little cup of aubrey

Not a copy...

2012-01-17T20:23:00.001-07:00

...I am not one of those. God created me as an individual, there is no other like me. A constant life lesson I am learning, is how to be this unique individual and at the same time being the woman God created me to be. I am learning how to consistently be that person around everyone. Not only that but loving myself just as God has and always will, despite my insecurities and shortcomings.
Dot. Dot. Dot.

Chapters...

2011-12-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

...life has many chapters. Everyday could be a different chapter, if that is the way you choose to look at it. I have been busy with life and everything God has blessed me with---which is beyond numerous things. I have neglected my blog for quite some time, and I have decided that I do indeed need to get back into the writing habit, after all it has a lot of benifits. And not only for me.
Since I was last here, I gained a fiance. He is a wonderful man, and my whole family---with the exception of my sister, since she hasn't met him yet---love him to death. I'm very grateful God placed such an amazing man in my life. I'm blessed to be able to call him my future husband. Even though it still is a bit surreal. Despite the fact that we have been talking about it since early on in our relationship. I am now one of those people who can say they knew when they first started dating, that they knew they were with their future spouse. I still remember telling Zachary at work, before we had even officially started dating, that I was going to marry that man.
For only being engaged for a little over a month, I think we have a lot done. Maybe, but then again I have never planned a wedding before. We are extremely blessed to have so many people willing to do things for us.
I have yet to look at any dresses, but I have an idea of what I want. I just have to go out there and find it---with in the time frame of course! We have a date pretty much chosen. March 30, 2013. In case you were wondering. I know there is a March in this next year, however I did have a few stipulations per-say that I wanted to have done before getting married. One of the major ones was me getting a transplant. Which I am again blessed to have my future husband having the heart and such a great love for me to go and get tested to see if he would be a match. And although he is the same blood type as I am, our blood did not pass the cross matching phase of the whole process. There are other options out there so......we will see what will end up happening.
Also with over a year to until our wedding, I/We will not be rushed in the whole planning process. ALthough there are times when we do say, "oh I wish we were married so we could..." you know fill in the blank with whatever. I only plan on ever getting married one time, so I want to make it special. We have the rest of our lives to be married and to fill in those blanks, but the wedding is a one time thing. I want it memorable---for all the good reasons.
I am facing this chapter of my life, head on---looking forward for the next one to begin. :)
Dot. Dot. Dot.

How do you know them??

2011-04-27T19:41:00.001-07:00

Facebook. Not exactly a new concept anymore. It has grown in popularity, and has become a pretty big deal. Well if you have a facebook, you know that you can see how many mutual friends you have with any given person and who they are, etc. Sometimes out is interesting to see the connections between your friends, and sometimes gets you thinking, "how do they know each other?" Sure you could ask and get tge whole story, or if your like me you just have that question eternally running around through your brain.

That is one of the many random thoughts I will have and have had today.

I am super echoed for next week though because it spill be time for toggle Newsboys concert. Very exciting stuff! I remember seeing them when I was little, like elementary school age. But back then, they were the old Newsboys, and now they are the new Newsboys. Different members and such.

Oh and then next week, after the Newsboys is Shawn McDonald and Kris August. Again, very exciting stuff!

I am so glad I have gotten back into the habit if going to concerts again, I had forgotten how much fun and enjoyable they are. It does help that I have someone who enjoys going to then as much as I do, to accompany me. I am very blessed, and try not to forget to thank God everyday for everything he has done for me. I was cleaning ntt room the other sassy and found a notebook that I used to write down all my prayers in. it was interesting top look back on them because I was unsure of how old they were, but even today I still had some of the very same prayers.

Just interesting.

Bread...

2011-04-26T19:59:00.001-07:00

...interesting topics come up constantly in our house. This time it deals with bread. Neither me or my mom like thr heels of a loaf of bread, but apparently we dont even consider them actual slices of bread. Strange I know. But I used the analogy that they were like book ends. Book ends are not actually books, they are just used to make sure the books placed in between them, don't fall down, the pages don't get bent, and the new book smell will stay fresh between the pages of the book, for each and every time you open it up.
Now the heels of bread also serve a similar purpose. They hold all those slices of bread together in a lovely neat loaf, fresh and ready to easy whenever you so choose.
So see, they are essentially the same thing. You know with the exception of one being edible, and one not.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

March...

2011-04-06T17:11:00.001-07:00

...seemed to pass by extremely quickly. I mean I completely neglectec to post anything throughout the entire month.
Both my parents celebrated another year of life filled with experience and wisdom and countless amounts of stressful situations.
I am still with starbucks, and also celebrated my "starbucks birthday", been there three years. Who would have lnown that my first job would last this long. But despite certain people, who I would deem as special---perhaps paste eating, I enjoy it. It keeps both body and mind busy. I love my customers and how much we have gotten to know and care for each other. I never realized the significant impact of being a regular meant. I have become one at a smaller starbucks near church, every Wednesday and Sunday, and its just a cool experience.
Also took another mini road trip, at night, so we for sure have to return during the daytime to be embraced by the beauty. Things have become official with Connor, and he is a blessing in my life.
Like always, I say I am going to try and write more---and I'm sure your tired of reading about it, oh well.
Summer is begining to show, and evem thpugh it may be dreary and cloudy and practically raining today, summer is on its way. And it will be a scorcher. Stanley was pretty much a sauna the other day, and it was unexpected which was not fun. See the intermitten clouds:

Dot. Dot. Dot.

on this day…

2011-02-28T22:46:00.001-07:00

…the last day of February, I feel it necessary to post a blog. I thought I would be posting daily, but that kind of went out the window.

There was an all-nighter on Friday/Saturday, which was tons of fun!

There were a lot of teens there:

…sometimes we forget to pay attention, or we were trying to get everyone in the picture

Alan’s truck got Saran Wrapped:

Saturday morning breakfast, yummy strawberry pancake and coffee. delicious!

It was a weekend filled with good times, great friends, and so much more. I am so blessed to be a part of it!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Productivity…

2011-02-19T21:10:00.001-07:00

Today was a rather productive day.

My mom and I had girl time and got our nails done at the same time.

We also had a lovely change of pace weather wise because it rained!"
Happy, fluffy, dark clouds, bursting with rain! Oh and it smelled amazing

And because it rained, I of course had to bake cookies/ Traditional rainy day activity. Did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. All this on little sleep. It’s barely nine o’clock, and I am sleepy. Such is life.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

impromptu…

2011-02-18T01:05:00.001-07:00

…road trip, was the adventure for yesterday.

Prescott was the destination.

It was windy and cool and a fun change of pace.

Music trivia, conversation, coffee (lots of it) and lunch.

Fantastic!

Oh and happy little clouds, and rolling hills:

a giant brass pig:

and a beautiful sunset and moon to follow:

I’ll leave it at that.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

weekend cooking…

2011-02-11T01:21:00.001-07:00

I think I may try and make this fabulous dish, this weekend.

probably Saturday.

even though I was wanting to make fabulous fancy macaroni and cheese, Oh the choices!

I also have to fit a birthday party, cleaning my room (at least a bit ), and most likely the car show into my Saturday. Looks like a busy day ahead!

Work tomorrow, with a good crew---from what I remember, and church on Sunday, fantastic layout of events if you ask me.

I’ll leave you with a little joke I came across:

One morning, a grandmother was surprised to find that her 7-year-old grandson had made her coffee! Smiling, she choked down the worst cup of her life. When she finished, she found three little green Army men at the bottom. Puzzled, she asked, "Honey, what are these Army men doing in my coffee?" Her grandson answered, "Like it says on TV, Grandma. 'The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.'”

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Yesterday…

2011-02-09T01:18:00.001-07:00

…the new Hawk Nelson album came out. I bought and downloaded it from Amazon, and it is pretty spectacular. It has a mixture of acoustic and rock type songs on it, with lyrics you can’t help but sing too. Or at least I can’t help but sing to them!

But then again, I am one of those people who can listen to a song once, and pretty much know the lyrics. There are exceptions, like when I can’t hear/understand the lyrics. Speed singing, even after watching Gilmore Girls a million and a half times, I still can’t manage to catch everything. I am amazed at the sheer speed at which rappers spit out those words. craziness.

Sunsets have been a hot topic, in my world lately. Arizona sunsets are quite amazing. However because I have not been to many places, I cannot say if they are the best. I can however say that they are the best of the places I have been. Atmosphere does factor into things, so the ones on our various cruises might be slightly better. But they didn’t create nearly the vast array of colors that the Arizona ones produce. Nonetheless, they are beautiful Godly creations that remind me of how insignificant I am.

I do prefer the sunsets to sunrises, partly because more often then not I am not up for sunrises.

Go and find a sunrise or sunset and be in awe of the beauty it gives off. Go on, I know you want to!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Today…

2011-02-07T23:43:00.001-07:00

…was a pretty good day. I had a fantastic group of closers to work with, and we were constantly ahead of schedule, it was a very nice feeling.
One of my customers had brought me some perfume, random I know. I was expecting a little sample bottle, you know the kind you receive when you send away for something. But no, it was an actual bottle of perfume that one might buy in the store. And it smells good too. I’m sorry I missed her, but I totally knew who they were talking about when informed of this present.
Thank You, 1/2 Caf Quad Grande 2pump Vanilla Whole Milk 190 degree with Whipped Cream Latte.
Another one of my favorite customers also came in. I think some how she has some Wisner in her because we could seriously talk for ages. She only gets a coffee, with room for 2% milk. But she always seems interested in the happenings of my life, a genuine interest too.
I like days like these, they make me happy.
Dot. Dot. Dot.

February…

2011-02-02T01:45:00.001-07:00

….How can it be the second month of 2011 already?!?!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

retro…

2011-01-27T00:03:00.001-07:00

…Christian rock, is sort of what I have been in the mood for lately, that and the Beatles.

Audio Adrenaline for one. What a fantastic band, bummed that they are no longer around. But that’s okay, nothing lasts forever!

One of my favorite songs of theirs is “Big House”

Not the best quality, mind you, but fun nonetheless.

