5.31.2011

thirty days: day ten.

(day ten): a photo of you taken over ten years ago.
follow along here.


this is me on the first day of kindergarten.

can we all agree that i was stinking adorable?

thank you.

too bad that went away in fifth/sixth grade.

what about you...do you love to look at old pictures of yourself? i do. it's too bad my mom has all the pictures all the way in vegas. i might steal them on this trip...and scan them. it's a real good idea.

that's all.

5.30.2011

thirty days: day nine.

(day nine): a photo you took.
follow along here.


today i went to the cemetery with my sister and her family. we usually do this every year. since my parents left the state, the responsibility has landed on our shoulders. and we don't mind. it's actually pretty fun.

after we went to the cemetery, we went to my grandma's house and had a lovely lunch. and then i got to go to work and sister and family headed back south.

way low-key. which seemed appropriate for a stormy and freezing cold memorial day.
happy memorial day.

that's all.

5.29.2011

thirty days: day eight.

(day eight): a photo that makes you angry or sad.
follow along here.


angry? yes.

sad? yes.

let me explain.

this picture was taken a couple of years ago. actually, i think three years ago. it was the end of april. and much like this year, it was snowy and cold. enough to make anyone angry. not nearly as angry as i've been this year...because it is the end of may and it's still cold and dreary. so yes, the weather on display in this photo makes me angry.

that was my car. three years ago. around about the time this photo was taken, that card died. just straight up gave out. so stupid. whenever i see white grand prixs, circa 1995, i get angry. that car was paid for and it was a great car. and it died. and it makes me angry.

and it makes me sad. i miss that car.

dumb weather and car.
that's all.

5.28.2011

thirty days: day seven.

(day seven): a photo that makes you happy.
follow along here.


this is my niece, kaylie, with her grandpa...my dad. there are several reasons why this picture makes me happy. let me share.

for starters, i lovelovelove that they are both pulling the exact same face. like it is in the genes or something.

second, i lovelovelove that my dad is pulling a face. generally, he is a stoic kind of man. but these grandkids of his have a very special power and can make him do a lot of things he wouldn't normally do.

finally, i lovelovelove my niece's eyes. don't you want to steal them from her? i do. just sayin'.

i'm so super excited that i get to spend a week-ish with these two...plus eleven...in two weeks. and it starts with a road trip with boots. it might be the best road trip/family vay-cay ever. i'll let you know.

that's all

5.27.2011

thirty days: day six.

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

nothing is tickling my fancy today...so i will just write about what has been going on. boring...seriously.

this week was the last week of school. it is nice to have a break and work just one job for the summer. today there was a luncheon for all the faculty at logan high. it was pretty cool. except at the end, we found out that north campus (the young mothers school) is still on the cutting block. the school is having to make cuts. and they still don't know what they are going to do. the principal told us that we should know within the next couple of weeks. it is so stupid. so, so, so stupid. i just don't understand why we preach that education is so important but then we make drastic cuts in education. oxymoron, anyone? blah.

i'm super proud of the moms that graduated from north campus this year. one of the girls had her baby her sophomore year. he turned two this spring. and even though she had a struggle becoming a mother at fifteen, she diligently came to school. she almost never, ever missed...even when she probably should have because her baby was sick. and she decided that she wasn't just going to do the bare minimum...she decided to take a full load of classes at the high school, along with concurrent enrollment classes. because she worked her tail off, she was able to apply for scholarships and received three scholarships that will pay for her entire college education. i seriously couldn't be more proud of anyone. and the best part is that she wants to go into social work so she can give back and help girls like her. amazing. i'm not going to lie, i got a little choked up about it. i love success stories...because i can throw them in the faces of all the rest of the kids that i work with. hahaha.

my allergies are killing me. my eyes are burning and my nose is stuffy and i wanna crawl into bed and die. i'm considering discussing said allergies with my doctor. i guess i can just continue taking over the counter allergy meds, but what if i can get something better from my doctor? i'm gonna do it. done.

speaking of the doctor...i had to go see her on thursday. it was insightful and interesting...but mostly annoying. i love my doctor. i think she is fantastic. i think i really lucked out with her. i got in to see her on a "technicality" five years ago. apparently, she is pretty difficult to get in to...because she is great. but it is still annoying that i am having to go to the doctor. hopefully we can get some things figured out. especially my awesome 15-year-old acne breakout. and in the meantime, i am now a prescription medication taker. again. yay.

what is tickling your fancy?

that's all.

fill in the blank.

