hung out. i really need to get her started on that. it will be as funny as the above mentioned blog. and let's be honest...can't we all use some more humor in our daily lives? ladies, help us all out.
  • did i mention that it snowed? yeah. snow. winter. ugh.
  • except...i'm excited to decorate for christmas. i saw a small-ish pre-lit tree at the hobby lobby in slc awhile ago and i think i need to go and make sure it's there still. i really, really am looking forward to having a tree this year. i haven't had one for two years. that's really sad, if you think about it. luckily this year will be different. yay for changes.
  • i've decided that i'm really not crafty. i like things that are simple. i decided that i was going to make a fall wreath and i started it, but it is a tedious task. crafting is tedious. i would almost rather pay someone to do it for me. but i'm forcing myself to finish this project because my mother was so kind and helped me out and i started it so i might as well finish. augh. and i have all the parts to another craft project that was for a friend's birthday a couple of years ago...but because i don't craft, i haven't finished it. she probably doesn't even remember. maybe i can make it for christmas. hmmm...something to think about.
anyway, thanks for bearthing with me and my random thoughts. hope you have had an excellent weekend/sunday. mine has been amazing (please not the sarcasm).

that's all.

11.19.2010

fill in the blank.

{click on the picture to participate.}
1. my thanksgiving plans this year will include  a lovely little drive to sin city with my sister and her family. it will make for a good time. i was going to go by myself, but sister decided that she wanted to visit the desert, too. she kept asking me if it was okay if she "rained on my parade" and joined me and my parents in las vegas. i had to remind her that we come from a big family and the fact that only the two of us, plus her husband and kids is a very small group of people where our family is concerned. five extra people can't rain on my parade...they can only add to it. besides, i get to go see the kingston trio with my dad and mom. they are my dad's fave. i grew up on their music. it's been document on this here blog that my love of music might be attributed to them. just sayin'. i'm gonna be the youngest person there that knows all their songs. it's gonna be a blasty-blast.  

2. my favorite thanksgiving was  probably one of the many with my mom's family at my grandparent's house. we would always end up spending the weekend together playing with cousins and having sleepovers. and i always loved when my grandpa would pray. he was a man of very, very, very few words, but his thanksgiving prayers were amazing and beautiful and clearly they left an impression. i will always, always remember those and i still miss them nine years later.  

3. my signature thanksgiving dish is  still to be determined. i have never actually made any part of any actual thanksgiving meal. i guess that's the great thing about coming from a big family...and maybe being single...there are always enough aunts to cover the meal...and they rarely ask the single girl to bring anything to a meal. i kinda like it that way. i'm not even sure what i would want my signature dish to be...can't decide between a part of the meal or a dessert. hmmm.  

4. my favorite thanksgiving food is  stuffing. and for the most part, i like all stuffing, but my mom's stuffing is delicious. like, seriously amazing.  

5. thanksgiving free association:  turkey. pilgrims. indians. dinner. food. football. cranberries. parades. macy's. shopping.  

6. thanksgiving is  my second favorite holiday, falling in close behind the fourth of july.  

7. i am thankful for  everything. my family, my friends, my jobs, my ability to provide for myself, my education, my religion, my beliefs, my morals, my standards, my values, my trials, my ability to endure my trials, my country, my freedom. seriously, i am thankful for everything, and i could name everything but maybe it wouldn't sound sincere. but i am sincerely thankful for everything.  

11.15.2010

i feel great.



it's not true. i don't feel great. i actually feel like poo-poo. but i'm assuming, like all the other times i feel not so good, it will go away. if it doesn't, i suppose i would have to do something about it. but man, if only i could eat a nutrigrain bar and feel great, i would eat a whole box.

and let's not forget about babies everywhere.

oooooohhhhhhh yyyyeeeaaaaahhhhh.

that's all.

11.14.2010

recap.


in one word or phrase: inspiring.

i'm dreaming of you: snowy, wintery bliss. if it has to be cold, there might as well be snow. just sayin'.

song on repeat: gravity by sara bareilles. (i get to go and see her on wednesday. i can't wait. and cary brothers. it might be the best show ever. but aren't they all?)

gotta write it down: "as we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. you will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. you'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. you'll fight with your best friend. you'll blame a new love for things an old one did. you'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. so take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back." ~unknown

lesson learned: even though i thought something wasn't going to be interesting, i participated anyway and i turned out to be wonderfully fantastic and totally worth my time.

picture to frame:

highlight of the week: being able to see the incredibly talented dancers of the martha graham dance company with an excellent friend. even if there was an arm rest issue.

weekend to-do list: well, since i spent the weekend at work...per usual...i don't really have a to-do list. although there are plenty of things i need to work on getting done during this week. aahhh...i love my schedule.

