11.30.2011

currently.

just in case you were wondering...
currently, i am:

obsessing over: oh-so-many things, to be honest. the top three, in no particular order, are christmas music, trader joe's and crafting. i love christmas music as much as i can love any kind of music. and i like all different kinds. well, not all different kinds...mostly, i love the classics and variations of the classics. i can enjoy an original christmas song here or there, but definitely i have an affinity for the classics. my favorite secular classic is have yourself a merry little christmas. it reminds me of my baby sister cause meet me in st. louis is one of her favorite movies. i've been listening to this song the most...along with michael bublé's whole new album.

for thanksgiving i went to las vegas. everyone but my baby sister and her family were there. we missed her...of course. that's beside the point, though. every time we venture to vegas, we always make plans to go to trader joe's, but we never get around to it. well, this time we did and i'm not lying...i will now consider moving out of state just to be near a trader joe's. i haven't been able to talk myself into opening my purchases because then i will eat them and then they will go away. trader joe's does not disappoint...not at all. and i can guarantee you...we will be hitting trader joe's every time we go to vegas...mark my words.

i made special thanksgiving name cards (which was a joke, and i was tempted to toss them when i was done because they seemed lame to me once they were finished...but i didn't and they got used) for thanksgiving dinner. i also made pilgrim and indian finger puppets for the kids (which also turned into a joke and if the kids hadn't known about them, i would have tossed them mid project, but i didn't want to disappoint the kiddies). and i made some turkey treat bags. the point is, i had fun (even when things went ridiculously awry) making all of these things. i liked the feeling of accomplishment. and the past few days, i have enjoyed finding new little projects to embark upon. i am going to teach myself to crochet via an internet tutorial. i'm going to be making christmas gifts for all my nieces (ambitious...yes...impossible...no). and i'm trying to find something to make for all my nephews (if you have any ideas, let me know). and after christmas, i have even more ideas. it's like i can't even shut it off...i blame pinterest.

working on: craft projects. at this point, they are just jumbled ideas in my head. i need to get them written and formulate a plan of execution. i love it when a plan comes together.

thinking about: what kind of cold this cold that i'm getting is going to be. i feel like there might be a dry cough involved. those are my least favorite kinds of coughs...as if i have a favorite kind. i also can't tell how much worse it is going to get. it got pretty gross and so today i called in sick. i love paid sick leave...but i hate that i feel guilty when i have to use it. is that normal? probably not.

anticipating: christmas. i'm excited to decorate. it's my favorite. and i love that i don't have too many projects to finish this year because i finished them all last year. just a few more things to add...including a new wreath. it's going to be amazing.

listening to: dizzying amounts of christmas music...but 'tis the season. it's totally acceptable.

drinking: water. a little soda. but mostly water. after my excessive soda intake last week, i have had to lay off. it was insane. but it was thanksgiving...and i was thankful for the soda.

wishing: that i wasn't freaking sick. i hate being sick. here is to hoping that it passes quickly and without much pain and discomfort...i mean, a girl can always hope.

what about you?
what's going on with you?


that's all.

11.06.2011

fill in the blank.

i'm aware it is not friday...it is sunday. and i am at work. and i am bored. and i haven't filled in the blanks for a long time...so here you go. enjoy. and happy sunday.

{you can play along here.}
1. my favorite thing about this week was/is  dressing up for halloween. it has been a long time since i have done that. we had a costume contest at work and it was really fun to see everyone get into the spirit of halloween...especially after all the crap we have been through the last couple of years. btw...i was a rainbow. i have pictures that i am contemplating posting. stay tuned.  

2. colder weather makes me   excited to bundle up. i love bundling up. and i actually really do like cold weather. i would much rather be cold than hot. plus, colder weather means holidays...and who doesn't love the holidays?  

3. three things that make me terribly happy as of late are  early bedtimes...normally, i am a night owl, but i am trying to reform my unhealthy ways and i have been able to get to bed before midnight at least three times this week...yay. co-workers...this week i have had some great shifts at work and it is directly attributed to my awesome co-workers. gotta love 'em. crafting...my craftiness went by the wayside during the summer, but this past week it has come back full force. i have so many ideas and projects planned. i'm pretty excited about all of them.  

4. if i could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, i'd choose  flip flops. oh how i heart flip flops. but since i live where there are four seasons and snow, i would have to choose flats of some sort...maybe some toms.  

5. my personality type is  entj. i have no idea what it really means...a co-worker had us all take a quiz because he thought it would be fun. we all took it, but that was about it. i know it is extroverted, intuitive, thinking, judging. i guess i am all of those things. yep. okay.  

