Lo Writer

Oops, I did it again!!

2012-01-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have NO idea why I have absolutely ZERO drive to update my blog like I used to. I'm sure my mom has given up on me at this point. Considering that I haven't blogged (on this one) since the Indy 500 in 2011 and it is now 2012.... yikes. My bad, Mom. Forgive me.

Well, speaking of 2012... I hope everyone brought in the New Year safely and wonderfully. Have you made any resolutions yet? I have a few in mind that are outside of the norm. I'll share some of them with you.

My Typical:

- Start next year HEALTHY (I ALWAYS get sick over xmas/new year... every year)

- Lose weight

- Buy myself new clothes instead of take-out, thus preventing me from buying new clothes since it prevents me from losing weight

- Take pride in my appearance more around Andrew; just because we live together and are getting married doesn't mean he gets to see me in my pj's most of the time.

My New Resolutions and why:

- Remember to send birthday cards and "just because" cards to my family and friends. I always LOVE receiving handwritten notes from friends and family. It makes me feel special. Plus, this may sound weird, but writing (not typing) helps me remember simpler times when computers and cell phones didn't rule the world or your social life or your schedule.

- Stay true to my commitments. Once plans are made, keep them and try not to reschedule.

- Learn not to sweat the small stuff. While people constantly tell me I'm laid back and go with the flow, I feel the complete opposite. I have tried not to be so vocal with my opinions and have just let things blow over for the most part, but I found myself holding it inside more so than not. And unfortunately, I hate to admit, I hold grudges. I have just got to let go.

There are a lot of great things in store for Andrew and I this year and we can't wait to see how it all unfolds. I can't believe 2011 was my last "single" year. And I just had my last "single" xmas and last "single" new year! UNREAL!

Hugs to everyone!

XO,

We made it to Indy!

2011-05-26T08:44:00.001-07:00

A pet-boarding disaster, a delayed flight, almost missing the next flight, severe t-storm warnings and a tornado watch later, we MADE IT. We're so excited to be here! It's going to be such a great weekend with the Ogle fam!! I get to meet Tim's side of the family FINALLY. I get to see my brothers and sisters. I get to go to the Indy 500 for its centennial year. It is SOOOO exciting!!!!

And here's the kicker... Andrew and I get the basement all to ourselves!!!!! Our seniority really pulled through for the basement... our Indy seniority that is. :-)

We'll try to keep this all up to date while we're out here, but with all the festivities, we're not promising anything. (Sorry Mama RiRi)

Newbie

2011-03-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

I just completed my second day at the new job... I gotta' say that I am super stoked about this place. The people are great. Super friendly and helpful and welcoming and warm. The property itself is fantastic. I'm pretty much obsessed with it. Lots of meeting and event space. Great upgrades. I want a Heavenly Bed. I'm obsessed with that too. My job responsibilities are pretty basic and exactly what I was expecting. Hopefully I can move up quickly while proving. The property is very well known for little turn around and promoting from within.

All is good. I leave for Denver tomorrow night, in which case, I am super excited. And then it's off to Vegas with the boys. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

That's just about it for now. Not that you care or anything, but I won't be updating until we get all moved and settled and after we've had some time to relax and take a breather. Plus, my Nana's house doesn't have internet, soooo either I'm going to have to feed off of my neighbors, or I'm going to have to go to Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or McDonald's or something. Funnnn.

Well wishes to you for the rest of the week!
Love & Hugs,
Lo

Yeahhhh I'm not good at this

2011-03-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've been busy. I can't remember to blog everyday. I shouldn't have said I was going to do it everyday. Sorry, folks. Friday night was dinner at Grammy's to hang out with the entire fam, Saturday I was at Nana's with Dad planning out my move and stuff. Saturday night was Aunt Monica's for pizza night with the family. And today, Lyss and I went shopping (unsuccessful trip) after having lunch at Paul's Pantry with Dad. So that's that.

I start my new job tomorrow. Pretty excited. I will work tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday and then on Wednesday night, I will be flying out to Denver for a short night and then Drew, Leroi and I leave on Thursday morning to start the drive from Denver to Vegas. Then from Vegas, we will drive to OC. It's going to be a crazy weekend and quite frankly, I'm exhausted. I've been on "vacation" for two weeks and with all of the decisions Drew and I had to make and still have left to make... I just feel restless. I haven't been sleeping well and I HATE feeling like my life is up in the air. I just need my man and my dog and things will feel much better. And then all the other stuff can come.

I can't believe I've survived almost three weeks without my boys!! At least it's ALMOST over and I can be reunited with them in just a few days!

Anyway, I'm going to bed early so that I can hopefully get a good night's sleep in before my work day tomorrow.

Wishing you all a wonderful Monday!

Ooopsies.

2011-03-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

My bad. Here I am saying I am going to post something new everyday... and I kinda skipped yesterday. Awesome. At least I remembered today, right? Gimme some credit.

Nothing too exciting to add. Tomorrow night, the whole fambam, minus my cousin Anastasia, will be heading over to Grammy's house for a big family dinner. Ari is bringing her new boyfriend! We all can't wait to meet him! Not to mention, I'm super stoked to be eating Grammy's food. I sure did miss it while in Denver.

Only 6 more days until I get to see my loves, Andrew and Leroi. I can't believe I haven't seen them in what feels like forever. Andrew and I always get frustrated with each other when we're apart for so long. We argue or tease about the stupidest things, but what it comes down to is this: we just miss each other and miss being able to sit in the privacy of our little home together to talk face to face and give each other our undivided attention. Whenever we're away from each other for this long, we always get super annoyed about it and just get frustrated. It's pretty funny actually. Now that we have our move and everything planned out, I just can't wait to get through the weekend and the 3 weekdays I have before flying back to Denver on Wednesday night. Yyaaaayyy!!!

Anyway, that's about it for now. I think I just realized that if I'm going to be blogging everyday, I need to have good stuff to blog about for your entertainment purposes. Hmmm... how about this?

I want to make this. How fabulous does that look? They look like real roses, don't they? Nope, they're not. They're made of butter cream frosting. And I'm obsessed. Who wants to spend a ton of money on a wedding cake when you can make it yourself and have it look this wonderful? IN LOVE.

Aaaaand I love this vintage soda pop bar. Gotta have it.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I am beginning to realize how obsessed with "vintage" I am. Seriously, I'm super obsessed. Once I have enough money saved up, I want to buy myself a super nice camera. And then after I do that, I want to start collecting old cameras. Like oooold cameras. How cool would it be? Or like... collecting old telephones? Fabulous.

Love & Hugs,

Why is a man-hole round?

2011-03-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

When I came back to Cali to find a job, I got in late on a Thursday night, hung out with family on Friday and after the weekend, I applied to multiple jobs on Monday. By the end of Monday, I had 3 interviews set up. Awesome! So the first two were on Tuesday, which were great and they went really well. And then my third one was on Thursday of last week for the event coordinator position. When the interview was scheduled, it was scheduled through email by a basic thing saying "Dear Applicant..." blah blah blah. I was given a date and time to be there and was told to confirm. Along with the date and time, I was told to not arrive more than 5 minutes early and "dress business casually like you would in a social yet professional atmosphere (office attire is not always the best attire for this position)." I was also told that this was a "Step One" interview that will last 15 minutes to get to know my social skills and how I interact with other people, since "this is a very important aspect of event coordinating."

So I get to this interview and walk in 4 minutes early and this guy jumps out from behind a wall and scares the crap outta' me. He invited me into his office, asked me to sit down, and then slid a piece of paper across his desk my way and said "please fill out as necessary." It was sheet of paper, printed landscape style, that said "Print Name: __________________________" and underneath "Sign Name: _______________________." So I printed and I signed and slid the paper back across the desk. This is where it gets REALLY weird.

"So a client has an open bar tab of $100. He would like to close that tab. Sales tax is 8.75%. How much will you charge his credit card without gratuity?"

Now, I'm not the best at math. I can't run numbers in my head. If I can't have a calculator, I need a piece of paper and pencil so I can see the math problem and work it out. I'm a creative, social person. Not a math and science wiz. Anyway, I confirmed "Am I allowed a calculator or piece of paper to assist me?" His response, "no." So I answered the problem because it was easy, but the other ones weren't. He asked me the total for a $129 tab with 21% gratuity and 8.75% sales tax. So before I knew it, I was spitting out numbers like a stock broker. All incorrect, I'm sure. So after 15 minutes of being questioned mathematic equations, which may I say, has NOTHING to do with the position of event coordinator, he said "Ok, I have one final question for you." And I said, "wonderful." When the all-mighty stumping question of all stumping questions came out.

"Why is a man-hole round?"

I cocked my head just like a dog would when they're confused. And I said, "Do you prefer I let you answer that or should I guess?" He said "just take a stab at it." My response? "Because it has no corners."

He so intelligently let me know that Microsoft asks these types of questions in their interviews. What I wanted to say was "I'm sorry, I applied for an event coordinator position with a charter yacht company, not for Microsoft." But I didn't, sadly. He asked me if I have any questions for him. I asked him the basic questions like "what makes your company stand out compared to your competitors?" His answer: "because we're the best." So I said, "ok then."

I wanted to ask him, how much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? But I didn't do that either, sadly.

Anyway, it was the WORST interview I've ever been on. And I think I'm pretty good interviewer. But NEVER have I been through an interview like that. Not even for a minimum wage paying job. Like... really? Really pal?

And he was SOOOOO douchey. Super egotistical and ALL about himself.

That's my interview story. I hope you enjoyed.

Love and hugs,
Lo

I've revamped.

2011-03-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

So I need to kick this really bad habit where I don't blog for a whole 72 weeks and then I have to play catch up. I mean, really, it just creates more work for myself and who needs more work? Yeah, not me.

I'm going to start this new post by saying this: I hope you like the new blog decor. I figured that if I'm going to start blogging like I used to, then I need to be able to enjoy what I'm looking at. So there, I hope you dig. I will also add that I have, in my opinion, appropriately retitled my blog. I have recently kicked "today's music" (well, most of it) because I have come to truly appreciate musical talent. I want to hear instrumentals and un-mechanical voices. Lately, I've been listening to The Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, etc. Loooove it. I found a great radio station in Denver, 101.5, and they play oldies to disco to 80's and 90's. Cha-ching in my musical taste. Anyway, the song Lowrider came on sooo many times when it hit me... "Hey, I dig this song" and "hey, I have a blog idea." Hence, the Lo Writer.

Ok, so now for life stuff. So I quit my job in Denver and moved back to Cali. Yep. I did it. I decided that enough is enough. I looooved Denver, especially Downtown. It has so much to offer and there is so much to do there and it is soooo historical, but there was this minor little detail about it. Oh yeah, my family doesn't live there. Hmm, what a shame that was. With recent events that took place at work, I decided to put in my notice and go to California. I already had a round trip flight booked to go home and look at wedding venues... oh yeah, did you know I'm engaged? ;-) Anyway, I quit without having another job to go to - which I have NEVER done in my entire professional life, but I felt like this was worth the risk. I had applied to quite a few jobs in Cali, but truth is, if you don't live where you want to work, you're not going to be a likely candidate for the job. Companies don't want to have to worry about relocation and moving and scheduling issues, etc. I've been in California for a little over a week now and good news, I got a job today! Super excited about this new opportunity and there's a bonus... I'm staying with Starwood which is fabulous! You may be wondering what happened to my fiance and dog.... they're still in Denver. But after I got my job offer today, Andrew put in his notice at work and we'll be moving everything out to Cali next weekend! I am SO excited because not only do I finally get to see my boys (it's been over a week and I'm missing them soooo terribly much), but now we get to live super close to family and really enjoy the reasons we love Cali so much... weather, beach (both for humans and dogs), and as previously disclosed, family. Do you know how much I missed being able to go to a big family dinner at Grammy and Pop Pop's? Or knowing that there's a family birthday party to go to? Or how about all of the baseball and football and basketball games for my cousins, Mikey and Nicky? They grow 6" every time I see them next... and they're starting to like girls now... so obvi cousin LoLo needs to be home for them.

After Andrew and Leroi and I relocate all of our stuff, we'll be focused on my new job and getting Andrew a job. And then after we successfully complete that step, we'll be focusing on finding a place to live (we'll be staying at Nana's vacant home until then... rent free - don't be jeal). And then after that comes all the fun stuff of being back in Cali and getting our lives together. It has been SUCH an adventure for Andrew and I. I'm really going to miss Denver a lot, but I know that we can always go back and visit. It will always hold great sentiment for us and I am very glad that we lived there. It made me realize not only how much I miss and need my family, but it also helped me learned that I really, truly, sincerely hate driving in the snow. And now that I know that, I won't have to toss and turn about where to live if we ever decide to leave California. Know what I mean?

Lets see... what else? Oh, wedding plans are non-existant. I have the most wonderful venue in mind with the most wonderful caterer and the most wonderful ideas... but there more important things to be focused on before Andrew and I decide to get married. Besides, do you even know how expensive a wedding is? Just the thought of it is making my tummy hurt. I am just super excited to put my creativity to good use!

Lately, I've been craving all things vintage and antique. There is something so charming and romantic about history that I just can't shake. My Aunt Karen has her own antique business, of which I have offered to help her with. Secretly, I just want to buy antiques at the auctions with her and then just keep it for myself. But don't tell her that. ;-)

What I think I should do is create a new blog post everyday. Whether it's an interesting fact I learned, a new recipe, Mom's PB&J brownies, Chester farted and it smelled, Leroi farted and it smelled, etc. I mean, lots of funny/interesting things happen in my days. Well, at least I think they're interesting and funny and that's all that matters, right?

So that's what I'll do then. Make sure you hold me to it so that I don't slack like I've become accustomed to. I also have some pictures to post. Oh, and I'll need to remind myself to blog about my interviews. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

That's all for now... it's almost 1am and I should probably go to sleep. It's amazing how much of a night owl I become when I don't have a job. I was going to bed at like 9 or 10pm in Denver. Even on the weekends!

Love & Hugs,
Lo

Andrew and Lauren

2011-02-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

We have some AWESOME, GREAT, INCREDIBLE, EXCELLENT, EXCITING, WONDERFUL, ECSTATIC news to share... but you need to go here to find out!

SNOW

2011-01-29T10:59:00.001-07:00

Well, I drove in my first REAL snow... you know, the kind that sticks to the ground and makes you slide and skid and have to drive really slow... Oh yeah. I did it. It took me 2 hours to get to work that morning, but oh well. I've learned that it's pretty to look at, but awful to drive in. Not my thing, really. We got 7" of snow in one night and because the temps were still freezing the following days, the snow was just frozen on the ground for like a week!

I took some pics with my phone.

Ok, so I enlarged the photo a bit so you could see the snow flakes. This was when the snow had just started... by the time it ended, the rocks in the creek bed were completed covered.

This was on another snowy night... my car was covered at 6:15am. And by the way, it's not fun brushing off your car and scraping off ice for 15 minutes while your car is running to get it warm and defrosted. Yuck.

Christmas

2011-01-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures from Christmas. I don't know how I did this, but I forgot my camera in Colorado! What a dumbie. Mom, Dad, Lyss, Kathe and Ele and Michelle took pics, so hopefully I can get some from them...

Anyway, a few weeks before Christmas, Andrew and I noticed some white things inside Leroi's mouth... wart-like things. After doing some simple internet research, we discovered he had gotten "Oral Papillomas." Quite common in dogs younger than 2 years, it is spread dog-to-dog from coming in contact with an infected dog's mouth/saliva. It's obviously contagious to other dogs... which posed MASSIVE concern because Leroi was supposed to be boarded while Andrew and I were away for Christmas. Long story short, we monitored Leroi, had him vaccinated with his latest boosters, took him to the vet to see if there was anything we could give him (but of course not because it's a virus). Good thing is that these things go away on their own, but we needed to speed up this process. Since I'm very familiar with cold sores on my lip, I decided to start giving Leroi Lysine... an amino acid that helps in tissue maintenance. The vet said it wouldn't hurt. We also started giving him multivitamins once a day and then a Vitamin C tablet once or twice a week (VC gives Leroi diarrhea). Within a few weeks, the papillomas were GONE! We were saved for boarding him!

So we spent 2.5 days in Cali with my family... which was awesome but short-lived. And then on Christmas afternoon, we flew to Indianapolis to be with Andrew's family. While in Cali, I started coming down with a cough... which I was crossing my fingers wouldn't fully hit until after our Xmas travels... but when I got to Indy, it got worse. Real worse. Long story short, I got really sick in Indy. Andrew made a doctor's appointment for me for the same day we got back to Denver. I went to the doc and had a 102 fever, bronchitis (which I knew I had), sinus infection, ear infection, and my asthma made a turn for the worst and was called "severe." My doc wanted me on 3 different inhalers, an antibiotic for the sinuses, antibiotic for the bronchitis, and an antibiotic to make sure I didn't get any other infection. It was real bad. So instead of spreading holiday cheer, I spread germs. All the Ogles pretty much got sick except for Andrew and Tim... immune systems of steel!

Christmas was still a great time though. To be honest, I don't think I can travel like I did going from DEN to OC to INDY and then back to DEN. It was a little strenuous on my health, especially when I get sick every year over Christmas/New Year. We'll see what happens next year!

