August 22, 2012

#28 - Almost

So this morning I got really excited to blog about a bucket list item that I accomplished yesterday.  I sat down and tried to piece together how it happened, to make sure that it sounded just as awesome as I thought was and to make it comprehensive.  Then I realized I couldn't figure out how it happened.  Frustrated, I retraced my steps.  Okay yesterday I went to work, went to our softball game (don't worry, we DOMINATED), came home and we played Ticket to Ride with my family.  Hmm......   Then the realization hit.  It was in fact, just a dream.  (insert sad emoticon here)

This type of experience really makes me believe in the movie Inception that much more.  I swear to you I felt like my dream was really happening.  Now since the wind has sufficiently blown from my sails, and in order to bring you to understand how disappointed I am that this didn't actually happen, I'm going to tell about my dream.

Bucket list item #28: Run through a car wash

*Think Little Rascals when they run through the paint shop trying to catch Alfalfa and get painted blue, or in Cinderella Story when the evil twin step sisters go through the car wash.  *

Dream:  I pay my $5 and walk into this dark warehouse.  In front of me is the car wash, with all squirting machines in order. There is a line that has formed behind me.   I walk forward onto a black mat (one like hairstylists use to make sure their feet don't die from all that standing) and a loud beeping begins.  I look up and a big square brush is coming down, which then forces me to get on my stomach so it can scrub my back and head.  I move forward (now somehow standing), and a blast of streaming water hits me on all sides.  I open my arms (because it needs to be clean there too!) and then move forward.  Two spinning soapy foam/rag arms come at me and nearly knock me over with their vigorous scrubbing.  Again I walk forward and another blast of warm water hits me.  I am moved forward to a high speed drying fan that makes the skin on my face and arms get all stretched and blown around. (think automatic hand dryers that make the skin on your hands all funny looking from the blowing power)  Then I'm done and as happy as a lark.

Now I'm really starting to realize it's a dream because afterwards I remember that we all got in little shooter cars that used unwrapped starbursts for fuel and ammunition.  Nevertheless..... it was still the most awesome imaginary experience I've had in awhile. 

August 20, 2012

Pick Me!

So once upon a time I stumbled across this little lovely-  www.lindseyortonphotography.blogspot.com.  Instantly I became a huge fan of her work and I have passed a lot of time looking through her blog.  Lindsey Orton is so talented and wonderfully fantastic.  Currently she's holding a giveaway and you can bet your bottom dollar I put my name on the list!  Check out her site for more information!

DISCLAIMER: Yes I am initially sharing this for my own personal gain.  But...... you should enter too.  :)  Good luck!

August 17, 2012

Disneyland!!

Alright I finally uploaded all my pictures from our California trip, so now I can dump them into here! For my personal journaling purposes I'll give a short summary, a million pictures, then some good memories at the end.  :)

Day 1- Headed to St. George with Todd that evening and saw a killer sunset.  I love car rides with him because we listen to music and talk about the strangest topics.  Once we got to the condo we watched some Olympics then decided to give Todd a haircut.

Day 2- Chillin' like a villain in St. Geezy with all Todd's little nieces and nephews.  We went to the pool, went shopping (bought my very first softball mitt -if that's not fully invested I don't know what is), and discovered my new favorite store bought ice cream (Blue Bunny Chocolate Peanut butter Cone - or something.... DOMINATION).  The condo was absolutely gorgeous. I would live there full time in a heart beat.

Day 3- Woke up early, dealt with grumpy workers at McDonalds and started our drive to sunny California!  What else did we do... oh yeah, drove. and drove some more. oh and a little bit more.  Todd and I watched the Office, parts of Despicable Me, and Bourne Identity.  Matt showed off his incredible singing talent and Camie kept us all sane with her huge bag of Gummy Bears.  Eventually we did make it to Newport Beach, and oh man..... I can't tell you how much I love the beach!  Newport was a new experience for me and I certainly wasn't disappointed.  The water was a little chilly at first, but after I was engulfed by a few waves it turned out to be quite nice!  I learned a valuable trick while there though.  ALWAYS have gum in your mouth when playing in the water.  Why? I'm confident that I consumed at least my months worth of salt intake during the 4 hours we were there, and the only thing stopping me from throwing up every 5 minutes was that I found a piece of gum.  After the beach we took a walk on the pier, saw some massive pelicans, Todd and I escaped away to eat at the Spaghetti Factory and then we all headed back to our hotel.

Day 4- Hello California Adventure!  They have really made some awesome additions since I was last in Disneyland, including CARS LAND!  Man oh man I think I was just as excited as the little kids were to see Mater, Lightening, Flo's, the Cozy Cone and to take a ride through Radiator Springs.  That place was magical.  It was life size and perfect, and I couldn't get enough. We stayed for the parade and the World of Color which was awesome too!!  I had no idea what to expect, but that World of Color was absolutely fantastic! Favorite rides in California Adventure: California Screamin', Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, Grizzly River Run, It's Tough to be a Bug and Radiator Springs Racers.

