Live. Laugh. Read.

My 2012 Manifesto

2012-01-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

man·i·fes·to

noun \ˌma-nə-ˈfes-(ˌ)tō\

plural man·i·fes·tos or man·i·fes·toes

Definition of MANIFESTO

: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

This year I pledge to:

1. Laugh at least once a day.
2. Do something that scares me.
3. Finish my novel.
4. Be more charitable.
5. Take better care of myself.
6. Be more empathetic.
7. Take advantage of every opportunity.
8. Love my life.
9. Stop letting my life pass me by.

Forgetting the Past is Hard to do.

2011-11-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

So I found my 8th grade journal while digging in the garage today. Let's just say that reading it was a bit humbling. No matter how smart we think we've always been, at one time we were stupid teenagers with an impossible crush. Check this:

APRIL 19, 2003
I didn't do much today, I thought about Clancy* again. His real name is Clancy Jones, I don't know his middle name. I really like him. I should say that I like things about him. I don't really know a ton about him. I know he plays guitar, I can kinda play the drums-- we could be a musically talented couple. He is a skater, too! He is also popular, the curse of any not super popular but not unpopular girl's crush. He seems so unattainable I know he would never go for a girl like me.

Really, Kristi!? Really? How ridiculous was that? I don't even remember thinking these things let alone writing them down. I'm blushing right now. Gosh, that's awful. The journal just gets worse from there, devolving into amateur sketches and declarations of unrequited love. I was a sad little girl.

I'll say this though, any guy I'm with will know how I feel about him. Apparently, I have lots of love to give. Crikey.

*Name changed to preserve my dignity...and his.

Bah!

2011-11-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

I've decided that after this post I will no longer write an apology post after not blogging in forever. Blogging means never having to say you're sorry, right? Besides, it ain't no thang, I'm back now.

I love that phrase,"ain't no thang". I giggle inside every time I say it. People probably hate me. So enjoy it, this my last apology post. Sorry.

All-Hoochies Eve

2011-10-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

What is it about Halloween that suddenly makes it okay for girls to dress like a slightly classier version of a hooker working her corner? Bees aren't sexy. They sting you and in some extreme cases even cause death. Ladybugs aren't sexy. They're bugs.

Same with the sexy maid costumes. While I understand that the thought of having someone come in and clean your house for you weekly so you don't have to inspires certain feelings, most maids I've met are older women trying to earn some "mad money". Not exactly Megan Fox.

It baffles me. And kind of makes me sick. All growing up, we had one real rule about Halloween-- we had to be something scary. I've been a ruthless witch, a heartless pirate wench, and a mystically terrifying gypsy. I think there were a few early years where we did cutesy family costumes, but that was it. I distinctly remember once asking my mom if I could be a princess. She responded with a , "you can be a zombie princess who wants to eat everyone's brains." I didn't want blood on my princess gown, so I chose something else.

I always had fun Halloweens and I never felt the need to flash the cleavage or show a massive amount of my pale thighs. For the better of everyone, ultimately. Let's keep our goodies in our treat bags, yes? Thanks.

Consistency

2011-10-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

I suck at consistency. My follow-through has never been very good. I always have the best of intentions. I always plan on cleaning my room each day so it stays nice. I always plan on doing my laundry weekly in order to avoid a clothes pile up. I always plan on writing oodles each day. I always plan on being a better blogger. Then life gets in the way and makes everything all hinky. I'm working on it.

In Love

2011-10-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed with this version of Frou Frou's "Holding Out For A Hero". Ella Mae Bowen has a beautiful voice.

2011-10-19T19:21:00.000-07:00

I may or may not have had an impromptu techno dance party in my underwear with my sister, while trying to clean my room. Some techno songs are really fun.

Impact

2011-10-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

When I was a senior in high school, every student had to complete The Power of One project in order to graduate. This included a report using a specific individual to answer the question , "Does one individual have the power to change the world?" We were allowed to agree or disagree with the question, but our research needed to culminate in a 15+ page report and a 20 minute presentation given to our peers.

I chose Alice Paul, an American suffragette , who fought for a woman's right to vote. She was an integral part to bringing about the 19th amendment. You all should check out Iron Jawed Angels, it was one of my favorite movies in high school.

I believe that one person does have the power to change the world. I believe that we all have that want, that need, inside of us to leave a mark. We want to leave something behind, to show that we were here.

It's human of us to want to leave a legacy. When I die , I want to have done something important, something worthwhile. It doesn't even have to be big. Just something that changed because of me.

All the greats in the world were just one man or woman. The marks they left started as ideas, as desires to make things different than they already were.

So do it. Get an idea and change the world. See the potential and make it happen. We all have a mark to leave, a gift to give. Let's get moving.

It's a BOO-tiful Season Part 1

2011-10-13T15:49:00.001-07:00

My mother is officially obsessed with Halloween. I've never seen her like this before. It's madness. There's a pic bomb going on in this post, and this isn't even the half of it.

Our porch is decorated, our mantle, part of the hallway, the living room, family room, and she wants to attack our bathroom as well.

It's a little bit ridiculous, right? We don't even really get any kids stopping by for candy.

You got to love her, when she goes big , she goes BIG!

Our Hitleresque vamp jack o' lantern window cling.

Ready to begin.

Witches hat underway.

Homemade wreath and fun door garland.

2 of the skull masks we glittified.

My mom really likes the spider webs, we have like 15 packs.

Black hat with purplish feathers and various colored jewels.

Covering the 3D skull in glitter. We used spray adhesive and started shaking.

2011-10-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this? I watched this fake trailer last fall and cracked up! I stumbled upon it again and thought I'd share it with all of you.