{click on picture to play along.}

1. if i could get away somewhere for the weekend, i would go  to the mountains. preferably somewhere in the mountains with water.  and i would bring  a tent and a sleeping bag and some firewood. doesn't camping for the weekend sound delightful? in a perfect world, i would be able to do fun things like camping on the weekend. but since my life is awesome, i will be at work. don't be jealous.  

2. something i often rant about is  dumb, dumb, dumb, stupid, dumb, not smart, annoying parents. it happens daily around these parts. but i am justified. if you only knew, you would rant with me. promise.  

3. something i need to have in my fridge at all times is  milk. i don't drink it regularly...in fact, i usually buy the milk that has the furthest away expiration date because i know that i will need that much time to get through it. and when the date starts creeping up, i start drinking milk more regularly. the funny thing is, expiration dates don't phase me...except for milk. i abide by the expiration date on milk religiously. i know. i am weird.  

4. my "life-saving" product is  wonder waves. it is amazing. although, i recommended it to one friend and she didn't love as much as i love. maybe it only works on thicker hair...maybe. i suggest trying it if you have curly/wavy hair. it's magical. like unicorns and candy rainbows magical.  

5. a friend is someone who  puts up with your crazy, understands your moodiness, holds your hand through the unexpected and makes you laugh through your tears. fortunately, i have been blessed with some of the greatest friends in the world...especially my sisters. i'm so very lucky to call them all mine.  

6. if i could write my own blank it would be  somewhat similar to the lovely blanks that are regularly provided for us. boring, i know...but it is what it is.  

7. my favorite kind of art is  music. music is art, right? right. but if you mean visual art, then i like it all. literally. my favorite painter is claude monet, though. i've been lucky enough to see his work at the mfa and the mma. i really want to go to the nga so i can see my favorite monet painting, the artist's garden at vetheuil. there is something breathtaking about seeing those paintings in person. being in the presence of such greatness is humbling. something about this scene portrays that emotion pretty well. i also really love photography. specifically landscape and skyline photography. i really, really want one of these. i've also been eying this and this. and not to mention that i really love these baby animals. i mean, really...i could go on and on.  

what kind of art is your favorite?
where would you want to go this weekend?
do you have any fun memorial day plans?

that's all.

5.26.2011

my favorite thing about today...#5.

{image.}
my favorite thing about today is that so you think you can dance is back. woo-hoo. i love, love, love this show. everything about it is my favorite. i like that it means summer is beginning. i love the talent on display. and the music. let's not forget the music. i've found some of my favorite artists because of songs used on this show. i tell ya, it's just great stuff. and then, when it's all over, you can go and see live performance when they go on tour. if they make it to utah this year, i will for sure go...and you can come, too.

are you a sytycd fan?
why not?

that's all.

thirty days: day five.

(day five): my favorite quote.
follow along here.

my favorite quote depends on what is going on in my life or what the quote pertains to. for example, at work my favorite quote is:

"remember, you are not managing an inconvenience.
you are raising a human being."

~kittie frantz

so many times, i wish i could read that quote to the parents that send their kids to us expecting miracles to be worked. i'm not sure my supervisor would mind, but he would probably get annoyed with the complaint phone calls, so i don't do it. but at least the kids we work with know where we stand, because we have that quote hanging right above the intake desk.

another quote that i immediately printed out and hung up at work, also above the intake desk, after reading it on my darling adriane's blog is:

"sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on."
~eckhart tolle

not only does this apply to the kids that i work with, but it applies to the staff in our facility. over the last year and a half, some things have happened and some feelings have been hurt, but we are too a point where we are trying to move forward and move on. unfortunately there have been instances that sometimes make it a little more difficult to look past what has happened and move forward. when i initially saw this quote, those are the people i thought of...but slowly and surely, we are learning to let go.

do you have a favorite quote?
would you share it with me, please?


that's all.