My new title

2011-01-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

So, in the middle of all this blogging, I realized that I haven't told you about my new position.

I was obviously working the front desk for 6 months when we first moved here and then I applied for a new position at my hotel... the Business Travel Sales Manager...

A few interviews/weeks later, I was offered the position and I gladly accepted. I've got my own little office in the sales office and I have business cards and everything!

I've been working as the BTSM for almost 3 months now and so far, it's awesome. I'm responsible for maintaining and gaining local prospect accounts who would be interested in setting up an annual corporate rate agreement.

This was the "foot in the door" I had been looking for! I'm very thankful to have been given this opportunity and look forward to everything I've been learning or have learned so far. It's a great step in a great direction for me!

Thanksgiving

2011-01-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

I was pretty depressed over Thanksgiving because I wanted to be home with my family. I really miss them and had been feeling homesick for a while... Andrew and I ended up being invited to Marshal and Helene's house for Thanksgiving... his extended extended extended cousins who live fabulously in Cherry Creek out here in Colorado. It was lovely time at their house and it was so nice meeting them.

I had been wanting to cook my own Thanksgiving dinner for a while and Andrew had gotten 2 free turkeys from his job at Loveland, so even though we had Thanksgiving dinner on that Thursday, we went ahead and had our own little family dinner the following Sunday. I made green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, the turkey and pumpkin cheesecake!

Here are pictures supporting evidence of my turkey and the pumpkin cheesecake, which by the way, was DELICIOUS!

I rubbed butter on the outside of the turkey and underneath the skin and then generously applied kosher salt and black pepper on top... we cooked the turkey in chicken stock with cut celery and carrots and basil leaves and put celery sticks and carrots inside the turkey and basted it every 30 minutes.

The delicious outcome!

The grand finale... the pumpkin cheesecake!

I want to cook Thanksgiving dinner every year now!

Dad and Lyss Came to Visit!

2011-01-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Lyss came out a few days before Dad did, which was nice because I got to spend some quality time with my sissy!! My Yissa!! We went to On the Border to celebrate, drink, and eat dinner. Andrew bought Yissa a tequila shot and then we all shared a pitcher of delicious margaritas! Not to mention, I manhandled the tortillas like it was my job. I LOVE their tortillas!

It was soooooo awesome having Dad and Lyss out there... even though I wish Mom could've come out, it was nice to have the two dweebs to myself... and I mean that in a very loving way. :)

Things we did:

New Belgium Brewery
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Dinosaur Ridge
Stanley Hotel Ghost Tour
Rocky Mountain National Park
Downtown

Here are some awesome pics!

Goofballs @ New Belgium

I just think this picture is funny

Bottling the beeeerrrrr

Dad going down the New Belgium slide hahahah

Stanley Hotel

An extra shadow hand... do you see it?

Dad and Lyss in front of Stanley

Dad and I in front of Stanley

ELK! I was this close to the guy... didn't zoom in on my camera

Andrew and Leroi... Leroi wants to make new friends!

Oh hey

And then he stood up and we realized how HUGE he was

Dad and Yissa being scaredy cats!

My executive self with the Elk

Are you not entertained?!?!

Mommy's Yittle Mushykiss!

Dad and Lyss @ RMNP

Our little family... on our Christmas card

Who's that bump on the log??

Love these two

Das my buddy!

Seriously, look at how perrrttyyy he is!

Another bump added to the log

Oh jesus.

Nice nice

Dad and I with the yellow tree

God's Creations

Sunlight

This was on my desktop since the day I took this pic

At the top of Red Rocks Amp

Daddy and his girlies

DINOSAURS were here.

Dad and the water ripple fossils

I miss you guys!! Mom, you're coming next, right?!

Halloween!

2011-01-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

You would think that Andrew and I would be adamant about celebrating Halloween, since it marks the anniversary of when we first met. But nope, no need. We did attempt to carve pumpkins this year, but failed. Miserably. I'm not a good carver.

Anyway, I got home and Andrew had this waiting for me...

What a cute guy, huh?

At work, Halloween is really the only holiday we "celebrate" because it has nothing to do with religion.Every year, they have a pumpkin carving contest between departments. Since I don't carve, I wanted to still be able to contribute to the contest... so I suggest Pirates of the Caribbean theme and I can make the treasure chest. My friend Jessica took the liberty in carving our pumpkin since she LOVES it. Here is our end result... pretty dang amazing!

Our pumpkin with our treasure chest with candy inside

Jack Sparrow and Davey Jones

Pretty insane, huh? The stupid thing is that no one even voted this year... so technically, it wasn't a contest. Whatever, I know we would've won!

Grammy and PopPop Visit

2011-01-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

So GramCakes and G-Pa were in town for a whole week! They ended up staying at my hotel, which was super nice since I couldn't take any time off from work. I got to see them every morning when they came down for breakfast... and the entire staff loved them. You know how it goes with those two... they make friends no matter where they go... from a Mediterranean cruise to the grocery store. They're crazy!

Anyway, since I don't have my computer hard drive yet, I unfortunately don't have any pics to post except for 2 crappy quality ones from my phone... but we did lots of fun things with them! We took them to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, they hung out at the apartment with us, we took them to Red Rocks and Downtown and we rode the free bus... it was awesome having them here!

I have to elaborate on the Stanley Hotel though... so we went on the ghost tour. This was my first time! And for those of you who don't know about the Stanley Hotel... it's where Stephen King based his book, The Shining, off of. It's a historic hotel... and it's haunted. Anyway, Grammy got picked to reenact some things, so she had to stand in front of the "class" on various occasions and do what the tour guide said. It was hilarious! Everyone loved her! And then we felt the dead kid's hands... but we don't need to go into detail about that, right? :)

I still have containers of Grammy's spaghetti sauce in my freezer, along with 2 bags of frozen meatballs. She stocked Andrew and I up with all of the Italian necessities... bread crumbs, olive oil, a gallon of tomato paste and a gallon of crushed tomatoes, 10 bags of different kinds of pastas... the works. And yes, it's all still in my pantry because there's no possible way Andrew and I can eat it at all... we're stocked for the whole year!

Tim & Kathe Visit Denver

2011-01-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

They came to visit in September for an extended weekend. They stayed at the Sheraton Downtown which I think was a pretty good location for them because if Andrew and I weren't available (work and such), they at least had Downtown to play in!

Right when T & K landed, approx 8:30 am at DIA, we took them back to our place to get changed into warmer clothes and unload some of their bags... and we headed for Pike's Peak down near Colorado Springs. We wasted NO time in making sure they saw as much as they could.

It was great spending time with them and we really appreciate them taking the time and money to come out to visit us. They'll actually be coming out again in a few weekends! Here are some pics of what we did...

Kathe & Andrew on top of Pike's Peak... it was freezing!

T&K = Proud Tourists

Looking up at the mountains while driving to the top of Pike's Peak

T & K at Bistro Vendome... fabulous french restaurant in Larimer Square

The 4 of us at Bistro Vendome

We went to the Oxford Hotel to try out my fave martini... the Key Lime

My love and I

T, K, and A at the Darius Rucker/Brad Paisley concert!

Concert from the lawn

On top of Pike's Peak

Catch Up Sesh

2011-01-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, be prepared. I'm gonna be catching you up on my life, just in case you cared from September to present time.

I apologize for the lack of details in some posts, but it's better than nothin', right?

RIP iBook G4

2011-01-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Sooooo... I wanted to start updating my blog and catching up and post pics from things that have happened since my trip to NYC... but something terribly unfortunate happened and now I have to try to pull pics off of my Facebook, which takes FOREVER.

My laptop broke. In half. Split the screen from the keyboard/body. I tried on the power chord which then knocked my laptop right off the counter which then made it smash to smitherines on the floor. I have to take it in to see if they can extract all my data from my hard drive. What's even better is that I have NO money to spend on a brand new Mac. However, people are selling the same old iBook model for $200 on Craigs or Ebay. I got the laptop in 2004 when I graduated from high school.

I cried about my computer as if it were my child... which is kinda was, aside from Leroi, cuz it held... like... oh, you know, everything my life has entailed. School work/projects, stationery designs, letters, ALL my pictures, ALL my music, EVERYTHING.

I will miss you old friend. You've been good to me and I will always love you.

PS. Back your stuff up people... get yourself one of them nice external hard drives and back. that. ish. up. Right now! Do it!

I'm sorry Mom!!!

2011-01-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's been months since I've updated my blog and it has felt like a massive chip on my shoulder. For some reason, I just wasn't feelin' the inspiration. The drive. The passion for bloggin'.

I figured it would make me feel better if I posted something real quick to let my blog manager (Mom) know that I haven't completely forgotten that I have a blog that needs tending to.

I can't even bullet point all the things I have to catch up on... it will be too overwhelming and depressing and then I won't wanna do it. Boo.

Anyway, I'll check in again soon to start updating and stuff.

Until then, TTFN, Ta Ta For Now.

PS) If I missed any "S's" in my typing/words, I apologize. Leroi likes to step on my laptop while I type. Sometimes he has things to say so he likes to communicate through the keyboard. Anyway, he stepped on the keyboard and messed up my "S" key, so sometimes it types, sometimes it doesn't. And most of the time, I don't care to correct it. Ok, bye!

I created a creative blog.

2010-09-15T22:02:00.000-07:00

In venture of all things creative and Martha Stewart wannabe related, I decided to start up another blog to post about my inspirations, creations, and ideas when it comes to my imaginative, creative side.

I have yet to post anything as of right now , but I would love if you all followed it and maybe passed it on if in fact you enjoy what I post. :)

http://LoveThisbyLauren.blogspot.com

10 Obscure Marriage Laws

2010-09-07T10:46:00.000-07:00

Found this article about crazy marriage laws still in the works today. Pretty entertaining; figured I would share.

10 Obscure Marriage Laws

Looking forward to....

2010-09-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

..... all of our upcoming visitors!!!

Joanna September 9-13
Grammy and PopPop September 14-21
Tim and Kathe September 23-26
Lyss October 13-17
Dad October 15-17

Also looking forward to:

Thanksgiving in Arizona
Christmas in California and Indiana

What a great way to start a new season and lead into the next!!!

NYC

2010-09-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Loved it. Great city. Great hotels (thanks M&D). Great experiences. Hot, humid weather... not so great. But I am soooo happy the fam got together for a family vacay to NYC.

A few memorable experiences:

- Grand Hyatt Customer Service (EXCELLENT)
- Andaz Customer Service (EXCELLENT)
- Promises, Promises (I am now obsessed with broadway shows and love Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth even more)
- US Open and Rafael Nadal taking his shirt off
- 6 Hour Walking Tour: one of our tourmates was in one of the towers when the plane struck... he survived, his friends did not.
- The history of NYC was completely unexpected
- Hanging out with Matt and Michelle on my birthday (Andrew's "brogie" and sis-in-law)
- Singing and dancing with Mom and Lyss to New York, New York (that's a given)
- Hurricane Earl and how it did NOT effect us or our traveling plans
- Spending awesome time with my family

And here are some pics to back up my wonderful experiences

Colorado Adventures continued...

2010-09-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I had randomly been given two days off on the same days!! So, we decided to take advantage of it and get out of the "city" for the day. I had made some picnic pasta, brought waters, and snacks, and packed Leroi up with his car toys and water. We decided to head up to Mount Evans, highest paved road in America, to take a look at the views. From there, we went to Georgetown for some wine tasting at Canyon Wind - and to purchase a bottle (or two) for our picnic. From Georgetown, we drove to Vail and took Leroi to a beautiful dog park where we enjoyed our picnic, the views, and of course, Leroi enjoyed the park. It was such a great time with the boys and it was awesome to explore a bit of Colorado outside Denver.

The road to Mt. Evans

Bighorn Sheep

He was masticating like a cow.

Bighorn Babies!

Does anyone know what kind of animal this is?? Cuz I don't.

My boys are on top of the world!

Our little family in the clouds.

Incredible view, huh?

Leroi and his branch of a stick.

Destroying the stick teepee.

Vail custom makes their playgrounds.

The boys are playing

Leroi went down the slide... and probably won't do that again.

Note to self.

2010-09-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

I need to blog about SOOOO many things and I don't have very much time to write!!

- Colorado Adventures as of late
- NYC with the fam
- My bday in NYC and M&M
- Visitors
- My new faves
- Funny MSNBC article
- Holidays
- Apartment updates
- Looking forward to....

I will be posting throughout the day, so I apologize in advance for the heaps of posts you may be reading today. Or tomorrow. Or whatever.

I need a balanced balance.

2010-08-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm a happy person for the most part. I have my dark days where the "color of my soul" shines through and I start wearing my black clothing and black nail polish and seem to crave drinking wine while soaking in a bath tub with no lights on. I gotta tell ya' though... I'm realizing how much work sucks the life out of me. I wake up every work-day morning at 5am saying to myself, I'm going to work out or go for a run when I get off work. Here is my routine 5 days out of the week:

5am: Wake up
6am: Leave for work
6am-6:45am: Blast music in the car - Playlists including Alanis Morrisette, Fiona Apple, Barry White, Train, DMB, and classic romance songs from Etta James, Louis Armstrong, and of course Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole. I've taken a particular liking to Billie Holiday's "I'll be seeing you" lately.
6:45am: Arrive to work, clock in, gather my shit at the Front Desk and start working.
3-3:30pm: Clock out and drive home.
3-4:00pm: Try to stay awake while driving home.
4:00pm: Arrive home, take Leroi potty, make a snack, sit on the balcony with Leroi, read and listen to the wind in the trees; sometimes accompanied by a glass of wine.
5-9pm: If I have enough energy, take Leroi on a nice walk. Or, watch HGTV until I fall asleep. Then wake up, make something for dinner, and wait for Andrew to get home if he's still at work.
10-11:30pm: Go to bed.

This is my routine, to the tee, without fault. I wake up every morning telling myself I will go work out. By the time I get home, I am so achy, so exhausted, and so drained from everything that goes on at work, work that which people think isn't demanding at all, that I just can't bring myself to do anything that is GOOD for me at the end of the day. So, I decided that I will wake up early every morning, as if I don't already, so I can go to the gym in my community's club house. I'm thinking 4am wake up to be working out by 4:15am so I can get at least 45 minutes of cardio/strength training in to start the day off. I wish I had someone to play tennis with... I would be sooo much more motivated to go out after work if I could go hit some balls. Do you know how much aggression and anxiety and mental cloudiness I could get rid of if I could just play a doubles match where I just dominate the net and volley and overhead into people's faces? Don't worry, I don't have issues or anything........

This post is turning into mumble jumble.... so be it.

I've been reading Eat Pray Love recently after taking myself to go see the movie. I love seeing matinee shows by myself. It's so liberating. I take myself out to lunch before or after. My fave lunch spot has been Mimi's for the fabulous Cobb Salad and Buttermilk Spice Muffin. Dear God, it's sinfully good. People think I'm nuts for seeing a movie by myself and taking myself out to lunch. But I promise you, I love it. People may think I'm a total loner and I've gotten a couple of sympathy comments from others as if they pity me and my lonesome. Truth is, I get to escape for a few hours to be alone. By myself. On my own. I get to enjoy someone's fictional stories for my own entertainment to relieve me of my non-fictional life. Sometimes, you just need a temporary absence.

I've been trying to come up with things to help spark my creative side, too. I've recently talked about stationery and creativity and such things with one of my managers at work. She kind of inspires me because we get along pretty well in my opinion. I think she gets my corky side. When I'm at work, I'm a freakin' goon. Seriously. I say things I never say at home... just cornball things. We talk about random stuff at work. I think I do it subconsciously because I'm either bored, frustrated, pissed, annoyed, tired, unamused, feeling entitled to a friggin' break, and certainly not entertained by everyone's complaints. It's not like I'm a major goober all the time, I think I just need an escape. I'm big on the "escape" things. That's when I let my imagination wander; it's when I let myself fall asleep face down on my bed after work and think of elaborate vacations of finding antique furniture and pictures and gathering inspirations for designs and themes for events and stationery suites. Escape is when I can close my eyes and imagine myself drinking a glass of wine seaside on the French Riviera. I miss Europe so much, by the way. Ever since the movie and now the book, I definitely see myself in Liz Gilbert's shoes, craving a retreat in other countries trying to find herself; define herself. Not that I don't know who I am, but I'm trying to find a balance between being who I want to be and doing what I want to do and doing what I genuinely dislike and being someone I genuinely dislike. I want to be someone who takes care of herself and takes pride in herself. I want to be someone who doesn't come home grumpy and tired from a lousy day at work. I don't want to give my job and co-workers the best of me and have Andrew and Leroi and my friends and family get the worst of me. That's not how it should be. I need to find balance. I need to be the best employee and be the best girlfriend, best doggy mom, best sister, best daughter, best friend. Granted, everyone has slip-ups in the "best department," but I don't want to be the dodgey chick anymore.

Maybe everyone goes through this in life. Maybe this happens all the time. Maybe things never feel good enough to some people. Who knows? We all go through phases. Phases of wanting to be single, phases of wanting to be married, phases of never having children, to phases of wanting 5 kids. Phases of wearing black, and phases of wearing white non-marital dresses. I go through "way to go, Lo!" phases to "what the (blank) are doing to yourself? Can you please have a little bit more respect and love for yourself?" Jesus.

