A Real Fairytale

"This is the fairy tale that should have been read to us when we were little:

Once upon a time in a land far away,a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and thought to herself:

I don't f*ckin think so."

ahahahahahahahaha

On the same note....I saw Enchanted the last night and it was simply the best movie ever. Well, maybe not...but it was really good. It reiterated the fact that I want to marry Patrick Dempsey. I get made fun of because I love those sappy, chick flick movies. I don't see what's so wrong in believing that true love exists, and that the perfect man is out there somewhere...even if it is just for two hours. :-)

Back to reality and my Volunteer Management final...

Interesting? Scary? Dissapointing?

Phoenix is the 64th most dangerously drunk city. (The list goes from 100 to 1, with 100 being the most drunk and 1 being the least. Weird way to number a list, but such is life)

Denver is #100 (WORST!). Tucson is 77th (Can you say "college town" anyone???).

I guess be glad we aren't the worst, but considering only 36 cities are worse than Phoenix, it sure isn't comforting.

So here's my motherly lesson to all: Don't be stupid and drive home drunk. Chances are you will get home safe, but maybe you won't and you will kill someone else or yourself. So have a DD, or call a cab. Or you can call me. I'll pick your drunk butt up at 2:30am and take you home AND bring you back to get your car from the bar/party the next day-no questions asked. Trying to save yourself the embarrassment of asking for help is just not worth the risk of the alternative.

The end. Now go eat your vegetables and clean your room young lady/young man! :-)

Just thought I would post some pictures...

...of some people I love. :-)

My Dad (We both look strange, but this was at the Coyotes game on 11/22)

All of my friends (Kristen and Valerie last weekend at Margaritaville)
My mom (It's her birthday today! Happy Birthday!)
My neice (because she's hilarious. Isn't her dimple adorable?!)
My nephews (This is Jacob...Josh was somewhere else. Doesn't he look happy???)

Amy posted some great pics from Thanksgiving as well. Some good ones of me doing Madonna "Vogue" poses. Some good ones of my Mom telling a story. Some of my amazingly beautiful Grandma. Check em out.

oh yea...I'm totally gonna go see this.

ABC...123...

I need a job....



I am so desperate I may end up going back to Petsmart pretty soon. That's how bad it is.



I love Christmas. My problem is that I LOVE buying gifts for people and even if I set a budget for myself I go way over. I can't help it!!! It makes me happy, but it also makes me broke....



Anyways, if anyone knows of any place that is hiring, let me know. Ideally, I would like to NOT work weekends (Saturday/Sunday...I will work Friday nights however). During Christmas I can work as many hours as needed, but once school starts it would need to be knocked down to less than 20. Preferrably not food service, but I won't count it out if the hours are good. Pay isn't a big deal...anything is better than what I am making now...which is almost nothing. That's about it.



I applied to work the counter at a bakery, but have yet to get a response back. I just applied to work at the daycare at LA Fitness, so we'll see about that. And I know the Starbucks inside the Barnes and Noble at Arrowhead is hiring (my friend Ashley works there), but it's kind of a far drive. I can also apply at the new SuperTarget by my house for temporary holiday work, but I don't know how hip they would be to me not working weekends. So we shall see.



But please, keep your eyes and ears open and let me know if you see ANYTHING you think I may be interested in/good at.



Thanks!

So Thankful...

I am thankful for my family above anything. They are hilarious and loving and all of them are truly amazing. It's makes me so sad to think about people who have no one to spend the holidays with. I have always had at least one (if not two or three) Thanksgiving dinners to go to every year, and there are always dozens of people I love to share the day with. So I'm thankful for my incredible, slightly crazy family.

I am thankful for my friends. I have renewed many of my old friendships lately and have made some great new friends as well. It's a good feeling to always have people to hang out and have a good time with.

I am thankful for my education. Many people don't get the chance to go to college and, as much as I gripe and complain about it, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to learn new things everyday.

I am thankful for the men and women who protect this country every day. Police officers, fire fighters, and especially everyone in the armed forces. Without them we would not be here today. And no matter what one's opinion is of the current government, or the war in Iraq, or any other military campaign the US is involved in, we must support our troops. They fight for our right to have those opinions and that is reason enough to respect and be thankful for them.

Overall I am thankful for the life I have had thusfar. Sometimes I think about the less than happy parts of my life and I dwell on them, but then I realize that there are many people who have had it alot worse than me. People who can't think of one thing in their lives to be thankful for.

And I'm thankful for you. For reading this fairly boring blog and being at least somewhat interested in what I have to say. So keep reading. I'll keep posting. :-)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

(or as my crazy Aunt Sharon would say "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!" ...than the weird turkey hand thing... I love my family. )

I think I've posted more today than I have in the past 6 months

...but that's what happens when school is winding down and I am procrastinating doing my end of the year projects.

Ayways, I hope I get to go to see the Titanic Exhibit at the Science Center this year. I missed it last time it was in Phoenix. (Deer Valley's prom was actually at the Science Center the last time the exhibit was in town...I think it was Nick's senior year, which means I would've been a Freshman. Just an FYI...) Thanks, Amy, for reminding me it was here!

Who wants to go with me? I'll pay...well, I'll pay for me. I might pay for you, depending on who you are ;-)

WARNING:VERY VERY LONG POST AHEAD!!!

