A Day in the Life of Jamie...

Party Like a Leprechaun

2010-03-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, Sylvia, Kirsten and I had a pimp St. Patty's day party. Here are some pics from it.

Fam Damly

2010-03-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

I am going to have a new love of my life! His name is Parker. He has not yet come into my life, but he is on his way! I was able to go down to California for my sister's baby shower. He isn't due until May though. I was able to go to my brother's house once I landed so that I could spend time with Jason, Michele and KENNEDY!

Later that night, I was able to go to BJ's with my family for my brother in law's birthday. I love BJ's like no other and one day I hope that they will come up to Utah! Saturday I was able to spend time with my cousin and her family. We were also able to do one of the things that we use to do so much when we were younger and loved so much. My friends had a BBQ/Wii party. Here are some pics from my Saturday events.

Sunday was the baby shower! Nothing is better than spending time with my family! Although I did get a little burnt, but it was well worth it. Here are some pics.

The Good in People

2010-02-25T22:35:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how certain events in your life can alter the way in which you view the world and those around you. I have had several people and experiences in my life that have changed the way I think. In the last 3.5 years, I have had nonstop interactions with many different people due to the nature of my job. So when I combine both my personal experiences and work experiences, it is not a good combination.

The hardest thing is to remember that the clients that I interact with at work are not a good representation of the general public. There are good people out there who still care deeply for others and are willing to do anything for those who they come in contact with. One of the hardest things to do is to have faith in people and believe that they are good, honest people. There have been people in my life that I put trust in and there has been something that they did that caused me to lose that trust. Both myself and someone close to me has been burned by beginning to love or loving someone who said they had the same feelings towards you. Then finding out that they were not trustworthy nor that they felt the same respect towards you and your relationship, is one of the hardest things to try to overcome. The hardest thing to learn to do is to not punish the next person in your life because of what someone else did. Determining whether or not the reason why I am meeting the people that I meet is based on my own wrong decisions in trusting certain people or that the world is becoming worse and worse is a tough call. I hope that its not just the world, but that I am meeting the wrong people.

On top of my personal life, there are so many clients at work that lie and deceive to do anything that they can in order to get what they want or what they feel they are obligated to receive. It gets to the point where I seem to question a lot of what people tell me. I am constantly looking to find something that they are lying about or are trying to hide from us. Having faith in people has become harder and harder and I have learned to appreciate those who I feel are honestly telling the truth.

I have learned that the faith that I have in people does not come as easily as it use to. There is a movie called Ice Castles, where a Figure Skater goes blind and learns to skate again after going blind. She had to put her trust in those who were around her and cared deeply for her to care for her and make sure that she is not subjected to any harm. There are many people in my life that who I already know that I can trust, its trusting those that I do not know that is hard. Its a blessing to know that those who love you and care for you would be willing to do all that they can to keep you safe. But its become a curse not knowing whether or not those with whom you do not know very well are trust worthy and hesitating when it comes to trying to give them the trust that they may deserve.

Working to Live

2010-02-15T20:41:00.000-08:00

There is a conversation with Andie and Nigel in "The Devil Wears Prada" that seems a little to relevant to me right now. Andie mentions to Nigel that her "personal life is hanging by a thread". Nigel then states "That's what happens when you start doing well at work darling, let me know when your whole life goes up in smoke, it means its time for a promotion". Given my personal life, I think that I am in need of a promotion. Its interesting to see how often times we tend to succeed in one area of our life, while other areas of our life tends to slowly dissipate until you get to the point where you are not sure how to revive it again. I was taught to be a strong person, who is a hard-worker and is able to do things on their own. I have been able to accomplish that, but then I have also begun to allow work to control my life.

Many of you may or may not know this, but I work Full time for the State of Utah and then part time for KinderCare. I was thinking of how I have begun to allow work to control my life today as I was working at KinderCare(which happened to be a day off from my full time job). I came to the realization that I am devoting myself to a company that rarely goes above and beyond for their employees. I understand that I only work at KinderCare a couple hours a week, but regardless of the amount of hours that I put into working for them, I feel like I am giving to them as much as their full time employees when looking at the whole picture. With KinderCare, I work what I am able to, given the time and energy that I have available to give after the 40-50 hours a week that I put in with the state. There are goals that I want to accomplish both financially and then my own drive to succeed in all that I do that causes me to work as much as possible.

My Aunt Becky once mentioned to me the concept of 'Working to Live' vs 'Living to Work'. I have always wanted to be the type of person who is 'Working to Live' but sadly, I have become the latter. I devote myself to my work, which I have allowed myself to become encompassed in for the majority of my time. Its one of those things that if I were to stop working, I would have no clue what I would do with my time. I often think of taking a vacation, but then the thought of taking a week off and then having to go back to work, then working twice as hard to catch up, or causing my co-workers to complete my work while I am gone causes me to think twice about going on one.

In the movie mentioned, Andie sees her life fall apart, betrays those close to her and becomes someone she has never wanted to be. She did this all for the the thrill of chasing something that she never knew she wanted until it fell into her lap and then once it did, she regretted it because of who it made her become. She falls, yet she is able to catch herself and finds herself making the changes needed to become who she use to be. I have yet been able to do that. Being able to learn how to 'Work to Live' instead of 'Live to Work' is an important view in life that many people are trying to overcome each day of their life but often fail to. Myself included.

