all time top 5 - movies

in a previous post I mentioned that I would start listing my all time top 5 things in several categories. that idea got lost for a while, but I am ready to unveil my first list! brace yourselves as I reveal my list of all time top 5 movies I can watch over and over and over and over... *ps - don't judge me by the amount of chick flicks listed here. I promise I have depth. ;)

1 - Sweet Home Alabama. I have this movie completely memorized. by heart! I relate to Reese Witherspoon's character, Melanie, so much that it is almost like the writer knew me. of course, I wasn't married to the guy I left behind in our small hometown when I took off for DC, but after several years I did come back and we gave it another whirl. I'm still single so it obviously didn't work out, but let's look past those small differences. my favorite line in this movie is when Melanie and Jake are finally reunited and she yells to him "Jake! You dumb, stubborn, redneck hick! The only reason you won't sign these papers is because I want you to." and Jake responds with, "Wrong! The only reason I ain't signing is cause you've turned into some hoity-toity Yankee bitch, and I'd like nothing better right now than to piss you off."


2- Spanglish. In my younger years I was a big fan of Adam Sandler, but this movie marked the turning point for him. I had outgrown his goofy characters and wanted to see more realistic roles, more depth. he nailed it with this movie. the movie is more about mother-daughter relationships than anything else, but it does touch on romance, immigration, education, and several other issues. of course, as a chick, my favorite quote from the movie is when Adam Sandler says this to Flor, "They should name a gender after you. Looking at you doesn't do it, staring is the only way that makes sense. And trying not to blink so you don't miss anything. And all of that and you're you. It's just that you are drop dead crazy gorgeous. So much so, that I'm actually considering looking at you again before we finish up here." who could walk away from a man who said that to you??

3- Garden State. I LOVE Zach Braff. this movie is the perfect example of his genious. not only are the story and writing amazing, but the cinematography is absolutely beautiful. oh, and the music! best soundtrack EVER. Natalie Portman's character is my favorite though. she is quirky. gotta love quirky. I couldn't pick just one of her quotes, I love them all, so here are two of my favorites. "Are you really retarded? Ooh, great job man! I really thought you were retarded. I mean, you're better than that Corky kid and he's actually retarded. If there was a retarded Oscar you would win, hands down, kick his ass!" and, "Ok, so... so... sometimes I lie. I mean, I'm weird, man. About random stuff too, I don't even know why I do it. It's like... it's like a tick, I mean sometimes I hear myself say something and think, Wow, that wasn't even remotely true."

4- The Wedding Planner. ok, I will admit it. I love Jennifer Lopez. and I used to think Matthew McConaughey was hot before he went all crazy. but, even more importantly, this movie helped me realize my dream of being a wedding/event planner. I want to be just like Mary Fiore! well, maybe with a little less complicated love story... anyway, my favorite quote in this movie is by Massimo, who is also the hottie Alex Karev in Grey's Anatomy (it's so weird to see him play this role). It's simple, but holds a lot of truth. he says, "Love can't always be perfect. Love is just love."

5- The Count of Monte Cristo. James Caviezel is amazing in this movie. he is one of my favorites, but the thing I love most about this movie is the revenge! I have never been gutsy enough to actually get revenge on anyone, so I live vicariously through this movie. I love this line from Caviezel's character, Edmond. "Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!"

quiet day full of cardmaking

I made some fun cards today. I love them! I might use one of them for our card club in a couple weeks... and, yes, I need a new camera...




I also made this really cute box of chocolates and card for Ashley's birthday.

cinderella

this week my awesome friend Laurie got us into Ballet West's production of Cinderella for free! this is the first of many princess activities we will be attending. we love princesses these days. this production was amazing! it was my first time since elementary school to see Ballet West perform. I was very impressed and reminded why I wanted to be a ballerina when I was a little girl. I would love to be able to do what they do. sure, I was able to do a lot of similar dancing while I was on the drill team in high school, but I never got to wear a tutu and tip toe around. so, I was able to sincerely enjoy the show even though the ridiculous notion that great girls can never find happiness or reach their true potential until a man magically appears to rescue them runs rampant in this fairy tale. well, is there a fairy tale that isn't based on that concept? even so, I am a sucker for fairy tales. which is why on March 14th we will all be attending Disney on Ice: Princess Wishes!

cutest niece EVER

so, I have the cutest niece EVER! I miss her a ton, and I am dying to take a trip to Seattle. anyway, I received a disc full of pics of this beautiful little girl known as Nynaeve a few days ago so I want to share them with you.





see! isn't she adorable? so, I got her some really cute valentine clothes and made her a card. I have to thank Stampin' Up! for this one. I never would have made a v-day card. but, look how cute this is!

i heart obama

so, i seriously heart barack obama. i have been supporting him for about four years now. that's right. i supported him when nobody else thought he had a chance. he is close, he really is! nothing makes me happier right now. i have never donated to a campaign before. i have donated to the party, but not a campaign. yesterday i donated to the obama for america campaign. obama gives me hope. i don't think i have ever had hope for this country. i have always wished i had been alive during the kennedy years. people were inspired and involved then. people cared. but, most importantly, people had hope. i want someone i can believe in. obama is that man. i hope the remaining primary states see what i do...

cupcakes!

