My daily blog that isn't updated daily

Good.

2012-01-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

Life is good.

In fact, it's pretty dang awesome.

I mean, how could it not be, when you get to hang out with this girl all of the time?

'Nuff said.

Fail.

2012-01-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

Way to go, Salt Lake. You suck at having clean air and therefore have received an F on your report card.

I sure hope you feel good about yourself.

-A.

You better breathe every day, or else you might die.

2012-01-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this masterpiece (which I had forgotten about) while looking through my old phone this afternoon.
I can't believe how much wisdom is contained in this little song.

By Kennedy Carrell
March 27, 2011

Oh yes I did.

2012-01-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

And it was heavenly.

Amen.

My other kids.

2012-01-08T08:31:00.001-08:00

I love these girls. So does Kennedy. She introduces them to people as her little sisters. After all, their biological mom and I share the same name, anyway, so they might as well call me "mom," too, right? Because that's totally normal.

I love my other kids.

This year.

2012-01-03T15:55:00.000-08:00

Alright. It's a new year. I don't even know if I had any New Year's resolutions last year. That's how good I am at keeping them. So this year, I'm just going to write down some stuff I'm going to try to do. If I do them...awesome. If not...eh. At least I can say I tried.

This year, I am going to attempt to:

Lose the ten pounds I just gained over the holidays.

Do some charity/volunteer work.

Live in the moment- and enjoy it.

Go on a road trip.

Pick up a new hobby.

Have more patience with Kennedy.

Learn more guitar (I actually have callouses on my fingers from playing so much, lately. Go me.)

Read more books.

Increase my Spanish vocabulary.

Be a better listener.

Trust in the knowledge that whatever will be, will be.

Be sunshiny and happy as often as I can.

Just be awesome.

Happy 2012, everyone!!

Build-a-Hello Kitty

2011-12-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Kennedy wanted a stuffed animal from Build-a-Bear Workshop. Since it's something she would have to pick out, herself, Santa couldn't bring it, so it was a mommy gift.

We went to redeem her gift card this morning.

Whoever thought of this idea was a genius. She got to pick out her own lifeless stuffed animal (sans the stuffing), choose a noise for it to make (like when you push their hand and they make a sound), pick out a little heart to put inside of it, and then the person who works there stuffed it and sewed it up for her. Then she got to give it a "bath", dress it up, and create a birth certificate for it.

And she took it home in its very own box.

Presenting: The meowing Hello Kitty named Selena.

(I won a lot of brownie points for giving her this present. Take THAT, Santa.)

Christmas vacation

2011-12-28T13:04:00.000-08:00

Merry 3 days after Christmas, everyone! I hope your holiday was splendid and full of love, laughter and figgy pudding (if anyone even eats that stuff, anymore).

I spent some quality time with family on Christmas Eve, and then Kennedy opened her Santa gifts on Christmas morning. She was thrilled.

Her dad voiced some concern when she received some makeup she had asked for. But his concerns quickly dissolved and were replaced with rapture when she used that makeup to look like a zombie:

After the joy of opening presents was over, Kennedy went with her dad for the remainder of the day. And the next day. I found myself with nothing to do for 2 days...Vegas, anyone?

So I hopped a plane (it's nice being related to someone in the airline industry so I can have free flight benefits) to visit some friends in good ol' Las Vegas.

We went to the wax museum, where I chilled with some of my peeps.

We went to the Bellagio and saw the beautiful Christmas decorations.

(this little house is made completely out of flowers, pinecones, and evergreens)

And, of course, you can't go to Vegas without seeing the fountain show.

The pinnacle of the mini vacation, however, revolved around food. Because I love to eat. And because it was just awesome. My friend's husband is from France, and he is a sous chef at a French restaurant called Mix, which is located on the 64th floor of THEhotel at Mandalay Bay.

Here is a picture of the inside of the restaurant (you should click on that link above to see more pictures).

Honestly? Wow. It is the fanciest restaurant I've ever been to in my life. It was one of those restaurants where if you walk away from the table to go to the bathroom, they will fold your napkin for you and put it back on the table.

Speaking of bathrooms, I could have spent some quality time in these ones. The view from the pot was amazing.
(Try to ignore my reflection in the window. Yes I'm urinating. You're so welcome.)

You think the view out that window is nice? Check out this one.

Wow, right?

The food was phenomenal beyond description. (I was proud of myself for tasting food even when I couldn't pronounce the name of it. I felt like a genuine adult.) The atmosphere was elegant and just incredible. The service was spectacular. And of course it felt pretty cool to say that I knew the chef. Thanks Alex!

I'm glad I got away for a few days to enjoy some good company, good food, good times and some non-freezing temperatures. Merry Christmas to me!

Happy.

2011-12-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

I'm happy.

Happy to be healthy.

Happy to have good friends.

Happy because it's snowing. (Weird, I know.)

Happy because my friend got a new puppy and I got to play with him
("One cannot help but smile when they say the word 'puppy'")

Happy because it's almost Christmas!

Happy because Kennedy is happy.

Happy because I can love.

Happy about life.

Happy that I can be happy for no particular reason.

I'm happy. And it feels so good.

("Reunited and it feeeeels so good!")
(Come on, you can't tell me that song didn't immediately pop into your head when you read that last line...)

(No? ...Just me? Oh, fine.)

Remember Halloween?

2011-12-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

I think I might have ADD. I get distracted easily. Like "Hey, I'm going to take these pictures on Halloween and totally blog about it." And then "Oh look! Glitter!" ...and suddenly the Halloween blog post is long forgotten.

This evening, while looking at pictures I took for my friend's wedding, I found these neglected photos I took on Halloween, and quickly remembered that I was going to blog about it.

I give you a ghost, banana and a witch. Marie's costume is my favorite. At one point in the night, her ghost face was sliding, and she exclaimed "I can't find my EYE!!"

We had a good chuckle.

Hey, wait a minute... didn't these two have a baby, somewhere?

Oh look! There she is.

Happy (really late) Halloween!

And yeah... I kinda got distracted and forgot about editing my friend's wedding photos. I'll do it tomorrow. If I remember.

Oh look! Shiny stuff!

