#180 & #181

Ugh once again Blogger kept me from posting on time. I'm not sure what the issue was, but it kept giving me an 'error' message every time I tried to post, log-on or view any private blogs. Its so frustrating when I [the subject] am ready and willing to keep up with the challenge and this blog site [the proof] is temperamental and difficult to work with. Super, super aggravating. I never thought Blogger would be the reason I'd be unable to post and continue the challenge. I always assumed it would be my laziness that would make me fail. Anyway, I'll be posting 2 pictures today...apparently I have no choice.


Yesterdays picture wasn't even that exciting, but here is what I had typed up before blogger went postal:


I'm kinda cheating on my picture today. I really didn't have anything to post. Joe and I spent the evening with friends for a special little kids birthday party. (Happy 6th Birthday Porter!) But alas, I forgot to take my camera out to snap a few photos. :(  But I DID get my nails done today, so I thought I'd post about that.

I bite my nails. I've mentioned it before, but I've been a nail biter since I can remember. Its so gross and a habit I wish I could conquer. But my issue is, I do it without even thinking. I get mad at myself [after] the fact because most of the time I have no idea I've done it until my fingers start hurting. UGH!!

I've had acrylic nails on plenty of times, but I usually bite them off too. Or I rip them off. I've never had nails on long enough to actually get a fill...NEVER!! I got my nails done for Jessica's wedding just over 2 weeks ago and surprisingly enough I've kept them on...despite breaking one in half last weekend. Luckily the nail salon next to my work glued the broken piece back on!! So today after work - I GOT MY FIRST FILL!!!  They actually look MUCH better than the first time, because the 'tip' isn't so far down on my 'nubby' nail bed. I've gone over 2 weeks without biting my nails OR biting the acrylic ones....maybe I can actually break this nasty habit once and for all!   ...guess we'll see...

#180 - My pretty acrylic nail FILL!

And then here is today's post:

This is the beginning of an extremely busy & chaotic holiday weekend and I'm not looking forward to it. Not only will the salon be crazy busy but I hired a new girl that started today. I scheduled a 4 hour period to dedicated just to her orientation & training this afternoon, but the salon was super busy and I was barely able to get a consecutive 20 minutes with her. I got through all the orientation information, but none of the training. Which means while the salon is full of customers and I'm running around with my head cut off, I'm ALSO going to have to find time to train this stylist so she knows what she is doing AND so she can be an asset to the company this busy weekend. Wish me all the luck in the world, I'm going to need it!

But now that she is officially hired and in my computer system, I can plan the schedule for the rest of the month. With many different vacations my 3 stylists are taking and MY vacation time, scheduling has been quite difficult. I'm stressing a little bit. In fact its ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT! I even cancelled plans with my husband and his movie crew tonight so I figure it out. (They were all going to dinner and to see Super 8.) But I needed to set some time to do the schedule, so I stayed home and I nave hand written the schedule about 3 different times...and I'm still not sure its right. It'll have to do...until I can get approval from each of my girls. Ugh! One stress down, a whole weekend more to go.

#181 - The month of death. The month of vacations AND the busiest month of the year. Can I make it through this month?? I'm REALLY going to need my vacation!!!

#179

Let's have a conversation. I love Kohl's and I love ROSS Dress for Less. Both have great selections for plus sizers like me, both are hit & miss occasionally and both have great prices. Ross is cheap ALL the time and Kohl's sends out so many coupons and gives discounts like crazy, its almost like they pay YOU to shop there. (Do I hear "Kohl's Cash?")

That being said, here is my picture. #179 - Double the size for half the price!

First off, yes I buy Jessica Simpson's FANCY perfume. Apparently I support her income...I'm not happy about it, but it does smell great and I get a lot of compliments on it. Anyway, the empty bottle on the right is the 1.7oz bottle I usually buy at Kohl's. They sell it there for $49. Of course with my coupons and using my Kohl's charge card, I never pay full price. However recently I've found out that ROSS sells perfumes as well. (Mostly celebrity brands) And to my delight, they sell Fancy. Also to my delight, they had a bottle for sale that was only $24.99. Not paying attention to the size of the bottle, I decided to buy 2. I mean I'm getting 2 for the price of the bottle I bought at Kohl's, I'm a winner all ready. When I got home and opened the box, I realized the bottle I purchased at ROSS was a 3.4oz bottle!!! Literally double the size for HALF the price. WHAT?!?!

