Wednesday, November 30, 2011

birth-month

This year, I didn't have a birthday. I didn't have a birth-week. I had a birth-month. And I'm kinda sad that it ends today :(

It all started on the 3rd when my bf surprised me with my birthday gifts (yes, plural) - a pair of Toms shoes and a new sweater. Thanks B, I love them!
Then my Tucson birthday trip started early on the 4th when I got my iPhone :D I never knew I could love an object as much as I love this phone! Thanks to my brother Christopher for staying at the Apple store and getting my phone while I went to the doctor! On the 5th was my birthday dinner with my family - I love them! The girls got pedis and we all celebrated Steph's birthday on the 6th with tacos. And before I left Tucson on the 7th, I got the best present of them all - no cavities when I went to the dentist (total joke, but I was super happy about it)!

When I returned from Tucson on the 7th, I got a haircut and had a massage - my birthday gift to me! And on the 8th was my birthday dinner with the bf's family, so nice of them! When I returned to work on the 9th (yes, I actually took three days off work), my desk was decorated with balloons and confetti and streamer paper and my team got me a space heater along with a "happy 13th birthday" card (yes, I'm the baby in the group) - totally love my work family! My co-workers Jeremy and Liz both took me to lunch that week too! My consecutive birth-days finally ended, but that Saturday, my friends and I went dancing in Old Town for my joint birthday bash with Jenna. And the following Saturday I got my sewing machine - thanks mom and dad!

Thank you to everyone who had a part in my birthday this year, you made me feel so special and loved!
(and I know I used lots of "!" this post, but this month was just that good!)

Friday, October 28, 2011

fair play

The last time I went to the fair was when I was little - like 5 years old. I only remember being mesmerized by the kids playing in the Fun House, but when I turned around my family was gone. Someone quickly realized that I was missing and my dad came back to get me. Not the best memory of the fair...

This year I went to the state fair with some friends. So. Much. Fun.
I was kindof tired after work, but as soon as I saw the fair lights from the freeway I got so excited! First, we got some dinner. I decided to try Indian Fry Bread. It was decent. Then, the rides began: bumper cars, the spaceship, tango, the giant slide, cyclone, and the ferris wheel. I laughed and laughed and laughed the whole night! I don't think I could have had a better fair experience. And I didn't get lost this time :)

Friday, September 30, 2011

a day late...

... or almost a month late...

Over Labor Day weekend, I went to Utah to visit my family and a friend. This was the first "vacation" I've had in a lllllooooonnnnnggggg time. For the first part of my trip I stayed at my aunt's house (thanks so much Aunt Robyn and Uncle Joe, love you!). It was nice to have some down time and see my family, especially since I don't get to see them a lot. Then I went camping with my friend and his brother's family - hence the "vacation".

I knew Utah was going to be colder than Arizona, but I didn't know it would be that cold. I lived in my jeans and a hoodie the whole weekend. And if I wasn't in the sun, I had goosebumps. I'm pretty sure it was below freezing at night. Even with long johns on I was beyond cold. And I was this close to frostbite.

The first night of camping was spent in a tent. I think I slept a total of three hours max that night. I tried to curl up into the smallest ball possible to keep my feet from falling off, but my 95-year-old-woman-hip made that painful. Add an unemptied bladder and it quickly became a very long night. This is why we slept in the truck the second night. With the heater on :)

Some of the camping highlights were: spending time with Riley, riding the quad, campfires, and s'mores!

It really was a great "vacation"!

Monday, August 29, 2011

embarrassing

I don't even know why I am posting this. Probably because it is a milestone. It was my first, and hopefully (but probably not) my last. Tonight I ran out of gas on my way home. And it was AWFUL!

I remember the first time my "check gauges" light came on while I was driving, I freaked out. I went to the closest gas station and filled up a.s.a.p.. As the years have gone by, I have tested that light time and time again. But tonight the light won.

While driving home from Queen Creek, the dreaded check gauges light came on. I was already on my way and figured I had plenty of gas to get home. But I was wrong. Very, very wrong. I made it almost half way home when my car suddenly gave up. It just stopped working. When I pushed the gas pedal, nothing happened. The RPMs rapidly decreased, as well as my speed. Then the steering wheel locked. And then lots of lights on my dash came on. I made it safely to the side of the road and did what any girl would do - called my dad. Then AAA.

