#304

Whoa! Last day of October and 41 to go...How is that possible? ...

Okay my universe has been turned upside down!!!!! I couldn't understand as to why my countdown had 40 days left and there is clearly over 60 left in the year. Oh don't worry, I went back to look at my numerical ordering and apparently at the end of September I went from #267 - #288. Yup that's right, I skipped 20 numbers. Not only did I not notice, but no one else did either!!! For heavens sake...that means my 300th post, wasn't exactly my 300th post. (all that excitement for no reason.) My countdown has been wrong for the last 30+ days!!! I've got a lot of editing to do... ERR!!! So I thought today was post #324, but its not. Its #303. That's right people I have 61 days left, not 40. Could I be anymore frustrated???????????

Now that I'm over that rant, I can post my 304th picture.

Today is HALLOWEEN! Since I have celebrated this holiday for over a week now (starting back at our friends Halloween party on the 22nd), I'm finally ready for it to be over. I really didn't put effort into anything 'Halloween-y' today, just the normal Monday. Spent the afternoon with Elizabeth & ran a whole bunch of errands. (I did have my nephew tag along with us for a few hours just to get him out of the house so my sister could also run a few places.) But since I had my  him and he was clearly planning on Trick or Treating, I had to have him back home before dinner time. Then once I was back home, the plan to get the twins trick or treating was set in motion. Both Joe & I, plus Andee, Kelly & the girls headed over to my moms for dinner (homemade chili and scones!) then we let the girls trick or treat in my moms circle. They're young...no need to waste time & candy by taking them block after block. However it was SO FUN to see them actually do the 'door-to-door' trick or treating for the first time. Both of them were timid at certain points. Some of the decorations were scary or just the fact of walking up to a strangers home. Or they didn't want to walk, they wanted to be held. But all & all they handled it well and had fun. Good job Andee on the costumes and letting me tag along for pictures!!! And thank you mom for the delicious chili & scones. My favorite Halloween night tradition!!

Apparently its my #304 - Family first! - [actual] Trick or Treating!!!

*With my recent calculation screw up and the fact that NONE of my readers noticed...I'm almost wondering if I decided to quit this blog all of the sudden...would anyone really notice? Of course I'm extremely upset at myself for numbering incorrectly, but I also upset no one noticed or said anything. Does anyone actually READ this blog? Am I just wasting my time here????????

#303

#3OH!3 - 62 left to post.

I made a discovery today. I bought some yummy candies a week ago and while cleaning up the house, I uncovered the forgotten goodies! I was actually shocked last week when I found them at Orson Gygi. My therapist Judy always has these delicious lemon candies in a dish that I cannot avoid each time I visit her. I have actually looked for these treats in different stores and I've never been able to find them. In the (almost) 12 years I've been seeing her, I've NEVER seen anywhere else. I have actually made up stories in my head as to why she is the only one with a secret stash. First theory, she must make them herself. #2 since shes probably crazy rich, she has them shipped from somewhere foreign. #3 she won a lifetime supply from a sugar factory that is no longer in business. #4 she only bought one big giant bag and in the 12 years I've been going, I'm the only one that eats them and I haven't made it to the end of the supply yet. #5 instead of a rainbow 'raining' skittles, she has one in her backyard that rains lemon drops. Or #6 maybe they do grow on trees...

See? My mind does weird things as I sit, waiting in her living room twice a month. But all theories came to 1 resolution - Orson Gygi sells them in case loads. I'm excited to finally be able to purchase them and snack on them outside of my therapy sessions, but I must say I'm a little disappointed that my imagination can no longer run wild with theories. There was a simple answer, I just had to find the right store. Who would've thought.

My #303 - Yummy LEMON drops! (Or as I described to my friend Elizabeth, the lemon candies with the sugar dust.)

**Also this reminded me of a picture I saw on Pinterest today... "If life gives you Melons, you might have dyslexia." HAHA!

#302

302 down and 63 left to go.

As you saw, Joe and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary last week. We celebrated a bit last week, but today I had a special surprise for Joe. I can't see any way of making this "long" story short, so you're just going to have to bare with me. First, the surprise! I rented out a theater room at a local movie theater so Joe and I could not only watch our wedding video on the big screen (thanks Dad for getting me a copy) but there was a movie just released on DVD that Joe was really disappointed he never saw in theaters. Joe is a Disney freak if you didn't already know and when that silly Winnie the Pooh movie came out this summer, Joe was determined to see it. Unfortunately I can be a mean wife at times and every time we'd go to see it, I would quickly get him to change his mind so we would end up seeing a flick I wanted to see instead. Well of course we never saw it in theaters and it was just released on DVD this past Tuesday the 25th.

When I saw that the DVD was being released an entire week after our anniversary, my initial thought was to postpone the anniversary celebrations to the next week and just buy the DVD as a gift. Well I'm not sure where the idea came from ,but I had the though of calling a local (run down) movie theater to see if they rent out individual theaters. Of course I was in luck and not only do they offer it, but they gave me an extreme discount because it was just going to be for the 2 of us. Sure enough, I had the theater play our wedding video AND the Winnie the Pooh movie. Once we got there and Joe found out what we were doing, he was thrilled! I could tell he was really excited and thats exactly what I wanted out of this whole sha-bang!!!

The theater manager was really nice; he gave us popcorn and drinks, plus once the movie was over, her gave us the original showcasef trailer poster of that same Winnie the Pooh movie, also12 free passes to see matinee movies! Man it was GREAT!!! Joe was completely surprised and happy, plus we got more things out of it than we had expected!!  (Not to mention all the little extras, like putting "Happy Anniversary" up on the outside marquee & then again on the digital hallway marquee!) Happy anniversary Joe! I really hope you liked my surprise!!

My #302 - Joe, all by himself in our very own private movie screening!!!

