appetizer

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

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

the makings of my paradise...

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?

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

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...

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'...