5.25.2011

thirty days: day four.

{image.}
(day four): my favorite book.
follow along here.

i'm a reader. i always have been. that is one of the things i am ever-so-grateful to my parents for...they encouraged reading. we had a library of books growing up...my favorite books as a kid were by gyo fujikawa...check them out. we even had encyclopedias.

my mom was so great about making sure that we got to go to the library. i remember her dropping my sisters and i off at the library while she ran an errand or two and then she would come back and pick us up. i loved that we got to do that.

in elementary school, we almost always got to buy books from the book orders...nearly always. in fact, i can't remember not ever being told that i couldn't have a book. as i grew up, i began buying my own books. when i lived in boston i would buy books on a regular basis to read on the train during my commute. i love to go to bookstores and just wander around.

but the funny thing is, i don't have a favorite book. there are books that i like more than others. there are books that i read over and over. there are books that i barely get through once. but i can't think of a single book that i would consider my favorite. (i'm beginning to think that i might have a problem...can i really not commit having one single favorite of anything? guess not.)

i don't really discriminate. in middle school, i read the babysitters club series...well, until i outgrew them. i also read sweet valley twins and sweet valley high books in high school. i was motivated to read the harry potter series, although i am only on number five. i bought the hype and i read the twilight series to book three, too...i can not talk myself into reading book four, even though it sits, in all it's glory, on my bookshelf. i love nicholas sparks books...i've read all of his and consider moving to north carolina after each one. i really enjoy john grisham...they make me wish i was an attorney. i have enjoyed a couple of books by laura zigman...whenever i go to a bookstore, i always check to see if she has written anything new...only once was i lucky and found a new book. but my favorite female author is jane green. she is british and so when i read her books, i do read them with a british accent...it's more fun that way...don't judge...try it.

recently, i finished the hunger games series and i quite enjoyed them...even the last one. and i've read the first two books in the girl with the dragon tattoo series.

currently, i have a stack of about thirty books that i want to read. most of them borrowed, many bought used and a few are brand new.

there is something about reading and diving into an alternate life that is so enjoyable to me. when we are little, we can freely imagine alternate lives and situations, but somewhere along the way to adulthood we lose that. i love that books can take us back to using our imaginations...it is why i love to read. fiction and non-fiction alike.

so instead of sharing a favorite book...because they are all my favorite...i will share with you what i am reading right now. i am finishing up the last lecture by randy pausch. it's amazing. and i've cried several times. look into it...read it. you won't regret it. i also started something borrowed by emily giffin. i went to see the movie for my birthday and loved it. but i immediately regretted that i hadn't read the book first. i always like to read the book first. that is always my advice...read the book first because it is guaranteed to be better than the movie. i will follow those two up by reading 1776. i borrowed that one from a dear friend and i need to hurry and get it read so i can return it. (sorry, tj...i'll hurry.) and then after that, we'll see where the stack leads me.

man, i love to read.

and don't worry...i've read all the classics, too. austen, steinbeck, tolstoy, fitzgerald, salinger, bradbury, twain, lee, hemingway...they all grace my shelves.

do you like to read?
what kind of books are you favorite?

that's all.

5.24.2011

thirty days: day three.

(day three): my favorite tv show.
follow along here.

i'm not going to lie...this could turn into an annoying post like the last one. so, i'm not going to do it...i'm just going to name one show and why i like it so much.

i've already written about this show, but i just love it so much...i'm currently obsessed with happy endings. in my opinion, it is hilarious. the writing is so great. it's snarky and witty and super relevant. and when i say relevant, i am referring to the fact that there are references made to current events. most generally, those types of references aren't made in tv sitcoms. i find it it to be very entertaining in a random sort of a way.

the characters are pretty interesting. they are very different, but are all friends which is intriguing to me. also, the actors that play these characters are fantastic. i kind of think that is most of the appeal for me...the acting is great.