This post is a bit deeper than I had really intended. It definitely turned into mumble jumble. Sometimes, I need a little mumble jumble to get myself back to normal.

It's Saturday, August 28th, approximately 11:08am. Yes, I am at work and yes, I am blogging. It's slow. Reeeeaaaalllllyyyyy slow. And I've already done everything on my check list which is so very typical of me, even on a ridiculously busy day. I am leaving in about an hour to go home and pack for the family NYC trip. My flight leaves tonight at 7:55pm to arrive at LAX at 9:20pm. Tomorrow morning, our flight leaves at 8:30am to go to NYC until September 4th, when I will return to Denver to start work the very next day. Oh, and did I mention I am turning 24 on Monday? Yep. 24 years old. Me. 24. Me at 24. Wow.

I would like to mention that I am VERY grateful for everything I have in this life. I LOVE my family, LOVE my friends, LOVE my boyfriend, LOVE my Leroi Brown. I am just trying to find a more peaceful balance... a balanced balance if you will.

Anyway, I'm signing off for now. I think I've said enough. I still have SO many posts to blog about. And I'll get to them. Eventually. For now, I'm going to get excited about seeing my family and spending a whole week having a blast with them in NYC. Talk about a great escape!

Andrew learns "a Lauren lesson"

2010-08-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer in using toilet paper that is 2-ply or more, preferably above 2-ply. My motto:

"Life's too short to wipe with sand paper."

I'm pretty brand loyal... loves me some Cottonelle... mostly because of the golden retriever puppies in the commercials. Love those puppies.

Anyway, unexpectedly, Andrew and I ran out of t.p. And I mean, unexpectedly. So Andrew went out to go get some toilet tissue and came back with the crappiest (no pun intended) toilet paper. Gas stations and airplane stalls have better tissue paper than this. It's like 1/2 ply... well, I'm lying. It's 1-ply but it feels like sand paper. Serious sand paper. The saying "who put sand paper on your toilet?" seems all too familiar now.

I immediately notified Andrew of my severe disappointment... funny thing is... the moment I walked out of the washroom, he had the look on his face as if he KNEW I was going to come out and explain to him that 1-ply does NOT comply with my t.p. rules. My question is... having already previously known that I would not agree with his decision to buy less-than-gas-station toilet paper, WHY did he buy it?

From now on, I will be doing the toilet paper shopping. 3 rolls still remain in our bathroom cabinet. They might come in handy for wood crafting projects.

Sorry

2010-08-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while and I have LOTS to catch up on.

In the meantime, prior to pictures, adventures, stories and such things in soon-to-come posts, I would like to say that I am really gonna miss Dale. She is leaving Colorado today to go back to California and I have to wait a whole semester before she moves out here permanently.

No offense to the boys, but Andrew and Leroi sometimes just don't cut it when it comes to gossip, Sex and the City, HGTV, and wine. I miss my feminine interactions.... "estrogen love" as Becca and I like to call it. I didn't get to see Dale too much while she was here (family MUST come first), but for the time that we did have together, I really enjoyed and absolutely cherish. I had the BEST time and will miss her physical presence here in Colorado. The days seemed brighter with my FB here.

Ok, anyway, I will post later after work... until then, Au'revoir! (sp?)

Siento nostalgia.

2010-07-26T07:40:00.001-07:00

I don't even know if the blog title is PC in Spanish, but in English, I'm homesick.

Don't get me wrong, I love Colorado and am so happy I live here. But I sincerely miss my family and friends. Now that my Christmas flights are booked for home and Indiana, I'm realizing that ANY time I want to go home to visit, I have to plan it out. It's not just about requesting time off from work and getting in my car and driving 5 hours from AZ to CA. It's about requesting time off way in advance. It's about booking/coordinating flights. It's about figuring out what to do with Leroi. Is Andrew coming with me or not? If Andrew comes home with me, then we have to board Leroi because we can't fly him. Going home is now an expense that I have to budget for and it's far from spontaneous like it used to be. It's sad. Really sad.

Good news is that I'll be going home for Christmas... seems so far away, but I can already taste the Fall and Winter. I'm so excited for the holidays and hopefully Andrew and I will start to build our new holiday traditions together. We're talking about Thanksgiving, but working in the hotel industry makes it seem impossible to request holidays off and actually be guaranteed those dates. But we'll see.

Oh life.

J.Lo and Dale.

2010-07-25T13:14:00.000-07:00

Super stoked.

Dale is coming out in August for an entire week!

Joanna is coming out in September for a long weekend!

Need I say more? No, not really, but I'm going to.

I spend my free time thinking of wonderful things to do when they're here. There is so much to see/do... I don't know where to start off.

I know for sure that JJ and I are gonna go to the Denver Art Museum to see the King Tut exhibit. Saaaweet. I just think Ancient Egypt is totally interesting and inspiring. I wonder if we can bring our cameras in... prob not though.

We're also going to be drinking beer. Lots of beer. Denver Beer Fest, here we freakin' come! We're gonna dominate. I hope.

And Boulder... we have to go to Boulder. Definitely on the list of things to do/see for JJ. She'll love it. It's such an awesome hippy college town. Super cute. And I love the pedestrian downtown. Fabulous.

What else is coming up in August/September? Oh, I'll be turning 24. 20-freaking-4. Where does the time go? Seriously.

That's pretty much all I wanted to say. I just really miss my friends. JJ and I got super close after high school. We called each other J.Lo. Get it? Joanna and Lo? Pretty easy. And I miss my Dale, too, obviously.

I've been realizing the past couple of years how difficult it is to find true friends. Yes, I meet people and develop "friendly-ships" (as I like to call them), but to find true friends, best friends, Sex and the City friends, wine friends, pig out friends, cry-on-shoulder friends... it's definitely hard to come across.

Anyway, I'm just really excited to see them and I just can't wait!

To Do List

2010-07-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

I ♥ Colorado. It's so wonderful here. I no longer consider myself new to the area, but I still have to google map stuff a lot... just to make sure my instincts are correct. And there is still so much to see. Andrew and I wrote a to do list and stuck in on our fridge. And this week, we tackled/are gonna tackle two more of those things.

When Andrew and Leroi came to pick me up at the airport from Seattle (post about the trip coming soon), Andrew asked me if I would be interested in heading over to Rocky Mountain National Park... uhhh, yes please!!

So, the three of us headed out to the park and boy am I glad we did. We grabbed 6" sandwiches from Blimpie and picnic'd at one of the creeks. It was absolutely beautiful and we loved it. Leroi had a blast. It was sooo beautiful. And Estes Park is such a cute place, lined with shops, boutiques, restaurants. Ever heard of Estes Park before? The famous Stanley Hotel is there - Stephen King's The Shining is based on the author's experiences at the Stanley. Creepy cool, huh? We also went to Bear Lake, a beautiful lake that provides a perfect reflection of the mountains in the water... on a clear day, that is. We got rained on. :(

Anyway, it was a wonderful time and in a way, it was kind of romantic. We enjoy each other so much and we're both soooo grateful to have been able to move to Colorado together. It's been such a wonderful time building our lives.

For Thursday night, Andrew got us tickets to OAR at Red Rocks Ampitheater. It's going to be an awesome concert and Red Rocks is BEAUTIFUL! And it's only 5-10 mins away from us.

Pics from City Park in Downtown Denver

Pics from Rocky Mountain National Park

Genetics, stress, or just plain wrong.

2010-07-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Is this just genetics? Is this stress? This is just plain, flat out wrong! It's awful. That's what it is. I'm too young for this! And why all of a sudden are they appearing? I find more every morning. EVERY morning.

Gray hair, people. I'm talking gray - freaking - hair. Seriously? I counted 14 on my head this morning and it seems like every morning, there are 3 more. I'm not kidding. This salt and pepper look is NOT for me. And they're random. I have them right on top of my head or at the back/top of my head or the very front. And I have lke 4 right near my scar/dent in my forehead. What is this?

WHAT IS THIS? Just thinking about it stresses me out... just wait... I'll wake up tomorrow with 8 more (knock on wood - oh please knock on wood).

Denver Tourist

2010-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Obviously I'm new to the Denver area. Yes, I've visited before, but that doesn't count. I want to TRULY experience where I live, something I don't thnk I did very well in Arizona. I've been "borrowing" brochures/magazines from work's nonexistant concierge desk to check out the local dining, bars, adventures, scenery, museums, etc.

I gotta' tell you somethin'... you have to come visit us! There is SOOO much to do here, it's ridiculous! Joanna is hopefully coming to visit in September. We're pretty much planning beer tours. Anddddd Denver Beer Fest takes place in September!! Sweeeeeet!!!

Andrew and I walked around Red Rocks Ampitheater yesterday evening. It's just freakin' gorgeous. I am SO happy and SO lucky to live here. It's such phenomenal scenery everywhere you go.

I especially love all the old, vintage, Victorian buildings here. Denver was big during the Colorado Gold Rush. Molly Brown is a historic figure - her house is preserved and is available for tours and stuff. In case you don't know who Molly is, she struck gold and became uber rich. On top of that, you will probably most recognize her as a survivor of the Titanic. And yes, her "role" was played by Kathy Bates in the movie. Anyway, her house is here. And there are crazy museums and outdoor activities and parks and shopping and just EVERYTHING.

I can't wait to get out there and explore some more!! Woooo!!! ♥

For future reference...

2010-06-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ok people. I work in the hospitality industry. And right now I'm workin' the Front Desk. I wanted to give you all a few pointers about being a good hotel guest. And believe me, I value and acknowledge exceptional service when staying at a hotel, but there comes a point where you don't need to be a nasty guest just because you don't get what you want.

As Front Desk, this is what I deal with:
-all check ins and check outs
- guest requests i.e. having your room cleaned, you need toothpaste, or you can't find your car keys and you want everyone in the entire hotel to help you look for them even though they're in a pocket in your purse (don't ask)
- direct billing/charging
- room blocking, upgrading and requests
- ALL COMPLAINTS
For instance, if your tub isn't draining properly, it's not my fault. It's not anyone's fault. So please do not yell at me.
For instance, if you have a burnt out lightbulb, not my fault, do not yell at me.
For instance, your food tasted nasty or you didn't like your server, not my fault. Don't yell at me.
For instance, your room smelled horribly after you took a dump. Do not yell at me. You're disgusting and it's not my problem your doody smells.

However, guests call the Front Office to complain in hopes we will comp them their internet, room service, or perhaps give them a complimentary breakfast buffet. Get a grip and stop harassing me.

So please, when you're a guest at a hotel, remember me. Remember me and all I deal with. Remember that I am not your slave. Remember that I am human.

Before you yell at someone at Front Desk, think about why you're upset and who caused it. Who's fault is it? However, by all means, if the Front Desk agent is giving you major attitude and would prefer to do nothing for you than something at all, yell at them and make them feel like they're not doing their job, because they're obviously not.

Some other pointers: we love compliments given to management, whether verbal or written. We enjoy when you say our name (check the name tag). Try to be as empathic as the Front Desk agent.

That's all for now. I have to radio Housekeeping to plunge a clogged toilet.

Our new home.

2010-06-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Alright. It's official. Andrew and I moved in together with our Mushykiss, Leroi Brown. We live in Lakewood, Colorado which is about 20 mins from Downtown Denver. It's absolutely beautiful here and the transition has been totally easy. I love living with the boys, but I gotta' say, I can't wait for my Lindsay Dale Fox to get out here in December!! We've determined that we're about 15 mins away on the freeway. Freakin' fabulous!

I've been here for a week now and it's been quite the adventure. Andrew and I have been working on furnishing the apartment.I was a bit crazy but my last day in Scottsdale and at work was Saturday, June 12th, I officially moved in on Sunday, June 13th, and I started my new job on Monday, June 14th. I will be sure to not do that again, but I'm kind of glad I did. I think it made the move/transition a whole lot easier because I didn't have time to think about turning the page to a new chapter. Besides, I was missing the boys soooo much since they had been gone a whole week!

I LOVE our apartment. It's so awesome and very nice. It has a lot more space than I originally imagined. It has a great open floor plan, especially the kitchen.

Ok, here are a few pictures of our work in progress and our recent purchases!

New Sofa... We LOVE it! It passed the "Spoon Test!"

Barstools/kitchen accessories with Leroi to the left

Another angle of the kitchen

Reduce Reuse Recycle over our laundry doors

Two bookshelves serving as the entertainment unit complete with flatscreen and other tv's/monitors.

The bathroom

The master bedroom.

Our balcony with lots of trees and pretty stuff.

Like I said, we're still working on furnishing the place and adding our own personalities and accessories. We still need a coffee table, which we're thinking is going to end up being an ottoman that doubles as storage or a coffee table that provides storage. We would like an end table for the living room and possibly a lamp and floor lamp. I am going to be making a headboard for the bedroom and hopefully getting a night stand and dresser. And of course, some art/canvas pieces and other such accessories.

Isn't it super cute? And can I just say... I LOOOVE our sofa. Andrew wanted a super man cave sofa, which I of course refused... and we finally came across our new beauty and just fell in love. In order to confirm that the sofa was deep enough, we decided to spoon. Yep, we spoon snuggled in the store. Hahahah, we did it modestly, don't fret.

Anyway, that is the apartment update. I love living with the boys and it's been such an awesome time shopping and exploring. We haven't been Downtown yet, but hopefully that will come this week! Leroi has made an easy transition and so far, he's really loved it. He's been a good boy. :)

I think that's it for now about the apartment. More pics to come as more items are bought! <3

The move to Colorado

2010-06-20T19:38:00.002-07:00

So, Mom came out to Arizona to visit me and help me pack... that eventually turned into Mom driving with me all the way to Denver. Best road trip ever. My last day at Hotel Theodore was Saturday at 4pm. At 4pm, we left for Santa Fe, New Mexico from Scottsdale. We stayed the night at the Hyatt Santa Fe (meaning we slept 4.5 hours), then got back on the road to arrive in Denver by noon. Fabulous. We made it in the tightly packed car. Mom kept saying we don't even need to wear our seat belts because we were packed in so tightly... true story, the car was PACKED. I can't believe we made it somewhat comfortably all the way to Denver - by the way - it's a 12 hour drive. No big deal.

This picture doesn't do any justice to the amount of shitake I had in my car.

Awesome road trip. We were blazin' saddles, takin' cowboys! Thanks for coming with me Mom!

Indiana 2010

2010-06-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I made our second trip to Indiana to see Tim and Kathe and for the Indy 500. This time was absolutely awesome because I was already familiar with the area, kind of, and I already have met the majority of Andrew's friends. Two super cool things that happened out there: We got to meet some of Tim and Kathe's friends andddd I FINALLY got to meet Andrew Bourne, Andrew's BFFL. It was super fantastic.

Now, I know I said I would never camp again. If any of you remember from last year, you would remember that "camping" at the Indy 500 is really "camping and trashing." It's disgusting and gross and belligerent. Anyway, I told Andrew last year I would never do it again. Ooops, I did it again.

We rolled up to the campsite and discovered a sleepy camper.

Almost two minutes later, we were greeted by a fellow patriot.

After about 20 minutes, I told Andrew I wanted to go home. Now. But, I toughed it out because I love him and I know that he wants to spend time with his friends. Besides, this year we decided to sleep in the car instead of the one person, 12 and under tent. This would mean that no one would feel the need to urinate around or on the tent this time. Apparently, people are more likely to pee near or on the car than the tent. The cars supposedly provide awesome "stall doors" for privacy. Fun.

Anyway, we went to the race and had a blast. Of course, Indiana saved the heat and humidity for me. I think it was record breaking heat on the day of the race. No lie. It was sooo hot. We had awesome seats in Turn 4. The sun was beating down on us all day with occasional breezes, but the view of the track was priceless. Dario Franchitti ended up taking the win. He led 90% of the race... incredible. I would much rather have TK (Tony Kanaan) win, good news is that he took the Iowa Corn Indy 250 today. :)

Here are some more pics from the awesome Indiana experience.

My love and the Pace Car.

Tim and Kathe treated us for dinner at St. Elmo's. I had steak and a piece of shrimp!

Kathe and I in front of St. Elmo's.

Andrew and Pagota Tower at Carb Day.

Kathe and Andrew.

Carb Day begins!

Arie's car... Freedom 100

Ok, I just love this picture. Andrew, Spencer, and Uncle Steve.

Capital State Building

Tim and his groupie.

El Trabajo

2010-06-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

So, since most of you know that I relocated to Colorado, it would be safe to assume that I found a job out there.

I left this place...

Hotel Theodore (previously known as Mondrian)

And now I work at this place...

Sheraton Denver Tech Center

I went from working the Front Office at Hotel Theodore to working the Front Office at Sheraton Denver Tech Center. So far, so good. No complaints. I was really excited to start work and I am still so excited that I actually live in Colorado. I think this job will provide more opportunities for me to get into the field I want to focus on. My coworkers are awesome, the management team is great, and it's a corporate hotel so that means it's busiest on the weekdays and slow on the weekends... perfect.

