Happy Birthday Daddy-o!

Internet!

Guess what?! It's my Dad's Birthday! Not only is it his special day, but it is perhaps the most anticipated birthday of the decade, because today my Dad is finally 52...AKA, the age he can retire! Woo Hoo! We're all excited to have him around lots more.

My dad is fantastic. Anyone who knows him will tell you this. And so, I give to you...

The Top 10 Reasons Why I love my Dad!


10. My Dad is an "Expert" on almost every subject, from cars to politics, to science to people. He can answer almost any question we have.

9. My Dad is a hard worker. We used to work together and it was so cool to meet all these people who admire my dad because he works hard and gets things done.


8. Dad has the COOLEST adventure stories, like the time he and his brother got stuck in Antelope Canyon during a flood, or his secret hide out in the corner locker at the high school.


7. Best Dresser. Hands Down. :)... And he's a good sport.


6. My Dad is an AMAZING teacher. He has a way with relating to people that is truly rare. Everyone loves Uncle Shane, or President Duval and come to him for advice.


5. Dad is the BEST Breakfast maker. Hands Down. Hot Cakes, Omlettes, Skillets, Eggs Benedict, you name it and this man makes it better than any other dad!


4. My Dad can fix ANYTHING. He can fix my car from 3,000 miles away. It was funny cause I never remember our cars being broken growing up. It wasn't til I had moved out and had my own car that I called my dad in tears asking why my car was always broken, and he explained that our cars broke down all the time, but he would just go in the garage and fix them! What a guy!?


3. My Dad is a man of integrity. He always does the right thing, even if he's under pressure, my Dad does what is right because that is who he is.



2. Dad has always been supportive of us in everything we do. When I was growing up I played the flute, and we would have to record ourselves playing for the tests. Dad would hold the microphone for HOURS as I would record and re-record my tests. He is our number one fan.

1. As you can tell by this picture, my dad is incredibly patient. :) Even when sometimes we've worn his last nerve, Dad makes sure to take the time to talk to me and make sure that I know that I am loved. He's taught me principles of the gospel and how Heavenly Father is aware of me. People tell me that I am my Father's Daughter, and to me that is the highest compliment. I hope I can be more like him.

Thank you Dad! I love you!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, I Love you, I Love You, I Love You!

Hi Internet,

Well, it's been over a month since Grandma has been gone. My Aunt and I have started to get around to emptying her apartment and going through her belongings. I would be lying if I said it wasn't difficult. My Grandma wasn't wealthy by any means, and she didn't have many valuables. I'm realizing that the things that mean the most to me of my Grandma's can't be put in boxes.


Surprisingly, the hardest room in the house for me to go into is the bathroom. Towards the end of her life Grandma didn't leave her room much and when she did it was to go to the bathroom, and she couldn't walk so we basically had to carry her. One of us would go to the side of her bed and she would put her arms around your neck and whisper, "Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! I love you! I love you! I love you!" (Cause saying it once wasn't nearly as effective) :) And we would slowly shuffle the 15 feet to the bathroom.

While uncomfortable for her, that hug and 15 steps were the best part of my days.

My Grandma taught me a valuable lesson, that we are only as happy as we are grateful, and that even when life is hard, we can serve by letting people know we care. The day before Grandma died I sat by her bed and told her that I think she saved my life. Before I went to Oregon I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. My job had ended, I had to move out of my apartment, I had no plan, and felt pretty worthless. So, I went to visit my family and use up some frequent flyer miles. I ended up staying longer than planned cause I thought Grandma needed me.

In hindsight, it was me who needed her.

When I felt like a failure, Grandma thought I was wonderful. When I hadn't showered for days and was in pajamas, Grandma told me I was beautiful. She saw REAL me. The one who wasn't putting on the show... She saw me like Heavenly Father sees me. Full of potential, not a looser, A Child of God with infinite possibility. She saved my life.

Now that she's gone, the challenge is to become the woman my Grandma already thought I was. Big shoes to fill, but I hope I can do it.

Thank you Grandma, I love you.

"Wait.... What did you say??"

Hi Internet,

Still working on the science of getting ready... stay tuned. But, in the meantime, I thought I would share a gem in the life of me.

Well. Some of you may know these stories. But they're really treasures, so here they are in written form.

Story #1. I had a roommate named Amy. She is fantastic. Her favorite movie is Top Gun, yeah, cause she's that cool. Well, we were in college and wouldn't you know I had never seen it. SO, we sat down to watch it one night. The movie started and the theme song came on. You know, this one...




Yeah. Classic. Ok, well the chorus starts and we're all singing along, cause we're girls and we do things like that. WELL, I'm going to town, vocally and all of a sudden my roommate stops and looks at me and the following convo took place:

Amy: What did you say?
Me: I went to the Danger Zone?
Amy: *Hysterically laughing* It's HIGHWAY to the Danger Zone!

Yep. I'd been singing it wrong my whole life!

But wait....

That's not the only time!

Story #2. So, I was rocking out with my sister to Old School Mariah Carey, right? And it gets to my favorite song... DreamLover. (Yes, it's on my playlist to the side, go ahead and listen to get in the mood) So, we're singing, dancing, having fun and it gets to the chorus and I'm like "I need you so disparately won't you please come around cause I wanna...." And sang like I have for the past 12 years...