Also been listening to a bit of Crumbacher, which you may be like who?? A Christian rock band my cousins put together in the 80s. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. Go look them up if your interested. I know I could just post a video or link or some other rubbish, but you probably won’t use them, so I won’t.

Retro things have suited me lately in the realm of music. Maybe you should go back to some your favorite oldies, because they will always be goodies!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

game night….

2011-01-20T00:07:00.001-07:00

…we have not had one for a long time! And this makes me sad. All the games we played on New Years made me miss the few nights my friends and I had gotten together to play games. We should for sure think about remedying this. However, I know a big hurdle will be scheduling. Everyone has something different, so it ~~might~~ will be a challenge to find a day/time/place that will be convenient for everyone. Someday…

I was also thinking about I haven’t cooked for quite a while. Our oven is now fixed, so I can no longer use that as my excuse. I have been extremely busy though, whether it is work or church events, or whatever else may be going on. I just don’t have the time. I know , not a much better excuse---but its all I got! Maybe I will make time on Saturday, since I don’t have to work and all. All I have planned is to go and look at phones at Best Buy, since they have the two I am interested in.

What I will cook, I have no idea. Maybe you should show up and find out! Or maybe I will pull a Pioneer Woman, and photograph the entire process, who knows?!?

Dot. Dot. Dot.

fun filled weekend…

2011-01-18T02:16:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was the Rage Music Festival at Castles ‘N Coasters. It is a massive Christian rock concert that took place over the past weekend. There was 50 bands on 4 different stages. I am so glad I got the chance to go, it was so much fun!

The weather was absolutely beautiful!

we like to jump around with our arms high in the air!

It was about this time that Devin and I thought we should bring mini trampolines next time, lessen the impact of all that jumping. Who knew you would jump so much at a concert, the least we could do is get a bit of a workout.

And Riley and Alan really wanted Superchic[k] to get on stage that this happened:

…yep, Riley got on Alan’s shoulders! And here I thought this was something you only let little kids do. Guess I was wrong.

Superchic[k] was awesome! And she had pretty nifty fashion, I loved her red cowboy boots!

and they were all coordinated in black and white. she was even sporting large framed glasses. I could never do that.

Kimmi took so many pictures off everything, far to many to repost here!

I had so much fun, and I hope everyone who went has just as much fun! I cant wait for the next concert, March 11!

However, in the midst of all the fun, my phone got knocked out of my hand and the screen shattered, for a lack of better wording. Luckily, everything still seems to be working, just a bit difficult to see things at time. oh well.

Me and Cherry also made Chex mix on Friday. and it turned out delicious. Originally I had asked to use her oven, because ours was still broken, for about the fifth year. And I find it amusing that Dad got the new one fixed and installed like the night before.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

How many times…

2011-01-14T01:31:00.001-07:00

I don’t know how many times I say I am going to get back into the habit of writing on a daily basis, and I don’t ever seem to follow through on it. Maybe it should be my “New Years Resolution”, even if January is nearly over.

I have also yet to share about my fabulous Disneyland trip. I guess life has just slipped away from the updating phase. So, I will try and fill in a bit…

Christmas was sort of a downer this year, our family’s mind was in distant places especially with mom and her recovery. Pleased to say she has made quite the improvements, and getting stronger with her words every single day!

I worked on both Christmas and Christmas Eve, which may sound like a bummer to you, but I like to give other people the opportunity to be with loved ones/ I do have loved ones, but Sister stayed home this year. But congratulations to her and her new Hubby on their first Christmas together as a married couple. However, tips were pretty good for working the holidays, so that’s a nice little bonus.

New Years, was probably the best New Years I have ever had. We had a lock-in at my church with like 10 or so teens. It was filled with super fun games, energy drinks, laughter, smiles, delicious pizza, friends, fellowship, and countless other activities and descriptive words.

Here is the group ringing in the New Year!

It was so much fun, I cannot wait until we can be given an excuse to have another one!

I think this is a good start to getting caught up with things. Hopefully I will have more events to update y’all on soon!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Home…

2010-12-07T22:04:00.002-07:00

…it is always bittersweet coming home from a vacation---even a short weekend getaway.
But soon I will be storytelling of our adventures in California. I’m sure the majority of them will be involving food, because lets face it---you can’t have a good vacation without fabulous food.
Might take me a while to get there, but I’ll try and make you feel as if you were right there next to me. Unless of course you don’t like Disney, then you be bored out of your mind.
This is me on the first day, I know the sun is blinding, but you can’t help but notice the big goofy grin on my face because I’m soooooo excited!

And since it is Disney and everything, I had to go for the “goofy” grin. HeeHee I'm so funny!
Dot. Dot. Dot.

We have…

2010-12-02T23:57:00.002-07:00

…left, and arrived.
And made the traditional pit stop at In-N-Out in Palm Springs, on Ramon street if you are super curious.
Got a little lost, but made it to, Grand Californian Hotel And Spa
Walked around Downtown Disney for a while, but there were so many people, that I was roasting. A roasted Aubrey is no good, by the way.
I did figure out gift ideas for people close to me. took some pictures to. Oh and I saw a super cute hat, although I never saw what it looked like in th mirror. Oh well.
We came bace with come Hot Cocco and Wine and now, it is time to rest up to tour the Happiest Place on Earth, tomorrow!!! YAY!!
Dot. Dot. Dot.

I’m too excited…

2010-12-01T23:10:00.001-07:00

…to sleep!

just like the little kid from this commercial.

I know I had already posted this, bit its true! Oh and take note of the lovely VHS quality. Makes me giggle.

And we will be on out way tomorrow afternoon.

Ash, Wish you could join us. Someday, and who knows maybe it will be Disney World. Gasp! Look forward to lots of pictures!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

When I was little…

2010-11-28T01:08:00.001-07:00

I have always been a fan of books.

And I think it is thanks to my dad. He taught both me and my sister to read. And from what I remember, it was off an old copy of “The Hobbit”. It was a hard cover, and it was this odd shade of orange.

::Insert Picture Here::

No I didn’t forget to put the picture in.
Fact of the matter is, I couldn’t find the book. And no we didn’t get rid of it---in this household, we keep nearly everything.

I think my dear sister took the book when she moved far, far away.

In our library, now deemed the office, which used to be my old room…confused yet? Anyways, all that to say is we still have a bookcase full of our favorite childhood books. The Berenstain Bears, Dr. Seuss---you know those kind of books.

Pretty well worn. Although, not as much as these:

Now most of them you can’t even tell what book they are, then again because the binding is so narrow you might not be able to tell which books they were in the first place. But trust me they were good.

Oh and I totally put my yellow post it on these

But it was because of my dad sitting with us on that oddly patterned cream/brown/orange couch making us sound out each syllable, until it made a word on our lips. What we once thought was hard or we didn’t think we knew, turned into lasting knowledge. But once we got it, we felt like we were on top of the world!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

'tis the season...

2010-11-25T22:23:00.001-07:00

....for Christmas music.

One of my favorite songs, simply because the beginning always makes me smile when I hear it is this one:

It pretty cool to see the actual people singing it too.

Its featured in one of the best Christmas movies, The Santa Clause, Which we watched this evening. Well, my dad and I did. Mom was busy farming, she is such a hard worker!

This may not have been one of the songs we heard growing up on the record player, but there is always room for more Christmas favorites. Like TranSiberian Orchestra. And there is some pretty cool things done with lights to the tune of their music.

There is also this one, which I believe is the same house just a different year…

Whoever put these together either had too much time on their hands or was very talented with…well I'm not really sure what would go into developing something like that. But apparently it has turned into a yearly event for them. Maybe they really enjoy it, or maybe people expect them to do it. Ah-maz-ing!

There is no turning back now, the Holidays are officially here, and will keep coming! Enjoy them wile they last!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Thanksgiving…

2010-11-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

I think its a bit silly to only be thankful for things only one time a year. I think we should be counting our blessings on a daily basis.

There are the standard things one could be grateful for like food in your bellies and a roof over your head. But sometimes they are not so simple because not everyone has these things, and I am reminded of this nearly everyday.

Some people may not necessarily take advantage of things they have, but they are forgotten everyday.

I used to think I was the only one with kidneys growing up because mine never worked properly. Now they don't again. Despite this, I am thankful for advances in medicines that allow a machine to do what my kidneys were designed to do in the first place. A bit of an inconvenience, but I am still able to live a near normal life.

There are so many things that I am thankful for, but that is going to start my list off. There is no order to them, friends and family are always a part of this list, but I have mentioned them for everything they do for me on more then one occasion!

I am always thankful for Coffee.

Not only does it provide me with a job, a steady one at that. Bur it is also super tasty!

...and even occasionally funny!

While I will share more blessings with you, go and count yours. But don't stick to the obvious ones :)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Christmas…

2010-11-19T22:45:00.001-07:00

…is coming up. But not too soon, its still over a month away.

And it seems that every year it seems that it comes around sooner and sooner. I mean there was Christmas stuff out in the stores at the same time the Halloween items were out. Halloween seemed to pushed aside in order to make room for the anticipated December holiday.

When I was a kid, KEZ99.9 “The Holiday Station” would kick off the holiday season on either Thanksgiving or the day after. Guess what?!?! It has already started!

And by my calculations, it is not Thanksgiving nor the day after yet.

Don't get me wrong I love Christmas as much as the next person, but I don’t like how commercial it is getting. I don’t know how much of the public actually know th true meaning behind Christmas.

My mom used to and probably still does, have a pin that she wore around the Holidays that said “Jesus is the reason for the season.” And it always reminded me that there is a deeper meaning under all the commercialization that this season has come too.

But we’ll get to that at a later date.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

In honor of…

2010-11-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

…my upcoming trip to Disneyland and California Adventures, I have decided to make a list of things I wish to accomplish/ or looking forward to.

1. Churros!

You know, the cinnamon-y sweet doughnut deliciousness that is found at one of the lovely carts above. And if you need a reminder of what they are:

2. World of Color!

A new show in California Adventure. Should be quite exciting!

