Alayna's Pink Paradise

no joke

2012-01-31T11:25:00.002-07:00

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

2012-01-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

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

2012-01-08T17:37:00.007-07:00

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}

overdue

2011-12-22T11:59:00.016-07:00

{What?! Alayna is updating her blog?!}

Hello friends. It's been a while. What can I say? Life has just been crazy busy. I'm sure you all understand. Afterall, I am not the only terrible blogger out there. But this has for sure got to be a record for me. No promises that things will get better...

Anyway, Christmas is just 3 days away. I can't believe it! No, I DON'T believe it. As much as I love living in AZ, it's just hard to wrap my head around Christmas when it's 60+ degrees. I miss the snow and cold this time of year. And with no annual trip to UT this year, it's been different.

I've had my fair share of Christmas festivities. Starting with the annual decorating of the gingerbread house with my nephews on Thanksgiving.
Such a work of art! And very difficult for me to just sit back and watch the dirty little fingers touch and/or lick everything, and place things in unusual places. My mother says that next year she will get one just for me...so I can do what I want with it. Haha. I love it!

Next item on the agenda, the work Christmas party, catering to our hispanic co-workers with Mexican food, a mariachi band and a pinata. Good times...mostly.I decided, in an effort to save some money, to make all homemade Christmas gifts this year.

Never again.

Not sure that it's worth it...and not sure that it saves on the funds. Seriously, that took up all of my time and was a huge factor into why I don't blog anymore. So for OUR sake...I promise not to do that again!

However, I am somewhat in love with the results and proud of my efforts. Hopefully my friends and family enjoy the gifts...

With that being said, my home and other aspects of life have suffered from my lack of time. I had to take a day off of work just so I could decorate my Christmas tree and clean my house! But I am happy that I can now just enjoy laying on the couch, looking at my awesome Christmas tree. Matchy matchy ornaments and white lights...makes my OCD heart happy!Other Christmasy happenings have happened, like the annual trip to the temple to see the lights, drinking QT hot chocolate on a regular basis, wearing sweatshirts and I even wore shoes one day this last week {gasp}. It's been a very eventful and exciting month!

But perhaps a near favorite event, not Christmas related, was the birth of my puppy babies.Look at sweet Frederick with our babies! I am trying to convince Freddy to give me a puppy, but let him raise it, train it and take care of it...at his house. I think he's almost convinced.

Or maybe not.

But in all seriousness, how can you deny this face? Swoon.

Speaking of babies and swooning, I have some great news! On December 16th I became an aunt...again...for the 8th time! My 7th nephew, cute little Chase William, made his appearance and swiftly found his way to my heart. I love him!
And finally, no Christmas would be complete without a white elephant gift exchange. I was lucky enough to open these tinfoil hats, made by my friend Lisa. Think of the movie "Signs" and then think of people wearing these hats saying, "So the aliens can't read our minds." That is the preface behind the hats.

So one day I brought the hats into work and my co-workers and I did all sorts of crazy things with them. Mostly inappropriate and unable to be posted, but just believe me when I say that we shed some tears due to laughter. Here is Saije and me, hiding in a makeshift cornfield, so the aliens can't find us. And here is another representation of the tinfoil hats, the bug eyes.I'm sure your imagination can take you all sorts of directions for different photo ops. I would love to hear your thoughts...

Anyway, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy your time with your family and friends. And I also hope you find the time to focus on the real reason for this season, our Savior Jesus Christ. Because without Him, there would be no Christmas. That is my goal this year, to focus on the true meaning of Christmas...because so far I am failing.

I can't wait to share my homemade Christmas gifts with you...AFTER they are opened.

I will blog again.

Guaranteed.

{Merry Christmas, yo}

a little of this, a little of that...

2011-11-09T15:53:00.009-07:00

It's about time I updated my blog with something of value.

But I've got nothing valuable to share.

So for now, I will just share some thoughts I've had lately:

*I really love "No Shave November." There is just something about a man with facial hair that makes me smile. However, I do not love girls that participate in "No Shave November." That's just nasty. But to tell you the truth, I am convinced that I can grow a beard faster than most men I know.
*I have been listening to Christmas music since October 24th. And to be honest, I am shocked that I have done this because I tend to get sick of Christmas music pretty quick. No, I am not listening to only Christmas music, but I did venture out with some friends to buy the new Michael Buble Christmas CD (at midnight, dressed in winter clothing...when it was probably 80 degrees outside)...and I can't bring myself to take it out of the car CD player. So I listen to it, everyday. And I LOVE it!

*I can't seem to get enough crafting in these days. I think it all started when I had to begin preparations to teach the Relief Society lesson this last weekend. The lesson was on "Tender Mercies" and I threw in "Gratitude" too. We decided to give each of the girls gratitude journals to take home and I LOVED creating them. I made my own (which I stare at and smile at everyday) as well as a "Tender Mercies" sign to display throughout the month (that is our Relief Society theme for November). Wanna see?Honestly, I had such a hard time preparing my lesson because I just had to keep sneaking into my kitchen to look at my creations. Yep, I'm weird like that. Are you the same? You make something cute and can't pull yourself away from staring? So now I have switched my focus to Christmas presents. I have stayed up near midnight the last two nights because I am so in love with what I am making and CAN'T STOP! But at least it is a worthy cause...

{I am out of thoughts}

Halloween '11

2011-11-03T15:23:00.010-07:00

Halloween 2011. It was a good one.

I decided to try my luck at making a handmade costume (or 2) this year...and I was pleasantly pleased with the outcome. My costumes were different than the norm, but very much pertinent to my life and sense of humor. You see, I dressed up as a candle:and as a Peeping Tom:

Why I chose to dress up as these two items you ask? Well, it's sort of an inside joke between my friends and myself with our dear friend Jay Frederick. You see, Jayfred is a very private person. He will let us into his home, but REFUSES to let us see into his bedroom. Not only can we not step foot in there, but we can't even peek our head in. Anywho, one day he sent us pictures of his bedroom, just to satisfy our curiosity. And what did our eyes behold? Countless numbers of candles...EVERYWHERE!!! And an Energizer Bunny on his head board (but that's beside the point). We joke that he is shooting porn in his bedroom. So the candle was a MUST.

The Peeping Tom is because for the longest time since I have known him he always jokes about how his dogs bark everytime he starts undressing in his room. He says it's because I am in his backyard, watching him undress through the window. I think it's because the dogs are crying in anguish, seeing him get undressed again. Anywho, that is why this costume was a MUST as well.

Flash forward to the Sunday before Halloween. The girls and I decided to have a little get together (because you shouldn't call it a party on a Sunday) and invite some friends over to eat snacks, play games and show off costumes. A few friends came to my house, and here are their fantastic costume choices:Mrs. Pacman (Cara), the Candle (yours truly) and a Roman Goddess (Daja)Mrs Pacman (Cara) and her hubby, Blinky the Ghost (Justin)Jayfred...dressed up as a shaggy red-neck (or atleast that's what I told people that he was)Dr. D Capitate and his trusted assistant (Zach and Alyssa)Snow White (Lisa)Wonder Woman (Mari)

There were other folks there, but I don't have individual shots of them and/or they didn't dress up. We mostly hung out and laughed about life, but we did play a fun game of toilet paper mummy wrapping (is that what you call it) and Smurf.

Good times. Good times.

But perhaps the highlight of my night (and dare I say it, Jayfred's too) was the re-creation of Freddy lounging sexily on my bed with a candle flickering in the background:Haha. I die.

Look how HAPPY he is when I get a little closer...

The actual day of Halloween was interesting. We had our work Halloween party and I chose to wear my Candle costume. I won a prize for the costume contest. Jay was proud.

That night was the Branch Halloween party. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures...but it was a pretty fun activity. Apparently the mummy wrap is the hit game of the season, because we played it again. Here is poor Andrew, forced to eat the empty toilet paper rolls. Doesn't he look squishy?And speaking of Andrew, I had to post this eerily awesome pic of him because I think he looked HOTT dressed up as Stefan Salvatore from Vampire Diaries:We did take a pic of us together with him pretending to bite my neck, but it was taken on his cell phone and I don't have it. Oh, I guess I should mention that I dressed up as the Peeping Tom for the Branch Halloween party...AND won the prize for the most creative costume.

Woohoo!

Two costumes, two awards! Who would have known that Freddy would be such a great inspiration and good luck charm?!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a Peeping Candle:

{Boo}

monday night madness

2011-10-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

For the longest time my friends and I have been having what we like to call "Monday Night Madness." Basically we go to Family Home Evening at the church each Monday night from 7:30 until about 9:30, then after we get together and play. In the early beginnings of Monday Night Madness we would stay up until 3am-ish just playing around, etc. Well lately our Monday nights have been pretty lackluster, and we just watch a movie and/or talk. While I love just doing those things too, I miss the good old days of getting crazy. So this last Monday I decided to have the girls come over to my house and I pulled out my box of Halloween costumes.

And then we pulled out the camera.

The following pictures make me smile:

It was a great night and I hope to have many more like it! It feels good to be a freak again and there is not a better feeling than laughing so hard you cry! Thanks for the fun night girls!

{keep 'em coming}

more craftiness

2011-10-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have been in such a crafty mood lately it almost makes me sick! All I think about is sewing or making things for people...which is a good thing, but it makes it that much harder to actually do my work at work! Haha.

Well, ever since I got my new calling at church, I knew that I needed a new tote to carry my plethora of books and supplies in. I saw several handmade totes on Pinterest and decided that I would make one. I knew that my tote needed to be something that would match with anything, and since I wear mostly black and brown to church, I found some neutral colors and got to work. And this is the end result:What do you think? Are you as in love with it as I am?! I bought a pack of 3 totes, so if anyone wants one, I'm your girl!

{I am an official bag lady}

in love

2011-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

On Sunday my nephew turned 5. When trying to decide what to get him for his birthday, my brother (knowing that I am strapped for cash) suggested that my nephew would be thrilled to get a box of candy. So I went with it. But, being the ridiculous person that I am, could not fathom just giving him a box of candy. So I took the liberty to decorate the boxes of candy. I chose a football theme because I had already purchased a mini football for him before my brother suggested candy. Aren't they cute??

On his actual birthday my mother and I went over to his house for cake and ice-cream. I was so in love with him that day because he was so adorable! He loved the candy and loved putting the homemade boxes on his hands as well. We started playing chess together, well Jake's version of chess, and then he started playing some games on his mother's iPhone. It was comical because Jake wanted me to watch everything he was doing, so he would get right next to me. And then Ty, his brother, wanted to watch too so he would sit right next to Jake. I would ocassionally scoot over, and within seconds Jake would be moving to get closer to me. I tried to capture a moment of the boys just to show how cute they looked right next to each other, but my flash came on so this is what I got:

I love those kids! Later on that night Jake dumped out all of his candy and we sorted it by color. I asked him if I could have a red Skittle because they are my favorite, and he said I could. As my mother and I were getting ready to leave Jake said, "I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay and play with me." That boy definitely knows how to tug at my heart strings! I wanted to just hug him and take him home with me. However, we did have to leave and he seemed ok with it. After he hugged me goodbye and as I was turning to walk out I felt a little tap on my leg. I turned around to see Jake, holding one red Skittle with his hand outstretched to give it to me.

{love}

the place i always go...

2011-10-12T09:07:00.013-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to my favorite vacation spot: Utah! Ok, so maybe it's not my favorite vacation spot, but definitely the place I use most of my vacation time on. But I do love seeing my friends and family and getting away from the heat of AZ on ocassion.

This weekend trip was a little bit different because I had some AZ friends with me, so it was fun experiencing Utah with them. The first day there was hands down my favorite day. We woke up in the morning (after getting a few hours sleep) and headed to this beautiful place:I LOVE the Salt Lake Temple! So breathtaking! And the gardens were in full bloom and beautiful. Here we are before we went in the temple to do an endowment session:After the temple we made our first of several trips to Crown Burger. My friend Cara is in love with this place and it was pretty much the only reason she wanted to come to Utah with me. Can't you just see the excitement on her face?! I was glad that I could indulge in this with her. That place is quite delicious!

Our friend Lisa left us for the rest of the weekend to go to a missionary reunion and to spend time with her family. That night Cara and I met up with a couple of my favorite people:and went to one of my favorite places:to watch one of my favorite things! Have I mentioned that I LOVE FOOTBALL?! Well, I do. It makes me so very happy!!! My family went to BYU games my entire childhood, so I have so many fond memories of going to the games and couldn't wait to get back in that stadium to watch a game again. Add the fact that BYU was playing my Alma Mater, Utah State, I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Even though we missed the first quarter of the game due to a late departure and horrific traffic, it was still worth every penny. Once we got to the stadium, we were shocked to see that our tickets were the farthest away from the entrance, and on the very top row of the stadium. Needless to say, we were a bit short-of-breath and sweaty by the time we actually got to our seats:
When I purchased the tickets it showed a view from my seats, and it certainly didn't look like they were in the nose bleeds. Oh well. Live and learn. It was an awesome game! I cheered for BYU, but happily sang the Utah State fight song everytime they scored. I also got to sit next to an Aggie fan, so we had fun going back and forth, trash talking. Cara must have been confused because she kept cheering for ASU...The Aggies put up a good fight, but in the end my Cougars came out victorious. A nail biting ending, makes for some good football and a happy Alayna.

The rest of the weekend was difficult because it was General Conference and there wasn't much time in between sessions to do much. On Saturday I introduced Cara to Taipan. And we may or may not have gone to Crown Burger too! That night Cara and I met up with some of my friends for a potluck and reminiscing. It was good to see friends, but hard at the same time. I felt bad because my AZ friend was there and I wanted to make sure she fit in, but then my UT friends are at different stages of life than me so it was hard to make sure I fit in. All in all, it was a good night and I am lucky to have such great friends in both states!

Then Sunday I dragged Cara with me to my brother's house to say, "hello" and to take some pictures for a Christmas project I am working on. My brother was less than thrilled to take a picture with me, but I really enjoy this one:And this picture just melts my heart:I love my family and am so lucky to get to see them so often! And I am also grateful that Cara has a nice camera and was willing to take the pictures for me. Thanks Carafun!

And then it was Monday morning...and time to head back to AZ.I don't know how people wake up at 3:30 in the morning to fly home in time for work on a Monday morning, but I am hoping it's not something I will ever have to do again...

When all was said and done, I am grateful that I could go to Utah for a quick weekend trip. I am grateful that I could spend some quality bonding time with my pal Cara and that she could be introduced to the people I love and adore in Utah. Oh, and General Conference was amazing as well!

{Yay for Utah!}

DIY lamp shade

2011-10-05T13:50:00.005-07:00

I am trying my hand at posting my first DIY project...just for the sake of pinterest. Haha.

I wish I could take credit for this brilliant idea, but alas I cannot. I stole the idea from my co-worker's super talented wife Heidi. Ready to get started? Let's go!

First, just take any ordinary, lifeless lamp you have laying around. I have had this lamp for approximately 10 years and have hardly used it. I knew I wanted a lamp in my new craft room, but this lamp just wasn't gonna cut it.
Next, cut several strips of fabric. The length of the fabric and width of the fabric depends on how big you want your strips to be and how thick your lampshade is. I used some fabric I had off of a jelly roll, so I believe they measured about 2.5" tall. I just folded the strips in half (with the raw edges meeting in the middle) and ironed them to keep them flat. If you were an over achiever and/or less lazy than me, you can actually sew the wrong sides together to form a tube that you will press flat. Next, just use your sewing machine to sew right down the middle of the strips, pleating every once in a while. Please, there is no need to pin. Just relax and make pleats as you go.

Next, get a hot glue gun and glue those pleated strips to your lampshade. Super easy!

Once your lampshade is covered, feel free to add some awesome fabric flowers, leaves and/or buttons to the lampshade with hot glue. I added one large pleated flower and two smaller fabric roses (which I just made up because none of the tutorials online made sense to me), then threw in a few leaves and glued some sparkly things to the flower center.

All in all, I am very pleased with how it turned out! My fabric was a little crazy, and I would probably make another one with less patterns and/or more muted fabric.

Now, go decorate a lamp shade...I dare you!

{Happy Crafting}

oh, ya know...

2011-09-27T14:19:00.006-07:00

I have been a little out of the blogging world lately. It's not that I don't have a good life or don't have made up stories I could tell you. It just seems like everyone is anti-blogging these days. Like blogging has worn out it's welcome. Either that or people just are too busy with life. But, for those of you who like blog stalking me and reading about my nonsense, I will indulge you.

My life these days consists of working, fulfilling my church callings, playing with friends, and watching football...but not necessarily in that order (sadly, sometimes friends take a back seat to football).