I ended up buying 2 bottles for $50 and I'm getting 3 times as much as the $50 bottle at Kohl's. Like I said, I don't usually pay full price at Kohl's with all their discounts, but STILL. HELLO!!!! Why would I EVER buy it at Kohl's again?

I'm loving ROSS Dress For Less even more than I did before! Love that 'Blue store!'

#178

We had Hale Center Theatre tickets again this evening and saw the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I have mixed feelings on HCT's version, but I was definitely entertained. The story was great, it was their portrayal that was a little confusing and chaotic.

Joe isn't a 'huge' fan of musicals. He likes watching plays and dramas, but something about the singing and dancing that loses his attention. Right before intermission I glanced over to him and apparently he was entertaining himself. He had ripped up his program and was making something out of it. I had to snap a photo of it during intermission, but the real magic was going on during the show. He was literally playing with it on the seat in front of him. Did you know Mr. Program could do a kick line and gyrate to the music? LOL

My #178 - Mr. Program. The result of my husbands boredom. At least Mr. Program enjoyed dancing to the musical!!!

#177

One word. CHOCOLATE!! I must say, I'm a huge fan.

We had a dinner for my sister Jessica & her husband Cory tonight. (They finally opened up their wedding gifts this evening.) Although I was late getting there because of work, it was still nice to have dinner & visit with the family. Luckily Cory's parents and grandmother came as well. As much as I love Cory's parents....I love his grandma more. When she's invited, you know there will be chocolate! (She works for Cummings chocolates.)  I, like Cory, am obsessed with her chocolate covered grapes. Seriously they are THEE best! Of course since I arrived late, I missed the grapes, but there were still chocolate covered strawberries and truffles to snack on!! My bonus mom Nancy let me take some home with me - YAY!

#177 - Love me some chocolate and love me some grandma Joyce!!! I have room for another grandma...do you think she'd want the position?

#176

Today is the first day I've taken a photo, of a photo. (At least that I can recall.) And I've received some guff about it. I proclaimed a few rules when started this blog.

 #1 I HAVE TO TAKE THE PICTURE (Kalie!) 

#2  It has to be of something that happened THAT DAY. 

And #3 No self-portraits (Which I broke on day #5 and a few other times.)

But today since, I'm taking picture of a photo of an event that has already passed...it has brought up some arguments that I'm breaking rule #2. Oh well, be quiet people I MAKE THE RULES!  Hahaha!!

Today is my sister Kalie and her husband Jesse's 12th anniversary. 12 years...wow! 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GUYS!!

My #176 - FLASHBACK!! Us sisters on Kalie's wedding day! I had to post this only because I am SHOCKED at how much 12 years has changed us. We all look so young here!! As we were; I was 17, Kalie was 19 and little Andee was only 12!! Its amazing how much older and different we all look. I actually wished I had a photo of the bride and groom for today's post, but alas I could only find this one. HOWEVER I was happy about it because I also have a picture of us 3 taken and my sister Jessica's wedding last week. Its awesome to see the difference. 

And here is the bonus picture of us 3 just last week. Whoa...12 years and my cosmetology degree has done a lot of each of us!! LOL And again, sorry for breaking my 'self proclaimed' rules. Rules were meant to be broken, right? We were cute, innocent and sweet back then. But look at us now. Each of us are more mature, sassy and can be a little feisty!

#175

You know when people say they have an addictive behavior? I'm starting to believe I am now included in this group. I don't know if you recall my #121, but I was addicted to this silly game called Bubble Busters that I had downloaded on my phone. (Please refer to this post) Well after finally ridding myself of that obsession, I found a new game that has taken over my life. They say you trade one addiction for another, don't they? However this new game, is a ridiculous choice. Its called Sally's Salon. If you've ever heard of Cafe World on facebook or Dine & Dash (which are two of my sister Andee's favorites) its kind of like those. The ridiculous part is, this game IS LITERALLY MY REALITY!!!

