#119

Alright - I'm in Vegas. I'm a little irritated right now, because it is technically day 120 here, but this was the first chance I had to post. I had a chaoctic, crammed morning; then we drove to Vegas, to then check in to the hotel, immediately change and then head out for the night. Once we got back to the hotel 12am Utah time, I tried to log in to the hotel WiFi and I had issues for about 15 minutes. Nothing more annoying than trying to fix a problem no one seems to understand. None of my sisters could fix it, I couldn't fix it and the front desk sure didn't know anything about WiFi in the first place. (When I called to ask for WiFi instructions, I was told this hotel didn't have WiFi. I'm sorry, I'm staying at a highly rated Marriott hotel and you're telling me, in the middle of Vegas, there is no internet connection?) Of course as soon as I said 'internet' to this associate, he replied, "Oh yes, we have internet." Uh...DUH!!! But of course my laptop wouldn't connect, then I had to run down to the lobby computers, only to get down here and didn't have the right memory card....so I had to head back upstairs. Then I come down to FINALLY post and I had to wait 'my turn.' UGH!!! Can you tell I'm more than a little annoyed??????????? Now all the girls are up there sleeping and I'm posting well after midnight, NV time. This is the first time I was literally UNABLE to post the DAY OF! Okay, well there was that one post where my internet connection was down at home and I was unable to post a picture from my phone...In this case my phone is completely dead and Marriott has no idea was WiFi even means. Its freakin' 2011 Mr. Marriott. Get it together. And some of you may laugh at my dedication to stay up this late and deal with all the frustration. If that'd be the case, I guess you just don't understand how important this blog is to me and the vow I made. Silly to you, but extremely serious to me.

Okay rant over. The reason WHY I'm down here in the desert in the first place, is to celebrate my baby sister's Bride-To-Be status. We're here for a quazi 'bachelorette' party. (We have an underage bride and 2 pregnant women in the posse. There isn't much shenanigans to get into here. Oh well, us sisters are all enjoying each others company!!)   ;)  Plus I hear it was snowing back home in SLC. It isn't exactly warm here in Vegas, but it beats April snow in Utah any day. Also its REALLY windy here. I think we almost got blown over...literally...while walking from New York, New York to the parking lot. That's okay...nothing better than sexy, wind-blown hair and watery, mascara dripping eyes, right?? ;)

Now to FINALLY post my #119 (technically a day late...BUT you won't remember, right?) The Bride-To-Be and the reason for this weekend getaaway...despite the technical frustration on the first day. Hopefully by tomorrow we might have a solution.

#118's

I was invited to tag along to my sisters engagement photos. We know the photographer pretty well and he doesn't mind other cameras being there. So I decided to take this opportunity to shadow a professional!! This guy got some great shots - excellent poses and backgrounds. I was really impressed. I snapped as many photos as I could...but since I was always to his side or a few feet away, my sister & her fiancé weren't ever looking straight into my lens. Oh well. I did get some great shots of the poses where they are looking at each other or purposely away from the camera! ;)

We went out to the Great Salt Lake and the Saltair building. This actually marked my FIRST time at the Great Salt Lake. I've lived here 29 years and I've never set foot on the beach before. Most of you know, it isn't the greatest and it stinks real bad, but nonetheless, it was exciting!!! Plus I got to enjoy this wonderful moment with my sister & future bro-in-law. How could I pass up this chance??

Here are a few of my favorites from tonight. Remember, I wasn't the photographer, so I didn't have the best angle, lighting or 'looks,' but I'm pretty satisfied and I know Jessica loves them. Believe it or not, but I actually had my Rebel AND my dad's 40D around my neck most of the time and was shooting with both simultaneously.  I know for a fact there are many more poses on his camera, ESPECIALLY in the train car.... Dang it - oh well, here are a few #118 - Cory & Jessica's engagement photos.

#117

PEDICURES!!

My mom treated my 2 sisters and I to pedicures & dinner this evening. Kalie, Andee & I are headed to VEGAS this weekend with my stepmom Nancy and my sisters Robyn and Jessica (We're meeting my sister Brittany there). We're going down to celebrate the bride-to-be, Jessica, with an ALL GIRLS weekend! Of course with Vegas [hopefully] comes warm weather - which then brings FLIP FLOPS! My mom decided to have her own girls night out tonight and spoiled us. It was AWESOME! Nothing like a good foot soak & rub with fantastic nail polish to finish. (I'm hoping for some pool time, relaxation, a good show and fun company.) Here we go Vegas, here we go!

