Living in the Moment

My Favorite Things : Summer 2011

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf - what I wouldn't do for a CBTL in Utah. I suppose the exclusivity of it being in California is part of what makes it so special. And what appeal does Utah have when it's widely known the half it's inhabitants don't drink coffee? But listen, CBTL, Starbucks does just fine here, and they have less delightful coffee-free drinks than you, and you're just all around better, so don't be religionist--set up shop in Salt Lake, mmkay? My favorite drinks: Iced White Chocolate Latte and newly: the NSA Iced Mocha Latte...soo good chocolatey milk espresso goodness...and no sugar added. So good.

 

Sticking with the same theme here, Almond Joy Coffee Creamer is the greatest invention since, coffee I would assume. I just love it. It's like a summer-y hawaiian summer treat every time I drink coffee. What's more is that I can pour a couple of espresso shots over ice with a little water and this tasty treat and it's really good. I rarely find a creamer that tastes good unless you only use it with brewed hot coffee. Love it...if you like coconut, you must try this.

 

Nothing was more relaxing and peaceful than waking up around 8am with the California sun already starting to break through the gloom, brewing a fresh pot of coffee, and going outside to get a little reading in first thing that day. Picture this: pot of coffee, a book, and the view seen just below. Bliss.

  

You see, then I'd come inside and hopefully Sadie would be awake, and I'd turn on the TV and hope that this show would be on. I watch so much Spongebob it's ridiculous. But I love it.

 

Even more ridiculous is the rate I watch this next show...constantly. I can't get enough of it, and I don't know why, because the host is such a moron. Seriously, the guy is so full of crap and thinks so highly of himself and his inabilities. Perhaps that's where half of my enjoyment comes from, but it is spooky at times and I enjoy the ghost stories. So spooks coupled with laughs and throw in the convenience of Netflix and marathons on the Travel Channel every weekend and I have myself a habit.

 When I got home my sister gave me the Lupe Fiasco Lasers cd and it is fantastic. Not a bad track on it, and I had been hearing the great reviews and wanting to get it, so I was so excited. I've been listening to it lots.

 

I've had a few days since I've been back that I've just relaxed in bed and watched movies/tv and whatever because it was rainy and stormy outside and that's the only way to spend a rainy day. And oh man I'm already starting to feel the pull of Autumn. Oh how I LOVE that season. Namely October. There's this little twinge of longing I get when I can recollect the feelings I have in that season. Sounds pretty corny I'm sure, but lay off. I love that there's a sense of season and the one that I enjoy the most is Fall, when the air cools off (not WINTER in OCTOBER like last year) just cools off, you get a few cold nights where you have to start wearing warmer clothes and it gets dark earlier. The mood for scary movies comes in and there's a certain smell in the air. I'd like to thank the two years where Sadie and I spend every single day in September and October milking the season for all it was worth. That's why I have such fond feelings of the season and great anticipation for the month of October. Nothing compares, and now we have the BEST tradition ever of Disneyland in October and we get to continue that tradition this year. We are just starting to plan it and hooray for me, I've put in enough YEARS (yes YEARS) in at work where I get to have a paid vacation for the first time in I don't know how long.

Well it's July and I've started my Halloween-time ramblings already. It's only fair that I mention we are trying to pick between Tron costumes and being the Kardashian sisters...I suppose whether or not we have boyfriends will make that easier to choose. Haha!

I'm 22

Just had this inner diaglogue with my self...

Okay, I think since I don't have work tomorrow I have plenty of time to turn on some classical music and read my book for a while.

Um...how old am I?

I'm finding that deep down I really do like classical music, and have enjoyed it for the last month or so while I read. I always need something else going on in the background while I read. Having the TV on MUTE doesn't really do much for me, so it needs to be on really low sound, but with dialgogue and insteresting stuff going on that's too distracting. I just feel like silence is too loud, you know? Have you ever just sat or are trying to fall asleep and all you hear is how QUIET IT IS...sometimes my ears will start ringing and so I have this need to put on music or flip the tv on until I fall asleep or get into a zone and start reading. But with classical music, it's just nice background noise, and it's pleasant. And my brain reacts to it, I really like it. Other music with lyrics and beat distract me.