#301's

Woot woot! Only 64 left!

Today was MTOTWYLO's! My sister Andee works for Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) and we constantly tease her about all the acronym's the company uses. Almost all employee positions have an acronym, the company itself, programs, achievements...etc. We've even made up a few of our own just to poke fun. (Andee really loves this!)  Like they used to have Fun Food Fridays, so we named that FFF's. Andee applied for a 'Back-up Trainer' so we called that a BUT. And of course the annual Marriott Trick Or Treat With Your Little One's is MTOTWYLO's!! (We think we're funny anyway!!)

Last year I decided to tag along and join in on the fun. Plus I know a few of Andee's coworkers and I wanted to see her workplace. This year, same thing. Andee also needed an extra helping hand with the twins too. Our other sister Kalie comes as well and this year she got to bring her newborn baby boy in costume!

I hauled my camera around for almost an hour and hardly took any photos. Once I came home to see the shots recorded, I noticed my camera was on a weird setting and most of the photos I got were trash. UGH! I should have been paying more close attention!!! I didn't end up getting a good shot of the kiddos together, but I got some individually. (Sorry moms!)

Thank you Andee for working at such a great place and letting us come share in one of the MANY fun activities Marriott offers. (Even when we poke fun at your expense!) WE LOVE YOU!

#301's - Two cupcakes, a baker, the Grimm Reaper and a baby zebra. Happy MTOTWYLO's!!

Andee's apron says "We bake the sweetest CUTEST cupcakes!"

Jesse..er the Grimm Reaper and Jacob

#300

Wahoo! My 300th post!!!!

Only 65 more to go!

The highlight of my evening was to FINALLY go to the Laundromat.

Joe and I have 2 comforters for our massive bed and both were dirty!! I've had them in bags ready to take to the Laundromat for what seems like forever, but who has the time, really???  Joe and I don't care much about our bedroom..which you'd know as soon as you walked into it...but lately since both comforters were dirty, we were using any blankets we had around the house to sleep in. It was hysterical because our bed is so large, none of the other blankets actually fit. So Joe had his set of 3 blankets and I had my set of 3. We were never under the same blanket. (Sometimes I enjoy my separate space in the bed. We have a very large bed and cuddling in my own blankets and in my own section of the bed is quite nice. Who really cuddles with their partner ALL night? Um no one. After about 5 minutes its like, okay I want my own space now. LOL)

Tonight I finally buckled down and took ALL blankets to the Laundromat!!! I think we took a total of 8 blankets, 2 sheets, 2 comforters, 8 pillow cases and my blankie. It was an expensive trip but well worth it. Now my bed is freshly made!! I can't believe how nice it will be to sleep with one sheet, a fleece blanket, then just our comforter!! (Oh and all 8 pillows, 3 wiener dogs, 3 toy balls and my blankie. See? Now you know why we need the BIG bed!!!) Joe also put our electric blanket on under the fitted sheet. Yep, its that time of year people. We sleep with our bedroom window open all year round and those freezing nights of winter have already started!!

#300 - Clean, fresh and somewhat organized!! 

#299

This one is going to be quick. I've been having so internet problems and having to write this post for the fourth time is enough for me! Phew!!!

Okay, so long story short: We went for ice cream...at yummy LEATHERBY'S!! I ordered some yummy raspberry brownie goodness and Joe got a banana split. Well 2 minutes into eating my treat, our waiter came over with another ice cream sundae and told me he accidentally gave me the wrong one. Huh...no wonder I was each ice cream covered in strawberries, NOT raspberries!! LOL I didn't even notice!!! Oh well it was really good...obviously...and the waiter let us keep the raspberry one as well. So Joe had his banana split and I had TWO sundaes. One strawberry shortcake, the other raspberry brownie!

They gave us one of the sundaes for free since they mixed them up. We just packed it up and brought it home...hopefully it re-freezes well!!!

#299 - Fat girl and her TWO sundaes!! Boy was I spectacle with these 2 bad boys right in front of me! (Its true..people were staring!)

#298

67 left!

After delaying it for a week, we finally got out to a pumpkin patch tonight. The weather was pretty cold..unfortunately the weather turned crappy this afternoon, right before we wanted to head out. But we braved the freezing weather and found some great pumpkins!! We're going to be carving some this weekend with my Dad & Nancy, so look forward to some inspiring creations! :)

I got a few great pictures of my twin nieces picking out their very first pumpkins, but I'll have to edit them later. I procrastinated this blog post long enough. Yay for October festivities and Joe FINALLY got his pumpkin! (Now he can stop whining about how unfestive we've been for this holiday.)

#298 - Our "Great" pumpkins

#297's

Can you believe you've seen 1 thru 296????  I've only have 68 left!!

There are days it is extremely hard to find a moment to snap a photo & post it each day. But I'm lucky to have a few days were so many different and exciting things happen, I just don't know which photo to post!! Hence the reasoning for some days have mulitples!! Well today is another one of those days!