it's kind of crazy that I haven't posted pictures of my catering jobs, so I plan to start doing that. but, in the meantime, I have been experimenting with cupcakes a lot lately. most of you know that I am obsessed with them and am VERY excited about the new cupcake place in Salt Lake called mini's. I'll let you know when I finally get to try it. anyway, here are a few of my favorites that I have made lately:
this one is a banana spice cupcake layered with dulce de leche and banana slices and then topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. it was delish! and I am obviously not a photographer so bear with me...
this one is a chocolate orange cupcake with citris frosting. it was a huge hit at the superbowl party tonight. it's one of my favorites for sure.
these are my classic coconut cupcakes. I have served them at several events, and I guess I should feel free to brag and say that I have almost perfected them! they are yummy!

ok, hopefully this is the first of many posts to come! I have way too much fun experimenting in the kitchen. hmmm, maybe I will start posting cards that I make as well...

fun times

wow, it was an eventful week! although I didn't get to go to Park City and stalk celebrities, I did go to two Sundance films here in Salt Lake. we saw Absurdistan and A Raisin in the Sun (you can watch this Feb. 25 on ABC). they were both really great. I love Sundance! we went to dinner both nights too, of course. one of my new favorite restaurants is The Paris Bistro on 15th and 15th. the food was amazing! I had the butternut squash ravioli. it was topped with toasted hazelnuts and a tasty cream sauce. we also had the wild mushroom tartine and a cheese and pear appetizer. I wish I had written down the name of the cheese because it was amazing. for dessert we had the molten chocolate cake and banana nutella crepes. yummy! I definitely recomend The Paris Bistro.

we moved this weekend. Brett and Rachel came up to help. it is always fun having them around. I never laugh more than I do when I'm with them. it was a full two day's work, and we had adventures almost losing furniture on the freeway. but, here we are, the newest residents of Magna. I am going to love living in this house. I hope we don't have to move again any time soon.

saturday night, after an exhausting day of playing mover, we went to There Will Be Blood. it was a great movie! well, it was slow and long, and there were a few music selections and cinemetography moves that weren't appealing, but overall it was GREAT! Daniel Day Lewis did an amazing job. the story was intense and intriguing. I would definitely watch it again.

and then tonight I went to my first Jazz game! it was a great game. they beat the Spurs. this is quickly becoming quite a rivalry. the Spurs beat the Jazz out of the playoffs last year, so it was a great victory. it was an exciting game.

now I am exhausted and have a full busy week ahead of me. wish me luck!

resloutions

I am proud to report that I achieved ALL of my resolutions for 2007!! for those of you that don't recall, I resolved to get two stamps on my passport, get a full-time event job, work on getting my catering business going, and improve my monetary situation. yep, that's right! I did all of those things! so, I decided to set a few resolutions this year, but keep them a little more simple. after all, I deserve a year off. ;)

drumroll please... and my resolutions are:

1 - send a hand-stmaped birthday card to everyone in my extended family on time. I actually started this tonight, and sent off the first card to my cousin Jared.

2 - go to Disney Land (or Disney World). I am tired of being the only person in the world that hasn't gone. so, that's it, I'm going!

3 - take a trip to DC and Williamsburg with my youngest brother and sister. we have been talking about this for over two years, it's about time we did it.

easy enough, right? wish me luck and I will keep you all updated throughout the year.

things i love

It struck me today how blessed I am. sometimes I wonder what I did before arriving on earth to deserve everything, and especially everyONE, I have. so, I started listing the little things that make me happy and I thought I would share it with all of you.

1 – ice cream. of course this is on my list. after all, I was getting myself a root beer float when I had this epiphany. I can’t remember a hard time that ice cream didn’t help me through.

2 – cell phones. I feel naked without it. it is my connection to the world. but, especially to those I love that live farther away than I prefer. it is also my security blanket when I travel or do anything alone. yep, it has helped me become the independent woman that I am.

3 – sweatshirts. the first thing I do when I know I am home for the rest of the night is put on a sweatshirt. it gives me a sense of security, and comfort that no other article of clothing can. when I put my sweatshirt on, I know I can finally relax and let down my guard.

4 – a new hair cut. over the past month I have changed my hairstyle. it started by growing out my bangs so that I didn't have them anymore, and ended with me chopping about 9 inches off the rest of it. since then, I haven’t been able to stop playing with my hair! it feels so nice. so fresh and new. I love it! and it has sort of given me new confidence as well. who knew a haircut could do so much?

5 – iTunes. I remember the days when I would spend several dollars on a CD of a single song. I would scour the messed up racks looking for my favorite artists. It was a frustrating process. especially since I lived in the middle of nowhere and could only do this every few months when I was lucky enough to make the 2-5 hour trip out of town! well, no more my friends. iTunes has made my musical life so much easier, and definitely happier. whenever I want a song, I just log on and click buy. In a matter of seconds and for only 99 cents, I have the song I want and I can burn a CD, put it on my iPod, or just listen to it over and over from my computer. could it get any better than that?

6 – my bed. my Grandma Ekker died when I was only 11 years old. she lived just up the street from us until then, and we were very close. to this day, her death is the hardest one I have ever dealt with. my Grandpa Ekker died about 6 years ago and I was able to go down to their home and clean it out before it was sold a couple years ago. I inherited my Grandma’s nightstand, sewing machine, books, and her bed – the most comfortable bed I have ever laid on. all of these items hold a very special place in my heart but the bed holds me and my down comforter and silk cotton pillows every night in the most comfortable sleep I could wish for. …I plan to keep it forever.

