My Life According to Me

ironing

2011-01-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

I come from a family is the blue collar to the max! i like to joke at times that they are white trash (i mean that in a very loving way) Needless to say i never really grew up needing to know the specifics of ironing. I remember my brother would iron his jeans and I'm sure my mom did a bit of ironing from time to time but it was never a regular thing. Growing up i recognized times when i probably should have ironed but didn't figuring it didn't really matter once the shirt was on. But as i get older i am realizing the importance to look sharp and that come by covering all your bases including ironing. I have to be honest i still don't do it as much as i should. I mostly hide my wrinkly white collard shirt for work under a sweater. Today i decided i should iron my shirt and i was so annoyed that i just didn't know what i was doing. I know there MUST be some specific way you should iron a shirt. i tried my best and i guess it turned out OK but it was a frustrating process. i found a article on the REAL SIMPLE website that breaks it down simply. I swear I'll follow this step by step next time i do some ironing. I hope it makes it easier in the future.

Also these white collar shirts are pure torture for a girl of my bust size. They simply always burst at the buttons. (another reason why i hide under sweaters) Yes i realize that i should buy a bigger size, and i do but my damn weight fluctuates so much that i refuse to buy anything bigger than an XL.

Do any of you ladies have any advice on how to iron a white collard shirt made for a women with curves? The slight pleats they put on the shoulders and around the boob area totally confuse me.

I need a toy like this to do my ironing!

Hello 2011

2011-01-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well the year has begun and i have sat down to write a blog 4 days into it. i don't know how women find time to blog so much! I guess laying on the couch watching a movie with my man comes as a priority over blogging or maybe it is just because i feel so lonely in my little computer room. I seriously need to get a lap top or a TV in my room.

The year hasn't had too many exciting things happen just yet. I started back at work yesterday and it went smoothly b/c there was nothing to get me in trouble for since i had been gone for 9 days... i give it till Thursday till my boss has a list of things I'm not on top of.

Sunday i actually organized a gathering to watch football! Crazy i know since i completely don't understand football, but i wanted to spend time with friends and since football is all important to them and the Seahawks were playing for the playoff it seemed like a grand idea. I even ordered a beer which is even more shocking, but i figured i might as well get into the spirit. I didn't watch more than 5 minutes of the game since my dear friend Kristin was there to keep me occupied. I did however learn about how they score... they get a touch down and it is 6pts and then they kick the ball to get another pt, but if they don't think they have time to get a touchdown (i think it's time... or distance) then they kick the ball to get 3 pts. yeah so i didn't describe that so well but hey i kind of understand better now.

i have also not exactly stuck to my diet for the last 3 days. yesterday was my best day however. I counted my pts all day and even came home and had a low fat dinner... but i didn't calculate my pts for the pizza till this morning and it turns out i had 23pts worth of pizza... damn me for having 5 whole slices! I'll just take them out of my weekly pts and so I'm still good to go! I still need to find a time to weigh in. It seems that nothing seems to be working with my schedule.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to this year and I'm ready to kick it in the ass!
BRING IT ON 2011

What a Year

2010-12-31T11:39:00.000-08:00

I have had a grand year this 2010 and if nothing else it was damn busy!

i would try and do a recap but it wouldn't be complete because i know i would miss a BUNCH of important things that happened this year. It seems to me that the years tend to run together and go by way too fast as i get older.

I think the biggest change in my life this year is becoming a second assistant manager. This change has made me a harder worker and in turn makes me work longer hours. It also seems to have it's down fall like missing out on special moments or having to delay them (such as thanksgiving and christmas eve this year) Also it has made it so i don't have nearly as much time to do everything i want to do. I mean i have done a great amount of sewing a cooking and reading this year but in turn my house has been way messier then it should be a lot of the time, i have gained weight because i just don't want to think about my daily food, and the holiday season seemed rushed and almost forced.

Don't worry too much though, i always make an effort to make things feel special. I had some amazing times with my friends and family that were just random days we spent together. Some of my favs were making taco soup for nearly everyone i know. This is my go to meal these days. i hope to find another amazing recipe in 2011 that i can make for any person and get rave reviews. I painted pumpkins with my mom and grams something i had never really done with them but it seems to go over very well and i think it would be fun to make it a tradition.

I also lost friends. some just by not seeing them very often and some by disagreements. i hold the friend i have dearly but i am learning slowly to detach some of my emotions from friends in the interest of not getting hurt or hurting them. In the past i have been so invested in everyone that i, at times, have forced my out look into them. Having friends is a huge responsibility that gives you the greatest reward but if you abuse that responsibility it can also give you huge disappointment. This coming year i hope to not hurt anyones feelings and inturn i hope that people also try and not hurt mine. I will try my best not to cry over things i can't control and don't affect me. Everyone can live their own lives and i can live mine and as long as the times we have togther are great that's all that should matter.

Other goals i have for 2011 are fueled by my love of being domestic! i would LOVE to learn now to knit and how to quilt. I picked up a class brocure from Jo Ann's and i think this is an attainable goal. Also i think it would be really great if ALL the gifts i gave this year were HOMEMADE gifts! there is nothing more special than a gift that someone had made specially for you and i hope to share that joy with everyone i know over the year (ok lets take mat out of that grouping b/c i don't think he'd be happy with ALL homemade gifts)

Over all i am happy and a little surprised i survived the year. I hope that the next year goes a bit smoother and a bit less stressful but bring just as much joy and happyness as this year has brought.

CHEERS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Day....WHATEVER... of Christmas

2010-12-11T11:37:00.001-08:00

OK well I have to admit I just don't have time to blog every single day of these Days of Christmas. I am going to try and do it every couple days and I will choose the topics that I feel best suit me. Today I will be skipping day 4: Tips and tricks to budgeting because if you know me at ALL I am not the one to ask about budgeting. OK well I do give good advice but I don't live by that advice so no one should really listen to me!

Day 5: Favorite Movie or Special

My all time favorite Christmas movie is "One Magic Christmas". It is a very under rated Christmas movie but I think the way I was raised I just relate to it. It is about a family who has hit hard times and are really struggling to make it through the holiday season. The mom has completely lost the Christmas spirit. An angle appears to the little girl and helps the mom find the Christmas spirit. Now that is just an overview of the story but what I really remember about the movie is little scenes. I love when the little girls uses the bathroom and the bath tub over flows. I don't know why that scene has stuck with me through all these years. Also, the mom works in a grocery store and she makes announcements about the specials. Every time I make announcements at work I think about that part of the movie. I feel like the family is real and the situations are real. It isn't one of those overly fluffed up movies that could only be real in a world of make-believe. When I was younger I related to the young girl but now that I am getting older I relate more to the mom. It is a movie that has lasted through the ages with me.

If you haven't seen it I recommend at least checking it out once. It is usually shown on the hallmark or oxygen networks during the holiday season.

Day 2 and 3 of Christmas

2010-12-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I hurt my back just as I was about to write Day 2 of Christmas so I wasn't able to get it done yesterday so I'm combining them today. Luckily I didn't have a lot to say about day 2 anyways.

Day 2 of Christmas: Shopping tips and tricks

I gotta say I'm not exactly the best at getting deals while shopping. I do suggest going shopping on black Friday if you can stand it because you do get pretty great deals. I just don't have the time or interest to seek out the best deals and make sure I buy the items in time to take advantage of those deals. I do have a friend who is amazing at taking advantage of deals and that is @Tara1316 on twitter. I would refer anyone asking about shopping deals to her.

Day 3 of Christmas: Most wanted or best gift

Well I would think the best gift I ever got for Christmas was my Radio Flyer wagon I got from my uncle when i was like 6 or 7. I loved that thing. I used it all the way up into the teens where we finally destroyed it by trying to go down a bumpy ass rock hill as fast as possible. I was in a phase where I had to be as good as the boys (and prove it) so we made it into a game to get down this rocky dirt hill in the little red wagon. Boy was that an adventure.

Day 1 of 12 Days of Christmas

2010-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

So I've decided to do this 12 Days of Christmas Challenge thing that is going around on the blogs these days. Now granted everyone is already done with their 12 days and are onto like day 14 so I'm a little behind but I thought it would still be fun to do it.

DAY 1: Holiday traditions

We are still a young family with no children but we still have our own traditions. First of all it is all kicked off with shopping at midnight on black Friday. We love doing this together. We then sleep all during the day.

Also we also have to decorate the tree together. I have to admit I put up the tree this year while mat was still sleeping and when he woke up he was pretty upset that I had started without him. We put on the ornaments together.

I also have my own tradition where I buy Christmas tins from the Helping Hands thrift store by my house and then do TONS of baking to fill them all and then give it all away to co-workers, friends, and family.

Christmas Project

2010-12-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

Every year I get so creative around Christmas time and I just love doing crafts. Maybe it is because I'm stuck inside all the time because of the cold and rain. I just don't seem to do many crafts during the summer. Anyways, last year I made fleece pillows for each of my girls because we knew we were getting Snuggies from Kristin's mom. Whats more perfect then a Snuggie and a matching pillow! This year I found a really fun project to do on the Flamingo Toes Blog. The dish towels were so adorable and seemed easy enough to make.

I was so excited that I found the exact fabric at Jo Anne Fabrics when I stopped there after my weight watchers meeting. I started by cutting out the temp-lets they give and then cutting them out in the fabric. I then had to MAKE the towel part. This part was tricky because you have to make such small hems on the edges of the towel so it doesn't fray.

Finally I was sewing on the fabric designs when I learned that I SUCK at sewing around a curved edge. I can sew straight enough hems all day but a curved line did me in. On the final ornament I had to sew on I think I finally got the hang of it but the rest look like a child tried to sew them.

Sewing on the rick rack strings was another mistake I made... I should have used the same color tread because you can see thee while line down them and it doesn't exactly go straight either.

Over all the towel is pretty cute! I'm disappointed I couldn't make the ruffles because I don't have the right presser foot for my machine! I was thinking about making these towels of others too but I think I'll buy the towel pre-made so I just have to get to designs on it.

Is there such a thing as TOO Confident?

2010-11-16T12:42:00.000-08:00

I was listening to this song the other day as I was going to work and I enjoyed it because it was catchy and I admit it was stuck in my head for the rest of the day but as I was listening to the song it began to HATE IT!

Keri Hilson - Pretty Girl Rock Lyrics

Uh uh uh aahh uh uh
I can do the pretty girl rock rock
Rock to the pretty girl rock rock rock
Now what’s your name

My name is Keri, I’m so very
Fly oh my, it’s a little bit scary
Boys wanna marry, looking at my derrière
And you can stare but if you touch it Imma bury

Pretty as a picture
Sweeter than a swisher
Mad cause I’m cuter than the girl as with ya
I ain’t gotta talk about it baby you can see it
But if you want I’ll be happy to repeat it

My name is Keri, I’m so very
Fly oh my, it’s a little bit scary
Boys wanna marry, looking at my derrière
And you can stare but if you touch it Imma bury

Pretty as a picture
Sweeter than a swisher
Mad cause I’m cuter than the girl as with ya
I can talk about it cause I know that I’m pretty
And if you know it too then ladies sing it with me

All eyes on me when I walk in,
No question that this girl’s a 10
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful
My walk, my talk, the way I dress
It’s not my fault so please don’t trip
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful

Aye, now do the pretty girl rock rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock
All my ladies do the pretty girl rock rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock

(Now where you at)
If your looking for me you can catch me (that’s why)
Cameras flashing, daddy turned his head just as soon as I passed him
Girls think I’m conceded cause I know I’m attractive
Don’t worry about what I think, why don’t you ask him? (owoaah!)

Get yourself together, don’t hate (never do it)
Jealousy is the ugliest trait (don’t, never do it)
I can talk about it cause I know that I’m pretty
And if you know it too then ladies sing it with me

Doing the pretty girl rock rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock
Do the pretty girl rock rock
All my ladies do the pretty girl rock rock rock
Get along with your pretty girl rock rock rock
Still show me your pretty girl rock rock rock
All my ladies do the pretty girl rock rock rock

Sing it with me now
All eyes on me when I walk in,
No question that this girl’s a 10
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful
My walk, my talk, the way I dress
It’s not my fault so please don’t trip
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful
Don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful

Owoahaha!

It got me to thinking is there such a thing as TOO much confidence. I mean don't get me wrong I think every women should feel good about herself and I would never want to say that someone doesn't have the right to feel beautiful BUT to what extent does your confidence end up hurting others? I feel like this song promotes that fact that women who are stereotypically "beautiful" are the only beautiful women in the world. There are so many other songs that have promoted beauty and confidence in such a more classy and respectful way that it sucks that this song is here.

Personally I think the most beautiful women I know are the one's who don't realize just how beautiful they are. The one's who don't put hours into how they look each day. The women who lets their personality shine. The one's who warm and friendly to EVERYONE. The women who doesn't think she is better than anyone, or that anyone is better than her. These women are the one's who should be celebrated. These women are the one's who make the world a better place rather than making others feel uncomfortable and like they aren't part of this exclusive "beautiful ladies" club.

I don't know maybe I'm being over sensitive of a bit too feminist but if you know me you know I'm not some revolutionary feminist women. I love cooking and cleaning and I would love to be a stay at home mom but that doesn't mean I don't believe in the power of a women!

Taco Soup

2010-11-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

I have made this taco soup several times now for many different people and I have yet to have someone say they don't like it, So I figured I should do a blog about it!

Taco Soup
Makes 8-10 servings. WW Pt Value: 7-9.
Cooking time is 4 hrs in a 5 qt Crock pot.

1 lb ground chuck. ( I have used ground turkey and ground beef every time I made it with great results)
1oz envelope dry ranch style salad dressing mix. (this last time I made it I used fiesta ranch)
1oz envelope Taco Seasoning mix. (I used HOT taco seasoning this last time to spice it up for Mat)
3-10oz cans diced tomatoes w/ green chillies
2-21 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed. ( I just used 16 oz cans b/c I didn't find 21 oz)
2-15.5 oz can hominy drained
14.5 can stewed tomatoes, undrained.
1 cup finely chopped onion. (I used yellow sweet but I bet a red onion would be good too)
2 cups water. (add or decrease the amount of water to make it more soup like or more stew like... I think the 2 cups is just perfect)

Brown the meat then add all remaining ingredients into the crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 4 hrs. (you could even cook it on high for 2 hrs but I haven't tried that yet. You can leave it cooking all day if you wanted)

Suggested serving ideas is to line a bowl with tortilla chips and ladle soup on top. Dollop w/sour cream and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. (gotta be honest I haven't done much of this because the soup is just so good on it's own.)

I served this soup with my Sweet Corn and Bacon Empanadas... but that's for another blog post

Hope everyone trys making this soup with great success. I know it will soon become a family favorite!

updating my list of thing to do before i'm thirty

2010-11-07T12:57:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking a lot of all the things i want to accomplish before I'm 30 lately and I was curious how I'm doin on the list i made...

*Party like a rock star

*Full day at a spa (I've gotten a full body massage and a pedicure at one time but I'm not sure if I'd count this as a full day)

*lose 50lbs (once again on my diet unfortunately that 50 lbs is more like 80 these days)

*have a kid

*spoil my mom

*meet my dad

*better my credit

*week long vacation out of the country

*have a savings

*climb a rock wall

*be at least a second assistant (this is something i can say i have actually accomplished! it feels good to have SOMETHING crossed off the list)

*wear a pair of designer shoes with a little black dress

*volunteer regularly

So I haven't really done as much as I would like on this list and I only have 3.5 years to get these things done! It seems like a long time but damn does time fly! I think I need to start actively working on this list. So here's to accomplishing things in life!

Sometime's things just happen that you have no control over

2010-11-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well I know I have tweeted about this situation and maybe not in the most flattering way possible but that is simply because tweets are meant to be in the moment. I rarely think through a tweet but react in the moment. Sometimes when I'm in a moment I express feelings that aren't necessarily how I feel about everything but an emotionally charged reaction to feeling hurt or betrayed. Anyways I have done lots of reflecting and I know that it is impossible to go back the way things were with this old friend I had, but I'm feeling OK with that these days.

This friend I had has been a friend to me for many years. I have to add that we have been friends off and on over these years. Most arguments start with a disagreement over a boy which is quite sad but a fact. We first became friends in high school when I moved to Kirkland. She was the first person to offer me a place to eat at lunch. We were inseparable all through high school to the point that people were annoyed by us. We were such fun loving girls who went to school together, worked together and went on family vacations together. Our first fight was in high school when we were fighting over a boy we worked with. We went weeks without talking and grew apart in the process. Unfortunately a horrible thing happened to this friend and we realized how much we meant to each other so our friendship began just where it had left off, like no time had passed. We had an amazing senior year and made so many great memories that I will remember for my entire life.

The summer after we graduated she met her future husband and our relationship drifted once again. We were growing apart in two different directions. We didn't have any real conflicts and we still worked with each other. I was even in her wedding. But our friendship wasn't the same( I was in the party hard stage of my life and she was settling down).

We started to become close again when she started having struggles in her life. I wanted to be there for her and help her through the hard times. I gave her an escape from the life that had made her depressed and in turn I had gotten my friend back. It was so nice to have these fun times with her again and we were building amazing memories once again. We were both helping each other grow but with grown comes changes and once again we started heading in two different directions. She had developed a new found freedom and she wanted to experience everything she hadn't in the past few years while I was settling down and had a different outlook on life. I admit that as the friend looking into her life I was concerned about her getting hurt since she had become so fragile in her struggles in the past. I felt the need to protect her (in her eyes it even looked like I was trying to control her) I didn't want her to struggle anymore and of course being the strong willed women I am, I thought I knew what was best for her.

This friend of mine is also a very strong willed women and she wanted to experience life her way. This in turn caused us to butt heads once again. Yes the arguments seemed to usually stem from relationships with men but I have learned that they were much deeper than that. We are just two very strong women with two different outlooks on how to live life. I admit that I was more to blame for our friendship ending in the end. I just couldn't sit by and watch my friend put herself in situations where I knew she could end up crying over.

So I guess I am using this blog as a bit of closure on this situation. I want to say sorry to everyone that has had to be in the middle of all of this unnecessary drama. I also want to wish my old friend all the best in her life. I know that she will do well. She is strong willed and she knows what she wants and she goes for it. I'm glad to see she is living a happy life and she has so many friends to support her and be there for her.

Who knows we've become friends again in the past so you never know what the future holds. I know that if either of us truly needed each other we would be there and I guess that's all you really need in life sometimes.

bills... Bills... BILLS

2010-10-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I should finally confess: I am a bill avoider! I have stacks and stacks and stacks of mail taunting me in my car, on our desk, and in our mail slots... and I just AVOID them at all costs! I tend to just to ignore things that stress me out and bills is a HUGE stress! First of all they are way too much money and I don't even know where to begin to start paying them. The amounts on those stupid sheets of paper from doctor offices and from dentist offices have too many options on how to pay. Should I write a check and send it in? Should I write down my card info and send that in? I can't possibly pay this entire amount all at once. What if I call to make payment arraignments and they say " NO, you HAVE to pay in full RIGHT NOW!" What if they are mean to me and treat me like a low class person b/c I have outstanding bills.
Seriously these are the things that keep me avoiding those bills stacked high around my life!

