Christmas 2011

So this is the first year since moving out that I've had a mantle above a fireplace to hang stocking on, and I love it.

I did not, however have mantle weight/hook things to hang them by ( Can't drill holes for hooks into the mantle- price of renting) so I made my own with only one wire hanger and some wire cutters.

It's kinda ghetto, but I'm okay with that. AND it was free.

Well, almost. I did pay with a little blood.

At one point while trying to bend one of the pieces it slipped and the freshly cut wire sliced pretty deep into my left pointer finger.

But who uses that finger anyways?

WORTH IT.

Rosco seemed to get a kick out of it all.

My kinda day

A few short reasons I’ve loved this day 

(of most will probably be food):

• Slept in nice and LATE
• Watched part of the Packers game at Lucky 13

• Steins of Uinta Hefs
• breakfast at Einsteins
• People watching

• Only D&me all day long
• Iced caramel macchiatos
• Awesome graffiti

• Ridiculous amounts of teasing, sarcasm & laughing
• No work!
• fried pickles & garlic fries
• Leggings, boots, and a cozy jacket
• Listening to this in Denver’s car
• PAckers winning!!!

Falling for Fall

Is the title cliche enough?

How many times am I going to start each post with admitting I suck at posting until I improve and start blogging the way I want to- like this chick, or until I just flat out give up? I hope I evolve into the prior. I don't want to give up. I'm just lazy.

Anywho- we are entering my most favorite time of the year.
FALL.
Some well deserved crisp, refreshing air.
Beautiful colors everywhere.
The instinct to curl up by a fire with Loverboy with a yummy hot beverage under a cozy blanket on the couch with the window cracked just wide enough to offer a reminder as to why you're inside rather than out.
mmm.
Not to mention the freaking clothing...
THE CLOTHING. It's killing me. This is the time of year I always wish I was rich. I want multiple closets devoted solely to jackets and leggings and scarves and hats and boots and gloves and everything fall. I know it's materialistic and I have plenty of these things (according to Loverboy)- but I'm always falling in love with new items. Not even so much the item itself, but the feeling and sensation the image offers. I mean- I look at these and picture myself in them having the coziest (while still sexiest) time of my life. And I want it. Don't you?
comfy tunic with hot yet cozy leggings
bad ass yet comfy sweater
super hot yet cozy sweater dress thing
comfiest looking shirt I've ever laid eyes on
and pretty much the one outfit I'd wear out the most if I had it.


Ugh... I daydream a lot, if you can't tell.
ALRIGHTY. Moving on.
It's time for Halloween prep, and if you know me at all, you know I love this holiday.
I was going to throw a party at our place, but it's not the most accommodating, so it's now being thrown at a friend's much cooler pad. (Cooler in that it's cool while still accommodating- my pad's rad- alright? Just not very big...) I'm super stoked for this event. Costume contest, games, drinks, friends, music- it best be epic, cuz I already have some pretty high expectations.

Next Saturday I'm "running" a 5k with my sis and nephew as zombies. I pretty much paid the cash to dress up as a zombie. It sounded like fun. Anyone who might be interested in the zombie factor as well can just show up at the Utah State Fair Park at 1pm next Saturday, the 15'th, for free. Salt Lake's trying to break the world record of number of zombies in one place- so join in!

Here's some pics to show off the Halloween spirit in our house thus far:

 I was looking at dozens of banners on Etsy and drooling over them all- I just couldn't find it in me to pay 30 bucks for one. I made this one out of what I had on hand. Not exactly what I wanted, but it filled the void.

 We have this picture frame that I just draw on with dry erase markers. This is our Halloween catch phrase for now.

 This is Edgar. He's been chilling there, standing guard for about a week now, and I'm flabbergasted he hasn't been stolen yet. Maybe he'll make it through the month.

All the neighborhood kids (and there are A LOT of them) just love the web and Edgar. 