It's weird that while I feel like I can't have silence because it's distracting, I still need something but that, too, can be totally distracting. I don't know, maybe there's a name for what I have. But I have no clue what...

Anyway, on to my SIRIUS XM Pops. It fits so well with my book...the old english...the fancy dress of the period....the zombies...what?

September is here!

School is in full swing, both at work and fall semester at college. I'm loving the busy and the normalcy that's back in my life.

October is getting closer and closer, and target is getting more and more halloween stuff and I'm getting more and more excited people! Sadie and I are planning our annual trip to Disneyland and can't wait to go. It's going to be shorter this year but we surely won't miss out on any of the fun!

My Supernatural seasons have starting coming in the mail. I love that show, it's great how every one is like a mini scary movie and they are really good! Sadie and I have been watching them all, and my mom is watching them with me too. They are so much fun...I recommend everyone watch a couple if you haven't already...they hook ya!

I will try to be more interesting soon but for now I don't have a whole lot to blog about!

xoxo

Supernatural

No one is surprised that I love this show, right? I'm just surprised I've gone this long without watching it. My grandpa has always loved this show, which is super cute to me. And now I know why. It's like, super good.

I went and loaded up my NetFlix queue with 5 seasons (30+ discs) of this show. That's how I re-watched all of Entourage episodes before this season started. Oh how I love Netflix. I only wish it was a show that I could watch on the Instant Queue cause that's the best way to watch seasons of stuff!

I have been catching a couple episodes every morning this week on TNT. I noticed that one of the brothers looks eerily similar to my cousin. It's almost funny...I let him know he had a doppleganger running around making lots of money on a hit WB (CW whatevs......) tv series!

In honor of my new favorite show, here's things that seem Supernatural in the dark!
1. Outreached fingers clawing for my window? The trees that SCRAPE against my house on windy nights.
2. Phantom bomb launched into my backyard? Bottlerockets exploding outside my window; lighting up my entire room.
3. Mysterious noises in my bedroom at night, crinkling of papers and clicking noises in the deepest corners of my closet? Black mass darting around my room? Bella kitty and her black fur running a muck at 2 am.
4. CREAKS and MOANS in the winter time? The pipes and the house settling...sleep in my house and you'll know why this is the scariest noise ever.
5. TV mysteriously turning off in the middle of the night? Oh yeah, I set the sleep timer.
6. Unexplained snoring coming from the invisible imprint on my white comforter?! Beastie cat. (see image below to understand the whole 'blending in' thing)

 

Catching up...

Sadie and I got back from California this week, and we had such a great time. Countless days by the pool soaking up the incredible sunshine and making some great memories! We were able to hit an Angels game, watch the Lakers take the Championship surrounded by Laker fans, and spend some time with friends and family. It was wonderful! We listened to our summer mix poolside, enjoyed great summer cocktails and ice cold beer, while reading a whole lot. It couldn't have been a more relaxing time. It was a great way to start off our summer! We had a little leak fiasco that lasted over the last few days of our trip, but just a little hiccup in an otherwise perfect vacation.

Upon returning, I started at the U of U clinic helping out with a class for a couple of weeks and feeling out my options for a summer job. I went to my lovely friend Calee's wedding yesterday and it was beautiful. It was so great seeing her so happy and catching up with some old friends. A few guests I could have gone without seeing, but you know, that's life, and you can't always avoid the people you otherwise would.

I've been looking forward to the Entourage for the past three months, and I can't wait for the season premier this Sunday! Me and my best friend will be watching it and will probably make a Sunday ritual out of it and there's nothing better than hot men, good friends, and good times!

Valentine's Day Weekend

This weekend will go down in history as one of the greats. I haven't had a Valentine's Day this wicked awesome since my mom and dad brought home a huge bag of downtown SLC door-to-door salesman booty for each of us. I got a watch that came in a bright yellow box.

