Oh yeah, I have a Blog...

Sooooo…..there was this one time when I had a blog that I would occasionally write on but then one day I decided to take a 4 MONTH break….my bad.  I have now been told by a few people that I need to write again. So here I am, writing again.  I don’t know that I will be able to tell you all that has happened in these 4 magical months but I can tell you that they have been unforgettable and I thoroughly regret not writing about them. 

  Let’s see…where to start? Well I know you’re dying to know if Stephen and I are still together…and well….you better believe we are! (That’s the main reason that these last few months have been so magical).

Some of the adventures we have been on….Hmmm…we’ve gone to Utah a few times to visit the Slade’s.  We went down for conference at the end of April, and then a couple other times after that.

Beth and I completed our SWEET FAST on Easter and here are some of the pictures that ensued... It was a wonderful day, and not JUST because of the sweets…

The gang...Spartacus included :)

Remember that time that we lost Catch Phrase to the boys…? I am sad to inform you that their winning streak has yet to end…

 Stephen turned 23 on June 29^th and that was an awesome day!  We went to Chick Fil A at 6:30 in the morning for FREE Chicken Biscuits and later that night we all went to Pizza Pie Café (Stephen LOVES pizza…probably even more than he loves me…) and after that we had cake…but not just any kind of cake, this was an AVENGERS ICE CREAM CAKE! It was DELICIOUS!

What? You didn't know I was dating Iron Man? 

 We had Virg’s Bridal shower as well…lots of delicious food and skanky gifts some awesome presents!  It was way fun!  (Megan and Kakamoe were able to come up to Idaho and be with us for the weekend and we had a blast!) However, due to the nature of some the gifts she received, I will refrain from putting pictures of those up…however you can just go to this site and look around, I’m sure you’ll see some of the things she got (Ben, you’re not allowed to be looking…)

Aren't they precious?

  Independence Day was EXTREMELY fun.  We went to Egin Lakes and got burned to a crisp BUT later that night, we went to Café Rio and we went and saw the fireworks in Idaho Falls.  The fireworks were absolutely stunning. (Aloe Vera was our best friend for the next WEEK)

 School has been stressful this whole semester, but luckily I have three, yes three, days to go and I will be finished with my 9^th semester of college! I only have 2 to go!!! (If all goes well…) If you were wondering, the classes I took this semester were, Statistics (DISCLAIMER: I HAVE to take this class for my major (Sociology), this is NOT a class I would have voluntarily taken…I am ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE at any sort of math so it has been…um…interesting…we’ll see how I do after this final exam, eek!), Sociological Theory (this is the class that I have with Stephen, however, we don’t sit next to each other because we both know that we would not pay attention at all…everyone in the class thinks it’s weird, our teacher included, BUT it works for us…I still stare at him  from across the room I can still see him though, so that’s all that matters), Sociology of Religion, and Law & Society (Both of these were EXTREMELY interesting and I am so glad I decided to take.

 What else?  Stephen and I are frequent bowlers, we’re not that great at it, but it’s the appeal of beating each other that keeps us going. HA. We also like to go see movies…some of the movies we’ve seen recently are…The Avengers (this movie is seriously EPIC. If you haven’t seen it, I STRONGLY suggest going to see it, you will NOT be disappointed!), The Lockout (unrealistic, not worth seeing again), The Amazing Spider Man (Another one that I STRONGLY suggest seeing!), Battleship (meh, it was OK), Snow White and the Huntsman (I enjoyed this one A LOT more than Stephen did), and a few others, so yeah, we like our movies.  Oh and don’t worry, we have tickets to see The Dark Knight Rises this Friday, so I should be reporting about that, hopefully.

 There is not much else to say, I'm sure I will think of things later that I could have told you about, but alas, I cannot think of anything else at the moment.  OH! One last thing…Stephen went home to Chicago for his sister, Rachel’s, graduation the first weekend in June.  Yes, I was pathetic that weekend without him.  But, you wanna know how awesome he is????  He was going to be gone on our three month anniversary which I was so terribly sad about, BUT he made me a dozen Duct Tape flowers and gave them to Beth before he left to leave at my doorstep that morning.  How lucky am I? It was precious.  He MADE THEM! Seriously?

  I know, I know, you ladies are all wishing he was your boyfriend, BUT,  I'm sorry, he is definitely taken. It’s OK to cry.  He’s amazing and I am so blessed and so amazed that someone like him would fall in love with me.  I thank my lucky stars for him every single day.