Bridezilla

2010-01-15T22:02:00.000-08:00

Many of you have probably heard of the show Bridezilla or have seen it. I have not actually seen the show, but I have been able to see clips from it. One of my dear friends from KinderCare is getting married and was selected to be on the show. The camera people showed up a week before the wedding and stays in town through the wedding. They film everything and are with Natalie the majority of the time. Its very interesting, especially when you realize that you think you are talking to her privately, but then realize that both of the camera people are listening to what you are saying(microphone) even though they may not be in your face taping it. I am unsure on when the show will air, but it will be interesting to see how they twist different events and make them into a show. Here are some pictures from the Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party.

Jamelpalooza

2010-01-05T07:10:00.001-08:00

Melanie and I have decided that we need to get out more. So this year we have decided to go out and experience more that Utah has to offer. The Jazz game last night was the jumping off point of our decision to create a year of "Jamelpalooza". Below is a list of several restaurants and event/places that we want to experience this year. Many of them are things that we do each year regardless. But its important that we fill our year with the regulars as well as the ones that we usually do not do.

So if you have any suggestions for us, we welcome them!!! You are also all invited to experience these with us, so if you are interested, let me know!

Restaurants

* Ruth's Diner
* Bombay House
* Rodizio
* Zupa's (Mel has never been there - sad huh?)
* In N Out (Mel has never been here as well)
* CPK (Mel has been very deprived - my heart broke when she told me all the places she has never been)
* La Hacienda
* Italian Place downtown(Authentic Italian Pizza)
* Gelato Place
* Melting Pot
* Red Iguana

Places/Events

* Tulip Festival
* Clark Planetarium
* Drive Inn
* St. George - Tuacahn
* Antelope Island
* Bonfire
* Manti Pagent
* Bee's Game
* Jazz Game
* Symphony/Opera
* Lava Hot Springs
* Concerts
* Trip to California
* Greek Festival
* Swiss Days
* Parade of Homes
* Natural History Museum
* Heber Creeper Polar Express
* Homestead Crater
* Alpine Slides
* Mount Timpanogos cave

Happy New Year to Merry Christmas!

2009-12-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

This year I have decided to do something different. I actually stole the idea from a friend who did something that was similar. It is basically an end of the year synopsis of what I spent my year doing. Although I am always constantly busy, it feels like its not any big events. I must forewarn you that the lack of pictures is due to the sad fact that my camera died. I then found my old camera and then that one died as well. My friends use to know me as the one who has always had her camera with her at all times......but lately I have lost that title. So the pictures from the last half of my year have stopped.

I am still working for the Department of Workforce Services as well as Kinder Care, although my work at KC has dwindled a lot in the past few weeks. Work with the state has increased incredibly. For the past 20 or so years, our main system that we work out of and issue benefits out of is a DOS program and we are going to be switching to a Windows based program. Needless to say there is a lot of work that we need to do to prepare for everything to convert to this new system. Rumor is that this system is easy to work , but I overall have my doubts. I am sure that once I work out of it more, it will be fine, but right now I know our current system(PACMIS) like the back of my hand and know how to manipulate that system better than anything in my life. Recently I have been able to work overtime for a couple hours every other week or so, which has been great for Christmas especially since I procrastinated buying gifts for Christmas to the last minute this year.

My New Year started off in Vegas. I was able to be with my sister, Amy for New Years eve/day. Last Christmas/New Years I was able to take the week off of work between those 2 holidays. So I was able to spend it between Cali, La Verkin, Utah (grandparents home) and Las Vegas with my Dad and Sister. It seems that all my trips lately are to either to Vegas or California. Although, I am planning on going to Ohio next Fall for the Ohio State/Michigan game as well as visit people in Ohio that I have not seen in several years. So that should be fabulous!

In February, Amy came to visit me for her birthday. We were able to go out dancing a couple times, go to a spa and she did some skiing. I have yet to give skiing a try even though I have lived in Utah for 5 years. I also started being a Mary Kay consultant. Time has prevented me from being able to do too much with it. But at this time its been good since my friends and family have been able to benefit from it!!

March was pretty much uneventful. April on the other hand was extremely eventful as it was the month of my 30th birthday. I was able to go to Cali for Easter as well as my birthday. My friends really spoiled me after I got home from Cali. Everything that they did for me was a surprise. The activities consisted of a breakfast at IHOP, then they dropped me off at the hotel room that they got for me for the night, a massage in the hotel room, surprise dinner at Lonestar with about 30 of my friends, comedy club and then the last huge surprise was a SUV limo where abut 16 of us drove around SLC for the rest of the night. Needless to say, I had a great 30th birthday and I have great friends who went to all lengths to spoil me for it.

Later in the month of May I was able to go to Lake Havasu to celebrate Fathers day and my Dad's birthday with my Dad, Jason, Michele, Amy and Kennedy. It was a very nice trip. We were able to take the boat out for the first time this year. Sad to say, it was the only time I went out on the boat all year. I love being able to spend time with Amy and Jason. It is one of those things that I love when we are able to be together, but we are rarely able to do it.