7 – movies. they are my escape. but, not only do they take me far far away from reality when I watch them, they can also sometimes help me figure out the mysteries of life. I don't know, maybe it is a bad thing that a lot of what I learn comes from movies, but I enjoy it so back off! :)

8 – email. I got an email today from one of my aunts that I haven't seen or talked to for a long time. I was very close to her growing up, and really miss her. getting an email out of the blue from a long lost friend or someone I miss a ton can really brighten my day.

9 – my friends. when I step back and look at my friends I sit in awe. my friends are some of the most amazing people on this earth. I can't help but wonder how I got so lucky and what makes them want to stick around. they are definitely my top source of support and inspiration.

10 – my family. what can I say? I love them with all my heart. and my car's wear and tear is a direct result of all the time I try to spend with them. it's never enough time.

so, with all this, wouldn't you say I'm a pretty lucky girl?

I like to move it move it

ok, so you all know how much I hate moving. ever since I moved to salt lake I have been talking about how badly I want to find somewhere in the valley to settle down. but, still, every time I move I find somewhere to keep all my moving boxes because I just have a hunch that I am going to need them again soon. ...we have only been in our apartment for 4 months. last week my grandparents called. they have been having a hard time selling their house in magna and have had to take it off the market. they have some concerns about that, of course. like, will it be vandalized, will the pipes freeze, etc? so, they asked us if we would be interested in moving in for a while until the market gets better and they can try to sell it again. we are happy to help out, but not so happy about moving... and to magna. it will be nice to be in a big house and have some space. the commute won't be fun, and there isn't much around, but we are going to make the best of it. so, in two weeks, we will be the newest residents of magna, utah. for all of you that think magna is too far away, you best be getting over it. :)

holiday update

wow... what a crazy month it has been! I better do a quick update. thanksgiving was good. time in st. george and time in cedar. it's always great spending time with my family. but, december! december was crazy!

ashley, amber and I threw a christa lee catering christmas party on the 15th. it was a LOT of work. we made our own invitations and our menu was pretty big. we got about 35 RSVPs, but about 80 people showed up! it was amazing. and it went until about midnight. so much fun! the craziest part though, was that I up and emailed james one day. I have no idea why I did that. for some reason I kept thinking it would make me a better person if I could find a way to be friends with my ex's. and james was a great friend, so I gave it a whirl. and he came to my party... it wasn't awkward, even though he brought his girlfriend with him. the best part though was that mark christensen came! I hadn't seen him in about 4 years. it was so good to see him. almost everyone I hoped would come, did. marti and andrew, jacque and scott, dana and ben, jaime, and obviously a lot more. I have to admit I was very proud of us!

christmas was great too. we all drove to vegas to pick up stacy, wayne and nynaeve from the airport. nynaeve is SO adorable! we had a great time. we spent a couple days in st. george and a couple days in cedar. it was hard to leave. it was a GREAT christmas.

on the 29th I attended the Riehl Events christmas lunch. I have had a great year working for Jacque. She is an amazing event planner and has become a close friend. at the event I learned that I was being promoted to event manager! I will be getting business cards and will now be involved in the planning process from beginning to end. not to mention a pay raise. :) I'm definitely excited!

james invited me to his new year's party at his apartment, so I invited mark to go along with me. it was a little awkward at first, but we ended up having a great time. guitar hero broke the tension and mark and james hit it off after realizing they played football together in high school. this world is way too small sometimes! anyway, it ended up being a great way to bring in the new year.

last night was our winter company party, which has been my project for the past 6 months. it was great! we had a black and white ball at the Grand America, filet mignon for dinner and an awesome dueling pianos show. I think it was a great success. it wasn't perfect, of course, but I am happy with it. I have ben sick since new year's, and even lost my voice for two days, but I have no time to recouperate right now, I am going to Palm Springs for work for the next week. wish me luck!

eat pray love

I have wanted to read this book by Elizabeth Gilbert for about a year now. I finally bought it and have been devouring the pages every chance I get. this book is AMAZING! I really think it is going to change my life. for those of you that aren't familiar with the book, it is the true accounts of the author's year of self discovery across Italy, India and Indonesia. Italy to eat, India to pray and Indonesia for love. I haven't made it to the section about Indonesia yet, but eating and praying have been incredible.

the author offers you a completely different outlook on life. one that I, for one, have never considered before. if I can learn to grasp it, and hang on, I'm sure everything will improve. I don't think I will ever be able to afford a year of traveling and indulgence, so I'm hoping this book will do. although, I will probably spend my life trying to find a way to do exactly what she did. anyone out there have a large sum of money they are trying to get rid of? ;)

I have always wished I could write well, but I don't think I could ever write as well as she does, no matter how many classes I take or how much I practice. this book feels like a totally new language. like, maybe it is her heart speaking and making complete sense, touching your soul in places you never knew existed. that is the best I can do at describing it. (see, I told you I needed work on my writing skills!)

anyway, if you have read it, let me know what you thought. when I'm done, I will let you know whether or not it truly was earth-shattering for me.

c-c-c-christa!

because of Carrie's many references to the way we were on sex and the city, I have been wanting to watch it for a long time. I finally did this past weekend. it's about a couple that is in love, but can't make it work because of their completely different oulooks on life. maybe I shouldn't have watched it, because now I can't help obsessing about how I am her! haha! I am k-k-k-katie! except I'm really c-c-c-christa, as Kerstin pointed out. :) anyway, if you haven't watched it, you should. if only to see who it is I think I am.