i love that it is a show about relationships. there is a married couple, a couple that recently broke up, sisters, friends...so many different kinds of relationships. i'm a sucker for a show about human relationships.

we all know that friends is my all-time favorite tv show, so it is no wonder that happy endings is ending up on my favorites list. i will definitely tune in for season two in the fall. the final episode of the first season airs on wednesday. abc. tune in...i promise you will laugh at least once...seriously.



what is your favorite tv show?
have you seen happy endings?

that's all.

ps. i could have written about friday night lights, but i'm still super, super angry that it got cancelled. also, i'm boycotting nbc and haven't been watching the show on tv. i already purchased the final season and watched it in a matter of two days. it is so stupid that it got cancelled...it is a fantastically fantastic show...but it will live on forever in my sad, little heart. texas forever. clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

5.23.2011

thirty days: day two.

(day two): my favorite movie.
follow along here.

i really, truly, honestly don't have a single favorite movie. i love movies. and i love all kinds of movies. literally...from, romantic comedies to action flicks to independent films. i can pick a multitude of favorites from every category. and since i just tried to pick one favorite from every category and couldn't...so i'm picking a few from each. get over it...this is my blog and i'll do what i want. gosh.

alright...let's go:

chick flicks:
hope floats. my best friend's wedding. can't buy me love. 10 things i hate about you. notting hill. something borrowed.

comedies:
office space. ferris bueller's day off. wedding crashers. the hangover.

dramas:
a cool, dry place. million dollar baby. almost famous. dead poet's society.

action:
the italian job. taken. gran torino. hero. and anything with jason statham.

romance:
pretty woman. the holiday. garden state. ever after.

independent:
juno. (500) days of summer. blue valentine. sideways.

thrillers:
death proof. the birds. the silence of the lambs. double jeopardy.

musicals:
west side story. mamma mia. newsies. wizard of oz. meet me in st. louis. and every rodgers and hammerstein musical.

children/family:
stardust. tangled. up. toy story 3. shrek. the karate kid (and the new one). elf. and all the disney movies. and all the shirley temple movies.

documentaries:
my kid could paint that. march of the penguins. enron: the smartest guys in the room. step into liquid.

i just realized how annoying this post is...i'm sorry...i think.

or not.

well, actually i'm annoyed by it because this list of movies doesn't even begin to cover the movies that i love. and maybe i should be embarrassed by that, but i'm not. i like movies. i watch them all the time. at work and home and with family and friends. a great american pastime.

but seriously, sorry about the obnoxious list...be grateful that i didn't tell you why i love each of these movies. we'd be here for days.

what movies do you love?
any of my favorites your favorites?

that's all.

5.22.2011

thirty days: day one.

as has been discussed previously on this blog...many times over...i am a sucker for prompted posts. and because i am just trying to get back into writing and posting on my blog without feeling frustrated or that it is a chore, i am going to start this 30 day challenge. i promise it will be entertaining. and i will post other stuff, too...not just what i am "making" myself post. and, if you want, you should totally play along. the more the merrier, i say...all the time, i say that. enjoy.

(day one): my favorite song.

it's almost like writing about my favorite song would be musical overkill because, let's be honest, i know everyone is over all the music talk around here. but, i didn't make the list and so i am going to oblige the list and write about my favorite song. but i'm not going to write about my current favorite song...it's been done. i decided that i am going to write about a song that was probably a favorite song, but mostly i like the song because it conjures some pretty great memories.

the song is red wine by ub40.


growing up, we didn't have cable tv or a video game system or anything like that. we had our imaginations, art supplies and a tape player/recorder. and each other. i had my two younger sisters that were two years younger than me. yes, they are twins. and we did everything together. generally, i would probably say that i was the leader because i was the oldest and the bossiest. but, i think that collectively we played together very well. and we played all kinds of things. we probably played house the most. and barbies. maybe we played those equally. but when we got a little older, we played things like "newspaper."