Some of my favorite things this past year was that every Wednesday night became Rockband/Glee night. Kirsten, Sylvia, Mindy and I would get together each Wednesday, make dinner, play Rockband and then watch Glee. Thursday nights then became Volleyball night. My friend - Rachael has access to the Volleyball court at the National Guard, so that's where we went to play. We would play volleyball and then head to TGI Fridays afterwards for dinner.

During the months of Summer I started house hunting. I was able to find a condo in Holladay and so far have loved it. It has 2 bedroom/2 bath. The path to finding the perfect one for me, but I was eventually able to find it. My specifications were pretty limited, but I was able to find it and now I am loving it. My mom was able to come up and help me get settled in and paint. I have also since got a roommate as well. I have not lived with anyone in quite awhile. It's been nice to have someone here.

Just prior to moving into my condo, I was living with some friends. My lease was up at the end of August and at that time I was not too sure on when I was going to get my home, so I moved in with my friends, Sylvia and Kirsten. I only ended up living with them for about 3 weeks. I did love it when I was there. They still consider to be one of their roommates, which is nice!

I was able to to down to Cali for Kennedy's 2nd birthday. The most wonderful thing about that trip was that I found out that Michele was pregnant again!! I am so excited, although I really hope that its a boy. Luckily, I will find out in a couple days on whether its going to be a boy or a girl!

Now I will be able to spend my Christmas with my family. As of right now, I have 2 days of work left before I am able to return home for the Holidays.

I have learned a lot and grown a lot this past year based on the situations that I have been in. The 2 biggest changes in my life was that I lost two very important people in my life due to varying circumstances. Both of which I considered people I was closest to and one of which knew more about me than many people do. You cannot change the way people live their life. The decisions that they made effected me tremendously. I hate to say that I will miss one more than the other. I have come to realize that one of them was more or less a social friend. They make it easy to move on once you realize they type of friend that they were and how they treated you towards the end. The other was someone who knew me on a completely different level than anyone else in my life knew me. Once someone makes a decision and you are not really given a choice in the matter, it becomes a little frustrating. Especially when they did not have the decency to give you the closure that one would need or want in order to move on. The sad thing is that I tend to care about others more than they reciprocate the feelings and I wonder why I care about others who don't seem to care about me at all.

I have learned that there are some friends that are there for you regardless of what has happened in the past. Friends who stop talking to you and let others decide who they should be friends with. Friends who will always be a friends regardless of the distance. And friends who are there for you and consider you a part of their family. And family will be there for you always regardless of how much you get so involved in your own life, that you sometimes forget about them. This year overall has been great and I look forward to a new year!

My New Home!!

2009-10-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, I bought a condo about 2 months ago. Its a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo in Holladay, UT. I have slowly been moving into it. There were a lot of things that I have done to it(mainly painting) and other things that I have yet to do to it. But that will come with time.

Here a a few of the pictures of it before:

Here are some pictures after I have painted and decorated it.

In N Out

2009-08-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

My dream, along with many other California/AZ/NV Natives that are living in Utah is coming true. In N Out is coming to Utah. First to Orem and then on to South Jordan and Draper. Kirsten and I drove down to Orem today to check on the progress. Here it is....

It was a good day!!

House Hunting

2009-08-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

For the past 2 months I have been searching for a new home. The good news is that I have found one and we are in the final stages of it. Along the way, it has been quite interesting. My Realtor, who is also a good friend of mine and I had some laughs while touring different places.

Adventure #1:
We have had a lady who was in the home and knew that we were coming by to look at it. Stacey knocked on the door - no answer. So she proceeded to get the key to go inside. Once she got the key, there was a lady on the inside who repeatedly kept on locking the door, whenever we would unlock it. We were unaware of this. We thought that the locks were stuck. Then once we managed to unlock the door. The lady was pushing from the inside. At this point we thought that the door was stuck on the rug or something. After it all, we realized that the lady kept on locking the door and was blocking the door. We think she thought that we were trying to break in.

Adventure #2
There is one complex that had about 8 for sale in it, which usually is not a good sign, but we went anyways. Many of them were nice and some were updated. One of the last ones that we went to had - are you ready for this? - Pink and blue walls with flower wallpaper. It was perfect for the older lady who lived there with the white wicker double bed. I really wish I took pictures of that one.

Adventure #3
I am so glad that we took the wrong turn on the way to this one. We never actually found the place, but we did find a complex on the other side of it and we tried to drive through it and as we did, we realized that it was GHETTO! It was really random cause all around this ghetto complex were nice areas with new townhomes and older nice homes.

Adventure #4
This one was funny as heck. One of the things I did not even notice until after I left. They built a laundry room in the dining room with the dryer right next to the window so that the vent would go outside. Then there were vanity lights above the kitchen sink. I don't think these people were thinking very well during their "remodel" of the home.

Adventure #5
This one is very entertaining. The first time we experienced this it was in a home that was not updated and was a little ghetto, so when we saw this we were trying to figure it out. Ideally, its an interesting concept and it works, just a little odd.
In each one of these homes, there was a sink in the closet.

