Weekend update

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for not posting this weekend. I had a very busy weekend and have a valid excuse for yesterday! ALL day Sunday I was at a radio station event in Tampa (97X Next Big Thing) where there were concerts all day of a bunch of awesome bands. I was so excited to finally see one of my favorite bands, Switchfoot (I don't know how I've never seen them before, they've been my favorite for years)! It was a great day with amazing weather! The only thing I regret is bringing my digital camera with me...I can't believe I forgot it, I bring it everywhere. Thank God for cell phone cameras!

The amazing line up!! I was very excited to see Switchfoot, Paper Tongues, Cage the Elephant, and the Black Keys. To my surprise, My Chemical Romance was my favorite performance! They put on an amazing show!

Janna and I waiting to watch some of our favorite bands

Switchfoot's lead singer. We were so close to him!

HHN+Harry Potter

This past Wednesday night my family and I went to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights. It was so much fun and so well done! I thought Howl-O-Scream was good, but this just topped the charts. Being a production company, I knew that Universal would do a great job, but they exceeded my expectations. The people were scary, the atmosphere was spooky, and they had great themes for the haunted houses. So much fun! Here are a few pics from the evening.

On Thursday, my sister, mom, and I went to Islands of Adventure for the day. We've been there countless times before, but this was our first time seeing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. My mom hasn't seen the movies or read any of the books, but we were all super excited to finally get to see Universal's adaptation of the books. Just like Halloween Horror Nights, my expectations were completely exceeded! They did a wonderful job and I couldn't have asked for more. The butterbeer was delish and came in 2 different forms, frozen or normal (they both tasted the same, but the frozen was way better for some reason). It was an overall great day!

The countdown begins!!

I usually don't get excited about something until the day before, or even the day of....but I am getting excited now!! Tuesday I will be jet-setting off to Los Angeles and I can't wait to get there. I'm stoked to see Brooke, to experience wonderful weather, and to put my new camera to work. Isn't it so cute and little?? It takes AMAZING pictures too!!

We are going to see so many awesome things, I'm just ready to experience it. This is my second visit to California, but I didn't get to really see much during my first trip. Los Angeles will be all new to me. I will be frolicking around L.A., San Francisco, and San Diego with 3 of my best friends...what more could a girl ask for? With me will be Brooke, Brittany, and Kim. Some of the many awesome things we will be partaking in are: The Price is Right, WB Tour, Wax Museum (Robert Pattinson is there!), all the cool Hollywood stuff, Napa Valley Wine Tour, The OC, and much much more!!

I can't wait!! Stay tuned to hear about my experiences!!

97X Backyard BBQ

Today was a lot of fun. I went to St. Pete for a bunch of concerts hosted by 97X. A couple of the bands I saw were American Bang, Needtobreathe, and Paper Tongues. Needtobreathe was fantastic, but I must say, I really enjoyed Paper Tongues the most. The lead singer was so entertaining and was dancing around the stage all funny. It was great. It was so unbelievably hot, but thanks to hose man who sprayed the crowd, it was worth it. Here's a couple snap shots from my fun adventure.

Holy Europeans!

I thought this observance was notable enough to tell about. While laying out at the beach this morning, there was a middle aged couple. They did not come to the beach prepared. So, to be dressed for the weather, they decide to wrap a towel around their bodies and change underneath them. Please note that a bathroom/changing room was about 50 feet away. The woman was very stealth, she changed quickly into a one piece bathing suit, out of pants. The man, not so much. He slithered out of his green panties and almost let the world see his goods when his towel started rapidly blowing in the wind. It was one of those things where you want to look away, but you just can't. I tried, I really did. After spending about 5 minutes getting their towel situated on the sand, including a large mat to lay on, he proceeds to blow up a pillow (who does that?) The fun doesn't stop there. He puts so much sunscreen on that he looked like an albino man with dark hair. You'd think his wife would tell him to rub it in a little more. I wanted to hear where they were from, but they talked too softly, but I'm sure they were European. The End.

Baby, there's a shark in the water...