Day 5- Hello Disneyland!  This whole experience brought back a lot of memories from when I came with my family forever ago, but Disneyland really made me excited.  Which is hard to imagine more excitement was to come after I had jumped up and down with my hands waiving everywhere screaming with joy the day before. The kids were in heaven with Peter Pan, It's a Small World and some of the other kid rides. You know, I can see how Todd and I could have a blast just coming to Disneyland by ourselves, but it would never compare to how much fun it was to see all the kids get so excited and to share that happiness with them. Never.  Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth.  Favorite Rides in Disneyland: Space Mountain (duh), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones, Mad Tea Party, Pirates of the Caribbean and Splash Mountain.

Day 6- Because each family had kids of different age levels, who all wanted to go on different rides, we all split up and did our own thing in either California Adventure or Disneyland. It was fun to be with Todd and to ride what we wanted to ride, and we did just that.  Over the three days, I think we rode a few of our favorites at least 6 times.  Want to know our secret?  Fast Passes.  Oh wait it's not a secret.  For some reason 90% of the population at Disneyland did not catch on to how amazing Fast Passes are.  We would walk right through to the front of the line of every ride and listen to people moan and groan about waiting in a 120 minute line.  Honestly I don't quite understand why, but I don't want to complain too much because due to people's ignorance, we were able to jump right on to every ride!

Day 7- Packed up and drove back to St. George.  Stopped at the Nike Outlet, of course. :) Spent some time in the pool and played some catch with my new mitt!  Then slept with gum in my mouth and woke up with gum stuck to my pants.  Woke up the next morning and headed home!

Now for the PICTURES!









Mashter Yoda hahaha




I'm not sure why I have a mustache...?
Extra Fast Passes we didn't have time to use!



Memories:
  • Chocolate Cherry Coke (Best. Drink. EVER.) 
  • Fried Pickles
  • Baked Potato soup (Best. Soup. EVER.)
  • Flo's turkey and mashed potatoes - chocolate shake with "gravel chunks" on top
  • Sun dried Tomato and Chicken pasta
  • Ghirardelli's hot fudge peanut butter sundae
  • Dole Pineapple whips
  • Meeting interesting people while in line for Cars fast passes at 7am
  • Sore feet
  • Whirlpool at hotel
  • Meeting fellow Giants fans in the hot tub
  • Perfect weather
  • Having so much fun I could hardly contain my excitement
*Notice how the first 7 favorite memories were about food.... Todd and I definitely know what we are doing when it comes to food.  Everyone else had a hard time finding good places to eat, but not us!  Of course, it's a little easier when we aren't trying to figure out what to feed little kids. haha So, if you ever go to Disneyland and need suggestions on where to eat..... Carnation Cafe and Flo's Cafe.... you won't be sorry :)

August 7, 2012

Procrastination

Alright Alright I know that I have a massive post ahead of me, but I am sort of putting off taking the time to upload my millions of photos.   However, I just wanted to say that I've returned from the happiest place on earth with plenty of good memories!  I really had so much fun being with Todd's family, they truly are amazing people. 

Since I've been in sunny California the past week I suddenly want to be a beach house livin, surfin', tan skinned, blonde waves and coral toes kinda girl.  It's true, they certainly do have "more bounce in California than all y'all combined."  [Hold up. Now this song is stuck in my head. I looked it up and MUST share the lyrics with you.... haha so great.]

 We got more bounce in California
Than all y'all combined

We got more bounce in California
We like to party all the time

We got more bounce in California
Where the hustlers all reside

We got more bounce in California
Rollin' easy when we ride

What I'm getting at is that......

  
haha have a good Tuesday.  I'll be back with plenty of awesome things to share about Disneyland!!

July 27, 2012

Freaking Friday

Thank heavens.  After working like crazy all week (particularly 13 hours yesterday + 2 hours of driving time) and to be back here this morning.... even with the awesome rain and thunder out my window I can't wait to be done with work this week.   Not only is it a Friday which leads to the wonderful weekend, but this special Friday leads to a week long vacation!!  You see, Disneyland, the Beach, the Sun and the 'do what you want' free time has really been missing me.  I'll admit I've missed them too.  So I'm going to give them some quality time next week, and spend it in great company! 

I'm sure I'll come back to a tornado in my office, but it'll be worth it.  Bring on the sandy beaches and fast passes :)

over and out.

July 13, 2012

Keep on Keepin' on.