I was kinda freaked out, but I remember turning on my hazard lights and trying to explain to my dad what happened. I also might have mentioned that I was low on gas. But it totally could have been my dying fuel pump! AAA said I was a "priority" because I was stopped on the side of the freeway (oh yeah, forgot to mention that little bit of info above) and that emergency roadside assistance would be on their way in the next 3 hours. I called at 7 pm! After waiting sweating in my car for half an hour, I called my friend Chris who lived nearby. Thankfully he was home, was not busy, had a gas container, and was willing to save me. He had about a gallon of gas already in the container, so we tried that first. But no such luck, my car still would not start (that's when I really started to freak out). So I called my dad again, who gave a few suggestions, and we took a trip to a nearby gas station. After 3 gallons of gas and several attempts later, my car started!

Next time that check gauges light comes on, you better believe that I will go straight to the closest QT I can find!
And a special thank you to my dad and Chris for saving me!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

step two complete

Don't worry, I'm not in a twelve step program...

Much like the last post, step two also involved lots of stress and LOTS of waiting. Step two is kinda the "make it or break it" step. I stressed and waited for the step to come, and now I'm stressing and waiting to see if I make it to the next step (of 4, but the next step is really like ten steps in one). I guess all I can do is WAIT!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

step one complete

The last 24 hours have been a bit stressful. I can't really talk about what I'm doing, but I can talk about why I'm stressing (vague, I know. it will all make sense later).

While doing something very important last night, my computer had an issue and I was not given some very important information. But, not to worry, everything would be emailed to me. Within 24 hours.

So I waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing. I can't count how many times I checked my email, and every time there was nothing. And then the 24 hour deadline passed.

I searched and researched how I could retrieve the very important information that I desperately needed (and trust me, I was getting desperate). After several minutes, I decided to try something new. And it worked! I finally got my very important, and very good information.

Now, time to stress for step two!



P.S. I kinda felt like Jack Bauer from 24 while writing this...

Friday, July 8, 2011

hey june?

Did I miss something? Like an entire month? Guess I did!

Lately I've been working 50 hour weeks and time is flyin by! I go in early, stay late, and before I know it the week is over. And then the weekend is filled with lots to do too! I went to Mexico, Tucson (twice), and had a girls weekend. Needless to say, June was B-U-S-Y!

Now, on to July...
This past Monday was the 4th of July (Happy Independence Day!), which gave me a 3 2 day weekend (see above, the "50 hour weeks" comment, that includes working on Saturdays), so I spent my time with friends. Tomorrow I'm having my own spa day (after working in the morning of course) and then it's more time with friends! Sunday I will be in Tucson to fix my car with my dad (see previous post) and to watch a play that my amazingly talented friend Devin wrote. Busy - but fun! And next weekend is Vegas for my grandpa's birthday - also fun! Maybe one day I will actually take a vacation and get some rest :)

Monday, July 4, 2011

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

I love my family. Especially my dad. (hey, it was father's day recently... yeah I'm a little late on this one). He is the greatest man ever. Seriously, everyone loves my dad. He will do anything for anyone at anytime, no matter how it will affect him. And he is an amazing cook. And quite the comedian. The. Greatest. Dad. Ever.

The older I've become, the more realize how similar I am to my parents. My dad and I understand each other. We tend to have the same opinions and think alike. I don't have to explain myself, he just gets it. And it's great.

Lately my car has had some problems, and my dad is always there to help. But I've been helping too. And I love it! I love learning how to fix my car while getting to spend time with my dad. Just my dad and I. Turns out there is one more thing we have in common :)

So thanks dad for being great AND teaching me great lessons!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

1 year



Today my blog turned 1. It seems like I've had this blog forever, but it really has only been a year since I graduated from college and started my grown up life. It's hard to believe that I've been doing this survived for a whole year!

Monday, May 23, 2011

lesson learned

This weekend was kinda crazy, but I learned one very important lesson: even if you do not agree with others decisions, what matters most is that others are happy with their decisions, because at the end of the day they will have to live with their decisions, not you.

I'll admit, I worry more than I should about other people's decisions. I think that's because I truly want those around me to be happy (probably also why I'm a people pleaser, but that's for another time). I want them to make the right decisions, or the decisions that I think are right. But as long as those I love are happy, that makes me happy :)

thanks guys!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

burnt - to a crisp?

*this is more of a personal post than an update on my activities, so feel free to skip... okay there are some activities updates*

For the past month, I've been in a bit of a funk. Or a rut. Or a schlump. Call it what you want, I'm just not my usual self. I don't have much motivation, I want to sleep in lots, and I rarely want to go out. And it's not me being lazy, because I do lots of stuff. Maybe I'm just burnt out. Yeah, that's it.