Yesterday I had a break through! I opened my mail! Every last bit of it! I found all the bills that need to be paid and I put them neatly in a stack with all intention on calling them and setting up a payment arraignment! The only problem with that is, that I have actually got to call them! That is my plan for today. I have serious anxiety about this and if I get one little problem with setting up a payment plan I will be ruined on this for probably another 6 months!

This is by far the worst part of being an adult. It all started with going to college. I deem this to be my biggest mistake in life. I got thousands and thousands of dollars in student loans without knowing ANYTHING about them. I still don't understand them. It have god knows how many different student loans. How do I know which one to start paying back first? How do I even know who do call? All this money I owe and I don't even have a degree to show. (but this is another blog all together)

Anyways, I have two years to get my debit under control and start to bring my credit up to a respectable place so that we can buy a house! Please wish me luck and support me in any way you can because I really want a house!

Fantastic Fall!

2010-10-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

I just love this time of year I always feel so crafty. I love changing the decor to my fall decorations! I haven't gotten much new since last years shopping spree (fall for $40) but i still love what i have for our small apartment!

This year a made a new wreath that i saw on the cover of Women's Day Magazine.

What you will need

A styrofoam wreath
black duct tape
2 bags of candy corn
glue gun
fun fall ribbon
Spray sealant
PATIENCE: i gave myself an entire day to make the wreath b/c i needed breaks but i would say it probably wouldn't take longer then 2 hrs if you worked straight.

So at first i though i would paint the styrofoam black but realized it would take A LOT of paint plus the hot glue would probably melt it. Then i wanted to just paint regular duct tape black but then i realized i didn't even have regular duct tape so i figured i would just buy black duct tape. I found it for a little over $3 at walmart. more than $2 less then at safeway where i was going to originally buy it but i forgot. i also got the candy corn from there... less than $2 per bag. The most expensive part of the wreath is the styrofoam wreath which was about $8 at micheals. way more then i was expecting to spend on it but worth it. oh and the spray sealant i got was from Micheals as well and it was around 47 as well. ( i used the whole can)

So you start by wrapping the wreath with the black duct tape.I made sure to do it as tight and as smoothly as i could. this part was pretty simple.

Then the magazine suggested that you layout the candy corn before gluing it on. Something i would have never had done on my own but I'm really glad i did b/d getting them on evenly and in a good pattern proved way more difficult then i expected. i laid out the front of the wreath first then glued it down then moved onto the outside edge gluing as i went and then the inside. This is a pain staking process but if you are patience it turn out pretty good. I made sure to take long breaks so i didn't get burned out.

once glued on i brought the wreath outside and sprayed a coat of sealant on it and let it dry then flipped it over and added the sealant from the back to get all edges of the candy corn. Once dry i added the ribbon. the magazine had a black ribbon pictured but i went with a fun and festive fall ribbon and i tied a bow at the top of the wreath to add a little flair.

i hung the wreath on my front door and was very please

Horror struck the next time it rained! The moisture in the air proved that the sealant hadn't completely sealed the wreath and i awoke with a puddle of sticky goo in my door way and a melty wreath. i brought it inside and let it dry and took inventory on the wreath. Only a couple candy corns fell of so i glued them back on, too off the ribbon and then resealed the wreath. Second time was the charm and i haven't had a sticky problem with the wreath since.

it is so much fun to have a wreath that i made hanging from my front door! i think i will add just a touch more sealant and then store it away at the end of the season and see if it lasts till next yr... i'll make sure that i store it alone in case it melts on hot summer day!

Twitter

2010-10-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Oh how i love me some twitter!
i am purely and 100% addicted!!
I love to post all my random thoughts! i know that everyone truly does care when i take a shower and that I'm currently laying in bed. i find twitter as a grand human study where you go to find yourself surrounded by people just like you! I have gotten to know so many amazing people through twitter! I admit there are times i feel like a bit of a crazy stocker following someone and all of the people that they follow. I feel like i have who new groups of friend from twitter. never mind that i haven't ever really met anyone of them.
Twitter is also an amazing place to get help. Say you have a problem. all you need to do is tweet about it and instantly you can get a grand variety of answers back that completely help you out! Also if your feeling down your amazing followers always know just the right thing to say to make you feel not so crazy.
I have gotten so many ideas from twitter as well. ideas as to what to cook, what to craft, places to go, things to eat.
I have gotten new blogs to follow! this is really a great thing because i had been recently turned off from blogging because the blogs i follow and enjoy are at times ran by such bitchy snobbing girls who turn their noses up at people who are a little more out spoken and non-reserved as they are. sorry i don't have a stick up my ass!
Anyways i thought a short little blog to let y'all know i'm still alive was in order. I am seriously going to try and start my blogging again. i swear!

My birthday gift from Tara

2010-08-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

We left early Wednesday morning and started our road trip down into Oregon. Our destination was the KOA campground in Astoria and we also wanted to explore Seaside and Cannon beach.
Our trip down involved a couple of random stops. One to a walmart where we got some much needed supplies like a lantern and speakers for our ipods.

Once we arrived at the camp ground we quickly checked in and set up camp then headed out to seaside to do some exploring. The sun was just starting to peak out as we arrived on Seaside and it was just beautiful. We wondered in and out of all the stores.This is us waiting for our deep fried snickers that we decided to try out by sharing oneDeep Fried Snickers!!Candy store where we got way too much candyOn the beach the first day

We played Skee Ball at the arcade

On Cannon beach after we went body surfing for over an hour. it was so amazing. i don't think i have ever actually swan in the Ocean. it was so much fun i could have done it all day long! After body surfing we changed into dry clothes and then headed to Mo's where we had lunch. I got the tuna melt and Tara got a bacon cheese burger then we split them to share. we both agreed the tuna melt was better ( seafood b/c we were at the ocean)

Our drive home was also quit an adventure. We stopped where ever we wanted which included a Ross, a drive down a long road in search of the Eagle sanctuary that we never found, a small park that had a naked baby and the parents smoking weed and drinking, a toll ferry that was more like a floating barge that we had no idea where it was taking us, and a stop at a camp ground thathad an amazing view of the Columbia river.

Over all the trip was amazing and we hating coming back home. I most defiantly want to make this a yearly trip if possible

Let's talk about Vegas!

2010-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

As you have probably read in the past Mat and i LOVE Vegas! We went back in april for his and Tara's birthday, and since that was the period where I wasn't writing blog post i thought i would reminisce about it in a blog post for you guys!

It was a really fun trip with Tara, Kristin, Crystal, Willy, Mat and I. We love Vegas because every time we go it is a whole new experience. I try and do things we hadn't done on past trip because there is just so much to do.

This is a picture of all of us on our last night in vegas. We finished the night in Crystal and Willy's room just hangin out.

We smoked Cigars of the first time at a little Cigar bar in Cesare's after out dinner at Boa. It was fun because we were the only females in there other than the waitress and Mat looked like a total pimp.

We spent some time with Crystal and Willy in old Vegas but i had to leave early to meet up with the girls for our night at Thunder From Down Under. i also got to try a deep fried Oreo while in old vegas... Pretty amazing

Pic of me and the girls outside. We are all so beautiful!

This is all of us on our big night out. We had this corner booth in Rockhouse. This place wasn't super full but that's house we liked it. We did a good amount of dancing (and the waitress spilled a beer on Mat)

Tara, Kristin and I also enjoyed a night watching karaoke. These two guys were amazingly into it and sang several times. The little white guy actually hung out and talked to Tara most of the time. Everyone called him Stifler

(Tara is enjoying her's and Mat's birthday dinner at Boa. (mat picked the place b/c it is his favorite place b/c they make the ceaser salad right in front of you)

Over all it was an amazing trip and i am so glad we were able to enjoy it with Willy and Crystal because they are moving away now so I'm glad to have these memories with them.

OMG i'm writting a blog post!!

2010-08-04T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not exactly sure how long it has been since the last time i wrote a blog post, simply b/c i forgot to check before i started to write this, but I'm excited to try and start up again! I miss recording all the fun things i have done in my life with my friends and family! I miss having an outlet to fully explain how i feel. I blame twitter to my lack of blogging. it seems that since i have an outlet to record everything i am doing, WHILE i am doing it, coming back and writing an entire blog post seems silly.

I have tried to peel myself away from my phone a bit recently and so i find that I have more of a need to blog about the whole experience of life back here. Don't get me wrong there hasn't been a real decline in my twitter use but while doing thing like hiking or tubing i have been trying to leave my phone behind. also my phone battery seems to not be lasting as long as i would like it to do so toward the end of the day between7-9pm my phone will die and there is the end of my 140 character blogging. Anyways i have a lot to blog about and a lot i have be doing in the past several months that i will be blogging about in random unorganized posts.

I hope you guys are excited that I'm back to blogging as much as i am and i hope that i keep up at it because it is so nice to have this record of my life!

things to looks forward to hearing about:
*vegas
*camping
*summer fun in the sun
*promotion at work
*new and old friendships
*growing older
*losing/gaining weight
*love
*things/people that inspire me
*dreams of the future
*debit horrors

I'm so NOT into the computer lately

2010-01-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

OK guys here i am finally blogging a REAL blog! it had been so long and I'm not really sure why. it seems like lately i hate wasting my time on the computer when i have friends to hang out with with to do around the house or TV/movies to watch! I have been doing so much lately and i have been so happy it is amazing!

Work is going better than i could have ever thought it could when i moved to a new store. i am learning so much and everyone is so nice and genuine! i have become the in-store recruiter and hiring coordinator as well as the new hire mentor. I am going to a meeting to learn to do the scheduling. I have learned ICC which is receiving all the orders the store has. I have worked hard but it doesn't seem hard because everyone at the store works together. I am working with the produce on their service scores this quarter and so far this yr on the two shops they have gotten they are still at 100%.

In my personal life i am pretty happy as well. I have had some falling outs with a couple of my friends but i haven't let them get me completely down. I am too opinionated and i try to help too much without fulling thinking through my approach which results in fights and misunderstandings. I am working on letting things go that i have no control over and letting people make their own mistakes. it is a difficult thing to do when i see my friends so unhappy sometimes. i have been trying very hard to be able to hang out with all my friends and i feel like i have done a pretty good job lately...went ice skating with crystal and her kids. It was so much fun and it makes things like ice skating so much more fun with you have kids with you! they really enjoyed it and it was fun to watch them as they tried out ice skating for their first time... I went snow tubing with Laura and it was absolutely too much fun! I also was able to hang out with Linnea yesterday for a while and help her out around her house before her baby boy come! I love that i live just down the street from the girls (Tara and Kristin) because i am able to just stop by anytime for a visit... even if i should try and do it more often. i had Debbie and her little brother over the other night for dinner and a movie and it was really nice to be able to cook for people. I'm such a hostess.

Things with mat couldn't be any better. i was a bit worried when i changed stores and i wasn't going to be working with him anymore but i think it has made it nice because we have more to talk about! Also we don't get annoyed with each other and work and let it carry over to our home life. it is nice to be able to look forward to seeing him when i get off work.

Over all I'm doing pretty well i my life is moving ahead as i would like it to (god that sounds corny) I hope to take the RLD test here in the next couple of months and hopefully pass this time... If i pass i will began manager training and hopefully eventually become an assistant manager!

Since it has been a while here is nothing about my life at current

2010-01-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

Stole this from a a blog i follow whom of which i also follow on twitter... @exmi Blog: http://www.expensivemistakescheapthrills.co.za/

Opening…

Do you get regular massages? nope never have... really really really want to though

Do you have an answering machine? no i have a voice mail linked to my cell phone

What cuss word do you use the most? fuck maybe... not really sure and i don't think i swear THAT much really

Are you underweight or overweight? very much overweight... i will always b overweight but right now i'm at the high end

Can you see your veins? uummm not really no

Favorite…

Soap? the kind that foams... too fun!

Fruit? oranges when they r good (when they r bad which happens most time they r really bad!) and uummmm strawberries!!

Kind of red meat? what ever... i love me some steak but a good hamburger is damn good too!

Fish? don't eat much fish

Candy bar? peanut butter cups or sour patch kids

Have You Ever…

Eaten a whole bag of potato chips? uummm yes... more often then i would like to admit

Eaten lobster? Nope.

Climbed a mountain? nope but it would b fun

Been skydiving? nope not a fan of that free falling feeling

Been water skiing? yeah never stood up.... i like tubing

Do You…

Wish you could change something about your life? that i wasn't so broke all the time (but that is something i need to handle)

Like your nose? i do... i real fathers mom (my grandmother) whom i've only met a handful of times once said that i have a perfect profile... that has always stuck with me!

Like salt and vinegar chips? yeah used to think they were gross and weird but one day i tried mats... they r yummy

Eat salsa? hellz yeah!!! i wanna make nachos now

Own a boat? nope but damn i would kill to have one... might buy a blow up 4 person boat this summer.. wanted one last summer but they were all sold out everywhere... damn heat wave!!

What Is…

A small thing that people let slide but that actually has dire consequences? i can't think of anything on my own so i am going to use the previous answer........"Not dealing with an argument as it arises. Putting it off until later, or pretending everything is fine, only results in an accumulation of anger and resentment. The Boyfriend and I try to (his doing, mostly) deal with things right then and there, even if it means a public argument."

Your most macho trait? being a lazy slob who doesn't shower all day and eats like it's going out of style... kinda gotta work on this!

The longest relationship you’ve ever had? the one i'm in currently... not sure exactly how long we have been together maybe goin on 6 yrs but only offically been exclusive for a little over 4 yrs

Your most embarrassing thoughts? usually my thoughts about myself... if people could hear those they might look at me twice

Your most shameful moment? oh i have a bunch of those... but whatever... i made it past them and am stronger b/c of it

This/That…

Bath/Shower? shower but a good bath can b nice too

Markers/Crayons? Markers.

Pens/Pencils? Pens.... but i do enjoy using a pencil every now and then... brings me back!

Jelly/Cream Cheese? jelly... i am not a fan of plain cream cheese

Bagel/Toast? how about a toasted bagel? OMG YUM

Finish…

My greatest weakness is... spending money

I wish I was…a bit thinnner

Three things I wouldn’t do for a million dollars are…kill someone, eat poo, alienate myself from my family

The oddest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth is…uummm this will go without answer b/c it is something a lot of people do but i'm not about to put it on my blog

Firsts…

Credit card you had? also the last one i had... also only made one purchase on it

Loan you got was for? school :-(

Paycheck was for how much? almost $500 for the week i think?

Time you had stitches? only time was in my foot when i cut it open climbing on a car and cutting it on the whipper blades

Time you went to the hospital for something? when i sprained my ankle... i hadn't been in so much pain (i dont' injure myself much)

Lasts…

List everything you ate in the last 24 hours? shit it has been a lot... corn dog, sun chips, craisins, dt dr pepper, hash brown hamburger helper, ice cream, blueberry strudel toast, more ice cream, more toast, Smirnoff twisted (3), left over hash brown hamburger helper with eggs

Last thing you used a credit card for? school

What was your job previous to the one you have now? auntie annes pretzels

Last thing you celebrated? new years... by sitting at home

Last time you were at a sports bar? it's been a while (i am becoming such a home body ) i'm betting the last sports bar i was in was Bostons

Getting into the Holiday Spirit!

2009-12-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well i think i am in full holiday swing and i am loving every minute of it!!! i have been baking nearly everyday (which reminds me i gotta put another batch of cookies in the oven). I have my house all decorated and i have been making crafts and wrapping presents!! i just love this time of year! What are some of the things that get you into the holiday spirit? For me it is a mixture of things.

Downtown Seattle: I always try and make it to downtown Seattle during this time of year, ever since i was going to school at the art institute. It is a sure fire way to get you into the right mood! This year i made it downtown with my girlfriends. We spent a lovely day shopping, ice skating, riding carousels. We ended the day with a yummy dinner at the Cheesecake factory and then watched the 3D movie A Christmas Carol in IMAX. it was a pretty perfect day!

Christmas Movies: Of course everyone loves a good Christmas movie during this time of the year but i think i have gone a bit Christmas movie CRAZY! i typically have nothing on but the hallmark channel, yes i even watch the really horrible movies with the terrible acting. The first Christmas movie i watched this year while setting up all the decorations was "A Christmas Story". Typically I'm not really a fan of that movie but it was the only one we had at the moment. My ALL TIME favorite Christmas movie that i try and see every year is a movie that hardly anyone has heard about but is really great is "One Magic Christmas"! it was lucky enough to catch it on the hallmark channel and watched the first showing then also set my DVR to record the second showing! you should try and watch it some time it really helps you learn the spirit of Christmas!

Baking: i absolutely LOVE baking during this time of year! i bake as much as i can then i divide it all up and give it all away to friends and family! it is a really fun way to give gifts to everyone you care about without having to worry about getting something they'll like! I have discovered that the thrift store next to my house sells old baking tins for .50 cents so i stocked up last year and i did again this year. I'm so excited to have all the baking done so i can deliver all the goodies to my friends at my old store!

There are so many more little things... like shopping and hearing Christmas music where ever i go. I love seeing Christmas lights on the side of the road and seeing people decked out in christmas garb like sweaters/hats/ear rings etc.

November in review

2009-12-07T11:01:00.001-08:00

well since i find myself not blogging right after each event i have decided to recap the main events in November into one blog

Laura Lorraine's birthday! my dear friends birthday was on the 11th of November and we had a fun night with the girls! We played old time girly games like candy land, pretty pretty princess and dream date! We also made margaritas and i made home maid french dips with real roast beef i made in the crock pot. Kristin made the cake and then we went andwatched SAW 6 i nthe theater... it was a great and scary movie! i hope she really enjoyed her birthday and liked all her gifts. We do special days with each other and my day with her will be snow tubing and lunch and whatever fun activities i can come up with!

Next in November was NEW MOON!!!! we gathered all the girls and went and saw the movie the Saturday after it came out! it was really fun and a great time spent with my girls. We all met at Claim Jumper and had a really fun dinner. It was also Britney's birthday so we got her a free dessert and we all sang happy birthday to her! After that we drove over to the theater and lined up for the movie. Tara and Val met us there... we nearly took up an entire row! it was so much fun watching the movie with all my friends. Debbie and I both had our Team Jacob (me) and Team Edward (her) shirts on! i was sitting next to Crystal and she cried several time in the movie.. too cute! Over all the movie was great and much better then the first one. Also NEW MOON was my least favorite book out of the four so it was nice that the movie made me enjoy it more!

Thanksgiving was a bit different this year. We usually split the day between the two families but since mat's mom passed away this year we spend the day with his extended family which was very nice. My family actually put our thanksgiving off until the 29th so we were able to work in the morning of thanksgiving and then spend as much time with mats family as we wanted in the evening. I really enjoy spending time with his family and it make it feel so nice because there are always kids around. it was fun i was able to hold Terry Jr till he fell asleep. then i played with Shannon and made her laugh when she was in a grumpy mood. it was a bit scary b/c it really put me into the baby wanting mode! Also i made my jalapeno cheese grits and everyone really liked them! i was so proud!

