Thursday Things Update Style

So...I know that Thursday Things sometimes ends up being an update of sorts and today's post is no exception. I haven't posted in a couple of weeks and for that, I apologize. Life has been treating me so well and has been so insanely busy that I just haven't had time to be here....but I am here today! Hopefully you didn't miss me too much....

without further ado....

• Since the last time I blogged I have:
• signed a contract for a new apartment.
• rented a storage unit
• begun the awful process of moving. oh how I hate moving.
• saw The Amazing Spiderman movie. SO GOOD.
• Went camping w/Solider Boy's ward
• threw my sister a baby shower
• went to my last meeting as a Relief Society President.

• so yeah. I've been busy. which is good. the next three weeks? also going to be busy. in the next three weeks I will:
• go to my family reunion in New Mexico. I'll get to see my grandpa who I haven't seen in about 8 years and introduce my boyfriend/future fiance to my family. 
• yes. you read that right. someday Soldier Boy is going to go from being my boyfriend to being my fiance to being my husband. Currently there is no timeline for these events, other than we want them to happen and I can't wait for that day.
• I will move out of my current apartment and be "homeless" for eight days.
• Go to Soldier Boy's family reunion. That will be crazy fun times.
• Move into my new apartment. (SO EXCITED!!!)

•  Because I'm moving, I'm being released as Relief Society President. This is bittersweet for me. I have loved my calling and I love my sisters, but at the same time I'm a little burned out and am ready for change in my life.

• I've recently had my nails done twice with shellac polish and oh. my. gosh. BEST THING EVER guys! Seriously! This stuff doesn't chip, it just grows out and it's fantastic and I love it so much. also. my friend who does it? she's adorable and does fun things.

• I just turned on Pandora at work and all I asked of the Pandora gods was for good things to be played today. The first song on my Today's Hits/80s Pop/Contemporary Country mix? Bon Jovi. You Give Love A Bad Name. Well-played Pandora gods. Well-played.

• My boyfriend is seriously amazing. I love him so much. We always have the best time when we're together.

• oh and his daughter? She's the cutest thing ever. Seriously, love her. I made her this dress from Pinterest a couple of weeks ago and she looks ADORABLE in it. :o)

• I am very excited to spoil my future nephew. He'll be here in about 8 weeks! eek! 

• You know what's really awesome? life. I love life. 

Hope everything is going well with all y'all. :o) Here's to the rest of summer being AWESOME! Until the next time....ciao!

Favorite Things on A Friday

Dearest Friends.

Is it just me or has this past week felt FOREVER long? I am so grateful that it is finally Friday. Now if the work day will fly by then I will be a happy camper. :o) I'm very much looking forward to date night tonight and then spending the morning (post-rehearsal) and early afternoon with my sweet boyfriend. THEN I'm going to go to the temple tomorrow night. It should be good times.

Before I share a few favorite things with you, I'm sure you have all been waiting with baited breath for the outcome of my doctor's appointment yesterday. First of all, I was there for TWO HOURS. Seriously, longest wait of my life. Sigh. Oh well. The news is: GOOD! there's nothing seriously wrong with my knee. The popping is fairly normal - the grinding I feel behind my knee cap can be helped with a brace that the doctor gave me and he confirmed that my graft/meniscus all look fantastic. So that was good. I'm glad to have gotten it checked out and to have that worry no longer present. :o)

OKAY! Favorite things today!

I have a thing for brownies right now. mmmm...

Truth:

I love life. It's so great.

I think I need to try out this recipe.

this quote. oh man. AMEN.

Finally - a little bit of the Piano Guys awesomeness to kick-start the weekend the right way. :) Enjoy!

This happened yesterday:

Christmas threw up in my living room. here, i'll prove it to you.

yup. definitely a disaster zone right now. so what do I do to combat the disaster that I need to deal with?

• I made a mail organizer. (I tried to follow this one tutorial, and then....me being my mother's daughter I tried to guesstimate on my own measurements. This mail organizer is one of THE ugliest things I have ever made. but....it's functional!)