WORKING:

I'm not gonna lie, work has been pretty boring lately. On Mondays I'm busy for a few hours and then the rest of the week I have to find ways to entertain myself. I recently discovered Pinterest and have planned out every single one of my Christmas gifts for this year because of it. It's gonna be a cheap Christmas folks! Haha. When I am not playing on Facebook or looking at crafty things on Pinterest, I can usually be found taking strange pictures of myself, that I then forward on to my friends. This was one of my favorites:

FULFILLING MY CHURCH CALLINGS:

For the last few months I have had the calling of Relief Society Activities Leader. I get to plan monthly activities for the women in my church. It's a lot of fun and right up my alley since I love planning parties and doing crafty things. However, this last week I got a new calling. But before I divulge, let me share with you a little fun tidbit. The other week for Family Home Evening we had a talent show, but not like a singing and dancing type of talent show...the strange and unusual type of talent show. A guy did a beat box rendition of Book of Mormon Stories, one girl could replicate the sound a fire alarm makes, etc. And then this guy got up (he is not in my Branch so I am not sure how he got involved) and he has a talent of balancing things on his chin. Like so:

Yes, that is a ladder and a wheel barrel. He balanced a bike, a table, an ironing board and even a kitchen sink! It was amazing! But my question is this. How do people discover that they have this talent?? I honestly haven't tried balancing anything on my chin, but I think I'm going to try it when I get home. I am hoping that I have a super strange talent just waiting to be uncovered. And when I find it, I will let you know!

Now, onto my new calling. Are you ready? It's a good one! I just got called to be the First Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency (a women's organization in our church). Yikes, right?! I am still in shock. When I first got the call I was super excited. However, it didn't take long for reality to sink it. It's a big responsibility, but definitely one that I need right now. In all honesty, I feel this is a huge answer to prayer. I have been so consumed in self-pity and stuck in this silly "transitional" rut. This is the Lord's way of showing me that I need to think about others and get over myself. That I need to live in the present and stop preparing for something that is quite a ways off. I am excited and humbled.

PLAYING WITH FRIENDS:

I have good friends. I am lucky. For a while there, while going through my transitions phase, I kind of pushed friends away. But the last few weeks I have been eating up the moments I get to play with my girls and/or boys. Mostly girls. Just to state the obvious. And since I am so poor, the friends and I don't really do anything. We just hang out and talk about boys (usually a bitter subject), or watch tv and movies. When my roomie moved out I cancelled my cable, and I can't even tell you how much life sucks when you can't see what's going on in the world! But I am grateful for my pal Daja, because just when I was about to shoot myself from boredom, she gave me her "Vampire Diaries: Season One" collection. And I fell in love. I finished seasons one and two, and now we have weekly dates to watch the latest episodes on tv together. In all honesty, I don't really love the show. But when you get to look at things like this:it makes it all worthwhile. And I know vampires aren't real, but if I was approached by a vampire that looked like the men above, I would totally let them bite me.

FOOTBALL:

Mmmm mmmm goooood!!!!! I have always been a huge football fan, but for some reason this year I am obsessed! I downloaded the ESPN app on my phone and have even resorted to checking football scores DURING church! Ahhh!!! I don't know why, but I think about football a lot these days. I happened to be watching a BYU game a few weeks ago when I noticed that my Cougars were playing my Alma Mater Utah State Aggies on September 30th. I immediately called my mother and begged her to go to the game with me. She wouldn't. I realized that the game happened to be the same weekend as our church's General Conference. I had a friend express interest in going up to Utah to go to a missionary reunion and possibly to see Conference too. I jumped on the opportunity. Not to be a good girl and go to Conference, but to see a football game. Yes, I am obsessed. To make a long story short, I am flying up to Utah in 2 days...to go to the football game. And here's the proof:I am thrilled! And throw in the fact that I am going up with two fun girls and get to see my UT friends and family, life just can't get better!

And finally, I think you deserve to know that I am no longer a blonde. I took the plunge and allowed my friend to put "permanent" color in my hair. Ahh!!! Every time I have colored my hair I will only allow the temporary color so that it will wash out in a few weeks. Well, the last time I did that I swear the color only lasted 2 weeks...and it pissed me off. Not this time! My hair is gonna be brown for a while. But you know what, I love it! And that's really all that matters.
{Now my eyebrows match}

ABCs of Alayna

2011-09-21T13:58:00.004-07:00

Age: thirty (sigh)
Bed size: queen
Chore you hate: mopping the floor
Dessert: cheesecake (more specifically dulce de leche cheesecake)
Essential start of the day: going back to bed after i take a shower. it's true.
Favorite color: pink. obvi.
Gold or Silver: silver
Height: my license says 5'6" but i am probably closer to 5'5.5"
Instruments you play: piano, kazzoo and i can even play a couple of songs on the guitar
Job Title: at one point i was given the title of "assistant office manager" but i give myself the title "go-to-girl." the world would probably call me customer service or international account representative.
Kids: are great. i don't have any, but i sure do love the ones that my brothers and their wives created.
Live: mesa, az
Mom's name: marla
Nickname: laynze, alaynie, layners, noz, tof jr., haboobie, imappropriate, etc.
Overnight hospital stays: none that i can think of
Pet peeve: the sound people make when they chew with their mouth open
Quote from a movie: "i don't know...stuff."
Right or left handed: right
Siblings: two older brothers...that are amazing!
Time you wake up: 6:42 most days, but 6:15 when i need to get to work on time or 7:00 on tuesday mornings.
Underwear: under there.
Vegetables you dislike: radishes
What makes you late: that darn snooze button and/or facebook
X-rays you've had done: teeth and probably my elbow
Yummy food you make: i make a mean bowl of honey bunches of oats, and a really good candy cane cake around christmas time
Zoo animal: koala

an engaging tale

2011-09-07T10:31:00.014-07:00

Hi. My name is Alayna.And I am otherwise engaged.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah right!!!

Wasn't it just a few days ago that I was posting about my hopeless romantic life? And do you honestly think I would look that atrocious if I thought I was getting engaged that night? Let me tell you a little story about the above picture. It's another good one...

That boy is my pal Jay (aka Jayfred, Freddy or Frederick). We like to flirt with each other...a lot. In fact, my friends have nicknamed us Ajayna. But we are just flirting friends. Nothing more. My friends made him promise that if we were not married when we were 30, that we would get married. Well...he's not 30 yet. And what's even funnier is that he thinks I'm only 27. He's a special boy...

Anyway, it was just a lazy Sunday. I hadn't showered and/or gotten dressed all day. Jay called out of the blue and we chatted for a minute, but I had to go because I had another phone call to make. He calls about an hour later asking me what I was doing and if I had gotten dressed yet. Um, nope! He then tells me that he is outside my house and that we are going to visit some friends. Gee, thanks for the warning. So I hurry and get dressed, put on a little makeup and try to make my hair look presentable. We get in his truck and drive to see our married friends, Cara and Justin.

To make a long story short, we were talking about how Jay randomly texts my mother. Strange, I know. My friends thought it would be funny if Jay sent my mom a Hey Tell (a walkie talkie type app on the iPhone) asking for my hand in marriage. So he did...kind of. Immediately Cara posts on Facebook, congratulating me on my engagement.

Then, the scheming begins.

We talked about how funny it would be to change my relationship status to engaged. I couldn't back down from a dare so I did it. Immediately people started congratulating me. We were dying...but I was feeling guilty at the same time. Then someone tosses out the idea of a picture. You have to understand that Jay is scared of commitment, and if he thinks a girl likes him (or that someone thinks he is dating someone that he isn't) he shuts down. So you have to imagine my shock when he willingly posed for this picture. I imagined that we would just stand next to each and I would flash my ring (aka Cara's wedding ring), but he had other, more legit plans in mind. We did the arms around each other, holding hands type of picture. Again, very shocking! So, once the picture was taken (on his phone so he had control of where it went) we were once again shocked when he decided that we could all get the photo texted to us. Did he really think we wouldn't put it on Facebook at that point? Well we did (and I think he secretly wanted it that way). Now Facebook shows that I am engaged, AND I have a picture to prove that it's true. Bwahaha!

The comments are adding up. People that I haven't seen for years are so excited for me, commenting on the ring and the fun of planning a wedding. Cousins are commenting, my parents are commenting (stating that they did not give permission), and all the while I was feeling guilty. Then my mother called, slightly horrified that she would get phone calls from family members and have to let them know that I am just really immature for my age and not in fact engaged. I told her that I would erase the post.

And that's about the time my phone was taken away from me. I was told that I could have my phone back at 10 to erase the damage. My friends are laughing hysterically reading all the comments that are buzzing in. Yes, I think it's funny, but more than anything I was just nervous. I even resorted to biting my nails. It was literally making me feel sick inside. So after much coaxing, I convinced my friends to change the deleting time to 9:30. And so it was. Pictures were erased and my relationship status was back to normal.

When all was said and done, many people saw the stuff on Facebook, but I don't think anyone believed it. I mean, it is ME we are talking about. The girl who doesn't date. But it was fun while it lasted. And if nothing else, I've got some blackmail. Haha.

After our little visit with friends, Jay and I headed back to my house to make dinner and hang out some more. We pulled up in my driveway and I see this gigantic bug on my garage. It looked like a dragonfly from far away (to give you a size visual) but as I got closer I realized that I was mistaken. This is what I saw:

Creepy, right? I screamed and probably said a naughty word. I was grateful that Jay was with me because I just cowered behind his back and said, "Will you take care of that, please?" And he did. And now I have a silver dollar sized gut splatter on my garage. Next time he comes over I will make sure he takes care of that too. Haha.

You see, this is why I need a man. To kill the big scary animals.

And just as a side note, we discovered that the animal on my garage is called a Wind Scorpion Spider. Not a scorpion, but a spider. A very large spider that feasts on termites. I probably should have let him run wild through my house eating the termites, but alas, my heart got the best of me. And I am notorious for killing harmless animals that look scary. Remember my pet snake? Anyway, this is a better, more detailed picture of my newest murder victim:

{I don't really feel bad}

heart breaker

2011-09-02T12:12:00.014-07:00

Hi. My name is Alayna. And I am a heart breaker.

Sometimes I wonder why things happen in life. But mostly, I just think that God has a sense of humor. And this year has been comical for me.

Wanna hear a story? It's a good one...

You've all heard my dating woes {or lack thereof}. And you all know that I have been trying my hand at the online dating thing. Well I will be the first to tell you that I am not a fan. I was skeptical to begin with...and now I'm even more so. To begin...I paid for a membership nearly 3 months ago, and until this last weekend NOTHING had happened. Sure, I sent flirts to lots of cuties and occasionally got a flirt and/or message back, but nothing too exciting. Flash forward to last weekend. I was working my butt off at Creative Escape when I check my email to see that I have gotten a flirt and message from the online dating site. I look at the message and it seems pretty promising. He's a bigger guy, kinda scruffy looking with an amazing smile. He just joined the church a few months ago and is looking for love. Aren't we all? So I messaged him back letting him know that I was interested. Things progressed from there. We messaged for a couple of days and he let me know that he had a past but that he was trying to change his life. He gave me his phone number and told me I could call. Being the old fashioned girl that I am did not call him...after all, that's a man's job to call the lady. After much consideration I gave him my phone number and told him he could call me.

I expected a phone call that night and did not get one. I was a little shocked since he seemed so anxious to talk to me before hand. The next day at work I get a text message from him asking for my name...because he had accidentally deleted the message with my name in it. Red flag number one. He asks if he can call me that night and I agree. I tell him I get off work at 5 so he says he'll call at 6.

I was so freaking nervous/excited to talk to him. I could not believe that this was happening. My mind raced thinking about how cool it would be if he was "the one" and how weird it would be to get married.

And then we talked on the phone.

For 3 1/2 hours.

He told me EVERYTHING. More information than I cared to know about someone I am just talking to for the first time. He asked me personal questions that I did not expect to hear until we had been dating a while...like how many kids I wanted and what I would name them. Honestly, it felt like he was planning our whole future together, and I hadn't even met him yet! After I finally got him off the phone my mind was racing. We had talked about going on a date next week (let me interject that he is a truck driver and was on the road when he called me...probably very lonely and anxious for a reason to come home) but I was a little concerned. I watched some Vampire Diaries to calm myself down and then went to bed.

The next morning I got a "good morning sunshine ;-)" text from him. Hmm. Not only am I NOT a fan of sideways smiley faces (and he used lots of them), I was just a little creeped out by the text. Then minutes later I got a friend request from him on Facebook. Wow. What in the world is going on? I felt overwhelmed. This guy was a quick mover. And I was not loving it.

He had said the night before that he was going to call me after work again. I kindly texted him and asked him if he could wait to call me until after 9. Heck, I was not gonna waste my cell phone minutes on him...especially when he likes talking for hours on end. I got a text back that said that he would call me then, but wondered if we could text in the meantime. Then he told me that he had put in his request for time home and that he would be back in AZ on Tuesday but they were trying to figure out a way to get him home sooner. He was just so excited to see me in person {insert sideways smiley face}.

And that's the moment I fell apart.

This boy was obsessed. The sickness I was feeling ever since the morning text message had multiplied.

After conversing with co-workers and my mother, I decided that I would put a stop to this...right then. So I sent him a text when I got home from work stating that this was all just too much, too soon and that I couldn't do it.

Then the text messages started.

He apologized that I was feeling that way and he didn't understand because he thought our phone call went so well and that we had so much in common. Pretty much, it felt like he was doing everything in his power to get me to respond so that we could keep texting and talking to each other. I ignored his messages the rest of the night. And I haven't heard from him since.

The second I sent the "I can't do this" text I felt so much relief. Sure, I feel bad that I hurt him. And he probably doesn't even realize that he was just too obsessive for me. But I feel better. And that's all that matters...

Blog friends, don't think this experience will stop me from trying! There is still hope for me! And you better believe that I went on that dating site today and sent flirts to more boys...

{one day my prince will come}

P.S. If your name is Michael and you want to date me, you better wait until next year...

the week i decided to start curling my hair again

2011-08-16T16:19:00.010-07:00

I apologize that my blog posts are so depressing lately! I really am not wallowing away in self pity. Sure, I have my days, but for the most part I am happy. I have a job, a car, a house, an amazing family, fantastic friends and a craft room. What more could I need?!

I have had to make quite a few decisions lately, some bigger than others, but every one important. However, the best decision I made this morning (dare I say this week) was to curl my hair. Strange, maybe?

You see, I have kind of been lazy lately. Ok, so maybe "kind of" is an understatement. It takes every bit of energy that I have to get out of bed in the morning just to get to work on time. And my hair suffers because of it. Sure, I curl my hair and look good for church on Sunday, but there's just something about the other 6 days that makes me feel less than thrilled to do my hair.

Then I hung out with some friends after FHE a couple of weeks ago and got inspired to try some new things with my hair. There is this girl in my Branch that I just adore, and she always looks so cute and tries new things with her hair. She is going through a vintage phase right now, and she offered to do my hair for me:
Isn't it cute?!

My work is putting on a huge event next week and the theme of the event is "Worth Remembering" with a retro/vintage type feel to it. I was so inspired by my vintage hair style above that I decided to learn about some more hair styles I could do for the event. I love YouTube! So this last weekend I tested my chosen hair style. The picture is extremely grainy and blurry, but you get the idea (please, ignore my gnarly looking hands):

What do you think?? Do you love it? I know I do! In fact, I spent the day wearing high heels and doing housework just to embrace the style even more.

Who knew that one simple hair style would completely transform my week? I curled my hair yesterday for work, and today I looked in the mirror and told myself to stop being lazy.

{best. decision. today.}

transitions

2011-08-14T17:35:00.005-07:00

I lack desire to blog...and the only thing I can attribute it to is transitioning. You see, ever since I had my birthday, I have been in a sort of funk. I don't know where I fit in the world anymore. I feel too old to hang out with the youngins, and I feel too young to hang out with the old folks. It's quite the predicament. And one that I have shed many a tear over. I do not write this post hoping for sympathy or pretending like I am absorbed in depression. It's just a trying time of life, but one that I will definitely come out a better person from for having experienced it.

Ever since my roomie moved out I have been doing a lot of pondering. I have had lots of spare time on my hands...and lots of silence (I cancelled my cable...and it pretty much sucks). So many thoughts have ensued, and I have realized that I am pretty much anti-social. Sure, I like to hang out with my best girls...but I am definitely not a go-out-every-night-and-do-something-fun type of person. I like my weekdays to myself, and my weekends with...mostly myself. Yikes! I fear that once I am {kicked} out of the singles branch I will become a recluse. And recluses are terrible! So, I have been trying to change my attitude, and looking for new ways to get into a social scene.