6. i have a serious problem resisting  chocolate and candy and sugar and sweets. it's a bad, bad thing. but this coming year, i am going to commit to cutting refined sugar out of my diet. it will definitely be a challenge.  

7. my favorite color to wear is  brown. but i really like grey. and green. and denim. because i wear jeans every day. because i'm boring.  

what is your personality type?
you can find out here if you don't know.
did you do anything fun this snowy weekend?

that's all.

10.24.2011

let it be written.

{image found here.}

i used to be a really good writer. and i don't mean that my writing was good...i just mean that i was good about writing regularly. i kept a journal and wrote in it everyday. and i pretty consistently wrote on this blog back in the day. but in the last year or so, i have found that i almost can't be bothered with writing. and i hate that i feel that way.

i made a resolution this past week to try and write more often. and i decided that i couldn't overwhelm myself by writing in my journal and on my blog, so i chose the journal (sorry). and i've done pretty well. i think that i missed one or two days. and i'm not going to lie, writing this week was quite therapeutic. setting the goal couldn't have come at a better time.

some things happened at work this week that could have made me super bitter and angry and a mess. but because i was able to write down my feelings about what had happened and what it all meant, i was able to process the feelings, come up with some resolutions (albeit, not the resolution that i wanted and/or desired...all the same, though) and then let the anger and frustration go. don't get me wrong, i'm still annoyed by what happened. but i have been able to find the positive in the situation and i would attribute that to the writing that i did.

i am hoping that writing everyday will help me evaluate some other struggles and situations in my life and that it will shed light on what i can do to make the struggles go away. and hopefully soon, writing in the journal will turn into writing on the blog. i'm not saying that it will, but it definitely is my hope.

are you a journal keeper?
do you have any stories to tell?


that's all.

9.18.2011

fill in the blank.

well, it's been awhile. a long, long while. and i'm not even sorry about it. i just didn't have anything to say. i mean, there was stuff going on and all that jazz, but i didn't want to take the time to write about it. and i could promise a slew of posts to catch you all up, but it would just be a lie...because we all know there are several posts that were promised last year that still have shown up. just know that i have had a fantastic august/september. it's been busy, too. but just busy enough to still enjoy it all. the next couple of weeks are pretty full, too. and i'm liking it. and i'll post what i post. and what i don't post...well, it'll be a mystery to you. in the meantime, here is a good, old standby. check ya later.


you can play along here.

1. you should always take time to  value a friendship. i spent some time this week with some of my dear girlfriends and i was reminded how lucky i am to call them my friends. they are beautiful and funny and fun and talented and they are my friends. and i am very lucky. so very lucky.  

2.   nieces and nephews  make(s) the world a happier place to be.   my eleven-year-old nephew got a cell phone this weekend and last night we spent some time texting. then he sent me pictures that he had taken with his phone...some of random things and one of his younger sister. i laughed so hard. they are adorable and funny and i'm so proud to be their aunt. and i'm pretty excited about this new texting relationship my nephew and i are going to have. it should be highly entertaining. love that kid so much...it'll be amazing.  

3. i can hardly wait for  my bestie's wedding. it's two weeks away and the anticipation is killing us. it's going to be the biggest party since the last ranch wedding and i can't wait. and i'm excited for our friends to have the ranch wedding experience since they missed the last one. they have no idea what kind of fun they are in for. good time for all, that is for sure.  

4.   generally, thursday  is my favorite day of the week.   but sometimes it isn't. before i had my full-time job, thursdays were my favorite and i like to think they still are, but now they are the monday of my work week. not so great. the only good thing is that it isn't a real monday so everyone else is in a good mood...cause it's almost their weekend. oh my life. what do you do?  

5. something totally dumb and ridiculous that i love is  the mtv show, jersey shore. i hate that i watch it but it is like i can't stop myself. it's totally compulsive...it just happens. and it is the dumbest and grossest show, but i still watch. it's such a train wreck, it's like you have to watch.  

6. if i could, i would  move to new york. manhattan, specifically. it is such a dream of mine. one that probably won't come true. and i'm okay with it...but everyone should know that if the opportunity arises, i'm out. no questions, no warning...i'm out.  

7. i rather like  lmfao's song, party rock anthem. this last month at work, we have had a plethora of teenage girls and they really like "dance" music. and this one has made the rounds. and i really do rather like it. don't judge.  

what totally dumb and ridiculous thing are you loving these days?
anything exciting coming up in your near future?


that's all.