Not quite done.

2011-11-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

I'll bet you thought I was done posting pictures from Hawaii. You were so wrong.

It was fabulous spending time with my mother on this vacation. Not only because she's super fun and wonderful, but also because it's like I have my own personal professional photographer following me around everywhere. Kind of like the paparazzi. Except not annoying or invasive. And (as far as I know) she doesn't submit any incriminating or embarrassing photos to magazines. (I just have to make sure I don't piss her off - because she definitely has quite a few of said photos...)

Anyway, here are some of the pictures she took while we were there ("some" because I'm sure I'll post more, later, when I feel like it.):

Playing in the water at Ke'e beach. *Sigh. So beautiful.

I love that smile.

Snorkeling at Anini beach.
(this picture makes me giggle every time I see it)

(and so does this one)

Time for some family photos!

And here is our whole family. I sure love them.

So festive.

2011-11-28T15:17:00.000-08:00

This is my tree.

This is a snowman.

This is Santa Claus.

And this is a penguin.

Merry Christmas month.

Thanksgiving.

2011-11-24T17:06:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving (uh...duh). I started the day off by reading an inspiring blog post by my sister-in-law, Jennifer (here). So much of it I found incredibly applicable to how I am feeling about my life, right now - regarding letting go of things, living in the moment, experiencing life in new ways, improving yourself, loving those around you, etc. I think it would greatly benefit everyone if they would take a few minutes and read what she has written. (The video is quite inspirational, as well.) She included a few quotes in her post, one of which is a favorite of mine:

We shall not cease from exploration,

And the end of all our exploring 

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

-- T.S. Eliot

Reading her post inspired to me feel even more excited about this new chapter I am entering into. Thanks for taking the time to write all of that and share it with us, Jen. I sure love you :)

Now that the Thanksgiving festivities (i.e. the only-acceptable-once-a-year gluttonous scarfing of the turkey and pie) are over for me, I am able to sit down and relax. This is actually the first Thanksgiving evening, ever, where I have been by myself. At first, I started being all "woe is me" about it, but then I thought: Hey- I have, like, 5 hours all to myself! WOO HOO!!! So I'm going to start putting up my Christmas tree. And maybe browse some ads for Black Friday shopping. And turn up the music as loud as I want. WHATEVER music I want. And dance like an idiot (because that's the only way I know how).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you all- SO much.

Muchas gracias.

2011-11-23T22:40:00.000-08:00

What are you going to do once I stop posting every day? Cry, probably, huh? Well, here's the good thing- maybe now you can stop wasting SO much time perusing through my blog and you can finally get on with your busy life. It will be a difficult adjustment, but I know you can do it. I believe in you.

Until then, here's another "Gratitude" post for you.

I'm thankful for Kennedy's teacher. We have lucked out each year (so far) with having incredible teachers.

I'm thankful for my own education. I'm also thankful for all of my past teachers who actually put up with my incessant social-butterfly-ness (which I may or may not have passed on to Kennedy...).

I am thankful for my dad. He is such an outstanding person - a wonderful example to me of honesty, love, realism, humbleness, kindness, acceptance and knowledge (among many others). I am excited to spend Thanksgiving with him, tomorrow. :)

I'm thankful for Justin. He is such a great dad to Kennedy, and loves her more than life, itself. She sure loves her daddy.

I am thankful for my health (physical, mental and emotional). ... (Although some people might question the state of my mental health, on occasion).

Finally, I'm thankful that tomorrow is Thanksgiving (which is the whole reason I made this stupid goal of writing "thankful" posts on my blog, every day) (ok, not "stupid," but time-consuming) (and I guess I did benefit from it, at least a little bit) (so I'm thankful that I could be thankful all month long). Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

(And I'll leave you with some pictures, because I have so many to share.)

Here we are at the Kilauea Light House. We sure make a cute little family, don't we?

And this IS the Kilauea Light House. Apparently it's a great place for whale watching... if' it's whale watching season. Which it wasn't.

We went to Hideaways Beach to look at the very cool tide pools. We saw quite a few little fish and a LOT of sea cucumbers.

Shortly after this picture was taken, I was super awesome and slipped on a mossy rock and sliced open my foot. Ouch. (I had to remind myself that, even if the blood-smelling sharks found me, they can't swim in tide pools.)

Oh look! Cute moorish idols! Don't worry, little fishies- the sharks won't get you here.

Here are the cute cousins in front of the renowned Hanalei taro fields.

And behind me is the beautiful town of Hanalei. *Sigh... I miss that place.

Unconditional Love

2011-11-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm thankful for the fact that I am comfortable enough in my own skin that I can make a complete a** of myself in public. For example - my brother and I made up a dance. It's called The Unconditional Love Dance - meaning that a person who loves you unconditionally should continue to love you even after seeing you dance like this (thanks for the video, mom):

That would be some true love, right there.

I'm also thankful for cameras/pictures. I love the fact that we can capture moments of our lives on film, so that we can later reflect back and reminisce about those many meaningful moments (such as the one previously mentioned).

Speaking of pictures, here are a few more marvelously memorable moments from my trip for your viewing pleasure:

One of the days we were in Hawaii, we went snorkeling at Ke'e Beach. I was amazed at how many fish I saw- and also how vibrant their colors were. I also saw a sea turtle resting under a rock, which was pretty dang cool. The water was vividly blue. It was gorgeous. No pictures of that, sorry.

Emily and Kennedy did some boogie boarding in the ocean.

Marie watched them from the side lines.

We saw a beaching Monk Seal. It was so cute :)

This beach is at the end of the road, on the northwestern side of Kauai. Right next to the beach is a trail head where you can start the hike to see the Na Pali coast (which is one of the most spectacular sights I've ever witnessed- see this old blog post). Since we didn't have hiking shoes with us, and the trail was muddy, we decided to just go up a little bit so that we could see the first lookout. We left the kids back at the beach with their grandma (and with the soon-to-be-hungry baby...).

This was our first spectacular view. Um... wow? Yeah. If you look closely, you can see our three little girls playing in the water.

See? ( I was testing my camera's zooming capability. I was impressed.)