Flash forward to last week. My dear, sweet visiting teacher came over to chit chat a little. Mind you, she is a lot younger than me, but the most adorable girl ever. I know her intentions are righteous, but sometimes someone will never really understand what you are going through until they are in that situation themselves. We were just talking about transitions {a hot topic for me these days} and she mentioned that she would be so sad and upset if she were in my position. Um, thanks? I just smiled. And nodded. Yes, that's exactly how I felt. But then she mentioned her roomie who is not of the young single adult age that is very active in the mid-singles scene. My heart leaped!

To make a long story short, this girl is having a game night tonight with the mid-singles. And you better believe that I am going to go! After all, these are my people! My new friends! And I am excited!

But my favorite part of this all, and something that just happened today is this: the mid-singles girl got my email address to send me invites when the mid-singles have activities. I got an invite today, for a game night, next week. Where is this game night you might ask? Well...it's at a retirement home. Oh brother.

{just keep smiling}

lonely days

2011-07-12T10:14:00.007-07:00

Well, it's official...I no longer have a roommate and have my house to myself!

Was this planned? Absolutely not.
Am I going to be ok? Absolutely...I think.

I was given about 2 weeks notice, which kind of sucked because an extra month to get my finances in order would have been ideal. But what can you do? At first my heart celebrated when I heard the news. Not that there was anything wrong with my roommate, I was just getting to the point where I was ready to have my space and my stuff to myself again. And now that I am almost to the "kicked out of the singles ward" age, I wasn't sure that I wanted another roommate from the singles ward. However, reality sunk in quick. I freaked out when I realized that my bills and my monthly income are almost the same. However, I have a plan and a budget, and so far things have worked out. I truly believe that there are blessings that come from paying tithing. I have already witnessed it this month. Yay!

So what am I doing with my extra room? Turning it into a craft room, of course! I got some cheap tables from IKEA, have another desk and shelves that I am gonna spray paint, got a white bookcase and will decorate the walls/shelves with owls and birds. I am so thrilled! My head is swimming with ideas, but I just don't exactly know how to implement them. It is a fun project, but very much a work in progress. It is already a disastrous mess, but here is a quick shot I took of my tables to give you a small idea. I will definitely post more when I am done (or closer to being done).Yes, those ARE power tools on the floor. Be amazed.

And now for my favorite experience I have had since living alone. It was the day after my roomie moved out. I was just staring at the blank walls and empty room, thinking of all the things I could do in the room. I have this small window above the regular window in the room that my roomie had covered with cardboard to keep the light out. The cardboard was still in the window so I decided to take it out and put it in the recycle bin in the garage. Mind you, I wasn't wearing many clothes (it's hot in AZ) and I was barefoot. I turn on the light in the garage, put the cardboard in the recycle bin and then walk back toward the door into my house. I have a rug in between the garage and step up into the kitchen, and I saw what looked like some sort of rubber backing coming up from between the rug and the wall. I thought it was strange, so I touched it with my toe to try and push the rubber back under the rug. Then all of the sudden, the rubbery stuff started moving, in a wave like motion. It was then that I realized that what I just touched with my toe was not rubber, it was a freaking snake! I shouted some naughty words and jumped into my kitchen. I immediately called my mother and cried that there was a snake in my garage. Her words, "Well, get it out!" Gee, thanks. How am I supposed to do that? So, I decide it would be best to put clothes on since I will be opening the garage, I grab a broom and get ready to wrestle with a snake. But first, I took a picture. Gotta document this.Blogging friends, meet my unwelcomed new roommate, Elvis. Isn't he fantastic? Well, I wasn't so fond of him that day. He was promptly evicted, via broom. I swept that not-so-little guy out of my garage. He was not aggressive, but freaky nonetheless. When I would sweep/fling him out of the garage toward the street, he would immediately begin a journey back toward my garage. It was not that he was trying to fight back or attack me, I think he was just trying to find safety and/or get oriented. Once outside my garage he played in my rocks and started toward the garage again. I couldn't have that. So I decided it would be best to sweep him into the street, so maybe a car would run him over. Yes, that really was my thinking. So I continue sweeping him until he is in the gutter between my driveway and the street. Mind you, several of my rocks are in the street with him (that's how ferociously I was sweeping). He slithers around for bit between the street and the gutter, maneuvering around the rocks. Also, it was like 120 degrees that day, so I can only imagine that the road was scorching hot. I begin to feel bad and get nervous about other neighbors happening upon a snake, let alone children or a dog! I call my mother again, this time with a shovel in my hand asking her if I should kill it via decapitation so that it can't harm anyone. Her reply, "Just push it farther down the street, away from other houses." Brilliant. I grab the broom again and head toward the snake to sweep him. As a side note, I hadn't seen him moving for a bit. I figured he was just taking a rest. Afterall, I had just traumatized him. So out comes the broom again. I sweep, his stiff body moves. Uh oh. Stiff body?? Yes, that's right. He had croaked! I killed him! My heart hurt a little bit. Did he fry to death on the street, or did I literally cause his death by traumatizing him? Who knows. So, I pushed his lifeless body down the street and into the rocks at the end of the road.

But wait, it doesn't end there. My brain starts thinking again and I worry once more that some child or small animal is going to happen upon this snake corpse and have a heart attack. So later that night I take my shovel in hand and pick up the poor, lifeless creature. He was then tossed into my garbage can where he was wisked away by the garbage truck the following morning. Poor Elvis.

Upon later investigation, I found out that he was a King Snake. Completely harmless, eats other snakes, and most people keep them as pets. Great. He wasn't a threat. And I killed him. Figures.

Great story, right? Definitely one I won't forget anytime soon. So NOW I officially have no roommate. The next person who moves in will be a man. I hope.

Speaking of men, I have already lost excitement with LDSSingles.com because nothing ever happens. No dates, not many flirts and/or messages. I think I need to change things up to get men to notice me. Do you think I should make this my profile picture?

{Yes, yes I should}

San Antonio

2011-07-05T16:50:00.000-07:00

If I had to come up with a few, short phrases to describe San Antonio, Texas I would say: beautiful architecture, good eats, questionable people, and torturous heat. It was HOT!!! And not just because it was over 100 degrees...because it was over 100 degrees and had high levels of humidity on top of it. As my mother and I walked around to various stores I kept seeing this catch phrase that said, "You can go to Hell. I am going to Texas." I think they are one in the same...

Case and point:
This is my self-portrait after our first night there. Notice my flourescent purple face, complete with beads of sweat. I thought I would die almost everyday. But it was worth it. San Antonio truly is a magical city, full of history and charm. I just probably won't visit again in the summer.

The first night there we visited this little Spanish square where they had everything latino: clothing, food, etc. It was here that I made my first friend...
...and fell in love with dead people! Sounds crazy, I know. But everywhere I went I was bombarded by skulls. Little Spanish dancers with dead faces, little Mariachi Band members with dead faces, and my personal favorite, brides and grooms that looked like death. For some reason, it was comical to me. Yes, I get that they are just celebrating Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had to take a picture of the hanging banners just so you can see how much these skulls lined the streets:
Another fun site visited was the world famous River Walk. It was breathtaking. Just a simple little river lined with shops and restaurants. But I think the thing that captured my eye the most were the bridges everywhere. No bridge was like another and I loved each and every one.And, of course, I LOVED the architecture of all the buildings. The town of San Antonio is very historic, and the people are very much intent on keeping the history alive. There were so many cool buildings. Here are just a few of my favorite architectural details:There were so many other fun details to be seen too. From trees coming out of the building walls, to tree roots that look like little gophers, there was so much to take in. And I enjoyed it all (when I wasn't dying of heat stroke).Another spot visited was the Alamo. I am sure it is a great place, but I could not enjoy it because the heat was unbearable on our way over there. I think my mom had heat exhaustion and I was dripping like a faucet. Not fun at all. It was pretty though, and atleast we got a picture for posterity. And the fact that the picture was taken by a super cute Australian was even better!On the way to the airport, we made a stop at Lulu's Bakery & Cafe to buy one of their famous 3 1/2 lb cinnamon rolls. The restaurant had been featured on Man vs Food and my brother made us promise we would stop there. I wish I would have taken a picture of the sweet roll. It was gigantic. Probably bigger than my head, no joke. It was pretty awesome carrying it on the plane with me. In fact, it was heavy and I would claim that it weighed more than 3 1/2 lbs. Once I got home the cinnamon roll went in the freezer, and hasn't been touched since. I will let you know if it's any good when the family decides to try it.

All in all, it was a great trip and I am so glad that my parents took me there to celebrate. It truly is a beautiful city. Just deathly hot. But it would figure, I got home to AZ and we had a heat wave...temperatures of 120 degrees.

{hooray for dry heat}

my BIG day

2011-06-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

When my parents first suggested we go to San Antonio, or more importantly Sea World, for my birthday, I will admit I wasn't sold on the idea. Sea World is not something you associate single 30 year olds with. Sure, plenty of 30 year olds were there with their children...but that is not me. Obvi. But when all was said and done, I can't think of a more exciting place to spend my big day. Thanks mom & dad!

I had my dad take this picture of me outside the park. I thought it was awesome because all the parents were taking pictures of their kids in front of the whales. I was just a little bit older than those kids. Embarrassing? Sure. But I really didn't care. I was just excited to be there and wanted to document all that I could.Once inside the park, we saw some great shows:

(please don't kill me for posting this pic...it's just too good not to share)

went on some crazy, wet rides:

visited some friendly animals:

took some interesting pictures:

and ate a ton of food:

side note: the above picture is of a cute killer whale shaped bowl containing sugar cookies. My dad bought an unlimted food pass at the park and would just get food for my mom and I during the day (shh...don't tell). When I first saw the whale bowl I fell in love. Before the day was through, I had a complete set of 4 whale souvenir bowls. What a great birthday present! Thanks Dad!

At the end of the day we were all tuckered out. The heat and humidity turned us into human faucets, dripping sweat on a regular basis. Thank heavens for water rides to cool us down! It was a great day. I got some fun stuff and had so much fun celebrating with my parents and some of my other relatives {aka the whales}.

{Happy Birthday to me}

a FRIENDly celebration

2011-06-28T13:55:00.002-07:00

The Saturday before my birthday I had made plans to hang out with my mom, go to lunch, get a pedicure...you know, the girly things that we normally do each year to celebrate. I remember talking to my mom a few days before that saying, "I can't believe you are taking me to lunch and to get pedicures when we are going to San Antonio and Sea World for my actual birthday. But, you know, I won't deny your gifts." She just smiled.

I had no clue what really awaited me.

I arrived at my mother's house around 11am, just in time for lunch at Crackers, my favorite restaurant. Of course the door was locked when I arrived, so I knocked and patiently waited for her to answer. When the door opened, I saw this really cute black and white striped dress. I thought it was strange that my mother would wear a dress and my second thought was that she looked different. Then my eyes traveled upward and I saw a face that did not belong to my mother either. It took a minute to register, but when it did my heart skipped a beat. Standing in front of me was my best friend from Utah...Amy {Toe-Toggle-Tarian Triple T Richins Seamons} Piller!!!It was the birthday surprise to end all birthday surprises, and definitely the best thing I could have ever hoped for. I am so lucky to have such great friends!

The first thing my mom said after the initial surprise wore off was, "Did you really think I was going to take you to lunch and to get pedicures when we are going to San Antonio tomorrow?" Why yes mom, yes I did. She is such a crafty little deceiver...

So off I went, with my Amy, to eat lunch at my favorite little spot. The food was good, the company was better, and the dessert was joyful:After lunch we headed to get pedicures. I have been going through a dark purple phase and couldn't find myself getting excited about any other colors. Amy soon decided that she would get a bright orange and I immediately felt like I should be spontaneous and different as well. After all, it is summer...and dark purple is depressing. So she convinced me to try a very bright blue (it was mostly because we miss high school and wanted to sport our old school colors...kind of). It is bright. And lovely. And I am so glad I made the decision.Not really a fan of the polka dot flowers up the side of the toe (I miss the days of actual artsy flowers on my toes), but LOVE the color and loved spending time with my friend.

After some relaxation we met {some of} my AZ friends for dinner at Gecko Grill. I am so glad that Amy and her husband decided to join us because it was fun spending more time with them.Once our bellies were full and my wallet was full of Rod Works gift cards, we headed out for the evening festivities. My friends took me to this amazing place in Tempe called The Big Bang.
It is this amazing dueling piano bar where you make all sorts of song requests and listen to good music. Highly recommended. I LOVED IT!!! My first request: The Backstreet Boys.And, of course, my friends requested that I get embarrassed for my birthday, so I got called up on stage with some twins celebrating their 40th birthday. We got to smile for everyone, did a little leg kicking, and then showed off our hokey pokey skills. Right arm, left arm, boobies, head and booty. That's right, I had to shake my behind for everyone. I figured everyone was drunk anyway, so why not have some fun with it. My signature dance move, "The Alayna" made an appearance. It was slightly embarrassing, but my friends loved it...which made me happy. I had such a great night!

The marrieds:

The singles:Thanks friends for such a wonderful day! I say it all the time, but I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have such amazing friends that go above and beyond to make me feel special.

{I definitely felt it}

the dread

2011-06-26T16:27:00.004-07:00

Warning: deep thoughts ahead.

I can't believe I am putting this out there. But I have to. You see, last week I turned 30. Yikes! That is a number I have been dreading for quite a while. It scares me. And honestly, about a week ago, this is how I felt:(thank you Matt & Natalie for such an awesome and well-fitting birthday present)

Everyone else I know that has turned 30 recently seems to care less about this and/or embraces this new age. But me...not so much. And this is why: (thank you mother for the spotting the greatest shirt ever and theme of my life)

All of my 30 year old friends are married, with children. So age means nothing to them. For me, I feel like a failure for being 30 and not being married. No, I am not going to cry about it and I don't think this makes me an undesirable person. It's just a fact. And it's difficult for my little mind to grasp. I NEVER thought I would be 30 and unwed. I NEVER thought I would have to make goals every year to get asked out on dates. I know I am a great catch. I know I am a great person and would make a great wife and mother. I guess the boys just don't see it.

So, I had a little tearful heart-to-heart with my Branch President the other day. And he assured me that the Lord has a plan for me. As long as I am faithful and doing the things that I need to do, everything will work out like it is supposed to. Yes, I KNOW this is true. But mostly, it's just hard to keep that faith.

A few days later, I sat in my friends room while she made me a profile on LDSSingles.com. At the time I was humiliated. In my heart, resorting to online dating meant I was a failure. That I couldn't get a man any other way. But I let her do this for me (and then I secretly logged on a few days later and checked out some things).

Then the strangest thing happened: my birthday. I actually turned 30. And I felt strangely different. I felt relieved. I realized that I was so caught up in this number that I wasn't living my life. I had the GREATEST birthday celebration...with my parents...at Sea World. And it was the best thing I could have hoped for. A switch turned on. And things have been so different since then.

I am happy now. I am not upset that I am not married. I am trusting that the Lord will bless me when it's my time. And...I am getting flirts from guys online! I am embracing life, I am embracing my age and I am enjoying the little moments. I am actually putting my yearly theme to practice:

Today is a gift, that is why it's called the present.

Yep, I'm old. And yes, there are days I will still struggle with this. But I have no doubt that things are looking up. I have no doubt that everything will work out like it is supposed to.

{come what may...and love it}

just in case you wondered...

2011-06-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

Today is National Pink Day!!!

{celebrate it}

*Birthday details coming soon...

a little of this...

2011-06-13T21:44:00.006-07:00

Last week the friends and I celebrated Daja's 21st birthday. Ahh...to be 21 again! We met some friends at the ever delicious Red Robin where our waitress brought out this awesome balloon headpiece for Daja to wear while we all embarrassed her through song.
After we were all nice and bloated, we decided to take a little swim in my community pool.Haha. I joke, I joke. That was just when we were playing our new favorite pool game: Dead Kids. It's a lot of fun...you should try it.

After swimming we headed back to my place for a little present opening (actually, this took place before swimming. Technicalities). I got Daja a man for her birthday, wearing a specialty made "I LOVE DAJA" shirt:And then, of course, we had cake. My first ever attempt at making an ice cream cake (two chocolate cakes with mint ice cream in the middle, frosted in whipped cream). I think it turned out pretty cute:The cake itself was a little disappointing. Everyone was a little anxious to get the cake cut that the 10 minute unthawing time was ignored...resulting in frozen cake (which is really dry when consumed). I had another piece of the cake a few days later and let the cake unthaw. It was much better. Just in case anyone ever plans on making a cake like this in the future...