8.20.2011

he ate octopus.

about a week and a half ago, i spent the day with my eight-year-old nephew, jesse. i told him that we could do whatever he wanted. he decided that he wanted to go and see the smurfs movie. (it was a lame movie, but he loved it and that was all that mattered.)

awhile before our day out, i asked jesse if he wanted to go to dinner and he said that he did. and since he is the coolest eight-year-old i know, i asked him if he wanted to go to sushi and he did. we went to this little joint in a little town just south of the point of the mountain. jesse was introduced to sushi at a fancy little place by where he lives. the sushi there is amazing and so i was a little hesitant about taking him to a new sushi place. but it turned out to be quite an adventure...and i have pictures to prove it.

while we were perusing the menu, jesse saw that they had tako sashimi on the menu. yes, octopus. and he was insistent on getting the octopus. i knew that sashimi probably wasn't the best idea, so i talked him into tako nigiri. i told him he could get it, but he had to eat it. all of it. he said he would. this is the tako nigiri...so gross.

one piece down. he ate it like a champ. and he even liked the flavor. but he said it was too chewy so he wouldn't get it again. after he finished his two pieces, he said he was full. i asked him if he was sure because he barely at any of the sushi rolls. he said that he was. he then informed me that he could feel the tentacles sucking to the inside of his stomach. i think that he over thought the octopus and lost his appetite. hilarious. but i was super proud of him for trying it.

don't worry, we didn't eat it all. jesse only had a few pieces before the octopus attacked his stomach. it was way delish, though. i heart sushi.

and of course, the obligatory self-portrait. i love this kid. to pieces.

it was a super fantastic day and i loved spending it with jesse. he cracks me up. at one point, i about lost it i was laughing so hard. i wish i could remember what he said, but it was funny. super, duper funny. can't wait to spend the day with him again. we must do it soon.

do you love sushi?
are you adventurous when you order sushi?


that's all.

8.19.2011

random afternoon.

a few weeks ago, my friend blew out her knee playing softball. she is a hairstylist which requires her to be on her feet all day. because of the blown out knee, she has been forced to take some time off of work. a couple of tuesdays ago...my regular day off and her forced day off...we decided to have an adventure and we hung out. it was almost like we were in high school again and playing hookie. it ended up being one of the best days i've had in a long time. and all we did was went to lunch, a movie and to her parents house. i took pictures along the way...so i decided to share them with you.

sara, my friend, is getting married in a couple of months and her fiance just so happens to be a chef at a local restaurant. and he is a fantastic chef at that. on our adventure, ted (the fiance/chef), offered to make us lunch. it was the most delicious lunch ever. sara's fiance is a genius. it is grilled halibut on a bed of jasmine rice with asparagus covered with pineapple salsa. to.die.for. i'd kill to eat it again. for real.


after lunch, we went and saw crazy, stupid, love. it was super awesome.
i love, love, loved it.

when the movie was over, we went to sara's house because she needed help ordering photos from costco. as i previously mentioned, sara is getting married this fall and she needed to order photos for their announcements. while we were ordering the photos, sara mentioned that her brother needed help, or rather, a ride. he had to take his car to get fixed and needed a ride back to their parent's home. i was down with helping out because, you see, their parent's home is on a ranch. the ranch that is also known as my favorite vacation destination.

like i said, sara is getting married this fall. she is going to successfully top her brother's wedding...which was dubbed the best wedding in the world ever. i promise you will hear about it. but taking a trip to the ranch was a perfect opportunity for us to take some photos of the wedding venue and such.

this is one of the amazing views at the ranch. i just can't get enough of this place. i can't wait for the wedding.

the drive into the ranch. i don't know why, but it is magical to me.

the ranch dogs are hilarious. the corgi is ruby and the other one is nelly belle. she was born this spring. they get so excited when people show up. it took them awhile to calm down. especially nelly belle.

ruby is sara's mom's dog. she is so funny looking to me. have you ever seen a corgi in real life? they are hilarious. i love their tiny, little legs.

nelly belle is darling. she is sara's dad's dog. i love nelly belle's mom and her grandma. they are the greatest ranch dogs. if i could own a dog, i would probably take one of nelly belle's relatives. i'm not kidding, they are the best dogs. i'll tell you all about them if you want. i could go on and on.

she's such a puppy. she was trying to chew on everything.

even sara's brace. oh...poor sara's knee/leg.

this is a view of the yard. can't you see why i love it so? it's just too darling. chicken coop and all.

i'm not joking. this place is magic.

while we were touring the ranch and the "wedding venue" we even checked out the chickens. i mean, can this place be more adorable.

one last view of the entrance.

yep. it was one of the best days. i wish i would have taken a picture of dinner. sara's brother made us bagel dogs...the kind you get from schwan's. i'd never had one, but it was delicious. and the best part is that her brother actually talked to us. back in the day...when he was a big, bad cowboy...ridin' the circuit...he would barely say two words to us. but now that he is all grown up...and learning to fly a-10 warthogs for the airforce (click on the link...it is pretty cool)...he is a conversationalist. well, considering. i mean, he is pretty cool now. cooler than when he was a cowboy...hahaha. anyway, i seriously can't wait for the wedding. it is going to be to die for amazing. you just mark my words.

what have you been up to?
anything super exciting like visiting ranches?

that's all.