yep. once (and i use that term loosely...maybe we played more than once, but i only remember once) we decided to write a newspaper. and in the newspaper, we had a song of the day or week or something like that. and, of course, it was just "our" favorite song. (it probably was just my favorite song and i made it be their favorite song, too.) and that song was red wine. and i have no idea why it was "our" favorite. clearly, we didn't know what it meant...maybe it was just the groovin' reggae beats. and you better believe that we recorded it off the radio with our tape player/recorder. but to this day, whenever i hear that song, i remember our lovely little newspaper and the song of the week.

i wonder if i saved that. i'm going to look for it. i bet you hope i did. hahaha.

and now that i'm thinking about the things we played as a kid, i think we even played radio station...with our trusty tape player/recorder. we played "ice skaters" with that thing, too...on roller-skates. oh no...i think i could go on and on. i'll stop.

that's all.

5.21.2011

my favorite thing about today was...#4.

my favorite thing about today was...

at my work, we have a lot of downtime. or rather, we are able to create a lot of downtime (just depending on the group of delinquents we have at any given time). today, we created some downtime for ourselves. we watched the red sox game (boo to the cubs) and towards the end, three of the guys i work with started discussing that if they could choose any professional sport to play, they would choose baseball. the reasons were varied, but essentially the main reason was because there are no salary caps.

one of our new-ish co-workers blurted out that he would probably choose bowling because he has been itching to grow a mullet. he then pretended to hold a ball like he was going to bowl and shook his hair out. it went on like this for a couple of minutes. i was laughing so hard and when i would finally catch my breath, they would say something else. seriously, my stomach hurt and i had tears streaming. now, i realize that this is maybe not that funny to most, if not all of you (except you, jaime...eh and js were involved...and the new guy), but it was the funniest thing i had heard at work in a long, long time.

then we moved on and were talking about the red sox playing again tomorrow and one of the guys said that randy johnson was pitching and he has had a lot of time to rest his arm. (for those of you not familiar with baseball, randy does not currently play baseball. he is retired. and if you don't know what he looks like, click the link.) we laughed about that for a minute and talked about randy's nickname, "the big unit". then the new-ish guy said that he thought that maybe "the big unit" was a semi-pro bowler because he had a real nice mullet. i'm not gonna lie, i nearly peed myself. he also said that he would for sure perm his own mullet and then he would have a spray bottle to mist his hair so it always had that wet, flowing look.

omigosh. so funny. and i don't care if you don't get it. i will laugh pretty hard every time i think about this...every time.

and this is just another reason why i love my job.

that's all.

fill in the blank.

{image from here. join in.}
and yes, i realize i'm a day late.

1. people always tell me i look like  my sisters. and i like it. because my sisters are beautiful. but, i don't think we look like each other at all.  

2. friends don't let friends  do a lot of things. but i'm a bossy friend, so i probably don't let my friends do a lot of things. once, when i was in fifth grade, my best friend told my teacher that i was too bossy and my teacher talked to me about it and after that i wasn't friends with her anymore. not my best move, but i was pretty hurt. that is mostly what i remember about the experience...having my feelings hurt.  

3. a sunny day is perfect for  being outside, clearly. today was sunny, but i spent the majority of the day at work, so we just kept walking outside just to be outside. bless the sunshine and let's hope these predicted rain storms come and go quickly.  

4. my favorite accessory is  a hair elastic. or sunglasses. i don't wear jewelry, so i had to scrape for that one.  

5. if i could afford it, i would  live on an island with only the people i like/love. it would be a party all the time. and there would be amazing food. and fun for everyone. wanna come?  

6. the cure for boredom is  pretending like the above scenario is even a possibility. and spending time with my co-workers. they are so funny...i laughed so hard today...and mostly, it's inside stuff, but i'm going to share the best comment(s) in another post.  

7. i am currently "in like" with  making wreaths. i pounded out a few to sell at a craft fair (that i completely spaced/missed...so if you are interested in purchasing a wreath, let me know). i'm thinking about starting my own little crafting corner. i'll keep you posted.  

what fun things did you do this fine saturday?
are you "in like" with anything new?

that's all.