• made a pumpkin pie. I did not do any pie baking for Turkey day (we ate dinner @ Mimi's cafe...that story coming later!) so today I did a little baking here and there.

• made my favorite jello salad. I'm cooking dinner tomorrow night for Monkey Man (and maybe some friends? we'll see) and I'm rather excited about it!

• danced around in my kitchen to the wonderful sounds of Michael Buble and She & Him Christmas albums (seriously, they rock. go buy them! The She & Him one is only $5 on Amazon MP3 Downloads right now!)

• went and bought fun new Christmas floral things. as if i didn't have enough Christmas stuff to begin with...

• and now I'm contemplating making some new pillow covers for the holidays.

and yes...the mess is still in my living room 24 hours later...ha ha ha ha. I promise it will be gone....eventually. ;)

Random Thursday Things

Here we are guys. Another Thursday. This week has felt rather long and arduous to me, but maybe that's just me. I'm rather excited that it is the weekend and I'm even more excited because fun things are happening. Let's get this party started shall we?

• I'm leaving early tomorrow afternoon to drive to St. George with Chilly and friends to go see The Little Mermaid at Tuachan. I am SO freakin' excited for this! I have been looking forward to this event ever since I purchased my ticket. woo hoo!

• I am also looking forward to getting some much needed sleep. I have been so exhausted this week and Alishka needs her beauty sleep!

• My trainer....is insane. He is kicking my trash. BUT I like it. Not going to lie. He's fabulous. I did my very first bench press yesterday. Granted, all I lifted was the bar (45lbs) and not even by myself, BUT! I did it!!! I feel really cool now. :o)

• The General Relief Society Broadcast is this weekend. I LOVE this broadcast. It always rocks my world. (someone else that I just discovered blogged about this too...her blog is AWESOME. go read!)

• I have noticed the leaves changing on the mountains...I think it is time to take a drive up the canyon! woo hoo!

• I am in a mood of anything fall. I think I need to make some fall-type foods and desserts. mmmm...yup.

• Remember how I was doing my challenge? Yeah. It is going SO well. I feel like I have more time to get things done and I don't just lounge around and read tv. Also, this will help me to read more. 

• I have been in a slight reading slump lately and as I visited Angie last night I picked up the randomest collection of books to read in the next few weeks. Definitely in a weird little reading mood.

• I have a new favorite band - Florence and the Machine. I realize they aren't that new, but I have recently discovered a love of their music.

• Also, I discovered this blog one day and totally went through and did the suggested things to my closet, MINUS a true remixing of outfits. I think I'm actually going to do a 30 for 30 Remix Challenge. I won't have prizes or anything, but I think I'll do it here - publicly showing my outfits and such. Maybe starting in October? Thoughts? Anyone want to tackle said challenge with me?

I think that's it for now. Wow. So many things happening and going through my mind! I'm pretty sure I missed a few things...but I'm tired of thinking.

I'm such a girl

in case you didn't know that already. :o)

I was listening to songs on my iPod the other day while working away on stuff. I think I was at work, but I don't really remember at this moment. Anyways, it doesn't really matter because the point is that I was listening to some tunes and the song "Fearless" by Taylor Swift came on. I love me some Taylor Swift. You might hate me because I just said that, but I won't take it back. Her stuff is clean, fun to sing along with, and I can often relate to her lyrics.

Anyways, I was listening to "Fearless" and I realized how much I want to be that way - fearless. In everything I do, but mostly in relationships. I thought I was hunky dory all fine and dandy after SwingKid broke up with me, but I've recently realized that I am in no hurry to get into anything super serious. I want to have a boyfriend - but I want the timing to be right. AND I want him to instill certain feelings in my heart and soul. I want to feel like I can do anything when I am with him. I want to be...dare I say it? FEARLESS.

