Weekend in Tempe

So I went to Tempe this weekend since it was my first weekend off since I started at Dillard's. On Saturday I went to Bookman's with Katie and Olivia and got some new books (Shocking, I know). We went to Target too where I bought some clothes I couldn't afford. After that I went to see my grandparents and my aunt Kathy and cousin Dylan. We watched the Ohio State game (sucks to be you Ohio) and ate dinner. After dinner with the fam, I met back up with Katie and Olivia and we went to the state fair. We rode this one ride that threw you way up in the air and you got flipped upside down and backwards. It was so fun!

You can see people's feet dangling at the top. We also went on the ferris wheel and saw some animals. There was this huge pig that was 1000 lbs. and an alligator. After the rides we ate deep fried oreo's and twinkies and Katie shared her turkey leg with us. 

Today I spent the day with my parents and Erin. We went out to lunch and afterwards Erin and I played for a while. We took lots of pictures and she convinced dad to bring us home ring pops. 

It was an awesome weekend! I'm exhausted but I'm glad I went anyways. Back to work tomorrow. 

Cookies

Ok so the other night at like 9 I decided that I needed to go buy mixing bowls. I have been trying to learn how to cook and I've also been making all of my lunches in the beginning of the week to save money at work. It's really hard to learn how to cook though when you don't have any cookware. So I set out for mixing bowls (it was the only thing really in my budget). Well Jackie and I got to Target and......I locked my keys in my car. Smooth move.  Luckily the Montano girls came to my rescue with their roadside assistance. (Plan B was a wire hanger but luckily we didn't need that. So to make a long story short, I finally went in and got my mixing bowls. They have been sitting in my cupboard for a day or two because I had nothing to make in them. So tonight I finally decided to make the delicious cookies my aunt sent me.

So these are my fancy mixing bowls 

And these are some of the cookies. So good! 

This is why I love my family

So I came home today and there was a giant package on my kitchen table. I love getting mail! My aunt Kathy and my cousin Dylan sent me a Halloween care package. It made my whole day! This is what was in the package: 

and then there was this card which cracked me up 

Gotta love family! 

Night Hike

This one is by request from miss Hardy. So tonight Mel, Alicia, Jackie, and I went for a walk at buffalo park. We got there right as the sun was going down. So it looked like this.

Then the rest of the walk was pitch black so I don't have any pictures. We didn't see any animals this time (probably because we were being obnoxiously loud). And then afterwards we decided to take some pics with the buffalo since we haven't done that in about a year. 

Fun night! We also went out to dinner the other night and then went to a reggae concert. The reggae concert was weird. This guy was getting really crazy and wouldn't stop moving towards us. I think he was trying to dance but it just looked like he was seizing. But I won some concert tickets which was cool. Alicia's friend Jason went with us too which was fun. I don't have any pictures of that though cause I didn't want to carry my 10 pound camera around. Back to work tomorrow. 

Day 30- Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

So I went home tonight for an hour or so. The Montaño's were picking up Gayla from the airport so I hitched a ride. My baby girl drew me lots of pictures and then she did my hair.

And then she informed me that she has a boyfriend. I asked why she likes him and started suggesting things like "is he nice? or smart?" And she told me "Yeah, he's nice but mostly umm....I like his hair."

I'm so sad I had to leave her. But hopefully with this new job I will have more money to visit her. 

Day 29 - hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Let's see.......

Move back to Phoenix 

Travel 

Figure out  what I want to be when I grow up 

Get Debt Free!!!!

Lose some weight 

Learn how to cook 

Go visit Katie finally 

Spend time with my family 

Figure out my life! 

Day 28 - this year, in great detail

Once again we are just going to pick out some main things for this one

Went snowboarding 

Quit my job! 

Graduated from college

Moved home for the summer 

Hung out with my baby girl 

Read a million and a half books 

Drove to Vancouver with Olivia

Met my idol!

Drove to Florida with Olive and Jack

Went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter....Epic!  

Turned 22 

Moved back to Flag 

Got a new job 

And I'm sure there's more but a year is a long time and I can't think of more. So those are some highlights. 