In this game you must juggle customers all at the same time. One getting a shampoo, one getting a color, one getting a cut, one being blown-dry and another getting a wax. You have multiple customers at the same time and the goal is to keep them all happy while getting them all taken care of. OMGosh this game stresses me out. My fingers are going crazy on my touch screen as I try to click every option. The stylist/avatar I play, Sally, is a great multi-tasker.  But one would ask, "Um Erica, this is what you do in real life. Why would you spend your free time AWAY from work, playing a game that is almost 100% like work? GOOD QUESTION!!! But I'm addicted!!!!!! I get all excited when everyone leaves 100% happy, I love upgrading my salon and the equipment my avatar uses and I get frustrated and upset when a customer isn't happy or leaves the salon without being waited on. Wow...that's how I am at work too. Would anyone...besides myself...spend their off hours from work, playing a game that is just like being at work? Gosh, how weird am I??

#175 - My new obsession...or my new obsession with my own reality?? You know, I must just love doing hair THAT much, to spend all my free time doing hair...virtually. LOL

#174's

Soda Stream.

Have you heard of it? Joe received a few SEARS gift cards for his birthday in May and he bought a Soda Stream. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, click here. Basically its an 'at home' carbonated soda machine. It literally carbonates your tap water and then you buy syrups separately. Of course it isn't owned by either Coke or Pepsi, so the syrups are cola, lemon-lime, root beer, 'fountain mist' and 'dr. pete' (which are equivalent to Mountain Dew & Dr. Pepper) and there are many more. Diet flavors, energy drinks, iced teas and sparkling water flavors.

In my mind, this is just ridiculous. But all who know Joe, know that this is the best birthday present he could have ever received. (Thank you to all the gift card givers) Its a silly machine that takes up room on my counter top, the bottles are too large to drink out of, (which in my mind isn't convenient) so you always needs a glass. We haven't mastered the right consistency of the carbonation or the amount of syrup...so most of the time the soda taste like crap. But my husband loves it and 'swears' by it so I have to live with it.

Joe bought a few new syrups today so he was all gung-ho about making a bunch of soda. He asked me to document the 'ever so exciting' process....mmmkay..

[insert clearing of the throat] Here goes...


The wonderful and amazing process of making your own soda CONVENIENTLY from your own home. (cough cough) My #174's -

 The Soda Stream

 Insert bottle full of tap water

 Press button to carbonate (Here's where we have problems.)

 Measuring syrup (Again...issues..)

 Add syrup to newly carbonated water

VIOLA!

#173's

Tonight's post makes me happy. Although, I'm sick....Apparently in the middle of summer, I have caught a cold. Yay me. Anyway, after leaving work early to take a 3 hour nap and getting caught up on my Chelsea Lately recordings, Joe came home from work to take care of me. He said he was going to take a shower, but after about 10 minutes, he came back with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, crackers and a movie! He's the greatest, isn't he? Then I found out why he was doting upon me so heavily...he actually wants to leave my sick butt in bed with a movie, so he can go play Call of Duty in the living room. Ha, the truth comes out!! I can't be mad because he did bring me one of my all time favorite movies, "Can't Hardly Wait." Such a classic! I haven't watched this in such a long time!!

Now here I sit, with a warm/full belly, watching Preston Myers trying to confess his undying love to Amanda Beckett. The only thing missing is Andee. Both her and I can quote this movie in its entirety and we used to love quoting the jokes & one liners. Ahh...remember, Kenny aka Special K, the foreign exchange student, Mike Dexter, Jennifer Love Hewitt's constant heavy breathing, William who somewhat resembles David Duchovny and his posse of nerds?? Oh my gosh, what great memories of watching this show over and over. Plus I owned the soundtrack and I remember memorizing "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses, "Tricky" by Run D.M.C. and "Funky Cool Medina" by Tone Loc and "Graduate" by Third Eye Blind. My friend Chandra and I would play that all the time on our road trips down south. Wow..good times!!! Its funny what was HILARIOUS 10+ years ago, still cracks me up today!

Even though my husband was trying to isolate me in one room so he could game it up with his friends in another, I'm really not that disappointed. Even thought I'm sick, can't breathe through my nose and I'm surrounded by tissues, I really don't care. All thanks to a great 90's flick I loved so much. Come on Andee, put the twins to bed and come quote the movie with me.

#173's - Reliving some good times with a yummy bowl of soup.