Now, fast forward to yesterday. Sparing details, I had the world's worst day at work. I loathed every minute of it and was extra cranky. That 5:00 whistle could not blow quick enough. I was so relieved when it was time to leave because I got in my car and headed straight to Rod Works Arizona!! The second I saw the sign on the store, my heart leaped in my chest and I automatically felt better. I drooled all the way through the store...and actually broke down and bought something. Shame on me, I know. But it is too hard to resist.

After my happy moment in Rod Works I headed to the park for Family Home Evening. We had a BBQ followed by our annual jello fight. Can I just tell you that there is something extremely therapeutic about throwing jello at people? It is such a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone! We were sticky messes after the fight:And even after washing off my face, I got home and realized I still had jello in my ears:
Yummy! Hold yourselves back boys, hold yourselves back!

Next event to look forward to? My birthday vacation celebration in San Antonio, TX!

{Woohoo}

my new man

2011-06-10T10:19:00.007-07:00

My dear Blogger friends, I have to apologize because I have been holding out on you. I have recently taken interest in a certain someone and decided it would be best to wait to introduce you until things were a little more settled. Now that things are progressing nicely, I am so excited to tell you all about him and to show you a pic or two.

BUT...before showing his sweet, sweet face, I will give you a little background of how things got started.

In all actuality, I believe we probably met several years ago, like when I was a young child...maybe 13ish. I saw him (or someone like him) in a Smith's grocery store in Utah. I am pretty sure some feelings of happiness were felt at that time, but I was too young to know what it really was.

Fast forward to my present life in Arizona. More importantly, 24 hours ago. This guy walks into my office with a friend in tow. When I see the friend, my heartbeat rapidly increases, I feel a little flushed, I know this is THAT guy I saw all those years ago. This is the man for me.

Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is my man:His name is Felipe and he's a dreamboat, right?! I mean, what is not to love about this guy? He has a goatee...and that is really all that matters. Besides the goatee, I think my other favorite feature of his is the fire hydrant attached to his backside.

A true thug.

I feel so invigorated now that my secret is out. How 'bout you? But in all seriousness, I about wet myself when my co-worker walked in with a handful of Li'l Hommies. I really do remember seeing them in a vending machine at a Smith's grocery store and going crazy buying them because I thought there were so funny. Now all these years later I am so excited to see that they still exist and are still as hommie-licious as they were then. Good times, good memories.

On another note, I found this at the store the other day when shopping for a friend's birthday present:Sweet Talkin' Ken...the ultimate boyfriend. Have you seen this?! It is this super sexy (in the Mattel World) new Ken doll that is dressed in super sexy clothes, sporting a t-shirt that says all these "love" phrases. Apparently you can record sayings for Ken to say back to you (in a manly Ken voice), and he may even have a few of his own things that he says as well. I think it is hilarious! And, I secretly want one for my birthday.

{I joke, I joke}

Memorial Day weekend

2011-05-31T15:29:00.006-07:00

Don't be yealous, but...THIS is how I spent the majority of my Memorial Day weekend:Oh...and like THIS too:

My weekend was pretty great, I can't lie. The roomie was gone so I soaked up every minute of freedom in my house that I had. It was joyful!

When I wasn't home, though, I was out having fun with the girls. On Friday we had a little party which was followed by a late night shopping trip to Kohls. Hello cute swimsuits! And what better way to break in a new swimsuit that with a nice, relaxing {and/or freezing cold} swim? On Saturday we did just that. Ordered pizza, swam to our little heart's desires and then finished off the day with a dip in the jacuzzi. It was lovely. Except for the moment when I decided to be nice and play ball with the dogs. I was holding the ball in the water while the 2 dogs were outside the pool patiently waiting for me to throw the ball {I may or may not have been taunting them}. I turn my back and then hear this loud splash, followed by a shockingly painful feeling in my finger. The freaking dog jumped in the pool to take the ball from my hand, and took a bit of my finger with it. Ok, so it wasn't that bad, but it hurt like crap. Even today, it is a little sore to the touch and a little bothersome to type with. I now have an ugly bruise under my fingernail:Ouch!

When I wasn't swimming I was sewing my brains out. I decided it was time to focus on my quilt again and thought it would be the perfect weekend to do so. I change my mind every three minutes about how I want the quilt to look, but I finally decided on a brown border in the front and the back, like so:

Word of advice to any of you beginning sewers who think you can teach yourself to sew and create a quilt that will be perfect: DON'T put borders on the back of your quilt. Or atleast don't expect them to line up with the borders on the front of your quilt. I tried my hardest to figure out a way to make them line up, but they didn't. And you know what? I'm ok with it. I actually quilted the quilt this weekend, so all that is left is the binding.I thought the quilting was stressful, but the binding is what really freaks me out. Oh well. It will be cute when all is said and done. I am happy so far. It's not as nice and perfect as I hoped it would be, but for not knowing anything about sewing and/or quilting, I think it's to-die-for!

{Yay for me!}

Oh yes, the rest of the weekend was exactly the same as the beginning. Sewing, swimming and pizza. Oh, and I watched three movies on Sunday. Good times...

awwww...

2011-05-26T09:46:00.005-07:00

This is me, breathing a BIG sigh of relief. I feel great today! Nope, no explanation will be given...

Speaking of great things, I have a co-worker who loves drawing random things and posting them all over my office. He has decided that he is going to fill my entire office with little post-it note drawings. He started a wall of minotaurs last week and they just make me smile whenever I see them. Here are a few of my favorite pics:

Awesome right?? Ignore the photo quality/weirdness. I was trying some new camera effects on my phone because most of the drawings are on pink post-its and are harder to see. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this small journey of minotaurs. After seeing this next picture, I think I have decided that minotaurs are my new favorite animal.{LOVE}

sometimes...

2011-05-15T22:34:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I hate that I am old, that I have a mortgage, and that I have no prospects. And likewise, I get jealous when I see people who are living it up and who get to move to new areas and meet people. I am longing for an adventure so badly! But alas, I have a mortgage to pay so the funds aren't available to take a vacation. And I also realize that there is no hope for me in the Branch. All the boys like perfect little 18 year olds. I am not either of those things. Oh well. This is just me venting.

{Pity, party of one}

boredom

2011-05-13T15:33:00.001-07:00

I am not sure if it's because I am super bored at work today, but this video cracks me up!

{Sorry, you will have to click on the link. The video won't post for some reason...}

eat dessert first

2011-05-05T09:49:00.003-07:00

Well, since my computer won't let me download the pictures for my main course post, we will just skip right to the fun stuff. This is really the only thing I cared to blog about anyway...

Ladies and Gentlemen, eat dessert first!

This post is dedicated to my adorable friend, Cara Fun Kleiner...who just got married. Yes, I am slightly jealous, but couldn't be more happy for her! She is a great gal and deserves all the best!

The festivities began a week before the wedding with a bachelorette party. Let's just say, some of the pictures are a little embarrassing and/or inappropriate...so I will just tease you with this one: Right! We are good girls. The night was great! We had a yummy dinner at Oreganos and then went back to a house to open gifts. We did get a "special delivery" from the guy pictured above in the midst of our gift opening. No, he was not a professional, and the dance only lasted about one minute...but it was a joyous minute full of blushing and laughter! After our guest excused himself, we popped in a video to learn a couple of dance routines. Enough about that...

The night before the wedding we had a little dinner with close friends and family to celebrate the happy couple. Here we are with Cara on her last night as a single woman:
And then the blessed day arrived. Cara and Justin were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mesa LDS Temple on Friday, April 29th, 2011. It was such a special day for them...and for me! It was the first time I have actually been to a temple wedding and I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to be there. I bawled, of course...but then again, so did everyone else. Happy tears for sure! Speaking of happy, look how happy they are when they walked out of the temple:

Yay!!!!

The reception that night was beautiful! I know this picture doesn't do it justice, but look how cute everything was: The happy couple greeted guests while we ate a delicious spread of food and sipped down on some Jones Soda. The cake cutting was memorable. I have never seen one this vicious before:
After the cake cutting we danced our little hearts out. I have never had so much fun dancing at a wedding in my life! And then the bouquet and garter were tossed. I was the lucky girl to catch the bouquet. Woohoo! This is a first for me. Usually I just stand back and let someone else catch it. I mean, it's usually pretty embarrassing standing in the crowd of single ladies anyway. But this time, I was going to be aggressive and throw elbows if needed. I am not getting any younger, and they say that the girl who catches the bouquet gets married next. Well guess what? I'm getting married! Sure, I haven't met the man yet, but it is my new quest. Yay for me!

I kick myself that we didn't take any photos of our group with the bride, but here is a fantastic group shot, including the prized bouquet:

Emily, Gabi, myself, Jay Frederick, Andrew and Daja

{I love love}

soup and salad

2011-05-03T22:08:00.005-07:00

This is the story of an evening spent with men...and lots of them! It all started when Daja and I got an invite to go bowling with some friends. Turns out, the only friends that came were men. We loved every minute of it!

{don't we look excited?!}

me...gettin' my bowl on

Andrew "The Strike Master" Decker. Seriously, this boy was on fire!!! This shot was taken after he got a strike, obvi.

me and New Kid

some of the boys...

Michael and Jordan. Not to be confused with Michael Jordan. I am not sure why they are so sad. Maybe because I wasn't batting my eyes at them enough...?

I love me some Daja and Andrew

And who could forget the frame when all members of the PLCNKM team got spares.

Good times were had by all (I think). And, of course, my team won. No thanks to myself. Despite the fact that I own pink bowling shoes and a pink bowling ball...I really suck at bowling! But I enjoy doing it and I especially love playing with the boys!

After bowling Daja and I got invited to a game night. You guessed it...only boys were there! No pictures were taken, but you have to believe that it's true.

And after a few games, we met up with some other boys at IHOP for some deliciousness.

Proof that boys really were present...

And despite what you may interpret by my facial expression, this was me relishing every minute of it!

{I love boys}

appetizer

2011-04-26T11:16:00.009-07:00

I am the world's worst blogger, I know. It's not that my life is boring and I have nothing to blog about...so many things are blog worthy...I just lack desire, and I am also too lazy to download my pictures. Since I hate blogging without pictures, my blog lacks posts. But thanks to my most recent splurge (an iPhone) I can post a few pics and give you a little appetizer of things to come.Why I waited so long to make this purchase, I will never know. It is a DREAM!!! I will never be able to live without a smart phone again...

So what have I been doing the last few weeks? For starters, I got to hang out with my boyfriends Hayward and Howard. These are my two FAVORITE sales reps (don't tell the others) from California and Texas. They were in town for a convention so a date was definitely in order. We went to a gross Mexican restaurant, but the company and conversation made it all worth it. Minus the freaky eyes, I think we look pretty cute together:

When I am not hanging out with my boyfriends, I am hanging out with these cuties:{Daja Noel and Cara Fun Princess Sparkle Kleiner Lorsch Montes Holbrook Stradling}

We have lots of fun together. But, like I said earlier, this is just an appetizer. More to come on our adventures later...

I have a new addiction:{Dr. Pepper}

It makes my heart smile. And probably rots my teeth. But it's yummy. Most days...

And who could forget the day I woke up to go to work and found this:
Yeah, that thing hanging down from my garage...it's supposed to be attached to the track on the ceiling. It posed quite a problem. Meaning, I was locked in my garage. No way to open the garage. No way to drive anywhere in my car. No way to get to work. It caused for a stressful, tear shedding morning. But luckily, a couple of hours later, I was rescued by the garage fixing folk...and $281 poorer. Boo. Sometimes it really sucks being a responsible adult and a home owner...

I got to hang out with these adorable boys on Sunday for the annual family Easter dinner and Easter egg hunt. Love those kids!

And finally, just for fun, I will post pictures of my girl Cara Fun sporting the owl apron I made for her birthday. My first completed sewing project:
I am quite pleased with the way it turned out, as long as you don't look too closely. It was frustrating, but worth it. And it looks really cute on her! She wore it the whole night while we celebrated her day of birth at IHOP.

And yes, that is an entire pitcher of Dr. Pepper that she is drinking. LOVE THAT GIRL!

{more to come}

one year

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

One year ago, today, I was here:

{isn't it a dream?!}

It was a BIG day for me. A special day. The first day of the rest of my life. I can't believe it was one year ago...it seems like just yesterday. But looking back, I can see how much the Lord has blessed me this last year. So many tender mercies have been extended in my behalf.

I am a lucky girl.

I am so grateful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know the church is true with ever fiber of my being. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and wants nothing more than my happiness. I know that I have a Savior who sacrificed His own life so that I could be forgiven of my sins, thus becoming perfected and able to live in the presence of my Father in Heaven again. I also know that the Savior was resurrected and that He lives. And because of this, we can be too. I know that there is a prophet on the earth today, the mouthpiece of God, who directs us in all of our endeavors. I know that if we listen to his counsel, we will NEVER be led astray. I am grateful for the Bible and for the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. These books contain the words of God and will give us purpose and direction in our lives. I know that as long as I do the best that I can, my Savior will make up for the rest...and that is all I need to know. This is my testimony.

Of course, life is not without it's hard times. But I truly believe that the temple has been a great source of strength and refuge for me. So many times I have gone there just to feel peace and to try to find answers to questions I may have. It is a wonderful place to be. And you better believe that I am going there today...to celebrate! Happy one year anniversary to me!!!

The best decision I ever made.

If you would like to know more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, click here.

failure to communicate

2011-03-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

the makings of my paradise...

2011-03-19T14:39:00.005-07:00

This is what my backyard USED TO look like {on a good day}:

from the left

from the right

Not that is was unfortunate looking, I just plain hated it. The plants the previous owner chose were large and unruly, coupled with the fact that they just weren't my style. As a result, this is what my backyard would look like every couple of months, when I would decide to tame the wilderness:

{vomit}

So a couple of weeks ago I decided to take matters into my own hands. My mother found this fantastic Pygmy Date Palm at Costco and convinced me to buy it. I later stopped by the old Walmart and purchased two Hibiscus plants and a Bird of Paradise plant. Mmm...delish:

I mean, what's not to love? If these don't scream Alayna's Pink Paradise, I am not sure what does:

So now the fun begins. My sweetest father came over to my house last weekend (mind you, we had a 90 degree heat wave...in March?!) and the destruction began. One of the monstrous plants was removed and this lovely tree was planted (to the left of the yard):

Because of the complex root systems (aka devilish plants from previous owner), my dad decided to enlist the help of my brother for more terror plant removal this weekend. Doesn't it look better already?!

Honestly, look at the gnarly roots on these bad boys! I tell you, they were evil plants and I am not sad to see them go:

Now the real fun (in my opinion) begins. You have to look closely, but in the far right corner of the yard you can see the planting of my Bird of Paradise. Yucca's are still in the front section of the yard:

And THIS is what my backyard looks like now after some transplanting of the Yucca's and planting of the others:

Some may call it sparse, I call it clean and pretty. I can't help but walk into my backyard every couple of hours and smile. Mind you, the landscaping is not done. Picture, if you will, some curved cement pavers in front of the plants, with some artificial grass in front of that, extending to the patio. Isn't it a dream? Maybe not for you, but it's a dream for me. The beginnings of my own personal Pink Paradise. Yay!

feeling lucky?

2011-03-17T10:41:00.004-07:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I couldn't resist posting this picture:
My friend posted it on Facebook and I think it perfectly sums up what this holiday is all about. I wish this man worked at my office...

On another note, and somewhat still related, I would like to share with you the workings of my heart (aka my luck). Life has been intriguing lately. I am not even sure if I know where to begin...

Ok, let's start with the fact that I have one foot in the grave and am having major stress about turning 30 this year. YIKES!! I know I am too young for this, but I am pretty sure I am having a mid-life crisis! With that being said, I have spent many a day thinking about my life, what I have done and what I would like to do. I find that I compare myself to others quite a bit. Facebook is probably my downfall...looking at the lives of others and the fun adventures they have. There are several people that I went to high school with that are still not married, and they seem to live this life that is completely different than me. Not to say that my life is terrible and/or boring, but I just wish I had something exciting to share with the world. I have never been on a crazy adventure, I don't take trips to anywhere but Utah, and most weekends I am just content to be home alone. So, in all of my soul searching, I have come to the conclusion that this year is going to be my year of adventures. Actually, just one adventure.

You see, I have this need to go to a foreign country, explore a place I have never been, but do it in a manner that is comfortable. I can't just go to some crazy country where I don't speak the language and don't know anybody...that would be scary! But there are 2 or 3 places I could go where I actually have connections, people I can stay with who will give me tours and introduce me to their country and their way of life. The hard part is convincing those who love me that it is ok for me to do this...and that I NEED to do this! I know if I don't that I will regret it.