Black Friday quickly followed Thanksgiving with mat and i heading out to the Seattle premium outlets at 10pm that evening. it was nice b/c the stores opened at 10 so the lines weren't nearly as long ar crazy as they were last year at midnight. After the outlets we headed to walmart and did a bit more shopping. finally we decided we didn't need any door busters so we headed back home and got some sleep . we headed back out around 9am and did a good amount of shopping. i got a lot of shopping done and a lot of great deals! We got home a little later in the afternoon and started putting up Christmas decorations until mat had to go to work. Then my girlfriends called and wanted to go out shopping AGAIN so they picked me up and we headed back out! I got a bit of shopping done for mat which was nice... boy did i spend A LOT of money but i sure as heck wasn't tired of shopping. I seem to be developing a real shopping addiction... it is just too much fun!

On the 29 we had my family's Thanksgiving which also turned into my parents wedding! Yes i said my parents! My mom and Jeff have been together since i was 8 and i have always thought of him as my dad b/c i never knew my real dad and he was always been there for me. even though they have been together forever they never officially got married. They had planned it a couple times but never went through with it for one reason or another. this time they did it and it really turned out nice! It was just a small ceremony in their back yard. Jeff made the cake and i brought the flowers. i also picked out both of their outfits and did my mom's hair and make up. They both looked stunning and it was quite a romantic little ceremony! i am so happy for them and i know that they will be together forever. i can't wait to have kids so that they can be amazing grandparents!

making the most of my situation

2009-11-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well as you have read in past posts i had been preparing for an interview. I had that interview and i waited 5 long days to get the results of that interview.Well yesterday i got those results. i regret to inform everyone that i will not be a Second Assistant Manager at Safeway at the time being.

I can't exactly tell you where i fell short or why i didn't get the job. to be honest that interview was the first interview i had ever really had so i have no idea if i did good or bad. I feel like my answers were generic and maybe too textbook? Also i don't know if i left giving them a good impression of who i was or what i had to offer. it is difficult for me to take this news of not getting the job because this is something i have tried hard to get. i didn't come from a highly successful parents. They weren't super hard workers and they never shrived to be managers. I feel like because of this getting the mind set of a manager is harder and has taken longer for me to understand. Confidence in my management skills and my work is something i desperately need to work on and i am trying my best. it is weird for me because as a person out side of work i feel like i have a ton of confidence and really like myself and what i stand for but as soon as i get to work i feel lost and out of control. I feel like whatever i do won't be right, won't be enough.

With this in mind i an going to be going to the issaquah Safeway. this was advised by the District manager that interviewed me. i was #4 (out of 10 people interviewed) in line for the 3 job openings and he see's that i can develope and become a good manager so they are moving me so that i will be able to be more successful without the distractions that are currently at the store i work at now (friends/boyfriend) Drew (my current store manager0 said he didn't know if he neccessarly wanted me to go til after the new year but i told him i rather move sooner than later so that i felt like a was moving forward in some way. I feel i am at a stand still in my job currently and that i probably another reason why i was so disappointed with not getting the job. I am only 25 years old and i know that i have a lot to offer the world and i know that i can do great things. i just wanna feel like i am always working towards that goal and i don't know when i will find myself feeling like i don't need to move forward and really i hope i never stop trying to improve myself and my way of life.

So within a week or two i will be heading to the Issaquah Safeway. i am a bit fearful because i don't know how well i am at meeting new people. I know is school (both high school and collage0 i was super shy and didn't really make tons of friends. Currently at my job people think i am out going and lively and will make friends quickly, i on the other hand am not so sure. Of course i haven't been in a situation where i have had to meet new people in quite a long time and it will be interesting to see how i handle it. i would love to be able to say i am an out going girl, i never have thought of myself that way.

Wish me luck and i just hope that this is a step forward rather then pushing me back into my shell and destroying my little confidence i have.

interview nervousness

2009-11-18T14:18:00.000-08:00

well my interview for second assistant store manager is tomorrow and i am starting to get a bit nervous! i feel like i have prepared but i know myself and i know that i am bound to stumble over my words... i just hope that i don't sound like a complete moron! I am also putting a lot of pressure on myself because i need to get this job to keep my track going because if i don't get it if feel like i am going to completely deflate and just settle with being a checker forever... plus the pay raise would be really great!

In addition i have been on my diet for 7 days and i have lost 4lbs! i got a lot more to lose but i'm proud that i made it through a week!

anyways nothing else really to write about but i'll keep u up to date on the job... they said they will be decided by the beginning of next week

bit's a pieces

2009-11-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Well there have been a few well no too interesting things going on lately so i thought i'd do a short blog with just a few recaps on things here and there.

* I have been preparing for my interview to become second assistant at Safeway. The interview is on the 17th of November and will be a panel interview with Brett our district manager, Signe our HR rep and maybe another store manager. I'm a bit nervous but i think I'm kinda prepared. i can only do as best as i can do and if it's not good enough then I'm just not ready. I'm just afraid that i'm just wanna give up.

* I've been trying my best to hang out with all my friends lately because i really do love them all and wish i could spend all my free time with all of them. Last weekend i had lunch with crystal and her son at the Cheesecake factory and then this weekend i had breakfast with Linnea. These are the friends with kids so it is harder to get time together. it was nice to be able to hang out with them and catch up!

* I've been thinking a lot about the fact that i'm on depression med's. i for one am not ashamed or embarrassed to be on them but i have come across people lately who say they are unhappy but refused to be on depression med's because they should be able to make themselves happy. i have thought a lot about that and wondered if i should have tried harder to make myself happy. i have come to the compulsion that i did all that i could to be happy and i did have happy moments but it was the bad times where i would sit and cry for hours over absolutely nothing that made me want to get help. I realized that my uncontrollable mood swings were out of my control and that it just had to be a chemical imbalance because there is no way i would have let myself be so unhappy. I told myself that it was sick of wasted days of crying and i wanted to take my life into my own hands so i got help. and you know what i don't regret a bit of that decision. i have been happy nearly everyday (of course i get upset about normal things but now i can get over them without a complete melt down)

* I've had this overwhelming erge to have a baby lately. i have all this nerturing in me that is just dieing to be released. I love throwing parties because it is a good reason to make fun foods. i love making foods by scratch. i love making my house a home. it love every bit of taking care of mat (even though he doesn't let me take care of him as much as i would like to) i like making him breakfast and lunch and dinner. i love doing his laundry. But this nurturing can only go so far. Now just to convince him that he wants a baby within the next two years.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Halloween weekend! Friday i threw a pretty fun Halloween party at my house. even though not all the people who said they were coming came we all still had a good time and did a lot of laughing. Saturday i had to work 10-7 and boy was i hung over! it was so miserable to be stuck in the checkstand feeling like i was going to throw up at any minute. good thing jared was there to let me out when ever i needed him to.... yeah i puked 5 times at work... trust me not something i'm proud of! But eventually i discovered the miracle of 7up and i was feeling much better and the rest of the day at work went get! After work i came home and rested up a bit then headed to Mat's friends Elliott's Halloween party. I didn't really know anyone and the girls all seemed young and skanky and not so interesting so i basically just stood around and people watched. These parties aren't for me i much rather throw a small intimate party with people i know where u don't will crowded and claustrophobic. we didn't stay too late but it was an interesting way to spend Halloween night. over all i think Halloween turned out pretty fun and my $30 poodle skirt was well used lol

Fall Harvest Girls Night

2009-10-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

I know i am way backed up on blogging but i have been busy/tired all week.

I Had my fall harvest girls night LAST Tuesday and i gotta say it turned out really successful! i had 7 of my friends come over and i made them all a really yummy dinner of taco soup and empanadas. i was really excited to see everyone eat the soup as well as they all LOVED the empanadas... i might have to make them again. After we all ate (sitting around my table which i loved) we made carmel apples. let me tell you i have never been able to make successful carmel apples! the carmel always seems to slide off the apple! we all enjoyed then still the same. Also during caramel apples we were carving and painting pumpkins. It was all so much fun! everyone's pumpkin turned out really great! I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time and I'm so glad it all turned out successful and i was able to hang out with friends!

Laura painted on stewie to her pumpkin

Crystal choose quite a difficult pattern so she was the last to finish but it turned out great

Tiffany did a great job painting her babies names onto her pumpkin

Linnea did a whole ghost family in anticipation of her new bundle of joy (tony was there to pick her up)

Tara won the prize for the most original pumpkin carved. it really is quite amazing. Kristin did the mud flap girl which looked great too but for some reason i don't have any pictures of it

Fall Brunch

2009-10-13T13:37:00.001-07:00

Friday i had my mom and gramz over for a nice fall brunch! i made the most yummy Blueberry delight in the crock pot. It is kinda like a bread pudding with blueberries and cream cheese! (i'll share the recipe in a bit. They cam over for brunch and once my mom was in my house she nearly started crying. She was so impressed with my house and it made her think of me all grown up. It was too cute! we sat down to brunch and everyone loved the food. It was the blueberry delight along with thick sliced bacon backed with brown sugar sprinkled on top and mimosas! After eating and chatting it up a bit we watch the episode of "curb your enthusiasm" that had the Seinfeld reunion. They were too excited to be able to watch it because neither of them have HBO. The episode was pretty funny and we all had a good laugh. it was really nice to have them over and i was able to be the adult who was doing the entertaining. Also my mom brought over salmon that Jeff had caught so that night i made mat some salmon for dinner! Good eats all day long!

Five thing that have made me happy

2009-10-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Reading one of my blogs Expensive Mistakes and Cheap Thrills she asked what the five things that have made you happy lately... i just had to take the challenge of thinking about that one

FIRST thing to come to mind is Twitter of course! i love that i'm able to talk to all my good friends and i have made more new friends from all over the world!
SECOND would have to be Farm ville on facebook! i am so not a video game girl and i have played computer games but they never seem to hold my attention but i am fully addicted to farm ville. It is also really super fun that most all my friends are doin it too so you get to be a bit competitive!
THIRD Wearing sweaters and long sleeve shirts. I have a closest full of clothes i got last year that i absolutely LOVE and i was so excited when the weather got cold enough that i could wear them again... i love feeling like I'm getting a constant warm hug from a sweater!
FOURTH watching the eaves change colors. It is just starting and i just love seeing all the reds and oranges that are popping up all around. it makes driving to and from work so much more enjoyable!
Finally the FIFTH thing that has made me happy lately is candles. I have loved burning cinnamon and nutmeg candles all around my house filling it with a warm glowing that melts me into a puddle

so i pass on the question: What are the five things that have made you happy lately?

Fall For $40

2009-10-02T16:58:00.000-07:00

Ok .... i confess i probably spent a little closer to $50 but still not too bad for some great decorations!

So fall hit me like a ton of bricks the first time i felt the nip in the air! i was so excited to be able to wear sweaters again. i was ready to snuggle up in a blanket in front of a warm fire. i was ready to eat a big bowl of soup! I am a girl who usually completely loves summer with all her heart but this summer had been a rough one... a bit more work and a lot less fun. More depression and less laughter. Too much sweating and not enough jumps in a cool lake. Now don't get me wrong it was a good summer but the warm fuzzy feeling fall brings me is just what i need to calm my spirit.

I went out on a mission to fill my house with that fall feeling but as always I'm on a tight budget. i headed straight to all my favorite bargain hunting stores; Marshall's, Ross and Micheal's! i went with the inspiration i had gotten from Whitney over at Glamorous Life Of a House Wife. Now i don't even have a budget like she does or have as nice of furniture as she does but i loved some of her ideas so i decided to run with them and give them my own twist.

I wanted a center piece but wasn't sure just how to go about it. i had always liked the bowl in the middle of the table idea so when i found this iron bowl with swirl pattern i just had to get it! ($7.99 at Marshall's) I got the cinnamon pine cones ($2.99) and fake leaves ($1.00 for 2 packages) at Micheal's and the pumpkins at QFC (about $2.00 for all three)

I love how the bowl matches both my sconces and my table runner! not sure what to do with the gold vases but i thought the color was nice and warm.

I loved Whitney' s glass acorn shaped jar filled with sparkly acorns but it seems too much for me until i found a similar jar at Ross ($8.99) and fell in love with it!

I was worried about the C on the front but then i decided that if i always just had candy in it, it could stand for Candy jar!I always have to decorate my mantel but i love what i have on there right now i kind of hated to part with any of it. I found just a simple leaf garland ($2.50 at Micheal's) to lay across it along with two mini wreaths ($1.00 each at Micheal's)
Also i found this simple leaf dish ($1.99 at Ross) that i wasn't too sure what to do with it but decided it made a perfect spoon rest on top of my oven!
Finally i liked how she just had a simple dish of fall colored wrapped candy and that brought the warmth of the fall. The best part is that I didn't pay for the candy! mat got them for me for our anniversary (he knows the way to my heart!)
The candles i got at Walmart for $1.00 each. I got apple, cinnamon vanilla and pumpkin spice. Along with the candles i love to burn oils that i have from last year, Nutmeg and Cranberry. they really make the house smell good!

Over all I'm a very pleased with my fall decorations and my house feels so good now. I plan on burning my first log tonight while hangin out under a fuzzy blanket and watching a movie!

The Man I Love

2009-10-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

October 1st. It's mine and Mat's 4 yr official anniversary!

We have really been none stop together for 6 yrs but the first two were spent getting to know each other and so nothing was really official till i laid down the law and forced him to commit lol! Our relationship has grown so much in the past few years it is amazing. We have grown so much more closer and been through so much. i don't know how we would have made it through without each other! Mat is always there for me when ever i need him. I know that he will pick me up when i fall and tell me to stop crying when i am being stupid. He is such an amazing man. he is always himself and can get along with anyone. He is a homebody but loves going out at times. He wants nothing but the best for us and tries with all his power to give it all to me! I love that he is never bored. He has so many hobbies that he is really great at. he is a hard worker at work and i can always rely on him to get his job done (i need to take a page out of his book on that one) He is an amazing writer and does it just for himself rarely showing his work to anyone. I learn something new about him all the time which keeps things exciting! I love that we are on the same page on most things like keeping the house clean and what to eat for dinner. We have such a great balance in our life that we rarely fight these days (trust me it took A LOT of fighting to get to this stage) i love the future i see for us. I can see us having an amazing and long life together. i know one day he will make a perfect husband and father. It is amazing the times when i am driving home and i will think of him and just BURS with love. every time i see him i just want to scream to the roof tops I LOVE YOU! (he even says i say it too often) My love for him can't be contained in just those 3 little words so i say it more often in hopes to some how explain just how big my love his for him! I love this man with every fiber of my being and i would NEVER do anything to hurt him.

So here's to Happily Ever After

I LOVE YOU MAT!

The wedding of her dreams!

2009-09-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

OK i am finally making myself write a blog. Over a week ago was Laura and Daryl's wedding. i must say it turned out beautiful! Laura has got to be the most beautiful women and she made an absolute gorgeous bride! The Wedding went perfectly and we were lucky enough to have the rain hold out till we got indoors.
The wedding took place at the Hollywood School House in Woodinville. I had always drove by and loved the building. I think it was a perfect location for their wedding! It was the only day that week that had rain, but hey i say rain is a sign of good luck on your wedding day! Despite the rain the bride and all her maids had great spirits and the wedding was amazing. Laura of course was too shy to say her vows into the mic while Daryl sang his vows to her! It was so beautiful to watch them seal their love and i can see this marriage lasting a life time and beyond. it was also fun to watch Mat up there as a grooms men. He looked so amazingly handsome and i couldn't help but sneak a peek at him and imagine what it would be like to be marrying him.
The reception was so much fun! The food they had was amazing (Italian food: anti pasta, salad, fruit, pasta with marinara, Alfredo and meat balls! it was all absolutely yummy!) They had an open bar that offered not only wine and beer but electric ice teas (boy were those dangerous) After the fun food it was time for the toasts! God was i nervous! i had it all typed out and i read it clearly but looking back at a video of me GOD i totally talk like a valley girl lol! After all the stress was over it was time to dance and god did we dance out asses off! it was so much fun! the DJ was amazing and all the guests were so much fun!
We watched the bride and groom jump in their limo at the end of the night and they were off for their honeymoon in Jamaica! I can't wait to talk to her and hear all about it!

Greatest bachelorette party EVER!

2009-09-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well Saturday has come and gone and i have to say the Bachelorette party i threw for Laura turned out better then i could have imagined! It took a little time to be able to check into the hotel but with my life saver (Tara's) help we made it in. Then fortunately she was available to help me set up so we got everything set up in record time and boy did it look great!

We had enough time to get ourselves ready and then the guest started to arrive! There were less people then i had invited (i had to plan for 20 people coming b/c only one person RSVP'ed ggrrr!!!) but I'm happy about that because i don't know how many more people we would have been able to fit into this hotel room.

We began the night eating all the yummy food i had brought. Mini croissant sandwiches, fruit tray, penis pasta, penis shaped rice crispy treats, chips and salsa, popcorn, and my pantie pull down punch. We played three games... Pin the hose on the firemen, We stuffed marshmallows in our mouth and said fuzzy balls, and played truth or dare. we all also did blow job shots. She got a bunch of crazy dirty gifts that were fun to watch her open!

After the festivities in the hotel we headed out to hit the town! we first went to the club i had planned for us to go to... club venom... but once we got there we weren't feelin it at all (Asian invasion) Laura really wanted to go to cowgirls so we walked all the way to pioneer square (stopping at some other fun bars on the way) Once at cowgirls we had a blast! we got a ton of great pictures and truly just danced the night away!

we stayed till the bar closed and after while we waited for D's man to come pick her up we talked with a few guys and Debbie kissed i think it was 3 of them! too entertaining! also Laura got picked up... literally! finally to end the night we walked all the way back to our hotel stopping at Taco Del Mar or a late night munchie.

The next morning Laura and i met up with our men and went to the first Seahawks game of the season! we had great seats (about 7 rows up from the field) we were pretty tired and directly in the sun but we had a great time and i actually learned something about the game! next time i will have even more fun!

my happyness

2009-09-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Lately it feels like i have been the happiest i have ever been. I don't have any real complaint or troubles. My life goes smoothly (for the most part) and i see my life moving ahead with all the hopes i have for myself! I am able to handle the little stresses much better these days without totally breaking down. it's weird there are times where i know that i would normally freak out and then i am shocked when i find myself not freaking out!

Lately i have been super happy but i have been invaded with people and thoughts of stress and unhappiness. i would say that others people's feeling are what have been my biggest stress lately. i find myself feeling almost guilty for being so happy while others seems so unhappy. i find myself trying to find some way to solve their problems so that they are able to experience even a little bit of the happy, pretty much stress free life i have. I am slowly learning that nothing i can do will be able to make people happy in their lives and the only thing i can do is be a friend and listen and have fun with the times we have together.

Sometimes i wonder why people continue on the paths that make them unhappy. it seems to me if you are unhappy you should take a proactive way of making it better. Maybe i am becoming an loud mouth activist on depression and seeking therapy but when i was unhappy, depressed, stressed out i couldn't live with it. i couldn't see myself being unhappy and moody forever so i did what i could to change that as fast as i possibly could. i see so many people who could get help but don't. i don't know if it is not wanting to admit that they are unhappy or that they don't think it will help but i wish i could just fix everything for everyone.

OK well enough of this depressing post. Lets go on with our days and enjoy the little things. Some of the little things i have loved so far today are: the sun peering through my window brightening my house, saying i love you to mat when he left for work, saying hello to optimuscupcake on twitter, the memory foam mattress pad we have on our bed, the feeling that i am actually losing the weight i have been working to lose, the excitement for the batchelorette party i am throwing on Saturday for my dear friend Laura, and the thought of the mini weight watchers pizzas for lunch!