Jane Austen's Fight Club - watch more funny videos

Craft Collection

2011-10-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

These puppies are a part of the collection of craft ideas I want to try out. I saw these shirts at Old Navy a while back and thought they were adorable. The yellow one wasn't in my size, and the pink one was more expensive than I liked. Come on though, who wouldn't want fringe on their shirt!? Huh? That's right! Everyone should want fringe on their tee.

I totally think I could make these with a freezer paper stencil and some fringe and a sewing machine. It seems like it could be relatively simple. Sometime soon, I'm going to whip these out!

Grave Raver

2011-10-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

This guy is called the Grave Raver. My mom bought him for me last night when we were perusing the shelves in Walgreen's. Is it just me, or does he just make you giggle? I can't help but start to dance when the music starts playing.

I recorded a video of mine dancing, but Blogger was being weird and wouldn't let me upload it, so I found this vid on good ol' YouTube. I got the first skeleton shown, I personally think he's better than the 2nd one.

Sunday Snapshot

2011-10-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

Do you not feel like fierce x 1000 when your hair is all gussied up? I do.

Update

2011-10-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Russell Stover also makes marshmallow skeletons. Win.

Ta-da!!

2011-10-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

The big reveal!!!

New cut and color! Deep auburn with lots of layers and side-swept bangs. I cut a good 5-6" off.

Left: Length comparison Right: Color comparison.

About time...

2011-10-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm getting my hair done today, and it's about darn time. This hair has seen no love since the end of March. That's right, over 6 months ago!!! I'll try to be a good little blogger and post pics of the finished product, but it will be later because I have to babysit like all day.

Evolution

2011-10-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

The propensity for change that we, as humans, have has always amazed me. The idea that the things that we once loved so much, mean next to nothing to us now, is fascinating. Hairstyles come and go, Hollywood crushes fade, and sometimes that desire to collect trickles off.

We evolve. We grow. That which we once thought was the only thing we would ever love turns out not to be the end all be all.

When I was 10 years old, I was convinced that there would never be a time in the future that I wouldn't LOVE Pokemon cards. I was obsessed. I wasn't one of the posers either. I could battle. I laid out my energies like they were going out of style, blasting rival players with attack after attack.

Vulpix was always one of my fave Pokemon's. She kind of cute, no?

Every Friday after school, Ian, Katie, and I would walk down to Collector's Choice and buy a pack of Pokemon cards. Hoping that in said pack was a holographic card, or that it had a tiny star in the bottom right corner, hailing it a rare and sought-after Pokemon.

That box of cards that I so carefully and lovingly watched over as a youngster has been shoved under my bed. My money goes towards different things now. Books, clothes, music. Not better or worse passions, just different.

Music, I think, is where my tastes have really changed. In middle school and high school, you couldn't have paid me to listen to any slow songs. I was all about the drum beat and guitar riffs. The louder the better. I liked to hear the music pulsing. It felt alive some how.

I'm not sure when that changed, college maybe. There are sometimes that all I need to make it through the day is a soothing croon from Missy Higgins. The tinkling on piano keys or the smooth twang of a guitar. These songs feed my soul.

I'll hear a song and listen to it on repeat, unable to not have the sound surrounding me. Katie, more than anyone, has noticed my palette change. When we listen to my iPod while cleaning the kitchen and one of my smooth tunes comes on, she says, "Your music is weird." And it might be. It probably is weird. I just know that I need it.

Songs 1-4 and 11 were my angsty tunes that I loved when I was "angry" at the world. 5-10 are some of the chill beats that I love dearly now a'days. (I still kind of dig the angsty tunes, )

Confession

2011-10-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

This is going to out me as the total treat freak that I am, but one of my favorite things about holidays are the variously shaped, chocolate covered marshmallow candies from Russell Stovers. As it's Halloween, we are gifted with delicious pumpkins.

They are just the right combination of soft and hard. You get a crisp bite of snapping chocolate, followed by the fluffiness of marshmallow. Spot on awesomeness.

** Other varieties include Santa, Easter eggs, and hearts.

Cheater, Cheater.

2011-09-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

So I've finally caught up on my 30 Day Blog Challenge. If you're real smart (or not smart at all), you've probably realized that I've been back-posting a lot of my entries. This is because I suck. I went out of town during the middle of the challenge and never really got back into the swing of things.

I have a few more posts on the back burner that I'm working on right now, and hope to have up soon. Here's the challenge I did if you're interested at all.

Remember

2011-09-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

This post comes a little late but I've been thinking about it for weeks

but I wanted to get caught up with my other posts before posting new ones.

10 years ago today I was sitting in my living room reading a book before class. It was 6:30 in the morning and I was up early because my room was dirty and I had to get up to clean it. My dad called the house and told me to turn on the news. He was at the church where he had driven my sister to seminary that morning.

I turned on the TV and saw the towers. I watched the replay as the 2nd plane hit the towers. I gasped out loud. I remember not being able to catch my breath. I didn't understand what was happening. I was a 12 year-old 7th grader with limited world experience. I knew, in an abstract sense, that bad things happened. That there were people that made these bad things happen.

I was sick all day. At school, everyone seemed to me moving in a fog. I remember being in line for lunch when someone popped their chip bag and it sounded kind of like a gun shot. Everyone screamed and I ducked to the ground. Some people laughed. I remember wanting to cry.

The world didn't make sense after that. The idea that there were people in the world that would kill people simply because they were American shook me.

All those lives lost in the initial attack and those of the brave men and women who charged in to help will not go unremembered.

I was listening to this song on the way home from San Jose a couple of weeks ago and it hit me. In this twisted world, we need to stand together. United we stand. Love one another. Be excellent to each other.

Day 30: A photograph of you today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days.

2011-09-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Not the best quality pic, but it was taken with my iPhone because I was too lazy to scrounge up my camera and then transfer the photos to my laptop.