Here is the view of the Na Pali coast. Beautiful, eh?

And this is my sweeter than sweet sister-in-law, Jen :)

At this point in our hike, baby Aysia was hungry and wanted mommy. So Brandon and Jen ran down the trail as quickly as they could to relieve our mother of the screaming infant... Sorry, mom. :)

Which reminds me- I'm thankful for my mom. This really deserves its own separate blog post, but for now I will just say this: my mom is such a wonderful person. She is extremely loving, kind, caring, smart, funny, creative, supportive, accepting, generous, beautiful, compassionate, talented, etc... and, above everything else, she still loves me after seeing me perform the aforementioned dance.

Crafternoon!

2011-11-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

I am thankful that Ashley lives less than 10 minutes from me. It makes it very convenient for when we want to have a fun little Sunday Crafternoon (get it? doing "crafts" in the "afternoon"? Craft + Afternoon = Crafternoon? *sigh. I'm so clever, it almost makes me sick). The plan was for us to do a Thanksgiving craft, but, believe it or not, there are very few (if any at all) Thanksgiving crafts at Michael's, right now. Instead, we decided to buy what was on sale and do some Christmas stuff.

No door is complete without a Christmas wreath!

Also, I'm thankful for my wonderful neighbors who helped me rake up my leaves, today. Not only am I thankful for the fact that they are so helpful, but also I am thankful for their example(s) of maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity. They are a sweet couple who have had to battle with cancer. The one has just finished her last round of chemo, and I am SO impressed with her strength. Her last treatment was just 2 weeks ago, and the very next day she and her partner were outside walking around. And they have already been out hiking, jogging, and now helping me rake leaves. They have such a positive outlook...and they're so strong. I'm very thankful to have them as neighbors (and friends).

I'm thankful for the beauty of the night sky. I love gazing at the stars and the moon. I think that's one reason I love camping, so much- being able to see thousands of stars at once, without having the city lights outshine them. It's such a stunning and spectacular sight.

Lastly (but not least(ly?)), I'm thankful for all of you. Thank you for being my friends (and/or blog stalkers- whatever).

Friday Funday

2011-11-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

As Rebecca Black would say, "It's Friday, Friday". And today, she would be correct. Hallelujah, for that.

Yes, peeps. I'm grateful that it's Friday. It means that the weekend has officially begun. What are my plans, you ask? To clean, take down the rest of my Halloween decorations (don't judge me), contemplate putting up my Thanksgiving decor (for a WHOLE week), then probably decide against it, hang out with my little miss K, and perhaps snuggle up with a blanket, some hot chocolate, and a good book. Sounds like a glorious weekend, to me.

I'm also grateful for IMDB (The Internet Movie Database). Do you want to know who was in what movie and when and what else they were in and who was in it with them and what ratings that movie received and who directed it and what else he directed and who was in that and when they were born? Well, you can. (I'll bet you're so relieved, aren't you? You're welcome.)

Lastly, I'm thankful for my iPhone. I love that I can listen to music - on my phone. Whatever music I choose. 10 years ago (?), the only way to listen to music on your phone was when you were put on hold. And that music usually sucked. Unless you really like Kenny G, then I guess you wouldn't find it sucky.

And guess what else? Here are some pictures. But only a couple. I won't overload you all at once. You need a little time to recover from their awesomeness, after all.

My brother and I....when we get together, we are somethin' else, I tell ya. I mean, individually, we're pretty strange, anyway, but once we unite... watch out, world.

Here is the point in our vacation when I let Kennedy try her hand at photography. She asked me to be the subject, and instructed me to pose in various ways. "Make a crazy face. No, mom- crazier. No, CRAZIER!!"

Next was "Make a maaaaad face, mom." ...

Now there's a look that could kill. You sure wouldn't want to meet me in a dark alley.

Finally, I daresay this was my most favorite picture from the trip. For the record, the horses weren't even moving.

Sunsets

2011-11-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

Remember how Hawaii is all beautiful and stuff? Well, it is. And there are few things more beautiful than a sunset on the ocean.

Then, you come home to Utah, which is obviously not Hawaii. And when you least expect it, like when you're driving home from work (last night, for example), you are rendered speechless by the transcendent display of colors in the sky. I daresay this is far more magnificent than any sunset I have ever seen in Hawaii (sans the obstructive power lines)- the entire sky was splashed with vivid colors. Good job, Mother Nature.

p.s. What I'm trying to say is that I'm thankful for picturesque sunsets. And even more specifically- the fact that I don't have to travel anywhere to see some of the most glorious of them.

p.s.s. Now that I've written the word "sunset" a few times, I'm realizing what a strange word it is. You know how when you say a word over and over it starts to sound like gibberish? "sunset, sunset, sunset, sunset" ... Weird.

Attitudes and pictures!

2011-11-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well whaddya know? I'm posting some pictures. But first things, first- my gratitude for the day.

- I'm thankful for FOOD. Man, oh man, I love to eat.

- I am thankful for my neighbors. They have been so helpful with picking up Kennedy after school when I have to work... I don't know what I'd do without them.

- I'm thankful that I have the ability to choose my attitude. Today I chose to be happy and optimistic. :) I'm thankful that I can also choose my reaction and how I respond to things. I am response-ABLE.

- And I'm also thankful for movies. All kinds- except horror movies. Those I am not so thankful for. At all.

Ok, now, on to the pictures!

Here we are, sitting at Bubba's, waiting for our delicious burgers. Kennedy obviously had more important things to look at.

She's such a poser. I have NO idea where she gets it from. *cough cough*...

Wow, right? I mean... just... wow.

She is such a monkey. A very cute monkey, might I add.

It's completely normal to pretend that a fruit roll-up is an extension of your tongue, right? Because people were giving us strange looks.

*Sigh

2011-11-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, I know. I skipped another day. What are you going to do about it, huh? Probably nothing. Yeah, well, me too.

Some days I find that it is far more difficult than others to find things to be grateful for... BUT if my 7 year old can find five things she's thankful for when she is pissed off at the world, then I can, too.

Here goes.

- um...my short commute to work.