There's somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained
There's a glow off the pavement, you walk me to the car
And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there
In the middle of the parking lot, yeah

We're drivin' down the road, I wonder if you know
I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now
But you're just so cool, run your hands through your hair
Absent-mindedly makin' me want you

And I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless
And I don't know why but with you I dance
In a storm in my best dress, fearless

So baby drive slow 'til we run out of road
In this one horse town, I wanna stay right here
In this passenger seat, you put your eyes on me
In this moment, now capture it, remember it

'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance
In a storm in my best dress, fearless

Well, you stood there with me in the doorway
My hands shake, I'm not usually this way
But you pull me in and I'm a little more brave
It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really somethin'
It's fearless

'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless
And I don't know why but with you I'd dance
In a storm in my best dress, fearless

'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me headfirst, fearless And I don't know why but with you I'd dance
In a storm in my best dress, fearless 

So, basically, I'm just a girl who wants to feel breathless, excited, and fearless around the man of her dreams. Have I met the man of my dreams? I have no idea. It's quite possible I have. At the same time, he could still be out there, waiting for me. I'm in no rush to run off and get married. While I'd love for it to happen to me, I know that I am exactly where I need to be in my life. I'm not supposed to be married right now. I have other responsibilities and tasks that I must complete first. So for right now, I'm just going to keep on doing what I do, enjoying and LIVING my life the way I like to live it until the right man can get me to dance in the storm, in my best dress.

yeah, I'm a girl...and proud of it!

Thoisday Thoughts and Things

Hi guys. Can I just tell you how happy I am that it is Thursday? and that it's my Friday? Oh man. It's been a very busy week filled what with learning a new ERP system at work and all. My brain HURTS. Changing over to a new system is all sorts of crazy.

Anywho...let's get to all my thoughts shall we?

• My brain hurts. The end.

• My date with Fryman last night? too short. We both had something (him a meeting for church, me a hair appointment) and so all we did was go to dinner...but it was fabulously awesome.

• I love getting my hairs did.

• After getting my hairs did I flirted with Fryman via text.

• I connived an invitation to his house to watch a movie that I was going to watch at home but my tv was taken.

• So I stayed up late with Fryman watching Tangled. Love that movie.

• Nothing happened per se...but he's not a cuddler (he's told me so...at least not until he's kissed a girl.)

• But we did get to hang out together for longer last night and I know both of us wanted it.

• The Mumford & Sons "Sigh No More" album is amazing

• Pair it with the Adele "21" album (favorite song? Rolling in the Deep - the music video is AWESOME) and you have the best play list right now for me at work.

• I'm going wedding shoe shopping w/my sister tonight. We both need wedding shoes. She's looking for flats, and I'm looking for peep-toe heels. :o) Love shoe shopping

• I have no plans for Saturday night....yet. I'm hoping to do something fun and adventurous.

• Fun but not adventurous: dying Easter eggs. I WILL do this at some point this weekend.

• It's my Friday. I'm excited to have tomorrow off. I plan on sleeping in just a little bit, going to the temple, taking a ballet class and doing some grocery shopping/errand running that needs to be done.

• I won a free hour-long massage a few months ago and I haven't used it yet. I keep meaning to...but keep forgetting to make the appointment. :P I think I'll make time for it in the very near future. 

Whew. I get tired just looking at that list....but good things have happened in the past day, good things are going to happen this weekend and I'm one happy camper. Who wants to REALLY go camping this summer...maybe I should buy a tent and a sleeping bag....

a little something

I am sitting on my parent's couch in Virginia with freezing cold toes and nose. I am doing my best to make sure I keep said appendages, but right now I am not so sure right now.

Anyways, while I try to stay warm I wanted to share a little something with you.

I love music and always have, and right now there is a song that I am totally digging right now: Strip Me by Natasha Bedginfield.  Enjoy!!

A Christmas Gift to you - Introductions

My dearest Internet friends. I hope this Christmas morning finds you in places you love most with the people you love most.

I love giving presents.  This year, I was most excited for my gift that I gave my parents.  You see, life has not been very easy for them with still having two houses and the such - and I wanted to do something special for them.  So I gathered up my siblings, we all pitched in and purchased a gift certifiacte to the Bed and Breakfast Association of Virginia. I made my mom tear up (which was totally the goal) and they are excited to use their gift. The greatest thing about it was that when I purchased their gift certificate I entered the drawing for their monthly giveaway....and then I WON! So...My parents got double the amount they would have originally which made it even better. :o) Happy Day.

