On The Move Again!!!

So I'm on the move again!!! I'll be moving to a new place in just a couple of weeks & I cannot tell you how excited I am about it! When I moved in to my current apartment I only intended to live there for 6 months & now over a year later I can't wait to get out of there! I HATE that apartment! HATE IT! I've hated it since the minute I moved in there. I hate that the screen door wont' shut unless you throw all your weight against it. I hate that you have to slam the front door every time you shut it & that my landlord would never fix it. I hate all the spiders that come out of everywhere in the summer. I hate that when it rains the walls leak & again my landlord would never take care of it or even come clean the carpets after it flooded. I HATE the kitchen & everything about it & most especially that no matter how many times I mopped the floor it still always looked dirty. I hate that when it gets rainy & muggy outside that it smells like cat piss in there. I REALLY HATE my upstairs neighbors & can’t wait til I never have to see their stupid faces or hear their stupid lives ever again! And most especially I HATE that I had to move there in the first place! Ok you get the idea right?! Well the packing is in full swing & man I’m the most organized mover you’ve ever seen! Everything is labeled & neatly stacked & I have lists of what stuff is being moved first & where it’s going & good grief why am I this way?! I can’t believe how different it feels this time around. Last year when I was getting ready to move I was crying every five minutes as I was packing up my life on K Street. Not this time! If anything it’s all tears of joy!! And every day when I come home & see the bare walls & empty shelves instead of breaking down I feel like jumping up & down cuz I’m so excited to leave! I love the new place that I’m moving too (especially the kitchen!!!) & I’m even getting excited to live with my friend Chalise (even though neither of us is looking forward to having a roommate) and about all the money I’m gonna be saving!! So by the end of this month I’ll have a brand new address!! Pics to come don’t worry!!

Am I Outside...Again!?!?

So a couple years ago I took a little (now infamous) trip to the wilderness. I pretty much vowed that I’d never return. And I meant it! Well I finally decided to lift the wilderness banishment & give it another chance. Let’s compare shall we?!

The last time I went camping I shared a tent with 3 other people & the 2nd night we were there it leaked. This time I decided to purchase my very own tent. A lot of thought went into this purchase let me tell you. I can’t just be in any old ugly tent. It needs to be cute! Here it is & me putting it together all by myself! that’s right I’m a skilled wilderness woman now!

I tried putting this all in a slide show but for some reason it wasn't working. deal with it!











Look how cute I am in my tent!


The last time I went camping we went where you just pretty much find a good spot of grass & set up shop. This time we went to this place that had these campsites all sectioned off. Every spot had a fire ring, a picnic table & a set spot where you put your tents & everything. As we drove around trying to find a spot I was put off by this designated camping business. And where are the tents supposed to fit in some of these spots? This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen! I found it very bossy! I’ll camp where I please!





Chalise fancies herself a serious camper & decided that this forced tent spot just wasn’t going to work for her so she found a little spot off the way to put her little camp spot. And please she’s not sleeping in a tent either. she was determined to be out under the stars. No thanks! What if some rodent or worse a snake came slithering across your face in the middle of the night?! I’m not coming to rescue you. I’ll be in my tent! Her little area looked like a homeless person slept there!




She didn’t end up sleeping there after she/we creeped herself out so she made her headquarters right outside my tent & still slept under the stars. In the morning when it was raining she didn’t budge. Instead she put a poncho over her face & she was good!



The last time I went camping I had to be a real frontierswoman & pee outside. It was too much for me & my body would not allow it. So by the time I got home I had pretty much not gone to the bathroom in 2 & a ½ days. That’s wretched! This time there were toilets near our campsite. Thank goodness right? I’m not so sure. These toilets were basically an outhouse consisting of a toilet seat hovering over a dark abyss. And there was no way I was venturing to said bathroom facilities by myself. Forget it. Someone had to be with me at all times. I can’t decide what’s worse dropping trou in the middle of the wilderness & worrying about what or who might sneak up on you or setting my bare butt over that abyss! Please I’ve seen enough episodes of X-files to know what might come out & grab me! I was so panicked to get out of there I’d race out of the bathroom with my pants ½ way pulled up. I’m sure the rest of the campers appreciated it! Again my body wasn’t allowing it & by the time I got home I pretty much hadn’t gone to the bathroom in almost 2 days!