A day with Laura Lorraine

2009-09-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well as you might know my friends and i do days with each other rather then getting each other gifts for our birthdays. Last Thursday was my day with Laura. she had planned at day for us to go to Family Fun Center and have a blast! i was excited when she chose it because i have been wanting to go and she was the perfect person to do it with!

We arrived not knowing quite what the weather was going to be like but it turned into a perfect day! The sun was out and we were even pretty hot! We played mini golf first and we both got a hole in one! they have two courses so we played them both but by the end of the second game we were melting and ready to head inside to cool off a bit! We did almost everything they had to offer, bumper boats were by far our favorite! (pic of us soaking wet...goodness i look short!)You get to squirt everyone while driving around in your boat! You get SOAKED but it felt oh so good in the sun! we also did go karts twice because those are also one on my favs! It was fun to do the batting cages with her because she plays softball and it was fun to watch her skill! It kinda made me wanna play softball but i don't think i will. I would want to play with her but she is go good she probably wouldn't want a sucky ass player on her team lol! i bet i could be good though!

it was really nice getting to spend the day with her laughing and having fun! i love that girl!

dancing, drinking and laying by the lake

2009-09-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Well i was going to do a blog post for each even that happened last week but you know what i got tired. So i am combining the last few events into one post. Thursday we went out to Cow girls inc. It was our first time bringing Debbie out to a bar/club since she has discovered she likes drinking so it was a fun night! This girl used to hate going out and the crowds and the "bar scene" but we got a few drinks in her and we had her dancing on the stage! I'm pretty sure she really enjoyed herself too. It is so nice to see Debbie enjoying like and having fun. sometimes when she is down she can't seem to enjoy anything so to see her happy is a really nice thing.

It was also our last night out with just us girls before Laura's wedding. I mean we do still have the batchelorette party that I'm throwing in a week but that will have tons of girls with us (about 15 in total) so it was nice to have a night out that was just us before she ties the knot! She just loves to dance when she drinks and it is so much fun to watch her because she can be kinda held back in real life lol. She also LOVES to ride the bull so we rode it twice. She really didn't wanna fall off the second time around and tried with all her might to stay on and ended up with a HUGE bruise inside her thigh. It was pretty scary looking really.

On Saturday we all headed up to Laura's trailer to enjoy the very last bit of summer we had to hold onto. it was nice to get up there and just relax by the fire and then on Sunday we had amazing weather! We woke up to fog but it burned off and left us with bright sun and 80 degrees of warmth. Debbie discovered that she loves the Sea Doos just about as much as Tara does. Her exact words were "This is the funnest thing i have ever done!" I went on the Sea Doos for a bit but i really enjoyed just laying on a floaty in the water. but am i paying for that now! i got so sunburned and my face is peeling A LOT. I'm happy we were able to soak but that last bit of sun before the cloudy skies move it for MONTHS

Friendship is only a block away

2009-09-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well i am glad and well bursting with happiness to announce that my girls (Tara and Kristin) are all moved into their apartment only about two blocks from my home! It is really fun that they have moved together since they have both been my best friends forever! It is so nice to be able to have my friends end up being close friends together. it is really hard to have many different groups of friends.... i much prefer everyone to be friends with everyone.

We did the big move... about a week and a half ago (yeah i know i am ssoooo slow that blogging these days) We started early in the morning (i had to drive the u-haul of course) it went amazingly fast and easy but we did end up filling the entire 16 foot truck and three cars. these girls have A LOT of stuff! The hard part was unpacking it all and finding room for all their stuff!

i took on the duty of unpacking their kitchen for them and i have to say i think i did a pretty good job. of course i don't know if they would tell me if they moved things around after i was done. They have an amazing table and are waiting on their couch which will hopefully be delivered some time after September 15Th.

Their house is so fun and girly because these girls are so big on pinks and other bright colors. they are perfect to be living together! they are very similar in their tastes! it is nice to have a girly place to go when i want a break from my boy (even though i did usually need a break very often cause i love him so!) Yesterday was the first day i hadn't gone to their apartment since hey moved in. i know that i will be there very often so i told them that they are welcome to tell me when i am over staying my welcome lol.

Laura's Bridal Shower

2009-08-31T18:37:00.000-07:00

LAST Sunday was laura's bridal shower. her sister in law (and also bridesmaid) Tiffany threw it for her and did an absolutely amazing job at it! Kinda makes me nervous to throw the batchelorette party... it so won't be able to compare! She got the most amazing flower cupcakes to go with the luau theme. There were sandwiches and other yummy foods. it was fun to be able to meet the rest of laura's family. She also made out with A LOT of loot! i lost count on how many lingerie things she got. She also got a bunch of beach things that will go well for her honeymoon. My favorite part was that everyone brought a recipe card with an easy recipe for Laura to make!

I'm pretty sure the party was all she could have hopped for and i'm pretty sure she wasn't too embarrassed being the center of attention the whole time (she was worried about that beforehand)

my busy week has come to an end

2009-08-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well as i said in my last post this week was super busy! Sunday was the bridal shower, tuesday the girls moved two blocks from me, thursday was my day with laura and we had a girls night out, and then sat~sun we were camping! every other day i worked. I'm a bit tired and sunburned to write about it all now but i hope to get a few of the posts done tomorrow! here are a few pictures for yo u to enjoy!

us at the truller... about to head homelaura's showerme riding the bull at cowgirls inc

early morning blogging

2009-08-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

After working 10 days in a row i finally have the day off and guess what i woke up at 6 am... and that was after going to sleep at 2am. I'm hoping to catch a nap later today! Not really sure why i woke up but the reason i couldn't get back to sleep is because i was thinking about all the things i have to do. A lot for it has to do with the batchelorette party i am throwing and i don't even know why i feel like i have to get things done today because the party isn't for two weeks. i am pretty excited about the party and just hope it turns out as fabulous as i picture it being... i would love to spill my guts about all the plans but i know that the bride (HI LAURA!) reads my blog.

Also things i have to get done today is for the BBQ i decided to throw. No real reason just that we had a HUGE box of ribs in the freezer taking up too much space so i decided to cook them all up and call it a BBQ. i think it will pretty fun. I'm getting excited! But i have a lot of cooking to do for it. i also decided i wanted to make my grams famous Luau pork. that takes 4 hrs in the oven... then the ribs take 2-3 hrs in the oven as well... i plan to make the pork first then keep it warm in the crock pot while the ribs cook. i am trying to spend as little money as possible which is hard for me because i want to have everything. i would love to make my potato salad and mac and cheese and have beer and mikes and tons of chips and pop but i have decided i am only making the meats. everyone else can bring other things. This is hard for me as the controlling one i am.

Also more updates on my life i have started to see a shrink which is a new thing for me. i have always known some time in my life i would need to see one (with an alcoholic mom and an absent father) The reason i finally decided to go is when i decided i was depressed. it was getting in the way of my relationship with mat and my friends. I want to do everything in my power to have healthy mind set so i don't cause unnecessary drama and hopefully have a happy life. I started to see a lot of my mom in myself and as much as i love my mom that scared me. She has a lot of things in her past she has never dealt with and they seem to still haunt her. this is what i believe is why she drinks. i don't want to turn out dwelling on things in my life now when i am fifty years old. i want to look back on my life and be proud and smile at all the wonderful memories i have made!

Other then these things nothing else too exciting is going on. next week is a busy one because of the wedding shower, Tara and Kristin are moving two blocks from me (so damn excited!) i am spending the day with Laura, and then finally camping once again on Saturday night! So hopefully i will be blogging more often then i have been but we will see... I'm not making any promises

Mountainview Blueberry Farm

2009-08-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well my mom and grandma were planning on going blueberry picking and they called to invite me. lucky i had three days off in a row with nothing to do so i was more then a little happy that i was able to fill some of that time with my family. I met them at my moms house and we all piled in the car with my dad Jeff and we headed to the farm. Amazingly it was very far away. as we pulled up my grandmother was amazed at how many people were there and she was worried that all the blueberries would be gone... she is quite the dramatic lady like me! we got our buckets and followed the signs that said u pick area. when we first go there i was lost as to which were the best blueberries so i just picked everything that was blue. it turns out u should hunt for the biggest blueberries. i didn't have enough patience for that so i just grabbed handfuls of the berries and quickly my bucket was close to full. we spent about 30 minute picking blueberries and came out with quite a bit, so all the blueberries weren't gone.
When we checked out we also got a few recipes that we could try with out blueberries so i chose to make the blueberry crisp. i stopped at Safeway on my way home and bough all that i needed. it turned out really great and i ended up eating the whole thing by myself! mat's weird and didn't think it sounded good! his loss!

finally getting around to it

2009-08-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ok well i am finally putting my thinking cap on and i am going blog a little bit. i don't know what it is but when i sit down at the computer it seems so overwhelming to write out a blog. i think it is because i try to explain every detail of everything and so it takes time to think up things to write.

So let me tell you about our last camping trip to the truller. It was so nice because all my bestest girlfriends were able to come! it was Debbie's first time at the truller! this was also an exciting trip because Laura had just bought her own truller. Her truller isn't as big as her parents but it has a covered area as well as a very nice fire pit! we spent two nights and about two days there. it was not super sunny but nice enough that we were able to go ski dooing and swim nearly all day. i really enjoyed floating in an inter tube for hours with a mikes in my hand. it was really a relaxing trip. also a bit of Laura's family came up (her mom, bro sister in law and niece and nephew) They were fun to hang out with and who isn't entertained by babies... so cute!

Debbie was really enjoying herself as she walked along the dock with her bottle of Gin and her coke chaser. it was too funny to watch her surf on the dock, from the waves the ski doos made! she really enjoyed the peacefulness of the lake and ofter wondered off alone just to sit and look out over the lake. we of course made sure to check on her from time to time.

Over all it was a really great trip and it was nice to hang with all my girls and Laura's family. i love Tiffany (mother of two sex pot!) She is another bridesmaid with me for Laura's wedding. I discovered that she was younger then me and that made me a bit upset thinking she is already married with two kids! ggrrr! lol

truller advanture and blue berry picking

2009-08-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

oh by the title you would actually think i am writing a good blog... well you would be wrong... i did both these thing last week but i am too tired right now to blog about them so this is my advertisement for blogs that are yet to come!

a new tubing adventure gone wrong

2009-08-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well on the day that Seattle reached record setting highs making it up to 105 degreees in some areas we Debbie and i decided we should go tubing! We decided on the Cedar River in Renton, WA. we picked up her little siblings Doug and Val and drove down to Debbie's house in Renton. After Debbie quickly changed and we picked up her husband Dan, we headed to grab some dinner and then to the river. We hadn't done a non-planned trip down a river and didn't really know what to exspect. We hopped into our tubed and started down the river. it was amazing how many people were already on the river, it must be a pretty popular place to go on hot days! we started off well like a little nervous because we were unfamiliar with the river. soon after we began we got separated from her 13 yr old brother Doug. then we had so many obsticals we had to get over and around. a couple times we had to go UNDER large trees that had fallen on over the river. everyone flipped their tube at least once. Debbie got caught in a current that brought her over to a tree that tipped her over, her tube went flying and Debbie went under. then she was stuck on a branch un able to move out of fear and she couldn't reach the bottom of the river. Val was able to get over to her and swim her back to safety. Debbie was pretty freaked out after that (understandably) but i am pretty proud that she made it through the rest of the trip pretty well even if i did have to hold onto her raft the whole time. after a few other ehausting moments we floated pretty calmly to the end of the river. we even past a house that was having a party. They had a sign up that said topless tubing only so guess what i did... i flashed them... it was a full on flash or anything but boy did they get a kick out of it! they were so happy their sign worked lol. All this time we still hadn't found Doug and were constantly asking people if they had seem him. quite a few people said they had seen him so we kept going and made it all the way to our car. once we got there we didn't find Doug! we were all pretty worried by this time because it was pretty much dark outside and we didn't really know what to do. we had all our phones in the other car so we quickly packed up our things and hopped in my car to drive back to our other car. as we were driving we were looking on the side of the road in hopes to spot Doug and lucky enough we did! he had been waiting for us for probably somewhere close to an hr. he was also smart enough to borrow peoples phones to call Debbie and Vals cell phone and left messages so even if we hadn't found him we would have.
Needless to say we will probably never float that river again and i don't think Debbie really enjoyed herself much but it was a great way to beat the heat!

i have been block

2009-07-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

i am a follower of Pretty Sandy Feet Blog and i think Katelin seems like a pretty fun girl and i would even be willing to bet we would get along pretty well. Well apparently she doesn't like my say anything ways on twitter because i went to follow her (not realizing i had followed her in the past) to find out that she has blocked me from following her on twitter! i totally feel like Kathy Griffin or something! whatevers... i hope she enjoys the free promotion of her blog and twitter account! i guess i'll keep reading her blog because i think she is super fun!

just the price i pay for being an open book

Finished a new book and onto the second...

2009-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Mat got me into watching True Blood on HBO last year and i have just loved the show so when i found out that it was based on a book i just had to read it! For my birthday mat bought me the whole set and i just finished reading the first book Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris.
The book is about a waitress in a small town named Sookie Stackhouse. She has the ability to read minds and ends up falling in love with a vampire. A string of murders start popping up in the small town ans Sookie fears she is next.

I love the characters in the book and it is fun to be able to picture the actors from the show while reading the book. it doesn't follow the show exactly but i expected that going in and still i love both the book and the show! it is fun reading also because it has a lot of similarities to Twilight but not everything is the same (referring to things about vampires and such)

i defiantly recommend anyone to read it is a really fun book to read and i can't wait to read the rest of the series. The next book in the series is Living Dead in Dallas. I'll let you know how i like it.

Summer Fun

2009-07-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well Tuesday Laura, Debbie and I drove out to Leavenworth to go tubing. sadly Tara was missing in action because she wasn't feeling good but we made the most of it with her in our hearts...lol. the drive took a little over 2 hrs after getting a bit of a delayed start. We made it there and boy was it hot by 11:30am after filling out the forms and paying out $15 we loaded into a van (Debbie had to sit on Laura's lap because there were so many people **butt sweat!**) we carried our tubes down a hill (i was pretty impressed Debbie was able to carry her own) and hoped in the water! it was pretty cold first getting in but you quickly got used to it and enjoyed it once the 90 degree weather was beating down on your skin. It took us about 2 and a half to 3 hrs to float all the way down. we didn't stop much because we had a time limit so Laura could get to her softball game and Debbie could get to her sisters birthday dinner. we gossiped and giggled. There were some creepy men who kept trying to be next to use. Laura flashed a guy and another was in love with her because of her tattoos.. too funny! All day Debbie's goal was to get a tan "are you tan yet Debbie?" and even on the car ride home she complained that she didn't get any color. well later that night she discovered that she was pretty badly sunburned! but at least she got some color eh?

Overall it a was really great relaxing day and totally worth spending most of the day in the car! we hope to go again with a bigger group of people and maybe camp in Laura's brothers back yard after wards!

Vacation

2009-07-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

Well i was on vacation for the last week and boy did i have a great time! Sunday night me and the girls left for the truller where we spend two nights and two days relaxing, playing card games (phase ten can get pretty intense!) We even grabbed some intertubes and floated in the lake even though the weather wasn't the best. We mostly just hung out and giggled like a bunch of girls! it was really nice. Unfortunately i didn't have my memory card in my camera and i can't find the cord to take the pics off my actually camera so i don't really have any pics besides the one's i took with my phone.

Wednesday i planned a fun day with mat so that we could make the most of the really nice weather. we drove up to northwest trek where we saw some cool animals (left my camera in the car so more phone pics) we had a ice pic nic lunch in the park. I have been wanting to go there for a long time so pretty exciting that we were able to go. After that park we drove over to Mt rainer where we did a bit of hiking (god damn i'm out of shape!) and then drove around a bit getting some great views!

Thursday i turned 25! I started my day off on a grand foot going to my doctors appointment. after that i was feeling pretty good about life. mat and i went and saw the new harry potter movie (i gotta say it wasn't my fav but it was good) then after the movie we changed and headed to dinner at Daniel's Broiler in Bellevue. it was a very very nice restraunt on the 21st floor of the Hyatt hotel. After our og so yummy dinner of ceasar salad, fillet minion and baked potatoe and desert of cheese cake and chocolate covered strawberries we headed to seattle for theater sports. We were early because we actually got a really great parking spot right in pikes place so we went to the Pikes brew company for a couple of drinks before the show. The show was so funny (a bunch on improve) My face hurt from laughing so hard! After that we headed back toward our home when we decided we wanted chips and salsa so we headed to our new fav Mexican restaurant in Bothell and got chips and salsa and some margaritas! it was a perfect end to a perfect day! Mat made turning 25 not so bad!

Friday we just sat around the house relaxing and trying to beat the heat (i heard it was the hottest day all week so good thing we staied indoors)

Saturday was my birthday party. Or my Quarter Life Crisis get together with friends as i liked to call it! First i got together with my girls and we all got pedicures together which was so nice to be able to do with all my best friends! After we headed back to my house where we met everyone else then headed to the Rock for dinner! we got buckets and split pizza. The Rock has got to be my all time favorite restraint it is just so much fun and they are so good with big groups. our waitress even split all our bills up separately! seriously it was a grand time! After that we headed back to my house where we played rock band and drank some more... there was some random almost hookups and A LOT of laughing. overall i have to say i think it was a successful birthday party. I'm glad i didn't allow myself my micromanage everything thing and so in turn i didn't stress or worry at all.

Thursday Night Mariners game

2009-07-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well last night was a night to remember. it was good times to say the least! it was fun to switch up the usual group we hang out with and boy does a change in one person make a difference! Debbie, Mat and i were joined by Jared another (model-esqus man) co-worker, he is 22yrs old and quite the partier. We picked him up around 4:30pm to head to the game and one of the first things he tells us when he got in the car is that he is drunk. OK I'm sorry but that was too funny. We picked up Debbie from work and headed to Seattle in god awful traffic (thank god for car pool!) we arrived and found a pretty decent parking spot right across the street from a lovely little bar where we decided to stop and get a few drinks. Debbie, Mat and I all had a shot of jager and boy did that hit Debbie like a ton of bricks! She hadn't ate anything all day. So drunk Debbie and i headed off to the vendors to find this girl some food so she wouldn't get sick. we split a hot dog and she had some chips then headed back to the bar to find the boys. Arriving back i could tell mat was feeling his alcohol (he had to try and keep up with Jared's drinking all night) so he peer pressured Debbie into having another shot... this time tequila, and i had another shot of jager. Well this was probably not the best idea of Debbie but hey all in the name of fun right!
At the table i was the only sober one so i ordered us nachos and mini corn dogs to share. Debbie was feeling spinney so the first half of the game was kind of consumed with making sure everyone was eating and drinking water. It was good though because the game didn't get good until the 8Th inning where two runners on base and someone hit a home run to get 3 runs for the mariners and they won! Too bad i was in the bathroom with an upset stomach and missed it all!!!! Damn junk food!
After the game we headed to Jared's house where we met his dog and his friends. he then wanted us to head out to TIME OUT in Kirkland but i wasn't really feelin it (being the DD all night) plus Debbie was best to go home and try to sleep off the alcohol. So mat and i dropped Debbie off at her car and headed to The Rock where i was able to catch the missed part of the game on the TV and Mat and i shared buffalo wings (i only had 2 b/c the tummy still wasn't 100%)
over all it was an interesting night (i left out a few details to protect the innocent!)