*So I posted this blog on my Myspace blog a few weeks back, and I decided to go ahead and post it here too. I added some paragraphs onto the end too, based on a discussion I had with my mom tonight. It's long...but interesting to me. Read if you wish. If not, than too bad you're missing some really good stuff...*

Normally I hate my Contemporary Theory class. It's boring and long and all we learn about is these dead white guys that wrote confusing theoretical books 200 years ago. That being said, today's lecture was actually interesting. We discussed what the ideal American female and male look like. My class is pretty diverse: a good male to female ratie, some older, some younger, many different ethnicities. So my professor asked if we walked into a bar and saw the "ideal" man and woman, what would they look like? Now this is based on looks alone...they could be extremely smart or a complete idiot...we have no way of knowing.

So here's the ground rules: you're at a bar and it's happy hour. A woman and a man walk in they are presumably coming strait from work (our class decided they work at a law firm...I don't really know why we decided that though) and they are presumably single. GO.

Here's what we came up with:

Woman- sober (haha-this was the first thing that was said!), 25-35 years old, 5'7", 130lbs (about a size 6-8), light brown hair possibly with subtle blonde highlights, light brown/tan skin (natural, not fake and bake), some natural looking makeup, brown eyes, dressed business casual-not conservative but not slutty either. The biggest thing was a woman that exerted confidence in her walk and talk.

OK-so before I go onto the ideal man...here's my thoughts on this. I was actually surprised a little bit. First, a size 6 is a very thin by my standards, but I though most guys would want a 5'9" size 2 who weighs 110 lbs. So that's good. All the guys also agreed that the platinum blonde, heavily makeup look was only hot on porn stars- not women they would actually date. It's also nice to know that some guys like a girl who leaves a little to the imagination. :) However, it also means that a girl who is short and curvy like me is no where near the "ideal" type of woman...other than my hair color. Slightly depressing even despite the fact that I am actually very comfortable with how I look.

Now the Ideal Man: Also sober (haha), also 25-35 years old, 6'0"-6'3", 180-200 lbs, athletic, dressed in a suit (but he possibly took his tie off after leaving the office), green/blue eyes, well groomed and shaved, short dark hair and good posture.

Hmm...yea that sounds good to me. But once again it is depressing to think that there are alot of really attractive guys out there who are shorter or fatter (or taller or thinner) or have longer hair (or no hair!) who don't fit into this ideal.

I actually seriously objected to this discussion in the first place. I like to believe that, although this is the "ideal", that what one person finds attractive is completely based on individual opinions and biases. That although one guy might like someone who is tall and thin, another guy might like someone who is short and curvy (and yes-curvy is a euphamism and I'm stickin to it). I also objected to it because I believe that an opinion of someone's outward appearance can change once you know someone's personality. Someone who is absolutely gorgeous on the outside can be a complete jerk on the inside and therefore become less attractive (or vice versa).
Another interesting observation is that this is only the ideal in America. If you asked someone in China, Saudi Arabia, or even in Canada or England (which are the two countries closest to America in terms of image and pop culture) they would say very different things. This present "ideal" in America has only come to be in the past two decades or so...the Miss Americas after WW2 were size 12s (think Marilyn Monroe here...) and now they are size 2s. What has made this shift occur? Is it the media? But even then- how and when did the media decide that taller and thinner was better? You may not think so, but I think it would be so interesting to research this more and write a paper about it...maybe a master's thesis idea?

Anyways, that is my observation/rant. What do you out in blogger land think? Agree? Disagree? Totally different opinion of your ideal man/woman? Just thought I'd write my thoughts from the one lecture this year that actually captured my attention...

I knew I was a Sociology major for a reason...

Now, being single I get asked fairly often what I'm looking for in a guy (usually by my mom, but sometimes by well-meaning friends who are trying to set me up). I never know what to say because I feel like where I'm at and what I'm looking for now is so different than what I was looking for in the past. So now what do I want?

Honestly, the first thing that comes to mind is that I want a guy who will NOT make me his whole world. Weird? I don't think so. I have my own life and my own friends. I am too busy to make somebody my whole world and it isn't fair to someone who is looking to make me his. I want a guy who has his own friends and his own life to live. For so long I made the guy I was with my everything. I based my entire life on his wants and needs and it took me a long time to realize that that wasn't what I wanted. I want a guy who is secure enough in our relationship (if it turns into that) and in himself to NOT have to be with me every single day, or talk to me 5 times a day. Is it not possible to have a good, exclusive relationship and only see eachother on weekends or whenever time allows? I'd like to think so, but I guess I don't have the experience to truly know.

Don't get me wrong, when I like someone I do want to spend time with them and talk to them, but I am the type of person who is not dependent on someone else to be happy. I like my alone time and my girls nights. I love my life the way it is and I want to find someone who wants to share in the life I have (and hopefully let me share in his) without making eachother the ONLY lives we have.

I think people these days think I am anti-marriage because I make jokes about how I'm never going to get married. I'm not worried about no one ever loving me enough or anything like that, but I don't know if it's possible to have this sort of relationship before settling down. I mean, really, what ever happened to DATING??? When did it become one date then BAM! relationship? Can't you just hang out and get to know someone for a little while before picking out the colors for your wedding? OK-maybe that's a little exagerated, but you get my point. It's frustrating to be single when the world is like this. I mean, I love and have nothing against my friends who are married or who may soon be married, but it's not my choice right now. This may change. I may meet someone tomorrow is my soulmate and I want to get married in 6 months. But as of now, I have plans for my life that I want to live out before I settle down. If I can find someone who can accept that (and someone who hopefully has plans of his own, or plans that we can live out together), then great! If not, then I'll start looking when life settles down a little bit. I don't like people freaking me out telling me if I don't find the person I'm going to marry in college than I'm screwed. Just give me some time!!!