There was one time that I braved the bathroom by myself & of course I made a big to do about it!

Here I am triumphant!


The last time I went camping it rained pretty much the whole time we were there & I could never figure out why we didn’t just go home. It was cold & miserable. This time I made a rule that if it was raining I was leaving. And I meant it. Saturday morning I woke up to the sounds of rain pitter pattering on my tent. You are freaking kidding me!! Don’t worry it stopped after about 20 minutes & all was well!

The last time I went camping I was pretty much useless when it came to pretty much everything especially the cooking. This time I rocked it! I am a really good camp cook! I made us breakfast burritos, dutch oven blueberry cobbler & dutch oven chicken enchiladas. I’m not trying to be all whatever but man the food was awesome!

Don't you just love my hair & outfit?!







Chalise is quite a show when she gets in the wilderness. She has this pair of velour pants that she busted out & after she put those on she was a whole other person! She even has a little dance that she does when she wears them!




That night we played a fortune telling card game (think MASH when you were in grade school) that was supposed to reveal who your one true love is. If it was your turn to deal you had to wear the head lamp.




The game told me that my one true love is Val Kilmer which means it really works cuz Val Kilmer IS my one true love!!



All 3 of us brought something to dispose of whilst in the wilderness. One of Joelyn’s frogs passed away so we buried him & had a little graveside service. RIP Frank RIP.


Chalise brought leftover wood from her theater sets & we mostly used that for our fire. So she got to set her sets on fire.



I brought a stack of emails from someone that I’d rather not have around anymore. All together it was about 2 reams of paper. I had been hanging on to them all this time & just wasn’t quite ready to let them go. I decided my return to the wilderness was the perfect time & place to rid myself of them! At 1st it was very sad & I’m not even gonna front there were some tears but once I started throwing them on the fire it was on! It was very therapeutic to watch them go up in flames.






And then we made some killer smores over the ashes!!




And here's just some fun random pics from the trip. As if you haven't seen enough already!!









So the wilderness has redeemed itself!

Book Report

I finished my 2nd book of the year! well i finished it a couple weeks ago but just haven't had a chance to report back. Dust And Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. R H Watson....basically it's a Sherlock Holmes take on Jack The Ripper. It was a good book but I was hoping it'd be a little more gruesome! I had started 2 books before that which I got part way through & then took back. One called The Black Dahlia which could have been good but it got filthy & I'll have none of that! The I started The Glass Lake (a recommendation from my sister Kristy) but it didn't hold my attention so it got dumped. After Dust & Shadow I started reading The Glass Castle (another recommendation from Kristy) and I was really liking it but then it was due back at the libary & since there was a line a mile long waiting to check this book out I had to turn it back in. I re-reserved it but I'm like 9th in line! Good grief people it's just a book! I'm not sure what I'm gonna do in the meantime. Should I just read another book while I wait? But what if I get all confused with all the books I've got going on?! My life is rough!

I've also listened to several books on CD. Peter Pan , Alice In Wonderland, & The Looking Glass Wars. Peter Pan is fine & all but by the end I was sick of Peter & his antics. still it's magical! Let's talk about Alice In Wonderland for a minute here...that book is straight up indulgent nonsense! It's really about nothing! Why am I so in love with the Disney version?! These are the mysteries of life! Looking Glass Wars is good but it's a little too literal but still magical & entertaining. Right now I'm listening to Gone With The Wind. Don't worry that it's 41 discs! That'll keep me occupied for awhile.

I'll report back on my next book! 2 & 1/2 down...1 1/2 to go!!!