I get a kick out of the attention, but they can be a little overbearing. Like- swarm our car while we're trying to back out to tell us how much they love the spider- overbearing. haha. It's cute though.

WElp. I think that's enough for today. Hopefully more soon.

(some comments every now and then wouldn't hurt... jusayin...)

Comes and Goes

I just heard this song for the first time literally minutes ago, but boy did it resonate. I love the style, the voice, and the lyrics are beautiful. They hardly need the song at all.


Comes And Goes lyrics

This one's for the lonely
The ones that seek and find
Only to be let down
Time after time

This one's for the torn down
The experts at the fall
Come on friends get up now
You're not alone at all

And this part was for her
This part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves, i....

This one's for the faithless
The ones that are surprised
They are only where they are now
Regardless of their fight


(My favorite verse)
This one's for believing
If only for it's sake
Come on friends get up now
Love is to be made

And this part was for her
This part was for her
This part was for her
Does she remember?

It comes and goes in waves,
I am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I am only led to wonder why
Why I try

This is for the ones who stand
For the ones who try again
For the ones who need a hand
For the ones who think they can

It comes and goes in waves,
I am only led to wonder why
It comes and goes in waves
I am only led to wonder why
Why I try


I love it. Look it up on YouTube. The artist is Greg Laswell

Fifty things that make me happy in as little words as possible

1-   Denver

2-   Mi familia

3-  Rosco the Bosco

4-   Our home

5-  The Beatles

6-  Iced coffee- mmm

7-  Cherry Menlove

8-  Photography

9-  Lavendar

10-Shabby chic

11-Dancing

12-Daydreaming of being a better dancer

13-Daydreaming in general (especially of being a figure skater)

14-Genuine people

15-Baby bumps. Eeee!

16-Good karma

17-Shoes. Omg- shoes.

18-Fresh fall air and vibrant colors

19-Hiking

20-Fresh fruit and veggies

21-Denver’s singing

22-Rosco’s high fives

23-Campfires

24-Timeless friends (Yes, Mandee Haycock and Jackie Pendleton, I’m thinking of you)

25-Learning to overcome distance (Marcy Lou)

26-Successful and long awaited pregnancies

27-Anthropology (the store) (I can't afford anything there- I just like to imagine having things from there..)

28-Following blogs of people I don’t even know

29-Spencer Blake- the most amazing teacher I’ve ever had

30-Random lunches with my beautiful mother

31-Secluded conversations with my father. He has no idea how much I respect, admire, and am grateful to him. No idea…

32-Playing guitar with Denver

33-Vacations

34-People watching

35-Customers I randomly connect with

36-Praise and camaraderie from superiors and equals at work

37-Compliments on my super buff legs

38-Documentaries. MAN I love documentaries

39-Inspiring college classes

40-Writing papers for my own entertainment

41-Music that resonates with me on a deep level

42-Transatlanticism by death Cab for Cutie- Denver’s and my song

43-Cuddling in the morning. I’m not a nighttime cuddler.

44-Sleeping with a fan blowing on me. Gotta have a cool breeze

45-Seeing a shooting star

46-Charlie Day- crazy funny man

47-Hardcore thunderstorms like we had the other night

48-The smell of fresh rain

49-The feeling of a clean house

50-A good home cooked meal

There are a million more things I could list. These are just the first 50 that came to me today.

I looked back at the same post I wrote last summer, and only 12 of the 50 were the same. The other 38 things are still accurate. We're just constantly evolving creatures with evolving emotions, desires, and memories.

Would you list any of the same things I did?

Much love.

Veggies n school

So I've kinda sucked at updating this thing lately. Sorry bout that. I'm not going to promise to do better, though... Haven't had much motivation. However, with Denver and my's classes being on opposite days this semester, there's a good chance you'll see more form me on here. :)

How bout some pics, eh?

The garden's finally started pumpin out some veggies!

