for your entertainment

I have been thinking about this all day.  It would be a shame not to share.

http://www.joshweed.com/2011/08/weed-does-trololo.html

You're welcome.

keep the change

Change.  It's what's been on my mind a lot these days. 

 A lot.

You see, I recently had a birthday.  Birthday number 31 {insert horrific gasp}.  To anyone else in the world, this would be no big deal.  But to a single, LDS girl, it is practically a death sentence.  No joke.

To clarify for my non-LDS friends out there, our church has special wards for single adults aged 18-30.  It is heavenly.  A time to associate and mingle with people your own age.  I have been going to aforementioned meat markets singles wards for the last 13ish years of my life.  So imagine the shock that comes when you turn 31 and are thrown back into the mainstream...attending church with old, married people...and kids!  Yuck.

Yes, for the last few months of my singles ward experience I was feeling old and out of place, but I still loved being with people I could relate to.  And, I was very private about discussing my age with people...because it was embarassing to me.  So as the time to leave got closer, I was dealing with all this shame and embarassment by myself.  I know, this is nothing to be embarassed about, but I am a crazy, emotional girl. 

Fast forward to my last week in the singles ward.  With the exception of my close friends, I told no one that I would be leaving.  I begged the Relief Society President and Branch Presidency not to announce it.  But, because I love the RS Pres, I told her she could announce it at the very end of church...to the sisters only.  I bore my testimony and cried my eyes out.  I was going to miss the Branch and miss my friends.  A few people asked where I was going, and I simply replied that I would be going to a family ward.  See, I couldn't even admit that I was an old fart and getting kicked out!  Haha.

Another flash forward...to this last Sunday.  This was my second week attending the family ward and the time came for the bishop to read my name over the pulpit as a new member of the ward.  I stood and smiled like a good girl...and then these words flooded into my ears:

"Alayna has just graduated from the singles ward and will now be joining us..."

I wanted to die, right then and there.

Haha!  That girl is old.  And single.  And there is no hope for her.

I sat down quickly, and laughed to keep the tears from flowing.  I turned to the lady next to me and said, "Is this real life?  Did that really just happen?"  To which she replied, "It's like you've got the number 31 stamped on your forehead."

 

 

To say I was mortified was an understatement.  Here, this secret I had been trying to keep for so long was so very out in the open...without my permission.  Needless to say, I felt awkward.  But what can you do about it?

Then that night I was feeling brave.  I decided to venture out to a mid-singles fireside...just to see if it was really as bad as people say it is.  Again, to clarify, the mid-singles group consists of singles aged 31-45...or so that's what I'd always been told.  I am not sure if I was mistaken, or if the people who showed up were mistaken, but I have never felt so young and so very out of place in my life.  How is a woman supposed to get married when every guy at this "mid-singles" fireside looks like this:

"I'm under 45...I swear!"

or this:

"You + Me = Us"

Worst experience of my life.

In conclusion, being single sucks a little bit.  I honestly don't know how I'm supposed to get married...but I can definitely promise you that I will try.  Will I ever go to another mid-singles fireside?  Not anytime soon.  Will I do the online dating thing?  Probably not...tried it once and didn't enjoy it.  So, wish me luck as I try to figure this thing out.  If for no other reason, it will give me something good to blog about.

Oh, and you can keep the change...

Freddy

I have this friend named Jay Frederick (Freddy) that I adore (well, not today...but that's another story).

The other day he celebrated his birthday, so the friends and I thought it would be fitting to celebrate with him at a local restaurant/frozen custard place called Freddy's. To make a short story shorter, we sent him on his way and had a party after he left!

{I love my girls}

Some Nights...I don't sleep

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think, "Man, I am too old for this crap...but it's so darn fun!"? No? Well, I feel sorry for you because it's a good feeling. And I have felt it a lot lately.

One week after my first impromptu roadtrip to San Diego, I hopped back in the car with some other friends to head to Tucson, Arizona. Believe it or not, I had never been there before. It wasn't that exciting of a town, but then again, I was only there for about 18 hours. The car ride was full of laughter and loud singing, just as a roadtrip should be. And the laughter and loud singing continued throughout the entire night (no joke...but we'll get to that later). We stopped at our hotel to freshen up and then headed out to dinner at a place called Bumsted's:

It was a highly inappropriate restaurant, full of crazy pictures and even more inappropriately named entrees. Their menu claims to love my bum...and I believe them. After all, everything we ordered was massive, thus increasing the size of my bum:


After gorging ourselves, we headed to this place:

To see this band:

Don't we look excited??