Dirty 30.....Saturday Edition

2009-04-19T07:37:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how much I love my friends? They treated me to the most fabulous birthday I have ever had and I was not expecting any of it. Let me start off by saying that I was given these instructions. 1. Be ready by 10:30 on Saturday(4/18) morning. 2. Have a bag packed with bathing suit, evening clothes and overnight items Saturday morning Linette, Jaesa and Julian come back pick me up. They then proceed to take me to IHOP. One of our favorite waiters works there. We went there this past V-Day and he was the most entertaining waiter. My friend Heidi and Kim met up with us there. Here is a picture of me and the waiter. After Breakfast, they proceeded to take me to a local Marriott and set me up in a nice room. The room was decorated the balloons, treats and magazines for my reading pleasure. Sorry - I had to get rid of the slideshow due to the stupid music that I accidently downloaded with it.
The next instructions I was given was that my next surprise would be coming at 2pm, which was about an hour away. When 2pm rolled around, my friend Kim, who is a massage therapist came in and gave me a full body massage....it was fabulous. Shortly after the massage, my friend - Nanda came and I then proceeded to get ready for the remainder of the evening. After I was ready, we headed towards our next destination. I was blindfolded for part of the way. I could not handle being blindfolded the whole time. The next destination was Lonestar. We love lonestar mainly because there is a private room and we usually need one cause we are so loud. When I arrived at Lonestar, there were about 20 of my friends their waiting. The majority of them were from KinderCare or past wards....it was pretty stinking fabulous. Halfway through the dinner, I had a surprise, which was Trevor coming in and doing a little dance for me....no worries - it was clean. They also created a slideshow for me. Here are a few pictures from that.

After dinner, 13 of us headed over to my next surprise. WISEGUYS Comedy Club. I have been wanting to go there for such a long time and finally I was able to go. It was really funny. I think the comedian was getting annoyed with our little section because we were so loud. My friend Rachel and I were laughing so loud the whole time and then there were moments when she would make a comment regarding his joke, which ended up to be funnier than his. He ended up getting pretty annoyed that we were laughing after the joke was over and her knew that we were no longer laughing at him, but at something else. We ended up leaving the comedy club a little early. Everyone else left. My friend Linette held me back, gave me an envelope and gave me instructions that I was to give it to the person at the next part of the evening. As I walked outside the comedy club, there was a stretch Lexus SUV Limo waiting for me with all my friends.

Once we were in the Limo, the driver was instructed to go to several locations. The first one being the Blue Boutique....that was the first. Next we headed to Maverik(gas station) for drinks and bathroom break. We then proceeded to the Gateway(shopping mall) and I was then instructed to take several pics, the state capitol and then lastly Keys on Main. The night was overall fabulous as you can see from the pictures provided.

Whats better than Prince and the 80's?

2009-04-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

I have finally bought the internet! No more trips to coffee houses and the Library for free wi-Fi needed! I have been without a provider everysince I moved to Utah, but I changed that last night, so now you can expect me to be updating my blog on a more of a regular basis now.

Two weeks ago I went to two very pimp-themed parties. The first was an 80's party for my friends daughters 16th birthday. The second was a Prince themed party for a friend who deserved one like no other. She was just promoted and has been very stressed lately due to the promotion. She loves Prince and when I was going to leave Utah, she threw me the sweetest party. It included a scavanger hunt going to many of the places that we hung out at. Ending at a place called Noah's with many of my close friends there. She made a DVD slideshow for me as well as a how well do you know Jamie game? I never did blog about it, but that party was fun. Here are some pics from the parties

PS - Birthday pics are coming soon. My friends are throwing me a party tomorrow and all I know is that I need to pack several changes of clothes, an overnight bag and I need to be ready by 10am.....this could be a little frightening

2009 so far......

2009-02-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

An update on my life is definitely needed! So much has changed in the last few weeks. Here are some changes

1. ) I am going to be a big Sister. I signed up with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Utah. I am so excited. It seems like I am so consumed with myself and work that sometimes I forget to give to others. So this is one way that I am hoping to give back to the community. I am not sure who I will get or when, but I am hoping that it is soon. I have been able to attend orientation, but now I need to have an interview so that they can find a match for me!

2.) I have become a Mary Kay consultant. I am not too sure how much of a sales person I am, but I am truly excited for this. I know this sounds cheesy, but Mary Kay products seem to be the only type of skin care that my skin takes. All the other products usually cause me to break out or do not seem to improve my skin. So hopefully I am able to make some extra income as well through this new business endeavor. Luckily I was able to sign up with a friend from KinderCare, so we will be doing it together. Having someone go to the meetings and figure everything out with will be very nice.

3.) I cut about 2 - 3 inches off my hair!! I have been trying to grow it out, but it has just been TOO unhealthy and had too many split ends. So I chopped it and am hoping to start over. I went to a hair stylist who has traveled with Redkin fixing hair and doing presentations, so she knows her stuff! I decided to let her do whatever she wanted. I did have limitations, but it turned out very cute. Its a little lighter than I have every had it, but I like it! Its a lighter brown base with blondish highlights. The highlights look good. The last time I had highlights was when I let Becky Zamora do my hair back in about 2000. Those did not turn out very well. Home highlight kits using the brush does not work! So its been a while. Pictures will be coming soon! I am going to Cali this weekend so I will post some of those pictures while I am there.