8.05.2011

fill in the blank.

yay for friday. not that it means much to me, but i will celebrate for all of you that have "normal" work weeks. friday is technically my tuesday. monday is my friday. how ironic is that? yeah, it sucks royally. but such is my life. any-who...happy friday. i hope you have fun plans for the weekend. i'll be at work. but i will enjoy it, so don't feel bad for me. i had a fantastic week, so i can't complain. more on that in a later post. hopefully tomorrow. but don't hold your breath.


image found here. play along.

1. my go to outfit for a dress-up occasion like a wedding is  whatever is most appropriate. i have dresses. skirts. slacks. it really just depends on the event.  

2. this week has been  pretty great. i had a fantastic couple of days off. i will write about it at a later date. but it really was great. i got to spend time with a friend that i hadn't spent time with in a really long time and we had a great day. i really enjoyed it and wish more days were that entertaining. i promise, i will fill you in.  

3. when it's dinnertime and i'm feeling lazy i'll usually eat  a bowl of rice chex or corn flakes. or sometimes, i just warm up corn tortillas and eat them with salsa. that is when i am feeling extra lazy. cereal is for when i feel like eating something warm will be too much.  

4. my favorite pair of shoes is  is any pair of flip flops. yeah, that is what i am going with. flip flops. love 'em.  

5. a random item that i own that is completely unnecessary, but that i could never part with is  a pair of "shit kickers." they are mucking boots...worn to muck corrals. i bought them when i worked for a private girls home that used equine therapy. everyday we would have to take the girls out to muck the corrals. twice a day. and generally, as staff, we didn't have to muck with the girls, but we had to walk through the fields and it just seemed appropriate to have a pair of mucking boots. in the years that followed that employment, i used those boots to shovel snow...they were fantastic because they are pretty tall (taller than my snow boots) and super easy to slip on and off. i'm not sure why i can't part with them...because i currently don't have to shovel snow or muck stalls. but you never know when i will need a pair of work boots.  

6. my favorite person is  ...seriously...you want me to name just one person. i can't do it. i won't do it. i like too many people. and i like them for different reasons...so they are all my favorites. so there.  

7. if i were going to write my own blank, it would say  "i always laugh when..."  

how has your week been?
what random item do you own?


that's all.

8.01.2011

the first of the month.

whenever a new month rolls around, i always think of this bone thugs-n-harmony song. it reminds me of my freshman year of college and the summer that followed. and you best believe that we literally did sing this on the first of the month...every month. we were annoying. (be warned...they don't use the best language...rappers.)


i can't believe it is august. this summer is flying by. enjoy it while you can.

happy august.

that's all.

7.30.2011

because they are great.

i have a confession. it's not the juicy kind of confession. just a simple confession. here it goes...

growing up, i had issues with cold cereal. i didn't love cereal, but i would eat it because it's what we had for breakfast. and when i did eat it, there were rules to how i ate my cereal. and when i say there were rules, really it was just one rule...don't pour the milk too early. the grossest thing to me in all the world is soggy cereal...soggy food, in general. so gross. i discovered early on that there are certain cereals that withstand the addition of milk much better than others. and so i adapted and would eat those cereals that were less susceptible to the milk and sogginess. it was hard being a kid.

because of this aversion to soggy cereal, i steered right clear of all cereals that were of the flake variety. this included raisin bran, corn flakes, wheaties and frosted flakes.  and to be honest, it never bothered me. and i never really tried to overcome the aversion. as i became an adult, i would occasionally try a bowl of raisin bran here or there, but never really fully embraced raisin bran.

my issue with sogginess still exists today, but i am better able to deal with the aversion. i pull soggy bread off of sandwiches. i won't eat a soggy bowl of cereal and i won't make a big deal about it. bread bowls are of grossest thing ever invented. i just won't eat something on my plate if i feel the soggy factor is too great. it's not a big deal. and for the most part, i don't think anyone really knows how gross i think soggy food is...and that's okay.

well, here is the confession...i've overcome my aversion to flake cereals...flosted flakes to be specific. and now, i am a little (read a lot) obsessed with frosted flakes. i love frosted flakes. and it makes me sad that i missed out on the greatness of frosted flakes all these years.

one day at work i was hungry and the only thing that we had was a bag of frosted flakes. i decided to eat them. and i was in love. almost everyday since then, i have had a bowl of frosted flakes at work. and yesterday, i even went and bought my own box of frosted flakes to have at home...for my days off of work.

tony the tiger is not a liar...

frosted flakes...they're grrrrreat.

do you love frosted flakes?
does soggy food gross you out?


that's all.