Any recommendations on what I should read next!?

Happiness Is......

I was looking at my friend Marissa’s blog the other day & one of her postings was a list of things that make her happy. I was then inspired to make a list of my own. Here it is....so far!!

Chilled Cake
Sprinkles Cupcakes
Shooting guns
24
Sleeping in
My living room
Lifehouse
Weddings
Red lipstick
Pedicures
Cooking on a fire
S’mores
Fabulous dinner parties
Flip flops
Cardigans
Long & Lean jeans
My stems
Disney movies (I’m talking the old school ones!)
My big girl bed
Jaxson Jewel
My kitchen table
Hot tubbing
Summer
Boating
Disneyland
My sister Kristy calling me at work
Crab cake sandwich from Cheesecake Factory
Sundresses
Taking naps
When a boy comes to play with me
Shrimp
Pepsi in a can
Telling stories about Grandmother
Easter bonnets made from paper plates
New hair cuts
Taco Bell
Movie previews
Toe rings
Laying out in the sun
Having blue eyes & blonde hair
The Temple
Books on CD (unless they have a crappy narrator!)
Bottomless express lunch at Chili’s
Christmas decorations
Birthday parties
Skee-ball
Gummy bears
My stories
Smell of bacon cooking
pancakes
Pajamas

What things make you happy?!

The 5K!!!

Well I completed my 1st goal of the new year! I ran my 5K race on Saturday!!!! It was QUITE the event let me tell you! Me, Joelyn, Chalise & our friend Barbara had been planning to run in this race for weeks & the night before we were all sorts of nervous. I just really wanted to do well & not feel like a flabby loser. The night before the race I went to bed early to get a proper night’s sleep. I felt way loser-ish going to bed at 9:00 on a Friday night but whatever! I woke up really early Saturday morning so I could eat breakfast & start hydrating. I was still nervous & as Joelyn drove us over to the race she kept saying she was just gonna drop me off & leave! I am so sure! So we got to the race & got our packets which had some pretty random stuff in them. A can of pineapple juice, a pen, a packet of rapid energy jell (gross!), and a t-shirt that I’m sure won’t fit me! The only useful thing in there was a coupon for a free loaf of bread from Great Harvest!

After that we had a little photo session with ourselves per usual.



Then we were ready to run!! There were a lot of people racing including my girl arch nemesis from the gym. Oh gosh really?! So we get ready at the starting line & my parents are no where to be found. Are you kidding me? I only reminded them about this 43 times & they know what a big day & event this is for me & they can’t be bothered to show up? Whatever I’ve got a race to run! So me & Joelyn decided to run together & help eachother keep pace & both decide that we’ll walk for a minute to get warmed up. But when the race started & everybody took off running I took off running too! Sorry Joelyn! I saw Sherri & Martin about ½ mile into the run standing on the road cheering me on. It was so great! Now the thing about running is that it’s WAY different running on a treadmill than it is outside. It is WAY harder running outside & since the weather had been so rude lately I had had very little outside running time. I was crapping out really fast. I must have gotten a jolt of runner’s adrenaline cuz I just kept running & running. Not gonna front I had to walk here & there a little bit but overall I think I did really good. Don’t worry that all the incline & little hills were at the end of the course. Why?! I still can’t believe my parents weren’t there! So I’m rounding the last ¼ mile of the race…I can see the finish line….Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” is blaring on my ipod….I look up….and there are my parents!!! They came!! It was quite a moment & all the events of the last year plus the thrill of seeing them there plus MJ singing just swirled around in my head & I about lost it! I started running faster to the finish line & by the time I got the end I wanted to die. I DID IT!! I ran my race!!

Joelyn & Barbara crossed the finish line a few minutes after I did & then we went back to where my parents were standing to cheer Chalise on to the finish. She was walking the course instead of running but when she got about 20 feet from the finish line she just took off running til the end. It was so great!