This weekend was a nice, relaxing one. Right off the bat on Friday after work I pampered my feet (it was severely needed!) I decided to be sophisticated for once and go with a french polish, which was an excellent decision. Friday night, I got to catch up with some old friends, which was wonderful :) Here's some silly pics. Whitney and I obviously didn't want Brooke and Jessca to take a good picture.

Saturday morning I babysat the most beautiful baby in the world...whom I also get to be her nanny soon! I spent the afternoon poolside, then boogied my way to the Round Up that night. Yesterday, I spent some time with my momma, and all in all it was a great weekend! SIDE NOTE: If you haven't heard the song "Shark in the Water" by V.V. Brown, you should! It's been in my head ALL weekend!

Best investment ever

Do you ever want to just lay out and bake in the sun on an awesome afternoon? Sometimes you just don't feel like making the trek all the way to the beach. Okay, I know the beach is like a mile down the road from me, but work with me here. Well, sometimes I just want to hang out in the backyard and chill for an hour or so before work. But, sometimes it's just a bit hot. Problem solved. I invested $10 in a kiddie pool. Fill it up with a few gallons of water, and boom! You have a refreshing way of sunbathing. It really is remarkable, and I recommend everyone getting one. Have an open mind with this one...I thought of perhaps having a kiddie pool BBQ. Everyone brings their kiddie pool to hang out in, while we grill out. How fun does that sound?

How does your garden grow?

I thought it would be super fun to have my own herb garden in my backyard. Home Depot had a sale on them, so I jumped on that like tonto. They are growing so big! They seriously are like my little babies or something. I get so excited each day when I go out to water them at how much they are growing. Most exciting thing was my first strawberry grew! Look at that little guy! And if you're wondering if I ate it...I sure did. It was sweet and perfect. Other things in my garden are parsley, lots of mint (I can't wait to have a mojito party!), rosemary (smells divine), 2 types of tomatoes, green bell peppers, dill, onion chives, and a few others I can't think of at the moment.Here's my adorable garden! I got some paint for the pots, so pretty soon it's gonna be an adorable, festive garden!

Beware the sun. It burns.

New post. Finally. I was debated whether or not to delete this blog. But, I figured, what the hay...I'll just keep it. But, I'm gonna jazz this blog up a bit, so that I'm not bored writing it.

First of all, beware of the sun. It burns. I went to to the beach yesterday with Kim and some of her work friends, who were so funny! Mucho fun. However, the effects of the sun aren't so dandy. I have the splotchiest sunburn ever. For instance, my left leg is completely fine, but my right leg looks like I got beat with a large paddle or something and includes 2 of my finger. It could be worse though, way way worse.

Summer Trips!

I haven't posted in the longest time! I actually completely forgot I had this blog! Lately, I have been just doing the same old routine. I wake up, go to work, go to the gym, watch my show of the night, then go to bed. Kind of boring, but it works for me. Weekends are a little more exciting, as I get to see and hang out with friends. For the past month, I have been trying as much as possible to enjoy this wonderful weather. I definitely could spend all my times outdoors if I had it my way. You would never know it by how pale I am (sunscreen is my friend). I even biked to work yesterday...I felt so eco-friendly!

This past weekend, my friend Brittany came into town, whom I was very excited to see. We saw The Bounty Hunter on Thursday night, went to Applebee's Friday night, and had a fun filled Saturday. Saturday, we did a photoshoot in Safety Harbor of me, Brittany, and her beautiful daughter Adaleigh. Then, that evening, we met up with Brittany's husband, Kim, and Lindsay at Frenchy's for dinner, and danced the night away at the Round Up. It was a lot of fun, and I even conquered a really difficult dance I've been stumbling over! Sunday, I went to church in the morning, then enjoyed the perfect weather bike riding on the Pinellas Trail with Brooke; Brooke also invited me to her house for Easter dinner, which was beyond delicious!