I miss my Theodore friends, but this new chapter is sooo exciting!

We Graduated!!!

2010-06-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

First off, I would like to apologize for another long absence. Moving and starting a new job seems to have taken all of my time. Because Marisa got mad at me and continued to "remind" me to update my blog, I obviously have to.

Ok, so this post is about graduation. There will be MANY more to follow!

So yes, Lyss and I graduated!! It was the most amazing weekend! Family came out to visit... for shout out purposes: Grammy, PopPop, Nana, Aunt Shell, Uncle George, Aunt Karen, Uncle Rich, Aunt Moni, Mikey, Aunt Mo, Uncle Mark, and Avery. We also had the Moore family and Tim and Kathe come for a fun BBQ at the hotel. I am so lucky and so blessed to have such a wonderful family who is always there to love and support me.

Here are some pics from graduation, courtesy of Uncle Rich and Aunt Karen. I was stupid and didn't take any pictures on my camera... couldn't tell you why. I did, however, take pics of the invitations I made... and the announcements I made for Andrew. :)

The Apartment

2010-06-05T09:05:00.001-07:00

So, like I stated in the previous post, Andrew and Leroi are currently driving to Denver as I type. We got an apartment in Lakewood, CO which is a bit SW of Denver... basically a Denver suburb. We have an awesome location, close to all the highways so the commute will never be terrible wherever we work. There is a big balcony for Leroi, top floor unit, washer and dryer in unit, built-in desk, open floorplan, open kitchen, all appliances included, awesome walk-in closet (finally), 9' ceilings, and the complex is super nice. We are so excited. This is obviously a huge step for us, but there are absolutely no doubts or worries for either of us. I am so lucky to have my boys out there with me and it's fantastic that Drew and I are on the same page. We're starting from scratch, so we don't have any furniture, but if you know me, you know I'm TOTALLY ecstatic about furnishing the apartment... through Craigslist and consignment/resale shops obviously. I feel like I have been waiting for this my whole life! Here are some introductory pictures. We don't know if the following pictures are of our actual apartment layout or if it's reversed. Either way, this is what it looks like!

"Crestone" floorplan.

Exterior buildings.

We have the third floor... 74 sq ft balcony.

The clubhouse interior.

The business center... free printing, internet, etc.

The pool and clubhouse exterior.

Entry, coat closet to your left, living room to your left, obviously kitchen on the right.

View of the kitchen from living room.

Peek-a-boo washer and dryer.

Bathroom.

Built in desk, bathroom on left, master bedroom on right.

Isn't it cute?! I will obviously be taking pictures when I get there and start getting the place feelin' like home!

I should start with the most recent news...

2010-06-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

I got a job in Denver at the Sheraton Denver Tech Center! My last day at Hotel Theodore is June 12th, I move into the apartment on June 13th, and I start work June 14th!

I can't believe it. I'm still shocked. I mean, lets be honest. I'm an awesome worker and any company would love to have me, but I was the exception to the Sheraton.

I originally applied for a different position at this hotel - I posted about this earlier. I didn't get that job because they transferred someone internally, which even I would recommend doing, so I figured I would just keep truckin' and apply to more jobs. The interesting thing is that I actually phone interviewed for that job and totally nailed the interview... so when I found out I didn't get the job, I thought I had actually bombed the interview. Anyway, long story short, the HR department called me a few days later telling me they now have a full-time position available with the Front Office and wanted to know if I was interested because they thought I would be the perfect candidate for it. I, of course, said "absolutely" and thanked her for her consideration and for keeping me in mind... turns out I did really well in the interview. Since I had already had my "first" interview with them, the Front Office manager called me to schedule another interview. I had told them that I would be more than willing to fly out for an in-person interview. Considering this is the hospitality industry and that this new position is for Front Office, employees like me get a lot of guest-facing experience, so my appearance and demeanor absolutely counts. Instead, they decided I could do another phone interview with them because they were that confident in me. 10 Minutes after my interview, I got a call back saying they would like to proceed with my reference and background checks. The following day (yesterday), I got offered the position!!! They have never hired anyone solely on phone interviews before, so I am quite the exception. And to be honest, this position was never posted on their career website, so I'm thinking they figured I was valuable enough to just get me in to begin with. They also told me that they prefer to do internal transfers from department to department and to different locations and that it actually happens quite frequently. At this point, this job is a great stepping stone to get to where I truly want to be.

I am so excited and so proud of myself for putting myself out there in Denver. I am pursuing my dreams and this is just the first step. My parents are very proud of me and I think they realize how big of deal this is. They've never moved out of state before (well, Mom did when she was like 4 or something) so I think they admire my drive to do this. And... Andrew and Leroi are driving out there to move into the apartment today! Andrew got a job at a country club so he can get himself out there. He is still in the running for a few city planner positions he had applied for a few months back, and now we're both at an advantage because we're "local" now. This is just awesome!

Yes, I know.

2010-06-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a long while since I've posted... it's been chaos lately. But don't fret, I haven't forgotten about you. Here are some topics I will be covering in my posts to come.

- graduation

- most of the family visiting

- job

- moving

- job search

- Indiana

- Indy 500

- Cedar Point (yes, I went to Ohio, too)

- I rock

I obviously have a lot to post, so let me just kind of "decompress" and I'll get right on it. Until next time... peace.

FINGERS CROSSED!

2010-05-05T00:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's 1am and yes, I am awake. But I'm so excited. I applied to my dream job this evening. PLEASE KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED FOR ME. AND TOES!! The job is in Denver and it's exactly what I want to do and I am sooo qualified for it. Ahhhhhh I hope they hire me asap. Send the job vibes my way, por favor!!! Gracias!!!

Check it out!

2010-04-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Andrew's grad group is in the newspaper for their hard work with the city of Gilbert! Awesome job, Drew!

AZ Central Article

We went ahead and added this to his portfolio. Feel free to check it out as well!

Andrew's Professional Blogsite

Need an update... graduation is near.

2010-04-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

School is definitely down to the nitty-gritty right now, thanks to the end of semester rush in every class. However, I must say, I am extremely excited that the end of the semester is here. For obvious reasons. Graduation is sooooo close. Granted, I'm not completely done with school and only walking. But still. OMG. My family is gonna be here soon. I cannot wait. I sent out the invitations, as my family should have already received them. I also made a tentative itinerary that was included with them. And, I made Andrew's grad announcements as well. My man is graduating in May with his Master's Degree!! Sooo crazy! Especially when you think about how it took me 6 years to get ONE degree and he did TWO degrees in the same amount of time. He's so smart. :) Weston is graduating, too (Lyssa's BF). It's a crazy exciting time and I just can't wait to celebrate.

However, on the downside, it's HOT. I HATE ARIZONA SUMMERS. It was 94 degrees yesterday. 94!! Seriously? It's April. APRIL. I hope it's not scalding hot in May for graduation. Especially because I want to have a good time and be happy and in hot weather, I'm not so happy. I'm quite hostile, actually. Ugh. Oh well. Hopefully I won't have to deal with AZ summer for too much longer.

Andrew has been applying for jobs NONSTOP. I think he applied to four job postings alone today. He's been working his tooshie off for the past couple of months trying to find something. Basically, this is my shout out to him to let him know that I'm proud of him and confident that something will come along.

I am going to be getting a hair cut soon. My friend, Becca, inspired me to do so. She just got her hair cut and colored and it looks so cute. Plus, it's summer time. It's time to get my hair thinned out because, as I'm sure you know, I have thick hair. Ugh.

In other news, Leroi is such a booger. A cute, lovable, snuggle-up, playful kind of booger. We can tell that he's maturing which is awesome. Even if he's only 8 months old.

Oh, aaaannnnnnddd, I'm going to Indiana. Yeeeeee!! For a whole week!! With Drew, obvi. Tim sent us an email yesterday confirming our Indy 500 tickets and we have some baller seats in turn 4!! It's gonna be SOOOO awesome! I can't wait to see the race and the drivers. Drew and I have been keeping up to speed with the races lately. Long Beach Grand Prix was just yesterday. Everyone is looking pretty good. Team Penske is racing strong as always and Andretti Auto Sport just came in with a big win yesterday with Ryan Hunter Reay taking first. Andretti hasn't won for the past two years, so I'm sure they're celebrating. Marco Andretti has been racing strong this year, even though I don't really "like" him, he's looking pretty good on the track. Danica is disappointing. Her Nascar racing seemingly screwed her Indy racing over. She shouldn't have gone to Nascar to begin with. I think she should master Indy first, then dabble in Nascar if she wants to. I feel like racing is more about the money for her now, instead of for the love of it. Tony Kanaan... he's still one of my faves. I just love him. Helio, obvi I'm watching out for him as well. Dario Franchitti, I love his accent and the fact that he's married to Ashley Judd. Someone to look out for this year, De Silvestro. She is definitely a candidate for rookie racer of the year. She seems a lot stronger than Danica, so I would probably watch for her in qualifying at Indy. I'm thinking she has a pretty good chance. (I guarantee you I'm going to be made fun of for going off about Indy - I don't think people believe I actually LIKE it)

Anywho, that's about it. School is cruel, but almost over. Graduation is just around the corner. Can't wait to see my family. I'm gonna get a hair cut. Indy is coming up in May. Leroi is a booger. I'm proud of my boyfriend. And I love you. Have a good Monday!

Some things.

2010-04-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is yet another thing I want. Right now. It would let me do everything I want to do. Website design, run numbers, type up itineraries, invoices, to-do's, etc. It's $79.00. I want want want now now now. Has anyone worked with iWork before? Know anything about it? I tried it at at Best Buy the other day and just like everything Mac-related, I love it.

Also, does anyone know anything about creating a website? Like... have you heard of a good web hosting company? A less expensive host? Because I would like to get my website up and running, but I don't want to go through a web host that sucks, doesn't have a lot of uptime, poor customer service and is expensive. I was thinking about GoDaddy or Yahoo or something, but I don't know. Any advice? Email me, por favor.

Graduation Invitations...

2010-04-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Done and done. I made them for all of the family that is attending the weekend of fun in May for Lyss and I. We already know who's coming and what not because of the need to book hotel rooms, etc. But, I figured it would be a good idea to make them... and add them to my portfolio. Wanna see them??

Click here!

Creativity...

2010-04-05T23:14:00.000-07:00

... I'm craving it.

Did you know that there is computer software available specifically for making invitations? For weddings, parties, engagements, save-the-dates, whatever. The software includes fonts and images that you would probably only find with a graphic designer. I found it for $29.99. I want it. I'm adding it to my "Hopeful" list. Just thought I'd let you all know.

Do you know what kinds of things I could make with that? I mean, I wouldn't limit myself to just invitations. I could do seals, labels, embellishments, stamps and so on. Life would be so much happier if I could just do this stuff already.

Oh wait, I need time to do all these things. And clients. Clients that have events that need to be catered to. Hmm. What a conundrum.

Graduation is coming up in a little more than a month. Am I excited? HELL YES. I can't wait for all the fam to come out and visit for the weekend. Annnndd, I'm makin' the cupcakes. Yep, that's right. I'm making cupcakes as a dessert option for our little shinny-dig-dig on Saturday at the hotel. Can't wait. I'm gonna make them cute; don't fret.

Anyway, I'm exhausted. Went on a hike with my favorite boys this morning. Drew took us to Sunrise Peak. Doesn't look like a mean, old mountain when you look at it. Turns out, it didn't like me. I didn't make it all the way to the top. Actually, I was about 10 minutes away from the half-point when I had to turn around. Don't worry, I'm workin' on it. I'm not a quitter with this hiking thing. Yet.

I'm going to bed. I have work tomorrow morning. Don't be jealous (sarcasm at its best). Nighty.

Megen & Tom

2010-04-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

I've recently offered my help to my non-related aunt, Megen Pool (Mom's BFF from work). Megen and her man, Tom, recently got engaged. When I heard the news, I offered to help Megen with the wedding planning.

Tom and Megen will be getting married on Saturday, April 3rd in Kona, Hawaii. However, their reception celebration will be Saturday, July 10th up in the Seattle, Washington area. A lot of newlyweds like to start blogs to track their planning, any information for their guests, etc. Rather than starting a blog, Megen and I decided to start her own little website. The website I created for Tom and Megen is powered by WeddingChannel.com. It's free to join, free to create. I added this to my portfolio on my "pro blog" but wanted you to check it out. I linked their registries, provided information for guests (like attire, hotels, etc) and was able to put their story and proposal story on there. I hope you like it!

Megen and Tom

I'm so happy for Megen and Tom and wish them the best this weekend as they say "I do." I can't wait to see Megen and meet Tom in July!

I'm employed.

2010-03-31T17:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, so one of my previous posts was about how Mondrian went down and a new hotel would begin. And it did. Hotel Theodore (named after el presidente). And guest what! Although the spa is still closed, and looks like it's going to be closed for a while, I was able to make my way into front desk/concierge. I took a slight pay cut which sucks, but I have a job. I can pay my bills and I can get health insurance again. Awesome! I'm stoked about it. I'm still keeping an open door and open mind to event planning opportunities, perhaps just as someone who "supervises the event" on event dates. So we'll see.

Anyway, I just wanted to keep you in the loop in case you were just soooo interested in knowing.

Oooohhhh Gimme Gimme

2010-03-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

I want some things. Some very expensive things. Aaaannnnd I want them now.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi $$$$

Amazon Kindle $$

I want to become a Certified Special Events Professional $$$$$

Not to mention, a whole new wardrobe, a new flat iron for my hair, some nice make up, lots of new shoes, and so forth.

Just sayin'...

I have another blog.

2010-03-19T19:33:00.001-07:00

Ok, so after working ALL day on my resume, new blog, cover letters, and my LinkedIn account, I am ready to show you the new blog dedicated to my professionalism. Hahahahah, that sounds funny.

Here it is:

http://laurensalgado.wordpress.com

Thank you. Please enjoy.

Opportunity Awaits

2010-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

So here is the update on work. I am no longer employed by Morgans Hotel Group and the Mondrian Hotel. The Mondrian Scottsdale no longer exists. The hotel property is currently owned by "the bank" and rather than keep MHG on as the management company, a new management company has been hired to run the hotel. The transition officially occurred on Tuesday, March 17th, while I was in California trying to enjoy a short vacation/brain break. With a foreclosure and potential lay off in sight, it's difficult to relax, right?

Anyway, I got to work on Thursday to fill out my new employee paperwork with the new management company. But, turns out, the company is closing the spa. So I'm no longer Spa Supervisor and there is no longer an Agua Spa of Scottsdale. I have been assigned as the "go-to girl at the hotel" which basically means that I have no assigned department yet. So basically, I feel like I'm unemployed.

Of course, I was pissed. I had stuck it out with the company wishing and hoping I would be able to continue to manage the spa and stay with the hospitality industry for a but longer. But now, I'm kind of over it. The hotel biz isn't what I want to do. Besides, I enjoy not working holidays. So now, I'm going to take this as a sign; an opportunity to get my life headed in the direction I want it to: Event Planning and Designing.

I need to start putting my feet in the water. I want to gain experience in the field so that I can be a more desirable candidate when I'm ready to commit to planning when school is done and gone. I plan on moving relatively soon to someplace I don't know where, so I think now is a good time to start enjoying things. I feel like I've been miserable for so long that I should reward myself by applying to jobs with event planning companies and teams. Don't you think? Ok, good. Since we're living in the digital age, I decided to create a "professional blog." I'm still working on it, so don't get too excited. I'll post the link when it's ready for its debut.

Until then, peace!

Aye Caramba.

2010-03-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

I have to keep reminding myself that school is almost finished and done with. Just a few more months of this sh** and I am free. The fact that I am on spring break for school and I feel like it's a monkey on my back, although I have NOTHING due this week, is absolutely disgusting to me. I just want to be done so I never have to worry about a homework due date ever again. I remember talking about possibly going to grad school. Scratch that. I want to put my talents to work and find a job that I love. No more having to listen to professors say weird words incorrectly. I have a professor who says the word status as STATE-US. It drives me NUTS. I have another professor who has referred himself to God and his students his followers.

And I want to get out of Arizona. I hope I do. Along with NEEDING school to be done and gone, the plans for my future are creeping up. Fast. Like... really fast. I'm excited to get movin' on stuff, but I'm scared about all of these uncertainties. Mom and I have had a couple conversations about my future and I just can't answer any of them. It's not because I don't want to answer them, it's because I simply just don't know what the hell is gonna happen. I'm graduating in an economy that promises nothing but trials and tribulations, I live in Arizona and am an Arizona resident, but I dislike it mucho, I have virtually no friends out here and I'm miserable in the fact that I feel like I'm hindered with nonsense.

My BFFL Dale just found out that her family will most likely be relocating to Denver. Jealous, am I? Jealous, I am. (Random Yoda?) Anddddd Dale and I have talked about moving to Denver for a while. And how awesome would it be for my BFFL and I to live in the same area? Not in two different states anymore? Thennnnn we can watch all of the Sex and the City episodes we want, eat B&C's and drink our vino together instead of having to rely on Skype to see each other's faces. That would be a dream!

Of course, I would love to move to Denver. But I have to remember that I have a little one. Leroi Brown. He's kind of important, don't you think? Soooo basically, this post is about nothing.