- cute jackets (more particularly the new one my mom bought me for my birthday). I love jackets. Probably my favorite article of clothing. Besides flip flops.

- chocolate chex cereal.

- the fact that I still have a pulse.

- funny blogs.

There. I did it. Five things. It was actually a bit harder than I had expected, but I did it. Go me.

Now it's time to change my woe-is-me attitude and get back to my sunshiny self. Ready, set, GO!
(That is bound to work, eventually, right...? ... )

Home

2011-11-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are just going to ignore the fact that I skipped yesterday. Ok? Ok.

That was the best vacation I have ever experienced. 'Twas epic. Wow. I will totally post pictures...later...when I'm not so exhausted. :) However, even with how much fun it was, I must say that it feels nice to be home and in my own bed.

So today I'm thankful that I have a place to call home.

I'm also thankful for the unyielding support of those closest to me, when I chance to be having a rough time... especially my mom and Ashley. I love you both, dearly :)

I'm thankful for airplanes.

I'm thankful for grocery stores.

I'm thankful for socks.

And finally, I'm thankful for the fact that I had an entire week to spend with Kennedy- we had such a great time and had some much-needed mommy-daughter bonding moments :)

Thanks.

2011-11-11T23:11:00.000-08:00

I was going to take today off from blogging, but then I started to feel guilty. Stupid guilt. So here I am, telling you more of what makes my heart happy.

Today I am thankful for aaalllll of my friends and family who were sweet enough to take time out of their busy schedules to wish me a happy birthday. It makes a girl feel mighty special, I tell ya.

Next, I'd like to give a little thanks to Facebook for reminding half of those people that today was my birthday, so that they could wish me happy birthday. (I am definitely thankful for those bday reminders- I admit that I do not know many of my friends' birthdays...) So thank you, Facebook.

Lastly, I'm grateful for connections. Like, the deep conections you can sometimes feel with certain people. You know how sometimes you meet someone and you just know you're going to be friends for life- no matter what? Forever? Like your souls just somehow know each other? And no matter how much time has passed you know they'll still be one of your best friends? Always? Yeah. It's pretty cool. It's on my list of what I'm thankful for.

How is your list coming along?

Thanks and pics

2011-11-10T23:11:00.000-08:00

I finally have a few minutes (and access to my mom's computer) to upload pictures to share! Huzzah!

First, however, I will continue with my November daily thanks:
Today I am thankful for the internet. How cool is it that we have nearly all of the information in the world at our fingertips- especially if you have a phone with web-browsing capabilities? Pretty dang cool. Having an argument about the spelling of "ulterior"? Or do you want to know how the moon makes the high and low tides? Or what makes the sky blue? Just look it up. Now you're smarter. Good for you. It is crazy to me how accessible all of this information is- and so instantly. It is absolutely incredible.

I am also thankful for the people in my life who make me laugh. I have some pretty hilarious friends. I also have some dang funny family members. So- thank you to all of you who make me (or have made me) laugh. Please don't stop doing that. :)

And now it's time for a lot of random pictures from my trip (so far). I have quite a few more on my actual camera (these are all from my phone), but I will put those up with a later post. Enjoy!

To start off, here is the promised picture of the glorious rainbow I saw the other day (at least the left half of it):

...and here's the other half (it was so huge!!):

This is the beach I ran to that morning. Beautiful, right?

One of the beach days.

Eating dinner with my big brother :)

We made leis one evening, and Kennedy made this one for her head. And then she totally posed like this on her own... I'm in so much trouble when she grows up.

Another beach day.

We stopped at a "dry cave"...and Kennedy decided to be scary. She did a great job.

GORGEOUS Kauai sunset.

Kayaking this morning!

In the middle of our kayak adventure, we hiked up to this waterfall:

...and because the trail was so muddy, and the only shoes we had were flip flops, it was easier to just do the trail with bare feet. It was actually quite fun.

The moon was gorgeous tonight! Full moon tomorrow night...? I can't wait :D

And, as always, I love my keiki!!

More thanks, of course.

2011-11-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

Number one on the list of things I'm thankful for, today, is the variety of vibrant colors found only in nature. The ocean and the sky produce the absolute most beautiful blues I have ever imagined. They both have such variances of blues, as well. Everything from the brightest, Caribbean blue to a light sky blue to a deep, deep middle-of-the-ocean blue. And then of course there are flowers. No crayon or paint could ever come close to the colors found in the flowers (or in nature, at all, for that matter). And fish? Wow. Their colors and patterns are so spectacular and beautiful. These colors just can't be synthetically replicated.

I'm also thankful for music. I love listening to it as well as creating it. I love all kinds of music. I love how it can enhance whatever mood I happen to be in. I love how it can be very nastaulgic. And therapeutic. And entertaining. Music is what feelings sound like. :)

Again, what are you thankful for?

Gracias

2011-11-08T23:11:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for pizza. It is the best food ever. I could eat it every day. It is my comfort food. And my whenever food. I always love it. Yum.

Also, I am thankful for my extended family. It's been SO much fun to hang out with my aunt/uncle and cousins. Since we all get along so well, we have decided we need to plan these types of trips together more often. Perhaps Malaysia next time?

(again, I apologize for the lack of pictures. I promise you that I am taking a copious amount of them which I will eventually post.)

Happy Tuesday, all!

More gratitude.

2011-11-07T23:11:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I am still keeping up with this whole "gratitude" thing? I can't. I usually get busy (or lazy, whatever) and forget to do whatever it was I had initially said I was going to do. So go me!

Today I'm thankful for nature. Wow. I mean, just WOW! Flowers, trees, the weather, fruits/veggies, the ocean, birds, fish, animals, the sun, the MOON? Again, wow. This morning I went for a little jog down to a nearby beach. . . in a complete downpour. It started raining about 2 minutes after I left. I actually love running in the rain - there is something so refreshing about it. Anyway, by the time I arrived at the beach I was soaked from head to toe, and the rain had finally decided to stop. I looked out over the ocean and saw this:

... What? You don't see anything? Yeah, well, that's probably due to the fact that, while I am not too lazy to actually update my blog, I'm a tad bit too lazy to upload the pictures from a computer (since I can't do it from my iPhone). I'll put them up later. I pinky promise (can you tell I have a second-grader?).