My #117 - THANKS MOM!!

(cell phone pic)

#116

I came home to a husband hard at work. He is very determined to get this kitchen finished.  Very quickly, here is my #116 - The kitchen progress!! Yay, I have cabinets!!

#115

I received a special notification in the mail.
My #115 - Congratulations on 5 years!

Well as proud as I am of the 5 years I've been working for Smart Style, I'm a little annoyed by this letter. Its a standard, form letter with no personalization or individuality. Basically some computer figured out that I've been working there for over 260 weeks and printed out this automated letter, mailed it, hoping to reach me with a big smile on my face and make my heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Guess what, it didn't. It only makes me more irritated that I'm a 'nobody' in this big ol' corporation that loves to nit-pick my every wrong doing. I guess that is feeling most people, that work for a corporation, have. It reminds a little of Peter Gibbons from Office Space. Sure the salon environment is different that an office surrounded with cubicles, but the chain of command is much the same. Theres always a man that demands perfection when its unreachable. Wants better results when I'm doing my best. And one that sends out a stupid memo that really doesn't matter to anyone who receives it. Damn the man!

Okay, rant over. I'm off my soapbox and truly and PROUD of the 5 years I've put into Smart Style (which by the way, I reached almost 2 months ago and just barely got this letter.) Thank you "John"/computer for noticing...but my pride is better recognized by my own pat on the back than this stupid congratulatory letter.

#114

EASTER!

Man, today was filled with lots of visiting and lots of food! Ouch, my stomach is paying for it. :)  We had a brunch over at my mom's this morning, then headed over to my dads early afternoon to hang out before dinner with the family. Its so much fun visiting with family, chilling and enjoying everyones company.

I didn't participate in the Easter tradition of coloring eggs this year, but my family had some dyed ready for deviled eggs, egg salad sandwiches...mmmm

#114 - the traditional "SNOW" egg. Good job fam!! The eggs looked & tasted great!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

#113

Tomorrow is Easter - HAPPY EASTER everyone!

There are many things I love about this time of year, but in my over-weight self, I just have to say I LOVE EASTER CANDY! Out of all the holiday specific candies, Easter is my favorite. I posted previously about Cadbury Creme Eggs - which are a huge fave - but I also love the mini cadbury eggs, the Reese's eggs, Robin eggs (gotta love making 'lipstick') and last but not least

#113 - PEEPS!! The color or shape doesn't matter just the sugary, marshmallowy greatness!

Have a wonderful holiday everyone and good luck finding all those eggs!!

#112

I'm now on the bandwagon!

Remember my #106 post about the pheasant cape? Haha, good times!! Well my stylist Brianna actually ordered a bunch of 'fashion' feathers, as opposed to the pheasant feathers, and they arrived in the mail yesterday! She brought them in to work so we could 'play' with them. **For those who don't now, they are real feathers that have been dyed 'fashion' colors - meaning not natural colors (i.e. vibrant colors like pink, turquoise, purple etc.) They are inserted in the hair by way of a 'bead.' Which means they are beaded to my actual hair like a normal extension and they are [in] until I want them out. Since they are real, you can dye them another color, wash them, blowdry, flat iron, even curl them. OMGosh, I'm in love. My stylist gave me the website and information about how to order the first 'kit' and then how to order more feathers. (They do sale some feathers that are more natural looking, for a more subtle look.) I'm thinking of doing them now too!! Brianna is currently charging $6 for each feather. My sisters are already bugging me to get some for them...I think I'll make them wait until I order my kit. ;)

Anyway, so around SLC these are ALL the rage and I'm participating in this fad. Let me know if you're interested and I'll either give you Brianna's number or the date when I'll have some of my own to give ya! What do you think??  #112 - Fashion Forward Erica

#111

Today is 111!! (Make a wish!)

