Saturday, December 4, 2010

photos by me

just posted new pictures on my photoblog, check it out here!!!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

voila!....

so at my nephew's school they don't really celebrate "halloween"  but since its busting at the seams with little kids, they have a fall party and each grade has a theme to dress up like.  well my nephew is in kindergarten and their theme is.............nursery rhymes.  so they send home a list of suggestions, and what does my nephew pick.........hickory dickory dock.

so there our brains go with ways to make a clock costume for a 5 year old.  this was our solution.  take a paper bag and cut arm and head holes and cut of the middle of the front or back...like you would if you were making an indian vest, like we did when we were little kids.  well then we took brown felt and covered the bag in felt.  you can sew it directly on the bag because it's thin enough to sew through.  well there's the body, but the tricky part was the head.  so we took poster board and cut out the shape of a clock then covered that in brown felt making sure to cut the hole bigger leaving space for the face of the clock. add a little velcro here and there and a little elastic and make a little pair of pants with the leftover felt and draw the hands on his face with eyeliner or face paint and you've got the cutest little hickory dickory dock ever!!! 
that's right folks...there you have it.......hickory....dickory....dock!!!!
(minus the clock hands)


love this kid!

Monday, October 11, 2010

official....

it's officially official....i suck at blogging. i don't even know why...i enjoy blogging, but i guess between choosing whether to post on my blog or vegging on the couch, taking a shower, or eating i'd choose any of those to blogging...you know...they're necessities.  the easiest place for me to blog is at work, and that requires some preparation...especially if i want to include pictures...which is always better....most of my pictures are on my external hard drive (best purchase ever!!!) so if i wanted i could lug it in, but well, i have to lug enough in to my little piece of heaven (hear the sarcasm?).

i've officially realized that i spend more time at work than i do at home, with the exception of the weekends, but a majority of my life is spent here.....i'm not exactly sure how i feel about that.


i think i should decorate!


"Within each woman is the capacity to strive for improvement and the freedom to choose her own path.  our challend is to choose a path that will offer to each of us the assurance that our chosen course of life is acceptable and according to the will of God."              {Elaine Sorensen Marshall}

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

unveiling...

There i was in the bathroom looking in the mirror at the rat's nest we call my hair!  I looked like and 80's rocker!!!  I texted this picture to Gina Jill and told her i felt like an 80's rocker...she said i looked like one too.  let me tell ya that was inspiring....let's not explore the fact that i look like i'm 40 in this picture okay...the hair was depressing enough.
So what do i do?  I go and look for pictures online because this was just unacceptable!  i knew i wanted to go shorter, but i like to try different things everytime so i was looking for inspiration, that's when i came upon this:


so cute right!?!  so it was decided.  armed with these pictures and my head full of hair i went to see Lisa who, as always, entertains me as she cuts my hair.  They have a new shampoo girl....omg...best shampoo i've EVER had!  It was amazing!!!  I think i'll go back there just for that reason!  but i digress...sho Lisa starts hacking and what happens?  Well in the end i have a Christina Applegate (who i don't even really like) inspired haircut that is SO much better than the previous 80's do.........................so...........................................here it is........

I'll try and get a better shot but that's what we've got for now...and let's be honest, we're lucky rachael even wore mascara that day!  

So..........whatcha think? 

Saturday, August 21, 2010

chicago...

{Clauds, Gabriele, & Amanda}
okay, so i went up to chicago for my friend claudia's wedding.  one of the days i was there we went into the city.  we took a bus (abt a 30 minute ride) to the train station, which we took into the city (also about a 30 minute ride).  i have a picture of the rail system map, but it's not that significant, so i'll get on to the important stuff.

{sweet moment}
For instance, we went to the city for a boat tour.  it was an architectural tour, which is way awesome, because ever since i met claudia we've discussed architecture.  her love is far more extensive than mine, but it was cool to learn about the architecture of chicago...which is a way important part of their culture and history.  The guy narrating the tour was a native chicagoan and knew more about chicago than i thought one person could know...he had us looking this way and that. and then i caught a cute moment between clauds and gabriele (whom i called gabe throughout the week, for the lack of being able to pronounce his italian name).

{awesome lighthouse}
{chicago skyline}
He told us a lot about the architecture of the city...they actually had a lighthouse, which i thought was way cool.  i wasn't able to get a great photo of it, but we get what we can.  The day itself was actually quite overcast.  if wasn't a great backdrop for pictures so most of the skyline photos i have are horrible, but i was able to get some green from the park and water from lake michigan in one, so it didn't look all that bad.


We went back up the river at one point, and i saw some buildings that caught my name, so...of course i took pictures, but i don't know what they're called, so don't even ask.  I didn't realize how many movies were filmed in chicago.  Transformers 3 was being filmed while i was there, but we didn't see any of the filming, they just told us that they were in the city. It was so funny because we were all exhausted because we all got to bed late and then had to wake up way early to catch the bus.  Yeah, so gabe fell asleep, and i couldn't resist taking a picture.  I'll be honest though, i fell asleep as well.  Sometimes you can only take so much touring.
{zzzzzzzzz}

So after we finished with the boat we walked several blocks to Michigan Avenue also know as Chicago's Magnificient Mile.  I didn't take a lot of pictures while we were there, but i did take at least one that proved that i was there.  we were on a mission though and had to walk like forever to get to macy's.  okay so maybe it wasn't forever, but it sure seemed like it.