Guess what!!  Today is the 3 year anniversary of my first day as a paralegal!! 3 whole years.... wow.  To be honest, sometimes the stress of this job has gotten the best of me.  More times than one have I "lashed out irrationally."  HOWEVER, I love it.   I love that there is always something to be done so it keeps me busy and feeling accomplished.  I love communicating with people, connecting with people and watching how the end result really  makes the whole process worth it.  I love all the people that I work with.  I love being able to support myself and to feel independent. 

I love it all, but mostly, I am grateful

There are so many aspects of my life that I sometimes take for granted.  That's why I think there are such things as anniversaries, mile markers, finish lines, annual events - so that I can stop and realize just how far I've come.  To realize how great today really is, and that tomorrow will be even better. To realize that being grateful somehow makes you only see the roses you can stop and smell, and helps you forget about the nasty spiders and worms down below.  Everyone has both roses and spiders in their life, you can choose which you see most.   dramatically deep thought process finished.

While I was thinking about this awesome mile marker in my life I remembered my bucket list that I made forever ago.  Looking at the list I decided I am going to make it my goal to accomplish these two this year:

              #5: Ride in a train.

              #43: Carve my name into a tree.

Hopefully I can get #43 taken care of this weekend!  Bring on the family camping trip :)  Thanks to some wicked awesome people, I might have found a sweet way to accomplish #5 as well.  Anyone who likes the Giants are welcome to join!

Keep up the good work people, for tonight begins the weekend, and that right there is just enough reason to celebrate. :]  Huzzah!

P.S. movie trivia time.... can anyone guess the quote above?  "Lash out irrationally."  Such a good movie.

July 12, 2012

You Knock My Dirty Socks Off

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with Parker, and oh the adventures we had!  It started out with me asking my family to come with me to the high school to run bleachers.  Parker initially said no, but changed his mind when he decided that we would probably be going to Todd's afterwards and there was a really good chance he could borrow the first season of Psych from him.  So we biked down, Parker sat and read his book in the shade while I re-enacted Rocky. (It looked the same too if you were wondering; kids flooding to follow me, birds scattering, etc.  NBD)
 


Afterwards, while we were riding our bikes to Todd's, Parker and I had some interesting conversations.   We talked about how truly amazing it is that we can build our own houses and they don't fall apart like a house of cards.  We made the connection that Jordan, Mom and I had a temperature issue with our feet.   We all cannot stand to have our feet hot, and therefore take off our shoes/socks at every possible opportunity.  Parker proceeded to tell me that before Jordan's mission, he would build a huge pile of dirty socks in the corner of the den because every time while he was playing computer it would get a little toasty in there, and Jordan would take his socks off and absent mindedly chuck them over his shoulder.  Parker said the pile would get pretty big, and would only be cleaned up if Jordan ran out of socks and needed them washed.  (My mom rarely sets foot in the den for reasons exactly like this one.  She has to keep her sanity somehow while living with us hooligans!)  Personally, I tend to pile my socks at the end of my bed, shoved in the bottom of my sheets.  Last time I changed my sheets I untucked the sheet only to be showered by a colorful display of dirty socks.  I counted and found 20 mismatched socks - most that had been missing from their mate for quite some time.  It would be normal if I were to kick off both socks during the night, but nope I just don't really care for socks on my left feet apparently. 

This also might explain why my mom would sometimes catch me as a child with my left foot on the wall in the middle of the night, or my left leg hanging off the bed.  It cannot be contained, it needs to be free!

You may not have ever wondered or wanted to know about my sleeping habits, but now you know.

Later we decided we were STARVING so we set out on a trip for a make shift meal.  I wanted a snow cone so we stopped to get that first.  Now you're thinking how much you want a snow cone, so let me help you out there by telling you that it was the most disgusting snow cone I've ever tasted. EVER.  Parker and I couldn't even finish the snow cone it was that terrible.  So, the moral to this story is to never trust a snow cone that is extremely large, costs $2 for the smallest least large size, takes 30 minutes to prepare and comes from a yellow shack with a hula skirt.  End of story, you've been warned.

July 11, 2012

E Cards


These E cards have been flying around the Internet like crazy and some of them are SOOOO funny!  I looked on Pinterest to see if I could post a bunch of them in here but then also realized that most of them are SOOOOO bad.  So, here you go, just this one.  :)

July 5, 2012

The Great State of Utah

I am SOOOO happy it's finally raining!  I honestly hope it keeps raining and raining and raining until all these crazy fires are put out.  I has made me really uneasy this past little while to see all the smoke and ash in the air, to constantly hear on the news how yet another fire has started.  I can't express my gratitude towards anyone and everyone that is helping fight these fires, and I can't express my sorrow for those that have lost anything in these fires.  After this whole fiasco I have definitely learned that I will always have Fire Insurance.  Maybe I should get a house first.... haha one step at a time I guess.