Anyway, what you do not see a picture of is a magnificent rainbow (if you're my Facebook friend, you might have seen the ones that I posted of it this morning). It was quite possibly the largest rainbow I had ever seen in my life. So expansive that had to take two pictures to capture all of it. Breathtaking. I sat at the beach for about 20 minutes, watching the ocean, taking in the view of the scenery and looking in the tide pools at the cute little fish, before returning back to our condo (thanks, mom, for hanging out with Kennedy). So, yes. Particularly grateful for nature, today.

On a somewhat related note, I am also thankful for my body. Let me rephrase- I am thankful for the functionality of my body and the incredible things it can do. I am so grateful that I can walk. Run. Hike. Swim. Climb. Breathe. See things. Smell, hear, taste. I can throw a ball (yes, like a girl), and while I suck at catching, I can still do it, occasionally. Our bodies are incredible. I should probably stop eating so much crap so that my body doesn't end up hating me and decide to turn against me. That would kind of suck.

Mahalo.

2011-11-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

Here's a little lesson in Hawaiian, for you: "Mahalo" means "Thank you."
Consider yourself a little bit smarter. Or, if you already knew this tidbit of information, consider yourself equally as intelligent as you were before you began reading my blog, today.

Speaking of today, I am thankful for sunshine. I love the sun. A lot. It makes me happy. Hence the fact that I am thankful for it.

Also, I am thankful that I can have dreams and that I am able to remember them (usually). Like- ones I have while I'm sleeping. I hear of people who can't remember their dreams and I think of how sad I would be if I couldn't, either. So, hooray for dreams!

Finally, I'm thankful for milk chocolate coconut covered macadamia nuts. 'nuff said.

Fun with family

2011-11-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

Since my brother is all "smart" and "adventurous" and stuff, he lives abroad with his lovely family...which means, of course, that I rarely get to see them. Today, therefore, I am thankful for the fact that I am able to spend this time with them. Kennedy has been playing nonstop with her cousins, and I have just had a marvelous time conversing and hanging out with my brother and his wife.

I'm also thankful that he's letting me use his computer to update my blog, so that I can actually include a few pictures with this post. Thank you, Brandon.

And now for some pictures.

Kennedy actually slept on the airplane. Awww.

This is the view from Brandon's condo. Mine has no noteworthy view:

Here's my new niece, Aysia! She is the happiest little baby I've ever seen.

That is all you get, for now. I have quite a few more pictures, but I will save those for a later date.

My mom gets in tomorrow! Can't wait to see her :)

It's still today.

2011-11-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm on Hawaii time. And while it's tomorrow in Utah, it's still today where I am. So this counts as my Friday entry. Don't argue with me.

Today my gratitude goes mostly to Kennedy. While yes, she had her whiny moments on the plane(s), overall I was very impressed with how she behaved. She continually expressed how thankful SHE was that she was able to go to Hawaii with me (and with her cousins). She was almost all smiles, through a total of nearly 15 hours of traveling. Kudos, my little one.

I am also grateful for nice people. Nice flight attendants, nice people at the car rental place, nice bus drivers who wouldn't even accept a tip, nice people sitting next to me on the plane, etc. A friendly smile or "hello" from a random stranger has such a strong impact on me. I love people who are genuinely friendly and nice to everyone they see. Thank you, friendly people.

Lastly, I'm thankful for my friends. (I'll probably use this one quite often, so I'll be more specific.) My sweet friend Gino woke up early and took Kennedy and me to the airport at 6:30 this morning. That is friendship. (Although maybe his wife made him do it. Hehe) Also, a very special thanks to the other friends who offered. You guys are the best.

Good night and aloha!

P.S. I actually have pictures to post, but I don't know how to upload them to blogger from my iPhone and I don't feel like figuring it out right now. So there.

Job, neighbors and sleep.

2011-11-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I love reading what you guys are thankful for. So keep it coming, please. (I'm thankful for all of YOU who leave nice comments on my blog!)

Today I'm thankful for my job. Not merely because it's a good job (and it is), but also because I actually love the people I work with. They work with my schedule (and allow me to take vacations, even if they're jealous and they don't want me to talk to them about it when I get back), they let me know I'm appreciated (although I don't know how they feel about me blogging while I'm here- shhhh!), and, on top of that, I feel like they're my friends. So, yes. Thankful for my job.

I'm also thankful for my neighbors. I came home from work yesterday, and my old German neighbor (probably in his late 70's/early 80's) and one of my other sweet neighbors were out there raking all the leaves in my front yard. It was so nice of them. Looks like I will be baking them some delicious chocolate chip cookies, tonight. ... if I can find time to squeeze it in while I'm packing for my trip (leaving tomorrow! Yay!).

Lastly, I'm thankful for sleep. I simply love it.

No more complaining.

2011-11-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's just a 7 year-old thing, but Kennedy sure complains a lot. I'm tempted to just take everything she owns and dump it off a cliff. Instead, lately, in order to (hopefully) mitigate the negativity, each time I hear her complain, I tell her she needs to tell me 5 things she is happy about. Sometimes it takes a bit of cajoling, but eventually she is able to come up with those five things. After she's listed them off, she's usually completely forgotten about her initial complaint. Success! ... And then 5 minutes later she finds something else to complain about. ... *sigh. It's a good thing she's usually a sweetheart.

Anyway, since it's Thanksgiving month, I decided I should focus a bit more on those things that make me happy. Each day (or almost each day) am going to list the things I am grateful for, here on my blog. I can't promise that I will blog every day, but I will at least try.

Here goes.

Yesterday I was thankful for my brother and his wife. We stayed up until almost 2:00 a.m. on Monday night, just talking and being silly. I love them both so much- and I can't wait to spend an entire week with them next week :)

Today I am grateful for the sunshine! It was rather cold, rainy and snowy, yesterday- and today the sun is shining happily. And I LOVE it.

Today I am also grateful for Boston Cream Pie flavored Yoplait yogurt. It sure hits the spot for an after-breakfast snack.

What are YOU thankful for?

