"It's like Deja-vu, all over again"- Yogi Berra

Lately I've noticed a trend, and it has me concerned. . . . . . . Does anyone notice anything similiar about these pictures?

I hope I do more then just chill with Miss Qi Qi in the corner of the couch!

On another note, I would also like to make it known how much I love the Q, and how it's been so much fun watching her grow. . . . I love that I get to be around for that! She is a Blessing, indeed!

Peace!

"It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.” - Joseph Joubert

Hello my dearly loved friends in the blogosphere! I am calling on you today to settle a little debate!

I know I said I wasn't going to talk about it, but I think this issue needs to be addressed. . . .


I am currently employed at Safeway working at the Deli Counter. Now because I work around a TON of food, certain measures must be taken. I had to get my food handlers permit, something I haven't done since High School ( Aced the test in case you were wondering!) My hands are now starting to feel the effect of continual washing (Now I think I know how people with OCD feel!) I can no longer wear open toe'd shoes to work (my feet get closterphobic, so this one's pretty rough!) and probably the biggest issue at hand, I am required in order to keep my hair from landing in people's potatoe salad and or fried chicken to wear one of two options

A) The Hair Net

or

B) The Baseball Hat


here's the deal I don't like either of these options


I've never really been a baseball hat kind of girl, mainly because I have a big head and rarely did any of them fit me right. Also, they are more of a sport wear, and I am not sporty kind of girl!

Now the hair net, well do I really need to go into details about this? I figure if I rock the hair net why not slap a big fat hairy mole on my face, put some orthepedic shoes on and call me the lunch lady!


I have opted for the ball cap because in my opinion it is the lesser of two evils

recently some of my co-workers have tried to convince me otherwise, which sparks my topic for this blog


which do you think is worse. . . . the hair net or the baseball hat





Exhibit A. . . . me in the hat

My hair after the hat! AWESOME!!!!!!

Exibit B. . . The Net

"Everyone gets enough food down here in Lunch Lady Land"

Hoagies and grinders, Hoagies and Grinders, navy Beans, navy Beans, Meatloaf Sandwich. . . . sloppy joe's, slop, sloppy joes yeah!

See what I mean? Tough Choice. . . .right? I would like to take a vote, and see which you my good blogging buddies feel is my best option, I trust your opinion enough to take the winning choice into consideration!

Man I miss work I can do my hair for. . . . oh well a job's a job!

Peace Out!

"Thank You For the Music, The Songs I'm Singing, Thanks for all the Joy They're Bringing!"- Abba

I love talking about music, music makes me really excited, and I almost cannot fully express how influential music is in my life!

I've seen a lot of countdowns on most influential albums and there's been lots of talk lately (especially with the passing of Michael Jackson) on Artists that have impacted peoples lives and well that got me thinking.

So because of that I would now like to blog about albums that have rocked my world, and continue to rock my world to this day!

. . . . with that said I would like to preface with a warning to any music snobs in the house perusing this blog. I would venture to say you will not be very excited about the content of this post, often times the music that effects me most is that which has some kind of memory attached to it, or makes me feel something, which may not make it necessarily "good" music in the eyes of those who think they know, which is why this is MY most influential, and not THEE most influential. . . .what I'm really saying is don't judge me!

Billy Joel- An Innocent Man

on car trips with the family I recall listening to 4 artists and 4 artists only 1) Abba, 2) Oak Ridge Boys, 3) Air Supply and 4) Billy Joel. The former artists albums where all greatest hits discs, but not the later and as a matter of fact up until middle school, I thought Billy Joel only had one CD I had never even heard of "Piano Man". And while Piano Man and all the rest of his library is amazing and Billy Joel is one of my all time favorites. I'd have to say the An Innocent Man LP tops the cake for me because there isn't a bad song in the mix! I have that CD memorized from beginning to end. This is one of the albums I taught myself how to harmonize too. And I think I especially love it because it's one of the only musical works my entire family can agree on listening too. All the songs are my favorite but some you should definitely listen too are. . . .

"Uptown Girl"

"Tell Her About it"

and

"Leave a Tender Moment Alone"

Garth Brooks- In Pieces

When everyone else was going crazy for Grunge and Gangsta Rap I was massively immersed in my love for Country music and had big dreams of being a country music sensation. Artists like Garth Brooks and Reba McIntyre were my hero's! Garth Brooks "Ropin' the Wind" was my 2ND CD ever, but his "In Pieces" Album had the most influence on me, also because that's when he had that Madison Square Garden concert on TV and he was smashing guitars and flying through the air, showing the world what an incredible showman he was. This is another CD I can listen to from beginning to end.