So....I've seriously been spoiled this week and I couldn't feel more happy or blessed. There are many wonderful, caring & supportive people around me and I think I've taken advantage of that. Even a day after my birthday, I'm still receiving recognition AND my sister Kalie sent my flowers at work today. Most people don't know this, but April 30th is Hairstylist Appreciation Day. (I actually didn't know about it until becoming a hairstylist...and MANY hairstylists don't even know it exists. Looking at the so called 'history' of the day, it actually used to be Hairstyle Appreciation Day, but how can you appreciate a hairstyle without appreciating the stylist that created it for you?) Anyway, my sisters celebrate it and always do something nice for me. They've sent me flowers before and cute cards, but since its a holiday most people don't know about or celebrate, its not like it breaks my heart when my clients don't take note. However, my sisters are the greatest and DO try to show their appreciation for me, as their stylist and the MANY looks I've created for them.

I will be in Las Vegas next weekend on the actual 30th, so my sister Kalie thought she'd throw me off of surprise-suspicion and sent me flowers at work today. Here is my lucky #111 - Gorgeous spring flowers from one of my FAVORITE clients. Thank you Kalie, for taking the time to appreciate me and my talent...the one thing I'm EXTREMELY proud of!! I LOVE YOU!!

Seriously, am I spoiled or what???

(cell phone pic)

#110

I had the best birthday! I was reluctant to celebrate this year (technically I didn't celebrate) but I did receive quite a bit-o-love on facebook and via text messages. (Thank you dad for ALL 29 'Happy Birthday' messages.)

It was a great day with little excitement. The biggest [and best] part of my night was picking up the kitchen parts from IKEA! We got a spectacular deal on counter-tops & cabinets. Plus we also got a sink, faucet, dishwasher, microwave AND range!! They had a sale going on, if you spent a certain amount of money, you got 20% off your entire kitchen. So naturally, we ordered everything to make it that certain amount just to get 20% off! HAHA!!!!

We went to IKEA at 7:30. (They close at 9)  Joe had previously been to IKEA and custom designed our kitchen with one of their designers, so we had everything all set up and should have been able to just hand over our username and pick up everything. Well...they're computer was having glitches...just our luck...and needed our Order# instead of the username. Of course we left that paper at home and couldn't reach our roommates for quite awhile to get the information. So while we waited for the computers to get back up and running, I took my mom & Kelly on a stroll through IKEA. They had never been before. Joe stayed with the designers trying to 'recreate' our design from scratch. Finally by 8:45, we heard from our roommates & the computer were up so all we had to do was double check the order. But once we paid for it, we had to head to the loading area where we waited 45 minutes for them to bring all 63 boxes up front (sans the dishwasher, they have to order that). Then we had to double check all the boxes to the receipt - then loaded up 2 truck beds and headed home by 10:30. Wow. It was a long evening at IKEA. But HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! My entire kitchen is divided up in 63 boxes in my garage.

#110 - Best birthday present ever!! Now to only assemble it...I'll leave that to Joe! ;)

#109's

I have many pictures to post today. Of course I took 1 picture, but a million things also came up that deserved a picture! :)

So I'll just post a small note with each picture and give it the 'props' it deserves.

Here are my MANY #109's:


First - I have been lucky enough to have met some clients at work that have turned out to be sincere and loyal friends. Joy, Misti, Lynda & Paul - there are many. They are each very kind to me in their own special ways and I couldn't be more grateful to now call them friends instead of clients. So here is my first #109, my FRIEND Joy came to get her hair colored this evening and brought me this beautiful (& delicious) edible bouquet. I have always wanted one of these AND some of the fruit were covered in chocolate..Mmmm....my favorite!!! Thank you Joy! (Oh and Joy, yes this was my first picture!)

Second - I hurried home to see my new red wall (My mom painted it while I was at work) and I found this in the kitchen! She only had time for the 2 coats on the ceiling and just one coat on the red wall.....and I guess she found time to wish me a happy birthday for tomorrow. Aw!!! My second #109 - a shout out from my mom!

Third - I HAD to post a picture of the red wall. We decided to paint it the wrong red color first as a 'primer' just to cover up the white primer before the correct red went on top. (If you are confused about the wrong/correct red, place refer to post #107). My mom only painted 1 coat of the wrong read, hence the uneven coverage. BUT she slapped on a few brush strokes of the correct red just so I could see the difference. SO GLAD my sister Jessica was so thoughtful with her birthday gift. The darker, correct red is much MUCH better. My third #109 - my BRIGHT red wall...soon to be deep red wall.