{almost newlyweds}
well after that we went down to the train (we got on underground, so i guess you could call it a subway at least for a portion of it)  There were tons of people...it was crazy!  But i'm glad i got to experience it for myself.  Needless to say it was a pretty long ride back so some people {clauds + gabe} snoozed...it was cute though so i forgave them...which was all good because later i got to take a nap, and they didn't.  

It was so cute to see them together and helping each other through the stress and still in love.  It was awesome, and i'm glad i was able to share this time with them.  

Love you guys!


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

ode to the truck driver...

they travel here, they travel there
getting things from here to there
we need the things that they truck
but when it comes to driving....they suck.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

on my way....

here i go!  i'm going to chicago for Claudia's wedding!  I'm excited i haven't seen her in a long time!  i remember talking about the windy city with her a lot...and now i'll get to see it through her eyes!  Congrats Clauds....i wish you all the happiness in the world!!!

more to come....

Friday, July 30, 2010

inspiration...

okay, so sort of.  so lately i've been at odds lately with my hair.  it's at the stage where it's neither short nor long, just annoying!  so i've been trying to decide what i want to do with it.  I mean i could let it grow out and then just be annoyed with it all over again, and then ask people why they ever let me wear it long when it looked so awful.  but there is the incertainty that i never know when i'm gonna get married and i kinda want to have longer hair for that, but at the same time....it's so totally not me.  so here is how i'm thinkin about getting it cut:
Mia Michaels
this is a picture of none other than Mia Michaels a judge on So You Think You Can Dance --which i LOVE!!  She's an amazing choreographer!  I just love her hair!  She's just this funky chick that i can relate to and just tells it like it is....luv it!

Now there are pros and cons to this hair cut.  It's pretty much a cross between reverse mullet and a mohawk.  short on the sides long on the top, i'm not quite sure in the back...probably short...but i think its awesome!

pros:  it looks awesome, if i get tired of the swoop in the face i can hawk it.  i can slick it.  It's pretty versatile!

cons:  it's crazy shorter than i've ever done!  If i don't like it, it doesn't go away!  I'm afraid i don't have the bone structure for it!

So is it too crazy for the crookster?  Is it too outrageous as an LDS Woman? 

Note:  I would not dye my hair.  I think it has enough "natural" highlights that it will be okay

So what do you think?  I need feedback people!!!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

new lease on life...

well...sort of. i just wanna do things. I think before i had these goals of things i wanted to do, but i never wrote any of it down. which means there wasn't a constant reminder that i wanted to do these things....so they never got done. Now i have a list and i've decided that if i don't get them done before i'm thirty, it's okay, that as long as i get to them when money and circumstances allow, it will all be okay. they will get done this time.....eventually!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

construction....

okay so yesterday i was playing around with blogger and it totally reset all of my everything....so when i can i'll work on it to get it back to it's former glory....hard i know, but until then, i'll still post and stuff...it'll just look boring until i fix it....:)

Sunday, July 4, 2010

long enough....



okay, so i figure its been almost 2 months since my birthday so i can officially post and not feel guilty! i've looked at a lot of friends blogs lately, and so much is going on in their lives that i feel envious and guilty all at the same time--envious because i yearn for the next phase in my life and guilty because i have like nothing going on in mine....well...maybe just envious! so let's just get to it....

i was called to our YW Camp committee as the Moral Director {translation: do anything needs to be done} i loved it! I love being involved with the Young Women. seeing their testimonies go from this little see to a full blow testimony--it's awesome! Anyways, so we were at a new campsite this year so it was a little crazy but we had tons of fun! There was a ropes course which i am the proud person who got to show everyone that the safety lines do work! I fell off the ropes course and the rappelling tower.....go me! Yes that's me going up {the eliminator} evidently my gloves were too big because i lost my grip and slipped! Doesn't the harness do great things for my bootay!


The girls had a blast and it was awesome!



Today is July 4th and i can't not say something about the awesome country we live in that we are able to worship our God and not be persecuted for it. It makes me think of all of those who have lost their lives to keep this country what it is {free}!!! God Bless America!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

a menace to society....

i want a t-shirt that says "watch out world...i'm a menace"!!! It would be awesome!!! There has to be some sort of consolation for turning a 1/4 of a century old! I'm good though, it was freaking me out earlier but now i think i'm good! it's an excuse for good food, good fun, and good friends! Anything is worth the 3 f's!!! It's amazing how one birthday can remind you of what you want to do with your life, and also make you see that you haven't done any of it!!! I'm starting a list of things i want to do or start doing before i turn 30....any suggestions?
{its funny that i'm asking this because a total of like 3 people read this...hehehe}
I have a lot to look forward to in life so one day y'all are gonna come on here and there's gonna be a list of things
that i'm gonna do and they will slowly get marked off....i'm excited though...there is so much i wanna do, it'll be here before i know it!!!
Here I come middle age-ed hood!!!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

milk mishap.....