(That bright colored vine in front is a sweet potato plant! I hope we actually get some form it.)

We are diggin the cherry tomatoes. So is Rosco, actually... more on that in a second.

 We've got green bell peppers coming in.

(Thought I'd also gotten an anaheim pepper plant, but turns out it was another bell... lame)

The big ol maters are coming in too quickly for Den and I to eat them. Gotta start giving them out.

I've spent the last two mornings weeding like crazy. That garden was a forest, and full of many new and creepy bugs. I wish I'd taken a before picture of the carnage.

Denver broke my favorite pot the other week. :(

He tripped on it, so at least the pot got him back..

My barrels aren't really thriving.. 

I got lazy on watering duty in the last few weeks, but Imma try to bring em back!

Giving Rosco a hard time. 

Today's bounty. I didn't get all the cherry tomatoes though. Still more out there.

Rosco's become quite the cherry stealing ninja... D and I will have some in our laps watching TV and Rosco will try and sneak em out without us noticing. He's actually gotten a few from Denver successfully.

Our second cucumber. (Rosco was obviously was very curious..) 

I should probably post some vaca pics.... I'll contemplate doing that later. For now they're on FB.

As for life right now- today's the first day of school at SLCC. D has 2 classes on M/W/F and I have 2 classes on T/R. Our schedule's suck, but we gotta get some schooling in.
He'll be going straight from school to work, so we're basically not going to see each other monday-friday...
I was pretty depressed when he left this morning knowing our mornings together are history until end of semester.
Hopefully this will motivate me to do more on the days he's gone, like grocery shop, clean, find recipes n junk. Might as well grow form the alone time. We'll see what happens.

Till next time,
Much love.

Yeah, I'm becoming a domestic diva

Okay, well I'm trying to at least...
I still need to learn how to cook, but I'm getting there. I drool over recipes in Better Homes and Gardens and while watching Barefoot Contessa everyday, so I think the motivation is coming, slowly but surely.

Moving into a larger space has opened lots of opportunity to decorate. I have so many plans in my head, but they all require too much money to be spent to do it all at once, which is really frustrating me...
Again, I'm getting there...

So far, a few of my favorite latest investments have been theses chairs and the beach umbrella.

Den and I chill on these bad boys daily, so long as it's not raining cats and dogs.
[I'm glad to see Summer decided to show up this year.]

I made some decorative floral junk to put on my kitchen cabinets (with my ma's help picking out the flowers). Does having silk flowers in my home make me old? I feel like it does... I've always felt like silk flowers were a cop out, and now they're in my kitchen... Not sure if I'm loving it or not.. We'll see.

On a side note, tell me this dog doesn't crack you up-

We've been to a few concerts here lately for Den's 21st Birthday. One was the Arctic Monkeys and the other was Iron and Wine. They were both a blast.

Here's a picture of the lead singer of Iron and Wine. This man is so outrageously talented, it is unreal.

Anywho. We're going to head out to get some groceries.
Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend. Tootles.

I'll leave you with a photo I took this morning of my favorite plant in the whole wide world.

Life as of late.

So it appears I have neglected the blog lately. I guess not having a desk job does that to me.

Serving at Mimi's has definitely been a new change of pace for me. I like to have a plan and know what to expect in almost every aspect of my life- so in turn I do not love not knowing what I'll make in tips one week compared to the next. That's taking some getting used to, but I have to just take the bad days with the good. Everything has a way of balancing out in the end.

Our lease at our current apartment is up this month, so we're trying to find a home to rent by May 1st. It's a bit of a daunting task. We want something cosy, reliable, and has a backyard for a decent price. Preferably in or close to Murray, as well. If anyone knows of something that may work, let me know!