This is Olivia's car getting pulled out of a ditch right outside of Forks, WA

Day 25, 26, & 27 Your Day, Week, and Month in great detail

I think these are all really boring and lame and I don't think anyone reads them so I'm combining a few. And I'll just do a few bullet points since I literally sat around for a month.

Dealt With Family Drama
Moved Back To Flag
Looked For Jobs
Made a Blog
Read a TON of Books
Watched a TON of Movies
Went to Job Interviews
My Grandparents Came Up For A Weekend
Olivia, Katie, and I all turned 22
Got A Job At Dillard's
Went to the Park
Flew Kites
Went on Hikes
Went Running
Went to a Work Meeting
And I Start My New Job Tomorrow 

And that's about it!

Day 24 - whatever tickles your fancy

Today Jackie and I went on a hike and saw some cool historical stuff. On our way there we saw some horses and stopped to feed and pet them. There was this gorgeous black one that I fell in love with and that let me love on it. After our hike we went and got some mexican food and walked around Hastings. Then we went to the park and flew kites and I made a friend.

He was crawling in the grass and so I picked him up which freaked Jackie out. And then he rode around on the bottom of my jeans for a while until I released him into the wild. 

And then there was this cute duck that came and hung out by me and took a nap. It was nice to get out of the house for a change. Tomorrow is my work meeting! 

Day 23 - a YouTube video

Well since it's so close to the HP premiere I'm going to go with AVPM. I'm not sure why more of the world doesn't know about this. If you like the video you should watch the whole thing from the beginning. It's hilarious.

Day 22 - a website

This one is my new favorite!

http://kidsgivemehope.blogher.com/

Day 21 - a recipe

Ok so I stole this one from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I haven't made it yet because I don't have any money yet but as soon as those paychecks start coming, this will be on my grocery list.

                                                                                      

                     Southwest Burger

                                                                        by OurBestBites

Burgers:
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck or ground sirloin (turkey burger is good too)
1 1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, cut up
1 1/2 T adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)
1/4 cup grated onion (I just minced mine with my food chopper)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Chipotle-lime Mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tsp adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

4-6 good quality buns
1 tomato, sliced
1-2 avocados, sliced
lettuce

optional: jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese (or your favorite sliced cheese)

To make the mayo, just put ingredients in a small bowl and mix together. Place in the fridge until ready to use. You can also make this ahead of time. 

Gently crumble meat into a bowl. Add the other ingredients and gently work together. They give a great tip that if you overwork it, the meat gets a gross texture, so just mix until it is worked through.

Then divide into 4 patties (or 6 small patties) and place on your preferred cooking surface, be it grill, indoor grill, or skillet. 

In the last few minutes of grilling, add your cheese. When done, remove from grill and let cool for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast your buns and lather the prepared mayo on both sides. Then place burger on bun, add avocado, tomato, and lettuce and eat away into bliss!

Day 20 - a hobby of yours

Well this one is kinda like the talent question. I don't really have a hobby either. I like doing a lot of things but nothing that really counts as a hobby. I did a lot of scrap booking this summer and I really like that. And once I start getting paychecks I want to cook a lot more and learn some new recipes.

Day 19 - a talent of yours

Well I don't really have any talents. I'm good at a lot of things but not really great at anything. I guess I would have to call French my talent. I'm not amazing at it and I usually barely passed my classes but I love it enough that I keep with it anyways.

Day 18 - whatever tickles your fancy

What tickles my fancy is that I finally got a job. And so I can finally pay my rent. I got a job at Dillard's which isn't the most amazing job in the world but at least I get to dress up everyday and I don't have to do food service anymore. And I'll get paid $10 an hour plus commission. So I'm excited.  I start next week. Wish me luck!

Day 17 - an art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)

Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)

This song makes me cry every time. I can't even help myself. It just makes me so sad to think of all of the lives that are lost in our war. I can't imagine losing any of my friends who are over there. I am so proud of our soldiers and I stand behind them 100% but it's still so tragic when the war takes away lives.