#172's

Tried fishing again tonight. Joe found a different pond to try, but alas we came home with no fish. Joe actually fished off the pier and the gentlemen he talked to up there said they hadn't caught anything since last Friday. Oh well...at least this pond was quieter and more peaceful. Its more secluded and less well known. Neither of us knew it was even there, having driven past this area hundreds of times. Joe wants to try this location out again in the future, so we'll keep it on our list.

I forgot my book this time around, but luckily I keep a VERY LARGE word puzzle book in my car (for road trips) and I was able to keep busy. I did play with my camera a bit. There were more ducks at this pond and there were a few families feeding them, so I was able to get a few up close shots. This particular female kept away from the crowd and I got a few good pictures of her.

#172's - Two pictures of this beautiful female. I caught her flapping he wings (Wish the wings were in better focus, but man, they were flapping fast.) Then I just caught her sitting alone...I just loved the way the water rippled around her. (Oh and I had to post this one of my reflection. Yes the camera was safely around my neck!! I was just having fun and the cloud reflection looks cool too!)

#171

One of Joe's favorite hobbies is fishing. Of course with these wonderful summer evenings, he has been scouting out all the local fishing ponds. He went last Saturday and caught a few - but he practices the 'catch and release' method - as he should. Tonight he asked if I would join him at a new place this evening. Well I don't have a fishing license, nor do I fish, however I grabbed a good book and my camera and decided to tag along. Unfortunately the first pond was a bummer. No fish and big crowds. So after an hour we picked things up and changed locations. Luckily the pond he visited last Saturday was only a few blocks away, so Joe wanted to try it out. Unfortunately yet again we had no luck at this pond either. We stayed about an hour again and then headed home.  Even though we came home empty handed we still had a great time. I read about half my book and got some color, plus Joe enjoyed the peace and quiet surrounding him.

My #171 - Joe helped me stay out of the sun.

#170

Happy Father's Day!

Like I did on Mother's Day, I wanted to dedicate this day to my dad. He is such a great guy and always fun to be around. All my cousin's used to call him "Uncle Al the kiddies pal." There are many things I get from my dad and his side of the family...my lovely figure for one! ;)  Also my good looks - I look just like him. Same eyes shape (just a different color), the same smile, eyebrows and face shape.  I also get the logical side of my brain from him. My dad is an electrical engineer by day and Mr. Logical by night. Everything happens for a reason and for a purpose. Every decision is premeditated or carefully made. My dad and I are not spontaneous people!

My dad is also my #1 support system. He has been there for every decision, by my side or having my back. (All through school, my relationship with Joe, my lifestyle.) I'm very lucky to have a dad that is there for me in every way. Even when my choices take me down a path he disagrees with. No matter what, he'll always support me.

Plus, with my dad came my huge bonus family! I got a 2nd-chance mother and 3 more sisters! (Which then includes 2 brother-in-laws and 2 nephews) We're just one BIG family and I love it!

#170 - Happy Father's Day Dad!!  Thank you for all you do for me and for loving/supporting me always. You are the best! (Even in your grumpy state!)

#169's

This weekend was the Utah Foster Care Foundation's 9th Annual Chalk Art Festival.  A friend of mine participated with her family group, The Grimshaw Girls and I was one of the MANY sponsors for their piece. This group raised over $1000 for the foundation, through sponsorship and an online auction. I had seen the pictures of their previous years and I got excited to help out and be a sponsor this year. I participated in their online auction, plus sent in an additional donation. It always feels so good to give back and help in anyway you can. (Thank you Becca for introducing me to your family group and this great cause!)

Since today is a Saturday, of course I had to work, but as soon as I got off I headed straight downtown to snap a few shots of their entry! Once I arrived, the parking garage was full, the streets were busy and the mall was SLAMMED!! There were people everywhere! The shops had lines out the door, some shops were even sold out of many items because today was such a busy day. (I was able to hit a few sales though, so I can't complain too much) Plus it was great exposure to this cause! The main street down this outdoor mall was full of all the different entries. I was completely amazed by all the talented entries. The theme this year was "Foster Parents are Magic." It was awesome. I can't wait to sponsor again next year. *If you're interested in more of the Chalk Art Festival click here. Or you can view more of The Grimshaw Girls artwork from today and past years here. (Please 'like' them on Facebook)

#169's - The Grimshaw Girls Chalk Art.  Good job Camille, Karyn, Patricia, Amy and Becca - thanks again for doing what you do and participating in a wonderful charity.