April 10th was mine and Denver's three year anniversary. :) It was a great day. We went for a yummy breakfast at Mimi's, then took the mutt to a marsh of a field to play some very muddy fetch. For dinner we went to a brewery called The Bohemian. They have some very unique and tasty dishes, so despite the semi steep prices, it's worth the experience! Check it out. WE had a great time. The next morning we went for coffee at The Greenhouse Effect and played a card game of true/false questions. I guessed nearly all of them right and Denver guessed nearly all of them wrong. He grew quite frustrated very quickly. I've always been a good guesser, though.

Other than that, all in life is swell. We're getting a decent tax return back, so we're debating on whether to put it towards:
-a deposit on the home we hopefully find for next month
-a down payment on a car for yours truly. My '94 Sentra's not going to last me too much longer..
-save it for my upcoming tuition costs for school next semseter..

So many possibilities. I just wish my tax return was enough for it all.

I have quite the container garden on my patio right now consisting of a variety of exotic flowers, radishes, lavender and basil. More to come soon once the farmer's market kicks back into gear. I have 10 potted plants thriving right now with 4 more pots to use and plenty more space for new ones after that. :) I can't wait until I have my own home to garden like crazy in.

Anywho.
There's a minor summary of life as of late.
I obviously haven't been in too much of a mood to write, lately.
My apologies.

Hope everyone is enjoying Spring as much as I am.

tootles.

I'm kind of pathetic.

So, I’m pretty much ridiculous. 

Today I had orientation for my new job at Mimi’s. First of all- I was so nervous that I was mentally and physically preparing all morning when it didn’t start until 3pm. I watched a good many episodes of Grey’s Anatomy to distract myself in the meantime (Season 5 finale is a massive tearjerker no matter the number of times you’ve seen it..).  By the time I anxiously left I wondered if I’d been told 3 or 3:30, and assumed better safe than sorry (twas too embarrassed to just call and ask…). Of course once the manager greeted me she informed me I was 40 minutes early. Typical Carrie.. We eventually went back to a vacant table where she gave me a brief history of the company.  This drove me a little crazy seeing as I’d already researched all of this and would have preferred to be able to relay it to her and show off my wit and determination- but oh well. I sat there and pretended I was hearing most of it for the first time, which is typically a very hard thing for me to do. I’m very stubborn, you see. Anywho. Kiera, the manager, continued to go over the employee handbook and expectations and what not. It was all very routine and non-intimidating.  You would think I’d be calm and content, having already landed the job and am only familiarizing myself with it now. Nope. My jaw’s ten times worse now than it was before the 40-minute meeting. When I’m crazy stupid nervous my jaw locks up. I don’t know if I clench my teeth or what, but it’s horrible. I don’t understand at all why I was so nervous during this silly meeting. My hands were sweating profusely- my lip started to twitch- and I have this awful urge to tear up when I’m nervous and the only thing I’ve found that helps is drinking water-more of a distraction- in the midst of it. Thank God they’d provided me with a glass of water before we started.. If only it’d been a mimosa or something containing alcohol- maybe I would have come off as less of a freak. I’m extremely curious to know what their impressions were of me..  I sell myself short when it comes to first impressions. I’m always too nervous to possibly make it good..

I got to meet McKay- my trainer-to-be. (I have no idea if that’s how it’s spelled.) He seems really cool. I’m excited to train with him. He’s a robust and obviously flamboyant character and claims he has more regulars than anyone else there, so I hope I’m in good hands. I made it painfully clear to him that I’ll be more fun to hang around with when I freaking relax the new job nerves. Not sure if that did more harm than good..

All in all- I really need this job. I need to learn to relax and how to think on my feet. I need to gain more confidence in myself and my abilities. I know they’re profound- exquisite even- yeah- I said exquisite- but I need to learn how to show that off on command- not solely once I’m comfortable in a situation. I think this job is going to teach me a lot- and even though I’m betting that I’ll cry in my first week of serving, I can’t wait for the opportunity to better myself in so many ways that an office job cannot.

Screw Marquette- these people seem awesome and I cannot wait to start.