7.28.2011

fill in the blank.

how about this...a day early. you sure are lucky. happy friday. have a super weekend. and remember me...at work...working with the delinquents. don't be sad...i signed up for it.


play along here.

1. my favorite color is  ...well, it changes. i know that's not right, but it is what it is. growing up, i loved purple. but i don't love purple anymore. i'm not sure i had a favorite color in high school/college. i really, really like green. mostly the kelly/grass variety of greens. i also like brown. but lately, i have been in love with grey. all things grey. decor, weddings, clothes...grey is my "it" color right now. but, like i said, that will change.  

2. my travel destination of choice is  not a specific location. i used to joke that my friend's parent's ranch used to be my favorite vacation destination...and it is...but i also love to travel to where my family is. my last family vacation to southern cali was amazing. and i love going to see my parents in vegas. last year, my vacation to portland was good times. and phoenix, despite it being bloody hot, is pretty nice. and hopefully i will be traveling to seattle, too. and i will continue to make a plethora of trips to the salt lake valley. i like to vacation with the fam, so wherever they are, there i go. it's easiest that way.  

3. my favorite food is  mexican food. i love a good taco. the corn tortilla kind. they are my favoritest. but generally, give me mexican and i'm good.  

4. my happy place is  anywhere with my family. i don't think an explanation is necessary.  

5. my favorite saying is  "remember, you are not raising an inconvenience. you are raising a human being." (kittie frantz). i work in youth corrections and it is always shocking to me...although, maybe it shouldn't be...how many parents act completely inconvenienced by their children. the children they raised...the children that learned from their examples. it will never stop surprising me because it is so irrational to me that parents act that way.  

6. my dirty little secret is  that i don't think i have dirty little secrets. i have secrets. but i don't consider them dirty. i mean, i don't need everyone to know everything about me...right? right. but a secret that i don't openly share is that i'm pretty excited for the new season of jersey shore. stop judging me.  

7. something friends might say about me is that i  ...uhhh...i have no idea. maybe you should ask my friends.  

what is your happy place?
do you have dirty little secrets?

that's all.

lost art.

you wanna know what i miss? i will tell you. i miss mail. paper mail. mail that is delivered by a mailman. to your mailbox. mail that is not bills. or junk. just good old fashioned letters from friends or family sent via the united states postal service. mail.

and i didn't even realize i missed mail until today. i pretty much only get junk mail, bills and magazines, so today i was surprised by a lovely, little green envelope in my mailbox.

i wasn't super surprised to receive this little green envelope, but it was unexpected. but only unexpected because we live in a time where the art of handwritten correspondence is lost.

the little green envelope contained a lovely thank you note from a dear and darling friend. and this friend could have just as easily written an email and said the same thing. even a text, to be honest. and i would have known that she was sincerely thankful...because she is a lovely, genuine, thankful person. but getting the little green envelope with the thank you note meant even more than i can fully express.

taking the time to find a card, hand write a message, put it in an envelope, address the envelope (with two addresses...the to and return), put a stamp on it and find a box to drop it takes a little doing. and so, the fact that this friend did this makes my heart smile.

this simple act of sending a thank you card made me so happy. and it made me think...would the world be a different place if we all received little green envelopes in the mail on a more regular basis? maybe. maybe not. but i like to think yes.

and so today i had a thought...i'm going to start sending real mail. via the united states postal service. again.

you see, i used to send mail all the time. i have a huge box full of stationary and cards. but i haven't had use for said box in recent years. until now. if you want real mail, let me know...send me your address...i'll send you something. promise. and maybe, i'll send you something when you least expect it.

and it will make your heart smile.

do you send hand-written correspondence?
when did you last receive real mail?


that's all.