First (my intended photo for the day) was yet another wonderful act of kindness! LOVE those!!! One of my clients, Donn, who I've been cutting for over 5 years, is also a very talented artist. He's been hired by many businesses to paint abstract art or graffiti. (For those in West Jordan, the Santa Monica Pizza place in Jordan Landing hired Donn to do all the art work in both restrooms. Check it out! And he just told me about a coffee shop downtown where he painted a whole mural!!) I've seen pictures of his work many times and he is incredibly talented! Well he came to "My Hair Lady" for the first time this past Saturday and asked me about my plans for future decorations...since my walls are pretty bare. I told him I was waiting to be inspired by something. He asked me if I had any leftover paint from the wall colors and of course I do, I bought 4 colors & a gallon of each!! Then he said he would make me an art piece using all the colors in my room! I was surprised he even offered and I didn't let him change his mind! I ran to the storage room and gave him my paint cans right then and there! I told him I didn't care what it looked like, just be creative and think of me and the 5 years we've known each other. I was shocked when I got a text message this morning saying my art piece was finished and he wanted to deliver it!! (Only a day & 1/2 had passed!) Of course I did everything I could to meet him this after noon at the salon and I was NOT disappointed!!! Donn put together an amazing piece and it fits perfectly in my salon! (I just now need to find a permanent spot for it!) Thank you Donn for creating such a wonderful painting, custom made just for me and "My Hair Lady." I am very pleased and appreciative!! You now have some free haircuts coming!! lol

#1 of the 2  #297'S - My "Donn Original"

And second, I attended "My Fair Lady" at Hale Center Theatre tonight. I've been to many plays there as I've posted in the past, but "My Fair Lady" is one of my all time favorite musicals. (It even inspired my salon name!) We have season tickets with my parents and I've been looking forward to this play for over a year now.  We have quite a few tickets and regular members of my family attend, but unfortunately with my sister Kalie's new baby & the fact that she was feeling under the weather, her & her husband Jesse did not attend. (You were missed!!!) Since we had 2 extra tickets, I not only brought along Joe, but my sister Andee and my great friend Elizabeth came as well!! We had a great dinner together at The Cracker Barrel, along with some great 'girl' talk. Plus goofing around with each other before, during & after the show made for a great time. Thank you Dad & Nancy for always including us in the Hale productions and thank you to my 3 dates Joe, Andee & Elizabeth. Tonight was just awesome!!! "I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night...." I LOVE MY FAIR LADY!!!!!

#2 of the 2 #297'S - The cast at Hale Center Theatre. Kudos to Professor Higgins! He was spot on and just fantastic!!!

#296

Another one bites the dust. 69 pictures left to go!

Sunday. I've mentioned plenty of times how much I love Sundays. Especially now that I'm no longer working that day of the week AND because its football season. Well today was just like any other Sunday - LAZY! I fell asleep on the couch watching the morning football game and Joe took a nap through the afternoon game. We kept the lights off and the TV volume down. One nice thing about living in a basement, is the cave-like feel. Its always dark and chilly. So its easy to fall asleep in & fun to cuddle up with many blankets!

Once the evening game started, we were kinda football-ed out and didn't care to much about the teams that were playing, so we FINALLY got dressed for the day and snuck out to catch a late showing of FOOTLOOSE! Joe said over and over (before AND during the movie) that he was such a great husband to be supportive enough to take his wife to a chick-flick type movie. He said it so many times I just had to laugh because in the past week since the movie has been out, Joe has mentioned seeing it at least 5 times. I don't think I ONCE said I wanted to see it! (I'm thinking Joe secretly wanted to see this movie SO BAD and just had to make himself feel macho with denying it.) Then he has to remind me of how lucky I am to have a sensitive & understanding husband. Blah, blah, blah! I see through your devious ways Joe Black!

The movie wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I am a huge fan of the original, but I did like the new 'modern' take on the story. It was interesting to hear the same songs from the original soundtrack, redone by current & popular artists. My favorite was "Holding Out For A Hero." That remake was pretty stellar. I might have to buy this soundtrack! The kid who played Kevin Bacon's role was awesome and was just as good/lovable as Kevin was. Now Julianne Hough wasn't my favorite...but I wasn't as annoyed with her as much as I thought I'd be. Dennis Quaid was awesome as Ariel's dad and the town Reverend. Overall I was entertained and thats what matters! Everyone should see it...at least once!

#296 - Good movie + great date + many chuckles between the two of us during the show = One Fantastic Evening!

#295

70 left!!!

Tonight was the annual Lopez Halloween Party!! Last year Joe and I went as clowns. We did the hole sha-bang, 'loud' outfits from head to toe, including face paint and wigs! We even took home the 'best costume' prize. However this year I was a little lazy at planning, I'll admit it. Just earlier this week Joe and I decided to go as each other. Not necessarily each other exactly, but as each others professions. I went as an elevator technician and Joe went as a hairstylist.  My costume was super easy; after acquiring some Carson Elevator attire, all I needed was Joe's elevator keys, pager, dirty rag and some grease! Joe's outfit was a lot more fun to prep! We wanted to make him the stereotypical 'male' hair dresser. (Meaning extremely metro-sexual/high maintenance AND fashionable!)  We went to the D.I. (Desert Industries) and found some great articles of clothing. Joe got some skinny jeans, pointy shoes and a tight shirt. Then at Target I discovered a miniature 'hair dresser' kit for a little girl and we had Joe wear the waist band that held a blow dryer, combs, fake scissors, flat iron & water bottle! My favorite part was his hair. I wanted to give him a '50's Pompadour (if any of you can picture that). It took a lot of styling on my part, even flat ironing a bit...it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, but I was very happy with the end result. Then right as we left I added a little 'guy-liner' to complete the look.

Everyone loved Joe's look and we got a lot of laughs. We didn't take the 'best costume' award home this year...but I thought he looked amazing!!! Guess there's always next year!

My #295 - Joe aka Jay P or "Storm" his hairstylist alter ego!

Here are a few more pictures. (Including me) Like I said, my costume wasn't nearly as exciting as Joe's, but mine was the most accurate. I look EXACTLY like what Joe looks like when he comes home everyday. Exactly! Getting that grease out of his clothes is the worst!!!

#294

The countdown has come to 71!!!