This is a description from the Disney website:

The World of Color nighttime water spectacular weaves water, color, fire and light into a kaleidoscope of fantasy and imagination. More than 1,000 jets of water form incredible shapes in time to the music as Disney characters come to life on a shimmering veil of mist.

AH-MAZ-ING!!

3. Blue Bayou

You may not actually know what this is, but it is the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean! The one you always see while on the ride, but never really know haw to dine there or get in. Well once we eat there, I can share the secrets with you.

And of course in the age of media, menu’s have been posted, so I can drool and anticipate what I will be eating, and maybe change my mind a million and a half times---before I am even seated. Quite the accomplishment I must say.

maybe this one :

Cajun~Spiced Salmon
Blackened, with citrus crawfish beurre blanc. With Blue Bayou potatoes and seasonal vegetables

or…

Buccaneer's Beef Short Rib
Slow~roasted, then finished in a Zinfandel demi~glaze. With Blue Bayou potatoes and seasonal vegetables

or maybe…

Tesoro Island Chicken
Roasted and finished to perfection in pan au jus with Blue Bayou potatoes and seasonal vegetables

And those are just my choice at one of the restaurants. Which brings me to…

4. Napa Rose

Yes, yet another food item. What can I say, I love food. Always have. Always will.

This one is in California Adventure. They have a seasonal Menu. We might try and sit at the chefs table, but if not I have yet again found a menu online, and everything sounds super!

For example:

Autumn Pumpkin Risotto
Sautéed Spinach, Imported Spanish Chorizo and Manchego Cheese

But I have never had Risotto and there would be a chance that it would be to pumpkin flavored for my taste. who knows??

maybe ill have:

Grilled Sonoma Quail and Roasted Pheasant Sausage
Wiser Farms Potatoes, Zucchini, Sage and Huckleberry Port Sauce

I have never had quail, or even pheasant sausage. I like normal sausage though, does that count?

might be time for me to grow up and expand my palette if you will.

Besides, if none of those options are satisfactory, I could always snack on the vegetation in Tomorrowland---in case you didn’t know, its all edible
But I doubt I’ll have to resort to such measures.

5. The Rides

It goes without saying that the rides are a major part of any trip to Disneyland. It is an Amusement Park after all. so amuse yourself on some rides!

I will not tell you every single one that I am excited for because frankly that would take to long and I’m pretty sure you would skip to a more interesting part in the blog---or stop reading all together.

It would be easier to say I am excited for everything, which I am!
But again that is not a super fun answer.

Space Mountain is one of my favorites, and like most everyone else I think it would be cool to ride the ride with the lights on. Well thanks to YouTube, some did and filmed it. Take a look,even non rollercoaster lovers might enjoy it!

Even though it might ruin the enjoyment of the ride, I still think it would be cool.

To be Continued!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

earlier…

2010-11-15T00:42:00.001-07:00

…I had this super idea for a blog. However, for the life of me I can no longer remember what it is.

And I’m kind of bummed about that.

I'm only 24, my memory should not be failing me already. Did I miss the upgrade that came with this age increase?

Anyways had a great day today. Church, shopping adventures with my mom, birthday party with a super cool cake.

Awesome!

Hope your weekend was ah-maz-ing!!

And hopefully ill remember my super cool blog idea.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Toy Story 3…

2010-11-11T23:22:00.001-07:00

I finally finished watching this movie tonight!

And it was great!

Well worth the wait. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of Disney or their movies or even their parks for that matter. I will be returning in a few short weeks. Yay!

Anyways, while watching toy story, the third installment I posed an interesting question.

Watch this please:

What if you were to watch this movie in Spanish already? would the subtitles remain in Spanish or would they turn to English? Or maybe some other foreign language? I mean how would that work?

This is where my random thoughts get me, and this time I share them with you.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

close to a week…

2010-11-10T23:08:00.001-07:00

…since my last post.

I guess I have not been inspired to write about anything. That and I’ve been working a lot. Or at least it seems that way.

I had an amazing evening. Church was great. Kudos to Mr. Jesse for sharing his testimony. Then a bunch of us, the leaders, went out for burgers at good ‘ol In-n-Out. It was quite tasty! And great time with friends.

I find it interesting that Conner made a statement that there needed to be more girls, there were two----myself included. I had made this statement about the guys months ago. Interesting.

One of my Facebook friends posted this link the other day and I happen to watch it. Which of course lead me to many other videos and such, but take a look at this one and some of the others---they are pretty talent filled and creative.

and then looking at some of his other videos, I found this one. Featuring one of my favorite songs, Don’t Stop Believing! Watch it, you won’t be disappointed.

The week is half over ladies and gentlemen, make the most of it---cause you won’t be able to go back and redo it.

And of course, it seems that my posts would not be complete without a slew of media. But hopefully you enjoy it!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

improvements…

2010-11-05T08:56:00.001-07:00

…still haven't quite gotten back to writing on a daily basis, but over the past couple months, I have made significant improvements. Things will only continue to get better, or so I can only hope.

Granted this is something I control. If only everything was that easy. :/

Yesterday…

2010-11-02T22:56:00.001-07:00

…was my birthday.

I turned 24.

This is the cake my good friend made me:

AARRGGGGHHHHHH!

It is so adorable, and beyond tasty!!

I had never had fondant before, but apparently this is the one that the guy from Cake Boss uses. And apparently others can be quite disgusting.

I was kind of afraid that it would be similar to Marzipan. Which I tried once upon a time when a friend brought it back from some other country. But it wasn’t, and that was a pleasant surprise.

I had such a good time with all those friends and family that spent it with me! Thanks guys!

I was also curious as to what else had happened on this lovely day over the years---and was going to post something yesterday, but time got away from me. Plus it was a dialysis day

So anyway…

Yesterday, these things happened.

In 1512, the Sistine Chapel opens to the public in Rome. One of Michelangelo’s finest masterpieces can now be seen by the public.

In 1952, the US explodes the first hydrogen bomb test.

The stamp act went into effect in 1765, which was the first direct tax on the American colonies.

Nothing super exciting, besides the first one I suppose, oh and of course my birth.

Also now you have learned something.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

moments like these…

2010-10-31T21:42:00.001-07:00

Ever had one of those moments, you know the ones that remind you to stop and smell the roses.

This morning, right before I was about to enter church, but after I had gotten my coffee, I spotted a hummingbird. It was simply sniffing or drinking or whatever they do to the flowers they buzz around. It was a lovely sight, and something you don’t see on a daily basis. Well maybe you do if you live in the secret garden. But since that took place in London, I doubt you do.

I also wished I had a camera, although I doubt I would have been quick enough to capture a decent shot.

It is amazing to stop and see the amazing beauty of the world around us. And so often we are to consumed with the life we lead that we do not notice the beauty in the things we see everyday. We take them for granted, but would miss them if they were not there. I challenge you to slow down and notice the beauty in the things you would normally pass on by. Let me know how they look.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

autumn…

2010-10-27T22:29:00.001-07:00

I have always like the word “autumn” as opposed to “fall”. It is that time of the year, and I always wish that I lived somewhere where it was actually visible when you looked around. You know like through the changing of the leaves on the trees from the spring green to the various hues of yellow and red and orange. The air turns crisp and evenings outside are beautiful, and rather enjoyable.

Autumn brings the season of holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and although some may not consider it a holiday---my birthday. Halloween is right around the corner. Not working this year, and I get to help out at my church’s Fall Festival. I am so excited! I am currently planning on being a pirate, although I did see an awesome Big Bird costume at Target. But maybe I’ll save that for next year. My pirate costume just needs some finishing touches.

With Halloween, my birthday always follows. I remember when I was little, I used to get so excited when I could wear shorts on my birthday. Which totally contradicts the lovely autumn weather I was just talking about. I used to always get sick on my birthday as well, which---knock on wood---will not happen this year. I feel fabulous as of now, so hopefully none of the yucky stuff going around will invade my body.

A couple years ago I had to spend my birthday in the hospital, along with a lot of other days…and days…and days…and days. This year, will be a make up celebration for the lack of one occurring that year. Disneyland, hear we come. Although it will be after the fact, not till December, I still feel like the kid in the commercial from the 90’s maybe. It has still got to be one of my favorite Disney commercials. Honestly that’s how I feel every time I go, and I hope that never changes.

Somehow, when I wear food and toy jewelry all the time, I don’t foresee my inner child vacating anytime soon. And for that I am glad.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

the last post…

2010-10-26T02:13:00.001-07:00

…was lacking in the media department.

Granted, I did put links throughout the post, but there was no pictures, or videos, or anything like that.

I think that’s okay. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the thoughts out of my head and onto paper, or in this case out in the digital world.

So here I am once again searching the world wide web. On the radio this morning, I kept hearing about “the candy rap”, its pretty funny. I also tried to upload it here, but apparently I am not that computer savvy. Hard to believe, I know. Instead, I will make up for the lack of videos, with one of the very song I was talking about.

He’s cute in the dorky way, too bad he’s all famous and everything.

On his web site he has some pretty knee slapping videos, at least I thought they were. Made me wonder if that is how my video blogs might turn out if I ever did those. Go look and tell me your thoughts.

random train…

2010-10-24T23:57:00.001-07:00

So I had a really random stream of thoughts this evening.

It started because I noticed that “Take Home Chef” was now on Netflix. I remember catching this show every once in a while on TLC. It the show where Curtis Stone, a charming young Australian chef goes to the supermarket and picks up some random individual, shops with them, pays for the groceries he helps them pick up, then goes home with them and cooks a meal alongside them for someone special. All this said, I remember one particular episode, according to TLC it was episode 69 where he makes banoffe pie. And of course, I'm sure your wondering what banoffe pie is. Take a look at this site, and educate yourself on this desert.

All this to be said, it reminded me of a time when our family had this desert. It was at Cornish Pasty, Co. in Tempe. From what I remember, I didn’t actually care for the pasty itself, but I think that was more the one I ordered as opposed to the actual dish as a whole. And looking over their menu again, I might enjoy some of their other options. Date night option perhaps?!?