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Didn't even know it until a few minutes ago.

Just some stuff.

2010-02-28T10:48:00.001-07:00

As Mom has so kindly reminded me, my blog was in need of an update. I have yet to post pictures from Mammoth, but my work comp sucks and has a virus on it that makes it move like a snail. Hmm... what to talk about? How about some stuff?

I'm only a few weeks away from my last spring break in school. Cool, huh? But I'm coming to the realization that school is almost over with. Spring is going by really fast and summer is just around the corner it seems. Awesome. :) I can't wait to be done. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda nervous about it.

What's going to happen after graduation? Where am I gonna move to? How many more friends will I lose touch with? How many new friends will I meet? Wait, what about work? Will I find a job? Will I even still have one?

The Mondrian situation isn't really stressing me out anymore... well isn't stressing me out as much, I should say. I'm just hanging on with my fingertips. I either get laid off and claim unemployment, or I continue to keep my wonderfully flexible job. The auction is in like 11 days or something like that. I hope someone buys it and renovates it and makes it fabulous because it has so much potential... with a great location. I dunno... the spa business isn't "boomin'" even though the hotel seems pretty busy. We have had a lot of sales/catering groups come in lately so I have seen a lot of wandering hotel guests, but no one seems to wander to the spa.

I recently met with my friend, Becca for lunch at the Montelucia. She was having a spa day to herself which was fabulous. I would have loved to have joined the spa day, but receiving a massage can hinder my progress with all the sickness I've been dealing with (I still have a lethal cough that gives me headaches - not to mention I ran out of codeine - sad). Anyway, she gave me a tour of the spa and OMG. I have never been to a "SPA spa." I've been to boutique ones, like agua @ Mondrian where there are only treatment rooms and some retail product for you to browse through. But this place, holy cow. They had a relaxation room with candles and beds and sofas and loungers and aromatherapy scents. They had crazy ass bathrooms and showers that came complete with complimentary shaving cream, razors, shampoo and conditioner. It had its own outdoor, second floor pool with its own restaurant. The waiting room was decked with sofas and loungers that bordered the wall that eventually led to water and iced tea pitchers, complete with lemons, sweeteners, etc etc etc. I mean... Wow. There was an entire wing dedicated to Joya Spa. They even had their own clothing boutique and a gorgeous spiral case... all totally Moroccan themed. Now I totally get why agua doesn't do well. I mean, I totall understand. Yes, we have wonderful treatments and wonderful therapists. But WOW. We're not really a spa.

Anyway, sorry for the spa rant. It was just magnificent and made me wanna sneak in and make it home. Definitely wouldn't mind living there.

What was I talking about before? Oh yeah... life's uncertainties. Well, what I'm certain of is that I am sooo excited to get the hell out of school. I have had enough. It's been a long run, folks. Too long. And I am certain that I have some amazing friends, although they all pretty much live in California. And I'm certain I have an amazing, supportive, loving family. And boyfriend. And boyfriend's family. So maybe I shouldn't freak out about the uncertainty of the future because I have so many "certains." Hmm... but still...

To curtail homework, responsibilities and boredom, I have been dreaming up floor plans, furniture layouts, landscapes, home accessories and such. I know, I'm just cool like that. I've been practicing my drawing. Not that I need to... just because I like it. I've also been researching things for the graduation party for Lyss and I. Mom and I decided to do some florals since we had such fun and success with the anniversary party. Too bad the colors maroon and gold are terrible. I think we've decided on spring-y flowers... daisies. Gerbera daisies come in a goldish yellow and burgundy maroon. So we might just have to, even though I would love to use my favorite flower... ranunculus... sigh.

May is coming up soooo soon and I cannot wait for family to get here!!! Wooo!!!

Some other random stuff that's going on... I'm going on a diet. Nutrisystem, people. Did it before for a little bit and lost some poundage, so I'm doing it again. I gotta' train the ol' stomach to eat smaller portions, man. Once I kick the cough, I'm going back to bootcamp, which I would still be doing if I hadn't gotten so sick... twice... for long periods of time. I'm excited. I need to look good. And feel good. And gain some confidence back cuz I basically have none in regards to self image right now. And I have already decided that after I lose the weight I wanna lose, I'm buying myself an expensive pair of jeans and getting them tailored since the length is always too long. I mean, I need a reward for accomplishing my goal, right? I haven't bought a pair of jeans in ages. Why? Umm, because I hate the way they fit and feel and I hate spending money on myself.

Along with new jeans and weightloss, I'm gonna do something to my hair. Nothing drastic because every time I do something drastic, I hate it and cry. But we'll see. I think I wanna go lighter. Like a Maria Menounos blond, but not blond. Light brown would be appropriate. Only problem is, once you go light, you have to keep up the root-work and my hair grows fast and dark, so I may not wanna put myself up for that kind of maintenance. I will probably go to one length too. Or try to at least. My bangs and layers are still kinda short, so we'll see. Any votes? Suggestions? Comments? Those would be appreciated.

In other news, I have decided that I want a new camera. Problem: it's expensive. But I really want to work on my photography. Take some awesome pics of Leroi and Drew and trees and stuff. I used to love that kind of stuff when I took my photography class in high school. Besides, it would be good to add in my up and coming portfolio. Oh well. I'm saving up my money, mostly for school and to pay rent/utilities and other such bills in the event that I'm jobless. But I mean, maybe along with my expensive jeans and new hair, a new camera would be in order? But I'm getting ahead of myself. Obviously with weightloss, I'm gonna need more than expensive jeans. I'm gonna need a whole new fitted wardrobe, which I'm not hating the idea of. I don't think I've had appropriately fitted clothing since freshmen year of high school. I'm just so awkward. :)

Anywho, that's about it for now. I'm at work, it's slow, it's raining, the Olympics are on today... specifically hockey... USA vs. Canada for the gold. In which I'm totally torn cuz like... all of the Ducks team is on Canada while two Ducks are on USA. Oh, and just for kicks, congrats to Teemu Selanne for gettin' bronze. Way to go Finland.

Until next time, keep it classy.

50th Wedding Anniversary Party

2010-02-12T14:38:00.113-07:00

So... the event finally came and went too fast! It was a total success. The turnout of guests was astonishing and the love for my grandparents glowed among everyone's faces. The party was so much fun. The food was great, the decor was greater, and the musical entertainment, Mr. Ricky Sims, was awesome! There was so much dancing and laughter; it was a great time.

I must say, it's wonderful to see the end product of our hard work. It looked absolutely amazing. I was pretty proud, to say the least.

Memorable Moment of the party (although I wish I didn't remember it): Grammy and PopPop's TMI display. OMG. I wish I could say it's nice to know that "they still got it" though, right?

But in all seriousness, seeing the friends of my grandparents and the people they've touched is absolutely inspiring. All their years of giving and caring really paid off... the night was absolutely fabulous... people are still talking about it.

Happy 50 Years Graham Cracker and G-Pa. Your 50 years is an inspiration to us all!

Drew and I

The whole fam damily

The CCC with Grammy and PopPop

Grammy and PopPop with their beautiful daughters

Grammy and PopPop with their daughters and sons-in-law

Grammy and PopPop with their sons-in-law

The beautiful cake!

Probably the fave pic of Nicky, Avery and Mikey

Drew and Lyssy Poo

Lyss and Weston

Sia and Mike

Ari and Nicky

Avery and Mikey

The Mylonas Sandwich!

Mom and Dad lookin' HOT

Graham Cracker and G-Pa

Beautiful Aunt Mo and Uncle Mark

Lovely Aunt Shell and Uncle Georgey

Wonderful Aunt Moni and Uncle Larry

Drew and I

Grammy and PopPop's "first" dance

Paulette and Mom gettin' crazy (makes you wonder what they were like as teens)!

Paulette and Mom... BFFL

Lyss and Wes dancin'... Wes really likes it.

Big Nick... or shall I say... Slick Nick

Farge cuttin' the rug!

Aunt Mo: "Is that an air guitar I see with my little nugget?"

Our wonderful music entertainer, Ricky Sims

Cousins gettin' funky... apparently really funky.

Cuttin' their first wedding cake together!

(unknown caption due to lack of words)

Uncle Larry, Mikey and Aunt Moni introducing the visual presentations

Mama RiRi and Farge admiring the presentation

Grammy and PopPop lovin' the presentation

Retreat? Por favor?

2010-02-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

Anyone know of an inexpensive retreats in California or Arizona? Or anywhere else? I could use one. The whole shebang-bang. Nature, no cell phones, natural, holistic foods, detoxing/fasting, yoga, massages, acupuncture. I mean, the works. Or does anyone have any ideas as to how I can create my own retreat? Because insanity is so unfitting for me. I thought about creating my own, but it would be hard to "remove" myself from my everyday life to do a miniscule retreat. Like... use Tuesday, my only day off, to turn off my cell, go to Massage Envy for a cheap massage, go to the gym to take a yoga class, and like... drink lemonade and cayenne paper and honey or whatever that cleanse thing is... but I fear it wouldn't be healing like a retreat. Let me know if you know of anything or have any ideas!!! PLEASE!!! and Thank you!!!

Lubricating Machinery: Grade A

2010-01-30T10:59:00.001-07:00

As most know, I'm not the best student in the entire world. Not like the two sisters in Irvine who achieved PERFECT scores on the SAT. But, I am good at doing homework. I do it whether it's at the last minute or whether I complete it in 5 minutes or whether I decide to get a head start and do it way before it's even due (this happens rarely). I was recently assigned to write a memo for my TWC 301 class... General Principles of Technical Communication. We were given a scenario and had to act as a manager who needed to solve a problem within the company's shipping warehouse. And just for shits and giggles, it involved the problem of properly applying water-based lubricant to the machinery. Awkward.

Anyway, I wrote this freakin' memo in literally 5 minutes. I submitted it through Safe Assignment on Blackboard (anti-plagiarism software) and called it a night. By the way, why would you need anti-plagiarism software for a document that talks about lubrication and machinery? I mean, it just seems wrong.

Yesterday I received an email from my professor for TWC 301. He praised me for doing a very good job on the assignment and asked if he can use my assignment as an example for future students in the course. I, enjoying the practice of being a kissass replied "I would be honored if you used my Case Study as an example. Thank you for the compliment!"

At least someone thinks I know how to write well enough to "seriously" talk about lubricating machinery.

Put me in the game, Coach!

2010-01-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

Drew sent this picture of Mushkiss while I was at work. By the way, Leroi's rootin' for the Colts.

Oh man

2010-01-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am getting way too excited for my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. It feels like we've been planning this thing forever! Saturday, February 6th is going to be a great day. So, Andrew, Leroi and I are driving home on Thursday night after I get off work. Friday is going to be a prep day for Mom and I, and Lyss and Wes will be driving home then. Saturday is the big day! Mom, Lyss and I are going to be getting our makeup done at MAC at the Irvine Spectrum. And... believe it or not... Grammy will be getting her makeup done at MAC in Mission Viejo with Aunt Mo. OMG it's gonna be great. I've never had my makeup done before.

Note to self: be sure to bring camera charger.

I am so looking forward to the party. The day after, mom decided to throw a Superbowl party (GO COLTS) so we're having the family over. I have had to guarantee Andrew Budweiser and a prime seating location for the game. Then, on Monday, Andrew, Leroi and I are driving to Mammoth where we will be enjoying freezing cold temps and good snow. Andrew and I will be driving back to AZ on Thursday where I get to return to reality. Man oh man, it is going to be awesome.

I will definitely be taking hundreds of pics and can't wait to share them. Yay!

My type.

2010-01-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

I took a winter session class, BIS 301, the Foundations of Interdisciplinary Studies. In my six years of undergrad college, this was the most useful class I have ever taken. I learned so much about myself and about others. I have been fortunate in taking many communication and psychology classes, along with writing and so forth, but this ONE class made the most difference. Now, I have taken the MBTI twice in my life. The MBTI is a personality test that reveals what your personality prefers. I took it when I was 17 going into Saddleback College and I took it during my winter session. Myers and Briggs agree that by the time you're 21, your personality preferences rarely change. When I was 18, my personality was labeled as ENFP: Extrovert, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving. This time around, I am an ENFJ: J for Judging. And by the way, judging isn't what you think... it basically means I like to have a plan, my desk is organized and neat and I like developing routines.

Anywho, my professor got a kick out of this personality of mine. He told me I'm an extraordinary human being because of my scores in each letter. I scored very high in extroversion, intuition and feeling which means that I scored very low in their counterparts: introversion, sensing and thinking. In some situations, my stronger sides can potentially hinder me. He read my personality according to the MBTI and what my personality preferences are and it's amazing. I felt like he was reading my life story. I was eerily surprised with how well my typology fit me.

I decided to share my type with you. According to typology.com:

"ENFJs are the benevolent 'pedagogues' of humanity. They have tremendous charisma by which many are drawn into their nurturant tutelage and/or grand schemes. Many ENFJs have tremendous power to manipulate others with their phenomenal interpersonal skills and unique salesmanship. But it's usually not meant as manipulation -- ENFJs generally believe in their dreams, and see themselves as helpers and enablers, which they usually are. ENFJs are global learners. They see the big picture. The ENFJs focus is expansive. Some can juggle an amazing number of responsibilities or projects simultaneously. Many ENFJs have tremendous entrepreneurial ability.

ENFJs are, by definition, Js, with whom we associate organization and decisiveness. But they don't resemble the SJs or even the NTJs in organization of the environment nor occasional recalcitrance. ENFJs are organized in the arena of interpersonal affairs. Their offices may or may not be cluttered, but their conclusions (reached through feelings) about people and motives are drawn much more quickly and are more resilient than those of their NFP counterparts. ENFJs know and appreciate people. Like most NFs, (and Feelers in general), they are apt to neglect themselves and their own needs for the needs of others. They have thinner psychological boundaries than most, and are at risk for being hurt or even abused by less sensitive people. ENFJs often take on more of the burdens of others than they can bear."

"ENFJs are people-focused individuals. They live in the world of people possibilities. More so than any other type, they have excellent people skills. They understand and care about people, and have a special talent for bringing out the best in others. ENFJ's main interest in life is giving love, support, and a good time to other people. They are focused on understanding, supporting, and encouraging others. They make things happen for people, and get their best personal satisfaction from this."
- Portrait of an ENFJ (The Personality Page)

"ENFJs are outgoing, social, attention seeking, emotional, loving, organized, comfortable around others, involved, open, hyperactive, complimentary, punctual, considerate, altruistic, easily hurt, religious, neat, content, positive, affectionate, image conscious, good at getting people to have fun, easily excited, perfectionist, assertive, ambitious, leader, hard working, seductive, touchy, group oriented..."
- Jung Type Description of an ENFJ (Similar Minds)

Interesting Facts about ENFJs according to typology.com:

I make up 3% of the the ENFJ population (My Personality Page)
My favored careers are: casting directory, film critic, wedding planner, work in the performing arts, teacher (art, preschool, elementary), actor, fashion designer, news anchor, fashion merchandisier, school psychologist, broadcaster, stylist, interior designer, event coordinator, restarant owner, childcare worker, hair stylist, film director, counselor, dancer.
My disfavored careers are: race car driver, scientist, computer specialist, airline pilot, computer programmer, financial manager, epidemiologist, truck driver, electrical engineer, software designer, web designer, business consultant, dj, bookseller.
US Presidents of ENFJ: Abe Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama
Famous People of ENFJ: Sean Connery, Dick Van Dyke, James Garner, Diane Sawyer, Michael Jordan, Johnny Depp, Oprah Winfrey, Peyton Manning, Matthew McConaughey, Pete Sampras, Lauren Graham, Ben Affleck, John Cusack, Ben Stiller, Kirstie Alley.

I encourage everyone to take the Jung typology test, who was the teacher of Myers and Briggs, to discover your personality preferences and ways. It's really fascinating how accurate it can be.

Take the Jung Typology Test Here!

MJ's THIS IS IT dvd.

2010-01-14T10:01:00.002-07:00

Went to Walmart yesterday. Saw a sign for MJ's This Is It dvd.

In stores January 26th. Just keepin' you updated.

Dog Pedic

2010-01-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Another post in one day!?!? Crazy!!!

Drew and I decided that we needed to reward our little guy after his surgery. So, we ordered him a new bed. His puppy bed is getting too small for him... and besides... when he has his manhood, he liked to humpty-dumpty it. His puppy bed has become an outside bed anyway. He likes to drag it around places outside when he wants to move from the sun into the shade or vice versa... such a smart little guy.

Anyway, Drew found the Dog Pedic bed online so we ordered the small size so it can fit in his crate. It comes with a waterproof liner and a machine-washable suede cover so the actual memory foam of the bed never gets wet or torn. We're expecting delivery soon, so we're excited for Leroi. The bed comes with other benefits... just like a typical memory foam mattress, the foam molds to your body to cradle you which makes it easier on your body and joints. I think Chester should get one for his joints (Mom and Dad, that's your clue).

Leroi is excited that he's getting a new bed... now that he's a big boy and all.

http://www.buydogpedic.com/

Leroi Update

2010-01-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Current Stats

Name: Leroi Brown
Sex: Male
Breed: Beagle
Color: Black, brown, white
Weight: 18.2 pounds
Health: Excellent

It's official, Drew and I took the man out of our little boy. He got neutered on Tuesday... and his has to wear the cone of shame.