Now, I have a gift for each of you!!!  Today I am going to introduce you to a new group of characters on my blog and a meme that I would like to call Dating Battle Stories.  Each time I have a fun adventure with dating I will bring up this fun meme.  It won't be a regular weekly thing like my other two memes, but a meme regardless.  Also, each of these Dating Battle Stories will feature a different picture - thanks to my awesome roommate who likes to draw stick figures of me and fun situations with boys.

So...let us begin with the Introductions of the cast of characters from some dating battle stories that I have had as of late. The next couple of weeks will be me playing catch up on the fun times I have had in December and then you can look forward to the occasional Dating Battle Story in the months following as I date and flirt (because I'm really good at doing those things.)

Without further ado....

{artwork by Roommate A}

The Characters:

Sweetums - Named not becuase he looks anything like the muppet....but he does love the Muppets. I know Sweetums from High School. He loves music, pumpkin spice egg nog, and road trips. He's very nice and gives the best hugs. I've crushed on him in times past, but the timing has never quite worked for us.

The Australian - Named because he was born and then lived in (for a few years) Australia. He just got home from his mission in Japan, is Roommate A's boyfriend's friend and is the nicest person ever.

Mad Dog - I've known Mad Dog for years and when I first met him swing dancing that is how he introduced himself. He had a hand in creating Blue Tango (my favorite dancing venue) and has crushed on me for a long time.

Blindman - I haven't met Blindman as of yet. Roommate A is setting me up with this person. All I know about him is that he's "cool" and that he lives with Roommate A's boyfriend.


So there you go. The cast of characters for future Dating Battle Stories. I hope you're looking forward to them. I know I am! Now...I must go and run off that apple pie from last night.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Forgotten

I had a post idea for today, but now I can't remember what I REALLY TRULY wanted to say.

I have lots of stories. Well. Maybe only two stories. They are about boys. (yes, boys, plural) Said boys need 'nyms. I am not feeling up to coming up with creative 'nyms. I might just use random, weird names. When I do, I will tell the stories.

I have semi-plans for New Year's Eve. What I really have is a girlfriend picking me up from the airport and a boy (from the stories) that wants to hang out and do stuff. We need a game plan. Suggestions for free stuff for New Year's Eve?

I have found music that sort of describes my feelings on how things are now that SwingKid and I are no longer dating. However, one of the songs could be classified as an angry girl song. I am not angry, but the lyrics work. But i wonder if people would really understand if I shared it here.

I am happy.

Utah is having a warm spell. I'm hoping this means VA will have a warm spell when I get there in 9 DAYS.

the end.

It's finally Friday! do do do do...

Growing up I listened to KBULL 93.3 FM. (Yes, I was raised a country girl. deal with it) And at 5pm EVERY Friday they would always play this mish mash thing of a song that included this bit about "It's finally Friday!"

I loved that song.

OH MY GOSH! I just FOUND IT! Please listen and enjoy!!! :o)



Anyways. It's Friday. Even though I'm at work today...It's only 8 hours and then I'm getting a bang trim (with my new style it's REALLY hard to cut them myself.) and then I'll teach ballet and after that it will be off to SLC with Sister B, her boyfriend, and a new friend of mine. It's going to be a blast. I'm rather excited about it all.

And now, for some Friday-Fill in funness!

1. I wish that I had a magic wand for certain aspects of my life.

2. I sort of wish there was snow on the ground...that's what I'm thinking.

3. Please bring fun times!

4. Belgian Dark Hot Chocolate is so amazing.

5. One of my fondest hopes is to get married. Someday.

6. You have been such a help to me, a fabulous friend, and HUGE support and I just wanted to say thank you.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the lights on temple square and good company, tomorrow my plans include teaching, the gym, lunch with HiccupMel and some gift making and Sunday, I want to perform to my best ability in church and at the fireside!