Hopefully, there won't be many more years that I am able to just fly off to a foreign country on my own and have an adventure. The goal is to get married and have a family some day, but for now I want to enjoy this opportunity of being single.

So yes, the adventure is planned out in my head. I have made up my mind and I am taking measures to go forward. But, of course, once you decide on something, the Lord brings out His sense of humor and puts other options in front of you. Things that I have wanted for a long time are coming to fruition. There is just one problem, they aren't bringing the joy I thought they would. Not that these options are bad, they are just not for me...or atleast not right now. {Hmm...how do I say this without actually coming out and saying it? I am not sure that I can.} Anyway, I just find it comical that this is happening to me. Things like this DON'T happen to ME! So, I will just continue making plans and living one day at a time.

One day things will be perfect. But for now, I am enjoying the moments and curveballs life throws at me.
Case and point above. This is what my hair looked like after riding in a convertible with the top down (ignore the quadruple chin). Good times and fun memories.

Just remember to take one day at a time, Alayna. One day at a time...

be still my heart

2011-03-15T09:22:00.003-07:00

I have a new obsession:

grandma sweaters.

I can't get enough of them.

I bought this delight yesterday (but in a champagne color).

I am a very happy girl.

Why I am not married...

2011-02-27T21:49:00.008-07:00

The older I get, the more the question gets asked, "Why are you not married?" Honestly, I don't have an answer, or atleast I didn't think I had an answer...UNTIL NOW. At a friends' wedding reception over the weekend my eyes were opened. Not only do boys have an unrealistic idea of what their wife should be (meaning they don't ask out girls who are not perfect looking), but they also look like this:
How in the world am I ever going to get married when this is my only choice?? Come on boy, a semi-fro PLUS a pornstache?! Honestly. I am at a loss for words...

On a brighter note, I did have a fantastic weekend. I didn't do anything extravagant, just enjoyed every minute of it. Perhaps one of the highlights from my weekend was the purchase of this luscious delight:

The proper name of this plant/tree escapes me, but it is very tropical and looks like 4 little palm trees (almost like a pygmy date palm). Anywho, I have a dream that one day my backyard will look like a tropical paradise. At this moment in time, my backyard looks like a dead leaf pile with a few rocks and some almost-dead, overgrown plants. I do not love my backyard and a lot of my dislike has to do with the fact that I am not in love with the plants the previous owner chose. So, money permitting, I would eventually like to have some artificial grass, concrete pavers, a palm tree or two and some hibiscus plants and/or trees. Then that will be the day I actually go out in my backyard and spend more than 1 minute out there. A girl can dream right?

Speaking of a dream, I nearly fell over when I walked down the cereal aisle and stumbled upon this beauty:

I think that Honey Bunches of Oats is the greatest cereal/food that was ever created! I could eat this cereal for every meal, everyday of my life and NEVER get sick of it! I may look like a bloated marshmallow, but I would be happy! The regular sized cereal box didn't last long, so I was excited to see the Family Size box. Eventually that runs out too, so seeing the Giant Size box just made my heart sing. I am pretty sure this is the longest I have had a box of cereal in my house (unless, of course, it is some healthy, gross tasting cereal). Pure bliss!

And finally, since this blog post is dedicated to love, here is a little something I fell in love with all over again this weekend:

This movie is so great! I think it is so cute and so funny, just an all-around, feel good kind of flick. And secretly, I am in love with Megamind. If he were real, I would pursue him. And then I would be married. Just sayin'...

why i don't blog anymore

2011-02-13T21:15:00.004-07:00

1. I have been too busy playing with my new sewing machine. Ok, so maybe I don't play that much, but I have been having fun designing my first quilt. I worked on it this last week and am happy with my progress thus far. I finally finished my 40 quilting squares and now the real fun begins...putting it together. Here are the first two rows:
I am no professional and have NO IDEA what I am doing, but I think it's going well so far and think it will be super cute when it is done. Picture 8 rows like the one pictured above, with a 6 inch (or so) brown border around the edges, and that is what the quilt will look like. I will post more when I get a desire to sew again and have something more exciting to show.

2. I have been very busy being a housekeeper. Well, perhaps this is a lie too. I need to do more around the house, but have had fun working with/watching my dad make some repairs around the house. I had a leak in my roof quite a while ago that caused water damage in my kitchen wall. My adorable father got rid of the nasty wall damage and now you would never know I even had a problem. But perhaps my favorite thing he did was remove the horrible backsplash the previous owner had put up behind the stove. I am pretty sure the previous owner thought he was an interior decorator, but his work was atrocious. I had this hideous rock wall complete with rust colored grout behind my stove, but now I have a nice, clean, plain wall behind the stove. It makes me a very happy woman. Thanks dad!!!

So...here's where my housekeeping comes in. I got home the other day and stumbled upon this scene:

What the heck right? I was quite upset and/or holding back the gag reflex. It looked like my sink was full of vomit. I still don't know what the heck was in the sink, but with some coaching from my father I was able to unclog this lovely mess. No more comments about this one...

3. Work. It's not been my favorite. I have been pretty busy at work and just want to crawl into a hole and sleep when I get home. But things are getting better and the craziness is calming down. I did get a happy little surprise at work the other day. My once barren office got some decorations...an entire garden of flowers (or a cemetery according to one co-worker). Thanks Mona for making my office more exciting:

4. My life. I don't have one anymore. I don't see my friends anymore, or atleast not as often as I used to. And when I do hang out with people, I don't feel the need to take pictures. It has just been the last week or two that I have actually had plans with people. The month of January sucked a little, but February is good so far. I did actually take one picture when some friends got together for dinner. There was a child seated near us that had a major mullet. I had my friend pretend to pose for a picture but I really took a picture of this poor child:Of course the kid looked right at me when I took the picture. Oh well. It wasn't until we were finished eating dinner that we realized the child was probably a girl with a terrible haircut and not a boy with an awesome mullet. A bit of a let down, but it still made my night. Thanks poor/cute-ish kid!

5. I am lazy. Enough said.

Katy's Tour of Hollywood (Mad Libs style)

2011-01-27T12:23:00.002-07:00

Good morning, ladies and pickles, boys and radiators. My name is Jose. I am your personal nostril guide. For the next six hours, we will delight in exploring romantic, slimy Hollywood, the glamour tape dispenser of the world. Let's start off with a bang and visit Grauman's Gritty Theatre, Hollywood's most slippery tourist attraction. You'll see etched in cement the foot-peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and weenis-prints of the most famous spiderwebs ever to adorn the cracked screen. Then it's only a hop, skip and a trophy to Beverly Hills, the playground of the rich and lumpy. You will feast your tonsils on the million dollar deer of movie stars. You'll actually get to visit the home of today's hottest diaper, Jose Jr., who will sign autographs for the low, low sum of 17 dollars each. And here's the big one! For lunch, we'll be going to a studio commissary, where you can rub knuckles with today's leading actors and actresses. All aboard!

Mad Libs Fun

2011-01-27T10:59:00.002-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I got a giant book of Mad Libs for Christmas. The book has brought many a laugh (or atleast it did the one time I used it), so I thought it would be fun to break it out again and share a little laughter with you.

Here is where you come in: The first person to read this will be the person who gets to participate. I repeat, only one person needs to leave a comment with their answers. I will then include your answers and share your Mad Lib with the world (aka my blog readers).

Before getting started, let me just remind you of a few things:

a NOUN is the name of a person, place, or thing. Sidewalk, umbrella, bridle, bathtub and nose are nouns.

When I ask for a PLURAL, it means more than one. For example, cat pluralized is cats.

an ADJECTIVE describes something or somebody. Lumpy, soft, ugly, messy, and short are adjectives.

Ready? Ok! Be the first person to leave a comment with the following and I will then post your Mad Lib:

Plural Noun x5
Person in Room x2
Noun x4
Adjective x5
Part of Body
Part of Body Plural x2
Number

{HAVE FUN}

rewind

2011-01-23T18:55:00.015-07:00

I may have taken a hiatus from blogging in December, but I was still having some really great times. This post is dedicated to the last 2 months and a few of my favorite moments.

I had the priviledge of seeing the lights at the Mesa Temple with my fellow Branch members:

saw some more lights at the Phoenix zoo:

hung out with lots of friends:

kissed some boys' windows:

possibly connected lips with other people and/or things:

and just had an overall great time.

Oh yeah, it also snowed at my house in Mesa, AZ...quite the exciting/unusual event (you have to look closely, but believe me, it's there):

And then I got sick.

Christmas came and went. I was still sick. But look how cute my tree looked this year:

Not many pictures were taken during Christmas (and believe me, they wouldn't have been pretty anyway), but I did really enjoy that day. I spent some time with the family and was spoiled by Santa, as usual. I got some hair bows, jewelry, calendars, gift cards, a huge book of Mad Libs, and a cupcake maker. I tried out the cupcake maker today and was quite disappointed. Case and point below. The cupcakes produced look more like thick pancakes. Very deceiving based on the pictures in the book. Oh well, perhaps it will be better suited for mini pies or something. But the most exciting gift I received was a sewing machine. I must admit, it kind of freaked me out at first. I don't know how to sew! But since then I have been kind of teaching myself and even got started making my first quilt. Below is a sneek preview:Exciting right?? Seriously, sewing is all I think about these days. It is an exhausting and expensive hobby, but I am loving every minute of it!

New Year's Eve came and I finally felt good enough to celebrate. It was a pretty eventful night and the new year looked so promising. And it has been. Not that it has been perfect...especially this last week, but it will be a year of big changes for me. I hate change, but sometimes it is necessary. I am sure I will delve more into this subject at a later time, but for now, I think it's best to keep it to myself.

Yay! I think I am not up-to-date on my blog! I would promise to be better, but you and I both know that is not going to happen. Hopefully I will be checking in again soon! Thanks for reading!

A new resolve...

2011-01-09T17:10:00.007-07:00

I know, it has been a new year for 9 days and I am just making the time to blog about my new year's resolutions. I wish I could say that my blog title, "A new resolve" means that I will resolve to blog more often, but to be quite honest it's not gonna happen. But I am excited about this new year and the possibilities it holds.

Before we dive into my plans for 2011, let's take a look back at my resolutions made for 2010. Remember this? I did exactly what I said and posted my goals so that I could see them everyday. Then there just became a time when I stopped looking at them. Let's review how I did:

1. I will go through the temple. Well, it happened. Not exactly how I had planned, but it was exactly what I needed. I did go through the temple on April 8th, but I went through the Salt Lake Temple instead of the Nauvoo temple. It was so special because my best friends and my extended family members could be there. This was by far the greatest goal I accomplished this year.

2. I will lose 50 lbs by my birthday. Seemed reasonable enough because that gave me six months, but I am sure my pictures tell all. Epic fail.

3. I will exercise regularly. Haha. Didn't do so hot on this one either. I would go through spurts, but nothing consistent.

4. I will read the Bible. I was doing really well on this one until my Branch decided to do a Book of Mormon reading challenge from May to August. I got out of the habit of reading, and then I got to Kings...and it all went downhill. Those books are not very exciting to read...

5. I will look for the positive in all situations. Did really well for about 2 days, and then I went to work. Enough said.

6. I will find ways to serve and fulfill my callings. I would say that I accomplished this goal. At one point during the year I had 5 callings. Now, I am down to one. But it is by far the most challenging and time consuming calling I have ever had. But I get through and know that I am blessed for my efforts.

7. I will organize and de-clutter. It may not have happened when I wanted it to, but due to a very lengthy illness at the end of the year, I was able to purge a lot of unwanted things and make room for the important stuff. Oh, and I have kept my room clean ever since then.

8. I will communicate more frequently. I think I did a little better on this one, but still think I can improve.

9. I will scrapbook more. Given the fact that I hadn't scrapbooked much the year before, I will chalk this one up to a success!

10. I will get asked out on a date. It happened. Two and a half times to be exact. Much better than the previous year, but a girl needs more dates to find a husband...

So there you have it. I give myself a 45% completion rate. Not bad, but definitely not acceptable. My theme for last year was "Enjoy the Journey." I did do a lot of enjoyable things, but I allowed myself to wallow in self pity way too much and focus on the negative. Which leads me to my theme for this year:

I got this little craft idea (and all the components) from my favorite store in Utah called Rod Works. I just thought the quote was nice, but it wasn't until the last week of December that it hit me that this should be my yearly theme. It is perfect for everything I have been thinking about and going through lately. When looking at my big crybaby post from last year, I realized that my struggles I had then are the same struggles I am having now. Some things never change. We cannot change our past, but we can definitely look forward to the future. I think this year is gonna be great! I made some big changes the last week of December and know that with the help of the Lord I can accomplish big things. So with that in mind, here are my {again, very personal} resolutions for 2011:

1. I will make more time for scripture study

2. I will lose 30 lbs by my birthday

3. I will learn how to sew and will create my first quilt

4. I will spend less time on the internet (aka Facebook)

5. I will exercise more often

6. I will manage my finances more efficiently

7. I will think to thank

8. I will communicate more

9. I will keep my room clean (or atleast presentable...so I won't be embarrassed if friends come over and need to use my bathroom)

10. I will get asked out on a date.

Do some of these sound familiar? I know I included some goals from last year but obviously they are things I would like to continue to improve on. I think I will have a better completion rate this year just because my goals are more achievable. Like I mentioned before, I am excited about this year. I know it holds great things for me. And I hope that you all have a great year too! I love you all!

Weekly Wonderment

2010-12-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

be known as someone who places personal ads

-or-

be known as someone who answers personal ads?

Weekly Wonderment

2010-12-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

cut your own hair

-or-

have it cut by an expert hairdresser who is blindfolded?

happiness is...

2010-12-20T13:27:00.001-07:00

this video:

It completely made my weekend! And I hope you enjoy it too!

Utah

2010-12-15T23:01:00.007-07:00

Every December I like to take a little trip to Utah to see family and friends...and also to experience a little "white" before Christmas. I had a great time on my vacation! My favorite moments were as follows:

My dad and I took a drive to the Salt Lake Temple to do a session. I hadn't been to the Salt Lake Temple since I first went through in April, so it was great to actually understand what was going on this time so I could more fully take it in. It is such a beautiful temple!!! After our session we ate dinner in the temple cafeteria and then strolled along Temple Square to see the amazing Christmas lights. It truly was magical!
The other highlight of the trip was seeing my adorable friends! Every year when I come they make a special effort to get together and have a Christmas party while I am in town. It was so good to see them and their families. I love these girls so much!

And finally, I LOVED spending time with my family and this little cutie:

Until next time, Utah...

ouch!

2010-12-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago (yes, I am behind in my blogging) I decided to put up my Christmas decorations. I was putting some lights up in my kitchen window, barefoot, when I just happened to step in a certain direction I shouldn't have. I heard a cracking under my foot and then noticed a sharp pain in a certain region. And this, my friends, is what I pulled out of my foot:
No, it is not a red tipped Christmas light...it is very much filled with my blood (sorry if you just threw up). So I hobbled to my kitchen sink and then crawled to my bedroom (to avoid blood droplets all over the house) to get a bandaid. Needless to say, it was a little tender to the touch and difficult to walk on for a few days. A word of advice: Don't put up Christmas lights while barefoot.

And now for something a little more appetizing. I have this friend who makes pies. For years (it seems) she has promised that she would make me a pie. Whenever she asks what kind of pie I would like I always respond with, "A man pie." Well, the other day I did something extremely generous for this friend, and she told me that it was time she pay me back with a pie. This is what I got:

It was a fantastic surprise and a very delicious one too! Thanks Daja! I loved every bit of it!

Ingredients

2010-12-14T09:19:00.001-07:00

A recipe for a good time:

Take a trip to Goodwill to buy some ridiculous gifts

Apply some lipstick

Kiss some sticky notes

Then visit the homes of your favorite boys and distribute as desired

Weekly Wonderment

2010-12-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

have brown teeth

-or-

a hairline just 1/2 inch above your eyebrows?

Weekly Wonderment

2010-12-07T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

have to watch, with your family and friends, a video of every time you have ever cursed

-or-

every time you have ever lied?

bowling

2010-11-30T22:09:00.006-07:00

A couple of weeks ago some friends got together to go bowling. Who doesn't love bowling? Please...don't answer that. Some very good times were had, and a little bit of fierce competition was shown as well. I think the photos speak for themselves, so enjoy!

P.S. I think this is one of the best games I have ever bowled:

Hooray for me! (I am listed as LIPS...in case you didn't know)

And the reason why I am so proud of this otherwise horrible score is because of this:

Yes, I own my own bowling shoes, bowling bag and bowling ball. Just because I own these things, people assume I am a professional. It doesn't take them long to realize that I am not. Haha. But they are pink...so I LOVE them!