Day 15 - a fanfic

Ok so before I saw this I didn't even know what a fanfic was so I looked it up........These people are crazy. No seriously, who has this much time on their hands? Here is one I found for Twilight. It was only 1 in 160,000. Crazy stuff. Oh P.S. If you haven't read the fourth book don't read this one.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6178247/1/Forever

Day 14 - a non-fictional book

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's a true story about a boy and his dad who were forced into a concentration camp during WWII. Elie Wiesel is a nobel peace prize winner and an amazing author. 

Day 13 - a fictional book

I found these new books by Ellen Hopkins. They are really good. They are all on a controversial topic and the words are written in shapes which is kinda cool. I've only read burned and crank so far but the rest are in the mail!

Day 12 - whatever tickles your fancy

This is a card I got from my family for my birthday and I think it's hilarious

Day 11 - a photo of you taken recently

Day 10 - a photo of you taken over ten years ago

Ok so this is when I was really little and apparently my family thought I was a boy because that is definitely a sailor costume. 

And this is me dancing with my cousin. Ginger runs in the family. 

And this one I look really terrible but it was too funny to pass up. Katie will thank me for this one I'm sure. 

Day 09 - a photo you took

Here are a few pictures I took for a photo class I was in. I basically suck at photography so they aren't very good. The first two were for a nature project and they are ok. The third one was taken when it was pitch black but the long exposure makes it look light. It's not a great picture but I got chased by coyotes to get it so I think it deserves some credit.

Day 08 - a photo that makes you angry/sad

This photo makes me angry and sad. It's a picture of a child soldier in Uganda. Every day children are stolen from their homes and forced to be tools in ridiculous wars. Boys as young as 5 are taught how to use guns and are often forced to kill their own families. Girls at the same age are forced into prostitution. It makes me mad that this is happening but what makes me even more angry is that people sit around and worry about buying the latest fashions and how their ipods aren't the latest version but they won't even send a dime to help a cause like this. We have grown way too comfortable in our lives are we are blind to everything that goes on around us. If you want to know more a great site is www.invisiblechildren.com

Day 07 - a photo that makes you happy

So my grandparents are probably my favorite people in the world and this is them holding hands at my graduation. I love love love when old people still hold hands. 

Day 06 - whatever tickles your fancy

So I haven't had a job in a while so basically I just sit around all day on the internet. So here are some sites I waste my time on.

http://www.omg-facts.com/
and

http://www.dearblankpleaseblank.com/

Day 05 - your favorite quote

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,

perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.

Let him step to the music which he hears,

however measured or far away.

-- Henry David Thoreau

 and 

Twenty years from now you will be more dissapointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. 

-- Mark Twain 

Day 04 - your favorite book

Well this one is pretty much impossible since books are my favorite things in the world. So I'll just try and pick a few from every genre.
So classics would probably be Pride and Prejudice, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Scarlet Letter

For regular novels it's Keeping Faith, The Last Summer (of you and me), and my new favorite, The Hunger Games series. These are probably more fantasy but that's ok. 

 

For fantasy books I'm pretty cliche. My top ones right now are Harry Potter, Twilight, and The House of  Night Series. 

My favorite christian books are The Mark of the Lion series, The Shack, and Redeeming Love. Francine Rivers is amazing. She takes stories from the bible and puts them in novel form. Really really good! 

And then for autobiographies I love Eat, Pray, Love, Night by Elie Wiesel, and A Child Called It 

And I could probably go on for days doing this but I'm gonna stop here. This will probably be the longest post in my 30 days. 

Day 03 - your favorite television program

Well I haven't had a TV in like 3 years so this is a tough one. But I love love love How I Met Your Mother! I just need to catch up on it.




This isn't the funniest scene but youtube is being gay and took all my favorites off

Day 2- My favorite movie

/Well this one changes depending on my mood. My favorite movies this week are probably

Remember Me 

  

                                           
                                                                         Peter Pan

and About A Boy 

Oh and I just watched Zombieland for the first time and that was hilarious!