Super Rad - party in my tummy

pardon the tardiness of this overdue blog----

December 6th 2008:
i left my Alchemist class early so i could take my siblings to perhaps the greatest concert this year ever!

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THE AQUABATS!!!
DJ Lance Rock (from Yo Gabba Gabba)


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i think i shall start with this: earlier this year celeste and i were going a bit concert crazy, hoovie being 10 was not invited or allowed to go to concerts... after i found out she was really digging The Aquabats, i told her they next time they come to Utah, we can go! as soon as i found out they were comming i bought 3 tickets right away!!!

mom helped us make some capes and eye masks so we could be good space cadets! we fit right in with our wonderful homemade attire! my appoligies, i was so out of it that i didnt even think to take a picture!!! perhaps i can gather up my siblings to re-create the moment! we will see...


Hoovie is 10, but she wasnt the youngest!!! she went as MC Bat commander, Mustache too! she had so much fun dancing around and singing all the Aquabat songs. she even joined a Skank Pit..what fun!

Celeste really liked the show too, it was a bit different crowd than the other concert crowds she has previously been to. she difinatly enjoyed DJ Lance Rock

Michael got talked into this one last minute... i wasnt sure if i wanted to miss the last of my class, so i asked him to go with the girls at first then i would meet up with them later. it all worked out ok though, he even proudly sported his cape and eye mask- what a trooper! although he was a semi-fan of Yo Gabba Gabba, i think this concert has changed his mind forever! he was impressed!!


some of my favorite Aquabats Songs that they preformed!:
Look at Me (i'm a winner)
Pizza Day
Pool Party
Super Rad
Hi-Five City
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although we went to see The Aquabats, i really enjoyed DJ Lance Rock! if you are not familar with the kids TV Show called Yo Gabba Gabba, i suggest you become a fan! as soon as it came on i loved it! anyway, DJ Lance Rock did one of his signature kicks, he wore his fancy orange outfit, complete with fuzzy hat, and DJ'd his own stuff! i was a bit curious of what he would do, but i was so excited when he play a lot of Yo Gabba Gabba songs!
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"There's a party in my tummy! so yummy. so yummy!"
"run run run, its fun fun fun, run run run, its fun fun fun, run in a circle, run in a circle now, run in a circle, run in a circle now.. FREEZE!"
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and you better believe i was singing along! it was really a treat!!!

DJ Lance Rock even brought some of his Yo Gabba Gabba friends to the stage: Brobee, and Plex the magic robot..!!!

they even had some of the kids from the concert join them on the stage to dance for the last song!

it was wonderful.


anyway, the concert was wonderful! im thinking that it would be super rad to see the Aquabats every year for christmas as a sibling tradition! it would be fun!

A Hard Days Night

before you continue reading this post, i feel the need to mention that my dad is out of town, and usually when he is, things like this just seem to happen.....

i have decided to share this event with you in time line style. apoligies about it being long, i hope you like it. also, forgive me for not being so super concentraity, its hard to think on so little sleep

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Dec, 10th - 10:45PM - retire to my room, watch some Netflix Watch it now, relax...
December 11th 2008
1:29AM - phone rings, whenever the phone rings this late at night, something needs attention at the restaurant...
1:30AM - phone call from Sheriffs Office. "there is a water leak at your restaurant, you need to go check it out."
1:32AM - Wake up mom, reassure her that things will be OK, and its not going to be bad.
1:38AM - arrive at Restaurant in our PJ's still half asleep, spot Carl the Sheriff, and look at the leak.
1:39AM - Rush inside the restaurant, relived that there is NO WATER DAMAGE inside!!!
1:40AM - Call Dad, no answer
1:41AM - City water person comes to check the leak[flood!]
1:42AM - Call Dad, no answer
1:43AM - City water person, sheriff, mom and i walk around trying to figure out where the leak is coming from.
2:01AM - rush home to get restaurant blueprints,
2:08AM - arrive back at restaurant with blueprints in hand.
2:15AM - sift through all the blueprints till the right one is found
2:16AM - pretend to know what im looking at on the blueprints.
2:17AM - offer to make some Hot Chocolate
2:18AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:20AM - outside again, with flashlights trying to see where the water lines are...
2:21AM - trying to decide if it is OUR water line, or the Cities...
2:22AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:28AM - make more Hot Chocolate
2:29AM - offer Hot Chocolate to the Sheriff, he declines
2:31AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:32AM - found water valve, turned off water...
2:33AM - realized that when we turned the water off, we also turned off the Hotel and jail on the same water system.
2:34AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:40AM - Call our plumbers, perhaps they will have the answer
2:47AM - plumber wont be able to do anything till 7am, we are just out of luck.
2:48AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:49AM - City water person asks for a Wet/Dry vac and some extension chords.
2:50AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:52AM - untangled the knot someone made in the chords.
2:54AM - Call Dad, no answer
2:58AM - stood outside with City water person, (in my pjs) holding the flashlight, watching the Wet/Dry vac try and get some of the water out of a tiny line.
3:00AM - wasting time (and warmth) by using the Wet/Dry vac.
3:02AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:05AM - City water person wants to turn the water on, so the jail and motel will have water...
3:07AM - Call Plumbers again, let them know its a BIG leak...more of a gush
3:09AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:12AM - enjoy Hot Chocolate inside while waiting for plumber to arrive.
3:16AM - not enjoying small talk with City water person
3:17AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:18AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:19AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:21AM - Plumber arrives!!!!
3:22AM - confirms that it is indeed a big leak...
3:23AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:24AM - peruse the blueprints for clues
3:25AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:26AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:27AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:28AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:29AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:32AM - walk around outside trying to find more information
3:36AM - decided that we would need to tear out whole parking lot, put in new meter, and repair any damages, but not till 7AM
3:38AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:39AM - Call Dad, no answer
3:42AM - plan on meeting back at 8AMish -
3:43AM - decide to close the restaurant for the 11th.
3:56AM - plan to keep the water turned off till 7AM, called the Jail and Motel let them know.
3:59AM - decide there isn't much more to do now till 7AM.... stumble into our cars and drive home
4:08AM - arrive home, stumble up the stairs
4:10AM - try to un-freeze my toes... not working
4:20AM - fade away to my dreams
5:15AM - mom stays awake to call our head cook and morning waitress, to let them know not to come in
7:23AM - wake up from a rather cold sleep, zombie my way downstairs
7:27AM - entertain Heather and Celeste with stories from the Escapades from just hours ago
7:29AM - get ready for the day... ugh
8:00AM - take girls to school
8:10AM - drop prius off to get oil changed
8:14AM - DAD RETURNED CALLS!!!! wahoo!
8:17AM - rush to restaurant to meet with the working guys
8:19AM - find out that we wont have to tear the whole parking lot up, just a bit of the side walk
8:25AM - found the actual leak spot... thankful for the sun for letting us see
8:28AM - took wonderful footage for dad so he could see what we were up against...
9:30AM - dilly dallied till the workers decided the game plan...
9:45AM - workers said we should be ready to open the restaurant at noonish-
10:00AM - Nick(our cook) came in to work on 2 banquets we had scheduled for tonight.
10:08AM - call the 11:00 gals told them to come in altough were closed to do some cleaning and be ready for when the doors open.
10:45AM - leave restaurant
10:52AM - pick up Prius from Big O
11:02AM - run quick errand to Nebonet
11:15AM - mom packs her clothes, and gets ready for the day (she has a plane to catch!)
11:45AM - Start Blogging this wonderful story
12:30AM - rush mom out the door... wish her a safe trip, assure her that everything will be alright

12:55AM - POST BLOG!!!

google reader

wahooo!

my google reader has no unread items!!!

what a wonderful feeling!!!

i got bombarded in reader when i went to Holland in October.

im finally caught up!!!!

ps- if you use google reader and you share...please share with me!
ima.emogirl@gmail.com

Thanksgiving 2008

ohh my goodness, Thanksgiving was wonderful!!!
we had about 45 friends and family at our house this year.
we had 20 people sleeping over one night! our house was so filled with joy and love and energy! it was amazing!

a few choice Thanksgiving day Highlights:

• Auntie M and i making 3 batches of ohhh so yummy dinner rolls.
• Playing a super fun game Celeste, Mikey and i made up called "What is up"
• Watching a super tricky puzzle get put together.
  