I am excited to announce that I've made plans to make 2 trips this summer! The first will be in June, and I will be cruising to the Bahamas with Brooke, Carisa, Ben, Jessica, and Dan. I'm so beyond excited for it! I gotta really get into serious mode with my exercising and eating (I do good, but could always improve). The other trip (which I finally agreed to tonight) will be in August, and I will be taking a trip to California with Brooke and Kim. Brooke will be photographing a wedding, so Kim and I will be tagging along and taking in the beautiful scenery. I'm really looking forward to the great pictures and experiences we will partake in.

More posts are soon to come!

Day of Doodles

This past week was a pretty low key one. Friday I attempted to play racket ball with Kim...we were terrible, so we opted for biking instead, then had some lunch. The entirety of Saturday was spent painting the entire living room, which turned out beautiful. We picked a khaki color for some of the walls, and a nice green for the rest. Once the door frames get painted another coat, things get put back into place, and the new doors get put in, it's going to look like a completely different house! Yesterday, I painted the baseboards, then babysat Michael (an awesome 6 year old who kills me on the wii) for the evening, which was a lot of fun.

Today was a long one. I worked the morning shift (7-9) then came back from 1:30-6. At 5, the entire staff had to drive down to St. Pete to attend the most boring meeting of my life...seriously, I would have preferred sitting through 4 straight classes at FSU. We didn't get home until 9, so it was quite the day. Today was a very doodlicious day for me. I had the spirit of sketching and rolled with it. I shall show you!

The first couple were sketched this morning, and were done completely upside down. I was drawing it for a kid, so I had it facing them (don't ask why I didn't just turn it around). The first is Pierre, a French painter. I decided he needed a wife, so I drew Hilda, although she turned out a little dirty...so she's the maid. And yes, that is sudoku on the sheet I drew on.

In the afternoon, all the kids in my classroom gathered around a table to color/draw...I didn't even make them! I asked them what they wanted me to draw, and one girl told me she wanted me to draw an emo person. I did just that. I was going to draw them slitting their wrists, but thought that might be a little extreme for a church setting. If you can't read it, coming out of the boombox is "sad music..."

During the eternally long class tonight, it gave me more time to draw. I have to warn you, this picture is a little morbid and twisted. I was joking around, writing "bored to death," and drew a revolver. Then it turned into drawing different ways of dying. Demented, I know, but what the hay. Included in these ways of dying is: lightning, a hair dryer in a tub, falling off a mountain, getting hit by a car (with a boom!), shark attack, a rope, and fire. Like I said, I'm twisted and I'm sorry if that offended anyone. And yes, that is sudoku at the top...I'm a little obsessed.

Eventful Weekend

Wow, it's been a few days since I've posted. Friday night I babysat my high school youth pastor's son, Peter. They adopted him last year from Guatemala, and he seriously is a little bundle of joy. He is such a cuddler, which I did not mind at all!

Yesterday was a busy, yet good one. The weather was super crappy, so it was a day of doing things indoors. I met up with a couple of my friends, Janna and Kelly at Panera for lunch. I looked up the nutrition information online and found out that my favorite salad (Asian Sesame Chicken) was not too bad in calories, after taking out the wontons. After lunch, we went to Cafe Kiln to paint pottery. I chose to paint a set of measuring spoons, since I've been doing so much cooking lately. I decided to not paint any designs on them since they were so small, but chose speckled paint in different colors for each. I'll post the results when I pick it up next week...they should be really cute!

On my way home from Cafe Kiln, I had a hankering for pizza for some reason. I wanted to make it myself, so that it would be healthier. I bought some pizza dough and sauce, and sprinkled cheddar cheese on it. I also cut up some green peppers, added some fresh spinach, and chunks of tomatoes. The crust turned out a bit too thin, but it was beyond delicious.

For the evening, I was joined at the Round Up by my friends Brooke, Emma, Carol Anne, Sue, and Kim. I decided to wear some cute wedged heels, since I was tired of wearing the same boots each week. BAD decision. My feet kept sliding forward, cutting into my toes, and the lack of traction made me fear for my life while spinning. My feet were in so much pain when leaving, and this morning felt like I walked on fire last night. Lesson learned, boots are the way to go.