I spent the whole weekend with my best friend and spent some time with friends and family. These are the most important loves of my life, and I had the best time ever. Friday was fun, we had a quick mellow dinner and watched a little flick called New In Town that I fell asleep during. But not for long. I'm lucky to have a friend that doesn't, say, become angry when her friend's father decides at 12:30 in the morning that removing wallpaper would be a nice activity to round out a Friday Night. Do any of you know the sound a wallpaper scourer (how many er's does scourer have? Am I even using the right word?) makes against...a wall? Not to mention the amount of banging I didn't realize was necessary for taking down wallpaper. And of course the whole scraping off of said wallpaper is super quiet. But hey...no more wallpaper in the kitchen. We had a painter come repaint the whole house. It looks fabulous. I digress.

Saturday we woke up kind of early and I spent most of the day with my mom and dad. We watched some Olympics while I fought off a headache all day. Sadie and I wanted to go to one of those laser light shows at the Planetarium since we haven't been since the fourth grade. So we had this ambitious plan to take care of a couple errands up at the gateway, have dinner, check out build a bear cause teddy bears seemed like the Valentine's Day thing to do, and then go to a light show. But I had a horrid headache and thought a laser light show might not be the best ingredient in my headache recipe, so we went to Texas Roadhouse (wonderful) and then Sadie offered up the "how about we just rent a movie, and have a mellow night" idea. It was the best I had ever heard. Like an old married couple, only two girls talking about what kind of man we want to marry, but how awesome Valentine's Day had been without one. We watched New York I Love You which I wouldn't exactly recommend But it was still the most fun I have had on -VDay for years and years.

I made a wonderful discovery on iTunes Sunday morning. This discovery is named MONSTER KILL. Sadie and I couldn't stop playing the rest of the weekend. We had brunch at Market Street Grill with my sister, bro in law, and some of their friends. It was a blast and so delicious! Sadie and I saw Valentine's Day on Sunday super cute! And we even saw our friends Mika and Jason there. Ran and grabbed a quick dinner at the always tasty In N Out, and went for a nice little drive. We watched Cruel Intentions, which I bought her for V-Day, and enjoyed the memories that came rushing back while watching it! We both remember watching it in our pre-teens with the volume on low while making sure our parents didn't know we had it on. 

Cheers to a wonderful weekend and a new spin on a holiday I had pegged for purely romance!

Recent Addictions

The Kramer. Almost every morning that I have had time, I've stopped by Java Jo's and enjoyed a Kramer, it is the most fantastic coffee drink you'll ever have. I'm sure I've mentioned it on this blog before.

Wood Any Block Letter Crafts :) (while we ransacked most of the craft stores in the south valley for wood crafts --after finding that the wood connection closes at 3..or 4? on Saturdays-- we found that paper mache letters work great, too!) This is the paper mache letters I made this weekend on our girls craft night. We have been trying to get together monthly since November to make crafts for the monthly holidays as well as cute generic crafts like this. I really liked the font of the letters, and paper mache was really easy to work with. Super cheap, too!!

The crafts that the rest of the girls made turned out absolutely adorable! I'll be better with pictures next time and post some! Soon as I can steal some pics of the other girls blogs, I'll post some!

Dexter. Ladies everywhere (ok, and guys alike) should be watching Dexter. It is my new favorite. Sadie and I FINALLY finished season one last night and are going to start season two this week so we can catch up and watch seasons 3 with Cort and Dan. Netflix makes it so easy to catch up, too! I just love Netflix! Can't wait for Season 4 to come out on DVD!! It is the greatest show ever and he is very easy on the eyes. Very. Any readers out there watch Dexter? Who else thinks Rudy could easily be John Mayer's brother? That's all I could think about in Season one while looking at him.

Reading...I read a lot lately. Lately = the past couple years, but my newest habit is buying books. I buy books before I finish what I'm currently reading. I'm almost finished with The Angel's Game which is a great book, I recommend it to everyone and I'm getting so excited to read the new Audrey Neiffenegger book; Her Fearful Symmetry, that I bought oh two months ago, and oh yeah also, the second book in Nora Roberts' bride quartet; Bed of Roses, that I bought last month, and I'd LOVE to read The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane that I bought on a whim a couple weeks ago after seeing in on my Barnes and Noble app and happening upon it at FYE...I think I have enough reading to keep my busy until Summer.