My favorites. . . .

"Callin' Baton Rouge"


"Red Strokes"

"Kickin' and Screamin"

and "One Night a Day"



Alanis Morisette- Jagged Little Pill




Oh Alanis! I remember the first time I heard "You Oughtta Know" I saw the video on MTV and I thought I don't normally go for the rock music, but I'm a big fan of this. Then my sister got the Cd and I was converted. Alanis's angst really spoke to me for some reason (still not sure why, I didn't have much to be upset about), I don't know what it was about her yodely voice, angry lyrics and harmonica Solos, but I loved it, unfortunately I've never been satisfied with an Alanis album since, I've said it before and I'll say it again. . . I love my Morrisette MAD!!! Apparently Dave Coulier needs to mess her over again!






Tracks I can't get enough of. . . .


"All I Really Want"


"Perfect"


"Mary Jane"


and


"Not the Doctor"




Salt N Peppa- Very Necessary






I once told Angie that the first Hip Hop song I remember really loving was Fantastic Voyage by Coolio, and that was the song that converted me to Hip Hop (embarassing I know!), but in researching for this blog I came to realize that that song dropped in '94 while Shoop by Salt N Peppa came out in '93 and I LOVED that song! So I guess I stand corrected!




A lot of my friends had the Very Necessary album, I remember my old buddy Julie Stokes getting that in her Easter Basket and I was JEALOUS!!! I almost had my Mom convinced to buy it for me once, when we were shopping in Tri-Cities, but when she realized what kind of music it was she made me put it back. . . .that was a sad day. I still got to develop a love and appreciation for that disc thanks to Julie letting me secretly listen to it!


Best song ever

"None of Your Business!"


and you can't go wrong with


"Whatta Man"



Dixie Chicks - Fly






Even though I may not agree with their political views, I don't really care, the Dixie Chicks know how to make a record! not only was their album art super clever on this CD, but all the songs on that disc are emotional and tell so many great stories! This album makes me wanna wright songs!


Songs you should hear if you haven't. . . .


"Let Him Fly"


"Hole in My Head"


"Heartbreak Town"


"Cold Day In July"



Alicia Keys- As I Am







I did love Songs in A Minor (Keys first disc), and pretty much anything Alicia does I absolutely LOVE!!!!! But her last record I thought was BRILLIANT! Another CD that I find very inspiring! Makes me wish I would have stuck to the piano lessons! Oh well, coulda, woulda, shoulda!


Tracks you should download ASAP


"Wreckless Love"

"Lesson Learned"


and

"Superwoman"



Bette Midler- Experience the Divine





I believe I have mentioned before my love for The Divine Miss M, If I could re-live the career of anyone in the music industry it would be hers! She is the ultimate entertainer for me! This is another CD I constantly smuggled from my sister, and on several occasions I recall donning an old french maid dance costume of mine and choreographing my own tap routine to "Miss Otis Regrets", that song was my JAM!!!!



Others jams to listen too. . . .


"Boogie Woogie Buggle Boy"


"One for My Baby (One more for the road)"

and of course

"Friends"



Justin Timberlake- FutureSexLoveSounds





As said by Pharell himself "Justin Wohooohyeah!" I'm crazy for Mr. Timberlake! This is no surprise, and his last album I'm crazy for as well! If you haven't heard the slew of his hits from this record then you have seriously been living under a rock! A lot of soul and Justin's own skills as a song writer went into this album and that's why it tops my list!




Songs I would die without listening too. . . . . . .


"Losin' My Way"


"Another Song (All Over Again)"


"Until the End of Time"

and "Chop Me Up"




The

Miseducation of Lauryn Hill- Lauryn Hill





This album solidified my love for R&B, Lauryn Hill converted me! I got this album and never looked back. You just have to hear it to understand, everything I love about music is on this album!





"Nothing Even Matters (Duet With D'Angelo)"



"Tell Him"



"I Used to Love Him (Duet with Mary J. Blidge)"



and my favorite, favorite, favorite



"To Zion"







OK my friends, I'm curious about what records have uplifted, inspired, or entertained you! this is a safe place,you will not be judged. . . . to your face!







Peace Out!!!!

"One Fine Day, your gonna want me for your girl!"- The Chiffons

Well my Darlings I do believe we are in the midst of another Wedding Season, and my Single Adult Ward (which is known for its marriage success stories) has officially caught the Eternal Marriage Bug! I have quite a few friends getting hitched in the next few months and like it usually does when I see and hear about others planning and preparing for their weddings, my mind drifts into the ever evolving list of things I want to have happen on my special day!