Why would I be burnt out? Let me tell you. The last three weekends have been spent out of town: Tucson, a family Vegas trip, and a friends Vegas trip (I got back earlier tonight). And how did I get to Tucson and Vegas  - by driving. Every. Trip. Oh, and next weekend I will be in Tucson again. So that will be four weekends in a row spent out of town.

I'm also a little stressed with my apartment, because I got a "Notice of Noncompliance" and they are going to inspect my apartment tomorrow. Management thinks I have a dog because I've had my friend's dog over to my place a few times. So hopefully tomorrow Management will see that I don't own or live with a dog and I'll get to keep my apartment! Or I'll have to move asap and find another place. Let's hope for the first option!

Another stressor: work. A month ago I was transferred into a complex claims unit. Now I handle much harder claims that require way more work and take longer to close. This means my work piles up quickly, especially when I get more new claims. The transfer hasn't been too bad though, I have a great new supervisor who is letting me take my time learning how to handle these new claims and continually checks on my progress to make sure I'm ready before I get put into the rotation with the other adjusters. And the other adjusters in my unit are super nice and help me whenever I need it. This past month at work has been a lot of baby steps, which I am very thankful for!

It doesn't help that my closest friend moved to Utah on Friday. I guess I'll be spending a weekend in Utah sometime!

What I'm not burnt by is the sun! I am super white from the winter and it's almost summer. Maybe one weekend will be spent relaxing by the pool :)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

my new hobby

Okay, so it's not really a "hobby," it's more like a workout. Okay, so it's a workout. But I'm quickly becoming obsessed with...

bikram yoga

What's bikram yoga? It's hot yoga, a 90 minute yoga class in a super hot room (like mid summer in Arizona hot). bik

Why do I like (semi-quickly becoming love) bikram yoga? Because I feel sooooo good after!

While I'm in the class, I hate it. I want to die. I think I might actually die. And I sweat. A lot. But after the class is over my body feels surprisingly rejuvenated and cleansed.

How did I get started? My coworker Jeremy (yes, the same Jeremy from the last post... he is quite convincing!) mentioned his experience and I figured it could be a fun/good workout.

Last Monday was my first yoga experience. Ever. Start out with a bang right?! So I bought a yoga mat and met Jeremy at the class. I figured it couldn't be that hard, yoga looks pretty easy. I was very wrong. The class is 45 minutes of standing poses and 45 minutes of sitting poses. I only lasted about 30 minutes until I was too light-headed to continue standing and then I only had 15 minutes of energy left for the sitting portion. Fail. I went again on Thursday and completed the entire class (thank you Gatorade)!

I went this past Monday again, and finished 80% of the class - not too bad. I have a 30 day pass so I plan on going as may times as I can this month. We'll see how it goes...

Friday, March 11, 2011

i'm a giver, literally

(warning: this is quite the story. and you know how long my stories are...)

So last Wednesday, United Blood Services had a blood donation bus at my work. A week prior, an email was sent out to the entire office asking for those interested in donating to reply. As usual, I did not hesitate for a second and did NOT reply. I hate needles. Every time I have to get a shot (which I try to avoid by any means) or blood work (which is a little harder to avoid) at my doctor's office, I fake cry like a 5 year old and hold my arms crossed while begging the nurse to stop. Once it's over, I always say "that wasn't so bad" and act as if nothing happened. Yeah, I'm pretty sure my 3 year old nephew is better at the doctor's than I am.

On Tuesday, my coworker Jeremy asked if I was donating blood. I said NO and explained my hate for needles. Somehow Jeremy convinced me that it would not be that bad of an experience, it would be a great service to those in need, and even promised to buy me Jamba Juice if I passed out. Not gonna lie, I was really convinced by the Jamba Juice potential. So I warily replied to the dreaded email. There was an open spot in the 10:30 am time slot that Jeremy was signed up for, so it seemed like it would all work out. Seemed is the key word in that sentence.

I had a solid breakfast and drank plenty of water on Wednesday. I was ready to donate blood! Except I was secretly hoping they would turn me away and I wouldn't be able to give blood. My nose had been stuffy for a week, and sick people can't donate. Or maybe my iron level wouldn't be high enough. I could only hope.

Jeremy and I got into the freezing van (the cold makes it more difficult to pass out, and way more uncomfortable), and a nurse took me into a small room for the screening process. She asked me a bunch of questions about my health history, which I passed. Then she tested my iron level (by pricking my finger for a drop of blood, turns out I'm a bleeder), which I passed. Then she took my blood pressure, which was almost perfect... and I passed. Time to donate blood!