11.13.2010

my favorite thing about today was...#2.

guess what i found out today...i will tell you...the sing-off (my most favorite show from last december) is coming back for a second season this december. i mean, psyched.

it's been well documented that i am a lover of music. what may not be quite as well documented is my love for a cappella music. and you wanna know how much i love it...i will tell you that, too...i just spent almost seventy-five minutes watching youtube videos of great a cappella music. you might think i have no life, but that is not the case...i have an awesome job and when there are no deliquents, there is time to burn watching youtube videos. boo-yah. good times.

anyway, because i feel the need to share in your lack of productivity, here are some of the best performances i found...you are welcome.

so here is the first performance of the first season...how could i not keep watching the sing-off after this? besides, who doesn't love a queen song?



this is on the rocks from the university of oregon. i saw this a couple of months ago on facebook and got a pretty good laugh out of it. today, when i saw the commercial for the second season of the sing-off, this was the song that they were performing. super excited to see what else they can do.



this group is the beelzebubs from tufts university. they were the runner-up on last season's show. i was hoping they would win, but they didn't. they were my favorite group, though. i couldn't pick just one song, so i made this little playlist...there are five performances. enjoy.



i am a huge u2 fan. this song is in my top five favorite u2 songs. this is the greatest a cappella version of this song. and at the 48 second mark, you will get chills, by the way.



so clearly, my favorite thing about today was learning about the sing-off season two. bring it on. i even had enough time to check out the groups that are going to be on this next season...incredible. highly recommend watching.

that's all.

11.12.2010

fill in the blank.

{image found here.}
1. the most spontaneous thing i've ever done was  move across the country to boston. i got a random phone call from my friend that was already living there on a thursday afternoon and three weeks later my personal belongings were on a ups truck and i was on a plane. i wanted to cry and the whole flight consisted of me freaking out and asking myself what i was doing, but i did it and i'm glad that i did.  

2. the best gift i've ever received was  and is the gift of life. duh. i mean, it's a pretty great gift. cheesy answer, i am aware, but i kinda like my life and every day is a gift. so there.  

3. a time that i was truly and genuinely surprised was  probably when my older sister told me she was pregnant with my nephew. they had struggled with fertility and had taken the adoption path and, i think, had thought they would probably not have biological children. but alas, she had my nephew and then my niece...definitely surprised.  

4. i can't leave the house without  my keys. although, i did walk out my door with out my keys last week and i locked myself out. it was super awesome. luckily, the manager was around and unlocked the door for me. i was only locked out for about ten minutes. but you can believe that i won't ever do that again. well, until i do.  

5. my favorite day of the week is  probably tuesday. it's my "saturday." my work week starts on thursday and ends on monday, so my weekend is tuesday and wednesday. it's super sucky, but it is what it is.  because     

6. something that can always make me laugh is  is my friend, teresa's, humor. she, without fail, can always make me laugh. like really, really laugh. and i got to hang out with her last week. and i'm hanging out with her again tonight. and i'm super excited about it. i can't wait.  

7. my perfect day would include  spending time with my family. good food. fun times. hanging out with my family. maybe some soda. did i mention spending time with the fam. yeah, fam.  

how about you fill in the blanks now?
happy friday.
that's all.

11.10.2010

random cma thoughts.

that's right folks...more stuff about music. not so much about music, but about the country music awards (hereto forth referred to as the cmas). because i watched them. mostly. i dvr-ed all three hours, so i was able to fast forward through the "boring" parts. the reason i can watch the cmas is because there are twice as many performances as awards, so it is bearable. and it's country music...they don't take themselves that seriously.