Happy Black Friday!

I have, on occasion, gone shopping on Black Friday. Only when I'm in dire need of something someone has on sale. This year, I'm not in dire need. :o) This year, I'm going to clean my house (it looks like a mini-tornado swept through here), listen to Christmas music and decorate my house for Christmas. I love Christmas. :o)

With that said, here's some Friday Fill-in for you!

1. Three things I must have on my Thanksgiving table: rolls, Turkey, and my mom's Cranberry Jello salad (i made it this year).

2. I love being with SwingKid sacked out on the couch.

3. This is one of the best Thanksgivings without my family I've ever had.

4. I believe it is time to decorate my house for the holidays!

5. Oh, man, thankfully it's my mini-vacation. I need this time off!

6. Someday I want to perfect the art of amazing rolls.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing special, tomorrow my plans include probably babysitting and the BYU-Utah Football game! aka the HOLY WAR and Sunday, I want to enjoy the last little bit of my holiday break!

two years ago

Tuesday!

I am rather excited today is Tuesday! Tuesdays are awesome because they are not Mondays (which aren't ever SUPER awesome. They don't suck, but they don't rock either.) and they are not Wednesdays (and we all know how much I hate Wednesdays).

I teach a ballet class on Tuesdays that I LOVE and I'm excited for my lesson plan tonight.

Also, tonight I am getting my hair done. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do...but I'm thinking something between this:

and this:

 I am thinking the bangs from Rory Gilmore and the Haircut from Veronica Mars. We'll see though. I always ask my hairdresser's opinion first (and she's always super honest with me) so we'll see what she says. Also, I have ZERO ideas on color. I think I'll let her surprise me when it comes to that. :o)

Finally. Because it is Tuesday, we've got the Ten on Tuesday meme below. Enjoy your Tuesday y'all!


1. Who makes your Thanksgiving dinner?
well. It depends. the past couple of years I've gone to a family friend's house for dinner. Last year I also made my own dinner the day after for SwingKid because he had to work on Thanksgiving. I'm not sure what's happening yet for this year.

2. What is your favorite recipe the includes pumpkin? (bonus points for including the recipe)
oh i love love love pumpkin crumble. It is delish. I also LOVE my mom's frozen pumpkin pie.

3. What are 5 things you want for Christmas?
a nice hair straightener, a blender, many books, some new ballet music for teaching, and.....some new clothes.

4. Does your family draw names or do you buy for everyone?
well. we "draw names." but this year (and probably every year here on out) we're going to just rotate names, so that we have someone different every year and get everyone at some point.

5. How do you feel about motorcycles?
sigh. I think they are hot and sexy. they are fun. SwingKid loves them and wants one REALLY REALLY bad. They do make me a little nervous, but overall I think I'm okay with them.

6. What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy Saturday?
cuddle on the couch next to SwingKid watching a movie and drinking hot chocolate.

7. What is the coolest thing to do in your city?
well...there are some fun things to do depending on what you like the most. Personally, I like going to artsy events.

8. Do you paint your fingernails?
Yeah. I do. Although nail polish just doesn't seem to last very long. I'm trying to figure out how to fix that.

9. Who is your favorite actor over the age of 50?
um...I really suck at the favorite actor/actress business. I don't really have a FAVORITE. Although I always did have a thing for Robin Williams growing up. He's just SO funny!

10. Do you have a high school letter jacket?
nope. I didn't care about it enough to do it.


one year ago
two years ago

Snow??

So I woke up to find 2 inches of snow on the ground this morning. I was not so happy about this. Also...my coworkers came in singing Christmas music. I am one of "those" people that doesn't like Christmas music until AFTER Thanksgiving. Not to be a scrooge or anything, but I like my holidays to each have their own moments. So I am not a fan of listening to Christmas until after Thanksgiving is over. :o)

In other news I went to they gym yesterday and started day one of MY couch to 5k program. It felt pretty good. The downside is that I was supposed to go Monday - but something got in the way (read: SwingKid) so I went last night, but I can't go tomorrow so in order to get my 3x in this week I have to go tonight and then Saturday morning (which I was already planning on). So...two days in a row! Today will be hard. BUT I WILL DO IT.