I climbed into the chair and began prepping for my blood donation. The nurse looked at my arms and chose the best vein (I have really good veins for giving blood). Then she began scrubbing my arm with alcohol to disinfect the area. That's when the freak out session began... I started crying REAL tears and kept saying "I don't want to do this" and held my arms. The nurse asked if I really wanted to stop, and I told her to not listen to me and continue with the process. My other coworker Christine comforted me and told me it really wasn't that bad and she was the same way her first time.

That needle was HUGE! And it hurt REALLY BAD! After the needle was fully in my arm (the nurse asked if she should stop two-thirds of the way into stabbing me when I started yelling in pain, which I said no to), the nurse tried to take two vials of blood for testing. Yes, tried. She accidentally didn't fill up the second vial properly. Their only option was to draw blood from my other arm. I was not a fan of that idea, but if I didn't say yes then my donation would be thrown away. Thankfully, the nurse agreed to fill the vial after I was done filling the bag, and reassured me that the needle would be smaller.

Then, there was a the major problem. I couldn't fill the bag! After about 7 minutes of agony and constantly moving my legs and hands to keep my blood pumping, my vein clotted and blood stopped flowing to the bag. The nurse tried twisting the needle (which sounds painful, but surprisingly was not) to get the blood flowing into the bag, but that didn't work. So they had to stop. And I started crying AGAIN. But, they gave me a juice and fruit snacks (no Jamba Juice though)!

Do I regret trying to donate blood? No.
Will I ever try to donate blood again? HECK no.
Do I think Jeremy still owes me a Jamba Juice? Absolutely!

By the way, it's been a week and my arm is still bruised and there is still a mark where the needle entered my arm. Not cool.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

better (two months) late than never, right?

I have good excuses reasons why I haven't posted in such a long time:
- I moved into my very own apartment
- I had to furnish my very own apartment
- The holidays... need I say more?!?
- Multiple sick days - NOT fun
- Work (which I guess I'm used to, but it takes up aaallllllllllll of my time!)
- I could think of more "reasons"  but I think you get the point

December 4, 2010 was a big day for me, that's the day I moved into my wonderful one bedroom apartment :D My mom came up early to help and went with me to get my keys from the apartment office - best moment of my life! My friends Shaun and Ben also helped with the big move. Then my dad and stepmom showed up with the couch my parents bought for my birthday. The move was pretty easy, but then unpacking began...

Okay, so unpacking wasn't so bad because I didn't have a lot of stuff to unpack (it only took one and a half trips to move everything from my old place to the apartment), but I've had to buy A LOT of stuff for my new place! Too many IKEA trips to count, a few trips to Kohl's, weekly trips to Target, and over a month later I have almost finished furnishing my apartment! It has been a time and money consuming project, but I really love my place. Thanks to all of my family and friends who helped me with the move! Here is my apartment!

 
entry

 
living room

 
dining room

 
kitchen

 
Oh, then there were the holidays. I went home for the Christmas weekend to visit my family. Nothing special happened, but it was nice to just hang out with family and have fun. Christmas was good.

When I mentioned I was sick multiple times, I meant like FOUR times.

First, I had food poisoning. It was my second weekend in the apartment. Having food poisoning when you live by yourself is awful! I could barely open the Gatorade bottle. And at one point, I army crawled back to my bed from the bathroom. I lost three pounds that weekend.

Then, I had the stomach flu (or something like that). It was thankfully the week after Christmas and I couldn't eat anything without getting sick. I lost four pounds that week.

Then, I had a sinus infection (I think). It was the first week in January. I coughed weird and it irritated my lungs, so my lungs got congested and then my throat started hurting and then my sinuses got congested. After a week, I thought it was settling in my chest and I really didn't want bronchitis, so I went to the doctor. My sweet, caring doctor put me on a week of antibiotics and gave me a shot of antibiotics IN MY BUTT! Not cool. It was really by lower back/hip area, but still not cool. I was better in like two days though!

THEN, I got sick the last day of January. I don't know what it was, but I woke up in the middle of the night and had to throw up. I think I need a new stomach...

And last but not least, there is work. Work is getting better. I've been an adjuster for almost 3 months and I finally feel like I am starting to know what I'm doing. The claims are getting harder, but it is a good learning experience. I actually kinda like the job :)

So, there's my two month update! Hopefully I will be better at blogging so the next posts aren't as long!