So. Three good things that have happened in the last 30 days

1. My friend and fellow blogger, Stacey Bond, came for a visit that consisted of a lot of watching The IT Crowd and painting our nails.
2. I got to go to Salinas to see some friends from college. It was heavenly. Not only seeing my peeps, but also because it was for reals 30 degrees cooler there than in Clovis.
3. I finally found a pair of black boots for the fall!! They're amazing! And I got them on major clearance. Sweetness!!

Via

Day 29: A TV show you're currently addicted to.

2011-09-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ok. So anyone that knows me, knows that I am a mondo fan of the picture box. I love tv shows. I get all giddy and emotionally invested in them.

A show that I've been a little obsessed with this summer is Rookie Blue on ABC. Though not super heavy on the really gritty side of law enforcement, this dramedy, is character driven. I like the characters and think that Ben Bass kind of kicks butt as Officer Sam Swarek, he's a little dreamy.

Day 28: Your favorite band or singer and why.

2011-09-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a definitive band or artist that is my favorite. I have "Favorite Artists of the Moment", though, and my favorite artist of the moment is Elli Goulding. I've listened to her album Lights on repeat for a couple of weeks.

Day 27: A photograph of the town you live in.

2011-09-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Clovis, CA is currently my home base. Nestled in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, Clovis is very hot. This hamlet is located very close to the more well-known city of Fresno.

My parent moved here my first semester of college, so here I am until I get a job. I grew up in San Jose, CA; so it's been a bit of a change.

Day 26: What's in your makeup bag?

2011-09-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

This is my train case where I store all my makeup. It looks a little daunting and is full of lots of stuff to enhance your already pretty looks.

The rundown starting in the top left and moving clockwise:
1. My eye shadows and hair ties/bobby pins. The compact with the eyes on it is the one I use the most often, it's from Too Faced and awesome.
2. The set of brushes that came with my Bare Minerals makeup.
3. My Bare Minerals makeup set including foundation, bronzer, blush, and a mineral veil. There's some more eye makeup, too.
4. The whole shebang.

My moisturizer and hair junk. Also some extra mascara for when mine dry up. I really like the Maybelline Falsies in the purple tube. On my hair I use Paul Mitchell's Super Skinny Serum, it makes my hair less tangly and easier to blow dry.

Most of the junk posted here I don't use on a daily basis. A lot of these goodies only come out on special occasions or a fancy night out.

Day 25: "A day in the life", photographs taken throughout your day.

2011-09-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

On this particular day*, I was awoken by my dad with the request to pick up some donuts. He's blind, so for obvious reasons he can't dash out and get his own. Following the donut run, I folded some laundry and worked on plotting my novel in Storybook, a writing software.

That evening the fam went to Popolo's Pizza for dinner, it's the best pizza we've found in Clovis so far. My family might have strayed to Jake's for a while, but I'm no fool. Popolo's has always been my main squeeze. I rounded out the day with some late night grocery shopping in 90 degree weather. It kind of sucked.

Thrilling, right?

* This isn't actually what I did on September 5th, because I don't remember what I did on September 5th. But this happened near September 5th. Good enough?

Day 24: A photo of your favorite fast food place to eat.

2011-09-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

I love fast food. I know it's supremely bad for you, but it just taste so good. I have a couple favorites.

When in Idaho or Utah, or other places that serve fry sauce, I love Five Guys. A bacon cheeseburger and an order of cajun fries, and I am sitting pretty. You have to have the fry sauce though. The experience without it is just not the same. I had my first visit post-Idaho and it just wasn't as delicious. Still an amazing place, though. Oh, and they give you a ton of fries, so if you go, share with a friend.

An all-around favorite is McDonald's. I love their double cheeseburgers. There's probably crack in them they are so good. For real. I'm pretty much always down for a cheeseburger. One of life's pleasures.

Day 23: Baby names you've always loved.

2011-09-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

I'm almost hesitant to post the names I love here as I don't want them to get taken before I can use them. Let's face it though, pretty much everyone is closer to having a child than I am.

Anyways, here are some of the names I've always loved. They're not super crazy or anything.

Day 22: A photo of your favorite item of clothing.

2011-09-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

I think one of my favorite items of clothing is my grey bomber jacket from Torrid. I practically lived in this baby my last semester of college. Wear a hoodie underneath, and you're set for a really cold day.

Day 21: The Urban Dictionary definition of your first name.

2011-09-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

1. Kristi - A word used to describe a hott girl.

That girl's name must be Kristi, she is fineeee.

Day 20: A photo of the item you last purchased.

2011-08-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

The last item I purchased was a burrito from Habenero's in Salinas, where I had dinner with me sister and some of my peeps from college. We went down for a 3-day visit with friends. It was so fun to see them. I miss the social aspect of college the most, especially as I pretty much know no one here.

If you're ever in Salinas, stop by Habenero's and try the number 3 burrito with asada. It's amazing.

Day 19: Something you want to do/Somewhere you want to visit this summer.

2011-08-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

I want to make some earrings. When I was at school I bought a couple fabric button kits, made some cute buttons, and attached posts to the back. Right now I want to go to Michael's, find some truly amazing buttons and go to town on them. Cheap and chic.

Day 18: A song lyric to match your mood.

2011-08-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

"Well, Im hot blooded, check it and see--I got a fever of a hundred and three."

After driving in 90+ degree heat to Gilroy in Katie's car with no air conditioning, I was feeling a little "hot blooded". It took forever to cool off...

Day 17: Your current wish list.

2011-08-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

On my wish list right now are several things. Some I want more than others, but they all hold a place in my wants.

These are a pair of Berry Suede System Heels size 10 from Torrid. They would look pretty great kickin it in my closet.

This is a yellow Nissan Xterra that I would love to have in my driveway, especially after almost 9 months without a car of my own.

This is the type of machine I learned to sew on up at school. It was an awesome machine, but so expensive!! I think it would be fun to have one of my own.