And, contrary to popular belief, I'm am not some party crazy party girl. Do I go out? Yes. Do I LIKE going out? Yes. Do I do it every Friday and Saturday night? No way. It gets boring after awhile. So I guess I want a guy who likes going out and having a good time, but who also knows other ways to have fun. I like trying new things and I want someone who is adventurous enough to do them with me. I like going places I've never gone to, and doing things I've never done. I HATE going to dinner and a movie ALL THE TIME. I do like it sometimes and I actually think it's a pretty good first date idea, but seriously...use your imagination every once in awhile. Phoenix is not that boring.

And on that note, a guy who wouldn't mind spending a little bit of time and money to travel would be good too. Otherwise...I'll go by myself. No-I'm not scared to do that. I would meet alot of great people and see some amazing sights. Having someone to share it with would be nice, but not mandatory. I'm going no matter what.

So if you are, or if you know someone like this, then send him my way. If not, I'll find him eventually. I'm not in a hurry.

Now that this is a novel, I'm off. Sorry if you're bored to tears...but I guess if you were truly bored than you would've stopped reading long before you got to the end huh? Back to reality and homework for me. :-)

<3

It's ok Amy...me too...

I love HAIRSPRAY!!!

The 2-disc Special Edition verson has a version that you can watch with the lyrics to the songs and one that shows the moves to all the dances.

I'm a dork...but you know you love me :-)

I love Fall. Period. The end.

Of course, I would love it if it would snow here too. I want to go skiing so bad...especially since I won't be going to Telluride this year.

Only two more days until Turkey Day! I'm excited to see my family more than anything. I don't like the fact that life is so hectic all the time and we don't get to see eachother that often. I love my crazy family.

Then only two weeks and two days until the end of the semester and a nice long, relaxing break before my last semester of school! Ack. Scary thought.

I went to the So You Think You Can Dance? tour last night. So much fun. I'm so in love with all of the male dancers. So cute! OOOO...maybe I can post a video or two of the concert when I have time! I'll have to try that...

What an exciting post huh? I need to get a new camera so I can post pics more often, but as of now it takes way to long to upload from my camera to my computer, so that'll come later.

:-) Peace.

I was so excited to get the mail today because it contained a very important piece of mail.

I FINALLY got my passport! It's amazing how one little piece of mail can make you feel so optimistic and energized and just amazing. I feel like I can go anywhere now. I can travel next year like I plan to. I'm already looking into cruises (namely because they're all inclusive and safer for someone traveling alone) and I've found a few that sound promising. How does a 16 day Mediterranean cruise sound to you? Because to me it sounds like heaven. Spain, southern France, Greece, Turkey, ITALY (Venice is #1 on my priority of places to see), and more. Then after that maybe fly to Paris and London and Germany?

You get the idea. I'm outta here. :) I'll be broke, but it's worth it to see what I will see. If I don't do it now I never will and I'll regret it ...and I don't live my life with regrets.

This is so insane. I had no idea how bad the fires were until I watched the news tonight. My cousin who still lives there knows 3 people whose houses have burnt down, and her boyfriend was evacuated. Classes are cancelled in schools everywhere across SoCal. My cousin also told me one fire was/is really close to where my aunt and uncle's old house is.

I think losing everything in a fire would be the worst thing to happen to a person. I know they are just material things, and that being safe and alive are more important, but could you imagine? I mean having no pictures, no family heirlooms, and no place to call home. It's unfathomable.

So I'm keeping all those families who have lost everything or who have been evacuated and may very well lose everything in my thoughts and hopefully you will too.

i need ideas for a halloween costume...any suggestions?

here's my criteria:

• i may be going to a concert, so something cute and comfy and not too warm
• nothing that involves spandex
• anything inexpensive or that i can make from existing clothes
• nothing skanky...i don't live by the rule that Halloween is the one time a year girls can dress like skanks and get away with it!
• Creative!

Ideas? Come on I know you have some!!! Amy-you're creative...gimme something!

Thanks!

Busy, busy, busy!

I feel like I have been running around like crazy the past couple of weeks! I just got back from Rocky Point on Sunday night (after a 4 and 1/2 hour wait at the border...ay ay ay!). I would LOVE to post pics, but my camera is being completely retarded and it won't let me upload any pictures from my camera to my computer. I have photos from JUNE on my camera that I haven't been able to upload! GRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Anyways, RockyPoint was so much fun! It was my first time ever going to Mexico. It was nothing like I expected it to be, but everything I expected it to be at the same time. I know that doesn't make sense, but it is hard to explain. It makes me thankful to be living in America in a house (not a shack) and just feel safe. And to be able to drink the water! I would love to go back again and see more of the actual town....and get the knockoff Coach purse I wanted!! haha

What else? I figured out my classes for next semester and it's a fairly good schedule. I will have an 8am class for the first time EVER and I will also have Friday classes. But I knew I would not be getting a great schedule because I am just trying to fit in all the classes I need to graduate. I still may have to add another class or take a winter intesession course depending on how many classes I need to graduate. Only one more semester....oh the anticipation!!!!