5.15.2011

best. show. ever.

music. love. blah, blah, blah.

maybe you are over reading about all the music i love, but i have to share the greatness that i witnessed this last tuesday night.

i love live music (in almost every form). i don't think there is anything better. there is something about watching people do what they love that is good for my soul. for any soul, really. and the talent...oh, the talent. and then the combination of seeing the love for music and the talent draws me in every time. every single time. and i fall that much more in love with music. it's intoxicating. it's my drug. my addiction. and i like it.

fortunately, for me, i have partners. fellow "druggies", if you will. i can talk adriane and bob into going to almost any show with me...including shows at kilby court. they have only missed a couple...and with good reason. besides, it is basically adriane's fault that i love all the music i love anyway. she is the one that introduced me to jay nash...which, as it turns out, was the "gateway drug". yep, i'm blaming her.

anyway...about a month and a half ago, we had the pleasure of seeing the milk carton kids in logan. i learned that they were going to be in salt lake this last week and i knew i had to see them again and, of course, ade and bob were down. to see/hear the reasons why go here, here and here, just to highlight a couple. (and for the third time on this blog, you can go to their website and download their most recent release for free. yes, free. so, you are an idiot if you don't get it. just sayin'.)

seeing the milk carton kids for the second time also allowed for us to see joe purdy for the first time. i've been a fan of his for awhile, but i hadn't ever seen him live. and now i'm kicking myself for that. he is a songwriting genius. and quite possibly, the saddest person on earth. his songs are heart wrenching and depressing but so fantastic, you can't help but love them. his music has been in a plethora of tv shows and commercials. in fact, you might recognize this commercial and this one, too. and the best part of seeing joe is that the milk carton kids played a huge portion of his set with him. it was incredible.

at this point, if i were a real writer, i would write a prolific review of the greatest show i have ever experienced in my whole life. (with the exception of james taylor/carole king, clearly...which i haven't yet written about...reason why in the next sentence.) but for me, live music is emotional. so i find it difficult to put into words how the music made me feel.

just know it was the greatest show ever. seriously.

(and to read something different about the show and what happened after, head on over the adriane's internet home.)

that's all.

ps. i have to share the funniest part of the show...during shows, people are always yelling. mostly it is stuff about loving the artist, song requests and the occasional "i want to have your baby." well, towards the end of joe's set, someone yelled something...i didn't actually hear what they yelled, but my guess is it was about loving joe or wanting to have his children to which he quickly responded, "i told you to stay in the truck." i still laugh when i think about it. priceless. i wonder how many times he has used that. i would use it every night if i were him.

thirty-four.

so, it's true...i had a birthday. my thirty-fourth, to be exact. i'm not going to lie, it's kinda crazy to think that i am this old. i realize that thirty-four is not old. but when i was sixteen and seventeen, it was old. thirty-four was twice as old as i was then. and maybe i thought it was old because my mom had six kids by the ripe, old age of thirty-two. but trust, i never imagined that i would be thirty-four with six kids.

i really don't know where i expected myself to be at this age, but i'm quite certain this isn't where i thought i would be. and what that even means is a convoluted array of emotions and thoughts...i can't even go there. i will say this, though...the thing that i learn with every passing year is that sometimes plans change...or rather, all the time plans change. and life is about learning to adapt and to make it work. and i'm getting really good at that...really, really good. and i like it.

so in this thirty-fifth year of my short, young life i will continue to make plans and set goals. i will have expectations but i will remember to expect the unexpected and to go with the flow. i will welcome a change in plans because i am getting so good at adapting and i will always make it work.

and next year, we can have this same conversation.

that's all.

5.08.2011

i love my mommy.

my mom, quite possibly, is one of the greatest people ever, in the history of the world. i know we all can say that about our moms, but seriously, i think i'm not exaggerating. she is amazing and i'd like to share some things i admire and/or have learned from her (and that i continue to admire and/or learn from her).