4.) I love my adopted family! I know this isn't really a change. But I have just realized how much they mean to me. My adopted family is the Ketchums up in Utah. I have know Linette since I moved to Utah. Her and I use to be preschool teachers together at KinderCare and then we both moved on to management positions and then I eventually left KC full time. Although I still work there part time, which is mainly for social reasons and to help her out. I consider her kids my siblings and we treat each other as such at times as well. Linette's husband works for the news, so he is out of town for days/weeks at a time. We both lean on each other and know that if we ever need anything, we call each other first. Her son Julian was presented with an issue and they were discussing it, so they called me and had me on speaker phone. We were all talking about it and after a little bit. Julian asked his mom and sister to stop talking so that he could hear what I was saying and what my advice was. When he heard what I had to say, he then said that he was going to do whatever I said. Its amazing to think that a 14 year old would be willing to listen to me and do whatever I say. The amazing thing is that even though he would have liked to do opposite of what I told him, because I said that it would not be in his best interest later, he promised that he would not.

I have the most amazing life which encompasses my friends and family!

Olympic Oval Adventures

2009-01-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

Many of you may be aware of my nickname Barbie Knees. If not, please let me explain. I have what my friends call 'Barbie Knees'. Which are knees that are double jointed and bend backwards, just like Barbies.
Due to my Barbie Knees, my knees are a lot more susceptible to popping out of place and being irritated by little things such as the weather and any movement that is not normal or controlled. Due to this sensitivity, I am not able to do certain activities in fear of them popping out of place or just my psychological fear of them popping out which causes me to be a little more nervous.
My ward went to the Olympic oval to go ice-skating this past Monday. I was hesitant to actually skate while there in fear of falling and messing up me knees. Nanda persuaded me to go with her and actually skate. While she was convincing me to go, I was under the impression that she knew what she was doing with regards to ice-skating. As soon as we got there, we slapped on our ‘VIP’ bracelets, got our skates and headed up the stairs to the actual ice skating rink/oval. If you have never been to the oval, it’s different than any ice skating rink. You enter the ice in the middle of the rink, which is basically like a track on a football field. In the middle there are 2 small ice hockey rinks and then around there is a little walking track where those who are ice-skating can use before entering the ice. Due to this set up there is NOTHING to hold on to while entering the ice. You need to cross about 30’ of ice to get to something to hold on to which is a foam barrier between the ice rink/track and the running track. As soon as Nanda and I was at the track, we watched people for about 5 – 10 minutes and then attempted to get on the ice. We both put one foot on the ice at the same time and as soon as we felt the ice we took our foot off immediately. The sad thing is that both of us did that at exactly the same time, which shows how big of babies we are. We then decided that we were going to try it out. So one of us got on the ice, while the other one walked along the ice. We did this off and on for one trip around the ice. We were able to luckily meet people who were willing to help us around for a little bit as well. After our first time around the ice(and taking pictures-of course), we were done. Then a lady was kind enough to show us how we need to skate to keep from falling as well as to actually go somewhere. So we tried to do it again. I think that we did much better the second time around. Although Nanda did fall twice, she says it was my fault that she fell, but it was her, so if she tries to convince you that it was my fault, it’s a lie! Here are a few pictures from our attempt at ice skating….

Fair Warning

2009-01-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my lovely cousin, Sara last night and she informed me that she was confused by my previous post with regards to the timelines. I will warn you all that I am horrible at finishing a post in one sitting, so if it appears that it has been written over a span of time, it more than likely has been.

In future posts, if I write over a period of time, I will try to date each part of the post to make it more understandable.

Grateful

2008-12-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

I know that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which makes this blog correlate with the whole idea of being thankful, but it is not necessarily Thanksgiving that has caused me to write it. I have grown to understand and realize just how much I am loved and appreciated. I was talking with a friend yesterday about certain things going on in my life and she reiterated the fact that you don’t realize how many people love and appreciate you until they lose you.

So...I finally decided to check my blog and noticed that I had started this blog about a month or so ago....hence the title 'Grateful' and now it is Christmas Eve. I really need to updated my life more on this lovely blog. Although I would say that I do have a good reason as to why I have been slacking in my blog. Many of you may be aware that I was planning on moving back to California, but things with my employment fell through about 5 days before I was suppose to move back. So gratefully I was able to keep my job with the State(they LOVE me ;) ). For the past 2 months, I have spent the month of November getting ready to move back and then the month of December getting back into the swing of normal life, all the while getting ready for the holidays.

I was able to spend thanksgiving with my family, which was wonderful(which I have not done in 4 years) and then I was able to spend the remainder of the weekend in Havasu. It was quite fabuous! Here are a few pictures from my Thanksgiving weekend in Rancho along with the following weekend while Lake Havasu.

Jason and I ~ Thanksgiving Day

Kennedy and I

Michele and I

Now that the holidays are over - with the exception of New Years, I hope that I am able to keep my blog more up to date especially with pictures!!!

Fall Update.......Yes..I am so behind on my blogs - I know!

