L-O-V-E that spells Family

My week off was spent with these cute kiddo's. *Notice the ipad is obviously a hot commodity with them*

And of course I got to spend some time with Jamie who was in town and my Grandma who now lives here!! Thursday my Grandma treated Jamie and I to Zupa's and a pedicure! I really wish I would have gotten a picture of the three of us getting our pedicure :( but here is a picture of me and Jamie's toes after.

Spending time with my sisters! It was a nice week.

Flashback Friday 45

Last night I was trying to think of one of my last REALLY exciting New Years Eve's. You know, the ones where you get dressed up and go dancing or something really fun. Not that just chillin with friends isn't good...  my roommates and I were trying to figure out something fun to do this New Years Eve and I always want to go out and do something really fun, but that never really happens. Maybe I am just getting too old for that?

The last time I really had an exciting go out and party New Years Eve was in 2004 and 2005. These were the days when I was in Santa Barbara for the Holidays and would stay until New Years. Every year there was a big dance party at a Mansion in Santa Maria for all the Young Single Adults. It was a formal party where they served a nice dinner and served fancy drinks and all of that. I only went a couple of years... but it was fun.

Maybe I am too old now... but every year, I still have the desire to go to a New Years Eve party like this.

Confessions of a Brunette on the Internet 98

This last week has been pretty relaxing. Way more than I am used to... which is probably good for me every once in a while... but I have discovered that if I have too much down time, I tend to get lazy. I felt like with so much time off, I should have gone out of town somewhere. Oh well. I still had a lot of fun.

Friday there was hardly anyone at work because it was so close to Christmas... so I suggested that we watch a movie in the conference room on the projector. So we did. We watched Funny Farm and then we left work early... which was also nice.

Christmas Eve I spent the day cleaning... my mom and dad brought over my finished bench that my dad built for me. It is beautiful. When the cushion gets made to put on top I will take a picture and show you. My dad did an amazing job on it. It is beautiful. I did some last minute Christmas shopping and spent some time with my parents watching old Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concerts and then I went home. It was probably the weirdest Christmas Eve ever. We normally go caroling. We normally have more family around... it didn't feel like Christmas Eve at all. I went home after that and watched Muppet Christmas movies with Rachel.

Christmas Day I went to church with my parents in their ward. Went to my parents house and my dad made me an egg sandwich just like he did when I was a kid, then we waited for Kristy and her family to get there and we had a Christmas message and opened presents and then had a nice Christmas dinner that my mom made. It was really nice to also have my Grandma there for Christmas. It has been so fun to see her regularly.

My sister Jamie and her family came the next day. The whole week (since I had it off) was spent going to my parents house and playing with my nieces and nephews and hanging out with my sisters. It was fun and relaxing. I don't think I have had a week to sleep in everyday and just hang out with no major plans since last Christmas. Although I would have like to have done more with my sister in town... it was still nice just to hang out. It is hard to plan things with the kids. I wish I got to see them more.

I was on facebook the other day and I saw that my friend Jarrett that I used to work with years ago is in a new band, "The Anser". He has always been into music and he has always been very good. He auditioned for American Idol in 2009 and made it to Hollywood but that was it. This year... I just barely discovered (because I don't watch much tv) that his band auditioned to be on "The X Factor" and made it through the first round of Auditions. I think they are pretty good! You can check them out here. Look at him singing for Simon! Way to go Jarrett! I am proud of you. P.S. Notice my little high school choir friend playing in the background. ha ha... who knew I would know so many people in show biz.

My roommates and I saw both the new Mission Impossible movie and the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Both very good. I also started the LOST series. I know... I am a little late, but I didn't want to watch them until they were all out and until I found someone that had all of the Seasons because I knew I would get addicted because it is the same guy that wrote Alias... and I loved Alias a lot. So... turns out my neighbor and friend, Jason, not only has all of the seasons but he has them all on Blue Ray... so he is excited to watch them all again with someone that has never seen them before. We just started this week and we are already almost done with the first season. It is good. Yes, I am already addicted. I have a feeling that this is going to be my life for a while. I guess a good time to do it? During the dressing Winter where there is not a lot to do? Plus we are all going to be dieting and wanting to take our minds off of food. So it is a good thing I guess.

Speaking of food. Now that it is Winter (even though it has been a rather warm winter so far) do you know what we do with our food if it doesn't fit in our fridge? We keep it out on the porch. It shouldn't be that funny to me.. I mean it makes sense, but for some reason... every time I see our stuff stored out there, it makes me laugh. Just doesn't seem quite right to me.

Photo of the Week 96

Christmas Breakfast

The roommates and I wanted to have a Christmas breakfast together and do our gift exchange... so we did that this week. The breakfast was nothing big or complicated but our table is of course very cute.