I was laughing at myself as I watched this movie. I got so tangled up in it - which in and of itself shows one of the ways I am just like her. I felt her emotion. I knew exactly what she was thinking, how she felt, and why. I had memories of myself saying the exact same things. the line that tore my heart out the most was when she was begging him to stay with her and she got him by saying, "You'll never find anyone as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do or love you as much!" I have said that. and I meant it with all my heart. because when I love someone, I love them completely. and Hubbel knew that about her because when they finally started admitting it wasn't going to work, he said to her, "When you love someone, from Roosevelt to me, you go deaf, dumb and blind." that one stung a little, but it is definitely something I should be aware of. you think its a good thing, but it usually comes back to bite you.

anyway, enough of this sappiness! who is excited for Thanksgiving? I'm cooking for my family down in St. George, as usual, and if you guessed I would be making this year's Martha Stewart Menu you were right!

restaurant reviews - buca di beppo

we went to Buca di Beppo last night. the food was amazing, and we also had a fun waiter who happened to be hot as well. :) I talked Jaime into giving him her number, but I will let her tell you that story...

we had the warm tomato spinach salad, and my mouth is watering just thinking about it! we also tried the gnocchi, chicken marsala, and eggplant parmigiana. they were all to die for! and the spumoni - well, it's the best I've ever had. I need to know what they put in their chocolate sauce. so, if you haven't been, make sure that is where you go next time you are craving Italian.

on another note, I'm driving a rental car again. my car is finally getting a new bumper and they put me in a 2008 Saturn Vue in the meantime. people have got to stop rear-ending me! my car is damaged and my rental car is awesome. I want a new car!! I can't have one, so the temptation must stop.

the ballots are counted

I love election days. one of my goals is to take election day off as often as I can and spend the day helping with get out the vote efforts. I would have loved to be able to do that yesterday. I love the excitement and electricity in the air, and watching people march to the polls to exercise their rights. they are always smiling, which is a relief to see. it's the day that everyone finally puts aside the differences that have been hashed and rehashed for months and just all come together as Americans doing something that we are very lucky to do. oh, gosh, I sound way cheesy patriotic. forgive me... unfortunately my day was packed and I didn't even get to vote until half an hour before the polls closed. but, I did vote, and watch the news to make sure Ralph Becker won, and he did! I've been supporting him for SLC mayor for about a year, I have volunteered, and one of my best friends in the whole world, Steve Borg, is his finance director. I'm mostly just happy for Steve, who better have a job in the mayor's office come January. I also wanted to make sure Referendum 1 didn't pass, and it sure didn't. I am still surprised at how much it lost by. I guess I shouldn't lose my faith in Utah voters just yet... anyway, I hope you all got out and voted yesterday, and if you didn't, come November 2008, no matter who you are voting for, I will be dragging you to the polls!

restaurant reviews - tsunami and european connection

ok, so Jaime and I have been making a list of restaurants in the Salt Lake Valley that we want to eat at. we are both obsessed with food. I have been looking for someone to do this with me since I moved here, so she is the best thing ever! anyway, we started with European Connection a couple weeks ago. it was SO good. they are a little place at Jordan Landing that makes sandwiches out of crepes. everything is made to order right in front of you. watching them make the crepes is part of the fun. I had a turkey and provolone crepe wrap and also a crepe with strawberries and nutella! the crepes were sweet and soft and the perfect thickness. I will definitely be going there again, oh, and I will be buying myself a crepe maker asap!

this past weekend we went for sushi with my sister, Amber, and another friend, Brad, at tsunami. I had been there before, but I think the sushi this time was much better. We had vegetables tempura, which are always yummy, as well as the following rolls: aloha, don juan, DTH, philly and the executive. they were all so good it took a few minutes to decide which one to eat when it was time for another bite. I took as much time as possible with every bite, savoring every flavor. they were all melt in your mouth good, and I am not exaggerating, no matter how cheesy I sound. ask Amber, the three of us were moaning with every bite! so, if you like sushi, definitely try tsunami!

next stop: Buca di Beppo and I promise to try to remember pictures next time.

all time top 5

have you ever watched High Fidelity ? John Cusack's character, Rob, lists his all time top 5 records by different categories throughout the movie, as well as his all time worst break-ups. side note: it's one of my all time favorite movies for a lot of reasons. I found myself thinking about it today while I was driving all over town in my car listening to Sara McLachlan's Wintersong album. I realized that I'm not sure I will ever get tired of that CD. I'm surprised I haven't worn it out yet... There are two songs in particular that I listen to over and over and over: River and Song for a Winter's Night. I know every word, and I sing really loud like a crazy person in my car. it's also really odd that I can listen to a Christmas album like this. do you ever do that or is it just me? what are some of the songs that have that effect on you? I should dedicate a blog to listing all of those songs that I have...

bahama mamas and key lime pie

so, I did it! I went on a real vacation!! I relaxed, slept in , read two books, laid on the beach, got a great tan, tried new food, went snorkeling, saw some awesome sea creatures, bought a few things, went to shows, slept, and slept some more. it was amazing! two of my bestest friends ever came along, which made it even more fun. Kerstin and Laurie were great. I really didn't want to leave. but, here I am, right back in the swing of things with only pictures and memories to hang on to.