This little lovely is the beige Leatherette Bomber Jacket (size 2), from Forever 21. I can totally see myself rocking it this fall.

Last but not least, a bunch of moolah to pay of my student loans. Wouldn't that be nice?

Day 16: Your dream wedding.

2011-08-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

I know I want bright colors, but I'm not sure exactly which ones yet. Oh,and that's a paperdoll invitation on the right. How legit is that!?

Day 15: 10 things that remind you of your childhood.

2011-08-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Clockwise from left: The Chipmunk Adventure movie, Mall Madness board game, a Trampoline, Pogs, Harry Potter, Yoo Hoo (which is pretty awful nowadays), Pokemon cards, Barbie dolls, Lisa Frank stuff, and Boy Meets World.

Day 14: A photograph of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet.

2011-08-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

This is a lion cub. I know I can't keep him as a pet, but he's just so darn cute!

In real life, I've always wanted a dog. I think bulldog puppies are adorable!!!

Also, I read an article about this kitten that no one wanted to adopt because she looked like Hitler. I think that makes me want her even more.

Day 13: A song to match your mood.

2011-08-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

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I think this pretty much sums it all up nicely. I'm feeling lazy.

Day 12: What's in your bag?

2011-08-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Clockwise left to right.

1.Wallet 2. Checkbook 3. NOOK Color 4. Camera 5 . Lip Gloss 6. Water Bottle 7. Oil-blotting Sheets

8. Pill Case 9. Pen 10. Compact Mirror 11. Touch-up Powder 12. Coin Purse 13. iPhone 14. Orbit Gum

Guest Posting!

2011-08-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm guest posting at Hannah Explains It All today, if you want to swing by and read it. Hannah is one of my good friends from girl's camp and I am honored that she wanted to include me in her event. Read it here.

Day 11: A singer or band you think are underrated.

2011-08-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Amos Lee or Missy Higgins. Both of these artists have super chill vocals and kickin lyrics. I love listening to them sing!

Love him. "Sympathize" and "Colors" are both phenomenal.

Start this one on about the 24 second mark. All the other versions were live or covers and I wanted you to hear the version I fell in love with.

Day 10: Put your iPod/iTunes on shuffle: First 10 songs that play.

2011-08-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

Moves Like Jagger- Maroon 5
Rite of Spring- Angels and Airwaves
Don'T Stop Believin'- Flight 409
Someday- Rob Thomas
Fall Apart - Less Than Jake
Let It Be- Across the Universe Soundtrack
Represent, Cuba!- Dirty Dancing Havana Nights Soundtrack
Don't Leave Me- The All-American Rejects
Damsel in Distress- Steffany Gilbert (My college roommate!)
Evidence- Jimmy Eat World.

Day 9: A photograph of yourself 2 years ago.

2011-08-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Summer 2009. I was living in Rexburg, ID with all new roommates. We had a blast!

This is the semester that we made lava cakes at least once a week, although twice a week was not unheard of. Lava cakes and muddy buddies. AMAZING.

Day 8: A song that reminds you of the person you're closest to.

2011-08-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

The person I'm closest to is my sister. There are so many songs that remind me of her.

I just going to make a list.

Beat on the Brat- The Ramones- We used to listen to this on the way to seminary my sophomore year.
Mr. Brightside- The Killers- Ever since she told me she thought "eager eyes" was "eagle eyes" I can't help but to laugh and think of her when I hear this song.
On the Rise- Dr. Horrible's Sing A-Long Blog- I always sing Dr. Horrible's part and she sings Penny's. It's not the most on pitch duet, but it's a lot of fun!!

Day 7: Random piece of information #2

2011-08-18T13:16:00.000-07:00

My dad backed over my foot with our truck once. I was getting my backpack out of the back of the truck at school and he started backing up, smashing my foot in the process. Luckily, he really only pinched the tops of my toes and nothing was broken.

I got a note to sit out P.E. though, and the T.A. didn't believe me. I remember sitting in the bleachers, watching the class run, and she started talking in a haughty voice about how stupid some of the excuses were.

"One girl actually wrote that her dad ran over her foot. Really!?" I was appalled.
"Yes, really! He backed over my foot," I said. She didn't like that, choosing to stare me down. But I'm happy to say that she looked away first. Power trips are never pretty.

Day 6: One thing you hate about yourself.

2011-08-17T15:08:00.000-07:00

You all probably think I'm going to say that I hate that I'm fat. While it's true that my fat is not my friend, I really hate the fact that I'm a little hairy. I have major eyebrow issues courtesy of my dad. They grow in weird angles, too. Katie was born with perfect arches and blond hair. While I love my dark hair, I sometimes think it must be nice to have eyebrows that look tame all the time because the unruly hairs are so light.

Being unnaturally pale with dark hair doesn't always mix. It makes everything more prominent. Sigh..

Day 5: One thing you love about yourself

2011-08-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

I love my sense of humor. It makes me happy.

Day 4: Your idea of the "perfect" first date

2011-08-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

My idea of the perfect first date, I think, is an arcade. That way there is always background noise to avoid awkward conversation lulls. You can get a little competitive with your date by playing a game together, then you can chat over pizza or something at the food court. Easy peezy.

Day 3: A photo of yourself taken today + a description of your day.

2011-08-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Snapshot taken on my bed this evening.

So after a late night, I set my alarm to 11:45 to get ready for church. I woke up at 11:45, changed the alarm to noon, and went back to sleep. Cue my mother busting in the room, asking if I was going to church. I was like chillax, it's not even 12 yet. My mistake because it was actually like 12:45. I had slept through my alarm, or turned it off in my sleep. Which is pretty impressive because you have to slide your finger across the screen to turn the alarm off. Skills, people. It takes skills.