Here is our cute table that Rachel decorated.

We each got our own hot chocolate kit.

For breakfast we had eggs, hash browns, sausage, cinnamon and sugar rolls and Orange Julius. YUM!

Our presents to each other under the tree.

The roommates! I love them.

Santa Baby

My neighbor and friend, Jason, gave me this cute Mini Mouse Santa hat from Disneyland for a Christmas present (for my love and Christmas and my love of Disney... Super Sweet right?) and Rachel gave me these super cute Santa PJ pants since she gets new Christmas PJ's every year. Rachel and I planned on making a "Santa Baby" music video in this little outfit of mine on my week off of work. Somehow that didn't work out. However... I found these VERY old Christmas music video's I did with friends 6 & 8 years ago... so I thought I would post them, especially since one of them is Santa Baby! ha ha. They are silly... and probably only funny to me and my friends that were there at the time, but I figured I would post them all the same. I'm silly like that.

All I want for Christmas is You - Heather Cover Girls 2003



Santa Baby - Devonshire 2005

Merry Christmas

Last night my roommate and I noticed the cemetery. I know people put flowers out for Memorial Day and that they put out Christmas wreaths for Christmas... but what we didn't realize until last night was that there was lit tea lights in bags all over the cemetery on Christmas Eve. It was beautiful. I tried to get a picture... but my picture didn't do the scene justice.

It wasn't a typical Christmas for me. I have spent the nights at my apartment with my roommate Rachel watching Christmas movies, not a lot of my family is around. I went to church today to my parents ward just me and my parents. My dad made me lunch... it was low key, we don't do a lot of presents, etc... And even though Christmas has changed for me over the years... the Spirit of Christmas is still there. The day is still special. I am thankful for my family and I am thankful for the holiday season that we celebrate Christ. When people are more giving and a little more kind and we take time to spend with our loved ones. No matter what else changes, that will always be the same.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Lights

One thing that my friend/roommate Rachel likes to do  every Christmas, is to drive around and look at Christmas lights while listening to Christmas music. I think it is a great tradition.

Seeing the lights on the houses is great... but my favorite is Pond Christmas in Salem which she introduced me to last year. I just love those lit trees on the water. It is so pretty and magical... so I was happy to go back again this year.

Merry Christmas Eve! 

Flashback Friday 44

Today's flashback is another family Christmas flashback. It was 2005 and it was our first Christmas in Utah because Kristy had just had Sierra a month earlier. Chad was on his mission and everyone else made the trip to Utah.

We went to SLC to the Joseph Smith Birthday celebration.. which was awesome.

My dad had bought recording equipment so we made a CD

And we went Christmas caroling (family Christmas Eve tradition)

No matter where we are or what we are doing... it is always great to be with family anytime, but especially at Christmas.

Confessions of a Brunette on the Internet 97

It has been a pretty good week. I got my eyelashes filled, Cheryl and I finally traded massages again (which was so overdue for me), I got my hair done (I love it... Nicole always does a fantastic job), celebrated my birthday with friends and family and the list goes on. It has been busy and good. Even though it has been good... it also has felt like everyday should have been Friday. I am ready for the weekend.

I am just about done with my Christmas shopping. Just a couple more things to get. I like giving gifts to people, however... Christmas shopping is not a fun experience for me. I try not to get angry and try to keep a smile and the Christmas spirit, but the crowds and the traffic really get to me. It can really stress me out. I think next year... I am going to try and think ahead and try to do most of my shopping online. That sounds so great to me.

My roommates and I have been watching Christmas movies like it's nobody's business. Not done yet... so I will probably make a list of all of them that we watched when we are done. I think this is the most I have ever fit into one Christmas season.

I posted this as my status on facebook but... I wonder the same thing every year. Who decided that "M favorite things" from the Sound of Music is a Christmas song. It honestly kind of gets on my nerves. The responses on that status were pretty funny though. Comment #1 It's a Christmas wish list? It's also why Santa has to check his list twice, after that disastrous year when he accidentally gave her raindrops on kittens and whiskers on strudels.  Comment #2 but seriously  Comment #3  It's not a Christmas wishlist at all, though. It's nice things to help you not be afraid of storms. I don't get it either. and my favorite... Comment #4  The one argument I've heard for it that kinda makes sense is that it DOES include a few essential ingredients of a Christmas song:

Snowflakes (that stay on my nose and eyelashes)
Silver-white winters (that melt into springs)
(Doorbells and) Sleigh bells (and schnitzel with noodles)
(bright copper kettles and) warm woolen mittens
brown paper packages tied up with strings
 please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't apple strudel also associated with Christmastime?