The kids

2011-10-30T21:48:00.000-07:00

Most of you are aware of the fact that I have an older brother (the one who lived in Costa Rica and who is now moving to Malaysia). What some of you may not be quite so aware of is the fact that I have three additional younger siblings, born of my dad and step mom. (I'm slightly ashamed that I don't recall mentioning them on my blog, before. I'm a terrible big sister.) What is strange, is that, even though they have been my siblings since their birth and I even changed their diapers, I don't think we have ever had a picture taken of just the five of us together, until tonight. So, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in my recorded blogging history, I present to you: the Pearce Posse.

(Hm... I think I'm beginning to have an idea as to what my natural hair color might be...)

11.11.11

2011-10-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

I am not one to usually draw attention to myself and say "Hey, guess what! My birthday is coming up!" Because I think that seems a bit self-absorbed. However, I believe it is warranted, this year. So ... guess what! My birthday is coming up! Why am I justified in gloating, this year? I'm so glad you asked. It's only the most epic day of the century!! I mulled over how I should go about celebrating this day-of-all-days for quite some time. It is a very important decision. Party? Vacation? Disneyland? Buy presents for all of my blog-readers (I almost chose this option)? Finally, the decision was made. What better way to celebrate my BEST BIRTHDAY EVER (caps added for emphasis) than to be in my favorite place in the world with some of my most favorite people in the world? There is no better way, I do declare.

I will be spending 11/11/11 in the beautiful state of Hawaii! It will be Kennedy's first time, and she couldn't be more excited (nor could I). Although, as of right now, she thinks it's just the two of us who will be going. As soon as she finds out her cousins will be there (my brother's little girls), she just might pee her pants. If THAT isn't exciting enough, when she finds out her grandma is also going... wow. There may be some fainting involved. My fabulous aunt and her family will be there, as well- so it's going to be a huge party. Kauai won't know what hit them. But don't worry. It's just us awesome people.

So yeah, I just dedicated an entire blog post to myself and my birthday. Perhaps in my self discovery process I'll find that I'm a complete narcissist. Hm...

Whatever I find out about myself, I do know one thing: I sure love this little (big!!) girl.

Regarding me

2011-10-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

During this next little while, I am going to do some soul searching. Why? Because it's fun.
To kick off this self-re-discovery process, I'm going to list a few things about myself that I know with an absolute surety. In case I ever forget.

1. I like to travel.
2. I like the smell of Luv's baby diapers. But only the unused ones.
3. My favorite color alternates between yellow and caribbean blue. But mostly yellow.
4. I pretty much have the best friends in the entire world.
5. I don't know what my natural hair color is.
6. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I like country music. And Lady Gaga. And Ke$ha. And the new Selena Gomez song.
7. And Britney Spears.
8. I want to go sky diving.
9. I want to go scuba diving.
10. I want to go backpacking through Europe.
11. There are very few people that I don't like.
12. I love laughing until my stomach hurts.
13. Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream is my manna from heaven.
14. I like fancy words. Such as superfluous. And magnanimous.
15. I ~~like~~ love the beach.
16. My toes are kind of long.
17. I don't like Walmart.
18. I love Target.
19. I tend to be slightly immature.
20. But that's ok because it helps me be a fun mom.
21. I think soap operas are dumb.
22. And I don't watch reality TV. I just don't get it. Sorry.
23. I do, however, love Modern Family. And Glee. And Psych.
24. I'm still upset over the fact that they stopped Arrested Development after 3 seasons. That show was brilliant.

[postscript: Well, apparently the heavens heard my despaired rantings and so they decided to make one more season AND a movie. This might be the best day of my life.]
25. Disney movies usually make me cry.
26. So does any commercial about animal cruelty.
27. I like to pull weeds and plant flowers.
28. I love to read.
29. I spend more time on facebook than I probably should.
30. When I'm in my kickboxing class, I feel like I could kick anyone's A.
31. Until I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and see how absolutely ridiculous I look.
32. Did I mention I love my friends? Well I do.
33. I also love cake batter.
34. And brownie batter.
35. And cookie dough.
36. I think that puppies are probably the most adorable creatures ever.
37. Christmastime makes me happy.
38. I want to go to New York.
39. I love going for long walks.
40. I love laying on the grass in the summer.
41. I feel like this list is getting long.
42. I sing in the shower. And in the car.
43. People who make me laugh are my favorite.
44. Luckily I'm easily amused, so I have a lot of favorites.
45. I think that there are few things in this world as rewarding as making a baby smile.
46. I tend to talk to myself.
47. I also tend to be an over-sharer.
48. I would wear flip flops all day, every day, were it practical.
49. I love the smell of rain.
50. I laugh at my own jokes.

Next step in the process- yoga?

Sew cute.

2011-09-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

I am going to make this dress.

And I will use this fabric.

Kennedy will wear it.

I will take a picture.

And then I will put it on here for your viewing pleasure.

You will be impressed.

Or perhaps you won't be.

Because my sewing skills are mediocre at best.

In all reality, this may end up looking very much like a muumuu.

Or like I just took a piece of fabric, cut

a hole in it, and threw it over her head.

Oh well. It's good to have lofty goals and ambitions, right?

... but maybe you could pretend to be impressed?... k thanks.

*(Pattern and fabric both designed by my amazing and incredibly talented and sweet friend, Carina Gardner. Thanks Carina!)

Obedience

2011-09-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take a brief moment and give my dog a public shout-out for being so dang obedient.

I had to go pick up Kennedy from the neighbor's house, and told Harley to "stay", since I didn't want her roaming along the street and chasing cats. So she obediently stood there while her eyes intently watched me as I crossed the road.

Losing track of time, I stood there chatting it up with the neighbor for about 15 minutes, and when I eventually turned around, I was so pleased to see this:

She was still sitting there. Watching me. Waiting patiently for me to relieve her of her position.

Can we get a close-up?

Oh it's blurry. Sorry. She's still cute. Well anyway, she was rewarded with copious amounts of praise and treats, naturally.

What a freaking sweetheart. I am so in love with her.

I see a pattern

2011-09-20T10:36:00.001-07:00

Do you notice anything interesting about these pictures?