Anyways, the real reason why I wanted to post today is to show this picture.

hahaha my cousin posted this on facebook and I thought it was pretty funny.  Hopefully this helps get you going on this lovely Thursday morning.   I know it helped me..... I hate coming back to reality after a holiday.  Bleh.

July 3, 2012

Golden Nuggets

Lately I've found all these golden nuggets in the shopping industry and I figured I should share the love!  I am a sucker for a bargain or a stealin deal, and so some of these places are right up my alley! 

Songza:      You can get rid of Pandora Radio with this new app/website.  Holy cannoli have I been waiting for this beautiful invention.  (Thanks Anisa!)  Music like you've only heard on your iPod, with NO commercials!  Plus, depending on the time and day of the week, Songza's music concierge suggests some playlists for your mood or event taking place at that time.  For example, I pull it up right now and it gives me these options for Tuesday Morning: Waking Up, Feeling Confident, Singing in the Shower, Reading the Paper and Working Out. 
(Looks like I shouldn't be at work this early... usually they have several work playlists haha)
Monoprice.com:       Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.  I learned about this website from a Ragnar buddy, and I'm so glad I checked it out!  I just ordered an iPhone case for only $1.12!  They have a bunch of other things on there too for way cheap.  I know it's legit because I saw his phone cover he ordered, and he also told me about how put speakers throughout his whole house for really cheap from this website.  Check it out.  All I really need to say about it is CHEAP!

Sexy Modest Boutique:    This little treasure is located in American Fork, right next to the Cinemark movie theater.  I was intrigued by the name of the store (also thinking, "Only in Utah" haha) and at that point I hadn't had much luck accomplishing my intention to go on a shopping spree, so I decided to give it a try.  Score!  This boutique is beautiful.  It holds many wonderful and classy articles of clothing that are all made so well!  I'm not saying that everything in there was modest, but they did have some cool "basics"  to help make anything in the store modest.  I found a super cute striped maxi skirt (one that actually looks good for a girl with some junk in her trunk) and a classy/timeless dress with gold buttons.  At this moment you're probably thinking, wait a second!  Hailey usually covers her skin with bright colors or t-shirt and jeans type styles, where did this classy side come from?!  Well to be honest it surprised me too.  Thankfully my mom has been slowly whispering good fashion tips in my ear since I could dress myself.  Could be considered brain washing, but it's definitely beneficial to know that I shouldn't wear a flowy skirt and a flowy shirt or else I'll look like a balloon, and other important things.  Maybe most girls are born with these tricks, but I have been a late bloomer.  Although with that said,  no one will ever be able to make me give up my shorts and t-shirt days.....  Ever.  Let's move on.

DSW:    Any store that holds rows and rows and rows of beautiful shoes is a great store.  For my mom.   I like dressy shoes and all, but really I don't mind rotating through my 2 pairs of work shoes and calling it good.   Of course this is only so I can buy more of what I really want..... VANS shoes.  It's been awhile, and I think that this pair just might need to be in my closet soon....

Anyways, back on track..  Despite my obsessive love for Vans shoes, I've found that I can love other shoes when they are adorable.  DSW has a beautiful clearance section, but mostly their shoes are kinda expensive (for me).  They are good quality though, so it's a toss up whether you want to buy expensive shoes that will actually last, or if you want to keep buying $15 flats at Forever Young Shoes every few months.  Totally up to you, because even while I'm saying this I still am a sucker for the cheap shoes.

Groupon:    Yeah yeah, everyone already rode this train a long time ago; but I'm new in town!  I didn't want to deal with all the emails I heard you get from signing up for Groupon and so I didn't even try it out.   Well, I have been converted.  I found a deal for dinner at Toscano's (Italian lovely that I've wanted to try for awhile now!) that was $15 for a $30 value.  It gets even better because Groupon gives you $10 off your first groupon and so I only paid $5 for a date night dinner at a fancy pancy restaurant.  Domination.  I realize how Groupon could be a little overwhelming, and I can totally see how I could lose my savings account on all the awesome deals, but I decided to just look for dinner deals and date night activities.   Dates can be expensive, but they are a necessary expense.  Especially on the days when I don't care about the 50 free dates you can find at home, I just want to get out of the house and DO something. 

Bookit.com:    I have never seen more deals on vacations than through Bookit.com.  A friend at work has used the site a few times so I don't feel like it's a scam.   (If it is, my bad.)  Sometimes I look at it just to look at the pretty places I will one day visit.  If you want to plan a vacation, definitely check here first! 

Well my friends, that's all I've got right now.  If you've found a few golden nuggets then send them my way!  Have a great Tuesday!