• After dinner Bunkos party!
• Dance party for all the cool kids

im ohhhh so thankful for everyone that was able to share this years Thanksgiving with us!

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving day!

Chicago 2008!

Chicago was wonderful! it was a bit chilly, but tolerable. we had such a great time there!

me
dad
omni
mom
bryan
celeste
heather

bryan already blogged Chicago, and did a wonderful job! so take a look at his for more detail.
im so glad i didnt get sick this year, my skin did start to rash up a bit though... either the sheets in the hotel room, or coldness, or mixture of both... anyway, now that im back home, my skin is back to normal(normal for me anyway!) we got to stay in Chicago one more day than bryan did, so my family decided to take a trip to the navy pier. it was pretty good! the view of the citys sky line was amazing! its good to be home though! we have a lot to do before everyone comes for Thanksgiving!!!

im excited for:

• CHICAGO: November 15-24th, Dad.Mom.ME.Celeste.Heather.Bryan all get to go to Chicago to help Uncle Paul with his display in the Chicago Botanic Gardens. mom dad bryan and i went last year, but its going to be so much fun to have everyone there this time! last time i got quite sick so im hoping to be at my best so i can help out a lot! i have been to chicago 2 times, but i am always open for suggestions, so if you have a must see, or must eat at, please let me know!!!
  
• THANKSGIVING: November 27th, just a few days after we get back from Chicago our house will be filled with our family! i love it! last year we had 32 people show up... this year i think we have 50 on the list! its going to be so great!!!
• ALCHEMY: i am taking a class 2 days a month up in SLC. it is an Alchemist class. mom and dad took this class a while back. im so excited for the class so far! i missed the first class due to Holland, but week 2 went well. im already counting the days till next months class. they suggested i read the book The Alchemist, i really really liked the book. im sure ill be reading it again soon. it was a quick read and very touching. the book reminded me of The Little Prince. anyway, the class is wonderful, its filled with the most amazing people. i am so glad i have the chance to meet them all, and cant wait for our next classes!!!
• BRACES: it is scheduled tomorrow that i get my bottom braces removed. how thrilling! so after pulling my front bottom tooth out, i was given braces to move the teeth together. it seems to have done the trick, and now im ready to have the braces removed! im quite excited. although i didnt mind them too much... im almost a bit worried they are taking them off too soon. but then i remember its been more than one year.. so we will see. but i will take some pics of my wonderful teeth before and after the braces are gone.
• 24 ON THE 24th: August 24th 2009 i will be turning 24 years old. and because i feel like it, i am making my birthday a big one! i am using the 24/24 as an excuse. im not sure what i want to do yet, i have a lot of ideas[cruise, disney world, california beach trip] but i am open for options. i have been thinking about it since my last birthday. im so excited! there are so many different fun things to do! ok ok, i know my birthday isnt till august, but i really want it to be a big deal, and i do like planning, so...yep!!!! [if you have any birthday suggestions let me know!]
• 30 ROCK: yes, i love 30 rock! Tina Fey just makes me happy- i own season one, and watch it all the time. season 2 is also out, and thanks to netflix watch it now, i have seen season 2 over and over as well. season 3 is on air now, thrusdays right after The Office. i am so thrilled!!! i would have to say my favorite character is Kennith, the NBC page. but really the show hasnt dissapointed me yet! WAHOO for 30 rock!

HOORAY FOR EXCITEMENT!!!

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Comment on one or more:
-Chicago- have you ever been? any suggestions on must see's / must eat at's???
-Thanksgiving- are you excited about thanksgiving this year?
-Alchemy - have you read The Alchemist? have you heard of Alchemy?
-Braces- have you ever had braces? did you miss them when you had them removed?
-24 on the 24th- have you ever thrown a big birthday party for yourself? what suggestions do you have for me and my 24/24??
-30 Rock- who is your favorite character?

Final Adventures in Holland 5-

Our train from london got into Schipol so late that Becky, Laura and I had to take a taxi to beckys house. we were so tired! it was our last full day in holland, after sleeping in till about noon, becky laura and i rode the bikes to Hema to get last minute goodies. becky only has 2 bikes, so i rode on the back of beckys bike. it hurt, but was fun. Laura and i packed all of our things, tess came over with a suitcase full of stuff for us to take back for her. then we all went to bed.

we woke up at 8:15am to say bye to the kiddies, finished getting all packed, then off to the airport!

i started getting a cold right when we got back from london, and it was in full swing on the plane ride home... on our first flight, the middle seat was open between laura and i, so we put all of our stuff on there. it was great. on this flight they gave us: earplugs, headphones, eyemask, 2 dinners, and a lot of snacks and drinks!

we landed in NYC and had about 2 hours to find our next plane. we also had to re-check all of our luggage, so it took some time. laura tried bringing back some tulip bulbs from holland, but they wouldnt allow it. my ears were so plugged from the pressure change, then on top of that my sinus's from my cold... horrible! do not fly when your sick!!! Our next plane was not that great, it was quite squishy, the food all cost about 6$ and they only came around for drinks once...

once we landed in Vegas, gathered all of our luggage, bryan was waiting for us. we loaded everything into the Prius and then we were on a mission to find some yummy USA fast food. we were in the mood for some Taco Bell, but setteled for Arbys. we slept most of the way home, we were so tired and messed up from the time change.

i stayed a few days at bryans house. i was quite sick from my cold, but he took great care of me!

its great to be back in the good ol' U S of A!!

London Day 1-5

[ sorry about the delay on my adventures in london, better late than never!]

London Day 1 - Thursday, October 16th
to start our london trip out right, becky and i painted our nails a green mermaid-ish color. we took the train to london: 2 hours for the first one, then transfer trains in Brussles...
we got a few more stamps on our passports!!
when we go into london, we made our way to "Elephant and Castle". it was a main stop and eventually we got quite accoustom to it.
we ended up staying with a friend of a friend...of a friend...of a friend.

anyway, Red and Richmond were WAY too nice to us gals. after comming and finding us at Elephant and Castle, Red walked us to their apartment. a short distance, but with a purse, and a [extremly] heavy duffle i was dragging my feet! they had a room all ready for us, a queen size bed and a bunch of blankets.. also they had some muffins for the morning(YUM!)

after we dropped our stuff, we decided to dash to Club KOKO, which is were Of Montreal (on of my favorites!) was playing. we already had tickets, so we were determind to make it to see them! when we walked in they just started playing... i was so excited! i have only seen them once in vegas, so i was looking forward to this so much!!! although there were a lot of [tall] people, it was a great show... it was weird though, they came back to do the encore, which is always nice, and instead of doing one of their songs, they did Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit"... a bit of a let down, if you know Of Montreal, you will see why i was a bit confused at this song.. ohh well.. the concert was really good though!!

after the concert we found a little burger place, just enough to hold our tummies till morning.. then it was back to the apartment for a good nights sleep...

it was a squishy sleep though: tess spoke the floor, so that left a queen size bed for me, becky and laura. we three took turns sleeping the "upsidedown way".. first becky, then laura, then me.. i found it most comfortable, so i took the last night too...