I am putting a call out to all my cousins who have been married in the past few years! My best friend is getting married fairly soon and she is looking for some good florists, cake makers, photographers, videographers, reception venues, caterers, etc...and any general advice/info about weddings! To say I am excited for her is an understatement, and when I am in Tucson and I going to be her personal wedding planner (whether she wants me to or not!). So if any of my family who reads this has any info that would help...let me know! You can either leave me a comment on here, or send me an email at angl_2005@hotmail.com.

Also, I really want to run/walk to PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon in January, and am looking for a few people who want to do it with me. If you're interested, sign up and get training!

That's about it for now. I am loving to cool weather and am looking forward to the upcoming holiday season. Halloween is only two weeks away and I have no costume! Oh well...I don't think I'm doing anything anyways, except trick or treating with Kassi and the boys like always.

Off to school...oh yay. :)

Musica!

Check out this band. Good music...I don't know what genre would classify it...alternative with a little bit of emo and folkiness mixed in? haha Go to their site and listen to their music. I think every member in the band went to Deer Valley.

And if you're in the neighborhood...go to their release show! Hopefully I'll get a chance to go! If not, just spread the word because they really are a great bunch of guys (and a girl) and their music is just as great!

My new plan for life

Anyone who knows me well knows that I tend to come up "plans for life" on a regular basis. So really this is a "plan for life...until I change my mind or something better comes along" :)

I am dropping my second minor (Special Events Management) and graduating in May (instead of next December) with my BA in Sociology and minor in Poli Sci.

Next summer I am going to spend all the money I have (well...some of it...) and travel. Probably to Europe, maybe back to NYC, possibly Alaska? I want to go everywhere really. I'm pretty frugal about money usually, and I usually do not spend large amounts of money on anything. But I figure if I don't travel now while I'm young and single, then I never will. Plus for some reason I've always loved the idea of traveling by myself. It just seems so...scary. haha-but that's what makes it exciting. Planning what I want to do, getting from place to place on my own, trying to communicate in languages I don't understand...all that fun stuff.

After my summer spent galavanting around the world, I am going to take a year off to work. At least part of that year I will be living with my best friend in Tucson, or I may end of spending the whole year down there.

After my year off from the evil world of school, I am going to move to downtown Phoenix and start my Master's in Nonprofit Studies at the DP ASU campus. It'll only take about 1 and 1/2 years to complete.

Then I'm done! From there it's work and family and all that jazz.

Granted...this plan is contingent on the fact that I can actually graduate next May, that I get into the Master's program, that I get a job for the year in between, that I have enough money to travel anywhere...etc, etc, etc.

Sounds pretty good huh? The idea of graduating in 7 months is so terrifying...but I least I won't have to worry about being in the "real world" just yet. :)

So I didn't get the Suns internship.

But it's really ok. It would have been a fun opportuntity and good experience, but it was not really what I wanted to do. It involved alot of cold-calling companies to see if they wanted to make donations, going to stores to see if they would provide items to raffle off, putting up fliers....alot of sales-type stuff. And that just really isn't for me. And the 45 min drive to get down there everyday is another reason I'm glad I didn't get it. The $10/hr I would have made would have gone strait to gas! So everything happens for a reason. I'm glad that I went for it, but its ok that I didn't get it.

Today I get to apply for an on-campus office job! Probably not as much fun, but less stressful and I can get homework done at work. :)

I have a second interview Tuesday at 8am for the Suns internship. I am nervous, but not near as nervous as I was for the first one. I figure they must like me pretty well to ask me back a second time, so it takes some of the pressure off. Of course this time I will be meeting with the director of the organization instead of just the admin assistant and another lady (can't remember what her title was...) like I did last time.

I'm pretty excited though. If I get it, I will most likely work the Panini & Pearls Event this Thursday night. Yay!

I'll keep you posted when I find out if I got it....most likely by Wednesday. Wish me luck!

Be Jealous...

I have an interview on Thursday to be an intern for the Phoenix Suns. Actually it's for a Phoenix Suns charity called Suns Nite Hoops.

If I get it, I will be working on the Suns' annual Celebrity Waiter night, which means there is a good chance I will meet some players/coaches.

Aunt Nancy and Amy...are drooling yet? I promise IF I get it I will try to get you tickets...or autographs... :)

Anyways, think of me on Thursday around 3:30...I am so nervous!

and one more thing....actually a comment to my mother more than anyone else. So disregard unless your name is Diane and you live across the hall from me...

STOP asking me if I have met/talked to/flirted with any cute boys. I go to school to LEARN and I go to the gym to WORKOUT and I go to the store to SHOP (etc,etc,etc). My life does not revolve around how many cute boys I saw tonight. I'm not a boy-crazy 12 year old and I LIKE being single thank you very much.

How bout ya try asking me about what I learn in my classes versus who I see? ok? ok.

you know what I did tonight? Did homework while watching the movie "Wild Hogs" with my mom. Now it's 10pm and I'm going to bed....

This a sad life for a single 20 year old college student if I do say so myself...

oh well...next weekend I'll be partying it up with my friends in Tucson! Yay! Well...not partying...but we're gonna have one crazy dinner at Claim Jumper...

and the weekend after that I get to go camping AGAIN...