It makes me so sad. Since he is crate trained, he has to maneuver in the crate with the cone and you can hear him banging his cone against the crate. He still doesn't understand the concept of it... the only thing he understands is that "he does not like the cone of shame." He has been a very good boy with a healthy appetite and all that. His stitches have to stay dry, hence the cone, so we've been monitoring him. Since he can't do too much physical activity, which by the way is impossible for a beagle, we just let him hang out with us while he chews his rope or other toys. The vet and nurses said he did very well during the process of de-man-ing him. They were surprised he didn't bark or howl when he started coming out of anesthesia. Actually, I'm still surprised he doesn't have a bark. He has puppy dreams sometimes where he has howled and barked a little bit, but it scares him when he wakes himself up. Wouldn't it be awesome if we had a beagle that didn't bark?? Wow.

Anywho, that's the update on Mommy's little conehead.

Perplexation

2010-01-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

I should be writing about Christmas or New Year's Eve. I should be updating my blog like I normally should. But I just had the strangest, if not most eye-opening encounter that I think has a reason in my life.

I'm sitting at work, working on homework. I have been assigned to write a personal narrative paper. I am being required to dig deep into myself and into my past to find my future. My professor, the most philosophical man I have ever met up until a few moments ago, has bestowed many concerns within me and within my life. I live my life not according to my values. I live my life according to my expectations. I live according to responsibilities, morally, financially and academically. My time is spent sleeping, working and performing stupid responsibilities throughout my days that, I have been taught, are essential.

A guest just walked into the spa. I've seen him around 3 or 4 times within the past month. He wanted a massage. But before I could say anything, he said "What happened to your eyes, darlin'?" I immediately told him that my bloody eyes are a result of eye hemorrhages from excessive coughing from being sick. He looked at me and said... "No, this tells me you have a king's heart that is so big that it overflows inside your body because you have not listened."

He stood in the spa and went off on philosophical tangents that I cannot repeat because I feel as if his words went straight to the very thought of me. Here I was, sitting here, writing a paper, realizing that I do not live the life I want to live, realizing that I don't yet know what my calling is, or if I have perhaps missed it... or perhaps I have answered the wrong calling. I don't know. But I was sitting here, and a stranger tells me I have not listened to my heart.

It gave me chills. I told him that it was extremely coincidental because I was indeed realizing the very same thing at the very same moment. He asked me about what I was writing. I told him what the purpose of the paper was. And he went off on a tangent again. He said the most elaborate, Shakespearean-sounding words. And then he told me this: "Find your calling. Look back into your life and think about the thing that made you happiest. Think about what you did that you loved; your umbrella (metaphorically speaking). Then think about what you overcame when you were little that made you survive an event. That thing you overcame eventually became your defense mechanism. Marry your umbrella with your defense mechanism. It will afford you the ability to be able to live your legacy in the time of your life."

I can't translate it. What did I love to do as a kid? What event did I escape? What is my defense mechanism?

He came in for a massage, and instead, he said his soul was massaged. He said I opened a window for him. He said he was meant to speak to me. This encounter happened for a reason.

I don't know what the reason is yet... perhaps I needed a wake up call to finally dig deep into myself to find what I am supposed to do. Or maybe, I needed a good example of why not to do drugs.

I have no idea. I am confused now. But I still have the chills.

Uno mas.

2009-12-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

One more week until I return to SoCal. Woo! I can't wait. Christmas with my family is gonna be AWESOME.

Anyway, I'm at work right now. Again, procrastinating on homework. Actually, they're final papers and assignments. Ugh. It just seems like this semester is NEVER-ENDING. For God's sake, I need a break. Hence the wonderful timing of Christmas and being able to go home! Chyessss!

Oh... and... I finished wrapping the Christmas presents. All of them. I can't wait to bring them home and have my family open them!!! Leroi even got a little present for Cheddar Pants... you know... to break the ice. Call it even. Truce. Uncle. Ya know?

Anyway, I'm gonna head back to sitting at the desk to stare blankly at the screen. Should be great.

Kissmas.

2009-12-06T09:50:00.002-07:00

I want some mistletoe for Christmas. I don't know why. My boytoy is gonna be in Indiana for Christmas, so it's not like I can kiss him under the mistletoe anyway. And lets be honest, it's not like I never kiss him.

Hmm... maybe I just want to decorate so it feels like Christmas. Last night, handsome man and I entertained one of his Indiana friends, Emily. She's adorable, super sweet. We had her over for dinner and she brought over apple crisp for dessert. Oh lord. Sinful. Anyway, I ran to the grocery store right after work last night to get some salad toppings and such... since handsome man attempted and failed miserably. I walked in and thought... I want to get some of those scented pine cones. But they didn't have any. Lame. So then I walked over to the poinsettias and I got a sad-looking one. It's tiny... but it has enough red coloring in it to make it feel a little like Christmas. I was excited. But now that I look at it... it's kinda too pathetic to appreciate. I should've gotten the bigger one. Lesson learned.

That's my story, I guess. I think I'm overly excited about Christmas this year because I'm going home. And I haven't been home in God knows how long. I can't wait. Wooo. And Leroi is real excited, too. He told me last night. He even helped me wrap Christmas presents the other day. What a pal!

Catching up

2009-12-04T09:51:00.003-07:00

I have lots of catching up to do. I apologize in advance if there are typos in this post... my fingers are frozen and I can't feel them... it's feeling like Christmas now... thank God. No more heat!

Ok, so the past couple of weeks, I have had the absolute pleasure of spending time with some of the Ogle family members. Kathe was out for 2 weeks and Tim came for almost as long. Ryan and his beagle Darwin came into town for Thanksgiving, so I got to hang out with them, too. I don't even know where to start.

Tim and Kathe took me under their wings for Thanksgiving. They knew it was tough for me to not be home with my family. Really tough. But they took SUCH good care of me. Kathe even made me a loaf of pumpkin bread to take home... and not to share with Drew either since he ate pretty much the entire loaf my mom made for me! Rude!

For Thanksgiving, Kathe's side of the fambam did Thanksgiving in a park. It was actually pretty cool. I got to meet a lot more family members and we brought Darwin and Leroi... the Beagle Buddies! They had a blast together. Leroi was pooped out for about 3 days! It was great! :)

Kathe made some delicious peach kougl (sp?) and pumpkin pie and pecan pie and pumpkin bread. Oh dear me. It was fantastic. I tried to avoid the desserts as much as I could, but with Kathe's cooking... it's impossible.

After Thanksgiving in the park, we attempted to see The Blind Side but arrived a tad late, so instead, we hit up the neighborhood bar for some beer and really delicious hot wings. By the way, did you know Stella Artois is 5.2% alcohol or something... yeah, found that out the hard way. After the bar, we went home and I got to try out the breathalizer... just for fun. I won't reveal my level of intoxication, but like I said... I found out about Stella the hard way. Best time ever! It was definitely a fun Thanksgiving and I cannot express how appreciative I am that the Ogles took me in. Love them!

Ok, so Leroi and Darwin... the Beagle Buddies... cousins... Beagle Boys... so damn adorable together. It took some time for them to warm up with each other, but soon enough we had Beagle Tug-of-War going. They kept going after each other's toys and playing around and wrestling. They were so good. Darwin showed Leroi how a Beagle bark sounds, too... although I'm hoping Leroi doesn't pick up on it. Oh dear.

On another date night, we went and saw The Blind Side... amazing. I loved that movie! So inspiring! And I cried... and I think Kathe and Drew did too. Drew has recently told me that he's going to buy the DVD when it comes out because he LOVES it. So cute. Before seeing the movie, we all went to Salty Senoritas. Good Messican food, let me tell ya. I had an awesome tostada salad. Mmmm sooo good.

Anyway, I had such a wonderful time with the Ogles. Ryan and Darwin were a blast. I definitely miss Matt and Michelle, but hopefully I'll see them sooner than later. And I already miss Tim and Kathe, that's a given!

I don't really know...

2009-11-22T15:26:00.002-07:00

I don't really know what to blog about anymore. School and work take over my insociable life. I just want school to be over with. I just want to graduate. I just want to get the hell out of Arizona. I'm tired of it here. This place is a bad taste in my mouth that I just can't get rid of. I don't have friends out here. It's like a person with horrible B.O. that seems to infiltrate your nostrils to the point of no return. I don't really care enough to put myself out there anymore... not that I have the time to. And did I mention that I hate group projects? Because I do. I really hate them.

Ugh. I know I'm complaining. I apologize. I shouldn't. I'm very grateful... especially since Thanksgiving is rolling around and I get a damn day off. I am definitely giving thanks for that. Hell yes.

Do you know what happens the day after Thanksgiving? Black Friday. Do you know what Black Friday means? Great shopping deals. Do you know what that means? I'm dragging my ass out of bed at 4:30am to hit the stores for some shopping.

I made a list. This list consists of things I want to buy. I do my Christmas shopping for everyone on Black Friday. Just letting you all know, I get ridiculously good deals on Black Friday which means I never break the bank on your gift. Ha!

I found a fab website that has the Black Friday ads leaked already. I have already mapped out my locations along with the gift list.

I am most sad, however, that I won't be able to do the traditional Black Friday shopping with my cousins and sis. Since I can't go home this year, I am going to have to man up and go alone... unless Drew lets me drag his ass out, too. Which is most likely cuz he's a good boyfriend.

Anyway, that's all for now. I gotta get back to work and homework.

I wanna go home.

2009-11-19T16:07:00.002-07:00

Now that the semester is drawing to and end, I am 100% stressing. So many assignments and projects are due and I'm just freakin' out because I feel like I have no undistracted time. However, I have a happy thought.

I was just informed today that I have Thanksgiving Day off, Christmas Eve off, Christmas Day off and New Year's Eve off! OMG. Do you even know how excited I am? Do you even know? Do you even know what this means?? Oh, it means I'll be home for 5 days over Christmas!

I can't wait to have B&C's, sex and wine with Dale. Champagne Brunch with JJ. Reunions at Friday's with my CSG family. Spa sesh with Tuna. FAMILYYYY. I miss my FAMILYYYY so much! Cheddar Pants!!! I am so excited!!!!

Oh, and I'm bringing Leroi home. Be prepared to meet the little turd nugget I like to call Mushkiss!!!

SOOOO excited!! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!

ATTN: Do not eat chicken patties from the cafeteria

2009-11-13T11:54:00.003-07:00

At my work, we have a cafeteria that is free and open to all employees. Lately, the food has NOT been edible. Lots of mystery meat going on in there. And bad salad lettuce.

On Wednesday, I was so desperate for food that I resoluted to taking a bite out of a chicken patty. I have had them before so I figured I was safe. The first (and only) bite didn't seem right. The chewing consistency wasn't very... consistent. So I threw it away and stormed out of the cafeteria pissed off with an ice water in my hand.

Later that night, I came down with a bad case of nastiness. I don't need to get into detail, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows what happens when you have food poisoning. I was "being nasty" all of Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. I started feeling better last night, thank God. Today, my panza feels much better. Now, I'm just really dehydrated with a dehydratation headache.

I found out today that another employee got sick as well. Obviously, this deems appropriate complaints. I'll let you know what the caf serves next week. Until then, I'm protesting and bringing lunch to work.

Mom is my Newly-Appointed Blog Manager

2009-11-13T11:44:00.004-07:00

She tells me when I need to update my blog. Now, she's telling me what I need to put on my blog. Way to go, Manager Mom...

I'm pretty proud of myself for making these:

This is the invitation to Grammy and Pop Pop's 50th Wedding Anniversary. I really like them. A lot. You can buy the D-I-Y kits at Michael's. They have a pretty good selection. I just liked these ones the best, especially since my inspiration was a picture I found on the internet. I searched for black and white damask, because I thought that it was what I ultimately envisioned for Grammy and Pop Pop's party. Instead, I just fell in love with the colors:

The party isn't until February, but I feel like this is a good introduction to event planning. It's nice knowing that I've put my toes in the water. Maybe I'll be good at this when my wedding rolls around. In like a gillion years.

The Dirty Lo Down

2009-11-02T19:40:00.003-07:00

Mom gave me the idea. I mean, "The Dirty Lowdown" is one of my fave Boz Scaggs songs. My nickname is Lo. I'm dirty. It works. Ok, well I'm not dirty, but sometimes the things I post are dirty. Like Leroi's poop-eating habits. Dirty.

I'm sitting in class right now. I'm 1 of 3 people. My prof isn't here. She said she wasn't going to attend because she wanted to use this evening as a "group work" session. My group stayed for 15 minutes. I mean, hell, the Yanks are about to take the World Series. However, I chose to stay. Not just because Handsome Handy Man and I carpooled to school today, but also because I have a final presentation that I have to give tomorrow that I've been procrastinating for the past couple of weeks. It's not that hard. I'm not that worried. And quite frankly, I could care less about the damn class. I think life will go on just fine without another lecture of modern Latin American architecture. I don't even like modernism that much. Ick.

Anyway, today was a good day. I woke up, played with Leroi, aka Mushkiss, did laundry, cleaned, organized, all while listening to Michael. Yep, today was an all day Michael day. God, love him. I have been practicing my dance moves and grooves. I dunno what I've been practicing them for, but who knows? Maybe one day, I'll have my fifteen minutes of fame where I just bust a crap load of moves and impress people and be like "what now biatch, I move like Michael!" I dunno; had a dream about that last night. I was dancing right next to him on stage. I was damn good, too. Hmm...

So, Drew isn't the biggest MJ fan. And that's fine. He's from the midwest. He's country. Or tries to be. Who knows these days? Sometimes he's hip hop and dances along in the car to a beat, or sometimes he blares freakin' country. I like country, don't get me wrong, but I have to be in the mood for it. It's not an all-day fest like it is with MJ. So in the car on the way to school today, I had my MJ playlist bumpin'. I, of course, was singing and dancing along. I don't think Drew likes it when I sing and dance in the car. I probably embarrass him. I don't even think he knows I don't do it intentionally. Singing and dancing is in my bones. I feel the groove, I gotta' move. Simple as that. So Drew told me to knock it off. I, of course, take it offensively and decide that I will continue singing and dancing because it makes me feel good. I mean, hello, Off The Wall was playing. There's really no decision of whether to sing and dance or not, because it's just natural. He seemed kinda annoyed; he wanted to listen to something a bit more relaxing and calm. So wrong. I listen to smooth jazz most everyday. But today was an MJ day and he knew that. Yeah, I'm a little hardcore, but c'mon. I gotta' sing and dance and I gotta' have MJ. My sister understands. She freakin' gets me. Little does Drew know that I don't need anyone else around to sing and dance in the car. I get so many weird looks from other drivers. They seem to enjoy my enthusiasm for music in the car. Or they seem to think I should be put in an insane asylum. Oh well. That's their prob, Bob.

This post isn't about anything in particular. I just really wanted to type something to avoid this presentation crap.

"It's about Love. L.O.V.E. Love." - MJ

2009-10-29T12:35:00.003-07:00

Lyss and I decided to go see his movie. I know this doesn't surprise many people. We're major MJ fans. Since we couldn't physically go to his funeral, we resoluted to watching his memorial service on tv that made us cry and feel gloomy for about a week straight. We still can't believe the King of Pop died.

Anyway, we bought tickets in advance for the 9:00pm showing on Tuesday night - the opening showing. It was crazy. People had been waiting in line for hours. Some were dressed like Michael with the sequin glove, hat, sequined socks and sequined lining down the side of his pants. Seriously. It was fun to see. Which reminds me, I am sad to announce that I won't be dressing as MJ for Halloween this year. Drew and I will be going to a hockey game at the Jobing.com arena for Ducks vs. Coyotes. And it's kinda sentimental because we met last year on Halloween. Even more cheesy, I was wearing my Ducks jersey for Halloween when we met, so I'm obviously wearing that again this year.

Ok, MICHAEL. Michael, Michael, Michael. The most phenomenal movie showing his work. I swear. He was magnificent. Amazing. So many reporters/doctors had said that he was physically unfit to do his tour. Not true. You forgot he was fifty years old in this movie. He sounded amazing. He danced effortlessly. The movie truly shows his musical talent and genius. It shows his kind, caring, subdued yet intense nature. His perfectionism. His sincere love for humanity and the planet. I mean, god, he was astounding.

I highly recommend you go see it. Seriously. The film should win an award. They did the movie tastefully and movingly. Lyss and I definitely were teary-eyed in some parts, but only because of the songs he performed and how he performed them. I mean, that moving. I'm sure not everyone will have the same reaction because they haven't had Michael or the Jackson 5 in their lives like Lyss and I had grown up with. But still, excellent movie. Go see This is It. Totally worth it.

In the meantime, I'll be looking up MJ merchandise to purchase. I kinda want a tee.

Dear Cesar Milan:

2009-10-20T16:49:00.004-07:00

My puppy has, as of today, taken an interest in eating his poop. Can you explain this? Is this normal? Why did he do this? Please help me!

Signed,
Desperate owner of the doody dog.