London Day 2 - Friday, October 17th
we slept in a bit, got ready for the day, and then made our way to Big Ben. being that i have issues with reading time from clocks with hands, i decided there would be no better challange than big ben him self... and yes, it was tricky for me... i think it was about 11:43... if im not mistaken. we took a few pictures then made our way to Buckingham Palace.
we saw the change of the guard, caught a glimpse of some fancified olda folk leaving the palace, im only guessing, but im sure they were just leaving after a lovely tea luncheon... i didnt get too much of a chance to make a guard laugh, but i did wave at a guard, and i am certain the weight shift he made was his way of waving at me! also, i was hoping to see the queen, but i did not. i kept my eye out though. we went to the Queens Gallery next, a lot of pictures and artwork, and some of her bling blingin' jewlerys. a nice security guard at the gallery pointed us in the direction of a quant little cafe. i had a tasty tomato basil mozzerella on foccia. yum! we planned on seeing the Royal Mews, but it was closed on fridays. i must say, im not too sure what it is, but i was looking forward to seeing a lot of Royal Kittens(HAHA, im funny! see.. a joke... Mews..Kittens..Mews.. funny!).
we decided to make our way to the Noel Coward Theater to see Avenue Q.. it was perfect! being a fan of the soundtrack for almost 4 years now, i was so excited to finally see it! i would definatly go again!!!
for dinner after the show we ate at Foxtrot Oscar, a Gordon Ramsay creation. it was quite tasty and ever so fancy!!! i ordered a 9oz rib eye steak with bernase sauce and a side of green beans. yum yum! i felt a bit under-dressed there, but we made reservations in advance, so we were put in the more quiet basement.

London Day 3 - Saturday, October 18th
we started the day by visiting the London Tower Bridge. with our London Pass we were able to go for a self-guided tour on the top of the towers. we took an elevator to the top then walked in an enclosed hallway to the other side of the bridge, then the elevator back down. this bridge was not so bad at all!
we went right across the way to a yummy Asian inspired meal Wagamama, it was very very good. with our London Pass we got 2 of our meals for free! nice! i ordered the Ginger Chicken Udon. so good! the seating there was a cafatera style, long tables. i guess the Wagamama chains are all over, there are even some in amsterdam! definatly something to remember for next time!
after lunch we visited the Tower of London. it was a castle from way back when. we spent a lot of time there. we found a great view of the London Tower Bridge, and watched the bridge raise and lower for a passing ship. perfect timing too!
we ventured over to the Tate Modern Art museum. i really enjoyed this one! it was so much more interesting to me. out of all the museums and gallerys and castles and palaces.. the Tate was my favorite! we were there for quite a long time... but it was good.
it took us a L O N G time to find a bus to get home, but we finally got one. a double decker too! how exciting! at this point we were starving, so we found a decent priced place and filled our bellies with yummy bar food.


London Day 4 - Sunday, October 19th
we started the day off at the Camden Market. there were so many people there! i bought a cute little dress at the market. i started freaking out over so many people but the part that really got to me was the food part. there was a section for all the food vendors, and when you walked down they would all offer their food samples, and people were talking loud, it was so overwhelming! i couldnt decide what to eat so i just decided to wait for a while for lunch. the girls all got food but i just couldnt do it. i picked up a blueberry muffin though from starbucks later on. so i didnt starve..hehe.
we visited Shakespears Globe. with our london pass it was free!
we went to the Picadilly area where we could watch a movie for free thanks again to our london pass! the movie theater was called Curzon Soho. it lookes a bit sketchy, but it was really scene. we watched "Burn after Reading" .. loved it!
after the movie we wandered around looking for some fish and chips... we decided to go into The Stockpot, a little place tess's host parents recomended us. i wasnt as pleased with my fish and chips like i was hoping for, but i think i had really high expecations.

London Day 5 - Monday, October 20th
our last day in London was a sucess! it was a bit rushed, but it was great! after packing and getting things all ready, we headed over to Picadilly again, this time to meet a friend of Beckys. we went to Harrods, a huge shopping center. Harrods reminded me of a Dillards meets Ikea. being our last day in London(and being a bit short on cash) we decided to eat in a cafe right outside Harrods. Richmond met us there and we chipped in on his meal to thank him for letting us stay at his place! we met up with Becky again, then hurried to Richmonds house to get our luggage. then we Rushed to Kings Crossand made it there right in time, about 5 min to spare!

Final views of London:
london was great! after a few days of using their transportation i feel confident. the london fashion was so glam/ casual= either not too much to look at or so cute and posh! everything we did seemed a bit closer, almost more realistic. for me london was a lot more enjoyable than paris, london was a bit more modern... not so focused on history, musuems, art, and buildings. i would love to go back to visit and explore more of london.

SIDE NOTE:
there were quite a few adds all about Londons transportation, magazines, and newspapers about their new emergency numbers. richmond works at the police station call line and said that they just recently made a new addition to their emergency numbers. richmond says that both numbers essentially go to the same place, but 999 gets there faster.
here is a ad i saw in a newspaper:
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Call 999: if your car is bein stolen
Call 0300 123 1212: if your car has been stolen
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when i saw these ads all over the place i imediatly thought of The IT Crowd... take a look at this little snippet i found on youtube to share with you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBuo41qYOgw

enjoy.

Adventures in Holland pt.5

whew!!! all that Paris blogging! sorry to bombard you with all that-- but i couldnt think of a better way to share all my thoughts and feelings on paris...

yesterday becky and i biked to the hoofddorp station... its about a 30 min bike ride from her house...

my legs were in such pain!!!

we went to amsterdam for the afternoon, picked up some lunch, enjoyed the Jordan Market, and walked around...

we made it back in time to pick up the kids, and rush home to make some dinner.

anyway, today we just finished getting ready for the day, we are going to go the store and get some foods for dinner, pick up the kids and have dinner ready and yep, that will be that!

Paris Day 4

Paris Day 4 - October 12th



after a long day at disney we were all so exhausted.



this was our last day in paris!



after our continetal breakfast we packed all of our things and headed out on the train.



we found a place with lockers to put our luggage so we didnt have to carry it all over paris.



we went to the Arch de Truimph..(or something to the sort) took some pictures, then rushed to the Eiffle Tower.



we spent the most of the day at the Eiffle tower, we had lunch with the perfect view!



we had some time to grab some coffee and relax a bit before we had to rush to our luggage then our plane home...



we planned on being to the airport at 5:30, but didnt make it there till about 6:00 or so, but it turned out alright...



on the plane trip home none of us got to sit by each other, but it was only a 40 min flight so it was ok...



we landed in amsterdam, had a quick dinner, said our goodbyes(till london!) then becky and i traveled home---



a long, but good day!!!

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my final thoughts on paris:



it was nice and touristy. it seemed like there was trash everywhere, and a lot of grafity too. if i would have known more history and information i know i would have enjoyed it more. i had a good time, and i am glad i got to go there...

Paris Day 3

Paris Day 3 - October 11th
DISNEY!!! we all woke up so excited to go to disney!!! it really was so great! for the most part it was the same as Magic Kingdom, and then an extra park like hollywood studios, then even a downtown disney one.


there wasnt any pin trading going on... we only found about 2 pin carts, making it difficult to find a pin saying the year, and disney land paris....


tess and i were the only 2 i saw with mickey ears...i guess its not a popular there.


there were smoking sections, but NOBODY followed those guidlines...


there were so many people at the parks this weekend!


each ride was just about 30-75min waiting time...


anyway here is a break down of each park, and what i thought of each ride we went on...

DISNEY LAND PARK:

• first things first, i had to have some mickey ears, after searching for them high and low, we spotted some and made a purchase.
• Big Thunder Mountain - this was prettty good! usually this ride leaves my neck in pain, but this time arround was great!
• Indiana Jones ride - it seemed a lot like big thunder mountain, but different things to look at.
  
• Pirates of the Carribean - basically the same! but always good! (*side note: we saw Captain Jack Sparrow outside of this ride!*)
  being almost halloween time, we found Jack and Sally from The Nightmare before Christmas and got some pictures with them, they were great!!!
  disneyland park in paris has Sleeping Beauty's castle. this was great! we could actually go up inside a bit, they showed the story of sleeping beauty. it was just a walk around, but it was nice!
  
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant - this was great, and seemed a bit faster than the one in WDW, but other than that, the same!
  Mad Hatters Teacups - i was planning on turning this ride down, because i know i can get sick on it, but i just had to do it! all of us girls sat in one teacup and took turns spinning, in teams of two... im sure we were the fastest ones there!!!
  
• It's a Small World - the same cute little kids, but it was a bit different, looked newer! at the end of the ride there was a little walk through thing, it was nice.
  
• Buzz Lightyears Laser Blast - this line was sooo long, but it was fun, the ride was just about the same, the lasers were different, they wernt hooked into the ride, there was a cord so you could point more easily... i ended up with the highest score out of us.. i think it was about 723000.... if im not mistaken..