 
  
  
 

Day 1

Go to Java Jo's and get The Kramer.

Fry an egg with some toast....well not fry the egg with toast, but fry the egg and toast some bread and then eat them together.

Turn on Food Network to gear up for tomorrow. Today's the day where they air all the episodes that have to do with Turkey dinner and Thanksgiving leftovers...I've never been so excited to eat in my life.

Change the channel...me no like Booby Bobby Flay (That was an honest type-o but I left it for all of you to see and giggle.)

Catch up on ALL of my homework. If I get it done today, I won't be depressed on Sunday with all the overwhelming pressure of getting it done at the last minute. I'm turning a new leaf, people. I'm going to stop procrastinating! Well...maybe after this movie is over.

I've been spending some good quality time with my dogs this morning. They are my little brothers. They are so jealous of each other. Gator will cower in the corner and pout violently while I pet Cooper. If I do give Gator some attention Cooper comes barreling through...it's quite the spectacle. We're finally at the point where I'm blogging and Gator and I are on the couch, and Cooper is laying on the floor.

Once I'm done with my homework, I'm going to put a big, I mean BIG dent in The Angels Game. I have two other books on deck and I'm so excited to read them all. My goal is to finish the Angel's game over Thanksgiving Break, and then move on to Her Fearless Symmetry and finish that and move on to Bed of Roses and be finished with both through Christmas Break.

The movie I landed on is called "The Women" I LOVE Meg Ryan. This is one of those girl power movies and there aren't enough of those anymore! Why did this movie fail? I love it!

Take it easy, Mountain Face!

If people could see me right now, they would think I was going through some psychiatric issues. Severe ones.

The TV remote in my living room makes its incredibly difficult to appear sane while changing the channel. attempting to change the channel. I finally triumphed over the remote. I settled for watching Hot Rod. (Hence the post title) The remote worked a total of 3 times in 10 minutes and pushing the page up button got me to Hot Rod. What you should understand is that many times, more often than not, I have to put the remote up to varying parts of my body, usually all over my face, for the signal to get through to the satellite downstairs or something. That's right, if people saw me, they would see that I am frantically moving around the remote onto different parts of my face. Temples, chin, cheek. The works. I look like a lunatic. I don't know how it works. I'm not a satellite physicist. If someone is really smart (and by really smart, I mean smarter than me, which is no difficult feat) and knows what seems to be going on with a remote controller that requires being moved around my face to work or even sometimes the side of my leg. I don't know. All I know is that it works. And looks crazy. Wanna know what I think? Pointing it at the TV should work, that's what I say.

Maybe this is God's funny way of telling me to get off my butt and work out or do something more productive on a nice day rather than watch TV. But God, I'm tired and want to watch Hot Rod. Maybe if I didn't spend 10 minutes figuring out how to get the channel to change, that'd be 10 less minutes I'd be spending watching the stupid thing. Maybe?

Cool Beans.

Ghost Hunters, Jimmy Fallon, Dinosaurs popping in to say hello. Oh! and Alpacas, too.

I have been watching a LOT of new things lately. All of which I would love to share with you. First being Ghost Hunters. We caught a marathon on SciFi Channel, and decided to run out to Hollywood Video to rent the seasons on DVD and they didn't actually have any. I swear to you all I saw them as I frequent the place. I think they are lying to me, but we were desperate. It's addicting. So we went to Target and made a purchase. After watching discs of Ghost Hunters and sleeping in my sisters room for 3 nights, paranoia sets in. Enjoy at your own creepy risk.

I LOVE Jimmy Fallon. He is so stinkin funny and I just love him on the Late Show! its fantastic. He's adorable and I just love watching his show. He's my new eye candy.

YouTube favorites this week:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prgm4eKq6d4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gZ0x8AVaBI

Have fun laughing your butt off like I did!!!