Now that's my kind of fun! ;)

I decided I need a workout buddy. Not someone even to actually go to the gym with, just someone to talk with about our progress and who will kick my butt if I start slacking off. Todd (my trainer) did that, and now that I don't have him I have totally lost track of dieting and exercise. And I worked too dang hard to gain back all the weight I lost!!!!

Anyone interested?

A new year

So I know it has been forever and a day since I posted anything substantial, but I really had nothing substantial to write about. My life this summer consisted of working, packing, unpacking, eating too much, working out too little, and trying to psych myself up for starting the school year single.

Truthfully, I enjoy being single. I like just being able to do whatever I want without having to check someone else's schedule. This summer I got to hang out with some friends that I neglected while I was in a relationship. I had alot of time to myself for reading and listening to music and everything else you can imagine. And it was so nice.

But now here I am, on the first day of school, waiting for my next class to start. I feel like I'm going to break down crying right here in the library because I don't have anyone to call in between classes, or talk about my day with. Sure, I can go over the major points with my mom, or with any of my friends who aren't busy enough with their own classes. But I have no one to tell about the little meaningless parts of my day with. It's a strange thing that something so little like that can send me over the edge.

And then there's the doubts. Doubts about me and the feeling that I don't know if anyone will ever feel about me like Davis did. I am an admitidly shy person, and I don't put myself out there, especially when it comes to guys. I get nervous and I don't say the right thing and usually make a fool out of myself.

And it's hard when I get asked weekly (if not more) if I have a boyfriend yet. It makes me even more self-conscious and it honestly makes me feel like there is something wrong with me because I have been single for all of 4 months. it makes it hard to be okay with being single when there is this constant pressure to find someone.

Anyways, those are my thoughts. I am freaking out honestly. What I need right now is a huge bowl of ice cream with chocolate and m&ms....but apparently I eat when I'm stressed/happy/sad/etc and I need to stop that. So I guess I'll try writing instead. Sorry if it's boring, but I guess you shouldn't read it if it is huh?

Vote!

Even though I know most of the people who read this blog already know this, but go and vote for Obadiah Parker so the can play at the Austin City Limits Festival! It's a great opportunity for them. If you haven't heard their music, then check out their Myspace or their songs on Itunes...they're pretty awesome!

Here's a note from Mat (the lead singer)..."We're trying to win a spot to play at the Austin City Limits Festival in September and we need your help! The contest is based on four rounds of voting by fans and judges. We have from now until August 20th to get as many votes as we can from our fans to make it to the second round. You can vote every day for each email address that you have access to. This would be a really great opportunity for us to play at ACL so we appreciate your guys' support!" CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR THEM.

Why I love to read...

" [ A friend of mine once] asked me if I thought people would even be reading novels in 2006, with so many other entertainment options available. I had to laugh, because novels are still the best entertainment option. Even a hardcover is cheaper than two tickets to the local multiplex, especially once you throw in gas, parking, and babysitting. Also, a book lasts longer and there are no ads. Need more? No tiresome ratings system to keep you out if you're under 17, the special effects are always primo (because you make 'em up yourself), and although I read nearly 80 books this year, I never ran across the Olsen twins a single time."- Stephen King

On a slightly different note, I am STILL unpacking from the recent move. I finally got shelves and a closet organizer so hopefully I will be done by the end of this week. I would post picture of the disaster that is my room....but I have no idea where my camera is! When I find it I will take some pics of my room and the new house (for those of you who haven't already seen it!)

My sister has started her own company called 'ParTEAs by Hope'. It is a company that provides all the accessories to host the perfect teas party! It is perfect for many occasions, including birthdays, bridal/baby showers, or just a get-together with friends! Please check out her website and spread the word.

I need to think of an excuse to hold a tea party....maybe a small housewarming party? We shall see...

FYI...

This is what I want for Christmas....or any occasion someone feels like spending $300 on me for :) It may end up being a present to myself at the end of the summer for surviving my job.

and this is where I get my inspiration and is the reason I need the aforementioned gift.

For Amy...

Monkey....

Awww....cousins....


And one of my sister just for good measure...

GASP!!!

My new car!

I got a new car today! It's a 2008 Ford Escape XLT...I love it! I'm going to miss my good ol' truck though...it was a perfect first car. But- this one has satellite radio, a sunroof, 6-disc CD changer, MP3 input, direction and temperature gauges, and is BRAND SPANKIN NEW!!! Plus, it gets much much better gas mileage and the insurance will go way down! SO excited to drive it around! :) (It's a pearly-white color if you can't tell from the pics)

Home again...

Just got home today from the best vacation EVER with my best friend Danielle. We have known eachother for about 13 years and this is the first vacation we have ever taken just us. We drove to San Diego on Monday and spent time on the beach and at Sea World. Basically, we just relaxed and destressed and scoped out all the good lookin guys. I'm too tired to actually write about it, but here are a few pics from the past few days.

'Do' it

The new hair-do. Short. Cute. LOVE it.



And a few pics from my friends wedding last weekend (Heather and Brant). The ceremony was at Community Church of Joy and the reception was at the Sheraton Crescent. It was beautiful. It's weird that one of my friends is married(or two actually because I'm friends with the bride and the groom). I'm getting old. Pretty soon everyone will be married and popping out babies. Cept me. :) Well...not soon at least.

Tonight was our last night working out with Todd...it's sad. Hopefully I can reach my goals without him.

We got home tonight and went into the garage and found that our hot water heater was leaking majorly...there is water from the back of the garage where our the water heater is all the way to the front garage door and about four feet wide. Not good.