Anyways, my sis ordered their banoffe pie, and even though I am not always a huge fan of bananas---we tend to have a love/hate relationship---it was pretty tasty. This was the recipe the show used, well I already linked it abve, give it a go at home, and even those who dislike bananas might like this desert.

Inspiration…

2010-10-19T01:21:00.001-07:00

…can come from a plethora of places.

And it seems when you are least expecting it, everything will tie into some other aspect of your life.

Last Wednesday, Alan decided it was a week full of celebrations. I completely agree with him. Anyways all the leaders piled the youth into their cars and headed to Wendy’s. I got to now the two girls in my car by simply listening to their conversations. Not yet out of their teenaged years, still in high school, they were discussing the necessity of a job.

Now I never had a job in high school, I am still currently at my first job---which I got nearly three years ago. I had a wise friend once tell me to never get a job, or start working until you need to. Bless his heart, I followed this piece of wisdom---to a certain extent.

My parents were, and still are, amazing beyond belief!

They still provide for me despite me being an “adult”. Of course I have shared this with them on numerous occasions, but this evening I mad a point of verbalizing it, yet again. It is something I am sure they will never tire of hearing about.

Then, this evening I clicked on some YouTube video that a friend had posted. Which gets me clicking on all the other similar videos they conveniently place on the right hand side. You’ll wind up spending hours at times just watching some of the most random videos. I came across this one:

Or this one, the “official” music video…

I came to the realization that my parents have showed me the closest thing to unconditional love as earthly possible.

And my heart breaks when I realize that some people do not have what I have, and makes me wonder why.

I hope I have been able to show this kind of love to those people who I interact with, whether it is a one time encounter or a lasting relationship. If I don’t then I hope I will from this point on.

I also looked into more of her songs because I just love the sound and the power behind the lyrics. From the songs I have listened to, they are all amazing! Checked into her site and saw she had a blog, which I will link on the side for those interested. And also if from/lives here in the desert. Nifty!

Inspiration is essentially all around us, but it is how we choose to use it that will make the impact!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

new song…

2010-10-13T22:14:00.001-07:00

…I have fallen in love with this song.

I know. Yes, me falling for a country song. shocking!

Just go and listen to it!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Green Army Men…

2010-10-04T22:16:00.001-07:00

So today I found Lego green army men from toy story, any one of the three---I believe they were in them all, :)

Now you might be pondering as to why I might be in need of Lego Green Army Men. Well first off, they are awesome! Who wouldn’t be in need of them. Also I wasn’t specifically looking for green army men, but they were the coolest little Lego box they had.

I got this little idea planted into my head, thanks to my darling sister Ashley. You see she posted some of her honeymoon pictures a few days ago and I noticed something. See if you can see, even after I have given it away…

Did you notice?!?!

Yah, the super cool Lego man necklace. I believe its a pirate, but I could be mistaken.

So i wanted to make my own!

This is what I started with:

And this is what I wound up with, with the help of my

He has a little radio in his hand, and a pack on his back. I must say he’s preety neat-o!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

travel…

2010-09-29T23:37:00.001-07:00

One day I am going to travel, and see the world. I don’t know when or even where I will end up going, all I know is that I want to get outside of the box I am living in. Now I am not suggesting that I do not like where I am living or anything like that. However, I have so many people who are older then me, always saying that they wished they would have seen more before settling down in their current life. To go along with this, I have always been tempted to do the Amazing Race. The only downside to the places they visit and the whole thing in general is that is such a whirlwind way to travel, and I’m not sure if you would get the full experience of the places you travel to. I would want to experience things without the nagging thought of a million dollars being the basis for all my decisions.

I guess this ties into the post I made yesterday talking about living life to the fullest. I would also someday like to go sky diving, or something else equally adventurous. And I hope these dreams I have don’t remain as wishful thoughts in my head. I hope I will be able to make them a reality. I would also like to get married and have the ability to build my own family. Which by the way, when I was listening to Pandora I heard an advertisement---clueless as to what it was for---that said, “Marriage, the only family you can choose”. Which I bet, like me, you had never thought about it like that before.

And I’ll leave you with that thought!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

I love you…

2010-09-29T00:19:00.001-07:00

I heard this song on the radio on my way home from work today.

This had for sure become one of my favorite songs, and the rest of the CD is pretty good as well. I didn’t realize that he was the winner of American Idol one season. I never really watch that show, so it’s not like that was common knowledge in my brain.

After looking up the lyrics to this song, I have come to the conclusion that I am not living as if I were dying. Now this doesn't mean I need to live reckless and stupid, but rather thoughtfully and to make the most of the time you have.

I still haven’t asked boys I have crushes on out because that is not a comfort zone for me. Sometimes, life happens and it becomes too late, like in the case of my friend Chris. He did end up escorting me to my senior prom, but now he is heaven. Regardless, I haven’t changed this, and I think this song is reminding us that we never know how long we have so we need to live with no regrets.

Take a gander at the lyrics:

Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up
We're hiding behind skin that's too tough
How come we don't say I love you enough
Till it's to late, it's not too late
Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come
And we could make a feast from these crumbs
And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun
So if your life flashed before you,
What would you wish you would've done
Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying
And if your plane fell out of the skies
Who would you call with your last goodbye
Should be so careful who we live out our lives
So when we long for absolution,
There'll no one on the line, yeah
Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying
Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying..
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying
You never know a good thing till it's gone
You never see a crash till it's head on
Why do we think we're right when we're dead wrong
You never know a good thing till it's gone
Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying
Like we're dying, oh, like we're dying..
We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
Turn it all around or to throw it all away
We gotta tell them that we love them
While we got the chance to say
Gotta live like we're dying..

Dot. Dot. Dot.

I need to get…

2010-09-11T23:38:00.001-07:00

…back in the habit of writing on a daily basis, or at least close to it. In the mean time however, I will post something I wrote on the plane when I was heading to WI for my lovely sister’s wedding. Amazing weather when I was there by the way. The only dreadful part was the majority of the flying experience. Actually now I can’t find the blog I wrote on my trip. Oh well even though this is neither exciting or anything else for that matter, it is a small step to get me back in the habit of this whole blogging process.

parents...

2010-05-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

I know every child, at least once they grow up, say they have the best parents. There could be a variation on a modifier such as "in the world ".
I don't think I am any different, and I don't believe anyone could alter my perception of them. Iowa's lucky enough to be raised in a church family, but one that allowed me to stop going without punnishment when I was away at school. It took me a while to come back, but I did.
They also have such a strong and loving relationship and marriage, it gives me such a strong role model to watch and take in, and when the time comes, something to strive for.
Education was important, they always welcomed questions and tried their best to answer them.
even when I was in kindergarten my mom, who I had to call Mrs. Richie---which I'm sure she absolutely loved---was a guest in our class who taught us about art. She brought in all these posters depicting expensive works of art, that people have grown to love, and she would talk about them. I'm sure she still has these posters somewhere around this house.
Above all they have always supported me, no matter what I do. I know I can talk to them about anything, problems or news or movies or music or whatever, I can bring up and just have discussions with them. If there is a problem they will help me find the best solution for it.
I can only hope that I can someday, when the time comes, be able to do the same for children of my own. But for now, even though it is no where near enough for all they have done for me, THANK YOU!!!
Although saying "I love you" constantly, everyday helps.

Last Wednesday…

2010-05-03T22:56:00.001-07:00

…My friends and I all went to a concert.

It was such a blast!

We took pictures of our footies.

Our faces as well.

This was the crowd. I’m not used to going to such big concerts, and this was not even a humongous one either. Couldn’t even imagine going to one larger then this. I prefer the smaller, more intimate ones though.

Me and my Mother!

Lifehouse was one of the opening bands, Cavo being the other. However, I didn’t get a chance to snap any pictures of them. And apparently I didn’t get pictures that are still of anyone else. Oh well I was into the music.

Actually I think I did get some, but I believe they are still on my Mom’s camera.

In hindsight I should have borrowed my Dad’s fancy camera so I could have taken slightly better pictures. However I have got to say that being taken with a phone, I think they are pretty good.

Becky and her massive sandwich! I couldn’t resist posting this, lol. Even concerts involve food, but I think anything with us involves food! We just love it to much.

I even took videos, not sure how they turned out, but I’ll post them anyways!

I bet, if you watched them all, you felt like you were there with us!

And I had never taken a video on my phone before, so there is a first time for anything, and maybe I’ll do it for other things. The whole uploading and posting thing is rather easy. Which then I can deal with the quality, although again, considering these are from my phone---its pretty good.

Enjoy!

Oh and I am sorry for such the media-overload, and lack of actual meaningful letters to make words, which make sentences that have meaningful thoughts. But I thought I needed to get back into the whole writing thing, and this was a way to ease myself back in. :)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

shoes…

2010-04-27T23:30:00.001-07:00

I got these shoes yesterday…

…same color and everything, partly for the intention of wearing them for work.

And I indeed did wear them to work today.

And at the end of my shift, I had the pleasant surprise to not have to drag my feet, and the tired body attached to it, to my car to drive home.

I could have walked that three plus miles I walked the other weekend.

I have got to say, that so far, they were definitely worth it.

As far as their premise, to tone your leg and butt muscles, ill have to get back to you on that one. :)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

have you ever....

2010-04-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

....Been in one of those non writing moods?!?!?
Well that has been where my mind has been for the last, well forever.

And in all actuality, it not like my mind is racing for ideas, it is more that I can't logically sort out all the thoughts floating around my head.

And I still have no exciting post, or logical thought pattern.

But interestingly enough I did learn that I have been making Cinnamon toast wrong my entire life. Good thing I got an intervention at a relatively young age ;)

Unfortunately, I cannot make it the proper way until the oven is fixed. I don't think even the convection oven could make it properly.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Absolutely....

2010-04-25T19:13:00.001-07:00

....BEAUTIFUL!!!!

This is the one and only way to describe this weekend!

The end.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

classics…

2010-04-21T20:39:00.001-07:00

So I started re-watching The X-Files this week because it showed up on Netflix. Such a classic.

I also realized that there are so many good episodes in just the first season.