After missing church I hung around the house. Reading, chilling on my bed, etc. Then we all went to my aunt's house for dinner and had tasty burgers and good fruit. Following that, I held my cousin Heather's new bunny Miso,( he's adorable!!), brought my dad home and have been browsing the interwebs ever since with a slight break for a bowl of cookies and cream ice cream.

That's my day y'all! Hope you enjoyed the play by play.

Day 2: A random piece of information about you

2011-08-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with British quiz shows. Nevermind the Buzzcocks is my favorite. I can and have watched episodes on youtube for hours.

Challenge Accepted

2011-08-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

So I saw this 30 day blog post challenge a few days ago that I thought it was pretty cool, because it's different than most challenges I've seen. So I'm going to give it a whirl!!!

Day 1: What you want to be when you grow older.

As most of you know, I have grand dreams of becoming a published author. I want to make people laugh, and cry, and be swept away with my characters.

Right now I'm working on a David Sedaris-esque book with my sister. It's shaping up nicely. It makes us giggle.

My first published work can be read here.

Midnight Manicure 500 Follower Giveaway

2011-07-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

So there's this super sweet giveaway over at Midnight Manicure that I want thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifo win. It's a super legit nail site full of fun nail stuff. I like knowing that there are places out there that feed my growing obsession with nail polish. It's kind of ridiculous. I really want the nail art kit that is up for grabs. It's amazing. Check out the site!

22

2011-07-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

I turned 22 last Sunday, and was able to have my family over to celebrate with me. This is the first birthday since 2007 that I've been able to spend it with family. Katie made me a really great tie-dye cake with fondant zebra stripes.

My mom made fajitas and we had a little Mexi-feast. Thanks everyone for coming and partying with me!

Mischief Managed

2011-07-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get to go to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Our whole group dressed up, it was a lot of fun!

All of the wands we made. They're super legit!

Chris and Julie were Lupin and Tonks.

Katie was Bellatrix Lestrange and I was Hermione Granger. (We reenacted the torture scene from part 1)

The three of us.
Me and Neville Longbottom. I like to call him Neville Sexybottom since he grew up so well. :)
Tori went as Moaning Myrtle. People were stopping her all night to tell her they loved her costume. She even got up in the front of the theater and performed Moaning Myrtle's monologue from the Chamber of Secrets! It was pretty fantastic.
My, I mean Hermione's, one true love, Ronald Weasely.
Bellatrix and Hermione, facing off.

We had a blast taking pictures, and an even better time watching the movie. There were a few things that I would have done differently but, it was pretty amazing!

Doing

2011-07-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

This is the next craft on my list I want to try, an upcycled tie necklace. Tutorial here.

I'm going to use this tie and sew it directly to a white or black shirt, instead of just making a necklace. I hope it works out well.

Katie and I have a bunch of vintage ties we got from an old man in our ward after we helped clean out his house. The possibilities are endless!!! I haven't bought the suit button yet, but I'll keep you guys posted on my progress.

BBQ Burgers and Corn on the Cob

2011-07-09T03:24:00.000-07:00

Do these cheeseburgers make you hungry for... dessert? We made some cheeseburger cupcakes for our church BBQ last week, and it was lots of fun. They were fairly simple to make. The hardest part was mixing the different colors of frosting.

Katie and I definitely agree that the little toothpicks really make the cupcake. We used yellow cake for the buns and brownies for the hamburger patty.

We also made some corn on the cob cupcakes that we decorated with similar colored jellybeans and a yellow starburst for butter. It turned out quite cute in my opinion.

The recipes and how-to's can be found here and here.

Phooey

2011-07-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

So my big laptop has given up the ghost and I am working on this little beauty as of late. One of the hinges on my screen broke a month or so ago and it finally stopped working on Sunday night.

Though cute the mini is, it's not the most convenient thing ever to type on. The keyboard is smaller so my fingers feel weird while typing and the screen is smaller and sometimes the trackpad freaks out and makes the screen really large then really small.

I'm trying to be a more responsible blogger and be more dependable in my posting. I'm hoping my computer switcheroo, won't mess everything up.

I'm doing a few back postinggs, so check them out over the next couple of days. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!!

Envy

2011-07-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned before how badly I wish I could sing? Kind of a lot.

I'm really impressed with this girl she has an amazing voice and is a pretty classy person. All of her covers are great.

Words

2011-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

Words are powerful. They have the ability to change lives. A well-crafted sentence can cause a person to weep or laugh out loud. Words spoken in haste can hurt feelings. Words are everything. It amazes me, that as an English major, I still sometimes forget that.

I forget that my words have an impact on those around me. I forget that I have the power to make someone happy or sad with the things that come out of my mouth. It affects people.

Sometimes my words are spoken with little thought as to the reception they might have. It's those words that hang around the longest. Those words that once spoken, can never be taken back. The words that are spoken or typed quickly, without filter, are the ones that really make me pause later.

My words have made people laugh and they have made people cry, not always in a good way. I apologize for that. My only excuse is that I'm young and somewhat full of myself sometimes. I make mistakes and those mistakes sometimes end up screwing over other people.

To those that I have hurt with my words, I apologize. Most stemmed from too little sleep and the inability to slip into slumber. You didn't deserve my rancor and I hope that you'll forgive me sometime.

I'm a writer that is still learning when to leave the thoughts in my head unwritten. It's something that I'm fervently working on.

Currently Listening To:

2011-06-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

It Starts by Nerina Pallot
Odyle by Heloise and the Savoir Faire
Paris (Ooh la la) by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Blink by Revive
Pretending by Glee Cast (Don't judge me, people)
Light Up the World by Glee Cast
As Long As You're There by Glee Cast
Colors by Ryan Innes (The original by Amos Lee is pretty amazing, too)

Juice

2011-06-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

This stuff is dang good. My dad picked it out at Trader Joe's but it turns out he can't drink it because it has too much potassium or phosphorous or some other p word. It's refreshing and 100% juice. No 5% real juice here people.