And finally my fourth picture today. I also came home to a 'Birthster' gift. (Birthday & Easter) If you haven't read The Black Spot post about Joe and I trying to get pregnant, than please read here. Well I've been extremely discouraged as of late...especially because the doctor bills and test have been super expensive. Not to mention these ovulation tests. UGH! Well my sister Andee put together this Easter basket with 3 boxes of ovulations test, some Easter candy and a really sweet letter.  I'm feeling incredibly loved this evening. Even being discouraged and unhappy with ongoing pregnancy disappointment, there are so many people out there that care about me and love me. This blog & all the pictures are proof of that. I'm so lucky!!! My final #109 - a little proof of the love & friendship 2 sisters share. Thank you Andee!

I'm overwhelmed with love.

#108

I needed to see this today! I wish I had gotten a better shot, or wasn't in a mall parking lot. Oh well it still put a smile on my face. 

#108 - The rainbow that made this dreary day...brighter.

#107's

Tonight was MY birthday celebration with my Dad, Nancy & family. My parents treated the family to some yummy Olive Garden dinner and then we headed back to the house for cake, ice cream & presents. Of course I'm turning 29 on Wednesday April 20th and I feel I'm a tad too old for cake, presents, singing and all the celebration stuff. But my family loves to celebrate each other, so I get the celebration stuff whether I like it or not. Tonight turned out just wonderfully! It was good to see all the family of course, plus all the inside jokes we have make for good conversation!

I wanted my photo tonight to be of my yummy birthday cake. However after I snapped the cake photos, we opened my presents and I found out that one of my presents needs to be my photo for the day. Surprise, surprise, I'm going to post mulitple pictures for today. (Wow...I thought this would be a 365-CHALLENGE, but I seem to have many options each day and it really isn't that hard at all...Blogging and posting seems to be the hardest.)

Thank you to ALL my family for coming out late on a Sunday night (School/Work night) and celebrating my 29th year. I love all my gifts and appreciate the thoughtfullness. I'm extremely lucky to have each of you in my life! xoxo

So my #107's - My cake, candles and pictures of my very special present.

And a little back story for the next 2 pictures. As some of you read on Facebook, I changed my mind on the 'red' color I'm painting in my new kitchen. When Joe and I went to Lowe's to purchase the paint, we changed our minds on our color choice as we were driving. Once we got there and I handed the associate the swatch, I immediately felt nauseous. Was it the wrong decision?? I ran over to the paint-swatches and grabbed my original choice, but by the time I made it back to the associate, he had already mixed up the paint. UGH! Why did I change my mind?? After paying for the can of paint, I knew it was the wrong decision. But what could I do? It was already mixed and we couldn't return it. My kitchen is already over-budget, I couldn't justify wasting a $35 paint gallon and purchasing a new one. So...I brought my 'wrong' paint color home and just hoped for the best. Painting hasn't started yet and yesterday I vented out my kitchen frustrations to my sister Jessica and she thought the best birthday gift to me, would be my original paint color! Now I have the 'right' paint and I didn't spend anymore money!!!! (Of course I do still have a $35 paint gallon that will go to waste. Anyone need red paint??) Thank you Jessica (and Cory!) It was VERY thoughtful of you and I loved the poem that went with it. LOVE YOU!!

The poem reads:

My dearest Erica Black

You almost have your kitchen back.

I know it's been quite the job.

I know it makes you want to sob.

But here's a can of paint.

I hope that you don't faint.

I hope that now the colors right.

I know it will make your face so bright.

Happy birthday sister dear.

Let's hope this solves your biggest fear.

#106

I had a weird experience today. One of my stylists, Brianna, is taking a class on Feather extensions. I'm sure some of the ladies know what I'm talking about, or have seen them before. But they are literally feathers. I don't know much about them, but apparently if they are real feathers, you are able to dye them different color & wash them. Basically treat them like you would your own hair. I'm fascinated by this and excited for Brianna to test them out on me! ;)

Anyway, she has a male client that does taxidermy as a hobby and he said he's heard that pheasant feathers work for these kinds of extension and offered to bring some in. (Apparently he just has pheasant feathers lying around his taxidermy workshop..???) Well as I was working on a haircut this morning, he popped in and brought a bag for Brianna and said, "I have that pheasant cake for Bri, can I leave it here for her?" I told him "Sure, just leave it on her station." When he left I giggled and told my client I thought it was weird, because what the heck is a pheasant cake?? Do I really want to know? Haha.