For instance, episode 1-11 EVE.

Go and watch it. It involves cloning, if you care to know.

How about 1-3 and 1-21, the Eugene Victor Tombs saga.

Note this is why i am always slightly reluctant to get on an escalator.

And of course one of the ones that gave me the hebegebes as a kid---and still does today was episode 1-20, Darkness Falls.

Go watch them and be entertained with the ever so slight yet witty humor, and you might even be given goose bumps because you forgot not to watch it alone in the dark.

Good things happened in season one!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Oreos…

2010-04-20T20:27:00.001-07:00

I tried to eat some Oreos this evening, but apparently they did not want to be eaten.

I am a cookie dunker, at least when I have the proper “milk”, in other words, Mocha Mix. But that's another story.

Tonight however, the Oreo did not want to cooperate, and decided to abandon the comfortable hold my fingers had upon it, and go for a complete swim in the milk.

But have no fear, it did not escape, I caught it.

And now he is happily chewed up and resting in my belly!

Now that is something to be happy about!!!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

happiness...

2010-04-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

If you ever feel like there is nothing to behappy about...

...then go and read this book. Practically everything will at the very least will place a smile on your face. Which is essentially the groundwork for happiness. Like this one

:hot, gooey chocolate chip cookies.

:the apple of your eye.

: souvenirs from the road.

:a checkers game set up atop a barrel

And some are questionable...

...but i couldn't really find many, personally.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

two for one…

2010-04-17T22:01:00.001-07:00

I know I just posted, less then an hour ago. But then I realized I wanted to tell about today’s adventures as well.

On my phone, there is a fabulous app that will track you via GPS, and then translate that information not only into a map, but all sorts of other data as well.

For you Android users, it is called MyTracks.

This is the map from this morning…

Lacey and I went to feed the ducks at Eldorado Park. The duckies were far to particular to be bothered with bread being thrown in their general direction. And there was really only one which ate these tasty morsels of stale bread---after they had soaked in the delightfully green lake water of course.

The few other ducks that were were swimming around the pond, we lovingly called “frenchie”. They were black and white and didn't want our free meal. We did see normal duckies like this one, but they were snoozing the day away in the shade. But there were not nearly as many ducks as when I have taken this adventure before. Maybe they haven't migrated back to the heat yet.

And in case your wondering, our round trip total was 3.34 miles. Our average speed was 3.08mph. And it took us approximately an 1.5 hours. But of course there were stops along the way besides feeding said ducks, including Swinging on the swings and trying to touch the trees with our feet!

Later in the evening Me and my mom walked to my grandma’s house, which round trip is .92 miles (with an average speed of 3.25mph, so in total I walked 4.26 miles today!

Here’s what that one looked like…

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Yesterday…

2010-04-17T21:09:00.001-07:00

…was date night. And I will take you on a little photo adventure of dinner!

We went to…

Which is in…

They like you to know for sure where you are located.

and across the street from…

And this “we” I am speaking of included…

…My parents.

They can be such silly lovebirds at times…

And of course me!

We did indeed eat pizza…

…and it was some of the best pizza I've had in a long time.

We also had salad, Caesar to be exact, although we neglected to take a picture of it.

Beforehand, while waiting for our table, i ran away with the camera---only because there were some beautiful flowers by where we parked. I did not even come close to capturing their beauty, though i did try hard.

And of course my absolute favorite I will leave you with to contemplate how spectacular the world is!!!!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Switchfoot…

2010-04-15T21:53:00.001-07:00

Now I have always loved this band. The lead singer has such a unique voice. But I think I liked them better before they went mainstream. Their lyrics are still just as powerful as before, but in their most recent single, I don’t know if you can quite hear how unique Jon Foreman’s voice actually is.

But then again after listening to it a handful of times, it has grown on me. Maybe I’ll even buy the CD, or something equivalent.

This is their new song, Mess of Me.

I’ll let you know, once I listen to the album in its entirety, how it is. But one of my most favorite albums of theirs, one which I could listen to over and over again---and have done so---is The beautiful Letdown. Go now and listen to it, and seriously they have amazingly deep lyrics when you truely listen to them.

I would love to see them in concert again, but unfortunately cant. Actually, I would love to go see any good band/group or whatever, in concert. Because I have not been to one in ages. Which makes me sad. :(

Did anyone go and get their free cup of coffee today at Starbucks? All you had to do was bring in a re-useable cup, like a tumbler or what not. I didn't, but I did get coffee with miss Lacey. It was lovely chatting time.:)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

dinner...

2010-04-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

...is my specialty. Actually, cooking in general. I enjoy it, even if I can't necessarily make up my own recipes. I love following them, and then tweaking them to my liking.
I have mentioned The Pioneer Woman on here many a time, so it is not any surprise that tonights dinner was based on one of her recipes. This one, in fact.
Except, I am personally not a huge fan of bacon. I know, very unusual. But it is far to salty for my tastes. And especially since having to watch my sodium intake because of dialysis and such, it is just easier to not include it. Instead I used ground beef. It is almost like a grown up hamburger helper. I also used mozzarella, provolone, and Cheddar instead of her fancy cheeses. Because I like these ones for sure, and the ones she used were to expensive.
Even with the minor changes, and all my previous experiences with macaroni having been from a box, I thought it turned out pretty good.
see for yourselves...

and this one...

And I think you should know a little something about the salad on the corner of my plate.
It not only had the homemade ranch dressing on top, recipe found here but also pretty much everything was from our garden. Lettuce, spinach, green onions---and soon even the tomatoes will be from the garden! Even the ranch had chives and cilantro from our garden.

It was Yummy!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

photography....

2010-04-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

If you want to be flabberghasted by some of the most amazing shots of photography you have seen in quite some time, then head over -------->HERE
I know I mention the pioneer woman a lot for her cooking, but photography also seems to be an interest of hers, and she seems to try and persuade others to pursue their creativity, in any aspect really.
It makes me want to get back to taking pictures. When I was in high school, I absolutely loved my photography class. It was only black and white, which is amazingly beautiful in my opinion. We got to learn how to take and develop the film, as well as print our own pictures. Probably one of my most meaningful and favorite clases throughout the high school experience. And I had forgotten how much I loved it until I was parousing through these photos.

Lessons...

2010-04-11T19:44:00.001-07:00

I went to Sunday School this morning, and I theroly enjoyed it. It was not the typical Sunday School setting but rather a relaxed discussion among friends. It was very refreshing. We talked about spiritual discernment. In lamens terms its the ability to know the difference between right and wrong.

Proverbs 14:15 says,

The gullible believe anything they're told;
the prudent sift and weigh every word.

We cannot live our lives through gullible ways, we need to develop a spiritual discernment in which we begin to know and understand God's ways. We won't know his bigger plan but through the various lessons we can separate and distinguish the arrows he places on the road we call life---and follow them properly.

1 Thessalonians says,

Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.

Decision making sounds like such a long and complicated process, however in order to make an accurate informed decision, it must be. It seems that when decision are made with a discerning heart and mind---this is what leads to regrets. But this is also what leads to lessons being learned from various mistakes. At the same time, the mistake would have the potential of never being made in the first place if the was more of a discerning attitude.

I also found the book, which was originally on one of my friends facebook pages, and it just sounded like a real interesting book for me to read. I haven't started reading it yet, but I will before bed this evening. Ill let you know if taking recommendations from your friends facebook pages is a good idea or not.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

adventures…

2010-04-10T23:06:00.001-07:00

...today held many adventures for me. However I will share details of them till tomorrow's post because I have something far more exciting stuff. My dad does a music Friday, maybe i'll start doing a music Saturday. Anyways I was looking for some songs for some ringtones, and the majority of the music is on my dad's hard drive, and going through it is a chore---i browse and click on seemingly interesting ones, ones that I may not have heard for ages. And this brings up quite the batch of memories.
Initially I was looking for this song:

which led me to remember listening to these guys all the time on my tape player, for the most part, this song:

And I was searching for these through the various folders of music, I found these guys/songs which I also listened to in my childhood. And even then I thought I was so cool for doing so.

Oh and a small side note, I haven’t listened to these songs since i was like oh say 8 or 10, but I can still remember all the lyrics! Its a very useless talent for sure.

And this was not the song I was looking for, but apparently it does not exist in the online community, only in my childhood filled with abnormal music. Just kidding it was fantastic!

And apparently we are related to these guys.

There was more music memories we both looked up on youtube, but I am not going to bore you with all the various links because I know the majority of you don’t actually click and listen in all my enjoyment.

But i will leave you with this final one, and it better crack a smile.

I bet you and your friends always argued on who was the cutest ;)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Adventures...

2010-04-10T21:20:00.001-07:00

Friday...

2010-04-09T20:05:00.001-07:00

...is the beginning of the weekend. And usually, on our way to whatever dining establishment we are headed to for date night, we listen to KTAR. Partly because my dad enjoys the various bickering you are guaranteed to get with talk radio, and partly because they have a standard way of kicking off the weekend. It involves lame prizes, silly music, an end of the work week whistle, Abe Froman-the sausage king of Chicago and even sometimes terrible singing.
Unfortunately for my weekend, it was not properly kicked off. There was no lame prizes, no end of the work week whistle, no music and for sure no Abe Froman. Hopefully this won't mean that my weekend will not be spectacular. Although with plans of brunch at the forever delicious Orange Table tomorrow, with my amazing friends, I doubt my weekend will be cloudy.
For date night this evening we went to Wildflower Bread Company. And it was a beautiful evening so we ate outside. While dad was snapping pictures of me...

and mom...

...I was focused on the food in front of me: my tasty sandwich, a CABLT. In other words, a Chicken, Avacado, Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich.

I know you are all jealous that you did not partake in such a yummy looking sandwich. I think having one of these makes up for the lack of formal kicking off of my weekend.

Not only that but dialysis went well today, and I didn't even leave heavy or anything. I did find it amusing that when I spoke to my nutritionist today she asked me if I had weight loss tips because apparently I talk about food a lot. She told me that with all my food talk she was surprised I wasn't 300pounds. It made me laugh because if you know me, then you know that I only ever eat about half my meal and save the rest for another time. My own built in portion control!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Have you ever noticed?