It's 130 calories per 8 oz. I have no idea if that's good. I obviously don't know much about calorie intake. I thought some of you might care. So if you stop in at Trader Joe's try a bottle, and pick up a bag of these, as well.

Future, future, future.

2011-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

As Katie said in this long, rambling, almost pointless post on her blog, we're writing a book together. It will be very David Sedaris-esque, minus the drug use.

The book will be a compilation of our favorite and slightly crazy childhood stories. I'm looking forward to finally being able to get it going and write some.

We'll keep you appraised of our progress. If nothing ever comes of it, then at least we have a cool memory to give to our family.

Confession: One of Katie's and my favorite things to do is to pretend that the book has already been published, is a best-seller, and we are preparing to go on a nation-wide book tour. We think we would be hilarious at a live reading. Seriously, it would be awesome.

This is an excerpt of one of David Sedaris' stories "6-8 Black Men" It's my favorite.

Yum!

2011-06-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

These puppies are quite tasty. I recommend them highly. They're addicting and enjoyable. My mom brought them home from Costco to stay with us. They're visit turned out to be short indeed. I usually go for the softer/chewy cookie, but the crispness of the ginger snap paired with the zing of lemon was actually very nice. Fan girl here.

Ermdnfg,,,,

2011-06-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Back again, doing that same old song and dance. My intentions are good, but my follow through sucks. To the 3 people that actually read my blog, I apologize. Whenever I think to blog, I'm right in the middle of something and I can't. I actually should be doing something else right now, but I just had to put something up.

I really am trying to do better. I'm planning a schedule so that I can get everything done that I need to do each day. I'll have some blogging time and some writing time, and some lazing on the couch watching Prison Break/Angel/Buffy/Ally McBeal time. I'm going to craft some, and try out new recipes, too.

Hopefully this will be a happening scene in the near future. Don't write me off just yet.

Err...

2011-05-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, obviously that didn't work.

2011-05-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hey world. I'm a little bit bashful today since it has been a while since we've seen each other. So much time has passed. I realize that my blogging the past 3-4 months has been less than stellar. Me, the girl who used to have to restrain herself from posting 5 times a day, now goes weeks without nary a peep.

I'm trying to do better. In an effort to get myself up and dressed everyday at a decent hour, I'm going to post a picture of my daily wardrobe. Not that you all care at all what I'm wearing, but it gives me a reason to post something, and to get myself gussied up on a regular basis.

My mom has made the claim that all I blog about is food. Sorry if it seems that way. I did study culinary arts after all. I just like to cook. And bake. And eat. Mostly eat, though. So I will continue to post recipes that I like and endorsements of deee-licious snacks that I stumble upon.

I'll try to do some back pots, but don't get too excited, we all know how quickly I lose focus.

Later. I think you'll be seeing more of me in the future.

Endorsement

2011-04-22T20:20:00.001-07:00

These taste like everything good in the world wrapped up into a bite-sized morsel. They're called Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels from Trader Joe's. Seriously. Amazing. Pick some up. So good. Like really. No joke. Eat them. Love them. Become slave to them.

Church Memory

2011-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday School Teacher: So what are some of your favorite songs?
Random Dude: Blankety blank by Shinedown.
Random Girl: That firework song by Katy Perry.
Me: Highway to Hell by AC/DC.
*******Silence*******
Was it something I said?

Emoman

2011-04-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

So I finally saw most of Spiderman 3 tonight with my FHE brothers. How ridiculous is this movie?

The dialogue? Awful. Tobey Maguire's face and hair? Awful. James Franco's stoned-like performance? Awful.

I was laughing the whole time!!

Some winning lines:

"Come here, Spidey."
"Get us some shade, hot legs.'

Hot legs? Picture this coming from a swooshy-banged, pale, depressed, emo Spiderman.

Awful!!

Pastry Final

2011-04-04T22:29:00.000-07:00

My pastry final was today and I rrrrrrocked it! I totally expected my teacher to fall on the floor and worship at my feet.

"Oh, Kristi. Please impart your pastry wisdom to me. I am not worthy!"

Ok, not really, but he said nice job and that it tasted good.

I made a deconstructed eclair with chocolate sauce and a tuille cookie. The bottom layer is pate choux, the middle is pastry cream, and the top is whipped cream. It's basically a scaled down version of the giant eclair my family makes.

I made everything on the plate by hand except the strawberry. I'm good, but not that good. I think I got a pretty good grade on it.

Woot! Woot!

Old School

2011-03-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Circa 4th grade.

I certainly hope I've grown into my looks.

Hot Dang!

2011-03-28T18:48:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of a fancy schmancy French cake I made in my Pastry class today. It turned out really good. It's 2 layers of genoise cake soaked with a vanilla syrup and separated by raspberry preserves. We used an Italian meringue icing and coated the sides with slivered almonds. We finally took the torch to the whole cake to finish it off. I think it's pretty.

Rawh...

2011-03-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of prepping for finals and getting ready to head home. I sorted some of my clothes today into garbage, D.I. (like Salvation Army), and keep bags. I did this at the end of last semester too, but I decided I still have too many clothes. No one needs this much. That and I still have some clothes at home as well. There's not room for everything! So far I have a big bag set to donate and am moving on to a 2nd one. It feels good to cleanse. I'm weeding through my shoes, too.

My room is in a shambles. Not only because it is regularly dirty, but because stuff is strewn all about. I charge head on and lose gusto in the middle of the process. I'm trying to do better. It was my goal to get my bedroom cleaned tonight. We'll see how that goes.

I did get the laundry I did on Friday night put away. 2 days is way better than the 2 weeks it usually takes me.