Even though I feel utterly guilty for spending so much money this morning, there is a small part of me that is very excited to have 1 anxiety (out of the usual many) alleviated. With starting my own business I have had many financial hardships. Especially because its a lot of money up front. All of my supplies have been purchased, but I haven't been able to purchase a big 'back stock' of my coloring needs. I've just been buying boxes of color as people have made appointments. I feel like I'm at the beauty supply store 3 or 4 times a week and sometimes twice in one day. My biggest anxiety is not having the color I need to perform the requested service. What if its a new client and they want me to match their color but I have no idea what it looks like to even know what color to buy?? Or when my customer wants a certain color, but with whatever color is currently on their hair, I have to use something completely different to achieve the desired look. Also sometimes I have to mix mulitple colors to get the ONE color needed. For example, if someone wants a Red Brown and I don't have the 1 box of Red Brown, I have to use 2 boxes, a Red AND a Brown or if they want a level 5 and I only have 4 and 6, I have to mix. I end up using double the color just because I don't have the right supplies. Do you understand my anxiety now??  Sorry for the long explanation, but I'm so very happy I was able to buy out the beauty supply store today and stock up on ANY and ALL necessary color for future 'unknown' coloring situations.

It really is a weight off my shoulders. I actually had an 'unknown' color situation this morning and thanks to my large purchase, I had the exact color needed to complete the service. PHEW! Now to get my husband to understand the importance of a huge lump of cash being withdrawn out of our checking account...Do you think he might not even notice?? Hee hee!!

#294 - My bank account screamed, "Ouch!" But I replied with "Wahoo! Finally."

Oh and do you like the inside of my cabinet?? 

Thank you Joe!! (But I need those shelves up top. 

When can we get those put in?? Soon??)

#293's

Another one down and 72 more to go!

We had a girls night out tonight; dinner & a show!! We had a mediocre dinner at Applebee's then we headed downtown to the University of Utah's Kinsbury Hall and saw the Odessy Dance Theater's "THRILLER!" ODT puts this on every year and if you're unfamiliar with it, you really should check it out. They have shows all the way up to Halloween and its pretty much an almost 2 hour dance recital full of Halloween/Scary themed dances. Of course the "Thriller" dance makes an appearance a few times, as well as a "Jason" themed dance with just 3 guys and an unexpected audience member! There were vampire dances, creepy circus people and even a dance dedicated to "Chucky." All of course are mildly spooky since kids are invited, but some were rather disturbing. Lots of fake weapons, nooses, fake blood spit into the air and even chainsaws. Plus the zombies prowling around the audience before the show were severely eerie.

But all and all it was a great 'girls night out.' My "Moms" treated all the girls. Yes my mom AND my stepmom treated me and 4 of my sisters. (Robyn & Brittany you were missed!!) We had lots of fun joking around as always and reliving good times. Plus making Andee laugh so hard she's on the brink of peeing her pants is a guaranteed good time. LOL

#293's - 'Thriller' was definitely a thrill. Thanks Mom & Nancy!!!

 Oooh...some creepy dude in the foyer.

Yup...Those are my girls!!

#292

Yay, 73 more to go!!

Today is October 19th - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!

Joe and I celebrate 2 anniversaries today. Our first date was on October 19, 2001 and then we got married 4 years later on October 19, 2005! Making our first date 10 years ago and our wedding 6 years ago today! That's right, Joe and I have been together for 10 years now. I full decade!!!

Both Joe and I had to work (opposite shifts) so we didn't plan anything special for today. We're saving our celebration for the weekend...and I also have a little surprise up my sleeve for Joe next weekend. (Stay tuned!) But after my last evening hair appointment cancelled, I drove home to grab Joe and head out to a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant BONSAI!! Once we got home from dinner, we thought it would be nice to watch our wedding DVD and reminisce on that wonderful day. However after digging the DVD out of our 'wedding box' in storage we found this...

My broken memories... #292 - Utter devastation.

Thankfully to my luck, my dad has a copy!!! Phew! He says he isn't sure if he can copy it for us, but he will let us have his copy if need be. And unfortunately the photographer is no longer in business, so getting another spare will probably be impossible. My advice to everyone GET MULTIPLE COPIES!!!

But anyway, we went through our photo album and played our "Love Song" music DVD in the background. It was still romantic! Looking at pictures of old friends, people in our lives that have come and gone. Even a few that have passed away since then...it was heart wrenching. Although it was fun seeing how everyone has changed in just 6 years!!! My baby sisters looked like babies!!!

Happy 10 years AND 6 years Joseph. Either way, its been an incredible ride and I'm so glad I have you by my side. Cheers to many more October 19th's together!  XOXOX

#291

Okay, I have blogged several times about random acts of kindness, special delivery's and many things that just make my day; well I received all 3 today. My friend Elizabeth randomly decided to purchase something I have been desperately looking for, she literally walked it over to my house and all this MADE MY DAY!

I posted way back in April-ish about a my perfume 'super buy' at ROSS and I've been searching for another great deal for the last month or so. Its SO irritating running out of your signature scent. I've been using my 'back-up' perfume and a body mist to get by, but Fancy is MY scent and I love all the compliments I get. Plus it just feels more like "me." ROSS only gets a supply when another store has overstock...and apparently no one has had overstock in a long time. Elizabeth knew of my search and she decided to seek out a store in the area she was visiting today and low & behold they had a bottle. She purchased it and while on a walk with her hubby & little baby girl, she delivered it to me. Isn't she the greatest?? Even though I tease her all the time, she really is my favorite and I'm lucky to have her. (AND our weekly lunches where girl talk is always on the menu.)

#291 - Random surprise that put a HUGE smile on my face. Thank you Lizbit!! I love you muches and muches!

#290

75 LEFT TO GO!

I happened upon an excellent find today. I went to Orson Gygi (twice) today. Both times I made great discovers, but this one has kept me entertained for quite awhile this evening.

#290 - Lego candy! And they really stack & build!

