Christmas-y

I love Christmas. And I love love this little commercial.  So cute.

(This is one of my all time favorite songs too, granted it is best when sung by The Smiths, but for this commercial it works.) ;)

Yup

A friend posted this on Facebook today, and it seemed fitting for me right now.  Plus who doesn't love a hotsy totsy picture of NPH?  I do! 

Its more like I'm "trying" to get more awesome, though.  Sometimes I feel like I am and sometimes, like today, I don't.  Maybe its because its a rainy weekend, and I am still getting over this yucky sickness I have had for 2 weeks, but I'm just not feelin' it at the moment.  Right now I feel kind of forlorn, when I really want to feel like I'm getting awesome! 

Any suggestions? I tried washing my car and cleaning my apt, but now I just feel clean and forlorn.  I'm sure church tomorrow will help me feel better, it always does.  I need perspective! 

(Or maybe I need more pictures of NPH.)

Yep...ok... thats a good one.

 Mmm hmm, his eyes clearly tell me I'm pretty awesome.  This is helpful.  I'm glad we talked it out.

'Different Technology Nicaction'

This video made me laugh until I cried.  Maybe because I am in one of those moods where I cry at anything, but I think its pretty hilarious none the less. (Plus I love Rhett and Link.)

As an interpreter at an educational setting, often I have had an instructor show a youtube clip of something and, in the interest of trying to be "helpful," they turn on the "CC" (closed captioning) option that is on youtube now, but its less than effective because it just. doesn't. work.   So I just keep interpreting.  NBD.

This takes it to the next level, and I love it:



You should also watch the first caption fail they did. Also amazing.

A couple things...

First, I got my new Toms in the mail this weekend, and I am in love.

Second, I crafted my brains out this weekend, and had so much fun listening to conference, while feeling all domestic.  I love my apartment, and I am loving it even more now that I am doing some fun stuff with it.  I was gonna write a SUPER long post with bunches of pictures but I ran out of steam, so I will do more next time. For now, here's a couple pics of what I did this weekend:

 

^ This is above my couch. Its made with toilet paper rolls and love.  (Which I hear is the same recipe for most marriages, right?) 

Inspiration from here.  But don't go there because you will like it better than mine.

Most of what's on the wall is made/painted/re-purposed by me! 

It was great fun, I had about 14 projects in my mind to do, and narrowed it down quite a bit.  You see, I am an all or nothing kinda gal.  I get super amp'd for something and I go all crazy, and then it gets kicked to the wayside as soon as I see something else that is shiny and pretty and get all crazy about that.  So when I have a moment of lasting enthusiasm for one thing, I am quite happy when I finish it.  I think I have a version of ADD that distracts me, and makes me loose all motivation to do anything productive.  

I give you exhibit A:

(I was trying to figure out what would look good in the frame.  At least I ruled out "lion face.")

Aaaanyway, I will post more pictures in the next couple of days of my actual apartment, and show my other projects, cause I know you are just dying to hear every detail.

What? You're not?

Well, again, at least my Mom is.  Hi Mom!

ps. Wasn't Conference off the hook?  Er, I mean spiritually uplifting?  I for one came out of it with a resolve to spend less time on Facebook/Twitter/Blogger and more time really living/being productive/serving/reading.   How about you? 

I want, I want!

No...I need, I need.

Occasionally, very occasionally, I go to the Anthropology site, and peruse all the fun things I want. 
Sometimes this is fun, and sometimes its just painful because I can't afford all that I want. 

Here is my latest temptation:

Its Moroccan inspired and its just so pretty. It would go so well in my new apartment!!

Now how to justify spending the money.

{ Did I mention I moved to my very own apartment about 2 months ago?  Its just so fun, and I am sans roommates.  While I have had some good (and a few great) roommates, overall I have missed ever having my own place. At one point in my life I thought living alone would be depressing, but I can not tell you how happy I am to have my very OWN space. I can do what I want with decorating, I can cook and make a mess, and then clean and it stays clean!  I also love the fact that I don't have to feel awkward in my own home, depending on who is there, what is happening, etc.  After 10 years of not feeling comfortable in my own home (off and on), its a lovely relief!  I seriously smile every time I walk in the door, I LOVE it.  (And its such a cute apartment, super new, and all white cabinets, and marble counter tops, and great community.)  LOVE IT! }

Portraits

The end of April/beggining of June I was up in Utah really briefly to see some friends in a Concert (more on that later).  I am blessed to have especially beautiful friends, and so as it works out, thier kids tend to take after their likeness, so I did a couple of impromptu photo shoots. I don't get to be around them much anymore which is not ok. Here are a few of my favorites, sorry if there are a lot!

btw:

(Boy are kids squirmy, I haven't had much practice with photographing kids, but trust me, I had more blurry ones than usable.) ;)

{click to enlarge}

Garrett knows a bunch of signs now thanks to "Signing time"  (he's signing "mom" here)

 Look at that adoreable face!