Seriously folks, what the hell is that? Drew was hanging with the pup earlier this morning and apparently caught him eating his doodoo. Yes. Eating. His. Doodoo. He gave him a shampoo bath and a good mouth rinse. Then, this afternoon when I was with him, he "released" and then started sniffing it. I walked over to go get him, he obviously saw me, and took a swift lunge at this caca and grabbed a nice piece. So my instinct kicked in immediately, as a caring, loving, concerned mother, and I pried open his mouth and tried to dig it out. Meaning, not only did Leroi have doody in his mouth, but I had it all over my fingers. Yay. I put Leroi down to pick up the pieces he hadn't gone after yet and he started biting my pants. AKA, he got poop on my pants because he still had leftovers in his mouth. No joke. I'm not even trying to be funny. My dog ATE his poop. SOOO NOT ALLOWED.

For other dog owners, is this freakin' normal? Why is he doing this? What could this new fascination be with his caca? I don't get it. I don't want him doing it. Bad, bad Leroi.

So seriously, Cesar, what would you do? (By the way, I say his name as Say-zar. Not Caesar.) Sayzar, help me. Anyone? Any takers? I don't want my dog doing this!!!

P.S. I can't believe I just wrote about dog doody. Wow. New low for the blog.

Along with my promotion, I promoted my cell phone.

2009-10-19T18:38:00.002-07:00

I had this P.O.S. phone that I got just to tie me over for a while. You know, the old dinosaur Nokia that keeps getting "better and better" as the years go by. The phone is also known as "the one I got for free." Anyway, yeah, had that since September. Figured it would be good to just have something simple that worked. Well, it did and it didn't.

Yesterday, I was at Walmart. (Note to self: Do NOT go to Walmart on a Sunday - what the hell was I thinking?) I had been talking on my cell with Caysie for a few minutes upon entering the store to see if she needed anything. And then Grammy called and I called her back and left a voicemail. Then I noticed an older Messican man following me. The only word of English he spoke was "yes." He was following me and kept saying "yes, yes, yes, yes..." along with some Messican mumbo jumbo. Creepy, I know. But it didn't phase me too much because Walmart was a freakin' zoo so there was no way the Messican Creeper McCreeperson was going to harass me in any other way. However, I was still cautious and watchin' my back, if not for the Messican man then for the screaming Messican children running up and down the aisles knocking everything off the shelves. Somewhere along those lines, I lost my phone. No idea where it went. I backtracked, I went to Lost and Found, did circles around the store looking EVERYWHERE. No phone, no go.

Anyway, went to AT&T today and got me one of dem purty phones. A Blackberry Curve. I needed something that will help keep me organized between school and work, now that I'm a big kid and all. And of course, something that worked and didn't take 5 minutes to unfreeze. I got a real good deal on it because the manager "liked" me.

So, basically, I'm excited. Downside: I lost ALL of my contacts. Thanks to my stellar memory, I was able to add a lot of people into my phone, but unfortunately, that doesn't include everyone. So, if you could be so kind as to send me your info, either email or blog comment or standard mail or whatever floats your boat, that'd be great.

Thanks,
The Management

Mom told me to. Again.

2009-10-19T18:34:00.002-07:00

It's been a while and I apologize. Not that many read this, but still. Anyway, Mama Marisa told me to post my recent exciting news on the blog. Therefore, obviously, I have to.

I copied and pasted this from a mass email that was sent to everyone at the Mondrian Scottsdale. AKA, my work.

From: Morgan, David
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Subject: Promotion of Lauren Salgado
To: MondrianScottsdale-Everyone

Good Afternoon,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the promotion of Lauren
Salgado to Spa Supervisor. Lauren will have some big shoes to fill as
Elizabeth will be leaving us today. Lauren will oversee all aspects
of our spa and will report to Katie.

Please join me in congratulating Lauren on this well deserved
promotion and to wish Elizabeth a heartfelt thank you for all she had
during her time here at Mondrian and for continued success.

Have a great weekend.

David

So, I guess... I'm a big kid now. :)

Are you kidding me?

2009-10-09T13:35:00.003-07:00

http://www.feministing.com/archives/018211.html

I read this tiny article (copy and paste the link into your browser) about a new law that was passed in Oklahoma. It's bullshit. I won't say much on this, because I could go on and on and on and totally tap into my feminist beliefs, but this new law is absolutely ridiculous, apalling, wrong, and 100% an invasion of privacy. I'm furious for the women in Oklahoma. FURIOUS.

Update on Leroi

2009-09-30T09:03:00.002-07:00

First off, I don't want to be that person who obsesses over her dog so much that it's all she talks about. I mean, he's my child and I'm his mama, but I'm not going to let it consume my blog.

Secondly, according to my parents, Leroi's name isn't really Leroi; it's Snoop Dogg. They think they're funny. I'll be Skyping with them or chatting on the phone with them and they go "how's Snoop Dogg?" Real cool, guys.

Thirdly, Andrew and I were lucky. He's a very good boy. He's in his chewing phase because he's teething, so basically that means that if you have toes or fingers, be careful. He's obsessed with his "baby;" a squeaky wiener dog toy we got at Petsmart. He barked at me the other morning, which he doesn't really know how to do. He was getting mad at me because he didn't want to go inside, he wanted to stay outside to bite the leaves and flowers. He barked and it floored him. He just sat there looking at me, looking around, probably thinking "what the hell was that?" It was really cute.

He still hasn't gotten down the potty-trained thing yet. For instance, last night, he drank a lot of water before he fell asleep. A lot. I woke him up to take him potty where he peed like a racehorse. Two hours later, after I had gone to sleep as well, he started crying so I went to get him to take him out, because usually he cries when he needs to potty. Yes, he needed to potty. Again. He pretty much peed all over the place. It's fun being a parent. Let me tell ya.

But seriously, he is a really good boy. We know his pooping and peeing habits, we are starting to get the hang of noticing the signs he gives when he needs to potty, he follows us when we're outside and he's doesn't chew on anything he shouldn't other than your toes and fingers. We're trying to train him that biting is not okay, so we say "OUCH!" and hand him a new toy. He has learned to get in and out of bed on his own. He couldn't do it at first because he's so small, but now he just kind of drags his hind legs as he pushes himself in and out.

Oh, he had his first health exam on Monday morning. Oh my god. It was so sad. I was holding him when we got into the office because it's said to not let your puppy walk on the floor until he's been properly vaccinated. The moment we walked in, he was buried in my neck, curled up like a ball, wouldn't move. When we got into the exam room, I didn't put him on the table right away because I didn't want him to be even more scared, so I just sat down and held him and he continued to sit in my neck. The nurse came in and "oooh'd and awww'd" and then she stuck a thermometer up his butt. The look on his face... it was awful. He started shaking and he didn't want to move so his paws kept sliding on the table until he looked like a flattened pancake. It was terrible. My poor puppy was molested. But, we found out that he weighs 4.8 pounds, a real big boy, I know. He's healthy and ready to be leash-trained and blah blah blah. We are trying the leash thing, but as far as he's concerned, it's a chew toy. But that's okay, he'll get used to it.

What else? Oh, he's way more playful. His playtime gradually gets extended, which is nice because he will sleep longer. He's a big fan of playing in the grass, where he finds sticks, pinecones, and flowers to chew on. He loves the pinecones though. It scares me to watch him because the pine cone is about as big as his head, but he just sits there gnawing on it like it's no big deal. Same with his tennis ball. He can't fit it in his mouth, so he grabs the fuzzy part to where he can carry it around, but he eventually trips over it because it's too big. His puppy feet kill me; he's still finding them.

Anyway, that's the update on Leroi. Andrew and I decided that we should crate-train him. My parents offered to bring the crate that Chester never used to see if that would be good for Leroi, so we'll see how that goes. I'm off to do massive loads of homework now. I have my first midterm tomorrow, too. Lovely.

Welcome Leroi to the Family!

2009-09-26T08:54:00.003-07:00

Drew and I made a drastic decision to rescue a puppy... he will be 6 weeks old tomorrow. He is a purebread beagle and absolutely adorable. We're super excited to have him and are looking forward to raising a good boy. Here are some pics of him last night and this morning.

Cloudy With a Chance of Yummy

2009-09-25T10:35:00.004-07:00

So, Drew took me to go see the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I give it a B. It was really cute, though. Great concept. It's about an inventor who invents a machine that turns water into food. What a genius idea. Turns out, the thing takes off and stays in the sky where it turns the moisture into food, so it rains food.

I decided that Swallow Falls, the town in which food rains down from the sky, is my next destination. Could you imagine how much money that would save me? I wouldn't have to buy a single meal! I would just walk outside, open my mouth, stick out my tongue and catch the miraculous goodness. Wouldn't that be awesome?!?

If only Swallow Falls was real...

Suggestions? Recommendations?

2009-09-19T11:40:00.002-07:00

I need to start working out. Badly. I've become so exercise lazy. I look back at my tennis days and realize how fit I was... specifically during my Saddleback days. Since I didn't really change my eating habits after stopping all the physicality of tennis, I have obviously gained. Mucho. So, I need to start kicking my ass and getting on top of it.

I need a few things to do so:
- 10 firmly supporting sports bras (must wear two at a time)
- Biofreeze for sore, achy muscles
- Self-motivation and determination

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to stay motivated? I've gone as far as writing on my bathroom mirrors in lipstick to figure it out. Let me know what you do to ensure you get out of bed to work out?

Realization

2009-09-18T20:12:00.002-07:00

This post is about how thankful I am for growing up and maturing. I feel like I become wiser with each birthday. Not saying that I'm really wise or anything, but I can tell I'm more mature, more responsible and more apt to dealing with the unexpected.

What I've been doing the past few weeks, aside from talking to mom like a million times a day, schoolin' and workin', is reflecting on myself and all the people that have come in and out of my life. The past few weeks, I was trying to figure out why I didn't have as many friends as I did back in high school or even in college. I was feeling bad about it, really. I couldn't really figure it out. I'm caring, kind, considerate, extremely giving (if not overly giving), and very willing. I'm all about being a good friend, being there for people and be there to lend a hand, an ear, a shoulder. And I say that with confidence. But then I looked at why certain people aren't in my life anymore... and then I came down to this: Because I didn't want them to be. Sounds weird, right? Let me explain.

Like I said, I'd basically go out of my way for you any day if you're a true friend of mine. For the most part, I'm so nice that I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I excuse certain things like you blowing me off, not taking time to perhaps coordinate schedules with me, not calling me back and so forth. Everyone gets busy, has life to deal with, etc etc etc and I understand that. However, when it gets to a point where it's repetitive, excessive and inexcusable, I back away and let you contact me when it's "convenient" for you. When you don't contact me, when you make no effort to be my friend, then you're not my friend and that's that. Plain and simple.

Now, what I realize is this: I have expectations for friends now that I didn't have before when I had "a lot" of friends. Now, I have a few friends, but they're of quality and they're worth my time. And I'm happy with that. However, there are some people in my life that I innocently lost touch with and vice versa. I am, from now on, going to work on extending myself out to those people in hopes to reconnect and catch up. Everyone needs a good friend in life and I know that's what I am.

Growing up and realizing things in my life is absolutely amazing. Scary, but amazing. I am very grateful for the people in my life, who were in my life, and who will continue to be in my life. With that said, I'm off to hang out with boyfriend for a bit.

Thank you to all those who disappointed me. You gave me wonderful expectations that have only granted me true friends.

The Child Is Gone

2009-09-10T18:24:00.002-07:00

So, I'm 23. I'm not old, I'm not too young. However, I suddenly feel this overwhelming realization that I am an adult. Sounds stupid, but I feel like I'm losing the child in me. I have been an imaginative, daydreaming fool ever since I can remember. But now, I feel like I'm losing that. Not because I want to, but because I have to. It's time to really prioritize and grow up in life. Maybe it's because I have taken on more responsibility, not just financially, but personally. I don't know, it's just the way I feel.

There is an emptiness now, a vacancy that I don't recognize and don't want to deal with, but I just think it's maturation, age, responsibility, need and want all at once. Do I make any sense? It's so hard to put this into words. It's like, I feel like I am rejecting a part of me that has always been there. It's like having a leg or arm and just not using it anymore. I feel handicapped and wounded. Is this normal?

I remember going to a psychologist around the age of 19 to help deal with a lot of the issues I was facing at that time... basically just coming into my own and trying to figure myself out and conquering my fears by means of a neutral adult. He told me that a lot of what I was dealing with at the time was absolutely normal for a person of 19-21 years of age. I don't know if he said that to make me feel better or if it's true. He basically said that I was a normal teen. Well, that time has passed so is this normal now?

I feel a dyer need for darkness, a bottle of wine and a hot bubble bath. Maybe some black nail polish. That won't make anything better, I know. It just sounds nice. But, I look at it this way, what if Peter Pan had to leave Never Never Land to grow up. He wouldn't be able to be a little boy and always have fun anymore, would he? I kind of feel that way. I don't mean to use a fictional character, but Peter is the epitome of childhood. I'm not a child, don't think of me as base. I just know that there's no going back.

Instead of drawing out floor plans of my dream house, cutting out pictures of home and garden magazines of furniture, accessories and so forth to place in my dream house, planning things in my future that are not certain or even near and even impossible without a job or etc... it's a part of my daydreaming that has to go. I rely on such things for happy thoughts; temporary escapes from reality. Everyone needs something to look forward to in order to deal with typical, life things. I just think it's too excessive for me.

I really need to focus on school, finances, personal responsibility, taking care of myself mentally, physically, emotionally and even materialistically. To do those things, I need to tame the pictures and images of my dream world. Like I said, I do not know if I am making any sense of any sort. I just know that I feel weakened by my very situations in life.

I have noticed changes about myself. Like, how I crash around 10pm. I don't like going to clubs or drinking myself into oblivion... even though it sometimes happens unwillingly. I worry a lot more now. I have lower self esteem and confidence. I am more critical of myself now. It's weird. I don't have as many friends or a sense of comradeship anymore. It's harder for me to make friends now... and harder to find quality friends. I'm not as social anymore. I have higher expectations, which is nice, but I feel it hinders me sometimes. Oh, life.

I just feel like the thing I never wanted has finally and inevitably hit me... growing up.

Marisa told me to...

2009-09-08T16:55:00.004-07:00

This post is kind of short and random and I apologize. Marisa requested I update my blog for her own personal interests, so I must. I am actually in class right now not paying attention because my professor doesn't know what she's talking about. She reads flash cards written by the previous professor while she tries to lecture, leaving a 10 minute stream of silence at times. Fun.

So, as of recently...

- I paid my out-of-state tuition
- I purchased my own student health insurance
- I made a big decision about where I will be living for the rest of the year
- I got an A on my first quiz of the semester
- I went to Vegas over Labor Day Weekend and it was awesome
- I played the slots and won $60.50 on a $1 bet
- I'm still not sleeping well and my back pain seems chronic and inevitable
- I'm still adjusting to my new routine
- I'm mentally ambitious to get my exercise on, however physically, my body says hell no
- I have been frustrated and stressed out of my mind and have learned that there's no pleasing everyone
- I learned that I must always take care of myself and go with what's best for me first while I still have no legal commitments
- I am discovering that my vision is worsening
- I have been drowning myself in HGTV's Design Star, Divine Design, Color Splash, Spice Up My Kitchen and Deserving Design
- I have become more moderate in my political views
- I have become more open to wearing color since my entire family and boyfriend despise the color black
- I have been sincerely enjoying most of my design classes, especially design awareness.

That's pretty much about it. Like I said, it's short and random. I'll revise my bullet points when I have time to not pay attention.

Perplexed. Annoyed.

2009-08-31T19:56:00.002-07:00

I am sometimes amazed by the sincere inconsideration of certain people. It's one thing to be accidentally inconsiderate. We all have tendencies to be rude without really, truly meaning it. It's called waking up on the wrong side of the bed or PMS. But when it's accidental or not meaningful, we apologize. We take responsibility for things we say, do, whatever. Or least, I'm hoping the majority of people do. Own up to your actions. However, to deliberately be rude when it's not deserved... So unfortunate. I think there are a lot of people in my life who need to grow up and take a chill pill. When you treat someone offensively or worse, when you completely disregard them or deny them the attention or time or quality of human interaction, then you need to freakin' grow up. I am so tired of dealing with people who refuse to consider another. I have spent so much time trying to consider people. I have stressed out to the point where I had to get a facial to literally zap off the break outs on my face, to where my mood and energy levels have been drowned in worry and anxiety over people's feelings. All I ask for is reciprocation. Not all the time, not most of the time. Just sometimes. Sometimes, be understanding. Sometimes, be a good friend. Sometimes, say thank you. Sometimes, make an effort. SOMETIMES. It's bad enough that I don't expect this most of the time. SOMETIMES. Gimme a freakin' break. I'm sooo done.

Number 23.

2009-08-31T08:54:00.005-07:00

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. Cannot believe it. I'm 23. Hmm...

Anyway, I worked all day yesterday where the only calls I received were personal and where the internet could only do so much to keep me entertained. But that's okay because I got paid to sit and surf. However, I had a nice visit from sissy with a $5 foot long in hand for lunch! Loved it! Thanks Lyssy Poo Poo Doo Doo.