Birthday vacation begins

2009-07-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

today is my official first day of my 10+ days of vacation! it is so funny because people keep asking me how many vacations do you get? well we get the normal amount of vacations... 3 weeks (for some reason i thought it was 4 but Linnea corrected me lol) we just happened to group them together this year. Our first vacation this year was in April for mats birthday. we always take out birthday weeks off because what better time to take a vacation really? Then we took the first week of June off because when we signed up at the beginning of the year we had planned on going to Vegas that week. plans changed and no money was had so we just stayed at home for both of those vacations. This week is my birthday week and i am actually going somewhere! Sunday night to Tuesday i am going to the truller with my girls! I am so excited and so happy to actually be doing something over vacation you have no idea!
I suggest never having a very busy summer because without a doubt the next summer will turn out to be disappointing! Well it is just that last year we did SO much and it seemed like i was constantly doing something and i thought that is what this summer was going to be like also.... little did i know I just wouldn't be doing much.
But let me tell you about one great day i have had this summer so far... It was my birthday gift to Tara to spend a fun filled day together! we went kayaking and then to the aquarium. we had dinner at Red Robin on the water front then went on a 2.5 hr harbor cruise through the Locks! we had perfect weather and of course we are perfect company to each other! I really enjoy these days we have with each other!

Oh and i have to say i LOVE how excited Tara looks in this picture! she absolutely LOVED the petting part of the aquarium

roller coastering

2009-07-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have long wondered how people can be so happy all the time.
Well let say the least my week hasn't been that great. come to think of it the last few months haven't been so great. Don't get me wrong i have had some good days and some great days but still i have found myself feeling down. Down about what might you ask oh i don't know... anything and everything. and y do i write about this so casually? because it is all so ridiculous. I have been having horrible and i mean horrible mood swings that lead into a downward spiral of crying and fighting over nearly nothing. it has all been so uncontrollable and i have felt so helpless. These mood swings have affected several of my relationships including my relationship with Mat. I have let change of plans ruin more then a few days and for what? to sit at home alone and cry. it has gotten ridiculous and i just can't take it anymore. So i have made a doctors appointment to talk about depression.
Now i have always been a dramatic person. I have gotten attention with my over reactions... but never have a i felt out of control of my emotions like i do now. Never have i watched myself fall into a downward spiral so fast and so deep and not be able to get myself out of it. It has scared me for a while now and i feel so relieved to be able to finally see that there is maybe a little hope in the future.
So July 16Th 2009 on my 25Th birthday i will be meeting with my doctor and i am hoping that i will be able to finally be able to start to feel normal again and have a some kind of control over my emotions.

Are you sure you aren't inviting yourself?

2009-07-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

i grew up with my mom always asking me this when i would make plans with a friend. i swear she embedded the idea that i am always inviting myself somewhere... i am always overstaying my welcome etc. also when i was at a friends house my mom would tell me to always help clean up and be useful for the parents so they don't regret me being there or something. i would a lot of times be more helpful then the friend i was staying with. i would clean up the kitchen while my friend sat and watched TV. i have never really had a problem with being helpful but as an adult i have grown to not want to tag along or somewhere where i don't feel welcome even if it is with a good friend. I had a miss understanding today with a friend and it is truly all my fault but it is upsetting because all i wanted to hear was that i was welcome, that i wasn't tagging along, that i wasn't going to be the third wheel. mat told me that i need to learn that some people just don't communicate that way and that i need to take their words at face value and if they aren't saying they don't want me to come then hey they probably want me there! i just need to feel like i am wanted i guess and I'm sure it all goes back to that fact that i have to make sure I'm not inviting myself!

Thanks mom! love ya anyways

i do puzzles when left behind

2009-06-27T12:34:00.001-07:00

Well this week has pretty much completely sucked! All of my friends ditched me to go on super fun vacations and i have been stuck here working!

Sunday Debbie left on a super fun road trip to PA with her friend Kathy who was moving back there. It was fun to read her tweets while on the road and let me say she didn't have all fun and games but over all i think she enjoyed her trip. She is flying back tomorrow, i can't wait to hear all about it on Tuesday when i work with her. that is if I'm not too busy working!

Monday Tara and Kristin flew down to Vegas for a 4 day 3 night party! i also was able to live through their tweets but it just made me want to go down to Vegas myself. Which in turn sparked my desire to go broke and spontaneously go down to Vegas during my vacation for my birthday. i was nearly completely committed when i decided to think about it. Damn being a responsible adult. i knew i couldn't afford the trip! it is unbelievable how disappointed i can be in losing something i never really had. i also started a puzzle this day in hopes to bring some entertainment to my week... little did i know that puzzles (or at least this one) are HARD!

Tuesday i worked at 4 am then came home and slept for 4 hrs then went to see Transformers 2 at midnight with mat... going to work right afterwards (meaning NO sleep for me) I gotta say the movie was really great and totally worth o sleep and standing in line for 2 HOURS!!

Wednesday after another 4 hour nap i was headed to Muckelshoot casino with Laura (after everyone else at worked backed out) to see Chippendale's! we arrived there about an hour and a half early and thought we would grab a bite to eat before the show. We saw a line and at first thought it was the line for the deli... little did we know that people had been standing in like for hours to get into see Chippendale's. We heard the manager announce that you had to have a bracelet to get inside and that the had already ran out of bracelets. so our hour drive was for nothing! We turned around and drove back to Kirkland for dinner at Olive Garden. it wasn't all bad because i was able to hang out with busy Laura for a little bit!

Today mat left with his friend Elliott to head up to Laura's truller for Daryl's Birthday party! i am unable to go with them because i have to work 4pm to midnight tonight. i was going to make the hr and a half drive by myself once i got off but it turns out i have to work at 3pm tomorrow and so i don't really find it worth it because it will just make going to work tomorrow that much worse.

So pretty much this entire week was full of let down and disappointment with the exception of Transformers 2 (which actually got really bad reviews... so sad) I'm hoping to make next week a little better! i an going roller blading (roller skating for me) with Kate on Monday. Tuesday is my birthday present day with Tara and I'm considering going to Laura's brothers house on Friday for their 3rd of July party. I'm disappointed that i have to work on the 4Th of July but there if a fireworks stand at the entrance of our apartments so Mat and I might light some off when we get off work that night. i gotta make the most of things or i am just going to be depressed!

The wedding

2009-06-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 20th 2009 was the wedding day. it was at lake wilderness lodge in maple valley. very pretty setting right on a lake big huge window that look out on it for the reception. it was a fairly small wedding for what we have been to but very nice. the food was the best we've had at a wedding all made by her dad and aunts and uncles. the cake was very yummy as well!

The batchelorette Party

2009-06-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

it was crystals wedding weekend and boy did we have a blast! the party began Thursday night for her batchelorette party! We all packed into a car and drove down to pioneer square to Cowgirls Inc and danced the night away.... we will just ignore the flat tire, divided group of girls and the major hang over the day after!

really 5 days?

2009-06-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

So i was reading another blog i follow and they mentioned that they should be writing a blog post 5 days a week and if they don't they shouldn't even be blogging. Should i feel that pressure to deliver a blog post worth reading 5 days a week? i know i have been slacking on my posting these days but 5 days without questions? i can't handle that kind of pressure!

anyways besides that i have a few things to blog about... Saturday was Kristin's 25Th birthday. It was a nice celebration for her. we went out to dinner with a small group a great girls then headed back to her place for drinks, hot tub and girly movie. besides me not feeling very good i thought it was a near perfect night... very relaxing! here is a picture of the girls after dinner
Sunday was another fun day! i woke up far too early after going to bed a bit late. i had plans to hang out with Kate so we met up and headed to Snoqualmie falls! i just love it there but no one ever seems to want to go as often as i do so i am always happy when someone new wants to go. We got sandwiches at Panera in Issaquah and ate them on a bench in the park. Our hike down was easy enough although it was pretty crowded (i recommend never going on a sunday!) Our hike back up was a bit more tricky. we stopped to take pictures when i discovered a new path i hadn't seen before so i suggested we go that way... it was fun but a bit of a literal climb... i felt bad for making Kate go that way because she was wearing a white skirt and flip flops. Overall a great day and i was happy to be able to do something with her other then sitting in a restaurant!
So the week is nearly half over and i am glad to be getting into the easier part of my week because yesterday for some reason my body decided to get sick! i was asleep in bed by 5pm but had to get up for work early. today i am going to take it easy and watch a movie with Debbie. Actually it is "How to Be" starring Robert Pattinson. a small independant movie he was in a while ago. I've heard good things so I'm excited to watch it! i'll let u know what i think (hopefully anyways)

it fits!!!

2009-06-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

OK I'm not in the mood to write a big long blog but i would like to announce that all my worries and panicking and freaking out was for nothing... My bridesmaid dress for Laura's wedding fits perfectly! now i am just hoping to lose enough weight to need to get it altered cause that would be just great!

u probably have lost faith already but...

2009-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

well i have restarted my diet once again! yes yes i know lets count the amount of times i have started and ended my diet1 but i really really really have to stick to it this time... i really really really need to get down to my low range of regular weight b/c i am deathly afraid of not fitting into my brides made dress! My weight fluctuates A LOT and i mean A LOT.. i tend to go up and down the same 15lbs every month. one day my clothes will fit perfectly and the next not a single thing will fit me and i am stick wearing a dress! i need to get to a low range of my weight and be able to stick to it in order to be able to fit into my dress! Laura's wedding is Sept 19th... that is about 13-14 weeks away and i hope to lose around 20lbs by then... my goal is around 2 lbs a week which would bring me over 20lbs so that i have some room to not get 2lbs every single week! i am really determined and slightly in fear and so i think i will be able to stick to it.. at least until the wedding.. who knows what will happen after that!
Here is a particularly fat picture of me... check out that double chin (nearly triple chin with all that neck fat!) and chubby cheeks!! so gross! doesn't baby Terry look just so cute though!!

Back to The Grind

2009-06-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well today was my first morning back to work and let me tell u it wasn't bad. well waking up at 3am was pretty hard but i did it and i made it into work and found that i didn't have Tons of work to do, always welcome! So i got to work doin a few things here and here till Debbie arrived at work and then i pretty much just gave up trying to motivate myself to work so i spent the better part of my last 3 hrs talking to pretty much everyone i work with. i planned out trip to Chippendale's with all the girls from work. Then i learned how to remove the new "alarm lids" on our wine bottles. i asked Debbie about her weekend and heard about her road trip to PA she is going on in like 2 weeks. i sat in the break room and listened to the pounding of the remodel the bank is going threw. I killed time reading a rereading bulletins on my computer. I sat with Laura and the rest of the produce crew while they took their breaks. I got good news that i might not be closing much anymore! i guess our assistant and second assistant managers have to close a few nights a week now so hopefully I'll be working more days! All in all it was a good first day back to work nothing too stressful or overwhelming!

Tomorrow is my beginning of summer Pic Nic and i am hoping that the weather holds out! A good day at the park with my girls laughing and having fun sounds perfect!

Livin Life

2009-06-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

I laid by the pool the other day with a friend and we got to talking. The topic of money came up and don't get me wrong we didn't have some deep conversation or anything but she mentioned that she is frugal with her money so that she is able to have a savings at all times. Then i said that Mat and i had discussed that earlier that we want to be able to have a saving but that we couldn't imagine not doing all the fun thing we do and how we do them. This conversation stuck in my mind since that day at the pool and i am just trying to figure out a way for me to find a happy balance between the two worlds. I hate to miss out on anything fun and feel like i am missing some part of life but at the same time i hate living pay check to pay check! At this point the only solution i can think of is that i need to make more money!

So on that note here are the things we have done so far on vacation!

My birthday list

2009-05-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

My friends and i have come up with the idea that we should plan a day that we spend one on one with each other for our birthdays rather then buying each other gifts. Although i know it is pretty early i have been asked to post my list so the planning can begin.

take a look and even if we don't do it together it will give you fun ideas for what to do over the summer!

Activities on Alki: *Roller Blading
* Bike Rental …. www.kayakalki.com/index.html
*Kayaking …. www.kayakalki.com/index.html
*Bon Fire…. www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/AlkiBeachPark/fire.htm

Northwest trek: www.nwtrek.org

Mariners Game and/or **Safeco field tour: www.seattlemariners.com

Day at family fun center (batting cages/ go carts/ mini golf!)

Comedy underground/ giggles/ laughs

Hair cut paid for and lunch

Horse back riding (at lake Wenatchee state park or ocean shores)

Road trip/scenic drive: www.allgetaways.com/region.asp?areaid=100490

Ride the ducks: ADULT & Quacker $27 (way cheaper then I thought!) www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/

Cabaret and burlesque sat night at the pink door : http://www.thepinkdoor.net/events.html

Salsa night @ Creatively yours in Crossroads mall (usually only once a month) or TGIF 6-9pm http://www.paintedbykathy.com/Creatively/calendar.html

Tillicum Village: http://www.tillicumvillage.com/

ALL of these things plus anything else you guys can come up with! Have fun planning and I can’t wait for you guys to make me out for my day… I love no having to plan or do anything!!!

My Summer Plans (so far)

2009-05-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well i have so much to look forward to and i am so excited. i keep wanting to see it all written down in a list... kinda like a check list so i figure what better place then on my blog! i am doin things with so many people and still wanna do so much more!

*Today: date night (mat is planning it and i have no idea what we r doin)
*Tomorrow: mariners game. sitting at the hit it here cafe. never sat there before!
*June 6Th: trip to Leavenworth w/mat and Laura and Daryl OR comic book type convention at Seattle center
*June 9Th: Beginning of Summer Pic Nic at Martha lake and i hope all of my friends can make it
*June13Th: Kristin's birthday (pool, dinner, sleep over)
*June 14Th: trip to Mt Rainer with Kate!
*June 24Th: Chippendale's at Muckleshoot casino at 7:30pm... FREE everyone should come!
*June 27Th: Daryl's Birthday camp out and BBQ. also first trip to the truller!
*June 29Th: My day with Tara (argosy cruise, aquarium, kayaking, dinner at Alki)
*July 11th-12th: Leavenworth/tubing mini vacation with kate
*July 16Th: My Birthday
*July 18Th: my birthday party (water fight and pic nic at Martha lake, dinner at the rock, game night at home)
*Aug 23rd: Laura's bridal shower
*Aug 28Th-29th: Nickelback concert and two nights of camping at the gorge!
*Sept 12Th: Laura's Bachelorette Party
*Sept 19Th: Laura and Daryl's Wedding!

Along with these already scheduled events i am also looking forward to our Mondays where we try to make the most of the outdoors and do something active!

I would like everyone to know that i wanna hang out with each and every one of you as much as possible but i don't know if you are free... i have all sat and Sundays off so talk to me and we should plan something fun!

LOVE YOU ALL!

too much sun to think about blogging!

2009-05-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well i know i promised you all the details of my last weekend but darn it it has been nice and i have been busy... i work 12 hrs yesterday (4 of them in sexual harassment training) So here i am at the beginning of another weekend and actually the beginning of another vacations. Another vacation that we are spending at home but will still have a great time! but back to the subject at hand... last weekend! ...

Well Saturday was super fun hanging with Debbie. She got me all worried that she was gonna freak out while getting a pedicure but we went ahead and did it anyways and boy did our toes turn out great! I am gonna make this girly girl high maintenance if it kills me... lol Playing rock band was super fun afterwards also. We played for hrs had pizza and pop and laughed a lot!

Sunday i went to Lunch with my great friend Kate. We thought we would try out another restaurant other then our usual Saw Mill so we met at Crystal Creek cafe and wouldn't you know it is was the exact menu as at the Saw Mill. I knew that they were accounted with each other but the same menu was too funny! at least we knew we would like the food! While we ate we talked about all the fun things she sees me doing on my blog so we made a deal that when we see each other (usually it is just for breakfast/lunch indoors) we would do something out side! so we made plans to take a day trip to Mt Rainer and a mini vacation to Leavenworth to go tubing! i can't wait for either activity and to be able to spend more time with Kate then just a meal!

After our breakfast i finally convinced mat to go to the folk life festival! I love festivals even though we really have no interest in the music or the arts and crafts but boy are we interested in food! When we first walked in we got tons of free samples. then we had a slice of pizza to share. we wondered around for a bit just to make sure we weren't missing anything. then we got a wrap sandwich with Lamb. it is always fun to try new foods while at a festival. let me tell you it was good! After wondering around the fair for a good amount of time we decided to walk down to Pikes Place. we took a scenic route by walking down to the water front and then back up to pikes place. it is always fun just to wander around down there and see all the people. after that we decided that we were pretty hungry so we headed to Mama's kitchen which is pretty much the best Mexican restaurant in downtown. it was also fun because we was the same place that we went when mat came to visit me in school for the first time! I also got a bit sun burned from walking around so much in a tank top but it was completely worth it!

Monday was a really nice, not quite as warm as Sunday but perfect none the less! Tara Kristin and i all met at my house and headed to Greenlake with our pic nic lunches! we found the perfect spot and hung out a while enjoying the warmth from the sun. We then walked around the lake and came to the paddle boat rental area. we at on the beach a while putting our feet in the water. finally we made our way over to the paddle boat window and stood in line. After a short wait we climbed 9very carefully0 into our boat and headed out. Little did we know that it was kinda tiring to paddle and steering was far too complicated so we stopped a little ways in a floated there in the sun. i hung my feet off the side. it was really relaxing! after that we headed back to my house to make dinner and play wii fit. it was nice to be able to hang out with nearly all my good friends together. It was also fun to see how different people do at the wii fit. it was surprising what people were good and bad at lol.

i have a lot planned for the next week and i will try hard to update a bit sooner then a week from now!

a busy weekend!

2009-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well i have the weekend off and i have a lot of fun things planned! last night i got off work at midnight and headed to the tulaup casino with Debbie, Kristin, mat and Rosie! it was tons of fun and totally spontaneous. i lost the money i went with but it wasn't a ton. today i have plans to hang out with debbie to get a peticure and play rock band~ should be good times! then sunday i have plans to hang out with mat. not really sure what we will do.. i thought going to the folk life festival would be fun but mat didn't sound too excited about that idea.. i'm hoping to convince him still! then monday once i get off work us girls are going to greenlake to go paddle boating then coming back to my house for BBQ and wii fit! the weather is going to be perfect and everythign is gonna be so much fun!