we spent the first few days in Miami. it was everything I needed to get my mind off the car accident I had been in the day before and all the stress and pain that came along with it and the tension that suddenly developed between me and my boss. it was cloudy and windy the whole time, but we still enjoyed the beach and ocean. our hotel was right on Ocean Drive, right on the beach. We ate Cuban food, accidentally stumbled across the famous Miami Ink, ate some gelato recommended by Rachael Ray, shopped the markets on Lincoln street, and witnessed a major bust by about 15 cop cars. It looked like a scene right out of a movie. cop cars flying down the street, lights flashing, climbing up over the sidewalk, dodging palm trees, chasing the guys running toward the beach, and arresting a guy in the middle of the street. welcome to Miami!! :)




the cruise was amazing too. it was my second cruise, so the ship wasn't as exciting as before, but it was nice to know the ropes. the food was great, but the desserts were mostly disappointing. we had the most amazing scallop risotto ever and I am really regretting that I didn't buy the recipe book! the comedian was hilarious, the ice sculpting show was great, my bed was even comfortable.



the weather cleared up for us in the Bahamas and I have to say that the beach on Paradise Island in Nassau was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! I would live on that beach if I could. we went on a tour of Nassau and the amazing Atlantis Resort which was fun too. it's beautiful there. the locals were fun. they were selling bahama mamas in coconuts on the beach. we regret not getting one... the whole day was picture perfect.




the next day we went to Cococay, which is a private island owned by Royal Caribbean. It was beautiful too, and I got quite a bit more sun. we did what we are now good at, we laid on the beach all day and got up only to take a dip in the water or eat.




when we got to Key West the next day, a lady we sat by at breakfast told us about a great snorkeling trip for only $35 that took you to the coral reef. we wandered around key west until we found it and signed up. I will admit right now that I was scared to death. haha! but, I was game for doing it. right across the street was an adorable little key lime shop with everything lime. we sampled everything and I had one of their famous "frozen key lime pies dipped in chocolate on a stick" it was delicious!



we then headed to the snorkeling boat and were on our way to the reef. we saw a ton of flying fish on the way out there. I hadn't even heard of them before! when we stopped there was a sea turtle on the other side of the boat, but I didn't get there in time to see it. there were quite a few jellyfish on our side. bad sign... it took a long time for me to get snorkeling down. you have to fight your instincts to do it. sticking your face in the water with your eyes open and then taking a deep breathe is so wrong! once I got it though, it was amazing! we saw a tons of cool fish, beautiful coral, and almost ran into a couple jellyfish. that scared me! I think I screamed through my tube. they were cool looking though.

it was almost time to go to the next stop and I was feeling VERY sea sick. it got to where I knew I was going to throw up, so I headed back to the boat. as soon as I made it to the ladder on the boat, I turned my head and threw up. and threw up. and threw up. and dry heaved, and swallowed salt water, and struggled to keep myself above water until a guy grabbed me and pulled me to the ladder. it was SO embarrassing! the staff gave me some ginger ale and pulled me up. you usually feel better once you throw up, but I sure didn't. so, I didn't get to go again at the next stop. while that was embarrassing and gross, I don't regret going. it was great while it lasted.



the next day we flew home. I then had two days until I had to go back to work, and I spent that time sleeping some more. I miss the beach, and I miss sleeping. I can't wait until my next vacation!

I've been tagged

Okay, Jaime tagged me. Enjoy!

Jobs I have had:

1. Dishwasher
2. Telemarketer
3. Waitress
4. Campaign Field Staff for him and him
5. Intern
6. Editorial/Production Assistant
7. Event Planner/Caterer


Movies I could watch over and over:

1. Sweet Home Alabama
2. Spanglish
3. The Wedding Planner
4. The Count of Monte Cristo
5. Love Actually
6. Garden State
7. Marry Poppins/Beauty and the Beast

Favorite TV shows:

1. The Office
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Brothers & Sisters
5. Iron Chef
6. Ace of Cakes
7. Prisonbreak

Favorite hobbies:

1. Interior Design
2. Cooking/Catering
3. Dr. Mario - N64
4. Movies/Music
5. Scrapbooking/Card Making
6. Travelling

Places I have lived:

1. Hanksville, UT
2. Cedar City, UT
3. Arlington, VA/Washington, DC
4. Fort Dodge and Storm Lake, IA
5. Columbus, OH
6. Alexandria, VA/Washington, DC
7. Ivins/St. George, UT
8. Salt Lake City, UT

Favorite foods: there are way too many, but here's a start

1. Sushi and Tempura
2. Pork Salad from Cafe Rio
3. Cheese and Crackers
4. Brie
5. Strawberries
6. Sweet Potatoes
7. Chocolate Souffle and BBQ Chopped Salad from CPK
8. Signature Salad from cosi
9. Phish Food by Ben and Jerry
10. Fresh baked bread

Places I'd rather be:

1. Washington, DC
2. Lake Powell
3. The Bahamas - oh, wait, I will be there in 3 days!
4. St. George
5. Snuggled up in a big, warm blanket
6. Hanging out with family

Web sites I visit:

1. marthastewart.com (for everything)
2. iTunes Store (does that count?)
3. foodnetwork.com
4. crateandbarrel.com
5. msnbc.com and nationaljournal.com (my old work)

Who I am tagging:

anyone and everyone that reads this! :)

the PURSUIT of happiness

one of my friends recently asked me who wrote the phrase "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." it was Thomas Jefferson, although he basically just altered an original quote by John Locke. anyway, it got me thinking. yes, this is going to be another one of my "deep thought" posts... bear with me. in the movie, the pursuit of happyness with Will Smith, he says, "it was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. and I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? that maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. no matter what. how did he know that?" I remember having a pretty heated conversation with some friends and Professor Roberds in college about whether or not we can ever really achieve true happiness in this life, and I still don't know whether or not I believe we can. but, that isn't what I want to focus on. it's the pursuit. whether we believe we can achieve it or not, the important thing is that we keep trying. our pursuit for happiness may be a life-long adventure, it may seem never-ending, but we really shouldn't ever give up. can you imagine if we all did? ...maybe the pursuit is what makes us happiest. maybe its the work. I know that I am happiest when I am busy, and when I am working on my goals. ...anyway, just some thoughts.

it's FALL!!