However, there are also things that point to other seasons:
Geese migrate in the fall (which is when they would fly with the moon on their wings).
Raindrops on roses are most definitely NOT a winter phenomenon and, when paired with the kittens, seem to be an indicator of the spring into which the silver-white winter is melting. Stinging bees wouldn't be in evidence in the winter either but are more of a spring/summer occurrence.
In short, yes, I do take the question way too seriously. What are your thoughts on this?

My Grandma Mills moved to Utah last week. My dad went to go get her and help her back up. I am SO excited that I am going to get to see her ALL the time now. I could not be more happy about this. She was even there for my birthday. What a treat.

We went to Applebees for karaoke again this last Tuesday. One of the managers totally recognizes us because we have gone enough times I guess. ha ha. He tells us welcome back and he comes to our table with the extra mic to have us help out singing whoever is on stage. He did that a couple of times. Probably because we rock out and sing along with every song. ha ha. We had a blast. I finally got up on stage. Not solo... but I might as well have been solo. James and a group of his friends met up with us later. Some of the girls in that group signed up to sing Spice Girls "Wanna Be" and asked if I would sing with them. I said sure. James also wanted to sing with me and he signed us up for something... however he signed us up too late and there wasn't enough time to get to our song. Guess we will have to go back sometime. They did call up our girl group though because a bunch of people in front of us had left already and were not there to sing. So we got up and the other two girls were so quite.. so you could only hear me singing and I was rocking out. It can be a fast song to sing solo at parts and it wasn't my best singing or my choice of what I would want to sing at karaoke, but it is what it is. I sang and it was fun. What I really want to do it a fun duet. Maybe one of these days.

Work this week has been kind of busy... but it has also been pretty awesome. Let me list the reasons why. #1- Monday we celebrated my birthday with bagels and cream cheese AND a game of darts as a team (I'm really going to need to practice. #2- Tuesday we had a reunion lunch at La Jolla Groves at Riverwoods. Really nice restaurant  (picture below) and I had this yummy Tuna salad... it was like eating a sushi salad. The best part though was seeing everyone together again (almost everyone). Daniel was in town from Texas (as well as Ward) and so he arranged the lunch so he could see everyone. Shaylene had left Novell for a different company and she was there. Ryan had left to go work at Adobe and he was there. Paul and Les who got let go with the big lay off in April were there (Paul is now also working for Adobe) and then everyone else that still works at Novell all went. It was just so fun to all be together again. I miss them.

 #3- My boss called us all in for a meeting and said they found a way for us to take time off for Christmas if we want it. Last week I was just saying how bummed I was that I wouldn't get any time off... well... now I do. I get all of next week off even though it's quarter end. I was super happy about that. #4- My boss treated us to breakfast this morning (which he usually does as his Christmas gift). #5- The head of our department and Legal department bought 10 nerf guns and set up an appointment for us all to play today on the 5th floor (our old home which is now an empty floor). So for a half hour or so we were all running around the 5th floor shooting each other with nerf guns and trying to avoid the cameras so security wouldn't catch us and keeping score on a white bored in the hall. I got worked... but it was still fun. I did tell being only one of two girls in the game. The guys get so competitive. I have a feeling we might play again tomorrow. #6 I told my boss I had nothing to do at the end of the day today and he said I could go home early. I have a feeling this will be the case tomorrow as well. Not a bad work week at all. I'm still loving my window office. I love looking out the window at the Christmas lights. I just love that Novell decorates for Christmas. It is fun to look at everyday when I go in for work.

Photo of the Week 95

My Christmas gifts to my roommates.

Christmas at Riverwoods

The Riverwoods is a classy outdoors shopping center with some fancy restaurants. It actually reminds me a lot of Santa Barbara because that is what all of our shopping is like. We don't have indoor shopping malls. The Riverwoods has been there for a while, they always put up Christmas lights, however this last year they remodeled a little. Along with that they decided to go all out for Christmas... so now there are TONS of lights. We decided to go and check it out.

It was FREEZING!! And since we went too late (on our way to karaoke at Applebees) and nothing was open, we couldn't get hot chocolate... so we went straight for the heat lamps!! Ha ha, we loved that they have them everywhere. *These pictures made me laugh*

They also have a large stage area now where bands can come and perform. Jason took the stage... but he sadly did not perform for us.

They also have water fountains and fire pits everywhere. Each with a different design. We visited lots of those too. We saw one group roasting marshmallows at one of them. Brilliant!

But my favorite thing there is Santa's house. It has a cute tree inside that kids have written notes to Santa and put them on the tree, there is a fireplace with fire going and cute stockings hanging. It is just super cute.

If you are in the area and have not checked out the Riverwoods yet, go do it! You won't regret it.