I made a temple time capsule back when i was about 16 and in that capsule (that I never sealed mind you) I stuck a bunch of stuff about qualities I want in a husband and qualities I need to develop in myself, as well as what Temple I wanted to get married in, and the ever popular letter to my future spouse telling him all about me then and what I hope we will be and do when we are married blah blah blah! Any who a few years later I started ripping out pictures in bridal magazines and ideas I liked from various articles and eventually I put together a dream wedding book. Now i know what you must all be thinking . . . . how silly right?

Well not so, I think it's important i keep these things logged and filed so i don't forget, because if you do it right hopefully you only marry once and I don't want to blow what could be my only wedding.

I recently looked through my book once more and realized I'm not a big fan of a lot of my choices so I'm updating via blog, my dream wedding! Because after all this is like my journal, so my apologies to those who just became disinterested, you may stop reading now!

Here's the deal. . . . . . I know this might sound crazy, but we Latter Day Saints are not known for our crazy elaborate wedding receptions (not around here anyway), most receptions I attend involve me grabbin' some mints, eatin' some cake, congrat's to the happy Couple and away I Go! There's usually no dancing, no toast's, no Bridal party, and no dinner. It's mainly just light refreshments and the Bride and groom standing in a line thanking their guests for 2 or 3 hours.

For some people that is all fine and dandy, but for this girl who loves a good excuse to throw a party, well that plan just ain't gonna fly!

Oh and I don't just want one day, I want at least a three day weekend long event! I'm talking a Thursday night dinner the day before the wedding with our two families and closest friends, perhaps a Bachlorette party, I want to get sealed in the temple on a Friday so that day can be dedicated to my Husband and I and we can focus on the more spiritual side of what's taking place, and that way Saturday can be the day to CELEBRATE the fact that the event I've dreamt about for a long long long time has finally happened! I don't think that's asking too much! All I want is my one moment!!!!

Over the years I've come up with quite a few ideas on just how I'd like my reception to be, and I just keep coming back to my original "Las Vegas" Themed wedding plan.

Here's the thing. . . . . .

Getting married by Elvis has always been a funny idea to me, and if I was not the religion I am I might have been married already in one of those crazy chapels in Vegas, just to say I did it, and then maybe pull a Britney and get it annulled 5 minutes later! I don't know, I could have been that crazy!
But that's beside the point, for my ring ceremony before my reception I have this cheesy musical extravaganza planned out in my head with musical tributes about love and marriage officiated by none other then the King of Rock n Roll himself Mr. Presley, I may not even call it a ceremony, it could be considered a program, or a presentation, or OK even a production. I just want My husband and I to show our love for each other via song and an Elvis impersonator. Since all the serious stuff like vows and promises where made the day before, I'm assuming it would be alright to get a little secular! Does this make sense? Well it does in my head!

THE RING

all I have to say is I need a wedding ring that is unique and has a lot of personality, I want something antique looking, and if it says something about vintage or filigree in the description, then I can pretty much guarantee I will like it, it doesn't even have to be full of diamonds, it could be some other kind of gemstone, all I know is, It better not be boring!

THE DRESS

There once was a time when I wanted the biggest poofiest Princess dress I could find, but i think I've come to realize that, with this body that might not be the best idea, so I've recently come up with a new plan, here's a few pieces of what I'm looking for in the perfect gown!

I love the sweetheart neckline, I think it's really feminine and a more flattering cut
on me, this next photo obviously has way more decolletage then I would show, but the shape of the dress i love!

I absolutely love the belted look, and don't you tell me it doesn't hold a purpose, because for me anyway it creates an illusion, an illusion that I just might have a waist, I do not care about false advertising, so a belt is necessary, maybe solid, maybe sparkly, maybe a bright color! I don't know yet, but the belt is fo sho!

I could even get a little wild and wear a mid calf gown like the one pictured here, that is also up in the air, but one thing that tops my must have list is the short veil. . . this better not go out of style before I take the plunge otherwise I might die!!!! I love love love it!

One idea I clipped out of a magazine like seven years ago was wearing bright colored shoes instead of white, forget flip flops, forget sneakers, forget slippers, a fabulous pair of pumps is golden but it seems to me that people keep stealing my idea!!!!! OK well I guess it wasn't my idea, but man I hate it when people beat me to the punch! It is a fun, no?

Cute shoes are fun!

Now, Depending upon my other accessories (ie veil a

nd belt) I could go with a solid color like these. . . .

Or get crazy with some sparkly stripes!

Or anchors away with these little sailor girl shoes! I love the little anchor detail!

Or stick with my first love animal print. . . .

We will just have to see!

THE TUX



My man will be looking super fly in a suit like this!!! Diddy knows how to keep it classy!