I LOVE fall! the thought that it's near is the only thing that gets me through summer. I worked at a wedding this weekend in Park City. it was beautiful! the bright yellow, red, orange and green trees against the dark clouds and rain took my breath away. and then when it snowed, the white powder brightened up the landscape. ...yeah, it snowed in September. the weather is always unpredictable here. it's one of those things I need to learn to be grateful for. although I have been revelling in how beautiful it is here lately. the mountains are amazing and create spectacular views while I am stuck in traffic on the way to and from work.

I am so glad the leaves are turning right now! it's the most beautiful thing in the world and I need something like this every day to cheer me up. I love the cool chill in the air and I dream of pumpkin pie and hot chocolate. I wish I had a fireplace, that would make everything perfect. to hear the crackle of the wood and smell the flames while I watch the snow fall and drink hot chocolate all snuggled up in my favorite blanket on the couch. who wouldn't love to do that every evening? Its such a cliche thing to do, I totally picture scenes from a million movies, but who doesn't want their life to be like a fairy tale movie?

another big bump in the road...

well... where to begin... there has been a lot going on with the family that I have been hesitant to write about. there's something final about writing it in my blog. it somehow makes it real... definite. but, I have been in denial too long, so here I go.

On our way home from Seattle, Brett started getting sort of sick. He was having nerve problems in his arms and legs, and he couldn’t sleep. I thought it was wrestles leg syndrome, but a few days later his speech started slurring, he was studdering over simple words, and his vision was going blurry. So, my dad took him to the hospital. They did some tests, didn’t find anything, and scheduled him for a cat scan and MRI the next week. His cat scan came back normal, so they sent him home, but a few hours later called him to come directly back from the hospital. They had found spots in his brain with the MRI. They immediately started more tests, and that afternoon even gave him a spinal tap. They tested him for every virus they could think of, and everything came back negative. The only think they hadn’t ruled out was MS, and there were signs of that in the spinal tap. They kept him for four days, and came up with nothing. So, the last day they gave him steroid treatments and sent him home.

A few weeks later, after we were frustrated out of our minds with no answers, and his symptoms staying the same, he went in for his follow up MRI. It came back with the same lesions, plus one more. The neurologist then diagnosed him with MS, gave him information about different medications, and offered to get him an appointment with an MS specialist in Salt Lake. Since then, he has started taking Rebif shots three times a week, and his appointment with the specialist is in two weeks.

I went down the weekend the nurse came up from Vegas to train him to take his shots. I saw my mom for a couple days and she was having some serious pain and vision problems in her eye. A few days later she went to the doctor, who sent her to a different doctor, who sent her to an eye specialist, who ordered an MRI and told her she may have MS as well. They were waiting on more test results and are now comfortable enough with that possibility that they are sending her to the neurologist my brother is going to in St. George as soon as possible.

In the meantime we are all holding our breath, and learning what we can about MS. The night before the appointment with the specialist we are all going to the Collective Soul concert up here. I hope we can continue to use these hard times to bring us closer together. I know now more than ever that my family is the most important thing in the world, and I love them more than they will ever know. I am also more thankful for Marti than I ever thought I could be. She was already my best friend, but now I really really don’t know what I would do without her. Her mother died from MS about 5 years ago, and she has been the strength and comfort I have needed. Its amazing when you can find things to be thankful for in such hard times. …Keep my family in your prayers. I will keep you updated.

back from down under

Australia was amazing! it was amazing! let's see if I can do it justice with this post because that picture certainly doesn't. the flights were not fun. the 16 hour flight from LA to Sidney was a killer, and my legs and feet were actually seriously swollen. I will spare you the scary pictures. it was painful too, and we had to run to our flight from Sidney, which hurt like no other, and we missed our flight anyway. total travel time from Salt Lake to our hotel in Port Douglas was 30 hours! not fun. but, the good news when we got to Cairnes was this amazing bright purple Commodore that we picked up from Hertz! that, on top of learning how to drive on the wrong side of the road and wrong side of the car, attracted a lot of attention. we had fun with it. the drive along the coast, which I drove several times, was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. we were in North Queensland, mostly in Cairnes, Port Douglas and Palm Cove. we were a stone's throw away from the great barrier reef the daintree rain forest, and several amazing islands. our hotel was great. we stayed at the five-star sheraton mirage in Port Douglas, right on the beach, but also surrounded by beautiful pools and lagoons. we had a private dinner on a boardwalk island in the middle of the lagoons the first night, we took everyone river rafting in the rain forest the second day, we gave them plenty of free time to go to the reef, and we took them to flames of the forest for dinner the last night.
which was amazing! there was a jungle man that blew fire and led us to the dinner, amazing food, and real Aboriginees that told stories and played the Didgeridoo afterwards. It was amazing! let's see... Janiel had a gecko in her room the first day. it was cute! and it was hilarious watching the little Asian boy try to catch it! haha! ...I ate some of the BEST seafood I have ever had, and I'm not sure it can be topped. the butter fish at Salsa was to die for! I also had kangaroo, which was absolutely disgusting. tough and ridiculously gamey. oh, and vegemite? the most repulsive thing I have ever tasted. seriously folks, I almost lost my lunch. ...Aussies are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and the way they talk is adorable! they shorten almost every word and add "y" or "ie" to the end of it. barby. sunnies. swimmies. breaky. so cute! and just so much more cheerful than the US. I spent too much money. the markets on Sunday mornings in Port Douglas are pretty great. I also bought entirely too much candy and brought it home for everyone to try, which has been fun. I love these road signs, they always made me laugh, and the top one took me forever to figure out. you get a gold star if you can. I can't wait to go again. the painfully long flights are worth it. I am still in shock about how lucky I am to have this job. there is no way I will ever be able to afford to go on my own, but if any of you can, definitely do it!