 Well, that’s all.  I know this post was EXTREMELY long so I completely understand if you stopped reading after the first paragraph of rambling…I tend to go on, and on, and on, and on…Anyway, it has been a GREAT semester and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Also, if you get the chance, you should check out my roommate, Beth's, blog! She just started it and it's awesome!

 lifeaccordingtobeth88.blogspot.com

See ya soon!

Simple Satisfying Pleasures

So I have already done a post like this before but I found this site/blog and every single one of these made me smile so Im posting them here and changing up a couple of them.  These are just a few.  To write all of life's simple pleasures would take forever so here are a few to make you smile.

Sleeping In on a Rainy Day – As the rain beats lightly against the window, you nestle your head deeper into your pillow.  The sound is soothing and your bed feels like a sanctuary.  There is no place you would rather be.

Finding Money You Didn’t Know You Had – You reach into your pocket and find a $20 bill from the last time you wore these jeans.  You aren’t rich, but you are richer than you were a second earlier.

Making Brief Eye Contact with Someone of the Opposite Sex – You pass him on the street or in the subway.  He glances up at you momentarily, making direct eye contact in a way that seems to communicate a subtle curiosity.  For a split second it makes you think… and then it’s gone.

Receiving a Real Letter or Package via Snail Mail – E-mail has become the primary source of written communication.  Most snail mail these days is junk mail.  When you check the mail and find a real letter or package from someone you know, excitement overtakes you as you tear into this rare gift.

Making the Yellow Light - It’s one of the most common simple pleasures, the act of beating the pack.  As you blaze through the yellow light you glance in your rearview to see all the cars behind you stopping at the red light.  Yes!  Beat Ya!

Telling a Funny or Interesting, True Story - One of the most enticing roles you lead in life is that of the storyteller.  You love to share stories, especially those that will captivate your audience with deep curiosity and humor.  There are few things more satisfying than telling a true story that others enjoy listening to.

Seeing a Friend Stumble Over Himself – As you walk across the street with your friend, he fails to accurately address the curb on the other side.  He trips and stumbles around momentarily before regaining his footing, then swiftly attempts to play it off like nothing happened.  This is usually me though.

Hearing the Right Song at the Right Moment - It doesn’t matter what the setting is, hearing the right song for that moment is one of those simple pleasures in life that instantly lifts your spirits. You could be driving home from work, hanging out at a bar with friends, or jogging. When the right song rattles your ear drums the entire meaning of life seems crystal clear.

The First Sip of a Beverage When You’re Thirsty – You just finished mowing the lawn or taking a long jog.  The only thing on your mind is an ice-cold glass of water.  When you are really, really thirsty, that first sip of any liquid beverage is sheer bliss.

Saying the Same Thing Simultaneously – There is a moment of silence.  Then all of the sudden you and your friend blurt out the same exact set of words simultaneously.  This rare occurrence is something to smile about.

The Pull-Through Parking Spot – You pull into a parking spot and are delighted to see the availability of the parking spot immediately in front of you.  You pull through to the spot in front so that when you return to the car you can drive forward out of the parking spot.  Why?  Because driving backwards is a pain in the butt.

Realizing You Have More Time to Sleep – Something abruptly awakens you and you think it’s time to get up.  Then you squint over at your alarm clock and realize you still have 2 more hours to sleep.  A warm euphoric feeling shoots though your body as you glide gracefully back to your dreams.

People Watching – Sitting there on your bench you can see people in every direction.  Tall people, small people, thin and plump.  Blond, brunette, and redhead alike.  Each of them has a different stride and a unique expression.  As you drift from body to body you are mesmerized by what you see.

Putting On Clothes Straight from the Dryer – As soon as the dryer buzzes, you pull out your clothes and put them on.  They feel soothingly warm on your skin and emit a fresh-scented aroma into the air.  A sentiment of ease comes over you as you head out to conquer the day.

A Familiar Smell – You just pulled into your parent’s driveway and opened the car door.  You haven’t been home in a long while.  You smell familiarity in the air, the scent of a large pine tree in the neighbor’s yard.  As you head through the front door, more familiar smells consume your senses.  Gosh, it feels good to be home…

The Feeling You Get When Your Idea Works – You have been struggling to resolve a complex problem all day and you just can’t seem to get it right.  Filled with frustration, you decide to exercise one last idea before calling it a night.  You’ve had many ideas before that failed miserably… but this time it works.