Of course they call them "Construction Blocks" but...they're Lego's! I bought a few packages for my nephew Jesse (he'll love them as much as I do) and I had to buy a 3rd package for me to test out. Ya know, to make sure they were functional...and to see if they tasted good! Hahaha!! But yes, they are do work and they taste yummy. Like sweet-tarts actually!!

Simple photo tonight, but man these things are fun! Andee went to Gygi for 2 chef hats for their Halloween costume and Elizabeth went to find a large turkey baster. No lucky for Lizbit, but I sure found something during both trips. Yummy lemon drops & a skeleton apron for work. Then I found these Lego candies and salad tongs! Today was great fun, thanks ladies!

#289

The countdown has reached 76! Woot woot!

Since yesterday was such a long day for me, I decided to keep it low key today. Literally. Joe and I slept in, watched football, I took a 2 hour nap, we ran errands & had lunch then we came home and had game night. We decided to pull out the Wii, which we haven't done in forever it seems. (The Wii used to be an everyday activity. Either it was us playing games singularly, together or having friends over, we just always seemed to play 'something.') In fact pulling it out and looking at our selection of games, brought back memories of some really good times. We landed on Mario Party. Oh my gosh, this was our favorite. I remember playing this for hours on end with Andee & Geoff. Joe and I were always keeping up on the latest release..we have all of them up to Mario Party 8 and we just found out that they are releasing 9 at Christmas time. We had fun playing just the 2 of us against 2 computer players, but it really was more fun with Andee & Geoff. (Maybe a reunion game in the future peeps??)  After a quick game of that, we moved on to Mario Kart, which is always a grin.

Its funny to see how little we play video games anymore. Joe used to be a video game guru and now he just plays Call of Duty on the Xbox. Not really anything else. I guess its a good thing that we've found other things to occupy our time, but we did always have a blast with the Wii.

My #289 - Thanks for game night Joe! Man he's been great this weekend. Pancakes on Friday, foot rubs last night and now letting me relax and have fun on Sunday. You're the best!

#288

Aaannnddd only 77 photos to go!

Today was exhausting. I worked 10 hours yesterday and beat that today by hitting almost 14!!!  It was a great day although long, I had some great customers in the salon. I started my day quite early doing a few of my clients hair for a wedding. I had to be there by 7:30 so I had to wake up at 6:45AM!! Thats so early for me! Then once that was over I headed to the salon and I stayed there until 9:30PM!!! Phew! It was a tough one and my body is definitely feeling it. As much as I love the hard work, my wonderful clients and visiting with my cousin I never see...working so much and standing on my feet all day has taken its toll. However I'm grateful for a caring and understanding husband, he offered to rub my feet & legs. I have my own personal masseuse living here!!

I feel much better and I'm now super tired. Thanks Joe for taking good care of me...I'm off to bed now.

#288 - Great way to end a very successful AND long day!

#287

Oh yeah! 78 more to go!!!

I came home from an extremely long day at work and Joe decided he wanted to make me Pumpkin pancakes...my favorite! There is a place here in SLC called The Original Pancake house that makes the best ones by the way! But Joe thought he could duplicate them, just for me. Well...they were pancakes for sure, but VERY short on the pumpkin! LOL Poor Joe, he followed the recipe to a "T" but for some reason it didn't call for enough pumpkin. So basically Joe made me pancakes tonight! Thanks Joe!!!

#287 - Always nice to be waited on after a long hard day, even when dinner didn't turn out right. 

#286

Only 79 more to go!

I had a frustrating few days. As some of you read on my facebook, I damaged my phone Tuesday night. I didn't do it on purpose..despite what my husband thinks...but I damaged it for good. At first just the touchscreen wouldn't respond and after leaving it off over night, it wouldn't even turn on in the morning. I even tried using another battery that I had on a separate charger and still nothing. Yesterday I was running around with my head cut off without a phone. Isn't it sad how dependent we've all become? Plus I run my business on my phone, so I was severely stressed. I just had to carry my laptop everywhere I went even stopping by a few WiFi hot-spots just so I could stay somewhat connected to the world...and my customers.

Its very coincidental that I damaged my phone at this time of the year. My phone plan is with Sprint and I'm signed up with my husbands company account. I'm lucky enough to only have a year-to-year contract. (As opposed to most carriers where the standard is 2 years.) But to pull in the coincidence, last year at almost this is exact same time I damaged another phone. (I'm seriously thinking I might be an annual klutz.) Joe and I were on vacation in California (Disneyland & to see Joe's parents) over our anniversary weekend. Oct 16-19th. The last day we where there, on the 19th our actual anniversary, California was experiencing some HEAVY rain! It was awful!! We were at Disneyland all day and were completely soaked the whole time. In a mad dash from ride to ride, my phone fell out of my sweatshirt pocket and in to a huge puddle! Being the last day of our vacation, I was stressed. Its hard when you are supposed to be coming home and headed to work the next day and expecting a ride home from the airport in SLC and not having ANY contact with anyone. Thankfully we were able to keep Joe's phone charged whenever we could, so we were never really without. But once I returned from California, I found out that my yearly plan was up on the 28th of October and since my phone was damaged by water, the warranty didn't cover a replacement so I would have to pay the $100 deductible to get a new one. Or I could just wait the 9 days and get a cheap phone with the restart of my plan. I opted for the latter and just got a pay-as-you-go phone for a week. Even that was horrid!!!

Sorry for the long back story, but now fast forward to October 10th, this past Tuesday and you'll have almost the same story! Only this time I dropped it on my kitchen floor as I was doing the dishes. It had slight water damage from my hands and splashes of sink water as the accident happened, but I really think it was the finally straw. I have dropped that thing MANY times before. After talking to a Sprint agent the next morning I got a similar story. My warranty would cover my phone, but my model is on back-order and wouldn't be available for over a month. Or my plan is up on October 28th again so I could sign up for a new phone in just a matter of weeks. However the guy at Sprint was super nice and said with my warranty & insurance, he would get me a similar phone ordered to the store by the next morning and I wouldn't have to pay for anything. Plus he thinks I'll like this phone model so much, I won't want to replace it when my plan is up at the end of the month.