Finally, I have a really good Thur-Sunday planned and I'm very much looking forward to all of my awesome plans. I first have to get through today - the ever hated Wednesday. :P

Have a good day y'all!!


two years ago

the REAL Columbus Day

Did you know that the 12th of October is actually the TRADITIONAL Columbus Day? It's a true story!

Today also happens to be my daddy's birthday!! I have the best Dad in the whole wide world and I am so glad that he's mine!! :o) I won't mention his age *cough49cough* but he's still young at heart so it doesn't really matter anyways.

Happy Birthday Dad!

{source}

Also.

Today is Tuesday. So that equals Ten on Tuesday questions! so...here we go!


1. What does your work out schedule look like?
I run on a treadmill on Mondays, take a cycle class on Wednesdays and either go to the gym on Fridays or Saturdays or both and do some running and maybe some strength training. PLUS, I teach ballet 5 days a week. that's got to count for something.

2. What is your favorite machine to use at the gym?
I love the treadmill. Especially one with a tv so I can watch whatever I want.

3. What is your favorite class to take at the gym?
hands down: Cycle. LOVE me a spin/cycle class.

4. Where do you shop for work out gear and clothing?
uh....walmart?

5. If you can’t go to the gym, do you have a favorite outdoor activity?
hmmm. I like to play volleyball. I'm not a huge outside runner...but i will go outside on occasion.

6. What about a favorite work out DVD? If so, please share!
um. I don't have a fave. I have a couple yoga ones, but they don't  come out as often as they should.

7. Are you more active now or when you were in high school?
high school. in a way.

8. How has your dieting/working out philosophy changed since high school?
I actually think about it now. I didn't have to worry in high school. I was tiny and had a VERY high metabolism. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and was still in little girl sizes when I graduated.

9. What do you do while working out– (i.e., day dream, read, listen to music, gab with a friend)?
i either listen to music or watch a show.

10. What working out resolution would you like to make for yourself this year?
I need to be better about pushing myself while at the gym. I go...but I've been a lazy bum about it.

one year ago

dix mardi

well guys. It's ten on tuesday time. (did you like my french twist on that? I sure did) Anyways. Here you go. about 10 questions answered by yours truly.

1. Favorite way to travel (plane, train, automobile, etc.)


I love traveling. I ADORE a good road trip and planes and I happen to be pretty good friends. I've never been on a train (that I can remember. My parents took me on a train when I was little) so of all the way I've traveled...I'm going to go with automobile. They are roomier than airplanes.

2. Where’s your favorite place to travel to that you’ve been to?


Hmmm... this one is a difficult one. I've been to some pretty cool places. I'm going to go with Washington D.C. though. I love that place. There are will always be something that I have never seen which makes it so exciting to visit!

3. Where’s the place that you want to go but have never been?

Europe. hands down. That and Greece and Italy. yeah. Basically anywhere on the other side of the world would be pretty cool.

4. Do you deal with traffic well?

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. sometimes. :o)

5. Ever had an emergency while traveling?

once upon a time when I was 8.5 our engine blew up while driving to Washington. We were in the middle of nowhere Idaho. We ended up spending that Thanksgiving holiday w/our cousins' (who we were going to visit in WA) family for Thanksgiving. (our cousins came too) It was quite the adventure.

6. Do you have a passport? What countries have you been to?

I do have a passport. I got it for a trip I thought I was going to take to Russia. Then...I never went. So I've never used it. I want to use it someday before it expires though.

7. Are you’ve light packer or do you pack everything but the kitchen sink?

I can do both. It depends on my mood and the purpose of the trip. I can definitely go both ways though.

8. Do you take the fastest route or the road less traveled?

it depends. how fast do I need/want to get to where I'm going?

9. Do any activities on the road? (like road games, reading, sleeping, etc. )

oh yes. all of it. Awesome road trip music, games, reading, sleeping, etc. I love road trips!