Fresh, Clean Bed Sheets – You yank at the corner of the bedspread to create just enough space to slide your body under the freshly cleaned sheets.  The sheets feel cool to the touch.  Everything seems so clean, like nobody has ever slept in this bed before.

A Beautiful View – As the car veers around the side of the mountain you gaze out the passenger window.  It’s a clear, sunny day and you can see the entire valley below filled with wild flowers and bright green vegetation.  The scenery reminds you of something you once saw in National Geographic.  But here it is live, right before your eyes.

Reminiscing About Old Times with Your Closest Friends – Pink Floyd once said “the memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime”.  There is no simple pleasure more satisfying than recounting the greatest moments of your life with your closest friends who lived these moments alongside you.

Receiving an Unexpected Compliment – It’s been an average day.  Nothing really great has happened, but nothing terrible occurred either.  This monotonous day has put you in a dreary mood.  Unexpectedly, an older, attractive lady taps you on the shoulder, calls you “handsome” and says she loves your shirt.  The day just got a whole lot better.

Having a Good Laugh – Laughter is the greatest cure of all.  Life is extraordinary in the moments when you are laughing so hard you can barely breathe.  These moments of deep laughter are divine in the sense that they cleanse your mood and set your mind on a positive track.

The Feeling After a Healthy Workout - It’s a giddy feeling of self accomplishment; the one true activity that actually makes you feel better and look better simultaneously. When you walk out the front door of the gym you are on top of the world.

The Celebration in the Instant Something Makes Sense – Even now that it has explained to you for the third time, you just don’t understand how it works.  Everyone else seems to understand but you.  Then out of the blue the dots connect in your mind.  You finally get it, and it feels great!

Relaxing Outdoors on a Sunny Day – As you relax sprawled out in a lawn chair, the sun warms your skin and a light breeze keeps the temperature comfortable.  Birds are chirping merrily in the trees behind you.  You are at complete peace with the environment.

Holding Hands with Someone You Love – Every time she grabs your hand you are overcome with an awareness of how much she means to you.  Holding hands is sensual and physically intimate, yet subtle.  There are few people you allow to hold your hand, so when it happens you can be sure that the moment is special.

Playing in the Water – Water marvels people of all ages.  From jumping in puddles as a child, to doing cannon balls in the pool as an adolescent, to hanging with friends in the jacuzzi as adults... water is enjoyable.

Making Someone Smile – You notice that your colleague has been under a great deal of stress with meeting a deadline, so you take it upon yourself to complete one of her indirect responsibilities for her.   As soon as she realizes what you did, she comes into your office with a big smile on her face.  “Thank you”, she says.  You just hit two birds with one stone, because making her smile just made your day.

Finishing What You Started – You just finished up a big project you’ve been working on for the last few months, or maybe you just finished your first marathon… Either way, you finalized what you set out to accomplish.  The feeling of self accomplishment you get when you finish what you started is by far one of the most rewarding simple pleasures life has to offer.

These sure do make me appreciate the little things in life :-)

Monday Musings...

                  Do you ever have those things that just make you so happy and they are really simple? I do.  Or some things that are just really awesome?  I got the idea for this post from this website. It is awesome.   I am stealing some of theirs and putting them on here because they are THAT awesome.

1. Watching GLEE-There was a new episode last night and it was awesome, especially the "Thriller" part.

       2. Old school rap songs that come on my ipod that I jam out to still and when I say old school, I mean the ones we listened to in middle school and high school. For example:

• Grillz-Nelly
• Yeah-Usher
• Hot in Here-Nelly
• Lean Wit It Rock Wit It- Den Franchize Boyz
• Laffy Taffy-D4L
• Lean Like a Cholo-Down
• Drop it Like Its Hot-Snoop Dogg
• Ridin'-Chamillionaire
• Hey Ya-OutKast

     3.  Finding money in your coat pocket from last winter- Totally found five bucks in my pocket the other day! It was awesome!

      4. Sweatpants. Period.

      5. Valentines Day candy. They sell TONS of it in the store!

These are the best.

          6. Thinking that you have run out of underpants but finding one more pair...

          7.  Sleeping on crisp, clean sheets...after you've shaved your legs. Even Better. Guys, you should try it, you're seriously missing out.

           8.  Eating french toast drowned in melted, crunchy peanut butter.

This.looks.Heavenly.