anyway, here is my random list of thoughts (and if you aren't a country music fan, you may not enjoy this and/or even like this...so i won't be offended if you don't read it all):
  • while i was waiting for some time to pass so i could use the fast forward button on my dvr remote (my favorite button on my remote), i was browsing the other programs on air and i ran across this show i didn't know i was pregnant and i don't buy it. at all. evidence that some people need to be kicked out of the gene pool.
  • did you know that charles kelley of lady antebellum is josh kelley's brother (who is probably most famous for being married to katherine heigl)? i didn't until tonight. i don't know why i find that interesting, but i do. at first i couldn't figure out why katherine heigl was at the cmas, but then it made sense.
this is lady antebellum.
charles is on the left.
  • kelly pickler looks ridiculous. she was so cute on american idol, but something has happened and it seems like she is trying to channel a grandma or something. it's like she had way too much plastic surgery and then she had a bad hair day. don't get me wrong...i really like her, but she was having a rough night. (i tried to find a picture, but couldn't.)
  • i have loved country music since i was in 8th grade. my friend invited me to go to a concert with her and her parents at the state fair. in the car on the way there and back, we listened to country music...and i fell in love. one summer night. anyway, ever since then, i have been a fan. the majority of my music collection is country music. every year, i look forward to watching the cmas. i have since high school. my best friend would record them and we would watch them over and over again. (we also recorded videos off of cma..the channel...but that is another story for another day.) anyway, regardless of what kind of music i am mostly interested in when the cmas roll around, i always end up falling in love with country music again and will embrace country music for a good month or so after.
  • kenny chesney is on my list of favorites. and he has this song called the boys of fall. and it's about football. i mean, swoon. it is a fantastic song... especially if you are a football fan. kenny's performance on the cmas was watched at least twice by me, maybe more...just sayin'.


  • i'm over taylor swift. i think all her songs are starting to sound the same. she is a cute girl, but it's getting old.
  • sugarland's singer, jennifer nettles, has the most annoying voice. at least to me. it is like fingernails on a chalkboard. and i've thought that since before sugarland was a duo. when they were a trio. i wonder what happened to that third member anyway. it's like she just disappeared. weird.
  • is kid rock really the detroit cowboy? cause that's what the announcer said. i mean, i like kid rock...maybe, kinda...but weren't there enough "real" country musicians available to perform at the cmas? my guess is that there were. i guess we just roll with what we get. (and did you know that kid rock boycott itunes...his music is not available there. interesting.)
  • at about this point in the show, i had to acknowledge that there were at least three live performances to every award given out. it's why i love these awards. and because of dvr, i was able to fast forward through the majority of the obnoxious speeches...because, let's be honest, it doesn't matter how big a fan you are, those speeches are obnoxious.
  • nashville not only puts out great country music, but great singer/songwriter music. remember my obsession with ten out of tenn? how could you forget...i won't let you. speaking of...i saw andrew belle in provo a couple of weeks ago. stellar show. yay, nashville.
  • blake shelton started in the country music industry with a mullet and i couldn't give him a chance...that is, until he cut the mullet off. i'm a fan. and i love that he is kind of reckless and misbehaved. kinda the bad boy of country music. i mean, why not...he did have a mullet after all?
evidence of the mullet.
  • loretta lynn rocked it with miranda lambert (i kinda like her and she is engaged to blake shelton, which i find interesting) and sheryl crow. when i heard that sheryl crow was going to be on the show, i was hoping she was going to perform with kid rock circa 2002. no such luck. she rocked it with loretta, though. i love old school country. especially the ladies of old school country.


  • so gwyneth paltrow is playing a country musician in a movie due out in january. and apparently, she acutally sings in the movie. which is a logical reason to let her perform on the cmas. believe me, i will be seeing this movie, country strong. but i'm having issue with gwyneth busting into the country scene. to me, she totally doesn't fit the mold. i just find it quirky and interesting...but i will give it to her...she can sing.

wee bit wednesdays.



{one} do you collect anything? if so, what and how long have you been collecting?
i would say the one thing that i consistently have collected over the years is music. tons and tons of music. i've been collecting it since high schoool. and i know that i probably could stop, but i love it so much. sometimes i'm so embarrassed about how much music i actually own. and it makes me giggle to see how much time it will take to listen to my full library of music in itunes. it's comical, for sure. i also collect books, but not as much as i used to. i love books, too. mostly, lately, i have been borrowing them...so, i have a collection of borrowed books...if that counts.

{two} what is one cleaning tip that you swear by?
i will share my secret-swear-by cleaning tip, but first, i must caution you...it may be hazardous for your health. only use in well ventilated areas. don't breath the fumes directly. maybe consider a mask. and maybe only use on really stubborn "stains." and probably don't use on metal.

okay, now that you have been warned, i promise this is a miraculous cleaning concoction...miraculous, i tell you. you take the works toilet bowl cleaner and squirt that on the area you need to clean. then take windex brand window cleaner and spray it on top of the toilet bowl cleaner. there will be some steaming, thus the not breathing it in. you can wipe it up pretty quickly with a wet rag or sponge and rinse. probably don't let it sit too long...who knows what it will do if it sits too long.

now, ideally, you wouldn't be doing this on a regular basis. the last time i used this mix was when i moved into my apartment and the bottom of the shower had a gross water stain from standing water...i tried everything from bon ami to magic eraser to baking soda and nothing worked...except for this mix. so, like i said...tough stains only.

