Tight budget...count your many blessings

I could complain a lot but then again, maybe I couldn't. Either way I was reminded today of the reasons why I should be happy.
I am stressing slightly about finances, among other things. Last night Whitney had taken me back to my car from FroYo. We sat in her car and were chatting. She pointed out to me that my passenger tire was low. Maybe it was low, or even if it was flat, it could be repaired if I took my car in right away. So today that is what I did but (I will refrain from pessimism) the simple theory of a slow leak was far from the diagnosis. I had a rim that was bent. Honda had a brilliant idea to make their Civic appeal to a new crowd by using rims, and performance tires instead of hubcaps. The difference besides appearance, and style is the cost. My tires are about $125 each, and the rim even with a used one costs $200 just for the part. Cursing which seems to be a regular thing for me, I was upset at the Virginia roads. Ever since the winter storms there have been potholes the size of small beach balls scattered in every road system. Recent months I have hit several of those, praying as I drove out of it, that there wasn't damage. I guess my luck has worn off (note a small amount of sarcasm).
The good thing:
I am leaving for the weekend. I am not driving to my vacation. My job will allow me to stay away for the whole weekend. I have already paid for the vacation. I get to relax and be with my friends.

Aaron and I went to Fredrickburg today. It is an old Historic town in VA. We walked around for a bit, shopped in an antique store. My mom would love this place. It seemed to me that just about 1/2 the shops were antique stores. We stopped in a fudge shop. Chocolate peanutbutter, and cookies & cream were our selections. I am a foodie. I love food, cookin it and eatin it. The weather was sunny, warm and humid. Temperature about 90 degrees. There are few towns like this. Ones I speak of are the historic old towns, when you walk down the street you feel like you are taking walk back in time. It is a nice reprive from the big city, fast paced, crowded downtown. A friend of mine and I joked as she suggested we should become park rangers together, but I reminded her it wasn't very lucrative. Her living small town life currently had replied that she'd forgotten. Small town life is more laid back, not so obsessed with getting ahead but enjoying the simplicity of life. I kind would like a little more of the small town feel in my life right about now.




So I am weeks behind in watching Bones. I love that show. I've been really busy with what I can't say. But sitting here I realized that I need to slow down. Like that song 'speeding up to slow down'. That is kinda what I am doing.

Red Velvet cupcake today! Yummy!

green beauties

I've signed a lease for an apartment today. I really thought I was going to be leaving the state, and moving on. I'd really felt like things were really at a dead end. Although I don't really know why I'm staying. I don't have a job I like or anything to keep me here except friends. Which don't get me wrong I feel incredibly blessed to have the friends I have. Maybe this time around change is due but just not as big as I thought. I have always embraced change, and when I wanted something to change before I would get a hair cut or color. That way the change would be immediate.

While I was sitting in the leasing office waiting so very patiently which is very unseemly of me...I helped myself to laffy taffy. Do you remember how the packages had jokes on them? Well the joke for the day:
Do you want to hear a dirty joke? A pig fell in the mud.
Why did the goose cross the road? The chicken was on a vacation.
How do you fix a monkey? With a monkey wrench.
What does a ship say when it is cold? Shiver me Timbers!
So cheesy but there is so much childhood nostalgia that goes along with every bite and every chuckle.
Yet when I eat it now I also think, 'yuck!, corn syrup!' Which is horrible for you. But I won't get on a soap box about it here.

I fished out a dead bird from my pool the other day. I have bursts of really getting into yard work/gardening and this was one of those days. I went to Walmart and Home Depot for veggie plants. This season for my garden has been slightly meager. I had few seedlings that sprouted and of what did, the bugs got to some. I had 3 green bean plants, 2 snap peas, a couple squash plants, and more than a rabbit could eat of Spring lettuce (it took over my garden and sprouted everywhere). Really who wants lettuce? I don't care to make some special salad, and raw is doesn't really appeal to me. Even if I had considered raw food diet, I could never eat raw lettuce. At the store I purchased a dozen tomato plants, a dozen pepper plants, and some watermelon. I had no luck with melon last year but thought I'd give it a whirl.

I was gardening and walked past the pool, a big black blob caught my eye. 'What could that be,' I thought as I went in for a closer look, 'yuck!' I fished the poor little guy out with the pool cleaner. I didn't know where to put him, so in the trash he went. See you in heaven little fellow.