And these guys are just yealous that they don't own pink bowling shoes...

Weekly Wonderment

2010-11-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

be temporarily invisible

-or-

temporarily invincible?

Weekly Wonderment

2010-11-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

show up for the job interview of your life muddy and wet because you fell while running to make it on time

-or-

risk being thought of as unreliable by cancelling the appointment after you fell and are muddy and wet?

s'more fun

2010-11-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

A blog post with few words.

One day my friends and I decided to have a bonfire (aka a very small fire in a fire pit in someone's backyard). It was fun.
P.S. It really bothers me when people put their thumbs up in every picture...but even more so when they do it to antagonize me...

Halloween part III

2010-11-16T14:26:00.006-07:00

Yes, I did say "Halloween." Yes, I do realize it was a long time ago. Yes, I am very behind in my blogging...

Halloween was fantastic this year! I had three parties and 2 different costumes. After wearing my penguin suit for 8 straight hours at work, I felt it was time to retire the costume until a later, undetermined date. So for this party I dressed up like so:

Can you tell what I dressed up as? Let me give you a more clear visual: I was wearing pajamas, a robe (at one point...until I began to melt), slippers, curlers in my hair and had a green mask(ish) on my face. I personally thought it was pretty obvious what I was, but I cannot even tell you how many people asked, "What are you supposed to be?" So to that I would reply, "I am ready for bed." What is there not to get? But then again, most of the people I hang out with are 19...

Now, here's the real question. What was Cara dressed up as?

Duh! She's Princess Sparkle, of course! If you haven't heard of Princess Sparkle, let me explain. She is a magical unicorn...created by my friends...and that's about all I know. But she is brought up in most of our conversations, so Cara thought she would recreate her so that everyone could experience the joy that is Princess Sparkle.

Our party was great! We decorated and ate food:

We danced:We jumped:We made friends with the jungle animals:
We played chess:
We photo op'd (yes, it's a word):

And we just enjoyed one another's company:
Love. My. Friends.

where to begin?

2010-11-16T13:45:00.009-07:00

Wow. So much to say, so many pictures to show you, so much fun being had! Thank goodness for my amazing friends who have recently taught me how joyful it is to take pictures of things so that I can get excited to blog again. Thus begins a long day full of blog posts, complete with pictures.

It's not that I do extravagant things, I am just spending lots of time with friends and making lots of memories. Case and point: this is what a typical Friday night is like for us:

We make a trip to our favorite spot (Sonic) to get a corndog and a drink...and then we take photos of us with our food:

Next we pull out an amazing game:

Please, don't be yealous that I got to play Superman Monopoly...

And then, approximately 3 hours later when we are still playing Monopoly, well, we get a little crazy

The End.

P.S. I think I have hit my quota for number of times needing to play Monopoly in one's life now.

Weekly Wonderment

2010-11-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

be known for being cheap

-or-

for being a crybaby?

uh-huh

2010-11-10T23:54:00.003-07:00

I thought there were some pretty intriguing costumes at my work Halloween party until my friend showed me pictures of hers:

There are no words...

Halloween part II

2010-11-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Friday before Halloween was the annual work Halloween party. Usually most people dress up and we spend the whole day lacking motivation and laughing at each other. But this year was pretty lame. There were a lot of people out of the office that day, but most who were there didn't dress up. Sad. Halloween is an awesome holiday and an even better excuse to dress all crazy and not feel awkward. But...walking around all day in a penguin suit is a little awkward regardless. Here is our little group:

Do you know how hard it is to work when you have a beak in your eyes and flaps for arms? I clearly didn't think that one through very well. To be honest, I didn't work a whole lot that day...

And here is the reason why I didn't work much:

I was too busy laughing at funny things like the one pictured above. I pretty much work with midgets (midgets that I love dearly, mind you). Granted, the guy in the picture above is extremely tall...but this picture just killed me!

As a tradition we have a huge pot luck lunch with everyone (potlucks = scary) and then pose for a group picture or 300. After the group picture my pals and I got a little camera happy. The pictures below are the result.

Can you say creepy? Many pictures were taken with the creepy mustache...in many different places. SO. MUCH. FUN.
This is our new receptionist Saije (pronounced Sage). I just love her to pieces and she had the GREATEST costume of the day by far. She dressed up like a giant roll of Bazzill Tulle (a product that we sell). It was fantastic seeing her move sideways, stick out her butt and scoot through the doorways. Anyway, her and I didn't really want to go back to work, so we got a little crazy and took some amazing photos:

In the end it was a pretty good day. But I was so ready to take off and retire the penguin costume. Nine hours is just too long to be dressed like a freak.

Weekly Wonderment

2010-11-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

Would you rather...

live in a house made from Legos

-or-

live in a house made from mud and palm fronds?

Halloween part I

2010-11-04T19:27:00.009-07:00

I had a pretty crazy Halloween this year. Three Halloween parties and 2 different costumes. The first party was our Branch Halloween party put on by our awesome activities committee (aka me and some friends). We had a cake walk, a costume fashion show (with awards), a photo op, played the eat-a-donut-hanging-from-a-string game and, of course, socialized. There were some great costumes. Below are some pics of the fabulous night:

me (a ridiculous looking penguin), Cara (the whoopie cushion) and Daja (a banana). If you can't tell, Daja and I are trying to squeeze the Whoopie cushion

Daja and Parker (the cowboy)

Cara and Tony (the gangsta...in real life AND at the party)

Me and Justin a.k.a. Big Whopper (to be quite honest, I am not sure what he was dressed up as)

Our new friend we lovingly refer to as "New Kid" (mostly because none of us really remember his name) as the escaped convict

THE PHOTO OP:

The missionaries that we all love so much! It wasn't until I uploaded these photos that I actually noticed that the mish on the left is wearing one shoe and one sandal

The fantastic Harry Potter crew: Tawnya (Luna Lovegood?), Levi (Hagrid), Andy (Harry Potter), Michael (Draco Malfoy) and Tommy & Kara (the Weasley's)

The Pep Boys: Jay, Mark & Glenn

Cara & Justin in the other cool photo op

I LOVE MY FRIENDS!!!

THE AFTERPARTY:

After Family Home Evening every Monday the girls and I have what we like to call "Monday Night Madness." It usually consists of us going to someone's house to play games and get a little crazy. This night we decided to play...wait, I don't think we played anything. We just chatted in our Halloween costumes. Anywho, Mark won a cake from the cake walk and decided it would be best to stick it in his face than to eat it. I think the pics tell the story pretty well:

It was pretty fun to watch, I'm not gonna lie. But I felt bad because Mark decided a little later that he wanted Andrew to enjoy the cake in his face as much as he did. Andrew wasn't expecting it...and to make it worse, was on a diet. Poor kid.

But all in all, it was a successful party and a fantastic night with friends. I love my Branch and I love Halloween!

Weekly Wonderment

2010-11-01T08:30:00.002-07:00

Would you rather...

have a lot of permanent crust around your eyes

-or-

After sweating in the jacuzzi we basically just talked some more, danced some more, and decided to unwind by watching a movie (27 Dresses). The plan was to have a giant sleepover in the family room, but the actuality of empty beds throughout the house won over (except for Tawnya who fell asleep on the floor the second the movie started and didn't wake up as we all headed to our beds). It was a late night...and a relatively early morning.

The next day we thought it would be fun to go to Target because Mari wanted in on the "team" shirts. However, we got a little sidetracked...

(Dear friend, please don't kill me for posting this picture!!)

Needless to say, we each walked out with some unnecessary items and spent a little more than we had planned on.

The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming, eating junk food, talking about boys...ya know, the usual.

It was a great weekend!

question

2010-08-31T01:12:00.001-07:00

Why can I flirt with boys that mean nothing to me, but can't even look at someone I like??

The truth about Alayna

2010-08-18T21:37:00.015-07:00

Hi! My name is Alayna. And I am kind of weird.

This is me and my big face (don't worry, I got my eyebrows waxed the day after taking this picture). And this post is dedicated to little known facts about me. After reading this you will see that I am a little strange, a little OCD and perhaps a little duplicitous (look it up and love it). Believe me, I didn't know what that word meant until a few days ago either...

Here we go:

* My belly button and I are at war. As of this moment, my belly button is winning...

* I have a little crush on Cleto from the Jimmy Kimmel show. He's dreamy...

* I make up interpretive dances while I drive...

* I am very particular about my writing utensils. I HATE pencils and I hate super skinny pens almost as much! For example, the pens in the picture below do not look that different, but the red pen seriously makes me sick! It bothers me to use/hold pens like that. So I make my office manager buy special pens just for me. Yep, I told you I was weird...* Speaking of weird/OCD things, I have to make sure the light switches in my house are going the same direction. Meaning the top of the switch is pushed in when the light is on and the bottom of the switch is pushed in when the light is off. If you push the bottom of a light switch in to turn on the light, that's just not normal...right??

* My ear lobes suffer from perma sag...

* I am trying to master the art of eye sparkling. My friend Daja is really good at it and she captivates all the men. I wanna do the same...

* Speaking of captivating men, the picture below made me giggle. I won't go into the details but will just leave it to your imagination...* I am going to Boston in October! I have never been there and/or really had a desire to go there, but now that a plan is in the works I cannot stop thinking about it! Since I am going to Boston it means I am cancelling my trip to Nauvoo for the Halloween Pumpkin Walk. I am kind of sad, but things just weren't working out like I had hoped. Besides, I have some really good friends getting married around that time and would regret missing their reception. I still plan to go to Nauvoo, but it will probably be next year...

* I have skewed priorities. I can't seem to get off of Facebook at night, which cuts into my scripture reading/sleeping time. I have been really tired lately, which means I have been really cranky too. Somebody make me stop!

* Speaking of crankiness, I know Jesus says that we should love everyone, but sometimes I just can't...

* I have hoarding tendencies. Or maybe I just have a ton of useless crap. I hate to throw it away because I feel like I could get money for it, but since I lack the desire to have a garage sale and/or put the stuff up on Ebay, I will most likely just donate it to the DI. Now if only I could find a desire to go through it...

* I desperately want a man to sing me the Backstreet Boys' song "This Is Us." I think it will help a lot. After all, you can't find the right one until you let go of the wrong one...

And finally:

* I got a pedicure today. I am in love...

for Daja

2010-08-04T23:15:00.011-07:00

Apparently my pal Daja doesn't think I update my blog often enough...so this one's for you S.O.S.!!

I have been doing a lot of fun things lately, but mostly just lack motivation to take pictures or even write about it. Blogging has taken a back seat to Facebook and Frontierville. Sad and pathetic, I know...

A few weeks ago my friend Tricia had a TV show inspired birthday party. Everyone was supposed to dress up as their favorite TV character (I dressed up as Diego...Dora the Explorer's friend) and there were TV things set up all over the house. There was even a gigantic TV photo op. It was so much fun...but, of course, I didn't take any pictures. However, I was asked to make a TV cake for the night so this is what I came up with:
At first I was really proud of my creation, but the more I look at it the more critical of it I become. I am an amateur and don't claim to have amazing skills. But it's still pretty dang cute! Frustrating as heck to make, but enjoyable in the end.

Moving on...

Last night an eclectic group of friends decided to get out and go bowling. I haven't been bowling for approximately a year, so I was beyond thrilled to go. Let me tell you, it was exhilarating! Words cannot describe how much fun I had last night. Here are a few pics from the event:

Daja has this strange idea that she has to put her thumbs up in every picture. I make fun of her for it...but she does it anyway. Cheesin' it for the camera. LOVE that girl!

Yeah baby! I just got a strike! That is me jumping for joy (I have a 1 inch vertical leap).

Blogging world, meet Cara and Beth Ann. I really like them. A lot. I post this picture for several reasons. First, because they are so darn cute. And second, because it is a fantastic shot of the {intriguing} people we bowled next to. The little girls with fros are cute, and the guy in the wife beater with large gut was dang sexy...but I am pretty sure the guy behind Cara is picking his butt. Classy.

Some more shots of our bowling friends:

Tony, our {favorite} gangsta

Jessica, Elizabeth (she really was excited to be there) and Justin & Anatosha

Cara & I

Daja & I

Perhaps my favorite part about bowling is the fact that I have my own {pink} bowling ball and {pink} bowling shoes in a cute little {pink} bowling bag. Whenever I walk into a bowling alley, people automatically assume that I am a skilled bowler just because I own these items. It doesn't take them long to figure out that I have no skills. So I was extra excited to have won the first game we bowled. Here's the proof (left screen in the middle):

Yes, people call me "Lips." It is a nickname I have become quite fond of. I can't remember all the details of how it started, but I think it came from me (and a few others) stating that my lips are my favorite feature...and, of course, from my open love of all things kissing. Yes, I am strange. But for some reason I have always had this strange fascination with kissing. Well, it's more of a joke...a very long running joke. And people are catching on. Which leads me to the greatest discovery that I made this week. Did you know that there is an entire branch of science that is dedicated to studying kissing and it's benefits? It is called Philematology. And I am totally going to look into that field!! Hehehe.

Ok, that's enough. I hope you have enjoyed my update...especially you, Daja!

lunch time

2010-07-27T16:18:00.001-07:00

Today I was in the lunch room, heating up my lunch, and I looked at what I had placed on the table before me. Something about it just made me giggle...so I took a picture for you to see. Now you tell me, besides the hideous table cloth, what's wrong with this picture??

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

2010-07-18T21:50:00.003-07:00

Dear Friends,
It is hot! And I am hot! Honestly, I don't think I am gonna make it through the rest of this summer! And now with all these extra layers (physical and clothing wise), it's gonna get even worse! Please send ice packs and fans...by the dozens...because these hot flashes are killing me! Just sayin'...
Love,
Alayna

the latest

2010-07-13T20:07:00.008-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since I last updated my blog. Fortunately I haven't tucked my skirt into places it shouldn't be tucked, so that is exciting! What's not as exciting is the fact that I had another birthday and am now another year older. Ugh! I've definitely got one foot in the grave...

My birthday this year was a little bit different because it happened to fall on Sunday and also Father's Day. Since there is not much I could do on a Sunday, I spent the day on Saturday celebrating with my mom. We went to see Shrek the Third in 3D, went to lunch and then went shopping. I had decided that I wanted a new bed set for my birthday since the one that I have had the last 7 years is starting to fall apart. So we actually found something I liked and I could not wait to get home and put it on my bed. Sad story, the bed set changed colors on the way from the store to my house, so instead of opening a black bed set, it was actually brown when I took it out of the package. Boo! So needless to say, I was slightly disappointed. I searched for a few more days and finally found another bed set I liked, but it had to be ordered online and could take 7 business days to receive. Fourteen business days later, my bed set finally arrived. Happy Birthday to Me!!!

What do you think? Besides the fact that it needs ironed in a few places and my red pillow that I threw in looks a little weird, I really like it! It makes me feel like a grown adult...and will hopefully inspire me to make my bed every morning and keep my room clean. We shall see...

P.S. Here is a pic of me blowing out the candle on my birthday pizzookie on the actual day of my birth:

Another thing I did to celebrate my birthday {by myself} was go to the Cake Wrecks World Tour. I am obsessed with the Cake Wrecks blog so it was really fun to see the faces of the creators and to see other crazy fans and the miniature Cake Wreckplicas that they made. Oh, and the free cake was fun too. Here are a few shots of the event:

Another recent highlight {of my life thus far} was participating in my first jello fight! Talk about sticky madness, but oh so much fun! I definitely want to have jello fights more often! The pictures don't do justice, but I was pretty well covered in jello and extremely sticky. At one point my eyelid was glued open. Good times...

Then, of course, I took my usual vacation to Utah. I had a great time celebrating my nephew's 6th birthday, celebrating my brother's 9th year in remission, watching fireworks, seeing my newest nephew get blessed, spending quality time with family and friends, and getting the shocking news that my friend was having a baby while I was in town! I loved every minute of my trip...but did not take many pictures.

And finally, myh last bit of exciting news. Since I am trying to find a way to eat healthier and exercise to increase my happiness {and increase my chances of getting a man!} I was happy to hear that there is a farmer's market close to my house where I can buy fruits and veggies super cheap. My friend and I took a trek there today and look at how much I got for $5!!

I thought it was WAY exciting and have vowed to never buy produce anywhere else! Since I dropped my watermelon on the floor the second I got home, I was forced to cut {and eat} some watermelon tonight, and even cooked my first ear of corn. YUM!!! Isn't it strange the things that can motivate you and get you excited?

guess what??