Bulletin Boards

I've decided that my life isn't all that interesting to post something every single day, so every other will have to suffice sometimes.

Each month at work, we decorate our bulletin boards for the current season/holiday. I put a lot of work into the boards, giving the kids something interesting to look at, and even touch...and I'm very happy with the results of them. For December/January, I covered the board with aluminum foil and created a snowman out of felt. I put stuffing inside the felt to add a 3D effect and sprayed some fake snow for dimension. Each Wednesday, we are to do some sort of art project with the kids, so one of the weeks, I had the kids cut paper snowflakes and paint them with watercolors. I think it turned out really cute!

So, I went to work the past couple days tearing down the cute snowman and putting up something Valentine's Day friendly. I covered the board this time with some pretty gold fabric, and in the same way made the bear and heart shaped balloon out of felt and stuffed the inside. I glued on some furry material so the kids had something to feel (they love to touch it). Today for craft I had the kids draw and cut out animals using only heart shapes...they got very creative! I love decorating the room with crafts they do, they have such wild imaginations.

After work today, I raced in rush hour traffic to get to Tampa because I had free tickets to see Dear John. The movie doesn't come out for a couple more weeks, so I was really excited to see it. I made it just in time and had really good seats because my friend Janna got there early. (Thanks Janna!!) I have to admit, the movie was not what I expected, and I wasn't all that impressed. I'm not gonna ruin it for you all, since I'm sure the majority of girls will probably see it, seeing as how it's a Nicholas Sparks adaptation. It was worth my while, I don't regret going at all...it's just not how I would have written it.

Near Death Experience

Lots of interesting things happened this weekend that I would love to fill you in on! Saturday night, my friends Brooke, Emma, and I decided to go to the Round Up (a country line dancing/bar in Tampa). After a late start, we finally got there, parked, and were getting situated to walk inside. I got out of the driver seat, shut the door, and opened the back door to get my purse. When all the sudden, this minivan just starts backing up, backing up, backing up. I soon realized that he could not see me, so at the last second, I quickly jumped out the way yelling "Stop!!" He ended up hitting my back door, creating a rather huge dent. My immediate response, of course, was "seriously??" We had to call 911 wait for a police officer to come to write the report. Unbeknownst to us, we could have just exchanged information and been done with it, because he didn't even write a report...oh well. I'm just thankful that I had the reaction to jump out of the way, because I could have seriously been injured. We had a great night nonetheless, and got to ring in Brooke's birthday while waiting for a cop. You probably can't see the dent that well, but here's a cute picture of Brooke pointing to it.

Then, we celebrated Brooke's birthday last night by getting dressed up and eating at The Columbia in Ybor City. The restaurant was so beautiful, and we had a lovely evening. The food was so delicious...I will definitely be paying for it at the gym for the rest of the week!

No Gyrating For Me

What amazingly beautiful weather we had today! 78 degrees in January, can you really ask for more? I love days where I can pull whatever I want out of the closet, and it's weather appropriate! Today was a day of leisure, recuperating from my exhausting day yesterday. I went to get a much needed pedicure with Brooke, and just spent the rest of the day relaxing and listening to music. Currently, I am completely addicted to the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. Their harmony is just so beautiful. Also, I have a new found love for Vampire Weekend...maybe it has something to do with the word 'vampire' in it...who knows? Yes, I'll admit, I'm hopelessly in love with the Twilight books (seriously though, what girl now-a-days isn't?) But in all seriousness, if you haven't heard of that song or either band, get on that pronto!

With all this relaxation I've had today, I am excited to get out of the house and go dancing tonight! There's just something about line dancing that makes me happy. I always feel a little weird and completely out of my element when freestyle dancing...what are you supposed to do with your hands? Your feet? Your hips? I feel like a fool out there! Line dancing is simple, you either know it, you learn to know it, or you stay off the dance floor...everyone does the same steps, and does the same motions with their body. Much easier than gyrating like an idiot.