Running errands takes such a huge portion of my day. If someone would ask me what I did today I'd say, 'oh, I ran errands.' I mean how many errands can one possibly run. Market, Dollar Store, Office, Costco, Leasing office, another market (since I forgot one important item), library, and then home. Took me 4 hrs.

I got a pedicure today. So I know I kind beat to my own rhythm or however the saying goes but I'm not sure if this falls in this category. I have green/emerald toes. Yes, like wicked witch sort of green. I got together with my dear friend, Whitney, in celebration of Katie's birthday...which by the time she showed up we had finished our pedi. We ate Thai, or they did, I sampled it. I ate far too many pieces of Costco pizza to be hungry. Then we hit FroYo. I couldn't decide which flavor so I got 5, peaches n cream, mango, chocolate, snickerdoodle, and Dulce de leche. My eyes behold ice cold goodness and I just can't hold back.







Life as is, is pretty fabulous, life for the future is pretty uncertain. Not a position I really like to be in, but I have mild contentment. Yet when the Fall rolls around and I lack the funds for the trip I want to go on, then I will have remorse.

Culpepper, crepes, the choir

Oh I will mentioned my Friday activities in brief:

Nats game vs Orioles! I wore an Orange hat which suggests I was rooting for the Orioles, and that is correct. Thought I would be loving it. I love all things sports. I have never been super huge fan of any particular team. I grew up in Idaho we didn't have a team. And if that isn't good enough my Dad isn't American so the usual sports heritage wasn't passed down to me. Don't get me wrong I love it all but have no favoritism. I love Orioles, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Pirates, Ducks, Capitals, Penguins, Bulls, Lakers, Jazz, Suns...I could go on but is that really necessary. I think you get my drift. I even love sports that we don't play like Rugby! But tonight was not my night for a baseball game. I went loved my friends a little but ehhhhh... I escaped the game at the end, avoided the crowds and went to Peter's, a new friend. We ended up watching Jumper. I don't analyze movies all that well,although thoroughly unrealistic but intentionally so it was aight.




Some brilliant person arranged for a group bike ride and sent out a mass email inviting/calling all bikers. In case you don't know me well enough, I love my bike. I don't brag to be fast, or in shape. Today definitely proved that but I enjoy it and today also proved that as well.
Devany and a couple men, Cody and Brody drove out together for the ride. The options were 21, 60, 100 mile rides. I wanted to do 60 but I haven't been able to afford the clips and shoes which helps in the momentum of riding. We had a great ride out. It is amazing how time flies when you are in good company. Cody, Brody, and Devany made for fantastic conversation, feedback, The guys had to rent bikes, in the meantime, I met Matt who came out solo to ride with the group. I was thinking large numbers but was told that there was only a car of girls left to come.
I became the navigator of the group which turned out to be a disaster. Long story short, I sped ahead on my road bike, they got behind, I turned, they didn't. I waited, called, and eventually tried to catch them, but then backtracked the wrong way and back again. At this point I might have been cursing under my breath, how thoroughly I hated highway biking. There were a few near misses. At this point I decided to forge ahead and try to meet up with the other group that initially started after us. To my fortune I did meet up and ride with some great ladies and gent. The landscape was amazing, the roads open and I discovered a whole new love for biking. Back country roads, the countryside, farms, long grass, and wide open spaces.



Sweaty tired and cold we stopped at a muscle car show on the way home. We actually drove by it, after much hesitation we flipped around and went back. Small town, and muscle cars who could pass that up. It was pretty sweet. There was a car that had the thickest wheels I've ever seen, Brody here is demonstrating how huge they are!




I came home in time to get ready to go out again(I was going out with my ladies and I wanted to get all dolled up), kick up my feet, and chill. Melinda had a coupon for $20 off 40 dollars of crepes. We bought 4 of each kind, sweet and savory. We watched a movie, The Choir, while eating our crepes, and it dawned on me afterwards that this evening was French themed. Crepes, and a French film, which was great. Why did I leave my beret at home?

Once upon a Saturday in DC

Eastern Market! Love that place. It is known for its pancakes, blue/bucks to be exact. I came to the market when I first moved to DC but the building was closed for renovation. I believe it was in August too, and the humidity was horrendous. We didn’t stay long because it was all outdoors and there was no pancake place at the time. I hadn’t been back since. This time I got the full experience, pancakes and everything. The food was delightful. Shannon and I shared our meal: Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict, and some blue/bucks. While I was sitting there chatting, photographing, a man at the other table caught my eye. I chuckled to myself, John, an old acquaintance from BYU happened to be there with his wife and kids. Megan asked me if it would be beneficial for him or I to greet each other… no, so I kept it too myself. He may have also recognized me but said nothing as well. I wandered shortly with friends around the market place. Did I mention it was a cold day, yeah, cold? I had planned on hiking Great Falls but the wind/rain thwarted my plans.