I talked to Katie for an hour last week, just chatting. It was SO nice. I miss my family. They're coming up for my graduation and I can't wait to see them. We just party harder together!

I'm Still Currently Breathing

2011-03-27T18:06:00.000-07:00

Dude. I'm sorry I've been so lame and that this blog has been ZERO fun to read as of late. I've just been in this weird mood all semester. I've had a hard time noticing the little details that usually spark blog posts.

Coming up on the end of the semester and things are getting crazy!! I'm just trying to keep my head and get stuff done.

Songs I'm digging right now:

Chop and Change- The Black Keys
All songs by Adele. Especially "Rolling in the Deep" and "Set Fire to the Rain".
What Are Words- Chris Medina
Happy Again- Iwan Rheon
Stop- Jimmy Eat World

In Love!

2011-03-17T15:57:00.001-07:00

If you haven't tried these before, please do. I love them. They were a WinCo purchase last week and I just opened the box today. I can't stop eating them. So tasty!!!

Truth

2011-03-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Word.

Back in the Shower Again

2011-03-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Last June I told the world about my little sanctuary. The place I like to hang and think things through. Well, I went back there today. I had an extra long shower and sat for a good 20 minutes.

This is my last semester of college and it's hard. I know I constantly harp about the future, the real world, and a grown up job, but it's more real now than ever.

I've always made allowances for myself. "Oh, I'm still in school" "I won't graduate for 2 more years". But soon I won't be in school anymore. Then people will expect things. Like a career and accomplishments and the paying of my own bills. That's terrifying.

I always expected that this time in my life would be weird and somewhat scary, but I wasn't prepared to feel like this.

Happenings

2011-03-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

I don't want you to think that nothing's been happening in my life, because stuff has. I've just felt zero motivation in blogging about it. So I'm going to do sort of a photo essay of the last little bit.

Included in these shots are pics of stairs I use to get to class. They were crazy covered last week. Usually the school is really good about keeping things clean. Next, a muffin recipe I tried that was delicious.

The rest of the pics chronicle my journey to make a Mirabelle Pithiviers for my Pastry midterm. It's basically a pie made of puff pastry. Mine was filled with almond cream and peaches. I ended up spilling a bunch of crap on me and all over the floor. It was funny/embarrassing as there were several witnesses to my humiliation.

When I was just about to tell the puff pastry to go to hell, my friend Scott stepped in and started rolling it for me. He told my roommate Sierra to clean up a bit and I got to sit and eat almond cream off my spatula as others worked around me. I couldn't have planned it better myself!

The end result was cool, but a little unsatisfying. It tastes like a glorified turnover.

Treacherous stairs on the way to and from school

The same stairs cleared a few days later

Cinnamon Doughnut Muffns via The Noble Pig

Cleaning up a butter/water/flour mixture off the floor

Friends pitching in to save my sanity

Practice

Midterm

Pillow Cookies

2011-02-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

So a couple of weeks ago I tried to make this recipe for Family Home Evening. They were supposed to turn out all beautiful and delicious, but that wasn't the case for me. They were an epic fail.

Instead of turning into beautiful pillows of tasty chocolatiness, they looked slightly pornographic.
A fact I didn't realize until my FHE brothers snickered like a bunch of 12 year-old's when they saw them. It was both funny and distasteful. I have plans to try them again, and hope that things work out better...

Envy

2011-02-18T23:34:00.000-08:00

I wish I could dance. Like really dance.

I want to be hardcore like them. I think it would be fun.

Thought

2011-02-12T01:35:00.000-08:00

All the freaking time.

...

2011-02-10T00:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I stumble across words that are so beautiful I'm speechless.

Want

2011-02-04T11:09:00.001-08:00

If I have money left over this semester I'm going to buy this swimsuit. I've had the same one since I started college. It might be time for an upgrade...
Found @ Torrid.

It's here!!

2011-02-01T06:58:00.000-08:00

Beginning of my story.

Remember a couple of months ago when I posted about this? Well, it's February and the time has come.

My short story is up and ready to be read. Reading it again, I found things I want to change. Do writers ever really feel like a work is done? They just throw it out there and hope for the best.

Blue Lake Review's intro. Notice "up and coming writers"

Anywho, I hope you'll take a minute to read it. Also check the Contributors page, because, oh fancy that, I'm a contributor!!

Read it here.

Conclusion

2011-01-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if there is anything sexier than a British man reading Pride and Prejudice aloud. Sigh..

Who Needs a Cape?

2011-01-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

I worked at the Major Fair yesterday. The event where each major on campus gets a table and a few chairs in the gym to chill in. They are there to answer questions students might have. To help them figure out what they want to study.

It was so cool. I answered questions. I was excited. We talked with enthusiasm about the teachers in the English department and our favorite literature classes (BritLit). We told people what classes to take to fit what they wanted to do.

"You need the screenwriting class. I've only heard good things."

"You think writing is cool (it is), take one of our creative writing classes."

I felt like an English super hero. Helping people figure out their path is a heady experience, I can see why some might find the job of guidance counselor appealing.

Truth

2011-01-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

Word.

Word(more or)less Wednesday

2011-01-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

Money would be nice, too...

Muchness, Where Are You?

2011-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

As of late, I've felt like I have lost my muchness. That oomph, a certain joie de vivre, that fire, has been missing.

I'm back in school for my last semester, possibly my most challenging yet. And it kind of sucks. I was all gung ho (is that how it's spelled?) about going back to school and changing my habits, but now that I'm back, that seems harder to do. I think that essentially, I'm a lazy person. I kind of like things to be easy. I don't like putting time into things that I don't enjoy doing. This makes it especially difficult to get my homework done. I always find things I would like to do more.

I'm on that path back. Avoidance isn't working. The work's still there, waiting for me, just piled up even more.