 Here is the Fam!!  They are the cutest, and Emily was around 30 weeks here, and they just had their preicious little girl, Chloe last week!  She is gonna be my next target! 

I cant wait to meet her! 

Parker- What a goof. ;)

These next photos are of my dear friend McCall's son, Colin - the furrowed brow cutie.  He is so fun to be around, and he is growing so fast!  I'm so sad I am not around them either!  

{click to enlarge}

Here is McCall and the little guy.  Love them... and miss them!  (And there is a brother or sister on the way for Colin! So exciting!)

And speaking of portraits, here is one of my Mom I took a few months back when she came to Az for a visit. Isn't she absolutely lovely! 

Ok, well thats about enough of the picture overload!  Have a good week-end! I have a 4 day weekend, and I plan to enjoy it!  

xo

Teacher?

(^ Thats my name up there! Weird.)

I have been teaching for 2 weeks now, and it's quickly becoming the highlight of my week.  I have taught informally, and done mentoring and enjoyed that, but this I love! I am teaching an ASL 1 class of 25 students. It's 3.5 hours long, and we use every minute of it.  Actually we have had a lot of fun, so as far as I can tell, no one wants to kill me yet.  The students are already petitioning for me to teach their ASL 2 class. I reminded them that I am the only ASL teacher they have had, so they will be pleasantly surprised to know that others can do the job too.  However, I think it helps that I love what I am teaching, and had some amazing teachers that helped me do understand the best ways to teach. I am also lucky that this type of class is hands on, and most students want to be there, and they tend to get the ASL bug so they are motivated and excited about class.

So often in my life, I feel like a fake.  When I became an interpreter, I waited for someone to call me out. When I interviewed for a job as staff here and there was a big 20 person interview, I thought they'd figure out I'm a fake.  Now that I am teaching I keep thinking all of a sudden I wont have anything left to teach and they'll get a real professional to do the job. For some reason I have a hard time realizing I am an adult and have an adult life.  I guess that goes for being a professional in Sign Language as well. When will I ever feel "Legit?"  Probably never.  But I enjoy it anyway.

"Thinkers think and doers do;  but until the doers think and the thinkers do, progress will be just another word in the already overburdened vocabulary of talkers who talk."

 

-E. Jacob Tailor

Ive been thinking a lot about blogging, but haven't actually done it.  Now that I have internet, I will.  Soon. ;)

Another "Aspkt" of Phoenix

Some more pictures I hadn't posted yet, but I liked.  Every city has its own charm, I like the urban feel I found in some of the nooks and crannies of Phoenix.

(click to enlarge)

 

Pet Peeves

So its been a looong time since I posted last, and I have a lot to catch up on.  I have just not felt like blogging AT. ALL. for some reason.  (Maybe part of it is because I have been watching the whole last season of project runway on Hulu and have had time for little else?- I think the other finalist should have one, incidentally.)

The first part of this post though, is random.  I have been thinking of some of my pet peeves, and wondered if I am the only one who has these.  Its funny how I have such little patience for some things that are really trivial if I stop and think about it. Anyway, here are a few...

- When I try to take a hanger out of the closet and its intertwined in another item of clothing or hanger.  I can't just untangle it patiently, I have to yank and twist, and growl angrily until it (doesn't) come out.

-When I am with a friend in a new place and I don't know anyone, but they do, and they don't introduce me and just start talking with everyone.  Awkward.   

-Those straws that have the little covers on them SO tight that they have no room to actually come off the straw until you jam it onto the table so hard that it splits the straw and you end up sucking air in equal parts with your soda. oy. 

-People who don't turn right on red, when its legal and NO cars are coming. 

-"Hot Pants."  Unless you are a "never nude" these should not ever be worn.  

-People who use the bathroom stall right next you yours when its a big bathroom, and NO ONE else is there!  (this goes for movie theater seats too)

-When people say something like..."Are you busy tomorrow?" then they wait for you to answer.  I want to know what I am agreeing to do by saying "no" or missing out on if I say "yes."  But I don't want to sound like a jerk by saying, "I dunno, it depends." 