I have to tell you, it was one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. There was nothing fancy about it, but hearing FUN. live sounds exactly the same as hearing FUN. on the cd. They are a very entertaining bunch and I really like their music. And the girls I was with definitely added to the enjoyment.

Perhaps the thing that brought me the most joy was the fact that we were sitting off to the side, and could only see the first two letters of the band name while they were serenading us. But because I love them so much, I chose not to be offended. Hahahaha.


After the sweaty and fantastic concert was over, we headed out to our hidden parking spot, which happened to be behind the theater and where the band's bus was parked. We pulled up a spot against the chain link fence hoping to catch a glimpse of the guys. Little did we know that every single one of them would make their way toward us, to shake our hands, sign things for us and take pictures with us. It was so exciting!

Jack:

Andrew (my personal favorite):

And the amazingly, talented, lead singer Nate Ruess:


We left that night on a high. It was such a fun experience and I am so glad I got to go.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, we couldn't sleep and spent many hours reminiscing on our experience. Around 4 am we got an unexpected visitor, and then the shenanigans really started. But we won't get in to that. Just trust me...I didn't sleep that night. And I paid for it the next day, and the next, and the next. I am so excited to be able to sleep this weekend!

Again I say:

{I'm too old for this crap...but it's so darn fun!}

What happens in Cali...

Oh my goodness! I just got back from my first official spur-of-the-moment roadtrip (sad, I know), and I loved it! I'm not sure how I'm going to pay my bills this month, but I had so much fun that I don't even care. Sometimes you just gotta live life and take the opportunities that are presented to you, ya know?!

Anyway, a couple of friends and I packed up the car last weekend and headed to San Diego, California to witness the marriage of our friends New Kid (Zach) and Alyssa. We were only there for about 1 1/2 days, but I loved every minute of it. And thanks to my sweet Jayfred, we had a free place to stay. Woohoo!

We got in late Thursday night, early Friday morning and spent a little while getting settled, getting to know the strangers we were staying with, and getting in on the Fuller family gossip. Good times, good times. And great information if I must say so myself...

We woke up on Friday morning and headed to the most beautiful place in the world, the San Diego Temple:

Dreamy right?? The inside is even more magnificent and breathtaking. Oh man. I just really loved the spirit that was felt there and it was so peaceful. So beautiful! This was my second temple wedding that I had been to, and I absolutely loved it. The words that were said, the feelings felt, I just can't begin to describe the feelings. Love.

Here is the happy couple after sealing the deal:

And, of course, the wedding party:

We took lots of pretty pictures and shared lots of memories and/or laughs. Afterward we all headed to lunch. Enjoyable company, decent food, beautiful city. It was a great moment.

Back at the Fuller home we got more juicy gossip, changed our clothes and headed out for our next adventure. Well, first I fell on my face while walking out the door and nearly wet my pants, but you know, I wouldn't expect anything less from myself. First destination, Balboa Park and the Pacific Boardwalk.


The weather did not cooperate with us. It was pretty windy, chilled and skies were gray, but we spent a good chunk of time just playing at the beach, watching the waves and breathing in the salty air. It made me reflect on just how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful world and to have the luxuries that I do. Just a great, peaceful moment.

And then...I chose the path of sin. Haha. Yes, I got myself a tattoo. Ok, so maybe it was only a henna tattoo, but I felt rebellious doing it.

"Lips" in honor of...me. Fitting right? At the time, I loved it. But now I am realizing that it was probably the dumbest $10 I've ever spent. They claim the tattoo lasts 1 1/2-2 weeks. I am on day 5 and it's practically gone. In fact, the next morning I woke up and the first thing I saw was my wrist. I immediately burst into laughter because it just looked like a child drew some lips on my wrist with a brown marker. Dumb.

After letting our tattoos dry and eating some pizza, we headed toward downtown San Diego and went to see some navy ship and also to Seaport Village. Inappropriate photos were taken, and ice cream was consumed, but it was mostly an evening of browsing and taking in the sights. We decided to call it a night because we were pretty exhausted.

The next morning, St Patrick's Day, we decided to check out a restaurant featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives called Hob Nob Hill. Besides the lack of parking, it was a pretty great little place. I LOVED the inside of the restaurant and the food selection was varied. I decided to get the Dublin Omlet in honor of the holiday: corned beef, green peppers, onions, swiss cheese and eggs. Not something I probably would have chosen on any other day, but it was pretty good.


I mentioned the cold weather on Friday, but the weather on Saturday was even worse. I'm talking torrential downpours and high wind gusts. Poor Cara was shivering as we were gassing up to head back to AZ.