hurricane humberto

okay, its been a really long time and I have a lot of things to write about, but I couldn't pass this title up. I'm sure you have heard about Hurricane Humberto on the news, its a sad story, I always hate hurricane season. not to make light of the situation for sure, but when I saw the hurricane's name on the TV screen I couldn't help but laugh. Hurricane Humberto could be the title of my life right now, the theme. my boyfriend, Rob, of more than a year's given name is Humberto Sanjuan. he changed his name to Robert a few years ago. anyway, I guess we "broke up" a few weeks ago, and the events that have occurred in it's wake really have felt like a hurricane just wrecking my life. ...I thought we were happy, things were going really well. we had just gotten over a small bump in the road, and things were good. I was about to move and become homeless for a few weeks until my apartment was ready, and he was excited to let me stay with him, and so was I.

two days before I had to move, I needed a different jack to change my tire so I called him. his phone was off. I left a message and sent a txt, but never heard back. I called the next day, same thing. phone off. I was homeless. so, I called some other friends and stayed with them for 2 nights before I headed to Australia (details of which will be in the next post, I swear). so, the next night after another phone call and an ignored email, I showed up at his place and knocked on the door a few times. he was there, but didn't answer. so, I went to Australia for 10 days, and never heard a word. I was in touch with his best friend and my new friend Leiner who told me he was doing the same to him. a couple days after I got back, rested from the jet lag, got out of the crystal inn and found a place to stay, I tried calling again, no answer. I emailed him, to be honest, it was kind of a harsh email, but who can blame me. two hours later he txted me and said, "I'm ok, and I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry for everything." I was confused, and tried to get more out of him, but he was more interested in asking me how my day was and how Australia was. frustrated out of my mind, I stopped answering his txts. the next night he txted again to see how I was. he was sick. I frankly didn't care much, so they were short texts. then I didn't hear from him for about another week.

when I talked to Leiner last week he told me that he found out that Rob has been dating his wife - their divorce isn't final. and when he confronted him about it, Rob didn't say much and they haven't spoken since. I was furious. not just for me, but for Leiner too. I still can't believe he would do that to his best friend. the one he has always considered the brother he never had. so, I went to his apartment, he was there, I pounded on the door. he didn't answer. I pounded again, no answer. I called, he ignored it. so, I left... in tears. I cried for a while, maybe an hour or two, but then I swore I wouldn't waste any more tears on him, and I haven't cried again.

I can't explain how I feel. without going into too much detail of private information, I gave him more than anyone else I have ever dated. I gave him my all. I trusted him when my gut told me to be more careful. I was extremely patient with the smaller than baby steps he was taking with me, even though it was sometimes hurtful. I did everything he asked me to, I was ALWAYS there for him, no matter what. I wanted to be with him, I was sure he was the one, and I did everything I knew it would take to make sure things worked. so, as you can imagine, I feel taken advantage of. I feel sort of abused. but, mostly I feel very very unloved. he told me he loved me, and there were many times he showed it and I believed him, but I have every reason to believe he was lying. every few days I learn something new, something he lied to me about. it has been a whirlwind, and it really does feel like a hurricane.

right now I'm not sure I'm ever going to date again. life is moving on, and is good most of the time. I still LOVE my job, and the new apartment is great, and so is living with Amber and Holly. I may have the energy to start rebuilding my life and my self-esteem, and self worth. I am going to be more than ok, I am sure of it. in the meantime, I just hope the storm subsides and I make it to shore ok...

resolution update!

this morning I realized that I really am going to accomplish my new year's resolutions!! how exciting is that? I have never done this before! I guess I really am turning a new leaf. anyway, lets do an update:

* get a passport and two stamps. my passport arrived in the mail today, and by mid October I will have a stamp from Australia and a stamp from the Bahamas!! I'm going on a cruise to the Bahamas in October with a couple of my best friends, which will be amazing! but also, next month I am also going to Australia for 10 days for work. trust me, its not going to be a boring work trip, this is a party trip for some of our best Australia demonstrators, so its going to be playing and fun the whole time! which brings me to my next resolution:

* make my catering and events dreams come true. we have done 5 catering jobs this year, which I think is pretty good for being so small and relying on word of mouth. lets hope we get more calls... and for events, I did it! my new job is doing event planning full time for Stampin' Up! not only is it an amazing company that I have loved for a long time, but I am doing events! I couldn't be any happier about it, and it also brings me to the third and final resolution:

* become more financially stable. my new job came with a 20% increase in salary and better benefits! I have a company card and cell phone, so I won't need to worry about those expenses coming out of pocket anymore either. have I mentioned how amazing this all is? ;) something else just came up a couple days ago that will probably end up paying off my car, which would be great!! I am keeping my fingers crossed.

wow, talk about finding motivation after I thought all was lost! I am tempted to add some more resolutions, but since the first one won't technically be completed until the end of October, I will give myself a rest until January. although, I have given myself a few goals in the relationship department, but I will save that for a different post...

movin on up with Stampin' Up!