About an hour later, I had a free moment and wanted to check out this 'pheasant cake.' I opened up the bag and saw a bunch of feathers. They were so pretty!! I shut the bag and was excited for Brianna to finally have some feathers to play with. Once my other stylist Jordan showed up for work (still before Brianna got in) I took her over to the feather bag so we could look at all the different kinds. When I reached in the bag...oh no it wasn't feathers...it was a freakin' pheasant!!!!!! Wings, body & all!! I screamed as soon as I grabbed the body and freaked out that there was a dead bird in my salon and I TOUCHED IT!!!!!!!!!

After a 30 second freak-out, I realized it wasn't the whole bird. PHEW! It was the skin & wings. So the head, actual body & legs were not included. Again, PHEW! Coincidentally enough, after my freak-out, this male client comes back to see if Brianna got his gift. After talking with him, he told me he does taxidermy, I was correct - it wasn't the whole bird and its actually called a pheasant CAPE...not cake. Haha, HUGE miscommunication!

Sure enough when Brianna got in, we took the pheasant CAPE out of the bag where Brianna proceeded in plucking the feathers out. UGH! Really? Let's just pluck a chicken at work, aye? NOT!  However, we had some good laughs about it and used PLENTY of hand sanitizer when it was all said and done.

Here is my odd #106 - What a weird experience. I now know what a pheasant CAPE is.

As gross as this picture is, the capture of my cell phone, really doesn't do it justice. Not only is it CREEPY as all get out - but the feathers are actually quite pretty. They are kind of iridescent-like and shine lots of purples and blues.

#105

"Harry Potter - Deathly Hollows Part One" came out today. I have seen all the movies except this one. I read a few of the books, but stopped in the middle of five. Even after seeing the 5th & 6th movie, I still have no idea what happens after the 4th one. I guess maybe because I read the books before seeing the movies...but the 5th & 6th movies were SO CONFUSING! I've only seen them once, maybe I just need to see them again...I don't know. But thats why I didn't even see the [first] 7th movie. How can I go see this movie when I'm completely perplexed by the story line?

Well my sister Andee asked me to pick up a copy while at work today and of course walking over to the large, cardboard display, I noticed something. They had ALL the previous 6 movies on BluRay for $10 each! $10!!! A BluRay copy! And they also had the newest installment for $22.96. I called up Joe AND Andee to see if they were interested in getting the collection (sans the [second] 7th movie that isn't out yet).  I have to admit I was thinking of purchasing a collectors set once ALL the movies are out on DVD. However, this deal sounded great. I ended up buying all 7 DVD's on BluRay for me AND for Andee. Wow, that was a purchase!! Now that I own them, I can get caught up and watch/pause, if need be, to finally UNDERSTAND what the heck is going on at Hogwarts.

#105 - Marathon anyone??

#104

My sister Andee brought her girls in to my work for a visit this afternoon! The twins don't have much hair; what looks like peach fuzz is actually the coarsest, most wirey hair I've ever seen on babies. Its super thin too, so I'm hoping they'll lose this hair eventually and grown in something of better quality. Avie has grown a few 'tails' that we had to get rid of. (Basically just a bunch of hair growing into a bunch, so its darker than the rest and stands out.) I decided to trim a little bit of it, so it looks normal. Then I decided to add a little curler to the top of their heads, where they have the most hair. It didn't curl, even with product, but I tried. As their hairstylist-for-life, I'm praying they get some better hair as they continue to grow!

#104 - This is what you get for coming to visit Auntie Erica! (sorry, cell phone pic & its lousy!)

#103's

I took today off to keep from going into overtime hours and what did I do? LAUNDRY!! My laundry room is still under construction so I was forced to use the local laundromat. It wasn't all bad...but something about sharing a washing machine with strangers, makes me feel like my clothes didn't actually get clean. Oh well...my laundry room is almost done! :)

I brought my camera along because my cousin's wife had some of her 'bridal session' pictures done in a laundromat and I remember thinking they were so cool & unique and I'd like to try that sometime. Well of course I didn't have people to photograph with the retro appliances, but I had fun taking pictures anyways.