And this is what I looked like after I walked from the car to the bathroom at the gas station.

It was intense. But I am happy to report that we made it home safely. Just in time for the storm to hit AZ.

All in all, it was a great weekend. One that won't be forgotten. I am so grateful that I could go and play with my girls and look forward to the next adventure...this coming weekend.

And just for fun, here is another beautiful temple (in the works) for your viewing pleasure:

This, my friends, is the Gilbert, Arizona temple. Approximately 2 miles from my parents' house and only a 10-15 minute drive from my house. I am already in love with this temple and can't wait until it is finished.

Next up, heading to Tucson to see the FUN. concert. Such a great life I live!

no joke

The other day I was driving down the freeway when I noticed a billboard that was proclaiming a grand opening and fashion show for a new company. When I looked a little closer to the billboard I noticed the new company was an OB/Gyn office.

Now answer me this question:

What kind of fashion show would you have at an OB/Gyn office??

calm

2012.

It's a new year and I have a new resolve.

I know I usually post my resolutions for all to see, and even recap the resolutions from the previous year...but not this year. You see, I haven't even thought about and/or written down any resolutions.

Strange? Perhaps.

Lack of motivation? Absolutely.

However, I am happy to report that one tradition remains this year...and that is the tradition of having a quote and/or saying that I want to live by for the year. I found a really good quote from President Thomas S Monson, but it was so similar to my quote from last year that I wasn't really feeling it.

Then the greatest thing happened.

I went to dinner with my friends and we exchanged Christmas presents. My friend gave me a CD compilation with songs from a group called Fun. and another group called The Format. I started listening to the CD and stumbled upon this amazing song. At first I just thought, "Holy crap, this is a catchy song!" But then I started listening to the words...and I may have even gotten a tear in my eye because I just knew...this was it! This was my song and my theme for the year.

So without further ado, I give you a musical masterpiece for your listening pleasure, complete with lyrics:


"But Alayna, this is a song about a homeless man singing on the street," you may say. Yes, this is true. But the message resonated deep inside of me. It's exactly what I need to remember this year, because I have no doubt it's going to be an interesting year...

No matter how trying things may be, I just need to be calm. Especially with all the big, tough changes coming my way, I know that I will make it through if I just remember this message:

Doctrine & Covenants 101:17

"Be still and know that I am God."

I am grateful for this message and truly believe it.

And now, I have a new favorite CD to listen to.

{it's a win-win}

Christmas craftiness

Christmas and the New Year came and went. They were good times.

Fun. Family. Friends.

The usual.

As promised, a little recap of my home made Christmas presents, all courtesy of Pinterest.

For the parentals: 52 reasons why I love you...deck of cards style.

For the brothers and their families: 10 reasons why I love you chipboard albums, complete with pictures of me {and the person the book was about}. Not pictured...because by the time I was done making them, I was ready to start them on fire. And since they were covered in Mod Podge, they were highly flammable.

For my new baby nephew: a football onesie. Drool.

For the friends: miniature stuffed owls/birds. Super cute and super easy. In all honesty, I prefer them flat {pictured} rather than stuffed. But what can you do?
What I wanted to make for everyone I know, but only had time to make them for my AZ friends: flower pillows. Don't they just scream happiness??!!

So, Christmas crafting was fun, but I'm glad it's over. I got some good stuff for Christmas as well. I am a lucky girl who is very much loved.

If you know anything about me, you know that I have a nickname. The full nickname is "They Call Me Lips," but usually I just go by "Lips." No further explanation is needed. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke up Christmas morning to this beautiful sight:My very own lips shaped bean bag! Haha. I almost died. That Santa sure is a character...

And since I am going through a major pillow making phase, I had to make a cute pillow to adorn my bean bag chair. The pillow is not stuffed in the below picture, and my bedroom is a disaster behind the chair, but you get the idea. Cutey right?!In other related news, my studly brother made my life complete by pawning off some stuff he didn't use anymore on me. He gave me his digital converter box...which means I now have basic cable, without having to pay for basic cable. Yay! Granted, it's only a few channels, but now I finally feel like I know what is going on in the world.

He gave me this beauty:The piano I grew up playing on...just because he didn't want to bother moving it to their new place. It is such a dream to have a piano in my house! The non-full sized keyboard just wasn't cutting it. I LOVE IT!!!

And finally, he still has a use for this item, but let me borrow it to my heart's content during the holidays:

I seriously adore that boy! He just melts my heart.

I hope your holidays were great! I know mine were!

More posts to come. Or I should say, atleast one post is in the works...

{later}