On a better note, I went to Josh and Jacob's preschool graduation today! The pic below is of the graduates with their big sis Kassidy.

This is Josh receiving his "diploma" (and a special necklace from his teachers). Too bad his eyes are closed... Jacob is in the middle of this pic...his class had little caps and gowns!! It was so adorable!

Basically I can't believe how old they are...they will be FIVE tomorrow! They each have such great individual personalities that come out more and more everyday. I can't wait to see them grow up, but I still cherish every moment I have with them now that they're young and they still hug and kiss me without being forced! I love my nephews and neice more than anything! They bring a smile to my face no matter what else is going on in my life. They'e amazing!

A few books on my summer reading list (in no particular order):

• A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (a true story about a boy in Africa forced be a soldier...much like the movie Blood Diamond)
• Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson (chic-lit)
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffret Eugenides (never seen the movie...thought the book looked interesting)
• Saving the World by Julia Alvarez (LOVE her...I've read two other books by her- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Yo!)
• The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (Read Ethan Frome by Wharton and it's one of my favorite books)
• The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points Toward God by Lee Strobel (Interesting... I also want to read the Bible because I never have, but more because I think it's an important historical piece and referred to very often in different contexts...not so much because of religion. )
• Something Borrowed by Emily Griffith (more chic-lit)
• The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver (started it awhile ago, but never finished it. It's very very long and hard to follow, but for some reason I have to finish every book I start no matter how boring it is)

These will probably last me through about the end of June, depending on how often I get to read at my job. I love bookstores. I think it'd be so much fun to work in a small bookstore where you can sit around and read all the time. I don't get to read books I actually want to read during school, so I have to catch up over the summer. Although my pile is not nearly as large as Amy's !!!

So this is the tattoo I'm going to get....

The only problem is that I don't know anyone who can read Japanese. I found it on Google, and according to the site it means "Inner peace, Inner strength" but I want to know 100% for sure before I go putting something permanent on my body. For all I know it says something really obscene.

Hey Kev- do you have any linguist friends who know Japanese???

you know what the best feeling in the world is?

when the guy you loved and trusted and depended on for 4 years calls you up out of nowhere and accuses you of cheating on him because some random s**thead told him that I was. And this guy chooses to believe said s**thead said over you.

yup-it's amazing.

The End

So for many people that read this, what I'm about to say will come as a complete and utter surprise....if you don't want to know than don't read on.

Davis and I are no longer together.

We have been having problems for months now and trying to make it work. I realized after thinking about it for many, many sleepless nights that the only way to make it better would be to end it. So I did.

I just want both of us to be truly, utterly happy and I realized that wouldn't happen while we were together. In the four years we were together we became different people, and the people we are now aren't right for eachother.

I never thought it would happen, but it has. I am ok. He will be. I hope that one day we can be friends again because that is what I will most about him. I will never stop caring about him.

So for the family members who read this...feel free to pass along this news. I don't really have the desire to talk about it, so I figure this will get around by word of mouth eventually.

Once again...Grey's Anatomy as it applies to real life...

"Some people believe that without history, our lives amount to nothing. At somepoint we all have to choose: do we fall back on what we know, or do we stepforward to something new? It's hard not to be haunted by our past. Our history is what shapes us... what guides us. Our history resurfaces time after time after time. So we have to remember sometimes the most important history is the history we're making today." -Meredith on Grey's Anatomy

I'm stressed, I'm stressed, I'm very very stressed. (Sing to the tune of "I'm late, I'm late, I'm very very late" from Alice in Wonderland.)

At least the due dates for one of my papers got pushed back! yay!

Finally!!!

It may seem odd, but the tragedy that happened yesterday at Virginia Tech is taking a profound toll on me and the way I view the supposed sanctuary I am in everyday at school.

School is supposed to be a safe place, a place we go to to get away from our other problems, to absorb knowledge and learn about problems that are happening around the world. But when those problems come home, we don't know how to react.

The mass murder at Virginia Tech is situation where everyone says "that will never happen at my school". But why could it happen there and not right here at ASU West? There are disgruntled people everywhere, people who don't know how to handle their rage any way other than violently.

I was listening to NPR on the way to school yesterday (as I usually do), but yesterday was different. They had the President of Arizona PIRG, which is a student organization at ASU. He was saying that one of the problems at Virginia Tech was that the students were not notified immediately after the first shooting happened. (Who knows how many students may have stayed in their dorm if they had known there was a shooter on campus?) There is no system in place at ASU, other then email, to notify students if there is a problem on campus. And what about commuter students like me? How would they get the word out if something happened on campus to students who don't watch the news?

I was walking up to campus yesterday after hearing the news all day and listening to information that was coming in, and all I could think of was what if that happened today, at ASU West? There is no way of knowing. There was alot of talk about the 1966 UT Austin shooting, which before yesterday was the deadliest campus shooting in history. In that case, a man was on top of a building and shot down at students walking to class. I walked up to campus yesterday and on one of the buildings was a person standing on a high balcony looking down at students. This was not someone suspicious, it was just a girl probably waiting for her next class to start. But it made, well, freak out a little bit. And right now I am in the library. I keep thinking "what if someone comes in and starts shooting" like the kids at Columbine did? What would I do?