• Space Mountain: Mission2 - ohh my goodness this ride was GREAT! usually after this ride at WDW my neck and sholders are aching from sinking down into my chair in hopes of not getting my head chopped off... not on this one! it started of with a quick upside down loop, a lot of bright colors, and it was great, i hardly even saw the bars and wires holding the lights up! anyway, this one was great!!!
  
• we ate lunch in Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost - i had a kids pasta with red sauce, small water, and ice cream for about 6euros... i liked eating at colonel hathis(he is the elephant from jungle book!)
  

Walt Disney Studios Park:

• we got to see Sully as soon as we walked in!
  
• Rock n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith - we went twice on this one! it really was good! the begining part where they all stand around and talk about their concert and the limos wasnt there... it was more of their faces, and their music in the background.. but it was nice-
  

Disneys Village:

• 
  
  when the parks closed at 11 we went do the Rainforest Cafe for dinner, we were all sooooo tired, i think i had a hawaiian burger, quite tasty! it had a pineapple slice and bbq sauce --
  

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so that was disney day - boy oh boy, it was filled with disney!!! i loved it! we were all so tired afterward though,!!!

Paris Day 2

Paris Day 2 - October 10th

we woke up today and went downstairs for continental breakfast. it was pretty ok!
there was a little grocery store right by our train station, so we picked up lunch each day... fresh bread, cheese, cous cous, peanut butter.... we definatly saved money! each lunch ended up being about 5euros each... which is GREAT!!!

• we headed out to Notre Dame. WOW it was so high up! the building was so beautiful and big! so many gargoles!!!after waiting in line for a while we finally made it inside...the tour was filled with walking up sprial staircases, looking out over paris while being high up in the sky, standing so close to the walls in fear of looking out and falling, and then finally walking down spiral staircases...my heart was pounding!!!i feel like such a wuss, because i didnt even make it to the top, but when i looked up and saw how high i was, i was proud of myself... the gals went up a bit more while i was safe on the ground! even though i was scared when i was up high i had a brave moment and looked out, i finally felt like i was in PARIS... i could see the Eiffle Tower!!! **side note: the Notre Dame tour is meant for those who are NOT afraid of Heights!**
  


• on day 2 i noticed that pairs is so touristy. lots of pan handlers.. each time we get on the trains someone(kid/mom/dad) hands out these little yellow cardstocks, saying something about not having money, and to donate 1 or 2 euros, or even a train ticket.. then they come back around with their hand open and collect the cards... we didnt ever give them money, the first time i got the yellow card i kind of wanted to give them something, but tess and becky said, that the people pass out yellow cards all the time.. they were right, it was just about every single train ride!
  


• Next was The Lourve. when we arrived there we walked the grounds a bit, the weather was too nice to go inside, so after eating our picnic lunch on the grass and resting. we decided to go inside. we were there for such a long time.... it is a museum of art... first we visited the sculptures... then to the paintings... apperently im not one for museums... there were a few peices i recognised, but most of them i didnt care for. i did get to see the Mona Lisa... and yes, it is a lot smaller than i thought it would be... im pretty sure that the painting my mom has in our white room is bigger than the mona lisa.. but it was fun to see it.. we spent a lot of time in the Lourve... im sure if i would have known more about some of the artists, or paintings, i would have really enjoyed it... but i am glad we were able to be there.
  


• for dinner we found a really great place outside of the Lourve called "Ragueneau" - it was so perfect, they they had a jazz band playing, we each ordered a 3 course meal for about 25 euros. it was really nice! the atmosphere was so great! i would definatly go there again!!! my meal was:
  STARTER: Warmed Veggie Plate. Green beans, Carrots and Potatoes.
  MAIN: Fillet. ohh so tender with [more] Green Beans on the side
  DESSERT: Cream Bruelle - delightful!!!
  

Paris Day 1

Paris Day 1 - October 9th

after work the night before, tess and i traveled to beckys where we all slept. 4 girls on 3 mattresses... but i must say i was quite cozy!!!

we started our morning early... 4:45AM. we had to be ready for our Taxi by 5:30am.

we arrived in paris about 9:30am via KLM Airlines.

after purchasing our Orange tickets(bus/ train passes good for the whole weekend **strongly recommended!!!**) and finding the train we ventured to our Hotel, Campanile, in Bussy-Saint-Georges.....

becky and i shared a room, while tess and laura had the other.

after getting setteled in a bit we made our way to Versailles.

i dont really remember too much of Versailles, but im not sure i would go again...

after a lot of walking and train-ing... we made it back to our Hotel just in time for dinner. there wasnt much option, so we ate at the hotel restaurant... it was not the best.. and we all voted not to eat there again for dinner.

i wrote in my book that it didnt feel like i was in paris yet...

Adventures in Holland pt4... Escalator Escapades

wahoo-- tonight i am spending the night at tess' house... it took us about 1 hour 35 min or so to get here from beckys... we took, bus, train, then rode bikes here...



today we went to a Palace owned by the king and queen of Holland- it was big and pretty.... the outside was real nice as well---



i am taking pictures, but dont really feel like wasting time loading them and posting them yet... expect pics when i return..but dont get too impatent ...



anyway - tomorrow i get to be with tess during her work... im not to sure of our plans yet.. but i am excited-



we had birthday cake for becky today too... it was a strawberry cake with whipped cream, cut strawberrys and strawberry frosting.. that was nice.





ok way past time for bed--- nighty night.


ahh yes, and before i forget: a great story to entertain you all!

Schipohol Airport; The Escalator Escapades.

this story begins with 4 wonderful ladies on their journey for a fun filled day of adventures and laughter. while Becky, Tess, Rachael and Laura were looking for the right platform for their train, there was a mysterious hold up at the top of an escalator... after taking a closer look, it seems as though a mother in her mid-40's along with her 2 small children were baffled by the escalator. they were halted and showed no intention of proceding onward. after a gathering of people waiting to decend the wonderful moving staircase, the mother and her children started getting ancy...
in what seems like slow motion, the little boy(about 3 years old) decided to take on these amazing stairs.. one step, good... two steps, good... three steps, no good!!! suddenly realizing it was moving and his mother was moving farther and farther away, he tried running up. the mother at this point was getting all nervous, so just like any other mother, she grabbed for her son. he made it safly back to the top of the escalator... but in the mothers sweet endevors, she herself somehow ended up riding down the escalator, with her youngest child in arms... becky grabs the youngest child, saving it from what might be down those terrifing stairs... Laura tried despratly to help the mother escape this horrifing stair monster, but try as she might, Laura could only hold on for so long.. slowly, slowly, slowly the escalator carries the mother down, down, down. suddenly out of nowhere a man appears coming up the opposite escalator, he pushes everyone out of the way, grabs his son, and takes on the escalators like a man. he slowly rides to his wife, who at this point is still riding the escalator, laying down, hand stretched out, waiting for someone to just grab on and save her. up at the top the Tess and Laura grabed what was left behind; diaper bags, purses, ect and make our decent towards the distrot mother. becky handed the mother her child, asked if everything was ok. without an extra look or care, the mother and her family disapared into the crowds...
that day will forever be rememberd by The Escalator Escapades.
THE END

and yes, this is true,
and yes, im laughing while im typing this,
and yes, it will be funny tomorrow!