Well, I finally did it! I found a great event job that pays more than my current job! And not only is it a great event job working with a company that is all about one of my favorite hobbies, but I will get to do a ton of traveling all over the US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia! Talk about a good break! I am sad to be leaving Redirect because I really like all of my coworkers and I've been here a while, but it was sort of a no-brainer... Anyway, I start the first of July, so feel free to celebrate on my behalf. ;)

In other news, I have become a guardian for the summer. My little 16 year old sister got in trouble and got sent up here to live with Amber and me as punishment. haha! We are having a good time with her, but it has been pretty hard. I'm not used to being responsible for someone else, especially not someone that isn't very trustworthy, doesn't have their own means of transportation or any money. It should turn out to be a fun summer. At least I will have some sort of perparation for motherhood. So, basically I spend all of my time either with Rob or my sisters just hanging out and enjoying the warm weather. I really hope winter never comes again...

wow!

okay, so I am pretty far behind on this thing... it has been a crazy month. I got really really bad strep throat and was out for 3 days. it was the WORST sick I had been in like, 10 years! I had to get a penicillin shot in my butt! that hurt. so, I got better, and got to work at the wedding that weekend, which was amazing!! Jacque is an amazing wedding planner, and Red Butte Gardens is beautiful! but then my strep came back the next day. I could not be sick since we were leaving for Seattle to see the baby in a few days, so I got some more penicillin... that week we had my cousin's wedding and then we went to Pirates 3 that night, then left for Seattle at 5 AM the next morning. we took my car and all of us crammed in there: Dad, me, Amber, Brett and Rachel. we drove 13 hours that day, and despite my lack of sleep, we had a pretty good time. my dad wouldn't let me drive, but also wouldn't let me sleep, so we found fun things to do to entertain us.

Seattle is the most beautiful place! I have always known I would love it, and I have always wanted to live there, but, WOW! Stacy, Wayne and Nynaeve have a beautiful home, and we had a great time the frist night just holding the baby and hanging out. Nyanaeve is beautiful! and so perfect! I never wanted to let her go. its still so wierd that Stacy has a baby. anyway, we had a barbecue and had a great time. the next morning we got up and took family pictures in their yard. aren't we a hot bunch?! and then we headed to Seattle where we went to Pike Market Place and watched them throw fish, ate some samples of smoked salmon, checked out all the fresh produce and flowers, people-watched, bought some tshirts, and then headed to the waterfront. Seattle is amazing! we had a great time downtown. we then drove out to a Dick's Burgers and had some lunch before we headed back to the house for a rest. after letting Nynaeve and Grandpa rest for a little while we headed to the mall for a little shopping and then out to dinner at a little diner in Renton. I really could not get enough of the baby.... I'm sure you can see why!

so, the next morning we went out for breakfast, packed up and then headed for Boise. we got there around 7:30 and had dinner with my uncle Perry and his wife Kody and then stayed there that night. it was good to see them. it has been a really long time. the next morning my cousin Michelle came over with her kids, who I'm not sure we had ever met. they were adorable and we had a fun time with them. and then we headed back for Utah. we got to my house around 5 PM, and I really thought I was going to kill someone the last few hours in the car. next time, I am FLYING!! :) we still all had a great time with eachother, but being crammed up for that long can be pretty freakin annoying! ...Rachel stayed with us that night, we went out to dinner and then watched the Jazz get their trash kicked before heading to bead. we were exhausted. anyway, so now its back to normal. just working, being really tired, going to more wedding receptions, and trying to make things work with Rob. we seem to be going through a rough patch. I sort of think its just him though, and I need to be patient and understanding. either way, this week has been emotionally exhausting and I cannot wait to sleep this weekend! :)

I'm an AUNT!!

my little sister had her baby yesterday!! Its a GIRL! her name is Nynaeve Everyn McIntosh (odd, but its definitely growing on me). they live in Seattle, and I can't make it up there until memorial weekend, which is a bummer, but my mom sent a couple pictures with her phone and I can tell she is adorable! this is a big one for our family - Nynaeve is the first grandchild in our immediate family, and the first great-grandchild on my mom's side of the family! anyway, its exciting! I'm so happy about and for my little sister right now. she seems genuinely happy and is doing really well. I miss her a lot, its hard having her so far away. when I first moved back to Utah 2 years ago, we lived together for a while and became pretty close. watching her make huge life decisions during that time was really hard on me and I learned some tough lessons. and now here she is all grown up! sometimes I feel like she is even more grown up than I am! haha! being married and having a kid seems to do that to people... anyway, I'm excited to start spoiling my new niece! I already have a list in my head of what I am going to buy her!!

almost famous

one of my friends that I used to work with out in DC now writes for the Washington Times. and because he is awesome, and knows how awesome I am, he quoted me in an article he wrote yesterday! so, if you want to know a little about how I feel about Bush and the war, check it out here:

No one is neutral on Bush war veto