10. Use a paper map or GPS?
paper map from Google Maps. love me some Google Maps.

{source}

one year ago
two years ago
four years ago
five years ago

SUMMER!!!!

Today is the first day of Summer, in more ways than one.

Way one: summer solstice. most obvious and necessary for Summer to happen.

Way two: the ballet school year is OVER. After a marathon of FOUR shows in one day, I am done for the next 8ish weeks. WOO HOO!!! No more teaching after work. I love teaching and all, but I definitely need the break. fo'sho'.

Anyways. That's what I did this weekend. It felt like my weekend disappeared in a flurry of tutus and the same ballet music over and over and over.

this morning I was up WAY too early for any normal person to take Sister B to the airport. She is currently on her first leg of her journey to Ireland. I'm way excited for her. She's going to have a blast. :o)

And now, I best be back to work. I'm tired as all get out and can't focus, but I'm still going to try and work. ha.

three years ago
four years ago
five years ago

Armchair BEA: INTERVIEW!!!

Welcome all y'all to my interview of Florinda from The 3 R's Blog. I was really excited to interview her and read the other interviews with Armchair BEA because I don't know many book bloggers and today's day of interviews gives me a chance to meet more people who love to read! So without further ado - here's Florinda!

1. What is the book that made you fall in love with reading?

I'm not sure I can remember the book, to be honest. I've been reading since I was four, and that was many, many years ago - I can't remember a time I didn't have a book with me once I learned how to read by myself, and I've always read one book right after the other. But I do remember some of the earliest books I loved and read and re-read: the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace, about girls growing up in small-town Minnesota in the early 20th century (the series follows them from elementary school through marriage and motherhood); the Melendy family stories by Elizabeth Enright; Eleanor Frances Lattimore's children's fiction set in both China and contemporary America; and, of course, Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books.

2. I'll be honest - I'm more of a book blog stalker than writer, but I do read quite a bit. So,what do you enjoy most about combining reading with blogging?

I was never good at keeping a reading journal, but thanks to blogging, I finally have one! Knowing at the back of my mind that I'll be trying to capture my impressions of a book in a written record has helped me read more carefully and thoughtfully, and I'm glad that's happened. But what I really love is that I've found so many other avid readers in the book-blogging community - people who constantly point me toward new books to read, and who love to talk about the books we've read already!

3. I recently graduated from college and I didn't read much fiction during those 5 years of schooling. I remember feeling very daunted at jumping back into reading anything fun. So, what book are you most likely to recommend to someone who is looking to get back into the reading scene and has missed basically everything awesome?

I don't really have one "go-to" book recommendation - I try to base my suggestions on knowing something about the person and her interests. But having said that...in the situation you mention, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series is not to be missed - and since the final book in the trilogy is due out in August, this is a great time to start on it!

4. You participate/host a lot of fun memes/daily topics. Which one is your favorite and why?

I don't really participate in as many memes as I used to, but I've used some of them as jumping-off points for my own features. My favorite participation meme is the Sunday Salon, which I finally joined last year. I like it mostly because it's so free-form it really isn't a proper meme, but it does give me a good framework for a weekly reading recap and some discussion of book/blog topics. My favorite self-developed feature is the Week-End Review, which I usually post on Fridays. That's my place to share the great links I come across in my blog reading - which I love to do - and it's also place for non-book-related discussion and general stuff that I might not be able to build a full post around.

5. What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

At this point in my life, I'm really working on not feeling guilty about my pleasures! But most of the ones I have aren't book-related. There's definitely some music on my iPod that I might skip past if I'm not alone, because I don't want to be judged on it - and since I know I judge other people on their (questionable, to me) musical tastes, I tend to expect the same! TV is a big source of my guilty pleasures too - for the last couple of years, my prime one has been Smallville on The CW - but since next year will be its last season, I guess I'll be looking for another one soon!

6. Are you a good boy or a bad boy kind of girl when it comes to books? And who is your favorite good/bad boy?

I can see the allure of the bad boy, but I'm past the point in my life where I have much patience with them any more, so I go for the good guys in fiction - and in real life, too. And I can't pick a favorite - I've met too many of them in all my years of reading!

and finally...