BYE BYE

Adventures in Holland 3-

hello -

yesterday we went to Amsterdam again, it takes about 25 min to get there from Beckys house. we take a bus, then the train...

we went to the market, and bought some yummy Artichoke Dip, and some tomato flavored Tempede- we brought some bread from home and ate some lunch-

after that we went to the Anne Frank House- it was quite an experience. there was so much energy in the house, even in the different rooms. i was also surprised by how recent the Holocaust was. the dates were all 1942-1944ish - that wasnt too long ago. but i wouldnt mind reading the Anne Frank Diaries again, the last time i read it was in middle school- so now would be good again!

after walking around Amsterdam, we had dinner at a little place and i had Shoarma. it was almost like a taco meat, but becky sait it was layers or Lamb, Beef, and Pork cut into strips and cooked. (i think anyway) we put the meat into some Pitas.

the roads are quite small here, enough for the main roads to be two lane... there are bicycle lanes, and then sidewalks

most everyone wears boots and long winter coats.

its been quite rainy and very windy... its been cold. so yep----

beckys people have been away for the weekend. but they come back today, and then they start work... so tonight i get to go home with tess, and Laura will stay here at beckys... then on wednesday night we will all sleep at beckys, wake up at 5am, catch a plane to PARIS!!!

so thats pretty cool -

in amsterdam there was a big huge bike garage type thing, it was 3 storys high, and there were just bikes and bikes all chained up and smooshed in there...

i havent been bike riding yet, but yes, i am very nervous-

anyway, all the girls are eating breakfast, so i suppose i should go too---

Adventures in Holland 2-

hello!

beckys birthday was yesterday- we had a great time in amsterdam!

when i got here i was worried about using the Euros, but its quite easy, they say numbers like we do, and their money is almost in the same denomancy- 50.00 - 20.00 - 10.00 - 5.00 and the coins are 1.00euro - 2.00euro, .50e - .20e - .10e - 05.e - 02e - .01e

for the one and two cent euros, they usually just round up or down, so they dont really use thoses...

but their money system is quite simple.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
for breakfast yesterday i had bread, with butter and these sprinkle things... Hagel Slag... on the other slice of bread i had a Pasta(chocolate spread..not neutella) topped with a Pindakaas(peanut cheese, like a peanut butter) then of course the Hagel Slag on top...

i was able to buy a nice coat, its grey and ohh so cute...

in amsterdam, we took a canal tour in amsterdam.
then went to visit Rijks Museum, we saw a lot of Rembrandts work-

after that we went to dinner at In De Waag (in the weigh)

it was so fancy - i had the chef special, it was a cheese dish, with veggies like radish, green bean, asparagus, cherry tomato, carrot to dip in the cheese. it was a bit salty of cheese, but tasty...

we got a tasty dessert, it was a bread type with cinnemon sugar/powered sugar topping, two scoops of Lavander icecream on top, and because it was Beckys birthday she got a super firework, just a sparkler type thing. we finished the dinner off with a Cafe Latte. quite nice...

so amsterdam was fun, im so glad the gals know where to go and the area -- its nice...



so thats that so far... quite exciting..

the time change is a bit hard to get used to, Laura and i both woke up yesterday morning at 4am here...so that wasnt so great.. but thats ok...

today we are going back to amsterdam, for the marker, then back to finish our canal cruise...

well, peace out

Violets Adventures in Holland! pt.1

hello- just arrived at beckys house! the plane ride was long, but luckily Laura and i got to sit next to each other both ways---

we had about 30 min to get to our next gate, which was a long walk- we didnt even have time to use the bathrooms---

the airplane trip was a bit bumpy, but i survived---

anyway so we are here now---

becky and tess both met us at the airport, with flowers and a poster!! it was a great welcome!

we stoped by a starbucks(the only one here is the one thats in the airport) and then took a train, then a bus here to beckys house..

so far its pretty windy, and it hasnt rained yet, but im sure it will soon- this are good so far!

anyway- its about 2:00pm here now, and im doing my best not to fall asleep so that my sleep sched wont be too messed up.

for the rest of the day, we are going to do some casual shopping, and then eat dinner, then early to bed! so thats that.

anyway, just wanted to say hello!

ill try and keep updating!

i am so ready for this adventure!

shame on me-

so much has been going on and i have been too lazy to blog about it.

i think i shall go like this . . .

Holland:
ohh boy! i leave tomorrow(October 1st) for a long 14 hour plane ride into Amsterdam.
i have been in st.george for a few days spending some quality time with boyfriend before i embark on my adventure. Boyfriend will drop me off at the Vegas Airport, where [hopefully] Laura(beckys sister) and i will meet up and go the journey together! i have been packed since sunday night, but i keep finding things that i just might need to pack along... im sure its just the nerves kicking in, saying that i need more more more!!!
- as of now, i am nervous, but not about being there, about the plane trip:

for the 14 hour flight, i plan on:

• Napping
• Listening (HP7!)
• coloring
• eating
• crossword-ing
• thinking
• magazine-ing,
  

yes, i think i shall be just fine.
i guess its the fear of the unknown... i have never had a long flight before.... i think my longest was about 6-7 hours... but i know i'll be ok!
there are a few more things i need to do today before i leave, but for the most part, im ready to go!
i cant wait to see Becky and Tess!!! its going to be nice to spend time with them.

they have been so good to me already, by letting me help with planning. The gals know how crazy obsessed i get when it comes to planning!

i am so ready for this adventure!!!!

so, next time i blog, ill be in Holland!

:)

___________________________________

i cant seem to blog and not mention about:
Kitties:
the kittens are ohh so cute! they were born a while ago, and are just adorable! there are 5 little ones this batch and they are all gray stripety. we have been doing so good to hold them all and give them the love they need as young kitties. i hope they find good homes- they will be ready to leave their mommy about Oct 13th.

tick.tock.tick.tock

the countdown continues!

as of right now:

17 days!!!

things are happening- fast!
**if you have no idea what im talking about........then your lame, and you shouldn't be reading my blog anyway...but i just cant seem to turn down a reader..even if you are behind on the times! so go ahead and chatch up here, and Here, and Here.**


mom and dad bought me a eye mask for on the plane -how thoughtful - even in a dark shade of blue- perfect for dreams about cotton candy and rocket ships-

im starting to get nervous though!

i did [finally] get my hands on Harry Potter 7 on CD - so exciting! i have read the book, but i wont listen to it till i get on the plane!

for some reason, i seem to be dreading packing--

i think the nerves are showing their feelings for a few reasons:

• besides my 3 month vacation "working" for disneyworld one fine summer, this 22 day holiday in holland trip seems to be a long one.
  
• will i really be able to fit all i need for 22 days into a suitcase?
• will lambie get air-sick from being in the air for 14hours?!
• i havent seen my buddies Tess and Becky for a while now (duh, they have been in holland for almost a year now!)... i hope they still think im funny! (wait a second... EVERYONE thinks im hillarious, i have nothing to worry about..right?!)
• will hoovie and LB miss me when i am gone?
• what if i dont like the food-i hope i can be brave and try new things!
• for some strange reason, i just hope the people there wont look at me, roll their eyes and say "tourist" under their breath-

anyway a lot of holland thoughts on my mind---


with all of my nervs out of the way: i am SO excited for everything- we have been planning like crazy on google documents, (so perfect for this type of situation!) - we have some great things planned!

ok- time to sleep--- hopefully get some good [well needed] REM's in!

as of today:

my recent thoughts in list form:

• i got a new Franklin Covey Planner today! it feels sooooo good to be organized! her name is Planny - she's a bute!
  
• Holland is coming up FAST! (October 1-22!)
  
• After Holland, im [most likely] moving back to good ol' St.George to be with my Sweet.heart!
• i love my new Maroon ENV2 - i have named him Phoney
  
• Country Time Strawberry Lemonade is my [recent] favorite!
• so excited to see Of Montreal in London!!!
• working on the training system/manual/handbook/guide for the Restaurant is actually fun!
  
• finishing books one at a time - tricky, but feels soooo good!
• planning my big 24 on August 24th, 2009 is tricky!! what to do?!?!?!?
• The OC is ohhh so addicting! (i just cant say no to those drama-filled teens)
  
• still loving stumble!!!
• always obsessed with g.cal / g.reader / gmail / g.documents
• FINALLY [after one year] got Excel and Word on my Lappy!!! (its way past time!)

*** im not planning on taking my lappy to holland, too much stress, and truthfully, im not planning on having time to spare. but im hoping that my dear pals Becky-sue & Tess-i-poo will let me record my happenings on their compys- that would just be ohh so great!***

biscotti, holland, work, kittie

BISCOTTI:
i made some more Biscotti today--- tomorrow ill finish them up and perhaps share some pics... or not..


HOLLAND:
also, i have been in concentration mode major(gotta love Zenon!) with all the Holland Planning!!!

dad just reminded me, i have about 5 weeks till i leave!