I guess the point of this is to vent my fears and to realize that I can't live my life in fear. I didn't know the kids who died yesterday at Virginia Tech, but my heart goes out to them and their families. They are kids like me, just students wanting to make some difference in the world by getting a higher education. It has made me realize the importance of just...living. Living day to day and living like you have 100 years still on Earth, even if you may die tomorrow.

Unfortunatley, a tragedy like this also has political implications. Already there is talk of gun control issues, and campus security problems across the country. Why did it take President Bush a week to go to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina where hundreds were killed, but he is already in Virginia the day after the shooting? Honestly, who cares? It sickens me that after 32 young, intelligent people were murdered the media and politicians have to turn this into a political issue? Yes-gun control and security are important issues, I am not saying they aren't. But can't we, as a country, unite under this tragedy and mourn for the studrents who died? Is that really so hard? Apparently it is, and that makes me so sad.

My prayers go out to everyone affected by the Virginia Tech shootings, and I pray to God that even after this our schools can become sanctuaries yet again.

I just met author Tania Katan. She is by far the coolest person/author I have ever met. I got my picture taken with her and a book signed...I will post pictures later, but right now I am in my Social Statistics class and I should probably pay attention.

Today is a good day.

omigosh

I just babysat for the President of Capital Groups investment firm in his $6.8 million mansion that he bought from Dan Majerle.

It was amazing.

And to top it off his kids are the sweetest little boys and he and his wife are both very, very nice people.

And I get to sit for them again in 2 weeks.

I had a great night...

Happy Easter tomorrow everyone (all two of you who read this...)

I want to cut my hair...

either like this...

or like this....

any thoughts?

San An-tone

Last weekend my mom and I went to visit my dad in San Antonio. I was only there from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon. My dad has a lovely little apartment we stayed in.

On Friday, we went to the Alamo and the Riverwalk. The Alamo was very cool and historical... too bad we weren't allowed to take pictures on the inside.

The picture above is supposedly the line that Liutenant (Forgot his name...) drew in the sand and said "Anyone who wants to stay and fight for freedom, cross this line". Of course it is probably just someone's idea of where it happened...considering a major battle took place there after he drew the line and chances are it wasn't there when it was over. :)

The Riverwalk was so pretty....it's what I think New Orleans and Venice would look like if they were smashed together. The river runs strait through downtown San Antonio, and they Riverwalk is lined with great shops and restaurants. It was St.Patricks day weekend while we were there so there was some great Irish bands and festivities going on (and some really good green margaritas!!!). Texas is surprisingly gre as you can tell by the picture. I really thought it was a big desert...kinda like Arizona!

On Saturday we drove to Houston to visit my cousins Bobbie and Travis. I forgot to take pictures while we were at dinner with them, but I got one of their house. It is such a pretty neighborhood-very unique and green and tons of trees. All the house are made out of either brick or stone...none of the stucco cookie cutter houses you see here. You can kinda see my cousin Travis on the far left in the picture.

All in all it was a very fun weekend. I'm glad I got to go see my dad and see Texas! My mom loves it and wants to convince everyone in my family to move over there!

Now I am am sitting in the living room with all the doors open, listening to and smelling the rain. I love Arizona. It's amazing that it was 99 degrees outside a week ago, and now it is stormy and probably in the 70s. Sorry mom, I don't think I'll ever move (no matter how hot it gets!)

Oh and I tried to make homemade chocolate chip cookies earlier. And they are bad. Very Very bad. Oh well-it was my first attempt at homemade cookies and I will try again.

Now I have to do homework. Bah.

I got a job with a great company called Sitters and Company . It is basically a baby/pet/house sitting service. The premise of this company is that clients pay a $50 membership fee and than get to search for qualified reliable sitters in the area (me!). It allows people who may not have family or friends in the area to have access to good sitters (me!). Clients can search for specific dates they need a sitter, then a request is sent out to all available sitters. So if I were to get a request, I could either accept or decline depending on my availability. It works perfectly with my school schedule because I can be so flexible.

The company was started by two men (amazing right?) who were both in the military. They are both married and have kids and were frustrated by the fact that every time they were relocated thay had to build a brand new network of sitters. So they thought of the idea for this website and bam! here it it. The website just went live today, so I got to setup my sitter profile and whatnot.

I really hope that this job will bring in enough money so that I don't have to look for a job this summer. It would be great if I could build a clientale of 6-8 families to sit for on a regular basis, or even one family who needs a full time summer nanny. We shall see.

So if you know anyone who needs a sitter, tell them about the site. Actually, tell them about the site and then tell them to search for me so I can start making money! Sits cost anywhere between $10-$15 per hour, depending on the number of children, etc. The guys who run it are so nice and professional. All of the sitters have to have a certain amount of experience and we all had to provide references who were called to verify that we aren't insane :)

Or if anyone needs a job, I believe they are still looking for sitters and you can apply on the website.

I am pretty excited! Yay for me! Yay for jobs! Yay for money!

oh yea...I have also been watching Grey's Anatomy almost nonstop since Thursday night. My mom got Season 1 for Christmas, but lost it for awhile and just found it recently. After watching Season 1 I decided I ahd to watch Season 2. SO I went out and bought it...and finished the entire season in less than 2 days. It is such an amazing show. Anyone who wants to watch it is more than welcome to come over...or borrow it...but not until I watch the second season again (like I am right now instead of doing homework).

I am not dead...just stressed out. Whenever I sat down to write the past few weeks a wave of stress would hit me and I realized I had more important things to do. Of course now I have a million things to write about and still not much time to do it.