{three} who would you call for bail money?
typically, i don't put myself in situations where i would need to consider whom i would call for bail money. i am guessing that if this situation ever arose, i would be with the people that would know they needed to bail me out, so i wouldn't have to call anyone. and it would probably be for punching someone, although, i haven't done that for a very long time and i don't plan on ever doing it again. i mean the punching anyone. i have never had need for someone to bail me out. never. promise. just ask my work. promise.

{four} what is one thing you miss about being a kid?
geez. only one thing. there are so many to choose from, but the one thing that has recently come up is the fact that we were out the door in the morning, riding out bikes and playing and only came home when called. and the fact that i had two instant friends in my sisters and that we really only played with each other. and we fought with each other. but i loved that we played. no video games (we got a nintendo when i was in high school and my mom always hid the paddles, so we rarely played anyway). no computers. no cell phones. no tv (we didn't get cable until i was in college). real life playing outside. a lot of kids don't get that.

{five} name a few of your guilty pleasures.
diet mt. dew. corn tortillas with cheese. reality tv. obsessively keeping track of my favorite musicians via facebook and twitter. reality tv. buying new music. oh, and reality tv.

{six} how early do you start your holiday shopping?
well, it depends. mostly i just think about it. this year i already have one gift purchased and a few more planned out. just have to decide what, if anything, to do for the kiddies.

{seven} what is a family tradition that you would like to pass on to your significant other/children?
i'm not sure if this would be considered a tradition so much as it is just something our family always did/does...we are really good at sitting around and having conversations. we don't need to be entertained by a movie or tv. we can just be entertained by each other's company. and not just my immediate family. this is something that i learned from my extended family.

i remember going to my grandparent's house (and family reunions/functions) when we were growing up and the adults sitting around the living room just chatting...or outside, weather permitting. there were whole group discussions and small group discussions. the kids were usually always off playing and occasionally we would "put on" shows for the adults. but if we wanted to we were totally welcome to sit with the adults and be present for the conversations. i remember even contributing to those conversations and a kid...maybe late elementary school or middle school. and even to this very day, the adults of my family will all gather and talk and chat and converse and the kids play, but the kids are still welcome to hang out with the adults.

i didn't realize how "rare" this is/was until i started working with the kids i work with. most of the kids i work with haven't had a real conversation with an adult in their whole lives. my co-workers and i love it when those kids come to us...we love changing their perceptions of adults and people in authoritative positions.

the ability to carry on a conversation is definitely something that is learned and i am ever so grateful to my parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles for teaching me. for teaching all of us, really, because i'm sure all my siblings and cousins have similar memories...and we've carried on the tradition...we can all sit around and converse with the best of them.

{eight} what do you consider your greatest achievement?
this is interesting, because i'm not sure if i have achieved my greatest achievement. graduating from school is up there. moving to boston on my own is on the list of great achievements. finding my dream job is a great achievement. being unselfish enough to place a baby for adoption ranks pretty high the great achievement list, too. but i'm not sure that i have had a single greatest achievement. and i'm not sure that there is just one. i think life is all about achieving. everyday is an achievement for some. getting through some days is an achievement for others. i believe that my greatest achievement will be living life to the fullest and setting goals and achieving them and being a good person and friend and sister and wife and mother and daughter. because if we achieve greatness for just one thing, then what is the purpose of living every day to the fullest? for, there are many things that we do on a daily basis that can be considered great achievements and just participating in life to the fullest is going to be my greatest achievement. or something like that.

{nine} what do you do to pamper yourself?
pedicures. can't do without the pedis. and on occasion, i splurge and get myself the greatest facial this side of the mississippi. if you are in the market, you should check it out here. just ask for mary.

{ten} if you were to start your own restaurant, what would it be called?
my bestie and i talked about opening a little cafe. it was going to be just the stuff that we cooked and loved. but i'm not sure if we ever thought of a name for it. maybe something along the lines of kitchen. either something kitchen or kitchen something. since everything was going to be from our kitchens.

anyway. that's all.