2010-04-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

How some people are just good with kids?
For the most part it is generally once adults have kids. After all they have their own kids, so know how they like to be interacted with. But then again there are those few individuals who do not actually have kids of their own, and when ever they encounter a child, they become the best of friend with them.
maybe it is because these adults interact with adults so much that they forget their inner child. And are so grateful for the chance to let it out with these encounters with children.
I got a lovely picture today of my strawberry, which I am super proud of and if you interact with me in any manner, I am sure I have showed you today.

And then when I went to show my dad when he got home, a birdy decided it was a good ides for him to snack on my strawberry. :( I was just thinking that it should get a little redder, and a little bit sweeter. silly me for thinking.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

i have...

2010-04-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

...once again, dropped the ball on the whole blogging daily thing. So until I jump back on the wagon and make a conscious effort to make it a part of my daily routine once again, enjoy this adorable picture I made.

I guess I haven't been inspired to write about much lately, let alone anything interesting. Let's hope that changes soon

movie day...

2010-04-05T21:41:00.000-07:00

The girls went to the movies today, minus a couple of people. But every once in a while, life happens, and you have to take the chance when you can to enjoy the company of those around you. Even though everyone was not there, they were sorely missed.

We saw The Last Song.

And in case you can't tell, the oh so lovable Miley Cyrus, is in it. And apparently the role was written just for her by Mr. Sparks. I do have to say that it was like his other films that came from books, but because I am a girl, I seem to like that kind of thing every once in a while.

For this movie, I didn't read the book beforehand, which not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing. Partly because I always seem ti like the books far better then the movies. You can fit so much more into a book, and you get to use your own imagination to create thee characters in your mind.

This won't stop me from reading it now!

Hope y'alls Mondays were spectacular!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

easter…

2010-04-04T23:13:00.001-07:00

don't forget to remember the true meaning of Easter…

Dot. Dot. Dot.

saturday...

2010-04-03T23:46:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are always filled with adventures. but most of todays were focused on easter preparations. including finding an outfit, which is tradition. but for now i am again keeping it short, as i did not have a nap for the second week in a row.

BTW, welcome to Hollywood, whats your dream. everyone has a dream

fantastic movie, on twice this weekend.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

no bueno...

2010-04-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today was an epic failure of a day. I had a ridiculously bad headache before dialysis was even over, which as a result effected my run and not as much was taken off as a result. I hate when this happens on a normal basis, let alone a weekend. It can sometimes be miserable and inhibits my plans. I didn't even go on date night with the rents because my head still was pounding.

On the upside, Easter is on Sunday which means I can once again partake in coffee drinking. Fantastic.

Short and sweet, just like me. But because my head still hurts.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

April Fools…

2010-04-01T21:55:00.001-07:00

I have never been one to play jokes on people, no matter if there is a designated day for them to be performed or not. Just not for me. This year is no different. But one thing which did pop into my head, besides my dog suddenly becoming neurotic(see picture and explanation below), was that it is already April. The fourth month of the year. Where has all the time gone? Time we will never get back to redo or change in any respect. Not that I have specific moments which I would like to change---I don’t. I am perfectly content with how my life is. I mean I would be even more content with life if I had Kidneys that worked, but that is besides the point.

no she has wedged herself between the wall and under the desk in my parents room. Me and my dad believe this to be the result of her finding her snowman again. She is a silly one.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

spring...

2010-03-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

...is in the air.
But my allergies, seeming to be more apparent this year, are clearing up and almost gone.

I watched Jurassic Park today, well to be more specific, the third installment. But it made me think of those movies and how innovative and good they were for their time frame.

I did read the books too...once upon a time. And from what I remember I thought they were fantastic. I don't really want to say better, because in all reality they were just more in depth. And each person's imagination creates pictures and scenes in their mind differently while reading a book.

Also went to the mall, and despite being a girl, performed the guy version of a mall task. My dad has a visual representation of this concept over here . In other words, very efficient. I went to where I wanted, got a case for my phone, which is pink by the way, and left. there were no other stops along the way. It was an extremely short adventure. Maybe because both me and my mother were looking forward to our dinner: D'Elia's Grinders!

And they are specially brought from Riverside, CA. And in all honesty there is no comparison as far as sub sandwiches are concerned. In my opinion at least. :)
Although I am dissappointed that there is no nutritional information to be found anywhere. At least that I can find, and I can usually find most everything.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

weight...

2010-03-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

In this day and age it seems as though everyone is trying to alter themselves, mostly for the better...or so they believe. But its not my place to judge if it is better or not. I mean even now my mother is back on her crazy food combining diet which boggles my mind. Maybe its because I Carb count, and some things that ghave carbs are not considered carbs in her world.
I think every single person is guilty of complaining about some aspect of themselves, but u think that by far weight is the most common. I mean even though it is Monday, I have lost 6 pounds. But I will gain nearly all of it back by tomorrow---silly dialysis. I also think it could be fixable if people were more educated. Ever since getting my new phone, I downloaded a sort of food diary. And it has really opened up my eyes to the various things I put in my body. Granted I originally got it so I wouldn't have to guess so much on carbs and insulin doseage. It has really helped so far.
But what I have learned from watching my friends and loved ones is that we need to be happy with how we are in the current time because there will be a time when you wish you were that person once again. But such is life.

life and laziness…

2010-03-28T19:35:00.001-07:00

I have been an epic failure at the whole blogging daily thing for like a week now. Oh well, life and laziness get in the way sometimes.

Yesterday was a day full of adventures. In the morning we, meaning me, mom and dad, took the light rail to the Tempe art festival. And look at all we walked!

Definitely got our exercise for the day!

Then in the evening it was girls night at miss Cherry’s, where there was a plethora of twilight paraphernalia. we had Mexican food and watched both of the movies. A lot of fun.

i took pictures, but because i am still getting used to my phone, they turned out tiny. But that's not going to stop me from posting them. :)

ill figure it out eventually.

a good weekend though!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

pictures,,,

2010-03-22T19:45:00.001-07:00

tomatoes…

mom and dad hard at work…

stella too.

the infamous pots…

the plethora of onions as well as some squash waiting for their turn to be planted.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

update…

2010-03-19T22:09:00.001-07:00

i have now slept in a real bed for two days.

yay me.

tomorrow i may play with the various settings on my dads camera, oh and probably hang out with miss lacey---that is after she is done playing Manuel labor.

who knows what else. but hopefully it won’t involve puffy-ness.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

happy birthday…

2010-03-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

dear mom.

today is your birthday. and you are the best mother in the world. I'm glad we had some fantastic adventures today, including introducing you to yogurtland.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

nothing…

2010-03-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

….exciting to report today.

I was going to continue with the things I love, but then I thought That I should break them up a bit. After all there are a lot of things I love.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, hopefully upi wore green and didn’t get pinched. I did not wear green and did get pinched----so it is not something that just children do.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

love…

2010-03-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

…part 2.

The Color Pink
And I’m pretty sure I make it obvious to anyone I surround myself with. I am even pretty sure if you have just met me, it would be pretty obvious.
I used to even have pink highlights/streaks(whatever you want to call them), in my hair. But unfortunately that couldn’t live on the top of my head forever.
The Pioneer Woman
And her mouth watering creations. Not only that but she has found a way to pretty much find a way to make these decadent recipes fool proof---that is, I doubt anyone can screw them up. Check out the cooking portion of her website here. You will not be disappointed.
Cooking
I am not that great at making up my own recipes, but if I have one to follow.

View Full Album

I love making it and then tweaking it to my liking. Not only that but I love watching the food channel in my spare time, or really any channel with food related viewings.
All Things Girly
I think. Getting hair done, manicures, pedicures, makeup, massages, you know those kinds of things. and just like every other woman will tell you, these things do not happen to me often enough. But such is life.
A Good Book
as a kid, both me and my sister were allowed to read any book we so chose, but out TV time and choices we limited to what mom and dad deemed appropriate for us. That’s okay, books have bathroom breaks and you won’t miss a single thing. And not only that but they are much more portable then a TV. Since reading was ingrained in me during childhood, I still love reading!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

love…

2010-03-15T22:09:00.001-07:00

…is one of the things humans crave the most.

In reality, everyone has it surrounding them---maybe just not in the form they were hoping for.

I would like to share with you some of the love which surrounds me…

My Family

(I love when there are picture of my grandpa smiling, too!)

They support me beyond belief, and I am not the person I am today without them and all the support and love they give me. Not to mention the numerous memories we have all been a part of. They are amazing and I wouldn’t trade them in, even if there was a newer model. :) Thank you guys for everything you have done for me, and will continue to do for me in the future, I am blessed to have gotten such an amazing upbringing, in spite of all the medical challenges.
Stella

She loves me, and all she wants in return is a little bit of chin/ear scratches, and at least one biscuit a day---but would eagerly take more then that if offered.
She always knows when something is not right, and as a result will become slightly mopey until things go back to normal.
Even though she takes my beloved pink baby, she is ever so gentle with it and has yet to chew on her in the slightest.
Coffee
Granted I am slightly biased because it is my place of work, but it is just so tasty. And there are so many things you can do to it to change it and make it more appealing to those who do not find the flavor as enticing. Even though I did give up coffee during this season of lent, It will taste that much better after Easter.
For the most part I get the same general thing, what my dad refers to as a “fu-fu” drink, and is not actually coffee in his eyes. I generally will always get an iced drink, I don’t know why---just more tasty when its cold. Or maybe its because I’m a resident of good old HOT Arizona.
In case your wondering, or would like to get me coffee sometime after this Lenten season, I normally get an iced double tall caramel macchiato. yummy.
My Friends
It has taken me quite some time to actually make genuine friends. When I was in high school, I truly believed that the people I shared myself and my time with were genuine---but today I can’t tall you when the last time I had conversations---like those that I have with my current, life long friends---with any of them, was. I believe I finally have a batch of positive individuals who are supportive, funny, inspiring, kind, and all around amazing---and I am so blessed to enrich their live, all the while they are enriching mine.
Laughing
giggles. cackles. snickers. snort. chuckles.
I have been known to do all of the above on multiple occasions. Although, since recovering from heart surgery, it is not nearly as often. That bone just helps you do so much stuff. When I'm all better, you better believe that I will be laughing up a storm.
All Things Disney
Disneyland. Disney channel. seriously, pretty much everything. It just gives me joy to watch and interact with the things they come up with. Not only that but like I mentioned before, I think it helps me stay young at heart.

to be continued…

Dot. Dot. Dot

Sunday…

2010-03-14T20:11:00.001-07:00

I had a good day today.