Found Happyness

2009-05-22T11:29:00.000-07:00

Cancer (6/22-7/22)

Your inbox is filled with status updates from your favorite social networking sites. You might wonder if your pals and associates know something you don't know or if you're missing out on something. But you're in the right place now, so be content to stay on your path. On the domestic front, your life might not be exciting, but it's stable and it's better than it has been in a long while. Let everyone else keep searching for their happiness. You've already found yours

i don't know why horoscopes catch my eye on the days they do. i don't read them regularly but once in a blue moon I'll take a glace at my myyahoo page and find my horoscope says something that pretty much speaks to where i am at that moment. This one in particular caught my eye because it referred to my favorite status updates and such. of course i love my twitter and i follow several people who are engaged, who are mothers or soon to be mothers. People this weekend are leaving on their vacations or heading out to the bars. I would be lying if i said i didn't have moments of jealousy. But this reminds me that i have to remember those car rides home where i find myself smiling and coming to near tears because i am thinking about how happy i am with my life. I am so happy to have the man i love and to have all of my great and wonderful friends. I am happy to have a pretty good job and a stable income. Of course i have days where i am cranky and every little thing annoys me. there are days when i can't believe the stupidity of the people coming through my line at Safeway. but at the end of the day i am happy and i see a bright future for me and mat.

First Monday Adventure of 2009

2009-05-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Monday was another day that I was sure to make the most of the sunny weather. Like last summer we hope to have our regular Mondays where we try our best to do something fun out doors! This was our first official Monday adventure this summer. we Had planned on going to deception falls so we pack a picnic lunch hopped in the car and headed out. Deception falls in on Stevens Pass right before the pass actually (on the left side of the freeway) It is a park that has a snaking trail that has several really beautiful big and small waterfalls. We had gone last year and really loved and decided to go again. Much to our dismay once we arrived we found that the gate was locked and the park was closed (probably yet to open for summer season) So we thought quick on our toes and tried to figure out what else to do. We decided to keep driving. We knew we would eventually make it to Leavenworth. It is amazing how close Leavenworth really is. i don't know why people don't go there more often! it was perfect weather (80degrees!)

we parked the car and decided to walk down by the river to have our lunches. we stuck our feet in the water and wondered along the trails for a while. Finally we decided to head to the shops. we wondered in and out of the shops (tempted by candy and goodies) After our short shopping trip we decided we HAD to stop at the 59er diner for milk shake! (remember we went there last summer for my birthday with Tara!) it was Kristin's first time to the 59er diner and Tara and i were excited to share a bit of our childhood with her! we also stopped at our favorite taffy store that had burned down just a few months ago. it was pretty amazing because they were still operating out of two sheds while they waited to rebuild.

Finally we headed home blast music and singing along at the top of our lungs. While driving over the pass we were amazed by the huge mounds of snow still on the ground (we don't go to the mountains during winter) we decided we HAD to stop on the side of the road and get a little taste of snow. it was fun standing in snow in flip flops and really ironic to be standing there in Capri's and tank tops! we finally made it home and JUST IN TIME for the rain to start!

I am so grateful that the summer is starting out to be great! i just know that is will be just as good or even better hen last summer!

Oh how i love me some sunny weather!

2009-05-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am in such a great mood all the time now that we are having some really great weather and i have sworn to myself that i will make the most of every sunny day that i can! So far in my summer adventures i have had a picnic with Kate, walked around Greenlake with my gramz, and ate dinner on Kirkland water front at Anthony's with mats family.

The picnic was kind of a spur of the moment thing on mothers day. Kate and I had planned on meeting for lunch but since the weather was so nice i offered for a picnic. So i broke out my picnic basket and pack us a lunch! We ate at Martha Lake. it is a lake just minutes from my house that is tucked away and kinda hidden. it was so beautiful and peaceful. I'm completely in love with it.

Last night mat and I joined his aunt from Cali, uncle from jersey, grandma and cousin for dinner at Anthony's on the Kirkland waterfront. We arrived at the perfect time of day just as the sun was setting. Mat and i arrived early and walked down the dock for a bit. we were seated just in time to see the end of the sunset! it was nice seeing his family and getting to know them better!

Finally today i was desperate to make the most of the sunny day so i posted that i needed someone to go to Greenlake with me (because i have been dying to go there) and my gramz said she'd go! She called me and an hr later we were walking around Greenlake together! it was such a nice walk (2.8m) We ended the walk at the BluWater bistro where we split Crab Mac and Cheese. i am not once to choose out seafood for myself but she really wanted to try it so i was game. MAN let me tell you it was so good! the crab added such a light sweetness to it! i was so impressed with myself!

Tomorrow, after work, Tara, Kristin and I are planning on going to deception falls. we went last yr. it is such a fun place to go with a trail snaking in and out of a handful of water falls! i can't wait!

because my last post was so depressing...

2009-05-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

OK so my last post was pretty depressing because i was a place where i was thinking too much and over analyzing things too much. Today i thought i would write about the things i think I'm pretty good at.

First of all i think i am a pretty good person. Don't get me wrong i am not perfect and i do a far share of not following the rules but for the most part i am a good person with a big heart. I am constantly wanting to help people and it usually pains me when i can't help. Sometime i try to help too much even but i don't think that is a fault!

Second i think I'm a pretty good friend. sure I'm too blunt and maybe try to be helpful in the wrong ways but it always is coming from my heart. I am constantly thinking of my friends and all the fun things we can do together. i love to surprise them with little gifts and such to show that i was thinking of them (haven't done that in a while b/c I'm broke) I love having friends and having girly days together. We could do absolutely anything together and i would be happy.

Thirdly I"m pretty good at being domestic. i absolutely love to spend the whole day cleaning while mat is at work. It love to have the house spotless and smelling good and dinner ready when he walking in from a long day at work. i love trying new recipes and reading cook books. i keep a pretty nice house and this well organized and uncluttered. Although i don't have all the money in the world i make out pretty well with what i have. I love going to Ikea or any furniture store (that isn't totally over priced!)

Fourthly i think i will make a pretty good mom. All my life i have wanted to be a mom. first it was playing make pretend growing up. i loved playing house and being the mom. then i wanted to be a mom just because i wanted to do it better then my mom did (not that she did a bad job but when your 13yrs old u think everything they do is wrong) and now i just have such an overwhelming urge to nurture! seriously mat doesn't let me take care of him enough. if i could i would make his every meal, do all of his laundry, pick out all of his clothes, cut his hair, and ANYTHING else he needed done. i keep telling him he should get me a pet because i have too much love and affections for him to handle and i need to direct it somewhere else before i completely annoy him!

I'm sure there are other things that i like about myself and think I'm pretty good (big head much!) at but I'll stop at four because that how many things i said i was bad at.

Hope this leaves you with a better feeling then my last post.. sorry guys! maybe you should make a list of thing you think your good at.. it make you feel way better!

I SUCK AT LIFE

2009-05-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that i am completely unhappy or anything but there are some basic life skills that i just SUCK at! It is a fact

First i am always broke! i don't know how it happens ever week but i completely live pay check to pay check mostly finding that my money is spent within three days of getting paid! For this reason i pretty much can't save money to save my life! There are so many things i would love to do this summer but can't seem to be able to even save a couple hundred dollars! i feel bad about this because everyone always wants to do fun things and i feel like i bring down the energy with me constantly saying I'm broke. i am no good at saying no because i don't wanna miss out but then at the end of the week i regret spending so much money and ending up broke! one thing lately that had been making me upset is that I'm am the last of the bridesmaids to buy the dress in Laura's wedding. i am the Maid of Honor and i should have been the first to buy the dress. i worry that i am not going to measure up to the maid of honor that Laura deserves simply because i such with money!
I ruined my credit right out of the gate at 18 yrs old by going to a collage that i couldn't afford AT ALL and paying tuition on my first credit card and then never paying it off. Also i am drowning in student loans for a school i never graduated from (going to collage is one of my biggest mistakes so far in my life) if this reason i have no credit cards now and can't get any. there for i live solely on the money i make in each pay check with nothing as a fall back in case of emergencies!

Second i have a real lack of work ethic or the ability to pay attention to detail! This is something that never really bothered me (i didn't really mind being an average student) but ever since i have decided that i need to move up in my job it is something that i have had to work on constantly. I find myself trying to let little things slide and they end up not being the right thing to let slide! Like say my audits for my MEDS ends (i change over all the ends of the isles at Safeway to the new promotional sale items each week) i know when my audits are coming and i try my best to make each end perfect but for some reason there are like one or two shelves that i miss and don't change over to the correct item and so i fail. I have failed three times in a row. yesterday i cried at work because of it. Because i was mad at myself for not just changing the shelves! why is it so hard for me to get the motivation to pay attention to these little details?

Thirdly I tend to be over dramatic and over sensitive! There will be a tiny little problem and i for some reason will over think it, blow it way out of proportion and end up ruining someones night, getting into a fight, or just in general be unhappy for an entire day or two. It is so frustrating that i can't just let things roll off my back. i have ruined so many parties by ending the night early in tears. i have over reacted to something mat has said and totally gotten into a bad mood and had and entire fight inside my head and mat has no idea what is going on.

Fourthly i HATE taking time to do my hair, put on make up and in general make my self look good. i wish i could just take a very quick shower without have to shave ever inch of my body. get out of the shower and not have to do a single thing to my hair. i wish that i didn't find it such a bother to put myself together. i much rather just sit on the couch and watch mind numbing TV than take an hour or more getting ready everyday. seems like such a waste!

Although i struggle with all of these things on a daily basis i am for the most part pretty happy. I have so many memories of fun things i have done. i could have not done these things in order to save money but i constantly choose fun over savings, and for now I'm happy with that choice. Also i am working on my work ethic. i need to learn the hard way i think. so finally after the third failure I'm pretty motivated to have every single end perfect next week!

Everyone read Debbies blog

2009-05-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well i finally convinced a fellow friend to blog! Debbie is great at telling stories pretty much because she lives in crazy town lol. But seriously she has a unique prospective on things and I'm sure she will have interesting things to say in the future! lol

Check out I AM a Crazy stalker person...
http://dhoffmansblog.blogspot.com/

FREE KFC!!

2009-05-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well today wasn't so exciting. at work i started feeling sick toward the end (pretty sure i was just tired) then i came home and took a nap and woke up to the news that Oprah was giving away free KFC dinners! i thought hey why not go for it! i wanted to be festive for Cinco de Mayo but can't really drink because i work at 4am tomorrow so i thought why not take a little adventure so i printed out my coupon found the closest KFC to my house and drove the 15 minutes i took! It was fun and totally worth it! the food was super yummy.. .hadn't had that in forever!

The coupon will only be up until tomorrow night at 11:59pm but it is good until mothers day as long as you print it out... FYI i printed out about 6 of them lol

Get yours now... http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090430-tows-kfc-coupon-download

So you can feel like you were there

2009-05-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

We headed to Vancouver with no real expectations but were excited to have a girls night! little did we know we would have one of the most exciting trips! let me take you along on the journey!

Everyone (Debbie, Tara, Kristin, and I) all met at my house around 9am. Stuffed Tara's VERY large trunk full with bags. We completely over packed for a one night trip! Once all in the car we headed for the US~Canadian border! the drive went quick as we sang along to our favorite songs and talked about all things girly! Arriving at the border we decided we needed to stop by the duty free store b/c we had been told alcohol and such is much cheaper there! Once we had paid for and drove to the pick up location (weird right... had to drive to pick up our goods) we headed to the gates. Coming from the duty free pick up window we had to merge into the line. Boy are Canadians rude when driving! we got the most ugliest faces i have ever seem and no one would let us in! that had my blood boiling. Then we arrive at the window and the Canadian Mounty lady who was checking us threw was obviously having a bad day. She was completely rude and we ended up having to go into the building here they looked up all of our histories while we waited! pretty stressful. eventually we made it past all the hurdles and were back on the road again! We made it to our hotel w/out any form of directions (that's how u know u have been to Vancouver too many times!) We checked in and headed up to our room on the 23rd floor. Got in the elevator pressed the button and waited as the elevator started heading up. It stopped on the 19Th floor and some people got in... we figured they were heading up to a friends room... NO the elevator started heading DOWN. we were once again in the lobby. We tried inserting our key card and we pressing our number again and it headed up this time to the 18Th floor. more people got on and the elevator started heading down. We quickly pressed another floors button so we wouldn't go all the way to the lobby. We got off on the 8Th floor carrying off all of our far too heavy bags barely being able to move anymore. We were so confused! this went on for a little longer till we finally called the front desk and asked if there was a trick to using the elevators. They suggested that our key was demagnetized so we tried the other key they had given us and FINALLY we made it up to our floor. the irony was that we never needed to get a new key.. that first key worked just fine the rest of the trip! Once in our room exhausted we decided it was time for a drink! We made a few and chilled out for a while, a couple of us pee'd and a couple of us decided we could hold it. So we headed out for lunch STARVING and slightly buzzed! we pressed the button to the elevator and then made jokes about the mirror and how the floor felt like it was slanted b/c of it. The elevator finally arrived and Debbie led us in but suddenly turned around and headed back out! we chalked it up Debbie have a little too much to drink before leaving the room so we pushed her back in and gathered in the corner of the elevator. i stood there not really noticing the other people in the elevator already. some fat guy and someone else. i looked at Debbie and she gave me such a look that i looked at our elevator companions again and low and behold we were riding in the elevator with none other then JACOB from TWILIGHT!!! That right ladies and gentlemen! We rode down in the elevator with Taylor Lautner for 20 floors! none of us said anything our of pure shock! my eyes went huge and my heart was pounding! can you imagine our luck!? if we hadn't been stopped at the border, if we had been let in by the cars in line, if we had made it up to our room without trouble, if ANY of these things hadn't happened we wouldn't be in this elevator at this exact time! It was such luck! We could tell he was heading off to work out (he had gloves on and got off on the floor w/the gym) He was w/ an obvious body guard who shielded him from us. Taylor stared at the floor all the way down. but it was him! it was so exciting! we all screamed our heads off once he exited the elevator . I'm sure he heard us but we just couldn't contain our excitement! we made it outside and then wondered if we should turn around and follow him onto the third floor. We vetoed the idea b/c truly we aren't stockers! we headed to lunch and we were barely able to eat! (some from the excitement and some from the fact that we were kinda a bit tipsy) we headed back to the hotel and decided that Debbie and Tara would go look for him while Kristin and i went back to the room and me changing into my swim suit her making us more drinks. once ready (i decided not to change b/c they thought he had left already) we headed down to the third floor. we got off the elevator and headed toward the gym and who do we run into? TAYLOR again! this time it was a bit embarrassing b/c now we looked like stockers. We continued walking past him to find Debbie and Tara. They were a little further ahead and cracking up! i guess Tara had found him first and started running away. Debbie had started to ask if she could take a picture when the body guard pretty much snubbed her. They watched (from around the corner like stockers!) as he signed an autograph for another person in the lobby. It is pretty funny that we never really talked to him but we were still on cloud nine from the pure fact of having a twilight celebrity sighting! I mean YES we researched what hotel (rob) was staying in. and YES we talked about "meeting rob" and Debbie having an "affair" with him. and YES the whole idea of the trip was to find rob. but NEVER did we actually think we would end up seeing any of them. we thought we wouldn't be able to tell who they were as we passed them on the streets of Vancouver. This single moment in the first hr of being in Vancouver made the ENTIRE trip worth it.

The rest of the trip went great as well. Once we spotted Jacob we were all a bit overwhelmed so we chilled out in our hotel room for a while talking and slowly getting ready to head out for the night! we wondered down toward Yale town. We had dinner at Section 3 a fun restaurant with the word nerd above the bar in big neon letters. They were watching the hokey finals so everyone was in good spirits. once done eating we headed to Glowbal a bar in Yale town where Rob was rumored to frequent. we got there and decided that it wasn't out scene (or maybe we were too drunk to understand what was going on there) so we headed out to find another place to chill, possibly somewhere to dance or play pool. after a while of wondering and some locals giving us bogus directions to "Bar~none" (get it... bar none... JERKS!) we found a billiards place that we decided to pop into because it had started to rain. We headed straight for the bar and ordered a round of Jager shots. Debbie even did hers like a pro! So proud! then we kinda got bored so i started watching a guy play pool and commenting on how well he was playing. he must have noticed because he then asked us if we wanted to play also! we figured why not and gave it a shot. Let me tell you... i DO NOT play pool well. but to make up for it i just started pushing the balls in with my hands! it was fun because he let me get away with it! Debbie and Tara joined in the pool playing also (i don't think Kristin did) Tara played the best out of us girls! She got 5 shots in a row! amazing really! The guy introduced himself to all of us and we even shaked his hand but as we wondered out for the bar a little while later NONE of us could recall his name. pretty funny really. Once back out on the street it was still raining but not too bad so we scurried under what cover we could find as we walked around some more trying to find another place to catch our eye. that's when the monsoon-like, torrential downpours started and we were stuck without any cover! i swear the streets we flooded in a matter of minutes. we got soaked to the bone! so we headed back to our hotel room to change... our spirits not damped however. we made it to our room... called for more towels and changed into our warmest clothes. We then decided that we were hungry so we headed back out... and guess what... NO MORE RAIN! we should have just waited it out, but we are used to Seattle weather where once it rains... it never stops! we found a place that had cheap eats and was still open. I got two slices of pizza and a pop for under $6 bucks Canadian! After that we headed back and just wondered around our hotel a bit going to as high as we could in the elevators and wondering around the floors saying Rob and Taylor could be behind any of these doors! It was a fun night!

Our hotel room was FAR too hot and we could barely sleep. none of us used the blankets! But the next morning we woke to Debbie super excited and screaming WE MET JACOB!!! we got dressed and headed to Starbucks on Robson St (yet another rumored sighting of rob) We ate a yummy breakfast sitting outside, enjoying our morning then went for a walk around Vancouver. We wondered all around and ended up at the water front where it was absolutely beautiful! OK a little cloudy but it was still nice. After wondering around for a good part of the morning we headed back to the hotel. We so needed to go to the gym Taylor had worked out in just the day before! We sat in the gym thinking of the fact that that was where he had worked out. we tried out the equipment and though "This is where Taylor sat!" (god are we complete dorks or what?! ha ha so much fun!) Once we had gotten our fill of the gym we headed back to our room to grab our bags and checkout.

Such a wonderful weekend we had nothing could have made it better... OK OK so maybe actually talking to Taylor or seeing Rob would have made it better but this weekend FAR exceeded our expectations!! can't wait to go back! we would even go when they aren't filming! Going to Vancouver is like going on a vacation in another country but without having to pay an arm and a leg for air fare and it is closer to drive to then Portland!

Wisdom teeth babble

2009-04-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

goodness for some reason i just can't seem to bring myself to write a blog these days... it guess it is all my mini blogging i do on twitter that distracts me from this blog... so i got my wisdon teeth pulled and i thought rather then write out a whole blog about it i would take all my tweets about my wisdom teeth and put them on here... so here we go...