11.08.2010

i'm afraid to say it.

{image from here.}
...but winter might be well on its way. when i woke up this morning it was raining. you don't know how much i wished it would just keep raining until march. no such luck...when i walked out my door a couple of hours later the snow had already started to fall. winter is upon us.

and i like winter. i like a lot of things about winter. but i'm not super stoked for winter this year. wanna know why? i'll tell you...no garage. the one downfall of moving out of the house.

it's all good, though. i will try my hardest to embrace it. and i will try not to complain too much about having no garage.

happy monday.

11.05.2010

fill in the blank.

{image from here.}

1. my last haircut was  a week and a half ago. my bestie does my hair and she is fantastic. she is fantastic to the point that if you want to get in to her, you have to book about two months in advance. i was stupid and didn't schedule an appointment in advance. because she is my bestie, she made some changes and was able to fit me in for a cut. but just a cut. i usually get a cut and color. i was pretty sad...until the day of. someone had the audacity to not show up for their appointment, so she fit me in early and was able to cut and color my hair. she is the best bestie.  

2. my most daring hair moment was  cutting it nearly off just days before i moved across the country to boston. i had had long hair since middle school and had been continually growing it out since middle school. i was concerned that my naturally curly locks wouldn't take kindly to the humidity of boston so i decided to chop it off. not sure it was a wise move, but it worked out.  

3. a hairstyle i'd never be brave enough to try  is short hair. my sisters rock it beautifully, but i'm not sure that short hair is for me. or if i could actually figure out how to rock it. it would be more work than i am willing to put in. and that's not saying that my current hair-do isn't a pain in the butt. i just think short hair would be a train wreck on me.  

4. i've always dreamed of being a  red head. i know, it's not every day that someone admits that, but i usually love red hair and would love to be a red head. but a pretty red, more like auburn.  

5. my go to hair-do is  pulled up. usually in a loose bun. but lately, i mostly just wear it down. i've found the perfect products to make my curls curl fantastically and so i'm sporting the curly locks.  

6. my biggest hair disaster was  probably when i used sun-in in high school. wasn't that almost everyone's hair disaster? i'm pretty sure it was. that stuff was so gross. it smelled so bad, like rotting fish, but i insistently put it in my hair on a fairly regular basis in high school. not super smart.  

7. a hairstyle i am dying to try is  ...well, i'm not really sure. i don't think there is anything i'm dying to try. i wish i knew how to do cute braids and how to use barrettes and bobby pins and the likes. maybe that's what i'm dying to try...just doing different stuff with what i have.  

8. my best hair day was  this one day after i got my hair cut and colored, my bestie decided to put some loose curls in my hair with a flat iron. the combination of the product that she used, my normal curls and the loose curls she put in my hair, it was the greatest hair-do. to this day we haven't been able to recreate that one...so sad.  

9. the worst hairstyle i've ever had was  the short hair i had in second grade. at least it seemed bad in my school pictures. i had a very tender head when i was a kid and my mom hated brushing my hair, so shortly before kindergarten, she had all my blonde, blonde curls cut off. i had short boy hair all through elementary. i hated it. literally hated it. that's why i grew it out in middle school.  

10. my hair is  naturally curly. i really haven't loved having curly hair until the last few months. i have embraced it and i really love, love, love my curls now.  

11.04.2010

five question friday.


1. if you could have any talent and turn it into an occupation, what would it be?
without a doubt-no questions asked-i didn't even have to think about this twice, i would play an instrument and be a touring musician. but not a big-time musician...just a low-key, clubs and bars musician. like the musicians i go and see. oh, it would be so lovely. such a dream. a friend and i actually had this conversation on monday. man. if only.

2. would you rather have a house at the beach or a cabin in the woods?
what if i want both? no? okay. i would choose a mountain house near a lake. does that count? i'm sure it does. i love, love, love the mountains, but it would be nice to be near water, too. and i love the ocean, but a lake would fit me better.

3. is there any meaning or reasoning for the names you chose for your child/children?
yep. all of them. special, special meaning. i can't share. too special. jk. hahaha.

4. what is your guilty pleasure?
tv. mostly reality tv. but i really have been enjoying reruns of friends lately.

5. do you live in a house that is deep cleaned or straightened?
well, mostly it is just straightened, but i definitely deep clean on a semi-regular basis. i grew up in a home where we cleaned/deep cleaned on a weekly basis and i'm so very grateful for that. i'm not as consistent as my mother was, but i try.