7. If you had the opportunity to go to BEA which author would you want to meet and why?

I probably wouldn't have had an answer to this question before I started working on my own Armchair BEA posts, since I really didn't even know who'd be there - but now that I've checked out the list, my #1 choice would be Jon Stewart, for reasons that have little to do with the fact that he and the Daily Show writers have a new book coming out! Since I get tongue-tied and stupid when I meet authors, it might be for the best if I didn't actually try to meet and talk with any of them, to be honest...but after reading her blog and three of her books, I'd like the chance to meet Beth Kephart.

Thanks so much for answering my questions Florinda! Be sure to stop by her blog to learn more about her and read her great reviews! Also - don't miss my interview over at Tales of a Capricious Reader and the other great interviews can be found at Armchair BEA Central!

life is hard sometimes...

you know what? this week has been pretty rough on me. It has been an emotional roller coaster. All week I've been thinking about and listening to a song from Jekyll and Hyde for an audition for Annie Get Your Gun. I've been all sorts of excited about it AND THEN I realized that if I make this musical I won't be able to go to VA with Sister B when she's coming back from her study abroad. The musical runs through that entire time. So I'd have to go to VA a different time. Which shouldn't be a big deal, but unbeknowst to me, my mom wants to do a family photo.

So now...now, I'm just not sure. Plus, I had a mental breakdown last night over the whole shenanigan. Well that and something SwingKid said. Nothing bad per se, but combine that with the not so good week I've had, the crappy experience trying to find contacts that work (still working on this!) and the whole do I or don't I with the musical...his one little phrase threw me for a loop. So I cried. Because that's what I do when I've let too many things build up inside of me. I cry and can't express anything because it's not ONE thing that's making me cry. It's five hundred bazillion. Poor SwingKid, I think he's just starting to understand that.


Anyways.  Sorry to rant and go off on this long tangent that is vague and rather alarming - but I promise I'm doing okay. I just need a weekend of relaxation. Which I just might get once I figure out what to do about the audition tonight. :P

Let's move on shall we? It's Friday so that means we get to have some Friday Fill-Ins fun!!

1. SwingKid tickling me never fails to make me smile.
2. I'm looking forward to my little weekend getaway next weekend. WAHOO!
3. My coworker's Pandora is what I'm listening to right now.
4. Potato salad must have nothing in it! I hate potato salad. I'm not a fan AT ALL.
5. My breakfast of cinnamon was the best thing I ate today. (I've only eaten breakfast and while I plan on eating my other meals today,  I don't think I really have anything on the menu that is going to be AMAZING.)
6. Today was a long time coming. a long, long time coming.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to well...it depends on if I actually audition for this musical or not, tomorrow my plans include company pictures and a double date at OZZ! and Sunday, I want to try a new recipe!

one year ago

dear blogging world

i currently hate:

• Utah weather
• my head - it feels like there is a brick inside
• my shoes that are dead - i don't want to get rid of them!!!!
• BAD dreams
• music for the show that keeps changing. UGH!
• taxes
• fingernails that get ripped
• my scale
• my jeans that don't like to fit right now

i currently love:

• Easter chocolate
• the treadmill
• my glasses
• my awesomely red hair
• my sister
• friends!!
• Scuttle the car
• Disney movies

First Friday

man, I love Fridays!

1. I feel confused, happy, lost and loved all at once (is that possible?).

2. Date night is always fun.

3. Right now, I can hear these things: music, keyboard keys tapping...and my coworkers laughing.

4. Recently Sister B founda a job and I'm glad that I'm ALIVE!!!

5. The last time I stayed up reading in my bed was Tuesday night...he he he.

6. I'm going to redecorate my living room this Labor day weekend.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Don Quixote with my co-directors, tomorrow my plans include teaching ballet and the BYU FOOTBALL GAME!!! (party at my old apt. call me if you wanna come!) and Sunday, I want to soothe my sould since I'm no longer going to Vegas :o( !