**be warned it is mostly from a druggest state and there are ALOT of missellings that i don't feel like fixing... but yeah this has been my adventure!**

so last night i was fine so didn't take meds for angzitety (sp) but then i woke up at 6 freaking out about getting my wisdon teeth pulled.7:36 AM Apr 24th from mobile web

hhhmmmm i'm kinda hungery... what should i eat as my last solid food?8:35 AM Apr 24th from mobile web

uugggg i don't feel good.... i bet it is nerves... y am i so weird... i just keep thinkingofhavingto sit there while they dig in my mouth...8:41 AM Apr 24th from mobile web

i wish i could just sleep through it!8:41 AM Apr 24th from mobile web

my lips are chaps and cracks so now it hurts... gonna be a joy to hold my mouth open!8:44 AM Apr 24th from mobile web

making jello and pudding for my weekend of soft foods... oh joy... i need instand mashed potatoes10:28 AM Apr 24th from mobile web

in the waiting room... dun dun dun12:42 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

now in chair12:43 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

i just took and extra strength vicoden and my third anti anxiety pill... the numbing has given me the shacks...12:56 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

oh goodness they have been numbing me over and over again1:04 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

that was so barbarik! worse thing ever!!! i want me bed now2:01 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

http://twitpic.com/3x6cg - sux2:04 PM Apr 24th from TwitPic

now gonna get percaset and antibiotic2:05 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

well of all the medical things i have gone through thisone made me think of cavemen... they just pull at the tooth till it comes out gushing2:22 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

...blood peice by piece... oh the blood!2:24 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

sitting in the car while mat fills more perscritions for me and gets me grape juice.... sounds yummy2:31 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

i tend to clench my jaw... hope that doesn't affect anything2:59 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

aaaahhhh i have to sat i don't feel too bad.... worried about when the numbing wears off3:39 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

so this isn't too bad i have to say... i think the worst part is not to be able to eat anything4:34 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

shit shit shit first burst of pain and blood... this sucks5:08 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

i feel like i should be laying in bed sleeping but i don't wanna waste the day5:20 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

in my half asleep druged state i am watching dawsons creek and then i close my eyes and dooze off there is a whole differnt story going6:34 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

i'm hungery but am afraid to eat cause my mouth is still bleeding and i hurts to move my jaw6:53 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

ok i'm gonna attempt to eat pudding... not excited8:02 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

this sucks!!!!!!!!!8:07 PM Apr 24th from mobile we

ooooowwwwwwwwww!!!!! i can't even eat pudding... taking two percocets now8:14 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

i ventured out of my room to play a quick round of scene it on x box with my man... alone w/ dawson once again bored!8:27 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

http://twitpic.com/3y130 - so cozy in bed8:41 PM Apr 24th from TwitPic

ok so if i just don't move my mouth at all i'll be ok... just really hungery... glad i had a big last meal8:43 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

percocet wins over extra strength vicoden. i am feeling great!9:17 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

just got up and walked around my house a but... yeah feeling the drugs... pretty funny10:36 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

mat is making me instant mashed poatatoes hope eating those goes bettee10:40 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

http://twitpic.com/3y72g - swear i'm not an drug addict!10:46 PM Apr 24th from TwitPic

yum garlic mashed potatoes! gonna take an hr to eat them10:51 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

well my mouth hurts! this is bullshit. y can't we just keep our wisdon teeth? i aready feel stupider10:59 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

oookkkkkkkk... done with the phone... time to drift off into a drugged up sleep while watching dawsons creek11:34 PM Apr 24th from mobile web

i woke up at my usual time, came out to the living room and fell back to sleep... i like it9:12 AM Apr 25th from mobile web

uuuggggg i gotta eat so i can take pain meds but my mouth hurts too much to move it to eat so i say laying here doozing off to sleep.9:21 AM Apr 25th from mobile web

ok here i go atempting to eat jello... this isgoing to suck9:36 AM Apr 25th from mobile web

ohh jello is gone and mat is up so off to bed!9:51 AM Apr 25th from mobile web

how sweet my dentist called to see how i was feeling today... too bad i didn't answer11:04 AM Apr 25th from mobile web

i'm attempting to eat a blueberry muffin... sad cause i can't eat the top cause i have to chew it... muffin tops are the best12:10 PM Apr 25th from mobile web

i successfully ate a whole muffin!!! so good!12:22 PM Apr 25th from mobile web

because i don't do doing nothing very well i'm going to the mall with debbie... living vicariously through her shoppingabout 23 hours ago from mobile web

shopping on drugs in oh so fun.... ha ha ha ha but seriously i'm floatingabout 23 hours ago from mobile web

http://twitpic.com/3zxxy - in public with puffy cheeks lolabout 23 hours ago from TwitPic

home from shopping and back in bed... got @_ihaveissues a few very cute outfits! now my head hurts!about 20 hours ago from mobile web

my god all that shopping exhausted me... just waking up from a nap... i think it is time for some pain medsabout 18 hours ago from mobile web

http://twitpic.com/40pow - chocolate pudding and cool whipabout 17 hours ago from TwitPic

ooohhhhh i let the pain meds where off while i slept so now my jaw is all annoying (not exactly painful just throbing or smething)about 17 hours ago from mobile web

back in bed watching some more dawsons creek... maybe take some more meds? lolabout 15 hours ago from mobile web

i can't believe how much i've slept and i continue to doze off... kinda relaxing!about 15 hours ago from mobile web

ooohhh woke up at eleven which is amazing but my meds had worn off so my head and mouth hurts and i want blueberry muffins!!!about 3 hours ago from mobile web

yippee mat is gonna go get me blueberry muffins!!!! the ones at safeway are so damn good!about 2 hours ago from mobile web

owww my mouths hurts too much to open it wide enough to eat my muffin... i'll eat it anyways!

oh man i think my meds are wearing off... gotta take some more.. i had the soar-ness... i just wanna stretch my mouth but can't!6 minutes ago from web

Easter and Mat's Birthday!

2009-04-15T15:37:00.000-07:00

Well these two days i didn't really take many pictures which is pretty sad but they were pretty great days none the less! Easter was a surprise to be able to spend with my family. Us girls had planned to drive to Forks for the day after the slumber party but after talking we decided that we felt bad for leaving our family who had all turned out to be getting together (i thought no one would do anything b/c we r all old lol) So i was able to leave Tara's house Sunday and head to my grandmas house to meet my family. the whole family was supposed to come but of course no one but my mom and dad showed up but you know what that's OK because we had such a great time! My grandma made a ham and had pasta salad and all the fixings! it was nice to eat with them then after we all gathered around and played Apples to Apples! That had got to be the best game to play EVER! we had so much fun and laughed so much! I'm really happy i was able to make it! i love my family!

Mat's Birthday was on Monday! i had the whole day planned! i really wanted to make it fun and special! We woke up pretty early (which seems to be the theme for the vacation :-P) We headed out to breakfast at the Saw Mill Cafe in the Mill Creek Town Center. I had the meat lovers scramble while mat had the croissant french toast. We both loved both meals. We had some time to kill after that so we did a little bit of shopping then headed to a movie. We watched "Observe and Report". It was an OK funny movie. It was quite awkward to watch so there were times i had to cover my eyes or plug my ears but it was good to at least check off a movie from the list of movies we want to see! After that we had lunch in the mall because Mat loves the fish and chips and i had a calzone and a salad. after that we headed to Seattle where we went to the Science Fiction Museum. it was pretty interesting but probably not worth full price (we had a half price coupon that we left a home BOO) but over all it was fun! We then decided to hang out in Seattle for a little while so we caught the Monorail to downtown where we did some wondering and some shopping. While there mat decided that he wanted PF Chang's for dinner so we took the monorail back to our car and headed to bellevue for PF Chang's. Our dinner was super yummy. we had Mongolian beef with garlic noodles and spicy green beans! We tried to make it through the meal using only chop sticks but of course we didn't make it very far! After dinner we headed to the Snoquialmie Casino! It was snowing as we arrived a very chilly. We did ok at gambling. we i started out doin really well and mat wasn't doin so good but when we left that night mat had gotten all his money back and i was out my $30 i had came with (good thing we aren't high rollers!) We ended our night at The Rock, our favorite restaurant just a block from our house! In fact we go so often that we walked in and sat down and the bar tender bought us two buckets without us even ordering then another customer made a comment that he help us before them and he said he had to take care of the regulars first! it was too much fun!
over all i think he really enjoyed his birthday! i love him and he deserves it! and boy is he spoiled because he has a whole other day on Saturday!

Tara's Super Fun 26th Birthday Slumber Party

2009-04-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

ell as promised i has a pretty busy weekend and beginning of my vacation. Saturday was Tara's slumber party and boy did we have a good time. There were to be expected up to 13 people but lucky for us they didn't all come at the same time so the party never felt over crowded. We had all the typical slumber party goods. TONs of candy and chips and we ordered pizza all that along with many drinks and shots and we were well over junk the next day! We played a bunch of fun games: Dream Date, twister, Apples to apples. and watched girly movies! Of course we watched twilight that night (and again the next morning!) and we watched slumber party! We all wore PJs and had a great time laughing with each other! over all I'm pretty sure the party was a success!

I'm IT!!!

2009-04-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Kate Tagged Me!..

5 things I was doing 5 years ago:
(2004?)

1. Just Starting to hang out with mat
2. Seriously thinking about dropping out of the art institute
3. Dating and discovering what it was like to be a real teenager
4. Taking the bus daily
5. skipping class to wonder the streets of Seattle b/c i hated school

5 things on my to do list for today:
1. Go to Walmart to buy supplies for Tara's gift (check)
2. Go to Safeway to get 7 layer dip supplies (check)
3. go to liquor store b/c i need one more cup of vodka to make jello shots
4. make it through 8 hrs of work
5. Start vacation at midnight!!!

5 things I would do with a million dollars:
1. Pay Off Damn Student loans
2. take me and ALL my friends and family on vacation
3. Buy a house
4. decorate the hell out of that house
5. my two new cars for mat and me

5 places I have lived:
1. Apartments formally known as "The Pines" in Crossroads in Bellevue
2. Woodland Commons in Bellevue
3. Apartments In Redmond (can't remember the name for the life of me.. weird)
4. Cedar Heights in Totem Lake Kirkland
5. Crystal Creek Village (current location) in Bothell
(YES i have ALWAYS live in apartments)

5 jobs I have had:
1. Auntie Annes Pretzels (first job and only one NOT in Safeway)
2. Courtesy Clerk
3. Starbucks Barista
4. bookkeeper
5. PIC/Supervisor

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years:
1. be a mom
2. a second assistant at Safeway
3. at least engaged
4. living in at least a condo
5. happy and healthy

I tag Brianna
and whom ever else wants to be tagged go for it... it is way fun!

silly silde show

2009-04-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

well i haven't realyl had anything to blog about lately just pretty much a boring life of working then coming home and sleeping! i know exciting right?! I do have a few things coming up that will be pretty exciting. it is mat's and Tara's birthday april 13th. Tars birthday party is this saturday. She is having an old school slumber party which will be so much fun! the Sunday (easter) tara debbie krisint and i are going to forks.. AGAIN! i know crazy right! Tara has just started reading the books and so she wants to go really bad... Debbie and I should become offical Forks tour guides and charge per hr! Then Mat and i have vacation all week in which we don't really have anything planned. I'm hoping that one day we can go somewhere maybe a day trip or something? Next Saturday is mat's birthday party... We are going to see Doug Benson at the Moore theater then head oer to game works and then staying in a hotel so we don't have to drive back home after a long night! it will all be alot of fun... i'm excited! So hopefully i'll have alot to write about coming up soon! So instead i thought i'd leave a a slide show with random pictures.. .enjoy!

i almost forgot

2009-04-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well silly me i almost forgot that i need to post about Debbie and mines trip to v]Vancouver BC. it was such a great trip! The hotel we stayed in was nice enough i pretty much liked it and it was right above the street fair they were having on Grandville. The street fair really made the trip fun and exciting because there were so many people for people watching. We dined at a couple pretty good restaurant and really enjoyed just wondering around the city. We did do some shopping but the malls didn't really have many stores we were interested in or that we could afford. lol Also they were way confusing and hard to navigate! During all of our wondering we did have our eyes open for any Robert Pattinson spotting's. we even messaged him on twitter a few times (which blew up in our face but we won't get into that!) We did some drinking and wondering on the streets at nigth which can always cause some great entertainment... like three guys linked together singing on the top of their lungs in french for like 6 block! I got a WONDERFUL crape on the street side. it was filled with nutella and bananas! HEAVEN! i can't wait to go back just for those! i think I'll try another filling next time ... i always get that one!
Over all it was great trip besides finding out the next day that Robert Pattinson was at the street fair concert we decided we didn't want to pay $20 to get into and Debbie getting blocked from his twitter! lol

just a normal day

2009-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

Well the last couple days have gone by pretty well. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesdays can be pretty hard because i have to work at 4 am but this week i kept myself kinds busy so that i wouldn't come home and sit on the couch and just hope not to fall asleep. Monday night we had a fancy dinner party at Kristin's house. She made such a yummy dinner of stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, asparagus and garlic bread! it was all very yummy but my favorite part was being able to spend time with all my favorite girls! it was the last day before Laura went back to school (well started at UW bothell anyways... pretty exciting GO LAURA!) Tara is on her spring break now so it was nice to be able to see her and give her the last 3 twilight books for her enjoyment! we laughed and talked and had a merry time!
Yesterday after work i went to get my nails done with Linnea! It was really great to hang out with her and i wish we would have been able to hang out longer (not really sure y we didn't actually) She is also in school and works two jobs so she is one of my friends i really feel like i don't see often enough! She is such a driven girl and so responsible that she rarely has free time! She is in Vegas this weekend for her best friends wedding which is also a reason we haven't hung out in a while... weddings are all consuming u know! But it was nice to be able to hang out with her for a little while getting out nails done! now i have nice finger and toe nails! i feels so girly!
Today was pretty simple day came home straight after work and watched TV with mat for a little while before he had to head to work... i decided to take a nap so that i would be able to stay up later with him when he gets off! i really try HARD to make sure we get time together. i know that working such opposite schedules can really cause a couple to drift apart and i never want that to happen to us.. of course all my afford sometimes blow up in my face when i get all excited to hang out with him and things don't go as imagined and i get all upset IE: he comes home from work and he is on the computer for hrs! but i am trying to roll with the punches and take the time i can get!

Let me introduce... Debbie!

2009-03-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

So many of you might has noticed i have been hanging out with a new girl lately... well she isn't really new to me but we have been hanging out a lot lately and it doesn't ONLY have to do with our mutual love.... no obsession... with twilight! Debbie and i go way back!

I moved to Kirkland and to Lake Washington High school in the middle of our Sophomore year. it was a difficult time for me... i hadn't gone to my last school for over a month because i had no friends and i felt like a complete outcast. i was pretty excited to be going to a new school and be able to start over with people i hadn't grown up with my whole life. I cried my first day at school while i made my mom walk me to my first class. I am not out going so it took me a while of eating lunch alone in the hallway then hiding in the library before i made ANY friends. Debbie had International Cuisine with me and we were paired in the same cooking group. We talked and got along right away... I'm pretty sure i noticed something backstreet boys on her and that's what got the ball rolling! after a while she asked me where i sat during lunch and i told her i usually spent it in the library... She then INSISTED that i eat lunch with her and her friends! the rest is history

we instantly became best friends. we were inseparable in high school... some people might even have thought we were annoying! I got at job at Safeway thanks to her and we worked together all the time... constantly getting in trouble for talking too much. We shared the ability to want to have fun and do crazy things all the time... we constantly were walking somewhere until i got my license and a car. .then we drove EVERYWHERE! we went to many concerts together and shared many obsessions! everything from the backstreet boys to our all country phase where it was all country all the time and the summer we went to tons of concerts at the gorge. We loved listening to music and singing along... dancing on the hood of my cars!

After high school a lot changed in both of our lives and we kinda drifted apart but we were always friends. We both went and lived our lives she got into a serious relationship with her now husband and i went through a clubbing phase.Now that we are both settled down a bit and can breath again we are remembering all the great times we have had together.

it is funny because when i tell people about Debbie they cant seem to imagine Debbie doing the things i say. She is a small soft spoken girl most of the time but she has a HUGE personality that comes bursting out when she feels comfortable! She knows how to make things fun and she loves things with her whole heart! She has her own unique views of the world which makes her a real crack up! we can go on hrs long road trips and all i will have to do is listen and she could talk for hours! She is an amazingly giving person who would help anyone if they asked her to (even sometimes when they don't ask) even if she doesn't get a single thing in return. Sometimes i worry that people take advantage of her but she is just too happy to help and wouldn't want it any other way.

Right now she is going through somethings that no women at her age should have to go through and i can't imagine what she must feel everyday. this is my time to help her in anyway i can... even if all i can do is give her someone to hang out with! She deserves the world and i hope that she will start thinking of herself a little more because it is a good thing to be a LITTLE selfish.

we are just a little obsessed!

2009-03-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well i am here to report that Debbie and I a fully and completely obsessed with twilight! It is just too much fun to become complete geeks and even a little bit stockerish!

We went to Forks yet again last Friday for the released party for Twilight! It was so much fun! The town was completely over run by twi-hards! We packed up the mini van we rented with junk food and made our way to forks. Stayed in a hotel that was completely booked! The party was planned to start at 10 am so we headed to the one grocery store to grab some dinner! We ate and had a few drinks and then walked down to the party... it had a line out and around the block. Once 10 came they started letting people in and they reached capacity within 5 minutes so we had to wait in line for people to come out before we could go in... luckily we came prepared and had yummy 'sprite" to make line fun and entertaining! It didn't seem like we waited too long when we finally made it inside! The room was small but they had a DJ and a table full of cookies and snacks. They pulled Debbie up in front of everyone and sang happy birthday to Debbie which was pretty funny because when they announced her name she was 8 years older then the four other people who were having their birthday also! we watch the dancers from the tribe which i thought was pretty amazing but everyone else thought was pretty boring! After that we headed back down stairs to stand in line again so Debbie could buy her copy of the Twilight DVD! this process was a bit disorganized but she made it in and out pretty quick and then we headed back to our hotel! Overall we had a really great night!
The next day we woke up checked out of the hotel and went to breakfast (after being ditched by the 17yr old boys we were so nice to bring with us). After breakfast we headed out to explore the town and see all the twilight hot spots! YES Debbie and i have already seen them all so we acted as tour guides to Kathy and Kristin! it was once again a really nice and sunny day.. we really luck out when we go up there!

So now we are heading to Vancouver this weekend because they are currently filming New Moon up there and we have heard about a bunch of spotting's of the stars! Debbie's big goal is to meet and have an affair with Robert Pattinson! We think we follow him on twitter and it is pretty fun because he has been posting pictures and stuff.. .this morning he went to Denny's for breakfast! to funny...

And for all you people who think we are crazy we do realize that we are likely not going to see them and we have a plan to go shopping and go out to dinner and have drinks so this isn't a completely wasted trip! i promise!

a couple updates

2009-03-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well it feel like it had been forever since i have written about anything that is really important in my life... i have a couple updates

*first of all i failed my RLD test... this was the test that would lead me into management training at Safeway. It is a pretty general test that is there to access your management skills. I could have gone either way at to the way if felt as if i would pass or not so i wasn't too surprised when i got my failure notice! It is a test that isn't unlikely to fail the first time you take it so i don't feel too stupid for failing. I just would have liked to pass the first time so i wouldn't have to go through it again. But the test had bad timing i would have hated to move on when i wasn't ready and end up feeling over-whelmed. I now have a road map to complete and follow as well as meeting with my manager in able to set up a mentor for me. I hope to learn a lot in the next yr.