The Wedding Party


Now on to my bridesmaids i used to think dressing them up to look like showgirls would be a sweet idea, but honestly how do I do that without making them wear beaded bras and headresses. . . . .I don't want "the most inconsiderate bride. . . . ever!" award,

so I created plan B

How about we go more Cocktail waitress and less showgirl! I won't make them Carry around trays with packs of smokes or bottles of scotch, but I haven't ruled out fishnets stockings! I really think a dress like this. . . . . .

Or this, would be super fab. . . .with a cute little pill box hat or some kind of feather accessory like in this picture!

Then the groomsmen channeling a little Frank Sinatra
. . . . . but

Is it Frank Sinatra "Guys and Dolls"

or Frank Sinatra Rat Pack. . . . . . This is a toughie!

THE RECEPTION

The Photo Booth Guestbook

I've done some reading up and apparently you can rent old fashioned photo booths and your guests as they come in take photos in it, and out comes two strips of pictures, one for them to keep, and one for you to put in your guestbook! Is that not the coolest thing!

another brilliant wedding idea. . . .The Dollar Dance

and I think I have enough drinkers in my family to make this a profitable one.

for those that don't know the dollar dance is where the bride and groom play a few slow songs and the guests basically pay to dance with them. You get someone to hand out pins, people break out their wallets and start clipping money to the new bride and groom!

It bears repeating. . . best idea ever!





It wouldn't be my reception if we didn't have karaoke!

And yeah I want you to sing. . . so you better get the courage up!

and it wouldn't be a Vegas theme with out sequins and feathers

but maybe instead of just plain showgirls, we could work something like this out. . . . .

Come on a show girl table!!!!!!!! I dare someone to top this! I also wouldn't mind some good old fashioned funny money gambling
maybe a craps table or possibly just tables decorated to look like that stuff.
Also something I've tossed around!








Finally, as my new husband and I head off for our honeymoon
instead of rice, bubbles, marshmallows, whatever! Our guests light sparklers! I have loved this idea for almost a decade, some people have also managed to do this before me, but oh well, still love it! and look at the great photo op!

oh and the get-away car would have to be this. . . . .I mean really!

So this is my dream, maybe someday it will come true!. . . . man i better start saving now!

Do any of you have any great ideas you want to share about your secret fantasy wedding?

do tell. . . . . .

and peace out!

“It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours.”- Harry S. Truman

I got fired from the boys and girls club last week, yes that's right fired! Fired from a job that even 16 year old high school drop outs can excel at, but why and or what for you ask? Well I can't really point my finger at one thing in particular. Things started off so well, my interview was good and they called me like two hours later to offer me the job, then when I went in to fill out paperwork, the manager told me about how excited she was to have me work there and she had heard such good things about me, and I just kinda felt confident that even though I had zero experience with kids in that age range, and I've only done crafts not planned them, i thought hey how hard can it be, but boy I guess I was wrong.

The first week went fairly well in my mind, except for one minor incident involving the kids shutting my art room door and locking it while we where having a dance party and one little girls Dad ended up waiting at the door for like five minutes while Alli ( The Second in command) pounded on it to try to get someones attention, but no one could hear because the music was too loud. I didn't know at the time that my room door shouldn't be shut, anyway to make a long story short, I had a parent complain and Kayleen (My Boss) called me in that following Monday to discuss it and do a little evaluation to track my progress, If only I had known that would come back to bite me in the butt later!




After a couple weeks I got the feeling my Boss no longer thought very highly of me, because she had to get on me a lot for things like taking too long to prep my room for projects, or not regulating the supplies so the kids didn't use too much, or keeping my shelves organized, but I felt like when she reprimanded me about things I did what I could to change them, but I just felt like I wasn't what she expected and she was disappointed in me.



I'll be honest with you my friends I'm lazy by nature and I have zero to no organizational skills plus I get distracted really easy and so a lot of the time things don't get done in a timely fashion because I get side tracked or I try to take too much on at once! So I'm assuming my self evaluation was a little different from my boss's.






Anyway, the straw that broke the camels back was last Monday's craft. I got a recipe out of an art book for "Paper Clay" it's clay made out of construction paper, flour, and water. At one point during this activity I said to myself man this is going really well, I'll have to do it again sometime. . . . . Yeah, not so much! At one point I was helping some kids rip up paper while about 4 others where kneading their clay, when one kid took it upon himself to pour out WWWAAAYYY too much flour onto the table, but I thought no big I'm sure we'll use that all up anyway, once again BBAAADDD Idea! Some of my more rambunctious kids started spilling flour all over the floor making a mess but not one that I thought was impossible to clean up.