Seriously, what is my problem? Damaging 2 phones beyond repair in just days under a years time. Thankfully the circumstances are a bit different this time around and I was able to get another smartphone as soon as I could. But I did run into a little frustration this morning when they said my new phone would arrive between 11&noon and after Joe called, called & called, it didn't get there until almost 1:00 and Joe heard the store was closing early at 2pm due to the new iPhone5 release. WHAT? Stupid iPhone. I wasn't about to let another day go by without a phone, so even though I was watching my twin nieces and it was there scheduled nap time, I opted to take 2 very sleepy girls to the Sprint store that was 25 miles away from my house just to get my new phone. And after 30 minutes of setting up my contacts at the store, I was finally able to leave PHONE IN HAND! (Sorry to my nieces who were a 'joy' the rest of the afternoon because their schedule was altered. My bad!)

Now I feel complete with a smartphone that works, in my possession. All my apps are re-downloaded and I'm ready for work tomorrow. (My decision to get a tablet or a backup system for my phone/business has only heightened. But I refuse to get an iPad, so DON'T even suggest it. Stupid Apple.)

My peace of mind #286. Sorry the story was so long...but don't you feel like you know me [just] that much more? LOL like you needed too! ;)

#285

80 days left in the year...and 80 photos left in my challenge!!

Luckily I was able to take some great photos of my newest nephew Jacob. He's now almost 3 weeks old and I wanted to capture him at his smallest. He was a great distraction from the chaos of my morning. (See tomorrow's post for an insight on the craziness of today!) But I did put my cares away to focus on my cute nephew! I still have more ideas and want to take more pictures...probably this weekend...but I was able to get some really good ones today. We just need to plan around his eating schedule a little better!

Thanks Kalie for letting me annoy your baby boy. I hope you and Jesse are happy with they turned out.

I'm happily posting Jacob, once again. This time as my #285 - Perfection.

#284's

Oh yeah, I've got 81 left!!

So many great things happened today. I'm actually going to post 3 pictures tonight because I'm in a great mood and want to share it with you all!

My #284's - Awesome day!


#1 - I had a visitor at my salon today, the Salt Lake Valley Health Department (SLVHD). Of course with opening your own business, you have to have a visitor from the health department. I was nervous. I felt like an idiot the whole time because he kept listing off things I needed and was supposed use, but none of it made sense...it was like my mind went blank and I had no idea if I had anything on that list. Thankfully my beauty school & previous salon taught me well, because I had purchased everything I needed for this inspection without even realizing it! Most stylists get lazy and don't use the correct things or don't handle the sanitation/sterilization rules correctly, but apparently I didn't it without even thinking. I had purchased the right barbicide, the right sanitizers, the right sticks and I administer the correct procedures. Hells yeah, I nailed it without even trying. Phew! So relieved!!! APPROVED!

#2 - After the inspector left, I snuck out for a quick bite to eat and upon my return, my client Janae was there waiting for me. (She needed me to put her feather extension back in before she heads out of town tomorrow.) We visited for a bit, then offered me a present! I guess her and a friend now make these headbands and she brought me one, just cause I'm special! Thank you Janae!! I LOVE IT! These wraps actually look similar to a another wrap I'm obsessed with, so it fits into my collection nicely! Random act of kindness!

And finally #3 - My sister Andee brought her twin girls in for THEIR FIRST HAIRCUT!!! Oooh I was so excited! Another great reason to love what I do - I get to share in this wonderful 'FIRST' experience with my nieces and nephews. The girls weren't too thrilled with having to sit still, but they brought their dolly's and had fun watching themselves in the mirror. Since I was the one doing the cutting, I don't have any pictures, but I do have the first locks of hair I trimmed off. Goodbye Mullets!! Oh the memories!

#283

283! That's right, only 82 more!!

The Monday night football game was freakin' awesome. I love a good divisional rivalry game. Tonight created some great milestones. It was a home game for the Lions, which they haven't had a Monday night football games AT HOME since 1974! Calvin Johnson aka Megatron, caught a pass for a 70+ yard touchdown which is the second longest passing play in Lions history.  And now makes Johnson the first player in NFL history to have 9 touchdowns in the first 5 games of the season. Also since the Lions DID end up beating out the Bears, they are now 5-0 which hasn't happened since 1956!! That's 55 years!!! Not to mention mine & Joe's excitement that his team (the Lions) and my team (the Packers) are currently the only 2 teams in the NFL that are undefeated.  (Too bad they're in the same division and only 1 can go to the superbowl!)  How cool is it that both of our teams are doing so well? Of course the Pack is doing awesome, since they won the superbowl last year, but the Lions have done so poorly the last few years. (In 2008 they were completely defeated with finishing the year 0-16...they didn't win a single game that year.) However they clearly have gotten their crap together and are dominating so far this year. I am now proud to own a Matt Stafford jersey...I've been ashamed for so long! Joe never lost faith and remained a loyal fan even through the major disappointing years.  Now I'm really nervous for the Thanksgiving game, because the Lions play the Packers that morning... Joe and I might need to sit in separate rooms! LOL Man, we love football in this house.

What a great game tonight and so awesome to see the Lions FINALLY doing so well. Cheers to both the Packers & the Lions for being undefeated so far this year. It'll be interesting to see which of these teams ends up on top of the NFC North this winter.

#283 - Monday Night Football ....  Gooo LIONS!!!

#282

282 down, 83 to go!