For the most part I spent the day up and about. not doing a whole lot, but being up and around still says a lot.

I played the part of pseudo supervisor and historian today.

Pseudo supervisor because it really only had a special chair that could oversee everything, but if I actually had an opinion about what was going on, it wouldn’t really matter. My words would be like a whisper in a deaf person’s ear.

But the part of the historian was pretty cool. I got to mess around with my dad’s nifty new camera. at some point I will post those pictures on here for the whole world to see.

The garden is really starting to take shape, however my mom seems to be getting distracted by various other backyard projects. Its okay, that's just how she works things out.

With all my up and about-ness, I still got my Sunday afternoon nap, and as always it was fantastic. :)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

kid@heart…

2010-03-12T20:40:00.001-07:00

….I am a ginormous kid at heart, and most of the time it shows on the outside. Today is a sort of tribute to that.

I love the Disney Channel, for the most part. There are some annoying shows that have gone on far longer then necessary. On that note, I am glad to say that the stupid raven show is no longer on---new episodes that is. Pretty sure it is still on at obscure times like midnight, on random days. but it does not interrupt fantastically silly, yet perfectly enjoyable shows like “Phineas and Ferb”.

This is an extended version of the opening theme song for you to enjoy:

Seriously---watch it, it will make you smile.

That is unless you have lost that inner child-ness and are now a full fledged adult. That is a sad occurrence.

There is also a happy goofy song to go along with their adventures, practically one an episode. Sometimes I wish that would happen in my lofe. Silly little ditty's, they happen in my head, just not nearly as often. And not nearly as well choreographed. Its sort of like high school musical but in cartoon form----maybe

See. Silly, and smile forming.

I can’t tell you the whole plot and what not but basically it has something for everyone. Like boy meets girl, brotherly love, sibling rivalry, platypus as a pet, evil, imagination, oh and secret agent and their various missions. I’m sure there is more but I think that is the gist of it.

You should look it up and watch it. I believe they have episodes on youtube.

Tell me what you think :)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

this sums me up…

2010-03-11T19:08:00.001-07:00

Today…

2010-03-10T20:14:00.001-07:00

…is my Dad’s Birthday!

And I am so lucky and blessed to be his daughter,

Happy Birthday Dad!

I love you bigger!!!!!!!!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

awkward…

2010-03-09T20:13:00.001-07:00

…angles, make for a sore Aubrey.

Comfort is still illusive, but I am not nearly as uncomfortable as before. I guess that might be a sign of things getting better. yay for that.

The other night we had In-N-Out for dinner.

It was quite tasty.

Double Double just plain-old, plain-old

and Animal Style fries.

Yummy!

Now if you don’t know, animal style fries are their fries with sautéed onions, cheese, and their secret sauce---basically like a thousand island dressing of sorts.

Oh yeah, I also partook in a Strawberry shake, it just escaped from the picture.

My Stella likes to take care of me.

She was worried and all when I was not home. Pouty and such. She loves her people and when they are not all surrounding her, she is just like any other human, and gets worried. Except she has a fur coat on 24/7. Its okay, she only asks for biscuits every now and then and to babysit pink baby for me. such love.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

eventful...

2010-03-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

I had more adventures today.
Church in the morning, nap, then socialization in the evening. It was good. However, it wore me out! I guess after having major surgery you will not have nearly as much stamina as you previously had. It was good to see everyone though, at church that is.

I do have ify plans this week. by ify i mean they are not exactly set in stone, but nice ideas. Gotta see Alice in Wonderland, perhaps in 3D. Also yogurtland in the beginning of the week perhaps.

fantastic I must say!

It was also a rainy dreary day. nice change of pace to the standard Arizona sun.

Oh and I think I decided I would just add the days I missed instead of completely starting over.

Good decision, yes?

Dot. Dot. Dot.

recovery…

2010-03-06T17:55:00.001-07:00

….i am slowly but surely on my way to recovering.

I put on real clothes and went on multiple adventures today.

both good signs.

they also have this program for heart recovery patients which includes a nutritionist and exercise help. You know the healthy way to do things. I’ll be doing that in a couple weeks. When the lady at the hospital was telling me about this she was like and you’ll be the cutest, youngest one there. Of course i don’t know if I should take this as a compliment since most 23 year olds don’t have heart surgery/issues.

Like my sister, I have missed numerous days during my year of daily posting, however I dont know if i just want to add the missed days to the count, or completely start over my counter.

I mean if i completely start over, i would still be posting for a year, but it would seem that all this work i have done would be put to waste. While if i just add the days then it wouldn’t be put to waste. decisions. decisions.

still working on that comfort issue. maybe tomorrow alice and wonderland will be a part of the adventures? yes?

Dot. Dot. Dot.

i lied…

2010-03-02T20:50:00.001-07:00

when i said today’s post was going to be more in depth and such. thats going to have to happen in the future.

i got frustrated because my copy of the 10th kingdom does not work----some other country code or some mumbo jumbo. very sad because now i want to watch it even more.

so i settled for Gilmore girls. still made me smile, just not what i was anticipating

Dot. Dot. Dot.

short and sweet…

2010-03-01T21:27:00.001-07:00

i got to come home today because i pooed.

just like a little kid, minus treat of sorts.

tomorrow there will be more, I promise

that and the proverbs study started

Dot. Dot. Dot.

zero..

2010-02-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

...in relation to Sprite is pretty darn tasty.
Pretty much the only thing I can consume in a hospital, besides water that is. Water for the most part is to boring. I like it far better in its frozen state. yummy ice!
worn out today, missed my church peeps---though they have been amazing at the whole visiting situation. took a shower this evening, which i would never have thought of it as a workout---but it for sure was!

hope your Sunday was relaxing like it was meant to be :)

Dot. Dot. Dot.

cute things…

2010-02-27T21:57:00.001-07:00

people like giving you things when you are sick, I suppose that is a nice perk when your on the road to recovery.

Miss Britney’s son Elijah wanted to get a blue flower for me when they were randomly adventures.

This is said the blue flower, along with some tasty treats!

Lacey brough me some fun toys as well including,

bubbles…

…and a coin purse with pink and yellow and penguins. Not to mention its in the shape of a sock! awesome

And who can forget the adorable pink puppy with the tiara?!? that's right no one. although He/she still needs a name.

And then there is yet another man I get to grow, he's posed next to the washcloth i get to grow. Amazing!!

And of course there is little miss Becky and her amazing t-shirt. I don't have a lot of adjectives

Dot. Dot. Dot.

made it...

2010-02-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

...but surgery without a doubt does hinder the whole blogging daily thing.
I get to add yet another nifty scar to those located on various parts of my body.
there re so many things I could write, but until i am less puffy in my hands, i am gonna keep it pretty short :)

Dot.Dot.Dot.

2/22

2010-02-21T23:52:00.001-07:00

…is tomorrow.

And the day of my surgery.

And I’m glad I had to work tonight, or else I might have had to much time on my hands.

Even though it was challenging.

Thanks to all my friends and family for the prayers, it means a lot to me.

I will attempt to sleep, although who knows how that will go, especially tonight.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

just to prove…

2010-02-20T21:56:00.001-07:00

…how dorky I really am, I am going to post some geeky pictures.

oh and ever wonder what velcro looks like up close? Don’t lie, I know you have!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

distractions…

2010-02-19T22:32:00.001-07:00

today, pre-op took far longer then I was expecting. So I did research on a new phone. Good news, I think I found one I like. :) we will see!

hope your weekend is super amazing!
I will be working both Saturday and Sunday.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

fishing…

2010-02-18T11:45:00.001-07:00

…I have really wanted to go fishing lately.

I used to go camping/fishing every spring break with my grandparents. It was great fun.

My grandpa and I would wake up early, because after all that is when all the fish were starving and would fall for the hook hidden by the worm trick. And I know I may seem like an extremely girly girl now a-days, and that it would be in fact my sister who would prefer fishing. After all she is a little more connected to the nature aspects of life---as long as it doesn’t involve the creepy crawly things. :)

Anyways, she avoided fishing at pretty much all costs.

I on the other hand couldn’t wait to go. Get up early, load up the boat and get going. Then we would zoom off to the “best spots” on the lake. The wind in your hair, the sun on your face was amazing. Even though the sun was bright and high in the sky, the speed of the boat would cause goose bumps---always had a love/hate relationship with that part of the day.

Me and my grandpa would attempt to catch those little buggers for hours, at least until our stomachs got the best of us. Now they would not always be plentiful, but we would always try and out do each other. And most of the time I did! lol. I guess all my practice casting in our backyard pool actually paid off, but with an actual fish on the end of my pole.

He also taught me how to clean them, but I’m not so sure I remember that part, you know how to do it today.

None the less I would love to go fishing again. Soon!

I am trying to find pictures of these wonderful adventures---I know they exist. However, that was back when there was no such thing as digital pictures. They are probably buried with all the other wanna be scrapbooked pictures. it will be an adventures in itself finding them.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

sky diving…

2010-02-17T22:33:00.001-07:00

…someday I would LOVE to go!

i mean really, according to this picture…

…it is one of the most amazing view you can possibly get.

Not to mention an adrenaline rush!

Now I would be totally freaked out, but the though of it sounds nice. But that’s all it is…a thought.

oh and I heard this quote today:

We fear what we don’t understand.