Then Inna (another staff member) came in to see what was going on and thought it would be cute to take pictures, and me who's always down for a cute photo op thought it would be funny to put flour on our faces, but I should have known better, because I guess my bright idea made the rest of the kids think it was OK to throw flour at each other.




The next thing I know Alli walks in to see flour all over about 3 or 4 kids and a flour trail from my room to each of the bathrooms and the Utility closet. She didn't say anything at the time, but I guess she was pretty pissed off.





Clean up time rolled around and I sent kids off to wash up, and enlisted some helpers with cleaning off the tables, but the two girls helping me with that thought it would be much more fun to have a sponge/water fight instead, thus making a lovely paste on my floor where there was once just flour! Turns out kids also had clay stuck to the bottom of their shoes
which ended up embedded into the carpet, I guess you could say things went from bad to worse at that point.






I mopped that floor twice and it ended up looking like I never touched it, and the carpet outside my room didn't look too great either, so I text my Boss Kayleen after words to inform her that I was super sorry, but my craft was way messier then expected and so my room was not in tip top shape and I would gladly come in the morning and clean up what was left to clean if she wanted, she did not appreciate that, and told me it sounded like there was a lack of control and said we would discuss it in the morning.




She text me the next day and asked if she could have a meeting with me that afternoon and the next thing I know is I'm being told yesterdays events where unacceptable and this job is not a good fit for me meaning as she didn't see any improvement from my first evaluation.






And like the true champ that I am I just hung my head and cried!






Cried because I didn't live up to the hype, cried because I lost my main source of income, cried because I had never been fired before, and cried because I was a failure.






I hated that job, I hated it because I knew I was no good at it, but I didn't want to quit just because I thought it was hard, and I really felt like I could improve myself there and isn't that what some jobs are for?






But never the less I guess we will never no what self improvements may have happened had I been a better employee.







I posted on my facebook that day that I felt like I was failing at life, because I'm getting older and I feel so far behind compared to the rest of the people my age, and I'm feeling unsure about the future and I just really don't want to be a loser, but I'm feeling more and more like one as I shift from job to job, and live from paycheck to paycheck.





For the most part I've felt like my life has been fairly trial free, and as I was sitting in Institute the night of my firing we where discussing Adversity and I came to the conclusion that this just must be the cross I have to bear, that I'm slower at life then everyone else! So I'm just gonna have to be patient until my proverbial ship comes in.




On a lighter note. . . . to quote from scripture and/or a talk from President Henry B. Eyring, "I am not yet like Job", if you read the bible and know about his story, that guy had it rough and lost everything, and I can't really complain because at least I still have my family and friends unlike him!




Oh and I can't forget to mention, after I got the boot I headed straight to the college career placement office and got some job referrals. I applied for a job at Safeway that night, and thanks to my good buddy Ken Russell I had an interview Monday and I got the job, but from this moment on I will no longer be discussing my jobs until they turn into things that are more long term, because I bet this constant job switcheroo is getting old! But I'm super thankful I was able to find something so quickly, that's a little unheard of around here!





The Glass is making it's way back to half full!







I hope you are all feeling a little peace in the midst of your trials as well!








and with that said. . . .






Peace out!

"Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' on the River!"- Tina Turner

Two weeks ago my fellow ASB officers and I did a little retreat, so we could plan out some things for this up and coming school year, and our first stop was Leavenworth and a little teambuilding excercise called white water rafting! I don't know exactly how well it worked, because we were all fairly solid as a team before, but we did get some pretty sweet pictures and had some nice laughs and what not, here are a few of those. . . . enjoy!


Rhoan our ASB President Round 2, Devin Peterson as Treasurer, CJ Hatch Public Relations, Jeff Ranstrom Vice President and then Rhen and I flipped flopped positions she is now the secretary and I am the Programming Director!




I would also like to make mention of how amazing I look in a wet suit. . . . or like not. . . I feel I looked more like an over-sized baby instead of a rafter. . . .wish you could have seen it!

We all took a shot at "Riding the Bull" aka sitting on the front of the boat and all of us managed to keep ourselves in the raft as well. I guess we only got pictures of Devin and I, here's Mr. Peterson in the thick of things!

Easy Breezy Devin, Easy Breezy!



Here comes a big one!



Doesn't even phase him!

Me on the other hand, Well. . . . . . . .

You win Drunkard's pass. . . . .You win!







wait. . . where did I go?

So yeah, you could say it was a good time!

I can't wait for someone to blackmail me one of these days with that one shot. . . .you know which one, it was a gem wasn't it?

Oh curse me for taking such awesome candid pictures!

and

Peace out!