WORK:
not too much to say here, i am working on a training manual, it could actually be fun, i love organization projects like this...

im pretty sure that the one i did for Perks turned out great!!!

KITTIE:
yep, pregnant again.... wow, our cat sure knows how to get around! she is such a foxy kittie! after this batch of kittens, we are getting her fixed!!!! this will be her 4th set of kittens. and if those kittens are anything like their mommy, then our kittie should be a great-great-grandma by now....

so im auctioning her kittens. they arent born yet, but seriously...any day now!!! speak now if you want one!

_______________________________________________________

things to comment on:

• biscotti
• have you ever made biscotti?
  
• how did it turn out?
  
• will you try out my recipe?
• holland
• 14-hour plane ride entertainment ideas
• london, paris, amsterdam
  
• work
• eh, no need to comment about anything here..
• kittie
• want a cute kittie?
• perfect names for the new ones...

getting closer!

One Down:

Five to go:

hello

my new weakness: Hulu

wpm

how much fun is this?!

http://labs.jphantom.com/wpm/

my first try i had 5 mistakes with 69 WPM
second try i had 2 mistakes and 84WPM


[what did you get?!?]

21

some say "tag" others have used the word "meme"...
[i think i prefer meme]
so whatever you choose, you should play along!!!

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4. Write down what it says: "cause my mom always wanted me too be smart to. Maybe" - Flowers for Algernon
2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What do you touch first? my lamp
3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? about 5 min of The OC... i get sucked into that show! i have to force myself to walk away.
4. WITHOUT LOOKING, guess what time it is: 1:30ish
5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?1:39 !!! wahoo
6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear? the wonderful sounds of KEXP podcasts!!!
7. When did you last step outside? what were you doing? i guess i stepped outside after driving home from work... heading in the house for a bit of relaxing after a busy day.
8. Before you came to this website, what did you look at? google reader...always google reader!
9. What are you wearing? gym shorts, tank top... cozy clothes!!!
10. Did you dream last night? yes.. not sure what it was about...
11. When did you last laugh? at hoovie, she is silly when she is almost asleep...
12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? not so much, paint, and a dry erase board... its in the [slow] process of being more decorated... i have ideas.
13. Seen anything weird lately? the other night after dropping off the deposit for work there were two ducks walking across the street...it made me giggle.
14. What do you think of this quiz? ok so far..... someone else better play along!
15. What is the last film you saw? ....hmmm... in theaters..Wall.e, but on my lappy Roman Holiday...
16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy first? for some reason, shoes popped into my head, but i dont think i would... im thinking i would buy stuff for making my room fancy-shmancy...
17. Tell me something about you that I don't know: i purposely left the batteries out of the clock in my room, so if someone asks me what time it is, i dont have to tell them that its hard for me to read clocks with hands...
18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do? hmm.... more dolphins...
19. Do you like to dance? yes, of course!
20. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her? a boy? sadie came to mind. but i have always enjoyed Sylvia or Jayne... for a boy, i havnt given it much thought...
    
21. Would you ever consider living abroad? ohh sure, it sounds like a lot of fun.

*play along! if you do ill give you a cookie... or i wont... you never know!

A Holiday in Holland

its official!
im going to Holland!!!

we bought the plane tickets today! (when i say we... i mean my dad)!!

i will be visiting my dear friends Becky & Tess for 3 whole weeks!
becky and tess are Au Pairs in Holland and they(and their host families) are nice enough to let me come visit them!!!

October 1- October 22

[about a 14 hour plane ride!]

i have already started my Holiday in Holland book...

__________________________________________

so ill be flying into Amsterdam, which is very close to where they both live.
ill be able to stay at their host familys houses, and get an idea of what they do each day.

it will be becky's birthday while im there, and what a better present than a friend for 3 weeks!!!

while im there we are taking advantage of the togetherness and we will be visiting:

Paris

&
London

im so excited!!! its really happening!!!

__________________________________________

NOTE: if any of you have traveled to Paris, London, or Amsterdam-- you should tell me all about it, let me in on the secrets, tell me the "must-see's" !!!

NOTE: that 14 hour plane ride is going to be tricky... any tips???(im working on some harry potter for my ipod)

lonesome

asometimes i feel lonely when my inbox tells me that i dont have any comments on my blogger-----

so someone should comment....

here are a few things you may choose to comment on:

1. why i am the mostest awesomest Rachael EVER-

2. how cool i am for having a picture of a hot pink toilet hanging on my bedroom wall, professionally hand painted by the most gracious Becky Sue-

3. why "Mortimer" is the best name for a koi fish-

4. how im not the only one in the world who is in the middle of about 6 different books-

5. how come burts bees is by far the greatest chapstick in the universe...ever!

_____________________________________________

choose wisely, comment with pride-

loves+Rachael

one

found this one word wonder at Sweet Jessie


1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen
2. Your significant other? wonderful
3. Your hair? clean
4. Your mother? Jacquie
5. Your father? JC
6. Your favorite thing? food
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? water
9. Your dream/goal? travel
10. The room you’re in? kitchen
11. Your church? ...
12. Your fear? alone
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
14. Where were you last night? catering
15. What you’re not? professional
16. Muffins? http://www.muffinfilms.com/
17. One of your wish list items? disneyworld
18. Where you grew up? nephi
19. The last thing you did? ramen
20. What are you wearing? comfty
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? independant
23. Your computer? away
24. Your life? sufficent
25. Your mood? hungry
26. Missing someone? always
27. Your car? mustang
28. Something you’re not wearing? jewelery
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? stressful
31. Like(love) someone? indeed!
32. Your favorite color? all!
33. Last time you laughed? recently
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. Who will repost this? you!!!

The H.E.A.T.

its been a while since my last post- i have had a lot on my mind lately:

mom and dad went (again) to Hawaii... and while they are gone mikey and i are in charge of the handcart pageant pioneer supper...

its really not that bad, but its still pretty stressful--

the pageant is on the 23,24,25,26.

we have a lot of good help this year! and with good help, comes loads of fun!

mikey and i have decided to name us:

The Handcart Expert Adventure Team!
[The H.E.A.T.]

so yes, we are ultra excited! we have some games prepared... perhaps even a bit of dance party at the end of the event, who know what might happen!

there will be 12 of our helpers staying at the H.E.A.T. Pad [my house] . it will be a lot of fun, i hope!!!

mostly the past few weeks i have had that on my mind-

so pardon the lack of blogging... im hoping to give an update when the whole thing is over, hopefully i wont be too pooped!

wish us luck!

DS: GH

hmmm..interesting thought. i suppose they had to do it sometime! with all the Guitar Hero fans its only fair to make it available for the DS... im still not to sure if i would like it.

http://www.guitarhero.com/ghot/us/#/home/

I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

on the road today this song came on shuffle. i love it. its been a long time since i have heard it.
reminded me of my becky sue---- i love her very very very very very very very much!

Bright Eyes - At The Bottom Of Everything

list

i have been pretty bored lately, this is whats on my mind and what i have been up to:

• i (again) became addicted to The OC-[i am re-watching season 1, right now im on disk 3. drama!]
  
• stumble has become a night time ritual
• hoovie is visiting gran, i miss her a lot!
• yesterday i went to the restaurant 5 times... i spent most of my day there...it was my day off
• today i went into work at 10am, left at 5, took lesty to dinner at 6, then went back for the 3rd time to lock the doors, and of course treat ourselves to some dessert... i think i live there sometimes
  
• i cant concentrate... i am in the middle of about 5 books... i just cant seem to sit long enough to finish reading them... (Harry Potter 7*, Flowers for Algernon, Catcher in the Rye*, Lord of the Flies, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn*, Think and Grow Rich*) [*i have read these, but i want to re-read them]
• today i realized that i talk to myself on my way to work.
• i want everyone to use google reader, then share everything, so i have new things to read...although if i skip a day of my g.reader, i usually have 100+ to catch up on. [while i was at work today, i recieved 50 :) ]
• im thinking i have a silly life at age 22... i live at home with the parents, saving moneys, but have little moneys to show for it.
  