#168

Since I'm a hairstylist, I have access to MANY different hair products - or I can get easy access. Luckily the salon I work in, offers free 'samples' to their hairstylists. Usually for promotions or when there are new products coming out. Either way, I can get any kind of product pretty easily. That being said, its very frustrating that my husband CANNOT find a hair gel that he likes. I've brought home so many different types, textures and 'holds,' but nothing seems to be his cup-o-tea. He complains that its too stiff, or it flakes, or it leaves his curly hair frizzy. Ugh I hear it everyday!! Come on Joe, out of the everything I brought home, NOTHING works??? I'm thinking someone is a little picky. (Especially because 80% of the time, he doesn't even do anything to his hair. He blames not having the right product...I blame laziness.)

With my sister wedding this past Tuesday, I forced him to get a haircut. His long curly locks were getting out of hand, and he loves to recite the story of Samson and Delilah from the Bible and tells me I'm trying to take his strength away. (If you know Joe at all, this story shouldn't surprise you.) For the past 5 months, anytime I mention a 'trim' he yells 'No Delilah, I won't let you control me' and the conversation ends. Who wants to argue with a crazy person like that? He reminds me of some crazy, incoherent old man in a rest home, walking around muttering Bible stories. Its just ridiculous to even try to argue. But with the wedding, my inner Delilah came out and didn't give him a choice. We compromised and just trimmed/shaped his overgrown mullet.

Now that it is shorter, he hasn't stopped complaining about not having the right product. Yesterday we went to another wedding and I touched his hair and couldn't believe how stiff his curls were. I asked what he put in them and he started getting all upset about not having the right product again. Never ending! Anyway I finally gave in and told him to go buy himself something that would make him happy. After running to the grocery store on the way home from the wedding, we are now the proud owners of 2 bottles of L.A. Looks hair gel. OMGosh, this gel has been around FOREVER! Pretty old school and probably AWFUL for your hair. Oh well, if it shuts Samson up, I should be grateful.

#168 - The solution to a never ending argument.

Seriously? They still make this stuff??? Ugh...this makes a hairstylist shudder.

#167

We drove up to my cousins wedding this evening - almost an hour away. It was quite the drive - but worth it to see the happy couple. (Loves to Jerron & Amanda)  As we were making our way through the GIANORMOUS crowd hovering around the reception center, my nieces wanted the freedom to walk EVERYWHERE. I actually 'manned' baby Avie and followed her around the entire room. She had to stop at every empty chair to rest her head on the seat. She paused to watch the other children run and play. She squealed almost the entire time and made everyone smile and she passed. (We even did a few circles and bumped into our fair share of people!!)

I just love watching them walk, fall, stumble. They are learning so quickly and are super proud of themselves! Ella even claps for herself!! My nieces are getting so big, I just can't believe how much they've grown. It was a pretty packed reception, so after visiting for a just a short 45 minutes, we decided to head outside and let the girls roam for a bit. Of course they picked the parking lot with many cars driving around. Good thing there were 6 adults to these 2 little girls and we were all good barricades!!!

Here is #167 - A proud Miss Avie. I'm posting a video too (a first for this photo blog) but its just too fun to watch them waddle, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share with all my friends. (Sorry for FB repeat!)

#166

How great is it, that after getting off work at about 9:30 at night, I come out to my car and find it to be still light outside AND warm? This must mean summer is really here!! Longer days and warmer nights. I drove home with my window down the entire time!! It was heaven.

Ahh #166 - 80 degrees at 9:30pm. I could get used to this!!

#165

Alright today was THE WEDDING!! It was a beautiful day weather-wise, but very hectic in every other aspect. I was the insane, time conscious, annoying, OCD hairstiylist all day and I'm sure everyone was about done with my attitude by the time the reception started. But you have to understand, if you want ME to do your hair, you need to pay attention to time and be courteous & patient...oh and ON TIME! Once the reception started and my anxiety lowered a bit, I was finally able to relax and mingle. Plus Joe was in the dancin' mood and we boogied all night long! (My feet are now screaming at me!) It was fantastic to just kick back and have fun with Joe though.