2008-10-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Its been over a month...I know...Becky kindly reminded me about 2 weeks ago that its been awhile since I've updated my blog. So here I am finally updating it. I am moving home in 2 ½ weeks and life is crazy right now. Between my normal everyday crazy life and the additional tasks of preparing to move and go back to school. I have the task of selling my furniture at this present moment, which seriously is breaking my heart! I love my stuff. Plus I am going to be without a bed and possibly my washer and dryer for 2 weeks. I am not a fan of using the ghetto public apartment washer and dryer. Especially when I am rarely home to even do my laundry all at one time.

With regards to school I am still waiting to hear from both Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach regarding my acceptance into the grad programs. I was talking with one of my dear friends last night and he is looking into getting his Masters in School Counseling, which was also an option that I looked into doing. So he has convinced me that I need to apply for it. It would be sweet if we could go to grad school together!

This past month has been hectic! There has been so much going on. Nothing too exciting has happened. Halloween was good times, I dressed up as a cat for the 2nd year in a row. I bought a French Maid outfit, but changed my mind at the last minute. At work, we all dressed up as cats and my boss was the cat lady. We looked pretty hot! My Halloween week consisted of several parties and going dancing a couple times. My best friend loves to party and dance as much as I do, so we are always up for spending the evening dancing.

I also had an interesting health issue this month. Who knew that a salivary gland could get a stone? I have learned that it can. Not too sure what causes it. But I was able to take a trip to both the dentist – who found nothing effecting my teeth and my doctor who could not find anything either. He only suggested that it was a stone and that I needed to eat as much sour candy as possible to stimulate the gland and cause it to release the stone. Needless to say it worked. Which I am grateful that nothing is too terribly wrong with my health given I am switching health insurance in a few weeks.

As my time in Utah comes to an end, I have looked at my calendar and have noticed that everyday/night is filled with either work, social events, parties or plans to do as much as possible with those who live here. I am going to miss being here so much especially given the fact that I have so many people that live in Utah who love me and care for me as much as they do.
** Pictures will be coming soon**

So much to do, So little time.

2008-09-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

SO this summer has FLOWN by like no other! Its weird to think that Fall is already here and that I am going to be moving home a a couple of months, I feel like I am not even close to being ready. Besides, basic job hunting-which I hope is not necessary if I am able to just transfer to a KC down in LA, Basic school program searching-although I think I have decided what I am going to do, now I just need to apply and take the necessary tests for that program and minimal packing I feel like I am not ready at all!

The past month has been quite hectic! I took a last minute(when I say last minute-its true. I found out about a family emergency at 7pm and bought my ticket and was at the airport by 7:45) trip to Vegas for a family emergency and then 2 weeks after that I as in Cali for Kennedy's 1st birthday party.In between those trips I have been running around like a mad woman. Due to my job changing our schedule to being 10 hour days. My Monday-Thursday's are out of control. I have finally been able to figure out a regular schedule that works for me. Although I barely have time to breathe, but its all good. My daily schedule is Gym: 5:45 - 7:00. Work 7:45 - 6:15 and then work at KC until about 9:30ish. Luckily my Friday-Sundays are much more flexible, yet work at KC, gym and errands usually encompass my whole weekend.

Linette's Birthday Dinner

Nanda and I at the Utah State Fair

Kennedy playing in the fountain.....she LOVES the water!

My Aunt Katie and I at Kennedy's birthday party.

Rockstar

2008-08-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

So.....my nutrition consultant, who rocks and I respect tremendously (see Jared Hansen's blog) informed me that sometimes its good to drink caffeine when your body has hit a plateau. I think that is what he said-regardless of the fact, he told me to try a Rockstar energy drink this week. So Friday, I run to the market (not the grocery store-thats for all of you who make fun of me for saying the 'Market' instead of the 'grocery store') on my break (yes- I am still working on Fridays when I am suppose to have them off), I buy the Carb-free Rockstar and decide to save it until later in the evening when I am going dancing and plan on being up late.......BAD IDEA! Little did I know that my body does not do well with that much caffeine. The sad thing is that I only drank about 8 ounces. I have been drinking very little caffeine, if any in the past several months. It was the most unique experience of my life. Luckily those who I was with the most that evening, knew me and knew that I had not been drinking. I am sure that did not know me probably thought that I was drunk. was sweaty and red faced.....NOT fun. My friends more or less were able to make fun of me a lot, which I welcome at any time the opportunity presents itself. It was quite the experience. Never again will I drink one of those. Here are soem pictures of Nanda, Lindsey and I at the Taylorsville dance. Good Friends + Camera = Good Times!

Nanda, Lindsey and I rockin it at the Dance.....

Who of you have lived in the great state of Utah and have been able to experience Lagoon? If you have, I am SO sorry. Lagoon is on my list, well no longer on my list, of things to do before I move out of Utah. I went this weekend and man was it an interesting experience. One of the roller coasters was pretty scary. I think its name is Wicked. Regardless of the name, you go straight up and turn sharply and then go straight down.....I used some choice words on that ride. I am just glad that I am still alive. If you have never been to Lagoon, don't go. We got there at about 1pm and left at 5 and went on all the rides worth going on. I remember doing that at Knotts(when I worked there and got in free) but it was in the middle of the week during the off season with no lines, Knotts isnt too exciting, but it is definitely better than Lagoon.