At the finish line!



Afterwards Great Harvest fed us sandwiches & handed out loaves of bread…mmmmm cinnamon burst my fave! What a great morning! Shortly after my race started Sherri & Martin were participating in a walk for MS at another spot along the river so I headed over to see them & got my picture taken with Darth Vader! Delightful!



So I ran my race & I am quite pleased with myself! This time last year I was a fat, flabby mess & now I’m running in a race. Well done Melissa! I plan on doing another one august 7th & this time I will run the entire thing without stopping!

525,600 Minutes

A year ago I made a decision that changed the course of my life. It was the best & hardest thing I've ever done in life. And now that I'm on the flip side of a year I am beginning to see & understand all the reasons why. As I look back over the last year I can't believe how much I have changed & the direction that my life has taken. There are times that I miss the life I once had & long for the people & places I once knew. I miss my old apartment the most!! But when I look back & think about where I was this time last year I would never want to be there again. In the end I know that I would not be the person I am right now & I would not have been able to experience all the good things I have this last year if I had stayed. Every day is different. Some days I'm angry over the things I went through. Some days I'm just sad that things had to end up like this. But some days I am thrilled to not have to deal with the things I left behind & am so happy with the new life I'm living now. Today is a good day!

I wanted to mark this milestone by doing something fun so me & some of my gals pals drove down to Salt Lake to eat at the Cheesecake Factory mmmmmmmm crabcake sand which.....mmmmmm cheesecake!! Kristy, Todd & OP joined us for the event as well! On our way back to Idaho Falls I decided that I had earned myself a pepsi! It was delicious! It was a great little outing & I am so grateful for friends who knew how momentous this occasion was & drove all the way down & back with me! Bless your hearts!!



How cute is OP?! Don't worry that Chalise's sister Allison was seated next to him & he kept taking food off of her plate & either eating part of it & putting it back on her plate or just playing with it & putting it back on her plate or just throwing it on the floor! bless him!


me & Kritty! We're cute!


I MADE IT!!!

Busiest Saturday Ever!!!

So last Saturday was absolute craziness! There was SO much going on that I need a nap just to recover from it! My day started early…way early for a Saturday when normally I prefer to just lay around in my big girl bed until I’m good & ready to get up. I was up, dressed, and out the door a little before 9:00. That’s pure insanity!! I drove down to Pocatello (which is liek an hour away) to see my dear Joni graduate from ISU. I went & picked up Strudel & we headed over to graduation which basically was 2 & ½ hours of listening to names being read & of course Joni was near the end! But it was so exciting when her name was read & she was up on the stage! It was a long road for Joni to get here & I am just so proud of her. Dear Joni you are amazing!!



Afterwards we had a little photo session




After the graduation festivities I headed back to Idaho Falls & met up with Joni & Co. for a celebratory lunch. Good times! Then I went straight from there out to the parents where we were having a Birthday celebration/farewell for Strudel as she was leaving for her South African safari in a couple days. For part of the celebration we got to go shooting! I LOVE SHOOTING!! You wouldn’t think so to look at me but man I LOVE it!!

Pictures of course! P.S. don’t you love the prissy little outfit I’m wearing?! Cardigan & flip flops…the only way to shoot!







Check this action out!!





Just call me Jackie Bauer!



After our shooting outing we had a BBQ at the parents & stuffed our fat faces. It seems like all I did Saturday was eat! I feel fine about it tho! After the festivities I headed back into Idaho Falls to see Iron Man 2 with my dear friends Sherri & Martin. I can’t decide if I was too tired to enjoy the movie or if it was just not that great but it’s definitely not as good as the 1st one. I finally got back home around 11:00 & I was exhausted! Got right into my big girl bed & went to sleep. What a crazy day!

Monday morning I dropped Strudel off at the shuttle to leave on her safari. I think she's so awesome for going on this little trek & she's been saving & planning for it since I can remember! I love you Strudel!