             9. The cold side of the pillow.

            10. Getting a Q and a U when playing Scrabble.

          11. Remembering what movie that guy is from.

          12. Compliments. Everyone loves them.

         13. Old reruns of "Boy Meets World"

LOVE.

            14. Seeing the Jonas Brothers in concert. Don't judge, you know you wish you were there.

The Jonas Brothers AND Zac Efron....woah.
I think I just peed a little.

       15. Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt, Penn Badgley, Taylor Lautner,  Usher...who am I missing? 

This is for you, Olivia.

Look at those...teeth!

        16. Chick fil A.

       17. Road Trips.

       18. Disney World.

Seriously, the best place on earth.

      19. Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing you still have a few hours to sleep.

      20. The final seconds of untangling a really big knot.

      21. Screaming at characters in movies to do things

  

      22. Sitting on the front porch with your Dad, watching the thunderstorm.

     23. Fixing your wedgie when no one is looking

Thats attractive.

     24. When your mom would let you lick the cookie dough beaters as a kid.

    25. When someone gives you a double take.

    26.  When little babies give you hugs, especially brown babies :-)

    27. Laughing so hard you cry.

    28. Your Almost Name...what was mine you might ask...? Roxanne. Thats right. Im cool like that.

    29. When someone already highlighted your textbook.

    30.  When you hear a song and it takes you back to an awesome memory.

Thats all I got guys.  Sorry for the completely random post, but it makes me happy.  Hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment. Love you guys!

Two Things

So I started my 101 in 1001 this week and I am happy to say that I did two things this weekend.  Well actually its just one thing...Number 19 is "Watch 26 movies I've never seen, starting with each letter of the alphabet."  I watched TWO this weekend.  Wanna know what they are? They both were pretty fantastic. Last night I watched "Despicable Me." That move is downright HILARIOUS. There's just something about villains and their "minions" (P.S. I looked up the word minion to make sure I was spelling it right and the definition that came with it was- A follower devoted to following his master RELENTLESSLY. Thats intense.) Anyways I laughed, A.LOT. That one is definitely up there with "UP" and "How to train your dragon," both of which I.Love.To. Death.

Minions...I want one, or like 16. Mainly for my
entertainment, and to cook for me...

The other one I saw...wait for it....was "The Roommate."  I know you guys are dying to see it. I was.  And I definitely think it was worth it.  It was everything I expected, I even screamed OUT LOUD. It would have been more embarrassing if there were more people in the theater but it was just us and one creepy old man sitting like four rows behind us, all by himself. He might have been more CREEPY than the movie itself.  Leighton Meester played an awesome psycho, I didn't think she had it in her, but I was definitely creeped out.  The best part of the movie though....was the HOTT boyfriend.  Even if the movie had sucked, I would have paid seven dollars just to watch him :-) Also, it was freaky weird how Leighton Meester and Minka (what kind of name?) Kelly looked alike.

Minka

Leighton

Am I right or am I right?

So I am definitely suggesting both of these movies to EVERYONE.  Totally worth it. Any suggestions to what I should watch next?

One more thing before I go...so after the Superbowl tomorrow, is the premiere of....GLEE.

I am so freaking excited.  Especially for "Thriller" and this....(which i totally downloaded today, don't judge)

I'm Excited!

Dab.

                   Only my family will understand this title, sorry.  But I wanted to dedicate this blog post to my father.  His birthday was a few weeks ago on the ninth.  I was too caught up with getting back here, and getting back in school mode and unpacking and stuff to mention it.  I wont tell you how old he is because he wouldn't appreciate that, but my dad is amazing y'all.

                  Happy Birthday Dad!  My dad is always there for me and my family.  And he has taught me some valuable lessons in life that I will never forget and then there are some crazy times in my life with my dad that are making me laugh out loud right here, right now. Bahaha.

              Oh, but before I get into this, I would post a pic of my dad but neither he nor my mom like their pics taken, so I don't have any pictures of either of them.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

             So my dad is basically the coolest dad ever.  He has lived in and visited all kinds of places!  Here are just a few of them.

Pretty cool huh?  A lot of those were because he was in the air force.  But still thats cool too. 

Some other things about my dad are... 