{this isn't the best picture of my mommy, but it is the most recent...taken on my phone...my sister and i were sitting on the floor playing with her babies and my mom came in and was laying on the bed...and since i was taking pictures of the babies, mom got hers taken, too...don't know why i felt the need to explain, but there. oh well.}

my mom is the essence of a woman. she is the most ladylike lady i know. my mother never wore sweatpants or lounge clothes or grubbies. my mom would get up in the morning and get showered and ready for the day...bed made and all. this meant hair done and make-up on. everyday. i don't even think my mom owns sweats. no lie. (well, that was a lie, cause she used to go walking in the morning and clearly, she wore something to workout in.) but for reals, she is always dressed to go. it's just really unfortunate that this isn't something that i inherited from her. i'm a bad daughter when it comes to this trait. oh, and no burping or passing gas at my house. and we didn't joke about it either. and my mom never, ever, ever, ever leaves the house without lipstick on. ever.

my mom is the kindest person i know. i really, truly, honestly can't remember ever hearing my mother talk bad about someone. she never belittled anyone or talked down to people. she always made us invite all the kids from our class to our birthday parties because she didn't want to leave anyone out. she didn't want us to be the kid that didn't invite someone to a party. i mean, i even had to invite the smelly kid from my second grade class to my party. and i got made fun of for it, but at least i wasn't the mean kid that invited everyone but the smelly kid. and that was all my mom.

my mom is the queen of all things craft. that's not even the full extent of it. she is the most talented crafter i know. she has made quilts for all of my nieces and nephews. she makes pillowcases for the kids all the time (and we finally convinced her that the adults want pillowcases, too...i got a dr. seuss one this last christmas...don't be jealous). she can picture what a finished quilt will look like just by looking at the fabric. at one point in time, she even owned her own cross-stitch company. i mean, the list can go on and on and on. i can only dream of being at least a fraction of how talented she is...and that would be amazing.

my mom was always involved with what we were doing in school and our extracurricular activities. and with six kids, i don't imagine that was an easy feat. she was a room mother for most of us, if not all of us...involved in pta. she took us to dance lessons and piano lessons. and violin lessons. and soccer. and football practices and games. and performances. and competitions. and recitals. and then, when my siblings got married, it continued...basketball and football for the brother-in-laws. the consummate cheerleader. and i don't think we understood at the time how time consuming that all was...but as i watch my sisters with their kids, i realize. and i am ever grateful that we were afforded the opportunities and then supported. and we were encouraged to be ever participating...which is sometimes rare.

my mom is a realist. when dramatic things would happen to us at school with our friends, we would come home and tell mom, but she never let us be dramatic for long. she always brought us back to the reality of the situation and pointed out how we could have handled the situation better and differently. it was so annoying, especially when i just wanted her to be mad at that one girl because she was so rude and i-can't-believe-she-did-that, but she just couldn't and/or wouldn't. nine times out of ten, my mom would turn it around on us and show us what we did wrong to make that girl do or say what she did. and as annoying as it was at the time, i am ever so appreciative of that now. it is probably the thing i am the very most grateful for learning.

my mom is the best and i could go on and on and on. as i sit here, more things keep coming to my mind. so i will save them for next year.

i love you, mommy.
i'm so glad you are mine.
happy mother's day.

(and happy mother's day to my other mother...you know who you are...i love you so much!)
(and to my sisters...who learned from the best.)

5.07.2011

random.

i am a self admitted tv junkie. i like all kinds of tv. but my favorite tv show of all time is friends. that probably accounts for why my new favorite show is happy endings. much like friends, it is about a group of friends...three girls and three guys...one of the guys is married to one of the girls...among other situations...and there are so many funny things about the friendships and the dynamics. i laugh pretty hard...out loud...at every episode. definite hilarity to be had if you choose to watch this show. just sayin'. and it's on wednesday nights...you should already be watching modern family, anyway...so dvr an extra hour or so.




that's all.

fill in the blank.

yes...a day late. better late than never. i hope you are having a fantastic weekend. i decided to spend mine at work...ya know, just like every other weekend. don't be jealous. and happy mother's day.



1. what i love most about my home is  that i live there by myself. it's not fancy (the furthest from) and it's not big (again, the furthest from). but it is mine. alone. and i love it.  