I brought both of my camera's along and I was lucky enough to have a few people handle the cameras without me and got some great shots. Worrying about getting a picture of EVERYTHING was not #1 on my priority list, so to have someone do it for me, was icing on the cake!! Two of my sisters took the lead a few times. Plus it was nice to actually get myself in the pictures. That hardly ever happens. Brittany got some great shots of the reception center and Kalie took some silly photos of Joe and I dancing....er making fools of ourselves is more like it! We had fun though and I clearly burned off my fair share of calories tonight!

There were SO MANY photos to look at and go through, like I predicted yesterday. I knew it would be hard picking just one today. But I'm literally falling asleep as I type this, so only 1 picture will make it up. I will post more pictures soon...after I recover!!

#165 - The happy couple! Cory & Jessica Downward . Married & sealed in the Salt Lake Temple 6.14.11

#164

The day has finally arrived. Tomorrow, my baby sister is getting married!! Its been months in the planning, but it has finally arrived. I spent all day with my step-mom and family, shopping to get last minute things. Then us Snow sisters had a get together with the Downwards sisters to put a surprise wedding night/honeymoon gift together. Its been one crazy day, but I know all the stress and anxiety will be worth it. I know I will have many photos to go through tomorrow. I'm excited for all the festivities.

#164 - 6/14 is upon us.

#163's

Today was a fun filled day...half of the things we wanted to do, we couldn't because Joe's on call and unfortunately got called out twice today. Made for an interesting day. But we did enjoy the day together and got some important things done. Man I love hanging out with my husband. Even if is far and few in between, its probably the best thing ever. Love you Joe!!

I had plenty of photo opportunities today, but I didn't make it a priority. Until about 9 o'clock I get a call from Joe on his way home from working downtown and he told me to grab my camera and get a picture of the sunset. I yelled OK, threw my phone on the couch, grabbed my keys & camera and headed out. I didn't even grab shoes!! ;)  There is a corn field just a little bit south of our house that gives a large, clear view of the sky, so I drove straight to it. Sure enough, as soon as I got out of my car I was super happy Joe called me. It was gorgeous!! Plus there was a huge line of planes coming in, so I got a few great shots with an airplane in the sky. (The one positive to living semi close to the airport.)

It was breathtaking. I was standing next to my car, feet aching from standing barefoot on the asphalt and my heart was all warm and fuzzy. The only thing missing was Joe by my side, marveling at Utah's beauty with me.

#163's - An amazing summer day with Joe - and an ever better summer evening sunset. Yay for June!!

#162

Life has been slightly chaotic as of late and the stress has affected both Joe and I. There are many positive things about our marriage (negative ones too) but the one thing we need to survive, is re-connection. We need that one on one time to regroup, communicate and cherish the moments we have together. We have rules, no phones, no TV, no distractions, no other people. Sounds silly, I know, but it is something we both 'need' to continue a successful partnership. When one person isn't being cooperative with this re-connection or one person is consistently busy, it really does affect the other. Like this week, I've been busy from morning to night every day... without even having a meal with Joe, without more than a 5 minute conversation, without any kisses or signs of affection....nothing. Since I've been subconsciously distant, Joe's weekly 'mental' routine has been thrown out of whack and his moods have changed. He only wants to play video games, doesn't want to leave the house, no cleaning or straightening the house gets done. I came home yesterday at 10pm and he hadn't showered since getting off work at 5 and our dogs were still outside in the dog run, he hadn't eaten nor was he aware of what time it was. Its like he immediately went to his 'comfort' place and made himself distant from the rest of the world.

Okay, now you know a little about our relationship functionality - more than you probably want to know - but having that alone time is very important to each of us and we need to make time for it at least twice a week. With our schedules...that makes it difficult. 

Anyway, I had to cancel plans with my family to regroup with Joe tonigh. We desperately needed a night alone (at least for 30+ minutes!) Once I got home from work, we headed to our favorite restaurant for dinner and just sat. Sat for over an hour, just going over the past week, planning the next week, giggling and making fun of each other. It was literally THEE best hour we've had together all week. It was so surprising how different both of our moods were after this brief moment of re-connection. Luckily I really did marry my best friend, because he is the only one that centers me. That helps me get back on my feet. That makes me feel normal, loved and appreciated.