If you said "You guys make a great couple," well, you wouldn't be the first. But that's not the answer. Don't you find it a bit odd that we are on the exact same side(s) in all of these pictures? I sure do. I was able to find a FEW pictures where we've switched sides, but not very many. This is definitely some sort of phenomenon.

And, because I just love them so much, here's a picture of Ivy, Kennedy and Kaia.

Time for some randomness

2011-09-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've wasted your time with my random word vomit, and I figured it was long overdue. So, should you choose to continue to read this blog post, get ready for your time to be wasted. Sucks to be you.

You know how dogs lick themselves? Well, that sound is the absolute worst noise in the world. I'm just sitting here in the living room, minding my own business, and all of the sudden I hear "slurp. lick. smack. lick. slurp. smack. slurp. lick. lick. smack." And a disturbing chill travels up my spine. It's the one thing in this world that makes me want to rip my ears out and throw them on the ground and stomp on them until they're smashed to smithereens. But instead, after I regain my composure, I kindly nudge my dog so she'll stop making that atrocious sound. *shudder*

(I'll bet you had no idea I was such a good artist.)

I took a "health assessment" quiz at work. One of the questions was "Is your inner monologue positive?" And I don't know why, but it made me laugh. And then my inner monologue said "Ashley- you have a nice laugh." So then I clicked "yes" for the answer.

Does it weird anyone else out that bulbs (speaking in flower terms) multiply every year? The other day I dug up my irises to separate the bulbs, and there were like 20 of them for every 1 I planted last year. I find it kind of creepy for some reason.

I laugh at people who rock out in their car and sing at the top of their lungs while driving. And then I realize that I totally do the same thing. And people probably laugh at me. Because I'll bet I look ridiculous. But hey- at least I'm having fun.

Jack Handey is a genius. Why? He says things like this:

"I hope an animal never bores a hole in my head
and lays its eggs there because I might think I
have a good idea but its really just the eggs hatching."

and

"If you're ever on fire, I think it's best not to look
in a mirror, because that will really get you in a panic."

Genius. Pure genius.

It's getting colder. Yay! But it's getting colder. Boo! I have a love/hate relationship with fall. I LOVE it because it's so gorgeous and the temperature is perfect. But I hate it because it means that the cold, long, tedious, insufferable winter is just around the corner.

I don't like tomatoes. But my most favorite person in the world once told me that tomatoes help prevent prostate cancer. So then I thought that maybe I should start liking them. But then I realized that I don't have to worry about getting prostate cancer. So I shall continue to dislike tomatoes.

Something else I don't like? Riding in an elevator with random strangers. If there is an open elevator which is ready to go up, but someone is already standing in it, I will walk as SLOWLY as I can or I will stop and pretend to be looking for something in my purse so that they will go on up without me and I can wait for the next one. And if I'm in an elevator and see someone coming, my first instinct is to quickly push the "close door" button, but then I realize that might be kind of rude...so I refrain. Usually.

End word vomit.

Seattle

2011-09-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

Remember July? It was a long time ago, I know. Well, during that blessed month, we went on a family (plus my adopted-second-husband-and-Justin's-best-friend, Chris) trip to Seattle. Here are some (a lot of) pictures with limited (probably too much) narrative.

*Oh- and all (except 2) pictures were taken by my talented mother. :) Thanks mom!

I think there's a rule somewhere stating that any time you go to Seattle, you must go to Machiavelli's- the best Italian restaurant. Ever. And since I'm a rule-follower, we went.

And ate (inhaled) a deliciously delectable dinner.

And then threw Kennedy in the bushes.

The boys were staying in a hostel in Seattle for the next few nights, so we ladies left them there and drove on home to la casa de mi madre (that's "my mom's house," for all you non-Spanish speakers).

There's another rule somewhere stating that if you are on vacation and within 30 minutes of a beach, you have to go. Not doing so would be an abomination. And, like I said, I like to abide by the rules. So the next day, we met back up with the boys and went to the beach.

*sigh....my favorite place in the world. The beach.

Kennedy busily constructed sand castles.

Chris was trying his best to make this picture awkward. He totally succeeded.

And just look at this house that was across the street from the beach. LOOK! It makes me want to cry because it's so beautiful and happy. One day when I have lots of time and money, this is what my house will look like.

That evening, my mom had a "special surprise" for Kennedy. We had been giving her hints all day, and she was trying so hard to guess what it was. Candy? Toy? Clothes? Pony? Nope.

Aladdin: The Broadway Musical!

As soon as she found out what it was, she was pretty dang excited.

Although that excitement was nothing compared to the anticipation of meeting the actors after the show.

She got autographs from the genie...

..and from one of the other characters who was really cool but I can't remember his name.

We had so much fun. The musical was spectacular and it was great seeing Kennedy so excited. Thanks again for that fun evening, mom :)

Also, sometime during our stay, my mom took Kennedy to the swimming pool. Here's a picture.

Now, I don't think there's a rule about pedicures, but they sure are fun. So the following day, we met up with my aunt, cousin and possibly soon-to-be cousin for a girls' day.

We went to lunch.

And our feet were pampered.

For some reason this picture makes me want to play "eeny meeny miny moe"...

After we were done, we got cupcakes. I don't have a picture of that. Sorry. So instead, here's a picture of Kennedy and myself. No, I didn't get a boob job. Thanks for asking. This shirt just seems to nicely accentuate certain features.

You know how Seattle is like the music center of the world? (Or at least one of them.) Well, since we had 3/4 of our band with us, we decided to go to open mic night at a restaurant near my mom's house. It was quite fun.

Another fun thing to do in Seattle is go take a ferry up through the San Juan Islands. Wow, is it beautiful up there?! Yes. Yes it is.

Look at us! We're on a ferry.

We hung out at Friday Harbor, ate food and browsed some shops. And smiled really pretty for the camera.

On the way back from Friday Harbor/San Juan Islands, we stopped at Deception Pass. Because it's gorgeous. See?

After Deception Pass, it was up to Bellingham to stay with my fantastic, wonderful and hospitable aunt Kristin and uncle Craig. (Thanks for letting us stay with you!) Bellingham is such a charming and beautiful city.