• when i get bored i get crazy ideas: selling the stang to buy mom and dads prius,
  
• im really nervous for my 5 year reunion... i dont think ill be going.
  
• i cant wait till my bday[august 24th] i told LB she could get me Scrubs season 6... im tempted to buy it myself, i cant wait any longer
• i miss my becky-sue. i want her to move up to SLC with me when she is done in holland.
  
• how early is too early to be thinking of my wedding day?
• i am more than excited to see Wall.E this weekend! bryan is coming to nephi so we can see it together.
  
• seriously, who actually uses g.reader?!? start sharing yo! im starting to get bored!
• what would i do without the internet? im way to obsessed and reliant on it
• sometimes i surprise myself in what music my itunes holds. i love it though!
• too long of a list. this is it
• last one. promise.
  

...one month later

sorry about the month long blogging break---- so i suppose i shall do the usual update, perhaps share some silly stories, and entertain with my words.

[Tooth update:]
about one whole year ago i had a tooth incident. it was a catastrophe. it still baffles me in how long that tooth was(see mentioned blog for picture reference)! its crazy! [ i still want to make that tooth into a necklace, then people will be all, "wow thats a great sharks tooth necklace", and ill say, "yea, but its really my tooth, not a sharks tooth", and then they will buy me lunch because im so cool like that ] . so after a whole year of adult braces[yes, i am an adult] my bottom teeth are looking soooooo good! enjoy the wonderful pictures of my fabulous teeth!

[Kittie update:]
we started out with 5 baby kittens, [cute pictures]and have only given 2 away, both to levi's parents! the remaining ones are almost cats now!!! they are getting sooo big! i made a way too cute poster/flyer and had it at the restaurant for a while, i had a few intrest-eees, but no serious clients. i thought the cute kittie pictures would work for sure!
anyway, when levi's parents came to get the second one, we had to catch the kitties, we kinda forgot about them for a while[they had pleanty of food and water, they are just in the downstairs garage, and its easy to get busy..dont judge me]. so we caught all the kitties and put them in a big box, brought it into our kitchen, in hopes of taming them a bit... the next day levis parents came to get their second kittie, leaving us with 3. it got to the point that we could pick them up and pet them. our plan was on monday to go to the grocery store and give the rest away. it didn't work... on sunday morning the kittens escaped! they somehow got out of the box!!!! they were wandering around our house, so my dad had to go on a kittie hunt.... he found them and put them outside.... i haven't seen them for a while, but heather and celeste inform me that they are still around... they are just in need of a good home, we are a good home don't get me wrong, but we just cant give them the love that they need!
experiences like this remind me of why i shouldn't get a puppy.... im not too responsible.


[Foot update:]
three months later and my foot scab has finally fallen off. after about 2 weeks of hopping and crawling, i was able to hobble on my mole-less foot. there is a weird scar, but its ok--- it dosent hurt anymore, and i dont even think about it. i still miss it, but the scar will always be there to remind me of the bond that me and my beloved mole once shared...

[Bryan:]
bryan is my boyfriend, august marks our 3 years of being together- im ohhh so very excited! anyway, bryan is one school semester away from graduating! this summer he in in SLC to do an internship, and already we have taken advantage of the closeness! SLC is only 1 1/2 hour drive for me.. where St.g took me about 3 hours. its nice to have him this close! after he is finished with school, we plan on moving to SLC together.

[home alone:]
my parents have been gone a lot, a whole lot. so far, in this month of june(as of now,18 days), they have been out of state for 8 days... thats crazy... anyway, the past few months have been just about the same. but its ok, because me and the gals can take care of ourselves. we enjoy the alone time to bond. i wish i had some entertaining story's about having no parents home- but truthfully, we are so used to being alone, the fun part has worn off...

[Lilly:]
my bestest friend got married! 06/07/08. the wedding was perfect! i am so glad i was able to be there for her special day- that meant a lot to me--- lilly and levi are such a great couple- i wish them my best-

[Our Fort:]
while mom and dad were out Celeste and i decided it was very much needed to build a fort! it was great fun. our fort didnt really get a name, but we all did... i was: Black Panther - Celeste: The Hawk - Tyler: Sasquatch. it was quite great- i havent build a fort in such a long time, but it was fun.. The Hawk mentioned how she never really had fort building experience, so i did most of the construction... it turned out pretty ok, The Hawk and i watched Matilda in our fort, then Sasquatch came and it got a bit squishy, so we took our pow.wow to the kitchen table.... The Hawk and i were planning on spending the night in our fort, but after the movie, our backs hurt from the ground.... we have also watched Care Bears in our fort[*love the movie!*] ***when is the last time you made a fort? i challenge you to make one!!!***

ENJOY SOME PICS!!!

owls

i want an owl---- my birthday(august 24th) is comming up..soon!---- perhaps if i ask kindly enough...


http://www.robertkaufman.com/quilting/quilts_patterns/owl_pillows/

twitter + stuff

i have had Twitter for a while, but just recently figured it out---- anywho, if your interested... http://twitter.com/violetrae

so thats that---

right now i am enjoying the wonderful sounds of Ellen Allien - Sool ....wonderful!

tomorrow starts my 9 days of work in a row-- i guess thats what i get for taking a whole week off to visit bryan-- its ok- it was very much so worth it!!!

update: ...STUFF

St.g
i was able to spend the last few days in st.george with Bryan. on monday he starts his summer internship in SLC. then one more semester of college and he is complete!!! how exciting!

25 Main
while we were in st.g we had WONDERFUL cupcakes at a fancy parlor called " 25 Main" and fancy that, it was indeed located on 25 Main.. i liked it, they had just opened up about a week ago, so they were still working things out, but i loved everything about it! the atmosphere, the colors, the food, and of course the cupcakes!!! Bryan even took me there for a second time, because he knew a cupcake would cheer me up!!! he knows me too well!

Kitties
they are so cute!!! i will take pictures and post them!!! we still a few of them to give to a good home, so really...if your interested, let me know!!!! we gave our little grey kitty away today, he went to a good home! levi(lillys soon to be hubby)'s parents came by today after the bridal shower to pick him up!!! enjoy your new home little grey!!!!

Foot
my foot is quite better, i am infact walking almost perfect again. there are only sometimes when i can feel it aching.... and ironically, the scab that remains on my foot is indeed in the shape of the mole... i kinda miss it... while i was bed ridden, i missed about 3 weeks of work..it was boring. anyway, the foot is good... im excited for the scab to fall off!

twelve tribes / treasures, things n such / the cove
our old broken down, town bar has now became a hangout for the HS kids on the weekend... the owners have named the club "the Twelve Tribes". we are assuming its a religious title....
above the doors is a sign, it reads, "Treasures, things n such", im not certain but i think after the bar died off, that someone had a business for selling treasures in this place, perhaps it was the bars name, i dont know....
anyway, im not too keen on the title "the Twelve Tribes", so i have so cleverly started calling it........ "The Cove". i love it!... why "The Cove" you ask??? well, the sign clearly states "Treasures, things n such", and of course you can only find "Treasures, things n such" in places like "The Cove"... so there you have it.... anyway, if you have any means of visiting "The Cove", please call it, "The Cove"... also if anyone you know is calling it... "Treasures, things n such", please correct them...it is now known as "The Cove".

leslie

i love stumble!!!

Pass the ketchup! ( L O N G blog!!!)

Earlier this month I found myself in line at the grocery store purchasing 30 bottles of Ketchup. I shall explain!

Our family doesn't use ketchup like other family's do. Our family's ketchup usage is mostly used for burgers and fries, which, truthfully, we rarely eat.

Some of the folks at our Restaurant go ketchup crazy! I have had some guests put ketchup on the strangest things: in soup, on Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, mixed with their gravy..you get it. Anyway, the Restaurant is a ketchup friendly place, we have loads of ketchup on hand at all times! Heinz is our brand of choice. (Grandpa Jay used to work for Heinz, there is no other brand we would use!)

About once a month, I hear mom explaining to the cashier why we need so much ketchup..... "We own a Restaurant" ..."oh, really? which one?" ... blah blah blah... boring reason for buying 30+ bottles of ketchup...blah blah blah.....