7.24.2011

some photos.

i realize it's been awhile since i've shared some photos, so this is going to be a photo heavy post...as in all photos.

i mentioned previously, my camera did not go on vacation with me. speaking of my camera...i found out that it is not worth it to fix it...i am in the market for a new camera...blah. i wish i could afford what i really, really wanted. anyway, because the camera didn't make it on vacation, the only photography equipment i had was my phone. and i think it takes great photos, i just forgot to take many. on the last day, i took a bunch of photos and now i will share them with you.

some of the fam on the train with the kiddies. i passed. as did laurie.

malcolm and lillie waiting for a ride.
along with some lady that clearly was looking at me...but i can't prove it.

logan having his umpteenth breakdown of the day.
he is an emotional kid. sometimes funny...sometimes not.

the three musketeers.
i love that these three love each other so much.
and i love watching their relationships evolve as they get older.

all seven of the grandkids that were with us.
they are so stinking cute...everyone of them.
my favorite is adam holding taylor.
and interestingly enough, this is only half of the grandkids.

there were snails all over the place where we stayed.
kaylie was on a mission to save a couple.

and all the kids wanted in.

she saved them from the sidewalk and moved them to the garden area.
where they couldn't get stepped on.

kristen and lillie.
lillie was being a little grouchy, but it was early...and the last day.
to be expected.

i love the randomness of this picture.
grandpa holding taylor, grandma, kaylie and malcolm.
what a fam.

my dad insisted that i take a picture of him grilling.
he is funny.

my dad said i should count to three and then take a picture.
this is what he pulled at three.
what a silly guy.

my mom's face is my favorite in this picture.
like a giggly school girl.

and a regular picture of the 'rents.

malcolm wanted his picture taken.
but he insisted that i take it while he was doing this.
whatevs, buddy.
he's still cute.

this is the view up the canyon from our patio.
i get why people love southern cali now.
it's so pretty.

this is the view from our back patio towards the ocean.
it was pretty cloudy on our last day there.
mostly it was sunny, though.

and this is the view across the canyon...with the ginormous houses.

another view out to the ocean.
even with the clouds, it was pretty fantastic.

a fancy picture of the main buildings at the resort...i was just sitting in the car.
just taking pictures.

like this one...bored in the back seat.
i also like to point out that my dad likes to cheat and park in handicap parking using my brother's placard when there isn't any parking available.
i guess that is the benefit.

and finally...happy lillie.
this was at my parent's house...nearly half way home.

anyway...that was the family vay-cay almost two months ago.
better late than never.

that's all.

random.

a couple of weeks ago, when i was at my sister's house, we were getting ready to watch so you think you can dance and my niece, lillie, was dancing for us. somehow we started talking about my sister, laurie, and how she teaches dance lessons. and so lillie started talking about laurie, too. i couldn't help but record it...and i love the transition of subjects half way through. love this girl...so, so much.


for those of you that don't know...taylor is lillie's littlest girl cousin (for now). and she is a wild child, always on the go...so when lillie says that she helps her get up and watches where she goes...that's what we all do with taylor...on the go, constantly. so funny.

that's all.

we have cats.

my work is located kind of in the middle of nowhere. there are a couple of businesses near by and even a couple of homes, but for the most part we are surrounded by fields. occasionally we see cats, but they mostly leave us alone. and by us, i mean the facility. in reality, the animal we see the most are mice. and they are gross. but that all changed a couple of weeks ago.

one day when i got to work, my co-worker was telling me about a cat that showed up at our back door and started whining. my co-worker promptly opened the door and the cat snuggled right up to him. this cat desired some human affection. it has been determined since this cat's arrival that it was kindly dropped off. the cat was way too friendly and clean to not have been someone's cat. this made us all a little sad for the cat and so we fed it. you know what happens when you feed a cat? it comes back. and it stays. and generally, i think we are okay with it. we have had to set some ground rules...the cat can't come inside anymore. it is officially an outdoor cat. because we have mice and the cat needs to learn how to kill the mice. don't you think? that's what i thought.

it is actually pretty funny to have a cat. the kids that are here long term take to caring for the cat and they make sure that it gets fed everyday and sometimes they need that kind of responsibility in their life. plus, it spices things up for them.

this last week i was at a training, so i wasn't around the facility. when i got back to work at the facility, i was surprised that the cat was still there. i really didn't think the cat really would stick around. and i was even more surprised to find out we have another cat. yep. we now have two cats. or rather, we have a cat and a darling smoky grey kitty. it is my favorite. i don't love the cat, but i might love the kitty. the best is that the cat an the kitty really aren't friends. but they tolerate each other. it makes me wonder how the kitty got here.

i'm aware this is pointless, not exciting information, but i'm at work and i'm bored and i need to blog more so i shared. get over it.

i'll keep you posted on the facility pets. too bad i don't have pictures to share...no cameras allowed.

do you like cats?
do you want our cats?


that's all.