There were quite a few people there when I got started, so I waited until they left to take pictures. I'm sure the people in there wouldn't have wanted to be in my pictures. Plus their kids were running around like it was a playground in there and I didn't want to trip on anyone. (Thank heavens the place provided hand sanitizer...ugh after seeing & smelling the kids in there, all I wanted was to get home and shower asap!)

I had fun playing around with my black & white feature on my Rebel having never used it before. And I haven't charged my battery in over a month, so my camera died after the 10th photo.I couldn't look at what I had taken or didn't have time to get much....good thing there are a few good shots!!

#103's - Erica's play time at the local Laundromat!!

#102

Another great online purchase arrived today. I LOVE getting things in the mail!

The company I work for has an incentive program where you can exchange your 'incentive points' (earned by hitting monthly goals) for all kinds of different things. The online site has tools ranging from shears to flat irons, apparel to clips & combs. Anything you can think of a hair dresser using, this online catalog offers it. In fact, thanks to this program, 4 pairs of 5 my shears were free! (I got a pair for almost $200 for FREE!!) My salon has been doing very well and hit our goals every month - so my stylists and I are reaping the benefits! I log-on to the incentive website a least 3 times a month to see what 'new' items they offer.

Of course being employed through this company for over 5 years, I have spent so many thousands of incentive points on tools!  Now that I have all my great tools, I've been spending my points on silly things. (I ordered a cute "Stylists Rock" key chain last month and this month I bought a T-shirt with a pair of hair shears on it  and it reads "Don't try this at home." Haha...makes me laugh every time!) I have also used my points to buy my stylists things when they go above and beyond at work. I have 2 girls that have been with me over a year, so I used my points to get them both a Swarovski crystal bracelet!  Its great fun and one of the reasons I love this company.

Along with the 'silly' things I've been purchasing, I give you my #102 - My (Love - Peace - Style) water bottle!! (I also bout a T-shirt that says the same thing!) Like I said, silly - but cute!!

Plus it came with an extra straw - hence the two inside! ;)

#101

I purchased this new piece of jewelry online, just last week. I was super pumped to see my new ring in the mail today!! I found this site from my Aunt Amie's blog 'Mamie's Treasures.' She saw some of the jewelry pieces at a boutique and posted a link. Of course as soon as I clicked on this site I was in love!! Some of the 'food' pieces I wouldn't wear myself, but I know so many that would.  You should definitely check it out!! I actually bought this ring, a different tea-cup ring and a key hole necklace. It was a selfish little splurge and I don't feel one bit guilty! ;) Thanks Amie for posting that link!!

#101 - Another excuse for my family to call me the British Grandma

Thanks Andee, for being my model

#100

WOW! Today is an iconic day for me. Today marks my 100th picture. I never thought I would make it this far and I'm so proud! I've been scattering my brain all day trying to decide what to take a picture of. 100 is a big deal. I know it isn't half way yet, but the first hundred has been tackled and that says something.

After 'thinking about it too hard' I decided to give up. Even after several suggestions from my family, nothing just sounded right. I left my parents house to run a quick errand and as I drove west, I noticed there was a beautiful sunset happening at that very moment. I drove straight to the first 'lookout' spot I could think of and barely made it before it was all gone. But I was able to capture the beauty of the nights clear sky. I really love Utah. It really is a beautiful place and I'm very grateful to be healthy and happy enough to enjoy it all.

MY #100!!! - The gorgeous Utah sunset. Here's to the next 265!! :)

#99

YES! Again with the 'ask and ye shall receive.'

Like I've mentioned before - since our kitchen is under construction it has become much easier to just eat out every night. With SO MANY places to eat out and all different kinds of food, you'd wonder why anyone would get sick of it. Well WE ARE! Ugh - if I eat one more greasy french fry, dry chicken, soggy tacos or excessively salty dishes, I might just puke. I'll be completely honest with you, I took advantage and under appreciated a good home-cooked meal. Something about freshly baked, cooked, steamed or grilled. Mmmmm.... It just makes you feel better about what you are eating.

I updated my facebook status yesterday, venting my frustration for constantly eating out and I ended up getting multiple invitations for a home-cooked meal. Man, do I have great friends or what? My friend Misti almost immediately sent me a text asking my plans for Saturday night. She offered to make us enchiladas!!!!  It was incredible. Not only was the food delicious, but the conversation was fabulous. Again there is something about 'eating at home.' Plus when you have great company, it makes things even better!  We got there just after 7pm and left at 11pm. Boy I was tired!! All the stories and laughter...good times.