*Second is an update on my new job as MEDS coordinator. I basically change over all the ends of the ailes each week for the new Ad that comes out. This job so far had been pretty easy for me and i usually got everything done ahead of schedule and found myself bored... but this week has been an exception! i was so sick yesterday that i only worked four hrs then went home early to sleep all day long and hope to regain my voice. today i came into work and became completely overwhelmed. i was convinced that i wasn't going to finish and that everything was going to be wrong and that i wouldn't have the product for the end! i seriously just wanted to quit.. throw in the towel.. it took all i could to not break down and cry today! But i made it through the day (without a single break might i add) and came home a collapsed! i have a lot to get done by tomorrow but i think I'll be able to handle it.. that is if mat is able to help me a little and get a few things done for me tonight... fingers crossed!

*third... I'm going to Forks again! i know i know so silly but i am going with a group up to Forks for the Twilight DVD release party they are having for Debbie's Birthday party! i should prove to be a good time and i can't wait to come back and post all my pictures! It is so funny because my Twilight page is so popular as a google image search i can't wait to have more pictures for people to look at!

*Fourth.. i have been sick! yeah i know what else is new i seem to always be sick! this is know is due to my lack to stable sleep patterns because i work at 4am three days a week then till midnight two other nights a week. this sickness has caused me to lose my voice which has been pretty odd... i feel like I'm whining all the time.. i swear i am trying to talk normal people!

*Finally... i think that is it.. of course i will continue to think of thing i should blog about but i won't because i am far too tired and ten to not come on the computer much these days... blogging takes far too much brain power!

Once again is am amazed!

2009-03-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

"Cancer: If you have a friend who is veering off in what you think is the wrong direction, resist the urge to tell them what to do. Sometimes, the best support you can give to someone is to let them make their own mistakes and learn their own lessons. Plus, you shouldn't get involved with stuff you are unsure of, even if you think you'll be helping out someone you care about. You could end up making it worse for them. It's time to switch the focus back to your own life."

WOW yet again my horoscope totally fits my life right now! I am just killing time on my computer when i think to read my horoscope... This is just where my life is at right now with my friendships. it isn't that i think that people don't know how to live their life.. it is just that i see such great things for everyone and they don't seem to realize all the great things they can do! but i have stepped back and have stopped making comments as to what my opinion is... i am concentrating on my life and doing thing that i feel i need to do... and i am pretty happy and unstressed... I'm tired all the time... but I'm not stressed!

a relaxing weekend!

2009-03-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend we ended up not doing a single thing we had planned but did end up doing a thousand other things! Friday night mat was going to have a poker night but it got canceled due to the fact that they didn't have enough guys to play... or at least that is what he said.

Saturday i had plans to take a friends engagement pictures and i was making mat come with me so that we could spend the time together. We woke Saturday morning to a sky full of clouds and the thought of snow in it's way any minute, not the best conditions for water front picture taking. So we were up bright and early Saturday morning completely showered and dressed with no where to go so decided breakfast and a movie were in order! I flipped through the coupon book we bought this year and found a cute little cafe just down the street from out house (The Pea Pod Cafe) with a buy one entree get one free deal! we were so there! Be both ordered omelet's... some of the best we have had in a while.. they also had the best homemade jam on each table so not only did i eat the bagel i had ordered but also half the English muffin mat had ordered and not even touched... i mean hello i couldn't just let it go to waste now could i? After our yummy and extremely filling breakfast for only ten bucks we headed to the Everett movie theater to see Watchmen! We hadn't been to a theater this early in forever.. we made the first showing at 10am! we were thinking we would be the only people in the theater.. little did we know.. we were WRONG! the theater was practically packed! we had to sit in the front half of the theater! craziness at 10am on a Saturday! Over all the movie was really great! i absolutely loved the sound track and the opening credits! pretty much the whole movie was good.... someone on twitter today said the watchmen has "too much back story and not enough action" i have to say that is probably why i liked it so much! After the movie we weren't really sure what else to do... i wasn't really up for anything due to the fact that i froze all through the movie and i knew anything else we would do would be just as cold! so we drove around a little bit exploring roads we hadn't yet in Bothell just to see where they went. Then we spend the night at home i made a yummy dinner and we had a few drinks while we watched two movie... Sex Drive.. which i have to say was pretty funny.. we were laughing out loud and we don't do that very often! then we watched Feast 3 which is the movie that won the first ever project green light. We had watched the show and the first two movies so it was fun to see where the movie had gone... it however wasn't the best movies and we kinda lost interest toward the end!

Today i didn't have any plans and mat had to work so just kinda did whatever came to me... it was really great though cause i got A LOT of things i had been meaning to do done! It started with mat wanting me to help take out the trash which then i emptied all the garbage cans in the whole house he then did the dishes while i made the bed then he folded his laundry while i started mine then i started to fold my laundry when i realized i need to organize my drawers so i took everything out of them and re folded then i decided that i wanted to organize my closet so i changed around how things were hung then looked down at all my messy shoes and HAD to organize them too... while doing all of this i went through all my stuff and got rid of all my old clothes with holes or that i didn't wear and came up with a great pile of things to donate. after my closet was all organized i realized that the drawers of my bedside table were a completely a mess filled with trash so i organized those while doing so i went through some old journal i had in there.. that was an interesting adventure! Finally i took a shower and vacuumed my house and did my hair. Man by the end of all this stuff i felt so good. i just know that my week is going to go by so smoothly because i won't have to worry about a mess!

So i know that this has been an absolute bore to read but i feel like i don't blog much anymore so i figure i should just write about whatever! now you know just how exciting my weekends are for a girl of 24! yeah i know i sound like I'm 45 or something!

If you wanna even more detail of my oh so exciting life come join me on twitter... i update far too often b/c I'm pretty much addicted!
http://twitter.com/Danjello

what a funk of a day!

2009-03-06T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday just wasn't one i would like to remember! nothing really major happened or anything and even some good things happened but geeze there was no way to get myself out of the funk i was in... I woke up to check how much i got paid and found that i had over drafted my account twice last week and so as a result i had $40 for the week after paying rent! then my mom called and tells me Jeff has been really sick for 2 weeks and has lost a lot of weight and if he was ever going to die she doesn't know what she would do with herself and that got me thinking.. what if he did die before she did. what would she do? what would i do? she just wouldn't be able to live alone but i don't know if i could have her live with me. I love her to death and i want the best for her and if i had to have her live with me i would but god the thought frightens me to death! she is too much for me to handle! Then i kept thinking about this party we are going to and how going there is making me nervous so i talked to the party thrower in hopes to make myself feel better but then i got all worried that i upset her for telling her because i know how hard to is to throw a party then to have this added stupid stress i would have been upset! i finally was able to talk to her again and make sure everything was fine and she wasn't upset but seriously thinking that i had upset her really made me wanna cry... i keep thinking of all the times i just shouldn't have opened my mouth. This is a major thing i am trying to work on... i just HATE not saying things... but i have to realize it is for the best! Also Mat's x box occasionally has a cord running from the computer room to the TV in the living room so he can play his games online. yesterday her had it out and i tripped over the cord... knocking down the x box from the TV stand, it landing on the corner of the fireplace leaving a huge gash and ripping and destroying the cord! he first assumed it was totally broken and i was devastated! i cried for a good half hr trying to think of a way to be able to replace it for him asap... all while knowing i only had $40 for the week. i was prepared to ask each of my friends to borrow money and pay them back when i could. i was so upset because i know how much he loves his video games systems and he takes such pride in them. He said he has it working now and that everything is fine but i still felt bad! All these things gave me just a horrible cloud over my head yesterday. I couldn't wait to come home and go to sleep!

Today i woke up and i feel 100% better! i just wish i could be one of those people that say, "hey everyday is a good day." "I never have a bad day!" "It is a good day if you say it is a good day!" I don't know how people do it. my emotions and my hormones are too strong for me to fight! of course now that i think of it the only people who say that are MEN! they just don't understand!

so reservations

2009-03-04T21:26:00.000-08:00

you know I am not constantly a wild and obnoxious girl. I don't do or say things that are embarrassing. I realize that there is a time and place for every behaviour. but when I am drinking with my girls I think we are pretty fun people. we like to have a good time. we enjoy dancing and laughing. now put these girls with a large group of people who have already expressed how they have found the "loudness" and the "crazy behaviour" to be annoying. say these people have band us from attending any activities that they are throwing. how are we to act? I am willing to be in the same room as these openly hateful people. I am willing not to make any drama and in fact I am willing to be nice! but how am I suppost to cut loose and have fun without worrying that these people aren't judging me? what if they're laughter I hear is them laughing at my belligerent behaviour? when a friend laughs at your drunk activities it is funny cause it is out of love. but to be made self conscious surrounded by people who openly despise my behaviour makes me a bit fearful. but I will go and I will try my best to have fun... I just might need a strong drink asap!
sorry this is just something I started thinking today... damn being a girl with all these thoughts and feelings!

Bob Saget Video

2009-03-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

Well i just uploaded all the videos from my camera... i totally forgot i had this footage from when we went to see bob saget... it is short but pretty fun!

2009-03-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

Hey there, Hi there, Ho there!

Well my girls came over for dinner and it was really great times. We were able to just hang out and chat and catch up! you don't realize how long it has been till you are sitting at a table and you keep talking for hrs because you have so much to catch up on. One of the things that came up was my blog... it is so fun to know that my girls read my blog, but not only that but that come to it everyday pretty much! They said that it is at times the first thing they do when they get on the computer! That is just so fun! i love to know that they are reading and are interested. it is one thing to write thinking maybe someone is reading but to know at least a couple people are really makes me want to write more often!

So this is me saying HI to everyone who is reading this! and thanks for reading because even though it isn't a blog that has a theme are is well written or organized or anything it do enjoy writing about things i love... or things i hate... and it makes me feel god to know someone else is reading it too!

Also i got the Stat tracker to see who is coming to my blog and where they are and i have to say that the most people some to my blog come from google images to look at my Forks/ Twilight hot spots post which says that once twilight becomes less popular my blog is going to lose a lot of hits... lol

Brianna's giveaway!

2009-02-26T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hey there my friend and ex co-worker is having a give away on her blog. She is giving away a necklace that is brought to her by global daughter! This is a wonderful company that helps women all over the world! so check it out!

http://alwayscountingtothree.blogspot.com/2009/02/giveaway.html

i don't fit in a box

2009-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

For my whole life i have been searching for an identity. A key factor in myself to tell me who i am. I was once a tom boy. i hated pink and i wanted so much to be like my brother and be one of the boys. I would hang out with my brother and his friends and we thought we were in a gang... the gang of crossroads mall... bad ass right. Then i become a bit older and i thought i could play sports. i played soft ball and soccer for 2 yrs yet i never really loved playing and i always hated sweating and running. Then i thought maybe i could be artistic. I took pottery classes and stained glass classes and wore "Unique" clothes because i wanted to be an individual. my main focus was to be an individual. i never wanted to be one of the "preppy" kids in school. I didn't quite fit in with the G's in school because i could never be quite bad ass enough. The goths/drama/band kids always just seemed embarrassing and odd. I hung out with a big group of Asians at lunch two yrs of Jr high but never hung out with them outside of school and never really could hold a conversation with them. I've taken yearbook for half a year and was on the newspaper 3/4Th's a school yr till i moved to Kirkland. Once i got even older i became wilder. I was willing to do anything for a good time (don't get me wrong i never did anything bad.. never even drank till i was 19 or 20) But i was the fun one. I was the one with the car who was willing to drive two hrs in the rain to a community collage that a co-worker had said had cowboys attending there. (remember that Debbie?) Once i graduated high school and got my first kiss (yeah it took me till after i graduated sad i know!) i found a new love of attention. I became a girl how dated. i went out with just a few guys and kinda enjoyed flirting with a few of the guys that i worked with. i loved to go out dancing... seeing how many different crazy guys i could get to rub up against me! But even dating wasn't my favorite thing in the world. It always seemed so fake, so uncomfortable. It also seemed like all the guys ever wanted was one thing SEX! I was good at turning them down but still it frustrated me. would this be how it is forever?
Then Mat and i started hanging out and pretty much my whole world changed. The need to find an identify suddenly disappeared. I was comfortable with myself around him. He never seemed to judge me, never expected anything in particular from me. We were just together, getting to know one another. I feel like i have found the life i was meant to lead. For me it was never finding what career i wanted from my life, there was never anything that really interested me. For me life is about finding someone to be yourself around. Mat and i have built such an ideal life together and everyday i am so thankful for everything i have and i would trade a single thing! So i will work at Safeway and not return to collage any time soon. We will one day get married and have children and i will be happier then i could even imagine.
I am a girl who loves to get dressed up and go out but every other day dresses in jeans and a plain shirt with a hoodie. I never can quite put an outfit together. i love to do face masks and take bubble baths but keeping my nails painted is just too much work. i wear makeup simply because my face looks less red and if i could avoid it i would and most days i do. i love to be out doors going camping and short hikes are fun! i love to travel and see shows. i love eating and am just beginning to branch out and try new things. i love to be at home cleaning and making dinner. i love the way my house feels at the end of a day of cleaning. i love to lay on my freshly vacuumed carpet. i would love to wear sweats and tank tops all the time. i hate going into gas stations because i don't like talking to the clerk. I, in general, don't like meeting new people unless for work because I tend to never know what to say so everyone thinks I'm quite. i like watching movies that make me all warm and fuzzy but i have to be careful because some movies are a trick and they will make me depressed for a half hr afterwards ("He's just not that into you" is an example.) half of my favorite movies are horror movies and there is nothing i love me then a horror movie marathon with a bowl full of popcorn and a pile of candy.
I am me... and i am (for the most part) happy with who i am.

But don't get me wrong i do get insecure! what girl doesn't!

Bob Saget and the Snoqualmie casino!

2009-02-21T19:34:00.000-08:00

we are currently waiting for the bob Saget show to start. it has been a pretty great day so far... we drove up early so maybe find a hotel but they were all pretty ghetto so we decided ro pass on that idea, which kinda upset me because I was already excited about the idea of drinking lots and crashing in a hotel room. we instead decided to watch friday the 13th in theatre and grab lunch at red robin. we then headed to the casino. first machine that I put my money into (just test if they take money or tickets) and I ended up getting my money back 4x! so my 20$ turned into 80$! I kept playing and I am currently down to 50$ but that is still up 30 which is better then I have ever done and I'm actually excited about gambling! We wanted to grab something to eat before the show... what an event! the buffet line is about 3 hr wait and the sushi place has a pretty long line as well.... we decided on the box car cafe... still stood in line for 30 minutes but we got our food and it was much better then I expected. over all we are having a pretty fun time.... on drink number two... I really wish I had brought my flask though cause pop is free and I could had drank more for cheaper lol. anyways wish me lack for the rest of the night!

I've started a band!

2009-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

Here are the rules:

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations" by clicking: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3

The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. The Name of My Band is: Jenny Jump

2.Name of my Album: You have to be someone more

3. And this is my album cover!
Well i really think it has all turned out quite well!! i am proud of the bad i have formed! lol

I'm making brownies!

2009-02-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

although I'm not complealty doin great on my diet but I have a cabinet filled will cake a brownies mixes so I thought I'd make a yummy snack. these are low fat brownies in all ways. I used a low fat brownies mix and then just mixed in a can of pumpkin and ta da brownies goodness without all the guilt! I made a small pan so that the brownies would be thick... I think next time I will make them in a bigger pan so we get more brownies out of it.

it's been a while

2009-02-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

It has been a while and people have actually taken notice that i haven't updated in a while so i thought i would sit down and write a little about what has gone one in the past few weeks. A lot has changed and we have gone through a lot. Work has changed slightly in that i have taken my test for RLD... This is that training that Safeway puts you through in order to become an assistant manager and hopefully eventually a store manager. This test is a test of your skills and your knowledge as well as a slight personality test to asses if you would make a good manager or if there are still things you need to learn to move forward. That being said i have NO IDEA how i did on the test. We get our results back in mid-march and i am hoping very much that i pass but i will not let myself be upset if i don't. It is a test that not everyone passes the first time. I hope that i pass but if i don't i will take what i can learn and try to pass next time. the worst thing would be if i became an assistant when i wasn't ready and i was completely overwhelmed by the job. If i do pass the test there are a few other steps before i am excepted into RLD training. there will be a background test, a managers evaluation as well as a panel interview with two store managers and someone from human resources. if i pass all these steps THEN i will be accepted in RLD! wish me luck!
Another change at work is that i will be doing the MEDS... these are all the ends of the aisles that change every week when our ad changes. This change is exciting because it gives me more chance to learn about things i don't know yet. it is also a bit of a change because i will be working at 4am three days a week! a big change from my 4pm to midnight shift i have become quite used to. I will also be closing the other two days a week so hopefully i will be able to live through that change. I for one know i don't know everything and there is nothing i hate more then feeling completely confused and overwhelmed at something i really want to do. i know that one day I'll be able to do everything i just need to learn how, the difficult part for me is that i get upset when i don't get things right the first time. I'm trying to work on that.
We got a dining room table FINALLY! as well as a new book shelf for the computer room. It is so exciting to see my home finally coming together. Mat and i have grown so much as a couple. We started with NOTHING! We had barely been officially dating when we moved in together and we had no furniture. we used my old twin bed as a couch and got hand me down coffee table and chair. we never had a dining room table and when we would through party's we would barrow a card table from my parents! Now, i would have kept buying low quality stuff that would be good for a quick fix but mat outlawed anymore hand me downs and stressed the meaning of quality furniture and eventually i saw the light. so we saved money and bought each piece of quality furniture piece by piece. first our bedroom dressers and night stand, then our TV and TV stand, then our couch and coffee table. Finally we had an apartment that could fit a dining room table yet still we had to save so we could buy a quality wood dining room table that could seat six, i wanted it to have a leaf that could make the table bigger or smaller. These are the things i wanted and that stopped us from just getting a table at ikea, which we had picked out and almost bought but couldn't fit in our car. The book shelf we got is really exciting as well. we had a small book shelf that could barely hold all my books and games and it just didn't look pretty. this book self is nearly three times larger and it holds all my book and mats book and our games as well as picture frames! it really makes the room feel so much better! i can just sit a stare at the book case beaming with joy! I'm so domestic i love it!
Mat's mom also passed away about two weeks ago. This has been a difficult time for mat and his family, as well for me. She was a big hearted women who loved her family so much! Mat may not have been super close with his mom but he saw her way more then i see my mom, i saw her more then i see my mom. She was always there for him whenever he needed help. I know that she will be extremely missed by everyone she knew. The only thing i can do is be here for mat. I wish i could take some of his pain and feel it for him. I know that this is going to be a long process that will never go away but i know mat will be OK. He is so strong and i am so proud of him! I love him so much and i can't wait to see the bright future i know we will have together.
Over all it has been a pretty intense few weeks but i seemed to live through it all. It seems like in times like this i turned to live in the present. I didn't constantly make plans for what i was going to do next. i didn't plan out every step of that day, i didn't plan out every detail of a night out and i didn't worry about these things either. it was kind of nice to live in the now. not worrying about the future whether it be a day or a year away. i hope i will be able to do that more in the future.

Life's Ups and Downs

2009-02-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Mat and i have had quite a traumatic weekend to say the least... Although i can't even imagine what mat must be going through as well as his family i am here for him no matter what. i might not be able to summon up just the right thing to say but I'm here to listen or sit in silence until all his wounds are held. i only wish i could take some of the pain away.
on the upside he was able to see a lot of his family and for that i am thankful.