7.23.2011

suspended.

on friday i went grocery shopping. it is my least favorite thing to do. but this particular trip was deemed the best grocery shopping trip ever after i caught a glimpse of this:


i know it is hard to tell in the photo so let me explain...this is a man and a woman. i'm assuming they are married. they seemed married. which makes the matching dickies, blue t-shirts and black suspenders adorable. and amazing. yes, they have matching outfits. matching. i couldn't even stop smiling because it was so awesome. i'm sad i couldn't get a better picture of the suspenders, but i was being way too obvious, so i had to stop. before i died laughing.

i'm not sure why they had matching outfits. i couldn't quite grasp why the woman had suspenders...or, quite frankly, why she was wearing exactly what her husband was wearing. the only thing i could think the whole time i watched them was whose idea it was to match.

what do you think about matching suspenders?
whose idea do you think it was?
do you want to tell the story?


that's all.

fill in the blank.

yep, i did it again. i waited until after friday to post this friday post. what ya gonna do. it's been a crazy week with work. i had a training wednesday, thursday and friday that threw off my whole schedule. it was a great training and i didn't want to gauge my eyes out the whole time. that is the test of a good training. plus, i found the information valuable. it was a domestic violence training, so i'm all about it now. just so you know. i'm now at work and i work tomorrow and then off until three on thursday...can't wait. i'm going to spend some time with the sister/fam for the week. don't be jealous. anyway...enjoy. and have a happy 24th. go mormons.

play along here...it doesn't matter if it's not friday.

1. one of my happiest moments ever was  probably when my oldest nephew was born...it was so exciting to have a new member of the family. i have subsequently felt the same with the birth of each of my nieces and nephews. they are so great and we are lucky to have them all in our family...that they make up our family.  

2. summer is wedding season and weddings are  a lot of work. and they can be beautiful and festive and fun. but still, a lot of work. that's why i'm not a wedding planner.  

3. this summer  has been quite enjoyable. i've loved having vacations and spending time with my family. and i always love not having my second job. i love that i have time to do what i want to do when i want to do it. and there is more of that to come...road trip to vegas in a month. love a good road trip and this one will rock.  

4. my summer food of choice has been  berries and salad. i can't get enough strawberries. i've also been loving cherries. l-o-v-i-n-g them. too bad they are so expensive at the grocery store...i need to find a good produce stand/farmer's market.  

5. my summer uniform has been  the same as the rest of the year...dress codes rock. well, minus jackets, sweaters and hoodies.  

6. if i could spend the entire summer in one location i would choose  anywhere fun. southern cali wouldn't be a bad place. maybe a mountain lake. somewhere with family. i'm game for whatevs.  

7. my summer anthem is  a song that changes every summer. i don't have just one anthem. usually, i pick a song that has something to do with something that i've done. but this year, it is still yet to be determined. it might end up being an avett brothers song. or a tfdi song. or a milk carton kids song. i guess we will see what song is the anthem of this summer when it is over.  

how's your summer?
do you have a summer anthem?

that's all.

7.18.2011

can't lose.

i love the tv series friday night lights. last friday, nbc aired the final episode of fnl. i'm not sure why this show didn't catch on, but it didn't. but those that did watch it loved it. i loved it. love it. today, i read an article about the lessons and virtues taught by this show and i couldn't have agreed more. it has been a long time since there has been a show that taught family values and responsibility and being a good person, regardless of what life hands you. this show was remarkable in that way. i will definitely miss it. but rest assured, i will always watch old episodes...texas forever. clear eyes, full hearts...

and then there is this video...for when i need to be encouraged...


did you watch friday night lights?
were you a fan?


that's all.

7.17.2011

fill in the blank.

it's true...i'm aware it is sunday. but sunday is fun-day and i had fun doing this. so there.


you can play along here.

1. i am a (morning, evening, middle of the day)  night  person.  and mostly i hate it. i wish i was a morning person, but i'm not. and not matter how hard i train myself, i just can't do it. it is the most difficult thing for me to do. even if i go to bed early, i can't force myself out of bed anytime before nine am. it is a little bit ridiculous. but i have been especially working on it as of late.  

2. my favorite pandora stations are  generally obscure, independent artist stations. a lot of times, i find new artists when i listen to pandora. once, a friend at work was listening to a latin station and we heard this really fantastic song and so we looked up the artist and it turns out, they are one of my favorite bands. i have no clue what they sing about, but i love their sound.  