So here is my #99 (Wow tomorrow will be 100???) - My first 'home-cooked' meal in over a month. How sad is that? It depresses my mind, wallet & waistline. Ugh!!!

#98

Well today was a bad day. I'm incredibly irate, due to a 'temporary' medication and I just can't stand to be around people today. I bit my husband's head off at least 4 times today...luckily I warned him about the side effects of this pill and he's being very patient. ;)

On my way home from work, my stomach was in knots. (Partly because I hadn't eaten all day and also because the frustration of the day was literally making me nauseous.) Joe asked me to pick up dinner yet again. This is the MAIN thing I hate about having my kitchen under construction: we eat out EVERY night! Ugh, its awful and I'm pretty sure I've gained weight - Great, another thing for me to be ornery about. Well anyway, as I was browsing through the grocery store NOTHING sounded good to me. I ended up just calling Joe and told him to eat frozen burritos tonight because nothing....oh.....wait....I walked through produce department and there were big, plump STRAWBERRIES! Okay Joe, you warm up your dinner, I'm getting strawberries for me!!

They didn't taste as good as they looked, but nothing a little sprinkle of sugar couldn't cure! (Can't help my waistline either...dang it.) Oh well, if they didn't taste great they sure photographed well.

#98 - Beautiful spring strawberries that literally looked too good to eat!

#97

It is snowing outside, yet again. The snow is actually really cool, because its very crystallized; It almost looks like bits of salt. I tried numerous times to actually get the snow falling, but it just kept getting my lens wet and the pictures ended up blurry. I decided to let the snow come down for awhile and get a shot of the snow pack. To my pleasant surprise, the crystallized [fallen] snow photographs so well!!

#97 tonight - My tulips from post #90. 

#96's

I've mentioned before how much I love my job, but I'm going to say it again. I love my job!! Not only do I love the creative part, but hair in general just fascinates me. All the different types & textures...colors, condition and length. Its all so interesting!

I had this cute 13 year old come in today, determined to cut enough length off, so she could donate to "Locks of Love." (If you are interested more in Locks of Love or want to know how to donate, click here)

It is such a selfless act and very admirable...especially coming from a 13 year old. As usual, I tied the hair into a tight ponytail and cut just above the elastic. (Minimum hair length for donation must be 10inches, tip to tip.) Anyway, our salon isn't affiliated with Locks of Love like some other salons, so we don't actually send in the hair. That is the customers job. In todays case, I specifically asked if I could send it in, because I also wanted to include her "ponytail" in my photo challenge. My customer was so excited to not only donate to a great cause, but to also be included in this public challenge. (I gave her my blog address so she could see this post. Here's your shout out Bailey - thanks again, you're the coolest 13 year old I know!!)

My room mates AND my husband found it very peculiar that I brought home someone else's hair. They didn't even want to touch it, I told them it was clean, but they were still hesitant. But to me, hair is hair. I touch it all day, everyday...I'm definitely NOT one of those people that is grossed out by hair or finding it places it shouldn't be. That just comes with the territory I guess. But once I got the 'ponytail' home, I set up a mini photo shoot! It was fun playing with it and sticking my fingers through it. This 13 year old took really good care of her hair - besides a few broken ends, the hair felt incredibly strong and healthy. Plus it was ALL NATURAL! In my business, its very rare to see non-chemically treated hair. (Usually just young kids [under 16] are all natural.) Check out my photos. Again I HAD to post a few. The ponytail was just too cool!!

#96's - My new inspiration.  New goal - growing out my hair so I can donate as well. I have a long way to go, but it will be so rewarding. THANKS BAILEY!!

 HAIR IS AWESOME!

Come on, isn't that so cool looking?? Look how DENSE that is!

#95

Did you read my last post? If not, read #94 first.

Finished? Okay, read on...


Guess what? The sheet-rockers came today!!

And I have proof - #95

That dust is only going to get worse as the next 4 or 5 days pass. Ugh its such a mess! And my OCD is flaring!!!!!!!!!

#94

#94 - My insulated wall...with NO SHEET ROCK!