Our lives are going to get busy again over the next few days. The wedding is now only 3 days away and we won't have much 'alone' time until after the wedding is over. But I'm super excited for everything that comes with the wedding. I tried on my dress/shoes/accessories this evening and it felt so great to see it all together. (Thank you Joe, Andee & KJ for letting me give them a fashion show)  YAY for the exciting days to come!!

#162 - A simple re-connection with my one and only. Best night of the week.

#161

T-minus 4 days until operation Downward/Snow wedding. I have literally spent everyday this week taking care of my family's hair needs. With only 1 more work day with one last sister coming in and me jumping in the salon on Monday to do my Grandma's hair, I'm almost officially done! Its surprising how exhausting it can be to completely book yourself out. Not only during work hours, but on my off time as well. Since there is little time before the wedding and a list of things to do, 2 of my sisters and I got our toenails done tonight! Kalie & Andee went for the whole pedicure treatment, but I treated myself to a pedicure last week and didn't see the need for another, so I just went in for the 'glitter toes.' Well after a LONG day of working [non-stop] I decided to treat myself yet again to the best foot rub money can buy.

My sister Jessica's wedding colors are Pink, Yellow and "Aqua." (We've all debated on what to call that blue color...the bride and groom call it 'teal' but in my mind 'teal' is a greenish blue. The color they chose is more like a deep baby blue. So I call it 'aqua.') Anyway, most of the sisters (& mom) opted for pink toenails. Since I was doing glitter, I wanted something with a pink base but a silver sparkle/confetti look. The glitter I picked out looked pink to me, but my friend Anna who owns the nail salon, told me I chose purple. After joking around, I told her I was going against her opinion and doing the PINK (not purple) glitter. The nail tech that actually did my toes giggled with me and decided we should call the color 'fuschia' because it was a pinkish-purple. Once the gel was on all my toes, I had to agree with Anna...they were purple. After my pedicure was over and the top coat was applied to my nails, the pink shimmer shined through and I was once again happy with my PINK choice. The tech actually added a white flower with bits of yellow and pink to it as well.

After showing my toes off to my sister and Anna, they all agreed my toes were purple. Then I asked a few strangers in the salon and they ALL said purple. Oops! I guess I'll have purple nails for my sisters Pink, Yellow & Aqua wedding. Oh well it made for a good laughter-filled, 30 minute discussion with my sister Kalie and all the nail techs. Sorry Jessica - I'll be the only one without a wedding color on my toes...I tried though! Its still PINK in my eyes. What do you think??

My PINK glitter toes as my #161. (Anna told me I was the 'step-child' to all my sisters pink toes. How right she is.)

#160

S Y T Y C D 

That's right people!!
The collaboration that makes up my #160 - is So You Think You Can Dance! Although the season technically started a few weeks ago, tonight marked the night of the TOP 20 Dancers!! It was a great episode, they changed it up a little bit this year and the new version of the 'reveal' episode got my vote! Instead of dragging out the episode, picking the top 20, they showed the clip (recorded previously) of the selections being made and then broke up each clip with a LIVE performance by the dancers that were chosen in the previous clip. It was nice and very entertaining to see a little spice added to the long process of selecting the final 20. All the dancers I loved through the auditions made it to the top 20. All the LIVE performances tonight were incredible. I LOVED the top 10 guys dance. Plus there were 2 Sonya Tayeh routines and she is my FAVORITE choreographer; YAY!

So needless to say, I'm STOKED for this season. This show is one of my favorite things about summer!! I'm excited for the few months of SYTYCD and all the incredible/memorable dances that will come with it. Who's with me??

**Thank you Andee for being my sign language model. (Joe tried to help, but his masculine hands just didn't look as photogenic!)

#159

I added a new feature to my blog, did you notice? After my [attention seeking] blog yesterday, I thought it would be fun to track where all my visitors are from. I set it up last night and to my amazement this morning, I had already have many viewers..from all over! Mainly UT, of course, but a few stopped from California! (I'm not sure if these people actually 'know' my blog, or they are just hitting the NEXT BLOG link and my blog popped up.  I'm sure its the latter.) Before I took the picture, I noticed I had a visitor from Germany, British Columbia AND Boras Vastra Gotaland today (wherever that is!) Haha - that's awesome!

My #159 - Live Feed! 