1. My dad is really conservative when it comes to electricity.  He taught me and my siblings a valuable lesson to always turn off our lights when we leave our room.  If we left our light on he would make us pay a dollar for every light bulb that was left on.  While I hated it at the time, I NEVER leave lights on anymore.  
2. My Dad LOVES animals.  Since I have been alive, I don't remember a time when there weren't animals at my house.  We have had dogs, fish, chickens, guinea pigs, and ducks.  My dad loves them so much.  He also gardens like no other. He has the greenest thumb of anyone I know, then again I don't know that many people who are gardeners, but still.
3. My Dad doesn't like to go out because he would rather have my moms cooking, which I totally understand.  But he does like the fries from Five Guys, and anyone who has had their fries, would totally understand. 

Heaven on earth.

4. My dad is a money saver.  He cuts out coupons every Sunday from the newspaper, and I remember I loved helping him when I was little.  That is one of my favorite memories.

5.  My dad loves music.  He and my mom play a big part in the reason I love music so much.  When I was little, every Saturday when we cleaned the house, we listened to oldies and me and my sister would dance with my dad. We were so happy when dad would dance with us.

Some other memories of my dad are....

1. When I was about seven maybe, my dad told me and my sister that he was gonna make us fudge and we were so excited!  (We love anything sweet in my house)  So I don't exactly remember what happened, but it had something to do with cooking the fudge in the microwave...? And the fudge ended up really... hard. Instead of looking like this....

It looked like this....

Except not as shiny.  But hey, me and my sister still ate it, because even though it looked like pebbles, it tasted like hard fudge.  It was so funny, because my dad kept saying that it was almost finished and we were getting more and more excited and finally when it was "ready" he pulled it out of the microwave and it looked like pebbles...we definitely got a kick out of that.  Haha, it still makes me laugh.

2. Another memory is when we would be driving down the interstate and it was just my sister, my dad, and me.  Dad would turn on CHER's "Believe" and turn it up way loud and roll down the windows and we would sing it at the top of our lungs. ALL of us.  We loved it.

3. When my mom would go out of town, we always had these and every time I eat them from now on, I will always be reminded of my dad, who would let us get away with anything always made us do our chores when mom was out of town. 

4. In the mornings before school or church when we would have to be up early, Dad would come get us a little earlier and pick us up out of our beds and carry us to the couch so we could watch this show, which he already on the channel on, so that we could have time to "wake up".  How I miss those days.  My Dad was the best.

5.  My Dad always made us our work if we wanted money.  We always had to do some kind of chore, whether it be pulling weeds of filing his files or mowing the grass.  He also used money as an incentive if he lost something, like his credit card, he would offer money to the first person who found it. 

                  In our old house my dad had a Beautiful garden with a path that he named "the angel path" for me and my sister.  I miss that path.  Anyways, he had a beautiful little green tree that was being eaten up by little green worms that looked like this

So my dad told me and my sister, that for every worm we pulled off the tree he would pay us a nickel.  We were out there for hours and we made a good bit of money.  Good times.

                        Anyways, that is my dad.  My dad is the best, have I mentioned that?  He always helps me out if I need him.  Me and my dad are so alike too.  I have my dad's head and his hair and his mouth, and his toes.  Me and my dad even sleep in the same position.  He has always believed in me and I am clearly his favorite child...haha just kidding, but not really.  I was his first born so of course I'm his favorite.  When I was born he was there, but when my sis was born, he was eating Arby's, clearly I am more important...just kidding Lil.  My dad would do anything for us. 

                          I miss him and my mom, I haven't seen them since september and I wont see them until April! I have my dad's same weird sense of humor, but added with my mom's sarcasm.  Its a good combination, there's no denying that. No one can compare to him, but I hope one day I can find someone that will treat me and love me the way my dad does. I love you dad and Happy Late Birthday! 

In other news.....

My friends and I celebrated Heath last night (see my last post if you have no idea what I am talking about) and it was way fun.  We went out to eat and when we got back home we watched "10 Things I Hate About You" and ate a whole bunch of crap, literally.  Don't judge us.  Heath was a big part of our lives. So here are some pics.

Cailey and Stuart :-) Aren't they cute?

I like this one better than the other one, but they wouldn't
let me make that face, but whatevs Im putting
them both on here.

I know you wish you were there.  Oh and after we took this
we decided we wanted to watch "10 things" instead
but Im sure we will watch "A Knights Tale" soon. Don't fret.

I just figured we should document this seeing as it has
"Heath" in it.  Just sayin.

My wonderful friends Kakamoe and Kim! And yes her name
really is Kakamoe.

So my weekend has been awesome, I hope y'alls is just as fun.  See ya soon! Love ya!