Not sure who said that, but it holds so much truth, in life. And I’d even go so far to say pretty much any situation. I love reading partly because even if it is useless information, i am still gaining some sort of understanding. Maybe someday I can make use of it.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

significance…

2010-02-16T20:55:00.001-07:00

have you ever considered how insignificant we are in this world? I mean look at it this way…

and this way…

…then its amazing how small you can feel.

God wasn't attracted to you and didn't choose you because you were big and important—the fact is, there was almost nothing to you. He did it out of sheer love, keeping the promise he made to your ancestors.

Deuteronomy 7:7

If this is true then why does it seem like we always want bigger and better things. We can never settle for something small and insignificant. Is that because we are already insignificant?

Now, just because we are small and insignificant, does not mean that we cannot make a significant impact on the people in which we interact with. For all you know, you have made someone’s day just by smiling at them---so you should always keep a smile on your face.

My surgery is less then a week away, by one day, and I might be getting slightly more nervous. I know there is a reason for everything, and someday I will be let in on the secret, but for now I am an outsider in the grand scheme of things.

We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
but God's purpose prevails.

Proverbs 19:21

I doubt I will ever come close to what the actual story is, but I can keep on guessing.

And even though there is no visual way to put into perspective how big God is in relation to my pictures at the beginning---I imagine him holding all of that in his hands, so he has some mighty big hands.

So why do we worry? Why do we think he has made mistakes? Do you consider the earth a mistake, or even your creation?

No. You don’t. But because something doesn’t go exactly as you planned, you figure something must be wrong, a mistake.

Worry weighs us down;
a cheerful word picks us up.

Proverbs 12:25

Even when you write your thoughts down, sometimes you still can’t clear them up---I realize this is a slightly haphazard blog, so I will leave you with these final thoughts…

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
   don't for a minute lose sight of them.
They'll keep your soul alive and well,
   they'll keep you fit and attractive.
You'll travel safely,
   you'll neither tire nor trip.
You'll take afternoon naps without a worry,
   you'll enjoy a good night's sleep.
No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
   or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner,
Because God will be right there with you;
   he'll keep you safe and sound.

Proverbs 3:21-26

Dot. Dot. Dot.

unfortunately…

2010-02-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

…today is not the day for an in depth post on some subject or another. Buts that’s because my time was spent elsewhere, at Miss Lacey’s for dinner and knitting. Yes I know it is normally what elderly people do, but we are going to make it cool and hip. I am on my way to making a super nifty scarf, although I may start over to make it cooler. We also watched The Lake House, which I am surprised to say was pretty good. I am pretty sure I remember the reviews on that one being terrible, which I should have realized that that would mean I would love it. As is typically the case with movies, such as George of the jungle, Which she has not seen, tragic. Its best when me and my sister are together because then we can totally quote the whole thing. That should definitely be our next movie watching experience---@ my house!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

vday…

2010-02-14T21:55:00.001-07:00

Plans went well---spent the day surrounded by people I love, and who love me. Saw Valentines Day the movie with my single ladies, and I know the song is running through your head, and unfortunately was not that impressed with it. I will also impress you at a later date with a much more in depth blog on some subject that is yet to be determined, because as of now I am beat and am hoping to get some amazing sleep, which has been elluding me for a while.

toodles poodles

Dot. Dot. Dot.

tomorrow…

2010-02-13T23:48:00.001-07:00

…is valentines day. And even though I don’t have a boy valentine, I have some wonderful lady valentines. And since we are all single, we are going to spend this holiday meant for couples, together. It should be fantastic!

Tonight however, I will be preparing for tomorrow. and then sleeping when all the work is done :)

But of course, I can’t give away all my dorky secrets!

Its time to kick off the weekend…

2010-02-12T23:18:00.001-07:00

…everybody’s working for the weekend!

I’m Abe Froman, the sausage king of Chicago!

That is a fantastic movie, but really it’s what they say on talk radio every Friday.

I had a fantastic evening, saw Tooth Fairy with my date, Miss Lacey. Dinner was fantastic too, and I’m glad I could keep up the tradition despite the parents being out of town. Looking forward to seeing Miss Eva become a Mrs. in the morning and of course coffee must be involved in there beforehand!

Also have to work, because I am a nice individual and will help someone cover their shift when I am able. Unfortunately not everyone is so nice. oh well!

off to bed with my puppy by my side!

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Stella-face misses her people….

2010-02-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

...When I let her in, when I got home from work she was crazy! running all over the place looking for someone other then me to pet her. She even made the family room rug all whopper-jod, however you spell it! But don't worry mom, I put it all back to normal. There was no typical run and greet me when I came home from work either. But she quickly calmed down and is now sleeping comfortably on the ottoman.

And I’m sure sleep is really all she did all day, maybe a bark here and there and probably a couple laps around the race track she made in the yard. Its doubtful she went swimming today, and for sure did not get her normal amount of biscuits. She is so spoiled!

She loves her snowman, and my pink baby for that manner. But the snowman has been through a couple dogs and only recently has it lost its voice, the squeaker that is. They like to have staring contests---probably because we like to tease her.

1-800-lalaface is a silly name for her that came about for one reason or another, but even though she is silly and everything, we love her just the same!

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remember these?

2010-02-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

neither really related to the other, but interesting to see the music we couldn't get out of our heads then, and still cant today!

the great debate...

2010-02-09T16:39:00.000-07:00

so once upon a time this man by the name of J.H. Kellogg received a patent in 1897 for creating was he referred to as “nut-butter”, we loving refer to the stuff today as peanut butter.

In our house, there as been a great debate as to which is better, crunchy or smooth. And I would love to know your opinions, so just point your mouse to your favorite, and vote!

[polldaddy poll=2678055]

There are so many ways to use peanut butter to. Not only do you have the standard peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yummy, but also obscure things like "The Elvis", which according to the food network is a peanut butter and banana sandwich which also includes one other special ingredient---bacon. I wonder if this sandwich keeps the phrase, "everything is better with bacon" true to form.

One person, not sure who because I didn't take the time to look it up, but they made a business of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches---so many kinds too! It's called pb loco---kind of interesting, I ate there once upon a time and thought it was pretty tasty. Oh and you get animal crackers too, one of my favorite snacks! Check out their menu here! At least for the one in Scottsdale, but I would assume they would be similar where ever they are located.

For Christmas one year, my mom also gave me two cookbooks---one where everything used peanut butter, and one where all the recipes used jelly. I don't think I have used it yet, but to me those two things should be smushed together between two slices of bread. But I still think it would be fun to try at some point!

two weeks…

2010-02-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

that is all…

i am blessed…

2010-02-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I am a blessed individual. I finally believe that I have made genuine friends, and let me tell you, they are more amazing then any of the previous ones who have left me hanging in various situations.

My mom has this sign on her kitchen wall that says the following:

Real Friends---don’t come with fragile stickers and are not easily scared off, turned off, or ticked off. Real friends are cross their heart and hope to die, tell you anything, good times & bad times, trust you with their life, friends.

Before, when I would see people write about how great their friends were on Facebook and such, I don’t think I could ever say I could agree with them. I always felt like I was on the outside looking in, never fully included, and sometime people only talked to me because the felt it was required of them.

Your friendship was a miracle-wonder,
love far exceeding anything I've known—
or ever hope to know.”

2nd Samuel 1:26

I would like to thank my friend for being there, and I am so glad I didn’t have to wallow after my break up, but I think that because of you guys, and church, I am more active now then moths ago. And I like it! I cannot express how important you all are to me.

Seriously, I love ya bunches, and now I’ll be the one bragging about my friends to the people on my facebook.

I honestly believe that getting re acquainted with God, is a major part of this as well. In addition to my blogging on a daily basis, I also want to attempt to read the bible in a year. I know I will be beginning this a little bit after the year has begun, but I miss the bible studies Miss Britney did. I know she is still doing them, but I already did that one, so I will anxiously wait for another one to begin.

Have you ever tried to count your blessings? And I mean like literally count them, and go over all the amazing happenings in your life? I bet you have a suitcase full of blessings, and everyone’s is different, because they make us who we are. But seriously, I tried quantifying my blessings, and I came up with some that some may not consider blessings, but because they have shaped me as a person, they of vital importance.

I'll make you a great nation
      and bless you.
   I'll make you famous;
      you'll be a blessing.
   I'll bless those who bless you;
      those who curse you I'll curse.
   All the families of the Earth
      will be blessed through you."

Genesis 12:2-3

Needless to say, I have to count both true friends and fake friends as a blessing, because without the later i would not be able to recognize the former.

I also feel similarly about my health. I don’t know why I am faced with all these challenges, but I really don’t have a say in it---do I?

Did it never occur to you
      that I'm behind all this?
   Long, long ago I drew up the plans,
      and now I've gone into action…”

2nd Kings 19:25

I don’t know why I one heath issue leads to a more dramatic one. I mean I never pictured myself facing heart surgery at the ripe old age of 23, does anyone who has been placed in a similar situation? And of course, this brings to mind major life moments: marriage, kids, first home, dream car, career, etc. Will I be able to accomplish all of these? Should I start attempting other wants, writing and checking off a bucket list if you will?

Now don’t get me wrong, I have the utmost faith in the doctors and all, and am by no means trying to be morbid. But you heart is what keeps all the blood and guts inside you, doing what it is suppose to be doing. I realize they do this everyday---or as close to it as possible---but sometimes there are certain things that you cannot plan for, or even expect to happen.

So that is kind of where my head has been the past couple days, and writing it out sure helps. Thanks for encouraging me to blog more dear sis!

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Last Saturday….

2010-02-06T05:22:00.000-07:00

…was game night!

And it was soooooo much fun. More fun then I can add ‘o’ to my SO.

I did take pictures, and so did my dad

obviously, my mom was more interested in looking good in the picture then paying attention to what was going on in the game.

This was at the very beginning…before everyone got there. After more people came, we moved the party to the kitchen island.

Of course before we got to our gaming, we had to fill our bellies so we would have the energy to win and be competitive! And we had to catch up on the weeks events, and just gab like we girls do.

And finally the gaming begins…

and the other cast of players!

Another one will be happening soon!

Love it!

Dot. Dot. Dot.