3. three of my must-have songs for a road trip playlist are  (one) born to run by springsteen. (two) on the road again by willie nelson. (three) born to be wild by steppenwolf. that was the easiest time i have ever had picking any songs for anything. these really must be must-haves. funny.  

4. my favorite pattern is  i don't think that i have ever consciously thought about my favorite pattern. i like subtle patterns, mostly. i do like stripes a lot. and checks. and gingham. i don't like floral. they are too grandma-y. i know that isn't nice, but it's true.  

5. my favorite perfume is (or was)  yohji by yohji yamamoto. when i lived in boston, my roommate had it and every chance i got i borrowed it. it was so different. it was musky, but fresh. weird, i know. i loved it. and they don't make it anymore. it makes me sad. i can't even fully remember how it smells, i just know i was in love with it.  

6. rules are  pretty important, for the most part. i work in an industry where i am regularly promoting the importance of rules and enforcing the set rules we have in our facility. i work with a segment of the population that struggles with rule following. i don't have a hard time following rules, but when i was younger, i was the person that liked to be the example of what not to do. thankfully, i am not that now. but it makes it easier to work with the kids i work with, that is for sure.  

7. my most overused phrase or punctuation is  clearly. i use that word all the time. i have started to use variations such as apparently, evidently or obviously. it is obnoxious. i'm sure the people around me are annoyed. i got so annoyed with clearly, i had to seek other words...but now they are annoying. but i just. can't. stop. and i use way too many ellipses...but it's okay...i generally use them correctly...i think.  

what is your go-to phrase?
and favorite road trip songs?

that's all.

thirty days: day thirty.

(day thirty): whatever tickles your fancy.
follow along here.

updated: i added photos that my dear friend, adriane, took. i didn't bother because mostly, my phone pictures from a distance don't turn out, but ade's iphone is much better.

last sunday, a friend and i went to see the avett brothers play in slc at the gallivan center. it is an outdoor venue in downtown salt lake. i was pretty stoked about the show. i love the avett brothers and was super excited to see them live...duh.

what i wasn't excited about was that it was raining...if i didn't love the avett bros so much, i would have totally bagged it...oh and the ticket was a lot more than i normally spend on shows, so i couldn't justify bagging it. i bought a rain poncho on the way. ade and i sucked it up and went. and i'm so glad we did...for so many reasons.

first: i love going to shows with ade...for lots of reasons. the fact that we both love music is key. and we like to observe the crowd and commentate. when we got to the venue, we found this little spot way off to the side with a decent view of the stage and a fantastic view of the crowd.

the band...love them.
two: crowd watching is one of my most favorite things to do. and this crowd did not disappoint. i don't even know where to start. just know that there was rain and beer and apparently, that his a premium mix.  i told ade she had to blog about the best crowd member...photo included...i'll let you know when she does. you will love it.

see...excellent view of the crowd and stage.
some prime crowd watching...we saw things we didn't want to see...kinda like this.
but this wasn't the worst.
iii: the avett brothers were absolutely fantastic and amazing and everything i hoped they would be. if you don't know who they are you are completely missing out. here is my most favorite song...the best lyrics are at 2:27. (if you want, you can link to this little playlist of my favorite songs...i did have to stop myself before i added every video of every song. i just love them. you can also go to cmt.com and watch the unplugged they did there...here is the link.)



four: uh...people...there is a cello player in the band. and he rocks the cello. seriously, rocks it. and when i say he rocks it, i mean that he has that thing strapped to him and he jumps around and rocks. and he rocks it so hard it almost feels/seems like he is a huge fan of the band versus in the band. so awesome. he is a must see part of the band...for reals.

fifthly: yes, it rained while we were there. it rained while we waited for the opening band. it rained during the opening band. it rained while we waited for the avett brothers. and then, miraculously, a few songs into their set, the rain stopped. and so it was worth it to sit through the rain cause the part we wanted to see most didn't get rained on.

don't mind the crazy face...i just wanted to point out the poncho and rain.
finally: going to shows with adriane (and bob) means that we get to go and eat after. it might be my favorite part of going to shows with them. we usually end up somewhere dive-like or somewhere we wouldn't normally go except it's late at night and nothing else is open. when we go and eat is when we get to hang out and talk about everything else, besides the music. i always look forward to that part. and this particular night did not disappoint.

if you ever get a chance, you must see the avett brothers. and the gallivan center is a really fun venue...even when it rains. i can't wait for next month...two huge shows coming up (the milk carton kids in both slc and logan and jay nash and tfdi in vegas). it's gonna be a blasty-blast.

have you been to any good shows lately?
do you know and/or like the avett brothers?


btw...this thirty day this is done, done, done.

that's all.