#158's

Wow. For some reason I'm having a moment of complete shock as I typed the title of this post. #158. You guys, can you believe I've stuck with this challenge? I'm just a little over 30 days away from the big 200 mark. I want to do something special for that day, it'll be in July, so hopefully something exciting happens to me that day or I'll just have to make it happen.

I'm also sitting here, wondering who really looks at this blog anyway? I know my facebook friends all look at it because a few of you will post comments on my blog link. But I'm wondering how many strangers come across this blog? Or how many of my friends have passed this blog address on to someone. I know this blog is no where near as popular as some craft blogs, business blogs or personal blogs, but wouldn't it be cool if it was? I don't know if any of your read Nie Nie, but I follow it occasionally - along with the rest of the nation! She was on Oprah for crying out loud. Then there is the movie Julie vs. Julia that started out as just a blog/recipe site. Wouldn't it be wild if people all over the country stopped by for just a quick peak at my devoted challenge? I know some of my pictures are silly and just for fun, but this blog REALLY is all about my life in 2011. You could learn so much about me just by looking at my pictures. (Which I know many don't actually read my boring stories that go with the photo!) But sometimes I wonder if this challenges is just as silly as some of the photos.

This blog has effected my WHOLE life. Everyday I'm constantly aware of what I could take a picture of, or what is blog-worthy. I'm literally enveloped in this blog. I just wonder if maybe its all just for me. Would anyone really notice if I forgot a day? Would anyone even care if I was late? (Which I have been...twice...and I was NOT happy about it, but did anyone else care?) I'm so involved with it - I'm almost scared for the day its over. What will I do then?

I'm just full of thoughts this evening and dreaming that this blog (and my silly challenge) was a bigger deal. I dream of it being important or inspirational to someone. But I definitely enjoy my loyal followers and their responses to my posts. It makes ME feel important. Thank you to my followers & stalkers!! I'm glad SOMEONE other than me, pays attention.

Okay - enough about my hopes and dreams. Joe played softball again tonight. These are the nights I wish I had a better lens!!! One day..one day. Joe's team won again, but it was a REAL close game! The weather was perfect and we had some great company. Thanks to our good friends Paul & Lynda for coming to visit and support Joe. Its ALWAYS a good time when you're around! :)

#158's - The long walk to right field AND the line up! This first picture kinda makes me sad because Joe looks so lonely. I do love how beautiful the clear sky looks and the colors of the greenery. Then my actual picture for today was the line up. I love everything about softball. Makes me miss my high days of playing.

#157

Alright, my sister's wedding is exactly a week away. I decided I wanted to go tanning 3 more times before next Tuesday. I feel kind of bad, because I've always been against tanning - especially because I'm a redhead with sensitive skin - and also because it can be very harmful, causes skin cancer, it makes you look old...etc. And here I am almost addicted to it! I'm nervous that I won't be able to stop. I'm LOVING the fact that I have color. I love my tan lines, the fact that my freckles stand out more and I like the tone of my face. Plus I've FINALLY figured out how to use the stupid beds. Will I have the willpower to stop once the wedding is over?? Andee tells me we should just use natural sun after the wedding. Now that we are FINALLY getting into summer here in SLC, that might actually be possible.

I need to kick this habit. Not only do I need to renew my vow to hate tanning beds for life, its getting expensive!!! OUCH! If Joe only knew... ;)  So here is my vow. I'm only going to go 2 more times before the wedding and then I'm DONE! I promise.

#157 - The pink goggles make me smile! See all my freckles? I'm so happy they are making a comeback! (Oh and...this is me with no makeup...yikes! Good thing the goggles cover up the worst parts)

#156's

It was PRIDE weekend in SLC, UT. I did not attend, but many of my friends did. The weather was great and after seeing my friends post pictures on Facebook, looks like they all got their share of  'color' today. Many were BURNT!!! :) But it looks like the parade was great and the entertainment was cool.

Although I'm not a member of the LGBT community, I'm a big supporter. In honor of all my friends who are, I decided to dedicate today's picture(s) to them. I love you each of you and the pride YOU stand for. I hope you had fun this weekend! Since I couldn't go downtown today, I sat in my yard and took pictures of all the colors in the rainbow. Here is my PRIDE rainbow!

#156's - ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).  All these items I saw while hanging out in my front yard. It was a beautiful day to take pictures!! Best lighting for vibrant colors. LOVED IT!