So, earlier this month, Celeste and I decided to save mom a trip to the store, and buy the months supply of ketchup...

While we were walking towards the ketchup isle, I started thinking... There has got to be a better reason why someone would buy 30 bottles of ketchup at a time!!! I was brainstorming the whole time we placed our bottles in the cart. I knew that the cashier would ask! who wouldn't ask!

Celeste and I started placing 30, 14oz bottles of ketchup on the line. Single file, all in a row.

Right on cue, our cashier commented... "wow, thats a lot of ketchup... what do you do with all of it?"

Being fully prepared for such a question, I answered...

"Its' national ketchup month."

"ohh" she said.

"yeah, usually just hot dogs, and burgers, but were starting to get crafty."

small talk went on....along with some pauses, she was trying to figure out if I was joking or not.

"so are you guys roommates?" she asked, in hopes of making more sense of the mass of ketchups going through her scanner...

"ohh no, were sisters! it's a family thing!!! even grandma is into it!"

Now keep in mind, Celeste has never been part of a ketchup experience before, so she didn't quite know what was going to happen, she didn't know of my brainstorming... so this whole time, she was holding in her laughter... little giggles here and there, but all in all, she was a good sport.

After we paid(about $50.00 mind you), and left, I'm pretty sure our cashier half believed me....mostly because she didn't know what else to think...

I also started to elaborate on my brilliant "ketchup month" theme....

Perhaps I could have added....
"yes, this is our second purchase too..we have already gone through 50 bottles, and the months only half over"
"next month is syrup month"
"we had ketchup sandwiches last night, just bread and ketchup"
"the milkshakes were a bit odd at first, but you would be surprised!"

Needless to say, we had a great time. We found it quite entertaining! I'm sure that there was talk about it in the break room later on too!

I told Bryan of our escapades, and being the jokester that he is, he came up with loads of reasons for someone to buy numerous amounts of ketchup(or anything really)...
We decided that to get the best out of these reasons, that nothing else really needs to be said.

• Worlds worst water balloon fight
  
• Grandma's dying wish
• OCD, i have to have a new bottle every day
• A skunk sprayed grandma
• Religious thing
• Homemade makeup
• Re-painting the kitchen
• "I just LOVE jell-o"
• Hybrid car
• Slip and slide party
• Planting tomatoes
  
• My tv is broken
• Making ketchup puppets
• Gotta feed my horse

So, next time you have about $50.00 lying around, go and have some fun!

*** What would tell your cashier if you bought 30 bottles of ketchup?***

spring break / kitties

spring break was a lot of fun! it was also really nice to have our own little vacation right before mom and dad took their 2 week Hawaii trip.
heather, celeste, mom, dad and i left for st.g on wednesday night. thrusday morning mom, dad and gran left for vegas, then to hawaii for them! leaving me and the gals to grans house for the next few days!

we did a lot of swimming, eating, movie watching, sisterly bonding.....we had a lot of fun!





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kitties:
they are so cute! when we got back from spring break they all had their eyes open, and had gotten bigger! they are still a bit wobbley when walking around- i think that the grey stripedy is my favorite- i have named him Clarance, or Clancy.... i cant decide- they both fit him rather well-
the little grey(we call him "little grey") is already getting fluffy! like a big grey fluff ball-
the 2 little black ones dont really like being held, but each day they are getting better... they all seem to enjoy the company and loved hearing all the "ooooos" and 'Awwwws" when we visit-



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kitties - foot update - concert

Kitties-
last night our kittie* just had kittens!!! im so excited!!!

we have 5 baby kittens!! 2 black ones, 1 grey, 1 grey stripedy, and one grey/black/orange spots!!! i was worried that she would have her babies while my mom and dad were gone, but she lad them last night! they are so cute!!

i love them already!

im sad that we cant keep them though, so if your in the market for a super cute kittie, let me know!!! we can give them away in about 6 weeks or so!!!

i love watching kitties grow up!

*even though techincally our "kittie" is a grandma... (her babies from last spring had babies this year! happy granny-hood!) she is still "kittie" to us! she is so small compared to all of the other cats we have had.. and also, i cant remember her name.. i think kitties real name is Halley, but i can never remember it.. and neither can anyone else, we all call her kittie-^ this is my kittie last summer- sunbathing, and watching the fishies swimmin!

^i cant pass up a good opportunity to post a pic of kittie and me--- it took me quite a while to get kittie used to me, finally she was ok with sitting on my lap when we would watch the fishies swim--- she is a good kittie, she will follow me to the mailbox, and she will watch my car when im in the house.. when i say watch my car, i mean sit on my car.. its more her car than it is mine-- i like it that way!

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foot-
so things are looking up... about thursday night i started walking on my foot! ouch, but it was needed! i was glad too because we had a concert to go to on friday(see below!)..

today i went to work for 2 hours, and i hobbled around like a granny without her cane- celeste came in to be my backup, so as soon as i got tired, she jumped right in and saved my skins!

tomorrow i go to the doctor to see if he will take the remaining 2 stitches out.. i hope he wont! there is still a nice gap that isnt healing yet--

i will be going to work on tuesday for my first real shift, 11am-5pm... i hope i last, it should be nice and steady.. hopefully!

anyway i have pictures if anyone is interested-- its quite..um...gross! but who knows, some people might enjoy seeing my foot at its worst...

[have you ever had stitches or a wound that took way too long to heal???]
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concert

on friday Tyler Celeste and i went to the Avalon to see MAE!

while waiting in line i saw Blaine(**hi Blaine!**) and my new friend Allison drive up.. we waved them over, we got to enjoy the show in great company!

while waiting patiently for Mae, Blaine, Allison and i spotted the Keyboarder from the band Between the Trees

BTT put on a great show, so we decided it was mandatory to take a pic!



wooot it was fun!

compared to the last concert....this one was great! well, both were really good, but i must say, that not having to worry about a big orange blob really makes the show worth seeing!

so im super excited about the next show- not sure when it will be, but i am excited! im always good for shows!

music lover -

i love my music - what about your music???

(i used itunes)
______________________________________________________
Total number of tracks: 4305 (plus 949 podcasts)
Total Length of Music: 10days, 12hours, 57min,43seconds (plus 3days,20hours,16min,28seconds of podcasts)

Sort by Song Title:
-First Song: A-OK : Motion City Soundtrack
-Last Song: 99 Luft Balloons : Nena

Sort by Time:
-Shortest Song: (0:06) Now, Stand back for your own saftey! : The Aquabats
-Longest Song: (30:05)This Dust Makes that Mud : The Liars

Sort by Album:
-First Album: Abbey Road : The Beatles
-Last Album: 40 oz to Freedom : Sublime

Sort By Artist:
-First Artist: Adventures of Jet
-Last Artist: Zero 7


Top 10 Most Played Songs: (**sufjan is part of my sleep mix..and i love his stuff!**)
1) Chicago : Sufjan Stevens
2) Decatur, or, round of applause for your stepmother! : Sufjan Stevens
3) Praire Fire that wanders about : Sufjan Stevens
4) The Upper Peninsula : Sufjan Stevens
5) Out of Egypt: Sufjan Stevens
6) In The Devils Territory : Sufjan Stevens
7) The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is out to get us : Sufjan Stevens
8) Abraham : Sufjan Stevens
9) we wont need legs to stand : Sufjan Stevens
10)A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the way in which Sufjan Stevens has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze : Sufjan Stevens

First five songs that comes up on Shuffle:
1) The Past is a Grotesque Animal : Of Montreal
2) Que Suerte! : Cap'n Jazz
3) Random : Lady Sovereign
4) Ghost : Neutral Milk Hotel
5) Lady Madonna : The Beatles

Search ....(**some of my artists and album titles include these words...)
"sex", how many songs come up? 9
"love", how many songs come up? 163
"you", how many songs come up? 568
"death", how many songs come up? 59
"hate", how many songs come up? 26
"wish" how many songs come up? 9
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that was fun! i need to listen to more music when i sleep...hmmm...