Nanda, Patrick and I at Lagoon.

It all started with a road trip to Provo.....

2008-08-18T16:29:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was so stinking fabulous! I loved it. One of my dear friends is home from Law School, so I was able to hang out with her both Friday and Saturday. Friday, despite the fact that all state agencies have moved to a 4 day workweek, I was still at work doing overtime. Which will be super nice when I get my paycheck, although half of it will be going to taxes! I have realized that even though I have been suppose to have Fridays off the past 2 weeks, I have still managed to work on both of those days at one or both of my jobs. This week I am determined to not work on Friday! Yet I spoke too quickly because yet again I was just i formed that we are able to work more overtime on Friday.....I'm not a workaholic (well maybe I am), I just have a lot of moving expenses coming up and grad school, so give a girl a break.
Friday night, Nanda and I made the trek down to good old Provo. Michelle’s friend was having a bonfire in his backyard. So we crashed it! we got to burn some good ol statistics and Algebra books. It was good times being able to meet new people. Despite the fact that it is Provo, it was actually quite enjoyable. Being from California, I am use to being the minority with regards to my faith and not that Provo is like that in anyway, but everyone that was at the bonfire were from somewhere else besides Utah, which was a nice change. I love being around people who are different, which is maybe why I love California so much! To be in an area where the majority of people were not from Utah and did not all grow up together was a nice change. It also did not seem as cliquish as I know some people in SLC to be. They were actually friendly and got to know others outside of their 'group'. For once in a long time I felt really comfortable around single members of the LDS faith....thats a whole other blog.

Nanda, Michelle and I at the bonfire.

Brandon, Nanda, Jamie, Michelle, Sam and Ben

Saturday was a fabulous day as well. Nanda, Michelle and I went dancing at Habits! Rock On! No pictures to post at this time. Michelle was the one with the camera that night. There was somuch more going on this weekend, but the above is anoverview of the main events.

Summer Activities

2008-08-11T15:52:00.001-07:00

I have been slacking incredibly with regards to my blog and my Dad reminded me of it last night. I have also been slacking with regards to putting pictures up as well. But I have a really good excuse. Not having the internet at home poises quite the problem. To be able to put pictures on the internet, I have to first load the pictures on my laptop and then either go somewhere that I have access to the internet through my laptop for free or I have to load the pictures onto a CD and then take it to work and load them onto my blog that way. But the sad thing is that I barely have time to load the pictures from my camera onto my computer. Luckily the state has not blocked access to blogspots on our computers at work, so at least I am able to upload a blog minus the pictures. Hopefully I am able to get some pictures tonight and get them on the blog. Don’t count on it though. But it’s safe to assume that if pictures are on the blog, I actually had time to do so.

Lindsey, Nanda and I at Noodles and Company

Nanda and I dancing at Habits

Two weekends ago( 8/1 – 8/3) was fabulous! I was able to spend some long overdue time with Lindsey and Nanda (I see Nanda all the time, but I rarely see Lindsey anymore). We got to chill at good ol Noodles and Company. Nanda and I planned on going to Studio 600(smoke-free/alcohol free dance club), but that turned out to be a bust. We were there at about 10pm and it was DEAD. So we went to a place called Habits, which is also a smoke free club in SLC.

Saturday, I was able to go to the Parade of Homes. I LOVED it. But then again I love homes, so give me the opportunity to look at new homes that are fully decorated I am all over that. My cousin, Sara and I love going into model homes and this is an extension of that love! There are some huge homes out there where people have way TOO much money.

This past weekend was pretty rockin, actuallynot really the highlight of it was getting burned/tan while having a garage sale and only making $40.00 :(. I have way too much crap1 To think that I moved to Utah with what I fit in my car and now I could not even take all the items that I wanted to sell to the garage sale in one car load is sad. Granted, my car now is smaller and half of my trunk is devoted to my stereo system. Sunday was chill. Although I did get to go to my friends church BBQ, played horseshoe and tried to be a cowgirl and roped my friend who was on a metal Bull. Fun times had by all!

Things I learned this weekend.

1.) Coconut-Pineapple Dum Dum is not as good as a Coconut Dum Dum.

2.) One friend in particular knows how to piss me off to the point that I am not even able to talk to her, which is sad because I rarely get pissed off at people. I often pretend that I am, but in this situation, I really am pissed off.

3.) Some other friends know exactly what to do to make me feel fabulous when I feel like crap.

4.) Garage sales do not do as well on the East side of the SLC valley.