I have mentioned many times how much I love Sundays. Not only because I love football so much, but because my whole family has been sucked into the world of FANTASY FOOTBALL! It really does make watching football more entertaining. I'm pretty much glued to my phone app all day long checking scores!

Looks like Curly Chaos has kicked Mayhem with Mustards trash. (Sorry Kalie!)  My team is now 2-3. I'm moving on up!

My #282 - Yahoo! Fantasy Football 2011 app - Love it!

Love our team names? Some are pretty clever/funny and then there are a few inappropriate ones too. But it wouldn't be my family & friends if there weren't a few a little inappropriate!

#281's

Countdown update - only 84 left!!

I know I've been fishing before. (I'm sure I went many times as a child with my dad, in fact I have a picture of me fishing in Lake Powell when I was about 8 or 9) However today, I really felt like a fishermen..er..woman. Okay...that may be pushing it. I'm a big ninny when it comes to the ooey-gooey stuff. In fact that is one of the main reasons I'm never invited to go fishing. My step dad, brother Carl and any other guy I could possible have fished with, said 'If you don't bait your own hook or unhook your own fish, you can't come.' Okay, I get it. If I'm not baiting the hook or touching the flailing fish, what good am I? Basically I'd just cast-out and reel in. I understand that there is more to fishing. I'm just a PANSY and I'll admit it!! Its gross!! Well for some reason it has taken me almost 10 years to ask Joe if he'll do all the yucky stuff for me, so I CAN go. Of course like the wonderful husband he is, he told me he would! So this year I got my fishing license and today was the first day I've been able to use it. THANKS JOE!

We went up to Bountiful Lake, inflated Joe's boat and I paddle us around the lake for about 4 hours. It was awesome! Joe's boat was extremely comfortable and there was enough room to move around and adjust as we sat there for so long. We caught 3 fish..the first one was Joe's and he got away before we were able to 'net' it. (Insert Ninny Erica freaking out of the fish SHE was supposed to net...sorry Joe!) But the next 2 were actually reeled in by me and Joe was able to grab them out of the water and get the hook out. Thankfully my hubby has a sweet spot and doesn't like keeping anything he doesn't have to..so we practiced 'catch & release' all day. We did have a few other nibbles, but not much to brag about. We just enjoyed our afternoon together, so good old-school tunes on the radio, sunflower seeds and funny stories.  Good times with the hubster and even with all the ooey-gooey, water in the boat, mud & cold weather, it was a great day.

#281's - Quiet time AND my super supportive hubby that took care of the gross stuff!

#280

85 more to go!

Well the witch doctor was unhappy with the amount of soda I drink. He advised me to drink more water...yeah, what else is new? EVERYONE should drink more water. So as the doctor, of modern witchery ordered, I shall comply. I have cut my soda intake in half. It hasn't been much fun (I think I'm a more cheerful person under the influence of carbonation). but I understand his reasoning and its true I should drink less. If I am able to get pregnant, the sacrifices will have been worth it. Seriously...any sacrifice will be worth it. 

Day 4 of water boot camp. My #280 - Hmmm...water logged much?

#279

*EDITED* If you missed the original version of this post, I apologize. I decided to edit and delete most of the content for privacy reasons. Plus it was negative and I don't want to hold that negativity in. So for now, just know I ate at the Oyster Bar with some new co-workers that I obviously need to get to know better before I judge.


This will just be a great reminder & my #279 - That which doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

#278

#278 huh? Man, just 22 more days until the 300th mark!! I can't believe I only have 87 pictures left - holy cow!

So today in the Salt Lake valley, it totally felt like fall. It was cold, wet & windy ALL day. I was a dork and forgot to bring a sweater with me when I left the house and man did I regret that as soon as I drove away. Luckily I stayed at the salon most of the day, but it was sure cold even inside the building. I think the high temperature today couldn't have been more than 50degrees. (There was a bit-o-sun earlier this morning, but it didn't stick around for long.)

My work day ended up being busier than I thought it would be so as soon as I got off work tonight, I couldn't want to get home and wrap up in a sweatshirt & blankie! And Joe must have had the same thoughts, because he brought home some firewood, so we could have our very first fire of the season!

We have this awesome fire place that protrudes off the wall and literally warms up the entire basement when lit. It smells good, feels good and sounds so relaxing!! Joe and I tried to watch TV while it was going, but it was so soothing, we started getting sleepy! It makes me excited for all the Sundays watching football, or late night movies, curled up in blankets, hot chocolate brewing and a warm fire going. Yes people, I love this time of year and I love winter too! As much as I've loved the warm summer nights, I really am looking forward to the cool off. Utah weather, although very unpredictable, can be awesome. I love so many things about each season, I get excited when the weather starts changing!! So much better than stagnant air or climates where the weather barely changes all year. Bring on the cold temps...and even SNOW!! lol

#278 - Our first cozy fire of the season! Cheers to many, many more!!!

#277

Yesterday was my appointment with Dave. He is a homeopathic doctor and has been recommended by a few people that my step-mom Nancy knows. Since I've continued to struggle getting pregnant and my doctors have not found anything wrong with me..other than not ovulated regularly, Nancy offered to take me to Dave and try a different route. An all natural route. Well, I was all for it. I mean really, what have I got to lose? I took us a few weeks to get an appointment scheduled, but I was happy when I was finally able to get in. I teased that I was going to see a witch doctor. Having never been or heard of a homeopathic doctor, my imagination ran. I was picturing a hippy-ish man with long hair & a tan coming in dressed in a tribal outfit, pounding bongos, waving feathers back and forth over my head, maybe having me drink fertility tea or having to do a ovulation dance/chant. See, I told you my imagination went crazy!