After work, I met up with my man for some messican food and margaritas. Mmmm. Unfortunately, the service wasn't the best, but the food was good and so was the marg. The company wasn't bad either. ;-)

After dinner, Drew and I went back to the Ogle condo where he had a lovely display of my present, card and something hiding underneath a gigantic bowl. He lifted the bowl and revealed a fabulous birthday cake. He told me that Lyss was the baker and creator. She makes the best cakes! "Happy Birthday" candles were placed perfectly, too!

After blowing out the candles, it was time for me to open my card and gift. Ok, the card would have been enough for me. It is the cutest card I think I have ever seen. I took a picture of it (see below). The present... wow. The first things I pulled out of the bag were so funny. Drew had picked up the latest "Homes and Land" magazines and an Apartment Magazine, all free at your local grocery store. He knows I'm obsessed with these. I never fail to grab them right before exiting the store. At the bottom of the gift bag was a little purple box. I opened the box and saw MY earrings!

Ok, so when I was in Indiana, Kathe and I went to her friend's boutique shop to check out the selection... great selection by the way. When we were there, my eye got sealed to these beautiful jade dangle earrings. I loved loved loved them. The only problem was that they were out of my price range, so I had to let them go. Never thought I would see them again. I know Kathe had something to do with my present!! Anyway, I'm pretty sure Andrew bought them and had Kathe bring them to California the weekend the Salgado's and Ogle's met. How crazy! The earrings are beautiful and I absolutely love them. I wore them for the rest of the night until bed time!

Overall, I had a wonderful birthday. I got a lot of facebook birthday wishes, text messages, I had my family call and sing to me at 10:05am (the time I was born), I had my sissy sing to me and visit me and bake me a cake, my boyfriend treated me like an extra special princess, his parents called me (and Kathe included a Marilyn Monroe version of the birthday song), I got fabulous earrings and I even got back tickles after dinner and dessert cuz those are my favorite!! Fabulous birthday and thank you thank you thank you to all who made me feel special!

Oh, I forgot. Caysie, one of my lovely coworkers, got me a card and some yummy Smackers lipgloss. The card is hilarious. I took a picture of it (forewarning: it's kinda vulgar). Heidi, one of my other coworkers, gave me a birthday facial! Fabulous! Thanks ladies!

Birthday Display

Cake

My cake and I.

Apparently I look like a monkey when blowing out candles.

Opening my gift...

Yay!! Real estate! But there's more...

Aren't they fabulous?!

Birthday Presents!

My earrings!

The card. Inside: "By your side is where I like to be."
Drew determined he's the one outstretched on his back.

Caysie's Card to Me.

The inside of the card!

The first day of my last year...

2009-08-24T16:49:00.002-07:00

Yes. It's true. Today is the first day of my last academic year in school. Can you believe it? I mean, I can, but it's so weird! I can't believe I only have 9 months of school left. I'm so excited.

To tell you the truth though, I'm already exhausted. I had a pretty tough week last week trying to figure out the rest of my academic life, which also included trying to figure out my finances. So, I was pretty emotional, pretty mentally unstable and just downright grumpy. I apologize to those who were effected.

Nonetheless, I'm at school at this very moment waiting for my next class to begin. I already feel like I need to take a nap, but it's hot and uncomfortable. I should probably just wait until I get back to my apartment to hit the hay.

I have lots of classes on my school load this semester, so being organized and proactive is key for my success. I love it. I love being organized to begin with. As far as the proactive part, I generally procrastinate. By choice. I do better under pressure. However, I think it's time I avoid going down that path. The less procrastination, the less stress and the more time I have to perfect my assignments and so forth. So, hopefully I'll stay on track with this plan of mine.

Oh, by the way, I should probably throw in the fact that I'm no longer participating in the Creative Writing concentration. It's not because I don't want to anymore, it's because graduating on time is more important to me at this point, especially since I got denied for in-state tuition. So, Communication is still a concentration, and Interior Design History is my other. I'm taking 4 of the 6 classes required to graduate for Interior Design History already this semester, so I'm in good shape. Like I said, I just wanna get the hell out of school. I don't think my mind can take anymore to be honest.

I have 40 minutes left until class starts. I'll keep writing...

Oh!! Mom and Dad and Chester came out for a visit this past weekend! Yay! They stayed at the Westin Kierland in a wonderful casita, so Chester was happy. I had to work all weekend, so I didn't get to see the fam as much as I had liked to, but I stayed with them at the hotel which was fun. On Saturday night, we went out to Macayo's to celebrate some birthdays... aka Dad's and mine. It was so much fun. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas. I don't know if I can say that I was over-served because I was the one in control of that... needless to say, I'm a lightweight. Drew joined the fun as well. After dinner, we went to Yogurtbuilders for some froyo. Mmmm. Best dessert ever.

I had so much fun with Mom and Dad. Dad doesn't get to come out and visit as often as Mom does, so it was nice to have both of them out here. And Chester, of course, was lovely to see as well. Next time the Salgado parents come out together is Parents Weekend in October... looking forward to it!

My 23rd is on Sunday. Yeah, the big 2-3. It doesn't mean anything special really... other than I'm getting older. Hmm... oh well.

Anyway, Drew is just about getting to the COOR building here at ASU for his class tonight and coincidentally, we have our Monday night classes in the same building during the same period of time. So fun! So basically, I'm ditching the blogging to say hi to my man!

Food.

2009-08-13T16:29:00.004-07:00

I'm at work today and have been experiencing something incredibly odd. I've been thinking about food ALL DAY LONG. I don't get it. It's like my sister and I switched brains or something, cuz she always thinks about food. I'm not hungry or anything, but like, I want to smell it. Or cook it. I dunno. I skimmed through a bon appetit mag in the spa today and there were 10 chicken recipes that had me salivating worse than Chester at his most droolsome times. It was embarrassing.

And then I decided to look at cupcakes. Bad, bad, awful idea. I have an obsession with cupcakes. I don't know why. I just love them. I want to bake them all the time. I want to decorate them really cute.

I think I have a problem. Oh, and then I started thinking about a broccoli cheddar potato. So weird. And then after that, I started thinking about Giada DeLorenti and her fabulous healthy cooking and I wanted to read up on her recipes. And then all of a sudden, I started thinking about southern cooking. Like, that one bigger southern lady who says "y'all" a lot. What's her name? Why can't I remember? She's like an older southern belle woman who's like... a chronic smoker or something? And then after thinking of her, I thought about the barefoot contessa and her fabulous food. But then I thought about her house that's in the Something's Gotta' Give movie. Love that movie. Love that house. Love her food.

Anyway, point is, food is good. I love it. A lot.

I'm not a cave woman... a story about camping.

2009-08-12T16:05:00.006-07:00

So Drew and I went camping. Yep, camping. The real kind of camping. Not crashing and trashing. Not in a friend's backyard. Like, in the great outdoors of Northern Arizona in the Coconino National Forest. Off the beaten path. Marshal Lake/Lake Mary. Yep. We did it.

I must say, I am highly impressed with Drew's mountain man ways. He set up tent, built a campfire, chopped some fire wood, grilled burgers, s'mores etc etc etc. I know it's not really a compliment to a guy when girls say that they're adorable, but he is soooo adorable. His manly ways certainly leave a little soft spot.

Now, originally, MMM (my mountain man) wanted to stay two nights out there in what people call "nature." I, at first, was all for it. I was thinkin', "yeah, I can rough it for two nights. I don't need to take a shower; I have deodorant." Ahem. I was so wrong.

The moment we got to the campsite, OMG. This really was off the beaten path. I mean, there was a dirt/semi-paved road to drive on, but the rest was up to us. I was so scared driving on it. All the rocks in the road made me feel like a popcorn kernel in a hot kettle. The car was bouncing and bumping on down the road and I held on for dear life. Aye aye aye.

When we finally found our campground, we had to trek slightly. But, overall, it was a pretty ideal location. Visually, that is.

So, I immediately wanted to set up tent, merely to sit in it and mope for a little bit since I was so traumatized by the car ride. I put the pole things in the loophole things, but then Andrew told me to sit down in my chair and drink some water. He didn't want me to get dehydrated in that elevation. So I sat. Like I said, he set up the entire camp, because he wanted to.

After setting up, he joined me in the other chair and we just kinda... sat. We sat for a long time it seemed like. But it was a lot of fun. We enjoyed talking and hanging out and enjoying a beer. I must say though... I had a bit of an issue. There were bugs everywhere. Flying insects. You could hear them whizzing by your ears. You could feel them land on your arms, legs, neck, face, head. There were everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I HATE INSECTS. Especially horse flies. There were ginormous horse flies. I got bitten. On my back/shoulder. It's a horse fly bite. It hurts. I hate it. I hate insects.

So, after a few hours of sitting and enjoying my mountain man's company, but not enjoying the insects, I figured out that I really really had to use the restroom. Badly. I hadn't gone potty since 6am. It was then 3pm. Drew told me that nature is our bathroom. I said "no." No exaggeration needed here. I said no. I couldn't do it. I can't do it. This little discussion of back and forth went on for a long while. Until finally, a tear started to shed from my left eyeball. Drew saw it and took me to the nearest bathroom. What a guy...! I know he's disappointed in me, but I also know that I have to stay true to myself. And by that I mean... I'm not a cave woman and will never be a cave woman.

I must say, I am incredibly thankful that I have a guy who does nice things for me. He planned the entire trip, brought the food, made the food, set up camp... I mean, the whole shi-bang-bang... and he took care of me and took me to the bathroom. I love him.

To conclude, the trip lasted a night. I know Drew felt bad because I was kind of miserable, but I know he still loves me. Even if I have higher hotel standards and can't pee pee in nature.

A really cool way of finding fire wood

Cheers to camping and beer!

My "I'm really excited to be camping" face.

So, this is what we did... a lot. Nike for life.

Mountain Man grilling meat.

Happy Lauren.

I love this picture.

Mountain Man or Handsome Man? Both? Yes.

Our humble abode. In nature.

Our beautiful view.

Family Matters.

2009-08-08T18:56:00.002-07:00

In the process of posting pictures and writing about certain events, I realized that I have yet to talk about the most wonderful time when I was home. The weekend of the wedding coincidentally seemed to work out for the Salgado and Ogle families. Tim and Kathe were in San Diego visiting their oldest son, Ryan, the same week that Drew and I were home. So, obviously, some coordination was a must!

Considering that Tim and Kathe had me set up in a "bed and breakfast" at their home when Drew and I were in Indiana (because that's just how fabulous those two are), it seemed only appropriate to invite T and K over for some BBQ lovin'. My parents were so thankful that I was so well taken care of in Indiana that they were more than happy to have Drew's parents over. Since the Ogle parents were in SD visiting Ryan, it was a given that Ryan just had to come and join the fun! Ryan is so cool. Side note: It's great now that I know both of Drew's brothers because I get to see their similar and differentiating qualities. So fun!

Since Chester is a regular attendant to family functions, Darwin, Ryan's beagle, was clearly invited. Those two got along so well! So, all in all, Mom, Dad, Lyss, Chester, Tim, Kathe, Ryan, Darwin, and Drew and I were able to spend a lovely evening at my parents' home. Mom made some damn delicious food and Dad's grilling was fantastic. The families got to talk and hang out and enjoy some margs and beer. It was seriously so fun! And, in my opinion, the best part of the night was dessert! We put the backyard fireplace to use and made s'mores. The weather was absolutely perfect the whole day and during the night, it was even better. I think the Ogles got to experience a little bit of the Coto sunset, too. So beautiful.

I feel so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing boyfriend with a family that is so warm, considerate, kind, caring and loving. And of course, I am forever grateful for my parents and my sister and their amazing entertainment qualities and their warm openness. I know that my family had such a great time with Tim, Kathe, Ryan and Darwin. I hope the Ogles enjoyed the evening and enjoyed my family as well... I mean, after all, I do take after them. ♥

PS. I don't know what happened, but I didn't take any pictures of the wonderful BBQ! What was I thinking?! Maybe next time?...

Such a frustrating day.

2009-08-08T13:57:00.002-07:00

I don't want to sit here and complain and vent about how I'm feeling today, but I'm just so over it. I don't understand people sometimes. I don't understand people who use and abuse people like me. I just don't get it. I don't think I'm gonna extend myself to undeserving people anymore... or at least not extend myself to people who don't extend themselves to me. You know, the un-reciprocating people. I'm so over them. 100%. At least for today. The end.

Bre and Kevin Got Married!!!

2009-08-08T12:32:00.006-07:00

I cannot believe the wedding festivities are over! Bre and Kevin finally tied the knot! Wooooo!

Mom, Dad and Lyss were invited so it was absolutely wonderful to be able to party and groove to the tunes with them. And another absolutely wonderful thing was that I was able to bring a date... my handsome man! I think he had a great time and I know my parents and sis did too!

Funniest thing: my sis stole the bouquet from me. No lie. I took my heels off after the ceremony cuz my feet were in so much god awful pain that I had to, so I was wearing sandals at the reception. My sis, who is naturally taller than me to begin with, was wearing her heels. So when Bre threw the bouquet over her head, as it was headed right into my hands, I saw my sister's hand fly over my head as she wrapped her fingers around the bouquet. It was seriously like a matrix move or something. It was crazy!

So since she caught the bouquet, she got to dance with Scott, garter recipient. It was hilarious. They did their own version of the tango or something. I dunno. But it was awesome. I was jeal.

Anyway, many feet aches and dress malfunctions later, it was a lovely wedding. I'm so happy for Bre and Kevin and hope they enjoy their lives together!

Grand Canyon Camping

2009-08-08T11:11:00.006-07:00

So, apparently Drew is quite the happy camper. Literally. He had an itch to camp, so we went to the Grand Canyon. We met up with his friend Nicole; a park ranger at the Grand Canyon... she's famous. Her ranger picture is on every bus up there. She is super cool and I loved meeting her. Instead of staying at her place, we camped in her "backyard." We stayed in the infamous Indy 500 Crash and Trash tent... aka the tent that's really only meant for 1 adult or 2 small children. It was a lot of fun! The weather was perfect! Famous Ranger Nico was an awesome tour guide!

The GC is more amazing than I remember it to be. On the first day, we went hiking on one of the canyon trails. When the winds picked up, we decided to leave because strong gusts of wind on the edge of a giant canyon isn't really a good idea, in case you didn't know. The hike back up the canyon was a difficult one for me. Not gonna lie, but I survived! Oh, I survived the camping part, too. Yikes!

Nerd Alert
Drew and I on our hike

Famous Ranger and Drew

GC View

Drew's View

Drew's View II

Just takin' a dive into the canyon...

Peek-A-Boo

Mom and Dad

Baby

GC Sunset

GC

One-Man Tent

GC Morning

Drew in the Morning

Me in the Morning. Ew.

GC

Drew and the GC

One of the many reasons...

2009-07-22T16:15:00.002-07:00

... why I love him.

Wouldn't you love to get off work and go over to your boyfriend's house to find this? Two place settings and a fabulous dinner straight off the grill, complete with wine and peach iced tea? Yeah. It was probably the most delicious meal ever. Chicken shish kabobs and white rice. Mmm mm mm. So yummy. Thank you Drew!!

A Few Thoughts Before Bedtime

2009-07-20T22:54:00.002-07:00

- I'm exhausted.
- I had a great time with Lyss today.
- I can't wait to go home.
- Super excited for the boyfriend's parents, oldest brother and oldest brother's dog to meet Mom, Dad, Lyss and Cheddar.
- Bre's wedding is this weekend! Can't believe she's getting married!
- Got a cute dress for the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner. Do I love it? I love it. I got it at Ross.
- I'm watching South Park. Kinda not in the mood for it.
- I'm more obsessed with HGTV than ever. I take notes during episodes now. Not just mental notes. Handwritten for sure.
- By the way, I drew out a floor plan and decorated it. It was fun.
- One more class session left til summer officially starts.
- Yeah, final on Wednesday, but I'm getting an "A" in the class. No complaints.
- I am so happy. So amazingly happy.
- I love my life.
- I love my family.
- I love my dog.
- I love my boyfriend.
- I love my friends.
- I love everything.
- Final note: MJ is still rockin' my iPod.

Goodnight.

A Boyfriend Shout Out

2009-07-13T20:29:00.003-07:00

I love him. Very much. And it's important that he knows that. Figured putting it on my blog would be a new way of showing that. ♥

We are Family.

2009-07-13T20:25:00.003-07:00

Anyone??? Any takers???

2009-07-13T20:19:00.002-07:00

Does anyone read this? I used to send informative emails to my family members to let them know I updated a post or whatever, but I don't do that anymore cuz sometimes I write a lot and sometimes I don't. Knowing this, no one probably reads this except my parents and my fabulous boyfriend cuz they actually care about what I write. Maybe I have some occasional readers who like to drop by and read but don't say hi. Cool.

Anyway, if you read this, let me know. And by that I mean, leave me a comment that's not anonymous. But, as far as I'm concerned, the "anonymous" poster isn't so anonymous. Yeah, leave a comment. I like the love.

Cowboy Handy-Man

2009-07-13T20:16:00.001-07:00

All I can say to this is... YEEHAW!