2010-07-12T23:59:00.001-07:00

I am going to update my blog soon! Aren't you excited??

so embarrassing

2010-06-28T14:26:00.002-07:00

Yesterday I did something that only I could do. I am just prone to embarrass myself and yesterday was just about as humiliating as could be. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

So I am at church, like a good girl, just trying to find something to do with myself between choir practice and sacrament meeting. I am wearing a dress that has an undershirt underneath it and I felt myself coming untucked. So I went into the bathroom, tucked in my shirt and then walked out of the bathroom. Yep, I should have made sure all was well before leaving the bathroom, but I didn't. So I get one foot out of the bathroom and begin adjusting my dress...only to discover that the back of my dress was tucked into my garments and my behind was showing to the world. I panicked! I quickly pulled out my dress and turned around, beet red, to see who happened to be in the hall seeing such a sight. I turned around to see a few jaws on the floor...but luckily it was no one that I recognized and/or no one from my branch. Whew! But embarrassing nonetheless...

So if you happened to be in the Skyline Stake Center yesterday around 10am...I apologize. I am just grateful I noticed when I did! It does, however, make me wonder how far I could have gotten before someone said something? Interesting thought indeed...

It's a pink chonie birthday!

2010-06-20T09:52:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Daja and I threw a party...to celebrate ourselves:

No, we are not really that conceited. It was a joint birthday party. We decided to decorate with all things pink, mostly because I am obsessed with the color, but also because of our little nickname: The Pink Chonies (don't ask). We had pink balloons and streamers; pink plates, cups and napkins; pink tablecloths; pink serving dishes; and, of course, pink cupcakes and cookies for dessert. The house looked amazing! We invited over a few close friends and just spent the evening enjoying each others' company, playing games, and jumpin' on the trampoline:

Nothing will ever compare to the birthday party last year, but it was still pretty fun. If I had to do it over, I probably would have done a few things different, like keeping the tradition alive of having a pinata. One tradition that will never die, however, is the photo op:

{LOVE IT}

Summertime

2010-06-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

It's official. Summertime has begun. The wretched heat has reared it's ugly head. But, in a strange sort of way I love summer in AZ. I love it because people are out of school and looking for an excuse to throw a party. And who doesn't love a party?!

Well, last weekend was my first official summer party...a pool party/BBQ with friends from the Branch. Good times, good times. Some people chose to swim, some did not. I chose to opt out from the swimming thing and spare everyone the grief of having to see me in a swimming suit. But it was still fun to stick my feet in the pool and watch everyone else. Here are some pics from the fun:

Danny and Triciacutest Dajathe swimming crew (but my fave part of the picture is Stewart carrying Tony in the pool because apparently he can't swim)me and my pal Jordan, just chillaxin' with our feet in the pool

The swimming was fun, the BBQ was good, but the best part involved my best bud Daja and her boy friend (not boyfriend) Tony. You see, this party took place the day before Daja's birthday. Tony found out it was her birthday the next day and decided that he wanted to sing "Happy Birthday" to her. However, he did not sing the traditional "Happy Birthday" song...he made up a birthday song on the spot. It was interesting to say the least. He sang about her beautiful face and all sorts of other things. She was just as embarassed as the rest of us were. Wow. It was fun. Here he is posing with the birthday girl:

So.much.fun.

Tune in later for another summer party update...my party!

True Love

2010-06-16T18:35:00.003-07:00

Need I say more?!

Ok, you are right, I do need to say more. So, my mom surprised me with these flip flops one day...and it was love at first sight! They are pink and they have flip flops on them {my 2 favorite things}...what is not to love?! However, since they are so freaking adorable, I can't bring myself to wear them. I am afraid that the cute words are going to rub off and then they will look trashy. So, I may have to invest in a shadow box and hang these babies on the wall. Does that make me weird??

analyze this

2010-06-03T19:42:00.007-07:00

*I had a dream last night that I abducted a small boy. Except it wasn't me...I was a creepy old man, who drove a beater van. There were several people around me at the time and I was making what I was about to do very obvious. I got out of my car and started pushing around oxygen tanks, then just went up to the kid and grabbed him, helping him get inside one of the tanks. I woke up this morning pretty disturbed. Why did I dream that?! I have no inner desires to abduct a child. Sometimes the brain is a curious wonder...

*My birthday is rapidly approaching. A little bit quicker than I would like. I am getting old...100 years old to be exact (according to one friend who shall remain nameless). Right. But seriously, this is causing me a little bit of stress. I don't like the age I am turning. I don't like the situation I am in at this particular age. I wonder if things will ever happen for me or if I am just destined to be alone. Trust me, this is not a cry for help. I am not lonely. I am just wishing that time could stand still for a bit. Thank goodness I hang out with 19 year olds who keep me young. I guess the reason I am freaking out by my age is because I don't feel like I am that age. And honestly, that is a good thing...

*I got a hair cut. It's freaking adorable...

*I got a new pet. Isn't he cute??He just appeared in my backyard and quickly made his way into my heart. Or maybe I should say that he quickly made his way into my bushes and I am not sure if I will ever see him again. It was fun while it lasted...

*My dad was only in town for 2 days this last weekend and spent one afternoon helping me trim my aforementioned bushes. Blood clot, broken toe and all. What a trooper. My dad is pretty special...

*I have decided that I cannot buy any more lotion until I use the millions of bottles I have received as gifts over the years. I love the smell of Bath & Body Works lotions, but unfortunately they don't do much to moisturize...which means that I have more bottles than I can count and I never use them. I got some lotion from my roommate for Christmas that I am currently using. It smells good when you first put it on, but by the middle of the day I smell like I am covered in bug spray. I feel bad throwing it away, and I am kind of freaky about making sure my lotion is pretty close to empty before it gets thrown away. What a conundrum...

*I really like using asterisks when blogging...

*I really like ending each paragraph with three dots...

{The End}

Thanks for the memories

2010-05-30T21:25:00.004-07:00

In honor of Memorial Day, I would like to pay tribute to something I shall never forget. Yeah, I know Memorial Day is about soldiers and what not...and in a round about way this could be about a soldier...but just humor me for a minute.

Last week my Branch members had a talent show. Originally I was going to participate in the talent show by doing a funny video or something non-talent worthy with a group of friends. To make a longer story short, we never got together to plan something, so I was relieved not to be involved in the talent show. About a week before the talent show I got word that a guy in the Branch needed a piano player so that he could sing a solo. I was asked if I would be willing to play for him and I agreed...as long as he could get me the music right away because I am not a sight reader and/or extremely talented, can-play-anything type of piano player. A few days pass by and I hear nothing from this boy or anyone else...so I think I am off the hook. WRONG! The night before the talent show, he gives me a little call and asks me to play the piano for him. I wanted to kick him in a tender spot, but told him that I would look over the music and see what I could do. Of course he chose songs I had never heard before and one of the songs was impossible looking to my little brain. I stayed up until midnight stressing about these songs and trying to learn one so that I could help him out. Honestly, he is extremely talented and has an AMAZING voice so I was happy to help...I just wish I could have been given a little bit more notice. The next day I had to work and actually ended up leaving work early just so I could practice the piano more. I finally got to the point where I felt comfortable with the song and could fake it where needed. I was ready to go.

Fast forward to the talent show that night. This is a picture of our performance:

Before going in to details, let me preface this by saying that we NEVER practiced together before the talent show. I guess he was too busy practicing for his other talent that he didn't think ours needed practicing. Number two stressful thing for me (number one being lack of time to learn the song). So I get up to play the song and I am freaking out to begin with because I barely know the song and we have not practiced together. Now, I want you to look closely at the picture. See the two people hovering over me at the piano? Well, those people were kind enough to help me because the minute I started playing the piano, all of my music fell to the ground. And my music fell down the entire performance. To say that I was freaking out was an understatement. I was shaking uncontrollably, I was sweating, I was a mess. Worst experience of my life. Ok, so maybe that is a little exaggerated. But to put it plain and simple...it was a disaster. Definitely something that will stick with me for a while.

So since the boy singing is/was a soldier...happy Memorial Day boy! I hope you enjoyed it...because I am not sure that I did. Just kidding. He was really sweet about the whole thing. He even made sure to point out to everyone that he was a jerk and gave me the music the night before. And he promised to make it up to me. So we shall see...

On a happier note, look at my little nephew:

I just think he is delicious and I can't wait to see him in a month. LOVE that kid. LOVE being an aunt. LOVE everything.

{Happy Memorial Day Yo}

happiness is...

2010-05-26T14:26:00.003-07:00

This picture:

Why you might ask? Well, there are several reasons why this seemingly boring picture brings me happiness. First of all, that pink sticky note is a self-portrait that my co-worker made for me. Looks just like me, don't you think? So that represents me now. Then the blue sticky note represents me in the future. Ok, probably not...but it was wishful thinking. Just a little motivational code to get me through the days. And then below the blue sticky note {and barely visible} is a fortune I received a week or so ago inside my fortune cookie. It reads, "Your talents will be recognized and suitably rewarded." Man I sure hope that is true! But honestly, the thing that makes me the most happy is that there are a plethora of pink things around my computer. And pink just makes me happy. Seriously folks, just go with me on this one. I haven't blogged in forever and am just grasping at straws trying to figure out what to blog about...

Today

2010-05-13T12:46:00.003-07:00

I became an aunt today...for the 7th time. This is my newest nephew,

Landon Bryan Holbrook:

Isn't he cute?! I am so sad to be missing all of the action, but I will be flying to Utah the beginning of July for his blessing and will see him then. I am in LOVE!

{congrats Matt & Natalie}

it's official

2010-05-09T17:59:00.020-07:00

I suck at blogging (among other things). I thought I would have a desire to do it more now that I have a functioning computer and the internet at my house, but mostly I have just wasted my time doing other things that are less important. So today I am taking the initiative to blog, and hopefully this will be the start of better things.

This is something I have been meaning to post about for a really long time because it is something that touched my heart in ways that you cannot imagine. Remember this post? Well, I have never claimed to be a gardener and I honestly don't enjoy any part of it, but my backyard was screaming for some love and attention. I also don't have anyone that is willing to help me with things around the house, so it is all up to me. Well, before I left to go to Utah my home teachers came over. Before leaving they asked the typical, "Is there anything we can do for you?" question. I usually never respond, but just as a joke I said, "You can weed my backyard for me." Ok, so maybe it was more of a cry for help than a joke. Anyway, they asked to see my backyard, which I {reluctantly} showed them and then they left saying, "Don't be surprised if your backyard is weeded when you get home from Utah."

Never, in a million years, did I believe they would actually do it. But they did! And I LOVE THEM for it! I got home from Utah really late on Sunday night and had completely forgotten that the conversation had even taken place. But then it came into my mind and I had to go look outside. It was dark, but I could already tell that my backyard was weeded. At that very moment I got a little teary eyed. It was a true blessing! I am so grateful to have such awesome and caring home teachers. Thanks guys! My backyard looks amazing...don't you think?

Another somethin' somethin' I have been meaning to post about also happened at the beginning of April. It was conference weekend and the girls decided to have a little girls' night while the boys were at the Priesthood session. After playing a mean game of Quelf (highly recommended... but only with people you feel extremely comfortable with) we decided to go forking. Maybe it's an Arizona thing, but I had never heard of forking before. The idea is that you get a bunch of forks and stick them in people's front yards. Fun right? Yeah, it was!

We only had access to clear forks, so we wrote little messages on the forks to make them a little bit more visible. We wrote all of the fork related comments we could think of, like: fork it over; Forks, Washington; fork, it's what's for dinner; etc. They didn't all make sense, but we did the best we could. Oh, and we even decided to stick one spoon in the mix just for fun. Here is the proof:

Here is Tricia using a "dinglehopper" (the name given to a fork on 'The Little Mermaid' that Ariel used to brush her hair with):

And here are the signs we made to let our culprits know that they had been forked, with love:

And, here are we are placing the forks in the yard of our unexpecting victim. Side note: forking works best in yards that contain grass... rocks are not recommended {as we discovered the hard way}. The pics are a little dark, so you will need to use your imagination:

We may or may not have forked our Branch Presidents' house.

Moving on...

Yesterday was my one month anniversary of going through the temple! I have been very dedicated to going to the temple once a week since then, and I am happy to announce that each time I go I get a little better and understand a little more. I LOVE the feeling that comes from attending the temple. A peace is felt inside the temple that cannot be felt anywhere else. A couple of weeks ago I spent some time outside of the temple just trying to appreciate the beauty of the temple grounds before entering. The temple grounds are beautiful and just walking around the temple brought me so much peace. Here are a few of the breathtaking sights I caught around the Mesa temple:

The temple truly is magnificent. It is the house of the Lord. I love going there and feel so blessed to have a temple so close to me!

Last weekend my parents and I went to our cabin in Snowflake. We decided to do a temple session while we were there. The temple was a smaller temple, but still so beautiful. I am grateful that I was able to experience another one of the Lord's temples.

And then yesterday I was privileged to attend the Gila Valley temple open house with my singles branch. The temple is about 2 1/2 hours away so we all carpooled over. Once we got there we had a nice little dinner and then attended the open house. For those of you who don't know, an open house is just as it sounds. The temple is opened to the public so that they can see the beauty in the temple before it is dedicated and before any sacred ordinances take place there. I would highly recommend going to a temple open house if you have the opportunity. There is definitely a feeling of reverence and peace that comes from entering within it's walls. It was gorgeous! And I hope that I can find time to go do a session there soon!

I am a happy girl. I am so blessed. And I am so excited for the possibilities my future holds.

Speaking of excited, I am going to be an aunt again this Thursday! I don't yet know the name of my newest little nephew, but I already love him and can't wait to see him in a month and a half.

Woohoo!

I'm just sayin'...

2010-05-05T12:30:00.002-07:00

I like long walks...

especially when they are taken by people who

annoy me!

wouldn't you know it?

2010-05-03T13:50:00.003-07:00

After a lovely phone call with a good friend in another state, I ventured into my local Subway to get myself a sandwich. I try not to eat out very often, but today I had to because I haven't had time to grocery shop. Anyway, I looked over the menu and decided on something that I don't usually order, mostly because it was a better deal. When the cute little worker boy was making my sandwich, I thought the meat looked odd, but didn't dare say anything. I am sure you can see where this is going... But to make a long story short, I checked the meat when I got back to the office and it was pretty much questionable. I made a little phone call to the shop and then threw the sandwich away. Yep, I just ate a bag of chips for lunch. Wouldn't you know it? Luckily I ate a really big breakfast and wasn't that hungry...so I think I will survive. But then again, it wouldn't hurt to miss a meal or two...

On another note, I recently developed a love for pigs. And when I say recently, I mean last night. Without explaining or divulging any information, I will just say that this:

really means a lot to me right now. Maybe later I will tell, but for now it is just my little secret.

And I know that I have been a lame blogger lately. I really have a lot I want to say, but really just lack the desire to do so. Hopefully I will get better. Check back later for some fun stuff...maybe.

Remember that time I went to Utah?

2010-04-24T12:32:00.008-07:00

Well I have finally decided to blog about it! My time in Utah was brief, but each minute was full of excitement and I loved it! It was a struggle to juggle the time between family and friends, but it was also well worth it. Of course, my main reason for going to Utah was to go through the temple. I posted about this previously, but had a few more pics from my personal camera that I wanted to share.

These two pictures don't look that exciting, but I had to share them because they document some things that I thought were fun. First of all, I felt like a princess that day. I was so excited for my new experience and really took my time getting ready to feel as good outside as I did inside. I was decked out in jewelry, I had my flower in my hair, I curled my hair extra cute...I just felt awesome! I tried to document the excitement of the day, which meant trying to get a picture of my face. Most of the pictures make me look like a seductress, so I included this one to really showcase my excitement. And then the other picture is of my dad and a perfect stranger. My mom and I sat down and my dad sat somewhere else...next to this person. It was funny because my mom and I joked that my dad would rather talk to someone else than to us, but in his defense he replied that there was no way he would fit on the bench with us. Oh dad! You are too much! And then I am including one more picture that I just loved. I think the Salt Lake Temple is breathtaking!

The day after the Temple I got to meet a few of my besties for lunch at the most amazing little restaraunt in Salt Lake called Zinn Bistro. It was so fun to catch up with my girls and the food was to die for. We got a little group shot afterwards:

I am so lucky to have some of the best friends in the world. I am so glad that I got to see each member of the A Team while I was in town, but sad that I didn't get a picture with all of them. Next time...

The afternoon was spent shopping with my mom...one of my favorite things to do! You see, Utah is home to one store called Rod Works that is a dream to walk in! I LOVE THAT PLACE! There is also another store called Tai Pan that is loads of fun, just not as delicious as Rod Works. I, of course, bought things that I don't need. But really, who can resist?