While there, we enjoyed a small hike/walk through Whatcom Falls Park, which is so gorgeous I can't even stand it.

So gorgeous, in fact, that I don't think I took any pictures of the scenery. Go me.

Anyway, we played on the playground, afterwards.

Chris and Justin played "king of the castle" and made all of the children cry.

And guess what else can you see in Bellingham? Llamas.

And that, my friends, is the end of our vacation. I apologize for the length of this blog post. I'll make up to you by showing you another picture of Kennedy.

You're welcome.

[P.S. To all you "I don't like Seattle because it's always raining" people- I'd like you to find any grey skies in my pictures. I dare you.]

Horchata and Thunder

2011-08-29T23:45:00.000-07:00

Do you know what's tasty?

Mexican food.

And do you know what goes really well with Mexican food?

Horchata.

Speaking of horchata, this is a good song.

Do you know what else I like?

Thunderstorms.

Do you know what I do NOT like?

My dog barking for over an hour straight at midnight and keeping me awake because she thinks that the thunder monster is going to reach down and swallow her whole.

Poor thing. Maybe she needs some anxiety meds. In the meantime, I need some sleep.

Focusing

2011-08-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

Ever have those days when you just can't focus?

How about those weeks?

Yeah, this is one of those.

I think I need a nice, long vacation to somewhere warm.

Somewhere like this:

And maybe then I'll drink something like this:

And then do something like sort of like this:

And maybe when I return (IF I return), I will be able to focus. Until then, I'm thankful for chocolate and caffeine.

Graph

2011-08-02T12:52:00.001-07:00

I may not be blogging as often as I used to, but at least I'm getting more s*** done at work.

Muurrrrrderrrrr

2011-07-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

My super talented aunt writes these incredible murder mysteries. She let me try one out with a group of my homies. It was honestly SO much fun and I definitely want to do one again.

It was called "A Bassless Accusation." Taking place in the spectacular 60's, it involved 3 bands competing for stardom, some poisoning, cheating, lying and of course, murder.

Here are some pics.

Some of the characters:

Here they are, reading. Learning all there is to know about each of their characters.

They conversed.

And giggled.

She got in trouble.

So then she took it out on him.

She thought it was funny.

So then she was stabbed. Serves her right.

She was confused.

He was trying to act innocent.

These two were scheming.

These two were talking about getting a room.

These two are just cute.

... or nerdy.
This guy looks smokin' hot in retro gear.

And this guy tried to kill everybody. Rock, paper, scissors style.

This band won the competition. So they performed a song. "Row, Row, Row your Boat."
It was the best air guitar, air drums, air tambourine and a capella singing I've heard in a while.

Everyone had a marvelous time, and I'm so glad we did it. Thanks to all who came and made it so much fun. And thank you, again, Kristin, for writing it!

She's 3 weeks!

2011-06-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

I'm an aunt!! Again!

My brother and his wife had their precious little baby girl 3 weeks ago, today (May 25)! I'm so happy for them. My mom is down there, now, taking pictures of the bundle of joy and of course enjoying the beauty of Costa Rica.

She's so darling. I'm in love with her and I haven't even met her, yet. I think that's a good enough excuse to take another vacation... :)

We love you, Aysia! Welcome to the family!

She's 7!

2011-06-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

My precious little sweetheart has just turned 7. If my math is correct, that means I must have birthed her when I was 17, right? ... RIGHT? Yes. Because there's no way I'm that close to 30.

Anyway, with a birthday must come a party. Considering that for the last two years, the weather sucked (for lack of a better word) on the day of her birthday party, I decided to keep it simple this year and not plan anything that I wouldn't be able to move inside at the last minute. So I didn't really plan anything.

I bought a small craft for them to do (making bracelets):

And luckily, much to my surprise, it ended up being super sunny, so I called everyone and had the girls bring swimsuits and let them squirt water at each other so I could sit back and not do anything.

Justin faithfully guarded the water balloons and shot anyone who dared get in the way.

And we decided that we might as well continue with our birthday piñata tradition, since we do it nearly every year, anyway.

One of the girls had a herculean arm and knocked Scooby off the hook, so they finished beating him to death while he was lying defenseless on the ground.

Aren't these girls cute? I didn't know it was legal to have this many darling girls in the same neighborhood, but they pulled it off, somehow.

Cake!

Kennedy is growing up so fast and is such a sweetheart. She loves playing with friends more than almost anything in the world. She loves to ride her bike and her scooter, and does it very well. She can read and write like a pro and leaves us random little notes all over the house. She loves Scooby Doo and dinosaurs. She is constantly singing and dancing, acting goofy, playing dress-up and pretend, and putting on plays for us. She is such a joy to have around and can't even believe how much I love her.

Happy 7th birthday, Kennedy Rae!

Mmm.

2011-06-01T16:56:00.001-07:00

Ever have one of those days where you just want to have a whole bunch of this

and then finish off with an entire thing of this

Yeah, me too. Like, every day.

Up With Kids

2011-05-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

This year (September-May) Kennedy was in a program called Up With Kids. She went once a week for an hour and they would sing, dance and act in preparation for a final year-end performance. At the end of the year (May), they put on a show/musical for everyone to see. This year the play was a mash-up of Alice in Wonderland and Toy Story 3. Kennedy did SO great and I was very proud.

Here are pictures (courtesy of my wonderful mom):

Here we have Kennedy politely listening for her instructions before the performance.

And this is Kennedy being . . . Kennedy.

In the first scene, she was an alien. An alien who apparently couldn't stop playing with her hair. But at least she was cute.

In her next scene she was a lovely pink flower:

She delivered her lines flawlessly.

And just look at that acting. Wow. Bravo, girl. Bravo.

And finally, in the last last scene (there were 8 scenes total, but I only really cared about the three she was in, of course), she was part of the menacing Jabberwocky.

Then they performed the song "Imagine." They sang as well as used sign language. My mom and I are both babies so we cried.

At the end of the performance, the teacher awarded each of the kids with an Oscar. Kennedy beamed.

And then, naturally, she showed Kaden that the Oscar has a butt.