2. i'm excited because  school is almost over, so i will be working just one job. while i love my second job, i love that i get a three month break from it. and good news, i officially have a job next year. it was touch and go, but the verdict is in and we have funding.  

3. my preferred method for blowing off steam when i am frustrated is  listening to music. without question, it always helps. and it is generally pretty easy and cheap.  

4. currently, i am craving  some sleep. i could use some sleep. but when is that not the case? i can always go for sleep.  

5. the thing i love most about my mom is  that she is so stinking nice. like really, really, really nice. so nice.  

6. if i was going to write a book about my life, the title would be  that's all. it's pretty simple.  

7. if i were to eat one thing for the rest of eternity, it would be  sushi. definitely sushi. sooooooo good.  

are you excited about anything?
what are you doing for mother's day?

that's all.

5.01.2011

items of business.

it is sunday morning...and the sun in shining...and it's may. can you believe that it is already may? it is a little bit insane how fast the first four months of this year have flown by. i'm guessing that time isn't going to slow down anytime soon, either. anyway...
happy may.

i'm pretty excited for may. i'm really excited for the weather to finally change. did you know it snowed here in lovely, northern utah, this past week? yep...snow. full blown snow. stick to the ground snow. awesome. not.

i get to go see the head and the heart this week and i'm pretty dang excited. i haven't been this excited for a show...well...since the last show, but that's cause it was jay nash. if you haven't heard of them, or heard them, you really should. i really just can't say enough about them. for your listening pleasure, here are a few of my favorite songs: one. two. three. four five. (in reality, i just had to stop myself from posting their entire album here...seriously, that good.) and with a little luck, i will be able to spend this evening of live music with friends. that is always the best. live music and friends who enjoy live music.

next week, i will be attending another live show. and i am anticipating that it will be in the top five shows of this year. i will be seeing joey ryan and kenneth pattengale, aka the milk carton kids, again. if you remember, they traveled to logan with jay nash at the end of march. they are touring with joe purdy. i have never seen joe purdy live. i'm definitely looking forward to seeing him. and it will be at a venue that i have never been to. sometimes that can be half the fun.

growing up, we didn't celebrate easter with baskets and the easter bunny and such. but, come may 1st, our "secret friend" would stop by and leave us some special toys...maybe they left other stuff, too. but i just remember the toys. anyway, this morning when i logged onto my sister's blog, i was ecstatic that she decided to let the "special friend" visit her house. i got a little choked up, i'm not gonna lie. and the letter to her kids is the best ever. love.

speaking of love...i am in love with the royal wedding and princess kate (which, it turns out, is not her title...but i'm still calling her that). i was so anti-royal wedding the couple of weeks leading up to the wedding. i would change the channel to avoid any talk of the wedding. i'm guess that was for the best because i don't think i would have had any interest if i would have been inundated with information prior to the wedding. and just in case you are wondering, i did get up in the middle of the night to watch it. and i did dvr it. and i have since watched it again. i'm not sure what happened, but i became slightly (and by slightly, i mean extremely) obsessed. but mostly, i am obsessed with the protocol and the technicalities and the titles and all of that. oh, and the hats. the hats are amazing. uh-mazing. and ridiculous...don't forget ridiculous. but really, i want to learn so much about the royal family and the succession and how it was decided that william and kate would be the duke and duchess of cambridge, among other things. it's a good thing i have a newly acquired library card. i'm totally hitting up the library this week...if anyone knows of any good books about british royalty, i would love any suggestions.

speaking of william and kate...my baby sister is having a baby girl this fall. i'm ecstatic for her. she is such an awesome mom and that baby is one lucky little girl. the best is that her now youngest is a little boy named william. i told her yesterday that she had to name the baby kate. wouldn't that be priceless? and completely obvious? but not really, because william was born long before this royal wedding business. but wouldn't it be awesome if i could say that i was related to william and kate? i know, right? right.

those are all the things i have to talk about.
have a happy sunday.
i'm having sunday dinner at my favorite vacation destination.
don't be jealous.
that's all.