That night some of the girls got together to play games and have dinner, but we just ended up talking the whole time. You know how girls are... Thanks Amos for the mac and cheese!

The next morning I met the fam at the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Pointe. I have been there before, but it is still fun to look at all the cool displays and to see the kids play and interact. Here they are putting together a giant dinosaur and also creating a habitat for the dinosaurs to live in:

After the Museum my mother and I had to take another trip to Rod Works and then it was time to meet the rest of my girlies for a frozen yogurt treat at Red Mango...another one of my favorite places to visit. And then that evening I got to see my cute little niece win an award for her Reflections dance performance. The event itself was 2 hours that I will never get back. It was painful to say the least. The sad part is that it was put on by the people who are supposed to be teaching our children. Yikes! Anyway, it was great to see my niece's little face light up as she accepted her award. Here she is proudly holding up her award, and then I took a picture of my nephews because they wanted their picture taken too:

I am so proud to be her aunt! She is a very talented girl.

And finally, no trip post would be complete without a shot of the fun things I got while on the trip. Thanks to Rod Works and Tai Pan, I was barely able to fit my clothes in my suitcase on the way home. What can I say, I really like pink flowers:

it's a new life for me

2010-04-14T10:56:00.005-07:00

...and I'm feelin' good!

I know it has been a while since I have posted, and a lot has happened since my last post...so this is my small effort to get caught up and let everyone know how I am doing.

Of course the highlight of the last week has been me going through the temple for the first time. It was a very memorable event. Completely not what I expected, yet I couldn't have asked for anything better! It was AMAZING to see all of my friends and family there to support me. And to think, I stressed so much about which temple to go through... The Salt Lake Temple was definitely the best decision I could have ever made!

The day started with a shopping trip with my mother...to buy the items needed for the day. Then a good chunk of time was just spent staring at everything I (meaning my mother) had bought and trying to take it all in. The mom and I enjoyed some lunch and then it was time to get ready for the main event. We headed to the temple a little early because I had this brilliant idea to take pictures of myself in front of the temple to document my experience. The pictures didn't really go like I had planned and I am too lazy to photoshop them, so here are a few pics from the day:

getting ready to cross the street to the temple

trying to figure out how to include my face and the entire temple in one shot

a beautiful fountain...LOVE the temple grounds!

the reflection pond (and me struggling to carry all of my belongings)

the mother and I

me!

and more me...just chillaxin' before the fun begins

Like I mentioned before, I could not have asked for a better experience. It was great and I loved every minute of it. I actually have more that I want to post...but it will have to wait for another day. Something more important has come up...

quick

2010-04-08T22:36:00.003-07:00

Not much time to update right now (mostly because I am exhausted due to my lack of sleep last night and busy day today), but I just wanted to quickly write a note to let you know that all went well today. The best way to describe this day is by simply saying this:

It is a day I won't soon forget...

three

2010-04-05T09:08:00.004-07:00

1. Yesterday I felt the Earth move...literally. I am sure you have heard about the earthquake that rocked the US/Mexico border and that was felt by more than 20 million people. Well, I was one of them. I was just sitting at my computer desk, talking to my mother on my cell phone when I felt a little dizzy. It was a strange feeling and I was certain I was moving. I then noticed that my hanging chandelier thing was swaying. I thought to myself, "Now why would that be moving?" After pondering for a second I said to my mother, "I swear we are having an earthquake!" It wasn't until I actually got off the phone with my mom and looked on the internet that I knew we had indeed experienced a wee earthquake. It was exciting! This is officially the second minor earthquake I have felt in my lifetime. The other one was when I was in middle school eating my breakfast and watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That one was quite a bit stronger though. In actuality, I am glad the earthquake experiences I have had are minor. I am not sure that I would love experiencing a big one...

2. General Conference was FAB! Because of my church calling I was forced to pay close attention to Conference this year, and I am glad I did! I don't know that I have actually gotten so much out of Conference before. Usually I am with family and entertaining restless kids or talking, so much of the messages get lost. But this year I was all alone in my home listening to Conference on the internet while cleaning the house. It was awesome! Not only did I accomplish a ton, but I learned a ton! I am so grateful...

3. Three...that is the number of days left until I go through the temple. Can you believe it?! I can hardly contain myself! I am so excited! I think a lot of excitement comes from getting a vacation and being away from AZ for a few days...it is much needed. I am also excited to see my niece and nephews and other family members. It will be nice to see my prego sis-in-law so I can really believe that she is having a baby and it will also be nice to see my friends. But mostly I think I am excited to see all of these people in the temple with me. It is going to be a great experience I just know it!

{Woohoo}

pretty, pretty princess{es}

2010-03-31T22:34:00.003-07:00

I know it's only Wednesday, but this has definitely been a weird week. Part of me wishes it was over, but another part of me is loving every minute of it. Weird, I know.

I had a day today that can only be summed up in one word: weird. Side note: I think the word weird is weird, and when you spell the word weird it looks weird...but that's just me. Anyway, I got a phone call from my mother first thing this morning telling me that she was at the hospital. I don't know about you, but that is not a fun call to get. I have gotten a call similar to that one twice within the last year (when my grandfather passed away suddenly and then when my dad decided to play dead last Conference weekend). Immediately my heart sank. To make a long story short, my grandmother fell down the stairs. I am positive my grandpa was looking out for her though because she only sustained a broken arm and some bruising. She is a lucky lady! Needless to say, that kind of put me in a funk this morning.

Then I decided to check some blogs a little later and I saw my best friend's blog. She is pregnant right now with her first child and will be having a little boy. She lives in Utah so I feel like I am missing out on a really big part of her life. Especially right now that my whole family lives in Utah, I am really wishing I could be up there. So seeing her blog today and seeing her cute little pregnant belly literally made me sad. Yes, tears were rolling down my face while I sat at work. Call it being a girl, call it hormones, call it whatever you want...it really affected me. And for the rest of the day, I just felt strange.

In the afternoon I couldn't concentrate because my co-worker and I (ok, I only supervised)made an amazing picture in photoshop (may post later) and I couldn't stop staring at the picture. Each time I looked at it I seriously cracked up. It was so hard to contain myself! And honestly, I don't know how I go from tears in the morning to uncontrollable laughter in the afternoon. I tell you, today was weird.

So, on to the evening portion of my day and the reason for my post title. My Branch Relief Society had an activity tonight to celebrate the birthday of when the Relief Society was organized. They decided to have a "Princess" themed party. So everyone dressed in their royal best and we were given crowns and necklaces upon arrival. We had an extra delicious dinner and then enjoyed a small program. During the program one of the sisters read a book called, "Daughter of a King" and it was about a raggedy girl who lived in a small village. Her parents always told her that she was a daughter of a King. She was told that one day she would return to live in the Crystal Palace with the King if she acted like a Princess. Without giving more detail, the book basically references us being daughters (and sons) of our Heavenly Father, the King. We are each Princesses (and Princes) and are working toward the Crystal Palace (Heaven) to be reunited with the King, our Heavenly Father. It was a very touching story and the spirit was strong. It is good to be reminded that we are literally Princes and Princesses, spirit children of our Heavenly Father. We really do have so much worth. And if everyone could really understand that and their divine potential...the world would be a much better place.

Anyway, after the program we got a little crazy and had more of a birthday celebration. We played "Pin the Lips on the Frog"...which obviously relates to kissing many frogs in order to find that Prince Charming. Here is Stephanie trying to connect:
And there was also a fun photo op set up. Here are a few of my favorites:

And, of course, here are me and my girlies...

...doing what we do best:

What a weird day!

bLiSs

2010-03-30T11:22:00.002-07:00

Do you see that white paper chain hanging from my entertainment center? Well, my cute visiting teacher made that for me. It is a countdown to my temple endowment...and it is a very short chain! Only 9 days until my life changes completely!

{I can't wait}

the WORST weekend ever!

2010-03-25T19:57:00.007-07:00

So maybe the blog title is a little misleading. My weekend was actually pretty stellar (until the events of Sunday took place). The weekend got started with a "Worst Dressed" party hosted by my favorite party hosts Sandy, Mari and Tricia. Thanks to some ugly outfit combinations, a few trips through my mom's closet, my hugeness and a ton of bronzer, I looked pretty horrific:

Scary right?? That is me and my pal Daja. She is just adorable. And she's brown-ish, so that gives you an idea of how bronze my face actually was. I mean, it's totally natural! Love ya Daja!

Here are some more of the freaky guests from the night:

Jessica

Sam

Sandy, Tricia and Mari

and my roomie Tawnya dressed in a garbage bag. Classic!

We played some games, ate some food, enjoyed some competitive games of croquet, busted out the sidewalk chalk...and then the awards were handed out. This is the award I won:

I'm not gonna lie...my hair was pretty awesome! Here is a closer look at my hair and my extra bronze/tired face after the party:

Thanks girls for such a {horrifically} fun party!!!

Saturday was also a great day. I woke up early to get my internet installed and then spent a good chunk of the day playing on the internet/setting everything up on my computer. I was pretty much in heaven and have enjoyed having the internet at my house thus far. How I ever lived without it I will never know... I did take a little trip to Walmart during the day to buy myself a pink mouse and some groceries, but that was about it.

And then Saturday night I had the awesome privilege of going to the Easter Pageant dress rehearsal at the Mesa Temple. If you have never experienced the Easter Pageant, you are missing out on one of Mesa's rare treats. It is a play on the Temple grounds depicting the life, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ...the Easter Story. I have been to the pageant just about every year that I have lived here, but for some reason, this year was extra special. Maybe it was the company I was with, maybe it was the more intimate setting, or maybe it was just that I am at a much better place in life than I have been in years past...but it touched me so much more! All I know is that the spirit was strong there that night. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have a Savior who loves me enough to lay down His life for me. He suffered unimaginable grief and pain so that I can be forgiven of my sins and be perfected in Him...and one day return to live with Him and my Father in Heaven for eternity. I am so grateful for this Easter season. I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on my Savior and all that He has done for me. And I am grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The church is TRUE!

Speaking of which, I will be going through the Salt Lake Temple 2 weeks from today. Woohoo!!! I am so freaking excited! I NEVER thought I would ever be this excited to go through the Temple. But I am!

So, that was basically my weekend. Lots of fun, and then a little stress on Sunday. But I am happy to report that my Family Home Evening lesson went well on Monday and I have been busy preparing for my Sunday School lesson ever since then. It's coming together so I can't complain. I can, however, complain that I have been suffering from the flu this week. YUCK! I missed about 8 hours of work this week just trying to get rest so that I can get better. It seems to be working because each day I feel a little better. Hopefully all will be well by Sunday for our choir performance and my lesson. But despite it all, I am a happy girl...and that is really all that matters!!

You're kidding, right?!

2010-03-21T15:37:00.002-07:00

Hmm...where to begin? Let me preface this by saying that I know the Lord has a plan for each of us, and will only give us what we can handle. However, sometimes (ok, most of the time) I find myself saying, "What is He thinking?!" Today was one of those days...

I've mentioned several times that I attend a small Branch. Because we are a small Branch, each member of the Branch has several callings (myself included). I personally feel like I am one of those people who has some pretty big callings. For example, I am a Relief Society teacher and teach once a month, I play the piano in Relief Society every week (which involves learning 3 songs each week and playing prelude...and because I am not a great piano player, I have to practice a few times during the week), and I am also on the Activities committee. As part of my activities committee calling I am in charge of making and upkeeping a bulletin board in the church, I had to create a missionary board at the church and I was also asked to post activities on our Branch website. Overwhelming right?

Well a few days ago I got a text asking me if I could meet with a member of the Branch presidency before church today. Usually when that happens it means you are getting a calling or getting released from a calling. Well, surprise, surprise I got ANOTHER calling today! I am now serving as a Family Home Evening Head, which means I plan and implement an activity for Family Home Evening every other week, but also have to coordinate lessons and missionary moments every week. It's not a huge calling, but still pretty time consuming.

I walked out of that room wondering what the Lord was thinking and why I have to have so many callings. I completely understand that small numbers in the Branch correlate to large numbers of callings...but 4 (in my mind it feels like 5)? If I was just a ward greeter and on a small committee, I could understand. But each calling seems huge to me! MIND YOU, I AM NOT COMPLAINING! One of my favorite quotes from Mother Teresa states, "I know the Lord won't give me anything I can't handle...I just wish He didn't trust me so much." Yep, I have every confidence that the Lord trusts me right now. And I think that's a good thing.

But just for fun, the Lord threw 2 more things in my face today to see if I would laugh. I got asked to teach the lesson at FHE tomorrow and I got asked to teach Sunday School next week. Um...I'm not laughing.

In fact, I actually burst into tears after church. I had to call my mom and let my feelings out before I could go back into the church building for my Branch Council meeting. Needless to say, I feel overwhelmed. But like I said, I have every confidence that the Lord will help me get through this next week.

All I can say is, thank goodness I got internet at my house yesterday, because it is really going to come in handy preparing my two lessons this week. See, the Lord has a plan!

green

2010-03-18T18:56:00.003-07:00

St Patrick's Day came and went.

To be honest, I am not even sure why we celebrate the holiday or the significance of it, but I am always up for a little celebration and an excuse to get a little crazy. Sadly, green is one of my least favorite colors (the real color green...not like lime green or sage green), so I don't really own anything that color. Sure, I have my eyes...but that is cheating. So I headed to my local Wal-Mart and bought myself a $4 shirt. And this is me attempting to take a picture of my "lucky shirt" complete with four leaf clover:

Not the cutest thing in the world, but hey...I am broke. So I rocked my shirt at work and didn't really do anything fun during the day. I did get pinched by a girl in the shipping department (I was wearing a jacket over my shirt so I can understand why she thought I wasn't wearing green) but it was more of a soft pinch and not a painful skin twisting pinch, so I let it slide. I know you are supposed to pinch someone back if they pinch you in error, but I am not really a fan of torturing others...

After work I went home and spent quite a few hours trying to get rid of the green (a.k.a. the weeds taking up residence in my backyard). Thanks to some awesomely wet weather, weeds are growing rampant in the state. I have the world's smallest backyard, and every square inch is full of weeds. You would think it would be easy to pick them, but I have spent several hours out there and have barely made a dent! Weeds = my nemesis:
And, of course, no St. Patrick's Day solo celebration would be complete without dying atleast one edible item green. Since I was partying by myself and feeling lazy after weed picking, I made myself some potatoes and added a few drops of green food coloring. I don't know why, but this totally made my day:

I will never forget lunch time on St. Patrick's Day in elementary school. They {the lunch ladies} always died our food green that day and I thought it was so cool. I totally plan to do that for my kiddos, if/when they come...

Yep, it was a less than exciting day, but I really did love {most} every minute of it!

uh, no thanks!

2010-03-13T14:56:00.007-07:00

So, I had the most unusual experience today while I was waiting for my brakes to be checked at my local Big O Tires store. To make a long story short, I got my brakes replaced about a month and a half ago, but lately my brakes have been screaming louder than they did before they got replaced. I took my car back to the shop to find out what the problem was. Honestly, the guy who works there that has helped me both times is pretty hot...so I don't mind going back there. So today I decided to wait outside in the fabulous sunshine while my car was being checked. There were a few other people outside, and I didn't really pay much attention to any of them. There was an older gentleman (um...maybe that is the wrong word to describe him) there who was sitting by me for a while. I'd say he was about 65ish, taller and skinny, wearing a blue shirt and sunglasses. I figured his car was getting fixed too and that is why he was there (although I later realized that his car was never getting fixed). I didn't make eye contact, didn't smile at him, nothing...so that is why the next turn of events threw me off guard. He goes inside the store and then comes back out on his way to leave. He stops by me and our conversation follows:

"How long are you going to be here?"

"I don't know."

"What are you doing?"

"Um...just waiting for my car to be fixed..."

{Inaudible}

"What did you say?"

"Do you want to get together?"

At this point my head is spinning! Did he just say what I thought he did? How in the heck do you respond to that? I paused for a second and then said, "Uh, no!" To which he patted me on the back and said, "Well, I just thought I'd ask" and then walked away. Can you say creepy? And I'm not just talking about kind of creepy, I am talking about this kind of creepy:Needless to say, I quickly called my mother and laughed my head off. What can I say? I'm breaking old men's hearts all across America!

Speaking of old men, I have to give a shout out to my favorite old man these days: Uncle Sam. Because of him I was able to purchase these beauties:

I got my very own laptop and wireless printer! And to make things even better, I am making the big move and getting internet at my house! Woohoo! It should definitely make blogging and Facebooking more convenient! Thanks old man...for giving me my money back!