THEN, my sister turns off the music and looks at me like I'm crazy. Why you ask? Well, maybe because for the past 12 years I've been saying "I need you so disparately won't you please come around cause I wanna SHEV-A-REVA with you baby!" - Not SHARE FOREVER! I seriously thought Shev-a-reva was just some super ghetto term of affection, so I never questioned it! ha ha!

Three words for you. Fancy. And. Classy!

Shower Power

Internet.

I have been doing some pondering.

I feel like it takes me too long to get ready in the morning.

Like including showering and hair and makeup, I need like an hour and a half.

That seems excessive to me.

I blame my long hair. It needs cut.

How long does it take YOU to get ready in the morning??


I'm going to time myself to see if I can find where I'm loosing most time. Maybe I can multi-task more...

Just My Luck

Hey Internet,

A few points of business.



1. I bought my return ticket. I'm going home on June 25. Yep. Ticket is purchased. It's strange, I feel nervous to go home. I mean I was only planning on being gone 3 weeks.... not 4 months. I've really grown to love it here, and I feel like I've really grown here myself. But, alas, it's time to get back to my family, my friends, my new ROOM!;) But leaving a lot of precious memories. But I think I can do it!

So, at church on Sunday, I was wearing my fantastic comfy black dress... you know, this one?



Well guess who was also wearing my same dress on Sunday???

A pregnant lady.

It's not a maternity dress! And of course she looked stunning, and I totally get it cause it's a comfy dress. But all the same. I kinda wanted to wear a sign that said "This is a regular dress!!!"



I know, I know, no one noticed but me...and probably her. But Still! Haha!

Practically Perfect, In Every Way

Hey Internet,

So, last week my cousin Melissa and her husband Jed went to Hawaii... meaning that Jessie, Keaton and I got to play with the girls!

I drove my brothers up to Portland to fly home and met up with Melissa to swap and drive the girls to Aunt Jessie's "Farm."

I was a bit nervous since it's a 3 hour drive from Portland and I was flying solo... but the girls did GREAT! In fact, this was my view for most of the drive.



While they were here we did lots of fun things:

1. We did pedicures. Yes, they are wearing the matching Tutus Aunt Jessie bought them
2. We made a cake and decorated it with LOTS of "Sprinklers"
3. I introduced the girls to Marry Poppins, one of my all-time faves, and they ran around the house with umbrellas singing "Halla-Halla-Docious!"...LOVE!
4. We went to the Wildlife Safari, Kid Zone Bounce House, and the Park.
5. We got new jammies and had "neminems" and drove all over Douglas County to get them to fall asleep....



Awww! Love these Girls! Thanks for coming to visit!

This Means War IKEA...

Internet.

You maybe knew that I have a love for all things IKEA. Like, I want to move into IKEA. I can spend all my money and all my time there. I went there when I was in Portland. When I lived in UT I would drive the 30 minutes at least monthly, just to take in all the Swedish-design goodness!
Pic below is of me basking in the wonder that is IKEA



Until Now. IKEA and I are not speaking.

Why?

It's about a chair.


This one. I want it. Bad. I want 2, actually. For my room. Don't you think they'll look fabulous next to my new bedding??? I do!

Well, apparently IKEA does not, because I tried to order them and I got this E-mail back...

As IKEA Home Shopping is currently unable to ship via ground to your area, your e-Shop order has been cancelled. Please be advised, however, that IKEA is in the process of working out a way to offer ground shipping to our customers in Alaska, Hawaii, and APO addresses, and we hope to have this available in the near future. We do however currently have UPS shipping available for a select range of items to our customers in Hawaii and Alaska. We do apologize for any inconvenience, and we thank you for visiting IKEA online. Best Regards, Beldian
IKEA e-Shop Sales

Slap. In. The. Face.

Last time I checked Alaska was a part of the United States. And if IKEA can ship to the Middle East, I feel like they can ship to Alaska. Oh, and the list of items that CAN ship to Alaska and Hawaii is like magical, it exists nowhere, you just have to shoot in the dark and hope they can send your item. Ridiculous.
We can put a man on the moon but not a chair in my room???



I'm also obsessed with this chair, but alas, it costs more than I'm willing to spend.

Enough of my rant. If anyone can find a cute and cheap accent chair that CAN ship to Alaska let me know. OR, if you're in AK and find a fantastic chair I can re-cover... let me know.

When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip!

Hey Internet.

I will begin by answering your burning questions.

Yes, I am still in Oregon.
No, I don't know when I am going back, but it should be soon.

Ok, we got that out of the way. ;) Well, I'll be honest. This Oregon rain has put me in a bit of a funk. Yes, a funk. It has rained for weeks. (Alaska Friends, this is not the time for you to come back with how sunny it is there, I am aware. I get the weather on my phone for Fairbanks everyday and today I had to hold back tears.)

BUT, despite my funk, probably caused by the lack of vitamin D.... I have discovered a new favorite tasty treat....



It's delicious. And cheap. And semi-Low Cal.

And there's nothing funky about it!