-When people emphasize the term "literally" when there is nothing literal about it. ex-"It was literally 400 degrees in today."  (Lets be honest, I do this too, but it bugs.)

Oh there are so many more, but these are just ones fresh in my head at the moment.  :)  What are some of yours??

...Aaaaaaand speaking of "Pets"  I got one. I was going to name him "Peeve" so I could call him my Pet Peeve, but then I remembered I'm not a hipster. 

I have been planning on getting a dog, but with my lifestyle and work schedule, there was just no way that I could get one.  :( Sad, but I had to give up the dream.  Sooooo I got what any single and almost 30 year old is supposed to get.  

A Kitten. 

Yep, I have an adorable little orange kitty.  I realize the stigma that comes with having a kitten as your only roommate, but I don't care. So go ahead, make fun of m in your head about being the Cat lady, my brother already did.

My co-workers cat had kittens, so I adopted one.  Well, it was a total of 2, but thats a long story.  Lets just say the first kitten I got was named Rudy, and this is him and this is what he did to me...

He was adorable as can be, but was a little terror, and I was awake every hour, and he meowed his little head off if he was not around me.  I was so afraid ever wake him up because when I did he would get all psycho.  I was bleeding constantly from him.  In an act of desperation, I traded him for his brother, Chester.  (I felt really bad, but I was beginning to thing I just wasn't ready for a Kitten.)

Once I traded for Rudy's little mellow brother, Chester, and it all went the way I was expecting.  Kittens are work, but they aren't supposed to attack your face at night, and shed your blood, you know what I'm sayin'?  

So Chester is adorable, and hilarious- he cracks me up, and we have bonded already.  He still runs up my leg but his little claws don't gouge a layer of skin off my leg. And he sleeps on my shoulder but I can move him without him getting crazy. 

So, here he is:

(I won't mention the semi-explosive diarrhea that he experienced 3x in one night, and the baths I had to give him while he was hollering.  Oh and how in the middle of that he locked himself in the bathroom by opening a drawer against the door.  Ok so that was a panicky moment, but all is well now.)  ;)

In a perfect world.

In a perfect world...

-I would be able to give my mom a table full of presents.

-I would have the perfect words to tell my mom how much she means to me and what an amazing person she is. 

-I would be able to re-pay her for everything she has done and sacrificed for our family.  

-I would have all the time in the world to spend doing fun things with my mom. 

-I would be there with my mom to celebrate mothers day.

My mom and I have had so much fun together, and been such great friends over the years and will always be.  My mother's selflessness, her love, kindness and friendship has made me who I am and gotten me through many rough times. 

I am grateful for a day where we can all stop and honor motherhood, because it is truly the hardest and most wonderful calling in the world. 

My mom is the embodiment of this scripture:

  And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Moroni 7:45

Happy Mothers Day to my mom and all the amazing moms that I know who also have these qualities! 

Here are a few of my favorite mums ever...(in no particular order)

You

Her

This one

Another one

This mom

That mom

A new take...

I posted this picture (among others) a while back, but have been wanting to try out more black and white, and I got something that I think is better than the original. It took some reworking of contrast, exposure, etc, but I am re-discovering why black and white is so great!

On another note, right after I posted the pics of this intriguing creature, I am sad to say that he disappeared.  Now in the same large "field" ther are three beautiful darker brown horses that run, eat and laze about together.  I am sad my favorite horse is gone, but maybe I will make 3 new friends.

Reason For the Season

HAPPY EASTER all! 

(image found here)

Don't forget the reason for the season, Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for holidays where it feels like many of us are on the same page.  I think the world could use more of remembering the Savior and His atonement and resurrection. I love this video clip, and I add my testimony that He lives.

Desert Hike

Deserts and Hikes are 2 things that I have lived my life thinking should never go together.  But this last weeked I allowed them to be together.  It was actually a nice hike,  albeit a pretty easy, but it was 90-somtething degrees outside, and the middle of the day.  Bad timing, yes, but my roommate wanted to go, so I decided to join her.  

I was surprised to see how beautiful things can be if you look! Its a spiky-er kind of beautiful but I quite enjoy it all. 

We decided next time, early morning would be better, and not so scorching! 

This is the beginning of the hiking trail on south mountain in Phoenix: {and the word Mountain is used loosely here.  When you've lived in Utah, these look more like "big'ole hills"}

t

 The beautiful {& smoggy} view from the top, of downtown phoenix.  We drove {in our air conditioned car} about 1/2 way up and hiked about a mile the rest of the way.