It's really my attitude that sucks. I need to change my way of thinking. I know I say that a lot, and since this blog is more for my benefit than for yours, I guess I'll keep saying it until it really sinks in. I need to change some habits, and learn to have a little faith.

I got a fantastic father's blessing from my dad before I came back to school this semester. In it everything was reaffirmed to me that I am heading in the right direction. But that direction is still fraught with blind spots and speed bumps.

Things are kind of starting to come together, slowly but surely. I had a good time at church yesterday. I laughed a lot. I'm making more friends and that makes me feel good. As that change occurs, I'm hoping others follow suit. I haven't been myself, my "muchness" if you will, has been missing.

I'm trying to get it back, but it's not an overnight kind of thing. I'm looking forward to the process though. Maybe in the future, my posts will seem much more muchier.

Really!?

2011-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

So we can't even put our own shoes on now? While I can see the appeal to the older, crotchety demographic, what do you want to bet that the biggest purchasers are like 18-30 year old's. Le sigh, what is the world coming to...?

Things that Make Me Happy

2011-01-17T11:23:00.001-08:00

How excited my mom sounds when she answers the phone whenever I call.

Truth

2011-01-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

Word.

14 years...

2011-01-14T12:38:00.001-08:00

So today marks 14 years ago that our house burned down. It doesn't feel like that long. I still remember waiting outside, watching the smoke stream off of our roof, not knowing what would happen.

I was in the 2nd grade, awake getting ready for school. Our clothes were fluffing up and getting a blast of heat in the dryer out in the garage. It was January and it was really cold outside.

When it was all said and done, we were lucky. Incredibly blessed that we were all awake when the fire started. It spread so quickly that the outcome could have been quite different had we been asleep.

Our dryer caught on fire. Apparently, you're supposed to clean the back panels and make sure they're free of lint. So get on that if you were blissfully ignorant about that little tidbit. It lit up our garage. Burning family photos and many memories. My baby pictures included. I have very few photos of myself as a youngster, and that makes me sad.

We got to sit in the police chief's car as firefighters battled the flames. He had a phone in his car( big business in those days), that we were able to use to call family and friends. They closed our street, and anyone that knows Foxworthy, knows that it is a main thoroughfare. 4 or 5 firetrucks surrounded our little 1 story home.

We lived with my dad's parents for the 9 months or so our house was being worked on (we had a really sucky construction company that I hope has gone out of business since). We got to know them better, and rebuild our house in the way we wanted. We lived and realized that material things aren't as important (gasp) as we thought.

Like my uncle, Dave, likes to say, "That's like a blessing in disguise." And it was.

Drool

2011-01-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

These shoes might quite possibly have been made for me.

2011-01-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

I grumble a lot. About the weather, about having no clean clothes, about my favorite shows that are on hiatus. I'm a grumbler. I think I've always been like that. I've never been one to suffer in silence. It's dawning on me, that this isn't appropriate behavior for a 21 year old, soon-to-be-grad from college, girl. I should be better.

So that's the goal. On top of actually graduating this semester, that is. I'm going to try and be less grumbly, and more smiley.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

2010-12-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

Last January I wrote a post about a junk yard I saw off the side of the freeway on the way back to school. It is with a sad heart that I announce that my little red baby wagon, the Ford Escort SE, has gone to just such a place.

She was a valiant car (aren't all cars girls?), who made it through 2 teens learning to drive, a head-on with the house, a rear-end collision with an Idaho hillbilly, and was finally thwarted by an icy road and a cement median in podunk Idaho.

She will be missed, especially as I walk myself around Rexburg in the middle of the winter.

She served as my get-away car, my partner in crime, my location for many a photo shoot. She had zip and grit. She carried her battle scars proudly and with strength.

Wagon, my friend, rest in peace.

1998-2010

Happy Birthday

2010-12-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

She's a cut above, that mother of mine. Always doing what needs to be done and fighting the good fight. I love her bunches and think that she is just the bees knees. Do bees even have knees? If they do, they must be freaking awesome because my mom is.

Happy Birthday Mom. You're a lady and a scholar, I love you.

Missing You

2010-12-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

While today is my dad's birthday, it was also my Aunt Shelly's, his older sister. Shelly recently passed away and our family is feeling the loss keenly this season.

I have memories of my dad calling Shell every year on this day, joking with her about how she got the best birthday present ever, him. I know he missed her today, as did all of our family.

Shelly lived a beautiful life, and we'll continue to remember her and honor that fact.

Happy Birthday, Shelly. We love you.

Papa Wallwork

2010-12-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

My dad was born today, and thus began the life of a true hell-raiser. Some of the stories I've heard about his childhood are kind of ridiculous. Fires, cutting down trees, selling a faulty car to his shop teacher are just a few.

For all his gruff, he's really the sweetest guy I know. He's endlessly generous and genuinely enjoys giving to others. It's definitely something I admire about him.

From him, I was lucky enough to inherit the Wallwork short legs and long torso. Let's not forget my unibrow that I'm not always the most diligent about keeping under wraps. I also inherited his love of listening to music loudly and the enjoyment of good food.

He's always encouraged me to do what makes me happy, even if he doesn't necessarily understand why it does.

I love my dad, and I know he loves me.

Happy Birthday, old man!

Cosmically Awesome!

2010-12-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

It's finally happened! The universe has shifted. The fates have come together. The cosmics have aligned. Dare I say, that I am a little golden today?

One of my short stories was accepted for publication at an online lit magazine. It doesn't pay anything, and honestly, it's probably not that hard to get accepted there, but I'm excited none the less.

My short story, "Waiting", will be published in the February 2011 issue of Blue Lake Review. I wrote the story for a class, and submitted it for publication as a final assignment. And it got accepted. This has seriously made my year. I'm so pumped up I just want to write for days! Maybe when I get home...