That night there was the no talent/talent show. I went to eat with a few girls prior to the show. It was a yummy little place called Casa de Mama. Most of us ordered the Gyro platter, and we got free dessert. The dessert is hardly anything worth mentioning. At the Talent Show there were some good acts, funny acts, no-so good acts but I was thoroughly entertained. My ex performed his chairs act, which was so much better in person than watching it via recording. I took some good shots. I love candid much more than posed. Jared performed his ‘Toast!’ act. There was also singing and/or dancing, Flaminco dancing, recitation, instrument playing, comedy acts, photography slide show (which I contributed some of my pics).

what happens when a relationship works out

Most important event of the Spring was the wedding of my brother and his beautiful bride, my new sister-in-law. I remember 7 years previous when Josh got married. It was at the DC temple. It was a whirl because 3 months previous that they barely met, and now end of May they were getting married. I'd always thought myself to be a slow mover and couldn't think of a relationship progressing that quickly. Yet Danny did the same, and maybe sooner although they were engaged longer. Within 2 months they were engaged. Shocker!

The wedding was a small reunion of sorts for our family as well. Ben had up quit his job, sold his BMW, and moved to south America to return when the economy was better. We were all there, 4 kids, and parents. Ben was the last to arrive starving with his new Paige boy hair cut. Mother was insistent upon him cutting his hair, apparently she preferred the feminine look over the scruffy shoulder length hair.





We had a intimate wedding dinner with just the Schkrohowsky and Tingey family. Danny is so good with all the kiddos. Ahhh...cute. I'm always the favorite until anyone else comes around then I'm like the old toy that gets thrown away for the new one.

We avoided the Strip as much as possible. We had little eyes, and inquisitive minds with us. Thomasin is our little sponge and absorbs and recognizes everything. Instead we stayed out doors, Red Rocks, Ring of Fire, and Lake Las Vegas.








Wedding Day!
The ceremony was beautiful. I sat front row and was watching Danny's face throughout the ceremony. He glowed, his face shined with happiness...an inexpressible joy that I've never felt but I could see it. He gazed at his bride with adoration, and joy.




The reception had the most delicious food. Pasta salads, fruit, candy bar with delicious CUPCAKES! I pride myself on doing things slightly different than others. About 4 years ago I decided I wanted cupcakes instead of a cake for my reception but now everyone is doing. What's next, do I revert back to cake, or have pie, tart, or donut? Guess it doesn't matter, I'm not planning a wedding.

There was a little dancing. And the coolest part was a photo booth. Yep, they had one in the front room. You'd get your photo taken and put it in the guestbook. It was a great idea.

We celebrated Marta's 3rd Birthday with the Robinson's.




We also went to Hoover Dam. I can't remember if I've ever stopped there before but we walked down with the kiddos. Check done. I think the kids enjoyed it until we had to walk back up to the car. Then Thomasin was tired and wanted to be carried, Marta though she is hard core. Walked her little legs the whole way. That's my girl.







Recently I have been considering and weighing all my options professionally, socially, and where exactly I want to direct my future. There are so many good decisions, so many good things that I can pursue it is challenging to pick one thing to focus on. It helps me understand why guys have a hard time picking one girl because like me there are so many options.

Side note: Something I've benn thinking about recently...impact. There have been a number of people that have really pierced my heart and soul. WhenI reread that it sounds really cheesy but the truth. Few have truly altered my life, my perception and there are others who’ve come and gone and really haven’t done much for me. I don’t want to be one of those people that just flit in and out. I want to truly be a disciple of Christ, I want to love, give everything I have, make a change, and make a difference.
I took myself to see Phantom of the Opera earlier in the month. It took me forever to drive up there. I left at 6:00ish and didn’t’ arrive until right before 8 (5 or so minutes before the show started). If I had done that right I probably would have just made a day of the whole thing, instead of fighting traffic the whole way. Stress!!! I had held the show with such high expectations for years like most things in that respect I was slightly disappointed. It was good don’t get me wrong but not quite like I thought it was going to be. The crashing chandelier, murders, and the phantom weren’t as thrilling and suspenseful as I thought. I loved the music, and the story but it didn’t capture my heart like I thought it would.