It’s a good sign when I don’t care that I’ll be working Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

New Job

Elloh Ladies and Gents.
I may have left you in the dark with my last post. I would rather not go into detail, so in short, I was laid off from my last job.  It was completely tactless, out of the blue, and unjust, but such is life. All I could do was move on.
I applied for a wide variety of jobs online, but had no success in scheduling an interview.
Finally, I decided I wanted to try my hand at waitressing.   It's something I've never done before, and although I think it will difficult for me to get used to, I think it will be a great personal challenge. I need to learn to not take things so personally and to learn to deal with many personality types. I wanted to land a job at Market Street Grill, where my older brother has worked, but I figured I would apply and interview elsewhere first for practice. I decided to walk into Mimi's Cafe in Murray for my first attempt, and was interviewed on the spot. That night they called and scheduled a second interview with the final manager. By the next day, I was officially employed.

The relief of employment was and is more than exciting for both Denver and I.  I start Tuesday and can't wait to see what it's like.  Wish me luck!

Life can really suck sometimes.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."


Sometimes things we don't deserve in life are inevitable.  
All we can do is take a deep breath, consider the quote above, and move on.


Here goes my deep breath.

Catching up on 2011

Hello friends.

I have failed at keeping you all up to date as of late. I apologize.

What has happened since Christmas Eve…

Why not start with Christmas? Christmas was oh so lovely. Not so much the scenery, as there wasn’t a single snowflake on the ground, but the feeling in the air was perfect.

Denver and I stayed at his mothers’ house after gorging ourselves in the delicious feast at my parent’s house. We stayed up late playing farkle and watching movies. (I stayed up super late- like 5am-because it was too weird for me to sleep there..)

In the morning we opened gifts there and then went home to let the mutt out. We then went to his Dad’s house for more gifts and then to my parents.

There were so many great gifts this year. I was mostly excited about what I was giving. I got Denver a car stereo for his Passat. It’s a super nice one with a bigger screen for movies and what not. (What I didn’t know was how much it costs to install the dang thing… :/)

I was also excited for what I got my mom. Her mother was is in the WASPS- the Woman Air Force Service Pilots in WW2- which was an extraordinary feat for women in that day. I found a picture on Etsy of a painting of all the planes the WASPS flew. It is a 46 (if I’m remembering correctly) year old print. The timing couldn’t have been better when I gave it to her. All of my siblings and I had just opened gifts from her consisting of a history book made by my cousin about my grandma in the WASPS along with a pair of my grandma’s wings and a miniature version of her congressional gold medal. My mother was already in tears expressing her gratitude of the knowledge spread about the WASPS and my grandmother specifically just un the last five years and how we know now so much more about my grandmother than she ever did growing up. There couldn’t have been a better moment to give her the picture. It was a beautiful moment. We went to Hobby Lobby last weekend to get a frame for it and I can’t wait to see it up.

Denver’s gift to me was also very exciting, though not nearly as sentimental. He got me a Kindle, which I have been wanting oh so badly. I can proudly say that I’ve started and completed a novel since my last post on here.  (If you haven’t read The Lost Symbol, DO! It’s so good!)

Then there was New Years. We went to my sister, Kim’s, for New Years and brought our friends, Lindsie and Daniel, along with us. It was a good time filled with games, laughter, and good food. What more can you ask for? I’ve found, at least this year, that I really think of everything I’m grateful for and what the last year has had to offer around New Years instead of Thanksgiving. It’s amazing to look back on all that’s been accomplished and contemplate what the New Year might bring. Here’s wishing everyone a year filled with happiness and confidence.

On Saturday I went to take pictures of my friend, Jes Wilson Pettreiss’ adorable 11 week old girl, Avery. I’m nowhere near done with the editing process, but here’s a good handful of some of the finished pictures. Tell me this baby isn’t adorable.

I love it!! :)
Hope everyone has a good week.
Happy Monday.