Of course to my pleasant surprise, he was completely normal. He actually look very business like, dockers, plaid shirt, glasses...even his office was boring. No pictures on the wall, simply desk & chairs from a few decades ago. White walls, fake plants and 1 book the size of a phone book, filled with astrology/zodiac information.  After only a 10 minute appointment, he gave me a 3 supplement regimen for 3 months. He told me that if I wasn't pregnant in 3 months, than to come back and get re-evaluated.

So that's it people. I have 3 months to try out 3 different pills and see if it works. Thank you Nancy and thank you completely normal, witch doctor Dave. I'll keep ya'll posted. It IS possible that it may be that easy... One can hope. Like I said, I really have nothing to lose at this point.

#277 - "I told the Witch Doctor, I was in love with you" and hopefully that will get me knocked up! LOL

#276

I have had my wicker chairs in my new salon for just 3 1/2 weeks almost. I loved the chairs and I was so happy with the deal I got on them. But ever since the salon opened I just haven't been completely satisfied. Plus I have had more than one customer tell me that they are uncomfortable. Eek! Not that anyone ever sits in them longer that 20 or so minutes, but it has really bothered me. My sister Kalie made me some great pillows and just today I found some seat cushions I wanted to try out that I thought would help...but upon tagging along to IKEA with my parents this evening, I found 2 chairs that were exactly what I was looking for. Of course I wish they were a little more flashy or decorative, but even just plain, I feel they are better than the wicker.

Luckily IKEA is just a hop, skip & a jump away from my salon, so my parents hauled them over and we put them up tonight. I even had Nancy & Dad try them out and 'pretend' to be waiting. LOL!!  Kalie's pillows still look great and I think the chairs fill the empty space a bit better. Now these ones, with great IKEA convenience, come with the option of slip-covers. I opted not to start out with slip-covers and just wait until the upholstery starts to get dirty. They have a great charcoal color cover that would look great in the room... I'll have to wait until my budget will allow it though!

#276 - 2 NEW chairs! The picture almost makes them look white, but they really are a deep creamy color.

#275

We had a Snow Family Outing today. It was our annual trip up to Park City to ride the Alpine slide, coaster, zip-line and stop by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. We've done this for years, usually on the LDS Conference weekend, but if I remember correctly we haven't done it as a large group for a really long time. I decided to turn it back into a yearly tradition and we scheduled it for last Sunday. However, my sister Kalie ended up having baby Jacob early Sunday morning last week and since most of us lost quite a few hours of sleep, we decided to postpone until this Sunday. TODAY!!

The weather was perfect and all the leaves have started to turn with the autumn season. Its quite breathtaking up there. I wish we had time to visit a more ruffage location, to get some great photos shots of all the colors. What we did see & capture on film was great anyway and we all had a wonderful time. Since Kalie has a little one at home, I picked up my nephew & took him up with us for the day. He isn't tall enough to go on the rides himself, so my hubby Joe took him on the slide & the coaster. Then while he went on the 'kiddie' rides, some of the adults did the zip-line. After the rides, we stopped but the chocolate factory for a mid-afternoon treat and headed back down to the Salt Lake valley where we were finally joined by Kalie & Jesse for a big dinner at Outback. It seriously was a fantastic day!! I loved every minute of it.

Here is my #275 - Family! Most of the family was ahead of us on the trail, but this is Andee, Kelly, Joe & little Jesse towing their carts to the top of the Alpine Slide. Thanks Kalie & Jesse for letting us take little Jesse. Joe had fun taking him on the rides!

#274's

First of the #274's - A 'household' meeting, over dinner! Pasta night!!

An opportunity presented itself to Joe and I about 3 weeks ago. The secretary at Joe's main office, Judy, told Joe about a dog needing a home. Judy also runs a dog kenneling service and was contacted by one of her customers saying they have a miniature dachshund that needs a home. (We didn't find out the complete reason, but we did hear it was a financial burden) Judy decided to tell us about it because we already have 2 min-dachshunds and she was hoping we would either take this other pup in or we might know someone else interested. Over the last 3 weeks we've talked..and talked...and talked about it. Its hard thinking about adding 'another' dog to this household of pets, but knowing that if a new owner isn't found, taking him to the shelter was the only other option. I hate hearing that - and I'm a sucker!!

As I said, we talked it over many times and decided maybe we should have a 'play-date' with out puppies to see if they would get along. I also put a little bug in my roommates ear, so they knew we were thinking about it. After many scheduling issues with the owners and ourselves, we finally scheduled our 'play-date' for today. We've had him most of the day and other than 1 altercation with Andee & Kelly's dog Rosie it has gone really well. Its almost scary how well he fits into our little family. Both of my pups seem to love him. They've been playing, teasing and napping together all day. 

I know its awful having SO MANY pets in the house, but I just can't bare the thought of him going to the shelter. Plus, really, whats one more wiener? LOL As a household, we got together tonight to talk about the ordeal and we made sure we all spoke our minds and voiced our concerns. It will be a financial change for Joe and I and it will alter a few things in our lower half of the house, but after vowing to do better at picking up the doggie 'messes' in the backyard, I think Andee & Kelly are okay with the idea. Plus I think Lucas and Simon would actually be sad if he didn't stick around. 

So in addition to my photo of the day, I thought I'd post a picture of our newest household member. And the second #274's - Meet Charles (aka Charlie) ... I'm not a huge fan of the name Charlie..or Charles for that matter. But he answers to it and the previous owner thinks he is 4 years old, so I'm sure its too late to change it.

He's black like Simon, but in the face he looks just like Lucas. Its almost as if Lucas & Simon had a baby. Charlie is the perfect mix & fit into our family. Thank you Andee & Kelly for sitting down to a wonderful dinner with us and for letting us take in an unwanted to puppy. We're very lucky to have room & the financial support to take care of a dog needing a home. I wish I could take in all the neglected dogs out there, but I can help one dog at a time, right?