The last 36 hours of my life have been based on the preparation for "Operation - Kitchen Sheet Rock."
- my room mates laundry schedule was effected,
- an expensive trip to Lowe's was priority
- we had to do some major rewiring and & added a few extra plugs to the walls
- plus we had to stay up late [1am] until the last load of laundry was done.
Well.... all that happened and guess what? Sheet rock didn't! :(

I was telling my friend Elizabeth that I should be grateful so much has already been done. We only started this project a month ago and we've had some great progress. I should be happy the plumber & the HVAC guys came over, finished the job AND are all now paid for. I should be pleased with the progress so far. I AM..really I am.  Its just sooooo inconvenient, to plan your WHOLE life around a certain activity that is supposed to happen at a specific time and then to have it be pushed back!?!?!  ALL that hard work we crammed into 1 day could have been spread out a little more AND with less stress.  Now I have to worry about my 'already made' plans tomorrow [my day off] effecting the time when this guys decides to show up. Oh no sir, if I waited for you - you can wait for me.

#93's

Alright...I posted about Spring just a few days ago and this morning, I woke up to almost 6 inches of snow!!! Haha, only Spring in Utah, right? It wasn't too bad; yes it is still [lightly] coming down, but most of it melted in the afternoon sun. I wanted to head out early afternoon and take pictures of the snow in its heaviness, but about 30% of my friends on Facebook did the same thing...I decided not to jump on that bandwagon and post pictures everyone has already seen. However, I did decide just a few moments ago to head out and take advantage of the perfect lighting and tones in the sky. Nothing to exciting, just playing around with my camera, as always.

Here are my favorite #93's

#92

My poor Simon was distraught this evening. I was participating in the ongoing 'ball fetch' Simon likes to play and I wasn't watching where I threw the ball. About 2 or 3 minutes later he started barking and whining. I looked over the couch and apparently I either threw it perfectly into his water bowl or it bounced in...and apparently he couldn't get it out. Each time he tried to bite around the ball, his nose would dip into the water and I guess he wasn't strong enough to tip the bowl over...he tried, but wasn't successful.

I felt bad for the poor pup, but I couldn't help but laugh and just watch his frustration. He went about it EVERY which way he could, but he couldn't find a way to get it out. Haha, silly Simon.

#92 - My frustrated Simon

(sorry, cell phone picture)

#91's

Joe and I had a GREAT evening. We were invited to play BINGO with some friends at a local church. I haven't ever played BINGO in my adult life, so both of us were intrigued. I was told to eat before I came and to bring soda/snacks to munch on if I wanted. We stopped by 7-Eleven on the way, got fountain drinks and some Tootsie-pop suckers (a fave) to share with the group. Once we arrived, I was completely surprised to see hoards of people grouping together on different tables, piles of snacks in the middle of the table (including extensive fruit trays, shrimp w/ cocktail sauce, lemon squares and tuna-melt sandwiches!) Plus part of the group we sat by were 'drinkers' and this one guy was cracking me up with his "stash!" (Having your own alcohol there is frowned upon, so you have to keep it hidden.) He was mixing drink for everyone!! I swear he had a mini bar under the table. He had cups, mixing drinks, wine, alcohol in water bottles and even ice. I wouldn't have been surprised if he pulled out a martini shaker and olives!!!

I was also surprised by how intense the whole thing is. It isn't just BINGO (getting 5 in a row), there were MANY rounds and different patterns to get. Plus there were separate boards we would use between each round to try and win a whole separate prize. It was kind of confusing, but the "Caller" explained each round, so we were able to follow along. **Of course gambling is illegal in Utah, so we played for "points," which in turn were giving out in dollars...weird, I know.**

There were many people with multiple sheets and were "dabbing" like crazy...they needed FULL concentration!!! Joe and I tried multiple sheets, but for the first time it was a little overwhelming and I started going cross-eyed looking over each of them. However, we had a great time meeting new people, cracking jokes, snacking on yummy food....PLUS...I won one of the "Blackout" rounds and collected 150 points...err...$150!!!!! Heck yes! Not bad for my first time. ;)  BINGO is the first Friday of every month and I think they've got 2 new members. It was a randomly unique evening and ended up fantastic!! Thank you Misti (& Charlene) for the invite - I appreciate the personal 'call out' on my bad moods as of late...dragging me out tonight was the best medicine!

#91's - Joe's sheets and my winning card WITH my winnings!!!!

I bought 2 dabbler's tonight and of course mine was RED!

Guess it was good luck!!