First, I got a job. It's with this company called "Sitters and Company". In essence it is like "The Babysitters Club" books from way back when, but more professional and actually a real business. Basically people can pay a fee to go on this website and search for qualified sitters (baby, house and pet sitters). They can then request a sitter for a particular day, and the sitter (me!) can either accept or decline the request. It is not exactly my dream job, but it pays well and allows me to be flexible with hours during the school year. Hopefully it will be something I can do full time over the summer also so I don't have to stress out about finding a job.

I was elected to be the student coordinator for this food drive on campus. It is pretty exciting, very stressful though. I have to coordinate different activites to get students involved, talk with clubs on campus, and many many many more things. I swear I have been spending at least an hours or more just answering emails dealing with the drive. It's fun though...definately something I am considering as a career (on a much larger scale of course...)

Spring break is next week and I am so ready for it. No big plans really-doing homework alot probably. But my mom and I are going to San Antonio for a few days to see my dad which should be fun. We get to go to the Alamo and the Riverwalk (and see the river dyed green in honor or St.Patty's Day). I've never been to Texas so I wonder if it will be like I expect it to be.

I also have an informational interview next week with the volunteer coordinator for the Arizona's Children Association, which is a group that helps place foster children into permanent homes. It's an assignment for a class, but it should be interesting at least. It'll give me an idea about what being a volunteer coordinator actually entails.

Probably very boring, but it is all I have time for right now. Amy was talking about how she makes lists all the time, and so did Kevin. This is something our Grandma Jaye does basically everyday. It really must be something hereditary, because I do it all the time also. ALthough my mom doesn't...so maybe it skips a generation. Anyways, blogging was on my list for today, but not for any other day this week. Check! OK-time to do homework.

Academy Award Nominations

I know they were announced like two weeks ago, but oh well.

I would really like to see all the movies for Best Actor and Actress too, but I don't think that will happen in 3 weeks.

I really need to go to movies more often...

I saw Little Miss Sunshine tonight for the first time....

It was amazing...

My goal this year is to see all the movies nominated for Best Picture before the Oscars. So far I've seen The Queen and now Little Miss Sunshine. Still have to see Babel, The Departed, and Letters From Iwo-Jima.

Good Stuff...

I have been tagged to talk about my 6 unusual things...

This will take me awhile to think about so I'll get around to it soon...

Woo-hoo!

Colts won the Superbowl!!!

And Peyton Manning won MVP (of course) I'm definately a Manning fan...

This is the first year ever that I actually watched the entire game. Although I don't like football, it was still very fun. Good food and good company too.

Gotta love the commercials...

I'm babysitting right now...Kassi is throwing up and has a fever, Jacob has a fever and is coughing, and I'm pretty sure Josh is starting to get sick too...poor babies.

And I'm watching Legally Blonde...funny movie.

Great night tonight....

New episode of Ugly Betty

New Episode of Grey's Anatomy (I just joined a Facebook group called "Bug me during Grey's Anatomy and I will insert this scalpel into your spleen"...haha...I love it)

Last two epsiodes of FRIENDS on TBS...made me cry

Then I made brownies...for no reason at all.

Bad part? I started my Statistics homework and it sucks...sooo freakin hard.

I realize that it seems like I write a heck of alot about TV, but I don't really ever watch it. Pretty much Thursday and Sunday nights and that's about it. Other times it may be on in the background, but I don't really pay attention.

All in all- a very good, yet not an extremely productive, night....

This is so sad...

Well today is my 20th birthday and so far I am feeling very blessed and loved. It's nice to be the center of attention for just one day, then tomorrow life can go back to normal. :) Happy birthday to me

8 minutes until my birthday....

The past 24 hours have been absolutely the most fun I have had in awhile! My best friend, Danielle, called me on Thursday night to tell me that she was getting me a professional massage for my birthday (which is on Tuesday by the way...)! I was so excited because I have never had a massage before. Along with the massage, Danielle spent the night at my house last night and we stayed up until 5:30 in the morning girl talking...which we haven't done in awhile and it was great! So on about 5 hours of sleep, we got up and drove to Body and Soul Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. Danielle and I each got a 30 minute heavenly sugar scrub and 30 minute therapeautic massage. This is the room where they did the sugar scrub. You can kind of see in the picture the shower nozzles they used. After the massage therapist did the scrub, she turned on these nozzles and it was like warm rain hitting your body. The bed you lay in also fills with water so it's similar to laying in a bath. Basically, it was incredible. There was soothing music and heat lamps and.....aaaahhhh....it was so relaxing. For an entire hour I didn't have a care in the world. here's a few pictures I took there:After the wonderful relaxation, we ran some errands, got some lunch, then went to her house to watch her sister get ready for winter formal! Her sister, Ashley, is 15 now but I seriously remember her when she was 5. She is so beautiful, but she is getting so grown up. She was excited because she was going to the dance with a boy she really likes and we got to meet him too! it just brings back so many memories from high school. Me and Danielle both wanted to go to the dance with her!! Here's some pics of Ashley and her date, Chris:
All in all, an extremely fun weekend. I decided if I'm ever rich, the first thing I'm getting is a personal massage therapist!!! I'm so lucky to have an amazing best friend-she knows this is exactly what I needed! Too bad I have to do a ton of homework tomorrow, but now it's time for bed to catch up on some sleep....Goodnight!