Workaholic

2008-07-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

The title seriously fits me perfectly. I am not exactly sure why, but my days for the last week or so have consisted of my going to my daytime job for 8 hours and then to the gym for an hour and a half, going home to get ready and then going to KinderCare at night to work. Why do I subject myself to this? I have a whole psychological theory behind it, but I'd rather not share/bore you with it. So I'll just share with you the basics. I love the people I work with at KC(KinderCare), so often I go so that I can hang out/work with them, I need money for the move and I love to feel needed. I am not sure why but I seem to function better when I am able to be as busy as possible. In college I worked full time and went to school full time, then in my last semester, I did an internship that consisted of an additional 8 hours a week on top of full time classes and a 40 hours work week. Seriously what is wrong with me? I am wondering if it will ever catch up to me. The sad thing is that I still have time for a 'somewhat' social life. I have been thinking that once I move back to LA, I will actually be able to slow down since I will only be going to work full time until I start my graduate program. Knowing myself, I will probably take additional classes at good ol MTSAC, just so that I can get into the whole school mentality again.
I know that you are all concerned about my social life, but no worries, I do have one, I just chose my activities accordingly. I'll blog about my social events from the past week soon. Plus this weekend Nanda and I are going dancing on Friday, which is long overdue and then on Saturday, I am going to the SLC parade of homes....which I am pretty stoked about! I love looking at homes.

Pioneer Day

2008-07-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

This Pioneer day will definitly be a good one to leave Utah with. My friend Kristen has an awesome backyard with a view of the SLC valley, which if anyone has been to my parents house, the view is similar, with the exception of mine being the San Gabriel valley :) . It was good times with many good friends. We were able to see the fireworks from Butlerville Days, along with Downtown and the ball game fireworks. There were many other shows that we were able to see, but those 3 being the most visible. My friend stole my camera and was trying to take as many pictures of her and boys as possible, so my pictures were very limited and I was not i very many of them....SAD DAY! But hey, the one picture of me that I did get on my camera s posted!

The view from the backyard

Nanda and I at the BBQ

Memories......

2008-07-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

What's your favorite memory of me?

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. :) If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Year of Concerts

2008-07-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

This year, I have decided to attend as many concerts as possible. So here are some pictures from the concerts that I have attended so far.

April, Nanda, Kirsten and I at the One Republic Concert in good Ol' Orem, Utah.

Nanda and I with Matt Nathanson!!!

Anne, Becky and I at the Ryan Shupe Concert ~ Snady Amphitheater, not the best concert, but good times had with friends while hanging out on the grass.

Matt, Becky, Brad and I at the Styx conert in Logan on the 4th of July ~ This concert rocked just for the fact that there were so many interesting people at the concert! And yes, I do have the skills to take a self portrait with 4 people in it :).

Sylvia, Jessica, Nanda, Patrick and I at the Life house concert. ~ Sorry Jessica...where did you go?

4-Day Workweek!!!

2008-07-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Its official….DWS is going to a 4-day work week! The governor passed an initiative indicating that all government agencies would be closed on Fridays as part of the Governor's 4 E's program: Energy, Environment, Employee Benefit and Extended Hours. So every weekend will now be a 3-day weekend. Although I am not too sure how much I am going to enjoy being at the office as late as 7 pm Monday – Thursday. There was much speculation on whether or not my office will be able to due so due to the fact that much of our work is guided by federal guidelines and policies. I will not go into detail, but being away from the office for 3 days in a row each week would make it hard for us to follow some federal policies.

The sad thing is that I hate to sit around and do nothing. So knowing myself, I will be able to take a couple Fridays off when it first begins(8/4) and then I will want to fill my day with something which will end up being working at KinderCare...not fun!

Summer 2008......So Far.

2008-07-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

The summer is already here and it has been fabulous! Besides the fabulous things that I have been able to do while with friends in SLC this Summer, I have been able to travel a couple times already. For the past 3 weekends I have been either out of town or entertaining guests.

I was able to fly into Vegas, where my Dad lives and then drive down to So. Cali and visit my brother and his family. My brother and Michele had a daughter, Kennedy, back in September 2007 and she is the most beautiful girl in the world. I adore her and I am pretty sure I am her favorite Auntie! We also got the chance to go visit my Aunt and Uncle down in Newport Beach. I was also able to see my cousin, Tim, who I have not seen in a very long time.

The weekend following Fathers Day, my mom came up to visit me in SLC. A couple of the highlights of the trip included Ragtime at the Sandy Amphitheater, the Bountiful Temple and some shopping. We also went to a mexican restaurant that was the worst place I have ever been to. Who serves enchiladas with flour tortillas and ground beef? I thought ground beef was only served at whitxican restaurants like Taco Bell and Del Taco. It was nice for her to be able to come and visit. Luckily the weather was perfect.

The following weekend I was able to go on a turn around trip with a friend to New Mexico so that she could drop off her children at their Grandma's. That was an adventure. The trip was about 9 hours each way and we were able to leave last Saturday night and came back Sunday evening. It was a beautiful trip. I have never seen Eastern Utah. It is probably one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. Although the trip was quite entertaining, if you have ever been around Linette and I, you would know why. I do have to confess that I did kill a rabbit, butterfly and hundreds of other bugs, while driving. So hopefully they will Rest In Peace.

Welcome

2008-06-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

So I have finally succumbed and joined the world of blogging. I have learned that facebook and myspace is not enough for me, I needed to add one more way of connecting with friends and family.
Granted Facebook and Myspace are quite the interesting way of sharing what is going on in your life, given the many posts and pictures that friends and family post of you. Whoever is able to look at facebook, will basically know what you are doing every moment of your life and often times have pictures to go along with it. I think it is much more interesting to actually read what the person is thinking and experiencing, which is why I am branching out and creating a blogspot.