there i was...lacking the milk for my cereal. no big deal, i will stop and get it from shop rite! In and out in less than 3 minutes...i am quite proud! get in the car, open the milk........POOF!!!!!!....ah yes, the milk has decided that it wants to give me a hug! It gets all over my pants down in my seat, all over the steering wheel, all over my keys....and what do i do you might say? well i just poured it in my cup of cereal put the cap back on and made my way home....going to work is hard enough...add feeling like you peed your pants and it being sticky and you don't really care anymore! i went home through the morning school traffic at glhs and changed---dried my shirt with a blow dryer put on different pants and shoes and made my keys and seat not so wet or sticky...and then what did i do? well what any self respecting person might have done....i sucked it up and went to work!!!
{mind you this would have been a good excuse to just not go....y'all should be proud}

Thursday, April 22, 2010

random things......

1. the little man that peeks at me inside my stride gum makes me giggle! There is nothing like sticking a piece of your favorite gum in your mouth after an unexpected absence!
****
2. i think banana laffy taffy, pajama pants, cheesecake, dark chocolate covered almonds, t-shirt sheets, and funky socks are God's gifts to the world
*****
3. i think going barefoot is one of the best things in the world
*****
4. there is just something about cute little boys that makes me want to squeeze their cheeks and talk baby talk...odd i know
*****
5. my dream that robert pattinson was in love with me, while making me feel kinda special, kinda wigged me out!
*****
6. parenthood is probably the best show on right now! love their family dynamics and seeing lorelei (kindred spirit) regularly again...yay!
*****
7. just seeing the railroad tie sculpture in front of the aquarium makes me happy! Starts my day off in a way that makes me want to go around town snapping pictures of everything!
*****
8. people told me they wanted my hair.....i told them they could have it....they didn't take it...it's still mine.
*****
9. i think a 2234 count of pollen is just way to high to be considered "high" why can't they call it uber-uber-high or astronomical or something that actually shows that it's way high. 150 is considered high, therefore over 1000 should have a name all it's own!
*****
10. men in uniforms, with guns (legally), on motorcycles have an extra hotness factor that's just far too difficult to explain!

....maybe one day i'll do one of these that actually make sense! what ya think!!!


.....what's random in your life?



Wednesday, March 24, 2010

jealousy.....

i don't want to be....but i am! i can't help it. i want something so bad and i see everyone else getting it, and it makes me jealous because i want it too! alas, it is not my time. i must be patient and wait for the right time and the right person. i know it will happen one day, but its still hard, when i don't want to be jealous of all my friends whom i love dearly. it sucks. but i want to feel what they feel i want someone to love me so much it hurts, and i want to love like that too. to have that kind of love, what a blessing. to know that if i'm having a bad day that person wants to make it better. that if i just need to hear their voice, even if its the butt crack of dawn or midnight thirty, they're there. i want to have that in my life and be that for someone, it still all comes down to jealousy!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

crazy awesome....

ummm....so i went to florida! it was awesome! I love the weather and i was so loving it the whole time!!!! No snow, and warm breezes....i LOVED it!! I bought new sunglasses (now i have 5 pairs). I've discovered that i love sunglasses...they freaking rock, and these ones were just specta-awesome!!!


i also went parasailing.....so something everyone should do. I forgot my camera but they took some shot from a cell phone so it wasn't to awful. We didn't have to get wet either.
and then we took off...it was awesome...i think that i thought it was going to be a little more rough, but it wasn't...it was cool!
Then they took us out to like 800 ft and we just cruised! It was cool and Jessie was flirting with the parasailing hunk the whole time! It was funny because we just sat there on this little swing that we had our legs through...it was crazy!


crazy awesome!!!!

(this is me and mom at my cousins farewell party....i look like crap it was a long day...i apologize, and if she finds out i put it on here......i'm dead)

So most of my life these days is consumed with work....ugh...church, and family. So my niece and nephew come over every other week and just hang so i figured i'd put up some pictures of them up.


Dawson just turned 5 and is really starting to come into his own personality. This is him at a going away party for my cousin Greg before he was deployed to Iraq. (He likes green cake).



He put the hat on like that by himself.....so i had to take a picture!





Presley (sissy) just turned 4 and is a little diva. When i say diva i mean diva! She rules the roost and even though she has 3 brother and shes the only girl she has no problem putting them in their place and literally taking the down a notch and to the floor....she can beat them all up....it's so funny. She's this little tough girl but is so girly! She loves dogs and princesses and would be happy all day long with those two things.

love these kids!!!






Tuesday, March 2, 2010

words.....

i was reading a post my a musician and it really touched me so i thought i would share it with you........

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-foreman/whats-in-a-word_b_423969.html


it gives me hope that there are musicians out there that feel this way about the world and really have a desire for hope! I love it!!! We must make it so!!!